VIDEO GAMES! (p. jackson) (#1)

- eleven

JUNE 12, 2019. 6 DAYS SINCE LEAVING CAMP.

ROSE DID NOT ENJOY BEING HELD HOSTAGE.

After everything that had happened in the maze so far, this was definitely her least favorite. She and her friends had been bound and gagged at the wrists, knees, and ankles. It was hot. Hairs that had escaped from her ponytail were sticking to the back of her neck. And on top of that, she had never been so fucking hungry.

Geryon was grilling some kind of meat on the grill. It smelled like barbecue, but Rose wasn't sure.

She had leaned forward, her head on her knees, and was on the verge of falling asleep when someone yelled, "Let them go! I cleaned the stables!"

Her head snapped up. He was out of breath, and soaking wet, but Percy had made it back.

Geryon turned. He wore an apron on each chest, one word on each, so they spelled on KISS-THE-CHEF. "Did you, now? How'd you manage?"

Percy explained how he had summoned saltwater using shell fossils.

Geryon nodded appreciatively. "Very ingenious. It would've been better if you'd poisoned that 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."

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.

"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 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 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 from Eurytion's hand.

Geryon parried Percy's 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. Rose waited for 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 hit Rose's shin and slid down against her leg. She let out a muffled scream. 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. Percy stuck him in the right stomach. No good. Percy might as well have been sticking a sword in a teddy bear for all the reaction he showed.