Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium, is a garden center in Leeds Point, New Jersey, off the main highway. It is the lair of the infamous gorgon, Medusa.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians[]
The Lightning Thief[]
Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, and Grover Underwood stumble upon Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium in search of food after all of their supplies exploded on a bus after an encounter with the Furies. As the trio walks in, they are greeted by many statues of animals, children, and people. Grover is suspicious about the place and discovers a statue that is of a satyr that looks like his Uncle Ferdinand. Grover begs Percy and Annabeth to turn back due to the smell of monsters. At first, the emporium appears to be run by a kindly middle eastern woman who offers to feed Percy, Annabeth and Grover for free. However, it soon becomes clear (at least to Annabeth and Grover) that something is amiss and Aunty Em turns out to be none other than Medusa.
The Last Olympian[]
The emporium is where Medusa stores her victims and also the hideout for Kronos and his Titan Army while they are fighting Percy, Annabeth, Thalia, Grover, Chiron, and the other demigods from Camp Half-Blood who are defending the Empire State Building entrance to Mount Olympus in the Battle of Manhattan.
Film[]
The Lightning Thief[]
While searching for Persephone's pearls at Aunty Em's Gnome Emporium, Annabeth is found by a woman, who tells her in hysterics that she and her husband stopped for directions, and implies that a terrible fate befell the latter. Annabeth starts frantically trying to help her escape.
Meanwhile, Grover, while alone and looking at a concrete statue which he finds looks identical to his Uncle Ferdinand, dismisses the thought, remembering that his uncle was killed by Medusa. As a result, he realizes that it really is his Uncle Ferdinand, runs to get Percy to tell him that they are in Medusa's lair. From afar, Percy hears Grover calling his name. Fearing that Grover was facing some kind of danger, Percy pulls out Riptide, his celestial bronze sword disguised as a pen, and runs to find his friend. They abruptly run into each other by mistake, and Percy asks him what the matter is. Grover hurriedly explains his findings, and that the place they had set forth in is really Medusa's hideaway. Percy then realizes that they are in deep trouble and they go searching for Annabeth.
Annabeth and the woman find an overgrown garden, but are cornered in a dead end by Medusa, who quickly succeeds in petrifying the hysterical woman. As a side effect, Annabeth's hand winds up trapped, as the woman was holding onto it at the time.
Witnessing this, Grover hands Percy an Apple iPod Touch and tells him that he has to use the iPod to look at Medusa's reflection, not the monster's real face or he could be turned to stone and Percy acknowledges that he should. Quickly, Percy distracts Medusa while Grover then goes and rescues Annabeth. However, Percy got close to being turned to stone by Medusa until Annabeth and Grover saved him by ramming Medusa with a pickup truck while their eyes were shut making some stone statues fall to the ground hitting Medusa and setting Percy free from her. After the initial collapsing of the statues upon Medusa, the Gorgon picks up the iPod and gazes at it, distracted by its technology which gives Percy an advantage as he picks up Riptide and cuts her snake-filled head.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians (TV series)[]
We Visit the Garden Gnome Emporium[]
After being attacked by the Furies and walking along a Satyr path, Percy, Annabeth, and Grover are lured to Aunty Em's Emporium after Grover smells food. Upon seeing the numerous statues of monsters at the front of the building, Annabeth immediately realizes that they're entering Medusa's lair, and the trio tries to make their escape. They are stopped by Alecto, who taunts Annabeth about an offer she made her back on the bus. Before Percy can ask Annabeth to elaborate, Medusa enters and invites the three questers inside for lunch, claiming no intention to harm them. They reluctantly accept her offer, and Medusa assures Annabeth that she does not hate her just because of who her mother is.
As they eat, Medusa tells them how she devoted her life to Athena, and the Goddess of Wisdom only noticed her after starting a relationship with Poseidon, turning her into a Gorgon after he left her. Annabeth retorts that her mother is just, but Medusa casts doubt on her beliefs. Medusa then invites Percy to help her in the kitchen, and when he leaves, Annabeth tells Grover they need to run. In the kitchen, Medusa attempts to persuade Percy to let her petrify them for him. Upon this, the Son of Poseidon runs, and Medusa removes her hat and veil before going after the three.
Percy, Annabeth, and Grover meet up in the basement, where a trail of fire reveals countless statues as Medusa makes her way downstairs. The trio argues about what to do next before Grover puts on Luke's winged shoes to enact their plan. Unfortunately, he activates them before they are ready, and Percy and Annabeth are forced to split up and hide. Medusa finds Percy hiding behind a crate and tries to manipulate him into looking at her. He stands up and closes his eyes. Medusa taunts him before Grover flies down, which Annabeth uses as a distraction to put her hat on the gorgon before Percy beheads her. Percy and Annabeth head upstairs and back outside together to where Alecto is waiting, with Percy having an idea on how to get past her. He walks towards the fury, who lunges towards him before he reveals Medusa's head to her. Alecto turns to stone and falls apart upon hitting the ground.
Back in the basement, the demigods find Grover in front of his Uncle's remains, the only statue without fear on his face. They discuss what to do with Medusa's head, which quickly devolves into an argument between Percy and Annabeth about their secrets, before Grover berates both of them and asks Percy what he’s so afraid of. After Percy tells them about the Oracle's prophecy, he and Annabeth reveal to each other that they were both offered a way to betray their companions, and ultimately chose against it. With their differences set aside, Percy gives Annabeth her hat back before he ships Medusa's head to Olympus, much to the dismay of his companions.
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