Vegas, Baby

[fortunae]

"Oh, this is too easy." Mark grinned incredulously.

The son of Iris stood in the entrance to the hotel's lavish casino, watching various guests pass through the different slot machines and tables. Every now and again, he'd hear cheers, bells and whistles, and all other noises that came from someone winning a jackpot. The whole room had an irresistible aura to it that drew Mark in from the second Tessa transported them into the fountain outside. He wouldn't be leaving until he'd made some money.

Mark glanced over his shoulders for any security guards or members of the quest that would drag him away kicking and screaming. When he deemed the coast clear, he clapped his hands together and paced into the casino.

The music playing in the distance made Mark feel like he was in some sort of movie, and that despite the odds, he'd win the money and go home happy. Even if he was on a life-threatening and time-sensitive mission right now, all of that could wait; Mark had a break right now.

The son of Iris looked around in astonishment like a kid in a candy store, debating which game to try first. That's when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Mark whirled around, his heart stopping for a moment, to see an exhausted-looking staff member behind him.

"Excuse me, sir, might I ask what you're doing in here?" He said, blinking wearily.

Mark racked his brain for an excuse, but thankfully, he had a quick wit. "I'm just looking for my dad, he said he'd be here and its almost lunchtime. We have reservations and— " He rambled, jerking his thumb behind him to the row of slot machines, but the staff member held up a hand.

"That's alright, just don't gamble and you're fine." The staff member sighed. "Have a good day." And with that, they slouched off.

Mark grinned impishly. "Oh, I will." He said, turning back around and sauntering his way over to a machine. He sat down at the nearest one, sending a silent prayer to Tyche, goddess of luck.

"Here goes nothing," Mark said, taking a breath and reaching to start the game. However. He realized his mistake before he made it.

"I need money." He said aloud. He glanced around and patted his pockets, desperate for some change. How had he forgotten about the money aspect? It was a slot machine, for the gods' sakes, without the money in the slot, you can't work the machine!

Finally, Mark fished out a coin from his pockets, but frowned when he saw that it was a drachma. That was one coin he couldn't lose—as a demigod, and especially as a son of Iris—because who knew when he'd need it?

Mark sighed, letting his hand fall on top of the machine. He glanced around, peering over the rows of machines for some way to get change for the machines.

"Ah, rats, I'm out of coins." A voice complained loudly.

Mark turned, and there at the end of his row of slot machines, was a man who, to Mark, resembled a walrus in a loud Hawaiian shirt. He was obviously a tourist, and like Mark, must have had nothing better to do than to gamble at noon. However, he was out of coins, and Mark knew where that would lead.

The walrus stood, and so did Mark. The son of Iris mirrored his target's actions, walking down the aisles in the casino on the opposite end of the machines. The walrus would lead him to some area to get more change, and then Mark would be off the hook.

Mark dodged a couple exiting the casino, trying to keep his vision on the walrus. However, the man of the hour had disappeared behind the crowds at the tables.

Mark skidded to a stop in a small open area of the casino, sighing in defeat. He flipped his drachma in his hand, looking around. That's when he saw it.

A sole slot machine stood a few paces away, at the end of an empty row. It glowed and glimmered as if newly polished, with labyrinthine designs framing the screen and the machine itself. The lever on the side of the machine shimmered oddly, until Mark realized that it was made of bronze. The knob of the lever was sky blue, with a golden omega printed on it, matching the gold print of the title of the machine: TYCHE'S TREASURES.

"No way," Mark said under his breath.

To answer his doubts, the screen flickered to life, a sole message on it: INSERT ONE DRACHMA TO PLAY!

As if drawn to the machine, Mark stumbled forward, his face frozen in doubt. He narrowed his eyes at the glowing screen, watching as the words disappeared and reappeared as if on replay. He scanned the vicinity, searching for any odd characters or monsters that would spring into action if Mark fell into the trap—if it was one.

"Well," Mark said to himself. "Might as well."

And with that, he dropped his drachma into the slot and pulled the omega lever. The screen changed, and the three columns appeared. Among the symbols, Mark spotted omegas, thetas, deltas, and other letters of the Greek alphabet intermixed with standard lottery symbols.

"How do I win?" Mark asked, knitting his eyebrows at the screen as an alpha, beta, and theta appeared in the columns. A single drachma clattered to coin tray as a result.

As if in response, the screen shimmered again, revealing a new message:

ALPHA BETA THETA: 1 DRACHMA

THREE THETAS: 5 DRACHMAS

THREE PSIS: 50 DRACHMAS

THREE OMEGAS: 100 DRACHMAS

THREE DELTAS: PRIZE OF A LIFETIME

DRACHMAS CAN BE EXCHANGED FOR MORTAL MONEY

"Prize of a lifetime?" Mark read. Something didn't seem right, especially at the fact that the glowing delta on the screen was making his memory a bit fuzzy. He knew something about what a delta represented, but in that moment, all he cared about was winning some money for him and his friends.

Mark dug out the drachma he had won and stuck it back into the machine. He cranked the lever, and watched as the rolls whizzed by. This time, he didn't reach any of the certain qualifications. In determination, Mark sat down on the stool attached to the machine, fishing around in his pockets.

"Mark!" A voice called. "What're you doing?"

Mark didn't have to look up to realize that it was Reese. He continued fishing around in his pockets, not even stopping to acknowledge the son of Apollo's approach. "What does it look like, Hale?"

"Well, I can see that, but...woah. What's this machine?" Reese made a face at the machine, taking it in.

'Tyche's Treasure, or as I'd like to call it, the only game I have a shot at winning here." Mark sighed upon coming up short with drachmas; his stash must've been in his backpack. He glanced at the son of Apollo, still transfixed in confusion at the glimmering machine. "Got any drachmas?"

Reese turned to look at him, watching him in puzzlement. "What?"

Mark blinked. "Reese, if you make me repeat everything I say, we'll be here all day. I said, do you have any drachmas?"

"Well, yeah, but— "

"Cough 'em up."

Reese didn't move.

"Now!" Mark urged.

"Okay!" Reese dug out his wallet, that served its actual purpose at storing money, as well as doubling as his golden bow. He pulled out a drachma and handed it to Mark. "We're not here to gamble, just remember that."

"You sound like Tessa," Mark waved a hand at Reese, snatching the drachma out of his grip. He stuffed it into the slot and pulled the lever.

"These things are money traps— "

"—one psi—"

"—I'm telling you, you're not gonna win anything—"

"—two psis—"

"—so I'm not giving you anymore drachmas—"

"—three psis!" Mark exclaimed as the sound of the godly money clattered to the coin tray.

Reese's blue eyes widened, looking from the shimmering coins to the blinking machine. "How many drachmas is that?"

"Fifty," Mark recited. "Now go grab me one of those buckets! We're hot, Hale, we're hot!"

The son of Apollo fled, fueled by the adrenaline rush that came with the aspect of winning a jackpot. He returned in a moment, a coin bucket in his hands. Together, he and Mark pooled the drachmas into it, relishing in their haul.

Mark cracked his knuckles, looking up at Reese. "'These things are money traps'," He said in a mock imitation of the blond boy.

"Oh shut up and scoot over, I wanna try." Reese retorted.

Mark put up his hands in mock surrender and hopped off of the stool. Reese sat down, digging out another drachma from his wallet and dropping into the slot. He pulled the lever and together, he and Mark watched the symbols roll by.

Ten minutes and two drachmas later, the boys had achieved ten more drachmas in return. Their prize money went up to sixty drachmas in total, but greedy as they were, they wanted even more.

"Alright, we've gotta stop." Reese exhaled, looking around. The haze in his eyes seemed to fade as he spotted something in the distance. "Mark?"

"Yeah?"

"Ten o'clock."

Mark knit his eyebrows together and looked up from his search of more drachmas on his person. He casually followed Reese's line of sight, and the familiar feeling of something being off returned.

By a steel door in the far corner of the casino stood a tall man, his arms folded as he leant against the wall. He was wearing shades, despite it being daytime, indoors, and surrounded by lights. He was dressed in dark clothing, with a soft smile on his lips. Maybe it was Mark's imagination, but this mystery man seemed to be staring directly at Mark, Reese, and their machine.

Mark took a breath, trying to shake off the feeling. "He's wearing shades, he's probably not even looking at us."

"Are you sure?" Reese asked, tearing his gaze from the dude to stare back at Mark.

No. "Yes," Mark answered. "Now, go back up to the room and grab some more drachmas while we're on this."

Reese sighed. "You have a problem, Akagi."

"I didn't see you complaining while you were winning."

Reese shook his head, but bolted off anyways. He disappeared behind a row of machines, back out into the rest of the hotel.

Mark stretched in the stool, looking around and guarding his money while Reese was gone. He scanned the casino, watching people play various card games and win at different slot machines. However, no matter how hard he tried, his vision still became centered on the dude by the steel door.

Man, did something feel off. The guy hadn't moved at all, and there was something...unsettling about his gaze. Glows seemed to be coming from behind his sunglasses, and he seemed to radiate the same sort of ancient era that came with beings from mythology.

Mark shook his head, snapping himself out of it. Knock it off, Akagi, it's just a guy in a casino. Stop being paranoid.

"Mark!" Reese's voice sounded. The son of Apollo was racing back, a handful of drachmas clutched in his grip.

"Atta boy, Reese!" Mark grinned, clapping a few times. "Let's go!"

Reese bit his lip. "Even though I got these, I really don't think we should keep gambling."

"Why the heck not?" Mark interjected. The guilty look in Reese's eyes raised a flag of warning in Mark's mind. "You didn't."

"I did."

"MARK AKAGI." Dale's voice bellowed over the roar of the casino. Sure enough, the daughter of Demeter was standing in the entrance to the casino. She was scanning the room, and with Mark and Reese frozen like deer in headlights, she zoned in on them quickly.

"Hurry! Before she gets here!" Mark snatched the money from Reese, which was easy, considering he was trying to get it to the slot in the machine as fast as possible. The boys cranked the lever down, watching as they won no drachmas, and then no drachmas again.

"One left!" Reese screeched. He stuffed it into the slot as Mark yanked the lever down.

"BOYS!" Dale yelled. A few guests nearby jumped at her outburst, but no one seemed to interfere with the girl as she ended her rampage.

"Oh, hi Dale." Mark said casually, leaning over the machine as if to hide it. "What're you doing here?"

Dale's gold eyes flickered dangerously. "Do you have any idea how much trouble you can be in if you get caught?"

"If," Mark noted. "If I get caught, which I haven't been."

Dale's vision scanned to Reese, but before she could yell at him too, she must have noticed the man in the distance. "Who is—"

She was cut off by the sound of the machine ringing. Three omegas were lined up on the screen, and the correlating prize—one hundred drachmas—clattered to the coin tray.

Mark and Reese whooped in celebration, holding their bucket under the tray as the coins fell.

Dale groaned. "You guys are insufferable." She folded her arms.

"We know," Mark and Reese chorused.

Mark sighed in content, holding up his bucket of drachmas. "This much money, we can fly first-class to California!"

"You won't be doing anything with that money, I'm afraid."

The three demigods whirled around as a staff member, a different one from earlier, approached them. This guy looked tougher, meaner, and more eager to take away Mark's winnings.

Mark blinked. He needed to improvise, and quick. He glanced at the bucket of drachmas he had held up in triumph and made a face at it. "Now how did that get there?" He wondered. He stole a quick look at the staff member, who did not appear to have bought it.

"Come with me, son." He said, beckoning to follow.

Mark didn't move. He looked around the casino, and remembered how up until now, no one had noticed him, his friends, or their machine. They had been invisible to everyone; so why could this guy see them?

Unless he wasn't a guy.

Slowly, Mark stretched his hand, but cursed himself mentally at realizing that he had left his ring that turned into his dagger in his room. Why would he need it in a casino?

"Come with me, halfblood." The staff member's eyes shimmered as gold as the machine behind them, and that's when Mark's gaze met that of Dale and Reese's. Both were ready to strike, with Dale's hand on her lipstick tube and Reese's on his wallet.

"No, thanks. I'm not in the mood to die." Mark shrugged simply and did the one thing he could do: threw the contents of his bucket at the man. In the kerfuffle, he sprang up and ran away, his friends in his wake.

"Dude!" Reese complained, bow drawn and quiver on his back. "That was, like, half of our money."

Mark whacked the son of Apollo. "We still have more, so run now, money later!" He stole a glance over his shoulder and noticed that the staff member—monster?—was gone for now, but Mark knew that they were far from being safe. He thought he could see the screen of Tyche's Treasures glow blue, the color of the deltas in the game, and for some odd reason, felt compelled to stare at the steel door.

It was wide open, and its mysterious guard was gone.

"Guys," Mark slowed to a stop, pointing at the door. "Look."

Dale and Reese turned to look, and instantly looked away. "Why is it that everywhere we go, there's craziness?" Dale complained.

"Welcome to life as a demigod. Enjoy your stay, because you're not getting the hell out." Reese grumbled in response.

"Come on, before staff guy shows up again." Mark hefted his bucket, but didn't move. His eyes locked on a counter near the door, which must have been where people went to get their change for the machines. However, Mark was centered in on the man behind of it—Mysterious Door Guy.

"Watch my back." Mark said, not tearing his gaze from the man. He walked forwards, gripping his bucket of drachmas like a kid with his trick-or-treat basket on Halloween.

The man grinned at seeing Mark approach, like they were old friends. "That is quite the prize you have there, halfblood. But where will you be spending such currency?"

Mark narrowed his gaze at the man and his odd sunglasses. "What do you want?"

The man made a face. "Nothing...yet."

"Yet?"

"But for now, I can give you funds to aid on your quest." The man looked around behind the counter. "Ten drachmas in exchange for...what would you like? One hundred dollars? Five?"

Mark's brain felt like it was short-circuiting. This guy was obviously some figure from mythology, but who? Not only that, but he knew about the quest and was willing to help them out. "Got that much in thousands?"

The man grinned again. "Yes, but not for ten drachmas."

Mark folded his arms. "Give me five thousand dollars, and you can take it all."

"You drive a hard bargain, but as a halfblood, I would suppose you need drachmas as well. Since I'm in a giving mood, I shall give you what you ask for, son of Iris, and I will not expect my payment until the time comes." The man said and reached behind the counter. He pulled out stacks of money and Mark counted in his head as he continued piling them up.

One thousand, two thousand, three thousand...

"Who are you?" Mark tore himself out of his reverie to ask.

The man grabbed the last two decks of thousands and began stuffing the pile of money into a large Ziploc bag. "You'll know in due time, Mark Akagi. Good luck." He sealed the bag and pushed it onto the counter.

"Mark, we've gotta go!" Dale's voice exclaimed.

Mark grabbed the bag and turned to Dale. "Coming, coming." He said, jogging away from the counter.

"And who were you talking to?" Reese asked as the three demigods shuffled their way out of the casino.

A chill went down Mark's spine. "What are you talking about?"

"There was no one at the counter. Frankly, that thing looked like its been abandoned for years. The real exchange table is in the back of the casino, not the front." Dale reported. "So who were you talking to?"

Mark glanced back over his shoulder incredulously, and sure enough, the counter was dim and empty. No mysterious man to be found, and no bucket of drachmas on top of the counter as well.

He whirled back around, and forced himself to grin impishly. "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Now come on!" He beckoned his friends forward, and together, the three demigods sped off through the hotel.