บท 82: Three Old Ladies Knit the Socks of Death

A/N: A reader pointed out how this would be cheap, so I've decided to upload all the chapters with Percy on it until he gets to camp.

Percy Jackson POV

I was used to the occasional weird experience but, for the rest of the school year, the entire campus seemed to be playing some kind of trick on me. The students and teachers acted as if they were completely convinced that Mrs Kerrs a perky blonde woman who I had never seen in my life until she came on the bus at the end of the field trip had been our maths teacher since Christmas.

Every so often I would sprinkle Mrs Dodds name just to see if I could trip them up, but they would just stare at me like a psycho. I would have believed too it were it not for the fact that each time I would bring up Mrs Dodds to Grover, he would hesitate before claiming that she didn't exist. But I knew he was lying.

Something had happened at the museum, at night vision of Mrs Dodds growing bat like wings and talons would wake me up in a cold sweat. The freak weather continued and it always seemed to be following me around. I was anxious and my grades soon dipped from Ds to Fs, I got into fights, and the last straw was calling my english teacher an old sot, I didn't know what it meant just that it sounded good at the time.

My mother received a letter from the headmaster, making it official. I would not return to Yancy Academy next year, which was... fine.

I wanted to go back home with my mom to our small apartment even if it meant that I needed to put up with my step father. Still I would miss some things at Yancy, like Mr Brunner's enthusiasm and his talks where he said I could do better.

As exam week got closer, latin was the only test I studied for. The evening before the test I got so frustrated that I threw my book Cambridge Guide to Greek Mythology out of the window but remembering Mr Brunner's words at the museum I took a deep breath and went to pick up the book.

So in desperation I decided to go ask help for Mr Brunner, something which I had never done before. I walked downstairs to the faculty offices, Mr Brunner's was opened slightly a small amount of light seeping through. I was three steps from the door when I heard voices come out of the room.

"-worried about Percy."

I froze, that was definitely Grover's voice. Something overcame me and I inched closer to the door.

"-alone this summer. 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. We need the boy to mature more."

"But he may not have time, the summer solstice deadline-"

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

"Then send Ozzy here, sir. He'll be able to protect him."

"No having him come here would only jumpstart's Percy's entry to our world."

"But 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 can't fail my duty again. You know what that would mean."

"You haven't failed Grover, I should have seen her for what she was the day I entered this school. Now let's just worry about keeping Percy alive until next autumn."

My heart was pounding, and my book slipped from my hand a hammering thud echoing across the hallway. Mr Brunner went silent, I saw a shadow much larger than Mr Brunner's wheelchair, holding something that looked like a bow. I quickly picked up the book and slipped into the closest open door.

A few seconds later I heard a slow clop like muffled wood blocks, then a sound like an animal sniffing right outside the wooden door.

A bead of sweat trickled own my neck. Then I heard Mr Brunner's voice again "My nerves haven't been right since winter solstice."

They both left and I slipped out into the hallway and made my way back to the dorm. When I reached our dorm all I saw Grover was lying on his bed, studying his latin exam notes.

"Hey is everything okay?" Grover asked.

I didn't answer.

"You look awful. Is everything okay?"

"I'm fine, just... tired."

I then slipped back into my bed too tired, betrayed, scared? I didn't know but it was too much for me to talk with Grover. But one thing was clear Mr Brunner and Grover were talking about me behind my back.

The next afternoon, as I was leaving the exam, Mr Brunner called me back inside, for a moment I was worried he knew about my eavesdropping but that didn't seem to be the problem.

"Percy, don't be discouraged about leaving Yancy Academy. It's...it's for the best."

"I mean," Mr Brunner wheeled his wheelchair 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. He was my favorite teacher and in front of the entire class he told me that I couldn't handle it, after all of his encouragement, it just stung.. a lot.

"Right," I said trembling.

"No,no,"Mr Brunner said. "Oh confound it all, what I'm trying to say is 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.

On the last day of the term I was shoving what little clothes I had in my suitcase. The other guys talked about where they would be traveling, after all they all came from rich families I was just a nobody.

The only thing I dreaded was saying goodbye to Grover, but luckily he was taking the same greyhound as me to Manhattan. During the whole ride Grover kept glancing down the aisle nervously. He always acted fidgety whenever we left Yancy I thought that was because he was scared of getting bullied but there was no one to bully him on the bus.

Finally I couldn't stand it anymore.

"Are you looking for Kindly Ones?"

Grover nearly jumped from his seat, "What do you mean?

I confessed about eavesdropping on him and Mr Brunner.

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

I just asked him about the summer solstice deadline to which he lied, but I immediately told him that wouldn't work. His ears turned pink as he grabbed a paper from his pocket, a grubby business card, "Just take this okay? In case you need me this summer."

After a few minutes of my dyslexia making it a nightmare to read I finally made out what was on it.

Grover Underwood, Keeper

Half-Blood Hill

Long Island, New York

(800)009-0009

"What's Half-"

Grover placed his hand on my mouth. "Don't say it aloud. That's my, um ... summer address."

My heart sank, I realized that maybe Grover wasn't like me and his family was actually just as rich as the other kids from Yancy Academy.

"Okay, so, like, if I want to come visit your mansion."

"Or if you need me."

"Why would I need you."

The tone came out harsher than I thought."

"Look Percy the truth is- I kind have to protect you."

I stared at him. All year long, I'd gotten into fights to keep bullies away from him, and now he said he was here to defend me.

"Grover," I asked "What are you protecting me from?"

Black smoke suddenly filled the dashboard making the bus come to a complete stop. The driver went outside and checked the engine and after a few minutes he said that everyone would have to get off.

We were on a stretch of country road, so there was pretty much nothing except for a fruit stand where three old ladies sitting in rocking chairs were knitting the biggest pair of socks I had ever seen. I mean like seriously the socks were the size of sweaters, what were they knitting them for bigfoot or something.

All three woman looked ancient with pale wrinkled faces, silver hair tied in white bandannas, bony arms sticking out of bleached cotton dresses.

The weirdest thing however was that they seemed to be looking right at me. I looked over at Grover to say something about this but I saw how the blood drained from his face.

"Grover?" I said "Hey, man-"

"Tell me they're not looking at you. They are. Aren't they."

"Yeah. Weird huh? Do you think those socks would fit me?"

"Not funny Percy."

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

We got on the bus at Grover's plead. The old ladies were still watching me. The middle one cut the yarn and I swear I could hear the snap from across the street. Her two friends balled up the electric blue socks. At the rear of the bus, the driver seemed to have gotten the engine to work again as it roared back to life. The passengers cheered.

"Darn right!" The driver yelled. He slapped the bus with his hat as he added "Everyone back on board."

Grover asked me what I had seen the ladies do, I told him how they had cut the yarn just as I started to feel a little feverish, Grover too seemed to have caught something as he couldn't stop shivering.

"Sixth grade, they never get past sixth grade."

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