-Author's Wattpad House-

"Well, just remember to practice your lines and you'll know what to do tomorrow." Author said to Mika as they got out of the office room were the stories are usually made. "Sure, but there won't be any twists that I didn't expect in this chapter right?" Mika asked her with narrow eyes. "Just trust me on this," the Author smiled as she closed the door. "Unless one of the contractors didn't do anything to our crossover contract we all made. You, Lancer and Rider will be fine when the two demigods and Satyr appear." She said as they walked to the dining room.

But she was wrong when a familiar troll appeared at the office door with a smile as he went in and replaced the Chapter 19's script with another one. "Sorry not sorry dear Author, but I'm getting a little bored with the story of yours." He said and looked at the fourth wall "Dear readers, you'll find that the script I made will be more...exciting, so to say." He grinned and dissapeared when the door of the office opened and revealed the Author.

"Whoops, almost forgot the script." She said and looked confused when it almost looked different, shrugging off the suspicions she took it with her and glanced at a crack of the fourth wall.

Sighing, she placed duct tape on it and walked away without knowing what had happened minutes ago...

-:ᵋThe Actual Chapterᵌ:-

Walking through the woods along the New Jersey riverbank, the glow of New York City making parts of the almost dark sky glow behind Mika, and the smell of the Hudson reeking making her scrunch her nose from time to time...

It was a long walk from the edge of the rode, Mika was looking around if Medusa Lancer and Rider were still around but they were hiding from plain sight. The thunderstorm had turned less harsh while the city glow faded behind as she walked deeper in the forest, leaving her in an almost dark scenery since she could still see her own feet on the grass. While humming a favorite tune, she started to see a light up ahead: the colors of a neon sign. She could smell food too.

She kept walking until she saw a deserted two-lane road through the trees. On the other side was a closed-down gas station, a tattered billboard for a 1990s movie, and one store which was the source of the neon light and the good smell. Getting closer to it, It was one of those roadside shops that sell lawn flamingos, wooden Indians and cement grizzly bears and and other kind of stuff for a garden. The main building was a long, low warehouse, surrounded by acres of statuary. The neon sign above the gate has a red cursive neon title:

'I guess this is the place she lives in.' Mika thought as she walked towards the entrance, were two cement garden gnomes, who were ugly bearded little men, smiled and waved, as if they were about to get their picture taken on each side of the entrance. They somehow looked like the seven dwarfs from Snow White...but less...something. Mika just shrugged at that thought since she never saw what an actual gnome or dwarf looked like, maybe the fairies looked nicer...if their personalities are the same at least.

The front lot was a forest of statues: cement animals, children, even a satyr playing the pipes, which somehow gave her the creeps. She then looked at the flowers planted near, between, and under them with a sack of fertilizer beneath a horse statue on its two legs, 'I wonder why she didn't sell that.' Mika thought since it was turned to stone in a good pose, but then again, Medusa's do like horses.

After that, Mika stopped at the warehouse door. She knocked on the metallic door and cleared her voice, "Hello? I-is anyone there?" She asked in a meek and shy voice she made. She was then confused when she didn't hear anything or anyone. When she did it again, the door just creeped open making her alarmed 'Did someone go here before me? It can't be Percy and the others though.' Mika thought and went in the warehouse quietly.

The warehouse was filled with more statues—people in all different poses, wearing all different outfits and with different expressions on their faces. Mika was thinking that there must have a pretty huge garden to fit even one of these statues, because they were all life-size. But mostly, she was thinking about food since it smell delicious.

Snapping out of it, Mika found the dining area. And then sure enough, there it was at the back of the warehouse, a fast-food counter with a grill, a soda fountain, a pretzel heater, and a nacho cheese dispenser. Confused, Mika looked around and even found a few steel picnic tables out front and almost screamed.

On one of the steel tables, there was a head of a woman with black shade glasses on her and dead looking snakes for hair, under her neck had green like liquid dripping down to the seat- it was her blood she realized. "What in the-." She said in shock with a million questions in her mind on who killed her, or when did it happen. Mika then heard footsteps of two people, glancing behind her, it was Lancer and Rider Medusa.

Rider held a sack, and covered the head of the monster with its shades still on it.

When she took it off the table, two cards fly off under it and landed on Mika's feet which made her step back. Slowly picking it up, and wiping the green blood off with her pants she read one of the cards card that has a written message.

That's what the message said, Mika now had many emotions.

She's happy that someone gave her presents,

Confused on the letter sender, Grumpy since she, Lancer and Rider don't get to destroy her, and she's freaked out on what to do before Percy and the others get here.

Suddenly, an imaginary light bulb appeared to light up above her as she saw the food on the counter. Keeping the two cards the troll- I mean the old man- who she doesn't know much of- gave to her inventory, and turned to Lancer and Rider to tell the about the plan that seemed weird but useful in someway.

--

-.-

"Don't knock, I smell something scary." Grover pleaded as we stopped at the warehouse door.

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

"Meat!" He said scornfully at her. "I'm a vegetarian."

"You eat cheese enchiladas and aluminum cans," I reminded him. "Those are vegetables. Come on. Let's leave. These statues are... looking at me." Grover said as he looked at the statues.

Then the door creaked open, and standing in front of us was a tall woman with long purple hair ties to a scrunchy almost and the tip of her hair, she wore a black sweater, light gray yoga pants and a green gardening apron. Her pale colored eyes glinted behind her glasses as she looked confused to us. "Children, it is too late to be out all alone. Where are your parents?"

"They're ... um ..." Annabeth started to say.

"We're orphans," I quickly said.

"Orphans?" The woman said as the word sounded alien in her mouth. "But, my dears! Is that true?" She asked us. "We got separated from our caravan," I said. "Our circus 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...You must come in then, my dears. I am Aunty Em. Just go straight through to the back of the warehouse, please. There is a dining area."

We thanked her and went inside. Annabeth muttered to me, "Circus caravan?"

"Always have a strategy, right?" I asked her and she rolled her eyes at me. "Your head is full of kelp." She muttered, really?

The warehouse was filled with more statues—people in all different poses, wearing all different outfits and with different expressions on their faces. I was thinking you'd have to have a pretty huge garden to fit even one of these statues, because they were all life-size. But mostly, I was thinking about food. Go ahead, call me an idiot for walking into a strange lady's shop like that just because I was hungry, but I do impulsive stuff sometimes. Plus, you've never smelled Aunty Em's burgers. The aroma was like laughing gas in the dentist's chair—it made everything else go away. I barely noticed Grover's nervous whimpers, or the way the statues' eyes seemed to follow me, or the fact that someone had locked the door behind us, even though Aunty Em was leading us at the front. Maybe she has workers here.

But all I cared about was finding the dining area. Sure enough, there it was at the back of the

warehouse, a fast-food counter with a grill, soda fountains, a food heater, and a condiment

dispenser. Everything you could want, plus a few steel picnic tables out front that looked like they were freshly cleaned.

"Please, sit down," Aunty Em said to us.

"Awesome," I said as I sat down on one of the benches. "Um," Grover said reluctantly, "we don't have any money, ma'am." Before I could jab him in the ribs, Aunty Em said, "There will be none of that. No money needed. Isn't this a special case? It's my treat, for such nice orphans." She said kindly.

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

Aunty Em smiled but it somehow seemed off, as if Annabeth had done something wrong, but then the woman relaxed just as quickly, so I figured it must've been my imagination.

"It's all right," she said to her. "You have such beautiful gray eyes, child." She mumbled and our hostess disappeared behind the snack counter and started cooking.

Before we knew it, she'd brought us plastic trays heaped with double cheeseburgers, vanilla shakes, and large servings of French fries.

I was halfway through my burger before I remembered to breathe, and slurped my shake. Grover picked at the fries, and eyed the tray's waxed paper liner as if he might go for that, but he still looked too nervous to eat.

"What's that hissing noise?" He asked.

I listened, but didn't hear anything and Annabeth shook her head. "Hissing?" Aunty Em asked. "Perhaps that's the deep-fryer oil. You have keen ears, my dear."

"I take vitamins. For my ears."

"That's admirable," She said. "But please, relax."

As we ate, Aunty Em ate nothing. She only sat forward and interlaced her fingers and watched us eat. It was a little unsettling, having someone stare at you, but I was feeling satisfied after the burger, I figured the least I could do was try to make small talk with our hostess.

"So, you sell gnomes," I said, trying to sound interested. "I do," Aunty Em said. "I liked to make sculptures of animals, people and anything in between for a garden. Custom orders."

"A lot of business on this road?"

"Not so much, no. Since the highway was built...Actually, by the next month, I'll be moving away and close shop permanently."

My neck tingled, as if somebody else was looking at me. I turned, but it was just a statue of a young girl holding an Easter basket. The detail was incredible, much better than you see in most garden statues. But something was wrong with her face. It looked as if she were startled, or even terrified.

"Ah," Aunty Em said as she saw me look at the statue. "You noticed that some of my creations do not turn out well. Some are marred so they don't sell. Faces can be hard to get right."

"You make these statues yourself?" I asked.

"Oh, no. I have some little helpers with me, they might be the same ages as you three. They live with me now since two of my sisters have passed away a long time ago." She explained.

Annabeth had stopped eating. She sat forward and asked, "Two Sisters?"

"I'm done watering the flowers, Auntie." I turned around to look at the person who said that to see-

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