𝙰𝚗𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚎 [𝙿𝙹𝙾 𝚡 𝙷𝙿] (𝟷)

14

CRUSTY DUSTY MUSTY

It was (Name)'s original idea that Annabeth agreed with wholeheartedly. Annabeth was fully onboard with supporting and endorsing that idea.

The girls loaded Percy and Grover into the back of a Vegas taxi and Annabeth told the driver, "Los Angeles, please."

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

"Do you accept casino debit cards?" (Name) asked, blinking at him innocently.

He shrugged. "Some of 'em. Same as credit cards. I gotta swipe 'em through first."
(Name) handed him one of her green LotusCash cards. He looked at it skeptically.

"Swipe it," (Name) invited him. He swiped it through the machine, and it showed an infinity sign. The man's cigar fell from his lips as he looked back to the girls who had a smug look on their faces.

"Where to in Los Angeles... uh, your majesty? Your highnesses?" The cabbie asked.

Laughter echoes through the hall, everyone finding it amusing how they find small things like that to laugh about when they were on a life-threatening quest.

(Name) and Annabeth still felt a bit smug hearing the 'title' from the driver.

The Black patriarch and matriarch nodded their heads at the title, and it was quite fitting for the young heiress.

Percy shrugged, he knew that she deserved the title even if she was considered Lady Black by most in the Wizarding World, even if it wasn't intentional. She was also considered the 'Thorn Princess' by her mother.

Annabeth, with a small smile on her face, sat up straighter, clearly relishing the title she was given, while (Name) exuded a more relaxed vibe, playfully winking at the boys, adding a touch of charm to the atmosphere.

Many snickered at how Sirius' daughter was acting. She was definitely his creation since they act alike at times.

"Santa Monica Pier," the Black heiress told him. "Get us there as quickly as possible, sir."

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

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

Many were frowning at the narration. Those who remembered the voice in the pit shivered. They wondered who that was, but only the demigods and satyr knew about it currently.