𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐆𝐋𝐎𝐖 , percy jackson

﹒౨ৎ﹒aurora is an arianator confirmed

𝛢𝐹𝑇𝛦𝑅𝐺𝐿𐒆𝑊 , 𝑎𝑐𝘵 𝘰𝑛𝑒

chap six

☾

❝It's always time to be talking about Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift.❞

Percy's glare turned less intimidating and more into a confused one. "First!? What do you mean first?" It had hit Aurora that he hadn't told Percy about being Annabeth, Luke, and Thalia's protector yet. Grover nervously tried to avoid the conversation once again. "Very exciting, getting to walk in Uncle Ferdinand's footsteps. Next best thing to getting to talk to him again." Percy's mind was still on the subject of the satyr being Annabeth's protector, the case slowly unraveling in his mind: "Thalia, Luke, and Annabeth had a satyr protector. That was you."

Aurora stood there guilty, knowing that now all the eyes had been on Grover; if she had known it was some sort of secret, then the words would've never left her mouth. Why would he keep it a secret in the first place? The satyr gazed at Percy with guilt, almost as if he were going to give him some sort of explanation. But a look of disorientation replaced his guilt; the boy was now sniffing the air. Aurora glanced at him as if he were a physcopath, Annabeth repeating the action.

"Do you guys smell that?" Grover questioned as he continued sniffing towards the trees. Aurora slightly raised an eyebrow. "Well, no—maybe the smell is Percy's intelligence?" Percy glared at the girl before shifting his eyes back to Grover. "I'm not kidding." Grover shook his head. "No, neither am I! Just . . . shush."

The satyr continued to sniff the air before pausing and finally recognizing it. "Hamburgers," he murmured before following the smell like a moth to a flame. Aurora followed him hesitantly; she had skipped breakfast, so a burger didn't sound terrible at the moment. Percy and Annabeth followed skeptically. They walked around a few trees before finding a concrete street. "Grover, what are you doing?" Annabeth asked as they began walking down the road.

Grover walked ahead of the half-bloods, eager to find out where the smell was coming from. "Somebody's making hamburgers in the middle of nowhere, on a satyr path. Whoever it is, they're from our world," he finally answered as they passed an abandoned gas station. "Whoever it is, they're from our world," he added.

As they approached a store, the alluring smell of burgers and milkshakes became more noticeable. Aurora attempted to read the sign, focusing on the bold letters. What kind of name was Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium? The scent of fries led the group towards the store, and as they walked farther down, Aurora narrowed her eyes. The name Aunty Em seemed so familiar; it felt as if she had read it a thousand times. The brunette traced the hem of her jeans, repeating the name in her mind. Annabeth groaned as they proceeded farther down the path. "Oh, come on."

"What?" Percy quietly asked, holding the shoes Luke had given him carefully. Aurora lit up when she finally figured out why the name was so familiar, the stone statues in the backyard of the emporium acting as a final puzzle piece in her mind. "Aunty Em has a garden full of scared stone statues," Aurora hinted at the answer. "She's definitely from our world, what do you think Em is short for?" Annabeth added on, glancing at Percy.

The blonde boy furrowed his eyebrows, "I don't know? R.E.M beauty? Endgame?" Aurora side-eyed him, "That's spelled E.N.D.G.A.M.E. And why would Ariana Grande name an emporium after her beauty line? Oh, I do love her highlighter, though. And I'm more of a Lover girl—"