craving |PERCY JACKSON| [book 1] UNDER EDITING

XXVII

ONCE THE GROUP REACHED LAS VEGAS, they set the animals free. Although they did something good, it left them with another problem. They no longer have a ride to Los Angeles.

The four began wandering the streets of Las Vegas, looking for a place to rest and eat in the heat. Soon they came upon the Lotus Hotel and Casino, "Hey kids," The doorman smiled down at them, "You look tired. You want to come in and sit down?"

Percy nodded and said that they would love to come in. Inside, they took one look around, and Grover said, "Whoa."

The whole lobby was a giant game room and 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. 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. No waiting for any of the games. There were waitresses and snack bars all around, serving every kind of food you can 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 them each a green plastic credit card.

Selena knew there must be some mistake. Obviously, he thought they were some millionaire's kids. But she took the card and asked, "How much is on here?"

His eyebrows knit together. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, when does it run out of cash?"

He laughed. "Oh, you're making a joke. Hey, that's cool. Enjoy your stay."

They took the elevator upstairs and checked out their room. It was a suite with four separate bedrooms and a bar stocked with candy, sodas, and chips. A hotline to room service. Fluffy towels and water beds with feather pillows. A big-screen television with satellite and high-speed Internet. The balcony had its own hot tub, and sure enough, there was a skeet-shooting machine and a shotgun, so you could launch clay pigeons right out over the Las Vegas skyline and plug them with your gun. The view over the Strip and the desert was amazing, and Selena didn't want to look away,

"Oh, goodness," Annabeth said. "This place is ..."

"Sweet," Grover finished for her, "Absolutely sweet."

There were clothes in the closet, and they fit them, which Selena thought was a little strange but went with it. 

Everyone took a shower and changed into new clothes. When Selena left, she joined Annabeth on the couch watching National Geographic and shared some potato chips with Grover,

"All those stations," Percy said to Annabeth when he came out, "and you turn on National Geographic. Are you insane?"

"It's interesting."

"I feel good," Grover commented, "I love this place." Without him even realizing it, the wings sprouted out of his shoes and lifted him a foot off the ground, then back down again.

"So what now?" Annabeth asked. "Sleep?"

Grover and Percy looked at each other and grinned and Selena knew what they were thinking. They both held up our green plastic LotusCash cards. "Playtime," Percy said.

After what seemed to be only a few hours, Selena found herself being dragged towards the front desk by Percy and Annabeth. They claimed that this is a place where you check in but never check out. Selena didn't seem to care all that much,

"I was so close to winning." She hissed,

The Lotus bellhop hurried up to them, "Well, now, are you ready for your platinum cards?"

"We're leaving," Percy told him.

"Such a shame," he said sadly and Selena felt bad, "We just added an entirely new floor full of games for platinum-card members."

He held out the cards, and Selena wanted one. Grover reached for the card, but Annabeth yanked back his arm and said, "No, thanks."

They walked toward the door, and as they did, the smell of the food and the sounds of the games seemed to get more and more inviting. Selena thought about our room upstairs. They could just stay the night, sleep in a real bed for once...

Then they burst through the doors of the Lotus Casino and ran down the sidewalk. It felt like afternoon, about the same time of day they had gone into the casino, but something was wrong. The weather had completely changed. It was stormy, with heat lightning flashing out in the desert.

Ares's backpack was slung over Percy's shoulder, which was odd because he was sure he had thrown it in the trash can in room 4001, but at the moment he had other problems to worry about.

They ran to the nearest newspaper stand and read the year first. Thank the gods, it was the same year it had been when they went in. Then Selena noticed the date: June twentieth.

They had been in the Lotus Casino for five days. They had only one day left until the summer solstice. One day to complete their quest.