AN: There are a couple Gamer Fanfics in the PJO setting on this site. However, they tend to be either too cringe to read, or ended in a cliffhanger and never finished (looking at you, Author I'mjusttryingtofindmyway), so I am going to write my own Fanfic to add to this expansive repository. I took inspiration from fellow author I'mjusttryingtofindmyway's fanfic Percy Jackson and the Game, but it won't be an exact copy. In fact, it would be quite original. After all, I never said that Percy was the Gamer in this story, now did I?

-(o)-

Chapter 1: The Floating Box in the Air

-(o)-

Disclaimer: I don't own Rick Riordan's Universe. If I did, many characters would have gotten a better Fate

-(We)-

The shard of soul fell into an interesting world this time. There were entities and embodiments of Fate that held the soul shard back from interfering with their prophecies, and it was forced from imbedding itself into the main characters and chosen ones of this reality. It was captured, bounced away, and blasted with the magic and willpower of many beings, many pantheons. Eventually, the soul shard had to settle for a being of relatively low importance, a civilian in a world of monsters and magic.

The shard held in it the knowledge of video games. Tropes of these digital entertainment games, imbedded in this shard. And the shard was a core part of who we were; it was connected to every other part of our soul, and thus, every other universe out there, and it drew energy from a thousand universes to create a comprehensible system for its host.

Their powers: Uncertain. Their potential: Unknown. But one thing was certain: This civilian was going to have a much more interesting life from now on.

-(The Three Fates)-

The Three Fates worked at their loom. Clotho, "The Spinner," spun the thread of life. Lachesis, "The Drawer of Lots," measured each thread. Atropos, "The Unturning," cut each thread and ended the lives of mortals. They were birth, life, and death, and knew all prophecies, commanded the events of existence, and allotted time to every being that walked the earth.

As they weaved at their loom, they decided the fate of the next batch of heroes. Perseus Jackson, the Chosen, and Luke Castellan, the Sacrifice. It needed to be done, to bring the Olympians through the next several wars intact. And while they were Fate, they could not cause the impossible to happen. Of all the potential paths the future might take, this was the most non-destructive one they could see, the one with least suffering and death. Sacrifices must be made.

As they weaved, a tiny white piece of soul floated by. The Fates paid it no mind. After all, such wraiths existed anywhere there were humans. People that didn't want to pass on, staying in the mortal realm through sheer willpower, haunting the world as a ghost.

The Fates didn't know, of course, that their job has just gotten much harder.

The soul floated around. Once to the 12-year-old Perseus Jackson, already an absolute troublemaker and kicked out of several schools. Then it went to Luke Castellan, then Annabeth Chase, even tried to get through the pine wood to Thalia Grace. All were protected by the Fate's prophecies: the soul couldn't affect any of them.

Oh well. On to the next Pantheon.

The bit of soul kept wandering. When it hit the Norse Patheon and tried to imbed itself into Magnus Chase, the Norns found out and expelled it from the future hero. Same thing happened with Alex Fierro, Blitzen, Hearthstone, and every other friend or family member of Magnus. The Norns had their work cut out for them that day, but at the end of it, they contacted some friends of theirs to warn them about this parasitic soul.

Next was the Egyptian Pantheon, of course, but this time the soul shard didn't even get to potential hosts. Instead, the Hemusut, Egyptian Goddesses of Fate, caught it in a glass jar (having been forewarned by the Norns) before throwing it far away.

The soul shard finally gave up trying to meld with a being of literary importance. They were either too powerful, or had a powerful being protecting them. So it spun around, before finding the most average possible person, and went straight in. Now the story begins. Let's hope he survives the insanity life would become.

-(Remedy Adams)-

My name is Remedy Adams, age 20 (soon to be 21, today in fact), and I was completely normal.

I am described as "unassuming" with pale skin, black eyes, and black hair. Genetics gave me a normal face, neither handsome nor ugly. I went to a public school in Manhattan, and got decent grades. My favorite candy shop is Sweet on America in Grand Central, so it is lucky I live nearby. I work as a cashier in the local Walmart in Manhattan, where I earn enough to pay off my rent and feed myself. Luckily, I have no college debts, as I never went to college. I am also an avid gamer, using the extra time I have to myself playing PC RPGs on my old computer, or slightly less FPS intensive games on my personal laptop.

So yes. I lead the most boring life possible. Or at least, almost.

You see, I can see things that no one else can see. Things that any normal person would say is a hallucination or trick of the light. I see the monsters roaming the streets and alleys of this city. Hounds darker than the shadows and the size of a truck. Massive, powerful men with only one eye, hiding in abandoned corners of the city. Beautiful women with fangs, glowing red eyes, and a noticeable limp, blood dripping down their throats. Whenever such beings got near me, I would stay far away, knowing them to be dangerous. I have seen what these things can do. Mangled bodies shoved in dumpsters, torn apart by something inhuman, unearthly. I don't know what they are, and likely never will. I only know to avoid these beings, and to avoid the nightmares they give.

It was the end of the day. I finished my shift, logged out, and slowly walked back home. I pulled my windbreaker tightly to me, trying to keep out the cold December wind to no avail. I walked quickly, but did decide to get a little something from Sweet on America candy shop in Grand Central. It was my birthday, after all, December 14th, so I decided to treat myself to something nice.

I walked in, and relished in the warmth of the store for a moment, before calling out to my favorite cashier/baker that works here.

"Sally! Are you here?" I called out.

Sally Jackson is an enigma to me. She doesn't want to work here, I am sure; when we talked about her aspirations, she said she wanted to be a writer, but that seems very far removed from a candy store. She lived with a husband that is a drunkard, and there is implied domestic abuse, even though she herself told me to just ignore it. When I asked her why she is still doing all this, she said that it was for her son, even as I get the feeling that she is hiding a lot. Nevertheless, she is still a very nice women, and very kind to any costumer that comes through the doors.

After a few minutes, Sally finally showed up "Oh! Hello again Remedy, how are you today? Sorry I can't help you a bit earlier, I was picking up some blue colored treats for my son."

Apparently, she and her son are very crazy about any form of blue food. I never really understood why.

"It's fine, just here to pick up one of your famous cupcakes" Sally Jackson's cupcakes are to die for. I really don't know how, but even with the added blue food coloring it tastes incredible.

We talked a bit more. Ordinary banter really. How her son has switched to Yancy Academy Boarding school, how she hopes he will do better. Eventually, I said goodbye, paid for the cupcake, and walked back home.

My apartment isn't very amazing. One room and one bathroom, enough space for a bed and a desk. A wardrobe to the side holding all my clothes. The bathroom had just enough space for a shower and a toilet. No windows, couldn't afford anywhere with a view.

I took off my clothes, set my cupcake down. Pulled off the wrapper, put on a single lone candle and lit it. The light flickered and cast dark shadows across the room, like the monstrous wraiths that I avoid. I stared into the flames, hoping that I would get a respite from the nightmares tonight.

Well. Happy birthday to me. Yay. I blew out the candle, turned the lights back on, and ate in silence. The sweet cupcake felt warm in me, but the feeling soon faded away to loneliness and dread. Then I played some of the original 1993 DOOM (It is a good, nostalgic game), failing horribly several times. I eventually felt sleepy and slid into bed.

I didn't know that this was going to be the last time my life had any semblance of normal.

-(o)-

You slept for 6 hours, and thus got a base sleep quality of 60%. Applying modifiers: final sleep quality is 90%. You regain 90% Rest, 9% HP, and 90% MP.

I blinked at the glowing blue box above me.

'Must be a hallucination' I thought, as I rubbed the grogginess out of my eyes. I blinked away the sleepiness and looked up once more. The box was still there.

It was a blue glowing box, with a "X" in the top right corner to delete it. And it was still there. I waved my hand at it, and confirmed it wasn't fake. My hand phased right through the box like it wasn't there, meaning it was incorporeal.

I stared at it, not sure what to make of it. The words didn't make any sense. Rest? HP? MP? What?

"Great. I finally went crazy. Guess the monotony of everyday life made me lose my marbles" I mused. I wondered what was different today, other than the glowing box above me. Something was different today; something was better than normal. Then I realized. I didn't have any nightmares last night.

I sat up, my upper body going through the glowing box. It has been so long since I have had a normal night's rest. Ever since I saw the one-eyed man tear a child in two, snapping the little girl's neck like a toothpick. Starting 3 years ago, I was so scared of the dark alleyways after the incident, thinking that if I went in, I would die and become the lunch for some dark creature. I didn't dare tell anyone; I would have been thrown into a mental institution, and those places are horrible.

Now very much awake, I laid back down on my bed. I looked up at the glowing box. I felt that this could be the way for me to have peace. To be able to free myself from the nightmares, to fight back against the hidden darkness of this world.

HP: Health Points. MP: Mana or Magic Points. Rest is a factor some video games take into account. With a gasp, I understood. My life has just become a videogame. I removed the box by pressing the "X" just as expected, and got out of bed. I sat down at my desk, and thought of the next course of action. Was my life real? Is this like in the Matrix, where we are all in a computer simulation? But if we are, there isn't much we can do, right? I looked at my hands, not sure if I am in control. Is this what video game characters are like? Am I being controlled by a kid right now, being controlled through the keyboard and screen?

"Well. I don't feel like I want to do random things right now. A normal gamer would have controlled me to smash everything, then go on a go-to-jail speedrun" I spoke out loud. It was grounding, in a way, doing so kept me calm. I stared into the blank plaster wall, and spoke, with a strange sort of both determination and desperation: "Character" And a floating blue screen appeared before my eyes.

Character Sheet

Name: Remedy Adams

Race: Human (Clear-Sighted)

Title(s): Walmart employee

Level 10, EXP (10/170)

Status: Expanded

HP: 100/100

MP: 50/50, +10/hr

Rest: 100%, -5%/hr

Stamina: 100/100, -5/hr

Hunger: 100/100, -5/hr

Stats: Expanded

Str: 10

Dex: 10

Con: 10

Int: 10(+10%) = 11

Wis: 10(+10%) = 11

Luc: 10

Perks: Click to Expand

Abilities and Skills: Click to Expand

Description: Remedy Adams is the most basic, boring person that could be. Only interesting thing about him is that he is fraught with nightmares from his encounter with a wild Cyclops, but even then, he ran away like a coward.

It had everything I expected. HP, MP, Rest, Hunger, Stamina, Stats. It really is similar to some RPGs I play. Also...

What kind of description is that?! I did not run away like a coward! It was an actual, life-threatening situation and the best thing to do was to leave! I felt the anger rise in me, but then it subsided. Hm. Normally, I would become quite angry when hit with an insult to my bravery. Perhaps it is because a perk or skill I have?

I expanded both by tapping the floating screen in front of me:

Perks: None

Abilities and Skills: {Game Guide} {Calm Gaming} [Basic Calming Level 3] [Basic Conversation Level 5] [Basic Modern English Level 9]

The results were what I expected, mostly. The only discrepancies I can see is {Game Guide} and {Calm Gaming}. I wonder what they do-

Answering question...

{Game Guide}: When you have a question about the game system, the system will reply, answering your question.

{Calm Gaming}: Suppresses dreams, nightmares, and emotions, when desired. Does not suppress magically induced emotions, prophetic dreams, curse-based nightmares etc.

So, it is through the usage of {Game Guide} that I can get answers about my new life as a video game? Well, this is good, I won't have to stumble around to figure things out. Considering this, I wonder what my title Walmart employee does?

Walmart employee: You are a Walmart employee. And you get nothing from such a title. Anyone can become a Walmart employee; you think you should be rewarded for something so simple?

I ignored the description (another jab at my capabilities, why game?) and looked instead at the description for {Calm Gaming}, feeling a sense of melancholy. Through the usage of {Calm Gaming}, I can finally be free of my nightmares. As a bonus, I won't be annoyed by pesky dreams and emotions when I want to. There doesn't even seem to be a negative from this ability: I can selectively turn it on and off for different emotions. I thought about the implications of this. I can finally have an almost normal life as long as I continued to stay away from the monsters. I can control my thoughts and emotions, and never get angry at work anymore. I can keep having good night's rest, just like I had last night, and the nightmares can't even touch me! I stood up, jubilant at my freedom from my own mind, from the pain that kept me shackled. And then stubbed my left pinkie. Stupid me (I only got 10 Int, you can't blame me!) I fell to the ground, holding my foot in pain, and looked back up to the floating screen. Which bought my eyes level to this:

Description: Remedy Adams is the most basic, boring person that could be. Only interesting thing about him is that he is fraught with nightmares from his encounter with a wild Cyclops, but even then, he ran away like a coward.

Out of the entire description insulting every fiber of my being, I noticed one word:

Cyclops. The mythical monster of ancient Greek myths, the one-eyed monsters I see wandering the streets. If those things are Cyclopes, then... what other Greek myths are true? Medusa? The Minotaur? The Nemean Lion? The Hydra? Are they also real?

Are they also out there, hurting the innocent? Feeding on the weak? Are the blind normies being hunted down, even now perhaps, and being digested in the bellies of monsters?

Are there more innocent people, so many innocents, that end up like that little girl? Neck snapped, spine cracked, and torn from limb to limb? I looked at the description, citing that very event as evidence of my cowardice.

No. I am not a coward. I am NOT a coward.

I looked at the description in defiance, but nothing happened. It didn't change- wait, no, it did change:

Description: Remedy Adams is the most basic, boring person that could be. There are only two interesting things about him: Even though he is no longer fraught with nightmares from his encounter with a wild Cyclops, the fact is irrefutable: he ran away like a coward, and let a little girl be killed and consumed. Even now, with infinite potential in his hands, he is selfish and wants to utilize it for his own personal life.

"OK! Why?!" I saw the description, and wanted to cry. I wanted to tear up, to rage and destroy and break anything within reach. I grabbed my cup, ready to smash it over my head, only stopping at the last second due to my emotions suddenly being muted. {Calm Gaming} Images of the bloodied broken bodies only I can find went through my head, even as water from the cup dripped down my face. Of the savage monsters I have seen and ran away from.

New Quest!

Description: You are the Clear-Sighted Gamer, both gifted and cursed. Your destiny awaits: Do you take it, or fall to obscurity? Are you Humanity's protector?

Rewards:

Humanity saved, Other Unknown Rewards

Failure results:

Death of everyone and everything

Accept/Decline?

The gauntlets been thrown, the challenge been offered. The quest has been activated. This is the call-to-action that heroes have. Peter Parker had the death of Uncle Ben. Harry Potter had the Letter to Hogwarts. Frodo had the danger of the One Ring and the Black Riders. And I have a floating, glowing quest box in front of me.

"Well. I am not a coward." I pressed yes.

Description: Remedy Adams is the self-proclaimed protector of mankind, the innocent, and those that cannot fend for themselves. Now that he is no longer fraught with nightmares from his encounter with a wild Cyclops, he is in the process of toughening himself up to battle the darkness that had once haunted him in his nightmares. He swore to never let anyone else be killed like the little girl that was caught by the Cyclops; He will die before letting than happen. Never again.

-(o)-

AN: If you can, please Favorite, Follow, and Review this story, I would appreciate it. I like constructive feedback. Also, as our main character is going to pull loot from any fictional universe out there, you, the readers, can suggest something for him to get as a loot drop! EX: He kills a robot, and gets a lightsaber. Just leave the idea in the reviews, in this format:

Item name

Item description (What it looks like, powers, in game description etc.)

Suggested Item Stats (I reserve the right to change any part of this I want, got to keep my game balanced)

In addition, you can also leave an OC, using a similar format to above:

OC name

OC description (What they look like, powers, in game description etc.)

Suggested OC Stats (I still reserve the right to change any part of this I want, got to keep my game balanced)

If I choose your OC or item, you will be mentioned at the start of the chapter your item/OC debuts. Do it for the recognition, everyone!

I am going to see if I can get the next chapter this Sunday, but if not, it will be next Sunday. See you then!