Hiya Fanfictioners! I luved all the reviews! Hahah I love reading what u tell me! And also foreverandaday97, I totally wish I could skip until the 4th or 5th for book for writing some AHMAZING Percabeth scenes, but alas, I promised I would do them all in order. But…. Annabeth may have some interesting thoughts *wink wink* between now and the last two books… You'll just have to read!

If this chapter sounds a little different or weird, BLAME THE FRAPPICCINO I DRANK! Caffeine gets to me sometimes.

Thx for all the reviews, story alerts, and favorites!

I Am Captured By a Casino

Ares was waiting for us in the parking lot, as he promised.

"Well, well, you didn't get yourself killed." Ares taunted.

Percy's eyes flickered in anger. "You knew it was a trap,"

Ares grinned at him. "Bet that crippled blacksmith was surprised when he netted a couple of stupid kids. You looked good on TV."

I blushed. What if my mother had seen me? The headlines flashed in my mind.

DAUGHTER OF ATHENA MEETS WITH SEAWEED BRAIN ON THE TUNNEL O' LOVE.

Percy shoved Ares's shield at him. "You're a jerk."

Grover and I gasped. Neither of us would dare offend a god, especially by calling him a jerk.

Luckily though, Ares didn't seem to care. I guess he'd been called that a lot in the past. Ares grabbed the shield and spun it, turning it into a bulletproof vest and slung it across his back.

"See that truck over there?" Ares spoke. "That's your ride. Take you straight to L.A., with one stop in Vegas." He pointed to a huge truck that said, KINDNESS INTERNATIONAL: HUMANE ZOO TRANSPORT. WARNING: LIVE WILD ANIMALS.

Well that sounded wonderful. "You're kidding," Percy said, obviously having the same thoughts.

Ares snapped his fingers. "Free ride west, punk. Stop complaining. And here's a little something for doing the job." He threw a blue backpack at Percy.

Percy caught it, opening it up to find twenty dollars, a pouch of drachmas, Double Stuf Oreos, and fresh clothes. I realized I was shivering, my clothes still soaked from our water ride.

Percy's jaw tightened, and for a scary second I thought he was going to say no, and be turned into a prairie dog, just like Ares had promised. We'd have to buy him a cage and go back to camp half-blood. I started daydreaming about what it would be like to have a Percy-prairie dog as a pet, but shook the idea, knowing he'd annoy me all the way to Hades.

Percy turned back to the diner, where our waitress watched fearfully, grabbing the cook and making him take a picture. Our faces would be on the news in a flash, so I knew we had to get out of here.

"You owe me one more thing," Said Percy to Ares, taking a step forward. "You promised me information about my mother,"

Ares kick-started his motorcycle, swinging his leg over the seat. "You sure you can handle the news? She's not dead."

Percy stumbled, and I jumped forward to catch him, but he regained his balance. I forced down disappointment, even if I didn't know why I was sad.

"What do you mean?" asked Percy.

I got that he was just given great news, but you'd think Percy would comprehend the words. Your mother. Is. Not. Dead.

"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." The God of War explained.

"Kept. Why?"

"You need to study war, punk. Hostages. You take somebody to control someone else." said Ares.

"Nobody's controlling me," insisted Percy. As much as I wanted to believe him, I knew it wasn't true.

Ares laughed evilly. "Oh yeah? See you around, kid."

Percy's ears turned red, and he balled his fists. Uh-oh. Percy meltdown waiting to happen. "You're pretty smug, Lord Ares, for a guy who runs from cupid statues."

At this point, I was glancing around for a pet shop.

Fire sparked around Ares's sunglasses, a sure sign of rage.

I groaned. Couldn't Percy go a few days without annoying some god or another?

"We'll meet again, Percy Jackson. Next time you're in a fight, watch your back."

Well, a threat from Ares. Great.

The war god revved his Harley, speeding down the road and disappearing into the night.

"That was not smart, Percy," I told him.

"I don't care." Good gods, he sounded like a little kid.

"You don't want a god as your enemy. Especially not that god." I warned, but to no avail.

"Hey, guys," Grover stepped in. "I hate to interrupt, but…" He pointed to the diner. Two men were paying for their meal, in identical black overalls, both saying KINDNESS INTERNATIONAL on the back. Our ride was about to leave.

We raced towards the truck, hopping into the back.

It felt like I had hit a brick wall of stench, it was so bad. It smelled like a cat had gone to the bathroom, left it for the month, and then added a few bags of garbage. Then left it for another month. Well, you get the idea.

Percy uncapped Riptide, sending a faint glow inside the trailer. What I saw were the most miserable animals ever.

There was a zebra with gum in its mane, a male albino lion, and an impala with an "Over the hill!" balloon tied to its horn. They called this kindness? These animals were horribly neglected.

Grover had the same thoughts. "This is kindness?" he yelled. "Humane zoo transport?"

He grabbed is reed pipes, looking like he was going to march right out of the truck and beat the mortals with it. Luckily, the truck started before any damage could be done and we were forced to sit down or fall over.

We huddled in a corner, on some feed sacks, trying to ignore the buzzing flies and the gross smell that was amplified by the heat.

I offered to break open the cages right away, but Percy just looked at me like I'd grown wings and started doing the chicken dance.

"Are you serious?" He asked.

"What? You want them to suffer in the cages?" I didn't think Percy would have a problem with freeing them.

"I have a feeling that the lion might find something more tasty then turnips if we let him out." He glanced meaningfully at Grover and I.

"Oh," the heat must have been getting to me. I almost let a potentially bloodthirsty animal out of its cage, and I couldn't think of a better retort to tell Percy off for outsmarting me.

We found a water jug and refilled the empty bowls. Percy used his sword to get the turnips out of the lion's cage, and the meat out of the zebra and impala's, switching them so that each animal had its proper food.

Grover calmed the impala down, and I was able to cut the balloon off, popping it with my knife for good measure.

I wanted to cut the gum out of the zebra's mane, but we decided that wouldn't be a good idea, since we were on a bumpy road, we didn't want to risk me cutting something other then the gum off.

Grover curled up on a turnip sack, looking like a cat coiled into a ball. I envied him for being able to pas out so quickly, but my mind was racing form our day.

I took out the Double Stuf Oreos and munched on one half-heartedly, the sugars waking me up even more. Percy was staring into nothingness, casually flipping his pen in the air.

I remembered how I had freaked out with the spiders and left Percy to protect us, and I realized I owed him an apology.

Plus, I wanted to start a conversation in this awkward silence. "Hey," I started hesitantly. "I'm sorry for freaking out back there at the water park, Percy"

He turned to me, his expression blank of emotion. "That's okay."

I hated knowing I was nothing but a bother when we were trying to escape, but I couldn't help it, spiders were just so freaky. "It's just…" I shuddered from the memory. "Spiders."

"Because of the Arachne story," he guessed. I was surprised that he remembered it, especially since he didn't seem to process most information well. "She got turned into a spider for challenging your mom to a weaving contest, right?"

I nodded. "Arachne's children have been taking revenge on the children of Athena ever since. If there's a spider within a mile of me, it'll fine me. I hate the creepy little things. Anyway, I owe you."

His gaze softened. He knew how hard it was for me to admit that I needed someone, after so many years of hardship.

"We're a team, remember? Besides, Grover did the fancy flying," said Percy.

I had thought Grover was asleep, but he mumbled from his makeshift bed, "I was pretty amazing, wasn't I?"

Percy and I laughed quietly.

I pulled apart an Oreo, handing Percy half. But something was still bothering me. I kept seeing Percy's anxious face from Luke's Iris message.

"In the Iris message…did Luke really say nothing?"

Percy nibbled on his Oreo, thinking hard about how to answer. I waited impatiently for any news.

"Luke said you and he go way back, he started. "He also said Grover wouldn't fail this time. Nobody would be turned into a pine tree."

My expression darkened, and Grover let out a bleat full of bereave.

"I should've told you the truth from the beginning," Grover blurted to Percy, voice trembling. "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," replied Percy.

I let my hair fall over my face, hiding the tears that welled in my eyes, blinking furiously to dissipate the salty water.

Grover nodded gloomily.

"And the other two half-bloods that Thalia befriended, the ones who got safely to camp…" He looked at me. "That was you and Luke, wasn't it."

I put down my Oreo, my appetite gone. "Like you said, Percy, a seven-year-old half-blood wouldn't have made it very far alone. Athena guided me towards help. Thalia was twelve. Luke was fourteen. They'd both run away from home, like me. They were happy to take me with them. They were… amazing monster fighters, even without training." My mind flashed back to the days on the run, watching Luke and Thalia defeat monster after monster, eventually getting brave enough to stab a few of the less powerful ones myself. "We traveled north from Virginia without any real plans, fending off monsters for about two weeks before Grover found us."

Grover was sniffling now. "I was supposed to escort Thalia to camp. 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 and Annabeth by themselves. I thought… I thought I could lead all three 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…"

I couldn't let Grover go on like this. "Stop it," I said. "No one blames you. Thalia didn't blame you either." Even if Thalia wasn't here anymore, I knew she chose to sacrifice herself to save her friends. Everyone made mistakes, and Thalia knew that. Grover should stop feeling so guilty.

"She sacrificed herself to save us," Grover said brokenheartedly. "Her death was my fault. The council of the Cloven Elders said so."

Percy seemed angry now. "Because you wouldn't leave two other half-bloods behind?"

I agreed. "Percy's right," I said. "I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for you, Grover. Neither would Luke. We don't care what the council says."

Grover kept sniffling. "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."

Grover's depressing mood was getting to me. "You're not lame. You've got more courage then any satyr I've ever met. Name one other who would dare go to the Underworld. I bet Percy is really glad you're here right now."

I kicked him in the shin for good measure, just in case he didn't realize he was supposed to support me.

"Yeah," he said with a glare at me. I guess I kicked him harder then I meant to. "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."

I looked at Percy with admiration.

Grover seemed to be comforted enough, and soon his breathing got heavier and snores rumbled out from the darkness.

Percy looked on in amazement. "How does he do that?"

"I don't know, but that was a really nice thing you told him." I said.

"I meant it."

Percy was really beginning to grow on me. If we survived this quest, I wonder what was going to happen next. If he wasn't able to save his mother, he would be a year round camper like me, and for some reason that gave me a thrill. Of course, I wanted his mother to be alive, and from what I've heard about her, she seemed a lot better then my father.

"That pine-tree bead." Percy asked. "Is that from your first year?"

I looked down. I hadn't realized I was I was rubbing it.

"Yeah. Every August, the counselors pick the most important event of the summer, and they paint it on that year's beads. I've got Thalia's pine tree, a Greek trireme on fire, a centaur in a prom dress- now that was an interesting summer…"

The Party Ponies, or other centaurs besides Chiron had come to visit Camp Half-Blood for a while, and a certain girl centaur named Chloe, who had blond hair and was an Appaloosa waist down, had taken a liking to Chiron.

She would follow him around all day commenting about random things. The campers thought it was hilarious, especially when they learned that even though Chiron was a good teacher, he just wasn't the romantic type.

And to top it off, Chiron wasn't really interested in her. He would blush every time she was near, and make an excuse to leave.

The Aphrodite kids loved it.

Ironically, we were having a dance at the end of the summer, and Chloe had Silena Beauregard make her a poofy pink prom dress that she planned to surprise Chiron with.

The night of the dance, Chloe appeared a spotlight on her. Chiron's jaw dropped, but unfortunately, someone knocked down one of the Greek torches, burning down the tent, and ending the night. Chloe's dress burned off, along with most of her tail, and the Party Ponies left an hour later.

"And the college ring is your fathers?" asked Percy.

Ahh, touchy subject. "That's none of your-" I stopped. I shouldn't take it out on Percy. "Yeah, it is."

Percy backed off, obviously not wanting to anger me. "You don't have to tell me."

I sighed. I'd only told Luke this, but Percy deserved some insight to my life. "No… it's okay." I breathed deeply. "My dad sent it to me folded up in a letter, two summers ago. The ring was, like, his main keepsake from Athena. He wouldn't have gotten through his doctoral program at Harvard without her… That's a long story. Anyway, he said he wanted me to have it. He apologized for being a jerk, said he loved me and missed me. He wanted me to come home and live with him."

Percy smiled at me encouragingly. "That doesn't sound so bad."

I grimaced. "Yeah, well… the problem was, I believed him. I tried to go home for that school year, but my stepmom was the same as ever. She didn't want her kids put in danger by living with a freak. Monsters attacked. We argued. Monsters attacked. We argued. I didn't even make it though winter break. I called Chiron and came right back to Camp Half-Blood."

"You think you'll ever try living with your dad again?" He asked.

I turned my face away. "Please. I'm not into self-inflicted pain."

Percy's eyes furrowed. "You shouldn't give up. You should write him a letter or something."

My lip arched up into a snarl. "Thanks for the advice, but my father's made his choice about who he wants to live with."

We passed another few minutes in silence.

"So if the gods fight, will things line up the way they did with the Trojan War? Will it be Athena versus Poseidon?"

Truthfully, I wasn't sure. I put my head on the backpack from Ares and closed my eyes. "I don't know what my mom will do. I just know I'll fight next to you."

There it was. No hesitation, no regret. I trusted Percy, I would even defend him from my mother. My heart was sure of it. Percy wouldn't intentionally hurt someone. Never. But what does that mean to you? My more rational mind said. What does that tell you? I wasn't completely sure. But whatever it was, I knew for a fact that it was good.

"Why?" asked Percy.

There was no way I was going to tell him about the little epiphany I just had. "Because you're my friend, Seaweed Brain. Anymore stupid questions?"

He didn't seem to know how to respond to that. I smiled, the last bits of consciousness leaving me, and I fell into a deep, dreamless slumber.

Next thing I knew, Grover was shaking me. "Wake up!" he hissed.

I jumped up, my knife at the ready. Then I heard the sounds of the truckers yelling to each other.

Grover began shaking Percy awake. He flinched, then saw Grover. "The truck's stopped. We think they're coming to check on the animals."

"Hide!" I whispered, hearing the truckers talking right outside the door.

I slipped on my Yankees cap, disappearing from view just as the door squeaked open.

"Man!" said one of the truckers. "I wish I hauled appliances." He waved his hand in front of his ugly nose, waving away a smell I had gotten used to.

He climbed in, pouring water in the animal's dishes.

"You hot, big boy?" asked the man cruelly. Then he splashed the lion with the rest of the water.

The lion roared, and I fought the urge to knock the trucker out with my knife.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Said the man. He threw a happy meal at the impala and 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!"

The zebra looked terrified. I had to do something. Then it came to me.

I walked to the wall and knocked on it.

The trucker yelled, "what do you want, Eddie?"

Eddie's voice echoed from the outside. "Maurice? What'd ya say?"

"What are you banging for?"

I knocked again.

Eddie yelled "What banging?"

Maurice rolled his eyes and went outside. I sighed with relief. My plan had worked.

I walked back to where Percy and Grover were hiding, crouching next to Percy.

"This transport can't be legal." I said.

"No kidding," agreed Grover. "The lion says these guys are animal smugglers. We've got to free them!"

Grover and I looked at Percy. He glanced at the zebra, then cocked his head towards the outside, where Eddie and Maurice were yelling at each other.

He uncapped Riptide, slicing through the lock like a knife through butter. The zebra jumped out and bowed at Percy.

I could have laughed if we were trying not to be noticed. I remembered Poseidon was the Father of Horses, so there must have been some sort of connection, even if zebras weren't technically horses.

Grover blessed it with his goatly powers, and the zebra leaped out of the van, disappearing into the streets of Las Vegas.

Eddie and Maurice raced after it, a cop chasing them, yelling about permits. I guess you couldn't have a zebra in Las Vegas, no matter how crazy the city was.

"Now would be a good time to leave," I suggested.

"Other animals first," insisted Grover, I knew he wasn't leaving until each animal was on their way.

Percy cut the other locks, and Grover did more goat magic, the lion and the impala walking down the streets, off into the unknown. I hoped they got somewhere safe.

"Will the animals be okay? I mean the desert in all-" asked Percy.

I smiled. He was worried about them too.

"Don't worry," said Grover. "I played a satyr's sanctuary on them."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning they'll reach the wild safely. 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?" asked Percy.

"It only works on wild animals," explained Percy.

I smiled evilly. Perfect setup for a diss. "So it would only affect Percy," I reasoned.

"Hey!"

I laughed. "Kidding! Come on, let's get out of this filthy truck."

We stumbled away from the truck, our legs sore from the long ride. Thankfully everyone was paying attention to the animals walking calmly down the street.

We walked for about a half hour, but we must have taken a wrong turn, because we ended up at the Lotus Hotel and Casino, a huge place with flashing lights, and the seductive smell of lotus wafting out the door in lazy waves.

"Hey kids. You look tired. You want to come in and sit down?" said a doorman, seemingly human and mortal.

"Sure," said Percy, and walked straight in. I thought that it was a little stupid, without checking the place, but everything seemed normal. We stepped in to the lobby, or should I say game room. It was huge, ranging from pinball machines to 3-D Sims games. That caught my interest.

"Whoa," said Grover breathlessly.

"Hey!" called a bellhop, who was wearing a yellow and white Hawaiian shirt with lotus designs, shorts and flip-flops. "Welcome to Lotus Casino. Here's your room key."

Percy seemed flabbergasted. "Um, but…"

I rolled my eyes.

"No, no," insisted the bellhop. "The bill's taken care of. No extra charges, no tips. Just go up to the top floor, room 4001. If you need anything, like extra bubbles for the hot tub, or skeet targets for the shooting range, or whatever, just call the front desk. Here are your Lotus Cash cards. They work in the restaurants and all the games and rides."

He handed us each a green plastic green card. I eyed it suspiciously. This all seemed a little too good.

Percy still seemed surprised. "How much is on here?"

The bellhop's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

What in the world was going on with this place? There was something familiar about it, but I couldn't put my tongue on it. From experience, most welcoming places were the worst places for demigods, so I was uncertain about staying here.

"I mean, when does it run out of cash?" explained Percy.

The bellhops face cleared. "Oh, you're making a joke. Hey. That's cool. Enjoy your stay!"

We headed towards the elevator, green cards in hand. I had my other hand comfortingly on my knife just in case some random monster came out at us. When we got to our room, I stopped with a jolt.

The place was huge. There were three bedrooms, each with a water bed, a bar filled with soda and chips, just like the sixties, except without alcohol. Fluffy towels, and feathery pillows, a big flat-screen TV with HD channels and high-speed internet. This was a dream come true.

The balcony had a hot tub the size of the Athena cabin, and you could shoot clay pigeons over the streets of Las Vegas. I wondered if anyone was ever hit in the head with a random clay pigeon. I laughed at the thought.

"Oh goodness," I stammered. "This place is…" I couldn't find the right words.

"Sweet," Grover finished. "Totally sweet."

I checked the room that had an A over it. It was probably just a coincidence that my name started with an A. I took a long shower to wash the days of grime and dirt off me, my hair turning silky and actually blond. My Camp Half-Blood necklace turned back to its normal color, each bead telling a different story. My hair went into a wet ponytail, dripping down my back. I checked the dresser and found some clothes that fit me perfectly. I thought that was weird, but this place was just too awesome. In a new outfit of jeans and an orange t-shirt, almost like Camp Half-Blood's, but without any words on it.

I headed back into the main room and found Grover contentedly munching on chips and their individual bags. I turned on the TV, a small luxury, because they usually attracted monsters. I methodically checked my favorite channels. History Channel usually had some sort of architectural show on. It had Modern Marvels, but they were talking were talking about how plumbing was invented, and that was not what I was interested in watching. I switched to National Geographic, who was talking about the largest buildings of the century. Now that I was interested in. I cranked up the volume.

Percy walked in, freshly showered, his dark hair wet, making it flop over his eyes. He stared at me incredulously. "All those stations, and you turn on National Geographic. Are you insane?"

I glared at him. "It's interesting."

"I feel good," mumbled Grover dreamily. "I love this place." Wings sprouted from his shoes, lifting him off the ground, then setting him down gently.

I was still itching to get back on the quest. But I wanted to stay in this place for a while. Maybe a day or two. Or three. "So what now? Sleep?" I asked.

Grover and Percy grinned at each other and held up their green cards. "Playtime," was all Percy said, and soon we were back in the lobby. Percy went straight for bungee jumping, while Grover went to those reverse hunter games where the deer goes and shoots all the humans. I spotted a semi-brainiac game, but I completed it in a minute. I think I must have overloaded something though, because the machine started freaking out and sparking. I backed away and spotted the 3-D Sims City game, and my mind was set.

I was completely engrossed in it. If I put a market here, and a gas station here, then put some apartments here… Wait, the fire station should be closer. Darn it, one of the buildings are falling. I should get some more sturdy structures. Maybe some trusses in the walls, and if I put an arch here, the balance would be better. Let's put a farmer's market here, and a fish market a few blocks away. The port needs to be enlarged. If I make this beach go out a little farther I should be able to expand it. There! Now I need-

"Come on," said a voice. "We've got to get out of here."

I didn't respond. I was too captured by the game.

Someone shook me harshly. Annoyed, I looked up. "What?"

Percy was standing there, his eyes full or worry. "We need to leave."

"Leave? What are you talking about? I've just got the towers-"

"This place is a trap." I eyed my city.

He shook me again. "What?"

"Listen," he pleaded. "The Underworld. Our quest."

I was annoyed. Couldn't we have a little more fun? "Oh, come on, Percy. Just a few more minutes." I said.

Percy ran his hands through his hair. "Annabeth, there are people here from 1977. Kids who never aged. You check in, and you stay in forever."

My city was on fire now, because Percy pulled me away from it. I wanted desperately to save it. "So? Can you imagine a better place?"

He grabbed my wrist and yanked me away from my city. "Hey!" I screamed, and punched him in the arm. Hard.

He grabbed my shoulders and made me look in his eyes. "Spiders. Large hairy spider."

Oh no. oh gods, no. no, no, no. I widened my eyes, my brain finally clicking into place. Information flooded through me, and I was scared we had missed the deadline for the quest. That would be just great. My first quest, and if I failed, it would also start World War III. So much pressure.

'

"Oh my gods, how long have we-" I asked.

"I don't know, but we've got to find Grover," Percy replied.

We found him at the reverse hunter game, killing humans left and right.

"Grover!" Percy and I yelled.

"Die human! Die silly polluting nasty person!" He turned to us, clicking his gun as if we were part of the game.

"Grover!"

Percy looked at me, and we both grabbed Grover by the arms and forcefully dragged him away. "No! I just got to a new level! No!"

The bellhop hurried towards us. "Well now, are you ready for your platinum cards?"

"We're leaving," stated Percy.

"Such a shame. We just added an entire floor full of games for platinum card members."

I wanted one so badly. But I knew if a grabbed one, I would never leave this place, making virtual cities forever, never doing anything for the world. Grover reached for one, but I slapped his hand away. "No thanks," I said.

We burst out the door of the casino, where it was thundering.

I looked at a sign. It said June twentieth. We had been in the Casino for five days.

Our deadline was tomorrow.

This was not good.

Whadja think? Good? Bad? Okay? I did most of this in the car, so there may be some typos. I was going to update last night, but I ended watching youtube videos until 2 in the morning. So it didn't work out. Sorry about that!

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