Chapter Text
Geryon was disturbing. Well, even more so the longer they were in his presence.
They had trekked their way back to the ranch house with the man occasionally chuckling to himself in delight, like he couldn’t believe how rich he was going to be. Like it was certain.
Grover was practically shaking in his seat with anger but he didn’t necessarily look worried, which was weird especially because the satyr was usually the more anxious one. Kit didn’t really know how he was feeling, close to nothing at all at this point. Maybe a little disappointed for whatever reason.
Nobody else really said anything.
He could feel the weight of Nico’s glare every once in a while. It was brief every time it happened but hard to ignore completely. He turned his head to the side to catch him out of the corner of his eye once, just to see what would happen, but Orthus had barked and he remembered the beast was ready to rip Annabeth’s face off.
Kit turned back around.
Geryon was happily humming a tune as they came up the steps and opened the screen door. Kit was having a hard time trying to walk straight. His side was pulsing like nobody’s business and the stairs just made him dizzy but Tyson’s grip on his arm helped more than he realised as he almost teetered back down the steps.
The dog was right on their heel the whole time, perhaps sensing he was the weaker link at that moment. It wasn’t a very comforting thought.
“Now,” Geryon’s grin was too wide. “Who wants barbecue?”
Grover shuttered at the thought.
Annabeth and Kit just shared a glance and rapidly shook their heads.
“You lot are no fun,” he pouted but it didn’t last long, the wicked smile just too hard to contain. “Well, I wasn’t really asking because that’s what we’re having. I feel like celebrating! Don’t you, Eurytion?”
The other man gave no response as he deposited Nico on the dingy couch. He sat heavily in the seat right next to the door, picking at his teeth with a pocket knife.
Geryon huffed a little but shook it off, mumbling something about breaking out some expensive wine and strode down into the house.
“What the fuck?” Annabeth said under her breath. She took a glance at Eurytion but he had put his hat back over his eyes.
Nico got up with a scoff. “Ridiculous,” he mumbled to himself, choosing to lean against the railing where he had a full view of the other demigods.
“This is terrible!” Grover moaned, horns in his hands. He suddenly went ashen. “You… You don’t think he’s going to–” he gulped and stared wide-eyed at the floor, “– to fry us, do you?”
They all gave a sharp inhale.
Looking around, Tyson was fidgeting nervously at the edge of the cornered couch they sat on, Annabeth and Grover in the middle and Kit on the other end. It was a bit of a tight squeeze but nothing as uncomfortable as the words spoken since coming unto the porch.
“Don’t want to be people-food,” Tyson whimpered.
“You idiots!” Nico hissed. “Obviously, it’s going to be that red cow. He gets more money for all of us when your friend fails.” Although he said it, he was shaking so slightly Kit might’ve missed it if he hadn’t been so focused on him. Not that he was trying.
The floor creaked further into the house and Annabeth pulled her feet up onto the couch. Kit didn’t pay too much attention as he looked around for possible exitways. The glint of her dagger caught his eye though, the shiny metal concealed on her lap. He moved a bit closer with a nod as Geryon rounded the corner with the bottle in the air as if to say ‘ta-da!’.
“I hope none of you are planning on going anywhere soon,” he laughed a little. “Won’t you be good guests and help set up? It is a party, after all!”
He didn’t give them time to respond as he subtly glared at them and thrust streamers and coned hats in their hands.
They went along with it reluctantly.
Tyson and Kit hung streamers from the ceiling as best they could yet they were so distracting it was hard to do anything but stand still and watch them. Geryon whipped a sparkling pom-pom at them that had Kit flinching back and accidentally ripping one of the danging pieces of confetti off, along with some of the paint.
He stared up in horror.
It didn’t seem right to apologise because of the situation they were in but it died on Kit’s tongue as Geryon was already facing away and telling Eurytion to light the grill out front. It was an old oil drum, filled with charcoal and a metal grate on top.
Eurytion didn’t look like he was awake but after a few moments got up like nothing was amiss. He trudged his way down the steps that creaked under his full weight.
Kit was trying to keep an eye on everyone as best he could when the man told him to hand over the blue tin container by his feet. He almost knocked it over. The man made him uncomfortable.
Kit handed over the lighter fluid.
Geryon’s laugh made him jump again and almost drop it before Eurytion grabbed ahold of it.
“Watch it!” Geryon hollered.
Annabeth and Grover stood uneasily by the bottom step as Tyson and Kit finished. Nico was at their back at the top, Kit honestly didn’t know if he trusted him there at the moment. It hurt to think but things were different now and there was no denying it, no matter how much he wanted to.
It was probably twenty or so minutes of silent planning before Annabeth worked up the nerve to ask to go to the bathroom.
“Um,” she started hesitantly. “I need to go.”
Geryon laughed at her. “Go where? Your silly friend made a deal with your lives. And where could you run that we couldn’t find you? The winged one is injured and Orthus is an exquisite tracker.”
Kit went red as Annabeth chewed on her cheek. “No, I have to go to the restroom!”
“You can hold it,” the man rolled his eyes and started for the stairs.
Annabeth growled, “I didn’t want to say it because it’s embarrassing. It’s my period! And if you don’t want menstrual blood all over the porch during your party, take me to the bathroom!”
Everybody blushed.
Geryon looked uncomfortable and tried to stay as far as he could from her as he led her through the door.
“For your sake, I hope yer friend’s not up to somethin’,” Eurytion muttered lowly, looking at them out of the corner of his eye.
Kit coughed and swiped under his nose, “Mother Nature doesn’t stop for a quest. She’s been complaining about pre-cramps the whole trip.”
The man’s brow furrowed and sharply nodded.
Annabeth was absolutely right: almost nothing made guys more uncomfortable than periods.
It was simple in theory. All Annabeth had to do was subdue the man on the way to or from the bathroom. She was easily the most underestimated because she was a girl but that made it the perfect disguise. Annabeth was mean and wasn’t afraid to get dirty, Kit didn’t know how many times sparring turned in her favour with guys that were bigger than her. She was smart and cunning.
Their problem lay with Eurytion.
Grover fidgeted, looking back at the door before rapidly turning his head. “So… Eurytion. What’s a son of Ares doing in such a place? Surely, you could be doing greater things.”
“Yeah, I mean, you seem like a decent guy,” Kit added, crossing his arms.
Orthus picked his head up to look at them. Tyson sat suspiciously close, being the one with the task of catching the mean dog. It wasn’t that they didn’t trust Percy to get the job done and come back for them, but this was a bit too much just to sit around and play house guest.
Eurytion stood over the flame and spared them nothing but an apathetic glance.
Kit’s brow furrowed and opened his mouth to say something again when a yelp came from the house. They pretended nothing was wrong. The cowherd looked at the house suspiciously then to the boys.
Another sound came from closer, like something hitting the wall. Then something skidded across the floor. Then maniacal laughing.
Clenching his eyes shut, Kit sighed before he went for it.
Eurytion had him on his back in seconds. It was kind of pathetic and Kit was cursing the whole time as the man grappled with him before knocking him out.
—-
He was only out for a couple minutes but the ringing in his ear hadn’t subsided and it was making him irritated. The rest of the boys had been tied up right next to him, arms at their backs and tethered to pillars on the railing. They had Annabeth right in front of the steps so she couldn’t talk to them, trembling in fury no doubt.
Kit couldn’t help by be a bit miffed, too. Not at the girl but at everything. This fucking sucked.
He had no idea how long they’d been with the older demigods, but he was so over it. The sun was starting to become a golden hue meaning sunset was that much closer. He couldn’t see Percy at all, making futile attempts to see over the railing but he was just the height to be eye level and he wanted to scream.
Where was Percy?
He was their only chance now.
But then Grover perked up and relaxed a little. Kit wanted to ask but he realized they were gagged with cloth covering their mouths.
Grass crunched under rapid footsteps as the smell of meat grilling permeated the air. He barely noticed Geryon was already grilling but sighed in relief as Nico was right in his assumption earlier. He just wouldn’t put it past someone as greasy and gross as the man not to have tried demigod (ew).
Percy was panting hard as he bounded over and to the top of the steps. “Let them go! I cleaned the stables!” He caught sight of them and his face turned bright red, though not the good kind that made Kit want to make it darker. Percy was mad.
Geryon turned, wearing an apron on each chest, with a single word on each to spell out: KISS–THE–CHEF. “Did you, now? How’d you manage it?”
The son of Poseidon huffed as he kept looking between his friends and the man in front of him. “The naiad at the lake didn’t let me use her river, all the shit would’ve killed her ecosystem. She told me of fossiled shells in the sediment, they conjured salt water that cleaned up the muck,” his words came out through gritted teeth and looked like he was having trouble deciding whether or not to throttle the guy.
Geryon nodded appreciatively. “Very ingenious. It would’ve been better if you’d poisoned that pesky naiad, but no matter.”
“Let my friends go,” he said, fists shaking. “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 sear of 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, why don’t you?”
Eurytion studied the son of Poseidon. Then Geryon for a second. “Kill him yourself.”
Geryon raised an eyebrow. “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-Ares-like thing Kit had ever heard from someone of the bastard's lineage. It was fucking weird. The whole day was, actually.
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 the satyr and came to sit by the cowherd’s feet.
“Fine!” the man snarled. “I’ll deal with you later, after the boy is dead!”
He picked up two carving knives and Kit’s heart dropped into his stomach as they went sailing toward Percy. He deflected one with his sword. The other impaled itself in the picnic table, a millimetre from Eurytion’s hand as he sat unconcerned.
Percy stepped forward, but 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 right through the middle chest where the previously made nick from Annabeth’s attempt lay.
It was a lot harder to sit still as one of his own was fighting instead of him. He almost looked away.
“Arghhh!” Geryon crumbled to his knees. Percy heaved as they waited for the man to turn to dust as all good monsters did.
They all went pale as he grimaced and began to stand up. The bleeding slice through his chef’s apron started to heal.
“Oh my god,” Kit grumbled and tried to discreetly rub his binding on the railing. Maybe if they all push back, they could break it.
“Nice try, sonny. Thing is, I have three hearts. The perfect backup system,” he sang.
He tipped over the barbecue, and coals spilled everywhere. One landed near Annabeth’s face, and she let out a muffled scream. Kit scooted forward to try and kick it away. Tyson strained against his bonds, but it was no use.
Kit hurriedly kicked it with his shoe as Percy jabbed Geryon in the left chest, but he only laughed. He struck him again, in the right stomach.
Percy seemed to be thinking for a second as he paused before shooting off into the house. Kit’s eyes nearly left their sockets.
“Coward!” Geryon screamed. “Come back out and die right!”
He threw his barbecue fork from the doorway before it shut behind him.
There was some yelling, something clanking to the floor. Some more rustling and something lodging into the wall before another clank.
Percy came out green in the face ten seconds later but no Geryon behind him. He hesitantly made his way to his friends as he eyed the man but Eurytion did nothing to stop him. Kit was helping Grover and Annabeth up when Percy threw some food into the leftover flame trying to survive in the drum.
“Thanks, guys,” he said. “I owe you one.”
The sky thundered in the distance as Kit grubbed his raw wrists. He wanted to check on Nico to make sure he was okay but remembered their conversation earlier and studied his shoes.
“Yay for Percy!” Tyson exclaimed and glomped his half-brother.
“Can we tie up this cowherd now?” Nico grumbled.
“Yeah!” Grover agreed. “And that dog almost killed me!”
Percy looked over to Eurytion, who was still sitting 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.
The man shrugged. “Hundred years? He’s not one of those fast reformers, thank the gods. You’ve done me a favour.”
“You said you died for him before,” he commented. “How?”
“I’ve worked for that piece of shit 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 battles. We’re kinda tied together.”
“Maybe you can change things,” Percy added lightly.
Eurytion narrowed his eyes. “How?”
He was quiet for a moment as he looked around before they flickered over to Grover, “Be nice to the animals. Take care of them. Stop selling them for food. And stop dealing with the Titans.”
Eurytion thought about it. “That would be all right,” and nodded his head along slowly.
“Get the animals on your side, and they’ll help you. Once Geryon comes back, maybe he’ll be working for you this time.”
That made the man grin. “Now that I could live with.”
“You won’t try to stop us leaving?”
“Shoot, no.”
Annabeth cradled her bruised wrists. Sharp eyes narrowed at him. “Geryon 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, looking between them all. “Did you Iris-message them about Nico yet?”
Said boy grimaced at them when he heard his name. “Nope. Geryon was waiting until after the barbecue. They don't know anything about him.”
Nico glared.
Percy looked at Kit briefly before focusing on Nico, “You could stay here until we’re done with our quest,” he said. “It would be safe.”
“Safe?” Nico scoffed. “What do you care if I’m safe? You got her killed!”
“Nico,” Annabeth said as if she were talking to a child. Nico counted as one, but he knew better. He was just directing his anger at them because he had no one else to blame. “That wasn’t either of their faults, and you know that. 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!”
Annabeth was about to speak but Kit opened his mouth first. “I am,” he told them quietly, looking at Nico. “I’m terrified and I don’t want to lose anybody else.”
“You should’ve thought about that before B– before you let her–”
“Nico!” Kit clenched his eyes shut. “How many times do I have to tell you I’m sorry? She was her own person and it's her own decision that got her killed! You can’t keep blaming me for something out of my control.”
Nico’s jaw clenched and he looked like he was going to cry. He hated seeing Nico cry.
“You say you want to bring her back,” he said.
Nico meekly nodded, eyes on the grass.
“Summon her.”
The sky seemed to grow darker in an instant.
He gritted his teeth after a quick look up, “You don’t think I’ve tried?”
“Do it again,” Percy murmured, hand on his chin.
“Why should I? She won’t answer. Just like every other time I’ve tried. She just won’t.”
“Try again. I’ve got a feeling she’ll answer, with us here.”
The boy scoffed, “Why would she? She barely knew you.”
“Because she’s been sending Kit and me messages,” he spoke, not realising what he was saying until it was out. He looked surprised but accepted it quickly. “She’s been trying to warn us what you’re up to, so we can protect you.”
Nico shook his head with a flat smirk, “That’s impossible.”
“Only one way to find out. You said you’re not afraid.” Percy turned to Kit and nodded before looking 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–”
“Fine,” Nico said and swallowed the spit collecting in his mouth. “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.”
—-------------
"He who is unable to live in society, or who had no need because he is sufficient for himself, must be either a beast or a god." - Aristotle in Socrates to Satre: A History in Philosophy Sixth Edition by Samuel Enoch Stumpf