A / N: Sorry it's not a very long chapter, I just thought I should get it out quickly after the time I made you guys wait for the last one.

Disclaimer: Dear Rick, since you already own Percy Jackson, and have got a lot of money, I thought we could take turns owning PJO. Please consider this very reasonable offer. I will buy you chocolate if you say yes. Thank you.

- Beautiful8Nightmare

5

Once out of the Lotus Casino, we walked to the next block, distancing ourselves from the lotus flower. Now we were in the exact same situation as we were when we first arrived in Las Vegas.

"Now where do we go?" asked Jack, wriggling into a grey hoodie.

I smiled weakly. "How about a real hotel."

Leo nodded wearily in agreement. We walked around the streets for a bit, looking for decent hotels. We travelled towards the streets a little further out of the city, so that there would be less noise. It was still night time, but there the busy streets had so many lights that you could barely see the stars.

"Here," said Leo, steering us towards a hotel like we actually had the money to stay there. There was no more cash in Chiron's quest supply bags, only drachmas. The hotel was a large, sandstone-coloured building with dark green window frames and two yellow rose bushes next to the entrance. We passed through the spruce wood doors into a red-and-cream themed reception room. I sunk into a dark green puffy armchair, letting my body sink down into the cushions. The receptionist at the desk was eying us suspiciously, but stayed silent apart from pursing her lips at the sight of our dirty shoes. This hotel was definitely normal.

"How are we going to pay?" I whispered to Leo.

Leo grinned. "I've got it covered."

He walked up to the desk and began talking to the receptionist. "Hello, we were just wondering if you have any available rooms for three people. We will only be staying for a short time."

The receptionist informed him that rooms twenty-three and twenty-four were available, and asked him how long we were staying.

Leo glanced at me with the unspoken question and I held up two slim fingers. Any longer and my Dad would already be dead.

I watch the receptionist ask something I couldn't hear, gesturing to the three of us. Leo nodded.

Jack leaned in towards me. "Did you see Leo playing Saving NooNoo The Friendly Whale?"

I refrained from snorting for the receptionist's sake. "You're kidding."

"Nope," said Jack with a wide smile.

Leo handed the receptionist the requested amount of cash, before coming back to us with a room key.

"We've got a two night stay in room twenty-four," he told us.

"Great," I said, and, after checking the receptionist was out of earshot, adding, "How did you get the money to pay for it?"

Leo shuffled his feet. "I might have broken into one of The Lotus Casino's old arcade games cash compartment."

I laughed quietly. "Did this arcade game happen to be called Saving NooNoo The Friendly Whale?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," said Leo.

"Oh," said Jack.

"Don't worry, I didn't think it was your style," I told Leo.

We went up the hotel's stairs, stepping carefully to avoid getting dirt on the carpet. The second story was a long corridor was a couch at the end, the room 20-30 along the walls. We stopped at the dark wooden door with a little metal plate with a number 24 on it, and unlocked it. The room didn't have the evil luxury of The Lotus Casino, but it was still nice, with a small kitchen and a couple dark green couches in front of the TV. Luckily, all the beds were singles, so no one had to sleep together. All three beds were in the same room, and we all claimed each for our own before we half unpacked and lay down on the couches.

I kicked off my shoes and picked up the brochure lying on the coffee table. The picture of the room was the same as the real thing, but I spotted under the list of features the word spa. I grinned wildly in my head, and sat up on the couch.

"I'm going to check out the spa," I declared.

"What? There is no spa," said Leo, confused.

"There is according to the brochure," I said, raising my hand with the brochure in it.

"Damn it," said Leo. "I'm after Maia then."

It short, the spa was awesome. It was in a private room with white marble floor and walls, and you could set the little under water lights to whatever colour you wanted. My hair swirled around my shoulders getting buffeted from the jets, while the same intense blue of my eyes shined out from the underwater taps. The hot water seeped into my tired bones in an unstoppable wave of relaxation. I stared at my black hair in the water. Whenever my hair got wet, it was so dark that Hades would be jealous.

The spa was reasonably deep, with steps around the edges to sit on. I wondered, not for the first time, just how much this hotel cost. I took a deep breath before sinking under the water, resisting the urge to close my eyes and keeping them open, ignoring the stinging sensation. I could see the dark marble bottom of the spa, and the bright blue underwater lights. I stayed underwater until I ran out of air, and then I began the long overdue job of washing my hair.

After washing, I got out, my feet making contact with the cold marble floor. I grabbed one of the fluffy white towels and wrapped in around myself. I scolded myself inwardly for not bringing my clothes into the spa room with me, as I tucked the towel in under my collar bone. My hair lay wet against the towel, but the towel was thick enough to stop me being completely soaked.

I took a different door into the bedroom to avoid being seen in just a towel by Jack and Leo. Inside the bedroom however, I realised that all three beds were in the same room, so Jack and Leo could come in at any moment.

I sighed, before walking out into the kitchen where Jack and Leo were attempting to make something eatable in a large mixing bowl. They looked up at me and their eyes widened, before they quickly averted their gaze.

"Could you guys stay out of the bedroom while I get dressed?" I asked, pulling my hair across my shoulder so that the back of the towel could get a break from being soaked.

"Uh huh," Leo said, suddenly very interested in the mixture he was making.

I grinned. It was a little funny. "Alright then, just don't come in until I'm ready."

I walked back into the bedroom. The beds had pretty periwinkle blue covers and white cotton pillows. Almost like a blue sky with clouds. I began to get dress, which, for a girl, is a very long process, even for someone who doesn't care that much about their appearance. I blow dried my hair (what did this hotel not have?) until it was a little less fluffy than when I let it air dry. I didn't bring that many clothes when I packed, but I picked out jeans and my favourite red jumper. I put on combat boots, but ones that were easy to run in. There was a knock on the door

"You done yet?"

It was Leo.

"No," I called back, brushing my inky hair.

"Seriously! What is it with girls and getting dressed?" he said through the door indignantly.

I laughed. "Come in then."

Leo hesitated. "You're not still in the towel are you?"

Still laughing, I answered. "Of course not. I'm brushing my hair."

There was a longer pause. "Do you have clothes on?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes. Do you want to come in or not?"

"Sorry."

I heard him attempt to open the door.

"It's jammed! Or you've locked it..."

I grinned. "Nope. I just... Well, you figure it out."

It was silent for a couple seconds. "You charmspeaked it."

"Yep. I told you that you couldn't come in until I was ready, remember?"

"But you said you were dressed!"

"I am. I just haven't finished doing my hair."

"Charmspeak is annoying."

That made me smile. I sat down in front of the mirror and began to French braid my hair down my back. Even though I wasn't as beauty obsessed as some of the other cabin 10 residents, every girl wanted to look decent. I eyed a nail polish bottle on the bedside table, the paint the same colour of the bed covers. I normally never had time for painting my nails, or for caring about my appearance, but since I had time now, I decided I would do that next.

"I'm done! Now try it." I called, tying off the braid with a hair tie.

The door swung open, and Leo stepped in, his hand covering his eyes.

"Are you sure you're –" he began.

"Yes, I'm dressed," I interrupted, exasperated.

Leo lowered his hand and looked at me. "What you doing now?"

"Painting my nails." I said dismissively, opening the little bottle.

He rolled his eyes. "Typical."

I grabbed the blue nail polish bottle, and pulled Leo out of the room to keep me company as I painted my nails at the kitchen bench. While the nail polish was drying, I watched Jack at his attempt at making food. The mixing bowl was now full of a glugy brown substance that Jack was fiercely mixing with a wooden spoon. I reckon his cooking experience was close to none.

"Are you sure that's eatable?" I inquired, as Leo left to take his turn in the spa.

Jack looked somewhat offended. "Yeah."

I looked at the sludge that resided in the bowl and raised an eyebrow.

He sighed. "Well, maybe not."

I laughed and came over to stand next to him, taking a closer look at the bowl.

I pulled away quickly. "That stinks! What did you put in it?"

"Um... some of this and that," said Jack, sounding a little shifty.

I sighed and looked at the ingredients on the bench. "Why did you put milo in there?" I said incredulously.

"It's eatable?" he guessed.

Jack is hopeless. "And how about the raw egg?"

"Um …"

I rolled my eyes. "Let's just order something."

"And how? Does this place even take orders?"

"It does now."

"That doesn't even make sense!"

"Watch and learn."

A / N: As always, please review!