game on.

"Damn it," she says, "you cheated!"

The landscape is unreal, surreal. It looks perfect, so so perfect—the edges of the bus are outlined, defined yellow . . . the clouds are floating above your head and you feel them, feel the air escalating your senses . . . you see the old ladies walking towards you and you can sense the fear in both you and them.

"Fire!"

"You said that they were normal!"

"Since when do you listen to me?"

"Right."

"I said fire!"

"Geez, stop being so pushy!"

barely pass.

The swords feel a little bit too real.

Their talons feel a little bit too sharp.

"You said it'd be fine!"

"You chose to have a bright aura."

"So it's my fault, now?"

"It's always your fault, idiot."

"Gosh, why do you hate me?

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Why are you letting these stupid tests get into your head?"

"They're not getting to my head!"

a jumble of thoughts why why why no no no i can't do this i'm too young i'm too lost this is just a game right just a game just a game just a game they can't break me they won't break me they won't i'm young not stupid (okay maybe i'm both).

"Run!"

"Gods—"

"The mirror, look at the—"

"I told you that she was—"

"Oh, shut up, nobody cares—"

"Is she—"

"She's coming!"

"Shoot—"

"You guys are going to get us all killed!"

"As long as you die first."

hissing hissing hissing it's not a dream anymore . . .

The snakes curl around her face, oozing venom through their eyes. You would look at her eyes—you would!—but you're too scared too. You won't admit to being scared, even though you know they would, they all would. They call themselves heroes but they're not. They are simply players like you.

"You're just like your father."

You know that it's just a game but she sounds like she really hates you and now you're not very sure if you're in a different reality or not.

"She's not real!"

"Really? Because it damn well seems like she is."

"Just kill her already and get out."

"Just kill her? Well, if you're so confident maybe you should do it—"

"Dude, this is only level one. How're you going to make it to Elysium if you can't kill a snake lady?"

"You're thinking about Elysium already?"

"Duh."

"Maybe that stupid test really was right about your parentage—"

"Are you going to kill the insane hydra or not?"

"Hydra? Well that's very inaccurate for a daughter of—"

"Do it!"

"Fine, fine."

When her head falls onto the floor you grab the jacket and you pick it up and it feels like the wetness of her stupid scaly slimy green blood is seeping unto you and it's so disgusting and you cringe.

keep going

next demon

"I knew she was a monster!"

"You always say that, dude."

"It's true."

"You're not wet . . . ?"

"No shit, Sherlock."

"How is that possible?"

"Well, we're in a—"

"I know, genius! But it's supposed to be realistic and that—this—"

"What?"

"It isn't realistic!"

"Ooh, and does that hurt your poor little good-girl sensibilities?"

"Oh, you—"

"Can you two just get along for five minutes?"

"No, of course not, don't be ridiculous—"

"I can speak for myself, you—"

"Dear lords, eat my jelly beans and relax, will you?"

"Do you have any blue ones?"

"Will you stop arguing if I give them to you?"

"Yes!"

"Immature brat—"

"Can you guys just—"

"Oh really? Well, you're a—"

"Stop it."

don't stop

you've got more lives

The park is alive in the light. You look around and can't believe—can't believe—that the fake little computerized god of war is making you live through the torture that is the ride of love with her. Ugh.

"I'm not going with you, and that is it!"

"Well, the only other option is—"

"Bloody hell, damn it, oh shit—"

"Ooh, good girl swore. Do I have to wash your mouth out with soap now?"

"You aren't making this easier, you know."

"You think I want to go with you? You're a—"

"Just get in the cart, people!"

"Fine, goat-boy—"

"Hey! It's not fair that you got the cool characters—"

"Do you want to travel in 'The Thrill Ride of Love?'"

"Are you crazy, man?"

"Get out."

"Fine, fine. Have fun!"

"Oh, I'm going to kill the little rodent—"

"He's a goat, did you ever take science?"

"It's just a game, you don't have to be such a—"

"Oi, get in the cart already!"

"If she kills me, dude, you don't get my copy of 3K17 . . ."

"The fencing? Oh, dude, you know that I love ancient games . . ."

"Are you getting in the stupid ride or not?"

"Gods, Annie, coming!"

"No one's allowed to call me Annie."

"Except for Luke."

"I'm going to—"

"I know, I know. I'm coming."

blinding lights oh maybe this is just a dream . . .

"S—Spiders?"

"Calm down, it's okay . . ."

"Okay? It's not okay! Spiders . . ."

"We're on TV, too! Concentrate on that."

"We're in a game, Percy, don't be ridiculous. Nobody is really watching us."

"Even scared, you're mean."

"Just get me out of here."

"Let me just . . . the pipes—"

"Just do it—"

"I'm coming, guys!"

"Ah!"

"Grover, no—"

That was bad enough and then you have to go talk to the 'god of war' again and he throws you into the back of something that smells like garbage and your stupid goat friend falls asleep and leaves you with an annoying know-it-all blonde princess.

"Move over!"

"Why should I move over? You move!"

"Blah-h—"

"Oh, Grover. Sleep already."

"Sleep . . . sleep good. Enchiladas—"

"He's gone."

"Yeah."

Silence is the hardest thing to bear; you don't mind the fighting. When she's not yelling at you, you can see the immortal side of her, at least in the game—the extra red in her cheeks, the sharpness of her eyes, the lush pink of her—oh. You blush and look away, not wanting her to see how your eyes had meandered to her lips.

"Do you have a family?"

"Not—not really. Just my mom and me, really. My step-dad's a jerk."

"At least you have your mom. My dad doesn't even know that I exist."

"What?"

"He got married to some rich stupid woman and churned out two other kids and never looked back at me."

"What about your mom?"

"Had me and left me on his doorstep. I've never met her."

"Is she alive?"

"I hope so. Is your dad alive?"

"'Lost at sea', according to my mom. I'm not very sure, she never gives me a straight answer . . ."

"Hmm."

"Are you ever going to forgive your father?"

"Should I?"

"Everybody deserves redemption."

"Even your stepdad?"

"Well, everybody but him."

"I—I don't know. I don't want to go back home only to be forgotten for Bobby and Matthew."

"Try it. Where do you go when you're not at home? In real life?"

"I come here. Just slide into artificial intelligence for a few months."

"Wish I could do that."

Las Vegas, of all places, where you fall into a casino and get stuck in time because the gamemasters . . . yeah, they really hate you for some reason but then again in the wise words of someone, "Where would the fun be if life was easy?"

"Fun!"

"Oh. My. God. Is that—"

"Yeah, Annie, go nerd your heart out—"

"Don't call me Annie!—"

"Hm, okay, yeah . . . dang, is that a waterslide?"

"I don't care."

"That dude looks like Elvis, doesn't he?"

"Let me do this in peace, idiot."

what time is it?

"Percy, we're going to be late for the deadline—"

"I'm aware, thank you very much."

"What next?"

"Hey, you got that card?"

"Yeah—"

"Let's hope it'll get us where we need to go."

"Alright."

You can feel victory, touch it, like it's on your fingertips—you're almost there, almost to the Underworld. Almost about to complete your mission and level up, finally. Then you get stretched.

"How—the—hell—"

"Well, I'm gonna be taller after this—"

"Get—him—"

"Okay."

You collect your credits, run to a building that seems like it's a portal to a ghost world, and realize that it is.

"We died in a bathtub."

"Of course you did. Young ones these days."

"We have money—"

"You'll be taking the next boat."

almost almost almost there.

"I don't have what you have come for."

"What? But we—we've come all this way—"

"You have been fooled, Mr. Jackson, Ms. Chase."

"That—that makes no sense—all my friends told me that this is the end—"

"You have not found the answer yet. Go. Find the solution."

no.

"But—Percy—I know that's where it ends."

"Something is fishy here, and it isn't me."

"This is not time for humor. Annabeth's right. The Olympian Children isn't supposed to work like this."

"Wait. Try to leave. Right now."

"I—I can't."

"Neither can I."

"We're stuck."

"What does that mean?"

"This game isn't over for us. It's just started."

a/n: the videogame!au fic that i wrote like a year ago but actually low-key like. i know it's a bit confusing, but basically it's tlt but as a videogame with dialogue from percy, annabeth, and grover. i stuck mostly to canon but it's pretty clear what's diverging from it.

should i write the rest of the series like this?

review and tell me.

-dee