Ch. 4 Three Old Ladies Knit the Socks of Death

12 Year old Percy POV:

"Three Old Ladies Knit the Socks of Death,"

Future Annabeth read. "That doesn't sound good Seaweed Brain. What did you do?" She asked future me. This is so weird. "Nothing that I don't always do. I just have bad luck." "You can say that again Grover said. Future Annabeth and Me explained who was who and from what I'm guessing is, so far I think I know every one. They also told me that I would end up dating Annabeth. I don't even know this girl but from what future me said she sounds cool I guess. She also is very pretty. Future Annabeth laughed and continued.

I was used to the occasional weird experience, but usually they were over quickly.

This twenty-four/seven hallucination was more than I could handle. For the rest of the school year, the entire campus seemed to be playing some kind of trick on me. The students acted as if they were completely and totally convinced that Mrs. Kerr—a perky blond woman whom I'd never seen in my life until she got on our bus at the end of the field trip—had been our pre-algebra teacher since Christmas.

Every so often I would spring a Mrs. Dodds reference on somebody, just to see if I could trip them up, but they would stare at me like I was psycho."

"So basically like we do now when you try to say something logical?" Thalia said. "Watch it Pinecone face." Future me said with my deluxe I'll-kill-you-later stare. Which to my amusement she cringed. She didn't seem like the one to be scared easily. Maybe it was the Death to Barbie t-shirt she is wearing. I also started wondering if she came back from the future were was past her. Maybe she is late to the party I thought. "Quit arguing you guys can't we just finish this then you can go back to arguing and trying to kill each other lovingly?" Nico asked. "Fine!" Future me and Thalia said. Future Annabeth continued. I'm not gonna get used to this.

It got so I almost believed them—Mrs. Dodds had never existed.

Almost.

But Grover couldn't fool me.

When I mentioned the name Dodds to him, he would hesitate, and then claim she didn't exist. But I knew he was lying.

Something was going on. Something had happened at the museum. I didn't have much time to think about it during the days, but at night, visions of Mrs. Dodds with talons and leathery wings would wake me up in a cold sweat.

The freak weather continued, which didn't help my mood. One night, a thunderstorm blew out the windows in my dorm room. A few days later, the biggest tornado ever spotted in the Hudson Valley touched down only fifty miles from Yancy Academy. One of the current events we studied in social studies class was the unusual number of small planes that had gone down in sudden squalls in the Atlantic that year.

I started feeling cranky and irritable most of the time. My grades slipped from Ds to Fs.

"Gosh not very bright if you ask me, well then again he is sea spawn." A women who looked a lot like Annabeth said. I leaned over and whispered to my age Annabeth. "Who's that, and why does she hate me?" I asked completely bewildered that someone could hate someone else without knowing them. What I didn't expect was her answer. "That's my mother. Wow you are a Seaweed Brain." She said with a smirk. "Well you're a Wisegirl." I came back with. "How is that even an insult?" She asked. "Oh shut it." I said a little aggravated. Gods and I would be dating her eventually. Ya Right! "Percy don't be rude." My mother told me. "AAAAWWWWWW! They are already having a love spat." Cooed this lady who had eyes like a kaleidoscope. "That's Aphrodite, don't freak out. I'm doing this so no one will think you're an idiot because you don't know who the Greek gods are by looks." A voice told me which I instantly knew was my dads. I smiled gratefully.

I got into more fights with Nancy Bobofit and her friends. I was sent out into the hallway in almost every class.

Finally, when our English teacher, Mr. Nicoll, asked me for the millionth time why I was too lazy to study for spelling tests, I snapped. I called him an old sot. I wasn't even sure what it meant, but it sounded good.

The headmaster sent my mom a letter the following week, making it official: I would not be invited back next year to Yancy Academy. Fine, I told myself. Just fine. I was homesick. I wanted to be with my mom in our little apartment on the Upper East Side, even if I had to go to public school and put up with my obnoxious stepfather and his stupid poker parties.

Poseidon gritted his teeth. "Sorry I left you with that." He said to my mother. She smiled warmly at him.

And yet... there were things I'd miss at Yancy. The view of the woods outside my dorm window, the Hudson River in the distance, the smell of pine trees. I'd miss Grover, who'd been a good friend,

even if he was a little strange.

I worried how he'd survive next year without me.

I'd miss Latin class, too—Mr. Brunner's crazy tournament days and his faith that I could do well.

As exam week got closer, Latin was the only test I studied for. I hadn't forgotten what Mr. Brunner had told me about this subject being life-and-death for me. I wasn't sure why, but I'd started to believe him.

"Wow there might be hope for you after all." My age Annabeth said to me. I did the mature thing and stuck my tongue out at her, and said. "Whatever."

The evening before my final, I got so frustrated I threw the Cambridge Guide to Greek Mythology across my dorm room.

My age Annabeth and Athena looked outraged by my actions. Well future actions, but future Annabeth looked at me understandingly. I guess she knew how hard it was for me to read books and how frustrated I get when I can't read them.

Words had started swimming off the page, circling my head, the letters doing one-eighties as if they were riding skateboards. There was no way I was going to remember the difference between Chiron and Charon, or Polydictes and Polydeuces. And conjugating those Latin verbs? Forget it.

I paced the room, feeling like ants were crawling around inside my shirt.

Future Percy POV:

That was not a fun day." I said glaring at the Stolls, remembering the time they had dumped a big bucket of ants down my shirt when I fell asleep on the beach one day. "But it was fun for us." They said smiling. Note to self get with Annabeth on one of our upcoming breaks and plan a revenge plan thing with her for the Stolls. I grinned evilly as Annabeth continued reading.

I remembered Mr. Brunner's serious expression, his thousand-year-old eyes. I will accept only the best from you, Percy Jackson. I took a deep breath. I picked up the mythology book. I'd never asked a teacher for help before. Maybe if I talked to Mr. Brunner, he could give me some pointers. At least I could apologize for the big fat F I was about to score on his exam. I didn't want to leave Yancy Academy with him thinking I hadn't tried. I walked downstairs to the faculty offices. Most of them were dark and empty, but Mr. Brunner's door was ajar, light from his window stretching across the hallway floor. I was three steps from the door handle when I heard voices inside the office. Mr. Brunner asked a question. A voice that was definitely Grover's said,

"... worried about Percy, sir."

I froze.

I'm not usually an eavesdropper,

"What Ever!" Every one from the future shouted. "Hey this is what started it and I have some issues with trusting you guys." I defended glaring at the Stolls.

but I dare you to try not listening if you hear your best friend talking about you to an adult.

I inched closer.

"... alone this summer," Grover was saying. "I mean, a Kindly One in the school! Now that we know for sure, and they know too—"

"We would only make matters worse by rushing him," Mr. Brunner said. "We need the boy to mature more."

"But he may not have time. The summer solstice dead line— "

"Will have to be resolved without him, Grover. Let him enjoy his ignorance while he still can."

"Sir, he saw her... ."

"His imagination," Mr. Brunner insisted. "The Mist over the students and staff will be enough to convince him of that."

"Sir, I ... I can't fail in my duties again."

Grover's voice was choked with emotion. "You know what that would mean."

"You haven't failed, Grover," Mr. Brunner said kindly. "I should have seen her for what she was. Now let's just worry about keeping Percy alive until next fall—"

The mythology book dropped out of my hand and hit the floor with a thud.

"NO! You gave away your position. RETREAT. I REPEAT RETREAT." Connor and Travis said. "Wow can you guys get any stupider?" Questioned Rachel. "Why yes we could. Would you like to see?" They asked. "Um no you nimrods." She responded. I almost busted out laughing.

Mr. Brunner went silent.

My heart hammering, I picked up the book and backed down the hall.

A shadow slid across the lighted glass of Brunner's office door, the shadow of something much taller than my wheelchair-bound teacher, holding something that looked suspiciously like an archer's bow.

I opened the nearest door and slipped inside.

A few seconds later I heard a slow clop-clop-clop, like muffled wood blocks, then a sound like an animal snuffling right outside my door. A large, dark shape paused in front of the glass, and then moved on.

A bead of sweat trickled down my neck.

Somewhere in the hallway, Mr. Brunner spoke. "Nothing," he murmured. "My nerves haven't been right since the winter solstice."

"Today?" the Gods questioned. "What could have happened." They continued, but Annabeth ignored them and kept reading.

"Mine neither," Grover said. "But I could have sworn ..."

"Go back to the dorm," Mr. Brunner told him. "You've got a long day of exams tomorrow."

"Don't remind me."

"Glad that's finally over for me now." Grover said with a sigh of relief. He is so lucky. I still have to take them.

The lights went out in Mr. Brunner's office.

I waited in the dark for what seemed like forever.

Finally, I slipped out into the hallway and made my way back up to the dorm. Grover was lying on his bed, studying his Latin exam notes like he'd been there all night.

"Hey," he said, bleary-eyed. "You going to be ready for this test?" I didn't answer.

"You look awful." He frowned. "Is everything okay?"

"Just... tired." I turned so he couldn't read my expression, and started getting ready for bed.

"That won't work. He can read your emotions." 12 year old Annabeth and Luke said at the same time. 12 year old Annabeth (Im gonna refer to her as lil Anny from now on.) blushed, and lil me saw. Lil me tried not to laugh, while I tried not to be sick. When now one was looking My Annabeth grabbed my hand and gave a reassuring squeeze.

I didn't understand what I'd heard downstairs. I wanted to believe I'd imagined the whole thing.

But one thing was clear: Grover and Mr. Brunner were talking about me behind my back. They thought I was in some kind of danger. The next afternoon, as I was leaving the three-hour Latin exam, my eyes swimming with all the Greek and Roman names I'd misspelled, Mr. Brunner called me back inside.

For a moment, I was worried he'd found out about my eavesdropping the night before, but that didn't seem to be the problem. "Percy," he said. "Don't be discouraged about leaving Yancy. It's ... it's for the best."

His tone was kind, but the words still embarrassed me. Even though he was speaking quietly, the other kids finishing the test could hear. Nancy Bobofit smirked at me and made sarcastic little kissing motions with her lips.

"Are you sure that she isn't one of your kids, Ares?" Hermes questioned. "Um no, my kids aren't that ugly." He responded. Every one laughed at that and nodded. She was ugly, and trust me personal experience. You can even ask Grover, he can't lie.

I mumbled, "Okay, sir."

"I mean ..." Mr. Brunner wheeled his chair back and forth, like he wasn't sure what to say. "This isn't the right place for you. It was only a matter of time." My eyes stung.

"Sissy." Ares said. "Watch it." my dad warned him. I'm glad my dad was taking up for me. I'd hate to have to embarrass Ares before our little match later in the story.

Here was my favorite teacher, in front of the class, telling me I couldn't handle it. After saying he believed in me all year, now he was telling me I was destined to get kicked out. "Right," I said, trembling. "No, no," Mr. Brunner said. "Oh, confound it all. What I'm trying to say ... you're not normal, Percy. That's nothing to be—" "Thanks," I blurted. "Thanks a lot, sir, for reminding me." "Percy—" But I was already gone.

"Wow. Temper, Temper will get you no were." Lil Anny said to lil me. "Like you don't have a temper." Ha I love lil me. Even though my way to shut Annabeth up was better it was still funny. Even my Annabeth smiled.

On the last day of the term, I shoved my clothes into my suitcase. The other guys were joking around, talking about their vacation plans. One of them was going on a hiking trip to Switzerland. Another was cruising the Caribbean for a month. They were juvenile delinquents, like me, but they were rich juvenile delinquents. Their daddies were executives, or ambassadors, or celebrities. I was a nobody, from a family of nobodies.

"What is that supposed to mean Kelp for Brains?" Thalia asked while Nico said. "Glad I mean so much to you." I laughed and said. "You know what I meant. Annabeth keep reading. We still got a while to go." I said.

They asked me what I'd be doing this summer and I told them I was going back to the city. What I didn't tell them was that I'd have to get a summer job walking dogs or selling magazine subscriptions, and spend my free time worrying about where I'd go to school in the fall. "Oh," one of the guys said. "That's cool." They went back to their conversation as if I'd never existed. The only person I dreaded saying good-bye to was Grover, but as it turned out, I didn't have to. He'd booked a ticket to Manhattan on the same Greyhound as I had, so there we were, together again, heading into the city. During the whole bus ride, Grover kept glancing nervously down the aisle, watching the other passengers. It occurred to me that he'd always acted nervous and fidgety when we left Yancy, as if he expected something bad to happen. Before, I'd always assumed he was worried about getting teased. But there was nobody to tease him on the Greyhound. Finally I couldn't stand it anymore.

I said, "Looking for Kindly Ones?"

"You scared me to death." Grover said with the same look as he did when I had said that to him that day. I laughed and said Sorry G-man but you did freak me out those few days too." I said back. "Your right." He said.

Grover nearly jumped out of his seat. "Wha—what do you mean?" I confessed about eavesdropping on him and Mr. Brunner the night before the exam.

"Hermes looked disappointed. So did the Stolls. They are still gonna get it later.

Grover's eye twitched. "How much did you hear?"

"Oh ... not much. What's the summer solstice dead-line?"

He winced. "Look, Percy ... I was just worried for you, see? I mean, hallucinating about demon math teachers …"

"Grover—" "And I was telling Mr. Brunner that maybe you were overstressed or something, because there was no such person as Mrs. Dodds, and ..." "Grover, you're a really, really bad liar." His ears turned pink. From his shirt pocket, he fished out a grubby business card. "Just take this, okay? In case you need me this summer. The card was in fancy script,

which was murder on my dyslexic eyes, but I finally made out something like:

Grover Underwood

Keeper

Half-Blood Hill

Long Island, New York

(800) 009-0009

"What's Half—"

"Don't say it aloud!" he yelped. "That's my, um ... summer address." My heart sank. Grover had a summer home. I'd never considered that his family might be as rich as the others at Yancy.

"Well not exactly my summer home more like my home period." Grover said, and I agreed Camp had become like my second home.

"Okay," I said glumly. "So, like, if I want to come visit your mansion." He nodded. "Or...or if you need me."

"Why would I need you?"

"Cold" The Stolls said in unison. "Shut up." Every one from the future said.

It came out harsher than I meant it to.

Grover blushed right down to his Adam's apple. "Look, Percy, the truth is, I—I kind of have to protect you."

I stared at him. All year long, I'd gotten in fights, keeping bullies away from him. I'd lost sleep worrying that he'd get beaten up next year without me.

"Awwwwww." All the Goddess cooed at me. Even Artemis and Athena. Well if I'm right Athena is gonna go from "awww" to "I'm gonna kill you if you get close to my daughter," in a few chapters.

And here he was acting like he was the one who defended me.

"Grover," I said, "What exactly are you protecting me from?"

There was a huge grinding noise under our feet. Black smoke poured from the dashboard and the whole bus filled with a smell like rotten eggs. The driver cursed and steered the Greyhound over to the side of the highway. After a few minutes clanking around in the engine compartment, the driver announced that we'd all have to get off. Grover and I filed outside with everybody else. We were on a stretch of country road—no place you'd notice if you didn't break down there. On our side of the highway was nothing but maple trees and litter from passing cars. On the other side, across four lanes of asphalt shimmering with afternoon heat, was an old-fashioned fruit stand. The stuff on sale looked really good: heaping boxes of blood red cherries and apples, walnuts and apricots, jugs of cider in a claw-foot tub full of ice. There were no customers, just three old ladies sitting in rocking chairs in the shade of a maple tree, knitting the biggest pair of socks I'd ever seen. I mean these socks were the size of sweaters, but they were clearly socks. The lady on the right knitted one of them. The lady on the left knitted the other. The lady in the middle held an enormous basket of electric-blue yarn. All three women looked ancient, with pale faces wrinkled like fruit leather, silver hair tied back in white bandannas, bony arms sticking out of bleached cotton dresses. The weirdest thing was, they seemed to be looking right at me.

"Great." Poseidon said looking nervous. "look dad there is two of me here. We are fine." I said smiling. He relaxed a little bit.

looked over at Grover to say something about this and saw that the blood had drained from his face. His nose was twitching. "Grover?" I said. "Hey, man—" "Tell me they're not looking at you. They are, aren't they?" "Yeah. Weird, huh? You think those socks would fit me?"

"If it were in a different situation that would have been a little funny." Athena said. WOW! Did Athena just say I would have been funny. YES! Score one for the boyfriend.

"Not funny, Percy. Not funny at all."

The old lady in the middle took out a huge pair of scissors—gold and silver, long-bladed, like shears.

I heard Grover catch his breath. "We're getting on the bus," he told me. "Come on."

"Just do it!" Every one shouted except both me's.

"What?" I said. "It's a thousand degrees in there."

"Come on!'" He pried open the door and climbed inside, but I stayed back. Across the road, the old ladies were still watching me. The middle one cut the yarn, and I swear I could hear that snip across four lanes of traffic. Her two friends balled up the electric-blue socks, leaving me wondering who they could possibly be for—Sasquatch or Godzilla.

"Or one of the Gods." Luke said looking bored but honestly I couldn't get mad at him right now because even though he is my age and I could totally whoop him, I felt bad because that was his life line they cut.

At the rear of the bus, the driver wrenched a big chunk of smoking metal out of the engine compartment. The bus shuddered, and the engine roared back to life.

The passengers cheered. "Darn right!" yelled the driver. He slapped the bus with his hat. "Everybody back on board!"

Once we got going, I started feeling feverish, as if I'd caught the flu. Grover didn't look much better. He was shivering and his teeth were chattering. "Grover?" "Yeah?"

"What are you not telling me?" He dabbed his forehead with his shirt sleeve. "Percy, what did you see back at the fruit stand?" "You mean the old ladies? What is it about them, man? They're not like ... Mrs. Dodds, are they?" His expression was hard to read, but I got the feeling that the fruit-stand ladies were something much, much worse than Mrs. Dodds. He said, "Just tell me what you saw."

"The middle one took out her scissors, and she cut the yarn." He closed his eyes and made a gesture with his fingers that might've been crossing himself, but it wasn't. It was something else, something almost—older. He said, "You saw her snip the cord." "Yeah. So?" But even as I said it, I knew it was a big deal. "This is not happening," Grover mumbled. He started chewing at his thumb. "I don't want this to be like the last time."

"What last time?"

"And cue Percy Jackson starting to flip out." Nico said

"Which will lead to him doing something really reckless that could get himself killed." Rachel said "But always works out some how in the end." Annabeth said smiling. "And it only works for him." Grover said. "Wow you really know each other well don't you?" Artemis questioned. "Yeah, we are." I said and put my arm around Annabeth's shoulders while lil me and lil Annie looked disgusted at us. Ah young love. Gods I'm starting to sound like Aphrodite.

"Always sixth grade. They never get past sixth."

"Grover," I said, because he was really starting to scare me. "What are you talking about?" "Let me walk you home from the bus station. Promise me." This seemed like a strange request to me, but I promised he could. "Is this like a superstition or something?" I asked. No answer.

"Grover—that snipping of the yarn. Does that mean somebody is going to die?" He looked at me mournfully, like he was already picking the kind of flowers I'd like best on my coffin.

"He probably was. Can we eat now?" Apollo asked. "After this last chapter." Athena said. Wow wrong chapter to stop at if I know where it is gonna end. "Fine who's turn?" Hades asked. "I'll read." lil me offered looking scared. "Don't worry it is in ancient Greek you'll be able to read it." Athena said smiling at me. Quick some one get a camera I want to be able to remember her like this before she knows I like her daughter. Favorite daughter to be precise.

******So what did you guys think. Please let me know, I could use all the help. I would like to thank every one who has already helped me with this story and let me know that I was doing a good job. You guys rock. P.s. I thought I should let every one know that I will be updating every weekend.

Didn't want anyone to miss that. Thanks for reading.