I led Annabeth and Grover through the woods near along the New Jersey riverbank that I recognized from my time with the sign.

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

It was getting annoying how loud the others were walking. They thought they were running quietly, but to one of the hunters, it sounded pretty loud. I was running silently like a skilled hunter---which, of course, I was.

"All our stuff was back there," Annabeth said.

"Not all of us decided to take off our backpacks for no particular reason," I shot back.

She looked at me, then saw my backpack. She groaned. I smirked.

"Anyway," I said, "it doesn't really matter. I have extra of everything anyway. Like that book that you brought? I have three extra copies, plus more."

Annabeth stared at me.

"What?" I asked. "You should always be prepared. My backpack is bigger on the inside."

"Like the TARDIS in Doctor Who?" Grover asked.

"What's Doctor Who?" I asked.

They stared at me.

"What?" I asked.

"You know, Doctor Who?" Annabeth said slowly. "The TV show?"

"I haven't watched TV in over seven years," I replied.

Then I ran ahead of them, leaving no time for arguing(or the two weirdos to stare at me).

We ran in silence, well, mostly.

The leaves crunched loudly under their feet. They were panting as they struggled (and failed) to keep up.

I froze abruptly. Grover and Annabeth knocked into me, and bounced off of me, falling backwards onto the ground.

"Monster," I hissed. "Close by. Just one, but it's a powerful one. Smells disgusting."

Grover sniffed the air and wrinkled his nose. "You're right. It does smell pretty bad."

Annabeth sniffed too, and she grinned. "I smell food! Burgers. They smell good." She exclaimed.

I waved it off. "I've been smelling that for the last mile and a half- which was for the last, like, thirty minutes. It's also where the monster smell is coming from. . ."

Annabeth looked at me. "I want to go to the food. We've been running for hours! We're all tired! We can afford to take a break!"

"I'm not tired yet," I mumbled. "And I have a bunch of food in my bag."

Annabeth unwisely ignored me. Weird, for she's the daughter of the wisdom goddess...

I pondered on my choices.

A.) Trust Annabeth and go get food,

B.) Say no and take a break and eat my own food,

C.) Say no and convince them to keep going... (Convince= threaten and\or use the fact that "I'm in charge" against them. . .) or

D.) Say yes, and when attacked by a monster, kill it.

After a few seconds of thinking, I decided go with the last choice.

"I guess," I mumbled. I made eye contact with Grover. My message was clear: keep an eye out anyway.

We walked until we got to a deserted two-lane road through the trees. On the other side was a closed down gas station, a tattered billboard for a movie of some sort, and one open business, which was the source of the smell of food-- and the monster.

It was a shop that sold stone sculptures. I read the sign(it took a while because of the big fancy red writing) and it said, AUNTY EM'S GARDEN GNOME EMPORIUM.

I read it to Annabeth.

I tried to warn Annabeth not to go in, but she still smelled the food, and she wanted to eat it.

I had figured out the monster by now...

It was obviously Medusa.

I whispered this to Grover, and he paled dramatically.

"Annabeth," I said, "I don't think we should---"

She interrupted me. "Relax, Percy," she said.

"Okay, Annabeth," I said, "but promise me that whoever answers that door, don't look at their face."

She rolled her eyes. "Okay," she sighed. "I promise. I don't get why, though. Plus, you're just a big seaweed brain." She muttered the last part quietly, but I heard.

"I swear, for a daughter of Athena, your dumb side is really coming out right now," I said, not so quietly. Annabeth smacked me and I just rolled my eyes. "It's not my fault." I shrugged. "It's just true."

Annabeth walked away muttering "Seaweed brain."

I rolled my eyes and Grover and I walked after her.

"Sometimes I think you would be a son of Athena instead of a son of Poseidon," Grover admitted. I nodded. "But your aura doesn't seem strong enough for a child of the Big Three."

"I'm making it seem smaller so that the monsters won't notice me that much. That's why I've only had to fight four(not counting the hellhound because he froze up and didn't fight it) monsters since I saw you."

"Only?"

"Yeah," I said.

The door creaked open, and a standing in front of us was a woman. She wore a long black gown that covered everything but her hands. It turned out that we didn't have to avoid her face, because she had a veil covering her face.

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

"They're . . . um . . ." Annabeth started to say. And she's supposed to be the smart one!

I looked down and assumed a fake (but convincing) sad face.

"We're orphans," I whispered in an uncharacteristically(that's a big word. Took me forever to spell it) small and sad voice. "They were murdered about seven years ago. We've been living on the roads ever since."

"Orphans?" The woman said. "Murdered? By who?"

"We don't know," I whispered. I looked up, a small tear trickling down my face.  "The police refused to tell us dangerous. They wanted to put us somewhere to keep us safe from him, but we ran away. We have been fending for ourselves for around seven years."

I looked down again. I glanced at Grover and Annabeth and internally groaned. They had been trying to act like the story wasn't knew to them, but they were kind of failing.

"Oh, my dears," the women (who was obviously Medusa) said. "You must come in, poor children. I am Auntie Em. Go straight through the back of the warehouse, please. There is a dining area."

We walked in the direction that Auntie Em had said too. My hands kept twitching ever so slightly, ready to get out the knives hidden in my sleeves at any second.

When Auntie Em was out of earshot, Annabeth whispered, "That was some good acting."

I smirked. "Thanks."

"We don't have any money," I lied, looking down sadly.

Annabeth looked about to protest, but a very subtle (and kind of hard) stomp on her foot distracted her.

"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.

Auntie Em stiffened, like Annabeth had done something wrong. It must've been because her mother, Athena, turned Medusa into a snake haired lady.

Then she relaxed, trying to make it seem like she had never tensed at all.

Obviously Annabeth had passed it off as her imagination.

"Quite all right," she replied. "You have such beautiful gray eyes, Annabeth." I tensed on Annabeth's name. We hadn't told her her name yet.

She disappeared behind the snack counter and started cooking. A few minutes later, she'd brought us trays of food.

Annabeth slurped up her shake and ate her food. Grover picked at his fries. I just stared at my food.

Auntie Em ate nothing. She sat forward and interlaced her fingers and watched us eat.

I picked up my food. I sniffed it, checking for poison. I realized that the food would make people sleepy, tired, gullible. I only nibbled it. I knew that if I ate too much, I would fall into the trap, like Annabeth. I could already see it working.

I only ate one burger and a few fries.

"We should probably be leaving," I said. Auntie Em looked at me.

"Why can't you stay longer?" She asked. "Come on, stay and eat."

"Sorry, but we have to go," I said. "My sisters are waiting."

"Sisters?"

"We've been traveling with my three sisters," I replied. "We split up in groups of three to search for food. So can we also have some room to bring them?"

"Of course, my dears," she answered. "But at least stay for a picture so that I can make a garden sculpture."

"I don't think we should," I said.

"But why not?" Auntie Em asked.

"Because his sisters are waiting," Grover said suddenly. "We really shouldn't keep them waiting."

I shivered. "You do not want to be late to meet up with my sisters. They might just kill us."

"Oh, they can wait," Annabeth said. "We don't have to be back for around ten minutes. And what's the harm in a picture?"

I rolled my eyes at her and mumbled, "A lot."

Then, I said, "Okay, but my worry is that if my sisters look around and see a stone sculpture of me, they'll freak out."

"Well, it'll take a while to make the sculpture, so you don't have to worry."

I mentally rolled my eyes at her. "Okay, then, let's do it."

We went back out the front door, into the garden of statues.

Auntie Em directed us back out the front door, into the garden of statues.

Auntie Em directed us to a park bench next to a stone satyr. "Now, let me position you correctly. Thee young girl in the middle, I think, and the two young gentlemen on either side."

"Do you need a camera?" I asked her. "I found one on the road once."

She looked at me like I trapped her. "Yes, please," she said.

I turned around (keeping an eye on them all through the corner of my eyes) and put down my backpack. I quickly reached into it and pulled out a camera. I handed it to Auntie Em.

There didn't actually use it. She just stepped back as if to admire a photo. "Now, the face is most difficult. Can you smile for me please, everyone? A large smile?"

I smiled.

Grover glanced at the satyr next to him and mumbled, "Is that my Uncle Ferdinand?"

"Grover," Auntie Em said, "look this way, dear."

"Percy----" Annabeth said.

"I will just be a moment," Auntie Em said, reaching up to undo her veil. "I can't see very well in this cursed veil. . . ."

"Percy, something's wrong," Annabeth said. I looked at her and gave a face that said: Now you tell me? And then I rolled my eyes and made another face that said: I've known that for a while now.

"Wrong?" Auntie Em said. "Not at all, dear. I have such noble company tonight. What could be wrong?"

I closed my eyes and clapped my hand over Annabeth's eyes and hissed to Grover "Close your eyes!"

I turned away from her and opened my eyes. I pulled my knife from my sleeves and got ready. I moved some water from nearby to form a mirror like substance in front of me. Her face was a pale circle, and her hair was moving, writhing like serpents.

Grover had been distracting her. He had hit her in the head with a branch from a tree, and she had gotten angry and started chasing him round the garden. I sensed Annabeth with her invisibility cap somewhere in the other direction.

And I threw the knives.

They spun in circles a they flew towards her at a hundred miles an hour. They got closer and closer too her, and then----

They hit their marks on either side of her neck as they were spinning, and I saw her heads fall off.

"Come over here," I said. I saw Grover walking over to me, his eyes still shut tight. I heard Annabeth also walking towards me.

"If your facing this way, you can open your eyes," I said. They did.

They saw the view in the water mirror.

"Thanks for distracting her, Grover." I smiled at him. He smiled back. I reached into my backpack and found what I was looking for--- one of the black pieces of cloth that I put in there.

I closed my eyes and walked towards Medusa's head. I knelt down and wrapped it in the cloth.

Then I opened my eyes and walked back to them.

"Do either of you want this?" I asked.

"It's a spoil of war," Annabeth said. "You killed her."

"And I don't want it," I stated simply.

"We don't either," mumbled Grover and Annabeth.

"Okay," I said. Then I had an idea. "I'll be back."

"Percy," Annabeth said. "What are you—"

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

In the cash register I found twenty dollars, a few golden drachmas, and some packing slips for Hermes Overnight Express, each with a little leather bag attached for coins. I found the right sized box.

I went back, packed up Medusa's head, and filled out a delivery slip:

The Gods
Mount Olympus
600th Floor
Empire State Building
New York, NY

With best wishes,
PERCY JACKSON

"They're not going to like that," Grover warned. "They'll think you're impertinent."

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

"I am impertinent," I said. I looked to Annabeth.

"So we have Athena to thank for this monster?" I turned to Annabeth.

"Your dad, actually. Remember the stories?"

I rolled my eyes. "Obviously. I have like three copies of each of the stories in my backpack."

Annabeth stared at me for a second, then continued.

"Anyway, she still likes your dad. You probably reminded her of him, which is why Medusa probably wanted to cut me to ribbons while you would've just been a nice little statue for her to look at."

"Oh, so now it's my fault we met Medusa?" I asked angrily.

She replied, "Yes."

"You are not very smart, Annabeth. In fact, it's your fault."

"No, it's yours."

"You're insufferable." I said.

"You're impossible." She shot back.

"You have too much pride."

"No I don't! It's not my fault I do everything well!"

"Yes it is. And that was your pride talking. You just don't want to admit that I'm better at you with everything!"

"Hey!" Grover interrupted. "You guys are giving me a migraine, and satyrs don't even get migraines! And for the record, Percy's right."

"You too?" Annabeth screeched. "I thought that at least you would believe me!"

"We tried to warn you not to go in," I said simply. "You went against my better judgement and went in anyways."

"Why didn't you stop me then?"

"Because you're supposed to be the daughter of the wisdom goddess."

"I am!" Annabeth yelled.

I glanced at her and raised an eyebrow. "And yet you fell for a trick and made me come up with a plan?"

"I cannot believe this!" She yelled, and stopped away.

There was a moment of silence.

"You want something for your migraine? I think had some medicine in here. . . ."

"No thanks, Percy," Grover said.

"At least have some ice cream."

"You have ice cream in there?"

"Yeah," I said. I couldn't see what I was looking for, so I ended out climbing all the way in the thing.

"Found it!" I yelled after some searching. I pulled out a small freezer with ice cream inside. "Take some," I said to Grover. "I want to go talk to Annabeth."

Grover nodded.

I walked over in the direction that Annabeth had stormed off in. She was sitting on a bench around the corner of the building. I sat down next to her. She looked up.

"Sorry," I said. "I was being kind of mean back there. I know how to control my temper. I just don't like being blamed for doing something I didn't do by a friend. It feels like betrayal."

"What you said was true though. It was my fault."

We were silent for a few seconds.

"Were you telling the truth when you said you had all the Greek stories?" Annabeth asked.

"I have a whole library in my backpack. We're eating ice cream right now. Do you want to come eat some?"

"Sure," Annabeth said. We walked back to the front of the building.

"Take some ice cream and go in my backpack."

She did.

"The library is somewhere on the right!" I shouted.

A few moments of silenced, then---

"Oh my gods, it really is a library!" She screamed.

I grinned and jumped in. I silently crept up behind her and whispered creepily, "No yelling in the library."

She yelped and jumped a foot in the air.

Then she turned and saw me. I was laughing my head off. I ducked as she tried to slap me.

"I would already new dead by now if I did that to my sisters. Well, I would just duck and run or something, but let's just say I would have an angry girl chasing me for around an half an hour until I manage to come her down."

"You really do have sisters?"

"Not exactly," I replied. "Just some girls I met on the run that I think of as sisters."

"Oh."

"We hunted and stuff," I said. "They helped teach me how to fight, and I helped some of them. Lots of monsters were attracted, but at least I was able to protect them--- but to be honest, they could've handled themselves.

"Now we should probably keep going. I don't want to be late getting to the Underworld."

Annabeth nodded. "You're right. I'll come back in here some other time."

"Wait," I said. "Why don't I just carry you and Grover in my backpack?"

"No," They both said at the same time.

"Why not?" I asked, smirking.

"That would be weird. We can walk," Annabeth said.

I laughed. "You are just like my sistersfor yourself!"

I easily dodged another slap from Annabeth.

Then I said, "And Grover, if you were trying to scare me by sneaking into my backpack, it didn't work. Now get out of it within a minute or I'll lock you in here!"

I ran out as fast as I could and was out of my backpack in less than two seconds, give or take.