A Comfortable Ride to Las Vegas
The moment they climbed into the truck, darkness swallowed them whole.
The driver and his partner seemed to be in a hurry. The front doors slammed shut, and the engine roared to life almost immediately.
Harry pulled out his wand, grabbing onto the nearest thing to steady himself. "Lumos," he murmured, and a soft light spilled from the tip, illuminating their surroundings.
And now, with that light… they understood the smell.
Percy felt like he'd just been shoved into the world's largest litter box. Still, he forced himself to look around; just like the others.
Inside were some of the saddest animals they had ever seen. A zebra. An albino lion. And some kind of strange antelope.
All three were filthy; like whoever transported them had mistaken them for pigs and dumped them into a sty. The floors of their cages were a complete mess, and they didn't even seem willing to lie down on it… but they didn't have the strength to avoid it either.
Their water bowls were empty. Not because they'd finished them… but because they hadn't been refilled in far too long.
And the food was even worse.
The lion had a sack of turnips dumped beneath him.
The zebra and the antelope… ground meat.
None of them had touched any of it.
The zebra's coat was covered in gum, like someone had used it for target practice just for fun. The antelope still had a birthday balloon tied to one of its horns.
The lion, its ribs clearly visible, was barely managing to settle onto an old blanket, trying to avoid the filthy floor beneath it.
And even then… none of them had the energy to complain.
If the four of them already hated being in there after just a few minutes… how long had these animals been trapped inside?
"This is what they call Kindness International?" Grover snapped, his voice shaking with a kind of anger none of them had ever seen from him before. "This is so human!" he added bitterly.
The others glanced at him for a moment. But at this point, they were used to Grover going off about how humans were destroying the wild and driving creatures to extinction. If they didn't know him better, they might've thought they were watching the birth of a future villain; someone ready to wipe out humanity just to give the world back its green.
Thankfully… it was still Grover.
Still, maybe best to keep an eye on him. Just in case.
Harry and Percy let him rant for a bit while he went on about how humans ruined everything and how wild creatures had to suffer for it. Then they moved toward the cages.
Percy drew one of his swords, using it to drag the sack of turnips out from under the lion. Then he grabbed the bowls of ground meat and the turnips, switching them around and giving each animal something they could actually eat.
Harry, meanwhile, raised his wand and cast a series of cleaning spells over the animals, removing the dirt from their fur. He restored what little they had for bedding, giving them something warmer to lie on, then cleaned their cages until they were almost spotless.
Annabeth found a nearby container, filled it from a larger tank, and brought water to each of them. They started drinking immediately; like they'd been wandering through a desert for days.
Grover watched them again, and his anger toward the company only seemed to grow.
"We should probably calm him down before he asks you to blow up the whole truck… and, honestly, I'm not really in the mood to take the fastest route to the Underworld with a brand-new tan," Percy muttered, leaving the job of dealing with their satyr to Harry.
"It's okay, Grover. Let's just take the chance to rest for now. We've got a long trip ahead," Harry said. "Don't worry. If they want out, we'll help them escape."
"As long as it doesn't interfere with our quest," Annabeth added immediately. She didn't disagree; she just made sure the line was clear.
Grover seemed to accept that; halfway. He moved closer to the animals, starting to speak to them quietly, while the others settled into the least terrible corner they could find.
Which, of course, they made Harry clean first before lying down.
…
"Percy Jackson…"
A voice echoed through the darkness surrounding him.
He was there again. That cave.
The moment he opened his eyes, the same uneasy feeling crept over him. He couldn't stop it. His gaze swept across the space like it always did…
But something was different.
He wasn't standing at the edge this time. He was farther back. And the spot he usually occupied… was now taken by someone else.
Or something.
A shadow Percy couldn't quite make out.
"I see the exchange worked," the same monstrous voice said.
But this time… it wasn't speaking to him.
That crushing presence shifted; directed at the shadow near the edge.
"And no one suspects anything?"
Another voice; this one slipping out from the shadow for a brief moment; sounded… familiar. Like Percy had heard it before. Up close.
"Nothing, my lord. Though I can't say the same about his brother. Ever since he arrived, he's been watching everyone around Percy Jackson."
"Mm… those are always a nuisance. Especially when they can see more than they should… even more so with that kind of blood."
A low chuckle echoed through the cave.
"Luckily, not all of them are smart enough to make use of it. And the others… are too busy watching them to ever trust them."
A brief pause followed.
"Zeus never learned how to share control. He prefers to keep them close… where he can see them… rather than admit they might actually be useful."
The laughter came again; sharper this time.
"In the end, his own paranoia does half the work for us."
"Yes, my lord. They're right to call him the Twisted One. His plans are always precise… and effective," the other voice replied. "But… was all of this really necessary? I could've delivered what I stole directly instead of taking the long route."
"You?" The monstrous voice cut him off, dripping with mockery. "You've already proven your limits… and you would've failed completely if I hadn't intervened."
"But, my lord—"
"Relax, servant," the voice interrupted again. "These past six months have given us far more than expected. Zeus's anger has grown. Poseidon has played his most desperate card. Now we'll use it against him. The other gods are under constant watch to keep them from interfering… aside from a few flies that can't do much. Soon, you'll have the reward you seek… and your revenge; once the items are delivered to me… but wait…"
The voice paused.
Silence swallowed the cave.
"He's here," it said, more serious now.
"What?" the servant replied, unease slipping into his tone. "Did you summon him, my lord?"
"No."
The presence shifted; focusing entirely on Percy, freezing him in place.
"Damn it… his father's blood is too volatile… too unpredictable. The boy came on his own."
"That's impossible!" the servant shouted, now clearly worried.
"For someone like you, maybe. But he can," the voice said calmly, its attention locked onto Percy once more. "So… you want your vision, young demigod? Very well. I'll grant it to you."
The world changed instantly.
Percy found himself somewhere else.
Black marble beneath his feet. Walls covered in familiar war carvings. And at the center… a throne made of soldiers' bones.
But unlike before… it was empty.
That wasn't what froze him.
At the foot of the throne…
Harry.
Lying there. Not moving. His skin pale. Too pale.
Percy's eyes widened. He tried to move; to reach him.
But his feet wouldn't budge. It was like they were fused to the ground. Heat surged through his body, burning against his skin. And when he tried to speak, that same heat tore through his throat, stopping him from even calling his brother's name.
Still, he forced himself forward; or tried to.
Nothing.
Then the skeletons came.
Dozens of them, appearing out of nowhere, surrounding him. Their hollow faces twisted into grotesque smiles. They draped him in black cloth; heavy, suffocating; and placed a laurel crown on his head. It smelled like hydra venom.
It burned.
It felt like his skull was melting from the inside out.
And the voice…
The voice laughed.
Wild. Delighted.
Like it was enjoying every second of it.
"HAHAHA! Hail, conquering hero… but like every hero, you have to lose something along the way," it said, almost gleeful.
Then—
Percy jolted awake.
He looked around instantly, searching for—
There.
Harry was right there, helping Grover climb up toward a hatch at the top of the truck.
Percy let out a slow breath, tension easing from his chest.
Just a nightmare.
But the faint burning on his skin still lingered. Not as strong… but enough to make him uneasy. It slowly faded as the seconds passed.
He turned his head toward Annabeth.
She was holding up a small crystal, angling it carefully; trying to catch the light coming through the hatch Harry and Grover were working on; bending it into a faint rainbow against the wall.