A/N. Again, sorry for the weird chapter title. I didn't know what to name this one either. Nothing else to say really, so enjoy! -Anna

~Nico's POV~

As Geryon took us back to the lodge, I learned the Cyclops's name was Tyson, and the others learned who Lia's father was, despite her obvious reluctance to disclose that detail. They were surprised at the information, and Annabeth looked like she wanted to ask multiple questions, but Geryon snapped at us to keep quiet.

I kept an eye on Eurytion in case he tried to do anything more to Lia, but he just relaxed while hiding his face under his hat. Either knowingly or not, he kept Lia's hands pinned to her sides so she couldn't use her powers. Once we made it to the lodge, Geryon made us all get out of the train and onto the porch. Under his orders, Eurytion tied us up like rodeo animals, with our ankles and wrists roped together and our mouths gagged. Then, the cowherd decorated the railing with streamers and balloons, like he was preparing prematurely for our going away party.

Geryon got to work on the food, flipping burgers on a large barbecue cooker made from an oil drum. He was wearing an apron on each chest, with one word on each, so together they spelled out: KISS-THE-CHEF. As he cooked, the two-headed dog sniffed at the burgers that were frying. When he was done decorating, Eurytion lounged at a picnic table, picking his fingernails with a knife. Lia's daggers laid on the table next to him.

The rest of us tried to get out of the ropes, but we couldn't break them at all. As the sun started to sink below the hills, Percy came running full speed at the ranch house.

"Let them go!" he yelled, very much out of breath. "I cleaned the stables!"

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

Percy looked like he wanted to get us all out of there right then, but he told the rancher what happened; how he used sea shells from the dirt to create saltwater springs to dissolve the poop into the ground.

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

"Let my 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."

"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."

I could just hear Lia groan in annoyance at his words.

Percy drew his sword. Orthus growled. One head leaned down next to Grover's ear and bared its fangs.

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

Eurytion studied Percy. The odds weren't good with him and the massive club.

"Kill him yourself," Eurytion said.

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 tired of dying for you. You want to fight the kid, do it yourself."

It was the most un-Areslike thing I'd ever expect to hear 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, heal."

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 picked up two carving knives and threw them at Percy. He deflected one with his sword. The other impaled itself in the picnic table an inch form 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! He crumpled to his knees. Percy waited for him to disintegrate, the way monsters usually do. But instead he just grimaced and began 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 Annabeth's face and another rolled next to Lia's leg, and they both let out muffled screams. Tyson and I strained against our bonds, but even Tyson's strength wasn't enough to break them. The ropes were tied so tight I couldn't concentrate to shadow travel out of them.

Percy jabbed Geryon in the left chest, but he only laughed. Percy struck him in the right stomach. No good. He might as well have been sticking a sword in a teddy bear for all the reaction he showed.

Suddenly, Percy ran into the house.

"Coward!" Geryon cried. "Come back and die right!"

Geryon ran inside after him. We couldn't see what was happening between the two from outside, but we could hear Geryon shouting and something being thrown. After waiting a couple of seconds in anticipation, Percy came out of the lodge wearing a triumphant smile.

Percy untied us all. Eurytion didn't try to stop him. As he stoked up the barbecue, I checked over Lia to see if she got hurt.

"I'm okay, Nico," Lia said. "The coal didn't burn me. It mostly just scared me."

"Good," I said in satisfaction.

She grabbed her daggers from the picnic table and turned them back into rings. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and I noticed the food Geryon cooked was gone.

"Yay for Percy!" Tyson said.

"Can we tie up this cowherd now?" I asked. He still hurt Lia.

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

Percy 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 for Geryon to reform?" 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," Percy remembered. "How?"

"I've worked for that creep for thousands of years. Started as a regular half-blood, but I choose 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 and Lia were still looking at Eurytion suspiciously. "Your boss said that 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 and Lia yet?"

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

I was glaring at Percy. Like he cared what happened to Lia and me.

"You two should stay here until we're done with our quest," Percy said. "It would be safe."

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

Lia scoffed and crossed her arms. "Yeah right. I can take care of myself."

"Nico, Annabeth said, "that wasn't Percy's fault. And Geryon wasn't lying about Kronos wanting to capture you and Lia. If he knew who you guys were, he'd do anything to get you two on his side."

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

"Ditto," Lia said.

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

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

"By the way, not easy," Lia put in.

"A soul for a soul?" Percy said.

"Yes!"

"But if you didn't want my soul-"

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

I could see Lia reach her hand out to me, but she hesitated and retracted her hand back to her side.

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

"You didn't know her!" I shouted. He was making it sound like Bianca was his best friend. "How do you know what she'd want?"

Percy stared at the flames in the barbecue pit. "Let's ask Bianca."

The sky seemed to grow darker all of the sudden.

"I've tried," I 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-messages," Percy said, sounding very sure of his statement. "She's been trying to warn me what you're up to, so I can protect you."

I shook my head. "That's impossible." As far as I knew, ghosts couldn't send Iris-messages.

"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-"

"I'll do it," I said. "I'll try." If it's a chance I'll get to talk to my sister, then I would try anything.

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."

~Lia's POV~

We did our summons 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. It didn't quite go with the mood of the summoning the dead.

The moon was full. Silver clouds drifted across the sky. I could almost imagine me on the apartment balcony, waiting for my mom to come out with a blanket to watch the stars. Except the pit and the yellow tank ruined the illusion.

"Minos should be here by now" Nico said, frowning. "It's full dark."

"Maybe he got lost," Percy said hopefully.

"Doubtful," I mumbled.

Nico poured root beer and tossed barbecue into the pit, then began chanting in Ancient Greek. Immediately the bugs in the woods stopped chirping. My hands seemed to become cold as the air chilled.

"You sure you got this?" I whispered to Nico.

He just nodded absentmindedly as he kept chanting. I hoped he did, otherwise the summoning would go terribly wrong. Kind of like the end of the one we did for Theseus.

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 his sword at the same time I summoned my daggers. The ghosts retreated with a collective hiss at the sight of our blades. 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. I growled lowly.

"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-"

"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 only came to protect you from these liars who would deceive you."

He turned to Percy as if he were some kind of cockroach.

"Percy Jackson...my, my. The sons of Poseidon haven't improved over the centuries, have they?"

Percy looked like he wanted to punch him. "We're looking for Bianca di Angelo," he said. "Get lost."

The ghost chuckled. "I understand you once killed my Minotaur with your bare hands."

I looked at Percy impressed.

"But worse things await you in the maze," Minos continued. "Do you really believe Daedalus will help you?"

I wondered why Percy and the others wanted to find Daedalus as well, and  I questioned if it would soon become a competition for the inventor.

The other spirits stirred in agitation. Annabeth drew her knife and helped Percy and me keep them away from the pit. Grover got 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 change the subject!" the ghost growled. "You are hindering Nico. You try to persuade him to give us his goal. I would make him lord."

"He doesn't want to be a lord, he wants his sister back," I said.

"Enough, Minos," Nico commanded.

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

I growled at the ghost. He had no right being the one to say where I was with Nico. He did not know me at all.

"The others?" Annabeth gasped. "You mean Chris Rodriguez? That was 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, Percy, and I kept them back.

"Bianca, appear!" Nico intoned. He 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, and something told me to let it pass. It knelt to drink at the pit. When it arose, it was the ghostly form of Bianca di Angelo.

Nico's chanting faltered. I lowered my daggers. The other spirits started to crowd forward, but Bianca raised her arms and they retreated into the woods.

"Hello, Percy," she said.

I had never seen Bianca before, but she looked like an older female version of Nico. She wore 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. A bow was slung over her shoulder. She smiled faintly, and her whole form flickered.

"Bianca," Percy said. His voice was thick. I guessed he still felt guilty about her death, and seeing her in front of him must've been five times as bad. I knew how that felt. Although at that moment, I felt like I was intruding on a private conversation.

"I'm so sorry," Percy said.

"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 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 a hand as if to touch her brother's face, but she was made of mist. Her hand evaporated as it got close to living skin.

"You must listen to me," she said. "Holding grudges 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!"

"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 most 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," Bianca told him gently.

"I'm the son of Hades! I can. Lia can help me."

I frowned. Now I wasn't sure if I would. From what I had heard, it sounded like Bianca didn't want to come back at all. She was satisfied with her death. It also sounded like Nico needed to work through some things before thinking about trying to bring Bianca back again.

"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. "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."

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

A/N. This one was shorter than the past couple ones, but I hope you guys still enjoyed this chapter! Nothing else to say really, so let me know what you all think! Comment and <3! -Anna