▬▬▬ CHAPTER TWENTY TWO ▬▬▬

EURYTION LED THEM DOWN A dirt path. The sun glared above them, which was a stark contrast to the chilling cold winds from San Francisco. Esmerelda had no problems dealing with it since this time, her clothes were better suited for it.

The ranch was certainly interesting. Every so often she'd see a pen full of red cows or even stranger animals. She even saw a corral where the fence was coated in asbestos. Inside it was a herd of fire-breathing horses that milled around. The hay in their feeding trough was on fire. The ground smoked around their feet, but the horses seemed tame enough.

"What are they for?" Percy asked as one horse whinnied fire at him.

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

"Like who?"

"No more questions."

They reached the woods a moment later. Perched on a hill above us was a big ranch house—all white stone and wood and big windows.

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

Esmerelda glanced over to Percy for a translation. He was usually the best at understanding her.

"Probably an architecture thing," he guessed.

"Don't break the rules," Eurytion warned as they walked up the steps to the front porch. "No fighting. No drawing weapons. And don't make any comments about the boss's appearance."

"Why?" Percy, who was most likely to break the rules, asked. "What does he look like?"

Before Eurytion could reply, a new voice said, "Welcome to the Triple G Ranch."

The man on the porch didn't look as scary as Eurytion, but Esmerelda felt no relief from that. Something about him didn't sit right with her, like he could possibly be the biggest threat in the ranch. He had a weathered face from years spent under the sun, slicked black hair, and a pencil moustache like the villains from vintage movies. He was smiling at them, but it was more amused than friendly, as if he had just found more people to torture.

That was just his face, though. The rest of him... was concerning. He had three bodies. Literally. His neck was connected to the middle chest, but he had two more chests 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, but four armpits, if that makes any sense. The chests all connected into one enormous torso, with two regular but very beefy legs, and he wore an over-sized pair of Levis. His chests each wore a different color Western shirt—green, yellow, red, like a stoplight.

Geryon surveyed the kids before his eyes landed on her. A greedy and excited look lit up his face, and if this were a cartoon, there would've been dollar signs in his eyes. 

"Say hello to Mr. Geryon." Eurytion grunted. 

The kids were speechless.

"Hi," Percy spoke up first. "Nice chests—uh, ranch! Nice ranch you have."

Before Geryon could respond, Nico came out of the glass doors onto the porch. "Geryon, I won't wait for—"

He froze when he saw them. Then he drew his sword. Esmerelda stared. She had never seen it out of its sheath before, but it was definitely mesmerizing to look at. It was a three foot long sword, pure black and oozing with Underworldly power.

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

He began to argue. "But that's—"

"—Percy Jackson," Geryon interrupted. "Annabeth Chase. Esmerelda Black. And a couple of their monster friends. Yes, I know."

Esmerelda had no idea why the emphasis on her name was necessary, but she didn't question it. 

"Monster friends?" Grover said indignantly.

"That man is wearing three shirts," Tyson said, like he was just realizing this.

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

"That's not true," Esmerelda told him and he nearly jumped at the sound of her voice, as if he hadn't even seen her until now. "Nico, we all came here to look for you."

"Actually," Grover added sheepishly. "We came here because of a quest, but yeah, you too."

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

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

"Wait a minute," Annabeth pointed 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 ole Geryon. Now, Mr. di Angelo, put that ugly sword away before I have Eurytion take it form you."

Nico hesitated, but when Eurytion hefted his spiked club and Orthus started growling, he reluctantly 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," he said.

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

Geryon had a trolley thing—like one of those kiddie trains that take you around zoos. It was painted black and white in a cowhide pattern. The driver's car had a set of longhorns stuck to the hood, and the horn sounded like a cowbell.

Nico sat in the very back, and Esmerelda climbed in after him.

"Have you been eating at all?" She anguished, looking at his skinny frame. His clothes pretty much dwarfed him, making him look even smaller than he already was.

He crossed his arms and shrunk, his cheeks turning pink at her fretting. "I'm fine." He hissed.

His stomach growled, contradicting that statement.

She gave him a pointed look before reaching into her pocket and pulling out an uneaten granola bar Percy gave her. She had decided to keep it for later, but Nico looked like he needed it a lot more than her.

"Take it," she told him a voice that wouldn't take 'no' for an answer.

He sighed and begrudgingly took it from her. He ate the whole thing in less than five bites.

"We have a huge operation!" Geryon boasted as the moo-mobile lurched forward. "Horses and cattle mostly, but all sorts of exotic varieties, too."

They came over a hill, and Annabeth gasped when she saw a bunch of weird animals. They each had the front half of a horse and the back end of a rooster. Their rear feet were huge yellow claws. They had feathery tails and red wings.

"Hippalektryons? I thought they were extinct!" She exclaimed.

"Rooster ponies," Tyson awed. "Do they lay eggs?"

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

"That's horrible!" Annabeth frowned. "They must be an endangered species!"

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

"That's not right," Grover murmured, but Geryon just 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.

He received a grin sly in response. "Oh, whichever one comes along. And over yonder, of course, are our prize red cows."

It was the cherry-red cows they had seen before.

"So many," Grover commented.

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

"For what?" Percy asked.

Geryon raised an eyebrow. "Meat, of course! Armies have to eat."

"You kill the sacred cows of the sun god for hamburger meat?" Grover was understandably horrified. "That's the against 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," Percy muttered.

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

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

Esmerelda ignored the giant scorpions he was trying to show off and faced Nico. "What business?"

"Nothing," he said quickly.

She rose a brow, but the tour moved on before she could say anything.

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

Esmerelda had no idea who Quintus was, but she was certainly familiar with giant scorpions.

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

"Yeah."

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

They smelled them before they saw 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 horse poop.

It was the most disgusting thing Esmerelda had ever seen (and smelled). It was a lot worse than that troll she met during her first year in Hogwarts. It looked like it hadn't been cleaned in centuries. The horses were literally wading through their own poop, and the stables were just as bad. It reeked worse than the garbage boats on the East River.

Nico gagged. "What is that?"

"My stables!" Geryon exclaimed. "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 out.

"Y'all getting' on my nerves," Geryon said in a warning voice. "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!" He 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 still 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," Annabeth decided, and Esmerelda wished she would keep her mouth shut. Now wasn't exactly the best time to insult the obviously-dangerous-guy while they were trapped in the moo-mobile.

Geryon stopped the train and turned to look at her. Esmerelda half expected him to snap Annabeth's neck. "What gave it away? Was it the three bodies?"

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

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

Geryon shrugged, which was very weird to look at since he had three sets of shoulders. It looked like he was doing the wave all by himself. "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 moo-mobile and strolled over to the stables. He must have lost his sense of smell because he looked like he couldn't smell the tons of animal waste all around him.

Nico got out of the back car and stormed over to Geryon. Eurytion followed after him.

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

"Mmm," he said boredly. "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."

Esmerelda narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "What ghost have you been talking to, Nico?"

"Wait a second," Percy interrupted, looking astonished. "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?"

Nico 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?" Percy and Esmerelda said in unison.

"Why have you been talking to Minos?" Esmerelda was aghast. She didn't know much about him other than the fact that he was one of the three judges of the Underworld, but she had met him on short separate occasions. He didn't give her any good vibes. He always seemed to act like he knew something about her that she wasn't aware of.

Percy stared at her. "You know him?"

"He's my co-worker," she replied.

His sea green eyes widened. "That evil king is your co-worker?"

She frowned. "Yes, he's one of the judges of the Underworld, but that doesn't matter right now." She turned to Nico. "What sort of things has he been telling you?"

"He's just been helping me with stuff," he answered vaguely before demanding from Geryon, "And what do you mean about things getting difficult?"

Geryon 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, very well indeed."

Nico drew his sword, but Eurytion knocked it out of his hand. All of a sudden, Orthus lunged but not at him. The two-headed dog crashed against Esmerelda and sent her down. He growled, his face inches away from hers. More importantly, his fangs were dangerously close to her neck.

"I forgot to mention," Geryon drawled. "But he's been looking for you even longer, little miss. And don't bother trying to talk me out of this with your witchcraft. Orthus will rip your throat out if you so much as utter a sound. As for the rest of you, I would stay in the car. Now, Eurytion, if you would be so kind, secure Nico."

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

"Yes, you fool!"

Eurytion looked bored, but he wrapped one huge arm around Nico and lifted him up like a wrestler.

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

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

"Now," Geryon said cheerfully. "We've had the 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, which was a little over-dramatic.

Geryon smiled at her. "Don't worry, my dear. Once I've delivered Mr. di Angelo and Ms. Black, 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 and Ms. Black."

Whoever paid for that passage was a jerk, Esmerelda figured.

"Paid by whom?" Annabeth asked. "What do you mean?"

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

"Wait!" Percy shouted. "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 agreed. "If I fail, you get all of us. Trade us all to Luke for gold."

"Assuming the horses don't eat you," Geryon added.

"Either way, you get my friends," he offered. "But if I succeed, you've got to let all of us go, including Nico and Essie."

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

Esmerelda tilted her head to the side and glared at him over Orthus' shoulder. Keep your mouth shut! her eyes screamed.

He pouted angrily, but stopped thrashing.

Geryon chuckled. "Percy Jackson, those stables haven't been cleaned 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, and I get rich."

"Deal."

Esmerelda refrained the urge to shudder. Andromeda had drilled a bunch of cleaning spells into her head, but no amount of scourgify could clean those stables up.

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

Percy quietly got out of the car as Eurytion hauled Nico into the backseat. It was all squished now that Orthus was there and practically suffocating Esmerelda with it's weight. Any time she tried to shift to get more comfortable, it would snap at her neck and whenever Nico got too close, it'd snarl.

"Sunset," Geryon reminded Percy. "No later." Then he let out a laugh, sounded his cowbell horn, and moo-mobile rumbled off down the trail.

╞═════𖠁𐂃𖠁═════╡

Geryon dumped them out once they reached the ranch house. He roped their ankles and wrists together and gagged them while Eurytion lugged out a barbecue grill and a bunch of party decor. Esmerelda had to watch in annoyance as the two of them decorated the deck with streamers and balloons.

"Don't try any magic, witch," Geryon warned to her. "Luke needs you alive, but not everyone else."

It wasn't like she could do much anyways. The bonds they used were so strong even Tyson couldn't break through them. She tried to cut them with diffindo, but that was no use either. They were probably magic resistant or something. So she sat on the ground, tied up and fuming. Even worse, she was hungry after smelling all those hamburgers he was cooking.

Percy took his sweet time cleaning up the stables, but he came back earlier then expected. By that time, Geryon already managed to make at least six hamburgers. Eurytion was lounging at a picnic table, picking his fingernails with a knife. The two-headed dog sniffed the ribs and burgers that were frying on the grill.

"Let them go!" He yelled, out of breath from all the running. "I cleaned the stables!"

Geryon looked genuinely surprised to see him. "Did you, now? How'd you manage it?"

Percy impatiently explained how a naiad advised him to use the petrified seashells from the ground as a source of water.

He nodded appreciatively. "Very ingenious. It would've been better if you'd poisoned that pesky naiad, but no matter."

"Let me friends go," Percy said. "We had a deal."

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

Beside her, Nico made a grumbling noise behind the gag.

"You promised!"

Geryon clicked his tongue. "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."

He drew his sword. Orthus growled. One head leaned down next to Grover's ear and bared it's fangs."

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

"Kill him yourself." Eurytion said.

He rose a brow. "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."

It was the most un-Ares-like thing Esmerelda had ever heard a son of Ares say.

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 came to sit by the cowherd's feet.

"Fine!" Geryon snarled. "I'll deal with you later, after the boy is dead!"

He threw two carving knives at him, and Percy deflected with his sword. Amidst the fighting, Percy managed to stab him right through the middle chest.

"Aghhh!" He crumpled to his knees, but rather than disintegrating, he began to heal. He smirked smugly as he stood back up. "Nice try, sonny. Thing is, I have three hearts. The perfect backup system."

He tipped over the barbecue, and coals spilled everywhere. One landed next to Annabeth's face, and she let out a muffled scream. Esmerelda strained desperately against the bonds as she tried to scramble away.

Meanwhile, Percy ran into the house with a raging Geryon right behind him. She had no idea what was going on, but judging by Geryon's angry shouts, Percy was doing his usual thing of pissing off his enemies. Suddenly, the shouting died out.

They waited for a while, then finally relaxed when Percy came out.

He untied them. Eurytion didn't try to stop him.

"Thanks," Esmerelda breathed out. She stretched her limbs, then went to the picnic table where Eurytion and Orthus were at. They didn't seem to care when she started eating a hamburger.

"Yay for Percy!" Tyson said.

"Can we tie up this cowherd now?" Nico asked.

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

Percy turned to Eurytion, who didn't care at all that his boss had just been killed. "How long will it take Geryon to re-form?"

He shrugged. "Hundred years? He's not one of those fast reformers, thank the gods. You've done me a favor."

"You said you'd died for him before," Percy mentioned. "How?"

He scowled. "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."

"That sucks," Esmerelda said sympathetically. "Hey, uh, can you pass me that ketchup bottle?"

He slid it over to her and she squirted some ketchup over her hamburger meat.

"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. She was still looking at Eurytion suspiciously. "Your boss said somebody paid for our safe passage. Who?"

"Yeah, and why didn't they care for me and Nico?" Esmerelda asked, frowning.

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 and Essie yet?"

"Nope. Geryon was waiting until after the barbecue. They don't know about the kid, but they already know that she's here." He jabbed a finger at Esmerelda, who then turned very worried.

Percy was equally as worried. "You guys should stay here until we're done with our quest. It would be safe."

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

"Nico," Esmerelda said gently. "That wasn't Percy's fault. I know he promised you to keep her safe, but what happened was completely out of his control. And remember what I said about your godly parent? Kronos would be after you if he knew about it."

"I'm not afraid of him," he said stubbornly.

"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 said.

"Yes!"

"But if you didn't want my soul—"

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

"Nico, your father wouldn't want you to mess with the dead. The dead should stay dead." Esmerelda said firmly.

"If he gets angry with me for this, then he's a hypocrite," he spat.

"What are you talking about?"

"It was some soul! Minos told me about it!"

"You shouldn't listen to him," she pleaded. "Is he the one who's been telling you to bring Bianca back? Nico, your sister wouldn't want to be brought back, not like this."

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

"Because I do know her!"

Esmerelda froze, and so did Nico. The others looked at them tensely.

"What—what did you mean by that?" Nico asked, shaken. "Essie, what do you mean by that? Are you—are you really—?"

"I don't know where that came from..." She admitted, swallowing thickly.

Percy, sensing that something was wrong, stepped forward to alleviate the issue. "Let's just talk to Bianca. Ask how she feels about this."

"I've tried," Nico said miserably. "She wont answer."

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

"Why would she?"

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

He 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 interrupted. "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 decided to wait until it was dark. While they were waiting, Nico approached a secluded Esmerelda.

"What did you mean back then?" He asked her. "When you said you knew my sister?"

She gave him an apologetic look. "I'm so sorry, Nico, I don't know why I said that—"

"—No," he cut her off. "No, we... we know each other, don't we? You, me, Bianca... We're tied together, somehow."

She stared at him. "What are you talking about?"

He struggled to find his words. "I don't know," he said, clearly frustrated. "You look familiar... you feel familiar. I always feel safe around you, but I don't know why. And—and sometimes I see your face in my dreams, and I hear you talking to me too. I don't know why. Minos said—"

"—You shouldn't listen to him," she said sternly. "And what happens in those dreams?"

"I see you smiling down at me," he answered softly. "But you look older... and your eyes are different. They're not green, they're brown I think. And sometimes you talk to me, but it's always in Italian. I don't even know how I understood—"

"—Hold on, Italian?" She widened her eyes. First she her accidental visit to that house in Venice, and now this? This was no coincidence, but what could all of this mean?

"Yeah, why?"

"Guys!" Annabeth called. "The pit's done! Nico, you ready?"

Nico hesitantly glanced at Esmerelda, who nodded.

They were now standing before a twenty foot long pit in front of a septic tank. The tank was bright yellow, with a smiley face and red words painted on the side: HAPPY FLUSH DISPOSAL CO. It didn't quite go with the mood of summoning the dead.

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, and Esmerelda secretly shared the sentiment.

Nico poured root beer and tossed barbecue into the pit, then began chanting in Ancient Greek. Immediately the bugs in the woods stopped chirping.

Everything about this felt unnatural, but at the same time Esmerelda felt perfectly at ease. Probably because her mother was the goddess of necromancy.

The night air turned colder then before as Nico continued to chant. Suddenly, 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, momentarily breaking his chant. "Only Bianca may drink!"

Percy drew Riptide. The ghosts retreated with a collective hiss at the sight of my 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.

Esmerelda recognized him easily. "Lord Minos," she said with badly hidden disdain.

"Esmerelda!" He purred, his eyes lighting up with delight. He always looked like he had plans for her, which was both creepy and concerning. "Why, I didn't expect to see you here. I wonder if Lord Hades is aware?"

She frowned. "Why would he care?"

He chuckled mischievously and didn't answer.

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

"My apologies, master," he 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—"

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

The spirits of the dead began shimmering dangerously bright, and Nico had to take 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."

He turned to Percy and looked at him as if he was some kind of cockroach. "Percy Jackson... my, my. The sons of Poseidon haven't improved over the centuries, have they?"

Percy glared. "We're looking for Bianca di Angelo. 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. To help Nico get them under control, Esmerelda ordered, "Stand down!"

They obeyed.

The others looked at her.

"Mother has power over the Underworld, remember?" She said with distaste at the mention of her. "That means I have some power over ghosts too. Not Minos though, this old coot never listens..." She grumbled.

Said old coot rolled his eyes. "Daedalus cares nothing for you, half-bloods," he 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!" Minos growled. "You are hindering Nico. You try to persuade him to give up on his goal. I would make him a lord!"

"He already is one!" Esmerelda snapped.

"Not at his current level of power," he informed.

"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?"

Chris Rodriguez? Esmerelda thought. They had actually found him? And he'd gone mad? Geez, I missed out on so much just from being stuck here... She lamented.

"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.

"Bianca, appear!" Nico intoned. He started chanting faster, and the spirits shifted restlessly.

"Anytime now," Grover muttered worriedly.

Then a silvery light flickered in the trees—a spirit that seemed brighter and stronger than the others. It came closer and 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 arms and they retreated into the woods.

"Hello, Percy," she said.

"Bianca," he croaked. "I'm so sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for, Percy. I made my own choice. I don't regret it." She said, then turned to Esmerelda. Her smile widened. "I'm glad you finally found him. Keep him close. Watch out for him."

"Bianca, please tell me, but do we know each other?" Esmerelda was desperate for information at this point.

Her smile dimmed a little. "So you still don't know..."

"Bianca!" Nico stumbled forward like he was just coming out of a daze.

She turned toward her brother. Her expression was sad, as if she'd been dreading this moment. "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 to touch her brother's face. "You must listen to me," she said. "Holding a grudge is dangerous for a child of Hades. 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. I talked to Essie to. You can trust her."

"You talked to her?" He asked Esmerelda.

She nodded. "It was in a dream, while I was at the Underworld."

"You sent me those Iris messages." Percy spoke up, looking at Bianca.

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."

He started to shrink away. "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."

"Your fatal flaw," Esmerelda realized.

Bianca nodded. "Yes. I see it now. That's your fatal flaw, Nico. Holding grudges. Kronos could use it against you."

"I don't care," he said harshly.

"You should," Annabeth warned. "Kronos is rising, Nico. He'll twist anyone he can to his cause."

"I don't care about Kronos!" He screamed. "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 us again, and they seemed agitated. Their shadows shifted. Their voices whispered, Danger!

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

"Wait," he begged. "Please—"

"—Goodbye, Nico," she said sadly. "I love you. Remember what I said."

Her form shivered and the ghosts disappeared, leaving them alone with a pit, a Happy Flush septic tank, and a cold full moon.

— author's note —

Nicoooooo 🥺 🥺 🥺 🥺

There's gonna be many more Nico scenes coming after this chapter, which I know you're all happy about! But Ethan will be coming soon too which will be... entertaining to read. Nico and Ethan in the same room.... loooool, oh yeah, trust me it's gonna be fun 😂 Regulus will be showing up soon too, but I won't tell you how :)

Also in book four, I'm already starting to write the Yule Ball scene. Try and guess who Essie's date is XD You won't find out the answer until the next book and you probably won't even guess right but whatever. You're all gonna riot when you find out tho 😂 😂 😂 😂