Adore

Chapter Ten

Daddy's Ex is Mean!

You know, in a convulted sort of way, it's nice to know there are gods out there, 'coz you know that someone's making your life miserable on purpose. Like today. We've already been forced to take on a stupidly impossible and dangerous mission to save the world, yet here we are, on the first day, walking away from a bus that's just been attacked by monster hags and blown up by lightning, and it's raining on top of everything else. Pretty peachy, huh?

So, Luke, Ethan, Grover and I were walking through the woods along the New Jersey riverbank, the glow of New York City making the night sky yellow behind us, and the smell of the Hudson reeking in our noses. Grover was still whimpering from what he'd done. "Bla-ha-ha! I actually took on a Fury! Hades have mercy!" I was pretty shocked as well, with the adrenaline rush I had experienced draining away faster than I could recover. Pretty soon, I was feeling drained, and, what do you know, a tree root had suddenly appeared out of nowhere and tripped me. I closed my eyes, bracing against the impact of the muddy ground, but two strong arms supported me. When I opened my eyes, two gray ones were looking at me in concern. "You okay, sis?" I nodded, standing up on wobbly knees. "Yeah. Just feeling a little woozy. Thanks, Ethan." Luke was suddenly beside me, hoisting my arm up on his shoulders. I tried to squirm from his grip, protesting that I can still walk on my own, but one look at Luke's eyes stilled my tongue. "Come on, guys. The faster we could put more distance between us and the bus, the better." We all nodded, even Grover, to an extent, and resumed trudging.

Ethan just sighed as he took my pack and carried them both. "Thank Zeus I thought of our packs. At least we still have food and clothes. And a little money." Luke nodded, but still resolutely trudged on. I was feeling really lightheaded so I said nothing. Gods. I feel like a d**g addict going on withdrawal. Ethan looked at me worriedly, but said nothing, plodding along. Grover, meanwhile, was muttering to himself, while playing one or two keys from his reed pipes.

A few minutes later, we heard Grover yelp and his voice calling out. "Uh, guys? Help?" The three of us turned to look and found Grover tangled up on the ground with tree branches. "Uh, Grover? How did you get tangled up?" Luke said, staring at the satyr. "Apparently, the notes I've been playing are for plants to follow you." Grover sheepishly tried to squirm, but the roots were resolutely hanging on to him, giving him a hug. If I wasn't feeling like jelly for the moment, I would've laughed at his situation. Luke just sighed and passed me to Ethan, who wound my arm up his shoulders pretty much like Luke had done, while Luke tried to pry the roots from Grover. Well, I'm just going to blame my lightheadedness for my suddenly loose mouth, but I suddenly asked Ethan a question that had been bothering me. "Ethan, what did you guys talk about before Annabeth talked to Luke?"

Ethan looked at me in surprise, before smiling slightly. "Perce, you know that I treat you as my sister, right?" I nodded slightly, my fogged up brain slightly clearing because of his serious tone. "The truth is I really don't know how I named you as my sister. One look, and I got the unexplainable urge to protect you, but I know I'm not attracted to you." I turned to look at him, questioning why. He was turning a pretty interesting shade of red at the moment. "I-uh. Promise you won't say anything?" I nodded, my brain clearing completely at his nervous tone. "Well, uh. I'm-uhm. Well, I'm kinda, erm." He was fidgeting. Slowly, my eyes widened as my brain caught on to what he was saying. He wasn't saying-? "Are-are you gay, Ethan?" Ethan looked surprised, but quickly shook his head. "No! No, I'm not! Not that I have something against gay people, but-!" He cut himself off because I was quietly giggling at his reaction. He sighed, deflating. "Geez. Don't scare me like that, sis. I was going to say I'm not attracted to you because I'm already in love with someone else." I perked up at that. Ethan was in love with someone? My inner girl was squealing with excitement, but I just smiled widely at him. "Really? Then that's great! But why are you afraid of saying anything?" Ethan had the most adorable blush on his cheeks, visible through the dim lights New York provided behind. "Well, it, erm, seems she sees all Cabin Eleven people as people with personalities like Travis and Connor." I shook my head. Well, we can't have that, right? After this, I'm gonna fix some views, including Annabeth's. But first..! "Can you tell me?" Ethan leaned down close to my ear so he could whisper. "Okay. But, promise no telling anyone? Even Luke?" I nodded, excited at the prospect of learning Ethan's love interest. He smiled at me and whispered the name of the person I had no idea was someone he'd like. "Nyssa." I was pretty sure my jaw dropped to the ground at that moment. He laughed slightly. "Yeah, the only Daughter of Hephaestus right now. She saved me one time at Capture the Flag. I had encountered the Ant Hill." "Ant Hill?" Ethan looked surprised, but it turned to understanding a moment later. "Oh yeah. You were with Luke on your first Capture the Flag, right?" I nodded. "So you don't know about the Ant Hill. Well, in a corner of the forest is a place we call Ant Hill. It's were the Myrmekes live." I raised my eyebrow at that. "Ants." Ethan shook his head at my disbelieving tone. "Well, imagine ants the size of grown German Shepherds, have tough skin like armor, and that spits acid that have an innate fondness for all things shiny." Okaaay. Now I understand. "So, she saved you?" Ethan nodded, a small smile on his face. "Yeah. One of the Myrmekes noticed the shine my sword gave off, and tried to drag me to the Hill, but Nyssa noticed and rescued me before more Myrmekes could come. It was weird. I never noticed her before, but after that, she was all I could think about." Ethan had this goofy smile on his face while he was saying this. I shook my head. Lady Aphrodite's probably going to have a lot of fun with Ethan's love life, that was for sure.

"So, if you're already in love, why are you suddenly overprotective of me?" Ethan snapped out of his thoughts and looked at me, smiling a little. "Do you know that besides your romantic soulmate, you also have a non-romantic soulmate?" "Really?" Ethan nodded, turning back to Luke and Grover, with Luke still trying to budge the roots from Grover. "It keeps the balance of things, Perce. When I looked at you, I suddenly felt that that half of me was complete in a weird sort of way. I couldn't explain it, though I do know that I do not see you in a romantic light, so I assumed that you were my non-romantic soulmate, closer than a best friend, a sister from another mother, another half that completes me. You're energetic, bubbly. I'm serious, at times unfriendly. We complete each other, in a completely platonic view." OOHHH. That straightens out some of my questions. "But, Ethan, what did you say to Luke before?" Ethan turned a little bit sheepish as he watched Luke finally rescue Grover. "I told him if he wants chance on getting my approval on you two, he should get things cleared up with Annabeth. It was obvious to everyone except the oblivious i***t blonde himself that she likes him." I sweatdropped a little at that. Ethan is SOO Luke's bestfriend. Wait. Did Ethan just imply that Luke likes me? But before I could open my mouth, Luke was back at our side, looking at me in concern. "Perce, are you okay now? Can you walk?" I blinked. Did Luke just magically appear before us? I shook my head to get rid of the errant thoughts, and focused on my body. I tried to stand up without leaning on Ethan, and by the gods, I can. I nodded at Luke, receiving a relieved smile in return. "Okay. We need to walk a bit farther to be sure. 'Coz of Grover, we've lost a bit of time." Grover pouted. "I said I was sorry." Luke laughed, ruffling Grover's curly hair. "We're not angry, Goat boy." By this time, the thunderstorm had finally let up. The city glow faded behind us, leaving us in almost total darkness. "Come on, guys. Only a little further."

After tripping and cursing and generally feeling miserable for another mile or so, I started to see light up ahead: the colors of a neon sign. I could smell food. Fried, greasy, EXCELLENT food. I realized I hadn't eaten anything unhealthy since I'd arrived at Half-Blood Hill, where we lived on grapes, bread, cheese, and extra-lean-cut nymph-prepared barbecue. This girl needed a double cheeseburger! Apparently, Luke and Ethan were thinking the same, with the looks on their faces. Grover was just looking at his reed pipes, thinking hard about something, and paying no heed to us.

We kept walking until I saw 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 I'd hoped. It was one of those weird roadside curio shops that sells trinkets down the road and all of that. The main building was a long, low warehouse, surrounded by acres of statuary. The neon sign above the gate was impossible for me to read 'coz it was in glaring neon red, and if that wasn't bad enough, it was cursive.

ATNYU MES GDERAN GOMEN MEPROUIM

"What in Hades' name does the sign say?" I asked my companions. "I don't care, as long as I can eat some of the food that's probably inside." Luke said, completely undergoing a 180 degree change from the leader he was awhile ago. Ethan was nodding, agreeing with Luke. Grover sighed. "It says 'Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium'." Oh. Well, that explains the stone gnomes at the front, cheerily waving like they were posing for a shot. That thought snapped me out of my hunger-induced craze for a second, before the smell suddenly became overpowering and all I could think of was a large helping of double cheeseburger with a side of fries. "I smell snackbar." "Ditto." Ethan said, staring dreamily at the shop. "Thirded." Luke was looking pretty close to drooling. Grover was hesitant, though. "Guys, this place is creepy. I can smell monster." Ethan, usually the more mature out of all of us, just waved his concerns away. "All I smell is food. Aren't you hungry, Grover?" "But we have food right here!" He shook his bag for emphasis, but all my mind was saying was junkfood. "This is different, Goat boy. Don't you want a hamburger?" Grover looked offended. "I'm a vegetarian! I don't eat meat!" "You eat enchiladas and aluminum cans, Hircum." "Those ARE vegetables! Come on, guys. Let's leave! I swear these statues are looking at me!"

Then the door creaked open, and standing in front of us was a tall Middle Eastern woman-at least, I 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 I could make out. Her coffee-colored hands looked old, but well-manicured and elegant, so I imagined she was a grandmother who had once been a beautiful lady. "Children, it is late. What are you all doing outside? Where are your parents?" Her accent sounded vaguely Middle Eastern, too.

"We're orphans, Ma'am. We all ran away from the same abusive orphanage and we haven't eaten a thing since yesterday." Luke was GOOD to spin a believable story like that on the spot. "Oh, my poor, poor dears! You must come in and at least have a bite to eat. No need for money. I am Aunty Em. Go on straight to the back of the warehouse. There is a dining area there." We thanked her and went inside.

"You're good." I muttered, seeing Luke was beside me. He just smiled cockily. "Why, thank you, my dear Damsel fish." Ethan nudged him, silencing him. "Hush. The lady might hear." The warehouse was filled with more statues-people in all different poses, wearing all different outfits and with different expressions on their faces. I was thinking you'd have to have a pretty huge garden to fit even one of these statues, because they were all life-size. But mostly, I was thinking about food and how good it would be to finally splurge on a cheeseburger after two whole weeks. Okay. I know this is stupid and ridiculous and would somehow manage to get us killed, but come on, you've never smelled Aunty Em's burgers. They were like the smell of the most glorious slice of steak you could ever get your hands on, with the steak cooked to perfection. It smelled THAT good. In my food-induced state, I barely noticed Grover's nervous whimpers, or the way the statues' eyes seemed to follow me, or the fact that Aunty Em had locked the door behind us. My thoughts had one direction: the dining area. And sure enough, at the back of the warehouse, a fast-food counter with a grill, a soda fountain, a pretzel heater, and a nacho cheese dispenser was there, with a few picnic steel tables out front.

"Now, sit, children, and Aunty Em would make you delicious food, free of charge." She ushered us to one of the tables. "Thank you for your hospitality, Ma'am." Ethan smiled as he looked at her, and I vaguely registered that Aunty Em stiffened when she looked at his eyes, but she relaxed quickly, so I thought that I was imagining things. "Oh, no. No need to thank me, Ethan. It has been a while since I saw gray eyes, though not the exact shade as yours." Only a few minutes later I would think it strange that she knew our names when we haven't said anything.

Our hostess disappeared behind the snack counter and started cooking. Before we knew it, she'd brought us plastic trays heaped with double cheeseburgers, vanilla shakes, and XXL servings of French fries. Oh gods. It was heaven. I was pretty sure I had forgotten to breathe with the pace I was eating. Ethan and Luke weren't that different from me, with them having what looks like an eating contest of all things. 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. "Does anybody hear a hissing sound?" He asked us. I stopped stuffing my mouth to listen, but I didn't hear anything. Ethan and Luke paused in their fight to listen but then shook their heads. "Hissing? Perhaps you hear the deep-fryer oil, Grover. What keen ears you have!" Aunty Em exclaimed, her manicured hands resting on the countertop. "I take vitamins for my ears." Grover nervously hedged. "I see. But please, relax and eat."

Now that I think about it, it was weird that Aunty Em didn't eat anything. She didn't even take off her headwear to cook, and now, she was looking at us from the countertop, leaning forwards in interest. It felt really awkward, but, I figured as I finished the meal, she was nice enough to not charge us for the meal, might as well make our stay with her enjoyable for the old lady.

"You sell all kinds of statues here, Ma'am?" I asked, layering my voice with interest. She perked up at my question."Oh, yes. Animals, people, anything for a garden. Statuary is very popular if you talk to the right people." "Really? Do you have many customers?" "Not really, Percy. Since the highway was built, I have been having almost none. I must cherish every single one I get."

My neck tingled, as if somebody else was looking at me. I turned, but it was just 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 were startled, or even terrified. Aunty Em noticed my gaze. "Ah, yes. You notice that many of my statues do not turn out well. They do not sell very much." I felt sorry for her, hearing her sad voice, so I tried to steer the conversation elsewhere. "You make these statues yourself?" Instead of perking up like I expected, she seemed to deflate further. "Yes, though, once upon a time, I had two sisters who helped me. Now, they have passed on, leaving me all alone. That is why I make them. These statues are my only company now. " Okay. Now, I felt bad. Luke had stopped eating, his gaze suddenly sharpening. "You had two sisters, Ma'am?" She nodded. "Yes, though it is not a story fit for children. You see, a very bad woman was jealous of me, long ago, when I was young. I had a-a boyfriend-," She looked pained when she mentioned that she had a boyfriend, but she kept going on. "-and the bad woman was jealous of us, so she was determined to break us apart. She was the cause of a terrible, terrible accident. My sisters were the ones who stayed with me. They shared my pain, but they could not hold on long, and they passed away. I am all alone now. I am the only one who survived, but at such a heavy price."

Luke was now fully alert, shaking Ethan out of gorging himself with fries. "Uh, guys, I think we need to get out. Remember, we need to meet up with the other group that escaped?" Ethan stopped eating, but looked at Luke with slightly glazed eyes. "Why, Luke?" I asked, feeling indignant. Why would he want to leave this poor old woman alone tonight? Grover was now eating the waxed paper off the tray now, but if Aunty Em found that strange, she didn't say anything.

"Perce, remember? If they don't see us, they might leave without us." Luke was now urgently hauling Ethan, who was looking pleasantly full and sleepy, up. Grover shot up, swallowing the paper. "Yes! It will be bad if they leave us behind! Right!" But Aunty Em wasn't paying attention to him. She was looking intently at Ethan. "Gray eyes. It has been awhile that I've seen them." She moved to touch his cheek, but Luke jostled Ethan, making him evade the touch. "We really should be going." He said, handing Ethan over to Grover, who wavered slightly at Ethan's weight, but still stood, ready to go. He then started to haul me from my seat.

"But, please, dears. If you need to go, can you just take a moment to pose for me?" "A pose?" Luke said warily, still tugging me from my seat. "Yes, Luke. For a photograph. I will use it to model my next creations. Children are always popular, you see." "I'm not sure." Luke looked hesitant, his gaze becoming glazed for a moment before clearing again, repeatedly. "Come now, children. It is just a photograph. What harm could it do?" Luke hesitantly nodded. I didn't care, as long as we can make the poor woman happy before we leave.

Aunty Em directed us to a park bench near a stone satyr. "Now, I would just position you. The two gentlemen on either side of the young lady, please. And Grover, you kneel in front. Yes. That's it." "There's not much light for a photo." I absentmindedly noted. "But it is still enough for us to see each other, yes?" Her voice was sweet and simpering, like she coated them with honey. "Where's your camera?" Grover asked her. But, Aunty Em either ignored him or didn't hear. She stepped back a little, admiring the shot we would make. "Now, the face is the most difficult part. Can everyone give me a large smile please?" But Grover was too busy looking intently at the stone satyr beside Ethan. "That sure does look like my Uncle Ferdinand." "Grover, please look this way, dear." Aunty Em chastised him. She still had no camera. "Uh, guys?" Ethan was slowly regaining an awareness, his slowly sharpening gaze focused solely on Aunty Em. "I will just be a moment. You know, I can't see you very well in this cursed veil..." Aunty Em stated. "There's something wrong here." Luke warily said, his gaze clearing. "Wrong? There's nothing wrong, Luke, dear. Nothing at all. I have such noble company tonight. What could be wrong?" Aunty Em said, reaching up to undo the wrap around her head. "By the gods, that IS Uncle Ferdinand!" Grover gasped. "Look away, now!" Luke suddenly tackled me to the ground, while Grover took out Annabeth's cap, which I had given to him when we distributed the bags, and jammed it on his head, making him disappear, and at the same time hauling Ethan to ground. I was stuck between the ground and Luke above me, shielding me from looking at Aunty Em. "Luke, what-?" Then I heard it: a strange, rasping sound above me. I lifted my head a little to look beyond Luke, and my gaze landed on Aunty Em's hands, which had turned gnarled and warty, with sharp bronze talons for fingernails. Oh gods. Don't tell me.

More rasping-the sound of tiny snakes, right above me, from ... from about where Aunty Em's head would be. "Run!" I heard Grover's exclamation somewhere to the left of Luke and I, hearing him racing across the gravel, even though I could see him. I looked to one side and saw one of those glass spheres people put in gardens- a gazing ball. I could see Aunty Em'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.

AUNTY EM. AUNTY 'M'. Gods! How could I have been so stupid! "Such a pity to destroy a beautiful young face. Stay with me, Percy. All you have to do is look at me, dear." Her voice was soothing, putting me in a trance. Luke firmly directed my face, and therefore, my gaze on his own clear blue eyes. "Percy. Snap out of it. Come on!" He was resolutely putting his back in front of Medusa, so he won't accidentally look at her. My head cleared slightly, hearing Luke's panicked voice. I nodded, then both of us dived to one of the blushes close by. We were startled to find Ethan there, looking through a gap in the bushes at what was going on, quietly muttering.

"The Gray-Eyed One did this to me, Percy," Medusa said, and she didn't sound anything like a monster. Her voice invited me to stand up and look at her face, to sympathize with a poor old grandmother. "The cursed Athena, turned me from a beautiful woman into this." "Don't listen to her, Percy!" Luke hissed to me, keeping a firm grip on me. "How In Hades' name did she die in the myths?" Ethan was mumbling, thinking hard.

"Do you really want to help the gods, dear?" 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."

"Shut up, you old hag!" Grover's voice pierced through the haze Medusa was weaving on my brain, accompanied by a loud c***k, and Medusa's sudden wail. "You miserable, useless satyr! I'll crush your statue!" "That was for Uncle Ferdinand!" Grover shouted, somewhere in the courtyard. "Show yourself, you bumbling i***t, so I may turn you to stone!" She was screeching now, definitely searching for the still invisible satyr. "I've got it!" Ethan suddenly exclaimed beside me, making me jump a little in surprise. "You have to cut off her head, and her head becomes a spoil!" He said, looking at Luke and I. "You guys have to do it." Luke was startled, but he quickly nodded. "Yeah. I'm sorry, Perce, but it seems we're the only ones she tolerates to get close to her, with my father being Hermes, and yours being, well." I grumbled internally. Geez, Dad, can't you pick other girls that are less homicidal? "Yeah. And as much as I would like to do it, with my eyes, they remind her too much of Athena. She'll slice me up as soon as I get close enough." Ethan looked apologetic, but I just waved off his concerns. "It's okay. We need to go soon. Grover's good at being undetected, but sooner or later, he'll slip up." Ethan nodded, eyes looking for something, before stopping and picking up a green gazing ball from a nearby pedestal. "The convexity of this would make it harder to gauge the distance a bit, but it's all we've got. Remember, you two, never look at her directly." Ethan handed the ball to Luke, and the Son of Hermes mock saluted. "By your command, General Nakamura!" Ethan just rolled his eyes at Luke's attempt at piercing the tension. I just giggled at their antics. "Here. I know you left yours in your bag." Ethan tossed to Luke one of his twin swords s***h knives. "I thought you left your weapons in you pack?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at the weapon. Ethan shrugged. "I stashed one of the sheathes inside my pants." I just shook my head and took out my pen and uncapped it. The bronze blade of Riptide elongated in my hand, shimmering as always. "We need to do something about that." "Later. Let's kill your Daddy's ex first, okay?" Luke said, testing the blade in his hand. I just sighed and nodded.

Luke and I left our hiding place, following the hissing and spitting sounds of Medusa's hair.

I kept my eyes locked on the gazing ball Luke was holding so I would only glimpse Medusa's reflection, not the real thing. Then, I saw her. I saw a floating stick somewhere behind her, slowly coming towards her. Though, when it was about to come down on her, Medusa whirled around and caught the stick, then grabbed thin air. She then hurled that something to a statue of a grizzly bear, making a cap flutter to the ground, and thus, Grover appeared, his eyes unfocused, on the arms of the statue. "Ugggh." She snarled, already walking towards Grover, but then, I shouted. "Hey!" Luke and I advanced on her, which, I tell you, wasn't easy. I was sure that if she chose to lunge at us, we'd have a hard time fighting her off, due to the disadvantage that we couldn't look at her directly. But then, she let us approach. Twenty feet. Ten feet.

"Surely, you wouldn't harm an old woman, Percy dear. I knew your father. And yours, Luke honey. He's a charmer, just like you." She crooned. I hesitated, fascinated by the face I saw reflected in the glass-the eyes that seemed to burn straight through the green tint, making my arms go weak. I was sure Luke was feeling the same, because the arm holding the ball was shaking.

"Luke! Percy! Don't listen to her!" Ethan's voice sounded somewhere behind us. "Too late!" Medusa cackled and lunged for us, both her talons extended. I swung my sword at the general direction of her neck, the same time that Luke lunged Ethan's sword somewhere on her midsection. I heard a sickening shlock, and squirt, and I felt dust covering my extended arm. She's disintegrated. Something fell to the ground next to my foot. It took all my willpower not to look. I could feel warm ooze soaking into my sock, little dying snake heads tugging at my shoelaces. "Gods. Gods. Please, get it away from me." I whimpered, clutching Luke's sleeve like a lifeline, my eyes shut tightly.

"Oh, gods. Yuck! Mega-yuck!" Grover groaned, hearing the blood coming from the head gurgling and steaming. Ethan's voice was coming closer towards us. "Don't move, sis." I then felt someone wrapping the thing near my foot, the soft rustling of fabric being the only thing permeating the air. "It's safe to look now, Perce." Luke assured me, his hand carding through my hair gently. I opened my eyes, the first thing I see was Ethan holding Medusa's black veil, still dripping with green blood. "Gods. I think I'm going to be sick." "Sshh. It's alright, Damsel fish. We're safe." I swallowed thickly, nodding. "Are you two alright?" Ethan's voice was shaking badly. "As okay as we're going to get." Luke said as he knelt and wiped the green blood from Ethan's sword on the gravel. He then handed it over to Ethan, who nodded in thanks as he sheathed it again. "Here, let me, Perce." He said as he eased Riptide from my grip, then proceeded to clean it. Once he was done, he gave it back to me with a smile. "Here." I managed a shaky smile back at him. "Thanks." I then capped Riptide, making it return to its pen form. Grover was groaning as he climbed down from the arms of the bear. 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.

"You were awesome, Grover. The Modern Vision." Ethan praised him. I raised an eyebrow at that, shock completely evaporating by the hilariousness of the nickname. "You read comics, Ethan? Really?" Ethan turned an interesting shade of red. "It's one of her pastimes." He mumbled, intending for me to be the only one to hear, though I was pretty sure Luke heard with the way he perked up. I laughed a little. Gods, Ethan was so cute all in love. Grover matched Ethan's blush, though for the praise. "Thanks. Now I know why Annabeth said she'd rather have her cap than a thousand blades. That was fun. The being caught and crashing part? Not so much." We all laughed at that. He snatched the cap from the ground, and together, the four of us stumbled back to the warehouse.

We found some old plastic grocery bags behind the snack counter and double-wrapped Medusa's head. We plopped it on the table where we'd eaten dinner and sat around it, too exhausted to speak.

"Gods. Dad, if you can hear me, PLEASE. If you're going to fall in love again, PLEASE. Get someone like Mom." Grover and Ethan choked on their own spit at my statement, while Luke laughed wholeheartedly. "Or, better yet, marry Mom? Please?" At this time, all of us were laughing hysterically, the shock still in our systems draining out all of us. Grover wiped off the tears that had gathered on his eyes. "What are we gonna do about the head, though?" "Better take it with us. It's better to have another weapon working for us than against us." Ethan said, calming down. "Though, better find something better to hold it in. It might drip blood inside our packs if we left it like that." I shivered at the thought. Imagine, monster blood coating our clothes. Luke nodded and stood up. "I'm going to find something to hold it in." We all nodded our consent, and he went to the back of the warehouse.

A few minutes later, Luke returned, wearing a triumphant smile. "Jackpot!" He then shoved a just right sized box on the table, with tape and scissors. He also put down twenty dollars, a few golden drachmas and Medusa's account book. Ethan riffled through the account book, and a wide smile suddenly bloomed on his face. "Luke, you're a genius." Luke was bowing exaggeratedly. "Thank you. Thank you. No need for applause." "What's the deal?" I asked, leaning across to read the account book. Ethan smiled at me and slid it towards Grover and I. Her account book showed her six most recent sales, all shipments to the Underworld to decorate Hades and Persephone's garden. According to one freight bill, the Underworld's billing address was DOA Recording Studios, West Hollywood, California.

"Luke, I could kiss you right now." I said, totally ecstatic. This REALLY made our journey all the more easier! Luke perked up at that, suddenly appearing in front of me, looking at me with smoldering blue eyes. "I'll take you up on that offer." I squeaked, suddenly conscious of my private space. Though, as soon as Luke appeared, he disappeared. I looked, and Ethan was holding him by the collar of his shirt. "No taking advantage, Luke." Luke was pouting like a kid. Grover was chuckling while I was just shaking my head, willing my blush to subside.

"Come on, guys. We need a new plan." I muttered, feeling a rising hope in my chest. Things are finally looking up a little for us!