"Excuse me," Percy said, standing up. "I need to go and smack my head against a wall."

Annabeth rolled her eyes, tugging him back down as Thalia stood up.

"Out of interest," she said, "how much of that did you guys actually hear?"

"Everything," Hermes said, sounding a little disgruntled, but was a little too concerned about his son (and his now-shell-shocked other children as well).

Percy sighed, looking over at Luke. "I am so sorry."

"Alright, let's get something very clear," Thalia said, crossing the room to stand beside Luke. "Luke was going through some things and, as a result, made a really bad decision, which he has now rectified, more or less. So if you do have any anger to take out, aim it at our Luke, please, because it's going to get a lot worse."

"How much has our Luke already done?" Travis asked, pretending not to see his father's expression.

Thalia hesitated, but Luke answered for her. "Anything before the books started. Nothing since. He's as in the dark as any of you. Thalia's right, which makes me wonder why she's not taking her own advice."

Thalia gave him a dirty look. "If I thought you'd fight back, I would." She gave her father a pleading look, not really surprised when she received no support, but she was startled when the support came from another area.

"Personally," Hades said, "I am more concerned about the person who now has the items. I am hardly concerned about a boy who has admitted his wrongdoing and strives to make up for it."

Thalia gave her uncle a grateful smile, but her eyes fell on Annabeth, who looked like she was about to cry. "I know we're in the middle of a chapter," she said, "but can I take five minutes?"

No one disagreed, and Thalia tugged Annabeth to her feet. "Come on." She guided the younger girl out of the room, then stopped and doubled back, dragging Luke up as well. "You too. Talk among yourselves," she added to the campers. "Hit him if you have to."

Luke gave a token protest, but gave in to her wishes, and she led them both out of the throne room to the same small sitting room where she had successfully petitioned her father and uncles to show some leniency.

"Are you alright, Annie?" She asked gently.

"No," Annabeth answered, looking at her like she was mad. "How could I possibly be alright?"

Thalia looked at Luke. "Do you want me to explain?"

"No," Luke said, taking a deep breath. "No, I need to do it. After that quest went wrong, I started getting dreams. And I listened to them."

"The dreams Percy was having?" Annabeth asked. "You got them too?"

Luke nodded. "He kept showing me Thalia and telling me it was their fault and … I shouldn't have listened, Annie, I know that now, and I'm so sorry."

Annabeth couldn't meet his eyes. "I know, and I'll be okay. I just need to get my head around it."

"Are you going to be alright?" Thalia asked.

Annabeth nodded. "I just need us to get on with it."

Thalia squeezed her shoulder and ushered them out of the sitting room and back into the throne room.

It was strangely quiet.

Percy was standing in front of Luke facing the rest of the room, Annabeth clinging to his hand. He caught Thalia's eye as she entered.

"I gave them the short version," he explained. "He's not saying anything."

"Luke's on a guilt trip," Thalia said with a sigh. "Like I said, he won't fight back." She returned to her seat, turning to face the campers.

Malcolm had wrapped Annabeth in another hug, and Travis and Connor had settled in beside Luke again, silently stating their allegiance.

"Luke was a symptom," she said softly, "not a cause. He was the first to listen, but not the last, nor was he the only one in this room. Stopping him from listening, as we have, is the equivalent of cutting off the hydra's head. We need to burn the stump, or three more will grow."

"Man, that was so much more poetic than mine," Percy complained.

Thalia rolled her eyes and smiled over at Will, who was still gripping the book. For various reasons, one of them being Apollo's frequent visits to the hunters' camp, she harboured a soft spot for Cabin 7. "Will, would you continue please?"

Will nodded and opened the book again, finding his place.

I looked over, but no one was there. The speaker was invisible.

"Me and my big mouth," Annabeth muttered

Percy squeezed her hand. "I said it, not you."

Deception upon deception … Excellent.

"Is it excellent because they won't get caught?" Nico asked. "Or because he enjoys it?"

"Probably both," Luke said bitterly.

Truly … you are well-named the Crooked One.

Several of the gods shivered.

But … I could have brought you what I stole directly-

You? The monster said in scorn.

Thalia frowned. "Since when do you put up with that kind of treatment?"

"Since I didn't think I had any other choice," Luke answered. It was almost a relief, to be able to speak freely about it, even if he hadn't dared look at the younger campers yet.

You … would have failed me completely had I not intervened.

"That's a good point," Athena said, frowning. "We all went out looking for that bolt; how did none of us track down a half-blood?"

"I think one of you did," Hera said sternly. "Thalia has already said that the items are likely to be on Olympus still. I highly suggest that anyone who knows where they are speaks up now."

No one said anything – Ares did not believe for one second that two half-blood kids and a satyr could possibly find out he had anything to do with it.

But …

Peace, little servant.

Thalia shook her head. "What's become of you?"

Luke didn't answer.

Our six months have brought us much … Poseidon has played his most desperate card.

"Desperate?" Sally asked.

"I would not have put Percy in danger unless I absolutely had to," Poseidon said softly.

Now we shall use it against him. Shortly you shall have the reward you wish …

Thalia glanced over at Luke, and he nodded.

She sighed. "You ever hear of the Trojan Horse?"

Luke sighed. "Yeah, I know. No such thing as a free lunch."

Technically, of course, Kronos had kept his promise to save Thalia – if one counted getting Luke to poison her, forcing the Camp to search for the Golden Fleece, as saving her.

… and your revenge.

Luke flinched, but his father gave him a sad smile. He would have done more, but his oldest was now practically sandwiched between all three of his brothers – because the Stolls had pulled Chris in as well.

As soon as … but wait. He is here.

Silena gave a little squeak of dismay.

What? … You summoned him, my lord?

Thalia rolled her eyes. "Yes, because that would make sense. Really, Luke, use your head."
"Really?" Luke asked dryly. "You sure you want me to do that?"
Thalia thought for a second, remembering exactly where he was and what he was doing. "Yes, use your head. Maybe then you'd realise you're better than this."

"Thalia!" Annabeth sighed. "I agree with you, but we can't change what happened to us and you berating Luke is not going to change what's going to happen to them."
Thalia pulled a face. "Right, sorry Will."

No. The full force of the monster's attention was now pouring over me, freezing me in place.

Percy gasped, cold flooding through his body. "Okay, the word 'freezing' was a turn of phrase."

Despite the situation, Annabeth couldn't help smiling, patting his shoulder.

Blast his father's blood – he is too changeable, too unpredictable.

Percy couldn't help smirking either. "That's the sea for you."

The boy brought himself hither.

Luke shook his head. "I knew then, you know."

"What?" Percy asked.

"That he'd end up telling me to kill you," Luke answered.

"Well," Percy said, ignoring the gasps of horror from the younger campers, "I guess it's lucky I'm pretty hard to kill then, isn't it?"

Luke cracked a smile. "You're a pain in my ass is what you are."

Percy grinned. "And you're very welcome."

"Boys," Thalia said over Percy's head. "I swear I will never understand them."
Annabeth was looking at her boyfriend in confusion. "I don't think we're supposed to."

Impossible! The servant cried.

"I wish," Percy muttered.

For a weakling such as yourself …

Thalia scowled and leaned forwards to look over at Luke. "You are a lot stronger than he is giving you credit for, Luke. Remember that."

… you wish to dream of your quest, young half-blood? Then I will oblige.

Apollo sighed. "Oh, here we go again."

The scene changed.

I was standing in a vast throne room with black marble walls and bronze floors.

Nico sat bolt upright. Across the room, Hades and Persephone had also suddenly become far more interested.

The empty, horrid throne was made from human bones fused together.

"That's the Underworld!" Nico announced, a little shocked.

"We really should redecorate in there, darling," Persephone said, thoughtfully. "It all sounds a little cliché from an outsider's point of view."

Hades sighed. "Yes, dear."

"Hades, there are rules," Zeus said sternly. "Why has your son been to the Underworld?"

"I don't know, it hasn't happened yet," Hades said scowling. "But since my children aren't allowed at Camp, where else are they supposed to go?"

"We would not turn away a child of Hades," Chiron said, a little nervously, "just as we would not turn away a child of one of the lesser gods, without a cabin. We'd just …"

"Put them in my cabin," Hermes finished. "Like there's extra room."

"Maybe we should build an extension to Cabin 11," Annabeth said thoughtfully.

"Given all your other projects," Percy said, "we shouldn't need to."

Standing at the foot of the dais was my mother … her arms outstretched.

Sally took a shaky breath, letting her son grasp her hand.

I tried to step towards her, but my legs wouldn't move.

"Oh, not again!" Percy complained.

I reached for her, only to realise that my hands were withering to bones.

Annabeth gasped, grabbing Percy's hands.

"It's alright," Percy said, with a grimace. "It feels like they are, but they're not really. And anyway, it's only a dream."

Grinning skeletons … crowded around me … wreathing my head with laurels that smoked with Chimera poison, burning into my scalp.

Percy cried out again, and Annabeth tugged his head onto her shoulder.

The evil voice began to laugh. Hail, the conquering hero!

Sally scowled, bristling with anger, and Amphitrite gave her a weak smile. "Calm down, Sally. That's not an enemy you want to make."

I woke with a gasp.

Percy jolted, the sudden pain vanishing as fast as it had appeared, along with his paralysis.

Grover was shaking my shoulder.

Sally relaxed all at once, giving the satyr a grateful smile

'The truck's stopped … they're coming to check on the animals.'

"Uh oh," Thalia muttered.

'Hide!' Annabeth hissed.

"Stating the obvious a little," Connor said.

"It's a family trait," Malcolm said. "Drives my dad up the wall."

She had it easy … Grover and I had to dive behind feed sacks and hope we looked like turnips.

"Don't say it," Percy warned.

Thalia and Rachel both closed their mouths, looking disappointed.

The trailer doors opened …

'Man … I wish I hauled appliances.'

Grover scowled. "Then do that. It's not like you're actually looking after them."

He climbed inside and poured some water from a jug into the animals' dishes … then splashed the rest of the bucket right in the lion's face.

Grover made a very un-satyr-like growl and Percy patted his arm, looking rather nervous.

"I'm sure we'll help them.

… Next to me … Grover tensed. For a peace-loving herbivore, he looked downright murderous.

The trucker threw the antelope a squashed-looking Happy Meal bag.

Nico gave a little sigh. "Happy Meals …"
"No," Thalia said firmly. "You eat too much junk food."

Nico looked at her in disbelief. "Every time we see you, you ask for a burger."

"Yes, but that is very rarely and it's the only time I eat them," Thalia pointed out.

He smirked at the zebra. 'How ya doin' Stripes. Least we'll be getting rid of you this stop.

"That doesn't sound good …" Katie said.

You like magic shows … They're gonna saw you in half!'

Silena gasped, tears springing to her eyes. "Oh, they can't! You have to stop him!"

The zebra … looked straight at me … as clear as day, I heard it say: Free me, lord. Please.

"Wait, what?" Percy asked.

"Dad created horses," his future self said. "I can understand them." He heaved a sigh. "I miss Blackjack."

"We've only been here a few days," Annabeth said in amusement.

"Yeah, well, I normally don't go more than one without him bugging me for doughnuts," Percy said.

… There was a loud knock, knock, knock on the side of the trailer … 'What do you want Eddie?'

A voice outside … shouted back, 'Maurice? What'd ya say?'

"Ah," Athena said, smiling. "Good idea, Annabeth."

… Our guy Maurice rolled his eyes and went back outside, cursing at Eddie for being an idiot.

"Pot, meet kettle," Thalia muttered.

A second later, Annabeth appeared … 'This transport business can't be legal.'

"It wasn't," Percy said darkly.

'No kidding … The lion says these guys are animal smugglers.'

Hermes shook his head. "I do not understand some people."

… He and Annabeth both looked at me, waiting for my lead.

"Well, it was your quest," Annabeth said. "That van was our ride to LA. If we stopped it then, we lost it."

"You can find another way to LA," Hermes said, scowling. "You cannot leave those poor creatures like that."

"You certainly can't," Aphrodite agreed, mopping her eyes with a hanky her husband had passed her. It was a little grease-smudged, certainly, but he had at least bothered to do something about her tears.

Ares had ignored them.

I'd heard the zebra talk, but not the lion. Why?

"Horses," Thalia said slowly.

"Thanks, Thals, I got it," Percy said, rolling his eyes.

… Then I thought: horses.

"Took you long enough," Thalia muttered, ducking the pillow Percy swung at her.

… Was a zebra close enough to a horse? Was that why I could understand it?

"A zebra is a breed of horse," Annabeth said. "I'm not sure there's enough genetic difference to be called a sub-species."

Percy blinked. "Right. What she said."

The zebra said, Open my cage, lord. Please. I'll be fine after that.

"Why do they keep calling me 'lord'?" Percy asked.

"Because I'm my Father's son and he created them," his future self said. "It's a thing. Sea creatures do it too, which, believe me, makes aquariums uncomfortable."

"Have you ever been to supermarkets where they have live lobsters?" Annabeth asked curiously.

"Only once," Percy said, shuddering. "Never again."

Thalia smirked. "Never again because you don't want to or because they won't let you in?"

Percy gave half a shrug. "I may have led a prison break."

Poseidon laughed. "That's my boy!"

… I grabbed Riptide and slashed the lock off the zebra's cage.

The zebra burst out … turned to me and bowed. Thank you, lord.

Grover held up his hand and said something to the zebra in goat talk, like a blessing.

"It probably was," Grover said. "Probably something to allow him to get somewhere safe without any trouble."

Just as Maurice was poking his head back inside … the zebra leaped over him and into the street.

Several people snickered.

… We rushed to the doors just in time to see the zebra galloping down a wide boulevard lined with hotels and casinos and neon signs.

"Well, it did say the stopover was in Vegas," Apollo said with a grin.

We'd just released a zebra in Las Vegas.

Thalia shook her head, her eyes alight with laughter. "Only you, Kelp-Head."

Maurice and Eddie ran after it, with a few policemen running after them, shouting 'Hey! You need a permit for that!'

The Stolls howled with laughter.

It probably wasn't that funny, but after the revelation about Luke, they all needed a laugh.

'Now would be a good time to leave,' Annabeth said.

"Yeah, you don't want to get blamed for that little stunt," Katie said.

'The other animals first,' Grover said.

"Oh yeah," Katie muttered, blushing slightly. Her mother smiled at her.

I cut the locks … The antelope and the lion burst out of their cages and went off together into the streets.

Sally couldn't help laughing. "I wish I could see the news segment on that."

Some tourists screamed.

"Only some?" Chris asked.

His father shrugged. "It's Vegas. Weird stuff happens in Vegas."

Most just backed off and took pictures … 'Why can't you place a blessing like that on us?' I asked.

"Because that would be too easy," Thalia answered.

'It only works on wild animals.'

'So it would only affect Percy,' Annabeth reasoned.

Several of the campers laughed, while Percy mock-pouted until Annabeth kissed his cheek.

'Hey!' I protested.

'Kidding,' she said.

"Mostly," Annabeth whispered with a grin, just to annoy her boyfriend.

'Come on. Let's get out of this filthy truck.'

Aphrodite shuddered. Those poor children.

We stumbled out … It was forty degrees, easy …

Percy and Annabeth grimaced, dry heat washing over them. Thalia immediately shifted away from them to give them a bit of space.

… and we must've looked like deep-fried vagrants …

"There's an image," Nico remarked.

"Actually he's being nice," Annabeth said, fanning herself. "We looked awful."

… but everyone was too interested in the wild animals to pay us much attention.

Sally frowned, but had to admit that was probably for the best.

We passed the Monte Carlo … and the Statue of Liberty, which was a pretty small replica, but still made me homesick.

"Me too," Annabeth admitted. "And you can't really see it from Camp."

I wasn't sure what we were looking for.

"Uh oh," Nico muttered. In Las Vegas, there was one place in particular that tended to appear when you didn't know what you were looking for.

Maybe just a place to get out of the heat … We must have taken a wrong turn, because we found ourselves at a dead end, standing in front of the Lotus Hotel and Casino.

"Uh oh," Nico repeated.

"What's wrong?" Sally asked, seeing the gods looking worried as well. "Is it run by monsters?"

"Not exactly," Nico answered. "I'm not sure what or who runs it, but … When you go in, you don't want to leave and time … time loses itself."

"You've been there?" Lee asked.

Nico nodded. "After Mom died, Bianca and I were taken to the hotel. We stayed there for a month. At least, that's what it felt like."

Lee frowned. "How long were you there for?"

But Michael had caught on and was staring at Percy and Annabeth in horror. "When they arrived, Queen Persephone told Lady Demeter that Nico was born before the oath, but the oath was made decades ago."

"I was born in 1938," Nico said flatly. "We were there for about seventy years."

"But they've only got a week!" Katie protested. "What if they get stuck?"

Percy whistled. It wasn't the ultrasonic whistle that some of the Apollo campers had, but it got everyone's attention. "Do I look vaporised to you?"

That seemed to settle everyone, and Will started reading again, describing the hotel.

… The doorman smiled at us. 'Hey, kids. You look tired. You want to come in and sit down?'

"No!"

"Yes," Annabeth sighed, settling against Percy. The air conditioning from the hotel was slowly seeping out of the book and cooling them both down. Now they just had to brace themselves for the hotel's unique magic.

I'd learned to be suspicious … I figured anybody might be a monster or a god.

Thalia sighed. "He's not wrong."

You just couldn't tell. But this guy was normal. One look at him, and I could see.

"That's a bit of a contradiction," Lee said.

"Yes, but it was really hot and we'd spent the night in turnip sacks," Percy said.

Besides, I was so relieved to hear somebody who sounded sympathetic ... Inside, we took one look around, and Grover said, 'Whoa.'

"What does it look like?" Connor asked eagerly.

Nico grinned, a shadow of his younger self shining through. "Awesome."

The whole lobby was a giant game room … you name it, this place had it.

"I want to go!" Travis and Connor chorused.

"No!" Luke said with a sigh. "That's the last thing we need."

There were a few other kids playing … waitresses and snack bars all around, serving every kind of food you can imagine.

Several stomachs grumbled on cue, and Sally laughed, picking up the plate of cookies to pass it around again.

'Hey!' a bellhop said. … 'Welcome to the Lotus Casino. Here's your room key.'

"And that didn't tell you there was something wrong?" Michael asked.

Percy shrugged. "Don't get me wrong, I thought it was weird, but … I could tell that they weren't monsters and … Well, we were hot and dusty and really tired so, I figured they'd made a mistake and we could get out of there before they worked it out."

I stammered, 'Um, but …'

'No, no,' he said, laughing. 'The bill's taken care of. No extra charges, no tips. Just go on up to the top floor, room 4001 … Here are your LotusCash cards. They work in the restaurants and on all the games and rides.'

"Oh, that's how they get you," Nico said, wincing.

"But the cards must run out at some point," Sally said.

… I knew there must be some mistake … But I took the card and said, 'How much is on here?'

… 'What do you mean?'

'I mean, when does it run out of cash?'

"It doesn't," Nico said darkly. "They're eternal."

He laughed. 'Oh, you're making a joke. Hey, that's cool. Enjoy your stay.'

"And we did," Annabeth said fairly. "Just could have done without the time trap."

"What do they get out of it?" Sally asked. "If they're not getting paid or anything?"

Annabeth frowned thoughtfully. "I don't know. Maybe they harvest the energy from the guests or something – but I don't think any of them go missing."

"I didn't notice anyone going missing," Nico said. "I think it's just run on magic. I don't even think the people that work there know what it really is – they have everything they could ever want so why would they leave?"

We took the elevator upstairs … It was a suite with three separate bedrooms …

Athena breathed a sigh of relief.

… and a bar stocked with candy, sodas and crisps.

Demeter sniffed disapprovingly, but said nothing.

Will carried on, reading the description of the room with increasing disbelief.

… 'Oh, goodness," Annabeth said. 'This place is …'

"Awesome!" The Stolls chorused.

Luke groaned quietly. He foresaw at least a summer of keeping them from sneaking off to Vegas.

'Sweet,' Grover said. 'Absolutely sweet.'

There were clothes in the closet, and they fitted me.

"You're right, Nico," Amphitrite said. "I think it must be pure magic."

"Maybe Hecate knows something about it," Hera said thoughtfully.

… I threw Ares's backpack in the trash can.

"Don't," Hera snapped, beating her son to it. He smirked for a second, before he realised her ire was aimed at him. She didn't, however, elaborate.

… I took a shower, which felt awesome after a week of grimy travel … In the back of my mind, some small problem kept nagging me. I'd had a dream or something …

"An important one," Thalia said.

… I needed to talk to my friends. But I was sure it could wait.

"Okay," Percy said sheepishly, when everyone turned to look at him. "So maybe there's a chance that even if I had seen him, I might not have said anything."

"You would have done," Annabeth said with certainty. "You wouldn't have waited until we found somewhere to stay."

I came out of the bedroom and found that … Grover was eating crisps to his heart's content, while Annabeth cranked up the National Geographic Channel.

"Oh, Annie," Thalia said with a fond smile. "Only you."

"All those stations," I told her, "and you turn on National Geographic.

"Hello," Annabeth said with a grin. "I'm Annabeth. Have you met me?"

Percy chuckled. "Yeah, I know."

Are you insane?'

"Don't," Annabeth said.

Percy, Thalia and Nico shut their mouths.

'It's interesting.'

"It really was," Annabeth said. "There was this …"

Percy put a hand over her mouth. "Tell us later, Wise Girl. I think everyone wants to know how much time we lost."

'I feel good,' Grover said … Without his even realising it, the wings sprouted out of his shoes and lifted him a foot off the ground, then back down again.

Hermes grimaced. "That's not good. When they start reacting without any sort of prompt, your emotions are likely out of your control."

'So what now?' Annabeth asked. 'Sleep?'

Percy snorted. "Yeah, like that was going to happen."

Annabeth sighed. "I'm sorry I thought you two might be sensible."

Grover and I looked at each other … I couldn't remember the last time I had so much fun.

Despite her worry, Sally couldn't help a sad smile. Beside her, Percy squeezed her hand.

… Our idea of a splurge was eating out at Burger King and renting a video.

"Yeah, but they were the best days," Percy said fondly. "Aside from when we used to go to Montauk."

A five-star Vegas hotel? Forget it.

"When it comes to this one," Amphitrite said, "that's not a bad thing."

… I saw Grover a few times … He really liked the reverse hunter thing – where the deer go out and shoot rednecks.

Grover grinned. "That does sound like fun."

"Dude, for a peace-loving vegetarian, you have a serious violent streak," Percy said.

Grover shrugged. "I don't like hunters."

I saw Annabeth playing trivia games … They had this huge 3-D sim game … I didn't think much of it, but Annabeth loved it.

Annabeth worried her bottom lip. That did sound like fun, but … surely she would realise there was something wrong.

I'm not sure when I first realized something was wrong.

"I can't believe you got there first," Annabeth said with a sigh. Even now, her mind didn't seem to be working properly. Concentrating on any one thing was even harder than it usually was – and for someone with ADHD, that was saying something.

"I can," Thalia said honestly. "Nothing against you, honey, but you and Grover were both playing solo games. It sounds like Percy was playing with other people. There's more chance to notice something wrong."

Probably, it was when I noticed the guy standing next to me … he said, 'Groovy, man.

"So the clothes didn't throw you, but the use of 'groovy' did?" Connor asked.

Percy shrugged. "We were in Vegas, the clothes weren't weird. I've never heard anyone use 'groovy' unironically."

… Been here two weeks, and the games keep getting better and better.'

"Because technology's moving on outside," Apollo said softly.

Later … I said something "rocked", and he looked at me kind of puzzled …

"Why don't more people catch on then?" Malcolm asked.

"Several reasons," Nico answered. "First of all, most of them are mortals who stumble in there – the Mist keeps them from noticing the magic. Second of all, the Hotel itself has magic that keeps you there."

… I said … 'What year is it?'

"Good boy," Poseidon murmured.

… 'In the game?'

'No. In real life.'

He had to think about it. '1977.'

"And he thinks he's only been there a few weeks?" Lee asked.

Nico shrugged. "We thought we were only there a month."

'No,' I said, getting a little scared. 'Really.'

"Did you really think he was kidding?" Thalia asked.

"I was hoping," Percy said.

… After that he totally ignored me.

"Magic," Nico said.

"Thanks," Percy said dryly.

I started talking to people … it wasn't easy. They were glued to the TV screen, or the video game, or their food, or whatever.

"Something doesn't want them asking questions," Rachel said, doodling patterns on her jeans with a marker that had come out of nowhere. She had 'lost' her school uniform as soon as possible. "They must get something out of the guests being there."

I found a guy who told me it was 1985 … 1993 … They all claimed they hadn't been here very long, a few days, a few weeks at most.

Sally frowned. "How many mortal 'missing person' cases would be solved if we looked there?"

No one answered her.

They didn't really know and they didn't care.

"Why would they?" Thalia asked. "As far as they're concerned, they're in paradise."

Then it occurred to me: how long had I been here?

"That's what we want to know," Silena said, her eyes wide with worry.

It seemed like only a couple of hours, but was it?

"No," Percy and Annabeth answered.

I tried to remember why we were here … We were supposed to find the entrance to the Underworld. My mother … for a scary second, I had trouble remembering her name.

Percy shuddered. That had been an awful moment. He never wanted that feeling ever again.

… I had to stop Hades from causing World War III.

Hades sighed, but didn't say anything. Persephone patted his hand. They all knew that he wasn't behind it now.

I found Annabeth still building her city.

'Come on,' I told her. 'We've got to get out of here … We need to leave.'

'Leave? What are you talking about?

Annabeth shivered. She prided herself on her logic and her intelligence – all of her siblings did. The thought that something could take over her mind like that was terrifying.

Her mother's hand ran down her back and took her hand, squeezing it gently.

… '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?'

Malcolm pressed against his sister's other side.

I grabbed her wrist and yanked her away from the game.

'Hey!' She screamed and hit me …

Percy flinched. "Ouch."

"Sorry," Annabeth said, looking guilty.

"Not your fault," Percy said, pretending his cheek wasn't throbbing. "It wasn't that bad anyway. I just wasn't expecting it."

… but nobody else even bothered looking at us. They were too busy.

"Explains how Alecto got in and out without anyone paying attention," Nico muttered.

I made her look directly into my eyes. I said, 'Spider. Large, hairy spiders.'

Annabeth squeaked, but her future self shook her head slowly. "Thank you."

"Sorry," Percy said, squeezing her hand. "It was the only thing I could think of."

"I know," Annabeth said, kissing his cheek. "Thank you."

That jarred her.

"Thank Olympus for that," Thalia muttered.

Her vision cleared. 'Oh my gods,' she said. 'How long have we –'

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

"Tell us!" Silena said, covering her eyes and hiding her face in the shoulder of the person next to her.

Beckendorf abandoned the machine in his lap and patted her back, looking a little perplexed.

"Silena, it can't be too bad," Katie said. "Like Percy said, he's not vaporised, so they must have managed it."

Silena relaxed, but she didn't sit up.

We went searching, and found him still playing Virtual Deer Hunter.

Percy snorted. "Maybe we should get him that for his birthday."

"He'd never do anything else," Annabeth said fondly.

… He turned the plastic gun on me and started clicking, as if I were just another image from the screen.

Grover bleated with alarm. "I'm sorry, Percy."

Percy grinned. "It's fine. It's just a plastic toy – it won't hurt me."

I looked at Annabeth, and together we took Grover by the arms and dragged him away.

"Probably for the best," Thalia said, looking highly amused.

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!'

"That is some powerful magic," Hermes said, frowning. "Maybe we should …"

"No," Zeus said. "We cannot interfere."

Hermes scowled and muttered something under his breath that made his sons (even Luke, who was still pale-faced and shaking) grin with appreciation.

The Lotus bellhop hurried up to us. 'Well, now, are you ready for your platinum cards?'

"No!" Several people shouted.

'We're leaving,' I told him.

"Good boy," Amphitrite said. "Be firm."

'Such a shame,' he said, and I got the feeling that he really meant it, that we'd be breaking his heart if we went. 'We just added an entire new floor full of games for platinum-card members.'

"Oh, they're good," Apollo said.

His sister hummed in agreement, mentally planning a hunting trip to check up on this place. She would have to pick her hunters carefully for that one – there weren't many who would cope with that many boys around.

But Sally did have a point – who knew how many mothers were waiting for their children to return to them, with no idea if they were alive or dead?

He held out the cards, and I wanted one … I'd be playing virtual rifleman with groovy Disco Darrin forever.

"And that was tempting?" Annabeth asked.

"I didn't take it," Percy said. "But I do miss Disco Darrin."

Grover reached for the card …

"No!" Grover yelped.

Sally patted his shoulder. "It's alright, dear. They won't let you."

… but Annabeth yanked his arm back and said, 'No thanks.'

"Good girl," Athena said, squeezing her daughter's hand again.

We walked towards the door, and as we did, the smell of the good and the sounds of the games seemed to get more and more inviting … We could just stay the night, sleep in a real bed for once …

Annabeth sighed longingly. "Yeah, that would have been lovely."

Then we burst through the doors … It felt like afternoon … The weather had completely changed.

"Uh oh," Percy said nervously. "How long had it been?"

It was stormy, with heat lightning flashing out in the desert.

Apollo sighed in relief. "Well, that's nothing that hasn't been happening for the last six months."

Ares's backpack was slung over my shoulder … I was sure I had thrown it in the trash can in room 4001, but at the moment I had other problems to worry about.

"That's quite remarkable," Athena said, but Nico was frowning.

"That's … not how the Lotus Casino works," he said. "If you left that backpack there, it would still be there. Bianca and I left a couple of things there; we never got them back."

"How did the backpack reappear then?" Aphrodite asked.

Ares shrugged. "Maybe because I gave it to him. Maybe I made sure they couldn't lose it."

"That was very nice of you," she said, but she sounded far more suspicious than she did affectionate.

I ran to the nearest newspaper stand … Thank the gods, it was the same year it had been when we went in.

"Well, that's something," Annabeth said.

Then I noticed the date:

There was a sharp increase of breath.

June twentieth.

There was a beat of silence. Then …

"They're screwed."

"Travis!" Hermes chided.

"Well, they are!" Travis said. "They still need to get to LA, they need to get whatever message Lord Poseidon has for them, then they need to get into the Underworld, we know that Lord Hades doesn't even have what they're looking for, so then what are they going to do?"

Hermes sighed. "Regardless, now may not be the best time to say so." He glanced down at Luke, who was bypassing worry and gradually reaching hysteria.

We had been in the Lotus Casino for five days.

"Unbelievable," Sally muttered, worry coursing through them.

We had only one day left until the summer solstice. One day to complete our quest.

"Thank goodness you realised when you did," Thalia said to Percy, "or you really would have been screwed. On saying that, Travis has a point."

"Yeah, but, again, do I look vaporised to you?" Percy asked.

"Fair point," Thalia said, getting to her feet. She stepped into the small kitchenette for a second and emerged with a paper bag, crossing the floor to hand it to Luke. "Breathe into this, in for four, out for seven. How are you going to get back to New York once you've managed it though?" She added, returning to Percy.

Percy looked at her in amusement. "You'll see."

"What's the smile for?" Thalia asked.

Percy shook his head. "You are such a mom."

Thalia rolled her eyes. "I am not."

Annabeth clapped a hand over Percy's mouth before he could argue. "Will, was that the end of the chapter?"

Will nodded.

"How many chapters are left?" Hera asked.

Will flicked through the book. "Six, Lady Hera."

"I suggest we read three more, then stop for dinner," Hera said, glancing at the time. "And then we can hopefully get the last three read before bed."

No one disagreed with her, and Hermes held out a hand for the book. "I'll read next. It should be a safe one." He flipped to the next chapter and smiled. "And perhaps a fun one."