We walked along the cracked road. We'll walked is a bit of a stretch. Annabeth was stumbling around while I was dragging myself along, relying on the crutches to move forward and Grover? Grover was currently confused which one of us needed more help.
But regardless, somehow we managed to get to the porch without either of the two of us faceplanting, or Grover having a mental breakdown, eventhough he sounded pretty close with him mumbling about "... two critical injuries at day one of the quest..." and "This is a bad omen, why did I agree to come with them!"
Needless to say, it brought a wide and maybe even a little bit crazy smile on my face. But honestly, who could really blame me. This quest was already more fun than I had expected.
Finally we reached the front door and Grover rung the doorbell. At first there was a bit of a tumble coming from inside, like someone had fallen down a flight of stairs, then came a loud "MOTHERFUCKER" from inside. Clearly a female voice. Grover grew anxious and Annabeth, well her eyes looked like she was drugged and then dragged around. She didn't show any signs of alarm.
The door finally opened and as soon as it did, I felt the mist roll out from her, covering and hiding how realistic the "statues" around us actually were. Then the sun finally peaked over the horizon, allowing me a short glimpse into the veil that covered Medusas face.
I could certainly see how my father fell for her still it didn't change what I thought about the entire "raped in Athenas Temple and cursed by her" thing that happend after.
But I wasn't here to offer any condolences or regrets, as it was my father that did it and not me disregarding the fact that I still bear the same curse as her, if slightly changed.
"Hello children, what brought you to my doorstep?" came her silky voice from behind her veil, accompanied by quiet hisses from her snakes.
Annabeth and Grover began stuttering about being part of a circus and having lost their way while I was silent, which they immediately noticed and somehow came up with the idea that I was mute, not selectively mute but just straight up mute. We'll atleast that saved me from having to verbally agree with their lie.
Of course Medusa didn't buy shit. Why would she? She could clearly smell our demigod and satyr scent, had recognized me as my father's son and immediately clocked Annabeth as the daughter of Athena.
Seriously, as someone that had been part Gorgon for some time I knew just how good our noses were and, considering that Medusa was one of the oldest around, there was no way she hadn't recognized us based on our scent alone.
"Awww, you poor things look like you haven't eaten in a while, please come in and have a seat, I will make something in the meantime." she said, completely steamrolling them.
We sat down on a dinner table that had already been set, complete with dishes and more.
After a few minutes the scent of homemade burgers and fries came from the kitchen and based on the smell alone I knew I had to ask her for her recipe.
Shortly after Medusa came back with four portions and sat down with us. We began eating together, which felt weirdly homely, but the feeling was as gone as it could be once I noticed the sleep medicine mixed into the burger with a spell that did the same woven around us. Not that either would actually work on me since 1: the dosage was to small, and 2: the spell encroched on my domain of dream and nightmares, and last but not least 3: I didn't want to have another nightmare. I really didn't.
This resulted in Grover and Annabeth smashing their heads into their plates as they fell asleep and me giving Medusa a tired frog like blink before focusing on her.
"So obviously you didn't believe a single thing those two said. Then again, there was no way anyone would have, considering one of us has a pretty obvious concussion and the other has two broken legs. So let me introduce us. My name is Percy Jackson, the satyr over there is named Grover and the sleeping and concussed beauty over there is Annabeth Chase."
For a moment she looked at me, really looked and then something like recognition flashed in her eyes. But there was some curiosity as well.
" And who are your parents if I may ask?" she responded carefully. Which I answered as deadpan as I could.
" You recognized us the moment the door opened, but sure. I am a child of Poseidon and she one of Athenas."
The curiosity in her eyes seemed to increase.
" So how come those two are out cold and you seem just fine? There are hardly any demigods that can withstand a combination like this but you just blinked it away."
"Well for one, and this is a secret so please don't tell anyone else, I am not as human as other demigods and second, I am regularly haunted by nightmares so you can understand my unwillingness to fall asleep."
"But that still doesn't explain how you didn't turn to stone out there. I know you could see through the veil there for a second."
"Oh that, well that's an entirely different story. You see, I may or may not carry a similar curse like you and since it is pretty similar, though maybe not in power output, they cancel each other out."
"So you're a Gorgon like me, probably cursed by that woman as well, right?"
"Not that I know of, but yes I was a hybrid Gorgon for some time before I changed. I'm still partially one but it is now part of a new race, one that I am the progenitor of."
"Show me. Prove that what you are saying is the truth. Prove to me that you were a Gorgon and still bear the curse."
We've been talking now for quite some time, more than I have ever talked with any monster and considering that she could technically be considered my Grandmother, was all the more reason to show her. So I decided to do just that, with a few restrictions of course. No one would be fool enough to think that the gods aren't watching right now. But since we didn't say any of their names, they probably weren't able to listen or just didn't bother to.
"I will, but not completely. I will show you the hair, but I can show you the Petrification, since there is no one that deserves that here. However, if you were so inclined, we could meet up on a later date and petrify some specific mortals together, of course only if my mother allows."
This seemed to intigue her and she came a bit closer.
" And just say, who would we be petrifying? I can imagine that you would just walk into a crowd and do something like that."
"You are right about that. The target would be my Stepfather and believe me, I want to call him anything but that. The reason I am inviting you, something you might have wondered about, is that for one, he hit my mom and he's not going to just walk away after that. The second reason is that my mother happens to want to attend college so she can study and start to write stories that she can later publish. And selling a highly realistic statue for an exceptionally high price would happen to cover her expenses."
"So you're just using me to help your mother? I thought better of someone that claims to be my kin."
"First of all, claims? Second of all, that man will die, whether by my hands or those of my mother. Why shouldn't his death help my mother achieve her dreams?"
A wide, almost inhuman grin spread on her veiled lips.
"I like you kid. Now show me those snakes and maybe I will let you and your friends live."
I couldn't help but grin, even if it was only a small one. Then I finally, for the first time in almost a year, I took of my headphones completely and let go of my human form.
My horns had grown a bit more. Right there where my hair was only seconds ago, a nest of very real and alive snakes slithered around. These snakes, unlike the first badge I had, were none sentient. Their heads were more or less like additional limbs, eyes and ears but there was no real mind controlling them. Usually they weren't actual snakes either but now, since I wanted them to be seen, they had taken the form they were supposed to.
Medusa of course noticed that they weren't the same as hers and asked, almost threatingly, if it thought her a fool. Which I responded with lifting my snakes and having one of them bite Grover Hamburger. He wasn't even supposed to eat those since he claimed to be vegetarian.
Under Medusas watchful eyes the burger changed colors, briefly gained a metallic sheen and then began to rot away at a visible pace before it became entirely black and burst into dust.
"So you have venomous snakes for hair, that's not exactly the same curse as mine now, is it?"
"I agree it is not, but here is a funny little riddle for you, or more specifically a bet. I bet that if I bite Annabeth burger, it will turn to stone. What do you bet?"
Medusa was getting annoyed now, so I knew this was my only chance to have her believe me before she decided that we were enemies.
"Sure, I bet that the burger will be the same as this one turned out."