Chapter 1: My Mother Comes to Visit
Las Vegas - home to me, sin city to others. I was born in New York, but I left as soon as I hit fifteen, when I simply couldn't take it anymore. I got an Amtrak ticket from New York to Vegas, because that was the only place I'd ever gone on vacation, and it was the most money I could spend on transportation.
It turned out to be the best decision I'd ever made. I checked into the Bellagio for the first two days, until I decided I would have to downsize, if I wanted my money to last for longer. After some... misadventures, I checked into a budget motel situated twenty minutes from the strip.
For the first three months everything was great until my dad showed up, he had somehow tracked me down and as soon as I picked up the phone in my room, the staff at the front desk telling me I had a visitor, I knew I had to get out. I grabbed my backpack, opened up the window and climbed out. I was on the first floor so the drop did nothing but give me sore shins.
I wandered around for hours looking for a way out, somewhere a fifteen year old girl could stay for under fifty dollars. I had absolutely no luck, my bad luck took a turn for the worse when the sky opened up and started to rain. July in Nevada, what can you do? I ran for the first hotel I saw, hoping maybe there was a gift shop where I could loiter while I waited out the storm.
As I ran in, I was able to glimpse the name of the hotel "The Lotus Hotel and Casino," It seemed like a name that was full of itself, but what did I know, I was just a fifteen year old runaway with ADHD.
As I walked in, before I could blink, a man in a floral shirt ran to greet me
"Hey!" He said enthusiastically, "Welcome to the Lotus Casino. Here's your room key."
I stood in shock for five seconds before saying, "Thank you?"
"Awesome!" He said, "Just head on up to the thirty-ninth floor, room 3908, oh and here's your LotusCash card, it works in all the restaurants, games and rides."
I took the two cards he was holding out, "Um, thanks..."
"No problem!" He said, and with a smile he was off.
I stared in disbelief at the two cards for a moment, before examining my surroundings. The entire hotel lobby was filled with games, I had never really been into video games, but the machines looked seriously futuristic. There were signs for shows going on in the hotel and menus for countless restaurants.
The oddest thing about the room though, was that it was filled with teens and kids, the only adults I could see were the waitresses handing out snacks to the gamers and the bellhop's who were standing excitedly by the door.
I walked through the room when I noticed a fairly empty sushi restaurant to my right, I stepped in and was greeted by a pretty Asian waitress who couldn't have been any older than me, encouraging me to take a seat by the fish tank. I agreed and immediately ordered a honeydew bubble tea and California rolls.
As I waited for my food, I pulled out my pay-as-you-go cell phone. I stared down at the screen in disbelief. I was out of the range of service. I began to fiddle with the phone until the waitress returned with my food. I was starting to feel a bit claustrophobic so I asked if I could take my food up to my room, she simply nodded and asked for my LotusCash card.
I complied and quickly left the restaurant food in one hand, cell phone in the other, cash card safe in my cargo pant pocket. I walked up towards the elevator, which was made of glass by the way. I realized foolishly that I couldn't press the button to open the door, by the time I figured out that I should just put my cell phone away, which in retrospect should have been obvious, a tall boy with golden hair and an absolutely - unnervingly - stunning face walked towards me.
"Need any help?" he asked, obviously noting the phone situation.
"Um... nope," I said pausing to put my phone back in my pocket.
"Good Job," He said sarcastically, "My name's Fletcher, by the way," he said flipping his hair out of his face in a way that slightly resembled a twitch.
"Is that your first name or last name?" I asked, mentally slapping myself in the face for sounding like a flirt.
"I'm not telling," He replied, with a bit of a twinkle in his eye.
"And I've got to go," I said, turning to press the 'open' button on the elevator. I stayed turned away until the elevator opened and I stepped in, then I turned back to wave at Fletcher as the doors closed and I was whisked away to the thirty-ninth floor.
My room was extremely plush, almost as plush as the upper-east end apartment I grew up in. But unlike that apartment, I had complete freedom. At home I would have to worry about interrupting daddy while he worked on his latest masterpiece. I couldn't have friends over because he was paranoid that they would steal his manuscripts or get fingerprints on his Nobel Prize.
I rarely saw my father. The beefy security guard outside his office was under instructions to keep me out, no matter what. My dad had deadlines to meet and almost no time for a teenage daughter. The only time we ever really talked was in the early hours of the morning as we both suffered from insomnia.
If he, through some miracle, wandered out of his office while I was reading or watching television, we would just end up talking. Usually not for long, but every second counted. Usually he'd randomly stand up, start muttering under his breath and walk back to the office, locking the door behind him.
I walked around the room, checking out the various corridors and where they lead to. In summary, the hotel room was huge. It had four bedrooms, seven bathrooms and a huge main room with an extremely large plasma television.
In all my excitement I forgot how incredibly tired I was. I quickly ate my sushi and put my bubble tea in the fridge. I walked down the hall to the nearest bedroom where I took off my backpack and, without changing, fell asleep the minute my head hit the pillow, stars spinning in front of my eyes.
Thunder crackled outside as I shoved open the attic door, Chiron had told me that I would find answers with the Oracle. Answers were exactly what I needed. Rain pounded against the roof as I walked towards the mummy sitting on the stool. I had heard horror stories from other campers in the Hermes cabin.
"Um... hello, my name is Melanie... Chiron se-" Before I could finish my sentence, green mist started to swirl around me. A hissing voice began to speak, I slammed my eyes shut:
In good time, you will go west,
Where you will face the god you detest,
The two faces of unrest,
Follow the path of heroes three,
Untrusted friends will keep you free,
Your journey ends undersea.
And with that the mist receded. 'In good time,' this quest wouldn't happen for a while, of course.
Ever since I came to camp, my luck had been terrible. There was barely any floor open in the Hermes cabin and I simply couldn't find anything I was good at. During my first game of Capture-the-Flag I climbed a tree and waited for it to end. My swordsmanship was laughable at best and I had to chop off a sizable portion of my hair after a failed attempt at the climbing wall.
Finally Chiron told me that I may fare better at Quests, so he sent me up to the attic; but of course the quest I'd been issued would happen 'in good time'. I snapped out of my self-pity when I heard a commotion louder than the thunder, coming from outside. I ran to the window and saw two blonde children and a satyr scrambling towards the big house. They both seemed to be crying and the smaller of the two was holding on to the other.
Chiron ran out of the house, his hooves clapping against the veranda wood, I could hear him cursing in Greek, loud enough to hear over the storm. I quickly ran over to the attic door, pulled it open and cautiously held it above my head as I descended the ladder.
I ran quickly to the front room where Chiron was standing next to the three newcomers. I stepped into the doorway. Chiron looked up from the girl who appeared to have fainted and was being tended to by another camper, who was holding onto a Ziploc bag of ambrosia. The satyr was standing morosely beside the other one, a boy who looked like he might be a year older than me. Chiron met my eyes, his eyebrows rising slightly. I nodded, and then walked through the room and out of the house out into the storm.
Then everything faded. I was back in the attic, the mummy sitting silently on her stool. It took me a moment to realize what I was supposed to be looking at, then I saw her. She was wearing a cloak that seemed to be made out of the night sky itself, she wasn't facing me, but seemed to be looking intently at something outside the window. I walked over to her, and stood at the window next to her.
Outside lighting crackled and clouds were forming at the edge of camp. It could have been the night I had last been up here, but instinctively I knew it wasn't.
"Look familiar?" She asked, her voice cool like a night breeze.
I looked up at her, she was smiling slightly at me. I recognized her immediately. Not from any actual place, but from one of my Dad's poems. She was tall but slight, with hair as dark as the night sky and an olive complexion. Apparently I looked like her.
"Mom?" I asked quietly, not sure what to say.
"Melanie. It is wonderful to see you at last," She said, awkwardly placing a hand on my shoulder, "How's your father?"
I shrugged, "Well."
She nodded, like she was glad she had gotten all of the awkward small talk out of the way.
"Do you know why I'm here?" She asked, pulling her cloak tighter.
"I don't know." I lied.
"Don't be difficult, Melanie. Things are changing on Olympus. There is a great shift in the air. Prophecies are starting to be fulfilled." She looked at me directly in the eye, and I could feel myself slowly drifting into darkness.
"What if I reject my quest?" I asked, tearing my eyes away, instead focusing on the lightning flashing outside.
"You know that's not how it works. I should go soon, Zeus won't be happy I've left Olympus. He doesn't trust anyone especially right now."
"Why?" Zeus wasn't known to be a trusting God, but from how my mother was acting, it seemed things on Olympus were escalating quickly.
She looked at my again, "That is soon to be discovered. I can't interfere."
I rolled my eyes. "Alright then."
She pushed open the window, a cool night breeze blew into the room, slightly blowing the hem of the mummy's dress.
Pulling her hood over her head she said one final thing, "Oh and Melanie I offer you this piece of advice. Travel at night." And with that final cryptic note she dissolved into the air itself. I could make out a trail of miniature stars trailing out of the window.
I woke with a start, my body jerking up, like I had woken from a falling dream. In my sleep I had somehow managed to tuck myself in to the bed. I snuggled down farther. Then I remembered the last part of my dream. That wasn't a memory. I sat up straight and then flopped back down exasperated.
Nyx had come to visit. And she had left a gift.