"We walked toward the door, and as we did, the smell of the food and the sounds of the games seemed to get more and more inviting. I thought about our room upstairs. We could just stay the night, sleep in a real bed for once…." –Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan
I could feel the music pounding in my chest. The lights were flashing red and white. There were people everywhere, like large fish surrounding feet in the water. Life was good. All I had to do was have fun. I can't tell you how many times I have bungee-jumped. Or the games I have been playing. My favorite is the waterslide simulator.
I feel Annabeth grab my arm in the mob of people. I feel slightly surprised, as it is hard to get Annabeth away from her Architecture simulator, but the feeling passes quickly. Now I am happy and relaxed again.
"Hey Seaweed brain!" She screams with a smile on her face. Her blonde hair is a mess with curls sprouting everywhere.
"Hey, Wise Girl!" I shout back.
"Why did you call me that?" She says, in a confused manner. I just shrug and she laughs. "Oh well. It's not important. Let's dance!" She took my hand and led me onto the dance floor, where an even bigger mob is. Lights flash, the music pounds into my soul, and everything just melts away. It is just Annabeth and me. Her smile makes me go weak and I can't help but notice how beautiful she is. Then another thought passes me. Why do I feel this way? I'm only 12. But that doesn't make sense. Why would I be 12? I thought so much more time had passed. Am I 12? How old am I?
"Annabeth. How old am I?" I ask her, leaning close to her face. She has weird look but it passes quickly.
"I don't know. Does it matter?" Her question confuses me. For some reason I thought she had all the answers.
"I guess not." We danced for a few more minutes but for some reason I wasn't really feeling it anymore. "I think I am going back up to the suite. Are you done?" Annabeth didn't really look done, but she followed me out of the room. As we walked out to the lobby, Grover came up to us. He had been having fun playing a game where the animals got revenge on the humans. I didn't really see the point to it, but whatever makes Grover happy.
"Tired?" I asked him.
"Nah. Not really." The elevator dinged and the doors opened up. Just as the three of us were about to step on something pulled us back. Unable to turn around and see the attacker, I flailed my arms and feet hoping for someone to see. But the guests were more concerned with their games.
Finally we were let go. I immediately spun around to see who just dragged us out of the elevator. Or well, almost out of the elevator. The offender was a teenage boy with black hair. He had a sallow complexion, like he spent too much time in the dark. He seemed tired and broken, as though he had seen too much death. I looked at Annabeth and Grover, both seemed shaken.
"What are you doing?" I demanded. I was angry. I wanted to go back to having fun. And this kid was ruining it. The kid looked around nervously, as though he was scared of something.
"Look. I'm sorry for scaring you, but you need to listen to me." The kid said. "There is something terrible happening and we need your help." I wanted to scoff at his accusations but something held me back. Annabeth seemed struggling with something and Grover remained completely at peace.
"You guys need to get out of here. Okay? This place is dangerous. Then we can talk."
"Look. You have the wrong person, okay. We can't help you. We are just a bunch of kids. And this place isn't dangerous. It is fun. So, goodbye. We are going." I said to the kid. I turned around and grabbed Grover's arm but what the kid said next had me stopped.
"You are Perseus Jackson, aren't you?" I felt as though my entire body was frozen. I hadn't heard that name in so long it felt like. But hearing it felt like it cleared my head. For the first time in a long time I felt as though my brain was covered in a fog.
"Oh my gods." I whispered. I looked at the kid who just nodded at me. Annabeth seemed to be thinking hard, but it was as though she couldn't get it. I let go of Grover and faced her.
"Spiders. Large, hairy spiders." I told her. A shudder went through her and her eyes popped open.
"Oh my gods. What is going on?" She asked the stranger. He shook his head.
"It isn't safe to explain here. And I have a feeling you will understand once you get out of the hotel. You might want to help your friend here." He said, motioning toward Grover. Annabeth and I each took one of Grover's arms as we started to drag Grover to the door. The bellhops tried to stop us as we went out the door. They gave us offers of the platinum card and other offers. As tempted as I was, I waved them off and we walked out the doors into the bright sunlight.
(((Line Break))))
The fresh air seemed to help. Grover stopped struggling and seemed to realize something was going on. For the first time in forever, I felt warm. Annabeth was taking everything in. The more I looked around as well, the more I felt as though something was off.
"Do you get the feeling something is different?" I asked Grover and Annabeth quietly.
"There aren't any cars." Grover said.
"There are only a few people." said Annabeth. I looked up at the stranger, who still hadn't said anything to us. I sent a silent to message to Annabeth and Grover: Could we trust this guy? They gave a silent nod of the head. Right now he was the only one offering us answers. We turned into a shady looking alley where the shadows were more prominent. For some reason, this guy seemed more at peace here.
"What is the last thing you remember, before the hotel?" the guy asked abruptly. Grover, Annabeth, and I looked at each other.
"Um." I said. Annabeth shot me a sharp look.
"We were in the back of a van…in Las Vegas…because of the quest!" Annabeth gasped. I could feel my stomach tighten at the mention of the quest. I was beginning to remember. I am the son of Poseidon. And Grover, Annabeth and I were on a quest to stop the beginning of World War III.
"How did we forget?" Grover muttered.
"Lotus Hotel and Casino." Annabeth said. "Of course. Lotus people would lure in travelers and never make them want to leave. Oh my gods. How long have we been in there? Where is a newspaper?" I could feel panic rising in me. This was not good. Not good at all. That's when the stranger began to speak.
"You are going to have to trust me completely. Okay?" We nodded at him. "Then let's start over. My name is Nico. I am the son of Hades. And like you I was also stuck in that hotel. That is why they sent me to come get you. I am 17 years old. And you have been stuck in that hotel for five years. Because you never completed your quest, there was a war between Zeus and Poseidon. Millions of mortals died. Then Kronos rose and destroyed almost everything. The few demigods left are in hiding at the last safe place. I was not the demigod of the Great Prophecy. And we think that you, Percy, are the one. The last demigods need your help. Are you up for it?"
A/N: So, guess who hasn't posted anything in almost a year? That's right I am. Well, I have had this stuck in my head for awhile so I have decided to write it. For now it is a one-shot. I am leaving it up to your imagination. I also know that it isn't my best work. I wrote this is a just half an hour. So. Yeah. I hope you enjoyed it.