Percy*Love Like Woe*Jackson

Aunty Em, Aunty Em!

The smell of food wafted up my nose, making my stomach growl. It all smelt like McDonalds or Burger King, and my sudden craving for fast food hit my nerves. I needed it. I looked over at the others: all but Grover seemed to be entranced by the smell.

We kept walking towards it until we saw a two-lane road through the trees. On the other side was insignificant buildings and billboards, until I saw one that was open. It had a neon sign above it and that's where the source of the smell was coming from.

But it wasn't a fast food restaurant. It was a small shop that sold lawn ornaments and such stuff like that. I skimmed over the rest of the building until I saw a sign that read: TUYNA SME DGAREN NEGOM PROIUMER. Darn my dyslexia.

"What's it say?"I ask to no on in general. "I don't know." Annabeth responds. It's surprising about how much we love to read, yet we're still dyslexic. Irony in itself. "Aunt Em's Garden Gnome Emporium."Grover translated for us.

And sure enough, at the entrance were two cement garden gnomes, both of them equally ugly."Hey Annabeth, think they're related to you?" I asked, elbowing her in the gut. She sent me a playful glare and rolled her eyes.

"Hey..." Grover said, his voice wavering. "The lights are on inside," Annabeth said."Maybe it's open." I nodded in agreement."Snack bar," Percy said wistfully."Snack bar," me and Annabeth agreed. "Are you three crazy?" Grover asked.

"This place is weird."I nodded. This place did give me the creeps."I dunno," I said, siding with Grover."This place is just a little too sketchy for me." Annabeth shrugged her shoulders but Percy ignored me. Well great. He asked me to come on this quest with him, and he's mad at me for absolutely no reason? Gah!

"I tried," I told Grover. Grover sighed. When we made it to the front lawn we were greeted by more statues. There were cement animals, cement children, and even a cement satyr playing on his pipes.

"Bla-ha-ha!" Grover bleated."Looks like my Uncle Ferdinand!" Percy and Annabeth decided to ignore Grover yet again and to carry on. I sighed at how inconsiderate they were being."I'm sure it's just a coincidence, Grover,"

But that didn't seem to calm him down."Don't knock," he pleaded."I smell monsters." Annabeth turned to look at him."Your nose is clogged up from the Furies," Annabeth told him."All I smell if burgers. Aren't you hungry?"

"Meat!" Grover replied, but as if the word was a curse word."I'm a vegetarian." I rolled my eyes at him. "You eat cheese enchiladas and aluminum cans," Percy reminded him."Those are vegetables. Come on. Let's leave. These statues are... Looking at me."

I patted him on the back and told him that it was just his imagination when the door creaked open. Standing there was a tall Middle Eastern woman in a long black gown that covered everything but her hands, and her head was completely veiled. Her coffee-coloured hands looked so elegant and well-manicured that I could tell that she was once a beautiful lady.

"Children, it is too late to be out all alone. Where are your parents?" Her accent was distinctly Middle Eastern, or from somewhere around there. I've been to a lot of places, heard a lot of accents, but hers sounded so old...

"They're...um.."Annabeth stuttered, finding the right words to say."We're orphans," Percy said suddenly. "Orphans?" the woman said, but the word sounded so foreign in her mouth."But, my dears! Surely not!"

"We got separated from our caravan," Percy explained. It took all I had to not roll my eyes. Orphans? Caravans? Did we run away to join a circus?"Our circus-"of course,"caravan. The ringmaster told us to meet him at the gas station if we got lost, but he may have forgotten, or maybe he meant a different gas station. Anyway, we're lost. Is that food I smell?"

"Oh, my dears," said the woman."You must come in, poor children. I am Aunty Em. Go straight through to the back of the warehouse, please. There is a dining area."We thanked her, but I stayed put at the door. Percy turned and nodded towards the back, but I shook my head.

My gut feeling was telling me to run-- to run far away from here and to never look back."Always trust your instincts," the voice in my head told me. Percy pushed past Annabeth and Grover until he got back to me.

"Look, we're all hungry and tired, so c'mon." I shook my head."Percy, I'm not going in there. Isn't your gut telling you to just run?" I ask, pleading with him. "Actually, my gut's telling me I'm hungry."

"Is there a problem?" The woman asked from behind Percy. I gulped and we both shook our heads."No ma'am," I said to her. She nodded and pushed us to where Annabeth and Grover were seated. From the faint click of the lock behind me, I could tell she just locked us in.

I sat in the chair besides Grover, and Aunt Em came behind me. I clenched to the arms of the chair, trying to remain calm. But with my ADHD, I ended up moving my leg back and forth. I needed to get out of here."Um," Grover said,"we don't have any money, ma'am."

"No, no, children. No money. This is a special case, yes? It is my treat, for such nice orphans." Annabeth nodded gratefully."Thank you, ma'am." Aunt Em sniffed, as if Annabeth did something wrong, but she relaxed just as quickly. Maybe it's just my imagination.

"Quite alright, Annabeth," she said."You have such beautiful grey eyes, child. Oh!" Aunt Em turned to me, using her cold dark hands to make me face her. "Such beauty, dear Daphne." I blinked, confused. How did she know me and Annabeth's name?

She soon disappeared behind the snack counter and started cooking. Before I had time to tell the others anything, she made her way back, arms full of plastic trays heaped with cheeseburgers, vanilla shakes, and large servings of chips.

I began to pick at the chips, not really hungry. In total truth, I was starving, but I didn't trust anything she made for me. It keep up the façade that nothing was wrong, I only ate a couple of chips.

"What's that hissing noise?" Grover asked. I listened as well, but I didn't hear anything."Hissing?" Aunt Em asked."Perhaps you hear the deep-fryer oil. You have keen ears, Grover." And again with the names.

"I take vitamins. For my ears."Grover told her. "That's admirable," she spoke."But please, relax." I couldn't relax. First off, I know for a freaking fact that we weren't supposed to be here. Secondly, it's unsettling to have her watch us eat.

"So, you sell gnomes?" Percy asked. Okay, time for me to leave."Um-- Aunty Em?" I interrupted. Aunty Em turned to me and crossed her hands over each other on the table."Yes, Daphne?"

"May I use the restroom?" I ask. Aunt Em shook her head."I'm afraid not. The bathrooms don't work like they used to," she turned back to Percy, who noticed some of her cement creations.

"Ah, you notice some of my creations did not turn out well. They are marred. They do not sell. The face is the hardest to get right. Always the face." I tapped my foot on the ground impatiently. I turned to Grover, who was finishing off the rest of my chips.

"You make these statues yourself?" Percy asked. Aunt Em nodded her head."Oh, yes. Once upon a time, I had two sisters to help me in the business, but they have passed on, and Aunt Em is alone. I have only my statues. This is why I make them, you see. They are my company."

The sadness was noticeable in her voice. But suddenly, something stirred inside of me. Cement statues. Three sisters. Veiled face...

I dropped the chip had in my hand and stared at Aunt Em.

Aunty Em.

Aunty "M".

Medusa.