Testing, testing, mic check, is this thing on? Right. I was ordere- ahem- asked by Lady Athena to document my own experiences and thoughts throughout my various quests and adventures and everything in-between. I've just been chilling, there's no more wars or major attacks so I decided, what the hell? I've got plenty of time. So, I guess I should introduce myself.
My name is Percy Jackson, and to understand what I'm about to say, you need to believe in the impossible, even for demigod standards. This is my story, how I went from potential future highschool dropout to the greatest hero the mythological world has ever seen.
It's funny how life works, isn't it? One day you're just minding your business, going through your daily routine and then BAM! Something happens that sets your life off course. I wish I could tell you that was what happened to me. But no, just saying my life was turned upside down that year is the biggest understatement imaginable. No, my life and grasp of reality was utterly destroyed, chopped up into little pieces and thrown into the deepest depths of Tartarus, and it all happened over the course of a few months.
To say I was seen as a troubled kid would be underselling it. I had ADHD and dyslexia, possibly the worst combination any student could possess. By the time I was 11, I've been to multiple schools and been expelled out of each and every single one. No, I wasn't one of those kids who were mean and violent or one of those who were impulsive and stupid. And I definitely wasn't the kid who everyone knew would grow up to be some kind of criminal. I considered myself to be fairly normal except for one fact. I had abysmal luck.
Nothing I did to get myself expelled was intentional. Were my grades terrible? Sure. But I didn't mean to blow up our school bus or dunk my classmates into the aquarium tank. It didn't matter what I said, I was expelled and went home to Smelly Gabe and my mother.
Ugh, even though he's gone now, the thought of Gabe never fails to make me angry. I hated Gabe before I really understood what hate meant. He was loud and rude, always sitting on his ass playing poker. There wasn't a day that went by that he didn't drink or smoke. And he never failed to reach his daily quota of hurting Percy. He never really physically abused me aside from some shoves and stealing my food or money. But the worst thing was he constantly mistreated my mom and took her for granted. But fortunately, Gabe got what was coming to him soon after courtesy of my mother and Medusa's head. But speaking of my mom, if Gabe had an absolute opposite it was her, Sally Jackson.
She is very sweet and kind, and an amazing baker. But above all, she is understanding. She was never once ashamed of me or angry that I was the way I was. She showered me with hugs and blue cookies and constantly told me she was proud of me. Which is why this time I was determined to be good and not get expelled from my newest school, Yancy Academy.
Yancy Academy was one of those last resort schools, for children other schools couldn't be bothered to keep in check or reform. Just a bunch of troublemakers delinquents all crammed into one relatively small school. What could go wrong? So far, Yancy wasn't that bad. My roommate was Grover Underwood. He was a nice boy with a walking disability that required him to use crutches. He didn't swear, followed the rules and was my best friend. However, my promise of being good was put to the test with Nancy Bobofit. She constantly picked on Grover because of his disability, and by association me. I'd endured her throwing lunch, hurling insults and the whole lot but when she stole Grover's crutches I snapped. I threw her disgusting ketchup sandwich back at her and took the crutches back.
But unfortunately for me, Mrs. Dodds finally started to pay attention and despite Grover's protests, I was thrown in detention.
So here I was sitting in detention all because of her. And worse, Mrs. Dodds herself had decided to supervise. Mrs. Dodds hated me the moment she laid eyes on me. She was extra strict with me and found any excuse to get me in trouble. But this day was different. She wasn't even trying to hide her bias against me. I tried to focus on my detention work but it was hard when I could feel her gaze burning into me. She was never shy about her dislike of me, but this was something else. Something was happening.
I glanced at the clock, only a few more minutes left. My left foot started hitting the floor. Taptaptaptap
Cold sweat dripped down my back. I could hear my heartbeat roaring in my ears. She's a teacher. Even if she hates you, Mrs. Dodds won't hurt you. There's no way. Even so, I couldn't convince myself. Every second felt like an eternity and I swore I would break my desk with how hard I was gripping it and my hands were trembling. What's happening to me? What is this feeling?
The bell finally rang and I shot out of my seat towards the door, as other students made their way out.
"Not so fast, Mr. Jackson."
I forced myself to turn around and look at her. My hands were clammy and my face was pale. I thought for sure I was going to faint. And the strangest thing? She seemed to be radiating this aura that amplified all of these feelings. But there's no way that should be possible… Right?
"U-uh yes Mrs. Dodds?"
She started pacing back and forth while shaking her head.
"You've been causing us problems, Perseus."
I cringed at the use of my full name.
"Confess, and your punishment won't be so severe. Return what you stole or else Had-"
"That's enough, Mrs. Dodds."
I had never felt so relieved in my life. My shivering ceased immediately and in all of his wheel-chair glory, there was my savior. My latin teacher, Mr. Brunner. Mr. Brunner was probably the coolest teacher I've ever had. He was enthusiastic about teaching and was nice to all his students, even me who was failing his class.
But right now that didn't matter right now. Right now, Mrs. Dodds and Mr. Brunner were having some type of staredown and a silent argument. But this didn't feel like an argument between two simple teachers. I felt like I was watching two powerful beings face off. Mr. Brunner's normally kind eyes were hardened and his face was stoic and serious.
At last, he turned towards me and spoke.
"Go back to your dorms, Percy. Your detention time is over."
"Yes, sir!"
I rushed back towards my dorm room and Grover. But even with that encounter over I still felt strange. What did Mrs. Dodds think I stole? And why was I feeling like that?
Grover stared at me worriedly when I entered the room.
"You okay, Percy?"
I swallowed, debating whether to tell Grover about what happened. But then I decided it wouldn't be good if my only friend thought I was insane.
"Yeah, dude. Mrs. Dodds was just being her usual self."
I thought I was pretty smooth but Grover's facial expression told me otherwise.
"Seriously, I'm fine. Just pissed that Nancy never gets the same treatment from her that I get."
Grover dropped the subject and we(I) tried to focus on our schoolwork for the following hours.
I groaned and slammed my book shut. I couldn't shake the feelings I experienced today and it didn't help that my dyslexia had the letters and numbers from my latin and math homework were doing 360's and floating randomly in my vision.
"I'm going to go to bed early G-Man, have fun with the rest of your work."
Grover sighed.
"You sure man? We have that test tomorrow and if you flunk another one you'll have an F in the class!"
"I know, I know. I'll be ready."
But to be honest, class and the test were the last things on my mind. For hours, I stared up at the dorm ceiling going over my detention. Maybe the lunch I ate had some weird effect on me? Yeah, yeah that's it. I was just sick.
And with that thought I finally drifted off to sleep.
PING!
I shot up in bed and groaned. I could barely keep my eyes open and I wanted nothing more than to sink back into bed. I immediately turned and squinted at my alarm clock. My drowsiness and dyslexia made it hard for me to read but after a few seconds I saw it.
6:00 AM
What? Since when have I ever woken up this early? What woke me up?
And those were my final thoughts before my normal life was destroyed. Because then I looked up.
Congratulations Perseus Jackson of Earth-779! Out of the trillions of beings existing in the multiverse, YOU have been randomly chosen to receive "The Demigod Systemâ„¢". Have fun! (Note: We are not responsible for any bodily harm, mental breakdowns or a painful, horrifying death.)
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Author's Note: I'm aware there's already Percy Jackson the Gamer fics out there but I decided to write my own, with my personal take on it. First things first, there's minor changes in this PJ universe. Percy is a year younger than canon. Alecto and Chiron have been stationed at Yancy from the beginning of the year, instead of replacing the teachers and hiding it with the Mist. More major changes will be revealed in later chapters. For now, I will tell you there is no party system where Percy can share his powers. And this will be a grind-heavy, hard to level up gaming system as opposed to Percy just becoming smarter than every Athena child within 2 days of having "The Demigod System". Updates will be infrequent with no set schedule. But for now, I hope you enjoyed the introductory chapter! Reviews are welcome.