AN: This story is now ranked fourteen of all Percy Jackson stories, third of all M stories, and first of all family/adventure stories! You guys are awesome! Who's up to getting it to the number one slot for all Percy Jackson fics here?
AN2: I'm also using the Geryon design from the actual myths instead of the one Riordan used.
Son of the Moon
Chapter 42
-Percy-
"Oh Iris, goddess of the rainbow, accept my offering and show me Hephaestus, god of the forge." He intoned as he tossed in the golden coin, the shimmering metal vanishing into motes of light, the rainbow glowing as the colors shifted into a screen that revealed the face of his uncle.
"Ah, Percy." The lord of fire said, looking up at the light from the screen before the god's eyes went wide, the hammer and hot metal that were being forged dropping to the ground in shock "Is…is that…?"
"Uncle, may I reintroduce Briares." He grinned, "Hundred Handed One and once more ally of Olympus."
"Percy this is just the news we needed." Hephaestus grinned "I'll send someone to bring him to Olympus." Hephaestus paused and seemed to be studying the image "I…I think you're near the Geryon dude ranch. Get to there and I'll have someone waiting for you, alright?"
"Uncle…we're in the Labyrinth. We're just as likely to wind up having scones on the Eifel Tower as actually find this dude ranch." He deadpans at the forge god.
"Oh, can we?" Bianca asked with a playful grin "sounds like a date to me. With those two it can even be a double date." She finished as she jerked her thumb at Nico and Amanda."
"Threat to camp now, scones later." Hephaestus chides but he could see the corner of the old god's mouth twitch in amusement "just keep going down the path you're on and you should smell fresh air. Follow it and you'll be fine."
"Sounds good Uncle, thanks." With a wave of his hand the message ended and Percy turned back to his comrades "Alright, we have a heading so let's move out." Picking up his pack he continued on, using his spear as a walking stick just for some small sound in the entombing silence of the Labyrinth.
Eventually, just like Hephaestus had said, the smell of fresh summer air came drifting almost lazily from down a side corridor, as tempting as a sirens song to those who had been trapped in the underground nightmare that was the labyrinth. "Looks like we found our exit." Nico grins before giving Briares a friendly slap on the back "you'll be out of here soon…lucky."
"Watch it Nico," he grinned "the role of best friend can be replaced should you continue this path of being a whiny little brat, you complain too much."
"Not little!" Nico rounded on him with faux anger "And no, I complain the perfect amount for my situation."
"Your situation?" he gaped in mock surprise and outrage, jabbing a finger into his friend's gut "I'm the one with the bloody prophecy over my head…again. I think the oracle is doing one of those punch card deals, 'ten prophecies completed and godhood is free!'.
"Only ten?" Nico snorted amused "You could handle that in a couple weeks if you wanted to."
"He'd better not." Bianca joined in the conversation "His job outside major quests is to be my pillow and he is not getting any vacation time."
"Do I get no say in this?" he chuckled out as Bianca latched onto his arm and proceeded to prove her point by using his shoulder as a pillow while they walked.
"Nope." Amanda answered for her friend as the daughter of Hermes did the same thing to her boyfriend.
"You…are not what I expected." Briares spoke up, confusion emanating from the voice of the hundred handed one at their behavior.
"What were you expecting then?" he asked, honestly curious as to what the ancient being expected for him to be like.
"A soldier, a general." Briares answered instantly "A force with a will of iron who is unfazed by anything the world throws at him. One who stares death and destruction calmly in the eye before ramming it through with a blade. An unshakable force of nature."
They all traveled in silence for a couple minutes, mulling over those words before he answered "I am a soldier Briares, and when needed I have led the demigods as their general. But a cold unfeeling wall like you're talking about? That isn't what my home needs. They had enough distant unapproachable forces when dealing with the gods in how they used to be before getting their act together. They need someone to look up to who is also just as human as them. Someone who can feel, who can laugh with them in joy, and hold them through silent tears in times of sadness. Someone they know they can approach and who will treat them and see them as an equal. They don't need a symbol, they don't need a paragon, or a mortal god. They need a brother, a friend, something human."
Now it was Briares turn to become silent, lost in thought as the hundred handed one adopted a thinking face. The silence remained even to the point when they reached the grate that led to what was clearly a dude ranch given the sound of cattle he could hear. A minor god he had seen with Hephaestus was waiting there for him and flashed Briares away who just waved absently.
"Nico," he said once Briares was gone, "mind removing the grate for us?"
"Wait what?" Bianca asked in surprised confusion even as Nico moved to fulfill his request "Why?"
"This ranch is owned by the monster Geryon," he explained as Nico tossed up the chained hooks and latched them onto the grate above them "it holds several of the gods sacred animals like Apollo's sacred cattle. He's also known to make deals and trades so I'm hoping that he knows something that could help us through the labyrinth."
It seems Nico got one thing from that as the son of Hades ripped the grate out from above them, tossing the second chain up and having it hook into the ground above them so they could climb out "Sacred cattle?"
"Yes, yes, the Holy Cow exists." He waved off the question as he began climbing "Now let's go, I could use some fresh air."
"Only Apollo." Nico sighed before following, the girls taking up the rear as they looked about the rolling hills that surrounded them. They didn't get much time to enjoy the scenery however before a rustling from the bushes turned into a sleek, brown, and very angry two headed dog. A moment later the dogs master came out as well, standing next to the growling canine.
The man was massive, well over six feet tall and covered in muscle. The man's white hair and white braided beard, though implying age, did little to remove from the intimidating appearance. "What do we have here?" the giant asked as his friends twitched warily, unsure about the situation "cattle rustlers?"
"Demigods Eurytion." Percy answered, stepping forward to talk to the immortal "On a quest. We stopped by to make a deal with your boss for some information."
Eurytion frowned at them, hefting the club he carried and resting it on his shoulder "I'll say this once half-bloods. Leave. You really don't want to be here."
"We need information." Nico said, unshaken despite the apparent nerves.
"Nico's right." Percy nodded, getting a bad feeling about the situation "We need to see your boss."
Sighing Eurytion pinched the bridge of his nose, "Alright then, don't say I didn't warn you. When you get to the boss' place you better follow the rules. No fighting, no drawing weapons, and no comments about his appearance. Got it?"
"Got it." They all replied in unison, recognizing how serious this situation was probably about to get. Following Eurytion in silence he took the opportunity to take in the surroundings, looking for any factors that could be a hindrance or an asset if things got dangerous. Finally, they got to a large house, all white stone and wood with massive windows. On the porch though, was Geryon.
The son of Chrysaor and the nymph Callirhoe, therefore technically his nephew by blood, relaxed on a large sofa to accommodate his unusual features. From the waist down Geryon seemed normal, apart from the sheer size of his legs. Above the waist things got weird as three separate torsos extended from the waist, each with its own head and set of arms. The left and right heads appeared to be asleep, leaving the middle one awake and in charge as that head raised an eyebrow at them.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't my famous uncle." The giant monster said with a smirk that put him on edge.
"By blood only." He scowled, "I am no son of that traitorous bastard you call grandfather."
"Um…Percy…who is this?" Nico asked warily, the tension in the air making his companions twitchy.
"Oh, how rude of me." Geryon stood up and the middle torso gave a dramatic bow "I am Geryon. Son of Chrysaor and grandson of Poseidon, therefore making me the nephew to your little friend there."
"You must be mistaken then." Bianca stepped forward, her gaze as cold and sharp as steel as she intertwined her fingers with his own "This is Percy Jackson, the son of Artemis."
"You've got guts girl." Geryon smirked, rolling a toothpick in the middle mouth "But you'd better watch who you mouth off to if you want em to stay inside of you."
"Look, we came to do business, not trade barbs." He spoke up before things could get worse "Are you interested or not?"
"Oh I'm always interested in making a deal." Geryon grinned "But I insist on giving you a tour of the ranch first." That said the giant started herding them over to a trolley train, painted in a black and white cow pattern complete with horns at the front.
"We never speak of this train ride again, agreed?" he whispered to the others as they got in, his friends nodding in agreement.
"And we're off!" Geryon said eagerly as the trolley started going, the giant in the front, Eurytion in the back, while he and his friends took up the middle car. "We have a huge operation!" Geryon said proudly as they drove in the idiotic vehicle "Mostly just horses and cattle but we have all sorts of exotic critters here too, like these." As we crested the first hill Geryon pointed at a pen with the first 'exotic critter'.
"Hippalektryons." He breathed in awe at the half horse half rooster creatures that even his mother had thought had gone extinct. That alone sent off warning bells in his head as if this monster hid species from the gods who knew what else he hid.
"Yep." Geryon grinned and gave a grin that could only be described as evil "They only lay one egg a year and while we have to keep some to keep the population steady most get sold for omelets. Very rare and very high value."
"They're an endangered species." Bianca protested aghast at the blasé cruelty Geryon was showing.
"So?" Geryon asked with a raised eyebrow "Gold is gold darling; best you learn that now." Putting a hand on Bianca's he gave it a light squeeze, urging her to remain quiet…for now. "Now over here we have the fire breathing horses you might have seen on your way in. Bred for war of course."
That he could believe. The horses looked magnificent and dangerous, their coats either a brilliant white or a dark almost charcoal like black. Their manes were formed of fire itself, pools of it filled their empty eye sockets and danced around their hooves. With every snort a small gout of fire came from their nostrils. Some had bright red flames, others had flames that were blue or white. He did see in the back some stronger looking horses with black coats and fires that were either royal purple or apparently made of Greek fire. One of them even had flames that shone a brilliant silver, contrasting with its charcoal black coat.
One of the horses, the silver flamed one that looked to be the leader of its group, locked eyes with him. Unable to stop himself he nodded in respect to the noble beast who returned the gesture before resuming eating the flaming hay.
"Next we have our prized red cows, the sacred cattle of Apollo!" Geryon's voice practically oozed greed as they looked over the field of hundreds of cows. Frowning he looked at the sheer number, he had talked with Apollo about them before but Apollo said there were a hundred at most, not this massive herd. "We have to keep breeding them since there's such a high demand."
"What sort of…demand." He asked, forcing himself to remain calm and not lash out.
"Why meat of course." Geryon snorted "Those stupid cows make the best damn hamburgers you'll ever eat." Clenching his jaw, he stars drumming his fingers on the plastic seat next to him, using a fast but complicated code he had some of the other demigods help him develop to tell the others to be ready for a fight but stand down for now as he needed more information. "Next we have some of our more exotic animals." Geryon continued.
"Oh boy, here we go." He heard Eurytion mutter before the immortal son of Ares plugged his nose. A moment later he realized why as the foul smell hit them like a truck.
"Oh gods what is that?" Amanda wretched at the stench.
"Flesh eating horses." Geryon grinned "They belong to Aegeas but we watch over them for a small monthly fee." Getting closer he saw mountains and mountains of manure, steaming in the summer heat with flies buzzing about.
"Why in the bloody name of Tartarus would anyone need a flesh eating horse?" the daughter of Hermes asked, her voice nasally as she held her nose shut.
"Garbage disposal, scaring enemies, dangerous steeds for battle, great for birthday parties." Geryon listed off happily as the continued on, thankfully away from the stench and back towards the ranch house.
"Alright Geryon," he said as they got out "we've had the tour. Now, are you ready to make a deal?"
"Well…that's the thing." Geryon have him a, clearly fake, look of sympathy and regret "I already made one with the Titans to sell them any demigods I sent their way. If you showed up I was to send you for double the cost…same for her head." The giant finished, while pointing at Bianca "That Grace girl is rather insistent."
"I should have known." He spat, drawing riptide in his right hand and his Kanabo in his left "Geryon, I challenge you to single combat to the death."
"My death your capture." Geryon countered "I'm not going to miss out on getting paid 'uncle'."
"Fine." He spat as Eurytion ushered his friends back "You ready?"
"Bring it." Geryon grinned before grabbing six axes from a nearby stand and charging, the other two torsos awake now and the six arms acting like a whirlwind of blades.
"Whoa!" he exclaimed, back flipping back and away from the veritable blender of death that was his opponent to look for an opening
"Hold still brat!" Geryon roared, charging once again as he finally saw an opening when Geryon reared back to do the whirlwind like strike.
Once more he leapt, this time up and over the giant, throwing one of the vials from his bandolier down as it hit the monster and shattered releasing the large amount of water that had been contained within the expanded space, the water freezing with his will to hold Geryon in place as he landed and slid back.
Roaring in fury Geryon flexed and shattered the ice, charging once more and preparing to use that same attack. Smirking he rushed forward, bringing the kanabo up in his left hand to black the whirlwind and stop it while thrusting Riptide forward, into Geryon's mouth and out the back of his head. Ripping his sword out he waited for Geryon to disintegrate only for the blood covered middle face to smirk at him, "Nice try boy." The monster growled, blood flying out as Geryon healed before his eyes "I have three bodies, three hearts. So long as one beats I can't die!"
"Of course you can't." he sighed as he reared his leg back and kicked Geryon between the legs to buy some time as he moved away "Try growing those back."
"You know," Geryon growled in furious pain "Killing you might be worth not getting the gold.
"I'm flattered," he snarked, giving a mocking bow as Geryon got up shakily "but you really shouldn't have told me that fact about your hearts."
"Why's that?" Geryon snarled "You only have two hands, there's no way you can stab all three at once."
"No…but I can do this." Thrusting his hand out he felt the ground rumble around him before the pipes burst from underground, a surge of water rushing into the sky at his command. Using Geryon's moment of shock he tossed three more vials into the surge and controlled the flood, shoving the water, and the vials, down each of the giant's throats. "Tick tick boom" he grinned before the vials exploded into shards of ice that shredded the giant from the inside out, leaving naught but gold dust behind, settling lazily on the ice.
"Not bad kid." Eurytion smirked letting his friends rush over to him "At least now I'll get some quiet for the next century."
"You could try working for Olympus you know." He suggested as Bianca checked over him for injuries "Maybe make this place respectable? Uncle Hades could probably get you some skeletons from the field of punishment to clean those shit filled stables. Maybe when that idiot reforms he'd end up working for you."
"Working for me eh?" Eurytion thought about it "That does sound tempting. I'll give it some thought kid. Anyway, what was it you wanted from three face anyway?"
"A way to find Daedalus." Nico explained while kicking at the ice spikes.
"In that case I might be able to help." Eurytion reached into his shirt and pulled out a metal disk "Did a favor for the old forge god a few centuries ago and got this, it will lead me to him. While the gods can't offer help on a quest normally there is a loophole that if you can find them you can make a deal to get help. He has a forge reachable through the labyrinth so use this and you'll have at least a lead."
"Thanks." Percy said gratefully, shaking hands with the immortal son of Ares as he, and his group, once more returned to the darkness of the labyrinth.