Chapter 1

As the alarm clock rang at his bedside table, Percy woke up in a daze as he turned the alarm clock off. He rubbed his eyes and yawn, waiting for his vision to clear up.

Sunlight was shining through the curtains, brightening up the room. Well, technically his room was also the living room, and it was also the kitchen. Since he was living alone, this standard apartment was the only place he could afford without living like a crackhead.

He got up and went to the bathroom to take a shower, contemplating on whether this day was going to be the same as the previous ones.

Oh how wrong he was.

Percy got dressed and made his way out of his apartment. On his way down, he heard the landlord, Mr. Funk (don't ask), being in the middle of an argument with one of the tenants who was a few weeks late on her rent. Percy was late on the rent also, so he made haste on his way out.

Before going to class, he made a stop at one of his favourite places in the world. As he entered the building, he was greeted with a tackle as Thalia hugged him tightly.

"Percy!" She giggled like the little girl she is.

"Ow! Ow! My ribs!" Percy struggled but he also stifled out a few laughs. "How are you this morning, Thalia?" Percy said as he ruffled her hair.

Thalia frowned. "I'm fifteen. You don't need to treat me like a little girl."

"Well, technically I can since I'm three years older than you," Percy grinned. "Anyway, where's Hestia?"

"She's in the kitchen," Thalia said as she poked at Percy's ribs. He let out a small yelp.

"What was that for?" He asked. Thalia just shrugged as she walked away. Percy let out a small smile before going at the back of the building.

This place is an orphanage that was ran by a very sweet and kind woman named Hestia. She's the only adult here who takes care of the twenty or so kids that are living here as well. Percy had stumbled across this place a few months ago when he was let in during a heavy storm. Since then, he would visit here every day before he went to class. Partly because Thalia asked him to and partly because Hestia's cooking tastes so good.

He found Hestia in the kitchen, where the scent of the food filled up the room. Percy felt his head melt as he sniffed at her meal.

Hestia is pretty much everything that you could ask for in a mother. She had dark red hair which she tied into a braid and eyes that just engulfs you in warmth. No one really knows her age, but she looks like she's in her mid-thirties. When she saw Percy, Hestia gave him a sweet smile.

"Good morning, Percy,"

"Morning," Percy replied with a goofy smile. He took a whiff of the scent. "Smells good. What's the menu for today?"

Hestia winked at Percy. "If I tell you, it won't be a secret." She said. "I love seeing people's reaction to my food."

"Let me guess," Percy put a thoughtful look on his face as he stroked his chin. "Chicken soup,"

Hestia let out a small laugh. "Nice guess, but no." She reached out towards the counter behind her and handed Percy a brown paper bag. "Here's your lunch for the day,"

Percy pouted. "No breakfast?"

Hestia wagged her finger. "You got it wrong, so no breakfast for you," Hestia said. "Besides, you always get breakfast from Grover,"

Percy shrugged. She did have a point. "I'll be going now. See you in the evening." Percy said as he walked away. "And thanks for the lunch!"

On his way out, Percy saw Thalia wearing a pair of glasses and was in a "fight" with her younger brother, Jason. When Thalia tackled him to the ground, she smirked. "I win,"

"You cheated!" Jason argued. Aside from their electric blue eyes, Percy saw no resemblance between them even though they were only one year apart. "Your level is higher than mine!"

"That's not cheating!" Thalia said with a smug look on her face. "I'm just better than you," Then, she saw Percy about to leave. "You're leaving already?"

Percy nodded. "I'll be back after class,"

"At least play a game of Olympia with me first," Thalia whined.

Percy just chuckled. "You know I don't play that game,"

"Well, you should," Jason added. "Or people will think that you're an old man."

Percy just shook his head as he opened the door. "Nah, I'm not into it. See you after class."

"Bye Percy!" Thalia and Jason said at the same time before resuming their argument about Olympia.

Olympia . . .

The game took the world by storm. Just a few months after its launch, almost everyone in the entire world was playing it. It had made the front page of every magazine and news outlet, talking about what a success the game was and how it had changed people's lifestyle.

Olympia was an Augmented Reality game, or AR for short. Unlike Virtual Reality games where you are present in the game, an AR game brings the game into the real world. Through the AR Glasses, it can generate the game into the real world from the person's point of view.

So, imagine you're walking down the street of your neighbourhood while wearing these Glasses. If the game generates a dragon through those glasses, then you would see the dragon in your neighbourhood, but it's just through the glasses. Take them off, and you will find that nothing has changed.

After Olympia had been released, people started playing it twenty-four/seven. Tournaments were being held and sponsorships were made. Professional Olympia players are treated like celebrities now. The better you are at the game, the fancier your lifestyle is.

Percy, for one, has never played it. It's not because he can't afford it – which he can't – but it's because it doesn't seem to interest him. He doesn't really play games. Some of his friends had tried to convince him to play Olympia, but he refuses.

As Percy exited the building, he could see everyone walking around wearing AR Glasses. These AR Glasses had also made a change into how society works. If you're wearing those Glasses, you can see people's name hovering above their heads, you can see a shop projecting how many people are in it and so much more. Basically, the AR Glasses had become what smartphones used to be, only better.

He shouldered his backpack before going to his class. He could see some people are playing the game, engaging in a battle with each other. Some of them are just talking through the Glasses, maybe on a call with someone. The AR Glasses had really defined on how society now live their lives.

It took around ten minutes before he reached Crimson College, where the students are almost as dumb as the name sounds. The place had a reputation for being one of the best college in the country academically. Of course they're all smart people, but that doesn't mean they're socially tolerable.

Percy had been lucky enough to pass the entrance exam to this place. It's where everyone who hopes to be someone big in the future go to. Most people here are stuck up brats with money in their pockets, something Percy lacked. But he didn't let that get in his way. He got here with his own wits.

By the time Percy reached Crimson College, students were already streaming in. Just like everyone else, they were all wearing AR Glasses. Percy was the only one who wasn't wearing one, nor did he feel like wearing one.

He sighed as he went inside and towards his locker. He opened it up and stuffed his bag in as he took some of his books out. When he closed the locker door, he found Grover staring at him with a grin.

"Hey," He greeted Percy out of nowhere, which made him jump.

"Dude, how are you doing that?"

"Doing what?"

"You're always sneaking up on me,"

Grover rolled his eyes. "I'm not sneaking up on you. You're just the one spacing out all the time,"

Grover was one of the only friends Percy had in Crimson College. He always wore the same rhasta cap over his curly hair. The way his goatee grew would make you think that he looks older than he actually is.

"Anyway," Grover said as they were on their way to class. "Have you heard?"

"Heard what?" Percy asked.

"There's going to be a fight today," He said as he straighten up his AR Glasses. "Everyone's hyped over it,"

"Whoopee," Percy said with a fake excitement in his tone. "And this concerns me because?"

Grover looked at Percy in disbelief. "Dude, it's going to be one of the biggest fights of the season! Luke Castellan is going against Nico di Angelo for a spot in the rookie showcase."

Luke Castellan, one of the dickheads that Percy tries to avoid. He's one of those guys who peaked at college and thinks that everyone is below him and everything should be going their way.

"Again, how does this concerns me?" Percy asked. They walked into class and took their seats next to each other. Grover rolled his eyes as he heard Percy's question.

"Percy, you're the only one in this world who doesn't care about Olympia," Grover stated out. "You've gotta start playing it or people are going to think that you're a freak,"

Percy sighed. "I've told you Grover. I'm not interested."

He just shrugged. "Suit yourself."

Then, the bell rang and the day started.

Line Break

Why did Percy think taking Psychology 101 was fun, he had no idea.

By the time the first class was done, Percy was on his way to the cafeteria when he spotted Grover being surrounded by Luke Castellan and his goons. Grover looked terrified while Luke had a nasty grin on his face.

Not wanting to see his best friend get hurt, he rushed towards them and stepped in between them.

"Look who comes to the rescue," Luke said mockingly. "Step aside kid. This is none of your business."

"He's my friend, so it is my business," Percy glared into his eyes. Luke was slightly older and taller than him, so it's hard to look intimidating in front of him. Especially since he got a scar running through the bottom of his right eye all the way to the chin, as if someone had scratched it with a dagger.

Luke let out a sigh. "Listen, I would like to beat the shit out of both of you, but I don't have the time for that since I'm fighting soon." Luke cracked his knuckles. "So let's not make this hard, shall we?"

Percy stood his ground. He could hear Grover whimpering behind him. Luke balled his fists and went for the punch. To Percy's surprise, he reacted faster than he thought he could and pushed the jab away from his face.

Luke looked surprised, but he covered it up quickly. "You're fast kid," Luke said. "Tell you what. After school, meet me at the Arena before my fight. You'll be my warm up act before I beat the shit out of Nico."

Again, Percy said nothing. Luke sneered at him before walking away, taking his goons with him.

Grover grabbed Percy's shoulders and shook him. "Dude! Do you realize what you're involved in?"

"What?" Percy gritted his teeth, still miffed about his encounter with Luke.

"In Olympia's competitive scene, Luke is one of the top rookies of the season. He'll be the number one draft from all the rookies in the world. You can't beat him!" Grover stated out. "You don't even play the damn thing!"

"He's all talk," Percy spat out. "I hate guys like him,"

Grover sighed. "Well, you have a fight now." Grover said. He fished out something from his back pocket and handed it to Percy. It was an AR Glass.

"What's this?" Percy asked. Grover rolled his eyes.

"It's a coffee maker. It's an AR Glass, man!" He said. "Think of it as a 'thank you' gift for saving my behind back there. Plus, you don't have one and you're going to need one to face off against Luke."

Percy nodded. "Thanks Grover,"

"Don't mention it." Grover said. "Now, any idea on what class you're going to pick?"

Percy stared at him blankly.

"Any type of builds that you prefer during a fight?"

Percy continued to stare at him.

"Do you even perhaps know even a little bit about Olympia?"

Percy just stared at him.

Grover sighed. "We have a lot of work to do."

Line Break

Percy and Grover sat down inside an empty classroom when everyone had went to the cafeteria. Grover was standing in front of him as Percy sat down, listening to Grover's explanation.

"In Olympia, there are a few ways to play the game. It's either a player versus player mode – PvP for short – or player versus enemy mode, PvE."

"What's the difference?" Percy asked.

"PvP is a match between you and another player. This is what you'll be dealing with soon. PvE is a match between you and an enemy from the game." Grover explained. "Now in PvP, you can do this three different ways. Solo,– which is what you'll be doing – three against three, or five against five."

Percy nodded. "So I'm gonna be in a one-on-one situation with him?"

"Now you're getting it." Grover said. "In Olympia, there're are different classes which will determine your set of abilities and stats. There are four categories of classes. There are the Tanks; whose sole job is to soak up tons of damage dealt to them, protecting their team. They don't dish out real damage, but they can take a hit."

"Doesn't sound fun,"

"It doesn't, but they're one of the most important classes in a party."

"In a what?"

"Not important. The next category of class is Magic. As the name say, these are classes that can cast spells and do massive amount of damage towards the enemy. The catch is, they're fragile as hell. They function like a glass cannon. They can blast the enemy, but they're very vulnerable."

"It's like a high risk/high reward kind of class," Percy muttered.

Grover see-sawed his hand. "More or less. Next up is the Physical class. Much like Magic classes, these types of classes do damage physically."

Percy gestured for him to go on.

"And finally, we have the Support classes. Probably the least popular type of classes there is but also the most important one of all in a team." Grover said. "Support classes focus on helping their allies gain advantage while giving disadvantage to the enemy. They don't really deal damage and are pretty useless if in a solo situation, which is why they're not very popular."

"Is that all?"

Grover shook his head. "There's more to it than that, but since you're going to have a fight in a few hours, that's all I can give you in this crash course about Olympia."

"Well, I'd better pick a class then." Percy stretched his back.

"Which class are you picking?" Grover asked.

"Let's see . . ."

Line Break

The study sessions after that went past in a blur. Percy had been thinking about the fight so much that he couldn't focus on studying. Even though he didn't really want to play Olympia, he was kind of excited.

Maybe he'd been wrong about the game all along.

The bell rang, signalling the end of school session. Normally, everyone would be eager to go home. But today, everyone was going to the school Arena for the fight between Luke Castellan and Nico di Angelo, the two top rookies in the world.

And Percy, who was Luke's warm up fight.

Percy and Grover made their way to the Arena. The Arena wasn't really that big. It looked like a warehouse from the outside, with a large double door and banners on either side emblazoned with the Crimson College logo.

Percy could hear the crowd before he could even see it.

The cheering of the crowd was wild and loud. Maybe this game is bigger than Percy had realized it to be. He looked at Grover to see him fidgeting with his thumbs, like he always does when he's nervous.

"Dude, relax," Percy said. "You look more nervous than me."

Grover looked at him sadly. "I'm just worried about you, Percy. Luke doesn't really fight fair and –"

"Come on now," Luke came out of nowhere and slung his arm over Grover's shoulders. "Is that any way to talk about your best friend?"

Grover looked terrified while Percy just glared at Luke. Luke looked at Percy and winked. "Be careful out there,"

"You should tell yourself that," Percy said.

Luke winced. "That's some big boy talk." He smirked evilly. "Let's see if you can back that up, shall we?" Luke walked into the centre of the Arena and the crowd went wild. Bleachers surrounded the middle of the Arena, which was twice as wide as a wrestling circle.

Luke told the crowd to quiet down. The amount of influence he had on the crowd was surprising. "Now, now, I know you're excited to see my little match with Nico," The crowd cheered again. "But before we get into that, I want to have a bit more fun."

Percy noticed a boy, maybe about Thalia's age, leaning against the tunnel wall that led to the Arena. He had a pale complexion, as if he was half a ghost. His hair looked like he'd just gotten out of bed and eyes that were cold as ice. Through the AR Glasses, above him projected his name

Nico di Angelo.

He's the guy that Luke was supposed to fight? Percy find that hard to believe. Luke was bigger, taller, and probably more of a dick. He didn't know if that last one was much help.

"Good luck," Nico said to him.

"Excuse me?"

"You're gonna fight him first, aren't you?" Nico said as he yawned. "Good luck,"

"Um, thanks," Percy managed.

"Give it up for Percy!"

He was greeted with a wave of boos and jeering. Clearly he wasn't the crowd favourite. Grover winced at the crowd's reaction to his name announcement.

"Go get 'em Perce," Grover said but it didn't sound very convincing.

"Thanks man," Percy took a deep breath before walking out of the tunnel and into the Arena. As soon as they saw him, the booing and jeering got louder.

"You suck!"

"You're no match for Luke!"

"What an asshat!"

Percy just shrugged the insults off as he faced against Luke. Percy was on one side of the circle while Luke was on the opposite side. The referee stood in the middle of the circle, explaining the rules to them.

"I want a clean and fair fight," He said. "You win if your opponent is thrown out of the circle, unable to continue, or if he yields."

Percy nodded. Luke nodded as well with a grin on his face. He put on his AR Glasses and his whole outfit changed. Instead of the buttoned white shirt and denim jeans he was wearing, he was now wearing a different outfit. He wore a bronze breastplate with vambraces that are studded with spikes. From the waist down, he wore what looked like a mix between metal greaves and a biker's leather pants. In his hand, he had a scythe that looked like metal and bronze mixed together.

The crowd cheered as Luke was ready for battle. Percy guessed this was what they saw through the AR Glasses. Percy put on his Glasses and put his combat attire on. He wore a black coat with a white shirt underneath along with black pants and combat boots. Strapped on his back was two swords in a cross. Both swords were designed like a katana, only it didn't have the curve. It was straight single edged sword without a hand guard and hilt wrapped red cloth.

"A Duelist, huh?" Luke smirked. "This should be a piece of cake."

"Ready?" The referee gestured at Luke. Luke held his scythe over his shoulder. "Ready?" The referee turned towards Percy. Percy just nodded. "Fight!"

What happened in those split second were beyond normal human sight. What was left of the fight was Luke's scythe skittering away from him while Percy had both blades pressed against his neck.

It lasted for just a fraction of a second. Everyone in the arena was stunned in disbelief. Luke looked just as surprised as everyone else.

He struggled to swallow the lump in his throat. "I . . . I yield," Luke said, admitting defeat.

The referee, who was also speechless, remembered to do his job. "And the winner by way of surrender, Percy Jackson!"

No one cheered. Everyone was too surprised at what just happened. Luke, who was the number one rookie in the world, had been defeated in mere seconds.

It wasn't even seconds. It was milliseconds.

"I guess I won, right?"