in a Percy's New Brother chapter 1

Ncalkins does not own anything but the thought, ooc, au, self betaed!

Percy trekked past a row of videogames with his hands in his pockets; he focused on the lotus themed floor trying to block out the blaring noise and powerful voices that bombarded his ears. The once enticing games now made him want to curl up in a dark hole. He needed to get back to their room, slip into the hot tub and hide in the frothy waters. The elevators were within sight, a whole wall of them waiting to take the guests wherever they wished. He picked up his pace, jogging toward them when he caught sight of Annabeth; he hesitated before deciding he should tell her where he was going. He dodged other hotel guests as he rushed to her side, wanting to get his message over with.

"Annabeth," he said watching her hands dance over the red buttons. He touched the warm, humming, machine's side. "I'm going back up to the room."

"If I put that here, and that there, I can increase revenue," she said in a voice so low he had to strain to hear her. "Then I can have more room for a statue..."

"Annabeth?" He leaned forward to catch her eye.

"Move your head! I can't see!" She pushed him away; the game rocking from her movements. Her grey eyes and tan skin were glazed by the screen's blue light.

"Annabeth?" Percy stepped back, his heart aching from her rough treatment. "Did you hear me?"

"Yeah, yeah, room," she said, focusing on the game.

Percy turned toward the game to inspect it–it looked way too much like homework with its changing numbers and blueprints to be any fun. His head hurt from looking at it. He'd sooner give himself a wedgie before playing a game like that, and yet, his fingers twitched with the urge to try it.

He turned back to Annabeth, touching her arm. "What are you playing?"

"It's a simulation game where I get to build my very own city!" She beamed at the pixellated structures. "Look! Isn't it the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?"

Percy glanced at the city–it looked like any other simulated city, too small to make out details. "Yeah..." He leaned against the videogame staring at his feet, trying to push the blue light out of his mind. He rubbed his eyes, blinking at the green floor; it was tinted blue as if the light had attached itself to his retinas.

Annabeth bounced on her feet. "I get to decide what goes into it, design the buildings, budget everything, decide what type of economy I want, what laws there are, and even pick what kind of destruction to rain on them all!"

"That's great..." Only the last part sounded cool. Why did he want to play it earlier? To spend more time with her? No way, she was annoying. He crossed his arms. "Well, I'm going to go up to the room and sit in the hot tub for a while, maybe take a nap."

"Uhhuh." Her voice made his insides shrivel and his cheeks flush; she could at least sound like she cared!

"I'll catch you later." He slid away from the machine, glancing at her face.

"Sure..." She stared at the screen; her lips parted an inch.

He left with slumped shoulders wondering what was so great about that game that she couldn't even look at him. He glared at the floor as he took large steps toward the elevator. The blue tint faded from the world, leaving everything vivid and headache-inducing. The whole place was stupid. The games sucked, it was too crowded, the people smelled, and Annabeth was being dumb.

"Die! Filthy human scum! Die!"

The familiar shout jolted him out of his thoughts–looking to his left, he saw Grover cackling as he shot at a lifelike virtual human, dancing in place. Percy smiled to himself at the ridiculous sight. He stepped forward to pass by when Grover's shoe flew off–it sailed through the air, over the heads of other hotel guests heading straight for Percy. Percy yelped and ducked out of the way. A bang sounded behind him. He straightened up to find people looking at him.

"Uh, I got too into the game." He chuckled, slapping his hands together. "You know how it is."

He forced a smile onto his face watching people chuckle and walk away as he inched back until he could get the shoe without anyone noticing. After he scooped it up, he jogged over to Grover praying people remained oblivious to his friend's hoof.

"Grover!"

Grover aimed his plastic gun at the screen unbothered by his lopsided stance.

Percy stood beside Grover and offered him the shoe. It smelled like a barnyard. "Here, dude, put on your shoe."

Grover shot at a large human in flannel. "Revenge."

Percy sighed through his nose–he didn't want to spend a lot of time trying to get Grover to stop playing his game. He studied the inside of the shoe–except for the hoof-shaped imprint, styrofoam filled it. He could probably slip it onto Grover's foot without him noticing if he was anything like Annabeth. He frowned as he crouched beside his friend's hoof, grabbing his ankle which caused Grover to whip the gun toward him–he shot at him, cackling about a high score. Percy glared. "Knock it off." He shoved the gun away from his face. "And be more careful, what if someone sees?"

He struggled to ram Grover's hoof into the shoe, cursing his friend's unwillingness to help and Grover's jerky movements as he continued his game. With every strike at the bottom of the shoe, the hoof disappeared inside the whining styrofoam. Percy hit the shoe one last time to make sure it was on before jerking back to avoid having his fingers crushed.

"Watch it!" Percy cradled his hand to his chest. He supposed he should be grateful that Grover hadn't activated Luke's shoes to get a height advantage, but mostly he wondered what was wrong with his friend.

Grover fired another round of imaginary bullets.

Percy frowned and snapped his fingers beside Grover's ear. "Earth to Grover. Come in, Grover."

"Evil poachers. Nasty polluters. See how you like this!" Grover blew off the head of his next victim. Bone, brain matter, and hair flew at the screen, splattering it. Grover waved his gun in front of him to wipe away the gore.

Percy winced, stomach-turning, normally virtual violence didn't bother him, but the game looked so real...

"I..." He swallowed bile. "Need to go lay down." He shuffled away, staring at the carpet, cradling his stomach.

Grover cackled. "New high score here I come!"

With his head down and his attention on getting away, he fast-walked to the elevator, blind to his surroundings until he ran into a smaller body.

"Hey!" A high pitched voice yelped. "Jerk!"

Percy stumbled, the world a brightly colored blur, as he turned to find out who or what he had run into. He shoved his hand into his pocket, his fingers brushing against Riptide as he frowned. It wasn't like the other person had watched where they were going either.

A cubby-cheeked ten-year-old boy glared up at him with a pout, surrounded by cards.

Percy deflated. "Aw, man." He let go of Riptide. "I'm sorry."

He knelt beside the boy, picking up a nearby card. Its back was designed to look like tree bark with runes carved into the border; it shimmered in the lights as he flipped it over. "Loki." He studied the redhaired male tied down to a slab of rock by intestines; corrosive poison dripped onto his agonized face from a looming snake entangled in roots above him. Percy swore he saw him writhe; he shoved the card toward the boy.

"Thanks." The boy took his card back; their fingers brushed.

"Geeze!" Percy said. "You're freezing!" He grimaced, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry, and sorry about running into you, I needed to get away from..." He waved his hand to the surrounding games and people. "All of this."

"It's fine, I hear it a lot," The boy said. "Why do you want to leave?" He shuffled through his cards, glancing at each one. "This place is the best!"

"I just need a break." Percy turned to go; he could see the elevator. "Nice cards by the way."

The boy dogged his heels. "Thanks!" His hands waved as he talked. "The game I wanted to play was too crowded, so I wanted to find something else."

Percy hummed, quickening his pace; he was almost to the elevator.

"Where are you going?" The kid asked.

"My room," Percy said. "I need to lay down a bit." He pushed the gleaming up button.

"Oh." the boy deflated. "I was going to ask if you wanted to play Mythomagic."

"What's that?" Percy asked watching the numbers at the top of the elevator count down.

The boy brightened. "Only the greatest card game ever!" He shuffled closer, showing him the cards. "You battle each other using mythological monsters, gods, and spirits!"

Percy hummed, shivering as he glanced at one of the cards. A river nymph reached out of the water toward the viewer; a blue border surrounded the artwork. "Nice art." He looked away, probably wouldn't get into the game, he had enough monster fighting in real life. The elevator doors opened. "Got to go."

He pushed the button to his floor, but the elevator doors remained open. He frowned at the boy, who was halfway in and halfway out of the elevator.

The boy bit his lip. "Maybe we can play later?" He lowered his head, peeking through his bangs. "No one else will play with me."

Percy shifted. "I don't know how to play." He looked away from the boy, crossing his arms. He might as well kick a puppy if he outright says no.

"I can teach you!" The boy's head jerked up as he beamed. "We can meet up later."

Percy rubbed his eyebrow. "Yeah." His brain bashed against his skull. "Sure." He wanted to shove the boy out of the elevator so the doors would close. "Whatever."

"Great! My name's Nico!" Nico stepped back. "It's a swell game! You'll love it!"

Percy jabbed the close door button as he introduced himself. He muttered a bye as the doors closed, noticing how people gave Nico a wide berth. He grimaced. There was no way he'd run into Nico again, but still, it sucked that people seemed to avoid him.

After an hour of soaking in the hot tub and a two-hour nap, Percy felt refreshed enough to go back down. He thought of Nico as he took the elevator to the main floor, hoping the boy had forgotten him so he didn't have to learn some stupid card game. As he exited the elevator, his stomach rumbled deciding for him what he would do next. He scanned the map next to the elevators studying the layout of the hotel to find the food court: the first floor was the reception desk; the second floor held the swimming pool, and the third floor held the game room. Some fake vines and leaves covered a part of the map–Percy pushed them out of the way spying the foodcourt on the first floor. He yanked his hand back swearing a small vine had wrapped around his finger. He backed away, figuring it was because he messed with the display. With one last glance at it, he hurried past the receptionist's desk toward the food court.

The food court was just as bright and shiny as the rest of the place. Wooden floors that showed a warped reflection of himself, walls that were covered in fake leaves and vines, which Percy avoided, and rows upon rows of food. Waiters took orders from families while other guests swarmed the buffet.

"Menu or buffet?" The cashier's smile reminded him of sunlight reflecting off a patch of water.

"Buffet." Percy handed him the card he and his friends were given when they first arrived. He wondered who was really paying for everything; they must have been mistaken for a rich family of some sort.

"Thank you, enjoy your food," the cashier said handing him back his card.

Percy muttered a response as he stuffed the card into his jean's pocket figuring it didn't matter who was paying for it. He was saving the world, at the very least he was owed a room and meal. He walked over to the buffet trying to ignore his conscious plucking at his heart as he grabbed a plate and looked at the different choices. His mom would be more than understanding about him taking advantage of the situation, even if it did seem like stealing. He grinned as he spotted blueberries and grabbed the ladle intending to have blueberry pancakes.

"Percy!"

He jolted, the ladle slipping from his hold, plunging into the ben of floating fruit, a couple of the blueberries leaped into the corn. His eyes widened when he spotted the wildly waving Nico rushing toward him. Percy tensed suppressing the urge to run. How in the holy harpies had he found him?

"Hey!" Nico's black hair fell into his bright brown eyes. "Are you ready to play MythoMagic with me?"

Percy suppressed a groan. He looked away and lifted his plate to show its contents to Nico–a blueberry brushed against his thumb. "Uh, I'm kind of eating, right now..." Percy looked at Nico, waiting for him to get the hint and leave.

"Oh, sure!" Nico grabbed a plate and the ladle for the blueberries. "I can eat! We can play after!"

Percy bit back a groan; he'd rather jump from Mount Olympus."...Right." He shuffled along filling his plate, listening with half an ear as Nico explained what Mythomagic was along with input about his favorite food, drink, and cards. He wondered if Annabeth and Grover had eaten yet, or if they were still playing those games; for the first time, he understood his mom's frustration when he hyper-fixated on something.

"Ooh!, pancakes!" Nico pressed in close to Percy, pushing him along so he could get some. "Want some?"

"No thanks," Percy said, shivering. Why was it so cold? It should be warm being so close to the heated trays. He shuffled away from Nico, instantly noting how the air around him increased in temperature. He eyed Nico. What was he?

He walked away as Nico grabbed his pancakes, heading for the lotus-shaped table near the entrance, maybe he could escape with the next swell of people.

"Wait up!" Nico exclaimed, his footsteps hurrying after him.

Percy sat down, noting that Nico had fries, pancakes, and a small burger. Nico sat across from him a few of his fries rolling off his plate. The way he smiled told Percy he couldn't avoid their game without hurt feelings.

Percy sighed resigning himself to his ill-thought-out promise. "So, can you explain how to play Mythomagic?"

"Sure!" Nico beamed. "It's a card game that uses statues." He fished around in his pocket and pulled out a small plastic figurine–it held a lightning bolt and had storm clouds at its feet, Percy prayed Zeus couldn't use it to see. "The statues enhance the attack, defense, and special abilities of the card."

He stuffed some fries into his mouth, and fumbled with his cardholder, pulling its contents out. Laying three different cards out onto the table, he struggled for a minute to swallow–all the while Percy tried to remember how to do the Heimlich.

Percy picked at his food as Nico explained how to play the card game, it sounded interesting based on strategy and luck in equal measures. He tried to get out of his promise by claiming he didn't have a deck, but Nico told him he could borrow his extra one because of course, he had an extra. Even more distressing than having to play with Nico was the fact that Percy's smoothie was running low. His stomach ached and cramped with need; it was as if he didn't take a sip of the frothy, pink, liquid after every bite of food, he'd go insane. Percy licked the sides clean and ordered an extra-large to-go cup; Nico following his example.

"Don't worry about being a palooka," Nico said as he drank his smoothie as they left the buffet for the card tables. "I'll go easy one you the first round."

"A what?" Percy squinted at him.

"A palooka?" Nico tilted his head, his black bangs brushed his eyes. "Bad at it?"

"Oh, right." Percy shook his head. "Nah, I'm not worried."

They passed the front desk as they headed for the elevators. Percy thought about asking where they were going but Nico seemed to know where he was going, so he followed him. Nico called an elevator and beamed at Percy while they waited for it. Percy smiled back. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

They walked in and Nico pressed the button for the third floor. "If you got right, you'll head to the card and board game room."

Percy hummed, wondering why anyone would want to go play card games or board games when there were video games to play. He held onto the railing as gravity pushed down on them; the metal floor hummed underneath his feet.

As soon as the doors opened, Nico darted out. "Come on!"

Percy followed him as his stomach caught up with him, putting his hands in his pockets. Rows of tables covered the floor, surrounded by plush chairs. Percy saw through a glass window another game room filled with smoke. If he squinted, he could make out a poker game. Percy winkled his nose, knowing Smelly Gabe would live in that part of the hotel given the chance. At least he'd be far away from him and his mom. He bit his lip; he should call her.

"Percy," Nico called. "Over here!" He waved from a table near the center of the room, pulling out two decks. He was practically vibrating by the time Percy sat down, pushing one of the decks toward him.

Percy suppressed a smile as he picked up the deck; his arms brushed against the smooth, green, velvet tabletop.

"It's a mixed matched batch, so you'll get stuff from different religions, but it will work just fine." Nico shuffled his deck once more, hands moving like a professional BlackJack Dealer.

Percy's eyes bugged as he watched him. "Wow. How'd you do that?"

Nico scratched the side of his nose. "Heh, I've lived here for a long time." He shrugged one shoulder. "I picked it up, it took a lot of practice though."

"I bet." Percy shuffled his deck, fumbling the cards as they slipped out of his hands. His face burned as Nico snickered. He slapped the cards down. "Let's play."

"Sure!" Nico drew five cards from his deck. "I'll let you go first!" He looked at his cards and smirked. "And I won't use my statues so you don't have to worry about me being super powerful!"

"Thanks." Percy drew five cards from his deck. A minotaur, Percy tensed and moved that card to the back of his hand–the less he had to look at it the better, a nymph flowing out of a tree, a card called the Ancestors with several ghosts on it, a Chinese dragon, and a phoenix.

"Remember," Nico said. "Since you're going first, you can't attack the first turn."

"So that's why you wanted me to go first." Brat.

Nico flashed him a smile. "I said, I'd wouldn't use my statues against you. I never said I'd go easy on you."

Percy stuck out his tongue before turning back at his card; he was so going to win this, he just had to come up with a good strategy. He bit his lip. The nymph had the highest defense, but it would be toast against a fire monster. The minotaur had the highest attack but was useless since he couldn't attack the first turn. Ancestors could drag any card to the grave if the resulting attack points of all the monsters in his grave were more than the attack of the monster card he used it on; so that was useless. The Chinese dragon allowed him to draw two more cards. And the phoenix could be returned to his hand, once, after it's been defeated. Percy sighed through his nose and placed the wood nymph down in defense.

Nico grinned and laid down a drakon. It decimated Percy's nymph. With a sinking gut, Percy had a feeling he was going to get thrashed.

And he was right. The first game Nico wiped the floor with him. During the second game, he lasted half an hour before loosing; though that may had more with Nico being distracted by a waiter passing with cheese fries than any of his skills. Their third game was their longest one, but Percy had a sneaky suspicion that Nico was going easy on him.

"Want to play again?" Nico asked. "I can teach you how to use the statues!"

Percy shook his head; he wanted to do something else, maybe play some games or check on his friends. "That was fun." He handed Nico the deck. "But I'm gonna go play some videogames, want to come?"

"Nix." Nico shook his head. "I'm going to go check on Bianca, my sister."

Percy stood up. "Well, I'm heading to the first floor. Any idea where your sister is?"

"The waterpark." Nico placed his deck in his cardholder. "We could ride down together."

"Sure." Percy shrugged. "No used in taking seperate elevators."

Nico beamed. They walked to the elevator and got in, selecting their floors. Percy crossed his arms as he watched the numbers count down listening to the spa music.

"Thanks for playing with me," Nico said. "I know you didn't want to, but I had fun."

Percy's stomach tightened and rolled into a ball. "No problem." He bit his lip. "Sorry." He glanced at Nico. "I had fun."

Nico brightened. "Really?"

Percy smiled. "Yeah."

"You think we could play some more, later?"

"Yeah, definitely," Percy said, feeling as if he was forgetting something, something important.

"Killer Diller!" The elevator doors opened, and Nico walked out waving. "Bye!"

"See ya!" Percy waved back as the door closed. Strange kid, nice though. The doors opened to his floor; he stepped out to see a few guests hurrying to the food court or to the game room. He started toward the game room, wondering if Annabeth and Grover were still there when he saw the receptionist on the phone. He hesitated; he should call his mom, invite her to this place–it was great! She'd love it.

He walked over to the receptionist's desk. "Hey."

"Hello, and how may I help you?" The beaming attendant asked; light blurred reflected off their name tag making it impossible to read. The smell of flowers clogged the air, making Percy's thought fuzzy; it smelled so good.

Percy blinked, breathing in deep. "Um." Why was he here? A phone rang and one of the other receptionists picked it up. Percy jolted. "The phone! May I use it?" He rubbed his forehead, why had it taken him so long to remember? "I need to call my mom."

The attendant grinned. "Of course, what is her name? I can call her over the intercom."

"Um." Percy shifted, glancing to the side. "She's not here. My dad brought me."

The attendant tilted his head, still smiling. His eyes seemed to look through Percy. "I apologize but no calls can be made to the outside world."

Percy furrowed his eyebrows and leaned away from the counter. "What?"

The attendant nodded. "I do apologize for the inconvenience." He reached under the desk and pulled out a platinum card. "We can upgrade you to a platinum card. It's a suit. It comes with a balcony, a larger bathroom, a jacuzzi, and a fully stocked mini-refrigerator."

Percy bit his lip. Man, that sounded so good. He shook his head. "Um, sorry, but no." He took a step back. "No thanks."

"Are you sure?" The attendant asked, for the first time, frowning. "I'll throw in free room service."

Percy slouched, leaning forward; his hand rose and his fingers twitched as he reached for the card. He jerked his hand away and pressed it to his chest.

"No," he gasped. "No, thank you."

"Alright, sir," the attendant said. "Let me know if there is anything else you need."

Percy's hands shooked as he ran from the desk. He needed to get back to his room so he could think; he could feel the attendant's eyes burning into his back. He slammed into the wall next to the elevator, breathing hard. He glanced back toward the front desk. What did it matter if he couldn't call his mom? It was probably just a security measure; the card sounded so cool. He shook his head, telling himself to focus, something was wrong and he needed to find his friends.

Last he saw them they had been in the Gameroom; part of him hoped they were still there, but knew they probably moved somewhere else. He could ask the front counter to call them; it would be the easiest thing, but he'd rather find them on his own. Besides, if something was wrong with this hotel like he thought, it was best not to show he was onto them.

He tensed as the elevator doors opened with a ding.

"Come on, Bianca! Hurry up, the show's gonna start soon!"

"Don't flip your wig, Nico," a female said. "We have time."

Nico's brown eyes fell on Percy and he brightened. "What's buzzin' cousin?"

"Nothing much." Percy stuffed his hands into his pocket. A movie sounded awesome; he shuffled in place–maybe he had enough time for one movie before grabbing Grover and Annabeth and getting the heck out of dodge?

"Who's this?" The girl with Nico moved between them, eyeing Percy as if he were a dog with rabies. Her black hair was pulled back into a ponytail, tight enough it looked like it hurt.

"This is Percy!" Nico stepped around the girl, waving a hand toward Percy. "He played Mythomagic with me! It was a gas!" He turned to Percy with flushed chubby cheeks. "Percy, this is my sister Bianca."

Percy nodded in greeting, wondering how he could get Nico and his sister out of the casino as well. "Hey."

"Pleasure." Bianca turned her attention to Nico; her eyes softening. "Come on, Nico. We don't want to be late."

Nico nodded; his eager face turned to Percy. "We're going to see a movie! You should come with us!"

"I can't." Percy shifted. "I'm going to find my friends, and then we need to get going."

Nico's face dropped. "You're leaving?"

"Yeah." A passing hotel worker drew Percy's attention, he would swear on all the seas that they had glared at him. He tugged at his shirt sleeve, stomach tight. "I have to find my friends first though."

"But that can wait until later, can't it?" Nico touched Percy's arm as he stared up at him.

"Nico." Bianca pulled him back. "Leave him alone."

Nico shook her off. "Why? I'm not bugging him." He crossed his arms. "He's my friend. Besides, no one here ever leaves."

Those words prickled up Percy's arms and down his back. "What do you mean?"

Bianca rolled her eyes. "Nico's just all-nerves. He has this idea that we're in purgatory or something."

"We are," Nico said. "Or heaven."

"If we're in Heaven, where are our parents?"

"Purgatory then," Nico said. He turned to Percy. "Please, come see the movie with us."

"I–"

"He doesn't want to see it," Bianca said. "Now stop pestering him!"

"I'm not!" Nico's hands waved in front of him as if he couldn't speak without them moving. "Besides he's my friend!"

"Oh, yeah?" Bianca put her hands on her hips. "How long have you known him?"

"A few hours!"

"A few hours," Bianca mocked. She slipped into a different language; her face twisted with irritation.

Percy looked between the siblings, listening to their rapid-fire argument unsure if it was Italian or Spanish. The siblings moved closer until they stepped on each other's toes; their hands blurred between them moving faster alongside their words–a tornado of emotion.

"Sei pazzo?" Bianca spat putting her hands on her hips for a second before throwing them up into the air as Nico objected.

Italian. Percy recognized it from hearing the couple above their apartment fighting; he wondered if the lady still gave his mom sweets for the "Bambino" even though he's not there. Movement from the corner of his eye drew his attention. The worker who had glared at him had a group of others around him. The hair on the back of Percy's neck rose; they looked murderous. Was it because he said he was leaving? He needed to lay low and let the heat die down or else he and his friends might have to fight their way out. Percy turned to the siblings with raised hands.

"On second thought," he said. "A movie sounds great."

Nico brightened as he broke off from the argument. "It's an action movie! You'll love it!"

Percy smiled and nodded as he wrung his hands in front of him for a minute before stuffing them into his pocket. Casual, he had to act causal.

"Great." Bianca crossed her arms and muttered something in Italian.

Percy noticed that she kept between him and Nico as they walked, eyeing him like he was planning to stab them. He wondered what made her so hostile to him, but the increase of hotel workers bustling around them pushed that thought from his mind. Their heads turned as he passed, eyes glued to his every move. Percy's back was so tense he was certain he would break in half; he walked like his legs were made of wood. He had to resist dropping his card and running as he handed it over to get a movie ticket. He swore he saw the ticket taker lick his lips before he gave him the card.

Nico rushed forward a few steps before Bianca snapped something in Italian; he grumbled something back as he slowed his pace.

"Where should we sit?" Percy asked. He scanned the area for exits and his heart plummeted. There were no emergency exits. His stomach turned as his pulse raced. One way in and one way out. Gods, he shouldn't have agreed to the movie, now he was trapped.

"In the back!" Nico pointed toward the steady incline of seats.

Percy shook his head. "I, uh, I have a thing about heights." He winced as Nico deflated.

"Near the front," Bianca said. "Besides, I don't want to have to climb all those stairs."

"And have to crane our necks the whole movie?" Percy asked fingers playing with Riptide in his pocket. "Why not in the middle?" Near the exit.

"Don't be a geezer," Bianca said as she led the way.

Nico motioned for Percy to sit next to him. He sat on one side of Nico and Bianca the other. They whispered to each other in Italian pinching and poking at one another.

"Where are you guys from?" Percy asked.

Nico furrowed his eyebrows, biting his lip as he glanced at Bianca. "Um..."

Bianca pushed the button between them. "Italy."

Percy forced a grin as he glanced at the exit. One movie and then he'd get Grover and Annabeth. "What was it like?" He had never been out of the States, and before the quest, he had never been out of New York. He'd probably enjoy being in Las Vagus more if doomsday wasn't counting down.

"It's..." Bianca frowned as she searched the empty air above Nico's head for an answer. "I don't remember."

Percy frowned. Weird. Maybe she was too young to remember when she moved? "What about your friends or family? Before you got here in the hotel? What were they like?" Maybe he could use her answers to convince them to leave with him?

Nico perked up staring at Bianca.

"They–" she stopped. "I-I can't remember."

Nico deflated between them. "You always say that," he grumbled, crossing his arms.

"Well, I don't!" Her voice cracked out like a whip. "So stop asking!"

Percy leaned back away from the siblings as they glared at each other. His guts tied into knots when he spotted tears shimmering in Bianca's eyes and the way Nico wiped at his own. His guilt was pushed away as he overheard some people talking; they used outdated slang, but not as outdated as Nico and Bianca.

Percy furrowed his eyebrows and tapped Nico on the arm. "Nico, what year is it?"

"1946."

Percy's stomach dropped to his feet. He grabbed Nico's arm. "Nico, it's not–"

"Free smoothie?" A waiter shoved a tray with three frosty glasses filled to the brim with the frothy pink liquid; he smiled as Nico and Bianca snatched up their drinks. "And while you drink them, you can tell me what you would like to eat."

As Bianca told him her order, the waiter held out the tray for Percy. Even in the dim lighting of the theater, Percy could see steam coming off of the icy sides of the glass. He licked his lips; his stomach cramped as he salivated. The flowery aroma of the smoothie seemed stronger than ever; he could taste it on his tongue, and his tongue begged for the sweet liquid. Percy reached for the glass with a shaking hand. No! He jerked his hand to the side before he could grab hold of it. The drink fell to the carpeted floor.

"Aw," Nico said sipping on his own. "That sucks."

Percy stared at the spilled smoothie; he leaned forward, swaying. He wanted to lick it off the movie theater's floor. Sweat beaded his brow as he forced himself to look away. "Sorry."

The waiter's jaw jumped as he picked up the glass. "Not a problem!" He looked like he was bearing his teeth more than grinning. "I'll go get you another one!" He snapped his fingers, and another worker hurried over with a mop and bucket.

Percy let out a trembling breath, blinking back tears. It was just a drink, one he didn't even want, so why did he feel like he just got told he'd never eat one of his Mom's homemade cookies ever again? He slipped out of his seat, being careful to avoid the spilled drink and worker. "Bathroom."

"Hurry back," Nico said as he sat his empty glass in his cupholder. He must have chugged it. "The show's gonna start soon!"

Percy nodded and fast-walked out of the theater. There were three bathrooms down the hall; he kept his head down still fighting tears as he hurried passed humans and hotel workers. What was wrong with him? He glanced up and saw groups of males entering the bathroom; he couldn't go there, he needed to be alone. He darted for the private family bathroom.

He locked the door behind him, pressing his forehead against the cool wood. It smelled like flowers, like the smoothie he spilled. Percy pressed his fist against his mouth as a wail escaped him. Tears fell from his eyes as he slammed his head against the door. What was wrong with him?

He smacked his lips; his mouth was so dry. He needed to drink something, needed a smoothie. He shook his head as he reached for the doorknob. No, no, there was something wrong. He turned to the faucet. Water. He'd drink water until his thirst disappeared.

Percy stumbled to the faucet and turned on the cold water full blast. He cupped his hands under the rushing water, filling them up before drinking the water as fast as he could. After two handfuls, his stomach cramped. Percy gasped, pressing his head against the porcelain. He coughed and expelled everything in his stomach. He clung to the sink as he vomited; once he was done, he slid to the floor and curled up there, shivering.

The lights seemed to expand until they washed over the ceiling. He clutched his eyes closed as his teeth chattered; he was freezing, and yet he was sweating. He could feel water oozing out of his skin, every one of his pours sensitive enough to ache with every drop. He groaned, pressing his face against the tiled floor.

"It's alright, Percy, you're going to be fine."

Percy's eyes popped open. "M-Mom?"

His mom smiled as she smoothed his hair from his forehead. "Yes, baby."

"What?" Percy licked his lips. "What are you doing here?" He wished he had the strength to crawl into her arms, but he was so tired.

"I'm here to kill you."

Percy's eyelids fluttered. "What?"

His mom transformed into a bloated Mrs. Dodds with snakes for hair and barking chihuahuas coming out of her shoulders. "Die! Son of Poseidon!"

Before Percy could scream, he spiraled down into darkness.

#

Percy groaned as he wrenched his eyelids open. He heaved his hand up to his eyes to wipe at the crust that caked them before sitting up. His mouth was dry, his lips cracked, and his throat was sore; he wondered if he had swallowed fire. He wobbled as he stood, and stumbled over to the sink; it was still gushing water. He shoved his lips under the faucet and gulped down as much water as he could. When his thirst was finally quenched, he felt better than he had in a while. He marched toward the bathroom door, and shoved it open; he needed to find Annabeth and Grover and get out of here, no more distractions. He turned to head for the Gameroom, praying they were still there.

"Come on, Nico, he left."

"I guess."

Percy froze. Nico sounded like he had just found out his birthday and Christmas were canceled. Percy grimaced as he closed his eyes. He couldn't leave them. He turned on his heel and hurried over to the siblings. "Nico! Bianca!"

Nico brightened. "Percy! Where've you been?"

Percy shook his head waving his hand to try to get Nico to lower his voice. "Doesn't matter." He glanced at a passing worker and lowered his voice. "We have to get out of here."

Nico furrowed his eyebrows. "But the movie's just started."

Bianca snorted. "It's halfway over, Nico." She shot Percy a glare. "He made us miss it."

Percy winced. "Sorry, but I was busy."

"With what?" Nico asked tilting his head.

"Dying," Percy said. "But that doesn't matter right now!" He waved his hands to try to get Bianca and Nico to pay attention. "We need to leave!"

"Why?" Bianca demanded as she placed her hands on her waist.

"It's 2013!" Percy spat out.

The siblings stared at him for a minute before dissolving into giggles.

Nico shoved him. "Aw, dry up, you!"

Bianca shook her head. "Of all the baloney."

Percy ran a hand through his hair. "It's the truth!" He stepped closer to the siblings, ignoring how Bianca stepped between him and Nico. "Think about it! All the different people, ways of speaking, clothes! The fact you can't remember life before the hotel?"

"Are we dead?" Nico asked peeking out from behind Bianca as she steered him away.

"No!" Gods, Percy hoped not.

"Is there a problem?" A server approached them with a smile.

Percy rubbed his arms, skin-crawling–why was everyone always smiling?

"No," he said. "No, I'm just–" he searched for an excuse. "Feeling a bit sick."

"Sick in the head," Bianca muttered.

Percy tried to resist glaring at her, he knew what it sounded like, but he was still insulted.

The servers' eyes widened. "You're sick." Their eyes hardened, and they grabbed Percy.

"Hey!" Percy struggled in their iron-clad hold as they dragged him down the hall. "Help!"

He heard Bianca and Nico exclaim behind him, and craning his neck he saw two more servers dragging them along as well.

"We didn't do anything!" Bianca shrieked.

"This is just a precaution," one of the servers said. "We have to take all of you to get decontaminated."

Percy jerked, feeling something soft wrap around his ankles and arms. "They're lying! They're monsters! They're going to kill us!"

Bianca opened her mouth, probably to yell that he was insane when one of the servers spoke up.

"Do stop struggling son of Poseidon," they said. "You brought this onto yourself."

"The hell I did!" Percy tried to kick out but found himself hovering an inch over the floor. His legs moved alongside the servers as if he were walking alongside them. He looked down. Vines crept from the servers' pants legs into his. "What are you?"

"We are the Lotus Eaters," one of the servers said flashing him a smile. "We eat the Lotus, and in return, we feed the Lotus."

Percy heard Nico pleading for passing guests to help them, but none of them stopped. They passed the game room, and Percy could see Annabeth and Grover. "Annabeth! Grover! Help!"

They ignored him, eyes glued to game screens. Percy opened his mouth to try again when the servers shoved him, Bianca and Nico, into an elevator. He bounced against the back wall and rushed for the doors, but before he could reach them, they closed. Percy struck at the doors; he wondered if Riptide could cut through metal. The elevator descended.

"What's going on?" Bianca clutched Nico close to her; her dark eyes burned Percy's skin. "What did you get us into?"

Percy flinched. "I didn't get you into anything!" He shuffled in place looking away. "I just wanted to get you guys and my friends out of here."

"And because you did," Bianca said. "We're in trouble!"

Percy opened his mouth to defend himself when Nico jerked himself out of his sister's grasp and turned on her. "We were in trouble anyway! They would have hurt us eventually!"

"You don't know that!"

"Bad guys always hurt people eventually!"

"This isn't one of your stupid cartoons or comics, Nico!" Bianca grabbed his arms and shook him. "We're in danger!"

The power went out. Percy scrambled for Riptide, pulling it out, he uncapped it. In the bronze glow, he could see Bianca and Nico's wide eyes.

"Get behind me," he said as he faced the doors.

He heard them shuffle as the elevator stopped. The doors opened, revealing a wall of darkness. A cold breeze flowed in, smelling of dirt. Percy took a step forward. "Where are we?"

"I don't know," Bianca said. "It looks...like a hallway made of dirt."

Percy furrowed his eyebrows. How did she know? Even with Riptide's glow, he couldn't see anything.

"Why do you have a sword?" Nico asked.

"Long story." Percy jabbed his sword into the darkness. It didn't scream, so that was a good sign–something wrapped around his ankle and yanked him off his feet. Riptide went flying out of his hand. His head bounced off the metal floor. He heard Nico and Bianca scream as he was dragged into the darkness.

His nails dug into soft dirt. His wide eyes stared as the elevator doors closed blocking Riptide from his grasp, not that he'd be able to reach it anyway. He prayed it would reappear in his pocket in time to save them. In the darkness, he trashed to get free from vines that crawled over him, wrapping him up and slipping leaves into his mouth. He tried to spit them out, but more stuffed themselves into his mouth. He gagged, tears filling his eyes. He sobbed. This was it. He was going to die, and no one but his mom would care, as food for a plant.

His fingers stretched out, yearning to touch something besides dirt. Icy fingers touched both of his hands. His heart jolted, for a second he had forgotten that Nico and Bianca were with him. He couldn't let them die; it was his fault they were in this situation in the first place. But what could he do? Riptide was still in the elevator, and he couldn't reach his pocket anyway. Water. He needed water.

He closed his eyes trying to close out the squeezing vines and pressing darkness. Pipes. There must be pipes. Pipes filled with water. His stomach tugged. He could feel cylinders of water above and to the side of him. A vine wrapped around his throat, choking him. He gasped, fingers spasming in Nico's and Bianca's crushing grasps. He needed to breathe; he needed to get free; he wanted to go home. Gods, he'd give anything for this to be a nightmare and he'd wake up in his bed. He'd gladly deal with Smell Gabe and stupid schools if it meant he would get to be with his mom and be safe. The vine tightened. He needed to breathe! The walls groaned as the water in the pipes sped up responding to his panic.

Before the pipes could burst, Percy was falling sideways through icy darkness filled with roars and screams. His heart lept and clogged his throat. He hit concreate.

"Hey, are you kids okay?" Percy glanced up blinded by city lights. A man with a spiral-shaped cup almost as tall as he was stared down at him. How had he gotten outside?

Percy pushed himself up, wiping his hands on his legs. His palms stung. "Fine. Just...lost my balance."

The man nodded. "Well, be more careful." He looked around. "Where are your parents?"

"Inside." Percy waved in a general direction. His mom was taken by Hades. He remembered now. Man, that Lotus shake really messed with his head to make him forget that.

The man hummed.

Cold fingers wrapped around Percy's arms making him jump. He turned wide eyes to a tightlipped Bianca; she tugged him away from the man, raising her hand and muttering a thank you to him. Percy followed as she pulled him away from the Lotus hotel. Nico walked beside them close enough to make Percy stumble several times, despite his mumbled apologizes he remained where he was.

"Wait!" Percy yanked against Bianca's hold. "My friends! I need to save them!"

"They'll be fine," Bianca snapped her hold tightening on his arm.

"How do you know?" Percy demanded.

"Because we were before you ruined everything!" Bianca shoved him away from her, gaining a few looks from passing people.

Percy's stomach curled up.

"It probably would have happened anyway," Nico said with a soft voice.

Percy glanced at him; he was rubbing his arm and staring at everyone and everything around him. His heart panged. How different was everything compared to what Nico and Bianca knew?

Bianca wiped at her eyes. "You don't know that!"

"What were those things?" Nico turned to Percy with wide eyes; his pale lips trembled. "They said they were Lotus Eaters, but they're nothing like my card." He took his deck out of his cardholder and riffled through it. "See?" He showed it to Percy–a bunch of men laid about with flowers in their hands. "It paralyzes the monsters of other players for three turns."

"This isn't your dumb game, Nico!" Bianca glared at him. "This is real!" She gagged, bending over. "This is real...oh, God." She wrapped her arms around her stomach. "We were almost eaten by a plant."

Percy winced stepping forward to rub her back. "It's okay. We got away." He glanced back over to the Lotus Hotel. The air was knocked out of him.

"No," he gasped, stepping toward him only for the Di Angelos to grab onto him.

"What are you doing?" Bianca demanded.

"Is it a spell?" Nico asked.

"The doors." Percy's eyes welled up with tears. "They're blocked."

He stared at the thick vines that covered the doors as he shook off the siblings' hold. He walked to the doors and reached out to touch them, but stopped as a leaf moved.

"Aw, man, closed?" Someone behind him said. "That sucks. I was really hoping to look around in there."

Percy's hand dove into his pocket, his fingers closing around Riptide. He yanked his weapon out and uncapped it. People screamed and scattered as he hacked at the vines. The vines quivered but refused to move as he scratched their surface.

"Percy!"

Percy jerked around. "What?"

Bianca pointed toward the rushing people. "They've called the police, we have to go!"

Percy bit his lip, grip on his sword tightening. He glanced at the doors, at Bianca and Nico, and then at the terrified people staring at him. His stomach rolled and he wanted to throw up. He looked up at the hotel one last time. "I'm sorry."

He capped Riptide and ran, hearing Bianca and Nico falling into step beside him. He ran until the stitch in his side became unbearable, weaving between people all the while. He stopped, panting and doubling over underneath a strip of ever-changing lights.

Bianca and Nico stopped beside him. Bianca had a hold of Nico; she grabbed onto Percy.

"Don't you ever run off like that again," she hissed.

Percy frowned at her. All around them people sang American Pie as the lights flashed in time with the music.

Her lip quivered. "You can't leave us." She drew Nico closer glancing around with a suspicious eye. "You got us into this mess."

Percy's breath caught as it dawned at him that she and Nico were alone in the world. Everyone they knew was probably dead or thought they were dead; besides, they couldn't remember their past. He was literally all they had besides each other. His stomach sunk; he looked at his feet. "Sorry."

A newspaper got stuck under his shoe. He picked it up. His eyes widened as he read the date.

"Five days," he said.

"What?" Nico glanced at him before looking back up at the lights.

"I've lost five days!" Percy's heart rate picked up and he struggled to control his breathing.

"Five days?" Bianca rolled her eyes. "Poor you." She tapped Nico's head. "Stop staring at the lights. You'll go blind...Probably."

"Everyone else is!"

Percy broke them up before they could start squabbling. "You don't understand! I have one day left!"

"One day for what?" Nico frowned. "Percy? What's wrong?"

"I need a cab." Percy turned from them and pushed his way through the crowd. He heard them cry out his name. "Hurry up!"

"Where are we going?" Bianca asked. "Who are you?"

Percy stopped by the road; he tried to wave down a taxi only to be ignored. He sighed. "It's a long story."

Bianca crossed her arms. "Then start telling it!"

Percy grimaced. "Fine, just help me get a taxi."

The siblings got on either side of him and raised their hands waving along with him trying to get a taxi's attention.

"It all started with a boring school trip."