Percy felt disoriented. It felt as if his head was swimming. Things around him seemed to blur, as he leaned against a wall to steady himself. He did not trust his legs to carry him at the moment. He did not know why he felt this way. He did not know how he even got here.
"Perseus..." A voice whispered. It was as if the wind itself had carried the voice through this dark hall.
He felt cold, lost. Hollow. Soon he realized that it was the wall he leaned against, that caused him this feeling of coldness. As if it drained all warmth from his body. He pushed himself up again, stumbling lightly during his first few steps.
"Come to me, Perseus..."
He turned around, desperately trying to find the source of that voice. But all he could see was the near endless hallway. Pitch black stone, a place only dimly lit. Not by the sun, he was sure about that.
He felt something in his hands. His sword, tightly clutched, in his right hand. Something else in his other... his vision became blurry when he looked at it. Whatever it was, he couldn't bring himself to let go of it.
His clothes felt wet, they were clinging to him. But what he could see in the dim light was not water... it was blood. His own? He could feel his wounds, the feeling of pain getting worse. At first he felt completely numb, but slowly the pain came back. But the blood wasn't his alone. He didn't know why, but he knew it wasn't all his blood.
"Do not hesitate any longer. You are so close, Perseus. Come to me!"
Percy looked up. The voice, it was so close, as if someone had whispered the words directly into his ears. "Where are you?" He yelled into the darkness.
"You already know the way, Perseus. Come."
He stared down the dark hallway, before he started walking. He was slow, hobbling slightly from a gash on his leg. But he had to go, to find the answer. He wouldn't be satisfied before he had found it. So he endure the pain, the dizziness. Until he finally reached the end of his path. Large doors, as black as the room around him, big enough to allow even a god to pass through in their godly form and height.
He placed a hand on the door. Then it slowly opened, revealing the darkness behind it. Pitch black darkness... and the voice. "And now, my chosen one, we can begin."
Percy's eyes shot open, those last words still lingering in his mind. But he was no longer in this dark place, that seemed to suck all warmth and happiness out of him. Instead he was lying on a comfortable and warm bed, dim morning light shining through the windows. He looked over to the clock on the bedside table, only to see that it was merely 6 AM.
Then he realized that something was odd, very odd. Something was on his chest, a weight that he was unaccustomed to. The first thing he saw was silky black hair... then the memory of the day before or more precisely the evening before, returned to him.
"Oh shit..." He tried to move away, without much success. She was still gripping his arm tightly. "Of all the times you have to play titan girl now..." Percy muttered as he tried to pry his arm free of her grip. He had failed to get free before he fell asleep. Now he thanked the gods silently that he had somehow managed to wake up before Zoe.
He looked around, hoping that he might find something that would help him, however unlike that might be. But there was nothing. Then his eyes fell on something, or more like someone, on the other side of the bed. He had no idea why, but for some reason Ariadne was on the same bed as him and Zoe, though she kept as much distance to them as possible. But it didn't matter why she was here, all he could focus on now was to find a way to get away from Zoe before she wakes up. And Ariadne was most likely his only chance left to achieve that.
"Ariadne!" He hissed, trying with his free arm to reach her. But the beds in this suit were huge and the daughter of Apollo was out of his reach. "Aria!" He wanted to shout, but that would have woken up Zoe. And he really did not want that.
The blond girl finally stirred, turning towards Percy with a drowsy look on her face. "Go away, let me sleep." She slurred lightly, before her head dropped back onto the pillow.
"Wake up dammit. Zoe will be furious once she wakes up and..." He stopped when he noted that Ariadne was sleeping once more. "Aria!" He hissed more loudly this time.
"Go away..."
"I would if I could!" He snapped back. Much louder than he had wanted. Much to his horror Zoe started to stir. He looked down towards Zoe, before he paled drastically. "I'm screwed."
Grover was woken by loud ruckus in the neighboring bedroom, the sound of something crashing, followed by loud yelling. The Satyr had no idea what was happening around him, as he sleepily walked into the living room of the large suite, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
"Jackson! What in the name of the gods do you think you're doing!" Grover's eyes snapped open when he recognized that voice. He prayed that he was wrong, that he was sleep walking and hearing things... that this was a mere dream. But no luck. Percy suddenly ran out of the other bedroom, a frightened look on his face.
"Grover, take cover. Angry huntress incoming!" Percy yelled as he grabbed Grover's arm and pulled the Satyr along, before he jumped over the couch. Moments later a silver arrow hit the back of the couch, a second arrow following soon after.
"Come back you coward. Stop hiding and face your punishment, you vile man." Zoe yelled angrily, as she left the bedroom, her bow in her hand, a new arrow appearing in her hand.
"I'm sorry, Zoe. Really. Just let me explain and..."
"Shut up. I won't have your lies. You are just as disgusting as all those other men. No more excuses, no more lies. I won't be fooled by you." Her rant continued for some more time, throwing more curses his way.
A loud yawn announced the arrival of the last missing person in the suite, as Ariadne joined them with a smirk on her face. "Calm down, Zoe. This isn't half as bad as you think." She told the older girl. "You look more rested than I have seen you in years. Had a good night? Or was it your pillow?" She chuckled when Zoe looked at her darkly, a small blush of embarrassment on her cheeks, before she once more tried to aim for Percy's head, as the boy looked over the back of the couch to see the two girls.
"Aria, you are not helping here!" He said, before he had to duck again. Zoe wouldn't come any closer at least. Though she was confident that she could beat him in close combat, she wouldn't take any risks this time. She had him trapped behind the couch, all ways out of the suite would lead him through her line of fire.
"Fine, fine. Spoilsport." Ariadne relented. "Zoe, what do you remember about yesterday evening?" She walked over to Zoe, placing a hand one her arm, pushing it down, so Zoe would not shoot Percy again.
"I was searching for that pig..." She said angrily, before a look of realization crossed her face. She muttered curses in ancient Greek, so fast that neither of the demigods had any chance to understand her. But judging by her voice she was furious. Percy just hoped that he was no longer the target of that fury.
"Someone drugged you. It was in the water. You were completely out of it when we found you." Percy said, careful to stay hidden.
"And then you decided to take advantage of me!" Zoe accused.
Ariadne shook her head in astonishment. "I'm surrounded by idiots." She muttered, before she addressed Zoe once more. "He did not take advantage of you, Zoe. In fact he saved you from some shady guy who tried to... hook up with you."
Zoe looked at the younger girl with disbelieve clearly written all over her face. "You're kidding. Him, saving me? He only exists to make a mockery of the Hunters. Why would he..."
"He did save you." Ariadne repeated with insistence. "He is a better person than you might believe. He saved you, though he had no reason to do it. The only reason why you ended up sleeping on his chest was because you wouldn't let go of his arm and fell on top of him when he tried to bring you to bed."
"Yeah, talk about a Titan's grip." Percy muttered, as he rubbed the place where Zoe had grabbed his arm for the majority of the night.
Zoe seemed to calm down slightly after she thought about what she had heard. It was hard to believe. But Ariadne had no reason to lie to her? Or was she really a traitor like Phoebe had implied? "Let's pretend that your claims are true, who has drugged me?"
"You are the huntress with more than two millenia of experience. You tell us. You were already off to La-La-land when we found you." Percy said, as he finally felt bold enough to stand up again.
"I... those attendants... they bothered me about getting me something to drink. I told them to leave me alone, but they just came back..."
"So you ordered a glass of water, just so they would leave you alone." Ariadne finished for Zoe. The older girl nodded to that.
"It neither smelled nor tasted any different from normal water. I had no reason to believe that there was something in it. I was cautious." Zoe said, before she started pacing. She made her bow disappear again, much to obvious relief all other people in the room.
"It was nigh on impossible to trace." Percy told her, as he slowly left the safety of the couch. Grover though still cowered there, not convinced that the huntress would remain peaceful now.
"And how did you find out about it then?" It came out like an insult, which it most likely was. But it was also another veiled accusation.
"I know, because I am His son." Percy said slightly agitated. "I can feel when there is something in the water that should not be there." Zoe still looked at him, an unspoken accusation visible in her eyes. "And you're welcome, I was glad that I could help you." He said, before he walked towards the bathroom in a huff.
"He really means you no harm, Zoe." Ariadne said with a disappointed look. "He is much better than you give him credit for. I really thought that his actions last night would help you understand that, but maybe you just like being a bitter eternal maiden." Without even looking at Zoe she walked over to the couch to watch TV. 'Maybe some things just can't be changed', she thought, feeling resigned.
Zoe though stayed where she was, thinking about what she had been told about the evening before. About what Percy had done, that he had saved her when she was unable to protect herself. But just that little fact caused her some of her resentment. She was not weak. She did not need to be saved, least of all by a male. She just couldn't fathom why this boy should be different from all others.
Meanwhile Percy had locked himself up in the bathroom, taking a long morning shower. He enjoyed the feeling of cool water on his skin, something that came with his heritage. It refreshed him, gave him new energy and allowed him to think better. But at the moment he did not want to think. He just wanted to cool off. He had to. It wouldn't do to be angry, it wouldn't help him in the slightest. But Zoe and her darn prejudices... it was simply infuriating. He saved her last night, he had saved the lives of the other Hunters time and time again. Yet he still had to put up with her unfounded accusations and hostility.
"Too damn stubborn for her own good," Percy muttered, as the water washed over him.
"Some people are just like that, Perce." Another voice suddenly announced.
Percy yelped in surprise, quickly grabbing a towel to cover himself as he jumped out of the shower. He was sure that he had locked the door. But when he saw his sudden visitor he knew that a locked door would not keep him safe at all. At least not from him.
"Hermes? What are you doing here?"
"The usual, you know. Flying here, flying there. Delivering messages like some damn carrier pigeon." The god said with some amusement.
"Aha..."
"And a certain goddess has asked me to bring you this." A package suddenly appeared in his hands. He threw it to Percy with a wide grin. "You know she really would have liked to come herself, but most gods are wary of this place."
"The gods are actually scared of something?" Percy asked in disbelieve.
"Not scared, just wary. Better be careful here, Percy. Let your guard down and you will never leave this place again."
"You mean like the stuff they spiked Zoe's drink with?"
Hermes nodded to that. "It's more than just that. Mortals are trapped here once they enter. They will never leave. Even demigods have a hard time. You might not feel it yet, but it will come. The pull. Don't stay here longer than necessary." It was rare for Percy to see Hermes this serious about something. The god was usually rather carefree and easygoing when he was with Apollo.
"And you are not wary of this place?"
"Nah, I visit worse places on a regular basis." Hermes replied with a smirk.
"You do know that one of your sons is here."
Hermes sighed, knowing all about Percy's meeting with Luke. "I know."
"Luke loathes your existence. He didn't share why he hates you, but some of the things he said about living at camp in your cabin are very bad. You really should do something to help your kids... or stop having so many of them."
Hermes looked slightly annoyed at Percy, not amused about being berated by a twelve year old demigod. But at the same time he knew that there was some truth to Percy's words. But he knew that this was not the sole reason why Luke disliked him so much.
"My relationship to my son has always been strained. But that is a topic for another day." He really did not wish to discuss this here and now. And not with Percy.
"If you say so." Percy knew it was never good to pry. Not when you are talking to a god about a rather touchy subject.
"Anyway, I have to get moving. Got another delivery for your dad and it's better to not make him wait." Hermes walked over to Percy and gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder. "Oh, and congratulations. Didn't think you had it in you. First night in a bed with two beautiful girls. We are so proud of our young apprentice." He winked at Percy one last time, before he disappeared in a flash, laughing slightly about Percy's bright red face.
"We were just..." But Hermes was gone before he could finish his sentence. He looked annoyed at place where Hermes had stood, before his gaze shifted towards the package in his hand. Hermes said it was from a goddess... he really hoped it wasn't something with a nasty trap inside, Artemis was surely mad. Or she would be once she found out what had happened last night.
He opened the package carefully. Luckily it was not a trap. Far from it. It was some new clothing. Black slacks and a white dress shirt, together with some new shiny black shoes... he really did not know what to think about this. Then he found a card inside.
'Dear Percy,
I really can't stand to see you trying to win over girls in those atrocious rags you are wearing at the moment. So I took the liberty to give you something more fitting for Olympus' favorite new Casanova.
With love, your favorite goddess
PS: Don't worry about fighting, these clothes are much more durable than they look
PSS: Try to charm your chosen girls a bit more before you take them to bed next time, that way you won't have to suffer the consequences on the next morning.'
Percy read the card once more, just to be sure he had not made a mistake. There was no doubt who this self-proclaimed 'favorite goddess' was. There were traces of lipstick where any normal person would have signed with their name. And the paper reeked of perfume. 'Great, as if there aren't already enough gods and goddesses with an unhealthy interest in me,' Percy thought as he frowned. "Don't you all have something better to do than to watch me struggle on the possibly last days of my life?" He asked in annoyance. He didn't expect an answer, he could easily imagine it.
He put the package away to look for his normal clothes, so he could get dressed again. But much to his annoyance they were gone... "Hermes! You damn thief, that was my favorite shirt!" He muttered angrily, before he took the clothing he had gotten from Aphrodite. He would have to wear this, Zoe would kill him on the spot should he leave the bathroom half-naked.
Outside of the bathroom no one would have guessed that there had been a god visiting them. Ariadne was still watching TV, not looking at Zoe even once. The huntress had started pacing around in the room, struggling with herself, her own convictions and her opinion of Percy Jackson and men in general.
Grover sat on the couch as well, though he kept as much distance from either girl as physically possible. He watched them both wearily, trying to figure out how exactly he had ended up in this situation. One moment he was dreaming peacefully about the wilds and his favorite food, the next moment he was woken up by the ruckus in the next door bedroom. And now this...
"Calm down, Grover. It's not like she will hurt you for no apparent reason." Ariadne said soothingly, when she saw Grover, as the Satyr started chewing on a cushion.
"But..."
"How comes a coward like you ended up with someone as reckless as Jackson?" Zoe asked him, as she watched Grover with an evaluating expression.
Grover hesitated for a moment, not sure what to answer the huntress. "I... Percy is my friend. During the time at school he always stood up for me when others bullied and belittled me... He is a good friend, the best a Satyr could wish for. There is no way I would abandon him." He said the last part with more fervor than anyone would have expected from him.
"You're a good friend, to stand with him despite the danger he is in." Ariadne said with a smile.
"Following him, helping him is foolish." Zoe looked critically at Grover, but this time Grover wouldn't budge. He looked back almost defiantly. And Ariadne smirked when she saw the Satyr's reaction. "And you, Ariadne, what is your excuse for siding with this boy? Do not tell me that he has somehow ensnared you."
"No. But Percy is a good person and he deserves to be helped." Zoe merely scoffed at that. "I owe him my life. He saved me without ever asking for anything in return."
"He just waits for a chance to..."
"No. Your hatred of all men blinds you, Zoe. Percy is different." Ariadne said, though her words had little to no effect on Zoe. "And to tell you something. You owe him, too."
"He never saved me. I was never in need of help from the likes of him."
"He didn't save your life, he saved your virtue. Here in this building, just yesterday evening. Had he not saved you... let's just say that your time as eternal maiden would be over by now." Ariadne allowed herself a triumphant expression, a wide smirk, when she saw that Zoe had no retort at hand. She had actually managed to shut Zoe up.
"It... it doesn't matter. He may or may not have saved me, but in the end he is still our target. We are hunting him, it is what Lady Artemis has ordered us to do."
"Lady Artemis says this, Lady Artemis said that, you sound like a broken record all the time. My aunt does not need mindless drones, she needs capable Hunters that can think for themselves."
"I think that I know better what..." Zoe started, but she was interrupted.
"Enough. We shouldn't fight." Percy said, as he rejoined the group.
"Percy, what are you wearing?" Ariadne asked curiously.
"Don't ask. I just got pranked by Hermes and Aphrodite... I think..." He sighed. "But it doesn't matter. Zoe," He looked at the older girl, who in return glared at him. "All you want is to capture me, so you can fulfill your orders." Zoe didn't answer, she just looked at him as if his intelligence was in question now. "But I can't allow that. If you capture me today, I will be dead before the month is over."
Both Ariadne and Zoe looked surprised when they heard that. They knew that Lord Zeus wanted Percy captured and brought to Olympus, but they did not think that it would be this serious. "Percy, surely Lord Zeus wouldn't..."
"It is not Lord Zeus who will kill me, but his brother Hades. I am currently on a quest for Hades. My only choice to stop him from sending his monsters after me all the time. Once I have finished this quest, he will accept my existence and no longer try to kill me just for being my father's son."
"But what kind of quest would he want you to do?"
"I have to find two demigods in this building. I told you so yesterday, Ariadne. Hades ordered me to find them and bring them to him." Percy said, before he slumped on an armchair across from the couch.
"So you are willing to sacrifice two innocent demigods to save your own ass? You vile, worthless..."
"No. Hades had sworn that they will not come to harm. I wouldn't have agreed to this otherwise."
"Than what does he want those children for? He isn't exactly known for being nice to random kids." Ariadne interjected.
"I have an idea about that. Those two might be..."
"His own children, hidden here from Zeus." Zoe finished for him. Percy nodded in agreement. "And now he wants you to bring them to him, knowing that with Apollo as your patron they would be safer in your presence, than by being guarded by one of his monsters."
"He doesn't fully trust his minions with his kids' safety. At least that is the only explanation I have for this Quest." He then looked at Zoe with a determined expression. "Zoe, I make you a deal. Allow me to finish this quest and I will surrender to you without any more resistance. This is my only chance to appease Hades, don't try to ruin this."
"And you expect me to believe you? To allow you to walk away, so you can mock us again? I don't trust you, Percy Jackson." She glared at him to emphasize her point, but he merely glared back.
"Than come along. Watch me during my quest. And once I am done you can just bring me to your goddess." He stood up and walked over to her, stopping only a feet away from her, which caused her look rather unhappy. It was plain obvious that she did not like to have him, or any male for the matter, in such close proximity. But he did not care about that, he merely stuck his hand out. "Do we have a deal?"
Zoe looked at the offered hand like it was some foreign object she had never seen before. She hesitated, thinking about all the pros and cons that this offer brought along. She would finish her own mission in a way. But at the same time it would mean to side with Percy for some time and she was not very enthusiastic about that.
"Just take his damn hand, Zoe." Ariadne exclaimed in an annoyed tone. "Either you take his offer or you will have to fight all of us at once. And believe me, we will leave this place, with or without you."
"So you made you choice? You chose him?" So Phoebe was right, Ariadne had chosen to help Percy escape. She had betrayed the Hunters. Ariadne did not answer that question. "Fine. But try one foul trick and I will not hesitate to take you down, Jackson." She said, but she still refused to shake his hand.
Percy smirked when he heard her answer. He had not really expected her to shake his hand. "Good. Now let's get to work. We need to find those kids. And we shouldn't waste any time. Hermes has warned me about this place. It is dangerous. Something or someone is trying to force us to stay here. Leaving will become harder the longer we wait."
"And what about Phoebe? We can't just leave her here, not if this place is dangerous." Zoe interjected.
"Right. She is here as well, I forgot." Percy thought for a moment, before he walked over to the phone of the suite. All others looked at him skeptical, unsure what he was about to do. "Yes, this is Percy Jackson, suite 814 speaking. I wanted to ask whether you can help us with finding some persons of our group that went missing last night." He listened for a moment, before he started describing Phoebe. Unfortunately he knew little to nothing about the other two demigods he was searching for, else he would have asked for them as well. But knowing nothing more than their first names was not much of a help here. "Oh, so you've found her, great. Oh. What did she do?" He sounded exasperated, even letting out a frustrated sigh, when he listened to what Phoebe had done. "Yes, yes. We will come and get her. Thank you. Is it just down the main lobby? Okay." He hung up not long after, an annoyed look on his face.
"Good news, I know where Phoebe is."
"And?" Zoe asked.
"She got into a fight with another guest and spent the night in one of the casino's holding cells. We have to go down to the cells and bail her out."
"I knew I shouldn't have allowed her to walk around alone. Some man must have annoyed her by staring at her or hitting on her..." Zoe said, as she shook her head dejectedly.
"Actually she started a fight with another girl." This surprised all others in the room. "But we have no time for that now. We should go and get her. The sooner she is with us, the sooner we can find Bianca and Nico."
Without waiting for long the group left the suit to free Phoebe. On their way down to the lobby Percy could only marvel how he had ended up in such situations again and again. Now he would have two Hunters traveling with him, something that he had not planned for. His group was growing more and more. At first it was just Grover and him, but then Ariadne chose to help him, now Zoe and Phoebe would watch his every step until they had reached the Underworld. This couldn't be normal. He was pretty sure that no other demigod had to put up with something like this. Just his luck... or like usual, somehow it was all Apollo's fault.
Once they had reached the security area of the casino only Percy and Zoe entered the area with the holding cells. As an employee brought them to the cells he recounted what Phoebe had done the day before. He left them alone for some moments to get the keys to release Phoebe, giving the three demigods a chance to talk.
Phoebe had already spotted them and sent a withering glare at Percy. "Zoe, thank the gods you are here. Those damn pigs had the gall to arrest me. Just because I taught that upstart a lesson." She gestured towards a neighboring cell, where another girl with stringy blond hair was watching them through narrowed eyes.
Percy shivered involuntarily when he saw her expression, feeling oddly reminded of a certain god that had made it a habit to beat him to a bloody pulp at least once a year. "Oh shit. Just how many more demigods are in this damn casino?"
"What? She is one as well?" Zoe asked in surprise.
"Yep. One of Ares little blighters if I'm not mistaken."
"Got a problem with that?" The girl growled at him.
Percy raised an eyebrow when he heard her. "Yep, definitely his. Same temper and fierce glare."
"Phoebe, why exactly did you pick a fight with that daughter of the war-god?"
"To teach that runt a lesson."
"Come here and I'll teach you a lesson, you wannabe nymph!" The other girl shot back.
"Oh this will be headache." The employee had not yet returned, but Percy already knew what he would have to do. Again he cursed Apollo. This had to be his fault. Only he would find it funny to torment his champion like this. The other gods merely wanted him dead. "Zoe, I believe we should take that one with us as well. I don't like the idea of leaving any demigods behind in this place. Not after what Hermes had told me."
"Fine. I'll keep Phoebe in line, but that child of Ares is your problem." Zoe said lordly. She was surprised that he would even think about taking this girl with him as well. It was obvious that she would cause trouble, yet the son of Poseidon decided to help her. She wouldn't admit it out loud, but she was slightly impressed by his decision. But she wouldn't allow one single experience to blind her. He was still just a male that existed to make a mockery of all Hunters.
Finally the employee returned with the key. "This girl is also part of our group. Would you please release her as well?" Percy asked the man. The employee looked strangely at Percy, but relented and released both Phoebe and the other girl.
Not a moment out of her cell Phoebe already tried to rush at Percy and pin him against the nearby wall to capture him, but Zoe blocked her path. "No, Phoebe. We will go with Jackson for a while. I will explain later." Phoebe looked at Zoe in disbelieve. "You will do as I tell you, Phoebe. This is an order. You will not attack him... or that girl. Stay calm."
"So, I'm Percy, that one is Zoe... well and you already know Phoebe. So what is your name?" Percy asked the new girl.
"Clarisse La Rue, daughter of Ares and I will kick your ass if you as much as look at me the wrong way, prissy."
"Maybe I will even like this girl one day..." Phoebe said with a smirk.
"Pick a number, Wargirl. There is a long waiting line." Percy said, before he started walking out of the security area of the casino. He really needed to find those demigods Hades ordered him to find. The sooner he found them, the sooner his life would return to at least some form of normality.
A\N: So now it has been revealed. The last member of Luke's and Annabeth's group was Clarisse. It wasn't really that important whom I would pick, but I thought that Ares's daughter would be the most fun to add at this point.
Well this was the second of three chapters in the Casino. This was mostly about Percy's group and more reluctant companions. I know, not much action, but even chapters like this have to be added sometimes.
The scene at the beginning, Percy's dream, is part of the bigger background story that will span all books until TLO. Let's see if anyone can figure out who this voice belongs to. I already said it is neither Kronos nor Chaos. Both would have been excellent choices, but they would have been too obvious. Oh well, one day all will be revealed and I can promise it won't take until the very end.