All rights are reserved to their respective owners. I own nothing in this piece of fiction except my OCs and the story itself.
"You want us to go where?" My jaw dropped, scrunching my eyes in questioning.
How in the Hades is that fucking fair?!
Yeah, go jump in the inescapable pit populated by scum and irredeemable monsters in exchange for getting out of NYC.
What a bargain.
I mean New Yorkers aren't the nicest, but come on! Was irredeemable immortals really that fair of a comparison?
Probably should ask Jackson the next time I see him.
"But I can't use my shadow travel to get you there, because your sudden entrance into the Underworld would tip off your uncle." She referred to Hades.
"So we're going to shadow travel to somewhere near the entrance to the Underworld instead." Mother informed me.
"Wouldn't Uncle realize we're using his domain anyway?" I brought up a decent point.
"Well, it's better than explaining to him why you're in Nevada than why you're in the home of the damned. Most likely he won't even care as long as you two don't do anything to gather his attention." Nemesis clarified.
"Alright." I nodded, with my mother's face full of confidence in the agreement.
My own, however, was incredibly apprehensive of the idea, considering the lack of information past the surface.
Mother saw my discomfort, and put her hand on my shoulder before looking me in the eyes with care.
"Don't be worried, Argentos. All will be well. I will explain the details along the way, so don't fret, my lovely child." She rubbed my shoulder, calming my brain from all its thinking, grounding it.
"Thanks, Mother. I appreciate your concern." I flashed a thoughtful smile, to which she returned the favor with a warm one.
Meanwhile, Nemesis scoffed at the show of affection, which I promptly ignored.
There was nothing wrong with loving your family.
...
Ok, some of your family. And not romantic love because...
My family tree resembled an ouroboros dragon more so than it represented an actual tree.
Speaking of trees, it was time to leaf.
Leave.
Stupid tree pun.
Nemesis conjured a circle of a large shadow within the entrance to the alley's path, obstructed from plain sight with the effect of darkness rippling within its midst.
"This portal will transport you to a place close to your destination." The goddess of retribution looked to me and Mother.
"Could you at least tell us what exactly you want in the pit?" I sent a dull glare to her as she returned the gaze with a condescending look.
"Ask your mother." She smirked, her attempt at humor nothing short of infuriating.
This bit-
No.
I must be better than her.
I balled up whatever could spark from the words of contention and let a sigh take its place, in a show of self-restraint.
Nemesis was supposed to have this effect on people. Just leave it at that, and my temper will remain at equilibrium.
"Don't let her get under your skin, Argentos. She means well, just not too proficient at saying that she means well." Mother attempted to calm the nerves that I was already in the process of settling.
"Wouldn't be surprised if he blows his lid, considering who his father is." The goddess referenced my father's temper tantrums, for lack of a better term.
"I'll have you know that my son is very well-tempered! We worked on that long before it became a problem," My mother rushed to my defense, an offended look across her features.
"We'll see how long that lasts. In the portal, people." The goddess of revenge gestured to the hole in the ground, which looked eerily similar to a bottomless pit.
I peered inside the pathway, daunting and unnerving, much like its caster.
"I think they're somewhere over here!" A voice shouted, not too far behind.
Shit! I almost forgot I was being chased!
"Alright, here goes." I stowed my discomfort, aware of the situation at hand.
Taking a step forward, my worldview was utterly contorted when the shadows took hold of my physical form.
One would assume you'd just fall in head first akin to a stone fall with umbraportation, or its layman's term; shadow travel.
But boy was I wrong.
The shadows pulled me in with otherworldly force as the noises from the outside world were drowned out by the darkness before me.
My body was being pulled across vast blackness with the velocity shaking my mortal coil with dangerous ferocity.
Wherever I was going, it was certainly at breakneck speeds.
The constant feeling of something watching me at every turn wasn't very appealing either, nor was the tight feeling around me as if I were trying to slide through a sewer pipe covered in butter at a speed that surely surpassed sound.
Dark, tight, and moist.
Just like Percy's MMMMMMMMMMM...
Y'know what, I'll give the kid a break.
My roast was replaced with a pretty solid microwave impression if I do say so myself.
But I am an adult after all.
One that attempts to be respectful.
Mrs. Jackson, forgive my rashness but you were collateral.
"What are you thinking about?" Nemesis' voice echoed through the shadowy vector.
"Nothing of importance," I responded, staring into the nothingness before me.
"Your flushed face says otherwise." Despite not being able to see the goddess, her condescending smugness radiated from her voice.
If I had hoped the other deities weren't something like this, Elpis would be disappointed.
"I'm just frustrated that all I see is a mass of emptiness." I found a new topic to discuss in the nick of time.
"Don't get too angsty now, we're almost at our destination," Nemesis told me.
"Are we? The passage of time is difficult to track here." I pointed out to the umbrakinetic deity.
"Rest assured, little time has passed in the outside world." She enlightened me. "Shadow travel has been renowned for its efficiency for thousands of years." Boasting about her mode of transportation's clout, she regained that smug aura.
"For something so efficient, sure is cramped," I remarked snidely.
"Well, then it's a good thing we're at our destination." She told me before a light at the end of the proverbial tunnel started to illuminate through the blinding darkness.
The light grew both in size and intensity before I was thrust out of the dark tunnel, and into the brightness of day.
I emerged from within the shade of a building, in a place that looked unfamiliar to me with the facilities, the people, and even the air felt different here.
Warmer, that's for sure.
Mother was the next one to surface from the shadows.
She was quick to take in her surroundings before her eyes settled on my ruffled form.
Quickly moving towards me, she neatened up my hair and wiped the sweat off my brow with the doting demeanor of a caring mother.
"Are you alright?" She asked, looking into my eyes with concern.
"Yes, Mother. I'm quite alright." I smiled at her sentiment. Her motherly nature towards me was heartwarming indeed.
From what I saw, my response seemed to settle her nerves before the rather irritating goddess revealed herself from the portal.
"We have arrived," Nemesis announced.
"We have eyes." I took it upon myself to also state the obvious.
"Well smartass, mind telling us where we are." Her neutral expression marred into a frown with expecting eyes glaring into mine.
I surveyed the surroundings, seeing a multitude of brightly colored buildings with dazzling lights and bustling crowds moving in all directions.
Casinos, hotels, and other buildings of that genre occupied most of the spaces, clearly a gambling central for those all too willing to indulge in the most financially crippling vice.
But the thing that alerted me to our current position was nothing other than the large sign with red letters that basically screamed to me of my whereabouts.
'WELCOME TO ๐น๐ถ๐ท๐๐๐๐๐
LAS VEGAS
NEVADA'
"We're in Nevada," I answered with a smug look to get Nemesis to roll her eyes in resulting irritation.
"The sign was there. Not like you know anything about the place-"
"Home to the Sierra Nevada mountain range, also the home of the US' gambling addiction to the point the state has its own museum on the vice, and the extraterrestrial conspiracy theory nexus that is Area 51." I educated the goddess.
"Also the abode of the magnificently designed Hoover Dam, where hard hats were invented specifically for building the architectural marvel." A grin was spread on my lips, on the verge of laughing at the goddess' scowl.
"Can it, smartass. I have sent you on your way to your destination. It is up to you to get to the entrance." She told the two of us.
"We still don't know where it is. All we do know is that we're closer. Statewide hot and cold is not how you get an errand done." Folding my arms, I wasn't about to tolerate roundabout responses.
"Being overly vague isn't how things are done. It's how mistakes are made." I grunted, growing tired of her lack of detail.
"What's the one place that no one likes to go to, for any specific purpose concerning automotive administration located on the west side?" Nemesis quizzed me.
Mother rose a brow, showing some confusion and suspicion at the question that the woman asked of me.
"What sort of question is that?" She answered her question with a question.
"Wait... The entrance to the Underworld is in the Californian DMV?" If I could look in a mirror, my face was the equivalent of holding a sneeze, stubbing my toe, and landing on my coconuts.
"Ding ding ding." Nemesis unenthusiastically responded.
"Then why send us here?" It was Mother's turn to interrogate the minor deity.
"Because it's my job to ensure balance. Only those willing to endure will be able to receive their reward. Nothing is free in this world." She justified her actions with an idiomatic expression.
"That includes our time. So thanks, but I think you should take your leave." Growing tired of her undisclosed motives, I decided that ushering her away would be the most beneficial to my mental aptitude.
"I wasn't planning on staying. Just remember from this point forward, your journey will only get more difficult." She warned, a foreboding tone in her voice.
"Like plunging into Tartarus isn't the top three most daunting experiences of all time." I deadpanned, her words not really sending the intended message.
"Need a cryptic allegory on why you should inform your business partners as well?" I jokingly offered.
"Just... Just shut up." She clearly had enough of my ribbing from the exasperated look, before sinking back into the shadows.
"The fact whatever brooding and depressive narrative she had going on got ruined by my mere dialogue fills me with joy." I looked at my mother.
"I am more focused on the fact all the talking I did amounted to nothing because of it." She looked back at me with a dull gaze.
"Oh." I realized. "Well, not like I would pick up on that with her mannerisms." I walked out of the side of the building we were on.
"She did follow through on her part, however. We can attest to her word, at least." Mother admitted, walking beside me.
"So she's not inherently against us. That's the highlight of being in her presence. But now we're in Sin City, and we need to find a way to get money, and fast. It's how anything is done in this modern day and age." I explained to Mother.
"Well, if we're looking for efficiency..." She turned her head to the side, gazing at a strip of casinos. "Then I suggest we start throwing some dice." A solution escaped my intelligent mother's lips.
"So gambling. Well, we aren't gonna get into any casinos looking like this." I brought up our attire. It wasn't hard to guess that walking into a casino with the appearance of casualwear was gonna get them past most dress codes.
Solution?
Costume change.
Being gods, changing clothes wasn't as tedious as it was for mortals, since all that was needed was imagination and creativity alongside mortal influence. Relatively speaking, most divine fashion statements worked as such.
So through the crowds, I decided to take a more classy approach to the fashion I presented myself with.
My hair became slicked back somewhat, with a singular bang hanging from the center of my head after passing my hand through my hair to prevent it from falling back into its original state. I was adamant I became similar in appearance to a man who had everything as a part of his plan.
Who that was, you may ask? Not knowing him was a part of said plan.
The tech fleece I had on blended into a mass of colors before materializing into a single buttoned black Armani blazer and pants covering a white undershirt with a red and black tie that I saw that Patrick Bateman guy wore, accompanied by a silver tie clip with metal-tipped Santoni's to complete the outfit I desired within my mind.
My watch became a bedazzled Patek watch, custom studded with many shiny jewels that mainly consisted of diamonds, easily several hundreds of thousands of dollars in price. Versace Man Eau Fraiche (Excuse my French) was adorned onto my figure with some sprays after seeing the bottled fragrance in a nearby store window, quickly taking inspiration and using the cologne.
Meanwhile, Mother had changed into a French violet cocktail dress that hugged her beautiful frame, going down to her shins with a cut in the dress that revealed some of her thigh on the right side.
A bit much in my opinion, but that was probably the overprotective son in me talking.
She wore a pearl necklace that hung over her neck, dangling with her figure as she walked, somewhat above the cleavage her outfit displayed some pink lip gloss that complimented the natural color of her lips, adding shine to them alongside some matching purple eyeshadow and eyeliner. Bracelets made of gold were worn on her wrists complimented by her wedges, rather than unstable heels so many mortals favored.
Function over fashion was one of her favorite mottos.
She sprayed herself with a really nice-smelling perfume, that reminded me of the scent of lush red lychee, succulent golden quince, and some exotic kiwi. Really tropical scents, might I add. If I had to guess, Britney Spears' Fantasy.
"Don't overdo it with the makeup, Mother. Lest you end up with the foundation rivaling that of a circus clown." I warned her with a raised brow.
"Oh please!" She laughed at my comparison. "I enhance my beauty not compensate with artificial products." She gave me a satisfactory answer, her smile still present from my friendly banter.
We made our way through the streets, with the mortals around us immediately picking up on our cosmetic fragrances.
"Who is that?" Some ladies whispered amongst themselves.
Others performed double takes at my appearance, licking and biting their lips with some very salacious grins and giggles.
Curiosity getting the better of me, I used my mind reading to gaze into their headspace to see just what they were getting so giddy about when they saw me.
I saw myself, which was obvious.
But then I took off my clothes.
And I was, uh... Huh.
Oh... Is she using her..?!
Oh wow!
OK! The female imagination can be very vivid and prurient when ready. This was evident by my face heating up from the embarrassment and second, baser desire.
So this is horniness.
Better keep that emotion in check.
These women were more than happy for me to take them to the Indoor Olympics. Some of their imaginations just make me flustered observing it.
Like, why are there numbers in the bedroom? And since when can cows go in reverse...? Did the bed just break? A-And why is she holding me by the legs!?-
Mother's talk was NOT descriptive enough.
I've witnessed a level of deviancy never thought possible.
Mortals are perverse beings. Not like immortals were any better.
Looking at you, Father.
Mother, on the other hand, was soaking in the aesthetic of the environment as her eyes looked about to all the colorful lights and signs that directed onlookers to enter their casinos. She was probably looking for a casino for us to enter, as her eyes were slightly narrowed and danced from one building to another.
This left her unaware of the gazes several men directed at her, some with admiration as they tilted down their sunglasses and double took.
Others, with less dignified responses that consisted of leers amongst other actions.
"Damn, she got the goods!" One bespoke.
"Man, could you imagine a night with her?" Another fantasized.
"Imagine? I'll do more than that!" One of the men even gained the foolhardiness to approach my mother.
He reeked of cheap-smelling cologne and had way too much gold. His teeth were grilled with gold and expensive sunglasses to boot with a bunch of tattoos on his neck area.
I couldn't sense an inkling of decency within his mind.
And reading his mind only made me want to perform facial reconstruction surgery on my knuckles with what he had planned for Mother.
Dressed in a sleazy suit, he was either a somewhat decently dressed hooligan or an unknown leader of a gang.
Didn't matter much to me, schum is schum.
Some of his friends decided to join him, and about three of them altogether approached my mother amid her search.
Their faces became excited, their thoughts lecherous and their lust apparent as they approached her.
I felt my fist closing tightly, shaking with indignation.
Making my way through the crowd, I planned to intersect them.
Now, I'm sure Mother is quite capable of defending herself.
Be it as it may, I might even be inclined to let things play out, just to see how she'd floor these guys.
But.
No good son would just stand and watch one of the most important women in his life be harassed by cretins!
Right before they could even sully my mother's presence, I stood before them.
Their leader bumped into my frame before his face contorted in confusion.
"What the fuck? Get out of my way, bozo!" He barked, clearly angry for being blocked.
I didn't bother to respond. Instead, I sent a seething glare.
He looked me up and down before turning to one of his friends.
"Looks like the Wimp of Wall Street's too afraid to speak." He and his boys laughed, ignorant of the danger they had put themselves in.
Deciding to take the non-violent approach, I put my hand on his shoulder.
"Listen, pal. I'm gonna make this real easy for your thick fuckin' skull to understand." I growled, to which he seethed back.
"Watch who the hell you're talking to" I didn't even give him time to finish his sentence.
"Stay away from that woman, or else my five thousand dollar shoe is gonna have a business meeting up your ass!" I pushed his shoulder with some superhuman strength, causing him to fall on his rear.
The crowds suddenly dispersed, creating a circle around us.
His people pulled him to his feet, with his sunglasses lopsided, clearly ruffled, and clustered from the immediate embarrassment.
"Don't fuck with me, punk!" He snarled. "You're making a bad enemy! One call and Vegas will rip ya to shreds-"
My hand smacked the taste out of his mouth, causing him to stumble with his blood staining my palm.
"Don't care." I droned.
One of his cronies dug in his waist for something, most likely packing heat under that coat he had on.
Fortunately, electromagnetism came in clutch, and the pistol ripped itself from the man's waistband.
Ironically, this caused his belt to snap from the force and his pants fell much to his shock and embarrassment.
The gun flew into my hand before I aimed it at the last guy, who froze whilst going for his weapon after seeing the business end of my new Glock 17.
"Hey now. Don't do anything you'll regret. You think these fancy clothes are for show, punk? I'll have you buried in dirt and your family in funeral costs." I slid back the slide on the handgun, a loud metallic shift echoing.
This caused many mortals to jolt their heads to my position before seeing the deadly weapon.
The sight of my new boom stick made many passersby scatter, screaming and scampering at the sight of a gun.
Such a measly weapon held such power in the minds of men.
A great tool for "persuasion", if I do say so myself.
"Who the hell do you think you are, Patrick Bateman?" The bloodied goon asked.
"Do I look like an American Psycho to you?" I rose a brow.
"Does a bear shit in the woods?" The disarmed cronies sarcastically responded, holding his pants by the waist.
"Considering you look like you've just finished taking one, I should be asking you." I ribbed.
With that, the goon attempted to rush me. He soon forgot his pants weren't held up and fell over them before smashing his head into the concrete, knocking himself out.
The next goon tried to pull out his gun in the middle of the moment, but my memory was sharp; my wits sharper.
Closing the distance with an impressive lunge in formal wear, I pistol-whipped his jaw with enough force to dislocate his jaw, discombobulate his mind, and disassociate his brain from consciousness.
All that was left was his boss.
"This is how I die?... By some nerd in a suit that binged too many Jason Bourne movies?" Grumbled the leader, his face sweating from fear and cringing from pain.
"Nope."
Stomping my shoe on his hand caused several bones to break, eliciting a scream.
But before the sound escaped his lips, I erected a vacuous sphere of air around us which muffled the screams.
"All I wanted was a peaceful afternoon. But no, you had to make a move on my mother." I spat.
"Wait, she's your mom?! Hahaha! Now I gotta have a piece of that ass-" Whatever sick joke he had in his mind was quickly halted.
My shoe lodged itself into his throat.
"Shut the fuck up." I cursed. "You should be able to take much more pain than that. You're a man, aren't 'cha?" I riled up the man, who could do nothing but gargle and growl with fury.
"You should be much more resilient..." I kicked my shoe out his mouth, before grabbing him by his hair, kneeling on one foot.
Looking up, he saw my face.
I unleashed my divine fury with a gaze filled with unbridled hatred, a look that could quite literally paralyze my foes with fear that overcame all bodily instincts.
The schmuck that held eye contact with me had the color drain from his face, and his bowels and bladder give out simultaneously whilst unable to move any part of his body voluntarily, in a constant cycle of shaking akin to mild electrocution.
"LIKE ME!"
Slamming his head into the pavement, it was enough to force him to crack the ground beneath him with a splatter of blood flying from the impact.
His stature relaxed, with yellow and brown stains in both areas of his nether regions and a big red stain where his head rested.
Safe to say he wouldn't be making any moves anytime soon.
Just to be sure I didn't commit manslaughter, I checked for a pulse.
...
...
Y'know, I'm pretty sure I should be feeling something by now.
...
...
How about I just dispose of my first bod- There it is!
With ensuring the mortal's survival, I stored the gun in my suit before walking as if I had nothing to do with what transpired, deactivating the vacuous sphere.
Only to meet my mother's jaw unhinged from her mouth with eyes widened from my actions.
"Argentos, what the Hades?!" Mother chided me. "Did you kill him?" She asked me woefully.
"Did you find a casino?" I attempted to redirect the conversation.
"Yes- But that's beside the point! I never taught you to be so violent so why are you so proficient...?" Mother had a pained look in her eyes, not expecting her son to be so capable of violence.
"Considering our circumstances, I think this is a net positive. Besides, he was trying to get his boys to do some... Unsavory things to you." My face blanched, rubbing the bottom of the shoe from the spit of the mortal.
"Well then. That changes things." Suddenly, Mother's prior consent faded.
A little too fast for my liking.
Then again, they were gonna do something so heinous that I assaulted three men in broad daylight.
So, that's fair.
"Let's just get to the casino. Mortal authorities will appear before long." I told her before we both moved away from the site with sirens approaching not too long after.
As we fled from the potential crime scene, the Most was utilized to make people forget our faces, and alter any technology that was nearby at the scene of the altercation.
This not only made it difficult for mortal authorities to trace our location, but quell any suspicion from civilians outright. With the power of two immortals, that feat was all but child's play.
"So about this casino that you spotted." I reintroduced the topic. "What's its name?" I inquired.
"You'll see." She winked, at my suppressed disdain.
"The last time you told me that, I has to deal with Nemesis." I reminded her.
"This time will be better. I promise." She told me, which didn't do much to ease my worries but the thought counted sentimentally.
Soon, we arrived at a large building.
It was very eye-catching, big signs that practically screamed different messages such as 'LOTUS CASINO', 'CASINO AND HOTEL', 'CASINO', and my favorite; 'You'll never want to leave!'
You could pass it off as normalcy in the mortal world but in the mythological world, things tended to be more than what meets the eye.
"The Lotus Casino! I heard some people talking about it before your... debacle." She explained.
The casino and hotel's guests were in a constant stream of admission. Many went in their doors with a rush, but my eyes caught onto something the average person would miss out on.
Nobody was leaving.
Perhaps the confrontation gave me sensitive nerves. I took in some of the other casinos, yet they had a more or less balanced pool of mortals who left and who entered yet this establishment looked as if the word hotel was a substitute for home.
Granted, that could just be its excellent service, but every hotel had to let its guests check out at some point.
Suspicion fueled my urge to investigate.
"Well, it looks good enough. Let's enter." I walked with Mother to the door, before opening it for her to enter.
"Why thank you, my lovely son." She commented on the door being opened for her, as I rolled my eyes with a knowing smile.
Entering after her, we were introduced to many, and I mean MANY attractions.
There was a dance floor with music from the 80s, a bar brimming with alcoholic beverages, a large jacuzzi with bubbles, poker, roulette, and blackjack tables with slot machines, ARCADE machines, a food court with every fast food joint in the country.
Did I mention that they had an ice cream machine from McDonald's that WORKS?!
A really big slide that led into a ball pit the size of the average backyard!
They probably know Victoria's Secret and Where's Waldo!
How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop? They probably know that too.
"My word. I knew I struck gold when I picked this place!" Mother in a rare show of overflowing emotion celebrated her decision.
"What are we waiting for? Let's make some money!" I told her.
It seemed as if we weren't the only ones interested in making money, as a staff member approached us.
"It seems you two are interested in our gambling facilities. May I interest you in some cash cards?" He offered the golden pieces of plastic with a series of numbers on them.
"Thanks." I took one of the cards.
"Thank you, dear." My mother also obliged.
The man smiled, before leaving as we looked at our cards.
"How much money should we make before we call it quits?" I asked.
"Let's aim for a million." Mother grew ambitious, the thought of becoming financially stable occupying her mind.
"So each of us earns $500,000? Are you sure you know how to gamble, Mother?" I quirked a concerned brow.
"Dont be silly. I gambled making you, didn't I?" She smirked with some mirth in her eyes.
"... Just don't blow off the money on the card." I sighed, knowing she was right yet wrong at the same time.
"Have some faith in your mother, darling." She gave me a 'Really?' look.
"I trust you." Relenting was easy when it came to Mother. "Now let's make some dollar signs!" I announced with the card in my hand.
From that point forward, we separated once more, as I decided that I'd try my luck at one of the slot machines.
Contrary to popular belief, slots aren't rigged. Now that doesn't mean you'll instantly win if we take into account the abysmal rates when it comes to the extremely high payouts.
But it all depends on two things to ensure the maximum ROI when it comes to slots.
Placement and probability.
According to a conversation that I totally didn't eavesdrop on between Hermes and Athena, within every gambling establishment, there exists a category of slot machines dubbed loose machines.
Now, these machines aren't usually in areas where there's a high amount of customer traffic since low payout and high rate of loss are all those progressive machines possess to generate income for the gambling business.
Nor are they behind any other games such as the roulette or poker tables, since their bright lights and attractive noises attract distracted customers to further waste their money and profit the casino.
These machines are usually blending within plain sight, and are unassuming to the average gambler.
Not me, however. I knew better.
Usually to pick out these machines, one would have to be well acquainted with their casino, and months of pouring capital to find which machine would yield the most cash.
But a secret trick was to 'flirt with the cute receptionist for them to show you the money' in his words.
Something that due to prior experience, I am not above trying.
Probability-wise, machines will mathematically give you access to potentially win the jackpot if you enter the maximum amount to play.
With that in mind, the higher the jackpot of the slot, the more likely the reward will be won.
Approaching a machine was the easy part.
Hitting the jackpot was where Tyche was either with me or against me.
Considering how I treated her sister, I wouldn't brown-nose her around this time.
Scouting the area let me uncover that most patrons of the machines were near many progressive machines with their earnings few and far enough in between to pit them in a negative feedback loop of losing repeatedly only to win just before leaving.
This was good since it meant less chance to sit at one myself.
Another thing I picked up was that one of the slot attendants was eyeing me as she moved about.
At first, she exchanged meager glances, stealing looks as a way to soak up the million-dollar smile I flashed when we locked eyes ever so often. A wink here, a giggle there, it was clear she liked whatever she saw in me the moment she noticed my existence.
Then it clicked.
I could always ask her.
Walking up to her, I manifested a mint before consumption right as we stood before each other.
"Hi! Is there anything I can help you with?" She asked, looking up at me with interest.
"Hey. I was just wondering where to begin with these slot machines. Do you mind showing me any good spots, darling?" I added the last part, to which she looked away from me with some embarrassment.
"Well, there's this one place I can show you, mister...?" She ran her fingers through her hair nervously, waiting for a response to my name with beckoning eyes.
"Archie." I improvised, a name close enough to my real one to feel comfortable saying it. "And you?" I flipped the spotlight onto her.
"That's not important right now, we just need to get you to a slot machine, Archie." She grabbed me by the arm before leading the way as I followed.
An empty seat was found in no time before she sat me down. Her hands rested themselves on my shoulders, massaging them through my suit which she was surprisingly good at.
"The maximum payout is $25,000 on this machine." The attendant explained. "It's placed right between two progressive ones with much bigger payouts to lure customers, but since you asked so nicely~" Her hands slid down to my arms, feeling their firmness with excitement.
Ok, so she's into me, alright.
I inserted my card, before charging it the highest amount to play. Then I pulled the lever.
The symbols that were previously disorganized now spun rapidly, to the point that normal human eyes would quickly lose track of their position added with the fact that some of the symbols were doubled over each other to confuse especially perceptive individuals.
Yet for me, a simple tweak in neural biology and I was seeing at a much slower rate.
Two cherries...
Two gold bars...
One bell...
Two oranges...
A watermelon?
Three sevens!-
The machine roared to life, the whirring and screaming of the slot alerting every nearby gambler to my success. Money fell from a designated slot before it piled on the ground.
"Congratulations!" The slot attendant cheered, before kissing me on the cheek with jubilance.
I had a feeling she'd been waiting to do that for a while, but the money distracted me from that tidbit.
Pretty sure her lipstick left a mark on my cheek too.
"20,000 dollars?! You hit it big, kid!" One of the gamblers complimented.
Only twenty thousand?... Wait a minute, I had no money before this.
Twenty thousand is awesome!
"He's got on some fancy clothes for a gambler, though. You win often?" Another player joked, approaching me.
"Luck is just when preparation meets opportunity, gentlemen," I responded, before taking around a thousand dollars in my hand. Rolling it up, I offered it to the attendant.
"For being such a sweetheart." I grinned, to which she politely took from my hand before caressing my chest with a loving touch.
"Take your time, Archie. I can watch you play all day." She borderline moaned into my ear.
At this point, I think she's buttering me up for cash but with my trajectory, I'll let it slide. Or maybe I do have supernatural beauty.
Bah! Nonsense. There's no possible way.
Then a server approached me from my side. She was dressed in the same uniform as the attendant with slight modifications according to her occupation, most likely.
"Congrats on your win! Would you like a lotus?" She offered a pattern of these flowers on a platter. Deciding to take one from her, she smiled before moving away from us to give the other players.
"Thanks, lady!"
"Mmm, I love the taste of these!"
They ate the flower without hesitation. Then their faces melted with pleasure, and their eyes dull from the ecstasy. Finally, they snapped out of the state before acting in a trance-like manner.
"Wanna play some more slots?" One asked on the verge of slurring.
"Hell yeah." The other chuckled as if his brain was half-melted.
This made me wary of the flower.
Interestingly enough, the attendant looked at me expectingly with the lotus in my hand, expecting me to eat it without hesitation.
Something was definitely up.
I took a whiff of the stuff, and stuff wasn't even close to describing the scent. It felt like my entire body jolted with joy for the split second it inhaled the flowery euphoria of the lotus.
My gut told me not to eat the flower, despite its rumbling that it had gone a while without any nectar or ambrosia.
That, and this casino was most likely a money laundering scheme for probably one of the biggest narcotic industries in the country.
Looking into the attendant eyes, I tried out a different technique that I had been meaning to practically use. My eyes projected an electromagnetic signal into her brain through her retina, displaying the mental image of me eating the flower.
Therefore, she suspected nothing when I threw the suspect plant into the bin.
Going back to the slot machine, the pressure was on to get the bag and get the Hades out. I also had to make sure Mother didn't consume the plant either, lest she be intoxicated by whatever agent they laced this flower with.
For a while, this cycle perpetuated. I'd win cash on the slots by hitting the jackpot, tricking the attendant, refusing a lotus, repeat.
With this rotation, I managed to allot roughly $517,500 dollars in winnings.
Talk about a payday!
I could've stayed and earned about a couple million, but Mother's safety mattered infinitely more than some cash.
Organizing the cash into a briefcase offered by the doting attendant, I briskly walked over to Mother who was playing Baccarat with a dealer.
Looked like punto banco, if I knew my casino games.
Mother appeared rather glazed, her eyes glistening with playful luster. She had made quite a fortune against the mortal banker who could for the life of him figure out how he was losing.
Her chits were stacked beside her, with a mischievous grin that I never truly saw her with up to this point.
I found it odd that such a composed woman like Mother could be so relaxed, even in a place like this.
If it wasn't by whatever that plant they're drugging people with, then it was fine by me.
After all, she'd been in Father's body for ages by now. Can't say she didn't deserve to cut just a teeny tiny back.
Yet by her hand, neatly laid out were about three consumed Lotuses.
...
Nemesis, go fuck yourself.
A/N:
Back from my little break, guys!
I hope you missed me as much I missed you, because I got a chapter for you.
Hope I can make up for my absence with what I whipped up right here, so read to your heart's content.
Since we're in Vegas, i thought a stop to one of the most notorious hotels would be a good scene change to the story. Who knows? Maybe we'll meet someone there who might play a role in the next chapter.
Before you go, i just want to thank you for reading this story. I wasn't sure that it would do so well so quickly, and to my plesant surprise, I gained a small following rather quickly because of you guys.
So thank you.
Apochairetismรณs!
Read and Review.