Hey guys!
Let me preface this by saying I thank you all for the support. 30k hits and almost 500 kudos! Fucking unreal there. You peeps on FF aren't far behind either. It just blows my mind. I can't express the emotion I feel. Someone even made an inspired work and I've seen multiple Reddit threads about me.
Wow!
My deepest thanks for making it this far goes to Asdf0789, NJGrasshopper, Frosty Yang, and Indigonao, the people who look over my stories with no questions asked.
Also, this chapter is 1 of 7 of story updates for this week (Across all my stories).
I plan to update most of my stories as part of "Taka Week". A celebration of both me and my mother's birthdays.
Well… Nothing more to say up here but 'Enjoy'!
"Joker said I'm in charge, so that means you have to do what I say, and I say we go look for them at the indoor track on level 5!"
"And I say you're a numbskull! Joker only put you in charge so you'd shut up! We need to search the aquarium on level 3!"
"Piss off, Cat! You're not the leader."
"Both of you are hopeless cases; acting on your own self-interests like brainless animals!"
"You take that back! I'm more than just a cat!"
"Asshole, you've done nothing but insult us since we've got here! Why don't you actually say something helpful for once!"
"Why waste my breath when the brains of you two ignoramuses will not comprehend two-thirds of the stuff I suggest?"
Violet sighed and resisted the urge to hit her head against a classical doric-style column as the hotel guests gave a wide berth to Skull, Mona, and Crow whose voices were getting louder and more aggressive by the second. Strangely, a blissful relaxed expression came across their faces when they left the vicinity.
Violet tried not to look at the check-in desk. In addition to the disturbance, they hadn't even written their names on the ledger, prompting the guy manning the front to glare at them for the past five minutes. Basically, as soon as they walked in.
Whoever said a trip to Las Vegas was supposed to be a stress reliever lied.
Why did Senpai put this team together again?
She guessed Mona did have a point. Joker, Queen, and Navi were too busy leading Artemis on a wild goose chase. The others were on standby in case they took too long after Crow pointed out how foolish all of them charging in was considering they were dealing with the Lotus-Eaters.
So why were the boys doing the exact opposite of what they proposed?
"Cause they're stupid…" Vanadis whispered.
"Umm…Hey?" Violet tried to interject. "We're wasting time here?"
Skull waved her off. "Tell that to these two. I'm just saying if I were in a place meant to distract you, I'd head for the track and gym."
"And I'm saying you're wrong!" Mona disagreed.
Crow sneered in disagreement as well. "The track is a place meant to distract you. Not two preteens and a goat!"
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the receptionist mutter something into a walkie-talkie. Within a couple of seconds, a buxom server carrying a drink tray pushed her way into their semicircle. "Would any of you care for a complimentary drink? They're lotus-flavored! A brand you won't find anywhere else."
She thrust the tray in front of each of their faces in turn, the fruity, minty intoxicating scent making Violet's nose wrinkle yet curious about the taste. Right when Skull reached out to grab one of the cocktails Crow slapped his hand away and then growled at the woman. "If you don't get this bullshit out of my face, I'll shove my foot so far up your ass you'll be tasting leather instead of lotus for weeks to come!"
Crow's killing intent was palpable and his point well-received. Fear crept onto the woman's features as she bowed and hastily backed away, scurrying back into the knot of guests and out of sight.
"Dude, what the hell?" Skull chastised, down below Mona jumped and nodded his head in agreement. "She was only offering us a drink."
Crow sighed and rubbed his hand down the side of his mask exasperatedly. "Perhaps we weren't clear on the myth. The Lotus Eaters don't just exist in a separate flow of time—they warped the perception of those who walk in by having them unwittingly consume their products. Given this is the modern day, I wouldn't be surprised if they devised a cleverer way to trap people. Say a spiked lotus-flavored drink?"
Violet, who had kept an eye on the receptionist saw his arm jerk out of view, his glare turning outright hostile.
"Guys… I think they just called security on us." Violet warned.
Crow clicked his tongue. Men in suits were already appearing near the grand staircase. "Then it's all the more imperative we get moving."
"This shit reminds me way too much of Sae's Casino!" Skull said as they speed-walked away from the lobby. "We split up then meet near the elevator in fifteen!"
"In plain sight? You're an idiot; that's the first place they'll guard. We meet in the restaurant —More people to blend in with." Mona reasoned transforming back to a cat to better disguise himself.
"How about we meet at the pool?" Violet nervously suggested. She came up with something on the fly purely to preempt Crow who opened his mouth too. No doubt add fuel to the fire. "Percy's dad is Poseidon so maybe he's attracted to the pool?"
Thankfully the three boys gave a gesture of acceptance. Individually, the four of them slipped into the crowd.
Skull moved towards the arcade while Crow went in the direction of the traditional luck-based games. She couldn't even see Mona.
So much for no distractions.
Violet pushed through the horde of time-displaced people ranging from those in togas to medieval tunics, to American flapper outfits, to Japanese-Heisei era fashion. She was secretly glad their costumes weren't too out of the norm compared to everyone else. Her leotard, while not as kinky as Panther and Queen's costumes, did make her self-aware to a degree.
At least she was better off than the woman lounging on the couch in front of the big-screen TV. She only wore a short lace nightie uncaring her panties and her breasts were clearly visible. Her hair was greasy and matted, fingernails looked like they hadn't been trimmed in weeks as she absently scratched herself. A bowl of Cheetos sat unattended next to her.
The woman noticed Violet staring and she cursed her luck. She didn't know how, but the next moment Violet was sitting on the couch next to her.
"What the–"
"C'mon take a load off," The woman said, her warm brown eyes slowly looking her up and down. "Someone as wound up as you use a breather. Maybe a nap." she adjusted her nightie to cover her breasts then pulled a TV remote from between the couch cushions and absently flipped the channel.
"Authorities are still investigating the record number of assault cases that occurred in Colorado two days ago. It is currently not believed to be gang-related."
"Boring." She then flipped the source, and the TV went black for a second then red followed by white lettering appearing on the screen. The woman dreamily sighed in contented relief. "Netflix. A new thing called video-on-demand service. It's not supposed to come out until next year, but we get the early stuff here."
She clicked on the newest X-Men movie and hummed the 90's cartoon theme while it loaded up.
Violet pushed down her instinct to slouch. "I'm sorry Miss–?"
"Aergia."
"Ms. Aergia. I'm sorry but there are things I have to do. I can't afford to sit here."
Aergia scrutinized her and Violet shifted on the couch uncomfortably, placing her hands in her lap. Aergia reached over to the side of the couch and pressed a button. Violet gasped as her legs were suddenly thrown up from the couch, becoming a cushy recliner. A warm feeling under her indicated it was the heater variety too.
"Everyone can afford to stop and smell the roses," Aergia reasoned. "That's why I love this place," she gestured to the people passing them by and not giving them a single glance, caught in their own little worlds, engaging in hedonism. "Here you can take things as fast or slow as you want. Why do things today that you can put off until tomorrow? I sense you're an individual who'd benefit from slowing things down. Perhaps the changes in your life are coming too fast?"
"Oo-kay…" Violet threw her hands up in surrender, kicking in the full chase of the chair, and forcing herself to stand up. "Even if my life is moving kinda fast right now, I have to ride out the routine. Thanks, but I have to get going!"
Violet scampered off before Aergia could pull out some new temptation, missing the sinister smile she sent her way. She gave off lazy vibes that were beginning to suck her in. She pulled out her phone and saw twenty minutes had already passed!
"Crap!" she muttered.
She only sat down for a brief second, no more than two minutes at the most!
"This place messes with perception, even the most mundane of actions costs more time than normal."
She upped her pace at Vanadis' words. She even took a risk and used her ribbon to swing across the chandeliers and along the crowd to the raucous applause of patrons and party poppers from the flamenco-styled showgirls. She made sure to extend her leg and strike a pose to sell the performance.
—X—
"Is she…putting on a highwire performance?" Mona asked in awe.
"Ren-Ren said she trained him but holy shit she's on another level!" Skull said in reverence. "She's not that far off from Olympic-caliber if her floor routine is anywhere close to that."
Crow simply took in the scene impassively.
Way above the crowd Mona, Crow, and Skull watched Violet zip from rafter to chandelier and back again. An expression of relaxed joy on her face.
"How do you even know that?" Mona asked. "I thought you were track and field?"
Skull crossed his arms, fighting down the twinge of annoyance. "When yer out there competin' in the physical stuff you just know. Get what I mean? I ain't saying she's on collegiate or Olympic level yet, but she's not stiff at all. She's doin what she wants."
A grunt of agreement came from Crow drawing the other two's attention. "For once I'm inclined to agree. But why now? We have shit to do."
That question hung in the air as they continued to watch.
—X—
In a way, she felt like she was putting on a routine back home. Albeit a high-flying circus-type act, it felt nice nevertheless to do anything close to her wheelhouse after so long. Someone from the crowd tossed her a hula hoop and she seamlessly attached it to her ribbon and used it as a platform.
She disengaged, flipped, and twisted her body through the hoop landing in a perfect dismount near the pool area.
"Stuck the landing!"
"I see you were enjoying yourself despite being ten minutes late." Violet froze upon seeing Crow tap his foot impatiently. Next to him Skull and Mona were snickering at her. She covered her rapidly reddening face and squatted down.
"At least you looked pretty cool up there," Skull said, going over to pat her on the back.
"Way more coordinated than either of these two~" Mona said smugly.
Crow growled and to Mona's credit, he didn't shy away. "I resent that remark."
"You move like a rabid beast, and you give off the intent of a serial killer; which you are. Anyone worth their salt can see you coming. And he moves like he has a peg leg."
"You're crossing dangerous territory, Cat."
"Dangerous territory? We're already in it if you haven't noticed, not that I expect you to. This whole place smells like Lotus. The vents, the carpet, everything!"
"Yeah, I saw on the TV we've burned a day already," Violet supplied, peeking through the gaps in her fingers.
Both of the boys' brows went up in surprise.
"So, I've been inhaling this shit since the moment we walked in? Why have you kept quiet about this until now?!" Crow yelled, causing some of the guests to stare at them.
"Because you're a jerk and I was considering leaving you in here," Mona yelled back, transforming into his chibi form and jumping to get in the former detective's face.
Skull didn't let the opportunity to pile on pass him by. "Try being nicer and we'll tell you shit like this earlier!"
"Moron— How can you call yourself a team leader if he neglected to report to you too!"
"If you admit I'm in charge Skull, I'll tell you everything you need to know~"
Violet turned her attention away from the bickering boys and stared at the pool inching closer to it. She then let out a surprised squeak as a familiar-looking woman drifted up to her on an inner tube.
"Aergia?"
"Yep, it's me~ In the flesh." The torpid woman had traded in her nightie for a swimsuit. A black one-piece dotted with an excess of red poppy flowers all connected by a milky white line. She reached over to a drink tray floating nearby and dragged one of the glasses to her mouth. Amazingly, she made that simple move look it took the most herculean of efforts. "Blue Lotus Tea. Would you like some?"
"Um, no thanks," Violet said, gingerly pushing away the floating tray. Mysteriously, it went to orbit Aergia.
The woman made a small disappointed noise as she returned the drink to the tray. "I saw your little airshow. Too energetic for my taste, but doesn't it feel good to lose yourself for a bit?"
"I love gymnastics," Violet admitted. "No matter where I go, that part of me will never change. It's been one thing after another; I haven't done a routine just for pleasure in a while—Only for survival."
"That doesn't have to be your life anymore, Yoshizawa," Aergia pointed to the boys who were now up in each other's faces. Crow and Skull were mask-to-mask yelling at each other, and all three had a hand on their respective weapon. Ghostly visages on their personas appeared behind them, ready to fully manifest at a moment's notice.
"Them? I'll have to kill or, at the very least remove. They are major vibe killers. How can anyone reasonably slow down and chill out with hotheads like them going at it? They're frightening the populace. To say nothing of your dangerous leader. But you? I think you can understand the value of putting off until tomorrow what can be done today." A second inflatable tube lazily floated up next to her. Aergia gave it a single unassuming glance before turning back to her, a drowsy cheshire smile on her face. "All you have to do is sit next to me and I promise you can be true to yourself and never have to worry about the stressors of life again. Pleasure can be yours~"
Violet's costume flickered, and images of no-stakes performances ran through her mind. Ren, her teacher, Maruki, and Kasumi could wait for a couple of days, right?
When she leaned over, she caught sight of her reflection. Not of her, no. It was Vanadis staring back at her, hellish fury on her porcelain features.
That's right…
Violet's costume roared back to life. "You know, taking things easy is just that—easy. I've been doing it for the last year, but in the recent months I found out that if you put things off, it makes them that much harder to deal with later. My deepest apologies, but I have to face the world."
"That's a shame, Sumire Yoshizawa. Fretting and worrying isn't a natural look for you."
"Wait… How do you know my name?" A lightbulb clicked in her head, the conversation replaying in her head. Violet took a hesitant step back from the pool, Vanadis ready to surge to her defense. "How do you know about my leader? Why are you trying to kill us? Who are you?"
The woman's(?) aura flared, and an intense feeling of lethargies came over Violet. She looked around and saw the hotel guests had stopped staring at her friends and were indulging even harder in their various vices.
"I told you already— I'm Aergia: Goddess of Sloth, Idleness, and member of Hypnos' court. I don't personally care or want to do this right now, but I was requested to dispose of your crew in a way most familiar to you."
The now-revealed goddess lazily snapped her fingers and spots of black goop formed and frothed in the pool. Masks colored yellow, blue, and white bubbled to the surface. Deformed hands reached out of the water and grabbed onto the edges hauling the blobs up onto the coping. The swimmers in the pool and those lounging on the deck didn't even notice the monsters slink by except for a single kid in a tie-dye shirt cowering behind the diving board.
"I believe you call these beings 'Shadows'..." Aergia said, almost bored. "I was promised these things would do the fighting for me as long as the people around here remain indolent, or whatever. "
Violet summoned her rapier in one hand and her carbine in the other, prepared for battle.
"Kill them, I guess?"
—X—
"Kill them, I guess?"
Percy took that as his cue to leave.
BANG*
He stumbled over himself getting out of his hiding place when the gunshot rang out. He looked back and saw the woman in the leotard fighting off those strange blobs with a sword and an old-fashioned gun, each strike or bullet from her weapon striking with pinpoint accuracy.
Within seconds, two men in leather costumes and masks quickly joined her side. Skeleton-mask fought like some of the delinquents that hung out in the alleys back in New York. Pipe in hand, he bashed everything in sight, anything that came close to him regretted it.
Crow helmet-mask was by far the most vicious of the three, spinning like a buzzsaw, hacking the masked monsters apart in unrivaled brutality using a serrated sword. His maniacal laughing unsettled Percy's very being. A completely unhinged spark of madness sat in his eyes he unabashedly showed to the world.
Instinct told the young demigod that this guy posed the most danger of the bunch.
Then a cat-like thing joined the fray with a scimitar and a slingshot of all things. It weaved among the enemies and lopped off heads as it saw fit. Okay, now things were getting bizarre. Stardust Crusaders, the manga he picked up from the book fair, Bizarre.
Despite the efforts of the four of them, the blobs kept coming in droves. Occasionally they took shapes beyond that of blobs requiring the attention of more than one person.
"Not getting involved in that…"
The son of the sea wanted no part of the ensuing fight.
He edged around the completely unaware civilians and headed towards the arcade where he could hopefully find Grover and Annabeth. They needed to get the hell out of there before they got unwillingly dragged into that brawl.
—X—
"Damn it!'
Violet watched as Skull slid back from an errand Garu spell that impacted his chest. The blond-haired teen managed to regain his footing right as he reached the edge of the pool.
"Watch where you're aiming, Cat!"
"Don't blame me!" Mona shouted back. "There's hordes of these things!"
"What the hell are shadows even doing here?!" Crow called, swinging his sword and decapitating a shadow chained upside down to a board.
Violet back flipped in the air, out of reach of a shadow that looked like a strand of DNA. She single-handedly reloaded her gun and fired on a giant eagle wearing a crown. The bird plummeted to the ground, but it still remained breathing. "Aergia, the goddess in the pool summoned them!"
A dazzle-camouflage persona fell on the bird, the flaming sword in hand piercing through it. The eagle's death cry attracted more shadows that rose out of the pool to take its place.
"I would have appreciated it if you forewarned us about the presence of the goddess." Crow snarled at her, a part of his visor missing due to the summoning of his persona.
Loki grabbed the tongs that held the Lævateinn sword and brought it up over his head. The sword glowed brightly, and the persona slammed it down. A wave of dark curse-fueled flames forced both the shadows and the other Phantom Thieves out of the way, clearing a path to the pool. Violet screamed as her weakness was struck.
"No matter~," Crow said, watching in unrestrained glee at the destruction he caused. "Now I know who I have to kill first!"
The renegade Crow took advantage of the cleared path and dashed to the pool. Upon seeing the lone Aergia floating leisurely in the water he jumped and brought his sword down on her. He splashed in the water and when he kicked up to the surface, he looked around confusedly, realizing the water was still clear from any blood or bodily essence.
To his surprise and chagrin, the goddess was still on her inner tube nearby yawning tiredly. "How brash and energetic," Aergia cooed lamely from half-lidded eyes. "I'm not just a goddess. I'm a personification of sloth. A healthy dose of lethargy made your aim slip at the last second~"
Crow roared in response. "You bitch!"
*ZAP*
Suddenly the pool became awash in yellow electricity annihilating the still-forming shadows except for those resistant to electricity.
Amidst the feeling of thousands of volts coursing through their bodies, the goddess and the former detective angled their heads to see a furious Skull squatting at the edge of the pool. His persona, Seiten Taisei, snickered at them, his staff in the water, using it as a medium to pour in lightning magic.
"That's my line, douchebag!" Skull yelled.
"T-T-T-The h-hell is your problem!" Crow managed to force out.
Satisfied, the mythical monkey slung his staff over his shoulders ending the attack. His summoner slammed his pipe in his open hand. "You hit the rest of us with that attack. I returned the favor."
"A lazy current is still dangerous if it has a conductor to spread," Aegria spluttered as she pulled herself out of the water. Her hair comically resembled the bride of Frankenstein, a white streak on the sides completing the look. "Still… You all are nuts…"
Crow growled, pulling himself out of the water. He then walked over and grabbed Skull by the collar of his jacket. "Instead of attacking me, learn to dodge next time, shitheel."
Skull grabbed Crow's wrist ready to reply when:
SWOOSH*
Both teens found themselves blasted across the water and to the far side of the pool. Seiten Taisei and Loki were forced to block the sudden green current of wind pushing them in opposite directions.
"Oops~My bad, Skull. I was aiming for Crow, just returning the favor as you put it."
Skull staggered to his feet after having been hit by his weakness. "Damnit Mona, I told you to watch it."
"Guess I have two new targets to take care of…" Crow said darkly, getting back to his feet. "I won't kill you, oh no, that would be too easy. No, I'll beat the hell out of you two just enough to make you wish you were dead." Malice, anger, and hatred poured off Loki who faced down his two opponents.
"Bring it on, ya bastard. I still owe ya back for the cruise ship. Forget your promise with Ren." Skull's voice was low and full of challenge. Seiten Taisei slammed the butt of his staff in challenge, cracking the pool tile underneath.
"I'll take you all on!" Mona called in defiance. Above him, Mercurius tensed his body into a runner's lunge. "It's about time we hashed this out like men!"
"I couldn't agree more!'
"Let's do this!"
"Are you sure it's prudent to have sent that combination of members into the hotel?"
Ren hummed as he kept a finger pressed to his head. He could see the ongoing chase vividly if he concentrated. Apollo was really having his fair share of fun leading on Artemis. It was a delicate balance. Kite her at night, and leave her alone during the day.
She really had a vendetta against him, didn't she?
One part of him was wary he was poking a bear that would catch him sooner or later.
Another part of him relished the excitement. A game wasn't fun if he dominated.
He opened his eyes to see Yusuke at the edge of the bed staring out the window, drawing the Las Vegas skyline with a sketchbook in hand. Ren smiled and reached over to the center table where Haru had left a fresh cup of coffee.
"Do you doubt me?"
"Of course not, leader," Yusuke said. He ran his fingers through his hair and turned his attention to the Lotus Hotel that sat right across the street from where they were staying. "I am merely pointing out that it has been two days going on a third. That combination is just as likely to burn down the place as they are to rescue anyone trapped within."
"Hmm. Is that so?"
Yusuke's brows rose in realization. "Oh? So, that's your play. Quite underhanded, yet effective in moving a mass amount of people. Who do you think will come out on top?
"Since we're in Las Vegas, why not place a bet on it?" Ren suggested.
Deep amused laughter came from his friend. "I supposed the old adage 'When in Rome do as the Romans do' applies here. I shall oblige." Yusuke pulled out a stack of poker chips from his bag they used for Tycoon games. He went over and confidently put them down on the table in front of Ren. "While I have faith in Skull and his tenacity; I think Crow's unpredictability might prove too much to handle."
Ren pulled out his own chips and placed them on the table. A significantly larger amount than what Yusuke had produced.
"And who, pray tell, would warrant a wager of that sum?"
"Geez. Crow-Senpai doesn't know the meaning of 'hold back'..."
Violet groaned as she shakily got to her feet. Her constitution didn't allow her to shrug off Curse attacks nearly as much as Skull did Wind.
Should she add more protein to her diet? Nah, too much muscle would slow her down.
Her vision cleared right in time for her to look up to see three personas clash in the air, weapons drawn.
Seiten Taisei spun his staff between his burly arms and swung at Mercurius, the weapon extending and suddenly curving to catch an unsuspecting Loki in the chest and send him crashing into a roulette table, the patrons running and screaming in response.
"Damn dirty ape…" Loki grunted as two guys in suits tried to hold him down, but with a wave of his hand, they were consumed by dark fire, the drugged-up humans poofed into a cloud of flower petals revealing them to be Lotophagi. Humans who ran the place, having turned more monster than men from centuries of consumption. "Be gone monsters–You aren't worth my time!"
Back in the air, Mercurius whirled around Seiten Taisei's back in a burst of speed intending to take advantage, but the collared cloud the monkey king rode, Kinto'un, cried out an alert. Seiten Taisei flipped off the cloud and adjusted his body in midair.
"Think I didn't expect you to try some sketchy shit like that?! That's why I had Kinto'un specifically watch out for your shady ass!" He boomed. A bolt of lightning came from his palm as he fell, and the Roman god replied in kind with a quick Garudyne launched from his caduceus.
Violet threw her arms in front of her face lest she risk being blown off her feet by the shockwave of the attacks colliding. This was getting way too intense!
On the ground, Skull fended off an attack from Crow and pushed him back only to block a sword swipe from Mona a half-second later. Mona then bounced off Skull's weapon to avoid a gunshot that kept going and hit a shadow right in the mask killing it in one hit.
"Don't pretend like we're allies vermin!" Crow snarled, exchanging the smoking gun for his sword and charging at Mona who met him in kind, his scimitar colliding against a groove of the serrated blade. "I'll slice you up!"
"You have a ton to answer for what you did to Noir and Navi!"
"What a majestic bleeding heart~" Crow taunted. "Now you get to perish for your troubles!"
"Didja forget about me?!" Skull interrupted the blade-lock by shoulder-tackling Crow, the older teen being bowled over completely by Skull's sheer strength. His victory was short-lived when a Hulk Hogan look-alike shadow attacked him and Mona, and they were forced to deal with it.
"Looks like ima be the new champion of New Japan Pro-Wrestling and IWGP!" Skull happily taunted as he went for the leg of the shadow and executed a flashy leg-lock takedown. "Watch out Los Ingobernables!"
"Keep dreaming! I'm winning this Royal Rumble." Mona replied.
"Fake pretentious bullshit!" Crow yelled at both of them. "No one in their right mind should be watching that drivel!"
"You deserve an ass kickin' just for that!" Skull shouted back. "Don't you dare talk shit about Japanese Pro-Wrestling!"
Violet shook her head in disappointment and turned away from the chaos. She quickly spied a charred, smoking Aegria attempting to slink away, her face showing a mixture of bemusement and annoyance. She quickly moved to intercept her and pointed her Carbine at the Goddess's face.
"Stop right there!" Violet said, making Aegria flop bonelessly to the ground while looking all too happy to do so. "I heard what you said to Crow. If I keep my distance, I shouldn't miss."
"Congratulations, you have ears." The goddess said in a monotone voice. "If you want a cookie there are lotus-flavored ones in the restaurant."
"Quit trying to feed us lotus stuff! I don't want to stay here. I have a life worth living, and I can't live it if I'm stuck here in La-La land with you!"
"But La-La land is so nice and freeing…"
"Shut up, I don't want to hear it!" Violet barked. "Just answer my questions and I'll be on my way. Start with how you have access to shadows."
The goddess rolled over to her stomach like a lazy dog, not even trying to keep her head off the floor. "Boo, you're no fun. To answer your question: I don't have control over those things."
"Then who does?"
The goddess blinked and scratched her head in a sloth-like fashion. "Dunno. The mistress said as soon as I snap my fingers those things would kill the thieves. If they succeeded, I could stay here instead of in the underworld as part of Hypnos' court."
"Who is the mistress?"
"Can't answer that. Names have power; she'll know I blabbed. I don't want to play magic hats with my bed again." Aegria looked to be on the borderline of panic.
Violet decided to change course seeing the goddess clam up. Off in the distance she saw Skull simultaneously bring down the macho-looking wrestler shadow and attack Mona at the same time. In a surprising act of kindness, Crow hacked apart a shadow resembling a pair of dice that decided to attack a fleeing guest. "How do we stop the shadows?"
"Bite me."
BANG*
A warning shot in the air had the goddess cowering underneath her arms. "Okay, I'll talk!" She relented. Violet smirked. Apparently, even sloth could be motivated under the right circumstances. "I don't know how it works entirely but I was told these things feed on mortal emotion. Those things will keep spawning as long as the people here feel the need to be here. I was just the trigger to bring them to reality."
"Your presence makes people lazy… which makes them want to stay, which makes more shadows!" Violet said realization dawning on her. Whoever put Aegria up to this created a near-endless feedback loop.
"Hurray, you figured it out. Can I go?"
"Sure. Leave this place and don't come back or next time I'll fire at you!"
"Be warned, you know not whose toes you step on." Aegria rotated to her haunches, her warm brown irises now a cold blue. They contained the last embers of a fire someone had either forgotten or didn't care to feed. Violet got the sense that many civilizations had cracked due to the subtle touch of accidie or apathy caused by this being. "Even if I go, the Lotus Hotel itself is a conduit for sloth. Good luck trying to stop it."
With another snap of her fingers, the goddess disappeared in a cloud of peppermint and chamomile.
The gymnast replayed the conversation trying to make heads or tails of the situation.
"Get out of my way!"
Violet sidestepped the large man as he barreled by her, a shadow hot on his heels in the shape of a giant hand. Instinctively she tossed her rapier, and it hit the shadow right in the mask as she cartwheeled and kicked the sword, slicing the shadow's head in half and returning the blade to her hand.
Strange. No one had reacted that way before.
She looked around and saw a good majority of people were still completely indolent, ignoring both the shadows and the three-way fight altogether.
"Eat shit, you flea-bitten bastard!"
Crow landed a full roundhouse kick on Mona and sent the chibi cat flying into a fish tank. The kid who was admiring the creatures inside screamed at the top of his lungs at suddenly being splashed and covered in lobsters. The others who directly witnessed the event had become aware they were in the middle of a war zone.
Wait.
"Vanadis, correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't the people reacting to them before things turned into a—"
She stared at Loki who was mercilessly and repeatedly shoving Mercurius' face into the ground. A sadistic smirk was visible on the persona's face.
"How does that ground taste, punk? Surely better than Thoth's ass crack in that abomination you call an immortal. Perhaps you can make me privy to it. Does it lean more toward baboon or ibis?"
"Screw you!"
The Roman persona flapped his wings and a gale pushed Loki off just enough to where it gave him enough breathing room to rotate his hands on the ground like a top and nail the Jotun with a spinning kick.
"—Um...violent disagreement?" Violet finished feebly.
In a flash of blue flame, her persona appeared in her full glory. She spun showing off her red whistling dress that tapered off to brown feathers giving the impression of an eagle's wings flapping in the breeze (that was caused by Mercurius).
"It is as you say. The civilian's awareness waxes and wanes when the men are at each other's throats. This place functions much like a palace in that regard."
"Then that gives me an idea." Violet bowed in apology. "Sorry in advance, Vanadis, but we'll have to jump into the fire."
"Do not apologize my other self. I am more than willing to see where we measure in the pecking order. Let's show them the pride of the Vanir!"
"Dazzle them, Vanadis!"
—X—
Skull took advantage of Crow's aggressiveness and grabbed him by the arm when he over-extended. A current of electricity passed through the former detective stunning him and allowing Skull to hit him with a right hook and then kick him in the gut.
"Yer one tough bastard!" Skull acknowledged seeing Crow still on his feet. His eyes flicked to the edge of his vision where a blur attempted to dart in and out of his peripheral using the shadows and security to break the line of sight cutting those down it could afford to.
As he learned to expect, Mona came flying at him right after. He took a swing with his pipe, but the cat deftly dodged it by leaping over him. "Nyeh-heh you gotta be quicker than that, Bonehead!"
It absolutely killed Skull to admit it, but the cat was also a strong opponent. What he lacked in power he made up for in speed. Mona pulled out his scimitar and Skull saw the glint of the hotel lights off the edge of the blade and his own grimace reflected back at him. "Sorry, Skull, but I'm taking the W today. No need to worry, I'll patch you up real good later~!"
Out of nowhere, Mona's foot was wrapped up in a ribbon. The cat's glee turned to horror as he was snagged out of the air and flung at a recently recovered Crow knocking them back.
"Gah!"
"What the hell!"
Skull barely had time to raise his pipe in defense when a thin blade targeted his vital point. Even through his weapon, the impact was heavy, he couldn't stop his feet from leaving the ground and he was sent flying to where he crashed into a TV, crushing a monster posing as a security guard.
Thank god he had superhuman endurance.
Kids and adults alike ran from him in a panic. He should feel bad about ruining these folks' good time, but his attention was focused on the new combatant.
Overhead, Loki frantically used a hapless Mercurius as an umbrella making use of the persona's bless resist for himself when rays of light fell on the three summoned deities.
"It's not fair if you boys keep all the fun to yourselves."
Violet wore a confident smirk as she stood before them and even wagged her finger to taunt them.
"The hell is this? Stardom?" Skull complained.
"Call me Iwatani then~" Violet said confidently.
"Holy shit, you watch wrestlin' too?"
Crow growled and threw Mona off him with all the grace of a discarded cape. "So little Violet thinks she has what it takes to challenge the big leagues!" He dashed forward, his sword trailing along the ground tearing up the carpet beneath him as he went. Bloodlust poured off him in waves, but Violet refused to flinch and faced him head-on. "You're just another target for me!"
Violet dodged Crow's first horizontal slash using a somersault and parried the vertical one. She wasn't content staying on the defense, however, and thrust her rapier forcing Crow to guard. Violet pressed her opening and brought out her carbine. Crow's eyes went wide in shock when she unhesitatingly squeezed the trigger. He avoided the attack with a hair's breadth doing a Matrix-style bridge. Violet swept her leg out and knocked Crow down from his unstable position and onto his ass.
Skull and Mona's mouths were agog in amazement. Crow was similarly dumbfounded, having expected Violet to be a pushover.
"Those are Joker's moves!" Mona said, his voice wavering at the end.
"Who do you think taught some of it to him?" Violet turned her gaze on Skull and Mona. "C'mon boys~ You don't want to get beat by a girl, do you?"
That was when Skull knew things got infinitely harder.
—X—
BOOOOM*
"That's right! Learn your place, wench!"
The sounds of combat outside the arcade area got louder right when Percy found Annabeth. A single reminder of spiders was all it took to snap her back to her senses. The moment she regained reason, she immediately asked about the 'brouhaha' (her word, not his) going on and how he caused it.
He didn't grace her with an answer as he dragged her away after handing her backpack over, he had a hard time understanding what was happening himself. And by a hard time, he meant he was completely and utterly lost.
Finding Grover marked the transition from bizarre to fever dream.
First, he found out they made reverse deer-hunter games where the deer went out and shot rednecks.
*CRUNCH*
The second was when the one-ton gorilla wearing decorated armor and harem pants fell on the arcade cabinet.
Annabeth and Percy jumped back in surprise, the former dragging Grover back with them. People ran off screaming about a wild animal on the loose.
"Whoa, I didn't know they had Donkey Kong 3D!"
Annabeth facepalmed and pulled the goggles off Grover's head.
"Holy Hephaestus it's real!"
The satyr's eye went wide with shock, and he fell back on his butt. Percy knew the situation was serious, but he couldn't stop himself from laughing. A stern glare from Annabeth made him go quiet.
"Damn that's smarts." The gorilla complained sitting up and brushing off his pants. "No wonder why they destroyed everything in Ragnarök. Violent bastards… The lot of them."
The gorilla turned his huge head, and his gaze locked on to them. A shit-eating grin slowly spread across his face and the mohawk on his helmet cackled with static electricity as he got up, his height easily making Ares look like a toddler in comparison. "Hey-hey it's the targets I was looking for!"
Percy was pretty sure he didn't like being described using the word 'target'. He took a step back that Annabeth mimicked. Grover bleated and scrambled to his feet… or hooves.
"That's never a good opening line."
"Run?"
"Run."
The moment the trio pivoted they were snared by a snake-like staff and dragged back like a hack comedian off stage in a sleazy club.
The gorilla twisted his wrist and rolled them up in the wood. Another flick of the wrist sent them back down. He snickered mischievously as he started to play a literal game of yo-yo with them.
"It's rude to run away from a guy like that," he said, leaning against a pillar and crossing his legs. "Don't you know who I am?"
"Obviously not if we're running away from you!" Percy screamed as they rotated around in a dog walk trick.
"If that's the case then I'll tell ya!" The Gorilla stopped playing and brought them close to his face. "I'm Seiten Taisei, Qitian Dasheng, The Great Sage Equal of Heaven! Got it?"
"You're—You're Sun Wukong!" Annabeth said in awe. "The Monkey King!"
"Hell yeah! I'm him! Now bow to my awesomeness!"
Percy looked around then down at his waist where they were still suspended in midair and trapped by his staff. "We can't." He deadpanned.
"Huh. Guess that's right."
Grover started trembling next to him. "Lord Wukong, what do you want us for, your lordship awesomeness?"
"Your lordship awesomeness? I like the ring of that. You've got style Satyr." The monkey king set them on the ground and Grover immediately thanked the gods. "Anyways, I'm here to make sure you three get out of here. Things are starting to get pretty messy."
"Why?" Percy couldn't help but ask.
Seiten Taisei tilted his head and stared at him. He and Annabeth each reflected on a lens of his sunglasses.
"Aside from my teammates going rogue, beings that aren't supposed to be here decided to show their ugly mugs."
That was worrying in multiple ways.
"Do you mean non-Greek stuff?" Annabeth asked, brows rising to her hairline.
"Kinda? Yes? No? Maybe? I don't know! They're shadows how am I suppo—" The monkey slapped the sides of his head to pull himself together. "Listen girlie, if you've read my stories then you know I ain't got time for this pantheon tribalism crap. I do what I want. There are friends and enemies, right now I consider you a friend so I'm gonna getcha out of here in one piece!"
Before anyone could question what he meant, Seiten Taisei put two fingers in his mouth and blew out a sharp whistle. Within seconds a cloud with a face and a collar zoomed to the monkey king's side, its adorable face nuzzling his cheek like a loyal dog, electricity washing over him instead of licks.
"Meet Kinto'un." He gestured to the cloud. "Here's the plan: You three ride the cloud and I escort you outta here. Bing bang boom."
"Excuse me," Percy said, drawing the god's attention. "You seem like the nicest immortal we've met so far; even if it's a low bar. But why should we trust you not to abduct us?"
"He's got a point," Annabeth conceded. "From what I've read about you, you're a trickster whose infamy is on par with Hermes or Loki."
"Yeah, you just used us as a yo-yo!"
Seiten Taisei waved them off. "Infamy? Me? Please. If there's anyone you can trust, it's your 'ole pal Wukong. Now get ta' flyin'!"
The nimbus cloud rammed into them and forced them on its back. It opened its mouth and instead of a bark, a rumble of thunder came out from it. Percy, Annabeth, and Grover shared a glance, and then by an unspoken agreement, they grabbed the collar for safety right when the cloud rocketed off toward the entrance.
The three of them gasped at the wonton devastation the Lotus Hotel had suffered in a few short minutes.
The gaming tables flipped and crushed.
Smoke emanating from the blown-out TV screens.
The marble statues, including the fountain, were destroyed.
Each and every chandelier had fallen to the ground.
All the couches and chairs were shredded as if someone took a razor blade to them.
An idle fire blazed in the restaurant while the rest of it was covered in soot. Percy winced remembering he heard an explosion earlier.
The bottom part of the waterslide had been mysteriously burned away.
A majority of the normal people had long since fled. The last ones remaining on the floor were an olive-skinned brother and sister being ushered out an emergency exit by some lawyer-looking types, and an array of black beings in masks ranging from pairs of dice to samurai… to Hulk Hogan oddly enough. Kinto'un swerved in the air when Hulk Hogan roared and threw a keg stand at them.
"Guess wrestling fame doesn't pay the bills anymore …" Percy murmured.
He turned his head to see Seiten Taisei keeping up with ease. He flipped over debris and spun his staff in a circle, the arc of destruction catching a large amount of the masked monsters.
He saw Annabeth look up and he followed her gaze to the air where a large striped being with a wicked flaming sword dueled an equally large woman in a red dress. They fought as if they were a hero and villain in their final death match.
Meanwhile, a man in a 70's style tracksuit with wings on his feet flew to and fro, waiting patiently for his chance to strike.
"These are the rogue teammates you were talking about?" Annabeth asked not taking her eyes off them.
"Loki, Vanadis, and Mercurius. Tough bastards, I'll tell ya." Seiten Taisei replied smiling. In comparison, Annabeth's face went pale. Percy couldn't say he knew the latter two immortals, but he did know Loki was bad news.
"I knew I could count on you, Seiten Taisei!" The Skeleton boy from earlier said as they passed by. His armor had been significantly damaged, but he still had a wide smile on his face. "Get them to the door, I'll clean up here!"
True to his word he swung his pipe and sent a security guard flying. He then went to clean up the rest of the monsters.
Kinto'un dumped them off at the door right as Loki seized Vanadis by the throat and choke slammed her to the ground. The demigods and Satyr trembled from the impact that shook the whole building. The glass on the floor shattered and sprayed everywhere. Seiten Taisei released a burst of electricity from his arms in a net pattern to keep Percy and his friends from getting the worst of it.
"And here I thought you simply let your twin, or your father fight your battles for you. Turns out you have some moxie after all. The berserker gene runs through even the female members in our messy messy family it seems. Best fight I've had in a while. But still~ you aren't nearly a match for me."
"You… sang… a different tune when my help was necessary to retrieve Mjöllnir…" Vanadis warbled between labored breaths, clawing at Loki's hand. Loki squeezed sharply and the sound of glass breaking rang out as the goddess disappeared in blue flames.
Nearby, a similar scene played out. The man in the bird helmet strode atop a mountain of debris holding a teen girl in a leotard by the neck. His outfit was torn, and blood seeped out of numerous cuts but he was by far better off than the girl. Seiten Taisei looked upon the scene impassively, his shades and muffler disguising his expression.
"There…I think we're done here." He said with slightly labored breathing. "You have my weakness, but I also have yours. Be proud that you caught me by surprise but that will get you only so far in battle. You still have much to learn. However, indulge me for a minute and answer this: What did you hope to achieve here, Violet? Unlike the two half-wits, you have no quarrel with me nor anyone else on the team."
"The shadows … would only leave if we got rid of the citizens. Riling you guys up…. was the fastest way to do so…" Violet's grip started to go slack.
The man's face warped in realization for a split second then went back to its smiling visage. "Clever girl, taking advantage of our dereliction to complete the job. Bravo. You have my praise. Be proud of that fact."
Her face was filled with a triumphant grin as she lost consciousness, her leotard fading into a simple summer skirt and blouse.
"One down… Now for the other two."
Percy couldn't let this slide. He wouldn't be a bystander again. He had to help that girl.
He pulled out Riptide and stepped forward garnering both the man's and Loki's attention. Behind him, he heard Annabeth hesitate, sighing as she brought out her knife willing to support him.
The man lowered Violet and then tossed her aside. He brought his blade up gleefully as he glared down at Percy. The demigod planned out his attack in preparation.
Longer blade, taller than me. I have to get in close. Need a distraction. The remaining water in the ruined fountain gurgled in response, ready to answer his call.
"Seems the runt wants to play the hero." The man taunted. "What a way to thank someone who saved your sorry-ass life."
Percy lost his concentration, and the water receded. "Save my life?"
"The Arch. You were too chicken shit to jump so I had to give you a push. Get going to the underworld, if you face me, you'll be squandering the life you—"
Suddenly the man's attention flicked behind him, and he blocked an attack from Skeleton Mask and a monster cat. Loki also moved but was intercepted by Seiten Taisei, who flew impossibly quickly on his cloud. The Monkey King dragged the Norse Trickster into the air where they dueled violently, sword on staff.
"Bring it on primate! I'll fuck you over harder than Buddha did when he put you under the mountain!"
"Would that be harder or softer than the time you lay with Svadilfari? Was he as hung as they say? You know the old saying about horses. Did you squeal underneath him?"
Loki roared with rage as the two gods clashed again.
"Crow, you bastard! We ain't finished here, not by a longshot!"
"Skull and Mona…" Crow growled out. "Now which one of you is next?"
Mona rose to the challenge. "I'll take you on. For the pride of a gentleman!"
"More like the pride of a simp, even if I happen to agree with you…" Skull grimaced and kicked away, landing close to them while Mona continued to trade sword swipes with Crow. Skull gave his teammates(?) a glance and then addressed them. "Hey, this is an in-house issue. I appreciate ya worrying about Violet, but she'll be fine. Leave Crow to us."
"She doesn't look okay to me." Percy retorted.
"Trust me on this." Skull casually knocked away Percy's sword and Annabeth's knife using his steel-plated gloves. He put his hands on the demigods' shoulders, turning them around and pushing them to the exit, capturing Grover along the way. The older teenager's ability to move all three of them with ease was a surprise to him. "At the end of the day, we're a team and we'll pull through this somehow. Worse case our leader gets involved."
Despite Percy's desire to ask more questions, Skull had already ushered them out of the door. When they were about to close, they noticed Skull running over and executing a ropeless Moonsault on an unsuspecting Crow while yelling, "This is 'fer Pro Wrestling you bastard!"
Once the doors shut completely, Percy whirled to Grover and Annabeth for an explanation, but they looked as confused as he was. He missed the fact that most of his quest mate's confusion stemmed from their inability to understand the conversation.
"Percy," Annabeth rounded on him after gathering her thoughts. "It's bad enough we bumped into Sun Wukong, but to know he's working tentatively with three other known tricksters is… worrying, to say the least."
She saw the question on his face and elaborated before he could ask. "Vanadis is another name for Freyja. While she's a goddess, she's also famed as a fearsome witch who could bring out unpredictable powers and manipulate fate through magic. Mercurius is another name for Hermes. Loki is Loki."
Grover bleated in partial fear as the scope of the fight dawned on them.
Percy returned Riptide to his pocket, relaxed, and put his hands behind his head. "So? Hermes has a couple of like-minded delinquent friends. Doesn't mean anything. They seemed more concerned about those 'shadow' monsters than us if you ask me."
"There's a million things it could mean!" Annabeth yelled at him, making him pick his ear afterward. "Most importantly it means that gods other than the Olympians have their eyes on us and may try to interfere."
"Even if they are, it's not like we can do anything about it. I say don't worry about it."
"He has a point," Grover said in agreement. "We should focus on getting to Los Angeles."
They had barely made it three steps toward the Las Vegas Strip before they met another group of weirdos.
A guy in a fox mask wearing a disco outfit and a lady in a red latex catsuit complete with a cat mask blocked their path. The woman felt familiar to Percy, but he couldn't place her.
"Excuse me?" The lady said. A poke in his side prevented Percy's eyes from lingering too long on her curves. "I couldn't help but overhear you bumped into our friends. Are they still in there?"
Percy realized at once who she was referring to. It didn't take a genius to figure it out.
"Beating the crap outta each other," Percy replied honestly, pointing back at the hotel.
"If I may ask, who is currently winning?" Percy blinked upon seeing Fox Mask suddenly in his face, the tail on his belt wagging incessantly to and from.
"Fox!" Cat Mask chided.
"What? It's a valid question, Panther."
"Um last we saw Crow, I think his name was, had just knocked out Violet."
Fox released him and made a slightly creepy smile, which Percy had seen on Smelly Gabe when betting on Jets games.
"Ha! You are now looking at the new Tycoon when we play cards again. Eat your heart out, Joker!" Fox pumped his fist victoriously.
"Oh my god, you two were betting on us?!"
Fox flinched and stepped back in fear. "W-Well we're in Vegas so… "
"Ugh, never mind. I'll deal with you two later, c'mon we gotta go stop them from killing each other."
"Orders received."
As quick as they appeared the two straight up vanished as if they never existed.
"Can this road trip get any weirder?" Grover asked once the pair had disappeared inside the hotel.
Annabeth crossed her arms in thought. "We're about to go to the Grecian version of hell, so does that count?"
"Would you believe me if I said I forgot about that with everything that happened in there?"
AN:
This chapter is me getting back in the saddle for this story. Writing this made me realize the reason I write as Kenchi618 said "Putting one weirdo up against another and see what happens"
I think what burnt me out on this fic is that I didn't have a style or rhythm yet. I was trying to emulate BukuBuku and Rick as best I could and not be Takamura_Rules while simultaneously trying to make Taka happy. If that makes sense.
Looking at my plans for this fic, there's stuff I want to keep and stuff I want to change, so I definitely will retool. When's the next chapter coming out? No answer. But this fic is not abandoned.
Anyway, the important part of the chapter is that now we have Shadows in the mix.
Now it's onto Los Angeles.