TW: TALKS OF ABUSE AND NEGLECT
Please, if you are experiencing such activities in the home, ask for help. You are not alone.
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As much as I wanted to throw hands with the god, I was barely awake enough to breathe.
Annabeth's arm was slung around my middle as I struggled to stay awake.
"Well, well, you didn't get yourself killed," Ares laughed when we made it back to the restaurant parking lot.
"You knew it was a trap," Percy snapped at him.
"Bet that crippled black-smith was surprised when he netted a couple of stupid kids. You looked good on TV," The god taunted. He nodded at me and smirked, "Even you, lil mistake."
Before I could stop myself, I shot back, "You're a jerk."
Then Percy just kinda threw the shield at him.
Both of our actions made Annabeth and Grover stiffen and stop breathing.
Before I could blink, Ares took the shield and flipped it in the air, magically turning it into a bulletproof vest, which he slung across his back.
"See that truck over there?" The god pointed to a huge eighteen-wheeler across the street. "That's your ride. Take you straight to L.A., with one stop in Vegas."
I could actually read the sign on the side of the truck as it was in a good font for dyslexic kids, KINDNESS INTERNATIONAL: HUMANE ZOO TRANSPORT. WARNING: LIVE WILD ANIMALS.
I blinked a few times, and Percy voiced what I was thinking, "You're kidding."
Ares snapped his fingers, and the lock on the door unlatched, "Free ride west, punk. Stop complaining. And here's a little something for doing the job."
He threw a blue backpack at Percy, who opened it as I moved to his side, leaving Annabeth's stiff form behind.
Inside were clothes for all of us, twenty bucks, some golden drachmas, and a bag of Double Stuf Oreos.
"I don't want your lousy—" Percy started to say rudely.
"Thank you, Lord Ares," Grover interrupted, giving both of us a look that said shut up! "Thanks a lot."
Percy, I think without thinking, passed me the backpack.
I sluggishly slung it over my shoulder and let out a sigh as I glanced at the diner where the waitress and a cook were standing. The cook held up a camera, snapping a photo while the waitress was jabbering beside him.
I rolled my eyes but turned as Percy crossed his arms, his voice shaking as he struggled to keep calm, "You owe me one more thing. You promised me information about my mother."
"You sure you can handle the news?" Ares was practically asking to be punched as he kick-started his Harley. "She's not dead."
Percy seemed to sway on his feet beside me, his arms loosening, "What do you mean?"
"I mean, she was taken away from the Minotaur before she could die. She was turned into a shower of gold, right? That's metamorphosis. Not death. She's being kept."
I furrowed my brow, That's weird...
"Kept. Why?"
Ares rolled his eyes, "You need to study war, punk. Hostages. You take somebody to control somebody else."
"Nobody's controlling me."
The god laughed at my brother, "Oh yeah? See you around, kid."
"You're pretty smug, Lord Ares," I stood as erect as I could next to my brother. "For a guy who runs from Cupid statues."
The loose baby hairs around my face fluttered as a hot wind blew around me. Ares glowered at both of us, "We'll meet again, you two. Next time you're in a fight, watch your back."
He disappeared down Delancey Street as Annabeth said, "That was not smart."
"Don't care," Percy and I replied in unison.
"You don't want a god as your enemy. Especially not that god."
"Hey, guys," Grover spoke up. "I hate to interrupt, but ..." he pointed at the diner, and two men with overalls that matched the colors on the KINDNESS INTERNATIONAL truck were coming from inside. "If we're taking the zoo express, we need to hurry."
Percy turned to me and suddenly seemed to realize that I had the backpack.
He took it from me, slipping it onto his shoulders before grabbing my hand and pulling me with him as we all rushed across the street, climbing inside the cargo hold.
I almost passed out when the smell hit my senses.
It was awful.
Percy pulled out his sword, and the bronze blade lit up the back of the truck in a dim light.
My heart dropped to my toes.
Before us were three of the most sad-looking zoo animals I have ever seen: a zebra, a male albino lion, and I think an okapi or maybe just an antelope, I dunno.
And to make matters worse, the men transporting the animals had to be neglectful and just evil. The lion was starving as he stared at the sack of turnips before him. At the same time, the zebra and the antelope were given burger patties on styrofoam trays.
The zebra's mane was full of gum and the antelope had a balloon tied to its horn. The lion was in a too-small space, complete with flies, pink eyes, and soiled blankets.
I was shaking with anger as Grover shouted, "This is kindness? Human zoo transport?!"
I was pretty sure Grover was about to throw his reed pips at the drivers when the engine roared to life, and the truck shook around us.
We all had to sit down once we started to move, the trailer shaking and swaying every few moments.
We did everything we could for the animals while we traveled in the dark trailer, the only light coming from the blades of our celestial bronze weapons.
We gave the animals the right food and refilled the water bowls, gently talking to the animals while Grover actually communicated with them.
Percy had Grover promise the animals we would help them further in the morning before we all settled in for the night.
Annabeth and I sat on either side of Percy, all of us half-heartedly eating Oreos from the backpack.
Percy relayed that it was only June fourteenth, meaning we still had plenty of time before the solstice and that we were halfway to L.A.
I tried to feel optimistic, but my aching body was screaming louder than my joy at the moment.
My head kept bouncing as I fought sleep next to my brother, wishing I could sleep like Grover, who was now passed out on a turnip sack across the truck.
"Hey," Annabeth whispered suddenly. "I'm sorry for freaking out back at the water park, Percy."
"That's okay," Percy shrugged.
"It's just...Spiders."
"Because of the Arachne story?" I kept myself awake by asking. "She got turned into a spider for saying she was better than your mom in weaving, right?"
Annabeth nodded at me, "Arachne's children have been taking revenge on the children of Athena ever since. If there's a spider within a mile of me, it'll find me. I hate the creepy little things. Anyway, I owe you, Percy."
"We're a team, remember?" Percy reminded her gently, "Besides, Grover did the fancy flying. And Sally caused a tsunami."
I snorted a laugh at that comment and again when Grover, who was half asleep, murmured, "I was pretty amazing, wasn't I?"
We laughed at him before Annabeth passed Percy and me another oreo.
I just put it on my knee, not really hungry.
"In the Iris message ... did Luke really say nothing?" Annabeth asked Percy and me.
I glanced at my brother, waiting for him to answer, and silently listened as he answered, "Luke said you and he go way back. He also said Grover wouldn't fail this time. Nobody would turn into a pine tree."
Grover made a mournful braying noise, making me jump a little bit, "I should've told you the truth from the beginning. I thought if you knew what a failure I was, you wouldn't want me along."
I furrowed my brows at his comment, "Why wouldn't he want you to come along?"
Grover was quiet for a moment before Percy asked carefully, "You were the satyr who tried to rescue Thalia, the daughter of Zeus."
The satyr nodded sorrowfully.
"And the other two half-bloods Thalia befriended, the ones who got safely to camp..." Percy continued as he looked at Annabeth. "That was you and Luke, wasn't it?"
Annabeth put her cookie down, rubbing her hands up and down her bruised legs, "Like you said, Percy, a seven-year-old half-blood, wouldn't have made it very far alone. Athena guided me toward help. Thalia was twelve. Luke was fourteen. They'd both run away from home, like me. They were happy to take me with them. They were ... amazing monster fighters, even without training. We traveled north from Virginia without any real plans, fending off monsters for about two weeks before Grover found us."
"I was supposed to escort Thalia to camp," Grover was close to crying across the truck. "Only Thalia. I had strict orders from Chiron: don't do anything that would slow down the rescue. We knew Hades was after her, see, but I couldn't just leave Luke and Annabeth by themselves. I thought ... I thought I could lead all three of them to safety. It was my fault the Kindly Ones caught up with us. I froze. I got scared on the way back to camp and took some wrong turns. If I'd just been a little quicker—"
"Stop it," The blonde girl broke into the conversation. "No one blames you. Thalia didn't blame you either."
"She sacrificed herself to save us!" Grover moaned in guilt. "Her death was my fault. The Council of Cloven Elders said so."
"Because you wouldn't leave two other half-bloods behind?" Percy retorted. "That's not fair."
"Percy's right," Annabeth nodded firmly. "I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for you, Grover. Neither would Luke. We don't care what the council says."
The satyr sniffled again, "It's just my luck. I'm the lamest satyr ever, and I find the three most powerful half-bloods of the century, Thalia, Percy, and now Sally."
"You're not lame," I spoke up. "You've got more courage than any satyr I've ever met."
"I'm the only satyr you've ever met."
"Sally's right, Grover. Name one other who would dare go to the Underworld," Annabeth jumped in. "I bet Percy is really glad you're here right now."
There was a sound like someone hitting something, and I just assumed Annabeth had hit Percy in one way or another.
"Yeah," Percy agreed, giving Annabeth a small glare. "It's not luck that you found Thalia, Sal, and me, Grover. You've got the biggest heart of any satyr ever. You're a natural searcher. That's why you'll be the one who finds Pan."
We were all waiting for Grover to answer when his breathing deepened, and he started to snore.
I giggled gently as I asked, "How does he do that?"
"I don't know," Annabeth shook her head before she whispered, "But that was really a nice thing you told him. Both of you."
"We meant it," Percy told her sincerely.
We were all quiet for a while, and just as I drifted off to sleep, Percy asked, "That pine-tree bead. Is that from your first year?"
"Yeah," Annabeth said in the dark. "Every August, the counselors pick the most important event of the summer, and they paint it on that year's beads. I've got Thalia's pine tree, a Greek trireme on fire, a centaur in a prom dress-now that was a weird summer..."
I wanted to hear about that summer.
"And the college ring is your father's?"
"That's none of your–" Annabeth started to snap before she stopped and took a breath. "Yeah. Yeah, it is."
"You don't have to tell us," I told her comfortingly.
"No ... it's okay." Her voice was shaking as she continued. "My dad sent it to me folded up in a letter two summers ago. The ring was, like, his main keepsake from Athena. He wouldn't have gotten through his doctoral program at Harvard without her.... That's a long story. Anyway, he said he wanted me to have it. He apologized for being a jerk, said he loved me and missed me. He wanted me to come home and live with him."
"That doesn't sound so bad," Percy offered up, sounding wary.
"Yeah, well... the problem was, I believed him. I tried to go home for that school year, but my stepmom was the same as ever. She didn't want her kids put in danger by living with a freak. Monsters attacked. We argued. Monsters attacked. We argued. I didn't even make it through winter break. I called Chiron and came right back to Camp Half-Blood."
"You think you'll ever try living with your dad again?"
"Please. I'm not into self-inflicted pain."
I pinched my lips, drawing my legs up to my chest as I stammered, "Y-You shouldn't give up. You should write him a letter or...something."
"Thanks for the advice," Annabeth retorted. "But my father's made his choice about who he wants to live with."
I didn't answer.
Percy broke the silence again, trying to break the tension at the same time, "So if the gods fight, will things line up the way they did with the Trojan War? Will it be Athena versus Poseidon?"
I heard her shifting around as she answered, "I don't know what my mom will do. I just know I'll fight next to you guys."
"Why?"
"Because you're my friends, Seaweed Brain. Any more stupid questions?"
She drifted off a few moments later, and I tried to make out my brother's face in the dark as I whispered, "Are you awake still?"
"Yeah," He murmured.
We were quiet again.
"I'm scared to sleep..." I admitted. "The dreams freak me out."
Percy sighed, "They scare me too..."
"Unfortunately, you can die from sleep deprivation."
"You can also die from mythological creatures and things from the Underworld."
"Touché."
We chuckled softly.
"Sal?"
"Yeah, Percy?"
"Why did you run away from home?"
My throat tightened, and I shuffled around in my spot.
I was gonna have to tell him eventually.
"My aunt..." I murmured, trying not to cry or get angry. "She took me in when my mom died..." I scratched at the little scar on the top left part of my right hand. "At first, it was fine, but I started to notice things. She wouldn't let me play with my cousins, she would isolate me, just all the things a child shouldn't have noticed at a young age, but I did. Then, about a year ago, I realized she was verbally and emotionally abusive to my cousins and uncle. But-but they decided to send me away, and just before that, I walked in on my aunt hitting my cousin. So...so I left and met you guys."
Percy was quiet for a long time before he slowly said, "My stepdad is abusive. So I understand..." He reached his arm around my shoulders in a brotherly fashion, almost putting a shield around me. "And-and when this is all over, and we save my mom, I want you to meet her, and maybe-maybe we can get away from Gabe, and you can come live with us...you know, if-if you want."
Tears filled my eyes as I whispered, "Really?"
"Really."
I moved closer to my new-found brother and whispered, "Thank you, Perc..."
"Yeah, of course, Sally..."
I yawned and muttered, "We should sleep."
"Yeah, we should..."
Not even ten minutes later, I was out like a light.
†††
My mamá's face came into view, her beautiful caramel skin blemish-free, completely unlike how it was when she was going through her treatments.
Her chocolate brown eyes met mine, and she smiled encouragingly, "Keep going, mi pequeña lirio de aqua. Everything will be alright..." She glanced over her shoulder as if she were looking at someone, and she hummed, "I'm watching over her. Tell your brother."
Before I could even respond, whatever was holding me up in my spot fell out from under me, and I was before the pit again.
Turning my head, Percy's misty image appeared next to me, and both of us opened our mouths to speak, but it was like our voice boxes were completely dead and out of commission.
But we did not need to speak as the booming voice erupted from the dark pit once more, Percy Jackson...Yes, the exchange went well, I see.
My hand slipped into Percy's as spirits drifted around us, maybe hiding us from view, or I hoped it was.
And he suspects nothing? The voice questioned.
A familiar voice answered from over our shoulders, Nothing, my Lord. He is as ignorant as the rest.
I pinched my lips, moving closer to my brother as he tried to see who was speaking.
Whoever it was, was invisible, completely undetectable.
Excellent, The voice in the pit hummed in delight.
Truly, my Lord, The other voice replied next to Percy and me. You are well-named the Crooked One. But was it really necessary? I could have brought you what I stole directly—
You? The monster in the pit sneered. You have already shown your limits. You would have failed me completely had I not intervened.
But, my Lord—
Peace, little servant. Our six months have bought us much. Zeus's anger has grown. Poseidon has played his most desperate and wild card. Now we shall use them against him. Shortly you shall have the reward you wish and your revenge. As soon as both items are delivered into my hands, but wait... My bones grew cold as the voice seemed to turn to Percy and me. They are here.
What? The servant almost gasped, sounding tense. You summoned them, my Lord?
No. A feeling of dread settled over me, and my hands shook as I stared into the pit at the unseen monster who was watching us now. Blast their father's blood-they are too changeable, too unpredictable. The children brought themselves hither.
Impossible! The servant exclaimed.
For a weakling such as you, perhaps, The coldness flew back to us as the monster turned its gaze to us. So ... you wish to dream of your quest, young half-bloods? Then I will oblige.
Everything shifted, and we were in a huge throne room made of black marble walls and bronze floors.
My gut twisted at the sight of a throne made of human bones before us, and then my mouth opened in a silent gasp as I spotted Ms. Jackson standing at the foot of the dais, her face still frozen in a silent scream, her arms outstretched.
Percy reached for her, and this time a frightened yelp fell from my vocal cords at the sight of his withering hand as it turned into bones.
My brother's eyes fell on me, and as his skin shrunk and decayed, he pointed at me, and I looked down to see my own skin fading away into bones.
We shrunk into one another as armor-wearing skeletons, grinning madly at us, draped us in robes and placed wreaths on our heads.
My eyes filled with tears as pain split my skull from where the laurel rested on my head.
A laugh echoed around us making both of us freeze in our spots as it howled, HAIL THE CONQUERING HEROES!!!
†††
I woke up to Annabeth dragging me from my spot next to Percy, hissing, "Hide!"
She shoved me into a corner, out of sight, as she threw her invisibility cap on next to me, disappearing.
I did not have any time to ask what was happening as the doors creaked open, and heat and sunshine filled the trailer.
I ducked further behind a pile of lead ropes and straps for tying things down, praying to the gods that I couldn't be seen.
I could feel Annabeth next to me, tense as a coiled spring.
My hand rested against my ring as one of the truckers shouted, "Man! I wish I hauled appliances." He climbed inside the trailer, filling the water bowls up in each cage. When he reached the lion, he taunted, "You hot, big boy?"
I heard water splashing as the lion roared angrily at the trucker.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," The man waved a dismissive hand. He moved around the trailer, doing things I couldn't see from my spot in the corner and hidden under the ropes. "How ya doin', Stripes? Least we'll be getting rid of you this stop. You like magic shows? You're gonna love this one. They're gonna saw you in half!"
Suddenly, I heard a voice pleading, Free me, Lord. Please!
I blinked, Who was that?
Knocking on the side of the trailer made me jump and slap my hand over my mouth, hiding my gasp.
I could feel Annabeth shift beside me and figured it was her banging her hand against the wall.
"What do you want, Eddie?" The trucker inside asked.
"Maurice? What'd ya say?" Someone outside shouted.
"What are you banging for?"
Knock, knock, knock.
"What banging?" Eddie, the guy outside, replied.
Maurice sighed heavily, exiting the truck and cursing out his partner.
Annabeth pulled the ropes from my head, and I spied Percy and Grover a few feet from my left, hidden behind the feed bags.
"This transport can't be legal," Annabeth whispered harshly.
"No kidding," Grover answered. He silenced before exclaiming quietly. "The lion says these guys are animal smugglers!"
That's right, came the voice again.
I turned my head and spotted the zebra staring at Percy and me intently.
"We've got to free them!" Grover demanded as he and Annabeth looked at Percy.
My brother and I just stared at the striped creature in front of us as the voice came again, Open my cage, Lady. Please. I'll be fine after that, Lord.
It was the zebra!
I could understand the zebra!
I looked at Percy and immediately knew that he could hear it too.
He gave me a nod, and I stood, pulling Undertow from my finger and readjusting my grip as the sword morphed in my hand after a flick.
I moved to the cage and swung the sword down at the lock.
It exploded, and the zebra practically burst from its prison.
Percy joined my side as the zebra bowed and murmured, Thank you, my Lord, my Lady.
Grover gave us a glance before whispering something into the zebra's ear.
As Maurice popped his head back in, the freed zebra shot forward and galloped into the streets of Las Vegas.
I whooped in delight at the sight before Percy grabbed my wrist and pulled me back into the truck from where we were all standing, "Let's get the other animals freed."
We worked out magic, freeing the other animals as Grover bleated some kind of blessing over them.
"Good luck," Percy said to the animals as the lion and antelope launched into the busy streets of Las Vegas, following the zebra's example.
"Will the animals be okay?" I looked at our satyr friend. "I mean, the desert and all—"
"Don't worry," Grover grinned at me. "I placed a satyr's sanctuary on them."
"Meaning?" Percy questioned.
"Meaning they'll reach the wild safely. They'll find water, food, shade, whatever they need until they find a safe place to live."
"Why can't you place a blessing like that on us?"
"It only works on wild animals."
"So it would only affect Percy," Annabeth said with a smirk.
We both snickered as my brother glared at us, "Hey!"
"Kidding!" Annabeth waved a hand at him. "Come on. Let's get out of this filthy truck."
We were immediately assaulted by the heat when we grabbed our stuff and joined the city's crowds.
No one paid us much attention, even though I am pretty sure we looked like we had just climbed out of the sewers.
We just wandered around, and I honestly thought we had a plan, but with the sun making me miserable and exhausted, I didn't even think to ask.
Percy stopped abruptly, making me look up from my shoes, and I lifted my eyes to gaze at the Lotus Hotel and Casino.
A huge neon flower threw light over us, blinking brightly as no one entered or came out from inside.
But the feeling of air conditioning blasting my face from the open chrome doors made me sigh.
A sweet smell invaded my nostrils, smelling like the light perfume my mom used to wear when I was younger.
"Hey, kids," A voice made me jump, and I looked at the smiling doorman. "You look tired. You want to come in and sit down?"
It did not take long for all of us to decide to go inside.
I gave one more glance at the doorman before I lifted my eyes to the inside of the building, and my jaw dropped.
We had entered a literal theme park.
We were surrounded by state-of-the-art gaming consoles, indoor water slides, climbing walls, bungee-jumping stations, and virtual reality game stations.
I could only stare in awe at the sight as the ac pooled around me, cooling down my overheated skin.
"Hey!" Another guy exclaimed, making me jump again as he moved to us. "Welcome to the Lotus Casino. Here's your room key."
I blinked as he handed me a card, "Um, but..."
The guy in the white-and-yellow Hawaiian flowered shirt laughed at my startled expression, "No, no! The bill's taken care of. No extra charges, no tips. Just go on up to the top floor, room 4001. If you need anything, like extra bubbles for the hot tub, or skeet targets for the shooting range, or whatever, just call the front desk. Here are your LotusCash cards. They work in the restaurants and on all the games and rides."
Another card was shoved into my hand, and all I could do was stare at the two plastic cards.
Something was amiss.
Something was weird here, but I couldn't put my finger on what it was.
"How much is on here?" Percy asked, completely baffled.
The guy furrowed his brows, "What do you mean?"
"I mean, when does it run out of cash?"
He laughed at us again, "Oh, you're making a joke. Hey, that's cool. Enjoy your stay."
The four of us shrugged after a few moments, and we took the glass elevator to our room.
It was a suite with four huge rooms and a fully stocked snack bar.
I ran my hand over the closest bed and sighed, only wanting to curl up in one of them and sleep forever.
"Oh, goodness," Annabeth breathed, her gray eyes glittering with awe. "This place is ..."
"Sweet," Grover finished for her. "Absolutely sweet."
I looked at Annabeth and nodded at the bathroom between our rooms, "You first."
I stood on the balcony in my room, looking over the congested streets of Las Vegas, yawning every few minutes.
It was about a half hour later when my blonde friend emerged from the bathroom, looking like she had just been to heaven and back.
"Your turn," She nodded at me.
I glanced at her new clothes, realizing they were not the ones from Ares's backpack, "Where did you get those?"
"They were in the closet," She said nonchalantly as she moved from the room.
I sighed tiredly, moving to my own closet and finding some new clothes inside, along with a pair of new converse that looked just like the ones that were basically duct taped to my feet.
I blinked in surprise, confused, How did they—
I rubbed my head, not really in the mood for a thousand thoughts.
I just grabbed the closest set of clothes and moved into the bathroom.
After washing my hair and body at least seven times, I just stood in the water, letting it run over me as I played around with my abilities.
I called upon the water to make little animal shapes and watched them dance around me, giggling as they did so.
After being claimed by my father, all the weird events from my childhood actually made sense.
And as I recalled them, they all had to do with water.
I felt kind of like an idiot, not going to lie.
I dressed in some jean-short overalls and a baggy forest green shirt before I inspected my features in the mirror.
I looked exhausted with dark bags under my eyes, and my skin had definitely hollowed out from lack of actual food on our quest. As I stared at my reflection, I spotted some scrapes that were scabbing over that I didn't notice on our trip. I spotted a light pink scar just above my left eyebrow and rolled my eyes, not even really being able to recall what might have caused it.
Oh, the life of a demigod.
My long hair was already getting wavy as I braided it back and tied it off with a hair tie, and exited the bathroom.
I found my friends in the community room, snacking on chips and soda and watching the National Geographic Channel.
I grabbed two bottles of water and three bags of sour cream and onion potato chips before sitting next to Annabeth and watching something on the migration patterns of the emperor penguin.
After I finished my "meal" I started to doze when Percy emerged from his own room, rolling his eyes at Annabeth, "All those stations, and you turn on National Geographic. Are you insane?"
"It's interesting," was her simple reply.
"I feel good," Grover sighed in delight. "I love this place."
Annabeth turned the tv down and looked at everyone, "So what now? Sleep?"
Grover and Percy looked at one another like a couple of crazy people, "Play time."
"For you, maybe," I shot back at him. "I am gonna take a nap. I'll be down in a little bit."
"Do you want me to stay up here?" Percy asked, even though he obviously would rather die than miss all the games and stuff in the lobby.
I shook my head, "Go on! Have fun! See you in a bit!"
†††
I was dreaming I was at Camp Half-Blood, swimming in the lake Percy had told me about, when suddenly I was sucked into a different setting.
I blinked as suddenly I was staring down at my body.
I had no idea why, but I was.
"What the heck..." I breathed out, looking down at my hands which were glimmering slightly.
Something moved to my right, and I looked up to see a middle-aged African American man staring at me in surprise.
We just kinda looked at one another in shock, not really knowing what to do.
"Um..." I drew out. "Do I know you?"
The guy shook his head before floating closer to me, "No, but you need to wake up."
I gave him a wary look, all the monster attacks and visits from gods making me more paranoid than normal, "And why would I listen to you?"
He gave her a small fatherly smile, "Because if you don't, you will be in serious trouble." He placed his forefinger and middle finger on my forehead and, in a powerful voice, commanded, "Wake."
†††
I jerked awake and just stared up at the ceiling in confusion, what just happened? And then another thought hit me, How long did I sleep?
As soon as that thought crossed my mind, anxiety spiked my nerves, my ADHD flared up, and I could no longer lay still in my bed.
Sitting up, I rubbed my eyes and pushed some loose fly-aways from my face, and grabbed the new converse shoes from the closet, slipping them quickly onto my feet and tying the laces up.
They were stiff, but they weren't falling apart, so that was all that mattered.
I looked around for the old ones and found that they were gone.
Like gone gone.
I furrowed my brows as I entered the common area, grabbed my playing card off the counter, and when I walked by the trash can, I spotted the backpack from Ares.
Grab it, a voice in me ordered.
I bit my lip and grabbed it before moving to the snack bar and stuffing it as full as I could and still getting it to zip shut.
My stomach was twisting nervously the whole elevator ride down, and when I exited, my nerves were ready to explode.
Walking through the arcade, I spotted a variety of people with weird clothes from different eras. I was shocked that I didn't notice them before they were so out of place in the modern arcade.
"Excuse me," I flanked the side of a guy who could only be a few years older than me, maybe. "I am looking for my friends and my brother. They—"
"Sorry, little girl, I dunno what you're talking about..." The guy said in a slurred voice.
I blinked.
I had only heard people talk like that in movies from the 70s or the 80s.
"Can you believe this stuff?" The guy continued. "Just yesterday, that Atari thing was coming out, and now this?!"
My jaw dropped.
My cousin, who was a total video game nerd, had told me all about Atari, and he did a whole timeline on the creation of game consoles. The Atari was on the timeline, and if I was right, that thing came out in 1977.
My stomach clenched, and I moved away from him, "O-Okay, thanks."
He did not answer as I started to run through the hotel, the backpack bouncing heavily against my spine, "PERCY?! ANNABETH?! GROVER?!"
I didn't see any of them as I came to a stop near the rock climbing wall.
Tears pricked my eyes.
We have to get out of here.
This place is wrong.
Sprinting through the arcade again, my eyes wildly searched for my brother and friends, and when I slammed right into someone, I was too stunned to even speak for a moment.
"Oh! I am so so so sorry!" A young voice cried. I pushed myself up, and very quickly, the person before me silenced and breathed out, "Oh..."
Before me was a boy with olive skin, dark onyx eyes, and a youthful face, and his features looked on the Italian side.
He couldn't have been older than nine or ten years old, maybe.
His clothes were something that I would imagine Oliver Twist wearing in the Charles Dickens novel my mom read to me as a kid.
So, in other words, 30's, dark colors, and knee-high socks.
"Oh, gee...I am so sorry, forgive my brother," A new voice joined us to my left.
A boy and a girl, who had the same features as their brother, stepped up to me. The boy looked a couple years than me while the girl, who offered me a hand, looked around my age.
I took it, standing up, "Thanks, and it's okay. I'm a bit of a clumsy person. He was just there when disaster hit."
The girl, readjusting her green 30s style cap on her dark hair, turned to her brother, fixing the lapel of his dark brown jacket, "Nico, what do you say?"
"Hi..." was all the boy said, staring up at me.
I gave him a wobbly smile, my nerves still on the fritz, "Hey."
"Well, he is sorry," The boy said, her words forming a slightly odd accent as she said this. He grinned at me and continued, "This is my sister, Bianca. And like she said, he's Nico. And I am Ricardo, but I go by Ric."
"It's-it's nice to meet you," I stammered, my mind still not on the current situation as I scrambled to spot my brother and friends. "I'm Sally."
"I like your name!" Nico blurted suddenly, and I watched his cheeks go a little pink. "It's cool!
"Thanks, I like yours too."
"Sally," Bianca interrupted before the conversation could have gotten more awkward. "Are you okay? You look nervous? Are you looking for someone?"
"Yeah, I'm looking for my own—" I bobbed my head. I turned to look over my shoulder and spotted Grover's familiar rasta hat and Annabeth's golden curls as my brother was dragging them through the hotel. "There they are!" I looked back at the siblings and squeezed Biana's hand, "Thank you!"
I started to run as Ric shouted, "Bye, Sally!!"
I waved at him, not even thinking about the fact that I should have told them something was off about the hotel, just worried about getting to my brother and Annabeth and Grover.
I sprinted up to them as Annabeth was smacking Grover's hand away from a card being offered to him, and I violently pushed them through the doors of the casino and back into the heat of the day.
Without warning, Percy's arms were wrapped around me, strangling me in a hug.
I blinked in surprise, "Are you okay?"
"I was worried about you..." He answered breathlessly.
I buried my face into his shoulder, "Gods, I'm so glad you woke up too...I was so nervous, I couldn't find you..."
Percy shook his head, "Well, you're okay." He looked at Annabeth, who looked ready to strangle me with another hug, and Grover. "We're all okay."
"Thank the gods we escaped that trap..." Annabeth sighed, looking frazzled.
Percy's brows suddenly furrowed as he moved to a newsstand to our left. His face paled significantly when he read the front of a paper. My stomach dropped as I moved to his side and read what his eyes were glued to.
The date. June twentieth.
"Oh, my gods..."
We had been in there for five days.
We had one day to finish the quest.
Introducing...
Dream-Man
as Henry Simmons