Alstroemerias {Percy Jackson}

26

Due to the fact that the sign's words were a neon red cursive. To Percy, it looked like it said "ANTYU MES GDERAN GOMEN MEPROVIM." Grover, however, assured the trio of dyslexic kids that it actually read "Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium".

On either side of the entrance stood two cement garden gnomes, ugly and bearded. They stood smiling and waving as if they were about to get their picture taken.

Percy slowly crossed the street, 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," Maggie repeated in an airy tone.

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

They all ignored him.

The building was a long, low warehouse, surrounded by acres of creepy statuary. The front lot was swarmed by various statues of animals, and children. There was even a cement statue of a satyr playing the pipes that gave grover the creeps.

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

They came to a stop at the warehouse door.

"Don't knock," the satyr pleaded. "I smell monsters."

"Your nose is clogged up from the Furies," Annabeth told him. "All I smell is burgers. Aren't you hungry?"

"Meat!" he cried scornfully. "I'm a vegetarian."

"I am too," Maggie reminded him. "But there's fries. And I haven't had good fries in a long time. The ones at Yancy sucked."

"Let's leave." Grover tried again. These statues are.. Looking at me."

Suddenly, the door creaked open, and standing in front of the children was a tall Middle Eastern Woman. At least, Percy assumed she was Middle Eastern, because she wore a long black gown that covered everything but her hands, and her head was completely veiled. Her eyes glinted behind a curtain of black. Her coffee colored hands looked old, but well manicured and elegant.

Her accent sounded vaguely Middle Eastern, too. She said, "Children, it is too late to be out all alone. Where are your parents?"

"They're um..." Annabeth started to say. And, Maggie could tell she was struggling to come up with a believable story.

"We're orphans." Percy cut in.

"Orphans?" the woman repeated, though the word sounded alien in her mouth. "But, my dears! Surely not!"

"We got separated from our caravan." he continued. "Our circus caravan. The ringmaster told us to meet him at the gas station if we got lost, but he may have forgotten. Anyway, we're lost. Is that food I smell?" As he spoke, he tried to ignore the aching feeling in his side where Maggie's elbow had made contact with his ribs.

"Oh, my dears," the woman said. You must come in, poor children. I am Aunty Em. go straight to the back of the warehouse, please. There is a dining area."

They thanked her and made their way to the back. Maggie was grateful that she bought Percy's horribly weaved lie.

The inside of the warehouse seemed to hold even more statues than the outside. There were people in all different poses, wearing varying outfits and facial expressions. Each one was life sized.

Maggie stopped in front of a statue that seemed to depict a kid her age. The boy was tall and lanky. His curly hair hung in front of his face, though it did little to hide his horrified expression. He looked like...

"Carlos.." she breathed. And suddenly, she wasn't that hungry.

Aunty Em led the children farther into the dining area, which held a fast-food counter complete with a grill and a soda machine.

"Please, sit down." the woman said, gesturing to the steel picnic tables.

"Um," we don't have money, ma'am." Maggie tried.

Before Percy could return the favor Maggie had given him earlier, Aunty em spoke up. "No, no, children. Don't worry about money, Magnolia. This is a special case, yes? It's my trait for such nice orphans."

"Thank you, ma'am," Annabeth said.

Aunty Em stiffened, as if Annabeth had done something wrong. However, the old woman relaxed just as quickly. Percy thought it had been his imagination, but Maggie and Grover knew better.

"Quite all right, Annabeth," she said. "You have such beautiful grey eyes, child."

Later, Percy could only wonder why he had never noticed how the woman had known Maggie and Annabeth's names despite never being properly introduced. 

I've been drowning in the sea of homework school has brought... This week has actually been pretty chill so I hope I can get at least one more chapter done by Monday.  I've started writing it, it's just a matter of finding time to finish it. Let's cross our fingers. And, fair warning, based on what I have done, I think Chapter 27 will be a fairly long one...... 

On a completely different note, I went to my first high school party.  Never again. I don't think I realized how much I actually hated people, that weren't my friends, especially large crowds of stagers, until then....

anyways... I hope you all enjoy this crappy chapter!

Love, 

Ellie