The Ever-changing Tides~ (PJOxHP)

1:17

Chapter 17: WE SHOP FOR WATER BEDS

It was Annabeth's idea.

Percy snorted with a hand covering her mouth as soon as her younger voice spoke. And when she saw Annabeth out of the corner of her eye raising an eyebrow at her she sputtered a laugh while trying to wave off the amusement.

She failed.

She loaded us into the back of a Vegas taxi as if we actually had money, and told the driver, "Los Angeles, please."

The cabbie chewed his cigar and sized us up. "That's three hundred miles. For that, you gotta pay up front."

"You accept casino debit cards?" Annabeth asked.

He shrugged. "Some of 'em. Same as credit cards. I gotta swipe 'em through first."

Wanting the burning hole in my pocket to stop I thrust my LotusCash card forward as Annabeth was still reaching for hers.

The others surrounding me gave me skeptical looks. I rolled my eyes and mumbled, "I don't want to talk about it."

Feeling eyes on her, from her friends once again as well as the Marauders, Percy grumbled, "I don't know why I kept it." She pouted to herself before suddenly exclaiming, "It's not like I was the only one though! So did, Annie!" Raising her voice, slightly, she added, "And hey, I got rid of mine!"

Those around her shook their heads and chuckled in amusement.

The cabbie looked at me skeptically.

"Swipe it," Annabeth and I invited.

He did.

His meter machine started rattling. The lights flashed. Finally an infinity symbol came up next to the dollar sign.

The cigar fell out of the driver's mouth. He looked back at us, his eyes wide. "Where to in Los Angeles... uh, Your Highness?"

"The Santa Monica Pier." I knew I wore a cocky smirk as I leaned back into the seat. I could totally get used to this whole "Your Highness" thing. Crossing my arms over my chest I added, "Get us there fast, and you can keep the change."

Poseidon nodded to himself at how his daughter was addressed. He knew the human was simply spouting out words due to shock, but his daughter deserved the title she was given. Even if it was unintentional.

She truly was a princess after all.

Maybe I shouldn't have told him that.

The cab's speedometer never dipped below ninety-five the whole way through the Mojave Desert.

On the road, we had plenty of time to talk. I told Sirius, Grover, and Annabeth about my latest dream, but the details got sketchier the more I tried to remember them. The Lotus Casino seemed to have short-circuited my memory. I couldn't recall what the invisible servant's voice had sounded like, though I was sure it was somebody I knew. The servant had called the monster in the pit something other than "my lord"... some special name or title....

"The Silent One?" Annabeth suggested. "The Rich One? Both of those are nicknames for Hades."

"No," I said immediately. Besides the fact that neither of those names sounded right, I still heavily believed that this wasn't Hades orchestrating an attempt at war.

Hades had a minuscule smile on his face as he turned his head toward his lap.

"That throne room sounds like Hades's," Grover said. "That's the way it's usually described."