The Arrival in Las Vegas

Albert woke with a start after hearing a loud gasp for air. He was disorientated for a moment, then he realized that Percy had just woken up too, the boy must have had another nightmare. Kronos seemed to be consistent if anything, he thought.

Grover was shaking Percy's shoulder trying to slowly calm him down, "The truck's stopped. We think they're coming to check on the animals."

 "Should we hide?" Annabeth asked directly at Albert.

 The girl seemed more relaxed than the night before, the heart-to-heart they had must have helped her come to terms with something that must have bothered her for a while. She out of all of them was theoretically the one who had it better, since she could just put on her magic cap and disappear. Grover and Percy had to dive behind feed sacks and hope we looked like turnips, but Albert was done with all the bullshit.

"No," He curtly replied. "I'll take care of it."

 It didn't take long. Soon there was the sound of two male voices, complaining about something, and trailer doors creaked open with a loud noise. Sunlight and heat poured in, the boy was glad he got some fresh air without the stench of animals and less-than-desirable byproducts of digestion.

 "Man!" One of the truckers said, waving his hand in front of his big reddish nose. "I wish I hauled appliances." He climbed inside and poured some water from a jug into the animals' dishes.

As the man looked at the uninvited guests his eyes almost popped out in surprise. He was stunned for a good minute, then the second one also came in. The two men were staring at the kids with big frowns.

"How did you brats get in here?" The big burly one asked in anger. "You shouldn't be here!"

"Hey! He asked you a question!" The second one added he was the slim and skinny type.

"Oh, come on, boys... there is no reason to fret, is there? Why don't you just be quiet for a moment?" Albert said in a calm and sweet tone, invoking the power within him. He realized it had gotten easier for some reason, he felt more in control. He realized his Charmspeak had worked as the two men had gotten calm at a visible speed, he nodded in satisfaction. "Don't mind me and my friends, alright? Ignore us. Now, you should go and feed the animals, be nice by the way, and be careful, the lions aren't very nice to his jailors."

Almost immediately the truckers nodded and quietly bypassed them. Albert stood next to the exit while they did their job, soon the others also got closer, and all of them were enjoying the fresh air and the sunlight.

"I have to give it to you, your trick is very useful," Annabeth said eyeing him carefully, but she could not hide her satisfaction, even under her usually serious expression. 

"This feels wrong, but I don't care," Percy stated out loud with a sigh. "The animals were being treated very badly, they are bad people."

"Humans can be terrible to the environment," Grover added resentfully. "These guys were barely properly feeding the animals!"

"I don't think this is so simple, to be honest," Albert said in a much somber tone. "The big guy over there, he must be in his early thirties, the skinny one in his late twenties. I bet they aren't exactly saints by any means, but still, surviving in this country, in this world, can be hard on some people. I don't think they find pleasure in traveling across states in that cramped place for hours on end to deliver exotic animals to zoos. They do what they can to survive. Not that it changes the fact that they are pricks tough," He took a deep breath, "What I am trying to say is... things are hardly ever so simple as good vs evil, at least in the mortal world." 

Percy had a thoughtful expression as he glanced over the truckers, while Annabeth had a piercing look of scrutiny on the boy. Grover didn't give a shit about humans who were bad to his animal friends, he couldn't find in himself to care very much. He knew just how much of a plague humanity could be to the planet... their reasons cared very little to him, as the consequences of their actions on wildlife and entire ecosystems cared for humans. It was just that simple.

The big trucker asked was feeding the lioness in silence and carefulness, judging by the fear and anger his face invoked on the feline, this guy must have been particularly nasty to it. The lion roared in indignation at the skinny trucker too.

 The men were moving as if they were robots, quietly and effectively, unable to taunt or provoke the caged beasts as they most definitely did so judging by their behavior by the frown on their satyr friend. Grover was mostly tense and cold.

For a peace-loving herbivore who loved a carefree life, he looked downright murderous. Percy and Annabeth wisely kept quiet, they knew better than to push his buttons.

"Hey, big guy," Albert suddenly called out, "Tell us what is going to happen to them and where are you taking them."

"The lions are for a zoo, and the rest are for private owners' collections," The trucker blinked dumbly as he finished feeding the zebra. "The zebra is to be delivered at a circus. For a weird magic trick, I hear, or rich kids' birthday parties."

 The zebra, wild-eyed with fear, looked straight at him and then at the kids. It had understood that his fate was grimm and dark one. There was no sound for a while, but its eyes were clear as day. It was begging for help from the kids.

Percy suddenly gasped in shock. Looking wide-eyed at the zebra.

"Tell me your names," Albert demanded, this time he had once again turned colder. "Are you finished by the way?"

 "I am Maurice and the other is Eddie," The trucker replied, before looking over his colleague and nodding in agreement. "Yes, we are done."

Just a second later, Annabeth suddenly said with a nasty glare, "This transport business can't be legal. No way this is allowed."

"I was thinking about this too, but..." Albert made a face, "I am not exactly an expert in the law system here, back home we call these people animal traffickers." 

"No kidding," Grover exclaimed heatedly. He paused as if listening to what the animals were saying. "The lion says these guys are animal smugglers, they were taken from their homes months ago, and put in these cages."

Percy looked bewildered at the zebra again.

"We've got to free them!" Grover said, "Right, guys? We can't just leave them here like this!"

The boy looked at Annabeth and Percy and then he looked at Albert as if he was waiting for him to either take the lead or say something to support him.

Percy suddenly said, "Huh.. the zebra asked me to open the cage. He said he'd be fine after that!"

"They are desperate, of course, he wants to at least have a chance," Albert argued back, feeling a headache coming, he looked at Percy, "Tell your friend he will be realized, but give him a few minutes to figure out how to go about this."

"What is there to think about?" Grover inquired. "We just have to set them free."

"Listen to him first Grover," Annabeth tactfully said, "He usually has a good reason for doing things."

"I matter of fact always do," The boy stated while he rolled his eyes at her choice of words, he then took a deep breath and explained his worries, "I am worried about the consequences of releasing these guys here, in Los Angeles of all places. Releasing big African fauna in a city full of people doesn't sound like a good combination does it?"

"I can give them a satyr's blessing, they will be fine!" Grover tried to explain, "They will definitely find their way into the wild."

"Really?" Albert asked in irony, "Will they swim their way back to Africa? Can you guarantee that realizing them won't cause big damage to the ecosystem here? After all, while all of them are invasive species, there are also a couple of apex predators."

"What should I do then?" Grover asked almost crying, he couldn't argue anymore. 

"Can you convince them to run as far away from human settlements as possible until we can contact Camp and see if the Council can do something about it?" Percy suddenly asked. "They kinda owe one right? I think they will be glad to help too."

"Yes! Yes!" Grover nodded vehemently and immediately suggested to the animals, he then turned to Albert with big hopeful puppy eyes, "They say they will do like I said, they just want to get out."

Albert nodded in agreement. He wasn't about to leave them there anyway, he just wanted to force the others to think things through a bit and consider the repercussions not only for the humans but for the animals too. Grover and Percy quickly moved to open the cages, the satyr held up his hands and said something to the animals in goat talk, like a blessing or a prayer.

The brown-haired boy felt something weird again, a weird energy in the air.

They have just released a bit before Las Vegas in a more remote place away from the big city. Albert instructed the truckers to forget about the ordeal they just witnessed and to take them to Las Vegas in peace. Maurice and Eddie did as they were told. As soon as they arrived in the city, one of them came and opened the doors to let them out.

"Now would be a good time to leave," Annabeth said.

 Grover said, "Yeah, I hate this place."

Just after they got out, Albert moved to finish what he started. He accompanied the guy who let them out back to the driver's seat and said look at those truckers, "So... Eddie and Maurice, you see I am in a bad mood. I want you two to fix this mess, okay? Forget about me and my companions and immediately go to the nearest police station. Confess all your crimes and that of your organization. Present all the evidence you two have too if possible. Thank you for the ride, boys. And... goodbye!"

Just as the trukers left and Albert walked back to the others all too pleased with himself, he overheard them chatting.

"Will the animals be okay?" Percy asked Grover. "I mean, the desert and all—"

"Don't worry," The stayr quickly replied. "I placed a satyr's sanctuary on them."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning they'll reach the wild safely," He proply explained with a proud smile. "They'll find water, food, shade, whatever they need until they find a safe place to live. Until, Camp send someone to figure out a way to take them back or... well, find a way where they can stay."

"Why can't you place a blessing like that on us?" Percy asked in irony.

Grover made a face at that, "Err...It only works on wild animals."

"So it would only affect Percy," Annabeth reasoned with a playful smirk.

"Hey!" The boy protested. "Not you too!"

"Kidding," she said with hands raised in defense.

"Come on, guys," Albert interjected. "Let's get out of this place, I need to find a way to take a shower and get rid of all this filth!"

The group passed the Monte Carlo and the MGM. They passed pyramids, a pirate ship, and the Statue of Liberty, which was a pretty small replica after the one on New York, but still made an impression. This was Albert's first time in Las Vegas, he had watched a number of movies that took place in this city, but still, none of them prepared him for the real deal. It was awesome in a very unique way, a city next to the desert, but full of life and bustling with bussiness, tourists, residents, etc.

They weren't sure what they were looking for really, all but Albert of course. Maybe just a place to get out of the heat for a few minutes, find a sandwich and a glass of lemonade and make a new plan for getting west. The boy was feeling iffy about something.

The Mist is doing something weird, he thought. It was guiding them to a certain place. He knew exactly where it would lead them. He had no idea how he was able to figure this out when the others were seemingly oblivious to this force.

Soon enough, they found themselves at a dead end, standing in front of the enormous building with a huge neon sigh written 'Lotus Hotel and Casino'. The entrance was a huge neon flower, the petals lighting up and blinking. No one was going in or out of the place, but the glittering chrome doors were open, spilling out the cold air of the air-conditioning that smelled like flowers—lotus blossoms. Probably, none of them had smelled lotus before.

The doorman, a middle-aged white dude with curious hazel eyes, dressed in a traditional doorman uniform, smiled at them. "Hey, kids. You look tired. You want to come in and sit down?"

The kids ahd learned to be suspicious, the last week or so they had more or less learned just how dangerous their world could be. They figured anybody might be a monster or a god. It wasn't exactly easy to tell who was and he wasn't a monster. But this guy was normal, they could tell. One looked at him, and they could see. Besides, most of them were just so relieved to hear somebody who sounded sympathetic that they nodded and said they'd love to come in.

Albert decided to go in too, even though he knew this place was a trap, there was a reason why he was willing to enter this godforsaken place. He wanted to see if he could find a few people and take a look at who was stuck in this place, maybe he could find something useful for the future. He needed all the help he could get for the inevitable war against Kronos.

Inside, they took one look around, and Grover said, "Whoa!"

The whole lobby was an enormous, giant game room, with all sorts of games, ranging from old Pac-man arcade ones to sophisticated VR ones. There was an indoor waterslide snaking around the glass elevator, which went straight up at least forty floors. There was a climbing wall on the side of one building and an indoor bungee jumping bridge. There were virtual-reality suits with working laser guns. And hundreds of video games, each one the size of a widescreen TV. Basically, you name it, this place had it all. 

This is an awfully perfect trap, Albert thought mildly impressed with the ideas and the effort they put into making this place so hard to leave.

A few other kids were playing, but not that many could be seen in comparison to teenagers and adults, even the elderly were present. There were waitresses and snack bars all around, serving every kind of food you can imagine.

"Hey, there children!" A man said he wore a white-and-yellow Hawaiian shirt with lotus designs, shorts, and flip-flops. "Welcome to the Lotus Casino. Here's your room key!"

 Percy stammered in confusion, "Um, but . . ."

"No, no," the dude said, laughing. "The bill's taken care of. No extra charges, no tips. Just go on up to the top floor, room 4001. If you need anything, like extra bubbles for the hot tub, skeet targets for the shooting range, or whatever, just call the front desk. Here are your LotusCash cards. They work in the restaurants and on all the games and rides."

The guy handed us each a green plastic credit card. Percy looked at him with an expression that said 'There must have been some mistake'. Suddenly he shot Albert a suspicious and curious inquiring look. He took the card from the man and asked, "How much is on here?"

The guy's eyebrows knit together. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, when does it run out of cash?"

This made the older man laugh loudly and look at Percy as if he had said something silly and amusing, "Oh, you're making a joke. Hey, that's cool. Enjoy your stay."

As the guy walked away from them, Percy held the card in his hand with a thoughtful expression before turning to Albert, "Is this your doing?"

"What?"

"I thought the dude gave me this because he knew you are from a rich family," Percy stated, "Maybe he knows your dad or something?"

His line of thinking made Albert look at him in surprise, but he could understand more or less he got to that conclusion. Still, he was wrong. The boy cleaned his throat and replied, "This has nothing to do with me or my family, Jackson. First, my father would have never allowed me to set foot on a Cassino. Second, my grams would probably beat him up to a pulp if he did. Lastly, there is no way he knows I am here." 

"Then why would he give us this card?" The boy asked perplexed. "I have no money to pay for credit card debt though."

Grover suddenly interjected, "I don't think they would charge though. He said it was on the house."

"He did say that," Annabeth stated healthy skeptical, but not too much. "Maybe it's some sort of promotion?"

As much as the girl's lack of common sense could be endearing sometimes, this time it only gave Albert the feeling of worry, forget the quest or Kronos, Annabeth's worst enemy was scammers in the mortal world. "Let's take a look at the place, shall we?"

They took the elevator upstairs and checked out their room. It was a big suite with three separate bedrooms and a bar stocked with candy, sodas, and chips, but surprisingly no alcohol. There was a hotline to room service. Fluffy towels and water beds with feather pillows that seemed to be out of an expensive Parisian hotel or from the cover of a magazine about home decor. A big-screen television with satellite and high-speed Internet made Percy particularly excited. The balcony had a big hot tub that almost made Albert tear up as he felt self-conscious about the stench on him. The view over the Strip and the desert was amazing, though they doubted we'd ever find time to look at the view in a room like this.

"Oh, goodness," Annabeth said. "This place is . . ."

A trap?

"Sweet," Grover said. "Absolutely sweet!"

There were clothes in the closet, and they fit them perfectly. Percy finally frowned, even he could see that this was a little strange. Still, he just threw Ares's backpack in the trash can. 

"No, no no... give me that..." Albert said as he picked up the bag from the trash. 

"Why?" Percy said visibly annoyed by this, "We don't need it anymore. Do you like that jerk's gift?"

"Piss off, Jackson," The boy replied calmly despite his frustration, "I don't owe you any satisfaction, since you don't want it and threw it away. I am keeping it. Wether I liked that jerk's gifts or not is none of your business anyways."

"Now, now," Grover hurriedly said. "Let's not fight, ok? I want to have a good time. Come on, you want it too!" 

When they finally left, all of them had taken a decent bath and changed into clean clothes. Albert and Annabeth were visibly pleased when they discovered hair products and hair dryers.

The son of Aphrodite took longer than all of the others to get ready, enjoying this opportunity. Starring at the mirror, he fixed his now clean and shiny hair into a braided style that made him look particularly charming, he was finally getting used to his new eye color too, it was daunting at first, but more and more he was learning to accept the changes in his life.

The others also changed clothes and were busy devouring bags of chips, and drinking cans of Coke. He fancied himself some passion fruit juice with ice, it reminded him of home and the summer sun by the pool of his house. The summer in Rio was always hot and fresh. His family loved to be by the pool and enjoy the sunlight, hearing the chirps of birds and some old-fashioned music from their grandparents' prime years, some Bossa Nova and Jazz Music.

Grover was eating potato chips to his heart's content, while Annabeth cranked up the National Geographic Channel in fascination, there was some documentary on TV talking about the Acropolis in Athens.

"All those stations," Percy told her in distaste and surprise, "and you turn on National Geographic. Are you insane?"

"It's interesting," She argued back, "It's like a marvel of Architecture built in the second half of the 5th century B.C. You have no idea how much this is fascinating!"

"I feel good, though," Grover said. "I love this place."

Without his even realizing it, the wings sprouted out of his shoes and lifted him a foot off the ground, then back down again. He didn't have to say 'Maia'. Albert could faintly feel the Mist behaving weirdly, so he took literally everything about this place with healthy suspicion. He could not allow himself to fall for it when he knew how dangerous this could be for someone like him especially.

"So what now?" Annabeth asked. "Sleep?"

Grover and Percy looked at each other as if communicating through a secret language only they knew and grinned. They both held up the green plastic LotusCash card.

"Playtime," Percy said excitedly.

Percy went on saying he would go to bungee-jumped the lobby five or the waterslide, snowboard the artificial ski slope, and play virtual-reality laser tag and FBI sharpshooter. Grover with him, going for games. He liked a reverse hunter thing—where the deer go out and shoot the rednecks. Annabeth also found some playtime by playing trivia games and other nerdy stuff.

Albert said bye to them and took this opportunity to explore the place and see if he could find something useful. He used charm speak to send the staff of the Casino away from him, he could feel the danger in the Lotus they were serving. Thankfully, it worked. Even they were slightly affected by the magic of pleasure and indulgence of this place, which made them vulnerable to his power by extension.

The Lotus Cassino was big place and time was weird there, he knew it. He had to hurry up before he had to drag the others away from this place.