𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐔𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐘, percy jackson

𝐗𝐕𝐈. lotus hotel and casino

CHAPTER SIXTEEN ——
LOTUS HOTEL AND CASINO !

┊͙ 🪷 ˖ . *. ⋆

( "should i slap her too?" )

PARKER WOKE WITH A START.

Her dream had been anything but pleasant— as usual— though she decided to ignore it for the time being. She'd deal with strange voices and visions later since other issues had taken priority.

Parker had been awake for approximately ten minutes, and she had already hidden from two zoo-keepers who had been driving the truck they slept in, released an antelope, lion, and zebra into the streets of Los Angeles, then got lost in the hundred-degree weather.

Now, the four found themselves standing in front of the Lotus Hotel and Casino. The entrance was a huge neon flower, the petals lighting up and blinking. No one was going in or out, but the glittering chrome doors were open, spilling out air-conditioning that smelled like flowers and lotus blossom.

The doorman smiled at us. "Hey, kids. You look tired. You want to come in and sit down?"

Parker was immediately suspicious. Was this guy somehow a monster? Usually, employees don't lure children into casinos. Being a demigod and constantly being tracked down by monsters caused a little paranoia.

Apparently, Percy wasn't on the same train of thought. He said, "Sure. We'd love to."

The doorman led them through the doors and Parker reluctantly trailed behind. She figured the guy seemed normal enough to at least not murder them at the moment.

Inside, they took one look around, and Grover said, "Whoa."

The whole lobby was a giant game room. And not just a room of cheesy old Pac-Man games or slot machines.

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 wall and an indoor bungee jumping bridge. There were virtual-reality suits with working laser guns. And hundreds of video games, each one the size of a widescreen TV.

Basically, you name it, this place had it. There were a few other kids playing, but not that many.

There were waitresses and snack bars all around, serving every kind of food a person could imagine.

"Hey!" a bellhop said. He wore a white-and-yellow Hawaiian shirt with lotus designs, shorts, and flip-flops. "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.

There must be a mistake here, Parker thought. How was the bill taken care of? Did this guy think we were some sort of child actors or something?

As Percy took his card he said, "How much is on here?"

The bellhop's eyebrows knit together. "What do you mean?"