CHAPTER SIX

"Percy?" Annabeth shook Percy while Helena nudged Mateo with her elbow while her other hand slipped the dagger she gave him out of his pocket. "Maybe we should go. I mean, the ringmaster will be waiting."

"Such beautiful grey eyes." Aunty Em said to Annabeth once more. "My, yes, it has been a long time since I've seen grey eyes like those." She reached out her hand to Annabeth's face, but the blonde demigod stood.

"We really should go."

"Absolutely." Helena stood as well.

"Yes!" Grover swallowed some waxed paper and stood. "The ringmaster is waiting! Right!"

"Please, dears. I so rarely get to be with children. Before you go, won't you at least sit for a pose?"

"A pose?" Annabeth asked. Helena wanted to yell at her for not immediately leaving, but she couldn't. Not without drawing attention. Perhaps they would be allowed to leave peacefully.

"A photograph. I will use it to model a new statue set. Children are so popular, you see. Everyone loves children."

"I don't think we can, ma'am. Come on, Percy, Mateo – "

"Sure we can." Percy said. "It's just a photo, Annabeth. What's the harm?"

"Yes, Annabeth. No harm." Aunty Em said.

And so, they stood, allowing her to lead them into back out the front door. Helena was the last in line and just as she was about to follow, Aunty Em grabbed her arm and tossed her into a chair, where ropes snapped over her hands and feet. Aunty Em slipped a gag over her mouth as Helena opened it to shout.

"I could sense what you were, daughter of Dionysus. I knew you would not fall for my magic. And so, I must keep you here while I turn your little friends into parts of my collection, then I'll be back for you."

And she left.

"Where's Helena?" She heard Mateo ask and her heard warmed at the fact that he even noticed she was gone. Her eyes were wide and she squirmed against her bindings, making her wrists turn bright red from the rope burn.

"She's just getting some things I asked her to bring. Not to worry, she'll be back." Came the reply.

Their voices and footsteps faded away and Helena would have cried if she didn't think she looked pathetic enough. This was no time for tears. She was tied to a chair with a gag while her friends were about to be turned into garden ornaments.

Nope. She couldn't let that happen. She couldn't reach her swords and her dagger had fallen out of her hand when Aunty Em – who she needed to start calling Medusa – shoved her into the chair. If these were handcuffs, she could dislocate her thumb and get out of them, she'd seen it done on TV before.

But no. This was different. Moving her hands around did nothing but leave rope burns on her wrists. The gag was tight around her mouth and she couldn't take it off and yell for help. Helena was something she hoped she would never be. She was helpless.

And that revelation, that she was helpless, and that she could do nothing to help her friends and they were going to die and then so was she, made her cry. When it finally hit that she was useless, the tears split. They fell down her cheeks as she screwed her eyes shut, trying to stop the flow of tears, but it didn't work and they just kept coming.

"Look away from her!"

Helena's head snapped up and her eyes opened wide. That was Annabeth. Her voice gave Helena a renewed sense of vigor and she began struggling against her bonds once more. She knew it was hopeless but she couldn't just sit there and listen to them die.

Her salvation came in the form of a brunet boy. Mateo. Her form sagged in relief when she saw his figure appear in the doorway. He rushed over to her, his face a mask of concern and the first thing he did was slip the gag off.

Helena took a deep breath. "Are you all alright?"

"We're fine." He nodded.

"The dagger." Helena gestured with her head to where the dagger had fallen. Mateo picked it up. "You have to cut me free."

"Right. Okay." He whispered, starting to carefully cut through the bindings with the dagger. "We didn't listen to you. I'm sorry."

One of her hands was freed then and she flexed her fingers as he got to work on the other hand. "I'm not surprised. Medusa affected your minds. I probably didn't get affected because I'm a daughter of Dionysus." Her other hand was freed.

"Well, we know now. So, we gotta figure something out. Fast. And without looking into her eyes." He finally cut through the ropes around her ankles and went to give her the dagger back but she shook her head.

"Keep it. I told you. You need it more than I do." He nodded and she whipped her swords out and took a deep breath. "You ready to face a woman with a stone gaze and snakes for hair?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." He sighed. They walked out and Helena saw Percy duck somewhere and she gestured for Mateo to follow her. They ducked in as well, just in time to see Annabeth take her hat off and appear.

"You have to cut her head off."

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

"No." Helena sighed. "Beth's right. You have to. She is a menace and we have to kill her."

"Lena! Are you alright?" Annabeth asked her best friend.

"My wrists are a bit sore but I'll be fine." Helena replied. "Where's Grover?"

"Distracting Medusa." Percy replied. "I can't kill her."

"I can't. She'd slice me to bits because of my mother. You have a chance." Annabeth replied.

"I'll help you." Helena shot Percy a reassuring look. "We can't have her turning more innocent people into statues." She pointed at a statue of a man and a woman with their arms around each other.

Annabeth grabbed a green gazing ball. "A polished shield would be better. The convexity will cause some distortion. The reflection's size should be off by a factor of – "

"Would you speak English?" Percy exclaimed.

"I am!"

"Enough arguing!" Helena cried out. "Just look at her through the glass. Never at her directly."

"Hey guys!" Grover's voice came from above them. "I think she's unconscious."

There was a loud growl.

"Maybe not." The satyr corrected.

"Hurry." Annabeth said. "Grover's got a great nose, but he'll eventually crash."

Helena waited for Percy to uncap his sword, and when he did, it grew into a beautiful bronze sword. And then the pair followed the hissing and spitting sounds of Medusa's hair. Helena kept her eyes cast downward as she followed the other boy, letting him lead the way.

"She's right there." Percy whispered to Helena and the girl closed her eyes and let her senses guide her. As a demigod, her senses were stronger than a natural mortal, but not as strong as Grover's. "Hey!"

Percy moved forward and Helena followed. "You wouldn't harm an old woman, Percy. I know you wouldn't." Medusa crooned.

"No, Percy!" Helena cried out as Percy stopped, hesitating.

"Too late." She cackled and Helena felt the air move as she lunged. The daughter of Dionysus moved Percy behind her and lifted her two sword, stopping Medusa's bronze talons.

"Percy, quick!"

Percy snapped out of it and swung up with his sword. There was a slicing sound and Medusa's head fell to the ground with a thump. Helena knew it was done, but she didn't open her eyes. She turned around to face where Annabeth and Mateo were and then opened her eyes.

"Oh, yuck." Grover said. "Mega-yuck."

Annabeth walked forward, her eyes facing up. She held the veil Medusa wore when they first saw her. "Don't move." Then, she carefully draped the cloth over Medusa's head and Helena turned to face that direction. It still dripped green juice.

Mateo rushed forward and hugged Percy. "Are you all ok?" Annabeth asked.

"Fine."

"Yeah." Percy nodded. "Why didn't… why didn't the heard evaporate."

"It's your trophy." Helena said simply.

"Once you sever it, it becomes a spoil of war. Same as your Minotaur horn. But don't unwrap the head. It can still petrify you." Annabeth explained more thoroughly.

Grover climbed down from a statue and he had a big welt on his forehead. His cap hung from one of his horns and his fake feet were knocked off. The magic shoes were flying around his head. "The Red Baron." Percy said. "Good job, man."

"That was really not fun, though. Well, the hitting-her-with-a-stick part, that was fun. But crashing into a concrete bear? Not fun."

He took the shoes out of the air and Percy capped his sword. Helena stuck her swords back into their sheaths and they headed back to the warehouse.

"I'll wait outside." Helena said before leaving the place and walking outside to stand on the side of the road. She sat down on the small patch of grass beside the gravel.

She was soon joined by Mateo and she tried not to let any surprise show on her face. "What made you decide to leave?"

"Percy and Annabeth started arguing again." Mateo sighed.

"So you left poor Grover with them?"

"I couldn't take it." He breathed out a small laugh. "I love Percy, don't get me wrong. He's my best friend. But he has a short temper and Annabeth doesn't exactly stay away from arguments."

"Yeah, she doesn't." Helena nodded.

"Do you mind me asking how Medusa didn't affect you with her magic or whatever? You and Grover seemed to be the only suspicious ones."

"Because of who my father is, I don't seem to be affected by magic controlling my mind, or my thoughts. Dionysus is the god of insanity, so I have good control over my mind. My brothers, Castor and Pollux don't. But I seem to have been cursed with this power. To create and control madness."

"Cursed?"

"Maybe one day I'll tell you. But not today."

"Okay. One day."