history of man // percy jackson & the olympians

05 | they visit aunty em's garden emporium

THE QUAD HAD BEEN WANDERING THROUGH THE FOREST FOR QUITE SOME TIME. the dense canopy overhead filtered the sunlight, casting dappled shadows on the path beneath their feet. birds chirped harmoniously, and the gentle rustle of leaves in the breeze created a serene atmosphere.

as they walked, a friendly assortment of woodland creatures seemed drawn to andromeda. birds landed on her shoulders, squirrels scampered alongside her, and even a curious rabbit hopped out from the underbrush to investigate. it was as if the forest acknowledged her presence in a mystical way.

percy couldn't help but comment, "are you sure you're not secretly a disney princess or something? i mean, seriously, look at this. animals are practically throwing themselves at you."

andromeda chuckled, reaching down to gently stroke the head of the rabbit. "guess i've got a way with the critters."

grover grinned, ever the nature enthusiast. "i've literally never seen anything like this before."

annabeth, however, remained focused on their quest. "let's not get too distracted. we need to keep moving."

the forest creatures, undeterred by annabeth's pragmatic tone, continued to trail andromeda. birds left small trinkets — shiny pebbles and delicate feathers — at her feet as if offering gifts. the girl was sure to collect them all and put them in her pockets, not wanting any of the critters to feel bad.

"somewhere up ahead, this turns into a satyr path." grover told the group, easing annabeth's worries ever so slightly.

percy kneaded his eyebrows. "what's a satyr path?"

a butterfly landed on andromeda's finger as grover answered. "it's a road through the wilderness. satyr explorers use them. it's harder to track us."

percy nodded. "that's great but, if we stay in the wilderness, how are we going to find a phone?"

annabeth turned her head around as she walked. "what do we need a phone for?"

percy raised his eyebrows as if the answer were obvious. "to call camp?" he told them. "to get help?"

annabeth faced forward again, standing up a little straighter. "we don't need help." she said. "we're fine."

percy scoffed. "we're fine?" he asked. "we haven't even gotten to trenton yet and we're wandering through a forest." he reminded the group. "i didn't even know they had forests in new jersey, but we've found one." he said. "i would say we're the opposite of fine."

"we were sent on a quest by the oracle, by the gods." annabeth reminded the boy. "what'd you think? it'd be easy?" she asked. "it's supposed to be hard. that's why only certain people are chosen." she explained to him, beginning to get frustrated with the fact that he knew literally nothing about their world. "if we call camp, we're basically saying it was a mistake to choose us."

percy shrugged. "i'm completely comfortable with that." he admitted. "everyone makes mistakes."

annabeth stopped in her tracks, spinning on her heels to face percy. "why are you so afraid of who you are?"

percy kneaded his eyebrows. "what?"

andromeda and grover shared a glance, the woodland creatures scampering away as the tensions grew within the group. "you know, what's interesting about this particular satyr path is it's actually the one my uncle ferdinand took when he set out on his own quest."