He pulled Grover against the rushing crowds, desperate to get away from the flushing lights of the casino. The smell of lotus petals followed them as they wormed between guests, the warm air outside flushing away the scent and clearing his mind.
His sense of time was out of whack, sweat beading along his forehead and heart racing against his chest. Percy took in a few deep breaths as Grover stopped struggling, Luke watching them both with a mysterious gleam in his eyes.
"I though it was nighttime," Grover noted, staring up at the hazy horizon and the thin wisps of clouds trailing the sky above. Percy's vision focused on a newspaper rack a little ways away, eyebrows furrowing as he scanned the headline.
"Uh, guys?" He called out. "We weren't there for a few hours. Try days." He held up the paper, Luke not bothering to glance at it whilst Grover grunted unhappily.
It took them a while to flag down a cab, but traffic was luckily not nearly as bad compared to Manhattan's. The leather seats stuck to his skin, legs pressed against Luke's as the taxi took its sweet time.
His fingers tapped against the car door in irritation. "Can you drive any faster?" Percy snapped, looking at the glare shot at him through the review mirror.
"How much are you gonna pay me?" The driver replied, scowling. Percy sighed, holding out his hand to Luke. When the other took too long to react he reached his hand into Luke's back pocket, fingers brushing the denim of his jeans. The son of Hermes raised his eyebrows but kept quiet, letting the shorter claim the Lotus card without resistance.
"Do you take casino cards?" He questioned, straightening up.
"Only if they're good." He handed the card to the front, watching as it was swiped. The numbers spun and grew, expanding further as the driver gaped until the machine stopped with a lout buzz. Before they knew it, the cab was speeding down the streets, Vegas going past in a blur as they made their was to Los Angeles.
The waiting room was nice and clean, modern in style. A man in a handsome suit guarded the elevator doors, standing tall and distant to the other occupants whose limbs faded like a ghost's.
Percy lead the other two to the man, a raw power tugging at his gut. Judging by the indifferent expressions on his friends' faces he was the only one who felt it, felt the mark of death in this room. It got stronger the closer they came to the lift, resonating deep in his mind.
The bouncer regarded them with a stoic face, Percy taking a second to read the name tag pinned to his suit. The letters swarmed under his gaze, print dancing and flickering at every blink.
"Your name is Chiron?" He asked, tilting his head. Grover fidgeted nervously at his side, anxious.
"It's Charon, mate," the man answered in a low voice, deep and rumbly against his throat. He leaned forward suddenly, sunglasses shading his eyes. "Say, having trouble reading, are you?" He humphed. "You're a godling, and a not-dead one at that. Pity."
Well, there went their plan. "We want to go to the Underworld."
Charon snorted. "Well, that's refreshing. Usually I get 'there must be a mistake, Mr Charon,' or 'I'm not supposed to be dead, Mr Charon'. Nevertheless, I must decline."
Percy frowned. "C'mon," he nearly whined. "Stuck here for all eternity or not, even you must know that Hades is gunning for half-bloods. What's he going to think when he hears you turned us away at the door?"
Luke gave him that same impressed look, Grover meanwhile appearing frightened. "You let us in, though," he braved through. "And he might show you some favor. There may even be a raise in it for you. When's the last time you got a raise?"
Charon seemed to agree. "Please, mate. I get paid two drachmas a head, just like always. And a drachma doesn't go as far as it used to, let me tell you." He seemed to consider the offer, sighing softly. "You make a valid point about the raise, mate. Come along."
He shuffled through lost souls and desperate spirits, prying open the elevator doors. They all squeezed inside, trying to fit in the compacted space.
The doors closed behind their backs, elevator rumbling downwards. All of a sudden it dropped, drastically, hair flying upwards as gravity tied them down. Percy yelped at the change, flinging himself in the darkness at the object nearest to him in a panic.
He closed his eyes, burrowing his head in what felt like fabric. Strong arms wrapped around his frame, gripping them tight as the dropping sensation released them. He stumbled in the hold but was kept up, gasping against a warm torso.
"Perce?" A voice asked from above his head, sounding like Luke, and Percy blushed as he realized what was happening. It felt like back in the Hermes cabin all over again, him clinging onto something stronger, something to save him, and Luke taking up that role.
He lifted his head from the older's chest, the Underworld replacing the enclosed walls of the lift. The world stretched on for eternity, smelling of blood and smoke, vision adjusting to the dimness. They were standing on a ferry that sailed across a sea of black, Charon dressed in long silk robes and guiding then forward.
Percy slowly pulled himself away from Luke, shivering. It felt cold, much too cold for the Greek version of Hell. His soul felt detached, wavering under skin, the distant wails from afar ringing in his ears, and he was just starting to realize how hopeless this all was.
Luke's eyes strayed on his face, the vibrant blue looking grey in Hades' realm. He looked almost as if he were going against better judgement when his hand reached for Percy's, both regret and guilt battling for dominance on his features. The flash of emotion was gone before it came, and his fingers wrapped around Percy's palm in a silent reassurance. He would have been more touched if it didn't look like Luke was debating to take that grip and use it to propel Percy in the river, but he tightened the hold even so, recognizing it for what he thought it was and banishing the stray scenarios.
They reached the other side in what could have been an eternity or a short span of mere seconds, departing from the boat. Charon didn't glance back as he sailed away, disappearing into the thick fog. Grover glanced at their joined hands but said nothing, instead shifting his gaze to the other end of the Underworld.
"Now what?" Grover asked them, bouncing on his hooves. There was nothing ahead but more darkness, something to be revealed within.
Percy bit his lip, thinking. "Guess the only way there is to go now is forward," he suggested. When no better idea was made he took hold of the poorly formed plan, pulling his friends with him deeper into death.
If you want a better idea of when I'm updating, check my Bio every week or so. I'll be updating it the week when I'll be posting a new chapter, in order to make the times more specific. Hope you enjoyed, and thank you for reading.
UPDATE: I just realized that I completely skipped the water bed scene. Uh, I'm getting all of this from the graphic novel (lost my copy of the book) and it is not in there. At all. Sorry about that, hehe.