I can’t help but update this story because I love it :) Thank you to everyone who reviewed! I really appreciate it!
Chapter Quote:
“Las Vegas looks the way you’d imagine heaven must look at night.”
~ Chuck Palahniuk
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Chapter 11: What Happens in Vegas
Silena
When Silena, Derek, Bryn, and Rachel exited the entrance to Camp Jupiter, they kept running until they couldn’t see it anymore. It would give them enough time to figure out what to do next. Bryn looked about ready to collapse from all the energy she’d used flying them out of there though and she usually had the plan.
“What now?” Rachel asked, huffing and puffing.
“You’re the adult here. We turn to you when we don’t know what to do,” Derek said, giving a small chuckle.
“You three are the geniuses who decided to go on this trip,” she pointed out.
“Don’t remind me. Bryn? Any ideas?”
“Give me… a moment,” Bryn replied, shutting her eyes. Derek grabbed onto her, making sure she didn’t collapse. “Okay, Silena, call the Chariot of Damnation. You’ll have to drop a couple drachmas on the ground.”
“All right. Uh, how do I call it?”
“Stay ‘Stop, Chariot of Damnation’ in Greek and give your best New York taxi whistle. Should work.”
“Should work?” Silena repeated.
“The drivers are a bit… eccentric. Trust me.”
With a shrug, Silena dropped three drachmas on the ground and said, “Stêthi 'Ô hárma diabolês.”
At first nothing happened. The four stood and stared at the spot where the Greek currency had hit the ground. Silena was about to ask what was supposed to happen but at that moment, the drachmas sank into the ground and a taxi that seriously resembled a New York cab (that was in a few too many crashes) appeared in front of them. The strangest thing about it wasn’t that it was made of smoke and the seatbelts were replaced by chains, but that there were three drivers squished together in the front row.
“Get in guys and just don’t question it,” Bryn whispered. The group listened, but Silena immediately wished she hadn’t. She should’ve known after reading all that mythology. The three ladies in the front seat were the Gray Sisters, otherwise known as Anger (Deino), Tempest (Persis), and Wasp (Pemphredo), otherwise known as the sisters who shared only one eye.
“Where to? We’re on a busy schedule here people!” One barked. Silena guessed it was Anger just because she had that tone to her.
“How much does it cost to go to Colorado Springs?”
“Hundred drachmas,” another replied. Her voice sounded raspy, making Silena automatically deem her Wasp.
“A hundred?!” Bryn exclaimed. “That’s ludicrous! Make it fifty!”
“Fifty gets you to Vegas. That’s not too far away,” the last sister replied. It must’ve been Tempest. Her hair certainly looked like a tempest went through it, Silena thought.
“But we need Colorado Springs!”
“But it won’t get you there. Now take Vegas or get out!” Anger snapped.
Silena thought she heard Bryn growl but said nothing about it as the daughter of Zeus mumbled, “Fine.”
“Hold on!” Wasp ordered. Silena quickly buckled her seat and held onto the door. She didn’t know why but she felt this was going to be a hell of a ride. Derek, Rachel, and Bryn followed in suit. Bryn braced herself against the seat. Two seconds later, Silena knew why. The taxi shot off at inhuman speed, jerking everyone back into their seat.
“I feel sick,” Rachel groaned, closing her eyes.
“You will not throw up in this. It’s brand new!” Tempest warned.
This is brand new? Silena thought to herself, glancing at the torn upholstery and remembering the dented outside of the cab.
Daring to look outside, she saw cars, trees, lakes, and other things flying past the car. She started to try and figure out just how fast they were going. The sisters seemed to know what they were doing, but then again, they only had one eye…
At that musing, Silena suddenly asked, “Which one of you has the eye?!”
“Ah, where did we put that thing? Wasp, what did you do with it? You had it last!” Tempest inquired. Silena’s stomach felt like it had stampeding bulls in her stomach rather than butterflies.
“You lost your eye?” Derek questioned furiously.
“We put it here somewhere,” Wasp answered nonchalantly. The sister continued to mumble to herself as she searched the front of the taxi cab. Silena wanted to close her eyes, not wanting to watch her imminent death.
“Have you checked the visor?” Bryn suggested, actually sounding nervous.
“Ah! Thank you sweetie! How did you know?” Wasp asked as she put it in her eye. “Watch out Anger! Eighteen-wheeler at twelve o’clock!”
Anger jerked the wheel to the left, causing Silena, Derek, and Rachel to smash Bryn up against the side of the car. When the cab righted back up, everyone slid back into their original seats, including the Grey Sisters who seemed completely unfazed by the event, but with their driving, they must’ve been used to it.
“Give me the eye Wasp! I’m the one driving!” Anger barked, knocking her sister upside the head, causing the eye to pop out onto the floor. It rolled back and hit Derek’s shoe. He looked down at it with such a freaked out and disgusted face, Silena almost laughed.
“Derek, pick it up!” Bryn commanded.
“You pick it up!” He retorted. “You’re the one who has powers to make things fly!”
Giving him the death glare, Bryn held out her hand and made the eyeball float. “The eye is going to Anger since she’s driving,” Bryn said as the eye soared through the air right in front of Anger. The sister slammed the eye into its socket, making Silena grimace. That had to hurt…
“We’re here!” Anger announced loudly, throwing on the breaks. The four of them lurched forward; Silena barely managed to avoid having her forehead become imprinted on the back of the front seat. The cab doors opened, and the group of four piled out, dragging their belongings with them. Bryn paid the sisters fifty drachmas. The cab sped off, leaving the daughter of Zeus to mumble at the preposterous amount she had to pay and that their prices had gone up, making Silena wonder how many times Bryn had taken the cab.
“I thought they only served New York?” Rachel mused, shouldering her backpack.
“They used to, but then they realized how much money they could make if they serviced America so now they serve everywhere they’re needed. I’m surprised they came to us to be honest. They’re usually busy. I’m just relieved to be away from Camp Jupiter. Come on, let’s go find somewhere to stay,” Bryn said. She started walking down the sidewalk. The three hurriedly caught up with her. As they continued their journey, Silena took in her surroundings. They were on a side street, and with night rapidly approaching, it was becoming sketchier by the minute. However, just a few seconds later, the group emerged onto a very crowded sidewalk. The entire city was lit up with flashing lights and bright signs.
They were definitely in Las Vegas.
Compared to all the tourists and show girls walking about, the four of them looked bedraggled and exhausted. However, no one looked at them strangely, meaning the group must not have been the strangest sight to walk down Las Vegas Boulevard.
“So where exactly are we going?” Derek asked tiredly.
“Honestly? I have no idea. Let’s just stop here at this hotel and see if they have anything available because I’m really sleepy and this ground is starting to look more and more comfortable by the minute,” Bryn admitted. They entered a bustling casino. It had a roller coaster that went to the top of the hotel and back down before going in all these random loop-de-loops and twists and turns. There were your typical gambling games such as black jack, poker, and roulette. Then there were your non-typical casino games, such as racing machines and a “Build Your Own City” game that looked like it was in 4D mode. Silena itched to play it. She had already been creating her own city in her head for years, developing and designing the buildings on their own sheet of paper. One day she planned to draw the city in its entirety. First though, she had to live through this war.
“Hello! Welcome to the Lotus Hotel! How may we help you?” An over-friendly receptionist asked. He had on a grin so big it almost seemed fake.
“Hello, I was wondering if you had a room for me and my friends tonight?” Bryn queried politely. Silena heard the Charmspeak and knew the guy stood no chance against it.
“You’re in luck miss! We have a room open and it’s the penthouse! Will that do?”
“Oh, um, I don’t believe we have enough money to use the penthouse. Do you have any cheaper rooms? If you don’t, we’ll have to take our business elsewhere which we would rather not do because you have such a lovely hotel and we’re so fatigued. My poor friend here is about to pass out,” Bryn lied, looking over sympathetically at Silena, who caught on and leaned against Derek. He put his arm around her.
The receptionist looked genuinely concerned. “Don’t worry about the cost miss, we’ll work something out! Here, I’ll have Danny show you to your room. Here are your key cards. I’ll have more towels sent up to the room so there is enough for all of you. If you would like, I can have some clothes delivered too since your backpacks look like they don’t hold much. Would you like any food to be brought up?”
Bryn eyed the guy cautiously. “What kind of food do you have?”
“Whatever you want! The hotel provides everything for our guests. Sandwiches, ice cream, roasted chicken, prime rib, you name it.”
“You guys want anything?” Bryn questioned, turning around.
“Can we get a cheese pizza?” Derek prompted hopefully. “I’m starved.”
“One large cheese pizza please,” Bryn ordered. “Thank you, sir.”
“You’re very welcome, Miss Winchester. Please follow Danny up to your room. Have a nice stay!”
Something irked Silena about the receptionist, and besides the fact that he was way too friendly for a receptionist. It was like he knew something they didn’t…
Pushing the thoughts out of her mind, she followed the guy Danny to the elevator and up to the penthouse. Her mouth fell agape at the room they’d been assigned. The room looked over the entire Las Vegas Strip through two windows the size of the walls on the north and south ends of the living room. The blinds on the windows were remote controlled so just by the touch of a button, they went down. There was what had to be a two-hundred inch, flat screen TV, a couch that was in the floor with pillows and blankets. The second floor of the hotel room was all the bedrooms, four in total. One was purple themed, and it seemed very relaxing. No one asked who claimed that room because they all knew. Bryn threw her stuff in there and stood in awe at the place for a few seconds. The second room was black and white themed, but for some reason it seemed very masculine, which is why Derek automatically chose it. He grinned when he saw the Xbox, Playstation2, Playstation3, Wii, and other video game consoles Silena couldn’t even begin to know what their names, were hooked up to the TV. The second room was a light, lime green room with bright accents all over the place. The duvet cover on the bed was orange, the dresser was red, the nightstand was yellow, and if Silena continued to notice the color of each item, she’d be there for a week. Rachel fell in love, commenting to herself that the attic back at Camp Half-Blood was going to go through a serious renovation when she got back. The last room was white and blue. The bed sheets were made of a shimmery dark blue material that reminded Silena of the depths of the ocean. She ran her fingers over it. They were silk, and it felt like heaven. She went into the bathroom and ogled at the shower. There were multiple shower heads, a couple on the ceiling and multiple ones on the side. Seeing that, Silena didn’t waste any more time. Grabbing some pajamas out of her backpack, she hit the shower.
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Derek
After taking a shower and donning on new clothes, Derek headed to the living room. He peeked into Bryn’s room to check on her. She was crashed out face first on her bed. He smiled, glad that she was getting some well-deserved rest. She really didn’t get enough. He didn’t bother checking Rachel’s room. If something was wrong, she’d let them know or she’d take care of it on her own by defending herself with a blue plastic hairbrush. He did knock on Silena’s door. She didn’t answer. Curious, he opened the door while closing his eyes, just in case she was getting dressed. He didn’t mind seeing that, but he didn’t know if she would. The sound of running water reached his ears. She must’ve been taking a shower. Derek shut the door and opened his eyes, walking to the living room and glancing out at the scene from the window. The Las Vegas strip flashed and danced before him. People bustled along onto their destination, having no idea that a major war was brewing. He almost envied their ignorance, but then he also realized he was one of the special few who could stop this war.
“Hey,” Silena greeted, wrapping her arms around his waist. He put his arm around her shoulders to bring her closer to him. “What are you thinking about?”
“Just how ignorant all those people are and deciding on whether or not I’m grateful or mad that I’m not like them.”
“Be grateful. At least you know how to fight back.”
A knock at the door interrupted their conversation. Curiously, Derek went to see who it was. A guy in a hotel uniform stood there, holding a tray.
“Did you guys order a large cheese pizza?” he asked with a smile.
“Yes, sir,” Silena responded. “Bring it on in. Thank you!”
“No problem, miss!” The guy brought the tray in and set in on the counter. When Derek tried to tip him, he insisted, “Don’t worry about it man. Enjoy your stay!”
With that, he left, leaving the two demigods befuddled.
“Is it just me or all these people very… odd?” Silena noted, opening the pizza box.
Derek took a slice of pizza and shoved it in his mouth. “You’re not the only one.”
“So what is everyone else doing?”
“No idea what Rachel is doing and Bryn is-”
“Getting something to eat because I’m starved and I heard the guy come in,” Bryn finished, making Silena and Derek jump. As she took a bit of her slice, she said, “Honestly you two, how have you not grown accustomed to me making entrances without either of you knowing?”
“Because you’re too damn quiet about it,” Silena grumbled.
“I smell food,” Rachel announced, rushing into the kitchen and taking a piece of pizza. “Oh guys, so I just got off the phone with Percy.”
“And?” Silena prodded.
“They told us to not play any of the games downstairs no matter what. This hotel we’re staying is meant to lure people in, drug them, and make them never leave. The games take over your mind so you become completely engrossed by them and it takes a hell of an effort to get you to break away from it. So yeah, I recommend not going down there.”
Bryn swore in Greek. “I had to choose this hotel.”
“That must be why the guy at the front desk knew who you were. He’s hooked up in the immortal world and must know who all of us are,” Silena commented, finally able to figure out what had been irking her since she met the receptionist.
“Don’t worry about it Bryn, you’re tired. We all are. I don’t think any of us would go downstairs anyways. We’re all pooped. We’ll set our alarm clocks for ten and leave then. We’re not too far away from Colorado Springs anymore,” Derek pointed out.
“All right. But seriously, if I catch any of you out of this room and playing a game, I will have your heads. Now I’m heading to bed. I’ll see you in the morning. And for the record, thank you for sticking with me through this. I know it hasn’t been easy and I’m not the easiest person to embark on a quest with.”
Derek smiled at his best friend. “We always have your back Bryn.”
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I hope you enjoyed! This chapter ended up being longer than I expected. Please review!