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ANDROMEDA DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHY PRISONERS WERE GAGGED. she thought of how useless that was as she sat tied up at the porch of the ranch house. but atleast she wasn't washing horseshit-filled stables.

tyson had tried breaking the ropes, but they seemed to be too strong, andromeda even tried her magic, but they were magic-resistent. so they just sat helplessly while geryon and eurytion decorated the deck with streamers and balloons in celebration of the recent cash deposit geryon claimed they would receive.

"you won't. percy'll do it." grover threatened, though his voice cracked.

geryon laughed. "manage to clean the stables without dying? i don't think so. only hercules has managed to clean it. and it was a task for him! is percy jackson better than hercules?

"why didn't you tell us about nico?"

was the first sentence any of them spoke. nico was a good distance away from them, choosing to sit in seclusion.

andromeda gazed at the boy. he was just eleven. twelve at most. other demigods only begin to understand the world around them. and nico. . .at the age, nico had summoned the dead, shadow-traveled, lost his sister, learned his heritage and past, lived through the labyrinth alone and bore the weight of it all alone.

all. alone.

she didn't know why she felt such a fierce need to protect him. maybe it was because she must've been only a year or two younger than him when she herself discovered camp. maybe it was because they were both practical orphans, their mortal parent deceased, and their godly parent negligible. maybe it was just an underworld thing. but she felt very protective of him.

"he only wanted to talk to her, annabeth." andromeda said. "i swear. we were just trying to reach her. none of his soul-for-a-soul stuff. he only wanted to see her. and so i helped him. i remember when my dad had died, how alone i had felt. and then, when i figured out my actual truth, how much i had tried to contact him, how much i would yearn to see him again just once. i gave up on the idea thinking it didn't work for mortals. but i had a chance to right that wrong with him. i could give him what i didn't have. another chance. maybe five more minutes. maybe two more. i just wanted to do for him better than i did for myself."

"and i really didn't know where nico was. he only visited. sometimes. once or twice a week. we would work on methodic necromancy in that time, then he would act out those methods. see if they succeeded or not. and we progressed like that. trust me, otherwise, i didn't know where he was. i think he was in the underworld, though, now. i just know it. maybe he went to look for his sister. but i know one thing: this is minos's influence on him. this whole soul-for-a-soul thing, it isn't nico. it's minos's fault."

she only looked at her friend on the last sentence. and annabeth was staring at her with a look she couldn't quite decode.

"you should talk to him."

andromeda didn't think he would want to, but she took her chance.

"nico, i'm sorry." she said straightaway. "i'm sorry i ever made you think you couldn't trust me. but you can. i was never intent on setting you up to fail. i promise."

"so did percy."

"what?"

he looked up. and from the depths of his eyes, andromeda could pluck out despair and anguish.

"so did percy. he promised he would keep my sister safe. and how did that work out for me?"

andromeda gulped. "nico, a soul-for-a-soul deal isn't as simple as you think. it corrupts people. it's ancient and evil. just like minos. he's manipulating you for something bigger. worse. and you need to be out of his clutches. don't fall for his traps. why else would he help you, if he didn't have something planned for himself?"

"i am the son of the god of the dead." nico said with his chin up. "i can call on the dead for help and they will help me without a reason."

"but minos isn't just any dead ghost," andromeda shook her head. "he was the evil king. he is an evil ghost."

you shall rise or fall by the ghost king's hand.

the line echoed in her mind. and she prayed dearly to apollo that the ghost king didn't refer to minos. because relying on him for help was comparable to relying on the mcdonald's ice-cream machine for ice-cream.

"ugh," geryon grumbled. "such improper topics for eating, shut them up, will you?"

eurytion sighed, he went out of their line of vision, and came back with a handful of rags in his palm. and one-by-one, he gagged them. that wasn't even the worst part. because after gagging them, eurytion moved to help geryon with food, which was barbeque. the smell of which made her even more mad. she loved barbeque. and to not be able to eat it made her mad.

geryon flipped burgers on a huge barbecue cooker made from an oil drum wearing an apron that said the words kiss the chef on a chest each. eurytion lounged at a picnic table, picking his fingernails with a knife. orthus sniffed the ribs and burgers that were frying on the grill. the day transitioned to dusk. in the early sunset, the maroon hues of the sky darkened gradually, and as they did, geryon's grin deepened.

"let them go!" an out of breath yell came. they all craned their necks to see percy running up the steps. "i cleaned the stables!"

geryon turned. "did you, now? how'd you manage it?"

he impatiently told them how he seeked help of a naiad, and she told him that when ouranos and gaea were the only entities, this island was submerged underwater. she told him to pull up some soil. he found seashells in there, and turns out, those seashells had water. so he threw some in the stables, magnified the water power, and after cleaning he made the horses promise not to eat anymore people, blackmailing them with baths.

geryon nodded appreciatively. "very ingenious. it would've been better if you'd poisoned that pesky naiad, but no matter."

"let my friends go," percy took a step forward. "we had a deal."

"ah, i've been thinking about that. see 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 sword. orthus growled. one head leaned down next to andromeda's ear and bared its fangs.

"eurytion," geryon said, "the boy is starting to annoy me. kill him."

eurytion studied him. "kill him yourself,"

geryon raised his eyebrows. "excuse me?"

"you heard me," eurytion 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 andromeda and came to sit 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. andromeda tried to formulate a shield, but it seemed like the ropes did more than just prevent magic on themselves. nonetheless, percy deflected one with his sword. the other impaled itself in the picnic table an inch from eurytion's hand.

percy went on the attack. geryon parried his first strike with a pair of red-hot tongs and lunged at his face with a barbecue fork. percy got inside his next thrust and stabbed him right through the middle chest.

"aghhh!" geryon crumpled to his knees.

andromeda expected him to disintegrate, the way monsters usually do. but instead he just grimaced and started to stand up. the wound in his chef's apron started to heal.

"nice try, sonny," he said. "thing is, i have three hearts. the perfect backup system."

he tipped over the barbecue, and coals spilled everywhere. one landed next to evander's face, and he let out a muffled cry. tyson strained against his bonds, but even his strength wasn't enough to break them.

percy jabbed geryon in the left chest, but he only laughed. he stuck him in the right stomach. he showed no reaction.

percy ran into the house.

"coward!" geryon cried. "come back and die right!"

he threw his barbecue fork, and since no guttural yell was followed, andromeda assumed it didn't impale percy. geryon went into the display room, and she lost sight of both of them. "your head's gonna go right there, jackson! next to the grizzly bear!"

andromeda wriggled and writhed in the pursuit of atleast loosening her ties, but if tyson was struggling, what good was she? still, she kept going. she needed to help him.

she heard geryon laugh. "you fool! one arrow is no better than one sword!"

was he attempting archery? did he remember he was the worst out of the group at it?

thunk! thunk! thunk!

three sounds stringed together. and her own heart nearly stopped with anticipation. what was going on in that room?

percy came out perfectly unharmed, a casual smile on his face, like he hadn't just been fighting a three-chested man. he caught her eye, bend down and cut off her restraints, pulled down her gag, his fingers grazed her skin.

"i think this is your's," he held out his palm.

in that, he had nightshade. she took it from him, tracing the name. "how did you manage?"

"lucky shot," he shrugged.

"luck?" she asked, eyes not leaving his.

"luck." he nodded, his eyes leaving to go south for a moment before returning.

and it didn't feel like anything else existed. just him and his eyes and his fingers grazing hers. despite all the dirt and dust she was covered in, he was looking at her like he had no intention of looking away. she wondered what happened with the horses, what he was thinking of when he made the shot, and why that notion make her feel giddy.

"ahem,"

the two of them looked to the sound. all four of their friends sat watching, three unamused, and tyson smiling through the gag. he said something incoherent.

"right," percy chuckled nervously, and he glanced over at her just one more time, before breaking the others out of their bonds.

after that, they all sat by the barbeque together. percy burned something and mumbled a prayer. the sky thundered in the distance, so andromeda figured whatever prayer he made was accepted.

"yay for percy!" tyson said.

"can we tie up this cowherd now?" nico asked.

eurytion 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 him.

eurytion 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," evander remembered. "how?"

"i've 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 suggested.

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, still 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?" andromeda 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 percy. andromeda didn't know what solution she could propose that he would agree to. he wouldn't want to accompany them. that much he had made clear. but to leave him alone. . .

"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," andromeda intervened. "that wasn't percy's fault. and geryon wasn't lying about kronos 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 prompted.

"yes!"

"but if you didn't want my soul —"

"i'm not explaining anything to you!" he blinked tears out of his eyes.

"nico," andromeda frowned. "that deal isn't just some deal. it's a deal between death and life. and it's not very friendly. . .not preferrable either. please reconsider this. i don't know what made you suddenly listen to minos and think this was a good idea, but you can't go through with it."

"i will bring her back!" nico insisted.

"bianca wouldn't want to be brought back," percy agreed. "not like that."

"you didn't know her!" he shouted. "how do you know what she'd want?"

"let's ask bianca."

"i've tried," nico said miserably. "she won't answer."

"not even with minos's techniques?" andromeda enquired.

"he never actually told me how to summon her specifically," nico said in a small voice.

"well, then we try again with mine." andromeda nodded. "you haven't burned the list in this idea of me backstabbing you, right?"

nico blushed in embarrassment, which was weird to see considering his pale complexion. he fished out a piece of paper and handed it to her.

she analyzed it. "so, since food seems to going good, let's follow up on that. you still have happy meals?"

nico shook his head.

andromeda looked at percy. "are you sure you want to try?"

percy nodded. "i've got a feeling she'll answer with me here."

"why would she?"

"because she's been sending me iris-messages," percy said with certainty. "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." percy turned to eurytion. "we're going to need a pit, like a grave. and food and drinks."

"percy," annabeth warned. "i don’t think this is a good —"

"all right," nico said. "i'll try."

"don't worry," andromeda assured annabeth. "i'll be supervising."

"and you're qualified how?" evander asked.

"my mom is the literal goddess of necromancy."

evander's eyes shifted between her and nico. "what a lighthearted duo you guys make."

andromeda rolled her eyes and turned to eurytion. "we'll need a huge hole. and tempting food."

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."

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their summons began after dark, at a twenty-foot-long pit in front of the septic tank. the tank was bright yellow, with a smiley face and red words painted on the side: happy flush disposal co.

the moon was full. silver clouds drifted across the sky.

"minos should be here by now," nico said, frowning. "it's full dark."

"maybe he got lost," percy said hopefully.

andromeda passed nico the bottles. "you pour. i chant."

nico poured root beer and tossed barbecue into the pit, and andromeda began her chanting in ancient greek. she felt her body cool, her blood freeze, her heart harden. this was the chant she had made, the one that minos had improved would've been mich worse, and to think nico had been practicing that. . .

she kept the chant going, feeling her own soul float with the urge to join the dead in a feast.

the first spirits appeared. sulfurous mist seeped out of the ground. shadows thickened into human forms. one blue shade drifted to the edge of the pit and knelt to drink.

"stop him!" nico said. "only bianca may drink!"

percy drew riptide. the ghosts retreated with a collective hiss at the sight of the celestial bronze blade. but it was too late to stop the first spirit. he had already solidified into the shape of a bearded man in white robes. a circlet of gold wreathed his head, and even in death his eyes were alive with malice.

"minos!" nico said. "what are you doing?"

"my apologies, master," the ghost said, though he didn't sound very sorry. "the sacrifice smelled so good, i couldn't resist." he examined his own hands and smiled. "it is good to see myself again. almost in solid form —"

"i don't care!" andromeda seethed, breaking her chant momentarily. "out of the way or i'll choke you to your next death."

the spirits of the dead began shimmering dangerously bright, and andromeda had to take up the chant again to keep them at bay.

"yes, keep chanting, girl." minos said with amusement. "i've only come to protect my master from these liars who would deceive him."

hee turned to percy. "percy jackson. . .my, my. the sons of poseidon haven't improved over the centuries, have they?"

"we're looking for bianca di angelo," percy said definitively. "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 stirred in agitation. annabeth and percy kept them away from the pit. grover was so nervous he clung to tyson's shoulder.

"daedalus cares nothing for you, half-bloods," minos warned. "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 changed 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!"

andromeda closed her hand into a fist, and minos caught his own neck. he couldn't feel her hands, just the stinging sensation. she loved how much it agonized him.

"get. lost." she ordered, releasing her hand.

"you set him up to fail!" minos barked. "no chant from you could have —"

"enough, minos," nico commanded.

the ghost 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?"

"he's been with you ever since?" andromeda asked. "nico, where did you get him? you only learned to summon the dead from me. . ."

nico looked away.

"the underworld," she gasped. "why were you — how did you. . ."

"the maze is my property," the ghost said, "not daedalus's! those who intrude deserve madness."

"be gone, minos!" nico demanded. "i want to see my sister!"

the ghost 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 rushed forward, but annabeth and percy kept them back.

"bianca, appear!" nico intoned.

andromeda started chanting faster, and the spirits shifted restlessly.

"any time now," grover muttered.

then a silvery light flickered in the trees — a spirit that seemed brighter and stronger than the others. it came closer, it knelt to drink at the pit. when it arose, it was the ghostly form of bianca di angelo.

andromeda kept the chant going. percy lowered his sword. the other spirits started to crowd forward, but bianca raised her arms and they retreated into the woods.

"hello, percy," she said.

she looked the same as she had in life: a green cap set sideways on her thick black hair, dark eyes and olive skin like her brother. she wore jeans and a silvery jacket, the outfit of a hunter of artemis. a bow was slung over her shoulder. she smiled faintly, and her whole form flickered.

"bianca," percy said, voice thick. "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 like he was just coming out of a daze.

she turned toward her brother. her expression sad. "hello, nico. 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 can 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 to touch her brother's face, but her hand evaporated as it got close to living skin.

"you must listen to me, 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, you sent those iris-messages."

bianca nodded.

"why are you helping him and not me?" nico screamed. "it's not fair!"

"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," annabeth broke in. "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,"

"i'm the son of hades! i can."

"don't try," she said. "if you love me, don't. . ."

her voice trailed off.

andromeda felt a sting in her head, and she gripped her temples, crying out in pain. the interference was evident. something was mingling with the dead, something they didn't want in their invocation. she tried the chant again, but she felt the pain in her head make her dizzy, she grabbed percy's shoulder.

"what's wrong?" he asked her.

"tartarus stirs," bianca said. "your power draws the attention of kronos. the dead must return to the underworld. it is not safe for us to remain."

"wait," nico said. "please —"

"good-bye, nico," bianca said. "i love you. remember what i said."

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sorry today's update was a little delayed, but here it is!

i wanna hug nico so bad it's not healthy. trust i will be living vicariously through andromeda when i give her and a nico a sibling dynamic.

also we reached 10K!! thank you all so much <3