Sophie didn't really have much to pack. Percy was off to get supplies and money from the camp store. She just threw on the light blue hoodie Percy had given her after her green one got covered in mud in training, and put her lighter into her front pocket.

She then gathered her things in her backpack (A pair of socks, a pack of gummy bears the Stolls got for her and her broken hockey stick which she was planing on taping togeather.), and headed over to Percy's cabin. Sophie hadn't been in cabin 3 yet. It was nice. There were huge windows adorning the wall facing the sea. The walls were covered in seashells and coral, making it look like the bottom of the ocean. Percy was sitting on his bed, tying his shoes, but he looked up at her when she entered.

"Hey, you packed?"

"I guess so. How much money did they give you?"

"Hundred bucks and 20 drachmas."

One-hundred dollars did not seem like a lot for traveling to Los Angeles by land.

"I wanted to talk before we leave," Sophie said sitting down next to him.

"Uh, ok." Percy said, giving her his attention.

Sophie wrung her hands together, again, and started fidgeting with her wrings.

"I know you've been thinking about your mom; and the likelyhood of her being in the underworld."

Percy looked away from her.

"And I know the weight of the world is kinda on our shoulders right now. With the threat of a war among gods and junk."

Percy hated this. He was mad at his dad for claiming him when it was convenient. Mad that the camp had a security breach because of him. Mad that it was up to him and his friends now, to fix the problems of ancient gods, who were fighting over some lightning bolt. When all he wanted...All he really wanted, was his mom.

"And well, I'm not sure if I even have to say this, but I figured I should. Just know I'm with you, ok?"

Percy turned his head back towards her. "What?"

"I'm with you." Sophie smiled "If you want to get your mom back, I'll help you. Even if it means running the quest."

"I feel selfish though." Percy sighed tapping his finger on his leg "We could mess up the whole demigod thing to save my mom."

"That seems like a good reason to be selfish," Sophie said with a soft smile. "Anything I-we can do, to get her back, we'll do it," she promised.

Percy felt a weird feeling when she smiled at him, so instead he looked down to retrieve his backpack, but his eyes landed on Sophies converse. The once green shoes were now brown, covered from toe too heal in mud. The laces were undone and the shoe had a hole where her toes were.

"Soph, you need new shoes." Percy said looking up at her.

Sophie looked at him and then down at her shoes kicking her feet, "I guess, I really like them though. And where would I even get new shoes?"

Percy shrugged slinging his backpack over his shoulder, "I'm sure we could rob a store on our quest."

"Fun."

"It would be."

Sophie smiled as the two of them headed to the border where Annabeth, Grover and Chiron were meeting them.

Percy picked up the flying shoes Luke had just given him. He greatly appreciated the gift, but...He looked at Chiron. "I won't be able to use these, will I?"

Chiron shook his head. "Luke meant well, Percy. But taking to the air...that would not be wise for you."

Percy nodded, disappointed, but then he got an idea. "Hey Soph."

The girls head poked up from something she was looking at with Grover, "Yeah?"

"You want a magical item."

"Seriously?" Sophie asked her eyes lighting up.

Percy nodded as she came over "Your shoes are broken, you need new ones."

Sophie and Percy sat on the ground, Sophie taking off her old shoes while Percy slipped on her new ones tying the lace for her. Sophie still couldn't tie laces, and she chose to wear converse, meaning that he always had to tie them for her.

Percy looked at her, she had an interesting outfit, her blond hair up in a messy bun, his blue hoodie, green cargos and red converse style shoes with wings.

Annabeth was by the car waiting. She didn't look very excited about Sophie's new shoes. Grover whispered to Sophie that she was just jealous, but really, Annabeth just wasn't looking forward to babysitting those two if they decided to act like hyperactive children.

The driver, Argus, introduced himself to Sophie when she and Grover got in the back of the car. Annabeth sat in the passenger seat.

Percy came to the back of the car with the other two a minute later. He stared at them, they had left the middle seat for him, Sophie behind Annabeth and Grover behind Argus.

"No fair," Percy pouted looking at the small space.

"That's what you get for being last." Sophie smirked sticking out her tongue.

"Yeah, but I was talking to Chiron about important quest stuff."

"Oh, well that's sad, you're in the middle."

Percy sighed in defeat taking the spot in the middle crushed between Grover and Sophie. He turned towards Sophie brining Riptide out of his pocket.

"Remember the pen that Chiron threw at me that turned out to be a sword?" Percy said.

Sophie nodded "Yeah, when he said 'Wahoo', Like Mario."

"I'm pretty sure he said 'What oh' not Wahoo," Percy said trying to remember what had happened, "Anyway, he gave me the sword again for our quest. Apparently it's called riptide."

"Fitting."

Argus drove them out of the countryside and into western Long Island. Sophie sat at the window humming a familiar song quietly.

"Are you singing Riptide?" Percy asked, slightly amused.

"Yeah," Sophie nodded "It's been stuck in my head since you told me about your pen."

"Well so far so good," Percy said. "Ten miles and not a single monster."

Annabeth turned around from the front seat and gave them an irritated look. "This isn't a joke you two."

"We know." Sophie said earnestly.

"Well then stop," Annabeth said. "And don't say that Percy. It's bad luck to talk like that."

"Remind me again—why do you hate me so much?" Percy asked her.

"I don't hate you."

"Could've fooled me."

She folded her cap of invisibility. "Look. We're just not supposed to get along, okay? Our parents don't like eachother either."

"Why?"

She sighed. "How many reasons do you want? One time my mom caught Poseidon with his girlfriend in Athena's temple, which is hugely disrespectful. Another time, Athena and Poseidon competed to be the patron god for the city of Athens. Your dad created some stupid saltwater spring for his gift. My mom created the olive tree. The people saw that her gift was better, so they named the city after her."

"Wow," Sophie said. "They must really like olives."

"Oh forget it."

"Now, if she'd invented pizza," said Percy. "That I could understand." Sophie nodded in agreement.

"I said forget it!"

Traffic slowed them down in Queens. By the time they got into Manhattan, it was sunset and had started to rain. Argus dropped them at the Greyhound Station on the Upper East Side, not far from Sally and Gabe's apartment. Taped to a mailbox was a soggy flyer with Percy's picture on it: HAVE YOU SEEN THIS BOY? Percy ripped it down.

Argus unloaded their bags, made sure they got their bus tickets, then drove away, the eye on the back of his hand opening to watch them as he pulled out of the parking lot.

Being so close to home made Percy think of his mom. And about how Smelly Gabe was probably inside right now, playing poker, not even missing her.

Sophie and Annabeth were slightly ahead of the boys. Grover shouldered his backpack. He gazed down the street in the direction his friend was looking. "You want to know why she married him, Percy?"

Percy stared at him. "Were you reading my mind or something?"

"Just your emotions." He shrugged.

"You can read my emotions?" Percy asked, a little horrified.

"Guess I forgot to tell you satyrs can do that," he said like it was no big deal. "You were thinking about your mom and your stepdad, right?"

Percy nodded, wondering what else Grover might've forgotten to tell him.

"Your mom married Gabe for you," Grover told him. "You call him 'Smelly,' but you've got no idea. The guy has this aura...Yuck. I can smell him from here. I can smell traces of him on you, and you haven't been near him for a week."

"Thanks," Percy said. "Where's the nearest shower?"

"You should be grateful, Percy. Your stepfather smells so repulsively human he could mask the presence of any demigod. As soon as I took a whiff inside his Camaro, I knew: Gabe has been covering your scent for years. If you hadn't lived with him every summer, you probably would've been found by monsters a long time ago. Your mom stayed with him to protect you. She was a smart lady. She must've loved you a lot to put up with that guy—if that makes you feel any better."

It didn't, but Percy forced himself not to show it. I'll see her again, he thought. She isn't gone.

He wondered if Grover could still read his emotions, mixed up as they were. Percy was glad he, Annabeth, and Sophie were here, but he felt guilty that he hadn't been straight with them. He hadn't told Grover and Annabeth the real reason he said yes to this crazy quest.

Sophie already kinda figured it out. But he didn't really tell the full truth. Which was, he didn't care about retrieving Zeus's lightning bolt, or saving the world, or even helping his father out of trouble. The more he thought about it, he resented Poseidon for never visiting him, never helping his mom, never even sending a lousy child-support check. He only claimed his son because he needed a job done. All Percy cared about was his mom. Hades had taken her unfairly, and Hades was going to give her back.

You will be betrayed by one who calls you a friend, the Oracle whispered in his mind. You will fail to save what matters most in the end.

The rain kept coming down. They got restless waiting for the bus and decided to play some Hacky Sack with one of Grover's apples. Annabeth was unbelievable. She could bounce the apple off her knee, her elbow, her shoulder, whatever. Percy was also pretty good. Sophie however was not the best. The game ended when Percy tossed the apple toward Grover and it got too close to his mouth. In one mega goat bite, the Hacky Sack disappeared—core, stem, and all.

Grover blushed. He tried to apologize, but the other three were too busy cracking up.

Finally the bus came. As they stood in line to board, Grover started looking around, sniffing the air like he smelled his favorite school cafeteria delicacy—enchiladas.

"What is it?" Percy asked.

"I don't know," he said tensely. "Maybe it's nothing."

But Sophie could tell it wasn't nothing. She started looking over her shoulder, too.

The four kids finally got on board and found seats together in the back of the bus. They stowed away their backpacks. Annabeth kept slapping her Yankees cap nervously against her thigh, and her nervous energy infected Sophie too, making her play with her lighter.

A lighter probably wasn't the smartest thing to play with because of her ADHD. She hadn't turned it on (Yet) she was just opening and closing the lid over and over again.

Percy looked up and saw the old lady that had just boarded the bus. She wore a crumpled velvet dress, lace gloves, and a shapeless orange-knit hat that shadowed her face, and she carried a big paisley purse. When she tilted her head up, her black eyes glittered, and his heart skipped a beat.

It was Mrs. Dodds. Older, more withered, but definitely the same evil, pruny face.

Seeing a teacher out in public was usually always an unpleasant experience. Let alone one that you previously killed. Now that was awkward.

Both Percy and Sophie scrunched down in their seats.

Behind her came two more old ladies: one in a green hat, one in a purple hat. Otherwise they looked exactly like Mrs. Dodds—same gnarled hands, paisley handbags, wrinkled velvet dresses. Triplet demon grandmothers, Sophie thought.

They sat in the front row, right behind the driver. The two on the aisle crossed their legs over the walkway, making an X. It was casual enough, but it sent a clear message: nobody leaves.

The bus pulled out of the station, and headed through the slick streets of Manhattan. "She didn't stay dead long," Percy said, trying to keep his voice from quivering. "I thought you said they could be dispelled for a lifetime."

"I said if you're lucky," Annabeth said. "It's obvious you're not."

"All three of them," Grover whimpered. "Di immortales!"

"It's okay," Annabeth said, obviously thinking hard. "The Furies. The three worst monsters from the Underworld. No problem. No problem. We'll just slip out the windows."

"They don't open," Grover moaned.

"We'll make them." Sophie said punching her fist into her hand.

Annabeth ignored her, "A back exit?"

There wasn't one. Even if there had been, it wouldn't have helped. By that time, they were on Ninth Avenue, heading for the Lincoln Tunnel.

"They won't attack us with witnesses around," Percy said. "Will they?"

"Mortals don't have good eyes," Annabeth reminded him. "Their brains can only process what they see through the Mist."

"They'll see three old ladies killing us, won't they?"

She thought about it. "Hard to say. But we can't count on mortals for help. Maybe an emergency exit in the roof...?"

They hit the Lincoln Tunnel, and the bus went dark except for the running lights down the aisle. It was eerily quiet without the sound of the rain. Mrs. Dodds got up. In a flat voice, as if she'd rehearsed it, she announced to the whole bus: "I need to use the rest-room."

"So do I," said the second sister.

"So do I," said the third sister.

They all started coming down the aisle.

"I've got it," Annabeth said. "Percy, take my hat." She tossed the hat to Percy who sat across from her.

"What?" Percy said.

"But you guys—"

"There's an outside chance they might not notice us," Annabeth said. "You're a son of one of the Big Three. Your smell might be overpowering."

Sophie glanced at the aisle. "They're on the move. Go!" she told him.

"I can't just leave you," Percy said, looking at her a second longer than the rest. Mrs. Dodds would surely recognize Sophie. And with himself being invisible, he could guess their next target would be his "accomplice."

"Don't worry about us," Grover said hurriedly, Sophie nodding in agreement. "Go!"

Percy's hands trembled, so Sophie grabbed the Yankees cap from his lap and slapped it on his head.

His body shimmered and disappeared. He felt like a coward, but started to creep up the aisle. He managed to get up ten rows, and duck into an empty seat just as the Furies walked past.

Mrs. Dodds stopped, sniffing, and looked straight at him. But apparently she didn't see anything. She and her sisters kept going. Percy made it to the front of the bus. They were almost through the Lincoln Tunnel now. Percy was about to press the emergency stop button when he heard hideous wailing from the back row.

The old ladies were not old ladies anymore. Their faces were still the same—those couldn't get any uglier— but their bodies had shriveled into leathery brown hag bodies with bat's wings and hands and feet like gargoyle claws. Their handbags had turned into fiery whips.

The Furies surrounded Sophie, Grover and Annabeth, lashing their whips, hissing: "Where is it? Where?"

The other people on the bus were screaming, cowering in their seats. They saw something, all right.

Sophie mock gasped pulling out her dagger "Did you just assume his gender? He is a he not an it."

The Furies raised their whips. The Annabeth drew her dagger and Grover grabbed a tin can from his snack bag and prepared to throw it.

Sophie stood up on her seat, waiting to make a leap at Mrs. Dodds. But the bus made a sharp turn to the left and everyone was thrown the other way.

Percy.

Luckily this included the Furies. Sophie dodged one and it crashed into the window. But in the process she banged her nose on the seat, feeling the warm blood trickling down her skin.

"Hey!" the driver yelled. "Hey—whoa!" He and Percy wrestled for the wheel. The bus slammed against the side of the tunnel, grinding metal, throwing sparks a mile behind. It careened out of the Lincoln Tunnel and back into the rainstorm, people and monsters tossed around the bus, cars plowed aside like bowling pins.

The Furies had recovered by this point. Grover chose that moment to throw his tin can.

It didn't do much.

Percy pulled the emergency brake. The bus wailed, spun a full circle on the wet asphalt, and crashed into the trees. The emergency lights came on and the door flew open. The bus driver was the first one out, the passengers yelling as they stampeded after him.

Percy looked back at his friends.

Grover had found more tin cans to throw. Annabeth was waving her knife and yelling in Ancient Greek. And Sophie weaving about, avoiding the red flames that danced along the barbed leather whips. Mrs. Dodds's flaming whip struck the back of Sophies hand. Her eye's automatically watered from the searing pain.

"Hey!" Percy yelled, taking off his cap.

The Furies turned, baring their yellow fangs at him. Mrs. Dodds stalked up the aisle. The other two followed her lead.

"Perseus Jackson," Mrs. Dodds said, "You have offended the gods. You shall die."

"I liked you better as a math teacher," Percy told her.

She growled. Percy uncapped Riptide and saw Sophie and the other two cautiously sneaking behind the Furies.

"Submit now," she hissed. "And you will not suffer eternal torment."

"Nice try," Percy told her.

"Look out!" Annabeth said.

Mrs. Dodds lashed her whip around his sword hand while the Furies on the either side lunged at him. He struck the Fury on the left with its hilt, sending her toppling backward into a seat. Then turned and sliced the Fury on the right. As soon as the blade connected with her neck, she screamed and exploded into dust. Annabeth got the Fury that fell in a wrestler's hold and yanked her backward while Grover ripped the whip out of her hands.

"Ow!" he yelled. "Ow! Hot! Hot!"

Sophie decided to throw her dagger at Mrs. Dodds aiming for her neck.

Sophie decided she had bad aim.

Her dagger flew through the air hitting Mrs. Dodds in the shoulder, the fury hissed at Sophie. Grover came to the rescue and tangled Mrs. Dodds's legs in the whip he was carrying, making her topple backwards. Maisie used the momentum of the fall to finally removed her weapon from the Fury's back. Her old math teacher roared in pain and anger as Maisie hopped over her and ran towards the front of the bus.

Mrs. Dodds tried to get up in the back aisle, but she didn't have room to flap her bat wings, so she kept falling down. "Zeus will destroy you!" she promised. "Hades will have your soul!"

"Braccas meas vescimini!" Percy yelled.

Percy wasn't sure where the thought to yell, "Eat my pants!" came from.

Thunder shook the bus and Annabeth yelled, "Get out! Now!" They rushed outside and found the other passengers wandering around in a daze, arguing with the driver, or running around in circles yelling, "We're going to die!" A Hawaiian shirted tourist with a camera snapped a photograph before Percy could recap his sword.

"Our bags!" Grover realized. "We left our—" BOOOOOM!

The windows of the bus exploded as the passengers ran for cover. Lightning shredded a huge crater in the roof.

An angry wail from inside told Sophie that Mrs. Dodds was not yet dead.

"Run!" Annabeth said. "She's calling for reinforcements! We have to get out of here!" The four of them plunged into the woods as the rain poured down, the bus in flames behind, and nothing but darkness ahead.

Ok, so maybe the quest was not off to the best start.

There they were, walking through the woods along the New Jersey riverbank, the glow of New York City making the night sky shine yellow, and the smell of the Hudson making them plug their noses. Sophie had gotten bored long ago and was now tugging on the sleeves of Percy's—now her hoodie. Percy being a two inches taller than her meant his clothes were baggy on her.

Grover was shivering and braying, his big goat eyes turned slit-pupiled and full of terror. "Three Kindly Ones. All three at once."

Annabeth kept pulling them along, saying, "Come on! The farther away we get, the better."

"All our money was back there," Percy reminded her. "Our food and clothes. Everything."

"My hockey stick." Sophie mumbled wiping her hand under her nose again.

"Our ambrosia." Grover wailed.

"Which we need now, and will need in the future," Annabeth told them. She was right, Sophie had a nose bleed and had burnt her hand, Grover had also burnt his hands and Percy had a bruise forming on his arm. "And maybe if someone hadn't decided to jump into the fight—"

"What did you want me to do?" Percy said angrily. "Let you guys get killed?"

"We would've been fine," Annabeth said.

"Sliced like sandwich bread," Grover added, "but fine."

"Shut up, goat boy," said Annabeth.

Grover brayed mournfully. "Tin cans...a perfectly good bag of tin cans." Sophie patted his back sympathetically.

"How's your hand?" Grover asked her.

Sophie looked at the back of her hand. It was a little difficult to see in the dark, but she could see the darkened line of skin from where the whip had struck her. She thought it would at least be a second degree burn, considering how much it initially stung, as well as the fact that it was direct flames that hit her. But it didn't look to be blistered or moist. Just a scar with a bit of texture and redness.

"It's fine." She shrugged.

Grover looked over his shoulder back at Annabeth and Percy who for once weren't yelling at each other. "Think those two will get along?" he asked Sophie. "You know, if she can forgive the fact that he's Poseidon's son?"

"Hopefully," Sophie said. "Though he did spray her with toilet water the first day they met."

"That's true," Grover said.

"I guess fingers crossed that my parent and Athena are best friends or something, so Annabeth won't hate me."

"She doesn't hate you," Grover assured, though Sophie was hoping he would respond to the first part of her sentence.

Since it didn't look like Grover was picking up on what she really wanted to discuss, she decided to ask flat out. "Grover, do you know who—"

"I don't know who your godly parent is," He said.

Sophie sighed her mood spiraling downwards again.

Suddenly a shrill toot-toot-toot interrupted her pity party. Sophie turned to see Grover holding musical pipes. If he was trying to make her feel better with a song, she was hoping he'd take song requests.

"Hey, my reed pipes still work!" Grover cried. "If I could just remember a 'find path' song, we could get out of these woods!"

He puffed out a few notes.

And instead of 'finding a path', Percy immediately slammed into a tree and got a nice-size knot on his head.

Sophie laughed at him, momentarily forgetting she was upset. Percy kept tripping and stumbling in the dark, and while it was a funny sight, Sophie started to feel bad for him. She grabbed his elbow and led him through the darkness. She couldn't necessarily see very well either, but she was strangely good at navigating through the dark.

But Percy continued to stumble and curse, so he grabbed Sophie's hand instead. Just to keep himself on his feet of course.

They started to see light up ahead. Colors of a neon sign. Percy could smell food. Fried, greasy, excellent food. They kept walking until they saw a deserted two-lane road through the trees. On the other side was a closed-down gas station, a tattered billboard for a 1990s movie, and one open business, which was the source of the neon light and the good smell.

"What the heck does that say?" he asked.

Atnuy Em's Grdaen Konme Epmroum

Sophie just shrugged, writing was hard enough to read, red cursive writing. No thank you.

"Aunty Em's garden Knome Emporium." Grover translated for them. The three dyslexic demigods nodding in thanks.

Flanking the entrance, as advertised, were two cement garden gnomes, ugly bearded little runts, smiling and waving, as if they were about to get their picture taken. The four kids began to cross the street.

"Hey..." Grover warned.

"The lights are on inside," Annabeth said, "Maybe it's open."

"Snack bar," Percy said wistfully.

"Snack bar, " Sophie agreed.

"Are you guys crazy?" Grover said. "This place is weird."

They ignored him.

The front lot was a forest of statues: cement animals, cement children, even a cement satyr playing the pipes, which gave Grover the creeps.

"Bla-ha-ha!" he bleated. "Looks like my Uncle Ferdinand!"

They stopped at the warehouse door.

"Don't knock," Grover pleaded. "I smell monsters."

"Your nose is clogged up from the Furies," Annabeth told him. "All I smell is burgers. Aren't you hungry?"

"Meat!" he said scornfully. "I'm a vegetarian."

"You eat cheese enchiladas and aluminum cans," Percy reminded him.

"Those are vegetables. Come on. Let's leave. These statues are...looking at me."

Sophie had to agree that the statues were pretty creepy.

But then the door creaked open, and standing in front of them was a tall woman wearing a long black gown that covered everything but her hands, and her head was completely veiled. Her eyes glinted behind a curtain of black gauze. Her coffee colored hands looked old, but well-manicured and elegant.

"Children," She said, "It is too late to be out all alone. Where are your parents?"

"They're...um..." Annabeth started to say.

"Dead," Sophie said out of instinct. Then mentally scolded herself.

"We're orphans," Percy added onto the lie.

"Orphans?" the woman said. The word sounded alien in her mouth. "But, my dears! Surely not!"

"Yeah.," Sophie said. 

"Our caretaker told us to meet him at the gas station if we got lost," Annabeth continued the lie. "But he may have forgotten, or maybe he meant a different gas station."

"Anyways," Percy said, growing impatient, "We're lost. Is that food I smell?"

"Gorge!" Sophie snapped "That wasn't very polite!"

Percy looked at her with a confused look on his face, "Sorry Matilda. We haven't had good food in ages, Orphanage food sucks."

"Oh, my dears," the woman said. "You must come in, poor children. I am Aunty Em. Go straight through to the back of the warehouse, please. There is a dining area."

They thanked her and went inside.

As they were going inside Percy lent over and whispered in Sophie's ear "Gorge?"

"Matilda!?"  

"Matilda is better than Gorge!"

"Shush seaweed brain."

The warehouse was filled with more statues, people in all different poses, wearing all different outfits, and with different expressions on their faces. The aroma of the place was like

"Please, sit down," Aunty Em said.

"Awesome," Percy said.

"Um," Grover said reluctantly, "we don't have any money, ma'am."

Percy jabbed him in the ribs, but Aunty Em said, "No, no, children. No money. This is a special case, yes? It is my treat, for such nice orphans."

"Thank you, ma'am," Annabeth said.

Aunty Em stiffened, as if Annabeth had done something wrong, but then the old woman relaxed just as quickly.

"Quite all right, Annabeth," she said. "You have such beautiful gray eyes, child."

She disappeared behind the counter and brought back plastic trays heaped with double cheeseburgers, vanilla shakes, and XXL servings of French fries.

Percy basically inhaled his burger and Sophie and Annabeth slurped their shakes. Grover picked at the fries, and eyed the tray's waxed paper liner as if he might go for that, but he still looked too nervous to eat.

"What's that hissing noise?" he asked.

"Hissing?" Aunty Em asked. "Perhaps you hear the deep fryer oil. You have keen ears, Grover."

"I take vitamins. For my ears."

"That's admirable," she said. "But please, relax." Aunty Em interlaced her fingers and watched them eat, which was a little unsettling.

Percy tried to make small talk. "So, you sell gnomes," he said, feigning interest.

"Oh, yes," Aunty Em said. "And animals. And people. Anything for the garden. Custom orders. Statuary is very popular, you know."

"A lot of business on this road?"

"Not so much, no. Since the highway was built... most cars, they do not go this way now. I must cherish every customer I get."

Sophie's neck tingled, as if somebody else was looking at her. She turned, but it was just a statue of a young girl holding an Easter basket. The detail was incredible, much better than you see in most garden statues. But something was wrong with her face. It looked as if she were startled, or even terrified.

"Ah," Aunty Em said sadly. "You notice some of my creations do not turn out well. They are marred. They do not sell. The face is the hardest to get right. Always the face."

"Oh, yes Sophie." Only then, when Aunty Em said Sophie's name, did the girl realize that the woman strangely knew all of their names, without them ever telling her. "Once upon a time, I had two sisters to help me in the business, but they have passed on, and Aunty Em is alone. I have only my statues. This is why I make them, you see. They are my company."

The sadness in her voice sounded so deep and so real that Percy couldn't help feeling sorry for her.

Annabeth had stopped eating. She sat forward and said, "Two sisters?"

"It's a terrible story," Aunty Em said. "Not one for children, really. You see, Annabeth, a bad woman was jealous of me, long ago, when I was young. I had a...a boyfriend, you know, and this bad woman was determined to break us apart. She caused a terrible accident. My sisters stayed by me. They shared my bad fortune as long as they could, but eventually they passed on. They faded away. I alone have survived, but at a price. Such a price."

Annabeth tensed up. "We should go, don't you think Sophie. The ring master will be waiting."

Sophie nodded in agreement.

"Such beautiful gray eyes," Aunty Em told Annabeth again. "My, yes, it has been a long time since I've seen gray eyes like those."

She reached out as if to stroke Annabeth's cheek, but Sophie faked a yawn to smack the woman's hand away, and the two girls stood up abruptly.

"We really should go," Sophie said.

"Yes!" Grover swallowed his waxed paper and stood up. "The ringmaster is waiting! Right!"

"Please, dears," Aunty Em pleaded. "I so rarely get to be with children. Before you go, won't you at least sit for a pose?"

"A pose?" Annabeth asked warily.

"A photograph. I will use it to model a new statue set. Children are so popular, you see. Everyone loves children."

Annabeth shifted her weight from foot to foot. "I don't think we can, ma'am. Come on guys—"

"Sure we can," Percy said, irritated. "It's just a photo, Annabeth. What's the harm?"

"Yes, Annabeth," the woman purred. "No harm."

"But Percy-" Sophie started, but Percy was already following the woman to a park bench next to the stone satyr.

"Now," she said, "I'll just position you correctly. The two pretty girls in the middle, I think, and the two gentlemen on either side."

"Not much light for a photo," Percy remarked.

"Oh, enough," Aunty Em said. "Enough for us to see each other, yes?"

"Where's your camera?" Grover asked.

Aunty Em stepped back, as if to admire the shot. "Now, the face is the most difficult. Can you smile for me please, everyone? A large smile?"

Grover glanced at the cement satyr next to him, and mumbled, "That sure does look like Uncle Ferdinand."

"Grover," Aunty Em chastised, "look this way, dear."

She still had no camera in her hands.

Some instinct warned Percy to listen to Sophie, but he was busy fighting the sleepy feeling and comfortable lull that came from the food and the old lady's voice.

"I will just be a moment," Aunty Em said. "You know, I can't see you very well in this cursed veil...."

"Something's wrong," Annabeth insisted.

"Wrong?" Aunty Em said, reaching up to undo the wrap around her head. "Not at all, dear. I have such noble company tonight. What could be wrong?"

"That is Uncle Ferdinand!" Grover gasped.

"Look away from her!" Annabeth shouted. She whipped her Yankees cap onto her head and vanished.

Her invisible hands pushed the other three off the bench.

Sophie ended up in the ground next to Percy. She heard Grover scrambling off in one direction, Annabeth in another. Then she heard a rasping sound above them. She saw Percy's eyes rise to Aunty Em's hands, which had turned gnarled and warty, with sharp bronze talons for fingernails.

She really needed to go to the nail salon.

He looked like he was about to lift his gaze higher. But Sophie cried, "Don't," and covered his eyes with one of her hands while she closed her own.

There was more rasping—the sound of tiny snakes, right above them, from about where Aunty Em's head would be.

"Run!" Grover bleated, as he raced across the gravel in the direction of the wall. What did he expect to do? Jump over it?

"Such a pity to destroy handsome and pretty young faces," she told them soothingly. "Stay with me, children. All you have to do is look up."

Sophie didn't trust Percy to not obey, so she felt for his face and pushed it down onto the ground. Percy spit out pieces of gravel that ended up on his tongue.

Aunty Em.

Aunty "M"

Medusa.

"Do you really want to help the gods?" Medusa asked. "Do you understand what awaits you on this foolish quest? What will happen if you reach the Underworld? Do not be a pawn of the Olympians, my dears. You would be better off as a statue. Less pain. Less pain."

Grover suddenly yelled, "Duck!"

Sophie and Percy turned, and there from twelve o'clock, was Grover, running as fast as he could towards them, holding a tree branch the size of a baseball bat. His eyes were shut tight, his head twitched from side to side. He was navigating by ears and nose alone.

"Duck!" he yelled again. "I'll get her!"

That finally jolted Percy into action. Knowing Grover, he was sure he'd miss Medusa and nail one of them instead. So he grabbed Sophie and dove to one side.

Thwack!

Medusa roared with rage.

"That was for Uncle Ferdinand!" Grover yelled back.

Meusa reached out to grab Grover but before she could Percy grabbed one of his shoes launching it at her to get her attention.

Percy and Sophie scrambled away in opposite directions. Maisie going towards Grover.

Thwack!!

"Arrgh!" Medusa yelled, her snake hair hissing and spitting.

Sophie crawled blindly reaching out for Grover. She heard hissing in her left ear and panicked, whipping out her dagger and slashing one of the snake heads. She heard it sizzle and fall to the floor with a plop. Ew.

Medusa screeched again. Grover swung his club at her knocking her over, Sophie watched as her body fell face first into the ground.

"Hey, guys!" Grover yelled, "I think she's unconscious!"

"Roaaaaarrrrr!"

"Maybe not," Grover corrected. He went in for another pass with the tree branch, but this time he was a little too slow. Medusa grabbed the stick and pulled him off course. He tumbled through the air and crashed into the arms of a stone grizzly bear with a painful "Ummphh!"

Sophie was trying to get to her feet, but her hand was suddenly kicked and she felt her dagger fly out of her grasp. She leaned down, back against the ground, squeezing her eyes shut tightly, as she heard the hissing of a dozen snakes centimeters away from her face.

Percy sprang into action and yelled, "Hey!"

Medusa turned around, seething. Sophie used this distraction to kick the women in the back of the knee, making her fall forward. While she stumbled, Percy took this moment to slash upward with his sword. They heard a sickening shlock!, Then the sound of a monster disintegrating.

Something fell to the ground next to Maisie.

"Ew ew ew ew!" Sophie yelled scooting backward away from the gurgling head, while still keeping her eyes closed.

"Oh, yuck," Grover said, "Mega-yuck."

"Don't move," Annabeth said. She carefully, without looking down, knelt and draped the monster's head in black cloth, then picked it up. It was still dripping green juice.

"Everyone okay?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"Yup," Sophie said getting to her feet and finally opening her big brown eyes. "Why didn't the head evaporate?" she asked, pointing at the disgusting baggage that Annabeth was now holding.

"Once you sever it, it becomes a spoil of war," she explained. "Same as the minotaur horn. But don't unwrap the head. It can still petrify you."

Sophie's thoughts immediately went to her 5 th grade bully.

Grover moaned as he got up off the ground. He had a big welt on his forehead. His green rasta cap hung from one of his little goat horns, and his fake feet had been knocked off his hooves. The sneakers were lying on the floor.

Grover managed a bashful grin. "That really was not fun, though. Well, the hitting-her-with-a-stick part, that was fun. But crashing into a concrete bear? Not fun."

Annabeth found some old plastic grocery bags behind the snack counter and double-wrapped Medusa's head.

They plopped it on the table where they'd eaten dinner and sat around it. Finally, Percy spoke first, although Sophie was wishing he didn't.

"So we have Athena to thank for this monster?"

Annabeth flashed him an irritated look. "Your dad, actually. Don't you remember? Medusa was Poseidon's girlfriend. They decided to meet in my mother's temple. That's why Athena turned her into a monster. Medusa and her two sisters who had helped her get into the temple, they became the three gorgons. That's why Medusa wanted to slice me up, but she wanted to preserve you as a nice statue. She's still sweet on your dad. You probably reminded her of him."

Sophie thought for a moment then spoke up, "Why did she punish Medusa? Why not Poseidon?"

Annabeth shook her head looking annoyed "Medusa was the monster. And Poseidon was a god."

Sophie found Annabeth's excuse a bit lame. "That just seems sexist." She mumbled.

Annabeth's glare quickly shut her up.

"Hey!" Grover interrupted. "What are we going to do with the head?"

Percy stared at the thing. One little snake was hanging out of a hole in the plastic. The words printed on the side of the bag said: WE APPRECIATE YOUR BUSINESS!

Percy was angry, not just with Annabeth or her mom, but with all the gods for this whole quest, for getting them blown off the road and in two major fights the very first day out from camp. At this rate, they'd never make it to L.A. alive, much less before the summer solstice.

What had Medusa said?

'Do not be a pawn of the Olympians, my dear. You would be better off as a statue.'

Percy sure as hell was not going to be a pawn.

He searched the back of the warehouse until he found Medusa's office. Her account book showed her six most recent sales, all shipments to the Underworld to decorate Hades and Persephone's garden. According to one freight bill, the Underworld's billing address was DOA Recording Studios, West Hollywood, California. He folded up the bill and stuffed it in his pocket.

He searched the back of the warehouse until he found Medusa's office. Her account book showed her six most recent sales, all shipments to the Underworld to decorate Hades and Persephone's garden. According to one freight bill, the Underworld's billing address was DOA Recording Studios, West Hollywood, California. He folded up the bill and stuffed it in his pocket.

He packed up Medusa's head, and started to fill out a delivery slip.

"Mind if I sign," Sophie asked, reading over his shoulder to look at what he'd written. A mischievous look was on her face.

Percy passed her the pen, staring at her with a lopsided grin while she wrote.

"They're not going to like that," Grover warned.

"They'll think you're impertinent."

Percy poured some golden drachmas in the pouch. As soon as they closed it, there was a sound like a cash register. The package floated off the table and disappeared with a pop!

"We are impertinent," Percy said. Then he looked to Sophie and whispered, "What does impertinent mean?"

"I have no idea." 

Apparently I'm Aphrodite love. ❤

Anyway, thank ya'll for all the comments. I love reading them sm.

The medusa scene was so hard to write without Grovers flying shoes. Originally i was going to put Sophie in Grovers place but then i changed my mind. 😭

Also this chapter was originally called, cars go vroom, trains go too-toot, Buses go boom now its I hope the gods like severed heads. Which do you like better? 

Blake 🫡