𝐏𝐘𝐑𝐑𝐇𝐈𝐂 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄, 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐲 𝐣𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬𝐨𝐧

09 - hey torture devices aren't cool!!

𓆩ꨄ︎𓆪

GERYON FORCED THEM INTO A TROLLEY, one of those things that looked like little trains that would tour you around zoos or theme parks. It was covered in sloppy cow print, with a set of longhorns on the hood and a horn that sounded like a moo.

A motherfucking moo-mobile.

Percy froze when he saw it, making a face that said he'd rather die a painful, horrible death than be forced to get on that train. Elia couldn't help but agree, mumbling, "Is this hell?" The two demigods stood beside the trolley while the others boarded, giving each other a sidelong glance.

Elia shuddered, glancing behind her as she stage-whispered, "Run for it." Percy gave a wide-eyed nod, turning around slowly and grabbing the blonde's elbow. The two teens started to tiptoe away quietly before two hands grabbed their collars. Eurytion stood behind them, looking very unimpressed.

Without a word, the cowherd set them down next to Annabeth on the trolley, retreating to sit with Nico in the back. Annabeth sighed, cocking a brow and mumbling, "I need to get you two leashes."

Elia gave her best friend a lazy grin, propping her feet up on the car in front of them and crossing her arms over her chest. "I'll only wear one of the animal backpack leashes. Oooh, maybe a little monkey?"

"Can I have a shark one?" Percy propped an arm on the back of the seat, reaching around Elia to poke Annabeth's shoulder teasingly.

The daughter of Athena rolled her eyes, but the small grin she was fighting off her lips gave a sneak peek of the fondness she found in the duo.

The moo-mobile lurched into motion as Elia reached up to take the hair ties out of her double braids, carefully unweaving the strands. As they moved, Geryon pointed out different things boasting, "We have a huge operation! Horses and cattle mostly, but all sorts of exotic varieties, too."

The trolley came over a hill, and Annabeth gasped. "Hippalektryons?"

Elia didn't look up from the tangled knot she was trying to straighten. "Bless you."

"I thought they were extinct!"

Geryon went on about how the Hippo-la-whatever's eggs were in demand for omelets— Elia could go for an omelet— and apparently, that wasn't a good thing because the animals were endangered. (Elia isn't good at paying attention.)

"Now, over here," Geryon continued with a shit-eating grin, "we have our fire-breathing horses, which you may have seen on your way in. They're bred for war, naturally."

"What war?" Percy frowned, tilting his head to the side. Elia finished untangling her hair and ran her hands through it, trying to shake out all the dust and shit from the blonde waves.

Geryon grinned slyly. "Oh, whichever one comes along. And over yonder, of course, are our prize red cows."

Elia did tune in at that point because multiple of the animals came trotting over to their trolley, trying to get closer to the blonde. "Is this like paparazzi?" she murmured, peeping around Percy to stare cautiously at a cow. "Am I famous to cows?"

Grover raised his brows. "There's a lot."

"Yes, well, Apollo is too busy to see them," Geryon explained, "so he subcontracts to us. We breed them vigorously because there is such a demand."

Percy furrowed his brow, asking, "For what?"

Geryon chuckled in a way that made it seem like the joke was only funny to him. "Meat, of course! Armies have to eat."