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By noveics

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ą­Øą­§ MISS GRUMPY
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ii; "š™’š™š™® š™™š™žš™™ š™®š™¤š™Ŗ š™˜š™š™¤š™¤š™Øš™š š™¢š™š, š™‹š™šš™§š™˜š™®?"
iii; "š™„š™©'š™Ø š™Ÿš™Ŗš™Øš™©.. š™®š™¤š™Ŗš™§ š™Øš™¢š™žš™”š™š."
iv; "š™€š™”š™¤š™žš™Øš™š, š™Øš™©š™–š™£š™™ š™Ŗš™„, š™„ š™¢š™šš™–š™£ š™žš™©!"
vi; "š™„ š™Øš™–š™žš™™ š™—š™–š™˜š™  š™¤š™›š™›."
vii; "š™„ š™ š™žš™”š™”š™šš™™ š™š™šš™§.."

v; "š™ˆš™„š™Žš™Ž š™‚š™š™š™ˆš™‹š™”"

157 6 22
By noveics







CHAPTER FIVE
𝙈𝙄𝙎𝙎 𝙂𝙍𝙐𝙈𝙋𝙔





*ೃ༄꒰ঌ ໒꒱*ೃ༄

Ares provided the five with a truck filled with animals as transportation in exchange for retrieving his shield, enabling them to reach Hermes.

Eloise awoke, finding her head leaning toward Percy's shoulder without making contact.

Observing Percy in his drowsy state, peacefully asleep yet with drool escaping his mouth, Eloise abruptly sat up, shooting him a disapproving look while he was at rest.

Grimacing at the sight of the drool, she glanced at Grover, who was scaling his way toward the only source of light, a small air opening.

The odor of the animals in the truck assaulted her senses, causing her to shake her head and softly protest against the smell.

"You're up," Annabeth remarked, "Now we just need to wait for Juniper and Percy." She held onto something, but Eloise's blurry vision couldn't quite make out what it was.

"Yeah, thanks for the update," Eloise grumbled, rising to her feet.

"Gosh, Ares sucks. For someone with a cool bike like his, I was setting something more... luxurious. Like a Limo." Eloise complained, the animal stench reaching its ways to her nostrils again.

Annabeth shrugged. "Better than walking, right? Thanks to you and the two knock outs, we've got some form of transportation." She smirked at Eloise, thanking her.

Eloise shrugged as she settled beside Annabeth on the hay. "No problem."

Grover grunted as he extended his hand to open the small roof opening of the truck.

Eloise lurks over to Percy, noticing his eyes flicker open as he woke.

"Someone's awake." Eloise remarked.

Grover successfully opened the air opening. "Does that work?" he asked, glancing at Annabeth for confirmation. "Guess we're about to find out.. Can you see where we are?"

Grover pokes his head out, "We're almost there." He analyzes, pulling his head back inside as he looks over at Annabeth.

"Could someone lend me a hand down here?" Grover muttered nervously. Annabeth sighed, "Give me a moment." She then handed Eloise a clear, elongated triangular object.

It was an Iris message. Eloise instinctively knew what to do.

"Can you hold onto this for me? I'm sure you know what to do," she instructed, walking over to assist Grover.

Percy rose and settled beside Eloise on the hay, their knees touching.

Eloise manipulated the message, its movements accompanied by an ethereal ringing indicating a potential connection.

The light from outside cast a beautiful array of colors as it reflected onto the truck's wall.

"I've got a signal," Eloise remarked. She glanced over at Percy, whose gaze reflected amazement at the colorful spectacle.

"..Toss it, Seaweed brain," Eloise nudged him with an elbow, noting his grasp on a drachma.

Percy casually tossed the drachma like any other coin, watching as it vanished into the mist of the reflective surface.

"Okay. This will never stop being weird," Percy muttered, perplexed. "If you want the god's attention, you have to pay for it," Eloise clarified.

Eloise closed her eyes gently. "Oh, Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow, please accept my offering," she intoned, opening her eyes.

The reflection began to shift and transform, maintaining its colorful hue, indicating Iris had accepted her offering. Excitement lit up Eloise's eyes. "Okay, show me Camp Half-Blood. Chiron's office."

The reflection began to reveal a familiar figure: Luke. His back turned slowly away from them, gradually revealing his face. "Luke?" Percy muttered, perplexed, unsure why he was appearing.

"Eloise? Percy! Are you guys okay?" Luke's voice echoed faintly through the connection. "Yeah, w-we're fine... Where's Chiron?" she stammered.

"Chiron's holding camp together with both hands. Everyone thinks we're going to war, so the cabins are taking sides."

Juniper's eyes flickered open, accompanied by a slight yawn. She glanced at the wall in front of her, "What the- Luke?" she said, her voice laden with fatigue.

Luke smiled upon seeing Juniper. "Hey, Juniper! Please tell me you guys are calling in with good news," he said, hopeful for a positive update.

"We know who stole the bolt," Percy declared, his voice brimming with confidence. "How do you know?" Luke asked, his eyebrows furrowed in curiosity, briefly glancing between Juniper and the two who sat on the hay.

"We ran into Ares, and Grover and Annabeth got him talking and realized Ares knew who the thief was but was covering for them. So, who would Ares cover for other than..." Eloise explained, her tone serious.

"His favorite daughter. Clarisse is the lightning thief," Luke said, his voice tinged with realization. "Chiron's gotta arrest her, find out what she knows. There's more to this than just the bolt, something bigger. Don't ask me how I know, you just gotta trust me," Percy urged, shifting his gaze between Eloise and Luke.

Luke nodded. "Okay, I'm on it. So, Ares, huh? What was that like?" he asked, his tone playful.

"Well... compared to the Chimera on Monday and Medusa on Sunday, could have been a lot worse," Percy replied, nodding.

Eloise scrunched her nose, turning to Percy. "Medusa was Saturday," she corrected him.

"I thought Sunday," Percy said, his voice softer. Eloise shook her head at him. "No monsters Sunday. Monday, you died in the river," she clarified. Percy nodded, understanding. "Right. So, Medusa on Saturday," he corrected himself.

"Guys, what is this?" Luke asked, his arms crossed, a mix of concern and amusement on his face.

"What?" the two replied in unison.

"When did you two turn into an old married couple?" Luke teased, though his expression showed a hint of seriousness.

"..Not to change the subject, but I'm gonna. We could use your advice on something. We're headed to Las Vegas to find your dad—"

Eloise quickly stops the message, cutting off Percy's words as it left him speechless. "What was that about?" Percy says, confused yet startled.

"You can't ask Luke about his dad." Eloise says, her voice growing into annoyance. "Well, now I certainly can't." Percy mutters softly.

Eloise shook her head at him viciously, "If you tell him we're going to see Hermes, he's gonna try to talk us out of it. We don't need that right now." She explains, her eyebrows raised and nose flared.

Percy paused for a minute, "They don't get along?" He mumbles. Eloise sighs as she softly shakes her head no, "At all."

Grover came by with Annabeth behind him, Grover takes a deep breath before speaking, "Okay, got some updates." He says.

Eloise, Juniper and Percy stand up on their feet, intrigued into what he's gonna say, walking sightly forward towards Grover.

"The men driving the truck are not nice people. Traffickers." He explains, his voice slightly horse as he spoke.

Annabeth crossed her arms, "We can do our best to help all these animals escape, but not if it means we're jeopardizing the quest." She says. Grover shook his head, "Oh, no, no, no. They've already got a plan to get themselves out. And us, too. I mean, some of these guys, so smart. They were only missing, like, one piece of the puzzle to get the cages unlocked."

"What's that?"

"Thumbs. But, we're here now, so.. all good."

Annabeth tilts her head slightly forward at him, "And once the cages are open, they have a plan from there?" Annabeth questions for confirmation. Grover nods, "Yeah. Really elegant. I mean, these guys, they're... they're like artist."

*ೃ༄꒰ঌ ໒꒱*ೃ༄

The five figures lingered outside the truck, their attention drawn to the tumult unfolding ahead.

Herds of animals dashed across the bustling urban streets, amplifying the already cacophonous symphony of honking horns.

"This seems dangerous." Percy observed, leaning toward Grover's ear to ensure he was heard over the deafening noise.

"Oh. They'll be totally fine, I have them a Saturday blessing, so they'll be able to reach-"

"I meant for the people," Percy interrupted. Grover glanced at Percy, a hint of confusion crossing his face, before shifting his gaze back to the chaos of cars and the clamor of people arguing.

"Oh... them. Well, I mean, I'm sure they'll... Yeah. I don't know. But the animals are all set," Grover replied nonchalantly, dismissing any concern for humans, as if he ever had any to begin with.

"Okay, come on, before the cops show up." Annabeth orders.

"So, how do we know which hotel is the lotus?" Percy puzzled, a little confused by the urban surroundings enveloping them.

Eloise glanced up to her right. "I'm guessing the one with the giant lotus blossom on it," she teased, her expression remaining typically impassive.

Percy followed her gaze to the building, a smile creeping onto his face. "You were like two seconds ahead of me. Seriously," he said, smiling. Eloise shrugged it off and began walking toward the building, with the other four trailing behind her.

"Sometimes, it might be okay to just keg the easy ones go. Can we just agree to try it, maybe?"

*ೃ༄꒰ঌ ໒꒱*ೃ༄

The five entered, greeted by the glamorous sight of the hotel, which hardly resembled a typical lodging. It exuded the vibe of a club, car dealership, casino, arcade—all wrapped into one luxurious package.

The bustling atmosphere was infectious, with throngs of people wandering around, their smiles betraying their enjoyment of every moment within the building.

".. I know we're supposed to be saving the world, but would it be unprofessional if we just hung out here for a bit?" Juniper mused, her voice carrying a hint of trance-like enchantment. Percy nodded in agreement, taking a step forward.

Annabeth swiftly halted Percy's movement, gripping his shoulder to stop him in his tracks. "We find Hermes, we get him to hook us up with a ride to Los Angeles and a plan to get into the Underworld, and we are out of here ten seconds later," she declared, her tone firm and serious.

"I was kidding," Juniper retorted, her arms now crossed as she gazed back at the captivating view of the hotel interior.

Grover raises an arm in front of Percy, "Wait, hang on."

"What?"

"Your mom told you all the stories. Did she read you the Odyssey?" Grover ask, the four was about to tell that this was gonna lead onto something.

"The graphic novel." Percy shrugs.

Annabeth and Eloise tilt a head at him, both squinting with narrowed brows, a clear expression of confusion.

"It counts." Percy's says in defense, his voice a little shaky.

Grover continues, "Odysseus lands on a beach. There's these guys who've forgotten where they came from, forgot everything that was important to them, and they got that way because they ate—"

"The lotus flowers." Percy finished.

"If we go in there and forget everything, that would be bad on a number of levels," Grover remarked with a hoarse voice. Percy squinted slightly. "But if Hermes is in there, though, then what choice do we have?" he said, his commitment unwavering, knowing it's the best course of action.

His gaze shifted to Eloise, who had almost found herself lost in the distant VR section.

"What do you think, Miss Grumpy?" Percy said, drawing Eloise's attention. Her brows narrowed as she looked over at Percy. "Miss Grumpy?" she remarked, a slight smile playing on her lips.

"—Just don't eat anything," Annabeth interjected, casting a glance toward Grover, though it seemed directed at him.

The trio walked off as Grover furrowed his brows, lingering back for a few quick seconds.

"What, why'd you look at me when you said that?"

*ೃ༄꒰ঌ ໒꒱*ೃ༄

"This place is a lot bigger than it looked from the outside.." Juniper analyzed, scanning around the building as the group walked around.

"He could be anywhere." Grover adds.

"Let's split up," Annabeth muttered, halting her movement as the others echoed her, pausing in unison.

Percy narrowed his brows. "I thought we didn't do that anymore. Also, you guys have seen him before, but I haven't. So I'm not gonna be much help alone," he stated. Annabeth paused for a moment, then directed Grover, "Go check that side of the floor. I'll take Percy this way," her gaze shifting to Eloise.

"And if he just so happens to not be on this floor, you and Juniper will go check upstairs," Annabeth ordered, eliciting nods of understanding from Eloise and Juniper. "One way or another, we meet back in the lobby in 20 minutes."Grover took a step back, ready to leave, but halted, looking back at Annabeth. "What do I say to him if I find him first?" he asked.

"Nothing. Meet me here and you'll take me to him."

"Yea. Of course."

Grover strode off, beginning his search. Annabeth glanced at Eloise, a meaningful expression urging her to listen before departing.

"And if you happen to find Hermes, I trust you know what to say?" Annabeth inquired, tilting her head slightly forward. Eloise nodded. "Yeah," she affirmed. Annabeth nodded back, a subtle smile gracing her lips.

"Good luck with blondie, Wise girl."

"Good luck with Juniper, Miss Grumpy."

*ೃ༄꒰ঌ ໒꒱*ೃ༄

Eloise and Juniper ascended the hotel escalators, greeted by a panorama of roller coasters, hotel rooms, and bars that dazzled their eyes.

"I wonder what those hotel rooms look like," Juniper mused, stepping off the escalator behind Eloise.

"That's not why we're here, remember? We need to find Hermes, period," Eloise snapped, striding purposefully down the corridor lined with hotel rooms, only to glimpse a vast room filled with casinos and gambling.

Eloise sighed, arms crossed. "Should've known the upstairs would somehow be even larger."

As Eloise turned her head to address Juniper, she found her companion's figure had vanished from her sight. Her stomach dropped, eyes widening in alarm.

"Are you serious? Juniper!" she blurted out, abandoning the casinos and making her way toward the bars.

*ೃ༄꒰ঌ ໒꒱*ೃ༄

She bumped into people left and right, catching glimpses and whiffs of lotus flowers every few seconds.

Finally, she spotted a familiar figure just a few feet away. Juniper's messy pigtails sat near a bar, swaying with the chair.

"Juniper!" Eloise called out, reaching for her shoulder. Juniper turned around, grinning at her.

"Hey, what's up, pal?" she giggled. Eloise furrowed her brows. "What?" she asked, squinting her eyes and dropping her hands to her sides. "What, what? You need something?" Juniper's voice sounded slightly muffled, her jaw moving as if she were chewing something.

"Are you eating something?" Eloise's voice grew anxious. Juniper smiled. "Oh, yup! A lady offered free lotus flowers—"

"You're eating a lotus flower?!" Eloise blurted out, her rage bubbling. "I— yes? Why, do you want one?"

Eloise shook her head. "We're going to continue with what we were doing regardless of whether you remember or not." She grabbed Juniper by the wrist, leading her toward the casinos.

Juniper began to stammer, "I... what? What were we even doing to begin with?"

Eloise sighed, "We were going to.."

Her mind went completely shut.

Eloise struggled to reclaim her memory. "We were going to..." she stammered, only to realize she had forgotten. Releasing Juniper's wrist, her expression turned blank. Why couldn't she remember?

"Am I even the right person?" Juniper muttered, "Must've gotten the wrong—"

"No, I didn't. I remember that I needed you for something," Eloise cut her off, but each attempt to recall melted away, fading into nothingness.

She moved forward, hoping something around her might jog her memory.

Her gaze landed on a man, a satyr much older than Grover, holding a bag of nachos.

Her eyes widened. "Grover," she muttered to herself. "I just need to find Grover, I think.."

Juniper furrowed her brows, reaching for a lotus flower from her pocket. "What now?" she asked, about to put the lotus in her mouth.

Eloise looked back, seizing her wrist, stopping her. She took the lotus flower from her hand, tossing it. "Enough of those. We just... need to find Grover," she said, walking away as Juniper followed behind.

*ೃ༄꒰ঌ ໒꒱*ೃ༄

Eloise and Juniper approached several people, inquiring if they had seen a boy who happened to be half goat.

Most of the time, they received only weird looks or a simple "no," which obviously didn't help.

Eloise spotted a girl with similar features: bright blue eyes, brown wavy hair, and around her height, though she appeared slightly taller.

She tapped the girl on the shoulder, drawing her attention away from watching people gamble. "Hey," Eloise said.

The girl turned around, a smile lighting up her face. "Hey there! Need something?" she asked, her teeth flashing as she smiled.

Juniper nodded. "Uh, yeah, have you seen a boy who is uh... half a... what was it?"

"A goat," Eloise finished, her annoyance evident in her tone.

The girl nodded. "Oh, yeah! I've seen him. I'm pretty sure I know where he is." She gestured for them to follow her, leading them away from the gambling area, her hands gesturing as she guided them toward Grover.

*ೃ༄꒰ঌ ໒꒱*ೃ༄

They stumbled upon an arcade room bustling with kids, laughter, and a plethora of prizes."Why would Grover be... here?" Eloise furrowed her brows. The woman chuckled, "Because I saw him here. He definitely didn't leave. And after each play, you can check the play history. So, if you happen to see a boy named... Grover, obviously, it means he was here."

Eloise shot a glare at Juniper before turning back to the woman. "I'm going to trust you on this. But I swear, if this is all a trap, I will—"

"Ask someone else for help, right? Okay, we'll search for him in there. Thanks!" Juniper interjected, speaking quickly to drown out Eloise's words. She wrapped an arm around Eloise's back and led her into the arcade games.

As they roamed the expansive room, they found no sign of Grover.

"Maybe we should consider what she said. Check the search history," Eloise suggested, casually inspecting each game as they walked by. "But isn't the only way to do that to finish a game here? Wouldn't that be a bit... distracting?"

Eloise sighs, "One game will be fine. And since when were you worried about doing what's right?"

*ೃ༄꒰ঌ ໒꒱*ೃ༄

Eloise, now on her 10th arcade game, sported plastic sunglasses and a stack of tickets, while Juniper watched intently.

With a frustrated shout and a stomp of her feet, Eloise slammed the buttons as the game ended. "This isn't fair," she muttered, turning to Juniper.

Juniper, holding a large dinosaur stuffed animal and a bag of prizes, tilted her head. "Huh," she mumbled.

"What?" Eloise asked.

"I knew it," Juniper said, her smile fading. "Knew what?" Eloise groaned, adjusting her sunglasses, placing them atop of her head.

"After each play, it shows the high scores," Juniper explained. Eloise narrowed her brows. "Okay...?"

"We came to find Grover," Juniper continued. "The lady said the play history would show up. High scores aren't the same."

"Did we switch brains or something?" Eloise sighed. "Whatever, this is stupid. The lady lied, and these games are rigged." She turned, but was interrupted by two familiar faces.

"Eloise!" Percy exclaimed. Eloise perks up her brows, "Percy! And uh..."Annabeth stood beside Percy, looking slightly upset.

"Annabeth," Annabeth muttered, recalling her name. "It's fine, I can't blame y-"

"Oh, right, Annabeth!" Her memory jogged, and she remembered their original objective: finding Hermes.

Percy pointed his finger slightly above his head, talking about Eloise's sunglasses. "Nice shades," he complimented.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Long story short, pretty sure we got tricked here," Juniper explained. "Now, what about you?"

"We're here to get you back on track," Annabeth said. "We need to find Grover. We've been here for days, thanks to the lotus flowers they pump into the air." She sighed, arms crossed.

Eloise glanced at Juniper, surprised. Juniper nods, "So me eating a lotus flower didn't change much," Juniper shrugged.

"You ate a lotus flower?" Annabeth and Percy exclaimed in unison.

*ೃ༄꒰ঌ ໒꒱*ೃ༄

The four found Grover immersed in a VR game, not far from where Eloise and Juniper were discovered.

"Grover?" Percy began, walking toward him and gently guiding him in his direction. "Grover," Percy repeated, removing the VR gear from him.Grover widened his eyes, looking around in confusion. "I was so close," he sighed, indicating he had nearly finished the game.

Percy shrugged and shook his head slowly. "I know, I hate it when someone does that to me. And I can't believe I'm the one saying this, but it's really time to go," Percy said firmly, emphasizing the need to stay focused on their quest.

"Of course," Grover nodded, lifting his arms up. "Where are we going?" he asked with a smile.

Percy furrowed his brows, surprised. "You don't know who we are, do you?" he asked, tilting his head at Grover, hoping he hadn't forgotten.

"Yeah. No, I don't. Have we met?"

Juniper nodded, pulling another lotus flower from her pocket, ready to eat it. "What I've been saying,"

Eloise groaned, swatting it out of her hand. Percy wrinkled his nose, shaking Grover's hand vigorously. "Percy," he grunted, "And that's Annabeth, Eloise, and Juniper. We're your best friends," he sighed.

"Really?" Grover's voice turned cheerful. Eloise rolled her eyes. "Oh boy," she breathed out. "Grover, we're on a quest. We can't do this without you. We're short on time, and we gotta go. Right now." Grover's eyebrows perked up.

"A quest? That sounds amazing! But is it dangerous? It's not a deal-breaker, I'm just curious," he said, removing the vest connected to the VR set he was on.

"Also, I'm sorry, what was your name again?"

*ೃ༄꒰ঌ ໒꒱*ೃ༄

The five walked down the car garage, meticulously examining each vehicle, searching for any belonging to Hermes.

"Let's be cautious about this choice. How about we spread out a bit and try to identify any cars that could potentially belong to Hermes?" Annabeth suggested.

Percy nodded. "Cool. I'll stick with Eloise," he affirmed. Annabeth squinted, her brows furrowing. "I thought you were against splitting up, but that was a quick change," she remarked, sounding surprised.

"I mean, I am. But I thought switching pairs might prevent a repeat of last time. Since both of us have the best memory on the quest, I figured we could—"

"Yeah, whatever. Just don't stray too far, okay? I'll keep an eye on you two," Annabeth interjected, patting Juniper's back as she led her and Grover away.

Percy sighed and shrugged. "She seems upset. Is she upset?" he asked, glancing at Eloise. She nodded. "Yeah, she is. And my instincts are never wrong," she replied, beginning to scan the parking garage for clues.

Taking a deep breath, Eloise's voice trembled slightly. "Strange question, but if they're pumping lotus flower into the air, wouldn't you think I'd forget you too? My memory of Annabeth was fuzzy, but when you came into the picture—"

"Same for me. I almost forgot Juniper and Grover. But when Annabeth said your name, it was like it had been echoing in my mind," Percy chuckled. "But who knows why, right?" he shrugged, still focused on the parked cars.

"Do you think Hermes drives a red Toyota?" Eloise teased, nudging his arm and pointing to a car. Percy smiled. "You know your cars?" he remarked, meeting her gaze. "It's the only one I recognize. My dad used to have one, but it was more silver and ancient."

"Guys!" Annabeth called out from a short distance, drawing their attention. They walked over to her, seeing her beside a yellow cab, holding an envelope.

"Hermes drives a cab?" Percy exclaimed, puzzled. "He left us a note," Annabeth explained. "How do we know it's for us?" Eloise questioned. Annabeth turned the envelope around, revealing the inscription.

To the dumb kids.

"Nice," Percy muttered sarcastically. "Should've known the god of thieves noticed his pocket getting picked." Annabeth sighed, opening the envelope and reading its contents aloud. "Back door to the underworld, magic word, map in the glove box. And he says we'll become travelers once we're on the road. And then the car will take us wherever we wish to go," she summarized, lifting her head to face the others.

Percy also glanced up from the letter, eyeing the nearest car. "So, one of us just has to drive it out of the garage," he concluded. Everyone turned to Grover, their oldest and most trusted companion.

Grover scanned their faces, noticing their expectant gazes. "I'm still not 100% sure what we're doing here, which seems disqualifying," he remarked, backing out of the offer.

"Yeah," Percy muttered, turning to Eloise, who, despite her fuzzy memory, remembered enough to drive to the correct destination.Eloise shook her head vehemently. "No," she said firmly. Percy nodded in defeat. "Yeah, sure, I mean, I killed the Minotaur on my first try, right?" he joked, tossing the keys up in the air and catching them.

"How hard can this be?"

*ೃ༄꒰ঌ ໒꒱*ೃ༄ೃ༄

Percy crashes the cab into the wall, the tires screeching loudly as the five jolted, Juniper feeling the air knocked out of her.

"My fault. That was me," Percy admits nervously.

"Yeah, thanks. Didn't realize," Eloise replies breathily, sitting beside Percy in the passenger seat.

"How do you make it go backwards?" Percy mutters, harshly hitting the reverse and accidentally hitting an air pipe, causing gas and smoke to wheeze out.

"You're doing great," Grover groans. "Maybe try aiming for the middle," Annabeth suggests. Percy moves the car forward, pausing every few seconds, causing discomfort for Annabeth, Grover, and Juniper in the back.

"You're welcome to give this a try," Percy offers, but Annabeth shakes her head slightly.

Percy continues forward, a car honking loudly as it passes by, narrowly missing the cab. Percy hits the brakes, tires screeching again.

"That guy didn't even slow down!" Percy complains, honking the horn in frustration. "Okay. Keep going. Up to the street," Annabeth instructs.

As Percy approaches the turn, his nerves start to rise. "Don't be nervous, Percy. You got this," Eloise reassures him, avoiding his gaze.

Hiding negative emotions around someone who could sense them isn't the best idea, Percy thought, before slowly maneuvering the car forward.

Eloise lifts her head, seeing Percy successfully turn the car with a smile on his face, checking her reaction.

As Percy continues forward, distracted by Eloise, the car scrapes against the wall, sparks flying and almost hitting Eloise, who shields herself with her bag of prizes.

Eventually, Percy manages to navigate out of the parking garage, only to be met with honking and lights heading towards them, causing a collision.

The five scream, finding themselves in an unfamiliar area.

"Where are we?" Percy pants.

"Turn off the lights," Annabeth orders, and Percy complies, leaving them surrounded in darkness.

Thunder rumbles, rain falling heavily as the five step out of the car, finding themselves on a beach.

"Wait... You guys are my best friends. It's weird that I forgot so much more than you guys did. Wonder what that's all about." Grover muses, a realization dawning on him.

"Yeah, memories are coming back to me too." Juniper adds, smiling.

The five gaze at the beach waves, illuminated by the moonlight, glowing brightly despite the darkness of the night.

"I think I need to go meet my dad now." Percy says."We'll be here when you get back." Grover assures, with a friendly smile.

"What do I say to him?"

"You'll know." Annabeth nods, a smile on her face.

*ೃ༄꒰ঌ ໒꒱*ೃ༄

AUTHORS NOTE 📝 🪽
word count; 5,272

YOO WERE BACK? AFTER ALMKST TWO WEEKS OF NOT POSTING ANY NEW CHAPTERS WTH??

anyways, I know Juniper is a little crazy this chapter, but realistically, I'd be eating up on them lotus flowers if I was in that casino, too, ngl 😣

I KNOW THERE IS A LACK OF PERCOLISE THIS CHAPTER, BUT JUST WAIT TIL CHAPTER 8, BECAUSE I HAVE A LOTTT PLANNED FOR THEM🙏🙏

Chapter six will be short though, just to let you know!

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