Unlikely Heroes

Chapter 29: Aunty Em

"Are you sure your mother had nothing to do with it? The Furies only obey Hades," Percy asks as we walk around in a forest. "They were looking for something. You heard Megaera asking for something. What could that possibly be?" I ponder out loud.

"Don't you see? There are two items missing," Annabeth chimes in. Percy and I turn to her, confused and curious to hear her explanation. Annabeth sighs softly as she looks at us with a bit of disappointment.

"Your prophecies concern two different things. One must be the bolt and the other something else. And what could that be? There is only one thing that would make Hades send the Kindly Ones. Her symbol of power. The Helmet of Darkness is missing too."

"Are you sure? Then why are we going to Hades?" Percy asks confused. "If Annabeth thinks this is the case, I believe her. But we still need to visit Hades. There's something in the Underworld, or we wouldn't need to go there in the first place. I need to visit my home there," I answer him.

"Well, we should figure out where we are, and perhaps even find some food. We had to leave everything behind in the bus," Grover adds to the conversation, "We won't know where to go without first knowing where we are after all."

"How about asking there? Seems like a perfect spot," Percy says as he points to a shop. The forest gave way and revealed a wooden shop close to a road. It is not the best spot as traffic is very low due to the nearby highway.

"Why not, seems like a good option. By the way, Aileen, can't you transport us all through the shadows?" Annabeth asks.

"Four is a bit too much for me, unfortunately. Maybe in due time, but I am not strong enough yet to do so many in one go," I answer. "Can't you do multiple trips then? For example, one at a time?"

"No. Travelling in the shadows with one person may not be super taxing for me anymore, but making sure I go to the correct location is difficult. Each time I enter the shadows, the paths change, they get redrawn. I am not sure if I could go back to the others. Or at least close to the others. It would be easier if I was familiar with the Underworld," I explained. Annabeth sighs but nods. "Let's hope the owner of this shop is able to help us."

As we close in, I look towards the large green sign on the wooden roof. "Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium. What a strange name..." I mumble. "I wish I could read English better..." I hear Percy mumble a bit irritated. Grover chuckles in a goaty way.

"Ah, have no fear, Aileen is here- Ow!" I yelp as Annabeth hits me on the back of my head. "Behave," she says sternly. "I am sorry, Annabeth... please don't hit the same spot over and over," I say in a soft tone.

"Then behave you..." a deep sigh leaves her as she changes her word choice, "beautiful woman..." she finished very softly. I smile as we start to enter the shop.

It is just as you would expect from a statue shop. There are many kinds of statues of children, adults, and even some mythical creatures. What I find most stunning is the level of detail in some of them. The person who makes these must be very talented. It does give me the shivers for some reason. In the building, the air is also filled with the delicious smell of food. Hamburgers, and the like. Gods, I could use a bite...

As we all enter the large room with multiple statues, Grover seems to be weary of being here. I know he is rather jumpy and gets scared easily, but not this quick. At least from what I remembered.

"Grover, what's up?" I ask softly. "That statue looks like my uncle..." he explains softly, but we turn to the entrance that leads further into the shop. The woman looks to be from the Middle East, with pleasant features to the eye. Her hair is covered by a cloth, though.