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https://discord.gg/fB4uMXhWF8
"So where are we going now?" Annabeth asked, as she thought about where they could go next.
"Vegas, its time the lotus eaters find something else to put on their resume." Perseus said, glancing at her sideways.
"So where is our ride?" Grover asked him, as he looked around for any public transport. He couldn't see one.
"That will do just fine." Perseus said, pointing to a truck on the opposite side of the road.
Annabeth and Grover followed his direction and looked at the bus, the god had graciously chosen for them. They read the name and turned to look at him incredulously.
KINDNESS INTERNATIONAL: HUMANE ZOO TRANSPORT.
WARNING: LIVE WILD ANIMALS.
Third Person Pov
When the questers were situated inside the truck, they each had different reactions. Grover started muttering curses and threats. Annabeth felt anger, and Perseus eyes teared up. Oh! What's the reason for that?
The truck they were in wasn't a kindness truck; it was a smuggling vehicle. The most pathetic animals were residing inside; an albino lion, a zebra, and an antelope, and two wolves.
Someone had thrown the lion and the wolves some turnips, that they obviously didn't want to eat. The zebra and the antelope had each gotten a Styrofoam tray of hamburger meat. The zebra's mane mattered with chewing gum, like somebody had been spitting it in their spare time. The antelope had a stupid silver birthday balloon tied to one of his horns.
Grover and Annabeth helped the antelope, lion, and the zebra; while Perseus crouched next to the wolf cage. He snapped open the cage with his bare hands and tried to get the wolves to come out. The little pup wolf came out and nuzzled next to the god, but the mother wolf didn't move.
"She's dead," Perseus said in a low whisper. Annabeth and Grover barely heard it.
"The mother wolf, she is dead. The mortals on this truck killed my sacred animal due to their lack of empathy." Perseus growled from the back of his throat. What had happened to the world? They didn't care for the place they lived in, and now they are torturing them.
Annabeth looked at Perseus through sad eyes; until now she had not seen him this heartbroken. She could feel the anger radiating off him.
"The mortals disgust me at times, they have no care of the world they live in. Polluting the environment wasn't enough so now they torture the animals too." Grover said, without hiding the disgust in his words. He spoke the words that Perseus thought of.
"I need you to do something for me Satyr," Perseus ordered; his voice wasn't kind like they were used to. It was trembling with rage. It was the commanding voice of a god.
"Anything Lord Perseus," Grover replied quickly. He may have become friends with the god, but Perseus was still a god. He didn't want to offend him by denying.
"I need you to do perform a particular special satyr spell. I can't do it, only a satyr can; I need you to do Pan's farewell blessing." Perseus said, and looked at Grover.
Grover gasped and his eyes went wide; even the council of cloven elders couldn't perform that particular blessing. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He couldn't even perform basic tracking spells accurately. How could he cast a spell of this grandeur?
"What is it?" Annabeth asked, seeing Grover's reaction. It felt like an important thing and she didn't know about it. She hated not knowing things.
"It's the personal blessing of Lord Pan, he used the blessing to allow the animals that had passed to join the resting place of immortals. The realm of the faded, it is supposed to be the greatest resting place, it would make the Isles of the blest look like a slum." Grover answered her.
"Then why don't you do it?" Annabeth asked again. She couldn't understand what Grover was waiting for.
"Because no one other than Lord Pan has been able to do it." Grover said, and both he and Annabeth looked at Perseus incredulously. Seriously, was his brain filled with seaweed? How did he expect Grover to do something that no one had done before?
"How is he supposed to do what others couldn't?" Annabeth asked him.
"I believe he can, with correct guidance." Perseus motioned Grover to come forward. Something about his voice convinced them that Grover could do it. Grover nodded and agreed to try the spell. Perseus had Grover crouch down and put his hand on the wolf's head.
"Channel your emotions more clearly. Think about how the wild gone now makes you feel anger, how the mistreated animals make you feel rage." Perseus said, and he could see Grover getting mad. "Now imagine about how the wild is supposed to be, how the animals used to run free. You might not get to see it Grover, but you can help this wolf see it."
"Feel the presence of Pan beneath you, every satyr alive is his kin. You all share the traits he had, just imagine it." Perseus said, and he could see the change in Grover. The usual scrawny satyr that lacked confidence, now had his back straightened. Perseus could also sense that nature's magic was growing stronger in him.
Grover could not believe it, but he could actually feel the wild. On the inside of the running truck he could smell the wild; he moved down and spoke the blessing in the dead wolf's ears, and stepped back.
Annabeth sat still in silence as she observed Grover do the blessing. His posture had changed after what Percy had told him. She could see that he was more determined, more so than she had ever seen him before.
The mother wolf slowly turned into ash and disappeared. Grover and Annabeth had only seen a monster do that before, not any animals. Grover was shocked and amazed at himself that it worked. Perseus was smiling widely, and it made both his companions smile too.
Annabeth felt her heart flutter when she saw the genuine smile on his face. She didn't understand what it meant; she was unsure about this feeling.
"How did it work?" She asked him, amazed; both Grover and her turned to him to hear his answer.
He smiled at her and she felt the same unfamiliar feeling fill her being, "Satyrs are empathetic beings, they feel everything. The world around them, they feel the emotion of people around them. They have to channel their own emotions to do the nature magic that they are capable of, I just helped Grover find his."
Annabeth nodded and smiled. She had learned a lot of things just by traveling with Percy, things that no one in the Athena cabin knew about. She wanted to learn as much as she could in this quest. A god himself spreading his wisdom, there was no way she was going to miss out on that.
The wolf nuzzled against Annabeth's legs, and she picked it up. It tried to howl, but it came out like a high pitched bark. She chuckled and scratched his neck, "You're so cute," she told him.
I am not cute. I am dangerous, and vicious. Annabeth heard someone talk inside my brain. She almost dropped the pup in shock. She looked around to see Grover and Percy looking at her with a smirk.
"Wait did I just hear the wolf in my head?" She asked them. How could she have heard the pup? She had only heard an owl speak to her before, and that was only because it was her mother's sacred animal.
Percy nodded and replied, "It might me by blessing. I am the god of wolves, they are my sacred animals. You are able to talk with them and command them now."
Annabeth gaped at him for a minute. Perseus had informed her that he had blessed her, but she hadn't acknowledged it that much until now. She didn't even know his full domains, but knew already that he was the most powerful god alive. What would his blessing entail?
"We have to free the other animals," Grover said to them.
"We will once we reach Vegas, until we will then suffer through it," Percy said, and left no room for arguments.
They settled down in the truck and decided to rest until they reached Vegas. Grover had fallen asleep soon; he kept mumbling about 'food' in his sleep. Annabeth and Perseus sat side by side. The little wolf pup refused to leave Annabeth and slept in her lap.
Perseus decided to break the silence and asked, "Why did you leave your home at a young age?"
Annabeth stiffened at his question. She didn't like talking about her past, especially about her family. But Perseus had been a good friend; he had treated her with respect and as an equal. Something no one has done before. She decided that she could trust him with sharing her past.
"My father, he is a history professor. He never wanted me, so when Athena sent Zephyrus to deliver me, he wasn't pleased with the gift. You know how that works don't you?" Annabeth looked at Perseus.
Perseus nodded, Athena's children were meant to be gifts for mortals. To show that they had impressed the goddess with their intellect to the point she deemed them worthy of raising her children. It was meant to be the biggest honor one could receive.
Annabeth continued, seeing him nod, "My father resented me ever since I was born Percy. He asked to take me back, Athena wasn't pleased by it and said that heroes were meant to be raised by their mortal parents, so he did his best to raise me. That was until he got himself a mortal wife, and had two mortal children. My stepmother treated me like a freak, she wouldn't let me play with her children. Whenever something monster related would happen they give me 'How dare you put your family at risk' look. I finally took the hint that I wasn't wanted and ran away."
Annabeth was sobbing silently; the topic of her mortal family was still a sore subject for her. Perseus draped his arm across her shoulder to comfort her; she relaxed in his embrace, and rested her head on his shoulder.
"You were just seven and all alone. How did you meet Thalia & Luke?" Perseus asked her.
"Athena guided me for some time, until I met some unexpected friends. They took care of me from there till I reached camp." Annabeth answered.
"You ever tried reconnecting with your father?" Perseus asked, and he observed that she was fiddling with a college ring. It must be her father's he thought.
"Once, he wrote to me, said he was sorry and that he loved me. He wanted me to come back home, and like an idiot I listened. I went home for the school year, my stepmom still didn't like me. She didn't want a freak in her house, monster attacked, we argued, monster attacked again, we argued again. I couldn't take it and called Chiron and came back to camp." Annabeth pressed her face against his shoulders to hide the tears that were threatening her eyes.
"Maybe you should try again."
"Please I'm not into self-inflicted pain," Annabeth sniffed her nose.
"Families are tricky things Annabeth, you have to make sacrifices for it. Your father was a young man when he had you, it must have been hard for him to look after a little child, when he was barely managing himself." Perseus raised his hand to stop Annabeth, when he saw that she was going to interrupt.
"I'm not saying that he was right, but he wasn't completely wrong. I'm 8000 years old, and I'm not confident that I could look after a child out of nowhere. Your stepmother I don't know her personally, but I can understand her fear. She was afraid for her children and for you. She would've been frustrated that she couldn't help you, no matter what she tried." Perseus said, and Annabeth doubted everything she had known about her family.
"How do you know that what you have said is true?" Annabeth asked in a soft voice, like she was afraid to hope that it might've been true.
Perseus smiled sadly at her; he could see her doubt. Doubt that what she knew about her family was wrong. Doubt that she was important enough for her family to care for her. No one should have such thoughts.
"My sister is the goddess of family, I think I have picked up a few things from her over the years." Perseus chuckled and Annabeth nodded.
Pretty soon she fell asleep against his shoulder. Perseus kept awake thinking, they had reached the west, and still no sign of the bolt or the helm was there. He could feel that something bad was going to happen in Vegas, but he couldn't figure out what?
He knew that Kronos himself was going to intervene at some point in the quest. The first Titan war had taken almost 10 years, but Perseus knew that this war would take about half of that, and be much more brutal. The giants had risen too, and if Poryphyrion was right, Gaea too, was stirring.
A war with Titans, Giants, and a Primordial uniting together as allies. Nothing about that was comforting to Perseus. He would have to gather allies of his own if they were to have any chance of surviving. The most brutal war Olympus had ever seen was coming.
Annabeth woke up with a start. Grover was shaking her shoulders. "The truck's stopped," he said, "we think they are coming to check on the animals."
Annabeth nodded and looked at Perseus, "What's he doing?" She asked when she saw the god sitting without a care.
"Don't worry I have hidden us from the drivers using the mist." Perseus said nonchalantly.
Annabeth relaxed, and an idea sprang into her mind. "Help the animals, I have a plan." She said, putting on her invisibility hat and disappeared.
The trailer doors creaked open. Sunlight and heat poured in.
"You hot stripes? Don't worry, we'll be getting rid of you this stop. You like magic shows? You're going to love this one. They're gonna saw you in half!" One of the truckers said and splashed the animals with water.
The zebra looked at Perseus, and prayed. Free me, Lord. Please.
Perseus nodded and was about to take care of the trucker, when a loud banging was heard. The trucker confused went to check on it, and again something banged.
Grover and Perseus looked at each other in confusion; that's when Annabeth appeared next to them. She was smirking, "Come on they are knocked out, let's help the animals and leave."
Perseus laughed, he was liking her more by the second. They released the animals onto the roads of Vegas, and Grover put up a satyr sanctuary on them. So that they might reach the wild safely.
The little wolf pup wouldn't go away no matter how much they tried. I want to stay with her. He whined nuzzling against Annabeth's legs.
"Someone has an admirer," Percy smirked at Annabeth.
Annabeth laughed and picked up the wolf, "I don't want to send him away but he can't come with us." She said, frowning at the last part.
Perseus took the wolf from her and it vanished in a flash of light. "He is in my palace on Olympus, we can get him after the quest."
Annabeth nodded, and the questers began their search for the lair of the lotus eaters.
Line-Break
The trio stood in front of the Lotus hotel & casino.
"Won't we be affected by the enchantment if we went inside?" Grover asked afraid of the time trap.
"Annabeth won't be because she has my blessing. You on the other hand are susceptible to the charm, so stay close with either me or Annabeth. Don't touch anything, don't accept anything they offer you." Perseus said to him, and he nodded.
The entrance to the hotel was designed in the shape of a huge neon lotus flower. No one was going in or out, but the doors were wide open.
Annabeth swore she could smell a lotus flower, even if she hadn't smelled one before. They went in and a man from reception greeted them, "Welcome to the Lotus Hotel & Casino. Do you kids want to come in?" He asked them with a smile.
Annabeth nodded and smiled, saying they would love to. Just as they reached inside, both her and Grover exclaimed, "Woah."
The whole lobby was a giant game room, and not those cheesy old Pac-Man games or slot machines. There was an indoor water-slide snaking around the glass elevator, which went straight up at least forty floors. There was a climbing wall on the side of one building, and an indoor bungee-jumping bridge. There were virtual-reality suits with working laser guns. And hundreds of video games, each one the size of a widescreen TV. Basically, you name it, this place had it. There were a few other kids playing, but not that many. No waiting for any of the games. There were waitresses and snack bars all around, serving every kind of food you could imagine.
"Hey!" a bellhop said. At least Annabeth guessed he was a bellhop. He wore a white-and-yellow Hawaiian shirt with lotus [258] designs, shorts, and flip-flops. "Welcome to the Lotus Casino. Here's your room key."
Grover moved to take the key, before Annabeth smacked his arm. She took the key and smiled at the bellhop. "Don't we have to pay for it?" She asked, maintaining her cover.
"No, no," he said, laughing, "The bill's taken care of. No extra charges, no tips. Just go on up to the top floor, Suite 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 Lotus-Cash cards. They work in the restaurants and on the games and rides." He handed them a green plastic credit card.
Annabeth took hers, and Grover's, not letting Grover accept anything from them. "When does it run out of cash?" Annabeth asked, the cards seemed genuine, and she wondered curiously.
He laughed. "Oh, you're making a joke. Hey, that's cool. Enjoy your stay." He said and left them.
As soon as he was out of reach, Annabeth turned to Perseus, "What do we do now?"
Perseus looked around, "Go and enjoy the games while I fuck some shit up." He said, grinning like a maniac.
Annabeth and Grover laughed at the child-like god and left. Annabeth made sure to keep Grover within arm's reach.
Perseus looked at the helpless peoples stuck in here, and anger coursed through him. He closed his eyes and concentrated in his domain of time. Slowly, slowly, a gold flash of light covered everyone in the hotel. Perseus opened his eyes, and they were glowing such bright gold, that one could've mistaken them for a miniature sun.
The people that were covered with gold light glowed, which caused Annabeth and Grover to shield their eyes. When they opened their eyes, everyone except the hotel staff was gone, vanished. Hundreds if not thousands of people were gone, in an instant.
They ran to Perseus; he was on his knees, panting heavily. Annabeth helped him get up, "What did you do?"
Perseus heaved and answered, "I sent them back to their time, from the moment they were plucked from."
Annabeth's eyes widened. "What about the rules of time-travel. Won't this change the timeline, if they suddenly appear in the time they weren't supposed to?" She asked, she had read a lot of science books, and they all said that altering the past would affect everything in the future.
Perseus chuckled at her concern and answered, "I am the God of Time Annabeth. Time follows me, not the other way around."
Annabeth nodded, gods don't follow the rules of nature. "So what next?"
That's when they noticed that all the staff in the lotus hotel were armed. And they were coming after them. Perseus summoned his trident and smirked, "Now you see why I am known as the destroyer." He said, and slammed his trident against the marble floor.
The ground rattled with a force that sent shockwaves all around them. The marble floor cracked and debris spilled upwards. The staff all fell to the floor as they couldn't maintain his balance. Perseus grabbed the duo and vanished in a breeze of mist. They appeared outside the hotel to see it crumbling to dust. The entire place that was once the hotel was now a blazing inferno.
"It's a shame this place is gone now, it was a good place to remain unseen." Someone said behind them. They turned to see a large man, almost 7 feet tall. He was wearing hunting garb. Knives sheathed on a belt at his waist. A bow and quiver slung over his shoulders. A ski cap was on his hand, as he looked at them, smirking.
Perseus turned to look at the person, and he identified him. "What are you doing here?"
The man smirked and his hands went to the quiver on his back. The trio tensed and went alert. But instead of an arrow, he pulled out the master bolt. The ski top, resting in his other hand, was transformed into an elaborate bronze war helmet.
Annabeth and Grover gasped, "Who are you?" Annabeth asked. Her voice quivered at fear and anticipation. They had traveled all this time searching for those weapons, and now they were here. In the hands of this unknown individual, by his aura they could tell that he was powerful.
"Annabeth, Grover meet Lelantos, Titan of air, hunter's skill of hunting prey, and the unseen." Perseus informed them, and then turned to the Titan. "What are you doing here Lelantos? You stayed out of the last war."
The man now identified as Lelantos growled, "And what did staying out of the war got us? The Peaceful Titans were still captured, imprisoned. Forced to live a life of isolation, tell me Perseus why shouldn't we go to war against your family."
Perseus stayed silent; he had urged his siblings to do the right thing, but they didn't. He stayed out of the conflict because he didn't want to do force his family. But now he realized how wrong that was. He was being selfish by refusing to take responsibilities.
"I know my family were wrong the way they treated the peaceful Titans, and I would change them soon. Just give me the weapons so we don't have to fight. I bore you no ill," Perseus tried to placate his anger.
Lelantos thought for a moment, then shook his head, like someone was whispering in his head, "It matters not the Olympians have grew arrogant in their rule. The Titans will rule once again, my Lord Kronos is rising, and he will bring forth the golden age." He said, and slid the bolt and the helm back into his quiver. Lelantos unsheathed the knives, and held them in a threatening manner, "And I should do my king a favor by taking out Olympus' best chance at surviving. He will reward me greatly for your head."
Perseus sighed internally, he didn't want to fight him, but he had no choice now. He looked around at the busy road of Las Vegas; he stopped time around him so they wouldn't get hurt much. He summoned his trident and stood in a fighting position. "As you wish."