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Annabeth finally halted in a room full of waterfalls. The entire floor was a massive hole, bordered by a slick stone pathway. Water gushed from massive pipes along the four walls, pouring into the seemingly bottomless pit.

Briares collapsed on the wall and cleansed his face with water from the fall. "This pit heads directly to Tartarus," he muttered. "I could jump in and save you time."

I huffed, but not because I was irritated with Briares. I huffed because I understood how he felt: trapped in a cage of anguish, burdened by sorrow, knowing the only way out is surrender.

Raiden placed a hand on one of Briares's numerous arms. "Briares, listen to me. We need your help."

"Do we?" I muttered. "Do we really?"

Annabeth glared at me. "The army of the Titans will attack Camp Half-Blood, Briares. We're dangerously outmatched. You can do something. You know about the Titans from fighting them before. You can help us!"

The Hundred-Handed One's face flickered to hope, but it was gone a moment later. He shook his head. "I am sorry, demigod, but I cannot. I have nothing left nor anything to give."

"Your brothers!" Tyson said eagerly. "We can find your brothers! We can lead you to them. They will help. They stand taller than mountains."

Briares's face drooped into an expression I knew all too well: grief. "It is impossible, Cyclops. They faded."

The Cylcops's face fell. He gazed into the distance and blinked back tears.

Percy frowned. "Faded? What does that mean? Aren't all monsters and gods immortal?"

"Percy," Raiden said, "there are limits to even immortality. Sometimes, monsters are overlooked, and then...they don't want to stay immortal anymore."

"I must leave," Briares said.

Tyson grabbed one of his arms. "No! Don't leave! We need your help."

Briares stared at the ground. "I am no use to you, Cyclops."

"Briares, come with us," Annabeth urged. "Don't give up."

"I am sorry, demigod." Briares stood up and eased his arm out of Tyson's grasp. "But I cannot."

"Briares, listen." Percy seized one of Briares's arms in one last attempt and pulled him behind a waterfall where no one could hear them. That is, no one but me. I eavesdropped as Percy tried to convince the Hundred-Handed One to accompany us, but the son of Poseidon was unsuccessful. Briares plodded off into a tunnel and then vanished around a corner.

Tyson cried.

"It's alright." Grover awkwardly clapped him on the shoulder.

Tyson sniffled and then sneezed. "It's not alright. He was my idol."

A sorrowful silence followed.

At last, Annabeth rose and shattered the silence. "Let's go, guys. I don't like this pit. Let's camp somewhere else for the night."

                                                ***

We settled in a passage constructed from massive marble blocks with bronze torch carriers attached to the walls, like a Greek tomb. Annabeth concluded this was a sign of progress.

"We must be almost to Daedalus's workshop," she said. "Get some sleep, everyone. We'll continue once it's morning."

"How will we know when that is?" asked Grover.

"Just get some sleep," Annabeth persisted.

I extracted my sleeping bag and bearskin blanket from my rucksack. I laid them on the dirt floor and settled down. Agro lay at the forefront of my makeshift bed, and I leaned against her soft fur.

Raiden was still standing though. "I'll take the first watch," she offered Annabeth. "I'm not tired."

"Alright," Annabeth said, and Raiden marched off to stand in a place where she'd be able to see us all, axe in hand.

"Hey, Ainsley," Percy called.

"What?" My voice was steady.

"Can we talk for a second?"

"Sure."

The son of Poseidon strode over and sat down to my right. He glanced around as if to check for eavesdroppers. Then he whispered in a slightly angry tone: "Why did you want to leave Briares behind back on Alcatraz?"

I bristled at the question. "Because it would and did take away time we could have been looking for the workshop."

Percy's nostrils flared. "So it's about time and not about saving an innocent life?"

"Briares isn't my concern," I snapped, forgetting my composure. "My only concern is getting out of this stupid maze and finishing this dam quest."

"You don't care about Camp Half-Blood?!"

"No."

Percy gaped at me in disbelief. "It's the only haven in the world for demigods, the one place where we're safe. It's about to be destroyed and then its campers will die, and you don't care?"

"Camp Half-Blood isn't my home," I snarled. "It never was. The Hunt is my home, and this quest is taking me away from protecting and being with my Hunters. The only reason I'm on this quest in the first place," I added coldly, "is because my mother ordered me to. My loyalty to her is the only reason I'm even with you. If I had my way, I would never set foot in that camp again."

Percy threw his arms up in exasperation. "Lives are on the line here, Ainsley! Dozens of them! Do you not—"

"You don't think I understand that, Percy?" I growled. "Do you think I don't understand what it's like to have lives on the line? I lead the Hunters, Percy. Every battle, every day, I have to keep them safe. If they...d-die, then it's on me. And I can't let any more of them get hurt, you understand?"

Percy was silent for several moments, apparently too stunned by my pronouncement. "Yeah," he said eventually. "Yeah, I understand. You're a leader, and it's your responsibility to look out for those under your care."

I nodded stiffly, my temper cooling slightly. "Exactly. And after last winter, that responsibility is even larger."

"What do you mean—oh. You're talking about Bianca and Zoë, aren't you?"

I didn't answer.

"But that wasn't your fault," Percy insisted, and my heart plummeted. "None of it was. When Bianca sacrificed herself, you were holding the sky. There was no way you could've helped her. And Zoë—"

"Just drop it, Percy," I snapped. "Just let me go to sleep."

"Alright, alright," he said, holding his hands up in surrender. "I just wanted to make you feel better."

"Well, you didn't."

"I got that."

"Your sass is not needed, Jackson," I spat. "Go bother someone else."

Percy's jaw clenched, but he stood up and said nothing. He walked back over to his sleeping bag, and I rolled over so that my back was to him. I pulled my blanket tight around me, lay against Agro, and closed my eyes.

Chief, she barked, what's the problem?

How am I supposed to answer that? I thought bitterly, but I said stiffly, "Nothing, girl. Just try to get some rest."

                                                        ***

Surprise, surprise, my dreams sucked. I suffered through my usual nightly torment before I plummeted through darkness and found myself at the Hunters' camp. Dad was sitting in front of the dying campfire, furiously scribbling on a sheet of paper. Snow lay at his side, chewing on the bone of a deer leg.

Orion, she barked, when are you going to give up on this?

"Never," Dad snapped. "I told you already, Snow, I can't give up on this. It's the only way I can help her."

Or you could just tell her.

"How? She's in the middle of a quest somewhere in the middle of a giant underground maze."

Send her an Iris-Message!

Dad shook his head and stopped writing. "I can't. If she finds out, it'll pain her too much, and then she won't be able to finish her quest. I can't put my little girl through that. She's been through enough."

Orion, she's literally seventeen. She isn't a little girl anymore. She's been on two quests and held the sky for four days. Do you know how much willpower that takes? Ainsley isn't the young kid you raised.

"I know that, Snow." He sounded pained. "I know that she's not a child anymore. I know Ainsley is a leader and perfectly capable of protecting herself."

Then why won't you tell her? She needs to know her future.

"Because I'm her father, and I will do what's good for well being. And because..." Dad inhaled deeply, and it suddenly struck me how tired he looked. "Because the truth would destroy her." He resumed writing.

For a few minutes, there was silence except for the scratching of Dad's pencil and the crunch of the deer leg. Dad finally pocketed his pencil and examined the paper. "Done," he decided.  "What do you think, Snow?"

Snow stood up, stretched, and then peered at the letter. Fun fact about the Hunters' wolves: they can read English and Ancient Greek, so Snow did actually understand the contents of the letter. It's fine, Orion, she barked eventually, but I still think that this letter is useless. Telling Ainsley in person will be better.

Dad rolled up the letter and pocketed it. He stroked Snow behind the ears. "I won't be able to, Snow. Not with the...deadline closing in." He started toward his tent.

Snow didn't follow. Orion, have you tried to do something other than this letter?

Dad stopped in his tracks, and his shoulders slumped. He turned around, and I was alarmed to see the resignation on his face. "I've tried everything, Snow," he said softly.

The dream faded. I fell through the darkness and awoke back in my sleeping bag.

I stared at the opposite wall and shivered. Something about Dad's tone frightened me. I thought, What're you hiding, Dad? What's so horrible that you can't even tell me about it?

The answers I came up with only scared me further.

                                                ***

Our "morning" in the Labyrinth consisted of everyone waking up and consuming juice boxes and granola bars for breakfast (or, in Agro's case, half a pound of antelope meat). We packed up and continued. Tyson was still sad about Briares, and Percy was very pale. I could hear his very rapid heartbeat and see the sweat on his face. The ancient stone tunnels transformed into dirt corridors with cedar beams. Annabeth was troubled by this.

"This shouldn't be happening," she said. "The tunnels should be stone still."

We arrived at a cave where stalactites were suspended from the ceiling, almost to the ground. In the middle of the dirt floor, I saw a rectangular pit. It looked like a grave. That really helped my nerves.

I sniffed the air. "I don't like this. It reeks of the Underworld." My heart pounded, and a wave of nausea crashed over me.

"Look at this." Percy pointed at the edge of the pit, where a foil wrapper was crumpled. I gazed into the hole and registered the half-chewed cheeseburger bobbing in brown carbonated muck. "This is from Nico. He was calling up the dead again."

I gulped and pushed down the lump of terror building in my throat.

Tyson shivered. "There were ghosts here. I don't want them."

"We have to find him," Percy insisted, and he sprinted off and ducked into another corridor.

Agro and I caught up with him in about two seconds. "Percy, if you're gonna try to get rid of me, you'll have to do better than that."

He didn't answer. We continued down the tunnel toward the light up ahead. I was the first to arrive at the source: a set of bars streaming in daylight, a steel grate constructed from metal pipes. The other five caught up soon enough, Raiden in the lead.

"What is this?" Percy wondered.

Then a shadow covered the grate, and a bright red bovine stared down at us.

"Hello," I said to the cow, even though I wasn't fond of them. "Can you tell us where we are?"

Texas, the cow mooed. I want to get out of here. It placed one hesitant hoof on the bars and then retreated.

"Oh," said Raiden, "this thing's a cattle guard. It stops cows from getting out," she added, seeing Percy's confused expression. "They're put on ranch gates. Cows can't walk on them."

Grover huffed. "You're telling me. I have hooves."

Percy faced Annabeth. "Hera mentioned a ranch, didn't she? We need to go and see what's up there. Nico may be here." 

She paused. "Okay. But what's our way out here?"

"Me." Raiden drew back her fist and punched the cattle guard. It popped clean off and sailed out of view. There was a CLANG! and a surprised cow: What was that? "Ah, dam it. Sorry if I hit any of you cows!"

I jumped through the hole and out of the tunnel. Raiden lifted Agro and placed her next to me before climbing out herself. The others followed with a boost from Tyson. I looked around. Verdant, meandering hills extended to the horizon, sprinkled with boulders, cacti, and oak trees. A barbed wire fence stretched from the gate in both directions. Cherry-red cows meandered around, munching on the grass. I inhaled deeply and savored the scent of nature. It was good to be back above ground.

"Holy cow," said Percy. "That's a lot of cows."

"Holy cows," Raiden corrected. "These cows are the cattle of the sun."

"Right," Annabeth added. "Cows sacred to Apollo."

"Wait a minute," I said. "Do you hear that?"

My super hearing detected the distant baying of dogs. The sound amplified, and the underbrush rustled. What appeared to be two dogs rushed through...except it was a single canine with two heads. A greyhound, sleek brown, long, and snaky with a neck that V'd into two heads.

"Hello," I said to the dog.

The canine growled.

"Okay, jeez," Raiden said. "There's no need for profanities."

Both heads snapped at us, prompting Agro to trot in front of us, snarling. It was a very clear warning, and the two-headed canine understood. He growled and retreated a few steps. Then his master trudged out of the forest. He was a massive dude with pure white hair, a braided white beard, and a cowboy hat of straw. He donned jeans, a jean jacket with ripped-off sleeves so that his muscles were visible, and a DON'T TEST TEXAS t-shirt. He had a crossed swords tattoo on his right bicep. He grasped a wooden club the size of a nuclear warhead, with six-inch spikes protruding from one end.

"Come, Orthus," he told the canine. "Heel." He looked at us. "Well, who do we have here? Cattle bandits?"

"Only travelers," said Annabeth. "We're questing."

The man huffed. "Demigods, eh?"

Percy began, "What gave you that—"

Annabeth interrupted him by placing a hand on his arm, and Percy's neck reddened. She introduced all of us by our first names and godly parents or species (although Annabeth introduced Raiden as the champion of Artemis, rather than the daughter of Kronos).

The man scowled at Percy. "What gave me the idea that y'all are demigods, sonny? Well, the fact that I am a half-blood. Name's Eurytion, son of Ares. I'm the cattleman for this here ranch. I reckon y'all used the Labyrinth, like the other boy."

"The other boy?" Percy asked quickly. "Are you talking about Nico Di Angelo?"

"Labyrinth gives lots of visitors," Eurytion said grimly. "Very few leave."

"Good to know."

The cattleman glanced over his shoulder like he was afraid someone was spying on us. He spoke very quietly: "Half-bloods, I'm just saying this once. Leave. Go back into the maze now. While you still have time."

"We aren't running away," Annabeth persisted. "We won't leave until we meet this other half-blood. Please."

Eurytion muttered indistinctly under his breath. "Then you've given me no other way, missy. I have to bring you to the boss."

                                                            ***

We strode alongside Eurytion who had his club over his shoulder. Orthus cautiously sniffed Agro before she snapped at his ear, and he scurried off. I suspected Orthus was intimidated by my wolf because he could sense that she was a)  immortal and b) ancient. The dirt path stretched endlessly in front of us, but the oppressive summer heat didn't bother Raiden or I. Perks of being a Hunter, extreme temperatures don't bother us, thanks to Artemis's blessing. Once in a while, we passed a pen of red cattle or even stranger animals that I'd only ever seen in the remotest places. We even saw a corral with a fence coated in asbestos where a herd of fire-breathing horses meandered around. Their nostrils smoked, and the hay in the feeding troughs was ignited. One stallion looked in our direction and neighed, two columns of red fire shooting out of his nostrils.

"Why exactly do you have them?" Percy gestured at the equines with a sweaty hand.

Eurytion glowered at him. "We rear animals for a load of customers. Diomedes, Apollo, and...amongst others."

"And the others being...?"

"No one. Stop asking."

To my displeasure, the woods ended. The familiar scent of wood and leaves had been calming me after my panic in the cave. I heard my heartbeat beginning to pound again, but I forced myself to remain composed. Situated on a hill before us was a large ranch house—wood, white stone, and large windows.

"Is that Frank Lloyd Wright?" Annabeth exclaimed.

I didn't have a clue what she was talking about. You want to know about animals, plants, or severely traumatized teenagers, I'm your girl. I'll spend an entire day babbling about the wilderness. But asking me about architecture? That's like asking Babe Ruth about archery.

We proceeded up the

"Obey the rules," Eurytion advised as we climbed up the front porch steps. "No battling. No pulling out weapons. And don't comment on the boss's looks."

Before any of us could ask why, a new voice said, "Welcome. Glad you could join us at the Triple G Ranch."

The dude on the porch appeared normal at first glance. His face was normal, weathered, and dark from exposure to the sun. He had sleek ebony hair and an ebony pencil mustache like...well, I'm sure you know who. He grinned at us in an amused way, like Goody! More half-bloods to exploit! What fun! And then...I registered his body...or bodies. This guy had three complete bodies. Like usual, his neck attached to the center chest, but he had two additional chests, one on each side, joined at the shoulders with a few inches gap. His left arm protruded from the left chest, and the right side too. The chests joined into a single massive torso, with a pair of regular but very brawny legs. He sported an XXXL pair of Levis, and his chests each donned a separate colored Western shirt—green, yellow, red.

Eurytion nudged me. "Aren't you going to greet Mr. Geryon?"

"No," I said. "Nice chests. You look like a walking traffic light."

Geryone scowled, but before he could reply, Nico di Angelo exited from the glass doors on the porch. "Geryon, I'm not waiting—" He stopped dead when he registered we were there. Then he unsheathed his sword: a three-foot-long weapon of Stygian iron.

Geryon bared his teeth when he saw it. "Mr. Di Angelo, put your sword away. My guests ain't gonna be going around killin' one another."

"But—"

Grover waved an impatient hand. "Yes, yes. It's Percy Jackson, Ainsley Theron, Annabeth Chase, and Raiden Kairos. And two of their monster pals. I know."

"Excuse me?" Grover said angrily.

"They're the ones who killed my sister!" Nico yelled, and my gut twisted. How dare this stupid boy blame me for Bianca's death. "And now they've come to kill me!"

My face contorted into a sneer. "Son of Hades, do you really believe we've got nothing better to do than to kill you? Believe me, I have thousands of things better to do than to kill you."

Nico rounded on me, eyes blazing loathing. His angry eyes reminded me of the Underworld, and that only skyrockets my rage. "You don't get to talk!" he shouted. "You're a Hunter of Artemis!" He jabbed a finger at the silver circlet on my forehead. "You're responsible for her death!"

That last accusation pierced me deeper than Atlas's spear had the previous winter. I stepped forward, very intent beating the living daylights out of Nico, but Raiden seized my arm. "No, Ainsley."

"Let go of me, Raiden."

"No."

"Hold on a second." Annabeth faced Geryon. "How do you know who we are?"

The rancher winked. "I take it upon myself to stay informed, darlin'. Everyone stops by the ranch sometimes. Everybody wants stuff from the ole rancher. So, Mr. Di Angelo, put away that nasty weapon before I order Eurytion to take it away."

The cattleman huffed, but he raised his spiked club. Orthus snarled. Nico faltered but still grudgingly sheathed his weapon. "If you get close to me, Ainsley, or Percy, I'll call my help. You don't wish to fight them, believe me."

"Okay," Percy said.

Geryon clapped Nico on the back. "Perfect. We're all friends here. Folks, follow me. It's time you get a ranch tour."

                                            ***

Geryon possessed a kind of trolley, basically a kiddie train from a zoo. The trolley was colored black and white in a cowhide design. The driver's car had a pair of longhorns protruding from its hood, and the horn rang instead of honked, similar to a cowbell. Nico settled in the back, still glaring at Percy and I. Eurytion clambered in next to him. Orthus bounded into the front seat next to Geryon and started yipping joyfully into two-part harmony.

The rest of us settled into the middle three cars. Raiden sat next to me, her eyes alert. I could see her muscles tensing and knew she was alert for any sign of an attack. Agro settled down my feet. I didn't want to do this tour, as it only added time to our quest, but I reluctantly listened.

"We own a giant operation!" Geryon bragged as the trolley lurched ahead. "Mainly cattle and horses, but all kinds of exotic sorts, too."

We arrived at the crest of the hill, and Annabeth's eyes widened. "Are those Hippalektryons? They were supposed to be extinct!"

At the hill's base was a fenced pasture housing twelve very odd animals. Each animal had the fore half of a horse and the rear half of a rooster. Their back feet were huge yellow talons. They also had crimson wings and feathery tails.

I'd only ever seen a Hippalektryon once, in the very northern parts of Canada. Zoë had explained that they were so far north, away from the lands of the gods because mortals didn't believe in them anymore.

I suddenly wished I hadn't seen the rooster ponies. Thinking about Zoë made me depressed and threatened to overwhelm me with guilt.

To distract myself, I turned around in my seat to address the others. "They lay eggs, surprisingly."

"Annually!" Geryon agreed. "Very high market value for the omelets!"

I whipped around, a fresh wave of anger beginning to boil in my stomach. "Excuse me?"

"That's terrible!" Annabeth said. "They're endangered."

Geryon shrugged. "Darlin,' riches are riches. And you've never tried the omelets."

"That's wrong," Grover muttered, but the rancher only continued detailing the tour.

"Now, on this side," he said, "we've got our fire-spittin' horses, which you might've seen while coming in. They're raised for battle, of course."

"What battle?" Percy asked.

The rancher smiled slyly. "Whatever one arrives. And in that direction, naturally, are our precious red cattle."

As he said, numerous crimson cows grazed on the hillside.

"There are a lot of them," Grover noted.

"Yes, but you see," Geryon expounded, "Apollo is too preoccupied to care for them, so he employs us to care for them. We mate them intensely because of the market."

"For what?" Raiden demanded. She'd been surveying the land, but I could sense her impatience increasing. She wouldn't stay still much longer.

Geryon arched a brow. "Meat, obviously! Troops need food."

"You slaughter Apollo's sacred cows for burger meat?" said Grover. "That violates the Ancient Laws!"

"Oh, don't be so high-strung, satyr. They're only beasts."

"Beasts?" I repeated. "Beasts? That's what you think of these innocent cows? Just beasts?"

"Relax, half-blood," the rancher told me. "If Apollo was bothered, I'm certain he would let us know."

"Apollo doesn't know, though," I growled. "He doesn't know you're vigorously breeding his cows, does he? Uncle would never let his cattle be abused like this."

"It ain't abuse—"

"YES, IT IS! Do you know who my mother is? Artemis, the goddess of animals." I was shaking with rage. I loathed people who abused animals to my core. "It's one thing to kill animals for actual use and food, but it's another entirely to kill them for market! My mother is the goddess of the hunt and animals! There is a balance in hunting. When I do it, I hunt one animal, always use everything from it, replenish it with two others, and only hunt stable populations. What you're doing, Geryon, is monstrous!"

Geryon shrugged which was a strange sight with his tripled shoulders.

Nico leaned forward. "Enough of this, Geryon. We had a deal to discuss, and none of this was it!"

"In due time, Mr. Di Angelo. Look this way; a few of my exotic quarry!"

The following field was fenced by barbed fire and swarming with massive scorpions.

Percy said something about Quintus and crates. I wasn't really listening. I was so furious with the rancher at his audacity to treat cows that way that I didn't notice the horses.

Then the smell hit my nostrils, and I gagged, my eyes watering.

Adjacent the to banks of a green river was a football field-sized equine corral, bordered by stables on a single side. Roughly one hundred equines were meandering around in the sludge, and by that I mean horse poop. There were at least four feet poop piles all around the corral. The poor horses were coated in it, and the stables weren't any better. It was the most disgusting thing I'd ever smelled or seen, like garbage combined with rotting flesh.

"What—is—this?" I demanded of Geryon, plugging my nose. "Why are you abusing these poor horses?"

"My barn!" Geryon said proudly. "Well, technically, they're Aegas's, but we keep an on them for a small monthly fee. Isn't it wonderful?"

"It's awful," I spat. "You're a worthless piece of Minotaur dung, Geryon. You're an animal abuser and neglector. I don't tolerate that."

Geryon stopped the trolley and turned to look at me. "Darlin,' I've been doin' this for decades. No one's stopped ever stopped me from doin' my business. These horses are fine. They eat flesh, y'know, so conditions are fine. Besides, they make me a great profit. Lots of clients want 'em, and they'll pay well."

"You keep talking about clients," Annabeth noted. "You're a follower of Kronos, aren't you? You're giving his forces whatever they need."

The rancher shrugged again. "I work for anybody with riches, darlin.' I'm a marketeer. And I market whatever I have on hand."

He exited the trolley and ambled toward the stables. Nico jumped out of the back and stormed after him, quickly pursued by Eurytion. I was about to follow when Raiden grasped my arm. "I want to talk to you," she muttered in my ear. "Over here."

She pulled me out of the opposite side of our car and into a copse of trees. "I have a plan," she whispered.

"For what?" I muttered back.

"To get rid of Geryon and Eurytion in a very nasty way."

"Okay, what is it?"

Raiden fidgeted with her axe. "I don't think you'll like it."

My heart sank. "Why?"

"Because..." She told me the reasons and the details of her plan.

"You're right," I said. "I hate it; it's a terrible plan." I paused then grinned. "Let's do it."