Fated To Fall: PJO

Monster or survivor?

They continued walking in silence before Grover decided to ease the tension.

"Somewhere up ahead, this turns into a satyr path."

Percy startled before looking back at him, "What's a satyr path?"

"It's a road through the wilderness. Satyr explorers use them. Harder to track us."

Grover stopped in his tracks, "Do you guys smell that?"

Annabeth froze, hand going to her knife as she glanced around, "Don't be messing around."

Grover waved his hand, "I'm not, shush."

He sniffed for a second before turning to the three demigods with a bright smile.

"Food."

Theo quirked a brow, "Why would someone be making food out here?"

"That's just it. Somebody's making food in the middle of nowhere, on a satyr path. Whoever it is, they're from our world."

"It could be a fast food restaurant," Percy added, hope in his voice.

It was one of those weird roadside curio shops that sell lawn flamingos and wooden Indians and cement grizzly bears and stuff like that, not a fast food restaurant.

The main building was a long, low warehouse, surrounded by acres of statuary.

The neon sign above the gatewas impossible for me to read, because if there's anything worse for Percy's dyslexia than regular English, it's red cursive neon English.

To him, it looked like: ATNYU MES GDERAN GOMEN MEPROUIM.

"What the heck does that say?" He asked.

"I don't know," Annabeth said.

She loved reading so much, Percy and Theo had forgotten she was dyslexic, too.

Grover translated: "Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium."

Flanking the entrance, as advertised, were two cement garden gnomes, ugly bearded little runts, smiling and waving, as if they were about to get their picture taken.

Percy walked ahead, following the smell of hamburgers.

"Hey..." Grover warned.

"The lights are on inside," Annabeth said. "Maybe it's open."

"Snack bar," he said wistfully.

"Snack bar," she agreed.

"Are you two crazy?" Grover said. "This place is weird."

Percy, Annabeth and Theo ignored him.

The front lot was a forest of statues: cement animals, cement children, even a cement satyr playing the pipes, which gave Grover the creeps.

"Bla-ha-ha!" he bleated. "Looks like my Uncle Ferdinand!"

That statement made Theo froze as puzzle pieces began to slid into place. Grover's uncle had been here, he was dead. Aunty Em, statues, replicas. He shut his eyes as he tried to find connections.

Em, statues. Em, M. M, statues. Medusa.

His revelation was cut short as wings flapped behind him.

"I warned you, child. Hades will have your soul."

A woman's melodic voice sounded behind them, "Not today, friends. Not on my doorstep."

The fury glanced at the woman before hiding her face behind her wing.

"Oh, shoot," Annabeth cursed as the pieces fell into place for her and Grover. They both grabbed Theo and Percy to cover all of their eyes.