Chapter 53
The sun hung low in the afternoon sky as the group finally reached the nearest bus stop on the outskirts of the city. It was a rundown shelter with cracked benches and faded advertisements peeling from the walls, surrounded by dusty roadside weeds swaying in the gentle breeze. Percy leaned against the metal pole, staring down the empty road with a mix of impatience and disbelief. He turned to the others and said, "Well… I really didn't expect my adventure to start like this, at a bus stop waiting for it to arrive. Where's the Ferrari or some magical vehicle? You know, something epic to kick off a quest?"
Dante chuckled, crossing his arms as he scanned the horizon for any sign of the approaching bus. "You're expecting too much, man. You guys are demigods, and the demigods those stingy gods gave a gift for a quest, like a pegasus, you can count on your fingers. And on top of that, they see you as a criminal, so it's impossible for them to give you even a donkey to ride. We're lucky we're not walking the whole way."
Grover, munching on an empty aluminum can he'd found nearby, glanced up at Dante with curious eyes. "You're a dragon, so you can turn into a giant dragon, right?"
Dante met his gaze and nodded simply. "Yes."
Grover's hooves tapped excitedly on the cracked pavement. "Then why don't you carry us on your back? We'd get there in no time!"
Dante's expression turned serious, his golden eyes narrowing slightly under the fading sunlight. "Grover, friend to friend: if you ever see another dragon, never say that to him if you don't want to get killed."
Percy frowned, shifting his weight as a light wind carried the distant hum of traffic. "Why? Is there some problem?"
Dante exhaled slowly, gazing out at the open fields beyond the road. "For a dragon to let a person ride him, she has to be very important to him. It's like a declaration of love. You let a person ride because it shows the trust you have in that person complete vulnerability in our world. It's sacred, not a taxi service."
Annabeth, who had been quietly studying a map she'd pulled from her backpack, looked up thoughtfully. "I never thought it was something so important… but aren't there legends of people riding dragons? Knights and heroes in ancient stories?"
Dante shook his head, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Those legends weren't people riding dragons, but wyverns. They don't have intelligence or dragon clan magic. They're just monsters that look like the dragon clan, but have nothing to do with us mindless beasts, really."
Percy sighed dramatically, kicking at a loose pebble. "So no ride on the back of a giant dragon."
Dante's smile widened into a teasing grin. "If you can turn into a dolphin to swim with me in Hawaii, I don't mind carrying you. Can you?"
Percy shot him an awkward glance, rubbing the back of his neck as his cheeks flushed slightly. "Then it's a no…"
Annabeth rolled her eyes, folding the map just as the low rumble of an engine echoed in the distance. "Well, stop joking. The bus has arrived."
The old Greyhound bus pulled up with a hiss of brakes, its doors creaking open to reveal a dimly lit interior smelling of stale air and vinyl seats. They climbed aboard, finding seats toward the back, and settled in as it lurched forward, departing for their first destination amid the fading light of day.
The journey dragged on for several hours, the bus winding through highways lined with endless stretches of forests and occasional small towns blurring past the windows. The air inside grew stuffy, filled with the murmur of other passengers and the occasional jolt over potholes. When they finally arrived at their stop a deserted roadside pull-off near an overgrown garden center the sky had darkened into twilight.
Stepping off the bus onto the gravel, Dante stretched his arms wide, inhaling the fresh evening air deeply. "Damn, spending hours inside a bus isn't for me anymore. My wings are itching just thinking about it."
Percy grinned, slinging his backpack over one shoulder. "If you'd agreed to carry us, it would've been faster."
Dante shot back playfully, "And if you could turn into a dolphin or a horse, we wouldn't need to take the bus."
Percy paused, tilting his head. "I understand the horse, but why the dolphin?"
Dante laughed, his voice echoing slightly in the quiet surroundings. "Simple. We'd sell you to an aquarium and with the money buy a pickup truck. Prime sea-life exhibit right there."
Annabeth smirked, joining in seamlessly. "It's a good idea. You can't transform, right, Percy?"
Percy stared at them incredulously, his mouth open in mock horror. "You guys want to sell me?!"
Dante shrugged innocently. "Well, someone has to sacrifice for the quest. And since you're the bravest, that task falls to you, right, Annabeth?"
Annabeth nodded with exaggerated seriousness. "Yes. After all, he beat me on the first day at camp. He has the necessary courage."
Percy glanced between them, realizing the setup. "You're teaming up to mess with me…"
Dante's smile grew wider. "Look, besides brave, he's smart. That means we can raise the price, right?"
Annabeth agreed, her gray eyes sparkling with amusement. "Yes, now he's worth more."
At that moment, Grover's voice cut through the banter from a few paces ahead. "Guys, you have to see this!"
They hurried over, pushing through overgrown hedges into what appeared to be an abandoned garden emporium called "Auntie Em's Garden Gnome Emporium." The place was eerie in the dim twilight vast shelves and display areas crammed with hundreds of stone statues: gnomes, animals, and life-sized human figures frozen in various poses of surprise or terror. Dust and cobwebs covered everything, and the air carried a faint, musty scent mixed with something metallic.
Percy scanned the shadows nervously, his hand instinctively hovering near Riptide in his pocket. "Hey… is anyone there?"
Annabeth frowned, her architect's eye taking in the unnatural arrangement. "Strange… why are there so many statues here? This doesn't seem normal. It's like a graveyard of petrified people."
Dante fell silent at that moment, his expression darkening as he stared at the lifeless stone faces, a shadow of recognition crossing his features.
Grover, ever curious, wandered to a nearby crate and pried it open. Suddenly, a swarm of rats scurried out, squeaking and darting across the ground. Percy jumped back with a yelp, nearly tripping over a statue.
Dante glanced at him with a smirk. "Don't be afraid. Rats won't devour you, fish-boy."
Percy steadied himself, catching his breath. "I know…"
Just then, Annabeth called from nearby. "Guys, come here. I found something."
They gathered around a ornate stone fountain in the center of the courtyard, its basin filled with shimmering golden drachmas glinting under the emerging moonlight.
Annabeth pointed excitedly. "Look at this, they're golden drachmas."
Grover peered in, his goat eyes widening. "Well, looks like we're on the right track. These are offerings
She scooped up a handful and passed them to Percy for safekeeping in his bag.
Annabeth surveyed the sprawling grounds, which stretched into shadowed warehouses and sculpture gardens. "Well, this place is very big. How are we going to find the pearl here on foot? It could take forever."
Percy recalled the Oracle's words. "Well, the Oracle said that by defeating the monster that turns people to stone we get the pearl. So we just have to find it—and deal with it."
Dante nodded strategically. "Well, why don't we split up? Annabeth and I will go this way, through the main warehouse. Percy, you and Grover go that way, toward the outdoor displays."
Percy agreed. "Alright, let's go. Stay sharp."
They split up, flashlights from their phones cutting through the growing darkness as they began searching the labyrinth of statues.
Dante and Annabeth moved cautiously through aisles lined with frozen figures, the crunch of gravel under their feet the only sound. Suddenly, a piercing scream echoed from deeper in the emporium. They whipped around to see a middle-aged woman in disheveled tourist clothes stumbling toward them, her face pale with terror. She lunged forward, grabbing Annabeth's hand in a vise-like grip. "Get out of here! She's coming! We stopped to ask for directions… my poor husband… help, please help me!"
Dante assessed her frantic state quickly, then delivered a precise, gentle punch to her jaw, catching her as she slumped unconscious. He lowered her carefully to the soft grass beside a statue.
Annabeth stared at Dante, noting the heavy, serious lines etched on his face in the flashlight glow. "What is it? You know what she's talking about?"
Dante offered a tired smile, his voice low. "Medusa… she's talking about Medusa."
Annabeth watched him fall silent again, the weight of ancient history pressing down. "You don't need to feel guilty for what she became. It wasn't your fault; you have nothing to do with it."
Dante shook his head slowly. "No. As long as I have Poseidon's blood running through my veins, I have something to do with it. That curse… it's family legacy."
Annabeth placed a hand on his arm. "Then what are you going to do? She's already killed many innocents; there's no way to save her anymore."
Dante stood taller, resolve hardening in his eyes. "There's only one way. I'll end the monster Medusa once and for all… to let the girl Medusa rest peacefully on the other side."
Meanwhile, on the other side of the emporium, Grover and Percy navigated rows of animal statues under the starry sky. Grover suddenly stopped, shining his light on a satyr figure with a familiar wart on its nose. He approached slowly, voice trembling. "Look, Percy… this statue looks like my uncle Ferdinand. It has the wart in the same place… but it's impossible. After all, my uncle was killed by Medusa years ago."
His eyes widened in realization. "We have to find the others. Percy, this is the place where Medusa lives."
Percy's blood ran cold. "That Medusa Dante mentioned? Then she's a monster. Let's go; we have to warn them. Dante might handle it, but if Annabeth sees her first it could be disastrous
They broke into a run, shouting echoes through the statues: "Dante! Annabeth!"
Dante, having lifted the unconscious woman into his arms, walked with Annabeth toward the voices when a silky, chilling voice slithered through the air: "Well, what a nice surprise… I finally have more visitors."
Dante immediately turned to Annabeth. "Close your eyes, understood? Don't open them no matter what."
Medusa's voice carried a smug smile. "Looks like you've already heard of me."
At that instant, Percy and Grover burst into the clearing, yelling: "Dante! Annabeth! This is Medusa's lair be careful!"
Dante barked urgently: "She's already here, so close your eyes too, now!"
Percy and Grover squeezed their eyes shut without hesitation, hearts pounding.
Medusa's laugh echoed softly. "Well, you avoided turning to stone… but how are you going to defeat me without opening your eyes? Blind fools."
Dante gently laid the woman down on a patch of soft earth, then faced Medusa's direction. He began releasing his immense power a surging aura that crackled in the air. A massive beam of dark purple light shot upward, piercing the night sky and plunging the entire area into unnatural darkness, as if daylight had been swallowed whole.
Medusa dropped to her knees, gasping for breath under the overwhelming pressure, her snakes hissing weakly. She choked out: "Who… who are you?"
Dante's voice boomed with authority. "Well, I'm the Black Dragon King, on the same level or even stronger than the Big Three… and I'm Poseidon's grandson."
Medusa's reaction was explosive—hysterical rage filling her voice. "So you're the one your trash grandpa sent to finish the job?! Let's end it! For centuries I wanted to kill your grandpa, so now he sent you to clean the dirty stain on his good god reputation, right?!"
She closed her eyes tightly, bracing for the fatal blow.
But Dante halted his power release. The beam faded, the darkness lifted, and moonlight returned.
Medusa sensed the pressure vanish and cautiously opened her eyes.
Dante dropped to one knee before her, bowing his head like a repentant knight. "Forgiveness."
Medusa recoiled in shock. "What did you say?"
Dante met her gaze steadily, sincerity burning in his eyes. "Forgiveness. I know how much harm my grandpa did to you violating her temple, letting Athena curse you unjustly. A simple apology will never fix things, but I feel I have to say it. I ask forgiveness for all the pain my trash grandpa caused you, and for the gods' cruelty that followed."
Medusa let out a bitter, incredulous laugh. "You idiot. You're really asking forgiveness from the monster Medusa that everyone fears? Are you stupid or crazy?"
Dante's voice remained firm and gentle. "I would never ask forgiveness from the monster Medusa. I ask forgiveness from the innocent girl Medusa who suffered and still suffers today from the cruelty of the gods—a priestess wronged beyond measure."
Tears welled in Medusa's eyes as she stared into his sincere gaze, her head lowering in defeat. "Well… even asking forgiveness, you also came to kill me, right? After all, besides killing people to defend myself in this exile, I also killed innocents… like that woman's husband, out of bitterness."
Dante sighed deeply, the weight of centuries in his breath. "I didn't come to kill you. I came to free you from this cruel world that twisted you."
In his mind, a spark of hope ignited: If Acnologia was able to devour space-time… then perhaps I can devour this curse itself.
He stepped closer, channeling his draconic power carefully. Dark energy swirled around his hands as he reached out, absorbing the ancient curse like smoke into his being. Moments later, the snakes on her head withered away, revealing long, human hair, and her skin softened to mortal flesh.
Medusa gasped, staring at her now-normal hands in disbelief. "What did you do?"
Dante explained softly: "I devoured your curse. But there's a problem… it was your curse that gave you immortality. Without it, you'll die like any mortal."
A peaceful smile spread across Medusa's face for the first time in millennia. "After killing so many people… after being blinded by hate for so long… I already imagined I'd die in agony. But thank you. Even dying, I can die as a human, and not as a monster. Finally… free."
Dante turned to the others, who stood tense with eyes still shut. "You can open them now. Everything's over."
They blinked open cautiously, taking in the transformed woman kneeling on the ground.
Annabeth whispered: "Who is she?"
Dante recounted the full myth the violation, the unjust curse, his family tie and his choice to lift it.
Grover, Annabeth, and Percy stood frozen, processing the redemption unfolding before them.
Percy gathered his courage, stepping forward on unsteady legs. "Dante told me my dad did a horrible thing to you… invading your sanctuary. And that our family owes you an apology. So I ask forgiveness for everything my dad did and for what happened after."
Medusa's smile was warm, maternal almost. "You guys are good kids. Taking responsibility for something that's not your fault and trying to fix it anyway. The gods could learn from you."
She continued gently: "I accept your apologies, as long as you promise me something."
Percy nodded earnestly. "Yes. What would that be?"
"Don't become a man like your dad fickle, selfish, hurting innocents without thought."
Percy paused, the promise sinking deep. "I understand… I promise. I'll do better."
Annabeth, who had remained silent in reflection, finally approached. "I, as a daughter of Athena, ask forgiveness for my mother's actions that cruel, one-sided punishment."
Medusa chuckled softly. "Well, a daughter of Athena admitting she's wrong… that's new, and refreshing. I don't care anymore; I'm already dying peacefully. But at least I fulfill the wish to die as a person, and not as a monster."
She turned to Dante one last time, unhooking a glowing pearl from her bracelet Persephone's pearl and placing it in his palm. With a final, grateful smile, her body began to dissolve into golden dust, carried away on a soft night breeze. "Thank you again, little dragon."
Dante watched the dust scatter under the stars, his voice quiet and resolute. "I couldn't save you in life… but at least I can give you a dignified death as a human one you deserved all along."