𝑃𝑟𝑜𝑔𝑛𝑜𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑒¹

𝐿𝑜𝑡𝑢𝑠 𝐻𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑙

‧̍̊˙· 𓆝.° ｡˚𓆛˚｡ °.𓆞 ·˙‧̍̊

PERCY LEFT TO TAKE a shower next once Annabeth walked out of the bathroom in her fresh clothes. Grover had taken the other shower so only the girls were present. "You look happy," Annabeth noticed. Astoria finger-gunned her.

"No more back tension," she said with a wink.

"Thank god." Chase plopped onto the hotel couch and let out a sigh of relief. "It was about time."

"Hey!"

They heard a burp and turned to see Grover come out of the second bathroom with half-eaten aluminum shampoo holders in his hand.

"Okayy." Annabeth grabbed the remote control. "I'm just going to watch tv."

"Fine by me," Astoria shrugged. She grabbed a can labeled 'Sprite' and a bag of Doritos and lay next to Annabeth. Grover sat next to them, now with potato chips in hand. The daughter of Athena cranked up the National Geographic Channel just as Percy exited the bathroom.

"All those stations," he told her, "and you turn on National Geographic. Are you insane?"

"Aren't we all?" Astoria sipped the drink. 'Ooh, bubbles. This drink is pretty good.'

"It's interesting."

"I feel good," Grover burped. "I love this place."

Without even realizing it, the wings sprouted out of his shoes and lifted him a foot off the ground, then back down. Astoria kicked the wings, and looked away when Grover looked at her.

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

The boy looked at each other and grinned. They held up their green plastic LotusCash cards.

"Play time," Percy said.

"Oh, boy," Astoria groaned.

Astoria found herself with her backpack, stuffed with snacks, on her back and feet in the middle of the craziest lobbies she's ever known. People all around her were playing games, drinking, laughing, and doing everything they've ever wanted. It tempted her, too, but she knew better than to fall for it. Instead, she searched for a certain pair of siblings. There. She shifted her backpack so that it rested on her front side. Just in case anyone tried to steal it from her.

She saw a young girl around her age and an even younger boy not too far off on a black cabriole. They looked very similar, and it made Astoria wonder how hard Bianca's death hit Nico for him to end up looking so different. She walked over to them and casually sat at the end of the couch. Pulling out a soft drink from her backpack, she pulled up the tab and opened the can. She sipped on the soda while watching the sight in front of her.

"This is the craziest my life's ever been," she muttered.

"Tell me about it!"

Astoria glanced at Nico di Angelo with an approachable face. 'Got him, hook, line, and sinker.'

"Don't talk to strangers!" Bianca scolded him.

"Listen to your sister," she tells the boy before shrugging. "Or don't. You never know."

"Why are you here?" Bianca asks suspiciously, pulling her brother closer to her. "Do we know you?"

"I'm on a quest," Astoria answers honestly, knowing they wouldn't understand. "And you don't know me. At least, not yet." She sets the soda on a marble coffee table. "Take care of yourselves, yeah? Sometimes, family's the only thing you've got." She gives a bittersweet smile and walks off. Now, where are they?

"No! I just got to a new level! No!"

Astoria heard a loud ruckus dead ahead and she starts quickening her pace. Found them.

"We're leaving," Percy told Grover, who was struggling to get out of his and Annabeth's grip. Astoria raises her eyebrow at the flying shoes. They were desperately trying to go to Tartarus.

"Astoria!" Percy called out. "A little help here?"

"Of course." She grabs Grover's hind legs, narrowing her eyes at those wings.

Another bellhop, different guy, same clothes, hurried up to them. "Well, now, are you ready for your platinum cards?"

"We're leaving," Percy tells the employee.

"Such a shame," the man said sincerely. "We just added an entire new floor full of games for platinum-card members." He showed them the cards. Grover reached for one, but Annabeth yanked back his arm.

"No, thanks."

They swiftly walked towards the door, the smell of food and the sounds of games tempting them the further they got. "Focus," Astoria grunts. Man, Grover is wild.

Thankfully, the squad burst through the doors of the Lotus Casino and ran down the sidewalk. It felt like afternoon, about the same time of day they'd gone into the casino, but the air felt different. The weather completely changed. It was stormy, with heat lightning flashing out in the desert.

Astoria sighed when she saw Ares's backpack slung over Percy's shoulder. He ran to the nearest newspaper stand and read it.

"What wrong?" Annabeth asked.

"Percy," Astoria called out. He looked at her with disbelief. "There's nothing we can do."

"We- we only-"

"Why?" Annabeth asked again, this time more worriedly.

"It's been five days," Astoria said. "There's one day to complete our quest."