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DAYS IN THE SUN

chapter four
❛ 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕 𝚘𝚏 𝚔𝚎𝚕𝚙. ❜

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     WALKING THROUGH THE woods along the New Jersey riverbank, wasn't how Amara expected their quest to go. The glow of New York City was making the night sky yellow, a sight she's never seen before due to the clearness of Camp. The Hudson River soaked her sense of smell as she tried not to show her disgust, she's always hated the smell of the ocean, but the river took number one in her book.

"All three kindly ones," Grover mumbled, grinding his jaw alongside her as they walked. "All at once."

"Come on, the further away we get away, the better." Annabeth gave the brunette a pointed look, and she knew there was an underlying reason why she worded her sentence the way she had. She wasn't just talking about the Furies, her stormy eyes shifted from the river back towards Amara. The satyr understood the message as well as he switched sides with the demigod, giving her a soft smile as they continued walking.

She tried not to complain as she dragged her shoes through the mushy ground, just having clean them. The twisted trees that smelled like sour laundry didn't help the situation, it was then she was silently wishing for the ability to fully use the winds to support herself. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the blonde leaving the spot besides Grover, falling into line besides Percy. "Look, I . . ." Annabeth's voice trailed off. "I appreciate you coming back for us, okay? It was really brave."

"We're a team, right?" He mumbled, smirking at her.

"It's just that, if you died . . . aside from the fact that it would really suck for you, it would mean the quest was over." Her electric blue eyes landed on the daughter of Athena as a frown appeared, she knew how much this quest meant to the demigod. "This may be my only chance to see the real world."

The Grace girl's frown deepened as the thunderstorm let up, the storms were always so smoothing to her, helped her nerves and anxiety. She shot a look at the sky, but she didn't get a response back from her father. Rolling her eyes, she focused back on the demigod's conversation happening behind her.

"You haven't left Camp Half-Blood since you were seven?" Percy asked Annabeth.

"No . . . only short field trips. My dad—"

"The history professor."

"Yeah, it didn't work out for me living at home. I mean, Camp Half-Blood is my home." The blonde continued. "At Camp, you train and train. And that's cool and everything, but the real world is where the monsters are. That's where you learn whether you're any good or not." She paused for a moment.

"You know," She said. "Maybe I should tell you . . . something funny back on the bus . . ."

"Hey, my reed pipes still work!" Grover exclaimed, causing Amara to wince from besides him as the sudden noise echoed through her ears.

"You sure?" She muttered, covering her ears from the horrible sound. She knew Grover had talent when it came to the pipes, but that was the worse sound she's heard yet. She shot a look at the daughter of Athena, asking her a silent question as she nodded, and they switched places.

"If I could just remember a 'find path' song, we could get out of these woods." He puffed notes out that sounded nothing like the satyr songs Amara had heard before as she made her way to the back of the group, trailing behind the son of Poseidon.

"You know," the raven haired boy started off as he made his way besides the brunette. She arched a brow at his actions, not understanding why he was talking to her, or walking besides her. "That was brave what you did, jumping on the monster's back like that to keep her at bay. Thanks, for that."

She shrugged, stuffing her hands into the jacket pockets as she glanced at the demigod, quickly looking away. "Yeah well, I guess you weren't that bad. After all, you diverted their attention away from me."

He gave her a shrug, stuffing his hands into his jean pockets. They fell into a silence as they walked besides one another, avoiding looking at one another or even touching each other. She spared a look at the sea green eyed boy as an idea came to mind, a smirk appearing as she spoke. "Guess this means you owe me one, Kelp Head."

A scoff escaped his lips as he looked at her, "Kelp Head? Really?"

Amara offered him a smug look, one he rolled his eyes at before speaking. "Okay, Sparky, whatever you say."

She arched a brow. "Sparky huh? That's the best you could come up with."

He shrugged again. "I'll come up with something better, don't worry."

This time it was her turn to roll her eyes as they went quiet. Annabeth had turned around to face them, before turning the other way, hiding her amused smile within the darkness, but Amara could see it from a mile away. She shot the girl a glare, but the blonde's smiled widened as she turned back around, making it clear she wasn't switching places anytime soon.

They kept walking until the brunette managed to see 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. It wasn't a fast-food restaurant like the daughter of Zeus wished it was. Instead, it was one of those weird roadside curio shops that sell lawn flamingos and wooden Indians and cement grizzly bears.

The main building was a king, low warehouse, surrounded by acres of statuary. The neon sign above the gate was impossible for the Grace to read because of her terrible Dyslexia, but Percy voiced her thoughts. "What the heck does that say?"

"I don't know," Annabeth shrugged.

"Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium." Grover translated for the demigods. She gave him a thankful nod, one he returned with a smile.

Flanking the entrance, as advertised, were two cement garden gnomes, ugly bearded little things, smiling and waving as if they were about to get their picture taken. Amara pointed her finger towards the gnomes and watched as blue electricity shot into the statues, breaking them. Annabeth and Grover shot her a look, but she shrugged. "They were creeping me out."

Percy crossed the street, following the smell of the hamburgers. "Hey . . ." The satyr warned.

"The lights are on inside," the daughter of Athena ignored him. "Maybe it's open."

"Snack bar?" The raven haired boy raised his eyebrow.

"Snack bar." The blonde agreed.

"Are you two crazy? This place is weird." The brown eyed boy muttered. They ignored him again.

Amara rolled her eyes at the two demigods before she looked over at Grover, who looked a bit freaked out. She gripped his hand. "Come on, goat boy." She muttered, before following after the other two while pulling the son of the Wild along with her.

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!"

The brunette stopped at the warehouse door. "Don't knock." The satyr pleaded. "I smell monsters." Electric blue's met stormy grey's as they shared a look, but the latter ignored the look the former was sending her.

Annabeth shrugged the goat boy off. "Your nose is still clogged up from the Furies. All I smell is burgers, aren't you hungry?"

"Meat!" He scowled. "I'm a vegetarian!"

"You eat cheese enchiladas and aluminum cans." The son of Poseidon reminded him.

"Those are vegetables." The son of the Wild rolled his eyes. "Come on. Let's leave. These statues . . . are looking at me." He was right, there was something about the statues that was too lifelike and creepy. As if their stone eyes followed Amara as she walked. She wanted nothing more than smash them all.

Then the door creaked open, and standing in front of the demigods was a tall, Middle Eastern woman, at least, she 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 she could make out. Her coffee colored hands looked old but well-manicured and elegant.

"Children, it is too late to be out all alone. Where are you're parents?" Her voice was soft and soothing, with a slight accent. She narrowed her eyes at the woman, removing her hands from her jacket pockets to twist her ring back and forth.

"They're . . . um . . ." Annabeth trailed off.

"We're orphans." Percy lied. Amara shot the boy in front of her an annoyed look at the horrible lie he had just come up with.

"Orphans? But my dears, surely not."

"We got separated from our caravan. Our circus caravan. The ringmaster told us to meet him at the gas station but 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?"

The brunette managed to conceal her annoyance as she gave the women a convincing innocent look, before kicking the back of the son of Poseidon's leg once the women looked away. He managed to keep his balance, only due to the daughter of Athena grabbing onto his shirt. He shot her a look, but she was already glaring at him.

"Oh, my dears," the women said, breaking up the staring match between the two children of the Big Three. "You must come in, poor children. I am Aunty Em. Go straight through to the back of the warehouse, please. There's a dining area."

Annabeth and Percy thanked her and went inside, Amara and Grover trailed behind. "Circus caravan?" The blonde scoffed at Percy.

"Always have a strategy, right?" He muttered, looking at the statues.

"Your head is full of kelp." The electric blue eyed girl mumbled, earning herself another glare from the sea green eyed boy.

Hearing the satyr's nervous whimpers, her focus was torn from the raven haired boy to Grover besides her. She was able to make out the sound of a door locking from behind them, she went to look over her shoulder, but the son of the Wild had grabbed onto her arm with a death grip. "Don't make it obvious," he whispered in a shaky tone.

The other two demigods didn't seem to notice, the only thing they seemed to care about was finding the dining area. And sure enough, there it was at the back of the warehouse, a fast-food counter with a grill, a soda fountain, a pretzel heater, and a nacho cheese dispenser.

"Please sit down," Aunty Em eyed them all, her veiled eyes lingering on the blonde. Amara's fingers twitched as she watched the sight, soon, the women's eyes landed on her. She could barely make out the women's eyes narrowing, before Percy's voice sounded through her ears.

"Awesome." He grinned.

"We don't have any money, ma'am." Grover told her, but the brunette knew that was lie, and opted to staying quiet, knowing that if the woman knew the truth, the situation might not be in their favor.

"No, no, children please. No money. This is a special case, yes? It is my treat for such nice orphans." She smiled kindly at the satyr gesturing to a seat for him. Amara gripped his arm, and lowly shook her head no at him.

"Thank you, ma'am." Annabeth thanked her, pulling the demigod down with her, in return, resulting in the son of the Wild being pulled down with her.

"Quite alright, Annabeth." She smiled. "You have such beautiful grey eyes, child."

Amara's eyes narrowed at the women once the blonde let go of her arm and focused on Percy. Her fingers began to spark with blue electricity, but she was stopped midway when Grover squeezed her arm, drawing her focus away from her abilities and instead to him. He was shaking his head at her, clearly telling her no.

Aunty Em disappeared behind the counter, quickly coming out with four trays of cheeseburgers, large fries and vanilla shakes. Percy practically inhaled his burger, Annabeth slurped her shake. The brunette picked at her fries, occasionally she would pick one up and flip it over. The satyr eyed the tray's waxed paper liner as if he might go for that. Noticing his behavior, Amara pushed away the tray, earning herself a disappointed sigh and look from the protector.

Grover's head perked up as he looked around, before his gaze landed on the demigod. "What's that hissing noise?" He asked, but all she could do was give him a helpless look since she didn't hear any hissing noises.

"Hissing?" Aunty Em came out of the kitchen area, joining in on the conversation. "Perhaps you hear the deep fryer oil. You have keen ears, Grover." Amara shot the satyr a look, but he squeezed her arm, that was enough of a sign for her to stay calm.

"I take vitamins for my ears." He replied.

"That's admirable. But please, relax."

"So, you sell gnomes?" Percy converged, the brunette's attention was brought to the raven haired boy, who held a look of interest on his face.

"Oh, yes. 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 . . . mostly cars, they do not go this way no. I must cherish every customer I get, now." Amara watched as Percy's eyes wondered and the woman continued. "Ah, you see 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."

"You make these statues?" The daughter of Zeus asked, her face blank as she twirled her eagle ring between her fingers, meeting the women's eyes.

"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 my company."

Amara's fingers dropped from her ring as she tried to hide her realization, silently meeting glances with the blonde besides her. "Two sisters?"

"Oh, yes. It's a terrible story," Aunty Em said. "Not one for children, really. You see, Amara," her eyes narrowed at her name escaping the women's mouth, and her realization was confirmed when she continued her story. "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 with 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."

"Percy?" Annabeth was shaking the raven haired boy now. "Maybe we should go. I mean, the ringmaster is waiting."

Grover met eyes with the Grace girl, sending her a nod. She gave a slight nod back, placing her hands back in her jacket pockets as she willed the blue electricity to spark to life at the edge of her finger tips.

"Such beautiful, grey eyes," Aunty Em told the stormy eyed girl 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 she had stood up abruptly. "We really should go."

"Yes!" Grover swallowed his waxed paper that he had stolen from the tray and stood up, dragging Amara with him. "The ringmaster waiting! Right!"

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

"A pose?" The brunette repeated, her eyes narrowed as she controlled the blue electricity dancing between her fingertips.

"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, Percy—"

"Sure we can," the son of Poseidon interrupted, earning himself a wide eyed look from the girls. "It's just a photo, Annabeth. What's the harm?"

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

The demigods and satyr followed Aunty Em back out the front door, into the garden of statues. She directed them to a park bench next to the stone satyr. "Now," she said. "I'll just position you correctly. The young girls in the middle, I think, and the two young gentlemen on either side of them."

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

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

"Where's your camera?" The satyr asked.

Aunty Em stepped back as if to admire the shot, ignoring the satyr. "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." He placed his hand on the Grace girl's shoulder. "Oh, and Amara, why don't you take your hands out of your pockets, dear?"

The daughter of Zeus gritted her teeth, a glare forming in her eyes. "Come on dear," the women insisted. "Just for a second! I promise, you can put them right back." Tbe satyr gave her a shoulder a squeeze, advising her to listen. Unwillingly, she forced the blue electricity away as she took her hands out from her pockets, folding them on her lap. Aunty Em smiled, "that's more like it!" Her fingers twitched as she wanted nothing more than to slash her sword through the monster standing in front of her.

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

"Percy—" Amara warned, her tone filled with annoyance.

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

"Percy, somethings 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!" The daughter of Athena shouted. She whipped her Yankees cap onto her head and vanished. Her invisible hands pushing Percy off the bench while Amara was quick to get on her feet as she grabbed Grover's arm and ran.

The son of Poseidon started to look at Medusa, his gaze going higher, and almost too high. "No! Don't!" Annabeth screamed.

"Run!" The satyr bleated as the daughter of Zeus dragged him along with her as they ran.

"Such a pity to destroy a handsome young face," Medusa told the sea green eyed boy soothingly. "Stay with me, Percy. All you have to do is look up."

"The Grey-Eyed One did this to me, Percy." She continued. "Annabeth's mother, the cursed Athena, turned me from a beautiful woman into this."

"Don't listen to her!" The blonde's voice shouted, somewhere in the statuary, far from Amara and Grover. "Run, Percy!"

"Silence!" Medusa snarled. Then her voice modulated 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 to suffer."

"No," Percy muttered.

Amara and Grover shared a look, nodding to one another. The satyr backed away from the Grace girl as she began to try summoning lightning. Dark clouds rolling over the garden house.

"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!" Grover yelled. "Duck!"

The brunette looked, and there he was in the night sky, flying in from twelve o' clock with his winged shoes fluttering. Grover, 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. A smirk spread across her lips as she focused her to the sky, willing lightning to strike. However, she didn't feel the familiar feeling that washed over her body whenever she called upon it, causing her to frown. And then she remember why they were on that quest in the first place. Her father's lightning bolt was missing, meaning she couldn't summon anymore until he gets it back. An annoyed sigh escaped from her as she tried not to grow frustrated.

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

She witnessed Percy diving to one side to dodge Grover's blind form. Medusa roared with rage, after the protector attacked her. "You miserable satyr," She snarled. "I'll add you to my collection!"

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

"Amara!" The satyr yelled, Medusa snarling at the name.

Raising her hands slightly, an idea crossed her mind as she began putting it into action. The familiar sound of rushing wind filled the air as she felt the power surging from her hands to her arms, a grin appeared as electricity began flickering between her fingertips. She knew just the electricity alone wouldn't be enough to kill the old monster, especially since in order to kill her, her head had to come off. But, she knew she could slow her down.

Once she felt the wind going in between her fingertips, rushing around her figure, she added a special touch. Her blue electricity began to flow through the current that was sent Medusa's way. Closing her eyes, she stepped out from behind the tree as she put herself more in the monster's eyesight so she would be focused on the demigod.

"Argh!" Medusa's cries reached her ears along with the sound of footsteps rushing towards the daughter of Zeus. The smell of ocean water ran past Amara, and with that she was able to figure out who had just passed her. "Keep it up, Am!" Annabeth's voice reached her ears and her grin turned to a smirk, she had a couple ideas.

Moving her right hand in a twirling motion, she felt the winds change pace as it turned into a tornado around the creature. Reeling back her left arm, and then pushing it forward, she felt Medusa's impact on the ground from the wind pushing into her. "Argh!" The creature yelled. "You insufferable girl! I've always hated children of Zeus, you'll pay for this. I promise you!"

She tilted her head, a mock of an innocent look appearing for all to see. "Oh? That's nice, let me give you more reasons to hate us."

"Percy!" The daughter of Athena's voice appeared from behind Amara. "Whoa!" The son of Poseidon said.

But the daughter of Zeus tried not to pay much attention to the demigods, she's never kept something like this up for as long before, so she knew she needed to focus all of her attention to the monster she was dealing with. Planting her feet firmly in the ground, she raised her hands up in a pushing motion. Medusa let out a shrill scream as she was lifted in the air, before cries of pain echoed through the garden as she got shocked by the electricity.

Harshly, Amara slammed her hands downwards, sending the monster dropping down harshly back to the ground. "You," Medusa growled, turning in the direction of the demigod. "Curse you! I promise, one day, you will endure the pain you're inflicting upon me, I'm sure of it!"

"Cool," the brunette gave a smirk, earning wide eyes from the other three as she easily dismissed the threat. "Just not today."

The Jackson boy gave Annabeth a wide eyed look as he held his hand out to the Grace girl. "How—"

The blonde shrugged him off. "She's been at camp as long as I have, personally trained by Dionysus, she's going to have a few tricks up her sleeve." Amara grinned at the demigod's words. "Anyways, Percy," she continued. "You have to cut off Medusa's head."

"Are you crazy?" He demanded. "Let's get out of here!"

"We can't," the Chase girl explained. "That's how Perseus killed her, you need to do the same. Medusa is a menace. She's evil. I'd kill her myself, but . . ." She swallowed. "But, you've got the better weapon. Besides, I'd never get close to her. She'd slice me to bits because of my mother. You—you've got a chance."

"What? I can't—"

"Look, do you want her turning more innocent people into statues?" The stormy eyed girl huffed, grabbing a green gazing ball from a nearby pedestal. "A polished shield would be better." She studied the sphere critically. "Just don't look at her directly. Look at her through the glass."

"Hey, guys!" Grover yelled over the wind. "I think she's unconscious!" There was a roar following the satyr's claim. "Maybe not," he corrected, going in for another pass with the tree branch.

"Hurry," Annabeth told Percy. "Grover's got a great nose, but he'll eventually crash." The son of Poseidon looked through the shield at Amara, her brown hair was blown away from her face as blue electricity danced between her fingers. He could make out her body shaking slightly, as if she was forcing herself to keep up the act. "What about Amara?"

A frown appeared on the Chase girl's lips as she looked through the ball, the action deepening once she noticed her friend's state. "She'll collapse sooner or later, especially because this is her first time doing this, and then, nothing will be keeping Medusa in place."

Percy took out his pen and uncapped it. The bronze blade of Riptide elongated in his hand. Grover was coming in for another turn at bat, but this time he flew a little too low. Amara quickly lowered her hands, stopping the wind from trapping Grover in its grasp once she sensed him coming close to it. The action allowed Medusa to grab the stick, pulling him off course.

He tumbled through the air and crashed into the brunette, sending the two flying in different directions. "Ummphh!" The satyr groaned.

"You," a wince escaped the demigod as she opened her eyes, a headache forming from the overuse of her powers as she felt completely drained. "Dumb, satyr."

A growl escaped the monster as her eyes locked on the daughter of Zeus, who was not gonna be up on her own anytime soon. She was about to lunge at the girl when Percy yelled out, "Hey!" The Jackson boy began advancing on her.

Silent groans escaped the brunette as she heard commotion happening somewhere in front of her, but she felt too exhausted to even open her eyes. She felt like her head was spinning and like it was about to explode. She managed to roll over, clutching her head in her hands to try and ease her headache. A sickening sound filled Amara's ears, along with a hiss like wind rushing out of a cavern, the sound of a monster disintegrating.

She attempted to open her eyes, blinking rapidly to ensure the black dots would disappear from her vision. However, it seemed she was only making it worse as more appeared every time she blinked. Soon, Grover's moan filled the air, drawing the blonde and raven haired towards the demigod and satyr who barely moved.

"You really did it this time, Am." The blonde gave the younger girl a smile as she pulled her up to feet, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. Amara gave a smirk as her vision was filled with black dots once more from standing up too quickly, her grip on the Chase girl's shoulder tightening as they took steps towards the boys.

"The Red Baron," Percy commented. "Good job, man."

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

The daughter of Zeus sent the satyr a look, who quickly moved his gaze elsewhere, snatching his shoes out of the air while the Jackson boy recapped his sword. Together, the three demigods and satyr stumbled back into the warehouse.

Upon arriving in the warehouse, the brunette managed to find old plastic grocery bags behind the snack counter and double wrapped Medusa's head. She plopped it on the table where they'd eaten dinner, the four sitting around it, too exhausted to speak.

Finally, Percy spoke. "So we have Athena to thank for this monster?"

Amara raised a brow at the raven haired boy, her mouth open and defending the goddess of wisdom faster than the daughter of Athena could even get a word out.

"Actually, it's your dad's fault, remember? Or is your head full of both kelp and seaweed?" The son of Poseidon sent the daughter of Zeus a glare, one she had no problem returning. "Medusa was Poseidon's girlfriend. They decided to meet in Athena's temple. That's why Athena turned her into a monster. Medusa and her two sisters who had helped her into the temple, they became the three Gorgons. That's the reason behind Medusa wanting to kill Annabeth, but she wanted to preserve you a nice little statue." She spat. "She's still sweet on your dad. You probably reminded her of him."

Unknown to Amara, a prideful look was sent towards the Jackson boy from the blonde. Percy's face turned red as he received a smug look from the girl who stood before him. "Oh, so it's now my fault we met Medusa?"

"Well if you want to put it that way, yes." She stuffed her hands into her jacket pockets as she stepped closer. "You're the one who crossed the street first." She began mocking him as she got closer and closer. "It's just a photo, Annabeth. What's the harm?" Her smirked widening as Percy's face got redder and redder.

"Forget it." He growled. "You're impossible."

"You're insufferable." She snapped back.

"You're—"

"Guys!" Grover interrupted. "You two are giving me a migraine, and satyr's don't even get migraines. Besides, we need to talk about what we're gonna do with the head."

Suddenly, Percy stood up. "I'll be back." He said.

"Percy," Annabeth called after him. "What are you—"

But he didn't listen, he disappeared behind a door that would have to had been Medusa's office.

"Something's wrong with this quest." Amara muttered, leaning her head on her hand, as she stared at the table. Annaberh raised a brow. "What makes you think that, Amara?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, there's just something that bugs me about this quest. Especially with the Furies, they weren't so aggressive with us like last time."

Grover stared at the brunette with a frown as he took a bite out a can. Annabeth nodded. "Yeah, it does seem suspicious. Let's just keep an open mind for now, and see if any of it makes sense later." Amara nodded and laid her head on the table.

A moment later, Percy came back with a packing cardboard box with a Hermes Overnight Express delivery slip. He angrily picked up Medusa's head and filled in the 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."

The Jackson boy poured some golden drachmas into the pouch on the delivery slip that he must have found in Medusa's office. 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." Percy replied. He moved his gaze to Amara as if daring her to criticize, challenging her. And she didn't back down, instead glaring back as she sat straight up, before Annabeth spoke up, tearing their gazes away from each other.

"Come on," Annabeth muttered. "We need a new plan."

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2-21-23

     hello hello! and another chapter we got out, i'm hoping to be more consistent with my chapters as i'm currently editing sea of monsters atm, so that it won't be that long of a wait afterward the lightning thief is done! anyway, i hope you enjoyed this chapter, and i'll see you in the next one!