And here's the next episode. Hope you all enjoy it.

We Take a Zebra to Vegas Part One

(Phoebe's Point of View)

"Do you think you're special, Lightning Thief? Do you think you cannot be replaced? I gave you the tools to steal the master bolt, only to watch it taken from you. That mistake has been corrected. But there is too much at stake for you to fail me again. The war ahead of us. The war beyond Zeus and Poseidon's war,". I was spying on a powerful man talking to someone whom I couldn't see from the angle I was standing. "Give me a reason to question your worthiness again, and there is another that just might be ready to take your place,".

The eyes turned to me. "Isn't that right, hero?" I froze. "Not time for us to meet quite yet. Run along now. and show me what you are capable of. And make sure you don't let Jason out of your sight. He's important for what's to come,".

I woke up. The animals were clamouring and making so much noise. Cody and Grover were trying to climb up with Tuastos giving them a hand. "Hey, you're awake," Annabeth came to me. Jason was awake, too. "We thought we might let you sleep a bit more,".

"Thanks, guys," I rubbed my eyes. Akeda licked my face. I groaned. "Not the mouth," I groaned.

"How are you guys doing up there?" Jason asked.

"Working on it," Grover called back. He pushed the small panel open, and they poked their heads out. After a while, they climbed back down.

"We're getting close, guys," Cody said excitedly. "We're almost there,".

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"The city's right out there in the distance,". Grover said. "And we saw the Las Vegas Tower. We're good on time,".

"Perfect." Annabeth pulled out a prism-shaped glass cuboid.

"What's that for?". I asked.

"We're gonna contact Chiron and Luke again," Jason said excitedly. He was so happy they had called on the first day, and he needed to talk to them after what had happened with Medusa and her giant snake. We sat down on a large wooden crate, and Annabeth held up the glass object until sunlight touched it and dispersed into colours. "I've got a signal,".

"Watch this," Jason pulled out a coin and flicked it right into the ways. It disappeared.

"Woah," I said.

"Pretty clever, right? It's like a magic trick."

"Still, it never stops being weird," Cody complimented.

"You know that to get the gods' attention, you must pay for it," Annabeth reminded. She closed her eyes and started chanting a prayer. "Oh, Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow, please accept my offering,". The colours glowed brighter. "Show us Chiron's office,". The colour rays formed an image.

"Luke?"

Luke, in the image, turned to us. "Annabeth? Jason? Phoebe? Cody?".

Jason smiled brightly. "It's us, bro,".

"It's so good to see you all,".

"It's good to see you again, Luke,". I smiled.

"Where's Chiron?" Cody asked.

"Chiron's holding camp together with both hands. Everyone thinks we're going to war so the cabins are taking sides,". The news from Luke was unsettling.

"It's worse than I thought," Jason shuddered. "Thank you goodness he's got you there to help him out,".

"Please tell you all are calling with good news,".

"We know who stole the bolt," Annabeth informed.

"How did you find out?". He asked.

"We ran into Ares and Grover, and I got him talking," Cody said. "We realised Ares knew who the thief was but was covering for them. And who else would that moron cover for other than …,".

"His favourite daughter. Clarisse is the Lightning Thief?".

"We don't for certain," Jason said. "But she definitely sounds like someone you and dad should keep a firm eye on,".

"Chiron has to arrest her," Annabeth said.

"And it's not just that," I spoke up. "There's more to this than just the bolt, something bigger." All my friends were giving me some strange looks. "Don't ask me how I know, just trust me, everyone,".

"Okay. I'm on it," Luke said. "So, Ares guys, what was that like?".

"Oh, don't even start," Jason vented. "He's the most arrogant man we've ever met. He thinks war is fun when it is isn't,".

Luke chuckled. "That's the god of war for you, bro. Give him an opportunity for a war to start and he'll go along with it,".

"Well, compared to the Chimera on Monday and Medusa on Sunday…" I started. "It could have been a lot worse,".

"Medusa was Saturday," Jason corrected.

"I thought Sunday,".

"On Sunday, we were still travelling. Monday, you fell into the river, and your father saved you,".

"And you fought a Hydra," I added in. "Would love to have seen that,". I noticed Luke giving us a look.

"What is this?".

"What?" Jason and I asked together.

"When did you two turn into an old married couple?".

"I'm gonna have to agree with Luke on that one." Annabeth was giving us goofy eyes and Cody a goofy grin. Even Akeda was giving us a puppy love look.

"Why are you both giving us those looks?" I asked uneasily.

Jason felt awkward. "Okay, time to change the subject. Luke, it wasn't just monsters we've been dealing with. There's another threat out there,".

"What kind of threat?".

"They were mortals. But they could see through the mist and spot monsters, and they knew most of us were demi-gods. And that's not even the crazy part. They were from another world. And they wanted my father's sword,".

"And you," Annabeth reminded. "They tried to capture Jason at a park built by Hephaestus,".

Luke was shocked. "But I'm okay," Jason answered quickly.

"Thanks to Phoebe," Annabeth said.

"And Hephaestus," I reminded. "He actually helped us. Thanks to you talking to him, Jason. Their leader retreated, but his two accomplices were captured,".

"Thank goodness," Luke was relieved. "Whoever they were, they definitely know about you, Jason,".

Jason pursed his lips. "Luke, I know you won't want to hear this, but we're gonna need some advice on something. We're heading to Las Vegas so that your dad can...".

Whoosh. Luke's image disappeared. Annabeth packed the prism away.

"What was that for?". I snapped.

"Annabeth, we had to ask him,". Jason berated.

"Jase, you know you can't ask Luke about his dad,".

"Well, now he can't," I commented. "Surely we could have got some help from Luke on how to get his dad to help us,".

"No. He would have told us to stay away from him and tried to talk us out of it. And we can't have that right now. not when we're closing in on time,".

"Do they really not get along?" I inquired.

"Not at all," she said sadly.

"What happened?" I inquired.

Jason decided to answer, seeing that his surrogate sister couldn't. "You know how those mortals we encountered could see monsters?" I nodded. "There are some mortals in our world who can see through the mist. They're called Seers. Luke's mother: May was one of them. Sometimes, they see stuff that just messes them up. Scary stuff. Stuff that hasn't happened. Stuff that you know is gonna happen. I think it happened to her,".

"Luke's mother saw loads of stuff, and she went insane," Annabeth said sadly.

"And Luke blames Hermes for it," I finished.

"Exactly,". Annabeth finished sadly.

"Luke told me everything. Said it was so sad watching his mother like that,". Jason wiped his eyes. I rubbed his back. "It broke his heart just thinking about it,".

Grover walked to us. "How's it looking, Grover?" I asked him.

"The guys driving this truck are not nice people,".

"They're traffickers," Cody said bitterly. "Imprisoning innocent creatures,". He knelt before a cage and stroked some zebras. "We can't leave them like this,". Akeda pawed at another cage.

"We won't, Cody," Jason promised.

"We can do our best, but we can't jeopardize the quest," Annabeth said remorsefully.

"Actually, they've already got a plan to get themselves out," Grover said.

"And I've just got an idea on how we can use that to our advantage," Cody said. "Some of these guys are smarter than they look,".

"They just need thumbs." Grover wiggled his thumbs in front of us. "They've known the puzzle, but they've never had the final piece,".

"Now here's what we're gonna do,". Cody brought us into a circle.

(Jason's Point of View)

Grover looked out again. We were pulling further into the city. He ducked back inside before anyone could spot him. "I don't think it'll be long before we stop now,".

"So how do we find the Lotus Casino?" Phoebe asked.

"The clue's in the name," Cody pointed ahead. "Just look for a building that looks like a lotus,".

We kept on waiting until we heard a loud screech. "We've stopped," Annabeth said. "Time to put the plan into motion,".

Instantly, we got to work on unpicking the locks but made sure not to let the cages open. We heard shouting coming from behind the doors. "It's now or never," I whispered. We pulled the cage doors open, and instantly, we retreated to the front of the cargo box, hiding behind Tuastos. Akeda barked at a zebra.

"Akeda," Cody hissed. "Get back here,". She retreated behind the bear with us.

"Come on! Let's get these filthy animals out!" a brutal man shouted. Cody shivered. I pulled him close to me.

I peered out from behind her furry protector, and I saw the doors opening. The moment they opened, the animals fled free. A zebra, an ostrich, a boar and a camel. "Now's our chance!"

Tuastos charged out, and we raced after her. She swiped her paws at the traffickers, but one took out a fatal weapon. "Oh no, you don't!" Cody activated his bow and shot an arrow. The weapons were destroyed, and Akeda pinned the man down and killed him. Tuastos swiped out the other men, and we dashed out of the alleyway onto the main streets, where we saw all the animals causing cars to stop and people to scream.

"I'm not so sure about this," I said uneasily.

"Oh, don't worry. They'll be fine. I gave the Satyr's blessing,".

"Remember when Arthur did those?" Cody asked. I nodded. He loved animals. "They will reach the wilderness safely,".

"What about the people?" I asked. "I mean … they're looking a little scared,".

"I'm afraid we haven't got time to think about that." Annabeth was right. Loud sirens were ringing in our ears. And with all that happened before in the last week or so, we had to get out of sight. We fled down the roads, past parks and cafes until a giant blue lotus bloomed into sight. People were flocking inside, eager to try out the fancy rollercoaster rides whose railings were hanging outside.

We walked across the busy zebra crossing until we arrived at the entrance. We stopped. I gazed up at the fascinating architecture. "Am I the only one who wishes we could just stay here for the night and relax after all we've been through?".

"You know we can't, Phoebe," Annabeth criticised gently.

"You're right,". Phoebe said, giving herself a mental smack. "My mother is in the Underworld right now, and I have to save her,".

"We will save her." I reached over and clutched her hand. "We're gonna see your Dad, and together we'll complete the quest,".

"I'm afraid we've got a problem, guys." Grover pointed to a sign. 'No dogs allowed. '

"Oh no,". Cody stroked Akeda and Tuastos. "I can't leave them out here. Not with all these mortals, policemen and traffickers,".

"Cody, we can't leave you out here," Annabeth refused.

"If anything happens, I'll know what to do. And guys, do you know what this place will be filled with?".

"Lotus Eaters," Phoebe said grimly.

"Did your mother read you the Odyssey?" Grover asked. As a child, Chiron often told me the stories of the hero Odysseus and his journey back from the Trojan War.

"The Graphic Novel,".

Grover frowned at her; she shrugged. "It counts,".

I was confused. "What's a graphic novel?".

"Remind me to show you after this is over," she said to me.

"One of us has to stay out here just in case," Cody said seriously. "And I need to stay out here with our animals,".

"I'm not sure about this Cody," I said.

"You guys need to find Hermes, and you'll find him quicker going together. I'll be fine. And besides, there's no telling when that guy from before or someone else might be after you, Jason. The three of us can stand guard,". But I couldn't. "I'll be fine," he hugged me. I hugged him back. "Just don't take too long,".

"We'll be quick," Annabeth promised, giving him a hug, too. Grover and Phoebe each hugged him.

"And remember, don't eat anything,".

We walked inside, looking back at Cody, Tuastos and Akeda, who sent us encouraging smiles.

Pop music was playing in the palace-like building. Lights were flashing everywhere. Everyone was wearing fancy clothes, putting cards and gambling tokens on the table.

"Whatever you do, guys, don't eat anything," Annabeth warned. We walked further inside; past arcade machines and costly cars being rotated on stands. We walked for a long while, Annabeth and Grover keeping a strong eye out for Hermes since only they had met him.

"This place is so much bigger on the inside than the outside,". Grover said.

"I'm thinking we should split up," Annabeth said.

"No!" I refused. "No splitting up,".

"Annabeth's right, Jason," Phoebe agreed. "We're never gonna find Hermes, and we don't have time to waste. I'll go with Grover. You and Annabeth go together,".

"If you guys find him, bring him here," Annabeth pointed to the floor. "Or meet with us in the lobby in twenty minutes,".

"Be careful, guys,". I bid. "Remember, don't eat anything,".

Grover and Phoebe walked in another direction, and Annabeth and I continued walking forward. I turned my head back and looked out for any strangers or gods. But then I saw a bald man with a bristly chin, wearing strange clothes. They looked like he was from a Greek Age. His grey eyes saw mine, and I turned away at once.

"Don't look at anyone, Jason,". Annabeth whispered.

"I just saw a mean-looking man,".

"The sooner we find Hermes, the better,".

"Sis, I know Luke hates his dad, but if Hermes would do anything to win him back, perhaps helping us will be a start,".

"It would be. I mean if Poseidon is helping Phoebe, Hermes should help Luke too,".

"I know you haven't been thinking about your mother since the Arch,".

"I don't want to talk about it. Right now, the only thing I care about is finding Hermes and keeping you safe. Now come on. We've got to keep moving,".

(Phoebe's Point of View)

Grover and I made our past hundreds of gambling tables and arcade games. "You think Annabeth will know what to say to Hermes?" I asked him.

"She knew Luke a lot more than any of us, so she'll know how to get Hermes to help us,". I was walking slower, and he became worried. "Phoebe, what's wrong?".

"I'm just really nervous, Grover. I've wanted to talk to my dad more than anything, but now that we're so close to meeting him, I don't know what I'm gonna say,".

"You'll know what to say. But what's really bugging you?".

"Grover, I had a dream,".

"Phoebe, all demigods have dreams,".

"It was more than that. I've been seeing this spectral figure, and he was talking to me in my dream. And last night, I was inside his dream. I was eavesdropping on him talking to the person who stole the bolt for him,".

We stopped walking. "Did the thief speak? Was it Clarisse?" Grover asked, hoping for an ultimate answer.

"No, the thief didn't speak. But the part I don't get is that they were talking about what comes next. It's like getting Zeus and my father to fight was just the beginning. That there is something more to come. And Jason has something to do with it. He said he was important in 'what's to come. ' What do you think it means?".

Grover shook his head "I don't have all the answers, Phoebe, but the sooner we get to your father and return the bolt, the sooner we can stop this from happening. You will need to tell Jason eventually,".

"You're right; we have to keep going,". I was about to move when I noticed a look in Grover's eyes. "What is it?".

Instead of answering, he turned me around and gently pushed me forward. "Don't look now, but we're being followed,". I was about to look back, but he gently twisted me forward again. "Don't look back. Just keep walking,". And so, we did. But passing by a corner, I caught a glimpse of a young adult man with dark eyes, strong jaw bones, and dark hair pulled back.

"Phoebe," Grover hissed.

I turned away, feeling my spine tingling from anxiety. I hoped Jason and Annabeth were having better luck than we were.

And that's the first part of Episode Six done. I hope you all enjoyed it. And more strange people keep showing up. How very strange. And what link do they have to Jason and why? We'll have to wait and find out.