The Game of Olympus

Chapter 2

3rd Person POV

Percy and Grover watched as Chiron wheeled himself onto the stage. He insisted that everyone call him Chiron instead of Mr. Brunner for some reason, but Percy didn't ponder over it too much.

Once Chiron was in front of the mic, he started his speech.

"Hello, everyone. Today we will be announcing a new Quest. This Quest is a one-time opportunity, meaning that if the trio succeeds, they will be the only ones to receive the rewards. If they fail, no one will ever get to see what they could have achieved."

The MistVision had changed the way schools worked. Now, the only jobs that weren't related to the device in some way were public amenities and such. They used the MistVision, but the people who worked there didn't need to use Olympus in their daily lives.

People now understood that Olympus offered many job opportunities, so playing the game was a must. If people got really good at the game, they could join teams and become celebrities. If they preferred to help develop the game, they could do that as well. Since the MistVision now controlled all government records, most government jobs also required the MistVision and Olympus.

Schools now taught kids how to get better at the game and sent students on Quests to gain new rewards and powers. It was now like the days of the Roman Empire, where there were schools to teach young gladiators how to fight.

While Percy liked not having to care much about Math and Science anymore, he wasn't too interested in the new curriculum. To graduate high school, every student needed to complete at least one quest, which meant playing Olympus.

Percy sighed. He really hoped that he wouldn't be picked and could just drop out once the year was over.

"Once the quest has been either completed or failed, I will explain the details about it. But as you all know, quests like these mean that there will be consequences for the entire game based on the result," Chiron continued.

Olympus was a very large and complex game, and one of the game modes was Story Mode, where most Quests took place. Unlike Battle Royale or the 5v5 RPG, Story Mode was not competitive; instead, it was a Greek and Roman world where people could explore and uncover the secrets of the game.

But that also meant anyone could have a huge impact on the mode since everyone was part of the same world. If somebody set off a huge bomb of Greek fire on New York and destroyed the city, it would be destroyed for everyone.

Players only had one life as well, and creating alternate accounts was forbidden. If you died, it was game over.

"So, the person we have selected is..." Everyone in the auditorium leaned forward in anticipation. "Perseus Jackson."

The entire auditorium groaned. The only reason people paid attention to Percy was because of either his weird name or the fact that he didn't use the MistVision. Then someone yelled out.

"But he doesn't have a MistVision!"

There was a chorus of "Yeah" and "What a loser."

Chiron smiled. "I wouldn't be so sure."

Everyone turned on their MistVisions, and the names of everyone around them popped up. When people searched for Perseus Jackson in the filter, there he was, sitting in the back in all his glory with a nametag above his head.

Percy waved awkwardly. The entire crowd groaned again and walked out.

"Fuck it, I'm not doing this," Percy said to Grover and started to walk out as well.

"Percy!" Chiron called.

Percy sighed. Chiron was one of his favorite teachers; he couldn't just walk out on him like that. So, Percy made his way down to the stage and asked Chiron what he wanted him to do.

"So, I take it that Grover gave you the MistVision?" Chiron asked.

Percy nodded.

"So, you familiarized yourself with Olympus?"

Percy raised an eyebrow. "Wait, how am I supposed to understand a game in ten minutes? Also, did you and Grover plan this?" he asked, looking pointedly at his friend.

Grover smiled nervously and shrugged.

"Yes, Percy. You're one of three people here at Camp Half-Blood who hasn't completed a Quest. If you want to graduate, you need to do one."

"But I don't really care whether I graduate or not. I hate Olympus, and I hate the MistVision," Percy replied.

"I understand that you had a difficult past, Percy. But not wanting to move on is a bad habit. You need to do this for yourself. And for Olympus as well. After all, if you fail this quest, the entire world of Olympus will be destroyed."

Percy gave Chiron a look of confusion.

"The Big Three consider our school, Camp Half-Blood, to be the best one out there. Our teachings of the Greek are on another level, and they wanted to send three of our students on a Quest to save the Story Mode of Olympus."

Percy sighed. "And he wanted me to go on this Quest?"

"Yes, my child. This Quest requires you to retrieve the Master Bolt from the Underworld, as Zeus believes that Poseidon stole the Master Bolt from him during the Winter Solstice. They've had several arguments over the past few months, and Zeus expects his weapon back by the Summer Solstice."

"What does that have to do with me?" Percy asked. He knew that Zeus and Poseidon were characters in the game of Olympus, but he didn't know that NPCs had the ability to destroy the entire game mode.

"Well, since you are the son of Pos—I mean, him, it only made sense that you were his son in the game. So, it's your responsibility to return the Bolt to Zeus as a peace offering and to stop the war. If the war happens, it will not end well for the game or the real world."

"Why would they make this part of the game? What kind of idiots would want to destroy part of their own game?"

"That's just the thing. The company doesn't control the Story Mode; it's designed to be that way to make people understand how fragile our lives and world are. But they would like to keep it as it's great for the press and casual players."

Percy shook his head in disbelief.

"Usually, the leader of the Quest would get to choose their questmates, but since we're trying to let everyone graduate this year, the other two people will come on the quest with you."

"Who hasn't gone on a Quest yet?" Percy asked. As far as he knew, people were going on Quests left and right.

"We stopped sending people on Quests when you were in your junior year, ever since Luke Castellan had a bad encounter with Ladon while trying to get a golden apple from the Garden of the Hesperides."

"Of course," Percy groaned. "So, who's coming with me?"

Percy knew that Grover had already gone on a Quest and gotten his Searcher's License. It let him search for the lost god, Pan. No one had succeeded, but whoever did was to get huge rewards. In the Story Mode, people were assigned roles based on their character and abilities.

In prestigious schools like Camp Half-Blood, the students were more likely to get offered roles like Demigods, Satyrs, and such. Other people got to be Nymphs, Naiads, and generic Monsters. Grover was a Satyr.

"You will be traveling with Annabeth Chase and Piper McLean," Chiron answered.

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A/N: Another chapter yay. A decently long one for my standards. 1200 words cyaaaaaaa.