THADDEUS POV
We proceeded with the plan, but before we could steal the possibly-cursed, definitely-important green pearl, we had to retrieve one last lost soul—Grover.
And, of course, we found him exactly where I expected.
Flirting.
With two girls.
Not one. Two.
The satyr had his arms slung over their shoulders, looking way too comfortable, flashing that goofy grin like he was the damn prince of charm. The two girls giggled at something he said, twirling their hair like he had just whispered the secrets of the universe in their ears.
I sighed. Of course.
Without hesitation, I strode up and delivered a solid bitch slap to the back of his head.
"OW! Dude, what the—"
"No time for your rizz adventures, Loverboy," I said, grabbing him by the collar and hauling him away.
"Hey, hey, wait!" He flailed as I dragged him. "I was this close to getting their numbers!"
"Yeah, well, you were also this close to getting stuck in a time-warped casino for eternity," I shot back. "Pick your battles."
I gave the two girls an apologetic smile over my shoulder. "Sorry, ladies, borrowing him for a moment."
They pouted but didn't protest, probably thinking he'd come back.
(Spoiler alert: He wouldn't.)
Once we were out of earshot, I let go of his collar, and he adjusted his shirt with a dramatic huff.
"Geez, what's the rush?"
"The rush is that we've been here for five days—"
"Wait, five?" His face paled.
"Yeah, congratulations, you've lost a whole workweek to mind-altering snacks and bad decisions," I said dryly.
Percy quickly jumped in, explaining the situation in the shortest, most condensed way possible. By the time he finished, Grover's expression had morphed from confusion to alarm.
"Okay... yeah, that's bad," he admitted.
"Glad to have you back with us, Romeo," I said as I patted his shoulder. "Now, let's go commit some minor grand theft and get the hell out of here."
I let Annabeth and Daphne handle the planning because, frankly, it was the only sensible decision. And more importantly? I was exhausted.
Mentally. Emotionally. Spiritually.
We'd been running around like headless chickens in this neon-lit nightmare, dodging cultist waiters, brainwashed tourists, and gods know what else. At this point, I just wanted to get the damn pearl and leave before I ended up aging backward or some other form of bullshit.
Also, if I had to argue one more time today, I was going to start throwing hands—at anyone.
So, while Annabeth and Daphne huddled together, I took the rare moment of peace to lean against a column and sip my fifth cup of coffee.
Grover, still recovering from the bitch slap of reality I had given him earlier, sat beside me, rubbing his head.
"Dude," he muttered. "Did you really have to hit me that hard?"
"That was me holding back," I replied, taking another sip. "Besides, you were two minutes away from becoming Casino Casanova for eternity. You're welcome."
He groaned but didn't argue.
Percy, now freed from his trance, was tapping his fingers impatiently against the table. He still looked slightly dazed, but at least he wasn't trying to make out with Annabeth in the middle of the ballroom anymore. Progress.
Finally, Annabeth straightened up and clapped her hands together. "Alright, we've got a plan."
Daphne smirked beside her. "And it's rather brilliant, if I may say so myself."
I sighed. "Great. Let's hear it before I regret handing over the genius role to you two."
The plan was so solid that, for once, I had zero reason to intervene.
Annabeth and Daphne laid it out with the kind of confidence that made me wonder if they had secretly orchestrated bank heists in their free time. Maybe I should've been concerned. Instead, I just leaned back, sipped my coffee, and let them cook.
Daphne took the lead, her tone sharp, poised—like she was giving some royal decree. "Right then, listen closely—we've only one chance at this, so do pay attention."
Annabeth nodded. "The Lotus Eaters want us to forget we ever had a life outside of this casino. They've wiped away all sense of time, all urgency. But the one thing they can't erase? Instinct. The subconscious pull of routine."
Daphne continued, "Which means, if we manage to trigger something potent enough to override their conditioning—make them recall who they truly are, where they ought to be—"
"They'll snap out of it," Annabeth finished.
Percy, who had been unusually silent, raised an eyebrow. "And how exactly do we do that? We can't just yell at them to wake up."
Daphne smirked. "No, but we can certainly disrupt the illusion. Strike at the heart of it. Undermine the casino's hold over them."
I sipped my coffee dramatically. "I'm very interested in where this is going."
Annabeth crossed her arms. "We've observed enough. They drown the guests in pleasure, distractions, and indulgence. So, what happens if we take all that away?"
I tilted my head. "You mean... a good ol' reality check?"
Daphne nodded. "A forced one. We turn their pleasure paradise into something their subconscious rejects. An environment so chaotic, so wrong, that they can't help but snap out of it."
Grover scratched his chin. "So... you're saying we ruin the party?"
"Oh, completely," Daphne smirked. "We break the illusion."
Now that was a plan I could get behind.
I sat up, setting my cup down. "Alright. What's the how? 'Cause as much as I'd love to just start breaking things, I assume you two have a refined approach."
Annabeth gave me a knowing look. "We start by shutting down the games—rigging the machines to spit out errors, cutting off the endless wins. That'll create immediate frustration."
Daphne chimed in. "Then, we get inside their heads. These guests have been here for years, some for decades, utterly oblivious. If we plant the right seeds—show them the outside world, remind them of who they once were—it'll thoroughly unsettle their reality."
I grinned. "So, a mental heist on top of a casino sabotage?"
Annabeth smirked. "Essentially."
I leaned back, arms crossed. "Ladies, I have never been prouder. Let's burn this place to the ground."
---
The plan was set. The execution? Well, that was going to be glorious.
We broke off into teams—Annabeth and Daphne handling the subtle part of the operation while me, Percy, and Grover took the not-so-subtle approach.
Step One: Break the Illusion.
Annabeth and Daphne moved through the casino like silent specters, planting seeds of doubt in the minds of the guests. It started small—little whispers, casual questions.
"Hey, when was the last time you saw the sun?"
"Do you remember why you're here?"
"Didn't you have somewhere important to be?"
Simple words, but deadly in a place that thrived on keeping people complacent. The guests would pause, a flicker of confusion in their eyes before the Lotus influence tried to bury it.
---
Step Two: Cut the Power.
While they did their thing, me, Percy, and Grover took the direct approach—sabotage.
Percy, still a little dazed from the Lotus haze, looked at me. "So, uh... what's our part again?"
I clapped a hand on his shoulder. "We're doing what we do best, my guy."
"...Which is?"
"Absolute chaos."
We started with the slot machines. A little True Ice here, a little Runespark there, and suddenly they weren't just malfunctioning—they were spitting out tokens at an ungodly rate.
The guests cheered at first—until the machines started short-circuiting and the illusion of infinite wealth began crumbling.
Grover was on his own mission, subtly pulling people away from the gaming floors, redirecting their attention. He used his Natural Persuasion to get them thinking about things they had long forgotten.
One guy blinked at him. "Wait... I have a family."
"Yes!" Grover nodded enthusiastically. "And they probably miss you, man!"
Another woman frowned, gripping her drink. "Wasn't I supposed to go to college?"
"Yes!" Grover repeated. "And tuition ain't cheap!"
Bit by bit, the guests were starting to wake up.
---
Step Three: Bring Down the House.
Annabeth and Daphne signaled us from across the room. It was time for the grand finale.
"You ready for this?" I smirked at Percy.
"Not really."
"Too bad."
I raised my staff, channeling a controlled explosion of magic right at the central chandelier. Not enough to hurt anyone—just enough to make it drop and shatter into a thousand pieces.
The moment it crashed, the entire casino froze. The music cut out. The glamour of the Lotus illusion flickered.
Then, all at once, the screams began.
People started panicking, looking around as if they were seeing the casino for the first time. The once-hypnotized guests now looked horrified. They could feel the years they had lost, the memories they had been robbed of.
"RUN!" Daphne shouted, grabbing Astoria's hand.
We bolted. Security scrambled to contain the chaos, but there was no stopping it now. The illusion was broken. The spell was shattered.
And we were getting the hell out of here.
We were so damn close.
The exit was right there, just waiting for us to bolt through it and never look back. But of course—because the universe hates me—things had to go spectacularly wrong at the last possible second.
That's when I saw it. A 1969 Chevrolet Impala SS. Black, sleek, perfect. A true masterpiece of automotive engineering, parked on display like a trophy. It was supposed to be an example of Lotus Land's unlimited wealth, but in approximately thirty seconds, it was going to be our official getaway vehicle.
"We're taking that," I announced mid-sprint, already mentally hotwiring the thing.
"That only seats six," Annabeth pointed out, slightly out of breath.
"There are six of us."
"Astoria is twelve!"
"Even better!"
But before we could reach our sweet, sweet chariot of freedom, one of the staff members—scratch that, cultists—finally pieced together what was happening.
"JACKSON AND HIS FREAKS ARE AWAKE!"
And just like that, the entire casino turned on us.
"Oh, for the love of—" I groaned, pivoting mid-run and slamming my staff into the ground. A thick, shimmering wall of ice shot up behind us, cutting off the swarm of Lotus cultists. A couple of them ran full speed into it, rebounding like poorly programmed NPCs in a video game.
Annabeth, still sprinting, threw me a look. "You couldn't have done that earlier?"
"Only just clicked for me now," I admitted. "Plus, it looked cool."
"This is not the time for puns, Thaddeus!"
"It's always the time for puns."
Percy, now fully snapped out of his lotus haze, caught up with us. "You two done flirting, or are we still escaping?"
"Escaping, definitely escaping," I confirmed.
We skidded to a stop by the Impala. I placed a hand on its hood reverently.
"Don't take this the wrong way, baby," I murmured to the car. "But I will be violating several laws to get you started."
Daphne, clutching Astoria's hand, frowned at me. "You do know how to use that, don't you?"
I turned to her with a completely straight face. "I cannot legally answer that question."
"Thaddeus."
"I plead the fifth."
Behind us, the ice wall was already beginning to crack, and the cultists were pissed. No more time for banter.
I knelt by the driver's side, working faster than I ever had in my life. Wires. Spark. Ignition.
The beautiful roar of an engine filled the air.
"EVERYONE IN!" I shouted.
Percy and Annabeth dove into the back. Daphne and Astoria slipped into the middle. Grover—being the only one who actually respected vehicles—gently closed the door behind him like we weren't in the middle of stealing a car.
I threw it into gear just as the ice wall exploded.
"Thaddeus," Daphne started cautiously.
"I know," I gritted out, slamming my foot on the gas.
The Impala lurched forward, tires screeching against the casino's pristine floors. The cultists screamed.
"Thaddeus."
"Yes, Daphne?"
"This is not a road."
"That sounds like a future problem."
We smashed through the casino's glass entrance.
I grinned. "Okay. Now it's a road."
Percy looked absolutely horrified. "That was property damage!"
"Buddy," I said, not taking my eyes off the road as I gunned the engine, "we just collapsed a casino's entire illusionary ecosystem. I think we passed the property damage threshold about five war crimes ago."
Daphne let out a deep sigh, shaking her head. "Americans..."
"Less talking, more driving!" Annabeth barked from the backseat, gripping the door handle like her life depended on it. Which, to be fair, it kinda did.
I jammed my staff into the ignition, sending a controlled pulse of Runespark straight into the engine. The Impala roared in response, practically purring under my hands.
Percy blinked. "How the hell—"
"Magic, dumbass," I cut him off, slamming the car into reverse.
The tires screamed against the pavement, leaving a fresh set of rubber marks as we shot backward onto the Vegas strip before I yanked the wheel and drifted us into a clean getaway. Behind us, Lotus Land was imploding, security losing control, and alarms shrieking into the neon-lit chaos of Sin City.
We did it.
We were out.
"Okay! First things first, we're dropping the sisters off," I said, taking a sharp turn that sent Grover flying into Annabeth.
Daphne furrowed her brows. "Wait, what? Why?"
"Because you're normal," I shot back. "And I don't know if you noticed, but we clearly are not. I don't need you and Astoria getting caught up in this madness."
"Define normal," she muttered.
"Not being chased by cultists, a god of war, or literal monsters on a weekly basis."
Astoria piped up from the back. "I think it's cool!"
"Thank you, Astoria."
"I wanna go on an adventure too!"
"No, you don't, do you?"
Before Daphne could argue, Percy—who was still recovering from the whole high-speed grand theft auto situation—snapped his head toward me. "Where the hell did you even learn to drive like that?"
I grinned, shifting gears smoothly as we weaved through traffic.
"You don't wanna know."
He did not like that answer.
I parked the Impala in front of Elysian Heights, the kind of place that practically oozed old money. The lobby alone looked like it could fund an entire small country. The type of place where people checked in with tailored suits and checked out with existential crises.
"This is your stop," I said, fingers tapping against the steering wheel.
Daphne hesitated, her silver-blue eyes flickering toward me. "Soooo... I suppose this is it, then." Her tone shifted, more refined, more... her. That clipped, aristocratic British lilt that carried a kind of quiet authority.
I didn't answer right away. My grip on the wheel loosened. Gods, I was exhausted. And yet... tonight didn't feel as suffocating as it usually did.
"...Yeah," I exhaled. Then, before I even thought about what I was saying, I blurted out, "Want me to walk you in?"
Where the hell did that come from?
The rest of the gang—who I just now realized had been way too quiet—suddenly shifted.
Grover, the traitor, smirked. "C'mon, kid, let's walk you in." He adjusted his hold on Astoria, who had hopped onto his back at some point.
The little menace yawned. "But I don't wanna—zzzz..." Instant knockout.
Annabeth, way too entertained by this, nudged Percy. "We'll leave you to do your thing... right, Percy?"
Percy blinked. "Oh... OH! Right, right." He scrambled out of the car, still absolutely clueless. "We'll talk after, man..."
And just like that, they were gone, leaving me alone with Daphne.
I let out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding, then slid onto the hood of the Impala, needing a second to process everything. The reality of it all. The madness of the past few hours.
Daphne stepped forward, her presence grounding, yet... unsettling in the weirdest way. She was close—but not too close. Just enough to make her point. And damn it, why was the whole 'taller woman' thing suddenly working for me?
She studied me for a long moment, then asked, "I suppose this is the moment where you finally deign to offer some semblance of an explanation, isn't it?"
I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck.
"Yep..." I said. "Guess it is."
Daphne studied me carefully, arms crossed, her piercing silver-blue eyes scanning me. Then, after a pause, she asked,
"I'm aware I really shouldn't be asking this, but... are you genuinely a wizard?"
I blinked. Then snorted. Oh, she was serious.
"No," I said, shaking my head. "Somewhere between a mage and... all that. I guess you could say 'magic user' is the broad term, but yeah. Not a wizard." Then I leaned forward slightly, tapping my temple. "Though I've heard of your folks. My dad's one. Wizards with wands, if I'm correct?"
Her expression flickered—just for a second—but I caught it. Surprise.
"You've deduced that rather quickly, haven't you?" she said, clearly impressed.
I smirked, taking a lazy sip from the coffee I'd swiped from the car. Cold. Fantastic.
"I could feel it," I admitted. "Your wand. Even though it's hidden, the presence of an enchanted object like that leaks into the surroundings. I can't explain it in normal terms, but it's like... radio static, always humming in the background."
She tilted her head, then, to my absolute horror, giggled.
"You sound frightfully nerdy when you put it like that."
I rolled my eyes. "Sue me for having a brain."
"You're rather good, though. Exceptionally so," Her voice was softer this time. So... who on earth trained you?"
I exhaled through my nose, glancing away for a second before answering.
"Just... myself."
Technically true. Just not in the way she was probably hoping for.
Daphne gave me a knowing look, like she wanted to press further but decided against it. Instead, she shifted gears. "And what about after this?" she asked. "You and your lot... Will you be alright?"
I scoffed. "Define alright."
Daphne didn't push further. Maybe she could tell I wasn't the type to tell my life story in one sitting. Or maybe she already had her own theory and just decided to let it simmer. Either way, she switched to something a little less prying.
"How long have you been practicing magic, then?" she asked.
"Since I was seven," I replied, leaning back against the car. "Started small—made a stick float. Thought I was some kind of Jedi or something."
She let out a soft laugh. "And now?"
"Now I can set people on fire." I grinned. "Peak Character Development."
That earned me an amused shake of the head. "Charming."
And just like that, the conversation drifted. It wasn't forced, not some kind of interrogation. Just two people talking, filling the air with little pieces of themselves before parting ways.
I didn't ask much about her. Not because I wasn't curious, but because... something about this moment told me she'd rather just observe for now. Like she wanted to figure me out on her own terms.
And I let her.
I didn't know if we'd meet again. Maybe we would. Maybe we wouldn't. But for now, this? This was enough.
She stepped forward, just like before. That same slow, deliberate movement—the kind that made the air feel heavier, thicker, like the universe itself had decided to pause just for us.
Her eyes locked onto mine, searching for something. A question. An answer. Maybe both. And before I could second-guess it, before my brain could catch up to my heart, she leaned in.
Her lips met mine in a way that wasn't rushed, wasn't desperate—just right. Warm, soft, lingering. It wasn't some frantic, feverish thing. No fireworks, no grand orchestral swell in the background. Just... her. The scent of something faintly floral, something elegant and expensive. The way her fingertips ghosted against my wrist, like she wanted to hold on but wasn't sure if she should.
I kissed her back, slow and steady, taking in everything. The warmth of her, the way she tilted her head slightly, how her breathing hitched for just a second before she settled into it.
I don't know how long we stayed like that. A minute? Two? Time felt irrelevant.
But eventually, inevitably, she pulled away.
Not all at once. Just enough to let the moment breathe, to let it settle between us like an unspoken truth. Her forehead rested against mine, her fingers still lightly tracing my wrist.
"Come on... you promised to walk me in," she tells me while pulling my hands, causing me to get off the hood of the car.
"Right... right..." I responded with a simple smile. That felt nice. Now I don't know what to do.
As we made our way to the entrance, the air between us was quieter now—not awkward, just... heavy. The kind of quiet that comes when two people know something's ending, but neither really wants to say it out loud.
"What now?" I finally asked, breaking the silence. "What happens next? We just... move on with our lives?"
Daphne hesitated, glancing at me. "I don't particularly wish to... but it rather seems you've more ahead of you than I do. Shouldn't you see all that through first?"
Smart. Very smart. "Valid..." I muttered with a chuckle.
She stopped just before the entrance, turning to face me fully. "You're quite certain you don't require any assistance?"
I exhaled through my nose, giving her a small, tired smile. "We always need help. But I'd prefer keep you two out of this. Go home. Stay safe. And, uh... maybe don't tell your dad about this."
That earned me a smirk, which honestly made this whole goodbye sting a little more than I cared to admit.
Then, she tilted her head. "Hey, Thad..."
"Yeah?"
"Thank you. For getting us out of that mess... and, well, for everything else." She trailed off, as if debating whether or not to finish that sentence.
I awkwardly scratched the back of my neck. "Hey, you know... I do what I can. just your average idiot with a savior complex and a little too much free time."
Daphne sighed—fond, amused, maybe a little conflicted. Then, before I could react, she leaned in and pressed a kiss to my cheek.
"Do try not to get yourself killed, Thaddeus," she murmured. "I rather hope to see you at Hogwarts, assuming that's where you're off to next."
I blinked.
Brain? Empty. Thoughts? Gone.
"...I'll do my best?" was all I managed to say.
With one last glance—one last lingering second where I could have said something—she disappeared into the hotel, leaving me standing there like an idiot.
I stood there for a moment longer than I should've, just letting it all sink in. Then, with a sigh, I turned on my heel and walked back to the car, bracing myself for whatever nonsense was about to be thrown my way.
And, of course, the second I got in, I was met with exactly what I expected.
Grover smirked, arms crossed like he was about to deliver the speech of a lifetime. "Sooo... you and the tall British girl, huh?"
"Drive," Annabeth deadpanned from the front seat.
I hit the gas. "Can we not?"
"Oh, we are talking about this," Grover declared. "You—Thaddeus Bartholomew—finally showing you have game? This is historic."
"Alright, cut it," Annabeth groaned, clearly over it already. "Did any of you at least get the pearl?"
Percy and Grover exchanged a look, their grins widening like they just remembered they had a trump card to play.
"Behold!" Percy dramatically pulled the final green pearl from his pocket, holding it up like it was the lost treasure of Atlantis.
I gave them a slow clap, keeping one hand on the wheel. "Amazing. Truly breathtaking. You two absolute geniuses got it after being brainwashed for five days."
Annabeth's eyes widened slightly. "That means we barely have a few left before the summer solstice."
I let out a low whistle. "Not gonna lie, I don't wanna know how, but I'm just glad we're making some progress."
With that, I shifted gears, pushing the Impala onto the open road, leaving the neon glow of Vegas behind us.