Children of Pan: The Hotel Heist

Children of Pan: The Hotel Heist


Chapter 1: We Meet An Old Goat (Ricardo's POV)

	I am Ricardo Rabbitt, son of Pan, and right now I am running from a monster. My friends Mizar Barian and Nathan Prophet are also running from similar monsters. The monster in question has the head and torso of a woman, but the lower half of a snake. She called herself a Dracanae, or snake-woman. Two more Dracanae chased after Mizar and Nathan. Ricardo's only weapon, if you can even call it that, is a wooden microphone he always carries. By singing certain tunes, he can use the microphone to control plants and animals to an extent. It had no effect on the Dracanae, though. Mizar, who seems to be extremely intelligent, suggested we split up so each Dracanae follows one of us. His weapon of choice is a pink cross-shaped blade that he holds like a shield and can toss so it slices up an enemy like a fan. He calls the weapon Galaxy-Eyes. If you look at the semi-transparent blue gemstone set in the front center of the blade, you can see what looks like a swirling galaxy inside it. According to Mizar, the gemstone holds great cosmic or celestial powers, though he isn't sure how to unleash said powers. Nathan's main weapon is a crossbow, which he is a crack shot with. He also has a variety of "trick arrows" that do different things when they are shot at, or hit, an enemy. He also possesses minor precognitive abilities.

	"You two still doing okay back there?", I yell. Galaxy-Eyes twirls past me, slicing off a large amount of tall grass and the tail of the Dracanae that is chasing me.

	"That answer your question?", Mizar remarks.

	"You fools do know that cutting our tails off is pointless. like any reptilian, we regrow severed limbs", The Dracanae behind Ricardo taunts. Before she can regrow her tail, I begin singing "the lion sleeps tonight" with his microphone and a huge lion appears and devours the Dracanae.

	"The Nemean Lion", Mizar explains. All three of us climb onto the lion's back. Nathan notches an arrow with two sticks of dynamite tied to it. As the remaining  two Dracanae run towards us, Nathan fires the arrows, friction lighting the fuses on the dynamite. The arrow strikes the ground in front of the Dracanae and the dynamite explodes. The two Dracanae are vaporized and the sound of the explosion makes the Nemean Lion take off running. The three of us had been chased by those 3 Dracanae almost ever since we left a hotel in Las Vegas that we'd been staying in. Now, the Nemean Lion carries us south. When it finally stops, we are on the outskirts of Tucson, Arizona. What appears to be an old man approaches us. Then, we notice the "old man" has furry goat legs (complete with cloven hooves) and a huge pair of ram's horns protruding from his head.

	"I am Pan, God of the Wild", The goat man explains, "I know the three of you are demigods. Ricardo happens to be one of my sons".

	"My mother is Athena, Goddess of Wisdom. That much I know", Mizar adds.

	"I don't know or remember who my father is", Nathan points out, "but I know my mother is a regular mortal woman". Pan plays his pan flute and a nearby tree's trunk begins to glow.

	"Step into the trunk of this tree and you will be transported to a summer camp called Camp Half-Blood. You will be safe there", Pan explains. The three of us do as the wild god says, and soon find themselves emerging from a pine tree overlooking a bunch of Greek buildings.


Chapter 2: My Ex-Girlfriend Predicts The Future (Nathan's POV)

	Ricardo, Mizar, and I head down into the valley. A cave on a nearby hill piques my interest for some reason, but I follow Ricardo and Mizar to a big multi-story building where a centaur is waiting for us.

	"Welcome to Camp Half-Blood. My name is Chiron", the centaur explains. As he shows us around the camp, I keep glancing back to the cave on the hill. When Chiron takes Ricardo and Mizar to the archery range, I sneak off to the cave. Inside, I find a red-haired girl whom I am quite familiar with.

	"Rachel?", I ask

	"Nathan?", She responds. We immediately hug each other. Rachel Dare had been my girlfriend a while back. As the two of us start to kiss, a blonde guy appears in the cave entrance. Rachel and I quickly let go of each other.

	"This is Apollo", Rachel introduces.

	"Is he your new boyfriend or something?", I ask.

	"No, he's a god", Rachel explains, "and judging from the symbol above your head, he's your father, too". A glowing symbol in the shape of a lyre (a harp-like instrument) is floating above my head.

	"Nathan, my son, I know you dated Rachel in the past", Apollo explains, "But as a rule of thumb, I don't allow my Oracle to date anyone".

	"Gee, some father you are", I remark, before running out of the cave in tears. After drying up my tears, I rejoin Chiron, Ricardo, and Mizar. Chiron shows us to the Apollo, Athena, and Pan cabins, then leaves each of us to get settled in. I decide to go to the archery range and test out some of my trick arrows. Mizar and Ricardo join me. We notice a girl in a turquoise one-piece swimsuit with dark hair and sea-green eyes swimming around in the lake. Mizar walks over to the lake and tries to flirt with her. The girl begins to flirt back and I begin to get annoyed. I notch an ice arrow and fire it at Mizar. Unfortunately, he dives into the lake, causing the arrow to slightly miss him and freeze half the lake solid. The girl starts yelling at me, so I notch a steam arrow and thaw out the lake, turning it into a bit of a hot-tub in the process.

	"I am Penelope, daughter of Poseidon", the girl introduces herself.

	"Hey, Green Arrow, how about showing Penelope some more of your trick arrows", Mizar suggests.

	"Why do you call him Green Arrow?", Penelope asks

	"That's the name of a famous comic book superhero who uses trick arrows", Ricardo explains. I notch a couple July Arrows and fire them, setting off a volley of fireworks. A Satyr named Grover approaches us and tells us its time for dinner. Ricardo, Mizar, Penelope, and I rush to the dining pavilion. As we arrive, we notice four other Demigods entering camp. I recognize two of them as Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase. Those two are quite famous here at Camp Half-Blood. Mizar recognizes the other two new arrivals, a short boy with boxing gloves and a tall man who dwarfs the boy and has a big hammer in a sheath tied to his back, and runs up to them.

	"Alito! Girag!", Mizar yells.

	"Mizar!", the two of them yell back, "We haven't seen you since we left the hotel". The three of them chat for a minute, then sit down for dinner. Percy joins Penelope at the Poseidon table while Annabeth and Mizar sit at the Athena table. Alito goes to the Ares table and Girag goes to the Hephaestus table. I, of course, sit at the Apollo table. I expected Rachel to be at the Apollo table as well, but she's sitting up front with Chiron and a man in a purple cloak who must be Dionysus, the camp director. After everyone has a chance to eat, Chiron introduces Ricardo, Mizar, and I to the rest of the campers (with Rachel pointing out that Apollo claimed me). Alito and Girag chat with Mizar for a few minutes, then turn to face everyone.

	"For those of you who don't know, Alito and Girag are brothers", Mizar explains, "I am their stepbrother, as their mother married my father. Furthermore, they have 4 other siblings, all of whom, are demigods. All 7 of us had been trapped in the Lotus Hotel and Casino after my father went there on a gambling binge and never returned. I went looking for him and got trapped there. my stepmother came looking for me and got trapped there. Her 6 children then came looking one by one and were trapped in the Lotus Hotel and Casino. Alito and Girag were later rescued from their by a guy claiming to be the owner of a wrestling and boxing corporation (he was actually Ares in disguise). I escaped along with Ricardo and Nathan after Ricardo, who was the hotel's most popular pop star, got so loud during one of his concerts that he temporarily broke the Lotus Eaters' spell. Nathan and I had fled the hotel in all the commotion and Ricardo fled to escape his rabid fans (his celebrity was stronger than the Lotus Eaters' spell apparently). Our other 4 siblings are still trapped in there along with my father and stepmother, and there's countless other Demigods trapped in there as well. We wish to go on a quest to the Lotus Hotel and Casino to liberate our remaining family members and as many other Demigod from there as possible". Nico di Angelo, who had once been trapped in the Lotus Hotel himself, also expresses interest in a quest to rescue others who are trapped there. as Chiron and Dionysus debate about this quest idea, Apollo arrives on the scene.

	"If you are sending Demigods on a quest to the Lotus Hotel, I want to add another incentive to it", the sun god requests, "As the god of medicine, I possess a miracle cure that can cure any illness and counter any poison. However, it was stolen from me a while back. I thought Luke may have snatched it when he took Zeus's lightning bolt that one time, but Luke didn't have it when I confronted him later on. I had a vision of my miracle cure being somewhere within the Lotus Hotel and Casino, so I'd appreciate it if the Demigods going on this quest could get it back for me while they are at it". Hermes appears next to Apollo.

	"Sounds like this quest just went from a rescue mission to a heist. That's my kinda thing, being the god of thieves and all", Hermes explains, "Anyone here ever watched a movie called Ocean's Eleven?". Percy and Annabeth raise their hands along with the entirety of Hermes cabin.

	"Anyway, for those of you who haven't seen it, Ocean's Eleven is a movie about a heist at a hotel carried about by a group of eleven people", Hermes continues, "Since it worked so well for them, let's send a group of eleven Demigods on this heist quest". Ricardo, Mizar, Penelope, Percy, Annabeth, and I volunteer for the heist quest right away. Hermes wants someone from his cabin on the quest as well, but none of the Hermes kids want to go near the Lotus Hotel. The Stoll brothers are already away on a quest, so Hermes contacts his Demigod daughter Julie, who is in Hollywood with several other Demigods (including the other Pan kids) at a film and tv studio they had been given by Hermes as a reward for a recent quest. Julie agrees to meet up with the quest party in Las Vegas. Alito and Girag also opt to go on the quest. We now have 9 Demigods taking part in the heist quest, counting Julie. Hermes and Apollo decide to go on and have the 8 of us leave on the quest, and they will find two more Demigods to join our party later. The next step is for Rachel to issue us a prophecy for the quest. I elect to be the one to approach her and speak with the oracle's spirit. Before I can even say a word, Rachel grabs my shoulder and the oracle's spirit speaks:

                                             Travel to the city where one can amass great riches
                                             Seek the help of a trio of witches
                                             Many lives will be saved if you succeed in your task
                                             But know that one of your number will fail to come back

        As soon as the oracle's spirit finishes speaking, Rachel collapses. She begins shaking and groaning. Apollo and Hermes take her to the camp infirmary. Apollo examines her with various medical equipment and attempts various treatments. He manages to stabilize Rachel, but she's still sick. Apollo steps outside to  fill us in on what's going on.

       "She's stable, but still needs much help. I think she's somehow been poisoned. I'll send someone up to the cave to see if something poisonous got into it, but my cure for regular snake venom didn't work, so its not an ordinary poison or venom. You need to go on and head out on the heist quest. I'll more-than-likely need my miracle cure", Apollo explains. We don't wait around, choosing to head out immediately.


Chapter 3: We Recruit a Witch and Some Armored Bears (Mizar's POV)

        Annabeth and I immediately suggest stopping by Salem, Massachusetts. The prophecy mentioned witches, and Salem is known for them. As we arrive in Salem, we noticed a glowing light coming from a creepy house near a cemetery. Inside the house, we encounter a dark-haired pre-teen girl in a dark, purple dress and flip-flops chanting an incantation over an open book, which is where the light is coming from. She notices us and stops chanting. the book stops glowing and closes on its own. It has creepy eyeball embedded in its cover, which appears to be staring at us.

        "That looks like the spellbook Winifred Sanderson had in the movie Hocus Pocus", Percy points out.

        "That's because it is the real Sanderson spellbook. I am Beatrix Sanderson, daughter of Hecate and descendant of the Sanderson sisters", the girl explains, "Hecate herself entrusted this spellbook to me. I've been coming here to the Sanderson house to try out spells from it".

        "THIS is the Sanderson House?", Ricardo bemuses. We're all a bit creeped out to be standing in a house that once belonged to infamous witches. We explain to Beatrix that we are a group of Demigods on a quest and the prophecy we were issued for the quest mentions witches. Beatrix quickly agrees to go with us, but insists on bringing Binx, her black cat (who is NOT a poor human she turned into a cat, unlike in the movie), with her. she also packs a black flame candle, another Sanderson specialty, and her spellbook.

        "By the way, Winifred, Mary, and Sarah Sanderson were daughters of Hecate too", Beatrix reveals. On that note, we leave Salem behind, traveling west along the northern states. We stop for supper in Bear Creek, Minnesota and end up eating at a Waffle House. After everyone stuffs themselves, we decide to make camp for the night in the woods outside the city. Before we can even get out tents pitches, we hear a growling noise. A horned, humanoid bovine monster comes charging towards us. Percy is familiar with this monster, having fought it twice before.

        "Minotaur!", Percy exclaims. He faces the monster while the rest of us high-tail it back into town. We end up dashing into a Wal-Mart while Percy fights the Minotaur in the parking lot. Annabeth eventually leaves the store to help Percy fight. Her interference causes Percy to look away for a second and the Minotaur knocks him through the air. The Minotaur turns to attack Annabeth, but never gets the chance. two big blurs of white fur and celestial bronze armor ram into the Minotaur. The monster flies through the air and disintegrates. I had emerged from Wal-Mart seconds before, and now can see that the creatures that defeated the Minotaur are huge polar bears wearing celestial bronze armor. A brunette-haired girl wearing red corduroy dress over a white, collared t-shirt walks towards us.

        "I am Lyra, Demigod daughter of Boreas, Greek god of the north. My Panserbjorn and I had been pursuing that Minotaur ever since it attacked me right after I crossed from Canada into the USA", the girl explains.

        "Panserbjorn?", Pery asks.

        "Panserbjorn are armored polar bears who serve Boreas. As I am Boreas's daughter, they come when I call them as well", Lyra explains, The two Panserbjorn with me now are named Iorek and Coulter. We tell Lyra about our quest to break into the Lotus Hotel, and she agrees to come with us. Iorek and Coulter will be coming along as well. Lyra decides to demonstrate another power she possesses. She shoots white dust out of her hands and up into the sky, and seconds later it begins snowing.

       "You're a real-life Elsa", Percy remarks. Lyra next shows us what looks like a compass made of gold.

       "A gift from my father. It's an Alethiometer, an enchanted compass-like device that can find anything for you. You ask it where something is and it points you in the right direction", she explains. Lyra asks the Alethiometer where the Lotus Hotel is and takes over leading our quest party. She summons more Panserbjorn, so we don't have to walk all the way to Las Vegas.