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chapter xii.
( the lightning thief )
❝ lotus casino ❞
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PERCY WAS FUMING ALL THE WAY back to the diner. I tried to keep my distance from him, afraid that the storm in his eyes would cause a tsunami to wash over me personally. He wasn't angry at me, I knew that, but he was so terrifying, that it made me squirm in my spot and shuffle closer to Annabeth hoping that she would bring me some comfort. It turned out that she was just as scared as I am.
The child of Athena was still shaken about the spiders, and I couldn't blame her. I myself still shivered at the feeling of those metal things crawling up my arms and legs like a thousand fingernails. I could tell she was embarrassed, and she felt stupid that she didn't do anything. That she stood petrified and screaming. I, myself, wanted to slap myself. I had been so weak and helpless in that situation. So much that Percy had to save me, once again.
I may not be a child of Athena, but as I took her hand in mine, I knew exactly how she felt.
We returned to the diner to see Ares waiting for us in the parking lot. He leaned against his motorcycle, and I tried my best not to stare at the caucasian-skin leather. "Well, well," he said when he saw us. "You didn't get yourself killed."
"You knew it was a trap," Percy narrowed his eyes at the god, and Ares gave him a wicked grin.
"Bet that crippled blacksmith was surprised when he netted a couple of stupid kids. You looked good on TV."
I felt my face turn red. Percy shoved his shield at him. "You're a jerk."
Annabeth, Grover and I all held our breaths. I was about to think to myself, idiot, but I stopped myself. I was beginning to get used to Percy's idiotic antics. Ares grabbed the shield and spun it around in the air, almost like a chef would with pizza dough. It changed into a different form, melting into a bulletproof vest. He slung it over his back before he pointed to an eighteen-wheeler parked across the street. "See that truck over there?" he said. "That's your ride. Take you straight to L.A., with one stop in Vegas."
The truck had a sign on the back, reading: KINDNESS INTERNATIONAL: ZOO TRANSPORT. WARNING: LIVE WILD ANIMALS. The reverse-printed white on black writing made it easier to read. I exchanged a look with Annabeth.
"You're kidding," Percy said.
Ares snapped his fingers, and the back door of the truck unlatched. "Free ride west, punk. Stop complaining. And there's a little something for doing the job." He slung a blue nylon backpack off his handlebars and tossed it to Percy, who caught it in his arms. I glanced over his shoulder to see fresh clothes for all four of us and a bag of Double Stuf Oreos inside. Percy shot a glare in Ares's direction.
"I don't want your lousy —"
I cut him off, giving Percy a look, "Thank you, Lord Ares. Thank you a lot." I then lowered my voice so only Percy could hear. "You might not like him, Kelp Face. But unless you want to end up as a ferret for the rest of your stupid life, I suggest you accept the gift." Percy gritted his teeth, but he swung the bag over his shoulder anyway.
I gave a glance back at the diner, which only had a short number of customers now. I saw the waitress who served us dinner watching nervously out of the window, as though she was afraid Ares would hurt us. She dragged the cook out from the kitchen to see. She said something to him, and he nodded, holding up a little disposable camera and snapped a picture of us. I cursed under my breath, great, just great.
"You owe me one more thing," Percy told Ares. "You promised me information about my mother."
"You sure you can handle the news?" He kick-started his bike. "She's not dead."
I looked to Percy, who seemed like he was going to faint. "W-What do you mean?" he managed.
"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."
"Kept? Why?"
"You need to study war, punk," Ares fixed up his sunglasses. "Hostages. You take somebody to control somebody else."
"Nobody's controlling me." Percy snapped.
Ares laughed. "Oh yeah? See you around, kid."
I saw Percy ball up his fists, his eyes deadly at the war god. "You're pretty smug, Lord Ares, for a guy who runs from Cupid statues."
I swallowed nervously. Behind Ares's sunglasses, fire glowed. The hot air around us seemed to get even warmer. "We'll meet again, Percy Jackson. Next time you're in a fight, watch your back."
He revved his Harley, before roaring off down Delancy Street. Annabeth turned to Percy, "That was not smart, Percy." She said.
"I don't care," he replied and I pursed my lips.
"You don't want a god as your enemy," I told him. "Especially not that god."
"Hey, guys," Grover cut in. "I hate to interrupt, but ..." He pointed towards the diner. At the cash register, the last two customers were paying their bill, two men in identical black coveralls, with a white logo on their back that matched the one on the eighteen-wheeler truck. "If we're taking the zoo express, we need to hurry."
The zoo express smelt like the world's biggest pan of kitty litter. I had to cover my nose as we entered the truck's carton trailer. It was dark inside until Percy uncapped his sword, the blade casting a faint bronze light over the trailer as he moved it around. It was then when we saw the cages.
They were filthy. The straw was dirty from animal dung and urine – and I suddenly understood the smell. And cramped within them were the saddest animals I had ever seen: an albino lion, zebra and one of the many different African antelopes that I couldn't think the name of. Someone had thrown the lion a bag of turnips, while the zebra and antelope had each been given a polystyrene tray of hamburger meat. The zebra's mane was matted with chewing gum as if somebody had been spitting on it in their spare time. The antelope had a silvery birthday balloon tied to one of it's horns that read OVER THE HILL! The lion paced around on soiled blankets in his cramped cell, panting from the stuffy heat of the trailer. He had flies buzzing around his pink eyes and his ribs showed through his white fur.
Grover was fuming. "This is kindness?!" he yelled. "Humane zoo transport?!"
He probably would have marched right back outside to beat the tuckers with his reed pipes, and I would have followed right after him, but the truck's engine roared to life, the trailer started shaking, and we were forced to sit down or fall down.
We huddled in the corner on some mildewed food sacks, trying to ignore the smell, heat and the flies. I created a small ball of light that floated aimlessly around the trailer as a source of light, but my bad mood and tiredness seemed to have reflected on my powers, as it flickered in and out every now and then. Grover tried to talk to the animals in a series of goat bleats, but they just stared at him sadly. Annabeth was in favour of breaking the cages and freeing them on the spot, but Percy shook his head, pointing out that it wouldn't do much good until the truck stopped moving, and that the lion would most like the idea of us better than the turnips.
I found a water jug and refilled their bowls, Percy used Riptide to drag the mismatched food out of their cages. He gave the meat to the lion and the turnips to the zebra and antelope. Grover calmed the antelope down while Annabeth used her knife to cut the balloon off his horn. She wanted to cut the gum out of the zebra's mane, too, but we decided that it would be too risky with the truck bumping around. Grover promised the animals that we would help them more in the morning, then we settled down for the night.
Grover curled up on a turnip snack; Annabeth opened the bag of Double Stuf Oreos and nibbled half-heartedly; Percy sat beside me, staring at the doors in thought while I made little tricks with the light to keep me occupied. The lion watched the light with bright eyes, and it was when it looked ready to pounce I stopped, not wanting the giant mammal to hurt itself.
"Hey, Annabeth," I said softly, "pass an Oreo?"
She chucked me one and I caught it one-handed before taking a bite. The taste brought me back home in Miami, where my mother would buy Oreo's for me to snack on. I had early memories when my father would eat them with me, helping me twist them open and I would always laugh when I got the most cream and he would whine that he got none. I finished the cookie bitterly, knowing that as much I wish, it was never home – it had never been. I was nostalgic for something that never happened, for something that was just a lie. Camp Half-blood was my home, Hannah was my home. And gosh I missed her so much.
Annabeth suddenly spoke up, discarding me from my thoughts. She turned to Percy, "Hey, I'm sorry for freaking out back at the water park, Percy. If I could just hold the net, perhaps you and Claire might have gotten out easier."
"It's okay." He said. "And besides, I don't think any of us could have held the net open even if we're as strong as Hercules."
"It's just ..." Annabeth shuddered. "Spiders."
"Because of the Arachne story," Percy said. "She got turned into a spider for challenging your mom to a weaving contest, right?"
She nodded, "Arachne's children have been taking revenge on the children of Athene ever since. If there's a spider within a mile of me, it will find me. I hate the creepy little things. Anyway, I owe you."
"So do I," I spoke up, flicking my hand so the small ball of light grew bigger as it grew darker around us. "Twice ... for saving me." I couldn't look into Percy's eyes. "For up in the Arch and with the spiders ... I should really thank you."
Percy looked slightly embarrassed, "We're a team, remember?" He said. "Besides, Grover did the fancy flying."
I thought Grover was sleep, but from the turnip sacks, he mumbled, "I was pretty amazing, wasn't I?"
Percy, Annabeth and I all laughed.
She handed me another Oreo, and not exactly feeling up to eating another one after my thoughts, I broke it in half and handed one to Percy. "So ..." I broke the small silence. "In the IM ... did Luke really say nothing?"
Percy took a bite of his Oreo, and Annabeth shuffled closer to me, wanting to hear him. Percy's look after the Iris Message both had bothered us. I had thought that Luke would mention us, and if he didn't ... it made my stomach sink, and I couldn't imagine Annabeth, who was head over heels for the guy.
"Luke said you guys and he go way back," he finally said. "He also said Grover wouldn't fail this time. Nobody would turn into a pine tree."
The light dimmed, and I was glad it did, for it made it hard for Percy to read my expression.
Grover let out a mournful bray. "I should've told you the truth from the beginning." His voice trembled. "I thought if you knew what a failure I was, you wouldn't want me along."
"You were the satyr who tried to rescue Thalia, the daughter of Zeus?"
He nodded glumly.
"And the other three half-bloods Thalia befriended, the ones who got safely to camp ..." Percy looked at Annabeth and I. "That was you and Luke, wasn't it?"
I put down my Oreo, uneaten. Annabeth pursed her lips and said, "No seven-year-old half-blood would have made it very far alone. Athena guided me towards help. Thalia was twelve. Luke was fourteen. Claire was my age. They all had troubled families, two had run away from home, like me. They were happy to take me with them. And with Claire being my age, we got along really quick. Luke and Thalia, they were ... amazing monster-fighters, even without training. They had been on the road without me for a year and a half, and we travelled 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," he said, sniffling. "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, Annabeth and Claire by themselves. Especially when I found out about Claire's powers. I thought ... I thought I could lead all four 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," I shook my head at him. "No one blames you. Thalia didn't blame you either. If any of us were in your position we'd be the same."
"Thalia sacrificed herself to save us," he said miserably. "Her death was my fault. The Council of Cloven Elders said so."
"Because you wouldn't leave three other half-bloods behind?" Percy said. "That's not fair."
"Percy's right," Annabeth said. "Claire and I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for you, Grover. Neither would Luke. We don't care what the council says."
"They're just a bunch of old, rotten tomatoes anyway," I finished.
Grover kept sniffling in the dark. "It's just my luck. I'm the lamest satyr ever, and I find the two most powerful half-bloods of the century, Thalia and Percy."
I was silently glad that he didn't mention me. "You're not lame," I insisted. "You've got more courage than any other satyr I've ever met – and that is all of the satyrs in Camp Half-blood. Name one of them who would dare go to the Underworld. I'm sure none of the Council would. I bet Percy is really glad you're here right now."
I kicked him in the shin.
"Yeah," Percy said, and I knew he shot a glare at me. "It's not luck that you found Thalia 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."
He gave a deep satisfied sigh. I waited for Grover to say more, but his breathing only got heavier. When the sound turned to snoring, I realised he had fallen asleep. Feeling tired myself, I shuffled into a more comfortable position and closed my eyes, drifting off to the casual bump of the trailer against the road.
*
I WAS HAVIN A STRANGE dream about dinosaurs and zebras when Annabeth woke me up. She pushed me so hard that I jumped high, and landing back down wasn't the best of my gracefulness. I gave her a look, "What did you do that for?!"
"The trucks stopped," Grover told me. "We think they're coming on to check the animals."
"Hide!" Annabeth hissed.
It was easier for her, for she just slipped on her Yankees cap and disappeared. Percy, Grover and I had to dash behind feed sacks and silently hope we looked enough like turnip sacks to pass through. Sunlight and heat seeped through as the trailer doors creaked open. I had to squint my eyes at the sudden change of light.
"Man!" One of the truckers said, waving a hand in front of his large, pug nose. "I wish I hauled appliances." He climbed inside and poured some water from a jug into the animals dishes. "You hot, big boy?" he asked the lion before splashing the rest of the bucket right into his face.
The lion roared, shaking his mane and bared his large, menacing teeth. The man didn't seem fazed. "Yeah, yeah, yeah," he replied.
Beside Percy underneath the turnip sacks, Grover tensed. The satyr was usually a humanitarian, peace-loving vegetarian, but right now he looked murderous, and I was glad I wasn't on the receiving end.
The trucker threw the antelope a squashed McDonalds Happy Meal bag. He smirked at the zebra. "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!"
I felt like I matched Grover's expression well enough by now too.
Suddenly, there was a loud, knock, knock, knock on the side of the trailer.
The trucker inside with us yelled, "What do you want, Eddie?"
A voice outside – which I presumed to be Eddie – answered back with a shout, "Maurice? What'd ya say?"
"What are you banging for?"
Knock, knock, knock.
Outside, Eddie yelled, "What banging?"
Maurice rolled his eyes and cursed under his breath – something about Eddie being an idiot – and stormed back outside. A second later, Annabeth appeared next to me, startling me. It took a moment for me to realise that she had been the one banging against the trailer wall. She said, "This transport business can't be illegal."
"No kidding," Grover said. He paused, as if listening. His right ear perked. "The lion says these guys are animal smugglers! We've got to free them!"
I agreed with Grover, and Annabeth must have too. For the three of us, all looked to Percy for his lead. I was surprised by this action, for I could never imagine myself deeming him as someone to lead us – someone to lead me. But after everything we've been through on this quest so far, I found myself trusting Percy much more than I could ever have before. The son of Poseidon stared at us, amazed.
I could see his sea-green eyes calculating, focusing on the zebra. His brow creased, his lips pursed. Outside, Maurice and Eddie were shouting at each other, but I had a feeling they would return any minute now. It was then that Percy unsheathed Riptide and slashed the lock off the Zebra's cage.
The zebra burst out. It turned to Percy and bowed. A grin of disbelief etched it's way on my face until I understood: Poseidon was the creator of horses.
Grover held his hands up and said something to the zebra in an animalistic language I couldn't understand. But I could guess it was some sort of a blessing.
Just as Maurice poked his head through the trailer door to check out the noise, the zebra leapt over him and into the street. There were yelling and screaming and cars honking. I could hear the screech of tires and curses, and the distant sound of the clicks of cameras. We rushed to the doors of the trailer in time to see the zebra galloping down a wide boulevard lined with hotels and casinos and neon signs. We'd just released a zebra in Las Vegas.
I couldn't help but laugh at the sight.
Maurice and Eddie ran after it, with a few policemen chasing them, shouting, "Hey! You need a permit for that!"
"Now would be a good time to leave," Annabeth said. I glanced at her.
"Are you kidding?!" I felt wild. "This has just gotten started! Will the police catch 'em?! Will the zebra make it back to the wild safely?! Find out next time on —"
"Shut up," Percy told me while Grover said, "The other animals first."
Percy cut the locks on the cages with his sword. Grover raised his hands and spoke the same blessing as he had before. Percy wished them 'good luck' and the antelope and lion burst out of their cages and went off together down the streets. Some tourists screamed and ran away, others just backed off and took videos and pictures on their phones and cameras, most likely thinking it to be a stunt from one of the casinos.
"Will the animals be okay?" Percy asked Grover. "I mean, the desert and all —"
"Don't worry," he said. "I placed a satyrs sanctuary on them."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning they'll reach the wild safely," he explained. "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."
I felt a smirk forming on my face as I said, "So it would only affect Percy."
Percy's eyes shot to me, "Hey!" he protested.
I laughed, "I'm kidding. Come on. Let's get out of this filthy truck."
Annabeth, Percy, Grover and I stumbled out into the desert afternoon. The sun glared down on us, and the air dry and hot. We must have stood out like sore thumbs, but everyone was too focused on the runaway animals to pay us much attention or to even care. We passed the Monte Carlo and the MGM. We passed pyramids, a pirate ship and a small replica of the Statue of Liberty.
I didn't know where we were going or what we were looking for. Whether it be to get out of the heat or to find something to eat or drink or hopefully, to make a new plan to head west. But somewhere we must have had taken a wrong turn, for we found ourselves at a dead end, facing the entrance of the Lotus Hotel and Casino. A huge, neon flower hovered over the entrance, the petals flashing different bright colours. No one was going in or coming out but the glittering doors were opened, showing a long red carpet that spilt out air conditioner that smelled like flowers. Even feeling the draught of the cold wanted me to run in.
The doorman smiled at us, and I couldn't but shy away from his brilliant, white smile, "Hey kids. You look tired. You want to come in and sit down?"
My answer was an instant yes. I knew not to be so obliging as a demigod — for danger was around every corner. I grew up to be suspicious of nearly every person that walked beside me. But this man – who I couldn't help but admit was very handsome – didn't look like a horrible monster. With his blue eyes and dashing smile, his ears just peaking out of his black hair. I could tell he was normal. He seemed sympathetic to us, something no one else of this quest has felt for us before. He was just a normal, genuinely nice guy who wanted to help us, and that reflex to do something so willingly was so amazing and foreign to feel.
When we stepped inside, Grover said, "Whoa."
The whole lobby was one giant game room. It wasn't some arcade – it was a full on indoor water slide that snaked up the glass elevator that went up at least forty floors. With a climbing wall on one side of the building, and an indoor bungee-jumping bridge on the other. There were virtual reality suits with working laser guns and hundreds of video games, each one the size of a widescreen television. And by the snack bar was a whole archery range, with a Robin Hood golden arrow that gleamed atop the entrance. There were only a few other kids playing, but not many. There were no waiting lines. It seemed like heaven.
I couldn't help but let out a quiet squeal. "You have got to be kidding me!"
"Hey!" a bellhop said. He wore a white-and-yellow Hawaiian shirt with lotus designs, shorts and flipflops. "Welcome to the Lotus Hotel. Here's your room key."
He passed Annabeth a gleaming gold key with a lotus key ring dangling.
Percy stammered, "Um, but ..."
"No, no," he laughed. "The bill's taken care of. No extra charges, no tips. Just go up to the top floor, room 400I. If you need anything, like extra bubbles, 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."
He handed us each a plastic green credit card.
Percy asked him when the cash would run out, but the bellhop just laughed and ushered us over to the elevator. Our room was a suite with four separate bedrooms and a bar stocked with candy, soda and crisps. A hotline to room service. Fluffy white towels and waterbeds with feather pillows. A big-screen television with satellite and fast internet. One the balcony was a large hot tub and a small shooting range with shotguns that you could launch clay pigeons out over Las Vegas' skyline and shoot them dead. It seemed strange that the room seemed to have everything we wanted, as if it knew we were the ones that resided in it, but I knew for certain I wasn't thinking straight enough to care.
I immediately rushed to get the shower first, and it felt amazing to finally rub of the grime and dirt off my skin. I washed my hair, trying out the special LotusFlower shampoo and conditioner and soap and came out smelling much better than I had when I came in. Now dressed in a nice pair of denim shorts and a plain blue t-shirt, I returned to the main room to see Ares's bag in the trashcan, Grover munching on the crisps and Annabeth switching through the channels until she found the Natural Geographic Channel. Percy wasn't around, so I guessed he had gone to change in his room. I took some crisps from Grover and opened up a can of Coke before taking the seat beside Annabeth, deciding to watch the documentary on volcanoes. When she noticed I was out of the shower, she left the couch.
When I was sure she was gone, I quickly snatched the remote and switched the channel to something more interesting.
Percy then returned and frowned at the television, "The music channel, seriously?" He then frowned, "Why is it Elvis?"
I narrowed my eyes at him as I turned to look at him, pointing the remote threateningly. "Hey, don't hate on Elvis. It's either this or Natural Geographic, Water Boy, you choose."
"I feel good," Grover said with a mouthful of crisps. "I love this place."
"So what now?" I decided to point out. "Sleep? Eat? Dance to Elvis?"
Percy and Grover looked at each other and grinned, holding out their LotusCash cards. "Playtime," the son of Poseidon said.
Once Annabeth had finished her shower and Grover had his own. We all descended to the game room and that was the last I ever saw of them. Annabeth went to this virtual 3D table where she could build whatever she wanted, Grover went to the video games, Percy to the bungee jumping while I raced to the archery range. I was the only one there, and I won the golden arrow at least twenty times before I moved on and had a go at the waterslide, then back to the archery range, won ten more arrows, the bungee jumping, archery range, virtual reality, archery range, archery range, archery range ...
When Percy shoved me, I nearly hit him with my bow. I glared at him, "What was that for?!"
"We need to leave," he said. His eyes were frantic, looking around as if afraid someone might attack them or at least hear their conversation.
I rolled my eyes, holding up the bow once more and aiming it up. "You worry too much – we're fine. It's been, what? Two minutes? I mean – come on, I've won about fifty golden arrows! I'm the new Robin Hood!"
Percy knocked the bow from my arms, "Claire, listen to me. You can't win fifty golden arrows in two minutes!"
I frowned at him, slightly offended. "Yes, I can! I did! You watch me – how can you say that?!"
The Son of Poseidon looked a mixture of furious and desperate at the same time. He reached for a drink at a nearby table and before I knew it, threw it all over my face.
He waved his arms around maniacally. "Wake up!"
I was glad it was just water, but that didn't stop the impulse to beat Percy to the ground. "You little piece of —"
"It's a trap!" He cut me off. "We're stuck in a trap!"
For the first time that night, a horrible feeling dawned on me. I frowned at him, "What do you mean?"
Percy motioned to the whole room, "Look around! There's kids in suspenders from the nineteenth century. I met this guy who thought the year was 1977 but said he's only been here for two weeks."
It was like everything dropped. My stomach, my heart, my lungs – I found it hard to believe. "Oh, gods, how long have we been —?"
"I don't know, but we have to get out of here. Where's Annabeth and Grover?"
We found Annabeth at the 3D building game, still working on her city.
"Annabeth, come on, we have to leave," I told her, and when I got no response, I tried again. "Annabeth?"
Percy clicked his fingers at her ears and she jumped. She looked up, annoyed. "What?"
"We need to leave," he said.
"Leave? What are you talking about? I've just got the towers —"
I cut her off, "This whole place is a trap."
Annabeth wouldn't respond until I shook her, "What?"
"Listen. The Underworld. Our Quest!"
"Oh come on, guys. Just a few more minutes."
Percy raised his voice slightly, "Annabeth, there are people here from 1977. Kids who have never aged. You check in, and you stay forever."
"So?" she asked. "Can you imagine a better place?"
I grew annoyed, "Okay, that's it." I grabbed her wrist and pulled her from the game. She shouted at me and hit me, but no one paid attention. They were too busy. I made her look directly in my eyes and shouted at her, "Spiders! Big, hairy, poisonous spiders!"
That jarred her. Her vision cleared, she turned ghastly pale. "Oh my gods," she gasped. "How long ...?"
"We don't know," Percy said. "But we've got to find Grover."
We went searching once again and found our friendly satyr still playing Virtual Deer Hunter.
"Grover!" He all shouted.
He said, "Die, human! Die, silly polluing nasty person!"
"Grover!"
He spun around and pointed the plastic gun at us and started clicking as if we were just more imagines from the screen. I waved my hand in front of his face, but when that didn't work, Annabeth, Percy and I all grabbed Grover by the arms and dragged him from the game. His flying shoes sprang to life and started tugging his legs in the other direction as he shouted, "No! I just got to a new level! No!"
The Lotus Bellhop hurried towards us. "Well, now, are you ready for your platinum cards?"
"Thanks," I started—
"But we're leaving," Percy finished.
"Such a shame," he looked genuinely sad that we were going, and I knew that if I wasn't in the right state of mind I would have taken the card out of guilt. "We just added an entire new floor full of games for platinum card members."
He held out the cards, and I could tell I wanted one. My hand itched to grab it, but I knew that if I did, I would never be able to leave. Annabeth hit Grover's hand away from reaching the card and said, "No, thanks."
We made a bee-line to the door, and as we did, the smell of the food grew stronger. All of my favourite foods mixed into one, making me want to turn on my heel and rush back in. But I shook my head and forced myself to keep on walking, dragging Grover with me.
We burst through the doors, and all the temptation disappeared. We ran down the sidewalk. It seemed afternoon, about the same time of day we'd originally had gone into the casino. But the weather had completely changed. It was stormy, and lightning crackled in the dark clouds. Ares' backpack was once again slung over Percy's shoulder and it made me second guess him throwing it in the trash can, but at the moment, there were worse things to worry about.
Percy ran to the nearest newspaper stand and read it. I watched his face in anticipation. It seemed relieved for a second, before falling drastically. He looked up at us and showed the date: June twentieth.
We had been in the Lotus Casino for five days, and we only had one day left until the summer solstice. One day to finish our quest.
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a/n: I feel like this is slightly rushed. But I really wanted to get a chapter out since I have updated since what — last year??
* chews nervously on fingernails *
Ha ha whoops ...