Jacquelyn woke up in a room.

The room was soft, with pinks, greens, and turquoise. The carpets were plush, the curtains were heavy but soft, and the room gave you the feeling of being safe.

Except that Jacquelyn wasn't safe at all; she was a prisoner of the Hermaphrodite.

He said, "Well, sweetheart, I take it that you've enjoyed yourself?"

"No," said Jacquelyn angrily. "How can I enjoy myself if I'm your prisoner?"

"But you liked it, sweetie," the Hermaphrodite snapped at her. "You are just a silly girl who thought she could escape from me, but you know nothing. you'll never escape from me!"

"Try me," Jacquelyn snapped.

Just then, someone walked into the room. "Hello, Jacquelyn," said Luke. "I'm glad you came to join us."

"What the freaking hell??" Jacquelyn cried out as she glared at Luke. "Did you seriously kidnap me?"

"You better believe it," said Luke. "Do you know how long it took me to find you?"

"Well, I've been told that I've been very hard to find," said Jacquelyn. "But the question is though how did you send that Hermaphrodite after me?"

"Because you happen to be very powerful and very elusive," said Luke. "People like you who are very powerful and very elusive are also very dangerous. And because you're dangerous, I had to find you before some other people did."

"What did you do with my friends?" Jacquelyn snapped at him. "You better tell me what you did with them or else..."

"What are you going to do to me?" said Luke. "Zap me? You don't even have strength to do anything harmful to me!!"

A swift kick silenced him before he could continue his insults. He glared at Jacquelyn, who said, "Like I told Annabeth a few days ago, "even when I'm down, I can still beat you up." You may have not the strength to fight me, but I still have the capacity to kick your butt if I feel like it! So don't try to do anything stupid with me!"

"I see," said Luke. To the hermaphrodite, he said, "Make sure she stays in this room while I go secure the other guys. Once everyone's secure, we can proceed with our plans."

But Jacquelyn was not finished with Luke, as she said, "You're not gonna get away with this! I know what you're up to, and when they find out, they're going to rip you apart!"

"And I will assure you, that you are definitely going to regret saying that," Luke said as he left the room.

*****

Ron continued crying as the others made plans on how to escape. So far, Magnus and Annabeth had to shoot down any plans that involved poisoning or sabotage. Grover said, "Now this is crazy talk! We can't just sit here and allow them to take Jacquelyn. Who knows what that Hermaphrodite is doing to her."

"When we get out of here, he'll be the first to go," Percy muttered. "He's a sick, disgusting creature who chased us because of her."

"I hope so," said Annabeth. "But we need a non-lethal way of getting out of here...wait."

None of them noticed Ron aiming his sword at a keypad that was next to the door frame. Within a few minutes, an alarm had gone off, alerting the demigods of the security breech. "Now's our chance," Ron cried out. "Run for it!"

Clarisse was about to warn them about Luke's threat when the others took off running. "No one ever listens to me," she snapped as she chased after them.

*****

Hansel and Francis weaved in and out of the crowd until they found Jacquelyn's hotel room. The boys gasped as they noticed a silver dress and matching silver shoes. A blue beaded belt was wrapped around the waist of the dress. They knew that this was a wedding dress, and it was meant for Jacquelyn. No way were the going to allow her to marry the Hermaphrodite.

They charged into the room and saw Jacquelyn laying on a huge bed, crying. She was trapped in a cold dark room as punishment for defying Luke when he went to confront her. She didn't need any more drama.

"Jacquelyn," the boys cried cried out. "We're here to rescue you!"

"I hope so," Jacquelyn cried out.

"Good!" the twins tossed her the dress and shoes. "We're getting you outta here."

"Thank goodness!" Jacquelyn cried out.

Jacquelyn, Hansel, and Francis quietly slipped from the hotel room and went down the hall towards the lobby. They gasped as they took in the guests; it was a high-profile wedding, and everyone was there. Jacquelyn did not see her cousins Seamus LeSouse-Rowes or Nichollo Trichenberg among the guests, or they would've said something regarding her appearance.

" I wonder who is getting married today," Jacquelyn said as she took in the scenery. " I hate to be the one responsible for a missing dress."

"But you can't go running around Vegas in nothing but your pajamas," said Francis. "That's not righteous."

"And that guy who is keeping you prisoner was not righteous either," said Hansel. "In fact, he deserves all the kicking that you gave him."

"Oh, he'll be getting more than that," Jacquelyn said as she noticed a car parked in front of the front desk of the lobby. She and the boys ran from the hotel as more people began to walk inside.

*****

The alarm continued to ring as the demigods raced through the hotel and eventually, into the streets of Vegas. Ron gasped as he thought about the times that he, Harry, and Hermione escaped from danger. None of those escapes was as exciting as the escape that was taking place right now. He knew that Luke would be angered by them escaping, but right now, he didn't care. He had to get out.

*****

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE ESCAPED???" Luke yelled when a demigod named Albert Gard informed him that Jacquelyn had escaped from the Hermaphrodite.

"That spoiled bitch thought that she could escape from me," said the Hermaphrodite. "After all I've done for her."

"Don't worry, Alexandros," said Luke. "We'll make her pay for this."

Just then, another demigod named Beverly Fargo came to him and said, "The others have escaped."

"I knew it was too good to be true," said Albert. "They won't stay still."

"I'm going to hurt those brats," Luke snapped in anger. "They have defied me for the last time!"

*****

Percy gasped when he saw a flashy red car pull up beside him. He was standing next to the Hilton hotel. "Get in!" Jacquelyn cried out.

"How did you..." Grover began to say, but Jacquelyn cut him off. "There's no time. We have to leave now before Luke and the Hermaphrodite catch me!"

"Right!" Grover said as everyone piled into the car. Jacquelyn quickly pulled away from the curb and the car zoomed away from the strip.