she was thunderstruck.
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"thanks, brainiac"
"don't mention it, sleeping beauty"
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annabeth chase x fem!oc
percy jackson x male!oc
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the lightning thief → the last olympian
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part one of the 'skyfall' series
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THE TWO TRUCKERS RACED OFF AFTER THE ZEBRA THAT WAS WILD IN VEGAS.
A few policemen were running after them, shouting, "Hey! You need a permit for that!"
"Now would be a good time to leave," Annabeth said.
"The other animals first," Grover said.
Aurora cut the locks off each cage with her sword. Grover raised his hands and spoke the same goat-blessing he'd used for the zebra.
"Good luck," Percy told the animals. The antelope and the lion burst out of their cages and went off together into the streets.
Some tourists screamed. Most just backed off and took pictures, probably thinking it was some kind of stunt by one of the casinos.
"Will the animals be okay?" Percy asked Grover. "I mean, the desert and all—"
"Don't worry," he said. "I placed a satyr's sanctuary on them."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning they'll reach the wild safely," he said. "They'll find water, food, shade, whatever they need until they find a safe place to live."
"Why can't you place a blessing like that on us?" Percy asked.
"It only works on wild animals."
"So it would only affect Percy," Annabeth reasoned.
"Hey!" He protested.
"Kidding," she said. "Come on. Let's get out of this filthy truck."
They spill out into the hot desert afternoon. It was a hundred and ten degrees, easy, and they must've looked like deep-fried vagrants, but everybody was too interested in the wild animals to pay them much attention.
They passed the Monte Carlo and the MGM. They passed pyramids, a pirate ship, and the Statue of Liberty, which was a pretty small replica, but still made Aurora homesick.
She was hoping to find a place to get out of the heat for a minute, maybe get some food and a cold drink. Then figure out what they were going to do to head west.
After a lot of stumbling and cursing and a few wrong turns, they found themselves at a dead end. They were standing in front of the Lotus Hotel and Casino. The entrance was a huge neon flower, the petals lighting up and blinking. No one was going in or out, but the glittering chrome doors were open, spilling out air-conditioning that smelled like flowers—lotus blossom, maybe.
The doorman smiled at them. "Hey, kids. You look tired. You want to come in and sit down?"
Now, normally, most of them would have been suspicious; on guard. However, they had been walking for hours, felt absolutely sweaty and disgusting, and the man seemed so nice and sympathetic. Plus, Aurora figured that if this guy were a monster, she would be getting that tingly feeling down her spine by now.
All four of them nodded and headed inside. Once they looked around, Grover muttered, "Whoa."
The whole lobby was a giant game room. 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. There were a few other kids playing, but not that many. No waiting for any of the games. There were waitresses and snack bars all around, serving every kind of food you can imagine.
