~Shibuya~ Udagawa Backstreets
The group of Players had assembled around CAT's grim reaper mural. There were five of them: Alice Tsunakio (a seven year old who carried around a stuffed white bear for comfort), Kyo Musiozuki (a complete idiot that was filled with optimism and loyalty), Shiki Misaki (a brunette ex-player who carried around her stuffed cat, Mr. Mew), Luke Castellan (demigod son of Hermes who died in New York and won the Game), and Neku Sakuraba (antisocial Conductor of Shibuya, ex-player and proxy).
"Everyone ready?" Neku asked. The group nodded. They then walked through the portal (mural) and into New York.
The world swam around them, performing one-eighties and inducing some rather violent vertigo. The feeling of falling assaulted the Players. Luke vaguely noted high pitched sounds of shock Shiki and Kyo were emitting; it was a cross between a scream and yelp, but just as ear-shattering. This went on for a few seconds before Luke suddenly found his face planted on the ground and the heaviness of bodies crushing his back.
"Get off," Luke growled lowly; the 'ride' to New York wasn't exactly pleasant in his opinion and having everyone fall on him only made it worse. He heard a 'Meep!' from someone and they tumbled from the pile of bodies. Though Luke couldn't see who, Luke could tell it was Kyo who had landed on top. A groan escaped from Shiki as she rolled off of Luke; the demigod could finally stand.
Neku stood a little to the left, scrolling through his phone. Alice sat on the ground looking dizzy; her once pristine dress was now caked in mud. Teddy somehow stayed clean. Kyo looked fine other than a disorientated glassy look in his eye. Shiki was hunched up against the alley's wall, looking positively green; Mr. Mew was in a death grip against her chest.
"Ugh…" she groaned. "I am not looking forward to the return trip." The Shibuya crew nodded in agreement. Luke saw Neku glance up at Shiki briefly with concern; he almost thought he'd imagined it. Neku cell phone then blared. He got this annoyed look before answering.
"We made it alright, Josh. Quit pestering us; you and I both have a lot of work to do." Luke could almost hear the silverette's nerve-wracking giggle and snide remark on the other end. Neku scowled.
"What the freakin' hell?! You're such an arrogant priss, Josh!" Neku snapped his phone shut, muttering curses under his breath. The other than Shiki, the group stared at him in shock, never having heard him blow up at Joshua before.
Neku turned to Luke. "Lead everyone to Camp Half Blood. The GM here knows what's going on. I need to discuss some things with your 'Gods' and the Musicians of New York City." With that, he turned and ran into the street ahead.
"Tch," Luke scoffed irritably at the command. He was slightly miffed at the command but knew he was needed at his home.
"He doesn't change," Shiki murmured, startling Luke. "He gets like this when he leaves his comfort zone." She giggled before continuing. "It literally took me days for him to realize he was my friend and could trust me."
The alley was silent for a few minutes. "Lead the way, Mr. New Yorker," Shiki commanded playfully. The demigod shifted uncomfortably; Shiki was not that close to him, yet treated him like her best friend. HE shoved those thoughts aside and began thinking of the fastest route to Camp. He paled thinking 'Oh Gods… Why did the fastest way have to be them?'
Alice walked up to Luke in confusion and concern. "What's wrong, Luke?"
The Son of Hermes looked them right in the eye and said "I hope you all have strong stomachs." The Players paled at the thought of bringing more queasiness to their already uneasy stomachs.
"Let's just get this over with…" Kyo muttered. The others nodded. Luke led them to the curb, fishing for something in his pockets. It was hard to distinguish for his pins but he finally found one. He pulled out a small gold coin with Zeus's head stamped on the front.
"What is that exactly?" Kyo asked a tone of disbelief.
"A drachma," Luke grunted. "Just… Don't ask." Kyo pouted but obeyed. The females gazed at him with curiosity.
"Stêthi, Ô hárma diabolês!" Luke called, throwing the little coin into the street in front of him. It sunk into the pavement. The 'normal' Players gaped as a grey taxi that seemed to be woven out of gray smoke oozed up from the pavement. An old woman stuck her head out the passenger window asking "Passage? Passage?"
Luke steadily responded with "Four to Camp Half Blood." The woman nodded, wispy hair covering her eyes. She motioned for the group to enter. They did so, taking a moment to realize the seatbelts had been replaced with chains. Ganymede reminded them to buckle up; the quartet tensed in apprehension for the unpleasant trip. Luke leaned forward.
"Three more drachmas upon arrival if you can get us to Camp Half Blood within five minutes."
"Done!" The woman in the passenger seat screeched. They were off!
~NYC~ Empire State Building- Lobby
Neku Sakuraba sighed. He felt the pinpoint needles of guilt probing his mind as an effect of ditching his Partner, Shiki, and the others to a much lesser consent. However, meeting with New York City's Conductor, Composer, and GM were much more important at the moment.
Said three people were in front of him. On the far left stood a tall teenage boy with shaggy black hair that dusted his shoulders. Sapphire blue eyes gleamed behind spectacles, accented by freckles on his pale cheeks. A navy turtleneck and dark skinny jeans clung to his slim frame. He gazed at Neku with a look of frigid stoicness.
In the middle was an eight year old boy with short, spiky brown hair. His eyes were a chocolate brown and overflowing with curiosity. A wide, toothy grin spread across his face. His attire consisted of a loose, long-sleeve shirt, sneakers, and cargo shorts. He was practically bouncing with excitement.
The final was a man with sun-tanned skin and spiky gold hair. Matching gold eyes were half-hidden behind sunglasses that kept slipping down his nose. He looked like a surfer in his light, Hawaiian shirt, cargo shorts, shell necklace, and flip-flops. He was standing slightly to the side with an almost lazy expression.
The youngest surged forward, stopping inches short of Neku's chest. Said proxy tensed at the sudden invasion of his personal space.
"Hey! Who are you? I'm John! You're from Shibuya, right? That's so cool! What's-"
"John," the ravenette interrupted firmly. John pouted.
"Oh come on, Zane! You're such a killjoy! Don'tcha wanna know what it's like in Shibuya?"
'Zane' gazed down at John with unconcealed annoyance. "I'm sure he would prefer that we not pester him."
"Aw…. But Zane! Maybe they have aliens in Shibuya! Aria told me so!" John began to whine.
"You really shouldn't listen to everything Aria tells you, John."
Neku twitched in irritation as the two continued their banter. The lobby's occupants were watching them now. Neku slunk away from them, hoping to look like an innocent bystander caught in the mix. The blonde walked up to him, sighing.
"Flloyd Durgess, current GM," he offered, holding out his hand. Neku shook it, understanding the odd concept from his English classes he had taken before becoming Shibuya's Conductor.
"Neku Sakuraba, Conductor of Shibuya."
"Do you act like them with your Composer?" Flloyd asked dryly, motioning to his bosses.
"…To an extent…" The blonde sighed again.
"YO!" he screeched. The two jumped. "Shut the Hell up and get 'cho flimsy freakin' fairy asses over here!"
John's eyes got wide. "He swore…" Zane looked like he was going to die of embarrassment of his unprofessional slip.
Flloyd turn to the wide-eyed lobby. "Take a freakin' picture! It'll last longer!" The occupants scurried away.
Flloyd turned his attention back to the group. "Now that that's taken care of, why don't we introduce ourselves civilly."
"Hi! I'm John Sorren, current Composer of New York City!" He waved enthusiastically at the ginger.
"Zane Parchin, Conductor of New York City." Zane nodded to him.
"I'm Shibuya's Conductor, Neku Sakuraba. I thank you on behalf of both myself, and my Composer, for allowing us to come and help sort things out."
"No problem!" John drawled out in a carefree, hyper manner.
"Is there anything you request at the moment?" Zane asked politely.
Neku nodded. "First, I request to Play your Game. Second, I ask that I be allowed to explain what is happening in vague detail with the 'Gods'. Lastly, I ask to have the ability to meddle with my team's and their chosen Partners' missions to accomplish our goal here in New York."
Zane nodded hesitantly. "I see nothing unreasonable in your requests. You have my permission."
"Thank you," Neku turned to John. "I will try not to ruin your Game too much, alright?" John nodded, smiling brightly. Neku turned to leave, but John stopped him.
"Beware Neku, the Higher Ups are sending down two of them from the Higher Plane. Make no mistakes." Neku nodded, heading toward the elevator. Upon entering, he typed a quick message on his phone before snapping it shut. He began to warp the music, telling it his desired location. The elevator came to a stop, revealing a stormy looking Olympus…
…Under attack.
The Noise were everywhere, destroying everything in sight. Many deities were running for cover in hidden locations. Only nine beings stood and fought. Based on his vague knowledge, he positively identified them as Zeus, Hades, Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Hermes, Hephaestus, Athena, and a teenage boy in a shredded aviator's jacket.
His phone's beeping drew his attention from the hopeless battle.
Alright Everyone, This is Shibuya NYC Siege Missions
Your Missions Will Differ from Normal Players'
Don't Mix 'Em Up!
You have 3 Flippin' Hours
Get to Zeus's Fist with Proper Requirements
Or Face Freakin' Erasure for All I Care!
~The Reapers~
Neku twitched, recognizing Flloyd's vulgar word usage in the simple text. He apparently did not know the definition of the word censorship. Either way, Neku didn't wait any longer; he needed a Partner.
He rushed forward, distracting both the Noise and the Gods. He darted toward the boy with the aviator's jacket. Said teen narrowed his eyes at him.
"Form a pact with me," Neku commanded, staring him straight in the eye. The ravenette narrowed his eyes further in distrust.
"Do you want to fight or be Erased from existence?" Neku wasn't going to give the boy much of a choice.
"You know how to fight these things?"
"Yes, now form a pact with me! I won't ask again." Were all New Yorkers this slow?
"…Fine…" The two were cloaked in a dark haze briefly before Neku surged toward the Noise, clutching one of his ice pins. The Day had begun.
~Day 1~
Luke tossed the drachmas toward the old women as they all tumbled from the vehicle. Kyo and Shiki were positively green. Alice was unsteady and obviously dizzy from the way she swayed. The taxi dissolved away, leaving the Players alone at the base of the hill. They had made it across New York City in three minutes flat.
"We are… never… doing THAT again!" Shiki rasped out. Kyo nodded slightly in agreement, but otherwise kept silent. Suddenly, the familiar beeping of their cell phones pierced the air. With varying degrees of unsteady hands, they all flipped their phones open to see the message. It was brief and to the point.
Your missions will be different from ordinary ones.
Upon receiving them, I will edit them to complete our goal:
Subdue Minamoto; Stop Kronos; Detach New York from Shibuya
The UGs' and Cities' balance is dependent on this.
Day 1: Follow Mission to a Point.
Guide other Players to Survival Requirements
Trust Your Partner
I'll be back tonight to help explain.
~Neku~
The quartet was slightly confused; they did not receive their mission yet. Everything else was rather self explanatory. More beeping signaled Day 1's mission arrival.
Alright Everyone, This is Shibuya NYC Siege Missions
Your Missions Will Differ from Normal Players'
Don't Mix 'Em Up!
You have 3 Flippin' Hours
Get to Zeus's Fist with Proper Requirements
Or Face Freakin' Erasure for All I Care!
~The Reapers~
Kyo blinked at the message. "How vulgar… are all Americans so foul?"
Luke rolled his eyes as Shiki elbowed him sharply in the ribs. "Are all the Japanese as idiotic as you, falling asleep on train tracks?"
Kyo scoffed. "Touché…"
Alice stepped forward slightly. "We should get going. Three hours isn't long to get everyone partnered up." The three others nodded in agreement.
"Good luck, Luke, Alice, Kyo. We can't let Shibuya or New York down!"
"Likewise," Luke nodded back.
"Good luck Shiki!" Kyo beamed. Alice simply nodded, clutching Teddy.
"Right," Shiki nodded. "Let's go!" The Players, thus, split off in search of partners.
~with Shiki~
Shiki sprinted directly toward the pine tree atop the hill. However, she stumbled to a stop as the scene before her reached her eyes; there were Noise, everywhere. Players were fight futilely with their fists, unable to activate their pins. Oddly enough, they were all decorated in Greek battle armor. Shiki let out a surprise shriek as a Dixiefrog (the plain green frogs) Noise spotted her and pounced. She barely dodged, before sprinting into the fray before her.
The Noise were everywhere, attacking the confused slayers like savages. The wolf Noise nipped viciously at the unfortunate few they targeted. Bear Noise took the demigods out by the dozen with just a swipe of paws. The frogs pounced any others who had not yet fallen prey to the others.
Suddenly, the body of girl came hurtling into Shiki, knocking them both into the ground. Shiki groaned; the other girl hissed in pain, pushing herself back onto unsteady feet. She looked to be in her mid teens, wearing a tattered orange shirt, that Shiki vaguely recalled seeing Percy in, and simple jeans. Her curly blonde hair was pulled back into a low ponytail. Intelligent grey eyes bore down into Shiki with caution, suspicion, and intense anger.
The girl turned on her heel, about to rejoin the fray when Shiki called out "Wait!"
The blonde paused, and turned slightly to face the Japanese player. Shiki sighed nervously. "Form a pact with me!" she insisted.
The blonde blinked. "No. I don't have time for something like this. Can't you see the Camp is under attack?!"
Shiki nodded slowly. "You won't be able to fight. Form a pact with me! It's the only way to fight and survive!"
The blonde furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "What? And what is 'forming a pact' going to do?"
"This Game only works if you have a Partner. Otherwise, you get Erased after Day 1. Didn't you get the message on your phone?"
Hesitantly, she nodded. Shiki pushed forward. "If you for a pact with me, you can help everyone else, but we only have three hours to do so."
Shiki stared into those grey eyes with heated determination. "Will you form a pact with me?"
The blonde glanced from the Shiki to the battle occurring around them and back to Shiki. She nodded. They were suddenly bathed in bronze light as the two girls blinking synchronized.
"Blondie," she called out. "Your pins will allow you to fight. Use them!" Mr. Mew had come to life and was attacking the nearby Noise, protecting the frustrated and exhausted demigods. The blonde blinked, reaching into her pocket and pulled out four pins, The first was plain black with a apple shaped skull on it (this with act as New York's Player pin since Mr. Hanekoma's designs, I assume, are specific to Shibuya). The second was an orange pin with 'CHB' painted on it. The third was silver with her baseball cap half drawn on, half translucent. The final had a grey owl on a teal background.
A Noise approached her. Seconds before it was able to injure her, she squeezed the owl in her hand. The screech of an owl reverberated through the area, dissolving Noise in a ten foot radius. As quickly as they were vanquished, a dozen more Noise took their place, growling at her and Shiki. They lunged for Shiki determining her to be a larger threat. Shiki froze, knowing the defending was near impossible. The blonde clutched her silver pin desperately. Next thing she knew, she was invisible- judging by how others gaped at where she just stood- and pounced the creatures, destroying them all with quick, fierce blows.
When the Noise dissipated, the demigod reappeared and smirked. "It's not 'Blondie.'" Shiki blushed. "Annabeth Chase."
Shiki nodded. "I'm Shiki Misaki. Hate to interrupt this session that will end up with billions of questions but, we need to get everyone to Partner up and get Zeus's Fist. It's our only chance of surviving."
~Alice~
Alice walked calmly through the battlefield, weaving her way through demigods and Noise alike, all while hugging her stuffed polar bear. Suddenly, a hand gripped her upper arm firmly, turning her around to face a buff- for lack of better word- dirty blonde girl with fierce brown eyes. She wore an orange t-shirt with ripped jeans and hiking boots. A beaded necklace adorned her neck.
"What do you think you're doing?" she screeched. "Leave the fighting to the Senior Campers! It's not safe here!"
Alice stared at her with wide teal eyes. "I want to help."
"You can help by staying out of my way!"
Alice blinked. "I know a way to damage those creatures."
The demigod raised an eyebrow. "I don't have time for this." She started to storm back toward the battle when Alice called out to her.
"Form a pact with me and I'll show you how to defeat them. Teddy will too!"
"How can be sure I can believe you? You're just a weak little girl."
"Teddy doesn't like this side of you! Form a pact with me and we can fight!"
The girl growled "Fine!" The two girls we bathed in an ominous red light, blinking in time with each other.
"What the Hades did you do to me?!"
"We formed a pact. Use the pins; here, they are your weapons."
Six dazzling lights began to dance around Alice as they began to attack the Noise, sending them howling in surprise and pain.
"I'm Alice Tsunakio by the way, and this is Teddy!"
The demigod eyed the girl skeptically. "Clarisse La Rue."
Clarisse fished into her pockets, pulling out for pins: a black one with an apple skull, an orange CHB pin, a silver one with a blue spear on it, and another with a motorcycle on it. She experimentally clutched the one with the spear. A web of lightning spread out across the plane around them, a spear appearing in her hand. She grinned charging the remaining Noise, cackling madly.
~Kyo~
Kyo stumbled through the battlefield that was taking place around theses numbered buildings. The Noise were showing no mercy; demigods we injured, strewn everywhere but luckily, none were Erased. Kyo shriek as a Mosh Grizzly swiped at him, missing him by centimeters. A Players nearby roughly grabbed him and pulled him aside and away from the danger.
His savoir bleated. "What do you think you're doing?! Wait a minute, you're not a demigod!"
Kyo blinked, staring at the person before him. He had curly brown hair and chocolate colored eyes. He wore a beanie hat with and orange CHB shirt. Kyo, however, stared at his legs.
"Y-y-y-you…."
The Player rolled his eyes. "Yes, don't gape."
"You're half goat!" The per-THING- Kyo corrected himself, bleated again.
"The correct term is Satyr. You're human though and shouldn't even be able to see them… You shouldn't have even been able to enter the Camp in general."
Kyo sighed. "I guess you can say I've been sent to help you fight. All you have to do is form a pact with me. It's the only way to fight in the Game."
The satyr blinked. "No way. For all I know you could be sadistic monster working for these creatures!" He then scurried away.
"If I was, then why that bear Noise attack me?" Kyo challenged causing the satyr to pause. "I've played this Game before. The only way to survive is to form a pact. Otherwise, you get Erased from existence."
The stranger bleated again. "I must be crazy… but alright. I'll form a pact with you."
Bathed in an earthy green light, the satyr and the idiotic human blinked in sync.
Kyo leapt into the battle, using his white swirl pin to paralyze the Noise. He then pulled out a dark grey pin, causing an ear-piercing guitar chord to pierce the air, vanquishing them. The satyr noticed his reed pipes glowing. Hesitantly, he put them to his lips and blew and horribly out of tune song. Nearby Noise howled in pain be for vanishing into static. The satyr repeated only playing row-row-row your boat to experiment. All nearby Noise suddenly turn, charging the ocean and drowning themselves.
Kyo came up to him. "The name's Kyo Musiozuki."
"Grover Underwood."
~Luke~
Luke barely made it beyond the barrier surrounding Camp Half-Blood when a voice stopped him.
"Luke?" The son of Hermes turned gasping at who he saw. It was a girl dressed in all silver with black hair and shocking blue eyes.
"Thalia."
"How?" she asked breathlessly.
"I got caught up in this Game that allowed me to a second chance to live. However, Kronos is back. That's why all these creatures are here: to kill us with the Game."
"Luke, what game?"
"There's no time. I'll explain later but we only have three hours before we get Erased from existence."
"WHAT!"
"No time to explain, Thals. Form a pact with me! It's the only way to survive!"
She hesitated. "Yes, but so help me Gods, if this is a lie, I'll send you to Hades myself."
Luke nodded as they began to glow with a silver light, blinking in sync.
"Use your pins! They're your weapons. And Thalia, try to get other people to partner up. It's partner up and get to Zeus's Fist or be Erased from existence." Slowly, she nodded, glaring uneasily. Luke could easily see her distrust in her eyes. It hurt Luke's core, knowing why she didn't trust him. Sighing shakily, he charged the Noise with his Backbiter pin.
Thalia rushed toward the other campers, hastily explaining the requirements for fighting before moving to defend them from the Noise. Slowly, she reached into her pockets and pulled out four pins. The first was of an apple skull. The next was orange with CHB on it. The third was bronze with Aegis etched into its surface. The final was black with a silver bow and arrow on it.
She clutched the archer's pin in her hand when her bow appeared with arrows made of light blue energy loaded and cackling with energy. Slowly, she drew the string back, aimed, and released. The arrows began to move on their own, targeting the Noise in her vicinity. They planted themselves even in the Noise behind her.
She swiftly moved to spread the word of the Game around camp. There wasn't any time to rest.
~Zeus's Fist~
The campers we gathered around the pile of boulders. Most were chatting uneasily, not trusting how quiet the area was. A twig cracked nearby, causing them to jump up, pins at the ready. Nico di Angelo slowly stepped out of the shadows, moving toward them in his ripped aviator jacket. Behind him was Neku Sakuraba, headphone planted over his ears.
Luke, the Shibuyans, and their partners all jogged to meet the duo.
"Neku!" Shiki called out, grinning at him.
"Shiki…" Neku returned.
"Nico," Annabeth greeted.
The demigod nodded. "Annabeth, Grover, Clarisse, Pinecone Face." The son of Hades simply glared at Luke. Neku raised eyebrow at them but didn't question.
"Death Breathe," Thalia muttered in return.
"Shiki, Kyo, Alice, Luke," Neku murmured, digging around in his pockets before pulling out four blank pins and handing them over. "You know how to use them." The four nodded.
He then turned and surveyed the demigods who watched him skeptically. He tapped his foot an invisible rhythm.
"You Ginger! Mind if one of you explain what's going on?" Clarisse snapped.
Neku looked at her with bored stoicism. "Who are you?"
"I think it's you who should explain that to me!" Neku was about to retort when Shiki interrupted.
"That's Clarisse La Rue, Alice's partner. Kyo's partner is the satyr with the beanie. He's Grover Underwood. Thalia Grace, the one in silver, is Luke's partner. My partner is the blonde, Annabeth Chase."
Neku nodded, gazing at Clarisse. "You remind me of a friend."
Luke looked perplexed. "If you're talking about Joshua, I don't think anyone compares with him. He's an arrogant prick!"
Neku sent him an annoyed look. "I was thinking Beat…"
Shiki giggled. "Now that you mention it, they are very alike."
Annabeth suddenly spoke up. "You know who we are so at least return the courtesy of returning the favor."
Neku shrunk slightly, hiding his face in the neck his violet shirt. "…Neku Sakuraba."
"If you don't mind me asking," Grover spoke timidly. "What exactly are you? You smell like death but you aren't dead or a demigod…"
Neku hesitated. "Well…"
The Players never heard the rest of what he was going to say, for the world had gone dark as they collapsed.
Neku sighed as the camp collapsed around him.
"Congratulations, you all survived Day 1. Six more to go…"
~End Day 1~
Ello everyone! This is New York's Day 1. I am still working on Stuck in the Game so don't panic! I'm probably about halfway through the second chapter. I just need to finish it. I hope I don't keep you all waiting that much longer!