immediately. How could they not? It was accompanied by a guttural shriek that resembled that of a horse giving birth to triplets.
It was all the girl next to her could take. She, too, looked a not-so-lovely shade of lime. She answered the first girl’s vomit with vomit of her own. We gasped. I turned away for fear of vomiting in response. Which is exactly what three young women in the crowd did. Maybe it was the smell. It was enough to send me over, but I jumped outside for fresh air. I yelled for Polly, who stood there in the middle of thecrisis, wanting to help but not knowing how. Era quickly came outside, too, totally grossed out.
I stuck in my head and argued with Polly. “We’ve got to get out of here.”
“Thalia, these people need us, they need help. There must be twenty people vomiting! Look at this place—it’s turning into a Vomitorium!” *
“Polly, if we get this heinous sickness, how will we get home in time for Pocky to pick up his parents? And how can we help? Magic? No!”
“Oh, but I feel horrible,” cried Polly.
“I know, but I don’t feel we have any other choice. We must leave—c’mon.”
She slowly crept out of the hall.
“To Pocky!” I yelled.
We ran as fast as we could to the apothecary. Or rather, Era and I did. Polly sulked behind at a slow trot.
I threw open the door to the apothecary and screamed, “NO!”
The fates were not cutting me any breaks today. Pocky was there. But he was practically asleep. He looked a little ill, even.
“What’s wrong with you, Pocky?” I demanded to know.
“It’s this herbal potion the master chemist mixed up. It’s made me very light-headed. Very woozy. Very silly. Hi, Polly, you’re pretty. Hi, Era. Smile, Era. Hi, Thalia. Out of jail?” But he didn’t wait for an answer. His head hit the counter with a violent thud.
“Well, I guess we are stuck here overnight, Thalia. He obviously can’t drive,” said Polly.
“We can’t stay here overnight. I mean, we could get sick, influenza. We’ve got to get out of here.”
“But how?” whined Era, who had plopped herself down in one of the uncomfortable wooden chairs in the apothecary waiting area.
“We can’t drive. We’ll have to use magic—we have no other choice.”
“Of course we have another choice. To not use magic. Thalia, we can’t. I suspect any day now we’re going to feel the wrath of using our magic that time at the Grind. I don’t think we can take another chance. No, I forbid it,” said Polly.
“Look, we have to be back by Sunday. This is a modern mortal illness—who knows what it could do to us? And besides, it’s only fair that we each get to choose a destination, and so far you’re the only one who has gotten to make a choice.”
“Yeah,” Era added suddenly, jumping on my band-wagon. “What about me? There’s lots of stuff I’d love to see. Like the chocolate factory.” Now was my chance.
“Era’s right. I think the only alternative here is touse magic. Just a little. Besides, what harm has come to us thus far? The Furies aren’t here—they don’t have to know! The only reason we got here so fast is beca—”
“Wait, what does that mean? Have you used your powers?” Polly demanded.
“Well, sort of, um, yes. And see, nothing bad has happened to us.”
They both yelled at me simultaneously so loud that I couldn’t understand either one of them. Surprisingly, they didn’t wake Pocky from the dead.
When they finally stopped to take a breath, I said, “Face it, Hera is probably not even paying attention to what we are doing down here. I mean, she’s probably so consumed with redecorating our rooms, not to mention the sheer joy of having three less Muses around the castle, that she doesn’t miss us at all. We’re fine.”
“She does get awful preoccupied with that decorating stuff,” said Era.
“You know what? I don’t care. Do what you want. I’m not getting involved . But I will not use magic,” said Polly
It was all the girl next to her could take. She, too, looked a not-so-lovely shade of lime. She answered the first girl’s vomit with vomit of her own. We gasped. I turned away for fear of vomiting in response. Which is exactly what three young women in the crowd did. Maybe it was the smell. It was enough to send me over, but I jumped outside for fresh air. I yelled for Polly, who stood there in the middle of thecrisis, wanting to help but not knowing how. Era quickly came outside, too, totally grossed out.
I stuck in my head and argued with Polly. “We’ve got to get out of here.”
“Thalia, these people need us, they need help. There must be twenty people vomiting! Look at this place—it’s turning into a Vomitorium!” *
“Polly, if we get this heinous sickness, how will we get home in time for Pocky to pick up his parents? And how can we help? Magic? No!”
“Oh, but I feel horrible,” cried Polly.
“I know, but I don’t feel we have any other choice. We must leave—c’mon.”
She slowly crept out of the hall.
“To Pocky!” I yelled.
We ran as fast as we could to the apothecary. Or rather, Era and I did. Polly sulked behind at a slow trot.
I threw open the door to the apothecary and screamed, “NO!”
The fates were not cutting me any breaks today. Pocky was there. But he was practically asleep. He looked a little ill, even.
“What’s wrong with you, Pocky?” I demanded to know.
“It’s this herbal potion the master chemist mixed up. It’s made me very light-headed. Very woozy. Very silly. Hi, Polly, you’re pretty. Hi, Era. Smile, Era. Hi, Thalia. Out of jail?” But he didn’t wait for an answer. His head hit the counter with a violent thud.
“Well, I guess we are stuck here overnight, Thalia. He obviously can’t drive,” said Polly.
“We can’t stay here overnight. I mean, we could get sick, influenza. We’ve got to get out of here.”
“But how?” whined Era, who had plopped herself down in one of the uncomfortable wooden chairs in the apothecary waiting area.
“We can’t drive. We’ll have to use magic—we have no other choice.”
“Of course we have another choice. To not use magic. Thalia, we can’t. I suspect any day now we’re going to feel the wrath of using our magic that time at the Grind. I don’t think we can take another chance. No, I forbid it,” said Polly.
“Look, we have to be back by Sunday. This is a modern mortal illness—who knows what it could do to us? And besides, it’s only fair that we each get to choose a destination, and so far you’re the only one who has gotten to make a choice.”
“Yeah,” Era added suddenly, jumping on my band-wagon. “What about me? There’s lots of stuff I’d love to see. Like the chocolate factory.” Now was my chance.
“Era’s right. I think the only alternative here is touse magic. Just a little. Besides, what harm has come to us thus far? The Furies aren’t here—they don’t have to know! The only reason we got here so fast is beca—”
“Wait, what does that mean? Have you used your powers?” Polly demanded.
“Well, sort of, um, yes. And see, nothing bad has happened to us.”
They both yelled at me simultaneously so loud that I couldn’t understand either one of them. Surprisingly, they didn’t wake Pocky from the dead.
When they finally stopped to take a breath, I said, “Face it, Hera is probably not even paying attention to what we are doing down here. I mean, she’s probably so consumed with redecorating our rooms, not to mention the sheer joy of having three less Muses around the castle, that she doesn’t miss us at all. We’re fine.”
“She does get awful preoccupied with that decorating stuff,” said Era.
“You know what? I don’t care. Do what you want. I’m not getting involved . But I will not use magic,” said Polly
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