BY fates design

Aunty Em

Glaring neon lights lead the children out of the woods and to a deserted road, on the other side was a low building with a bright red cursive sign. Cassiopeia looked to Grover to read it out, the lettering making her dyslexia worse than usual, "it says Aunt Em's garden gnome emporium." He read off. "Do you smell that?" Percy asked sniffing at the air. "It smells like burgers." Annabeth agreed and the two began to walk over to the building. "Guys, maybe we shouldn't go in, I can smell a monster." Grover said warily as they passed by life like statues of people and animals, even a satyr playing the wooden pipe. "That looks like my uncle Ferdinand." He bleated nervously. Cassiopeia placed a reassuring hand on his arm, her nose scrunching up from the strong smell of grease. The door creaked open and now stood before them was a tall Middle East woman covered head to toe in black, only her coffee hands were revealed, her face masked by a black covering, "Oh young children, is it not late for you to be out all alone, where are your parents?" She asked, her voice heavy. "We're orphans." Percy replied mindlessly. "Orphans?" The word sounded foreign from her mouth. "We got separated from our circus, the ring master said to meet him at a gas station, perhaps we got the wrong one." Percy elaborated and Cassiopeia cringed, something about the woman felt familiar and off putting.

Many of the past generation scoffed or laughed at his excuse while he huffed, pouring slightly. "Awe, it was quick thinking though." Cassiopeia cooed pecking his lips.

"Oh you poor dears, why don't you come inside for some food. I'm aunty Em." Aunty Em ushered them into a dining area before disappearing into what they could only assume was the kitchen. "Circus?" Annabeth stared at the blonde confused. "Always have a plan." Percy replied. "I don't think we should stay long, Mrs Dodds is behind us and we should keep moving." Cassiopeia said her eyes scanning the room constantly, the unnerving feeling of being watched crept over her, though the was no one else in the room. "Relax, we'll be fine." Percy ignored her warning. "Will we?" Cassiopeia rose her brow at the boy, "tell me what do you know of being on a quest? What do you know of the Greek world at all? We aren't staying long, that's final. You eat and we leave. We stay for nothing." Her tone left no room for argument as anxiety gnawed at her, something wasn't right.

"Don't you think you were a little hard on him?" Peter squeaked. "It's fine. I deserved it." Percy admitted with a sigh. "She was trying to keep us all safe." Annabeth added while Grover nodded along.

"You can feel it too?" Grover whispered to her. Aunt Em returned before she could reply, setting down a tray of burgers, fries and milkshakes. Percy dug into one of the burgers while Annabeth sipped on a shake, when Grover went to eat a fry Cassiopeia slapped his thigh under the table and shook her head subtly. "So do you get much business around here?" Cassiopeia cringed at Percy, wishing nothing more than to throw something at him. Tuning out the conversation her eyes drifted around the room, locking into each of the statues. Suddenly recognition snapped in her mind, confirmed by the tales of Aunt Em, Cassiopeia shut her eyes and took a deep breath before catching Grover's attention. "We need to leave." She said it silently with her eyes, praying he understood the desperate stare. Thankfully Annabeth seemed to have come to her senses as well, "I think it's time to go," she said, standing up from her chair, "thank you very much for your hospitality." When Percy went to argue Cassiopeia glared at him. "Oh, already, would you mind sitting for a picture for me, children make such marvellous statues. Everyone loves them." Em asked, as she looked over the children. "I'm afraid we can't , the ringmaster will be worried if we are away a moment longer." Cassiopeia denied, grabbing Percy by the arm to lead him and the other two out. Percy traipsed on, a drowsy feeling settling over him, dulling his instincts, when Grover went to open the door he cursed, "it's locked." He said turning around. "Now children, if you just come this way." Aunt Ems voice said making them all look at her. Her hands were tugging on her vail and just before it could drop to the floor Annabeth slapped on her cap, vanishing into thin air and managed to pull Grover to the floor while Cassiopeia shoved Percy and span around. Dazed Percy heard Grover scuttle away to one corner, Annabeth to another, above him he heard a rasping noise but when he went to look up at it he heard Cassiopeia yell, "don't look at her." More rasping, the sound of tiny snakes right above his head. Looking into a gazing ball that sat on the side, Percy saw Aunt Em's reflection, gaggles of squirming serpents replaced her hair and her skin seamed to shimmer. 'How could I be so stupid? Aunt Em. Aunt M. Medusa.' Percy chided himself as he scrambled to his feet. "What do we do?" He asked, looking for Cassiopeia. "No matter what, don't look her in the eye, at least not for now." Cassiopeia replied she was stood in a corner, her back turned to the serpent woman. Percy grasped at his sword, "here, use this, you can see her reflection in it. The spherical shape may throw off your perception but it will still work." Annabeth appeared before him and shoved the gazing ball into his hands. Creating a distraction, Cassiopeia thew on of her daggers at the woman, narrowly missing her head, before running at her, her eyes tightly shut. Percy watched through the glass as Cassiopeia charged at the woman, darkness encircling her fingers that she rose to Medusa's eyes, his mind slowly waking up again as the clouds over it cleared, "you can look now!" She called as she tumbled down to the floor, just in time for Percy to spin round and slice off Medusa's head, sending it rolling across the floor. "How could I look at her?" He asked, staring down at the head on the floor which didn't dissolve with the rest of her body. "I made her blind. It's one of my gifts." Cassiopeia explained, groaning as she staggered to her feet. "Are you ok?" Grover flew over to the dark haired girl in concern. "I'm fine, it's just a scratch. I see you've mastered Luke's shoes." Cassiopeia dismissed pointing at the winged shoes on the satyr's feet, they had been given to Percy by Luke before they left. "Yeah." Grover nodded, "we should get out off here." He was anxiously bleating. "Percy grab the head." Cassiopeia ordered. "What? Why?" Percy protested in confusion. "Because, Mrs Dodds is right outside." She said as they began to walk out, "I'm going to give Medusa her sight back, ok? Be sure that none of you look at her." Cassiopeia waved her hand over the woman's eyes, clearing them of the fog that she had cast over them. Stepping outside, they were greeted with Mrs Dodds, hissing at them as she stood, poised to attack. Holding up Medusa's head, Percy watched in awe as Mrs Dodd's body cracked and hardened into stone. "What do we do with the head now?" Grover asked, watching as Cassiopeia carefully covered it with a cloth. "I'll be right back." Percy said, returning back inside the building, emerging a couple of minutes later with a box. Ok the top was a delivery slip filled out with:

The Gods
Mount Olympus
600th Floor
Empire State Building
New York, NY

With best wishes,
PERCY JACKSON

"You sent Medusa's head to the gods?" Sirius cackled, "that's hilarious." He was almost doubled over in laughter, Corvus howling along beside him. "You idiots." Remus muttered, whacking them both over the head.

"They aren't going to like that," Grover warned, "they'll think you're impertinent. Percy poured some gold drachmas into the pouch on the box, as soon as it closed there was a sound like a cash register then the package floated up and vanished with a pop. "I am impertinent." Percy said, looking at the two girls, daring them to criticise. They didn't. "Come on, we should get away from here." Annabeth began to lead them back into the woods, trying to keep a mental note of where the road was in her mind. Staggering slightly, Cassiopeia felt fatigued encroach on her body, her hand was pressed tightly to her side over the scratch Medusa had left her, crimson slipped between her fingers and rolled off her flesh as she walked. "Whoa, are you ok?" Percy braced the girls body as she tripped into him, her vision spinning as her head felt light. "Mmm, yeah, yeah. I'm fine." Cassiopeia dismissed, pushing herself back up, only to stumble when her legs felt weak below her. Percy reached out just in time to steady her, "maybe we should stop here for tonight." He said, just loud enough for the other two to hear him.

Concern over came James and the other past generations' minds at the sight of the pale bleeding state of Cassiopeia. James reached out and clung onto his daughter's hand, who merely smiled softly, and leaned over to kiss his cheek in a form of reassurance.

They were in a sort of clearing that was clearly used for parties as cans and rubbish littered the floors. Gently, Percy helped lower Cassiopeia to the ground, panicking when he saw the blood that was seeping through her fingers, "guys!" He yelled to the others. "What's the matter seaweed brain?" Annabeth asked approaching the two, freezing when she saw Cassiopeia's state. "You said it was just a scratch!" Grover said, worry coursing through him. "It was just a scratch, I never said how big." Cassiopeia countered, "can you give me my bag?" She reached out for the bag that Annabeth had over her shoulder. "We'll go get something to start a fire." Annabeth said dragging Grover away to look for some kind of kindling. Rummaging through the contents of her bag Cassiopeia pulled out her first aid kit and set it down on the grass beside her, pulling up her top a little she bit the hem between her teeth so that she could examine her wound. Grabbing the antiseptic alcohol she poured some into a couple of cotton pads and began cleaning up the scratch, cringing and grimacing every time the alcohol came in contact with the open flesh. With one hand she held on a square of cotton bandage and with the other she fiddled around with medical tape, trying to pull off enough to stick down the bandage, "here let me help." Percy took the tape from her hand and ripped off a piece for her before using it to stick on the cotton. Once that was done, Cassiopeia pulled out a roll of bandages, "can you help me please?" She asked, her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "Sure." Percy nodded as she slipped her jacket off her shoulders to make it easier, carefully, Percy wrapped her torso in the bandages to keep the wound covered and clean, a heavy rose covering his cheeks as he did. "Thank you." She muttered, slipping her leather jacket back on before pulling out one of the ambrosia packets she had pack for emergencies.

All the girls squealed at the sight  of Perch tending to Cassiopeia's wounds, "it's like something out of one of my books." A Ravenclaw girl squealed while the Hufflepuff beside her nodded and giggled along.

While Grover and Annabeth had both disappeared to find twigs and wood so that they could make a fire, Percy had opted to stay with Cassiopeia instead, "you should get some sleep, I'll wake you if anything happens." Perch suggested when he saw her eyes flickering shut. "Ok." She slurred, slipping back against a tree, her body shivering slightly from the cold of the evening. Silently, Percy slipped off the jacket that he wore and lied it over Cassiopeia, ensuring that it covered all of her. When he heard rustles near by, his hand instinctively went to the pen in his pocket, his thumb just below the cap. Breathing a sigh of relief, Percy watched Grover and Annabeth walk over, hushing them slightly and pointing to Cassiopeia when their voices rose too high. "We'll make a fire," Annabeth said as she arranged all the kindling they had into a small pile, before digging through Cassiopeia's bag for the lighter that she always kept with her. It had belonged to her father so was precious to the black haired witch, the lighter was a heavy metal engraved with the image of stag antlers. "You too should rest. I'll keep a watch for now." Percy suggested.