"you could be the king, but watch the queen conquer"
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Rosalyn Carter is the daughter of Aphrodite and the last thing Percy expected to find at Camp Half-Blood.
But he wouldn't want to fight deadly battles with anyone else.
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The doorman smiled, "Hey, kids. You look tired. You want to come in and sit down?"
One look at the place had Rosalyn suspicious. Her skin prickled, and her gut was screaming run.
Percy nodded and said they'd love to come in. Annabeth and Grover seemed to have no reservations about walking into the hotel.
The whole lobby was a giant game room. There was an indoor waterslide snaking around the glass elevator, which went straight up at least forty floors. There was a climbing wall on the side of one building, and an indoor bungee-jumping bridge. There were virtual-reality suits with working laser guns.
The invitation raised more red flags for Rosie at the sight of all the amnesties. There were a few other kids playing, but not enough that anyone had to wait for any of the games. There were waitresses and snack bars all around, serving every kind of food imaginable.
"Hey!" a bellhop said, startling the red-haired girl. "Welcome to the Lotus Casino. Here's your room key."
Percy stammered, "Um, but..."
"No, no," he said, laughing. "The bill's taken care of. No extra charges, no tips. Just go on up to the top floor, room 4001. If you need anything, like extra bubbles for the hot tub, or skeet targets for the shooting range, or whatever, just call the front desk. Here are your LotusCash cards. They work in the restaurants and on all the games and rides."
He handed each of them a green plastic credit card. Rosalyn took the card, asking slowly, "How much is on here?"
The man's eyebrows knit together as he asked, "What do you mean?"
"I mean, when does it run out of cash?"
"Oh, you're making a joke. Hey, that's cool. Enjoy your stay," he chuckled. Rosalyn watched his back until it disappeared around the corner, her heart racing.
Her companions looked around them in wonder, not at all unnerved by what the bellhop had just said.
They took the elevator upstairs and found a suite with four separate bedrooms and a bar stocked with candy, sodas, and chips. The room came with fluffy towels and water beds with feather pillows. The balcony had its own hot tub, and the view of the desert was beautiful.
"Oh, goodness," Annabeth breathed. "This place is..."
"Sweet," Grover said. "Absolutely sweet."
There were clothes in the closets, somehow in the perfect sizes for each of them. Rosalyn frowned, feeling the tingling sensation up her spine of magic.
Percy threw Ares's backpack in the trash can and announced he was having a shower.
Despite the bad feeling she had, Rosalyn also took a shower. The hot water did nothing to ease her worries, but it felt nice to be really clean. She came out of the bedroom and found that Annabeth and Grover had also showered and changed clothes. Grover was eating potato chips to his heart's content, while Annabeth cranked up the National Geographic Channel.
