Percy and his companions followed the hotel employee silently through the lavishly decorated corridor of the hotel, as they approached the suite that had been booked for them, courtesy of Hades. They did not know how to feel about this situation. This just did not make sense. Hades actually helping them like this. Not long ago he had sent an army of monsters to kill Percy and now he paid for a room in a Las Vegas Hotel.
Scratch that, he did not pay for a simple hotel room. When they actually saw the suite they could not believe their eyes. It was huge and clearly very expensive. The most comfort Percy and Grover had seen in the last few days were the trains they had traveled in, to them this was their personal part of Elysium. And Ariadne... traveling with the Hunters for most of her life, she was used to camping outdoors. Her eyes were wide, a gleeful smile tucking on her lips as she ran ahead and disappeared somewhere inside the suite.
"Everything is just as requested. We hope this is to your liking." The hotel employee said, as he ushered Percy and Grover into the suite.
"This is great. Thank you..." Percy said distractedly.
"Do not hesitate to call the room service in case you have any special wishes. It is available at all times." The man told them, before he pulled some plastic cards out of his pocket. "These cards will both serve as keys to your suite and as our way of paying inside the hotel and casino. All transactions will be added to your bill once you leave the hotel." Percy merely nodded, still slightly overwhelmed by this situation, as he took the three offered plastic cards. "The Lotus Hotel and Casino is happy to have you as a guest. Please enjoy your stay here." And with these words the man left and closed the door behind him.
"Now this is so awesome." Grover said, as he walked over to the doors that lead to the bedrooms. "Oh those beds look sooo comfy..." The Satyr nearly fell asleep just looking at the big beds.
"Yeah." Percy said with a chuckle. "I think I have a new favorite uncle. At least when he is not trying to have me killed." He looked over to Grover, to see the Satyr already lying face down on one of the beds, snoring loudly.
Percy decided to let the Satyr rest. He deserved it after all they had been through. So he left the bedroom and went to look for Ariadne instead. She was somewhere in the suite, but he couldn't see her at first.
"Ariadne?" He called for her.
"Over here."
He followed the voice and finally ended up in the large bathroom, where Ariadne sat next to a big bathtub, playing idly with the water in it.
"Here you are. I think we need to talk, Ariadne." Percy said, as he entered the room.
"Not now. Later."
"But..."
"Just look at this. Do you have any idea how long it's been since the last time I took a real bath in a warm bathtub?"
Percy looked confused at first, before he realized what she meant. The Hunters rarely leave the wilderness. When they took a bath it was in the clear water of lakes. "Well... sucks to be a year around camper, huh..."
"Yeah, yeah. Now out with you, I want to take a bath. We will talk later." She stood up and shoved Percy out of the bath. Before he knew what was happening, the door of the bathroom was closed right in front of him.
"Fine, I'll go." Percy said with a mock huff. "I take a look around, I'll be back later."
"Do so, but you should avoid Zoe and Phoebe for the time being." Ariadne said through the closed door.
"Don't plan on running into them." Percy said, as he took one of the plastic cards and walked over to the door. "If I don't come back, avenge me!" He called out in jest.
"Fine, now leave me in peace." The next thing Percy heard was a splashing sound.
Two lone Hunters stood in the center of the hotel lobby, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. But that was easier said than done. Especially with Phoebe glaring daggers at ever male that dared to look in their direction.
They had lost Percy, when he disappeared in that elevator with Ariadne and his Satyr, something that they were obviously not very happy about. Zoe couldn't help herself but feel nervous in the current situation. She and Phoebe were alone now. The other Hunters had not followed them and so far their mistress has also avoided coming to their aid. It was like there was something they should have known about this place. Something that made their mistress nervous enough to avoid this hotel.
"So what now?" Phoebe asked sternly.
"We have to wait. They will come down again. They have to. And once we have found Jackson we capture him and force him to tell us where he has brought Ariadne."
Phoebe scowled when she heard that. "Are you sure? Some things seemed odd..."
"What are you playing at?"
"I mean that it is rather odd that Ariadne was captured like this, even though Lady Artemis and you both trained her personally. And even in the unlikely case that Jackson has managed to overpower her, it does not explain her total lack of resistance. For crying out loud, he grabbed her arm and dragged her along and she did nothing to stop him. Face it Zoe, she went willingly."
Zoe did not look surprised in the slightest when she heard Phoebe's assumption. She had thought the same. It was slightly curious that Phoebe figured it out so easily. "We can't be sure about that yet. No matter what, Lady Artemis would not be pleased, should we fail to bring back her niece."
"And?"
"This place is huge. We have to scout all possible hiding places. I have faith in our sisters and I know that they will watch all exits. Maybe we can force him to leave this building. Ushering him right into the waiting hands of our sisters and mistress." Zoe explained calmly.
"And where will we begin? As you have said right now, this place his huge... and filled with abominable males."
"We will split up. You will search the hotel area and I will check the casino. We will meet here in a few hours."
Phoebe obviously didn't like that plan. Her scowl only deepened. But she did not object it openly, clearly respecting Zoe's seniority in this situation.
"And Phoebe?"
"Yes?" She asked tersely.
"Try not to kill some guy for just looking at you. We really don't need that kind of attention here. Jackson is our target, ignore the rest." Zoe's order was intensified by a glare at the other girl. Zoe knew why Phoebe was like this. She did not fault her in the slightest. But she would not desist from punishing Phoebe, should her hatred in any way or form hinder their hunt.
Percy tapped impatiently with his foot, as he stood in the elevator, waiting for it to reach ground level. "Man, this elevator music is even worse than the stuff in Apollo's car..." Percy muttered, uncaring about the two other people that were in the elevator with him. Both had heard him and looked at him like he was some rare oddity, though it was easy to see that they had different reasons for that.
To his left stood a boy, obviously several years older than him, with blond hair and an odd scar running down from his eye. He looked surprised at Percy, a glint of realization visible in his eyes. Just from the way he reacted and carried himself it was easy to tell that he was a demigod, just like him. Percy was also sure that he knew whose son this boy was.
To his right stood a young girl that was most likely around his own age. But he could only guess, since she wore a floppy green hat, which concealed most of her hair and face. For a moment he saw her eyes, pitch black orbs, even darker than Zoe's. She had looked confused at him, before she hid her face again and looked away.
Something about this girl made Percy curious, but he had no time to figure it out, because she left the elevator at the next stop, long before they would have reached the ground level. So only Percy and the older boy remained in the lift, both silent for some more time, before the older boy spoke up.
"So... you are one as well?"
Percy understood what the other was hinting at and nodded. "Yep. Was quite a shock when I found out, but any seven year old would have been shocked by such a revelation."
"I'm Luke Castellan, son of..."
"Hermes." Percy finished for him.
Luke looked suspiciously at Percy, clearly surprised that the younger boy figured this out like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "How did find out?"
"I know your old man, you look a bit like him. Same sharp features and such."
"Really?" Luke did not look pleased by that in the slightest. Percy could only deduct that Luke was not at good terms with his godly parent, something that he could relate to.
"Yeah. Your father owes me money." Percy said, cracking a grin, trying to ease the tension that had appeared when he had mentioned Luke's father and their resemblance.
"Stolen or cheated?"
"A bit of both. He is a sore looser when it comes to bets." Percy couldn't help but chuckle. Luke soon followed suite and joined him. "Why don't we grab a bite to eat and talk about our sad lives as demigods. My uncle pays." Percy said, as he pulled out the plastic card he had been given.
"You're odd, you know that?"
"Well no one would be normal in my situation. My teacher is the self-appointed Mr Awesome and I am on a quest from my uncle, trying not to get killed by his monsters, while my patron's sister and her evil lesbian cult try to hunt me down..."
"Come again?" Somehow Percy had a feeling that he would get along splendidly with this son of Hermes. Little did he know though, that the same boy also kept some darker secrets, that would soon threaten his life and the lives of his friends and family.
It was already night on Olympus, when Artemis returned. She had left her Hunters in a safe camp outside of Las Vegas, far away from the prying eyes of any mortals that could wish them harm. Some of her girls had protested, clearly put out by the thought of abandoning their hunt... and their three sisters that had entered the Lotus Casino.
But Artemis knew about this place. She knew that waiting for the return of Zoe, Phoebe and Ariadne would be a waste of time. If they ever came out she would know it. But IF was the most important word in that sentence. They might never make it out again. They wouldn't be the first... and most likely not the last. Gods never entered the place on principle. It wasn't really a law, but they all stayed clear of this place. And Artemis couldn't deny that she was wary.
And now she was back home. Her heart filled with worry, her mind reeling with question she could not find any answers for. And though she had not planned to, she ran across the one man who could give her some answers. It was rare to see Apollo somewhere other than his own palace or the council chamber, whenever he was on Olympus. But now he was here, sitting silently on a stone bench, watching the clouds with a contemplative frown. It was than that she realized that he was looking at the place of one particular constellation. Orion.
She sat down next to her brother, neither speaking a word for some time. Artemis did not know for how long they just sat there, in companionable silence. It must have been the longest time they had ever spent in each others presence without bickering.
"You know, sis, I never really liked that bastard." Apollo said suddenly. "Orion, I mean. From the first moment I met him I knew that he wasn't good for you. Yet you took a liking to him."
"I thought he was different... but ultimately it were his hunting skills that impressed me so much. A man who could keep up with me. Before I met him I had resented the mere thought of such a preposterous thing."
"He tricked you. He tried to do the unthinkable. But I just couldn't bear the thought of seeing you suffer. Not by his hands, not by finding out first hand what kind of person he is. So I tricked you and you killed Orion. You wouldn't even look at me for over a century after that." He let out a humorless chuckle. "I resented Poseidon's demigods ever since that day."
"Until you met him."
"Percy is different. You would do well to let go of your hatred and see him as the person he is. My daughter saw him only a few times, yet she trusts him. Not because he asked her to, but because of his actions."
"Ariadne... has she..."
"No." Apollo said, before he laughed. "And Percy won't either. I made sure the he will never ever entertain the idea of trying to woo one of my girls."
"I was saddened when she chose to follow him, to help him. She acted against her sisters and defied me to help your champion."
"I know. Well everyone knows. I'm proud of her, even though you will most likely gut me for saying that. You might think that I am a disgrace as a father. That I never look after my kids. That I most likely don't even know about all of them, considering how many mortals I've been with. But know one thing, Artemis, I am watching over all my kids. As long as they are in a place where the light of the sun can reach, I am watching over them." He sighed deeply, before he rubbed the back of his head. "I will tell you a little secret, but please don't tell father about it." He beckoned her to lean in, so he could whisper into her ear. Artemis hesitated at first, but relented eventually, curious about this secret. "After Ariadne's mother had died, I visited her and brought her to your lieutenant. Ariadne didn't know I was her father at that time, she only found out when she saw me with Percy years later. And I made sure that Zoe wouldn't see me."
"You know that you broke the law by doing that." Artemis said silently. Apollo merely shrugged. "But I must say that I approve of your choice."
"I love my kids and I would have loved to raise all of them. But I can't defy the law like that. Helping yes, but raising just isn't possible. The law didn't apply to Percy, but he is more of a little brother. But in the end the law stole a part of my life, no matter what. But it never concerned you since you have no demigod children and most likely you will never have any, but to us others it is not easy."
"I have my Hunters to care for and..."
"But that is not the same. They aren't yours by blood. You don't share that connection with any of your Hunters. It's similar to me and Percy, yet it is completely different. The closest relationship you ever had to one of your girls is with Zoe, because no other girl has stayed with you for this long. But even now you have this gap between you two. In the end you will always be her mistress and she your devoted servant. That is the reason why I had sent you Ariadne. Your connection to her is closer than to any of the other girls in your Hunt."
Artemis looked surprised at her brother. She knew he was overprotective of her most of the times. She knew that he would do anything for her, should she ask. He was a very good brother, despite being the epitome of a man-whore. But she had not expected this.
"I knew she couldn't be a daughter to you, but she was the closest you could ever get to that. She helped you loosen up. But all children have to grow up and find their own way. If she decides to follow Percy around, you can still see her from time to time. She won't just disappear. And Percy will do his utmost to keep her safe, I drilled that into him quite nicely."
"But she will age and eventually die. Without the Hunt she will never be immortal. And neither will your champion be around for ever to keep her safe." Artemis said somberly.
Apollo smirked when he heard that. "I wouldn't be so sure. I have big plans for my champion. Once I'm done with him, he will be the greatest hero Olympus has ever seen. If the asshole managed to obtain godhood, Percy will join our ranks quite easily."
"So you are the reason he despises Hercules? I was shocked when I heard the venom in his voice when he uttered that fools name. Most other demigods, especially the males, worship Hercules as their idol."
"Let's just say that I told Percy everything I know. Only the truth, I swear. But now I have to watch out that he does not meet Hercules before he is at least immortal. He would most likely challenge Hercules to a duel, just to force him to apologize to every single person he has ever wronged, even should that mean that he has to go all the way down to Tartarus to do it." He laughed boisterously when he imagined that happening. He would love to see that happen.
"I would actually pay to see that." Artemis said with a small smile. "But I doubt father would ever allow for a demigod son of Poseidon to become a god."
"Percy is awesome, he will do it, just wait."
Artemis couldn't help but smile now. It was just a matter of time before Apollo would say his favorite word. She was surprised that he managed to remain serious for this long. But it was a welcome change. Though she was still unsure about how she could help her Hunters in the Casino, she at least felt better now, knowing that she could count on her brother's help at all times. This entire hunt on his champion had changed a lot of things. And she was curious to see what Percy Jackson would achieve in his life.
"I should get back to my Hunters. I need to think about a way to help Zoe and Phoebe."
"And what about Ariadne?" Apollo asked teasingly.
"I entrust her safety to your champion, at least until we know her final decision. Hope that will not fail this duty or else he will have to face my wrath." Artemis replied deliberately. She stood up from the bench and looked at the stars one more time. "Thank you, brother. For everything."
"Don't worry, little sis, that's what brothers are for." She didn't bother correcting him, when he claimed to be the older sibling. She merely smiled, before she flashed away, back to her camp.
Percy had spent some rather curious hours with his new acquaintance, Luke. They talked about the life as demigods and the gods in general. They even talked about Camp Half-blood for some time, always steering clear of their own past experiences. They both did not feel all that happy about sharing their more personal life stories.
Somehow Percy knew that Luke was hiding far more than he had let on. Not just about his past. He showed great resentment for his own father, something that Percy could not relate to at all in the end. At first he thought it was just some disdain for being more or less completely abandoned by his father. But Luke downright loathed Hermes. Sure Percy didn't like Poseidon all that much either, but the kind of hatred Luke had shown... Percy knew wouldn't be able to feel that. The man was still his father and therefore part of his life. However small his influence on that life may be.
When Luke finally left to go back to his room, Percy was unsure whether he should hope to see Luke again or not. But something Luke had said also made Percy quite curious. The son of Hermes was not alone. He was here with a group. Though he had not said it openly, he had dropped several hints that he was currently on a quest. That meant that the number of demigods in this casino was higher than anticipated.
"What are you doing?" A voice shook him out of his thoughts, as someone joined him at his table in the restaurant. When Percy looked up he saw his newest companion, Ariadne, looking at him curiously, as she tucked a strand of her long blond hair behind her ear, though it stubbornly refused to stay there and fell back in front of her face.
"Just thinking."
"Does it hurt?" She asked him teasingly, her smirk very much like her father's.
"Wouldn't you want to know." He replied with a laugh, before he stood up. "But I guess we should look around for a bit. I'm not here for fun."
"And I don't get anything to eat?"
"Nope. You probably already bothered the room service. No one stays in the bath for four hours."
"Maybe I do."
"Sure and Ares favorite color is pink..." He couldn't shake the feeling that his last comment would bite him in the ass soon. But Ares wouldn't be watching him at the moment, right? Surely there must be some war to enjoy for him.
"So what are we looking for?"
"We?" Percy asked, one eyebrow raised in confusion.
"Yes, we. There is no way that Lady Artemis has not seen me helping you. I can't go back to the Hunt, even if I wanted to." She looked away in shame, feeling guilty for betraying her aunt this way.
"I'm sorry. You had to give up your entire life to help me escape." Percy said somberly.
"It was my choice, don't beat yourself up because of it."
"Yeah, I think Zoe will gladly do the beating part." Percy had to suppress an involuntary shudder, when he thought about what would most likely happen during their next meeting.
"Most likely. She really can't stand you. But even she has to understand my decision."
Percy didn't reply immediately, as they left the restaurant and moved towards the other attractions of the Lotus Hotel and Casino. They silently walked through the masses of tourists, as they looked around. Percy for any signs of other demigods and Ariadne mostly for any sign of other Hunters. She knew that Zoe and Phoebe were around here somewhere, but she didn't know where exactly.
"So, why did you help me? Is it because of Apollo?" Percy finally asked.
"I... it might sound selfish, but I want to meet my dad. See him again. It just felt like the right time. And I..." She trailed off for a moment, unsure whether she should continue or not. Percy didn't urge her to continue, but she knew that he would find out sooner or later. "I am not a Hunter...yet."
Percy looked at her oddly for a moment. "You are kidding, right? I mean I saw you with the Hunters every time Apollo sent me out to help you and..."
"But I never swore the oath. I was too young. The day you saved my life... it was the trial all girls who wish to become full Hunters have to face."
"And you messed up by nearly dieing and relying on my help." Percy finished for her.
"Yeah. Had I succeeded, I wouldn't be here now. I would be with Zoe, trying to turn you into a pin-cushion." Both chuckled at that thought, though Ariadne did it with less enthusiasm.
"What happened to the other two? They had not been with the Hunters who ambushed me."
"They were... unsettled by the trial. And by your appearance. They decided against trying again and Lady Artemis dropped them off at Camp Half-blood."
"Guess that is another reason why Zoe is so pissed at me. I dissuaded several new Hunters from joining."
"You have this unique talent to do things that make her mad." Ariadne said with a laugh.
They soon entered an indoor club of the hotel, a crowded place, music booming loudly around them. Though Percy was sure that it wasn't all that late, he could see some drunk people fooling around, others simply sitting at the bar. The dance floor in the middle of the room was even more crowded, people shoving each other around, trying to move to the rhythm of the music.
"Come, Aria, we should go. We won't find what I'm looking for in this place." Percy said, as he turned to leave with his companion.
"You sure? What exactly are you looking for?"
"Two demigods. A girl around our age and her younger brother." he looked around once more. "And I doubt they would be here. It's curious enough that there is no one here, keeping kids our age out of this place and..." Suddenly he saw something that he had not expected, at all. "What in the name of Hades..." He looked again, much closer this time, but he had not erred at first. In an alcove not far from the dance floor sat Zoe Nightshade, looking slightly drowsy, a shady looking guy talking to her. Before Ariadne had a chance to react he had already hurried over to the other Huntress, muttering curses under his breath as he did so.
"Come on, baby, why don't we go somewhere less crowded to get to know each other better." The man next to Zoe told her. A lecherous grin could be seen on his face. But Zoe was obviously out of it and did not react to it, else the guy would already miss some very important parts of the male anatomy.
"Hey." Percy yelled angrily as he reached them. "Get your hands off her."
"And why should I, kid?" The man snarled at Percy.
"Because it would be great fun to see you squirm, when the cops sent you to jail for trying to hook up with a thirteen year old." Well as a matter of fact Zoe was much older than that, but as a Hunter she did not look any older than thirteen or fourteen at max. "And don't forget to mention the question about who got a minor drunk. Do you have any idea what they do with pedophiles in those group cells at prison?" Percy looked darkly at the man, daring him contradict him. But the man merely turned around and left quickly, without even looking back once. With some satisfaction Percy also noticed that several of the other men around him had suddenly decided to increase their distance to him and Zoe.
"Percy, what are you..." Ariadne said, as she caught up to him. "Oh my, is that Zoe? What happened?"
Percy sat down next to Zoe, looking at her with some worry. Ariadne sat down on the other side of the Huntress, shaking the shoulder of her mentor in worry. "She's clearly out of it."
"Is she drunk? But why, none of the Hunters ever drink alcohol. Lady Artemis forbids it."
Percy took the glass that stood on the table in front of her and looked curiously at the clear liquid inside. He sniffed at it, but couldn't smell anything out of the ordinary. So he took a small sip of it, spitting it out mere seconds later. "This is no alcohol, just water. But it has been spiked with something."
"What? How can you tell?" Ariadne asked confused.
"Hello, son of Poseidon here. I know when there is something in the water. Hades, I couldn't help but feel dirty all the time at my last boarding school, because I felt all the rust and dirt in the supposedly clean water in the showers."
Ariadne looked even more worried now. Again she tried to get some reaction from Zoe, but to no avail. "What now? We can't leave her here like this. What if some other guy comes and..."
"Don't worry. We won't abandon her." Percy assured the blond girl. "I know I will regret this once she wakes up." He muttered, before he draped one of Zoe's arms around his shoulder and pulled her up with him. "We take her back to our suite."
Ariadne nodded quickly, relieved that Percy would not abandon Zoe like this. She knew he had no logical reason to help the girl. Zoe had always shown him nothing but contempt. She had tried to shoot him on more than one occasion. She was currently hunting him like a wild animal. Yet he decided to help her. This made it clear to Ariadne that she had made the right choice to aid him. That it would be the right thing to go with him and help him. No matter what the Hunters said, Percy wasn't like other men.
She tried to take Zoe's other arm, but before she could, Zoe had already gripped Percy's shirt, holding on tightly. Any pictures of this would be hilarious blackmail material later, but at the moment Ariadne was just worried. Who would do this to Zoe? Why drug her and why did she not notice that something was wrong? And where the heck was Phoebe?
She pondered the question all the way back to their suite. She opened the door for Percy, so he could drag Zoe inside. The moment they entered, they could already hear the loud snoring of Grover, who had been asleep for hours now.
Percy brought Zoe over to one of the two bedrooms of the large suite, so she could sleep until whatever effect she was under had worn off. But not long after he had entered the bedroom he let out a startled yelp, alerting Ariadne. But what she found inside caused her to laugh loudly. Zoe was on the bed, but so was Percy. Half buried under the lieutenant of Artemis Hunters, looking extremely uncomfortable.
"Aria, some help please." Percy begged, as he saw her standing at the door. "She has a very strong grip, even while sleeping." His eyes darted downward, where Zoe's hand had grasped his arm in a firm grip. But Ariadne just continue laughing, before she turned around to leave the room. "Oh come on, you can't do this to me! Ariadne!" Percy yelled after her. Zoe continued sleeping soundly, despite the ruckus.
"Have a pleasant night, Percy." Ariadne said sweetly, before she turned off the lights and closed the door of the bedroom, much to Percy's shock and annoyance.
"Aria! Oh come on. You are just as evil as your father!" True enough, he would have expected such an act from Apollo, but not from his daughter. But Ariadne did not return. All he heard was her laughter outside. Percy looked at Zoe once more. Most prominently her face. In the dim light that shone through the open windows he could see her features quite clearly. She looked so peaceful at the moment. Beautiful was the first word that came to mind. But he forced any such notions away, knowing that there would be hell to pay once Zoe woke up again. "I'm so screwed." He muttered, as he tried to free himself once more. But no chance, Zoe wouldn't let go of his arm. "Totally screwed."