Indomitable - Percy Jackson Fanfiction

No Tom for Foolery

At their stop in Las Vegas, it's best to summarize the experience as wild.

As soon as they reached their stop, they released the wild animals as the employees went to check on them. After that, they made a dash out of the truck and began wandering.

It didn't take long for them to get lost, passing the Monte Carlo and the MGM. Pyramids, pirate ship, the Statue of Liberty- a replica- and then suddenly, something called the Lotus Hotel and Casino.

The entrance was a giant neon flower with the petals blinking every second that caught Percy's eye. He slowed down just a bit, noticing that no one was going in or out of the place.

The open chrome doors spilt out the aroma of cool flowers, and the doorman smiled seeing Percy's curios gaze. Annabeth and Grover stopped seeing him eventually do the same.

"Hey, kids. You look tired. You want to come in and sit down?" The doorman gave a sympathetic gaze, but his words sounded encouraging.

Percy glanced at Annabeth and Grover, and both looked hesitant to go in, but there was an underlying hope for rest in this scorching desert.

They were about to nod, but Ashe suddenly wrapped his arm around the three.

"Groom kids elsewhere, pal!" Ashe shouted as he guided them away.

The preteens were stunned at his claim, and even the doorman was stammering in disbelief. He had to reflect on the fact that he had just asked children to enter a casino and began coughing.

Annabeth popped Ashe aside the head, "Don't just shout accusations like that! That's nasty and draws attention."

"You three were about to enter a casino- we're 12! I'm not gonna let us get distracted when we're this close. We grab food, drinks, and then a cab. It's too late to slow down..."

Ashe began looking around for spots as Annabeth contemplated his sudden seriousness. She looked at Percy and Grover, who could only shrug at the thought.

"Maybe he got fed up after Ares." Percy guessed, following after him.

"That's actually kind of fair." Grover chuckled, making Annabeth roll her eyes and smile and jog after them.

•

A yellow taxi rode their break up to the curb. The back doors opened, allowing Grover, Annabeth, and Percy into the back seat.

Annabeth was wary letting Ashe sit in the front, since he had yet to explain how they'd pay for the ride. She squinted her eyes at him seeing the smirk on his face as he sat down.

"Buckle up." She muttered to everyone, and they all followed orders.

Annabeth continued, "Los Angeles, please."

Chewing his cigar and giving the four a skeptical glance over, the cabbie scoffed. "That's three hundred miles. For that, pay's gotta be up front."

Annabeth clicked her tongue and Grover gulped nervously. Percy watched Ashe grab his key ring and nudged Annabeth with wide eyes.

Spinning the ring on his finger, he suddenly summoned his sword and let it lightly rest across the dashboard."We've gotta coupon. What's this cover?"

"Th-The... The whole nine yards... Where to in Los Angeles... uh, sir?"

Success. However, Annabeth was silently fuming at his audacious behavior, but more so that it was directly threatening someone.

"Santa Monica Pier. Fast. No pressure."

The cabbie nodded his head, stammering so much that he dropped his cigar. For the entire ride through the Mojave Desert, his speedometer never dipped below 95.