Percy Jackson, Son of Chaos - Edit

Chap 10 - Fun in The Lotus Casino and A Giant Puppy

JUST A NOTE, I KNOW ABOUT THE DOA STUDIOS THING, I AM JUST USING THE EVENTS WRITTEN IN THE ORIGINAL FANFICTION.

~ANNABETH'S POV~

Nick is so frustrating! His arrogance is awful. Everytime I want to have a normal conversation with Percy, Nick has to ruin it in some way or another. Percy, on the other hand, is wonderfully easy to talk to. He's understanding and nice, and generally a great friend. Unfortunately, he got to Las Vegas on his motorcycle, meaning the only company I had was Nick, who kept bragging about all of the monsters he's killed.

Why are things so confusing? I just want a normal friend, but Nick is terrible, and Percy is terribly confusing. He seems to know more about me than most others, but I'm not sure how he knows anything about me, when I barely know him at all. 

And now, here I am, wandering the streets with Nick, searching for Percy. Eventually, we came across a casino, called 'The Lotus Casino'. That name, it sounds, familiar, almost... Before I could say anything about how wrong all of this felt, Nick ran in without a second thought. I shook my head at antics, but followed regardless.

We were greeted by a smiling receptionist, "Hello, welcome to the Lotus Casino! Here are your room keys and casino cards, courtesy of Mr. Chaos. Have a wonderful stay!" He then walked away, leaving Nick and I behind.

Maybe I was wrong, maybe I was imagining things. If Percy trusts this place, that means I should, too, right? I'll have to thank him for the room, later, but for now, I have my sights on that architecture game in the corner.

~NICK'S POV~

 So Percy finally saw my potential, huh? I bet he got me one of the best rooms, so he could beg for forgiveness. Well, it's going to take more than a hotel room to earn my forgiveness, but it's a start. 

Honestly, the casino is amazing, what with all the hot ladies. They'll definitely want to date me after I win at poker! Yeah, who needs Percy's stupid card? 

~ANNABETH'S POV~

I sat next to Nick, watching as he bid on roulette. He left the poker table when he lost too much, but he insisted he was good at roulette. 

I watched as the wheel spun slowly, and the black ball landed on Nick's number. He began to cheer loudly from beside me, and I half-heartedly joined in. Honestly, I was busy thinking of what Percy was doing. I was worried, I hadn't seen him since we left in the van, but I knew he was somewhere in the Casino. 

I was pulled from my thoughts by the very person I was thinking about, "What are you two doing?" He said, sharply.

"Hey! I was winning!" Nick complained loudly.

Percy practically yelled his response, "We've been here for six days! We need to leave, immediately!" 

"What, are you sure, Percy? We've only been here a few hours, haven't we?" I asked, my confusion evident.

He sighed, "Haven't you noticed? This is the Lair of the Lotus Eaters, so a few hours in here, is a few days outside."

I could feel my eyes widen, "We've been here for six days! We really need to go!"

He nodded quickly, and we followed him outside. As we stepped out, I checked the date on the signs around the Casino, July 21, 2005. That's not good.

I ran my hands through my hair, "We have to find the bolt by today, or there will be war on Olympus."

I hailed a cab, which Nick rammed into first, and I quickly followed. Percy simply summoned his motorcycle, and nodded to me, "See you in Santa Monica."

And with that, the race to Santa Monica began.

~PERCY'S POV~
~TIME SKIP~

I once again arrived before the other two, and having nothing else to do, I wandered the pier. Honestly, not exciting, as the one thing they have here is a carnival. At least the fish aren't as boring.

After ten minutes of talking to fish, the other two quest members showed up. Nick was once again grumbling about on thing or another, kind of wonder what it is this time. He then walked into the bay, and another ten minutes later, emerged with the pearls clutched in one hand. 

Unfortunately, after receiving the pearls, they wasted no more time in rushing to the Hollywood Sign. I frowned, how to delay them? An idea popped into my head.

I ran to catch up with other two, "Hey, I saw some cyclopes, I have to go take care of that. I'll catch up with you later, okay?" They nodded, and I shadow traveled to a wonderful place to waste time. 

I was immediately knocked to the ground by a mound of brown fur and barking, "Cerberus! I missed you, buddy!" I managed to push the large three-headed dog off of me.

He backed up, and began to wag his tail, while barking happily. Sometimes, I think he's just a puppy, and not the Underworld's most fearsome of guard dogs. "Listen, I'm going to return soon, okay? When I do, I need you to guard the gates like normal, maybe even a little more-so. Alright, bud? Good boy, see you soon." I gave him one final goodbye scratch on the head, before I shadow traveled behind the Hollywood Sign. Not a minute later, Annabeth and Nick arrived. 

Annabeth smiled as she approached, "Looks like we're all here. That's good."

I nodded, "Now for the fun part."

We crept through the small opening into the Earth, leading us into the dark cavern hiding Charon's boat. We wandered the dark passages, looking for signs of the dark figure. 

When we did find him, we did our best to negotiate for a ride to Hades. I ended up spending a hefty amount of drachma, though he promised to take us as far as the gates. Perfect. 

We crossed the Styx, and approached the looming gates of the Underworld, guarded by the daunting silhouette of a large dog.

Nick foolishly stepped forward, "I'll take care of it. It's only a dog, clearly no match for me."