𝒎𝒊𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒓𝒃𝒂𝒍𝒍 - 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒚 𝒋𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒙 𝒐𝒄

‧⁺˚*･༓𝑵𝑰𝑵𝑬༓･*˚⁺‧

"The Gray-Eyed One did this to me, Percy," Medusa said, and she didn't sound anything like a monster. Her voice invited Percy to look up, to sympathize with a poor old grandmother.  "Annabeth's mother, the cursed Athena, turned me from a beautiful woman into this." 

"Don't listen to her!" Annabeth's voice shouted, somewhere in the statuary. "Run, Percy!" 

"Silence!" Medusa snarled. Then her voice modulated back to a comforting purr. "You see why I must destroy the girl, Percy. She is my enemy's daughter. I shall crush her statue to dust. But you, dear Percy, you need not suffer." 

"No," Percy muttered. He tried to make his legs move. 

"Do you really want to help the gods?" Medusa asked. "Do you understand what awaits you on this foolish quest, Percy? What will happen if you reach the Underworld? Do not be a pawn of the Olympians, my dear. You would be better off as a statue. Less pain. Less pain." 

"Percy!" Behind him, He heard a buzzing sound, like a two-hundred-pound hummingbird in a nosedive.

Grover yelled, "Duck!" Percy and Phoenix turned, and there he was in the night sky, flying in from twelve o'clock with his winged shoes fluttering, Grover, holding a tree branch the size of base ball bat. His eyes were shut tight, his head twitched from side to side. He was navigating by ears and nose alone."Duck!" he yelled again. "I'll get her!" 

That finally jolted him into action. Knowing Grover, Percy was sure he'd miss Medusa and nail me. He grabbed Phoenix and dove to one side. 

Thwack! 

At first, Percy figured it was the sound of Grover hitting a tree. 

Then Medusaroared with rage."You miserable satyr," she snarled. "I'll add you to my collection!" 

"That was for Uncle Ferdinand!" Grover yelled back. 

Percy took Phoenix's hand and they scrambled away and hid in the statuary while Grover swooped down for another pass. 

Ker-whack! 

"Arrgh!" Medusa yelled, her snake hair hissing and spitting. 

Right next to Phoenix and Percy, Annabeth's voice said, "Percy!" 

Percy jumped so high his feet nearly cleared a garden gnome. "Jeez! Don't do that!"

 Annabeth took off her Yankees cap and became visible. "You have to cut her head off." 

"What? Are you crazy? Let's get out of here." 

"Medusa is a menace. She's evil. I'd kill her myself, but..." Annabeth swallowed as if she were about to make a difficult admission. "But you've got the better weapon. Besides, I'd never get close to her. She'd slice me to bits because of my mother. You—you've got a chance." 

"What? I can't—" 

"Look, do you want her turning more innocent people into statues?" She pointed to a pair of statue lovers, a man and a woman with their arms around each other, turned to stone by the monster. For some reason, it made Percy think of him and Phoenix.

Annabeth grabbed a green gazing ball from a nearby pedestal. "A polished shield would be better." She studied the sphere critically. "The convexity will cause some distortion. The reflection's size should be off by a factor of—" 

"Would you speak English?" 

"I am!" She tossed him the glass ball. "Just look at her in the glass. Never look at her directly." 

"Hey, guys!" Grover yelled somewhere above us. "I think she's unconscious!" 

"Roooaaarrr!" 

"Maybe not," Grover corrected. He went in for another pass with the tree branch.