16 Chapter 16 Lotus (1/2)
Slaughter, there was so much slaughter. So much blood, it can fill an entire ocean. Everywhere Lucian looked, there was red. He looked down and saw that he was standing on a pile of bodies of people he has never met before. Lucian continued to look around and stopped at a spot where a few corpses lied. He recognized these people. The pretty girl with blonde curly hair that was dyed in red, the boy with the skinny body and blue eyes, his favorite half donkey man that tried to act confident all the time, and the centaur whos white pure coat was drenched in blood, the one that took him in and kept his secret. The friends he has made were all lying there, motionless. Lucian looked down toward his hands and saw them drenched in blood, chains wrapped around his forearms that connected to the blades impaled on the body he was standing on.
Lucians face was pale, he couldn't handle this scene that would make any sane person try to kill themselves with the nearest stick. He looked up at the blood red moon, then down at the valley of never ending bodies. He picked up the twin blades and impaled it into his chest, to save his eyes from having to see such a grotesque scene. Just before he closes his eyes, he sees a ghost white figure stand in front of him. He watched as Lucian slowly breathes his last breath and closes his eyes.
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”*GASP* Noo! NO!! Please No!!” Lucian woke up from the hell he had just witnessed. He gasped for air, pleaded for what he saw to be nothing but a mirage. A mirage so sicking he prayed no one else had to go through it.
”Lucian, calm down! It's okay, it was just a nightmare!” Annabeth hugs Lucian and brings his head toward her chest, calming him down as he hears her heart beat. She caressed his hair as he takes deep breaths, trying to make sense of his surroundings. They were back in the truck, the truck that has had an awkward atmosphere the past few days and the last place he wanted to be. But right now, all he could feel was warmth and comfort.
”What happened?” Lucian asks, hoping to make light of what happened. ”You mean you dont remember?” Asks Percy for some reason astonished at the fact. ”I asked what happened didn't I? Obviously I dont remember.” For some reason I was feeling really bitchy, and I was in a bad mood. But can you blame me for having seen what I just saw. ”You killed the Hydra, all by yourself. You seemed to go into a sort of battle mode, where nothing else was on you mind other than slaying the Hydra. Your hands were on fire to, which seemed to be the cause of the state you were in.” Percy says, to my astonishment. I was in a sort of battle mode? All I remember is my hands feeling like they were on fire after I saved Annabeth.
Speaking of Annabeth, I try to look up and look at her face but she was not letting me. She just continued to caress my hair, which felt good actually. I could feel her blonde curly hair on the nape of my neck, and her heart beat that was beating pretty quickly. I guess she was not ignoring me anymore. For some reason, this made me really happy and made me smile.
”I'm sorry if I scared you guys.” Annabeth seemed to finally react. ”YOU DONT KNOW HOW SCARED I-...We were. Dont do that again Idiot!” She squeezed the hold she had on my neck a lot tighter, making it hard to breath. ”O..Kay...let...go. My...Neck is going....numb!” Annabeth seems to realize her mistake and immediately let's go allowing me to breath. ”I'm glad your not ignoring me anymore.” I say as I rub my neck. She looks gloomy at the mention of how she was acting.
”I'm sorry Lucian...I didn't mean to hurt you or make you feel like an outsider. Its just...I have lived in the camp ever since I was 7. So when you told me that your father is Kratos, the man we have heard ghost stories about and the man who has killed many of the campers parents...I was scared.” Annabeth said as she looked down and clenched her fist. ”You? The daughter of the all mighty Athena is scared?” I joked trying to lighten the mood, though it didn't work. ”*Sigh* I dont blame you, I never did. I was happy you were staying true to your emotions. Although I'm not gonna lie, it did hurt.” I rub her head to comfort her. I was ready to immediately retract my hand, but she didn't scold me this time. She accepted it and nodded weakly. ”I'm sorry.” She said in a whisper.
”I told you, it's fine...where are we by the way?” I asked as I looked out the window on my right that displayed a bunch of buildings with lights. There was color everywhere you looked. ”Welcome to Vegas!!” Grover said, speaking for the first time. ”The solstice is coming soon so we have to hurry and find the next pearl. The gods are starting to get angry, causing the weather to go out of wack. This is where the map told us the next pearl is.” Percy drove to a giant hotel, the sign said it was called the Lotus hotel and casino.
We pulled up and parked the truck, we all got out and stretched from all that driving around. ”Man, we can so use a break! Hey guys, let's go play some black jack!” Grover cheered as he made this seem like a vocation. ”We're not here to gamble Grover! We're here to find the Pearl.” Annabeth tried to remind Grover what they were here for. We walk into the Hotel which was filled with mortals. There was a car that was being presented on display, and it looked fast and expensive.
We continued to walk and it soon lead us to where the casino was. There were people gambling, dancing, and outright enjoying themselves in anyway they could. There were many hotel workers and women with trays that carried a sort of flower walking around. As we were looking around trying to see if we could spot the pearl, one of the woman with a tray snuck up on us.”Can I get you something? Try a lotus flower, they're so good! It's our signature dish.” As the woman was talking, more girls came up to us with the flowers.
”Signature?” Grover questioned as he picked up a Lotus flower and sniffed it, Percy and Annabeth also picked one up. For some reason something seemed fishy to me, like how the woman are only offering flowers and not any beverages. Every single cocktail waitress here only has the flowers on their trays. The girls eyed me, waiting for me to pick one up. I decide to comply and pick one up hopefully making them leave, which it did. They left as soon as I picked it up.