Back To Black | Luke Castellan

07

Percy started to look but Annabeth stopped him. "Percy, don't. She's a monster." She said.

"We all choose who we make our monsters, but right now, that one wants to tear you limb from limb and I'm offering you lunch. The choice is yours." Medusa said, walking back in.

The three of them stood up straight, looking at Nadia. "Why didn't you look away?" Annabeth asked. She looked at her and shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm not afraid of her besides I don't think my dad would let me die this easily." Nadia said.

"I think we can trust her." Percy said to them.

"What?" Annabeth asked.

"Dude." Grover said.

"I can't explain it, it's just... my mom used to tell me her story. And the point was always that she isn't what people think and I definitely trust my mom." Percy said.

"So I'm going in. You guys do want you want." He said walking away. Nadia followed him first and then Grover and Annabeth.

They walked into the main room to find a big table filled with food, drinks, candles. "You must be hungry. I left snacks on the table while I get something proper going." Medusa said.

Percy turned his body to Grover and Nadia. "You think it's safe to eat?" He asked looking at the food. "Percy, I'm not going to lie to you, I'm really hungry, and I'm ready to take that chance."

The doorbell rung and they turned to see Annabeth. "Thanks for coming." He said.

"This isn't the same for me as it is for you." Annabeth told him. "Why?" He asked.

"Your concerned I would hold a grudge against you simply because you are a daughter of Athena?" Medusa asking coming in and pouring lemonade in the glasses.

"You shouldn't be. We're not our parents after all. And you and I might have more in common than you think. Please, sit and eat." She said.

Nadia, Percy, and Grover slowly moved over to the chairs and sat down. She took off her backpack and set it on the ground.

"So you're not a monster, what are you then?" Percy asked her. "A survivor." She answered.
"You must be a little more than that. There's a fury out there that seems terrified of you."

"Because she knows what I think of her. I don't like bullies." Medusa said, sitting down. "When one shows up on my doorstep, they end up spending a lot more time there than they planned for." She said.

She looked at them. "The gift the gods gave me is that I cannot be bullied anymore." She said.

"What my mother did to you wasn't a gift. It was a curse." Annabeth said and she looked at her. "You are loyal to your mother."

"Yes."

"You stand by her?" She asked. "Always." Annabeth said. "You love her?"

"Of course I do." She said. "And so did I. So did I." Medusa said. "Do you know the story of how I came to be this way?" She asked.

"I do." Grover said.

"Do you?" She asked him. "Do I?" He said, unsure of himself.

"Athena was everything to me. I worshipped her, I prayed to her. I made offerings... she never answered. Not even an omen to suggest she appreciated my love." Medusa said.

"I wasn't like you, sweetheart. I was you. I would have worshipped her that way for a lifetime... in silence. But then one day, another god came, and he broke that silence. Your father." She said looking over at Percy.

"The sea god told me that he loved me. I felt as though he saw me in a way I had never felt seen before. But then Athena declared that I had embarrassed her and I needed to be punished."

"Not him. Me."

She paused for a moment before speaking again. "She decided that I would never been seen again by anyone who would live to tell the tale."

"That isn't what happened. My mother is just, always." Annabeth said to her.

"The gods want you to believe that, that they are infallible. But they only want what all bullies want. They want us to blame ourselves for their own shortcomings." Medusa said.

"That is not what happened and you are a liar." She said. Nadia looked to see Medusa turn her head to the left for a moment.

"Something's burning. Would you give me a hand in the kitchen? I think lunch is ready." She asked Percy as she stood up and walked out of the room.

Percy looked over at Annabeth and she shook her head but he ignored it and sat up, walking into the kitchen.

Nadia looked over at Annabeth but Grover was busy eating. "Grover." She said and he turned to her with food in his mouth.

"Get ready to run." She said to him.

Nadia stood up from her chair and put her backpack on and walked over to her. "Did you really have to go so hard on her?" She whispered to her. "She's a monster, Nadia." Annabeth said.

She sighed. "She didn't seem like it. She seemed like a survivor to me." Nadia said. "No, she's a liar and a monster."

"Then I guess me and Medusa have something in common then." Nadia said and Annabeth's face dropped. Nadia walked out of the building and she was calling her name but she ignored it.

She walked halfway down the driveway and stopped when she saw the fury, Alecto. Nadia knew that the fury wouldn't do anything to her because she is the daughter of Hades.

She also didn't want to go back inside. She was mad at Annabeth and she didn't want to be by her at that moment.

So Nadia sat down on the driveway and stared out at the statues thinking. Thinking about that day when she was thirteen in school. She hugged her knees letting tears roll down her face.

After a while the front door opened and saw Percy outside. Alecto flew at him and he held out Medusa's head, and she instantly turned to stone.

He put Annabeth's hat back on it and he turned to Nadia. He looked at her, noticing that she's been crying. "Are you okay?" He asked her.

She looked up at him. "No." She said.

"Well, um, we're going to figure out what we're gonna do with this. Did you want to join us?" Percy asked her.

Nadia shook her head.

"Okay. Well, we'll be out as soon as we're done." He said and she looked back down at the ground. He slowly turned and walked away from her.