︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

DAYS IN THE SUN

chapter thirty
❛ 𝚒'𝚖 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚎, 𝚜𝚎𝚊𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚗. ❜

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

     WHEN AMARA AWOKE the next morning, she felt more tired than she did the previous day. Her dreams had been filled with nightmares, Kampê making another appearance and the endless pit of Tartarus. She had refused breakfast, her appetite long gone as the group of five started their journey once more.

The stone tunnels slowly started turning to dirt and cedar beams, and Annabeth was growing more agitated as time went on and the bigger the changes.

"This isn't right," the blonde denied. "It should still be stone."

They arrived upon a cave, where in the center of the dirt floor was an empty grave.

Grover shivered at the sight. "It smells like the Underworld in here."

Percy shined his flashlight into the hole, Amara's eyes landed on an half eaten cheeseburger. "Nico," he spoke. "He was summoning the dead again."

"Ghosts were here?" Tyson whimpered. "I don't like ghosts."

"We've got to find him," Percy stated and with those words, he grabbed onto the Grace girl's arm and pulled her with him as he ran.

"Percy!" Annabeth protested. "Amara!"

The children of the big three ducked into a tunnel, following the light that could be seen ahead. When Annabeth, Tyson, and Grover finally caught up with the duo, they had found a set of bars above their heads where light shined through.

"Where are we?" The raven haired boy questioned.

Then a shadow fell across the grate and a cow stared down at Amara. It looked like a normal cow except it was an unnatural color — bright red, like a cherry. She didn't think cows came in that color. The cow mooed, put one hoof tentatively on the bars, then backed away.

"It's a cattle grid," Grover said.

"A what?" She asked.

"They put them at the gates of the ranches so cows can't get out. They can't walk on them."

"How do you know that?"

Grover huffed indignantly. "Believe me, if you had hooves, you'd know about cattle grids. They're annoying."

Percy turned to Annabeth. "Didn't Hera say something about a ranch? We need to check it out. Nico might be there."

The blonde hesitated. "All right. But how do we get out?"

Tyson solved that problem by hitting the cattle grid with both hands. It popped off and went flying out of sight, following by the noise of a clang and a loud moo sound.

"Sorry, cow!" He called.

Then he and Amara gave them a boost out of the tunnel. Tyson would use his hands to steady them, and she would use a wind spirit to help them through the grid with ease.

When she finally made it through, the first thing she noticed was the ranch. Rolling hills stretched to the horizon, dotted with oak trees and cactuses and boulders. A barbed wire fence ran from the gate in either direction. Cherry colored cows roamed around, grazing in clumps of grass.

"Red Cattle," Amara spoke, making her way to Percy's side. "The cattle of the sun."

"What?" Percy asked.

"They're sacred to Apollo."

"Holy cows?"

"Exactly. But what are they doing—"

"Wait," Grover interrupted. "Listen."

At first everything seemed quite . . . but then she heard it, the distant beating of dogs. The sound got louder. Then the underbrush rustled and two dogs broke through. Except it wasn't two dogs, it was one dog with two heads. It looked like a greyhound, long, shaky, and sleek brown. But its neck moved into two heads, both of them snapping and snarling.

"Bad Janus dog!" Tyson cried.

"Arf!" Grover told it, raising his hand in greeting.

The two-headed dog bared its teeth, seemingly not impressed that the Underwood boy could speak animal. Then its master lumbered out of the woods and Amara realized the dog was the least of their problems.

He was a huge with stark white hair, a straw cowboy hat, and a braided white beard. He was wearing jeans, a Don't Mess With Texas t-shirt, and a denim jacket with the sleeves ripped off to see his muscles. On his right bicep was a crossed-swords tattoo. He held a wooden club about the size of a nuclear warhead with six-inch spikes bristling at the business end.

"Heel, Orthus." He told his dog.

The dog growled at them once more then circled back to his masters feet. The man looked them up and down, keeping his club ready. "What've we got here? Cattle rustlers?"

"Just travelers," Annabeth answered. "We're on a quest."

The man's eye twitched. "Half-bloods, eh?"

"How did you know—" Percy began.

"I'm Annabeth, daughter of Athena," The blonde cut the Jackson boy off, slightly stepping forward. "This is Percy, son of Poseidon. Amara, daughter of Zeus."

After the duo's introduction, the man's brow arched as he eyed the children of the big three with a small look of disbelief.

"Grover the satyr, and Tyson the—"

"Cyclops, yes, I can see that." His gaze returned to Percy. "And I know half-bloods because I am one, sonny. I'm Eurytion, the cowherd for this here ranch, son of Ares. You came through the Labyrinth like the other one, I reckon."

"The other one?" Percy asked. "You mean Nico di Angelo?"

"We get a load of visitors from the Labyrinth. Not many ever leave."

"Wow, I feel welcomed."

Eurytion glanced behind him like somebody was watching then lowered his voice. "I'm only going to say this once, demigods. Get back in the maze now, before it's too late."

"We're not leaving," Amara insisted, her promise to Bianca immediately coming to mind. "Not until we see this other demigod."

Eurytion grunted. "Then you leave me no choice, missy. I've got to take you to see the boss."

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

Amara didn't feel like she was being held hostage, her hands rested in her denim jacket as she eyed the older son of Ares. But, Eurytion only walked alongside them with his club across his shoulders and his two headed dog occasionally sniffing at Grover's leg and chasing animals.

Halfway through the walk, she had to take off her jacket as it felt close to a hundred degrees. Heat shimmered off the ground and insects buzzed in the trees with flies swarming them.

They passed a corral where the fence was coated in asbestos. Inside, a herd of fire breathing horses mulled around. The hay in their feed bin was on fire. The ground smoked around their feet, but the horses seemed tamed enough.

"What are they for?" Percy asked.

Eurytion scowled. "We raise animals for lots of clients. Apollo, Diomedes, and . . . others."

"Like who?"

"No more questions."

Finally, they came out of the woods. Perched on a hill above them was a big ranch house — all white stone and wood with big windows.

"It looks like a Frank Lloyd Wright!" Annabeth said.

Amara lightly rolled her eyes at her friend, earning a playful nudge from the daughter of Athena as they hiked up the hill.

"Don't break the rules," Eurytion warned as they walked up the steps to the front porch. "No fighting, no drawing weapons. Daughter of Zeus,"

The brunette's brow raised at the son of Ares, a sigh escaping from the older man. "No electricity, I know how fond you children of Zeus are of your lightning. Finally, don't make any comments about the boss's appearance."

"Why?" Percy asked. "What does he look like?"

A new voice spoke, cutting Eurytion off. "Welcome to the Triple G Ranch!"

The man on the porch had a normal head. His face was weathered and brown from years in the sun. He had slick black hair and a black pencil mustache, reminding her of the ones villains have in old movies. He smiled at them, but the smile wasn't friendly, more like amused.

She then noticed his body . . . or bodies. He had three of them. His neck connected to the middle chest like normal, but he had two more chests, one on either side, connected at the shoulders, with a few inches between. His left arm grew out of his left chest, and the same on the right, so he had two arms. The chests were all connected into one enormous torso, with two regular but very beefy legs, and he wore the most oversized pair of Levi's Amara had ever seen. His chests each wore a different color western shirt, green, yellow, and red.

Eurytion nudged Percy. "Say hello to Mr. Geryon."

"Hi," Percy said. "Nice chests—uh, ranch! Nice ranch you have."

Before the three-bodied man could respond, Nico di Angelo came out of the glass doors and onto the porch. "Geryon, I won't wait for—"

He froze when he saw them, then he drew his sword. The blade was short, sharp, and as dark as midnight.

Geryon snarled when he saw it. "Put that away, Mr. di Angelo. I ain't gonna have my guests killin' each other."

"But that's—"

"Percy Jackson," Geryon supplied. "Annabeth Chase. Amara Grace. And a couple of their monster friends, yes, I know."

"Monster friends?" Grover asked indignantly.

"That man is wearing three shirts." Tyson spoke, like he had just realized it.

"They let my sister die!" Nico's voice trembled with rage. "They're here to kill me!"

"Nico, we're not here to kill you." Percy raised his hands. "What happened with Bianca—"

"Don't speak her name! You're not worthy to even talk about her!"

"Wait a minute," Amara said as she raised a brow at Geryon. "How do you know our names?"

The three-bodied man winked. "I make it my business to keep informed, darlin'. Everybody pops into the ranch from time to time. Everyone needs something from old Geryon. Now, Mr. di Angelo, put that ugly sword away before I have Eurytion take it away from you."

Eurytion sighed, but he hefted his spiked club. At his feet, Orthus growled. Nico hesitated. He looked thinner and paler than he did months ago. His black clothes were dusty from traveling in the Labyrinth, and his dark eyes were full of hate. He was too young to look so angry. She remembered him as the cheerful kid who played with Mythomagic cards and showed off his figurines to her in the Lotus Casino.

Reluctantly, he sheathed his sword. "If you come near me, Percy, I'll summon help. You don't want to meet my helpers, I promise."

"I believe you." The son of Poseidon said.

Geryon patted Nico's shoulder. "There, we've all made nice. Now, come along folks. I want to give you a tour of the ranch."

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

Geryon had a trolley, one Amara would see when Beryl Grace took her children to the zoo when they were young. Regardless the fact she only did so when Zeus was around, but, she and Thalia would make the most of it.

The three chested man's trolley was painted black and white in a cow pattern, the driver's car had a set of longhorns on the hood and every time he hit the horn it reminded Amara of a cowbell.

Nico had found his way to the back, keeping a distant from the group while glaring at the back of the son of Poseidon's head. Eurytion had made his way besides the son of Hades, probably to keep an eye on him, but he only pulled his cowboy hat over his eyes and rested.

The demigods, satyr, and cyclops claimed the middle two cars. "We have a huge operation!" Geryon boasted as the trolley urched forward. "Horses and cattle mostly, but all sorts of exotic car varieties too."

They came over a hill and Annabeth gasped. "Hippalektryons? I thought they were extinct!" At the bottom of the hill was a fenced in pasture with a dozen of the weirdest animals Amara had ever seen. Each had the front half of a horse and the back half of a rooster. Their rear feet had huge yellow claws, with feathery tails and red wings. As she watched, two of them got into a fight over a pile of seed. They reared up on their wings at each other until the smaller one galloped away, it's rear bird legs putting a little hop in its step.

"Rooster ponies," Tyson said in amazement. "Do they lay eggs?"

"Once a year!" Geryon grinned in the rear view mirror. "Very much in demand for omelettes!"

"That's horrible," Amara muttered. "They must be an endangered species by now."

The rancher waved his hand. "Gold is gold, darling. And you haven't tasted the omelettes."

"That's not right." Grover murmured, but Geryon kept narrating the tour.

"Now, over here." He said. "We have our fire breathing horses, which you may have seen on your way in. They're bred for war, naturally."

"What war?" Percy asked.

Geryon grinned slyly. "Oh, whatever one comes along. And over yonder, of course, are our prize red cows."

Sure enough, hundreds of cherry colored cattle were grazing the side of the hill.

"So many." Grover said.

"Yes, well, Apollo is too busy to see them." Geryon explained. "So he subcontracts them to us. We breed them vigorously because there's such a demand."

"For what?" She asked with a raised brow.

The three body man raised an eyebrow. "Meat, of course! Armies have to eat!"

"You kill the sacred cows of the sun god for hamburger meat?" The satyr said. "That's against the ancient laws!"

"Oh, don't get so worked up, satyr. They're just animals."

"Just animals!"

"Yes, and if Apollo cared, I'm sure he would tell us."

"If he knew." The brunette muttered.

Nico sat forward. "I don't care about any of this Geryon. We have business to discuss, and this wasn't it!"

"All in good time, Mr. di Angelo. Look over here, some of my exotic game."

The next field was ringed in barbed wire, the area crawling with giant Scorpions.

"Triple G Ranch," Amara realized. "Your mark was on the crates at camp. Quintus got his scorpions from you."

"Quintus . . ." Geryon mused. "Short grey hair, muscular, swordsman?"

"Yeah."

"Never heard of him." He said. "Now, over here are my prize stables! You must see them."

She didn't need to see them, because as soon as they got within three hundred yards, she started to smell them. Near the banks of a green river was a horse corral the size of a football field. Stables lined one side of it. About a hundred horses were milling around in the muck, it was the most disgusting thing Amara's ever seen.

Even Nico gagged. "What is that?"

"My stables!" Geryon said. "Well, actually they belong to Aegas, but we watch over them for a small monthly fee. Aren't they lovely?"

"They're disgusting!" Annabeth said.

"Lots of poop." Tyson observed.

"How can you keep animals like that!" Grover cried.

"Y'all getting' on my nerves." Geryon said. "These are flesh eating horses, see? They like these conditions."

"Plus, you're too cheap to have them cleaned." Eurytion mumbled from under his hat.

"Quiet!" The rancher snapped. "All right, perhaps the stables are a bit challenging to clean. Perhaps they do make me nauseous when the wind blows the wrong way. But so what? My clients pay me well."

"What clients?" Percy demanded.

"Oh, you'd be surprised how many people will pay for a flesh eating horse. They make great garbage disposals. Wonderful way to terrify your enemies. Great at birthday parties! We rent them out all the time."

"You're a monster." The blonde declared.

Geryon stopped the trolley and turned to look at her. "What gave it away? Was it the three bodies?"

"You have to let these animals go." Grover said. "It's not right!"

"And the clients you keep talking about." Amara said. "You work for Kronos, don't you? You're supplying his army with horses, food, whatever they need."

Geryon shrugged, which was weird with his sets of shoulders. "I work for anyone with gold, young lady. I'm a businessman. And I sell them anything I have to offer."

He climbed out of the trolley and strolled toward the stables as if enjoying the fresh air. It would've been a nice view with the river, the trees, and hills except for the quagmire of horse muck. Nico got out of the back of the car and stormed over to Geryon. Eurytion hedged his club, confirming her earlier theory as he walked after Nico.

"I came here for business, Geryon." Nico said. "And you haven't answered me."

"Mmm," Geryon examined a cactus. His left arm reached over and scratched his middle chest. "Yes, you'll get a deal all right."

"My ghost told me you could help. He said you could guide us to the soul we need."

"Wait a second." Percy said. "I thought I was the soul you wanted?"

Nico looked at him like he was crazy. "You? Why would I want you? Bianca's soul is worth a thousand of yours! Now, can you help me, Geryon or not?"

"Oh, I imagine I could." The rancher said. "Your ghost friend, by the way, where is he?"

The di Angelo boy looked uneasy. "He can't form in broad daylight. It's hard for him. But he's around somewhere."

Geryon smiled. "I'm sure. Minos likes to disappear when things get . . . difficult."

"Minos?" Amara turned to Nico with a raised brow. "You mean that evil king? That's the ghost who's been giving you advice?"

"It's none of your business, Amara!" Her eyes narrowed at the son of Hades and he turned back to Geryon. "And what do you mean about things getting difficult?"

The three-bodied man sighed. "Well, you see, Nico — can I call you Nico?"

"No."

"You see, Nico, Luke Castellan is offering very good money for half-bloods. Especially powerful half-bloods. And I'm sure when he learns your little secret, who you really are, he'll pay very well, very well indeed."

Nico drew his sword, but Eurytion knocked it out of his hand. Before Percy could get up, Orthus pounced on his chest and growled, his face an inch away from the Jackson boy.

Amara eyes flashed briefly, her annoyance growing from the three body man and blue electricity began sparking around her fingertips.

"I would stay in the car, all of you." Geryon warned with a crooked grin. "Or Orthus will tear Mr. Jackson's throat out."

"Daughter of Zeus," her attention moved to Geryon whose grin dropped at the sight of the electricity slowly curling around her fingers and making its way up her hand. "I believe Eurytion told you the rule we have specifically for children of Zeus? I suggest putting the light show away, before the son of Poseidon dies from your . . . disobedience."

Electric blue met sea green and the latter gave a small nod, his fingers slightly motioning in a calm down gesture. Her eyes landed on Geryon once more, her irritation growing but she did as she was told.

"Now," Geryon smiled as the electricity disappeared back into the air. "Eurytion if you would be so kind, secure Nico."

The cowherd spit into the grass. "Do I have to?"

"Yes, you fool!"

The son of Ares looked bored, but he wrapped one arm around Nico and lifted him up with ease.

"Pick up the sword too," Geryon said with distaste. "There's nothing I hate worse than Stygian Iron."

Eurytion picked up his sword, careful not to touch the blade.

"Now," the three body man said carefully. "We've had our tour. Let's go back to the lodge, have some lunch, and send an Iris-message to our friends in the Titan Army."

"You fiend!" Annabeth cried.

Geryon smiled at her. "Don't worry, my dear. Once I've delivered Mr. di Angelo, you and your party can go. I don't interfere with quests. Besides, I've been paid well to give you safe passage, which does not — I'm afraid — include Mr. di Angelo."

"Paid by whom?" Amara demanded. "What do you mean?"

"Never mind you, darling. Let's be off, shall we?"

"Wait!" Percy said and Orthus growled. The son of Poseidon stayed perfectly still so the monster wouldn't rip out his throat. "Geryon, you said you're a businessman. Make me a deal."

Geryon narrowed his eyes. "What sort of deal? Do you have gold?"

"I've got something better. Barter."

"But Mr. Jackson, you've got nothing."

"You could have him clean the stables." Eurytion suggested innocently.

"I'll do it!" He said. "If I fail, you get all of us. Trade us all to Luke for gold."

"Assuming the horses don't eat you." Geryon observed.

"Either way, you get my friends." Percy said. "But if I succeed, you've got to let us all go, including Nico."

"No!" Nico screamed. "Don't do me any favors, Percy. I don't want your help!"

"Nico," she scowled, earning the younger boys gaze to land on her and she shook her head.

Geryon chuckled. "Percy Jackson, those stables haven't been cleaned out in a thousand years . . . though it's true I might be able to sell more stable space if all that poop was cleared away."

"So, what have you got to lose?"

The rancher hesitated. "All right, I'll accept your offer, but you have to get it done by sunset. If you fail, your friends get sold, I get rich."

"Deal."

He nodded. "I'm going to take your friends with me, back to the lodge. We'll wait for you there."

Eurytion gave Percy a funny look, shaking his head before whistling and the two headed dog jumped off Percy and onto Annabeth's lap. The blonde let out a yelp, but stayed perfectly still afterwards.

The Jackson boy hopped out of the trolley with ease, his gaze landing on Amara. He made his way to her side of the car, a hopeful look on his face.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Seaweed Brain." She muttered, earning a small smile from the boy.

"I hope so too, Mara."

Geryon got behind the driver's wheel and Eurytion hauled Nico into the backseat.

"Sunset." The rancher reminded Percy. "No later." He laughed at Percy once more, sounded his cowbell horn, and the trolley rumbled off down the trail.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

The farm house deck had been decorated for a party, steamers and balloons covered the railing. When the group of five made it back, Eurytion had tied them up around a pole in duo and trio's.

Tyson, Amara, and Nico had been paired together, while Grover and Annabeth were. The son of Ares had tied their ankles and wrists together with rope, gagging them using bandanas.

By the time the Jackson boy came back, Geryon was flipping burgers on the cooker and Eurytion lounged at the picnic table, picking his fingernails with a knife.

"Let them go!" Percy yelled, out of breath from running up the steps. Momentarily, electric blue met sea green eyes and she could only give him a nod that they were okay. "I cleaned the stables!"

Geryon turned. "Did you now? How'd you manage it?"

He huffed, but told the rancher anyway. Geryon nodded appreciatively. "Very ingenious. It would've been better if you'd poisoned that pest naiad, but no matter."

"Let my friends go," Percy demanded. "We had a deal."

"Ah, I've been thinking about that. The problem is, if I let them go, I don't get paid."

"You promised!"

Geryon made a tsk-tsk noise. "But did you make me swear on the River Styx? No, you didn't, so it's not binding. When you're conducting business, sonny, you should always get a binding oath."

Percy drew his swords at those words, earning Orthus to growl as it moved and bared its teeth near Grover's ears.

"Eurytion," Geryon said. "The boy is starting to annoy me. Kill him."

Eurytion studied Percy for a moment, Amara's eyes narrowed as the son of Ares made brief eye contact with the girl. "Kill him yourself."

Geryon raised his eyebrows. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," the demigod grumbled. "You keep sending me out to do your dirty work. You pick fights for no good reason, and I'm getting tired of dying for you. You want to fight the kid, do it yourself."

Geryon threw down his spatula. "You dare defy me? I should fire you right now!"

"And who'd take care of your cattle? Orthus, heel."

The dog immediately stopped growling at Grover and sat by the cowherd's feet. "Fine," Geryon snarled. "I'll deal with you later, after the boy is dead!"

He picked up two carving knives and threw them at Percy, but the Jackson boy deflected them with his sword. One went flying over the porch railings, while the other nailed itself in the picnic table an inch from the son of Ares hand.

Percy ran, swiping his sword but Geryon parried his first strike with a pair of tongs and lunging at the demigod's face with a barbecue fork. The son of Poseidon dodged, thrusting his sword through the middle of the man's chest.

Geryon crumbled to his knee while Amara waited for him to disintegrate, instead, the ranchero grinned and stood up. The wound in his chest began to heal, slowly closing itself back up.

"Nice try Sonny," he said. "But the thing is, I have three hearts. The perfect backup system."

Geryon tipped over the barbecue and hot coals spilled everywhere. One landed next to Annabeth's face, making her let out a muffled scream. Tyson strained against his bonds, but his strength wasn't enough to break them. A hot coal landed on Amara's hand, a muffled yell escaping her lips as Nico quickly knocked off the coal with his hand.

Percy jabbed the rancher in the left chest and right stomach, but it was no good as Geryon laughed. The son of Poseidon paused, looking back at the group of five before racing into the house.

"Coward!" Geryon cried before following Percy. "Come back and die right!"

It only took a few minutes before the Jackson boy made his way back outside, untying the group starting with Annabeth and Grover. Eurytion didn't try to stop him, taking a drink of water while Percy made his way around the group.

The others had gotten up and began stretching when Percy finally made it to Amara, untying her as fast as possible. "You okay?" He gently lifted up her hand, inspecting the burn as he made sure not to touch it before meeting her gaze. "It doesn't hurt too much, does it?"

She could only shake her head at his actions, resisting the urge to smile at his actions. "I'm fine, Seaweed Brain, nothing nectar won't fix."

He nodded, slowly turning her hand over as he interlaced her fingers with his and held her hand. Amara couldn't fight the red that rushed to her face at the action, letting the Jackson boy pull her with him as he stroked the barbecue and threw food into the awaiting flames.

"Thanks guy," he spoke. "I owe you."

"Yay for Percy!" Tyson said.

"Can we tie up the cowherd now?" Nico asked, rubbing his wrists as he eyed the son of Ares with disgust.

"Yeah!" Grover agreed. "And that dog almost killed me!"

Amara looked at Eurytion who was still sitting relaxed at the picnic table, Orthus had both his heads on the cowherd's knees.

"How long will it take Geryon to re-form?" Percy asked.

The son of Ares shrugged. "Hundred years? He's not one of those fast re-formers, thank the gods. You've done me a favor."

"You said you'd died for him before." Amara remembered. "How?"

"I worked for that creep for thousands of years. Started as a regular half-blood, but I chose immortality when my dad offered it. Worst mistake I ever made. Now I'm stuck here at this ranch. I can't leave. I can't quit. I just tend the cows and fight Geryon's fights. We're kinda tied together."

"Maybe you can change things." Percy said.

Eurytion narrowed his eyes. "How?"

"Be nice to the animals, take care of them. Stop selling them for food, and stop dealing with the Titans."

Eurytion thought about that. "That'd be all right."

"Get the animals on your side, and they'll help you. Once Geryon gets back, maybe he'll be working for you this time."

Eurytion grinned. "Now that, I could live with."

"You won't try to stop us leaving?"

"Shoot, no."

Annabeth rubbed her bruised wrists. She was looking at Eurytion suspiciously. "Your boss said somebody paid for our safe passage. Who?"

The cowherd shrugged. "Maybe he was just saying that to fool you?"

"What about the Titans?" Percy asked. "Did you Iris-message them about Nico yet?"

"Nope. Geryon was waiting until after the barbecue. They don't know about him."

Nico glared at him. "You could stay here until we're done with our quest." Percy told him. "It would be safe."

"Safe?" Nico said. "What do you care if I'm safe? You got my sister killed!"

"Nico," Amara spoke, her promise to Bianca coming once more to mind. "It wasn't Percy's fault. And Geryon wasn't lying about Kronos but wanting to capture you. If he knew who you were, he'd do anything to get you on his side."

"I'm not on anyone's side. And I'm not afraid."

"You should be." Annabeth said. "Your sister wouldn't want—"

"If you cared for my sister, you'd help me bring her back!"

"A soul for a soul?" Percy asked.

"Yes."

"But if you didn't want my soul—"

"I'm not explaining anything to you!" He blinked tears out his eyes. "And I will bring her back."

"Bianca wouldn't want to be brought back." Percy said. "Not like that."

"You didn't know her!" He shouted. "How do you know what she'd want?"

Amara stared at the flames in the barbecue pit when the raven haired boy spoke up. "Let's ask Bianca."

The sky seemed to grow darker all of a sudden, and it wasn't because of her. "I've tried." Nico said miserably. "She won't answer."

"Try again. I've got a feeling she'll answer with me here."

"Why would she?"

"Because she's been sending me Iris-message and dreams." Percy said. "She's been trying to warn me what you're up to, so I can protect you."

Nico shook his head. "That's impossible."

"One way to find out. You said you're not afraid." The Jackson boy turned to Eurytion. "We're going to need a pit, like a grave. And food and drinks."

"Percy," Amara warned. "Are you sure this is a good—"

"All right." Nico said. "I'll try."

Eurytion scratched his beard. "There's a hole dug out back for a septic tank. We could use that. Cyclops boy, fetch my ice chest from the kitchen. I hope the dead like root beer."

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

They only made their way to the septic tank after dark, the full moon giving them light as clouds drifted across the night sky.

"Minos should be here by now," Nico spoke, a frown lacing his lips. "It's full dark."

"Maybe he got lost," Percy suggested, his tone hopeful as he stood next to Amara.

The son of Hades shot him an annoyed look, rolling his eyes slightly being pouring root beer, and barbecue into the pit. With a slight raise of his arms, he began chanting in ancient greek.

"Make him stop," Tyson whispered.

Part of Amara couldn't help agreeing, it felt unnatural summoning the dead. But then again, Nico was a child of Hades so it was natural. Spirits began appearing, shadows thickening into human forms as one in particular knelt in the pit and began to drink.

"Stop him!" Nico instructed, momentarily breaking his chant. "Only Bianca may drink!"

Percy drew his sword, the spirits retreating in collective hisses at the sight of the celestial bronze blade. But the first spirit had been too fast, solidifying into the form of a bearded man in white robes, circlet of gold resting on his head, and his eyes filled with malice.

"Minos!" Nico said. "What are you doing?"

"My apologies, master." The ghost said, though by his tone Amara could tell he couldn't care less. "The sacrifice smelled so good, I couldn't resist." He examined his hands and smiled. "It is good to see myself again. Almost in solid form—"

"You are disrupting the ritual!" Nico protested. "Get—"

The spirits of the dead began shimmering dangerously bright, and Nico took up the chant again to keep them at bay.  "Yes, quite right, master." Minos said with amusement. "You keep chanting. I've only come to protect you from these liars who would deceive you."

The ghost's gaze landed on the children of the big three, his eyes landing on Percy with a look of disgust. "Percy Jackson . . . my, my. The son's of Poseidon haven't improved over the centuries, have they?"

"We're looking for Bianca di Angelo," Percy spoke, gesturing with his sword. "Get lost."

The ghost chuckled. "I understand you once killed my Minotaur with your bare hands. But worse things await you in the maze, do you really believe Daedalus will help you?"

The other spirits began stirring more frequently, Amara tore her necklace free as her sword morphed in hand. Annabeth joined her side, her dagger drawn as the trio stood guard of the pit.

"Daedalus cares nothing for you, half-bloods." Minos wanted. "You can't trust him, He is old beyond counting, and crafty. He is bitter from the guilt of murder and is cursed by the gods."

"The guilt of murder?" Percy asked. "Who did he kill?"

"Do not change the subject!" The ghost growled. "You are hindering Nico. You try to persuade him to give up on his goal. I would make him a lord!"

"Enough, Minos." Nico commanded.

He sneered. "Master, these are your enemies. You must not listen to them! Let me protect you. I will turn their minds to madness, as I did the others."

"The others?" Annabeth gasped. "You mean Chris Rodriguez? That was you?"

"The maze is my property." The ghost said. "Not Daedalus'! Those who intrude deserve madness."

"Be gone, Minos!" Nico demanded. "I want to see my sister!"

Minos bit back his rage. "As you wish, master. But I warn you. You cannot trust these heroes."

With that, he faded into mist. Other spirits tried to rush forward, but Amara, Percy, and Annabeth kept them back.

"Bianca, appear!" Nico commanded. His chanting became faster, and the spirits shifted restlessly.

"Anytime now," Grover muttered.

Then a silvery light flickered in the trees, a spirit that seemed brighter and stronger than the others. It came closer, and Amara had a gut feeling to allow it to pass. The spirit knelt to drink at the pit, when it arose, it was the ghostly form of Bianca di Angelo. Nico's chanting faltered. The other spirits started to crowd forward, but Bianca raised her arm and they retreated into the woods.

"Hello, Percy." She said, her gaze landing on the brunette next as the eldest di Angelo held a small smile. "Amara."

The huntress looked the same as she did the last time Amara saw her. Her green cap rested on her thick raven hair, chocolate brown eyes and olive skin that matched Nico's perfectly. She wore the hunter's of Artemis outfit, jeans and a silver jacket with her bow slung over her shoulders.

"Bianca," Percy's voice was thick, guilt ridden as he held a disbelief look at the girl in front of him. Without hesitation, his hand immediately found Amara's and he gripped it tightly. "I'm so sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for, Percy. I made my own choice. I don't regret it."

"Bianca!" Nico stumbled forward, coming out of his trance.

When the huntress turned to her brother, Amara moved her attention to Percy. His sea green eyes filled to the brim with sadness, his hand tightening by the second on hers. "Beasty," her words broke the son of Poseidon out of his trance. His attention immediately landed on her, an apology being spewed faster than she could understand.

But he kept her hand in his, turning his attention back to the di Angelo's. "Hello Nico," Bianca looked as if she'd been dreading this moment. "You've gotten so tall."

"Why didn't you answer me sooner?" He cried. "I've been trying for months!"

"I was hoping you would give up."

"Give up?" He sounded heartbroken. "How could you say that? I'm trying to save you!"

"You can't, Nico. Don't do this. Percy is right."

"No! He let you die! He's not your friend."

Bianca stretched out a hand as if to touch her brother's face, but her hand evaporated as it got close to living skin.

"You must listen to me," the huntress said. "Holding a grudge is dangerous for a child of Hades. It is our fatal flaw, you have to forgive. You have to promise me this."

"I can't. Never."

"Percy has been worried about you, Nico. He can help. I let him see what you were up to, hoping he would find you."

"So it was you." Percy said. "You sent those Iris-messages."

Bianca nodded.

"Why are you helping him and not me?" Nico screamed. "It's not fair!"

Amara could feel her heartbreak at the younger demigod's tone, realizing she was in his place not long ago.

"You are close to the truth now." Bianca told him. "It's not Percy you're mad at, Nico. It's me."

"No."

"You're mad because I left you to become a Hunter of Artemis. You're mad because I died and left you alone. I'm sorry for that, Nico. I truly am. But you must overcome the anger. And stop blaming Percy for my choices. It will be your doom."

"She's right," Amara broke in, earning the di Angelo's attention. "Kronos is rising, Nico. He'll twist anyone he can to his cause."

"I don't care about Kronos." Nico said. "I just want my sister back."

"You can't have that, Nico." Bianca told him gently.

"I'm the son of Hades! I can."

"Don't try." She said. "If you love me, don't . . ." Her voice trailed off. Spirits had started to gather around the pit again, seeming more agitated than before. Their shadows shifted, their voices whispering, danger!

"Tartarus stirs." Bianca said. "Your powers draws the attention of Kronos. The dead must return to the Underworld. It is not safe for us to remain."

"Wait," Nico said. "Please—"

"Goodbye, Nico." Bianca said. "I love you. Remember what I said."

Then her gaze landed on Amara once more, the huntress holding a smile. "Remember our promise?"

The brunette wanted to fall to her knees at those words alone, but Percy's hand holding hers kept her steady. "I'll keep it."

Bianca nodded, her form shivered and the ghosts disappeared at once. Leaving the group of six alone with the pit, and a cold full moon.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

The next day, they made their way back to the cattle grid where they would say their goodbyes. Amara had her head resting lightly against Percy's arm, the Jackson boy never leaving her side since the summoning last night.

She was confident none of them slept well in the ranch house, and Percy seemed to understand that as he never questioned her actions. Nico looked worse than the others, his eyes red and his face turned chalky.

"Nico," Percy blurted. "You could come with us."

"I need time to think," the son of Hades chocolate brown eyes didn't meet Percy's. Instead, they were staring down Amara like he had been yesterday since Bianca brought up their promise.

She knew it was killing him to know what it was, but his pride seemed to be getting in the way of asking.

"Nico," Amara went to put a hand on the younger demigod's shoulder, but he pulled away. "Bianca just wants you to be happy."

He didn't say anything after that, instead turning and trudging back towards the ranch. The morning mist clung to him as he walked, but she knew it was more than that. It was like when the wind spirits followed her around, but she couldn't tell what was following him.

"I'm worried about him." Amara told Percy, tearing her gaze away from the di Angelo. "If he starts talking to Minos' ghost again—"

"He'll be all right." Eurytion promised. "The boy can stay here and gather his thoughts as long as he wants. He'll be safe, I promise."

"What about you?" Percy asked.

The son of Ares scratched Orthus behind one chin, then the other. "Things are going to be running a little different on this ranch from now on. No more sacred cattle meat. I'm thinking about soybean patties, and I'm going to befriend those flesh eating horses. Might just sign up for the next rodeo."

"Well, good luck."

"Yep." Eurytion spit into the grass. "I reckon you'll be looking for Daedalus' workshop now?"

Annabeth's eyes lit up. "Can you help us?"

The immortal hesitated, taking a moment as if he was debating whether he wanted to talk about Daedalus' or not. "Don't know where it is," he finally spoke. "But, Hephaestus probably would."

"That's what Hera said." Annabeth agreed. "But how do we find Hephaestus?"

Eurytion pulled something from under the collar of his shirt. It was a necklace, a smooth silver disk on a silver chain. The disk had a depression on the middle, like a thumbprint. He handed it to Annabeth.

"Hephaestus comes here from time to time." He explained. "Studied the animals and such so he can make bronze automation copies. Last time, I—uh—did him a favor. A little trick he wanted to play on my dad, Ares, and Aphrodite. He gave me that chain in gratitude. Said if I ever needed to find him, the disk would lead me to his forges. But only once."

"And you're giving it to me?" Annabeth asked.

Eurytion blushed. "I don't need to see the forges, Miss. Got enough to do here. Just press the button and you'll be on your way."

The blonde didn't hesitate and pressed the button, the disk springing to life. It grew eight metallic legs. Annabeth shrieked and dropped it, much to Eurytion's confusion.

"Spider!" She screamed.

"She's, uh, a little scared of spiders." Grover explained. "The old grudge between Athena and Arachne."

"Oh." The son of Ares became embarrassed at the news. "Sorry, Miss."

The spider scrambled to the cattle guard and disappeared between the bars.

"Hurry," Percy said. "That thing's not going to wait for us."

Annabeth wasn't anxious to follow, but they didn't have much choice. They said their goodbyes to Eurytion. Tyson pulled the cattle guard off the hole, and they dropped back into the maze.

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12-19-24

hello hello ! whaaaat two updates in a week, a miracle. no but, updates should be back to every tuesday and thursday long as i stay atop of editing. anyway, i hope you enjoyed this chapter <3