The Lightning Thief: Chapter 11 Summary & Analysis

Grover is beside himself as Annabeth angrily pulls him and Percy along. After a minute, Annabeth thanks Percy for coming back for her, but she says that if he’d died, she would’ve lost her only chance to see the outside world. She explains that it doesn’t work for her to live with her dad, but Camp Half-Blood is just about training. She wants to be in the real world, where the monsters are. Annabeth begins to say that there was something odd on the bus, but Grover shrilly blows on his pipes and says that he can find our route if he can remember a “find path” song. His tune, however, sounds like Hilary Duff. The trio fights through the forest for another mile until Percy smells fried food and sees a neon sign up ahead.

Percy bursts out of the trees and sees a roadside curio shop selling lawn ornaments. It smells like fried food, though. He can’t read the sign, so Grover translates: Aunty Em’s Garden Gnome Emporium. Percy and Annabeth approach, but Grover insists that the place is too weird. He bleats nervously when he sees a statue of a satyr that looks like his Uncle Ferdinand, and he insists he smells monsters. The door opens to reveal a tall woman in a black gown and veil that covers everything but her hands. Percy tells the woman that they’re orphans separated from their circus caravan, which seems to affect the woman. She introduces herself as Aunty Em and offers to make them food in the back of the warehouse.

Most of the statues are life size, but Percy is too focused on food to care about Grover’s whimpers or that Aunty Em locks the door. In the dining area, Annabeth admits that they don’t have money. Aunty Em uses Annabeth’s name and says it’s okay. She then cooks them a feast of cheeseburgers, shakes, and French fries. Aunty Em sits across from them while they eat, and she assures Grover that he doesn’t hear hissing. Sleepy, Percy tries politely to make conversation and asks about the gnome business. His neck tingles like someone is watching him, but there’s only a statue of a girl holding an Easter basket behind him. The girl looks startled. Aunty Em says sadly that it’s hard to get faces right, and she mentions that she used to have sisters to help her, but now, she’s alone.

Percy feels very sad for Aunty Em, but he feels sleepy too. Annabeth jerks Percy back to life and says they must go meet the ringmaster, but Aunty Em asks if they’d sit for a photograph so she can make a new statue. Percy, wanting to be polite to a nice old lady who fed them for free, insists they oblige. Aunty Em leads them outside, arranges them on a bench, and then starts to remove her veil. Grover gasps that the satyr statue is Uncle Ferdinand, and Annabeth shouts to look away. Then, Annabeth makes herself invisible and pushes Grover and Percy to the ground. Percy stays on the ground, dazed, and sees that Aunty Em’s hands are gnarled and have talons. He can hear snakes. He looks to the side and sees Aunty Em’s reflection in a glass sphere: she’s Medusa.

Percy tries to think of how Medusa died in the Greek myth, but he’s too groggy. He thinks that she was asleep when Perseus attacked her. Medusa says that Athena turned her into this cursed creature, and she asks Percy if he really wants to be a pawn of the gods. Grover shouts, flies in with a huge branch, and begins whacking Medusa. Percy runs away and hides. Annabeth appears next to Percy and says that he has to cut Medusa’s head off. She gives him another glass sphere, and Percy uncaps Riptide. In the sphere, Percy sees Medusa grab Grover’s stick, so he yells. Medusa lets him approach and look at her in the sphere before lunging, but Percy slashes up and hears the hiss of a monster disintegrating. He doesn’t look when he hears a thud next to his foot.

Annabeth covers the head in the black veil and explains that the head is a spoil of war—but it can still petrify people. Percy congratulates Grover on his bravery, and they carry Medusa’s head into the warehouse. They sit around the head for a while, and then Percy asks if they have Athena to thank for Medusa. Irritated, Annabeth says that Medusa was Poseidon’s girlfriend and that they met in Athena’s temple. Athena turned Medusa into a monster, and Medusa probably wanted to turn Percy into a statue because he looks like Poseidon.

Percy and Annabeth bicker until Grover points out that they have to do something with the head. Percy feels angry about the quest. He finds Medusa’s account books, locates the address for the Underworld—it’s in an L.A. recording studio—and fills out a packing slip for the Hermes Overnight Express. He sends the head to the gods at Mount Olympus and ignores Grover’s warning that he’ll look impertinent. Annabeth says that they need a new plan.