My story | PJO x male reader

Chapter 17: Life-like Statues

The four of us walked through the forest with me in the lead. I used my vision and almost limitless energy at night to scout ahead looking for anything that could provide shelter. I came back to tell them that I found nothing but heard them bickering.

"All of our stuff was in there." Percy complained

"Well maybe if you didn't jump into save the day." Annabeth clenched her jaw.

"What did you want me to do let you get killed?"

You didn't have to protect me,Percy. I would have been fine."

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

"Shut up, goat boy." Annabeth said.

I walked in between all three of them.

"Hey, hey, hey. Settle down, we can yell at each other all we want tomorrow. Just keep moving." I sighed looking ahead of us. "Just, don't kill each other before I get back, alright?" I said trying to cool everyone off.

"When did I become the voice of reason?" I asked myself as I went on another scouting "mission"

I looked down at my necklace and saw an owl this time.

"ΒΟΡΕΙΟ ΑΣΤΕΡΙ." Artemis' voice rang in the back of my head.

"ΒΟΡΕΙΟ ΑΣΤΕΡΙ" I said as the owl transformed into a compass and a lamp that housed a light green glow. That's useful. I walked back to the others and have them the lantern.
"Just so you can actually see." I told them as I handed the lantern over to Annabeth keeping the compass for myself.
"Give it to me when you're done, okay?"

She just nodded.

As I walked away I heard Annabeth kinda apologize to both of them. I was about to make a joke about them making up but I saw light out of the corner of my eye.

"Hey!!!" I yelled trying to get their attention.

"What?" I heard Annabeth say behind me.

"Found something" I said as I was trying to decipher the neon sign that was in front of the store.

"What does it say?" I heard Percy's voice from behind me.
"I don't know." Both me and Annabeth said at the exact same time.
"AUNTY EM'S GARDEN GNOME EMPORIUM."  Grover said translating the words for us.

"That would explain these." I said as I gestured towards the two garden gnomes that were posed as if they had just gotten their picture taken.

"The lights are on. Maybe they're open." Annabeth suggested

"What are you talking about this place is weird." Grover tried to protest.
We ignored him.

We walked through the front lot that were filled with stone statues. Some of children, some of adults even a cement satyr playing the pipes which freaked Grover out.

"Bal-ha-ha" Grover bleated as we walked past the statue.
"Looks like my Uncle Ferdinand."

We stopped at the warehouse door. I was about to knock before Grover protested," Don't!! I smell monsters."

"Your nose is probably clogged up from the furies besides all I smell are burgers. Aren't you hungry?" Annabeth said as she tried to reassure him.

"Meat? I'm a vegetarian."
"You eat cheese enchiladas and tin cans."
"Those are vegetables. Come on let's leave these statues are... looking at me."

As soon as he said that the door creaked open and a tall woman stood before us. I couldn't see her that well because she had everything covered from her head ( in a veil) to her toes ( which was covered by a long black gown.)
I could barely see her eyes which were wrapped behind black gauze but other than that I couldn't see much except her hands.

"Children, it is too late to be out all alone. Where are your parents?" She said in a slightly middle eastern tone. I guess that explains the covering.

"Our par-" Annabeth started
"We're orphans." I said
"Orphans?" The woman said. "But my dear surely not."
"We got separated from our caravan, our circus caravan, and our ring leader told us to meet him at the gas station... maybe he meant another gas station?" Percy said expertly lying our way through this situation.

"Anyway, we're lost." I said trying to help Percy out. "Is that food I smell?"

"Oh my dears" the women said. "You must come in." We thanked her.

Annabeth gave me my lantern as we walked through the door.

"Ανατολή ηλίου" I said as quietly as possible and watched as the compass and lantern transformed into half a bird. The two halves looked as if you cut the bird vertically having a wing on each side. They finally met in the middle and went limp on the string of my necklace.

I looked to my right and saw a picnic table, grill and other cooking items.
FOOOOOOOD!!!! My brain thought as it saw the grill.

"Take a seat, children." She said as she walked into a room that was just off to the right.

I sat next to Annabeth while Percy and Grover sat on the other side of the table.

Soon Aunty Em came around the corner with a tray of four burgers along with four sodas.

Me, Annabeth and Percy dug into the food that laid in front of me.

"How has the circus been going." She asked the group.

"It started off a little rocky but it's been going pretty smooth recently." I said.

I felt like eyes were staring bullets into my back but when I turned around I saw a mother holding a baby looking almost... terrified.

"Ahh you see some of my projects don't turn out as well as others." The lady said.

"It was easier a while ago when I had my two sisters." She said with so much sadness that I thought I might cry.

Annabeth had skeptical look etched on her face
"Two sisters?"

"Yes, Annabeth. I used to have two sisters. They stuck with me through everything. For example, when I was younger I had a boyfriend, you see. A bad woman did everything she could to break us apart but my sisters stuck with me every step of the way."
Aunty Em said finishing her story with the same sadness that she used in her previous sentence.

"What happened to them?" I asked as my sympathy got the better of me.

"They have passed on. Faded, I guess you could say." She said turning towards me.

"Such green eyes, like the wilderness had been caught in them." She said reaching out for me as if to stroke my cheek.

"We should be leaving, right Y/N?" Annabeth said pulling me out of the chair

"Oh children, I so rarely get visitors. Can you please sit for a pose?"

"A pose?" Annabeth asked.

"I'll take a photograph and use it to sculpt my next sculpture. Children are very popular, you see." She said with a content smile.

"I don't think we can." Annabeth said wearily

"Oh come on, Annabeth, just a photo. Where's the harm?" Percy said.

Annabeth didn't like it but she agreed.

Aunty Em took us outside and placed us on a park bench.

"Ok, now smile for me. Percy a little bit more to the right." She said trying to get the perfect pose. Weirdly enough I didn't see a camera anywhere.

"Perfect. Now Y/N, my dear, can you stand just to the right of Ms. Chase here. Grover, just in the back is fine."

A question soon fired off in my mind. How did she know our names.

"No, Grover." She groaned.
"Sorry," Grover replied.
"No, it is alright, dear, it's just that this veil is so hard to see through." She said. "Let me take this off to get a better look."