Snow White- Percy Jackson¹

Chapter Twelve

The Lotus Flower and Casino

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Immediately Snow's warning radar went off. Spreading her feet and bending slightly, she glared up at the doorman. They could be dealing with a Medusa situation all over again, and she would rather not go through the same motions as last time. But at the same time, he looked normal looking, unlike Medusa who had certain parts of her clothes odd about her to hide the extremely odd parts. And he smiled sympathetically, as if he could understand the struggles they were going through. When they entered, Snow's breath was taken away.

The whole lobby was a giant game room, or an amusement park would be the better description. A giant waterslide that snaked around the glass elevator that twisted up to at least fifty floors. A climbing wall on one side of the building (that wasn't pouring lava and having death traps at every turn), indoor bungee jumping bridge, hundreds of video games, the amounts were endless. Snow's brown eyes grew, she's never been in an arcade before, but she can bet they weren't as amazing as this casino.

"Hey!" A bellhop said, although Snow couldn't really tell who he was or if he even worked. He wore a Hawaiian white and yellow shirt littered with lotus designs, shorts and a flip-flop. Taking in his appearance, Snow briefly wondered if the place had a beach. "Welcome to the Lotus Casino. Here's your room key."

He must have been joking. Maybe he mistook them for families who actually paid for them. Snow profusely shook her head while Percy stammered.

"I'm sorry sir, but we didn't pay-"

He laughed. "No, no," he said. "The bill's taken care of. No extra charges, no tips. Just go on up to the top floor, loom 4001. If you need anything, like extra bubbles for the hot tub, or skeet targets for the shooting range, or what-ever, just call the front desk. Here are your LotusCash cards. They work in the restaurants and on all the games and rides."

He handed them each a plastic green card.

The four stared at the card in a mix of awe and horror. Looking at how shiny and fancy the design was, it was no hesitation that this didn't come cheap.

"How much is on here?" Percy asked.

His brows knitted together. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, when does it run out of cash?"

He laughed again. "Oh, you're making a joke. Hey, that's cool. Enjoy your stay."

As he walked away, the four friends shared uncertain looks. Shrugging it off for now, they took the elevator upstairs to check out their room. Opening the door, the room was more of a suite than your typical hotel room. Four separate bedrooms, two each on opposite corners of the room. A bar stocked with candy, sodas and chips. Hotline to room service, fluffy towels, water beds, a big-screen television with a satellite and high-speed internet. The balcony even had its own hot tub and the view of the Strip and dessert was beautiful. What once a place where Snow and her friends were dying from the inside out mere seconds ago looked amazing from a wide view.

"Oh my goodness," said Annabeth. "This place is..."

"Sweet," Grover said. "Absolutely sweet."

As Snow was observing the place, she saw something at a desk beside one of the beds. When she picked it up, it was a cream for sunburns. Eyes wide, she quickly placed it back, alternating between her red spotted skin to the cream itself.

"Weird is how I would describe it." Snow muttered.

She noticed Percy looking into the closet, bringing out a shirt and holding it in front with a frown of his face. He had a similar thought as well. Sighing, Snow took the shower first. The hot water was paradise, as soon as the water hit, Snow let out a sigh of content. There was shampoo and body wash already in the bath stacks, ready to use. They all came in different scents and it was satisfying washing all the sweat and dirt from their days old quests off. Unfortunately she couldn't enjoy the shower fully. Her mind won't leave the situation with her father alone, and it made her eyes sting. She hoped her siblings don't somehow know about any of this, she prayed her father wouldn't say anything (not that he has a reason to, but still, it's possible). Her feelings regarding Ares were still very mixed. She didn't appreciate him tricking her and her friends into retrieving something that he knew was a trap and ended up humiliating them in front of the gods. But at the same time, she wished, just once, that her father would see her. Snow knows that she's not the ideal Ares kid, she knows that she's not angry 24/7.