Date: December 10

     "And your tie has to match Hazel's dress," Percy explained to Frank. "That's why I bought a grey tie with owls on it; it will match Annabeth's earrings and dress."

     Frank nodded. He was sitting in the passenger seat of Percy's car. Grover, Jason, and Leo were all sitting in the back. They were here to help Frank find a tie for the winter formal. The rest of them had all chosen out their ties, though Leo said he was wearing a bow tie with suspenders.

    "What is Hazel's dress like?" Leo asked.

     "It's purple," Frank said, "and it has gold trimming."

    "Ooh, a purple tie will look nice," Percy said.

    "Or a gold tie," Jason said.

     "Like we'll find a gold-colored tie," Percy scoffed as he pulled up into the parking lot of Hermes's Thrift Store.

****

    "Wow, look Percy," Jason said. "Five gold-colored ties and no purple ties."

    "Gods," Percy said. "You're annoying, Jason. Frank, these all look ridiculous."

    "This looks's like my uncle Ferdinand's tie," Grover said, holding up a green one.

     He sniffed it and said, "Yup, it's his."

     "What about this one?" Frank said, holding up a light golden tie.

    "That looks like something my granddad would wear," Percy said.

     "Great," Frank said. "I'm getting it."

***

    Frank took a slurp of his milkshake and set it down. He had sipped too much too quickly and now his head was aching. He took a bite of his warm hamburger to try to counteract the brain freeze. After they finished thrifting, they headed towards Aunty Em's. It was a quaint sort of place — a cross between an antique sort and a fast food joint. 

    Frank thought that Percy was right: Aunty Em's was only worth going to for the food. It was greasy and good. However, the statues that took up most of the place were creepy. They were exquisite and extremely life-like, but the expressions on the statues' faces were unnerving.

    "That one was modeled after my uncle," Grover said, pointing to a statue of a satyr. "He had her wear pants made of goat hair."

    "Your uncle seems to have done everything," Frank said.

    "Posing for a statue and donating a tie to a thrift store isn't doing everything," Percy said, laughing.

    "My uncle did plenty of interesting things," Grover said. "He threw even cooler parties than my dad does and he was in a band called The Searchers."

    "What did he play?" Percy teased. "A flute made of reeds?"

    "No, panpipes," Grover said proudly. "He taught me how to play them."

     "Well Grover may be related to a mini celebrity, but the only fame I had was when I won that spelling bee in third grade," Frank joked.

    "I still don't see how you beat me!" Percy protested.

    "You only lasted two rounds," Jason reminded him.

      Frank laughed and took another sip of his milkshake. The food was good, but what was more satisfying was being with his friends. He thought of the day they had spent together and Frank knew that years later he would remember this day fondly.