In episode 6 ‘We Take a Zebra to Vegas’ Hermes gets his moment to shine, and viewers finally get to see the Lotus Casino portion of the book on display. So where did this week’s episode of the show come from in the book?
Let’s find out.
Episode 5 ended with Percy, Annabeth, and Grover getting aboard the Kindness Express for their journey to Las Vegas courtesy of Ares. This takes part in the first moments of Chapter 16. We may only see minutes of this journey, but in the book, readers settle in for an overnight ride and Percy, Annabeth, and Grover plan their next moves. In the book, the kids are heading to Los Angeles via Las Vegas, and they have no intention of meeting up with Hermes nor do they know what the Lotus Casino is.
It's on this journey in the back of the transport that Percy learns Annabeth’s full story about her arrival at camp, and how she met Luke and Thalia on their journey to Camp Half-Blood. She also describes to Percy the difficulty she had with her father and why she ran away from home. Percy tells her that she should try and get in contact with her father again, that maybe he has changed.
As the night wears on, Grover helps the animals plan their escape, and when the truck stops the next day, the animals are set free, and the kids run for cover in Las Vegas. Stumbling upon the Lotus Hotel and Casino, the group are welcome in by the bell hop, and told that their room is ready. Amazed at their treatment, the three friends relax in their pricey rooms. Percy recharges by cleaning himself up, eating a bag of chips and drinking three cokes.
Down in the casino, the kids see that there are games for kids as well. Entertained by all the fun distractions, Percy starts to notice that there is a kid in bell bottom pants who uses expressions from a long time ago. As they continue their activities, Percy notices more differences between the guests of the Lotus Casino. People tell him the year that they think it is, and the dates range from 1977, 1985, and 1993. Something is wrong.
Percy convinces Grover and Annabeth to leave. Stopping them at the door, the bellhop for the hotel tries to convince the three to stay, even offering them platinum cards, but the three ignore the offer, and step outside. Percy, Annabeth, and Grover realize that they have been inside the casino for five days, and that the solstice is tomorrow. They have one day left to get to Los Angeles.
In chapter 17 ‘We Shop for Waterbeds’ Percy, Annabeth, and Grover get into a taxi, and use their platinum card from the Lotus Casino to pay for the cab fare. The driver gladly accepts this payment and the three settle in for an overnight ride to Los Angeles.
As the taxi never dips below 95 throughout the trek across the Mojave Desert, Percy tells his friends about his latest dream. He sees someone in authority, possibly Hades, discussing his plan to unseat Zeus and Poseidon.
Percy thinks something is wrong, that it doesn’t feel like it’s a god talking. Annabeth tries to convince him that it must be Hades, but Percy is starting to doubt the validity of this thought. Percy is wondering why if he had the master bolt, would he be traveling to the Underworld.
Grover suggests that perhaps in everyone else’s eyes, you have the master bolt and plan to use it to threaten Hades into giving back his mom. While Percy is in awe of Grover’s thinking, he mentions how in his dream that the voice in the pit was waiting for two items.
Annabeth is shaken by her thoughts. She proclaims that it must be Hades that Percy is hearing, but Percy doubts her assertion. He asks the daughter of Athena if she knows who the voice in the pit is, but Annabeth reassures Percy that it has to Hades. After all, he saw spirits and that means the Underworld.
Early in the morning the taxi drops the kids off on the beach at Santa Monica, California. (In the show it was evening.) Percy walks into the Pacific, and soon he is pulled under, meeting a Nereid, a spirit of the sea. This is the same spirit that Percy met in St. Louis. Wondering why his father wasn’t there to meet him, the Nereid tells Percy not to judge Poseidon too harshly. He is preparing for a war he doesn’t want, and he is forbidden to directly help his child.
Given three pearls to help him escape the Underworld, Percy is told that when the time is needed, he should smash a pearl and depending on the need something will happen. Hoping to get more information, the Nereid bids Percy adieu, and the son of the sea god must return to his friends. His last piece of vital information from the Nereid is that what belongs to the sea will always return to the sea.
Final Thoughts:
I think including Hermes at the Lotus Casino makes the event much more important. In the book the Lotus Casino excursion happens by chance. In the show we have a reason for their journey there and I think it makes more sense to have Hermes involved in the story sooner than later.
In the book, we have some fun moments that are still entertaining to read, but the adaptation of these chapters works better, and is more exciting in the show.