Rise of House Neptune

Flooding A Casino

Chapter 6

Percy and Jason saw the Lotus Casino Tower in the distance upon their arrival. It was a glowing beacon on the Las Vegas Strip, and that prevented what Percy thought might be their most difficult problem in locating such a place in a town full of some of the largest casinos in the world. It turned out that most of the boy's problems came from Pluto's request, and the dissent it caused between the two. Jason was furious that Pluto had tossed him out of the Underworld like he was nothing, and felt extremely unwanted that the Lord of the Underworld hadn't even explained their task face to face with him. Thankfully the trust he had in Percy eventually weighed down on him, and knew that his best friend would not put him in any unnecessary danger. It helped that Pluto had made a photo of Bianca Di Angelo appear in Percy's pocket, and he was able to show the son of Jupiter exactly who they were looking for when they began their trek into town.

The journey through Vegas was more exciting for two twelve years old than it should have been. There were many things the two had never seen before. Boobs was one of them, the billboards had them, and the little handout cards on the ground everywhere had made both boys blush more than either would've admitted. The casinos, the lights, the people, Percy and Jason had never seen anything like it, and it was an incredible experience for the two.

It occurred to Percy that they were now in the middle of the desert, and there would be no way to contact his father, Triden, or Camp to let them know how things were going. For the first time since Percy was a boy he was alone with nothing but Jason and his wits to guide him.

Jason and Percy had theorized the mist was manipulating the mortals and what they could possibly be seeing, because when they strolled into the Lotus Casino no one seemed to question what two twelve year olds could possibly be doing in a 21 and up environment. Entering the Casino Percy had noticed the ominous words "You Will Never Want To Leave" on the front doors, and he pondered just what kind of trap this could possibly be as Lord Pluto's warning echoed through his mind.

The Lotus Casino was not a particular beauty on the outside and in comparison to some of the other places Jason and Percy had taken notice of on their way into town it fell a little short, but when they entered the place it appeared shockingly brand new. The machines all appeared to be in pristine condition, and some could have easily been dated back to the 1950's. That wasn't the only thing that seemed wrong about the place though because almost immediately Percy noticed that all the patrons seemed to have a far off look in their eyes.

Jason elbowed him in the side, "Something is definitely not right here."

The music was popping, and people seemed to be having a great time, but the sons of the gods could tell that there was just something not right about the place, and something was screaming in his mind about the danger they were in. Before they could contemplate or discuss further a beautiful blonde haired woman in a short cocktail dress came over to them, "Can I interest you in a lotus flower?"

A small pastry sat on the tray, and Jason and Percy eyed the food hungrily grabbing one a piece and thanking the woman. Shortly after another man came over offering them cards with a room number, and this time Percy realized something was up, "No thanks, but can you tell me if you've seen this girl?"

The man stared at the picture, and no emotion went through his eyes at all as he turned and departed the area they were standing in without a word. Jason stared after the man glancing back and forth at the retreating figure, and the flower he had just been handed, "This seems familiar. I think I know of this place, or a place like it. I can't remember though. It's right on the edge of my brain. I don't think we should eat the flower or take anything out of this casino. It may be a part of the trap Lord Pluto spoke of."