𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗜𝗟𝗜𝗔𝗗 ⋆━━⋆ percy jackson

𝐯𝐢𝐢. save a half-blood, kill a monster

GERYON forced Nico to drop his sword.

Even though Nico had threatened her, was trying to kill her best friend and associates himself with Killian. Cassie couldn't help but grin at him.

He didn't smile back, naturally. But Cassie didn't mind.

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

No offence to Nico, but he wasn't a big challenge for three trained demigods. If they wanted to kill they would have done it already.

Cassie softened her voice. "We didn't let her die, and we don't want to kill you."

Percy looked happy to see Nico too. "Yeah Bianca-"

"Don't speak her name! You're not worthy!"

"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."

Nico hesitated. He looked thinner and paler than he had in Cassie's dream.

The brunette wondered if he'd eaten in the last week. His black clothes were dusty from travelling in the Labyrinth, and his dark eyes were full of hate.

He was too young to look so angry. She still remembered him as the cheerful little kid who played with Mythomagic cards, but Cassie accepted that little boy was gone.

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

"I believe you," Percy 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 thing - like one of those kiddie trains that take you around zoos.

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

At the bottom of the hill was a fenced-in pasture with a dozen of the weirdest animals Cassie had ever seen.

Each had the front half of a horse and the back half of a rooster.

Their rear feet were huge yellow claws. They had feathery tails and red wings.

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

"Once a year!" Geryon grinned in the rearview mirror. "Very much in demand for omelettes!" He looked at Cassie. "Your father enjoys them very much."

"But that's horrible." Cassie murmured.

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

She didn't even want to taste them.

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

Since when was Nico such a business man? One month in the streets and he already thought he was a business shark.

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

The next field was ringed in barbed wire. The whole area was crawling with giant scorpions, like the ones at camp. Quintus had gotten them from Geryon, Cassie realized.