Chapter Twenty
Argus dropped us off in the city. He waved us a silent goodbye and then drove off back towards camp. I sighed, blowing the hair in front of my face skyward.
"Well, it looks like we're on our own, huh?" said Percy, in an attempt to lighten the mood. I looked at him in the ‘don’t even try’ way. He looked down at his feet sheepishly. After that, we all walked in silence towards the bus stop.
On the walk, Devin and Percy talk quietly to each other about something I can barely hear. I honestly don’t care. When we’re just feet from the bus stop, Devin’s bowed head shoots up, listening intently. Then Percy and I hear it, too.
There is a noise from behind us. We look back tensely, and see, to my horror, the woman in the trench coat.
Stheno.
"Stheno?! I thought I killed you! I almost DIED killing you!" I cry, activating my sword. Percy and Devin are behind me, brandishing their own weapons.
"No, foolish one, I am Euryale, sister of Stheno. You have killed my sister, and I've come to avenge her!" shrieks Euryale. Suddenly, she's the ugly monster Stheno had turned into- a gigantic, ugly serpent with snakes for hair and claws for fingernails. Instead of legs, she has a big tail. She waves her hand, and Percy and Devin fly back into an ally, lost among old boxes and garbage cans.
I jumped out of the way as Euryale threw her tail in my direction, screaming with rage. I slashed away at her tail, scratching it up pretty good, but not good enough to kill her.
"I will throttle you, Daughter of Aphrodite!" she screamed.
"Not...before...I CUT YOUR TAIL OFF!" I bellow. Taking all the anger inside me, all the anger that had built up inside the past few weeks, all my feelings that had been bottled up, I unbolted them, and let them out in a cold, harsh wind of fury.
Euryale flew back five feet as I hit her hard with the butt of my sword. She got up faster than a cheetah and charged at me. I slashed the air, but missed her. She was three feet away and she leans forward, faster than anything. Suddenly, there was a stinging pain in my left leg.
I look down at my leg. It's bleeding heavily, but the blood isn't red. It's the ugliest mix between red and green that I have ever seen, gushing from teeth marks where Euryale had evidently bit me. I feel like I’m about to faint, but I pull through and continue fighting.
After minutes of slashing and kicking and bleeding, I finally manage to cut off Euryale's arms. She barely has enough time to look at me, then at the bloody stumps before I cut a deep, fatal X mark on the front of her, and she disintegrates.
I, breathing heavily, drop the bloody sword out of my hand and fall down. My leg can barely sustain my weight anymore. Percy and Devin rush out of the ally and over to me just in time for me to black out.
*****
"Here, Percy. Not much but-," I heard Devin start to say.
“But it's enough to help Violet."
"Help me what?" I croak as my eyes open. Percy and Devin sigh in relief.
“Thank the gods!” Devin says, sounding close to tears.
"Help you stay alive," says Percy grimly, "Violet, stay still." Percy pours nectar down my throat, and immediately, the wounds start to close. The pain, however, hasn't left.
"I think it might be infected. Here, take one bite of the ambrosia," says Devin, reaching into his bag and taking out and ambrosia square. I take it and take the biggest bite my body will be able to deal with.
"Come on, Violet; let's help you get on the bus. Don't worry, I healed all your other wounds, so we don't look a mess," Percy says as he and Devin help me to my feet.
"Here’s the number one rule while fighting- never let your opponent distract you. Dead or alive," Percy says with a smirk. I stumble as I begin to walk, but Percy hooks his arms through mine to steady me.
It’s a casual gesture, but I’m grateful. We board the bus and sit in silence for a couple minutes. Suddenly, the bus comes to a jarring stop.
"EH! What kind of driving are you...Perce...Percy!" Devin cries, looking to the front.
"Oh my gods...no..." Percy says, looking over the seat. I can't see anything, but Percy says, "Violet, stay calm. It's the Furies. All three of them."
*****
Oh, yeah, like I was able to stay calm after he said THAT.
In front of the bus, the three Furies are disguised as elderly ladies. They look so innocent and sweet.
Well, right up until one opens her mouth and says, "If you value your lives, leave the bus!"
Everyone except Percy, Devin, and I rush for the exits. The three horrors face us.
"Give us the lightning bolt, lightning thief!" they all exclaim.
"Whoa! I did not take it alright?" Percy shouts. The Furies scream and now we are trapped in the bus. I activate my sword, but the poison stops me from moving.
"You just sit still Violet, Devin and I can handle this," says Percy as he opens Riptide.
Both Percy and Devin started slashing away at the Furies, who had left their old lady bodies and entered their true, scaly, winged forms. I just sat there, furious and unable to help, or even move.
*****
After a while, the battle got too out of hand.
Percy and Devin had successfully destroyed 2, but they couldn't get to the last one. Just as the last one is making its way to Percy, I opened my bag and active my bow. I aim an arrow at the Fury, and release it, skewering her and just missing Percy and Devin.
As the Fury disintegrates, Percy and Devin turn to look at me in awe.
“Rule Number One while fighting; never let your opponent distract you, dead or alive..." I say, throwing Percy's words back at him. He smiles grimly.
"You better watch it with that knife, Violet; it could have made me a demigod-kabob. I don't do red meat," Devin warns.
Percy laughs and says, "Thanks, Vi. I guess we're walking to....somewhere now...but after we heal you."
"Then I guess we're lucky ‘somewhere’ is right there," says Devin as he points out the window at a place called... Nutya Sm'e Ndreag Ormepiu.
"What the actual heck does that sign even say?" I ask.
"Aunty Em's Garden Emporium," says Devin, as a son of Athena, able to read better than Percy and I, even though he still does have dyslexia.
"Do you wanna go in? The place looks abandoned, so we could just go in and sit down or something," suggests Devin.
"I need to get off this bus," I agree. Percy sighs.
"Alright," he says, and then takes a quick glance at my leg.
"Holy Poseidon!" he exclaims and I jump, but immediately regret it. The pain has spread up my leg.
"What happened?" I ask.
"Well, Violet, Euryale bit you, as you know. And now, it's swollen and....er....it looks poisoned," says Percy, looking like he's trying to refrain from vomiting.
"What?" I say and sneak a look.
Sure enough, my leg is puffed up and bleeding. My skin is red and I can see veins clear as day, where black blood flows. It's dripping blood and pus and I feel like I’m about to faint again.
My head falls back on the seat. Percy eyes me nervously before picking me up bridal style, carrying me off the bus, and into the abandoned looking building, Devin walking uncomfortably behind us.
*****
Percy told Devin to knock on the door, when we reached it. I didn't really expect anyone to open it, so I jumped and held in a shriek when an elderly lady, who must have been beautiful when she was younger, opened the door.
She wore a turban on her head and sunglasses on her face, even though it was getting dark out.
"Hello children. What are you doing out at this time?" she asked in a sweet voice. She looked at me in Percy's arms, glanced down at my leg and cried out.
"Dear child, what happened to you!?"
"Um...a...dog attacked me. I think it’s infected...." I said, trying my best to look as innocent and in pain as possible. The ‘pain’ part wasn’t hard. The lady sighed and put her hands over her heart.
"You poor girl....Please, come in! I was just making dinner," she said, standing aside and holding the door open for us.
*****
She led us into a large room with a lot of marble statues.
They were mostly people, all seeming to have expressions of terror on their faces. She took us to the back of the warehouse. There, there was a small dining area- just enough room for four people.
"Please sit down," said Aunty Em.
"Thank you," I said as Percy set me down in a chair then took the seat next to me.
"We don't have any money," Devin lied, sitting on my other side.
"Oh, no charge. This is a special situation."
"Thank you, ma'am," I said again.
"Quite alright, Violet," she said, "Has anyone told you that you are an exquisite young lady?" I blush, ignoring the fact that I had never introduced myself
*****
She left the room briefly and came back a moment later with a tray full of cheeseburgers, vanilla milkshakes, and fries.
The boys and I attacked the food. Suddenly, half-way through his burger, Devin asked, "What's that hissing noise?"
"Oh, that's just the fryer, Devin" said Aunty Em.
"So...you sell garden gnomes huh?" asked Percy, looking around at the statues.
"Yes. It’s become hard... I used to have two sisters who helped me with the business, but they have very, very recently passed on," said Aunty Em sadly.
Devin immediately sat up.
"Two sisters?" he said, alarmed. She nodded sadly.
"It's a horrible story. You see, Devin, a bad woman was jealous of me, long ago, when I was young. I had a boyfriend, you know, and this bad woman was set on breaking us apart. She caused a horrible accident. My sisters stayed by me, though. They shared my fate, but now they have passed, and there’s just me."
"Percy?" He started shaking Percy, "Maybe we should leave..."
“Why?” I asked, biting into a cheeseburger. Devin shot me a pleading look.
"Such a pretty face...Such a long time since I've seen a face as pretty as yours, Violet," said Aunty Em. She reached over and tried to stroke my cheek, but for some reason, I stood, despite the intense and immediate pain that shot up my leg like a bullet.
"We really should go,” Devin said, while I tried to remain standing, limping a little. Percy remained seated, lost in his food.
"Will you at least sit for a pose? A photograph to model new statues," pleaded Aunty Em, rising from her own chair.
"Sure," said Percy obliviously.
Devin and I shook our heads, both feeling the danger in the room now, but Percy grabbed my arm and pulled me and Devin over to him as he rose from his chair. Aunty Em directed us to an empty spot where there weren't many statues.
"Okay now, get ready!" she cried, as Percy smiled big.
"Where's your camera?" I asked defiantly. Devin nodded.
"Oh, Violet, Devin…I think you and I both know that I don't need a camera," Aunty Em said as she reached up to take off her turban and glasses.
"LOOK AWAY FROM HER!" I bellowed. I heard Percy run in one direction and Devin in another, but I stayed there, rooted to the spot.
"Run, Violet!" shouted Devin. But it was too late.
*****
"Such a pity to destroy such a beautiful face," I heard Aunty Em say. I heard a faint hissing. She stroked my cheek, and I reached for my bracelet.
"Tell me; are you a Daughter of Aphrodite? Please tell me it's not Athena?" she said, "Even so, you are very bright. No, you couldn’t be Aphrodite...too bright..." she said.
Her turban and glasses. The hissing noise. The fact she was obsessed with my ‘exquisite face’. Her dislike for Athena.
Aunty Em. Aunty ‘M’.
I was mad. I had been horribly injured and almost killed by one of her sisters, and the other had poisoned me. I would NOT let Medusa win.
"Oh, it's APHRODITE!" I shrieked and activated Agápe. I, taking a wild guess as to where she would be, swiped my sword through where I thought she would be, while keeping my eyes shut tight.
I missed. I thought then about what Camellia had said. Suddenly I was brought back to the memory.
"If you meet Medusa, Vi, don't let her speak. Just cut her head off," she said as she hugged me tightly.
I nodded but couldn't resist in asking why. With tears on the brim of her eyes, about to fall, she said, "She killed my father and brother." I gasped involuntarily.
"Do you promise?!" I gritted my teeth, and tightened my grip on Agápe.
Are you going to kill me, Violet?" Medusa said, laughing her snake-haired head off.
"I promised Cam," I cried, and then I slashed my sword through the air again.
I heard Medusa’s head hit the ground with a loud, hollow ‘thunk’.