Game:

Most people say "Life isn't a game." But in Nico di Angelo's world, it kind of is. He, as a lowly demigod, to the superior powers of the immortal gods, is only a pawn in the endless game of life. They won't mind if they lose the weak pawn, but they know he has potential to be something great. Only potential.

In this world, not everyone starts off at the same level. Some are born strong, destined for greatness. Most of these people are also destined for tragedy. He just happens to be one of those people. As he advances in level, he is pulled into the never ending game that Fate plays. He starts off as a pawn that can only advance one at a time, and is always targeted.

However, this game isn't as simple as chess or checkers. It isn't a simple strategy game, or a little gambling game with low stakes. It isn't a RPG or a FPS. It's not World of Warcraft, not Halo, not Wii, not a simple game just for fun. It's complicated.

Here, you can bring in pawns, annihilate cities, destroy homes, kill innocents, all with out any one finding out. Here, you can't control everything. Here, you don't know if you're the pawn, or the player.

When WWII occurred, Nico was barely a toddler. The gods saw this little boy and his sister as a threat. They were threatened, and nearly destroyed. So Fate saw it fit to take them out of the game for a little while. After Thalia and Percy were played, Thalia taken out for a while, then tossed right back in, Hades saw it fit for him to have two valuable pawns on his side.

Suddenly, the brother and sister pawns were smashed, their strength decreasing in half, when Fate decided to permanently remove the sister pawn. The lonely piece broke free of Hades control, and was now a piece open for the taking. Kronos, the Gods, anyone could take him. He was a wild card, laying out in the open in a game of serious gambling, free for grabs.

Eventually, a stronger pawn, more like a knight, was able to capture him and bring him back to the other side. But they all had to let go. He didn't belong to the Team of Camp Half-blood.

He wandered in and out. He was still open for grabs, but now he was harder to find, harder to control. Hades played the "I'm your father card," with excellent precision, and Nico fell under again as a lowly pawn against the other Olympians.

He was a powerful pawn to have as well, a valuable trading card, with 2000 attack power. He wielded a midnight black sword made of Stygian Iron. +250 attack points. But he's still weaker than the gods, or than Percy. But now the gods are wary. They see the potential this boy has of defeating them. After all, the strongest player is always the weakest one in disguise.

But Percy Jackson manages to win the game for them against the evil mastermind Kronos. All the pawns and pieces they've used are discarded and recycled, to be used for another time. Broken, the pawns need to take time to heal, fix the chips and cracks, the tears and stains. But the next game comes a little too fast for any of the demigods to see. They're immediately thrown in to a more dangerous game by Fate, with new players and opponents.

But honestly, Nico hates being played. He hates that to other people, he's nothing more than a pawn, a trade-able card, a game. He wants to be able to play himself. He wants to be like the mortals, free of worries, free of wondering ever if they will be drawn into another disastrous war that will take more players away forever. But to the immortal players, these pieces are expendable. They can just get new ones. They can make new ones. They don't care about any of the pieces.

Or do they?

Most of the gods say that they care for their children. They say that they want to help, but they can't. They say that they are always watching. Sometimes they talk to their children. He knows that Hades is one of the few gods actually capable about caring for his children, even though he doesn't try to show it.

People say that they're going to be important. They'll be so far up the ladder, that it isn't funny. But they're nothing compared to the immortal beings, right? All these heroes names are immortalized but they were just pawns in the gods twisted game of life. No, not the gods game. Something bigger. Something that even the gods are controlled by.

The Titans? No. Gaea? No. The giants? No. So who?

Fate. The three Fates, no, they don't actually control it. Fate is intangible, yet it controls every movement. It controls every second of every life. No one, not Nico, not Hades, not even Zeus, can escape it. So, in reality, this is Fate's game.

It's like the master controller. And it advances down, and down, and down. It's like in an online game. There's the creators. Then the players. Then the characters. They all have to follow the creators map. They don't have really any control.

And it's known, you can't fight Fate. You can't avoid it. Often the road you take to avoid destiny is the one where you'll find it on. Fate is the greatest player in this game. It's undefeated, the champion that can't lose.

Sometimes though, he realizes, you have to take the initiative. Don't follow the rules and expectations of society. If they say you won't amount to anything, prove them wrong. He can do that. If they say he's a rotten egg, or a black sheep, he'll show them all. Fate may be the greatest player, and society, a close second, but he's going to beat all of them. He'll show them all.

It won't be easy. He knows that. He's competing against countless opponents, all with a higher skill level than him. But Nico will take his time. He may start off as the underdog, but as the game processes, he's going to reach the top. He'll knock out any opponent, no matter how experienced or strong.

It's going to take time. He knows that as well. It won't be like the Lotus Casino where time just stops. It won't be like an international online chess match, where you can get back to it the next day. It's going to come by fast, then slow, then fast, then slow again. An ongoing cycle.

But Nico can handle it. Sure he's just a pawn right now, a level 16 trading card, with 2200 attack points, but he's going to be strong. No one can stop him. He decides that one day, he won't be the chess piece, but the chess player.

You're move, Fate.

Hey guys! Okay, so this isn't my best. I'm sorry. But while I was writing this, I was watching on Youtube, a video from Wong Fu Productions. They are hilarious (but a little inappropriate- don't say I didn't warn you- plus they make the best music videos), and so is KevJumba, and David Choi (Please listen to his songs. He's amazing.), and Nigahiga. Anyways, I don't own Percy Jackson. All rights and rewards go to Mr. Rick Riordan.