𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖑𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖊𝖋

PHOENIX WAS PROBABLY THE ONLY ONE WHO THOUGHT THE QUEST HAD A GREAT START. Battling Hades' minions, witnessing a bus explosion before her eyes, and managing to keep her backpack safe—everything seemed just right for her. However, her quest mates weren't sharing the same sentiment.

They all walked through the woods along the New Jersey riverbank, the glow of New York City making the night sky yellow behind them, and the smell of the Hudson reek 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."

Percy was pretty much in shock himself. And Annabeth kept pulling them along, saying: "Come on! The farther away we get, the better."

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

Phoenix shrugged, "Sure but the explosion was super cool."

"No, it wasn't." Annabeth sighed, "We lost everything Phoenix, and we have nothing but a canteen and baggie of ambrosia to share among the three of us since you didn't pack anything useful. I mean come on, not even some drachmas? We would still have our stuff if Seaweed brain here didn't decide to jump into the fight."

"I packed my weapon." She countered, "The one used to save your life. "

Percy argued, "What did you want me to do? Let you get killed?"

"I don't need either of your protection. I would have been fine without you two!"

"Sliced like sandwich bread," Grover put in, "but fine."

"Shut up, goat boy," growled Annabeth.

Grover brayed mournfully. "Tin cans...a perfectly good bag of tin cans."

They sloshed across mushy ground, through nasty twisted trees that stunk.

After a few minutes, Annabeth fell into line next to Percy and Phoenix. "Look, I." Her voice faltered. "I appreciate your coming back for us, okay? That was really brave."

"We're a team, right?" Percy said.

She was silent for a few more steps. "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. This may be my only chance to see the real world. Phoenix, You understand that in your own way...Don't you?"

Phoenix's ears perked up at that, She glanced at the shorter girl next to her, then stared ahead. "Yeah, Everything's... New."

The thunderstorm had finally let up. The city glow faded behind them, leaving them in almost total darkness. Phoenix couldn't see anything of Annabeth except the glint of her blond braids.

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

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

"The history professor," Phoenix stated, rather awkwardly.

"Yeah. It didn't work out for me living at home. I mean, Camp Half-Blood is my home." She was rushing her words out now as if she were afraid somebody might try to stop her. "At camp, you train and train. And that's all cool and everything, but the real world is where the monsters are. That's where you learn whether you're any good or not."

"You are good," Phoenix said casually, kicking some dirt as she walked. "You're wise, and skilled in combat. You're the best soldier at camp."

Annabeth gazed at her, her face softened. "You think so, Khaotikómi?"

Phoenix gulped and looked away, she only shrugged.

"You're pretty good with that knife," Percy added. "Anybody who can piggyback-ride a Fury is okay by me."

Phoenix couldn't see clearly, but she thought she might've smiled.

Annabeth's smile appealed to her, but Phoenix couldn't pinpoint the peculiar sensation that arose when that smile was prompted by someone else.

"You know," She said, "Maybe I should tell you..."

Whatever Annabeth wanted to say was interrupted by a shrill toot-toot-toot.

"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, but the tune still was murder on their ears.

Instead of finding a path, Percy immediately slammed into a tree and got a nice-sized knot on his head. He cursed at the Tree.

Phoenix nodded, her face showed no enthusiasm, "Thank you for that. I was getting bored again."

𓌪

THEY KEPT ON 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 of something, maybe a movie—Phoenix had no idea she'd never seen one—and one open business, which was the source of the neon light they saw a few feet back.

It was a roadside curio shop that they stopped across from. The main building was a long, low warehouse, surrounded by acres of statuary.

Phoenix looked above to the neon sign over the gate which read, AUNTY EMS GARDEN GNOME EMPORIUM.

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

"I don't know," Annabeth said.

Grover translated for them: "Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium."

Phoenix didn't think to question it.

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.

Percy crossed the street,

"What are you doing—?" Phoenix asked

"Hey..." Grover warned.

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

"Snack bar," Percy said wistfully.

"Snack bar," She agreed.

"Snack bar?" Phoenix furrowed her eyebrows together, "What's a snack bar? Can you hit people with it?"

"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."

Then the door creaked open, and standing in front of them was a tall woman in 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 Phoenix could make out.

Her coffee-colored hands were wrinkled, but well-manicured with claw-like nails.

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

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

"Er—Dead." Phoenix blurted out.

"Yeah! Yeah, We're orphans," Percy nodded.

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

"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?"

"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.

Annabeth muttered, "Circus caravan?"

"Always have a strategy, right?"

"What's a circus?" Phoenix chimed in

"Oh, You haven't lived." Percy shook his head,

"Your head is full of kelp," Annabeth grumbled,

"And Barnacles."

Annabeth laughed, "Oh Barnacles is a good one."

"Alright, Can you bond without insulting me"

Annabeth shrugged, "Probably. Right now? Not really 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. Phoenix didn't understand at all why mortals would want those lifelike things in their garden. It didn't seem to be anything but a way to ward off anyone from approaching you.

hm, she wondered if she could get one mailed to the Hermes cabin.

Annabeth and Percy seemed to be distracted with hunger, But Phoenix, noticed every detail as they walked.

Grover's nervous whimpers, the way the statues' eyes seemed to follow her, the fact that Aunty Em had locked the door behind them...

Yeah, she was not letting her guard down.

The dining area 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. Everything a hungry mortal could want, plus a few steel picnic tables out front.

"Please, sit down," Aunty Em said.

"Awesome," Percy made his way to the bench of the picnic table, before he could sit down. Grover interrupted,

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

Percy smacked his shoulder, "Why'd you say that? You want me to eat my fist?"

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.

Percy nodded, "Yeah Thanks, We appreciate it."

"Quite all right, Perseus," She said.

Annabeth's face soured at being ignored. But her stomach rumbled, and she seemed to disregard anything else.

We didn't introduce ourselves...How does she know his name? his full name... Phoenix thought.

She became suspicious immediately and glared daggers at her. "Who the hell are you."

The old woman looked taken aback.

"Phoenix." Percy stopped her, "Lay off, she's being nice enough to feed us for free."

"I don't care."

"Well we do," Annabeth sighed, "Just relax." She looked up to Aunty 'Em. Thank you again, Ma'am."

"Of course,"

Phoenix glared forward as their hostess disappeared behind the snack counter and started cooking.

Before they knew it, she'd brought them plastic trays heaped with double cheeseburgers, chocolate and vanilla milkshakes, and a huge serving of crispy French fries.

Phoenix didn't bother to glance at the food. 

Percy was halfway through his burger and Annabeth slurped her shake when they noticed she wasn't eating.

"Hey," Annabeth frowned, "You've gotta be hungry..."

She didn't look at her, her eyes kept following Aunty 'Em. "Not really..."

"Are you mad that we told you to calm down?" Percy asked, "Cause we didn't mean anything by it...I was honestly just hangry."

"Don't care." She said,

"C'mon." Percy insisted, "Who knows the next time we'll be able to get food. You have to eat something." 

Annabeth questioned, "Have you ever had a burger?"

They succeeded in distracting her, She sighed and looked over at them. "No. When I do eat, It's usually like, a slice of bread and grapes. Or whatever Bella bakes."

"No way!" Percy shook his head, "That's it, if we survive this we're making a bucket list for the two of you."

Annabeth grabbed her burger and held it up. She nodded towards Phoenix.

Phoenix raised an eyebrow, she looked down hesitantly at the food in front of her. It didn't entice her in any way. But she relented, she picked up the greasy burger and followed Annabeth's movements. 

As she took a bite, Phoenix simultaneously did.

Her eyes widened, "Woah." She said, before taking a second bite. She took a mouthful of it and munched on it. A hum of satisfaction left her lips.

"Here." Percy moved her milkshake closer, and he smiled. Almost like watching her try something new was charming to him. "Try this next. It's chocolate."

Phoenix gazed at Percy, she took the glass from his hand. She stared at the cup and almost poked her own eye out as she brought it to her lips.

"No. No." Percy said, "Drink from the straw."

"Straw?"

Percy looked at Annabeth, "Okay, what the hell, At camp they show you what barnacles, weapons, and monsters are but not straws?"

Annabeth glared, "Shut up seaweed brain. Don't blame my camp for this." She looked at Phoenix curiously, "She's just sheltered..."

"Can you not talk about me in the third person."

"Right, Sorry." Annabeth frowned, she leaned forward and grabbed the straw. She angled the drink towards Phoenix "Look. Just put your lips on that and suck in."

Phoenix grumbled, "I'm not a baby." She took it from the hands of the blonde and tried drinking from the straw on her own. When she got a taste of the creamy chocolate on her tongue, she forgot her annoyance.

"Holy Hephaestus!" She said, "That's. That's so good!"

Percy nodded in pride, "You should try dipping your fries in it, Nix."

Annabeth wrinkled her nose, "Ew, No, do not listen to him!"

Phoenix took another sip and another until her entire milkshake was drained to the bottom. "Mmm. Forget bread, I want this for the rest of my life."

Percy and Annabeth exchanged looks when they saw how fast she drained her drink. Amused grins fell on their lips.

Phoenix didn't notice, "You gonna drink that." She asked, pointing towards Grover's drink

"Go ahead." Grover picked at the fries, and eyed the tray's waxed paper liner as if he might go for that, but looked too nervous to try anything.  "What's that hissing noise?" he asked.

Phoenix listened as she drank her second milkshake—which was Vanilla flavored, according to Percy. But she didn't hear anything.

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."

"Mhm. Relax Goatboy." Phoenix said, She pointed to her empty glass. "Hey, Refill!"

"Err Phoenix you can't just—"

"Khaotikómi, You're going to get a sugar rush."

"I made big batches." Aunty Em' grinned, Phoenix was too hyped to question her. "Have as many as you'd like."

Phoenix clapped when another chocolate milkshake was out in front of her. "Cool! Thanks, old lady!"

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—and chug down milkshakes, in Phoenix's case.

"So, you sell gnomes," Percy said, his voice sounded a little unsettled, but he tried to sound interested.

"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."

Percy looked behind him. Phoenix followed his gaze, the sound of her slurping the last drop of her milkshake ringing at the table.

It was just a statue of a young girl holding an Easter basket. The detail was incredible, But something was wrong with her face. It looked as if she were startled, or even terrified.

"Ah," Aunty Em's voice was solemn. "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."

"You make these statues yourself ?" Phoenix asked.

"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."

The sadness in her voice sounded so deep and so real.

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

"Yes but they are gone now," Aunty Em's voice dulled. "You must understand, dear, that I was once not as lonely as you see me now. I had two sisters, and we were inseparable. Born through a special lineage. Except, I was the most special of the three... My sisters,
they passed on. They faded away. I alone have survived, Ironic really. See out of the three I was the most vulnerable. Once, there was this gentleman who thought he could cause a ruckus while I was having a little rest. Quite awful, if you ask me. He got his moment, and I... well, let's say I had a brief encounter with the great beyond."

She chuckled softly, "But surprise, surprise—I made my return, like a Phoenix. Here I am. "

Phoenix furrowed her eyebrows, she sent the old lady an icy glare, "I'm Phoenix." She countered,

"Yes, I said like a phoenix, it's—"

"Well you're not a phoenix I'm a phoenix. So, don't call yourself Phoenix old lady."

Percy scratched his head,

"Percy?" Annabeth began shaking him to get his attention.
"Maybe we should go. I mean, the ringmaster will be waiting."

She sounded tense. Phoenix wondered why. With all these milkshakes, she couldn't be anything but satisfied.

Grover was eating the waxed paper off the tray now, but if Aunty Em found that strange, she didn't say anything.

"Such a nice name Perseus," Aunty Em told Percy again. "My, yes, it has been a long time since I've heard a name like that."

She reached out as if to stroke Percy's cheek, but he stood up abruptly. "Okay, that's a little weird."

"We really should go." Annabeth stood up, grabbed Percy by the arm, and pulled him back.

Phoenix nodded, and got up beside them."But I have an important question before we do—" She walked to the end of the table, Her hands slammed against it, rather harshly, she looked at the old lady with a serious look on her face, "—You got to go cups?"

"Phoenix!" Annabeth pulled her by the arm gently, guiding her away from the table to stand closer to the duo.  "You don't need more milkshakes!"

"I'll decide what I don't need!"  She said defensively

"Yes, they're right!" 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."

"Hm." Phoenix thought about it, "No, because you sound creepy and suspicious."

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

"Sure we can," Percy responded with an irritated glance at the girls. "It's just a photo, girls. What's the harm? It's the least we can do after she fed us."

"Yes, Annabeth, Phoenix." the woman purred. "No harm. Least you can do."

Phoenix didn't like it, she had a strong feeling something was off with Aunty Em. Even if she did get mildly distracted by the sweet creamy delight of her chocolate and vanilla milkshakes.

They allowed Aunty Em to lead them back out the front door, into the garden of statues.

Aunty Em 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."

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

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

"Where's the device you need to take the picture with?" Phoenix 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. Phoenix please, smile a bit."

Phoenix responded by flipping her off.

She still had no camera in her hands.

"Percy—" Annabeth said.

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

"Percy, something's wrong," Annabeth insisted.

Phoenix's eyes began to glow red. "You guys...."

"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 others off the bench.

Percy was on the ground, looking at Aunt Em's sandaled feet.
He could hear Grover scrambling off in one direction, Annabeth and Phoenix in another. But he was too dazed to move.

Then there was a strange, rasping sound that echoed through the backyard.

His eyes rose to Aunty Em's hands, which had turned gnarled and warty, with sharp bronze talons for fingernails.

He almost looked higher, but somewhere off to the left Annabeth screamed, "No! Don't!"

More rasping—the sound of tiny snakes, right above him, from about where Aunty Em's head would be.

"Run!" Grover bleated. He raced across the gravel, yelling, "Maia!" to kick-start his flying sneakers.

It was like he was frozen. He stared at Aunty Em's gnarled claws.

"Such a pity to destroy a handsome young face," she told him soothingly. "Stay with me, Perseus. All you have to do is look up."

Percy began to gaze upward.

"Fishface!" Phoenix appeared beside him from the shadows, she grabbed his face and forced him to look into her glowing red eyes. "Get the fuck up off the ground! That's Medusa!"

He looked to one side and saw through one of those glass spheres people put in gardens—a gazing ball. He saw the woman's dark reflection in the orange glass; her headdress was gone, revealing her face as a shimmering pale circle. Her hair was moving, writhing like serpents.

"His namesake killed me phoenix," Medusa said, trying to coerce her into looking up. "Surely you'll allow me to get my revenge, Your mother would be proud of you for allowing such a disorderly encounter to unfold."

"Don't listen to her!" Annabeth's voice shouted, somewhere in the statuary. "Run, Guys!"

"Silence!" Medusa snarled. Then her voice modulated back to a comforting purr. "You see why I must destroy, Perseus. But you, dear Phoenix, you need not suffer—Ouch!"

She kicked the old lady square in the shin. Medusa cried in pain and shrunk in on herself. Phoenix closed her eyes as she pulled Percy into the shadows. When she opened them, both of them were on the ground a few feet away from her.

Percy keeled over, holding his stomach."Okay, whatever the hell that was...It was not fun."

Medusa turned to them, she hissed in anger. The serpents in her hair echoing her. Percy and Phoenix stared at the ground. Phoenix tightened her grip on her poleaxe. Ready to jump into action if needed.

"Barnacle Brain." She mumbled under her breath,

"Alright, Sweetheart, I get it." He sassed,

"Do you?" Phoenix countered, glaring into his green eyes. "Cause you keep acting like a huge Barnacle Brain."

He stared back, his face angered, "Excuse me for being new here."

"Do you really want to help the gods?" Medusa advanced. "Do you understand what awaits you on this foolish quest? Do you truly believe they will see you as one of theirs? You are not a child of an Olympian...They will never see you as worthy. What will happen if you reach the Underworld? Do not be another pawn of the Olympians, my dear. You would be better off as a statue. Less pain. Less pain."

"Percy! Phoenix!" They heard a buzzing sound, Grover yelled, "Duck!"

They looked up for a moment, up in the night sky, flying in with his winged shoes fluttering, Grover, was 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 them into action. They dove to one side. Percy broke Phoenix's fall as they hit the pavement.

Grover thwacked Medusa over the head, almost breaking her neck.

She roared with rage. "You miserable satyr," she snarled. "I'll add you to my collection!"

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

They scrambled away and hid in the statuary while Grover swooped down for another pass.

He smacked her right in the nose.

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

Right next to Phoenix and Percy, Annabeth's voice said, "Guys!"

Phoenix looked around her, "Annabeth?!"

Percy jumped so high his feet nearly cleared a garden gnome. "Jeez! Don't do that!"

Annabeth took off her Yankees cap and became visible. "We have to cut her head off."

"What? Are you crazy? Let's get out of here." Percy argued

"Medusa is a menace. She's evil." Annabeth swallowed, "We have to if we have the chance."

"What? We can't even look at her—"

"Look, do you want her turning more innocent people into statues?"

She pointed to a pair of lovers, 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—"

Percy and Phoenix shared a look. Then turned back to Annabeth.

"What the hell are you saying," Phoenix said

"Would you speak English?" Percy grumbled.

"I am!" She tossed Phoenix the glass ball. "Just look at her in the glass. Never look at her directly."

"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.

"We have to hurry," Annabeth told them. "Grover's got a great nose, but he'll eventually crash. You use that to find her, I'll follow and put my hat on her. And Percy you cut her head off once she's invisible."

"Why does he get the fun task," Phoenix grumbled

He grumbled, "I wouldn't call it fun."  Percy took out his pen and uncapped it. The bronze blade of Riptide elongated in his hand.

Annabeth put on her cap and shimmered away.

They followed the hissing and spitting sounds of Medusa's hair.
Phoenix kept the sphere up so their eyes could lock on the gazing ball and only glimpse at Medusa's reflection. Then, in the green-tinted glass, They saw her.

Grover was coming in for another turn at bat, but this time he flew a little too low. 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!"

Medusa was about to lunge at him when Phoenix yelled, "Hey!"

It was a long shot but she threw the glass ball at her head. It hit her just as she was turning to look at them, and she cried, holding her face as the glass shattered.

"Go!" Phoenix yelled

Annabeth appeared behind Medusa as Percy charged forward. The moment her Cap fell on her head. She screamed "There!" and pointed at the air.

Percy lashed down with his sword, they heard a high-pitched cry, a thud, then a hiss—the sound of a monster disintegrating.

The head rolled, causing the invisibility cap to fall off, It ended up on the ground next to Percy's foot.

"Don't look!" Annabeth cried, rushing forward to get her hat. She dusted it off, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

Percy tried to hold in a gag, "The dying snakeheads are tugging at my shoelaces."

"Oh, yuck," Grover said. His eyes were still tightly closed, but it was likely he could hear the thing gurgling and steaming. "Mega-yuck."

Annabeth came up next to him, her eyes fixed on the sky. She was holding Medusa's black veil.

She said, "Don't move."

Very, very carefully, without looking down, she knelt and draped the monster's head in black cloth, then picked it up. It was still dripping green juice.

"Are you okay?" she asked them, her voice trembling.

Phoenix nodded, "I'm just glad I got to throw something at her."

Annabeth fought back a smile, she looked at Percy, "You? Seaweed Brain."

"Yeah," He decided, though his face was green. "Why didn't...why didn't the head evaporate?"

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

Grover moaned as he climbed down from the grizzly 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, man."

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 concrete bear? Not fun."

He snatched his shoes out of the air. Percy recapped his 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. They plopped it on the table where they'd eaten dinner and sat around it, too exhausted to speak.

But somehow, Phoenix found some more of the chocolate milkshake. And yes, she was sipping on it as they studied the dismembered head of Medusa.

Phoenix glared, "And you told me to 'lay off'

Annabeth flashed her an irritated look. "You could have said you thought she was Medusa. And blame Percy for taking so damn long!"

Phoenix hissed back, "I didn't think she was Medusa. But obviously, I felt that she wasn't normal! It's not my fault you weren't wise enough to assess a situation, Sophitria! Or listen to me!"

Percy's face was burning. "Oh, so now it's my fault we met Medusa."

"You're both the worst!" Annabeth yelled, She turned to Phoenix. "You. I am more than wise enough! You don't get to say that! And I don't have to listen to some girl I don't know who drives me absolutely insane!" She glared at Percy, "Oh, and you! At least Phoenix had the sense!" Annabeth straightened. In an imitation of his voice, she said: "It's just a photo, Girls. What's the harm?'

"Forget it," He said. "I don't need this! This isn't my life! I just want to get my mom back!" He hissed. "I didn't sign up for this!"

"News flash!" Phoenix cried, "None of us did! What? You think you get to tap out because you're special?"

"Hold on! Your mom's alive?!" Annabeth asked

"She's with Hades." Percy nodded, "But thanks for your concern girls real—"

"I am concerned!" Annabeth interrupted "I'm concerned about why you're actually on this quest!"

"Annabeth!" Grover cried,

"Oh Yeah? Well, why are you two on this quest? To prove yourself to your parents so they can give you some attention. So you can finally get out of that place. I won't lie and say I'm not here to also try and save my mom. I won't lie and say that more of this is for her than for him! Why? Because that guy has never been in my life!" He growled, "Say what you want! But I'm more her son than his! It's not my fault if you can't understand that!"

"Percy!"

Phoenix shoved him. "You don't get to assume anything about me! I couldn't care less about Eris! So shut your mouth unless you want me to give you nightmares?!"

"Phoenix!"

"You're a nightmare!" Percy cried in her face, "The only reason I chose you was because I knew we'd never be friends!"

"GUYS!"

"WHAT!"

The trio fell silent as they looked up at Grover, He looked down at them and sighed out in frustration. "You three are giving me a migraine, and satyrs don't even get migraines."

He sighed, "Phoenix, You need to calm down your powers—"

She scoffed, "So now it's my fault."

"No!" Grover bleated, "That's not what I mean, Just that you getting angry makes them angrier and then it's an even bigger thing, and yeah. Just ugh! Guys!" Grover began " You seriously need to quit it. Annabeth, Phoenix, His mom's alive. The only family he has ever known. Can you imagine how confusing that must be for him? Feeling like he may have to choose between the fate of the world and the fate of the only person who's ever cared about him? Not to mention he's been at this for only a few days."

"Thank you."

"I'm not done, Percy." Grover furrowed his eyebrows, "What you said to them was so not cool, Yes, we're all here for our reasons, and yes that includes for the fate of the world. But we're here for you too. Fighting with you. Doing this as your quest mates. You're not alone and it's unfair for you to treat us all like you are. It's unfair for you to throw Phoenix and Annabeth's camp life in their face because you will never understand what it's like to be born and raised a demigod—not like they do."

"Why are you talking like this?" Annabeth asked,

"Because. We need to keep ourselves on track during this quest." He said, " And none of you chose to be demigods, but it's who you are. We just have to remember that we're a team now. We can do this together..."

"The Oracle said one of you would betray me. Okay?" Percy blurted out,

All eyes turned to him, Phoenix felt her stomach bubble with something. She didn't understand it but it made her uncomfortable. Her obsidian eyes glimmered red.

"You shall be betrayed by the one who calls you a friend, and you shall fail to save what matters most in the end. That's the rest of what she said to me. So I chose Phoenix. And when they said that Annabeth volunteered I was relieved because I couldn't imagine we'd ever be friends!"

Both girls listened silently.

His voice quivered, "And I chose you because I thought if I could count on anyone to be on my side, no matter what, it was my best friend. And now, I'm feeling so alone. I don't know what to think or who to trust. " He sighed,

He stopped for a moment, realizing the gravity of his words, he turned to the girls. "I'm really sorry, I-I didn't mean it in that way..."

"It's okay." Annabeth responded, "I, I understand. But, You don't have to worry about me. Even if I ever do become friends with a Seaweed Brain like you. Which I doubt—"

Percy laughed,

"You can count on me to help you with your mom if it comes to it. We just have to focus on finding the lightning bolt as well. We can work together. You're not alone. Just be less of an idiot, yeah?"

"Thank you, Wise girl..."

Percy turned to Phoenix, She had a blank stare on her face, but her eyes held some sort of dullness to it.

"Well, Good thing, We'll never be friends."

"Nix—Okay I deserve that. But—"

"So, What are we going to do with the head," Phoenix asked, changing the subject. Her gaze fell on the wrapped-up body part. "The faster we get rid of it. The closer we are to finishing this quest."

The conversation died there.

They 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!

Phoenix could feel Percy's anger radiating off of him, even as they stopped attacking each other, it didn't cease. Which told her there was more he was thinking about: possibly the gods and their role in this whole quest, maybe almost dying, maybe his mom in Danger. At this rate, it could be anything.

Percy got up. "I'll be back."

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

When Percy came back to the picnic table, he packed up Medusa's head in a box, and filled out a delivery slip:

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

With best wishes,
PERCY JACKSON.

"Hm. Not bad." Phoenix said.

He turned to her with a grin, "Thanks. I thought you'd think so."

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

Percy poured some golden drachmas into 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.

He looked at Annabeth, daring her to criticize.

She didn't. She seemed resigned to the fact that he had a major talent for ticking off the gods.

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