I hope you all enjoy this chapter- I enjoyed writing it well enough. And just so you guys know I am literally nearly forty chapters ahead and I'm still undecided on if I should cut this one in half because of how long it will be so let me know what you think.

Geryon climbed out of the moo-mobile and strolled towards the stables as if enjoying the fresh air. It would have been a nice view with the river and the trees and the hills and all, if it wasn't for the smell and the sight of the horse muck.

Percy scrambled out of the moo-mobile quickly, her mind racing as she did- "You're going to sell us out aren't you?"

"Percy-"

"Now now." Geryon held up his hands as he turned and moved towards Percy, "Don't get all worked up darlin'. As much as I'd love to collect the reward the son of Hecate's offered up to anyone who can hand you over to him, I've already been paid very well indeed to give you and your little friends safe passage." his eyes flicked up and down, "Shame, I can't blame the boy- you're a pretty one-"

"Don't talk about her like that." Nico was at her side in a heart beat, and Annabeth would have been if Grover didn't grab her arms to stop her from trying to murder the monster.

"Oooh, the protective little brother-"

"He's not the only one." Leo's voice was shockingly angry- and was stood up glaring, as was Tyson, and Geryon seemed to find this all very amusing.

"Calm down now. I just told you kids that I'm not going to sell you out- well not all of you. See-" his smirk was incredibly nasty. "The deal was that I'd let through three demigods, two monsters. That doesn't include the daughter of Apollo or the son of Hades."

"No-" Percy shook her head.

"I'm afraid so." Geryon was taking a lot of pleasure in this, "See, the bounty for Di Angelo is almost as high as yours- apparently he thinks he can lure you in. So either way I win-"

"You're not selling me-" Nico drew his Stygian iron sword, and Percy's hand slipped into her pocket, fingers curling around Riptide- and then Geryon whistled and suddenly Orthus was in front of Percy lunging and she was on her back on the ground, hitting it hard with a loud cry- and she was faced with the stench of the dogs breath and two sets of teeth hovering less than an inch away from her face in a snarl.

"Percy!" Annabeth screamed her name- and Percy didn't have to look to know that the sound of struggling was her trying to escape from Grover's grip.

"Let her go!" that came from Leo, "You weirdo!"

"All of you are going to sit down." Geryon's voice was sharp, "Or Orthus will tear the precious daughter of Poseidon's throat out.

"You bastard." Nico snarled the word- and Percy couldn't see him but she could hear him moving forward-"

"Drop the sword boy. If you try and kill me Orthus will kill her. And remember I have your other little friend, do you want her to die?"

"You-"

"Drop. The. Sword."

And the sound of Nico's sword clattering on the ground made Percy grit her teeth, a rush of rage flooding through her.

"Now, Eurytion, if you would be so kind, secure Nico."

The cowherd spit into the grass Percy could see that much out of the corner of her eye as she very very slowly turned her head enough that she could see what was happening. "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, and Nico didn't struggle, his eyes glued to Percy- and she felt her own eyes burn with tears at the thought of Alabaster getting her brother.

"Pick up the sword, too," Geryon said 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."

"Let Percy up-"

"I will, when you're all behaving."

A fireball shot through the air- but Geryon ducked and it soared over his head- and the monster sighed heavily. "What part of the fact that I have your dear sister hostage don't you understand boy?" and Geryon moved, and his foot was suddenly pressing down on Percy's chest painfully. "Apologize."

"Let her go you freak!" Leo yelled the words, "Let my sister go-"

"Leo stop it!" Annabeth's voice was panicked, "You'll make things worse-"

"No! No he can't do this! He can't sell my brother and hurt my sister I won't let him I can't lose anyone else-"

"You don't have a choice." Geryon pressed down and Percy forced back a pained noise at the feeling, gritting her teeth. "Now sit down."

"Sit down." Tyson's voice was worried. "Or the nasty man will hurt her."

"I will. And I'll enjoy it

"Wait!" Percy stared up at Geryon, mind racing, "Wait! You said you're a business man right. Make me a deal."

Geryon narrowed his eyes. "What sort of deal? Do you have gold?"

"I've got something better. Barter."

"But Miss Jackson, you've got nothing to offer me- as pretty as you are I'm not interested in-"

"You could have her clean the stables," Eurytion suggested innocently, and Percy felt a rush of gratitude towards the son of Ares- he was trying to help in his own way, just as he'd tried to warn them.

"I'll do it!" she gasped. "If I fail, you get all of us. Trade us all to Alabaster for gold."

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

"Either way, you get your money. But if I succeed, you've got to let all of us go, including Nico and Kayla-"

"No!" Nico's voice was panicked, "No Percy if Alabaster gets you-"

"I know!" Percy spat the words, "I know and I don't care I'm not losing you Nico. I can do it I know I can."

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 you haven't got anything to lose right?" Percy gasped out as he ground his foot down painfully- she'd have a bruise there she was sure. "Come on, you call yourself a business man. This is a no brainer right?"

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." Percy didn't hesitate, even as Nico let out a pained noise

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

Eurytion gave Percy a funny look. It might have been sympathy. He whistled, and the dog jumped off of her and onto Annabeth's lap, which made her let out a yelp-and Percy clenched her fists.

She should have realized he'd do that, he'd need to have at least one of them as a hostage to make sure everyone else played nice- it was the only way Nico wouldn't just shadow travel out of there.

"Fine-"

"Can we at least say goodbye." Annabeth's voice was shaky and Percy could see that she was on the edge of tears.

"No. No you can't." and Geryon climbed back into the front behind the drivers wheel as Eurytion hauled Nico into the backseat. "And remember Miss Jackson. You have until sunset, no later."

Then he sounded his cowbell horn and the moo-mobile took off once more, rumbling down the trail and away as Percy slowly pushed herself up off the ground, watching them go before she got to her feet.

"Right." she muttered the word slowly before she turned to look at the stables, "Guess it's time to get clean."

She moved towards the fence, pressing her shirt over her nose to block out of the smell- not that it really worked.

One stallion waded through the muck and whinnied angrily at her. He bared his teeth, which were pointed like a bear's. And that was just weird to look at.

Percy usually loved horses but... no thank you. She pulled a face and shook her head.

Well, she was the daughter of Poseidon, horses usually loved her so she might as well try.

"Hey there. I'm going to clean your stables. That'd be pretty great right?"

"Yes!" The horse said. "Come inside! Eat you! Tasty half-blood!"

And huh. That was not the type of behaviour she was used to from horses.

"But I'm the daughter of Poseidon, my dad literally created horses. You guys usually like me-"

"Yes!" The horse agreed enthusiastically. "Poseidon can come in, too! We will eat you both! Seafood!"

"Seafood!" The other horses chimed in as they waded through the field. Flies were buzzing everywhere, and the heat of the day didn't make the smell any
better.

Percy forced herself to take a breath and think. She had agreed because she knew it had been done before- and she remembered how, though she did feel somewhat annoyed at it.

She hated doing things Hercules had done- the guy was an asshole and Percy despised him for what he'd done to Zoe- but if it was the only way to save Nico and her friends, well she'd do it.

She knew that he'd channelled a river into the stables and cleaned them out that way. And for a child of Poseidon that should be a lot easier than it had been for Hercules. But if she couldn't get close to the horses without getting eaten, that was a problem. And the river was downhill from the stables, a lot farther away than she'd realized, almost half a mile. The problem of the poop looked a lot bigger up close.

She picked up a rusted shovel and experimentally scooped some away from the fence line, though she knew it was pointless- doing it that way just wouldn't work.

The sun was already sinking too. Percy had a few hours at best and she decided the river was her only hope.

With that decided she started moving, heading down the hill.

When Percy got to the river, a girl was waiting for her, wearing jeans and a green tee, her long brown hair was braided with river grass and she had a stern
look on her face. Her arms were crossed. All in all, she didn't look happy to see the daughter of Poseidon.

"Oh no you don't," she spoke before Percy could even open her mouth.

"You're a naiad right?" Percy asked hesitantly.

"Of course I am. And I already know what you're going to ask and the answer is no. I'm not going to have my river used again to clean that filthy stable."

"I know it's horrible but-"

"Save it little miss princess. You ocean-god types always think that you're so much more important than some little river don't you-"

"I don't-"

"Well let me tell you that I'm not going to be pushed around by you just because your daddy is Poseidon. This is freshwater territory princess. The last guy who asked me for this favour-"

"Hercules I know-"

"He convinced me and that was the worst mistake I've ever made. Do you have any idea what all that horse manure does to my ecosystem? Do I look like a
sewage treatment plant to you? My fish will die. I'll never get the muck out of my plants. I'll be sick for years. NO THANK YOU!"

And Percy blinked, leaning back slightly at the onslaught- it kind of reminded her of Rachel when she was in one of her moods- the rapidfire ranting, the refusal to let someone else speak.

And Percy thought about it for a long moment- she couldn't blame the Naiad for not wanting that. "Hercules was an asshole who used you."

"He was." the Naiad declared before pausing, "Don't you heroes usually idolize him?"

"Oh gods no." Percy shook her head, "I hate the guy- I'm friends with another girl he used like he used you-"

"Well. He was handsome and he knew how to charm people." the Naiad almost softened slightly, "But that doesn't change anything."

"I don't want to ruin your river, I don't." Percy shook her head, "But- I'm desperate here. My little brothers and my friend and girlfriend are all in trouble, the only way to save them is to clean those stables."

"That's too bad but it's not my problem. You're not going to ruin my river like he did!"

She looked like she was ready for a fight. Her fists were balled, and Percy faltered when she heard a little quiver in her voice and with a rush of shock she realized that the Naiad was afraid of her. She thought Percy would attack her, fight her for control over the river- and she was worried that Percy would win.