❛008❜

SHE BLAMED IT ALL on the gods. because really, who else was there to blame? ivy blamed them for the monster attack. blamed them for the blown up bus. but most of all, she blamed the gods on the fact that her most prized possessions were now destroyed. her tears of sadness hid in the rain that continued to pour over them. any other day she would have been angry, but right now she is too tired for anything other than crying.

so there they were, annabeth, grover, percy and ivy, walking through the woods on the new jersey riverbank, the glow of new york city making the night sky yellow behind them and the smell of the hudson reeking in their noses.

grover was shivering and braying, his big goat eyes turned slit-pupiled and full of terror. "three kindly ones. all three at once."

ivy was still in shock. the explosion of the bus windows still rang in her ears. now that the adrenaline rush was coming down, her arm was beginning to throb in pain. but annabeth kept pulling them along, saying: "come on! the further away we get, the better."

"all our money was back there," ivy said tiredly. "our food and clothes. and– and my backpack with my notebook. everything."

annabeth squeezed her right hand, given that the other one had a thick burn stripped on it. the daughter of athena sent her a smile, she knew how much those items mattered to her.

"well, maybe if percy hadn't decided to jump into the fight–" annabeth complained.

"what did you want me to do?" percy defended himself, flailing his arms around. "let you get killed?"

"you didn't need to protect us, jackson. we would've been fine," ivy said.

"sliced like sandwich bread," grover put in, "but fine."

they shloshed across mushy ground, through nasty twisted trees that smelled like sour laundry.

after a few minutes, ivy fell in step next to percy. "look, i..." her voice faltered. "you coming back for us... that was really brave, i appreciate it."

"we're a team, right?"

she stayed silent for a few more steps. "well, it's if you die... other than the fact that it would be really shitty for you, it would mean the quest was over. annabeth would be upset that she didn't get the chance to see the real world."

the thunderstorm had finally let up. the city glow faded behind them, leaving them in almost total darkness. she couldn't see anything except for percy's intense sea green eyes.

"that backpack you had, it was important to you..." percy let his statement hang in the air.

ivy cleared her throat, "it used to be my dad's. other than my knife, it was all i had left of him. but that was a long time ago."

"so you've been at camp since you were seven?" she could tell percy was starting to piece her past together. but he wasn't commenting on it, which she was glad about.

"yeah. i go to boarding school because my dad would've wanted me to get an education, and it didn't really work out for annabeth to live at home," ivy rushed to change the subject. "i mean, camp half-blood is our home. we train and train. and that's all cool and everything, but for some people like annabeth. the real world is where there's an actual fight waiting for them. where they think they'll learn whether you're any good or not."

"and you don't think like that?"

"no, i don't."

ivy tried to hide the doubt in her words. she would never say it aloud, but she did feel the need to prove she was good. that she was a real hero. because often, mostly in the combat arena, she's looked down upon for being a girl. or a stupid daughter of aphrodite. ivy wanted to prove that just because her mother preached about love, didn't mean she was going to be peaceful.

"you're a pretty good fighter," percy said.

"really?"

"hell, anybody who can take a fury by the literal reigns is fine by me."

the corner of her mouth twitched upwards, "i definitely got a souvenir for that win." she pointed to her left arm, her bomber jacket had three thick stripes where the whips had gone through. the skin beneath it was severely burned, if she didn't get ambrosia or nectar soon it was sure to scar.

"here," he said. percy took off his blue zipper sweatshirt and handed it to her. "until we don't find anything to heal it with, it might get infected with the mud."

ivy stared at him for a few seconds. his expression was sincere, dare she say worried. with a sigh, she relented. taking off her ruined bomber jacket, no matter how much it hurt.

"at least it matches my shirt," she grumbled as she shrugged it on percy's sweatshirt. it smelled like saltwater, weirdly it wasn't an unpleasant smell.

annabeth fell in step next to them, "you know, i've been thinking... something funny back on the bus..."

whatever the daughter of athena wanted to say was interrupted by a shrill toot˜toot˜toot, like the sound of an owl being tortured.

"hey, my reed pipes still work!" grover cried. "if i could just remember a 'find path' song, we could get out of the woods!"

he puffed out a few notes, but the tune still sounded suspiciously like hilary duff.

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

he definitely didn't have infrared vision as a superpower.

after tripping and cursing and generally feeling miserable for another mile or so, ivy started to see light up ahead: the colours of a neon sign. she could smell food. fried, greasy, yummy food. something she hasn't eaten since the beginning of the summer session. the menu at camp half-blood was based on grapes, bread, cheese and extra-lean-cut-nymph-prepared barbecue. ivy really craved french friends.

they kept walking until they spotted 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 an open business, which was the source of the neon light and the good smell.

it wasn't a fast-food restaurant like ivy had hoped. it was one of those weird roadside curio shops that sell lawn flamingos, wooden indians, cement grizzly bears, and just weird stuff like that. the main building was a long, low warehouse, surrounded by acres of statuary. the neon sign above the gate was impossible for her to read, because if there's anything worse for her dyslexia than regular english, it's red cursive neon english.

to ivy, it looked like: atnyu mes dgeran gomen meproium.

"what the fuck does that say?" percy blinked furiously while trying to read the sign.

"i don't know," annabeth said.

she loved reading so much, it was easy to forget that she struggled to read with dyslexia, too.

grover translated: "aunty em's garden gnome emporium."

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.

suddenly, ivy got a bad feeling from this place.

percy crossed the street with annabeth behind him, following the smell of greasy food that wasn't so appetizing anymore.

"hey..." grover warned.

"the lights are on inside," annabeth said. "maybe it's open"

"are you two absolutely insane?" ivy said. "this place's giving me bad vibes."

grover nodded eagerly in agreement. they ignored them.

the front garden 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.

"this isn't a good idea, maybe we should just camp somewhere in the forest," ivy looked around nervously, feeling eyes on her from everywhere.

"she's right," grover pleaded. "i smell monsters."

"your nose is clogged up from the furies," annabeth told the satyr. "all i smell is burgers. aren't you hungry?"

"meat!" he said scornfully. "i'm a vegetarian."

"you eat cheese enchiladas and aluminium cans," percy reminded him.

"those are vegetables for him," ivy defended grover. "we should leave. these statues are giving me the creeps."

then the door creaked open, and standing in front of them was a tall middle eastern woman– at least, ivy assumed she was middle eastern, because she wore 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, but that was about all ivy could make out. her coffee-coloured hands looked old, but well-manicured and elegant.

her accent sounded vaguely middle eastern, too. she said, "children, it is too late to be out all alone. where are your parents?"

"they're... um..." annabeth started to say.

"we're orphans," ivy said. she hoped the woman would kick them to the curv.

"orphans?" the woman said. the word sounded foreign in her mouth. "but, my dears! surely no!"

"we got separated from our caravan," percy said. "our circus caravan. the ringmaster told us to meet him at the gas station if we got lost, but he may have forgotten, or maybe he meant a different gas station. anyway, we're lost. is that food i smell?"

ivy wondered if percy could always pull lies out of his ass like that. bad lies that no one would believe that is.

"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."

so much for not believing the lie, ivy thought.

they thanked her and went inside.

annabeth muttered to percy, "circus caravan?"

"always have a strategy, right?" percy smirked lightly.

ivy flicked his ear, "your brain consists of pure seaweed."

the warehouse was filled with more statues– people in all different poses, wearing all different outfits (one uglier than the next) and with different expressions on their faces. ivy thought one would need a pretty big garden to fit even one of these statues, that made her even more weary of the place.

percy and annabeth seemed to be in a trance, gravitating towards the food. they didn't register the way the statues would follow them with their eyes, grover's nervous whimpers, or the close eye aunty em was keeping on ivy. the daughter of aphrodite tensed as she heard aunty em lock the door behind them.

when they reached the back of the warehouse, a fast food counter with a grill, a soda fountain, a pretzel heater and a nacho cheese dispenser. everything you could want, plus a few steel picnic tables out front.

"please, sit down," aunty em said.

"awesome," percy said.

"um," grover said reluctantly, "we don't have any money, ma'am."

before ivy could add something, aunty said, "no, no, children. no money. this is a special case, yes? it is my treat, for such nice orphans."

"no need–" ivy started.

"thank you, ma'am," annabeth interrupted her, throwing her a glare.

aunty em stiffened, as if annabeth had done something wrong, but then the old woman relaxed just as quickly, ivy was freaked out by the motion.

"quite all right, annabeth." she said. "you have such beautiful grey eyes, child."

that was all ivy needed to confirm the woman was a monster, because how did she know annabeth's name if they hadn't introduced themselves?

their hostess disappeared behind the snack counter and started cooking. before they knew it, she'd brought them plastic trays heaped with double cheeseburgers, vanilla shaked and xxl servings of french fries.

percy was halfway through his burger when he remembered to breathe. annabeth slurped her shake.

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.

ivy was the same as grover, twirling her shake with the straw but not taking anything.

"what's that hissing noise?" the satyr asked.

if ivy listened closely, she could hear a faint hissing noise. annabeth shook her head.

"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."

ivy didn't want to relax. she was a monster and there were too many missing factors that stopped ivy from not killing her. like what monster is she? what the hell did she do to percy and annabeth to make them loony? or what the hell is up with her creepy statues?

aunty em ate nothing. she hadn't taken off her headdress, even to cook, and now she sat forward and interlaced her fingers and watched them eat. it was entirely unsettling, having someone stare at her when she couldn't see her face.

"so you sell gnomes," percy tried to sound interested. he didn't do a very good job.

"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?" he continued casually.

"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."

ivy felt her neck tingle, as if somebody was intently looking at her. she turned, it was 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 just faced medu–

the colour drained from her face. the veil, the accent, the hissing, and the statues. aunty em. aunty m. medusa. they were sitting at a dining table with medusa.

"ah," aunty em, now medusa said sadly. "you notice some of my creation do not turn out well. they are marred. they do not sell. the face is the hardest to get right. always the face."

"you– uh make these statues yourself?" ivy threw annabeth a panicked look. but she wasn't connecting the obvious dots.

"oh, yes. 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 company." she sounded extremely sad, but ivy wasn't feeling sorry for not wanting to be turned into a statue for eternity. no thanks.

annabeth had stopped eating. she sat forward and said, "two sister?"

ivy almost let out a hallelujah.

"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."

now that they were three out of four that weren't in the trance like state. the daughter of aphrodite figure it was a good time to say goodbye. but percy's eyelids were dropping and he seemed sympathetic of aunty em.

"percy?" ivy shook him to get his attention. she subtly used her charmspeak, it might make things worst if medusa caught her. "we're leaving. i mean– um, the ringmaster is waiting. we must go."

if medusa noticed her charmspeak, she didn't let it on. but still, percy was able to resist her words. annabeth was tense in her seat. grover was eating the waxed paper off the tray now.

"such beautiful grey eyes," medusa told annabeth again. "my, yes, it has been a long time since i've seen grey eyes like those."

she reached out as if to stroke annabeth's cheek, but ivy stood up abruptly. the daughter of aphrodite could tell there was a sort of lure in medusa's voice, so yacking annabeth up with her she said, "we really should go."

"yes!" grover swallowed his waved paper and stood up. "the ringmaster is waiting! right!"

percy didn't stand up, there was a pout on his face. it was obvious he didn't want to leave. it made ivy want to punch him. she didn't care if she ruined her manicure while at it.

"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 wearily.

"a photograph. i will use it to model a new statue set. children are so popular, you see. everyone loves children."

ivy was getting tired of this. she sent medusa a dazzling smile, turning on all her charm. "we can't stay ma'am. come one, percy–"

it seemed to be working. medusa blinked heavily, a few more words and they could take off in a sprint.

"sure we can," then percy ruined it. he had the audacity to make it sound like she was in the wrong. "it's just a photo, ivy. what's the harm?"

medusa glared at the daughter of aphrodite. "yes, ivy," she purred. "no harm."

before ivy could move, medusa clamped a hand on her left shoulder. her hand was close to her wound, so she couldn't writhe out of her vice grip without hurting herself. medusa lead them back out the front door, into the garden of statues.

directing them to a park bench next to the stone satyr, and keeping ivy to her left side. "now," she said, "i'll just position you correctly. the young girl in the middle, i think, and the two young gentlemen on either side."

"there's no space for ivy, or much light for a photo," percy remarked.

"oh, well, the girl would opaque the picture with her beauty," medusa dug her nails into ivy's shoulder. "and there's enough light for us to see each other, yes?"

"where's your camera?" grover asked.

medusa 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 cemen satyr next to him, and mumbled,"that sure does look like uncle ferdinand."

"grover," medusa chastised, "look this way, dear."

she still had no camera in her hands. sharing a panicked look with annabeth, ivy started with every ounce of charmspeak she could, "percy–"

the son of poseidon was finally coming to his senses.

"i will just be a moment," medusa interrupted before he could snap out of it. "you know, i can't see you very well in this cursed veil..."

"percy, something's wrong," ivy insisted. annabeth had a firm hold of percy's arm, trying to help.

"nothing's wrong dear," medusa battled with her charmspeak, reaching up to undo the wrap around her head. "i have such noble company tonight. what could be wrong?"

"that is uncle ferdinand!" grover gasped.

"look away from her!" ivy commanded. she jumped away from medusa with all her might, gritting her teeth as she landed on her burned arm. annabeth whipped her yankees cap on to her head and vanished. an invisible force knocking grover and percy off the bench.

walking blinding, with her arms flailing around desperately. ivy crouched down in temporal safety behind a random statue. then, she heard a strange, rasping sound behind her. noting to not look that way, ivy looked through the slit of her eyes for something with reflection. finding a gardening tin can, she held it at an angle where she could see towards the sound.

on the dark reflection of the tin can, she could make out medusa's dark reflection. her headdress was gone, revealing her face as a shimmering pale circle. her hair was moving, writhing like– like snakes. ivy froze in terror. almost letting a scream out of her mouth, an invisible hand shut her up.

the air shimmered and annabeth was standing next to her, her hand uncovered ivy's mouth slowly.

"sn– sna– snakes," ivy told her quietly. annabeth mouthed "i know," taking the tin can from her. the daughter of aphrodite was shaking from head to toe, but she still looked through reflection and kept her eyes away from the snakes.

she could see percy sprawled at medusa's feet, his eyes were looking at her hands. he almost looked higher, but annabeth yelled, "no! don't!"

medusa moved around, the rasping sound following her. ivy bit on her lip to not let out a whimper at the sound of snakes.

"run!" grover bleated. he raced across the gravel, yelling, "maia!" to kick-start his flying sneaker.

ivy and percy were both frozen, one in terror and the other in a trance. the daughter of aphrodite cursed her phobia. a stupid snake scared her more than a fucking fury did. go figure. she decided to close her eyes, at least that way she's at least functional.

"such a pity to destroy a handsome young face," medusa told percy soothingly. "stay with me, percy. all you have to do is look up."

ivy thought of a way to kill medusa. percy's name sake, perseus, killed her in her sleep. decapitated her, really. they would have to do the same thing... even if it was a standing decapitation.

"the grey-eyed one did this to me, percy," medusa said. her voice was full of magic and lure, her own monster-way of charmspeak. "annabeth's mother, the cursed athena, turned me from a beautiful woman into this."

"don't listen to her!" ivy shouted.

"run, percy!" annabeth added. he could escape medusa if they caught him in the perfect moment of his brain actually working.

"silence!" medusa snarled. then her voice moduled back to a comforting purr. "you see why i must destroy the girl, percy. she is my enemy's daughter. i shall crush her statue to dust. but you, dear percy, you need not suffer."

"no," percy muttered.

"do you really want to help the gods?" medusa asked. "do you understand what awaits you on this foolish quest, percy? what will happen if you reach the underworld? do not be a pawn of the olympians, my dear. you would be better off as a statue. less pain. less pain."

"percy!" ivy heard a buzzing sound, like a ninety-kilogram hummingbird in a nosedive. grover yelled, "duck!"

opening her eyes once again to look at the tin can, ivy saw grover flying while holding a tree branch the size of a baseball bat. his head was twitching from side to side, he was navigating by ears and nose alone.

"duck!" he yelled again. "i'll get her!"

finally, that jolted percy into action, he dove to one side.

thwack!

"we have to look for percy," annabeth mouthed before disappearing under her yankees cap. ivy rusted her eyes shut and allowed annabeth's invisible hand to pull her along. the tin can was floating in the air while in annabeth's hold.

medusa roared in rage, "you miserable satyr, i'll add you to my collection!"

"that was for uncle ferdinand!" grover yelled back.

another swooping sound and–

ker-whack!

"aargh!" medusa yelled, her snakes hissed and spat. ivy shrunk in herself.

annabeth had paused, saying, "percy!" ivy opened her eyes cautiously.

percy jumped like a scared cat. "son of a bitch! don't do that!"

annabeth took off her yankees cap, becoming visible. "you have to cut her head off."

"what? are you crazy? let's get out of here."

"medusa is a monster. evil like the rest of them, obviously. i'd kill her myself, but– but there's sn– snakes," ivy shuttered. "and you've got the better weapon. annabeth wouldn't even manage to get close, she'd get sliced to bits because of her mother. you actually stand a chance."

"what? i can't–"

annabeth huffed, "look, do you want her turning more innocent people into statues?" she pointed to a pair of lovers, a man and a woman with their arms around each other, turned to stone by the monster.

annabeth grabbed a green gazing ball from a nearby pedestal. "a polished shield would be better." she studied the sphere critically. "the convexity will cause some distortion. the reflection's size should be off by a factor of–"

"would you speak english?" percy asked. ivy was used to annabeth's genius language, she was also used to not understanding it.

"i am!" annabeth argued. "just look at her in the glass."

"remember to never look at her directly," ivy added.

"hey, guys!" grover yelled somewhere above them. "i think she's unconscious!"

"roooaaarrr!"

"maybe not," grover corrected. he went in for another pass with the tree branch.

"hurry," annabeth told percy. 'grover's got a great nose, but he'll eventually crash."

"no need to have so little faith," ivy said.

percy took out his pen and uncapped it. the bronze blade of riptide elongated in his hand.

once again, ivy close her eyes. not wanting to catch a glimpse of medusa... or the snakes. she could hear the hissing and the spitting sound of medusa's hair.

the swooshing sound of a bat swinging filled her ears, she could guess that it was grover going for another hit. then a soft thud of someone forcefully grabbed it mid swing. she couldn't pinpoint any other sound, until a loud crush with a painful "umphh!" was heard.

"hey!" percy yelled.

"you wouldn't harm an old woman, percy," medusa crooned. "i know you wouldn't."

she hoped the silence was percy hesitating or getting turned into stone. "percy, don't listen to her!" her charmspeak was strong, full of desperation.

medusa cackled. "too late."

the rasping sound was louder than ever. the slashing of a sword cut through the air. a sickening shlock! then a hiss like wind rushing out of a cavern– the sound of a monster disintegrating.

annabeth grabbed ivy's hand, dragging her out of their hiding spot. the daughter of aphrodite still kept her eyes shut.

"oh, yuck," grover said. she didn't know what he was saying yuck about, and she didn't want to know. "mega-yuck."

along the way, annabeth had found medusa's black veil. she said, "don't move."

ivy heard the hustling and moving of annabeth wrapping the head in the black cloth, then picking it up from the floor. the daughter of aphrodite finally opened her eyes. the cloth where the head layed was dripping green juice.

"are you okay?" ivy's voice trembled, looking over percy he didn't have any visible wounds.

"yeah," percy looked a little green. "why didn't... why didn't the head evaporate?"

"once you sever it, it becomes a spoil of war," annabeth said. "same as your minotaur horn. but don't unwrap the head. it can still petrify you."

grover moaned as he climbed down from a grizzly bear statue. 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 magic sneakers were flying aimlessly around his head.

"the red baron," percy said. "good job, ma."

he 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 concentre bear? not fun."

grover snatched his shoes out of the air. percy recapped my sword. together, the four of them stumbled back to the warehouse.

they found some old plastic grocery bags behind the snack counter and double-wrapped medusa's head. plopped it on the table where they'd eaten dinner, everyone was too exhausted to speak. but ivy really needed to do something about her still injured left arm.

so, both girls left for the bathroom. rummaging through the cabinets, they found clean bandages to cover the wound with. there wasn't any ambrosia or nectar anywhere, so she'll have to make do.

ivy sighed as she took off percy's sweatshirt, revealing with light the severity of the burn. the thick strap of burn started on her upper arm, then wrapped itself along her arm two times, ending in her hand where she had grabbed the whip. it looked to be at least a second degree burn. annabeth winced at the sight. the brunette took her shirt off, not caring for annabeth to see her in just her bra as she was her best friend.

"we'll have to change the bandages every few hours without any ointment. there's about three changes of bandages here," the blonde gently washed the wound with soap and water in the bathroom sink. ivy bit on her lip to not whimper in pain.

"aloe vera works as an ointment," ivy thought back to the garden. "i think there was some in the garden, if we applied it i would just have to change my bandages every twenty four hours."

the blonde nodded, looking carefully at her face. "i know you're sad about losing your dad's things." ivy looked at the floor but didn't say anything.

"but just because you lost his things means that you'll lose his memory, ivy." annabeth continued, "he will always be in your heart, just like thalia is in mine. that's all that matters."

ivy took a deep breath to stop herself from crying, "i know," she whispered.

annabeth gently patted dry her burned skin dry, "i'll go get it, then."

the daughter of athena slipped out of the bathroom. ivy looked at herself in the mirror, she had grim on her face from all the hassling around. washing it off, she left her face squeaky clean. her hair didn't look much better either, it had been down this entire time so she braided it quickly over her shoulder. there was a knock on the door.

"annie just come in," she said, prompting herself up on the bathroom counter.

"it's me," percy said at the other side of the door. "did you manage to find something for the burn?"

"yeah, just some bandages. annabeth's looking for aloe vera."

percy groaned from the other side of the door, "can i open the door? i hate talking like this."

"no, you can't," ivy rolled her eyes at his whiny tone.

"why not?"

ivy huffed, "because i don't have a shirt on."

"oh." he was silent. "annabeth's coming back with the aloe."

she could hear his steps getting further away, while annabeth's got closer. without knocking, her best friend opened the door. she had a small tray with pieces of slimy aloe.

"even if you got burned, at least you killed it," annabeth said, grabbing a piece of the aloe and applying it all over the wounded parts. ivy could hear someone else in her words, doubt maybe.

"yeah, and you went all cowgirl with mrs dodds. totally badass," the daughter of aphrodite said sincerely. she sighed in relief as the aloe cooled her skin greatly. it also made the pain lessen.

annabeth smiled at her words, "you think?"

gently, the daughter of athena wrapped the bandage around the ointment covered wound. "oh, i know, annie. every monster that comes at us better watch out, we sure as hell aren't holding our punches back."

annabeth laughed, "thank you, ivy. i needed that." she grabbed the rest of the baddages and aloe, putting in all in a bag to take with them.

smiling at her best friend, ivy said, "we should get back." she pulled the bowie t-shirt over her head, thankful that it was oversized. "lingering in here will only attract more monsters." she slipped the blue sweatshirt carefully over her left arm. annabeth nodded, too tired to say anything else, and walked out of the bathroom with ivy following behind her.

when they reached the picnic table grover and percy were tiredly sprawled on, the girls didn't wait to mimic them. after a few minutes of silence percy said, "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."

percy's face turned in anger, "oh, so now it's my fault we met medusa."

ivy straightened. trying for the best impression she could of percy she said: "it's just a photo, ivy. what's the harm?"

"forget it," he shook his head at her. "you're impossible."

"you're insufferable," ivy shot back.

"you're–"

"hey!" grover interrupted. "you two are giving me a migraine, and satyrs don't even get migraines. what are we going to do with the head?"

ivy kept her eyes away from the bag as best as she could. she didn't want to see the ugly little snakes, even if they were dead.

percy suddenly got up, "i'll be back."

"percy," annabeth called after him. "what are you–" he disappeared through the door.

the daughter of aphrodite rolled her eyes, "classic jackson, acting on impulse and ends up doing something stupid."

annabeth shook her head, but her mind seemed to be somewhere else. "i've been thinking since the explosion... and the furies, they were asking where is it?"

"well, they were trying to kill percy," grover said.

"no, no. they asked for it. not him." annabeth clarified.

ivy hadn't noticed that, she had been more focused on surviving really. "so you think they're looking for something, but what could it be? hades is the one that has the lighting bolt."

annabeth shrugged. "i don't know," she looked troubled at not knowing. given that she always knew everything.

percy came back to the picnic table with a box on his hands. he packed up medusa's head, and filled out a delivery slip from hermes overnight express:

the gods
mount olympus
600th floor,
empire state building

with best wishes,
percy jackson

"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 he closed it, there was a sound like a cash register. the package floated off the table and disappeared with a pop!

"i am impertinent," he said.

the son of poseidon looked at ivy in a daring way. oh, but she was never one to back down from a challenge. "do you even know what that word means?"

a speaks!

a bit of a shitty chapter ugh. anyway annabeth and ivy are superior

i love it when ppl comment it makes my day so thank u :)

thoughts???