Solo Player (A Percy Jackson AU)

Chapter Two

The morning everything went wrong, started out normal, which seemed unfair to Percy. He figured that if everything was going to change then he better get a warning, maybe like tripping down the stairs or pouring his cereal down his shirt. But neither of those things happened. In fact, looking back, that morning was the best he'd had in a while.

His mother was home that morning, making breakfast of oatmeal that sent spirals of cinnamon spices to wake Percy up from his and Tyson's room down the hall. Tyson was laughing when he walked to the tiny kitchen.

Gabe was leaving for work (he worked at a mega mart in the electronics department). "Beat it, punk." He grumbled to his step son and shouldered his way out the door in his blue and yellow uniform that was a couple sizes too small for his overweight body. He shoved Percy into the doorway but that was it. Percy let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding in.

"Percy! Good morning!" His mother said, offering him a spoon of oatmeal. Even though it smelled like heaven, Percy didn't think he could stomach any food, "Tyson and I made breakfast for you!"

"It's really yummy, Percy!" Tyson said standing in his chair.

"I'm sure it is!" Percy ruffled his hair, "Save me sum okay? I've got work this morning but the second I get back I'll eat all of it."

The kitchen clock read eleven which surprised Percy a bit. He hadn't realized he slept in. He was glad he didn't really have a job, because he'd totally always be late. Though he was shocked he'd slept at all. His side was burning still. Last night he'd found that the cut he'd gotten from the beer bottles had turned a not-so-nice red color. And still he didn't dare tell his mother.

He glanced at Tyson again, remembering just the last week when he leapt in front of the younger boy and taken that bottle for him. Gabe had gotten a bad hand and Tyson had slipped from the room without Percy's knowledge. Gabe had thrown the bottle at the four year old kid. Percy hadn't even thought twice. He'd give anything for his brother.

In a couple hours he'd either be fifty million dollars richer or he'd be lost in a never ending void of misery that was his life.

"Gotta go, Mom," Percy said and kissed his mother on the cheek as she smiled fondly. She looked at him with such pride Percy felt guilty for letting her believe he was working. At this point getting a job would probably be more beneficial, but every place he went to seemed to hate hiring teenaged guys. The only place that still was hiring was the mega mart and Percy would rather fighting in AOH than work there.

"Be safe, Percy!" His mom said scooping oatmeal into a tubberwear container and placing it in the refrigerator for him to eat later.

Percy wished above all else that he'd gotten to eat that oatmeal.

He looked back just once before he left, seeing his grinning four year old brother, and his for once smiling mother sitting in the kitchen like a real happy family. He never even got to say goodbye.

Grover was at the door, hobbling with his crutches. He looked more worried than anything else. There were bags under his eyes and he was wearing the same outfit from yesterday slept in and everything.

"There's something weird going on." Grover informed him, "Really Weird."

Percy raised an eyebrow, "It's Virtual Reality, everything's weird."

"Weirder than normal." Grover was quiet for a moment, and he set himself in his swivel chair. His computer was on, displaying tabs of blogs that he perused for fun. Percy wasn't nearly as good at navigating the Olympus Gamer's blogs like he was.

"I was reading on the threat base that I saw yesterday." He said, "The Titan Hackers? They're serious. I'm getting kind of nervous about this, Percy. They claimed the success of that Hack on Olympus back before it was a big deal. Remember that game that drove like four people insane? The titans claim they did that. I don't think you should go in. Really, Perce."