(A/N All the tropey nonsense! I must have it! You have been warned!)

Percy

It was like he forgot how to breathe, but somehow still managed to put one foot in front of the other. The air seemed thin and the world blurry. His limbs were weighed down, as if by lead, and still he trudged forward.

Was this really what it was like to be mortal?

It'd only been a year, surely he hadn't forgotten. He recalled fatigue feeling similar, but he shouldn't feel overexerted at all right now. Something had to be wrong.

With a sigh he pushed it out of his mind. It was probably like getting a really good sleep after a quest and then forgetting how to get up and function the next day. Mortality was the quest, godhood was the sleep, and now he was suffering the following morning.

Take another step.

Follow Artemis.

Breathe.

Suppressing a groan he focused on not complaining as they entered a town that had hopefully seen better days.

"I had Apollo book us rooms at the hotel," she cringed.

"Not a fan of hotels?"

"Not really. I'd much rather pitch a tent."

"Fair." Percy said, continuing to follow her through the streets.

There were a lot of different groups of people hanging around the narrow walkways. Some were piled in blankets while others were in groups around fires. A few groups of kids roamed the streets, all with sunken, sickly faces. Most of the kids looked to just be trying to find some little joy in existence despite the hovering illness. Others were menacing; Percy remembered his wolf stare and they steered clear of him and Artemis.

"So, Percy piped up, looking ahead of them, "tell me that the name of this hotel your brother booked wasn't the Bowling Alley Dream Hotel."

"It was. He thought I should 'take a minute to enjoy the simple pleasures of non-combat competition' while here. How did you know?"

Percy pointed ahead to the three building hotel complex. Only, one building sported a flashy bowling sign, one looked like an average two story motel, and the third was ashes.

"What?" Artemis's voice cracked.

"Your brother might want to ask for a refund."

She shot him a glare and he laced their fingers and led the way forward. They should at least be able to ask where else they could stay.

.

Artemis

She let Perseus lead her to the remains of the hotel. It looked like it could have almost been nice. The three buildings surrounded a park-like area that sported a pool that was built and decorated to look like a natural spring. The only problems were the obvious: one of the buildings had burnt down-recently, and the pool water was a murky yellow that left a deathly stench in the air.

As he made it to the office door, she extracted her hand for him to let them in. Walking briskly to the desk she hardened her features, not showing an ounce of sympathy for the poor desk clerk who was running around frantically with different bookings trying to salvage what business she could. Really, her heart broke, but she refused to show it.

"Luna Hunt and Jackson Blowfish, here to check in."

The clerk went sheet white at her no-nonsense tone and fumbled as she tried to pull up the booking on her computer.

"Uh...yes. I see you were in suites 12 and 13 in building A…"

"Are our rooms still available?" Percy asked kindly. She took a moment to blink at him. He had a small, reassuring smile on his face and a slouched non-threatening posture. Honestly, she wouldn't have recognized this version of him beside the one that had scared the hooligans away earlier. He didn't even need to morph his appearance or age, just his demeanor.

The clerk winced and took a breath.

"I'm afraid building A is the one that…" she cleared her throat and stood a little straighter. "We also," she swallowed, but maintained her more sure posture. "We had to relocate all of our current building A residents to building B. We've tried to secure rooms for incoming residents, but...they won't be the same accommodations as expected."

"Oh?" Artemis asked.

"Since you booked under one name we refunded you a room and placed you together."

Every thought process shut down. Together. What the actual Hades did that mean?

"I understand you got a lot going on, but do you have another room available?" she vaguely heard Perseus ask beside her.

"No, I'm sorry. But if we get a cancellation I'll let you know!"

"Thanks, we appreciate that."

They exchanged a few more words that Artemis didn't bother listening to. She didn't like the situation to begin with, and now this had to happen.

"C'mon, Luna," Percy grabbed her at the elbow and gently led her back to the door. "It's set up more like a motel than a hotel, all the doors are exterior," he said as they made their way to the second floor. "This is us." He unlocked the door and led her in. When the latch clicked behind them she finally snapped out of her stupor.

"I can't stay here."

Percy looked at her and squinted.

"It's not that bad." Something seemed to occur to him because he perked up and smirked. "It's a BAD Hotel," he snickered.

She stared at him.

"Yes. It's bad. What happened here is bad and their accommodations are bad." She looked at him confused as he dissolved into chuckles. "Why is it being bad funny?"

"Zoë would have said the same thing," he snorted.

She stilled. Zoë. Sometimes it still hurt to think of her long time lieutenant.

"What do you mean?" she asked softly and his laughter finally subsided, though his smile was persistent.

"We were all tired on the quest and went to a souvenir shop at Hoover Dam. It was the 'dam' shop, where we got 'dam' fries and 'dam' shirts."

"It is...a pun? You were cursing?"

"Yeah, and Zoë could not figure out what we thought was so funny."

Artemis smiled at his fond memory, and the humor he found in it.

"But how does that apply to me?"

"It's a BAD Hotel. Bowling Alley Dream. 'B A D.'"

"Oh!" She felt her flush as she realized the obvious. "I feel like that was an oversight on the owner's part."

Percy snorted and there was a soft knock at the door. He answered it without caution.

"The extra blankets you requested," said a maid from across the threshold.

"Thanks," he pulled a tip out of his pocket and closed the door. "Here will be fine. You get the bed, I'll take the couch." He smiled, lifting his blankets in explanation.

"Oh. Thank you Perseus."

"It's Percy," he reminded her once again.