The Dragon's Daughter

xxiii. HAPPY FLUSH DISPOSAL 59 CO.

Geryon 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.

This will take a while. Better sit down for the show, she thought.

Percy went on the attack. 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 Geryon right through the middle chest.

"Aghhh!" He crumpled to his knees. Percy has the look on his face. The same as he watched monsters disintegrate.

Oh Percy, if only it were that easy, she thought. Monsters just don't die easily do they?

Instead of showering into golden dust, Geryon 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 landed next to Annabeth's face, and she let out a muffled scream.

Yikes. Better move it. Elora stood from her front row seat and slammed the edge of her sword to the hot coal, aiming for Geryon. His yelp from the burn made her smile.

"You," Geryon spat.

"Oops." My hand slipped.

Tyson strained against his bonds, but even his strength wasn't enough to break them.

Can a god break free from something like that?

Don't even think about it.

But-

Nope. Don't try it. It's stupid.

Not if it is for scientific purposes.

Is it though?

... Not really.

After spacing out and missing a lot, she saw Percy jabbing Geryon in the left chest, but he only laughed. He stuck Gery in the right stomach. No good.

Three hearts. The perfect backup system. Stabbing one at a time was no good.

Percy ran into the house.

"Coward!" he cried. "Come back and die right!"

Geryon followed inside.

"Give me a minute," she said, already working on cutting the bonds trapping her friends.

Annabeth was the first one out. Grover second. Tyson was last.

"Better?"

"Thanks."

"Sure," Elora said. "Now, who wants to see what's happening inside?"

☼︎☼︎❁☼︎☼︎

The living room walls were decorated with a bunch of gruesome hunting trophies—stuffed deer and dragon heads, a gun case, a sword display, and a bow with a quiver.

How come we didn't see that one?

Geryon threw his barbecue fork, and it thudded into the wall right next to Percy's head. He drew  two swords from the wall display. "Your head's gonna go right there, Jackson! Next to the grizzly
bear!"

At least he won't eat it right?

Percy dropped Riptide and grabbed the bow off the wall.

Percy was the worst archery shot in the world. He couldn't hit the targets at camp, much less a bull's eye.