Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Percy should have known, something that went smoothly never lasted long, including his holidays.

Yes, that's right. He's on holiday. Two years after the Titan War, struggling to finish high school and had nightmares from PTSD. Percy and his girlfriend decide to go on vacation. They decide to go on separate holidays – just for a week – can't be apart for much longer than that. Annabeth went on an architecture tour to Italy, and Percy – based on a random country Estella had pointed out – went to Korea. He even threatened persuade his uncle to let him board the plane.

Everything went smoothly—too smooth, in fact, Percy felt strange, but he didn't mind it. He needs time off, you know? After working (fighting) for years. Now, he's leaning against the subway door, reading the Korean Holiday Guide by Fabolous Hermes . The train entered the tunnel, shook a bit, and suddenly braked. Percy gripped the pole to steady himself, looking around.

"Shit." He cursed.

Several people fell over, muttering in Korean. He caught himself as he looked around, the train speakers were announcing something he didn't understand. Suddenly, a bright light blinded him for a moment. Why do Korean subways have lights this bright?

[Free service for planetary system 8612 canceled] A voice boomed in his head, a mix of Greek and English. What the hell is that? Isn't this called a violation of privacy?! [The main scenario starts now.]

Percy looked up when something appeared. Is that teddy bear?! Why is there a teddy bear with two horns floating around on a subway train? His instincts told him to call it a monster. But he refuses to call something that looks like one of Estelle's dolls a monster, it's insulting – to her sister's doll.

“Um... Check..check. Did you guys hear me?” Teddy's broken voice spread throughout the subway, like a test run of Leo's radio. “This multi-language patch is newly added. Are you all listening to me?”

People gathered in front of Teddy. They seemed to be complaining about something, judging by their annoyed expressions. Everyone had the same expression, except for one office guy. His expression was serious, looking at the phone in his hand. He continued to whisper something to the female colleague beside him.

His gaze fell on one more person. A boy, frozen by hugging a box containing grasshoppers. It reminded him of the little kids at the half-blood camp. Where are the parents looking after the boy?

“Oh, you have an audition?” Teddy laughed, crossing his arms with a flourish. “I guess I didn't do enough research. They say the more people will go along if the service starts at 7 p.m.!”

Teddy's arguments with people are getting heated. He wanted to roll his eyes, did these people not have the situational awareness to argue with something that shouldn't exist? Percy walked closer to the boy, and their eyes met. He smiled reassuringly at him.

“You guys are so noisy!” Teddy shook his head, clearly annoyed. "Can you all – " His voice grew weaker, Percy clutched the riptide in his pouch - survival instinct

“Be quiet!”

After that, chaos happened. People's heads exploded, blood and brains splattered onto the ceiling. Percy immediately hugged the child, who looked at him with wide eyes, they backed towards the carriage door. Everyone froze silently, except for the teddy bear, who was laughing psychopathically at the scene in front of him.

Great, now this teddy bear can blow people's heads off.

“You guys have been breathing freely all this time! Eat every day, live comfortably, and reproduce without paying anything! You guys live comfortably and happily! But is it free? Hahaha, nothing is free in the world! That life ends, and you have to pay for it!”

Hearing the words lively and comfortable in one sentence, he did something he shouldn't have done, but he couldn't help it. ADHD remember? Percy burst out laughing, his laughter filling the silent carriage. Simultaneously, all heads turned towards him and Teddy glared at him with his red eyes. Percy bent down, catching his breath.

“Sorry, I'm sorry. Just continue what you wanna say."

Luckily, another office guy steps up to talk, offering something—is it money? How did he think money could be spent on a creature that blew off a human's head!? And it seems Teddy is also thinking the same thing. He chuckles, saying something, and the money burns in the office man's hand.

“I've wasted a lot of time on this useless chatter! How do we make it more interesting? You guys having to make your own money sounds more exciting, right?”

[Channel #BI-7623 has been opened.]

[Humans can now access it.]

Percy's eyes widened as he saw the blue screen in front of him. Is it some kind of hologram?

[Main Scenario #1]

[Prove Your Worth]

[Kill one or more live beings]

Wait, wait, is this some kind of quest?? Is that like giving quests in a modern way? Hell, if it had been, Percy would have chosen this over dusty skeletons and scary smoke—no offense, Rachel. Suddenly he felt movement, looking down, he saw the child he had been hugging. The boy looked around him in fear and confusion.

Percy knelt to be at his heigh. "Hi!" He waved, looking eye to eye at the boy. Cursing at the language difference, he prayed that the child would at least understand what he was saying. “Name” he pointed to himself “Percy” Then he pointed at the child, with a questioning look.

The boy's eyes widened, thankfully, he seemed to understand. "Lee Gilyoung" he said slowly, greeted by Percy's big smile. Suddenly, his eyes turned to the box in Gilyong's arms. Wait, he realized something.

Kill one or more living creatures, not humans being.

Percy pointed at the grasshopper box, and Gilyoung looked at him confused. Percy pointed at the box again and made a '1' with his finger. Gilyoung seemed to understand as he opened the box and let Percy take one grasshopper, put it in his hand, and hold it. Percy did the same with Gilyoung, who complied.

"Wait.” He made a waiting gesture with his hands. Gilyoung nodded, holding the grasshopper tightly in his hands. Percy stood back up, looking around. It seems like Teddy is annoyed because no murder has been committed yet, and he opens a new hologram. The girls were younger than him, obviously at school. A bloody mess is the only thing that can be described in the video. Children's heads explode, screams, and it all ends when only one girl survives.

Everyone seemed to think the same, they had pale faces and expressions of shocked disbelief. Everyone was shaking, looking nauseous. Except for someone, the same person who had been glancing at his phone for a long time. Now the man was glaring at his phone. Is there a hint of the future or something like that?

The atmosphere in the carriage became increasingly chaotic. Percy cursed inwardly, was peace a taboo word in his life? Then, in the corner of his eye, he saw a white-haired teenager – very strangely punching an old woman, followed by many others. When he was about to step forward to help, his steps were stopped by someone in front of him.

The office man stared at him for a second, before kneeling in front of Ginyoung. He pointed at the grasshopper box and said something. Percy didn't understand what was said, but he seemed to have the same idea as Percy. Gilyoung froze, then looked up at Percy. Percy just nodded, followed by Gilyoung, who handed him the box.

The man nodded at Percy, turned around, and shouted something dramatically. His action attracted everyone on the train. He spoke again and then threw the box. When the box broke, grasshoppers flew out. The atmosphere was tense for a moment before finally, everyone ran to catch the flying grasshoppers. Wow, this guy knows what he's doing, especially with his suspicious smile.

Like he know what was happening now.

Percy decided maybe it was time he did his part. He patted Gilyoung's shoulder as he looked at him, kneeling. He hoped Gilyoung understood his direction. He held the grasshopper tightly in his hand, feeling it crunch in his hand.

[You have killed a live being!]

[You got 100 coins] 

If killing a human also gets 100 coins too, Percy needs to kick whoever made this damn game system. Looking at Gilyoung, he seemed to follow his lead as well. He saw in his hand a dead grasshopper. His body shook before he wrapped his arms around Percy's legs. Of course, children should not kill any living creatures.

When he stood up, he saw that the man and teenager were already involved in a fight. His eyes widened, since when did a human's punch have such a colored smoke effect? The man dodged all the blows easily, but his eyes were looking away. It's like you're seeing something you can't see. Wait, really? Why would a student carry a knife in his pocket?!

“Gilyoung, don't move.”

Not waiting for an answer from Gilyoung, he headed towards the two people. Just then, the teenager thrust the knife at the office man, who was not stabbed at all. It made no sense at all – but Percy's entire life consisted of insanity, he wasn't going to comment on that.

“Hey, Asshole!”

The two stopped fighting, looking at him. The teenager looked like he was going to say something, but Percy didn't waste any time. He pulled the hand holding the knife, twisted it, and kicked his knee. They were making him fall to his knees, with Percy still holding his hands behind his back. The knife fell and Percy kicked it. The man took a few steps back, seemingly shocked by Percy's action.

“How dare you with the older!” Percy gripped his hand tighter. Both of them looked at him shocked because he spoke English.

The teenager was mumbling about something, which Percy clearly didn't understand. “Shut up, Bitch!” Percy hit the back of his neck, causing him to fall to his knees, losing consciousness.

“Kids nowadays.” He sighed, kneeling and picking up the knife.

Turning around, the man looked at him with a curious look. Percy didn't know how to explain it, but the man seemed to be sizing him up. Then he jerked back as if shocked by what he saw. He opened his mouth and said something Percy didn't understand. 

Percy just shook his head with a soft smile. "I'm sorry."

“Inggrisu?” he asked.

Percy nodded, then his eyes shifted to the mission timer, showing the final seconds. He cursed a little, running over to Gilyoung, who was standing near the door. Just in time to close his eyes when the timer runs out and people's heads explode. He averted his gaze, feeling a splash of blood hit him.

[Main Scenario #1 has Ended]

[You got 300 coins]

He wouldn't be able to save everyone, no matter how hard Percy tried.

Percy sighed, rubbing his face. Feeling annoyed and tired, seeing headless corpses. He felt like this was all just the beginning, and his first thought was to strangle whoever kept him trapped here. Looking around, three people survived besides him and Ginyoung. The man was with his female colleague and the person who had introduced himself as a soldier. Ginyoung had stopped shaking but didn't let go of Percy's leg.

"Damn, of all the ways to kill people, why do you have to blow head off?"

[Several constellations are interested in your opinion]

[You have been sponsored 300 koins]

Constellations? Now what the heck is this? He had seen a blue screen like in the game that his mortal friends had talked about a lot, just now there was a 'quest' to kill. Is this section a comment? He frowned, glaring at the notification in front of him.

Suddenly, the train slowly moved again, and the first thing he saw was a fighter plane shooting at a giant sea snake. Which was very similar to the sea serpent guardians of Atlantis, who often joked that Percy would make a delicious snack—Percy never knew if they were joking or being honest about it.

"Oh, wow, incredible!"

Percy glanced at Teddy, who appeared again with a wide grin. Witnessing the remains of the bloody massacre on the train. Small sparkles could be seen above his head.

“Amazing! What are you doing here? Quite a high number of survivors too!”

Percy rolled his eyes, did he expect no survivors?

“To be honest, I expected all of you would die here! But it turns out you have proven yourself worthy of salvation! And also,” He glanced at the sparkles flying above him. “You guys are definitely doing something here. Fabulous! The audience here exceeds all other channels!”

He laughed as if he had found something amusing. “Thank you, thank you for your sponsorship, dear constellations! Don't forget to watch this channel for more interesting action in the next scenario!”

Percy’s eyes twitched when heard that. Channel ? Watching? Shit, all of this is basically a game with live streaming and commentators.

“Now, after completing the scenario and giving a good performance, shouldn't you be rewarded?” Teddy said. “For the first prize, you are entitled to the support of the ‘constellation’!”

Huh? What's that?

“Hmmm, why aren't you impressed by that?”

Why does Percy have to be impressed with, what is that again – constellation?

“Hear this, allow me to explain. All of you are ridiculously weak right now. Even earth rathounds can kill you easily.” Teddy explained. “But thankfully, there are some great beings who will sponsor you!"

Excuse me? Percy has become the Lord of the bathroom and is fighting with the earth itself. Being called weak by something furry was an insult. And the 'some great beings' that Percy knew were nothing more than a collection of spoiled 'people' with emotions like puberty teenagers.

The person who had introduced himself as a soldier raised his hand, saying something. It seems like he's asking from his expression.

“Hmm, it seems you guys don't understand. I'd better just show it straight away."

Teddy snapped his fingers, and the blue screen appeared in front of Percy again.

[Sponsor Selection]

• Please choose your sponsor
• The Selected constellation will become a reliable sponsor

1. Hunter in the Star
2. Almighty Sun
3. Spear that Parts the Boundaries of the Sea
4. The King who protect

Percy glared at the screen in front of him. What's the heck with this title? Wait, if this whole apocalypse is equipped with game-like screens, coin prizes, and comment notifications. Is this the audience part? Is 'sponsor' like a 'special subscriber' or something like that? If these 'some great beings' were the same as the ones Percy knew, did this title mean what Percy thought?

Hunter in the stars. There was only one person Percy knew with that name. “Zoe? Is that you?”

[Hunter in the Star smiled kindly with your greeting]

Percy smiled in satisfaction, turning to his second title. And he rolled his eyes, only one god would have sky-high credentials with a name like that. A god Percy was very familiar with, one that just a week ago had promised and bet that nothing would happen during his vacation.

“Really Apollo? You promise nothing happened on my vacation!”

[Almighty Sun claps his hands happily, then apologizes]

[Almighty Sun says he forgot about this special event]

“What?? Special Event?? Since when did the apocalypse become a special event?”

[Almighty Sun says 'ehe' :) ]

Damn, Percy wanted to come to the god and kick his ass. Suddenly he remembered the bet he and Apollo made. His smile widened. “Do you remember about our bet Apollo? You lose. Pay it"

[Almighty Sun whined in annoyance]

[You have been sponsored 1000 coins]

[Spear that Parts the Boundaries of the Sea praise your action]

Percy stared at the third title. Is that Jesus? Or Moses? As far as he remembers, that person was the one who parted the sea. But why is he here? Percy wasn't a devout Christian – his sea fam often got upset when he mentioned it. Wait, when it comes to spears and the sea is he -.

“Dad? Since when did your Trident split the sea ?”

[Spear that Parts the Boundaries of the Sea is glad you recognized him]

[Spear that Parts the Boundaries of the Sea says he can't change that title]

“You're lucky I remember you, I thought you were Jesus, you know!”

[Spear that Parts the Boundaries of the Sea annoyed with your words]

[The King who Protect amused with your behavior]

Percy's eyes widened at the last title. If it was the same as the previous three, this should be someone he knew. But Percy would never put the words Zeus and protector together in one sentence. He racked his brain, trying to remember who else could be related to that title. Suddenly he remembered one name –

“Horus?”

[The King who Protects nods with your greeting]

[Spear that Parts the Boundaries of the Sea shocks you know about him]

“Oh, Happy to see you! How's Carter? Is he okay?”

[The King who Protect says Carter is fine]

[Almighty Sun is annoyed why you act polite with another god]

[Spear that Parts the Boundaries of the Sea ask how do you know about Horus]

Percy froze. “Eh, it's …… friend?” For the past two years, Percy has had a strange relationship with Carter and Magnus. They sometimes met, exchanged complaints about they world and their gods, and then dispersed as if the meeting had never happened. It's like a kind of support group for the gods' minions – they need it, okay? Who else would they share such things with?

[Spear that Parts the Boundaries of the Sea says they will discuss more about this when you return]

“Yes, yes of course if I'm still alive.”

[Spear that Parts the Boundaries of the Sea doesn't like what you said]

Percy rolled his eyes at his father's response. Continuing to stare at the blue screen in front of him. Is this sponsorship binding? Percy didn't like being tied down to anyone, not even his father. Would he have been able to get through all this without sponsors? Well, it sounds easy.

“Sorry guys, but I think I'll do all this myself. It seems more exciting, you know?”

[The Hunter in the Stars laughs at your response]

[The King who Protect praises your bravery]

[Spear that Parts the Boundaries of the Sea sighs tiredly]

[The Sponsor Selection has ended]

[You have sponsored 500 coins]

Percy stared at the incoming coins. Looks like these coins will be very useful later. Otherwise, why are there coins in the apocalypse? Can he get more coins? Suddenly a crazy idea appeared in his head. “Dad, do you know about child support?”

[Spear that Parts the Boundaries of the Sea looks at him confused and nods]

“Well, you know how you left me and Mom for years and never gave her that?” Percy smiled widely. "You realize that is your obligation as my father, right?"

[Spear that Parts the Boundaries of the Sea looks at you suspiciously]

“I want you to pay the child support. Starting from now."

[Some constellations are shocked by your courage]

[Spear that Parts the Boundaries of the Sea said since when did you become so cunning]

Percy raised an eyebrow, the smile not leaving his face. "Cunning? Me? I only remand you with your responsibility."

He shrugged his shoulders and hands dramatically. "Well, if you don't want to, that's fine. I can tell Mom –”

[Spear that Parts the Boundaries of the Sea laughs and agrees to your request]

[You have sponsored 5000 coins]

Percy smiled smugly. When else would he be able to blackmail his father like this?

“Are you guys finished?” Suddenly Teddy's voice came again. “Oh, how interesting! There are two people with the same decision”

The mixed Korean-English-Greek voice sounded again. Percy then realized he didn't understand Korean at all. How the hell can he communicate? Especially the office man with his phone who kept glancing at him curiously since earlier. Damn, it wouldn't be funny if Percy died just because he said something wrong. Wait, can't the teddy bear speak multiple languages at once?

"Dad, you will always support me, right?"

[Spear that Parts the Boundaries of the Sea nods]

“Well, I hope you do it from now on.”

[Some constellations are interested in what you are doing]

“Hey! Teddy Bear!" Percy exclaimed, walking towards the hovering teddy looking at him in shock and suspicion.

"Did you call me?" Teddy glared at him with red eyes, clearly trying to intimidate him.

Percy rolled his eyes, he had seen the definition of hell. Psychopathic dolls are not on the list of things he is afraid of. "Yes, you. Who else?"

“How dare you! Do you know what I can do?”

“Yeah, blow my head, or my body... blablabla. Just do it!”

Teddy grinned widely, his eyes sparkling red. "I don't know if you are stupid or brave."

Percy grinned widely, mocking the creature in front of him. “Let's just say I like challenges. So, are you going to kill me or not?"

“Hahahah, this is going to be so much fun! I'll blow your hand off and then-” Suddenly teddy stopped talking, and he froze. “wait – no, what do you mean? Why would I – yes, of course –”

Percy's grin widened when he saw teddy stammering his words. Take turns glaring at him or looking up at the stars spinning above his head. It looks like his father kept his promise. After all this was over, maybe he should visit Atlantis and stay overnight to please his father.

Suddenly, Teddy snorted loudly, glaring at Percy. "You're so lucky, constellation doesn't want you to die, well, maybe just for today." He finished his words while smiling broadly.

“Good, I'm always lucky you know. There's something I want after all." Percy without hesitation, immediately stretched out his hand. Putting it where the creature's neck should be and strangling it.

“Wait – wait this is a violation!” Teddy struggled violently in Percy's grasp, emitting heat. But as a son of Poseidon, Percy's heat tolerance was high, so it didn't bother him.

“What violation? You haven't even given us any rules.” Percy said cheerfully, shaking his grip. "Earlier, you mentioned something about multi-language patch, right? Give it to me."

Teddy looked at him with a sinister smile. “Huh? How dare you want something like that. Nope, you can't."

Percy grinned widely, tightening his grip on his hand even more, strangling her. Teddy's face turned red, and his voice choked.

"I will kill you! This is a serious violation!”

Percy burst out laughing with a grin. He threw the teddy so that it bounced into the train door. Walking towards him, he grabbed the teddy's legs and swung them violently up and down – just like Estelle did with her teddy when she was angry.

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH”

“NOO…. STOP IT….. YOU ASHOLLE…STOP!!!!!”

In the corner of his eye, he could see the other three people looking at him palely. The office man's eyes even looked like they were going to pop out from seeing the scene in front of him. But Percy doesn't care, he needs entertainment, okay? His vacation plans had been ruined.

“Okay, I will agree…. Wait, Stop!!!” Teddy screamed, begging, very different from the psychopathic Teddy who blew people's heads off.

Percy stopped his swing but didn't let go. He gripped the cloth Teddy was wearing. "Well, hurry up,I'm waiting."

Teddy coughed for a moment before his evil smile appeared again. “Hahahah, you think I'm stupid? You can't get it for free. You have to buy it!”

"Hah? How much?”

“Because I am kind, I will give you a cheap price. 100,000 coins! Am I not the kind Dokkebi?” Teddy laughed out loud at his own words. He continues his speech by saying Percy, as no poor incarnation wouldn't be able to afford it and he would have fun killing him.

Wait, what??!

It wasn't even an offer! That's the definition of blackmail, damn Teddy! Percy felt his eye twitch as he glared at the creature. Shit, he only has 6.900 coins. Should he take on debt? Is there a debt system here?

[Spear that Parts the Boundaries of the Sea says it will buy you a Multi-Language Translation System]

His smile widened. Love you Dad.

[Spear that Parts the Boundaries of the Sea smiles happily]

[Several constellations are shocked to see the scene that occurred]

“DONE”

“Huh, what does – Wait – How can you?! How could he buy you something this expensive?” Teddy shouted in surprise. His face showed an expression of confusion and disbelief.

Percy smiled smugly. He looked at the blue screen that appeared on him.

[Multi-Language Translation System Patch no 3.8]

[Activated?]

Percy let go of Teddy's leg, who immediately flew away. Activating the Multi-Language Translation System, he felt a warm feeling spread across his throat for a few seconds before disappearing. He cleared his throat a few times and tried his voice. "Did it work?"

[Almighty Sun nods in agreement]

[Master of the Skywalk says his voice has changed]

"Good, good," Percy said cheerfully, his voice still sounding the same to his ears. Hopefully, it's different if others listen. Staring at the new title from the notification that appeared, was there another new god watching it? Lifting his head, he saw Teddy glaring at him suspiciously.

"Who are you? How dare you act like that with the constellations?” His voice was finally serious. Teddy hovered keeping his distance from Percy. It seemed like he was afraid of whatever his family said.

[Abyssal Black Flame Dragon finds you entertaining]

[You have been sponsored 300 coins]

"Let's just say I have privileges here"

Next

"Can I open my own private channel? If they want to join and watch me they have to pay a fee."

"You what!?"

"Hmm, yeah. I think around 5000 coins."

Chapter Text

Kim Dokja was confused.

No, he wasn’t confused when he saw a furry creature – dokkebi – appear and blow people’s heads off. He wasn’t confused when there was a blue screen telling him to kill living things. He wasn’t confused when everything that happened matched his favorite web novel, Three Ways to Survive in a Ruined World.

Kim Dokja was confused because of a man.

At first, he didn’t realize it, too focused on all the events. Everything matched what he had read for the past 10 years. The chaos in the subway, the appearance of Dokkabi, and the presence of a mission to kill living things. His attention was only diverted when he asked for a box containing grasshoppers that a child was holding in front of him.

The man behind him didn’t look Korean at all, was he a tourist? But he didn’t think much of it. He used the box to lure other passengers. Chaos broke out inside the train, with passengers fighting each other to get the grasshoppers. He just stood there and watched the chaos he created.

His fight with Kim Naewoon didn’t even last long. The tourist man stopped their fight easily. Defeating Kim Naewoon with just a few moves and ending with a punch to his neck. He was very skilled in fighting. A soldier? Or a martial artist?

His attention was diverted again to the man during the sponsor selection. Throughout the selection, he was always talking to himself. But Dokja knew better. He was talking to the sponsors, casually. How could he chat so calmly like that? Dokja didn't need to understand English to know that he was annoyed by whatever was being said.

Then he did something completely unexpected.
He called the dokkabi 'Teddy Bear'

Dokja could only be silent as the man strangled the dokkabi. Next to him, Yoo Sanggah let out a small scream. The man and the dokkabi argued in English for a while. He then threw the dokkabi into the train door and swung it like a child playing with his doll.

Really? Yo Jonghyuk had never even bothered the dokkabi even once in all his regressions. But this man did it without fear. Who was he?

Their argument finally ended when the man let go of his dokkabi and coughed for a moment. He turned and walked towards Kim Dokja and the others. When he stopped in front of Dokja, he finally got a good look at the man.

He froze

He was a Protagonist. Dokja was sure about it. He was at least as tall as Yoo Jonghyuk, his body built with sun-kissed skin.  His appearance was reminiscent of a surfer that Dokja had often seen. His hair was black, with a few strands of gray—genetics maybe? Messy in a way that made him look attractive.However, what truly captivated Dokja were his eyes. They were green, bright green like the ocean. They sparkled as he smiled at them.

Three Ways to Survive in a Ruined World"had never provided such detailed descriptions of eyes, but Dokja was convinced that the eyes of the person before him were no ordinary eyes. The whole aura of his presence exuded the essence of a strong protagonist.

“Hi!” He smiled nervously. “I didn’t scare you guys, did I?”

Next to Dokja, Yoo Sangah smiled. “We’re fine, don’t worry. You don’t look like you’re from here. Foreign student?”

“Oh no, no. I just came for a vacation, I’m from America. Percy Jackson, call me Percy.”

Doesn’t he not speak Korean? He was sure, that when he spoke earlier he used English. But now Percy spoke Korean well—very well—even though his native accent could still be heard when he spoke.

“Oh, let me introduce myself, I’m Yoo Sangah.” Yoo Sangah extended her hand, which was greeted with a handshake by Percy.

“Kim Dokja,” he introduced herself, nodding slightly.

Lee Hyungsung approached them, then bowed slightly. “Hello. I’m Lee Hyunsung, as I said earlier, I’m a soldier.” He said, shaking Dokja's hand. His grip was strong, truly a soldier.

“I'd like to say it's nice to meet you all, but yeah, this all sucks.” He smiled mischievously. He then turned his head and looked at the kid who had been carrying the grasshopper standing at his feet.

“Hello, are you okay?” He kneeled and greeted him. “What’s your name?”

The boy looked up at him. “I’m… Lee Gilyoung.”

“Lee Gilyoung? Can I call you Gilyoung?” Percy asked, a reassuring smile still plastered on his face. It was strange how he still looked so calm.

Lee Gilyoung gave a small nod.

“Gilyoung, you were so brave earlier,” Percy said, then did something strange. He hugged Gilyoung. The boy froze in his arms before Percy finally let go. He opened his backpack and took out something.

Chocolate?

Percy held out the chocolate to Lee Gilyoung. “Well, I didn’t bring much, but do you want some?”

In front of him, Lee Gilyoung looked at Percy with shining eyes. He took the chocolate and held it tightly. Percy looked happy, he stood up and ruffled the boy’s hair. Lee Gilyoung got closer to Percy and grabbed the hem of his jacket. Percy didn’t seem to mind at all.

It was strange. Why didn’t he look shocked or scared at all? Three Ways to Survive in a Ruined World never mentioned Percy in the 10 years he had been reading. But someone with Percy’s aura should be in the story. He even dared to torture a dokkabi, which he didn’t even know the consequences of. Who was Percy? Could Dokja see Percy’s Character Identification using his skill?

There’s no harm in trying, right?

[Your level is too low to access this person’s ‘Character Identification’]

Dokja’s eyes widened. What—How? How is that possible? He could see Kim Naewoon’s character with his skill, but why couldn’t Percy? And what’s with Dokja’s level being so low? Aren’t they still at the beginning of the story, which means they’re on the same level?

“Dokja-ssi, are you okay?” Beside him, Yoo Sangah asked. He was jolted out of his thoughts.

“Don’t worry, Sangah-ssi, I just...“

BANG!

They all turned their heads at the same time. Shit, how could he forget that? How could Dokja forget about the main protagonist of this story? Yoo Jonghyuk, who was in car 3707. What would happen if Yoo Jonghyuk met Percy Jackson?

Is it possible to have two protagonists in one story?

Damn, there’s no time to think about that.

“We have to get out of this place now.” He said looking at the others. “Otherwise, we won't survive before the next scenario starts.”

"Dokja-ssi, are you sure? We don’t know if that person is an enemy or not.” Lee Hyungsung asked.

He was about to answer when Percy interrupted him. “Dokja is right. Whoever that person is, they must have killed someone and it’s not a good idea to stay in a small room like this.”

Yoo Sangah and Le Hyungsung finally understood the worry that was happening as they immediately moved to check all the subway doors. Kim Dokja approached Percy and conveyed his suspicions from earlier.

“Are you crazy? Looking for trouble with the dokkabi?”

“Huh, what?”

“That furry creature. Didn’t you see him blow people's heads?”

In front of him, Percy didn’t look worried at all. “Well, I’m safe now, right?”

Kim Dokja rarely gets annoyed, but it looks like Percy will test his patience in the future.

“Guys!” Lee Hyungsung suddenly shouted, referring to one of the doors that was slightly open. “We can get out of here, but I can’t open the door!”

They gathered in front of the door. Dokja activated the ‘character list’ skill and looked at Lee Hyungsung. Thankfully, his sponsor and attributes were still the same with the novel.
“Hyunsung-ssi, please use – “

CRASH!

In front of them, the subway door had opened wide. The metal door had been torn apart with fragments scattered. Percy was in the middle of it, looking at the door with a satisfied look.

What? He’s also… that strong?

“Woahhh, Percy-ssi, you’re so strong.”

“Just Percy is fine, Hyunsung. I just like working out.” Percy said, pulling Lee Gilyoung’s hand and getting out of the subway. “Hurry up, I don’t want to face whoever that is.”

Damn, Dokja didn’t have time to think about anything. The door that would connect cars 3707 and 3708 was about to be destroyed, and he didn’t want to meet the main character of this story yet. He and Sangah ran behind the three of them, along the bridge. The situation outside was chaotic, buildings were burning,

“Run!!”

“Geez, I Knew this would happen.”

In front of them, the dokkabi appeared again. Hovering with an annoyed face.

“Didn’t I say, not to go anywhere?” The dokkabi grumbled, “The preparations for the next one aren’t even –“

“Wow man, you’re not giving us a break, huh.” Percy taunted. Dokja couldn’t see his expression, but he was sure the man in front of him was grinning fearlessly.

“Heh, I guess there’s no other choice.” He snapped his fingers. “Good luck to you guys.”

[Sub Scenario – Escape]

[Cross the Broken Bridge and Reach Oksu Station]

“Dokja-ssi.” Yoo Sangah asked. “It says ‘broken bridge’ here, but the bridge in front isn’t broken.”

“Don’t think about it, just run!”

They got off the train too fast. In the novel, it was clear that the bridge had collapsed. Which meant the bridge was definitely going to collapse. Would they be able to reach the end of the bridge in time?

“Dokja-ssi, step back!!!”

He flinched as Yoo Sangah pulled his hand back. In front of them, a giant snake emerged from the river and tore the bridge apart. Rocks turned to ash, flying all around them. Percy was in front of him, having just jumped back, looking at the broken bridge in front of him.

“Well, shit,” Percy said.

Dokja couldn’t help but agree. The bridge had been severed. Across from them, Lee Hyungsung and Lee Gilyoung were shouting something, but nothing was heard.

[Someone has received the constellation blessing]

[Deus Ex Machina has been activated]

“What?”

“Dokja-ssi, is this in my head?” Yoo Sangah’s trembling voice caught his attention.

Was Yoo Sangah’s sponsor interfering in this scenario? This rarely happens, even in novels. Who was the sponsor? Dokja should have been able to see his sponsor with his skills.

[This person isn't listed in the character list]

He couldn't see his sponsor with his skills? Did he have a special sponsor? This is just like Percy. But why was the notification text different?

“Only an even number of people? What the fuck is this condition?” Percy cursed next to him.

“You guys cross first,” Dokja said.

“And leave you here? Oh, no, thank you.” Percy scoffed and pointed at the bridge of light in front of them. "Both of you cross the road, I'll take care of those here."

“You’ll die if you stay here!” he shouted. “I have a plan, so go.” He didn’t have a plan, not yet, let alone to meet Yoo Jonghyuk. But that was a problem for later.

“Use your plan to save Yoo Sangah and the others. Besides,” Percy grinned. “Surviving chaos is my specialty.”

What? What did he mean by that?

“You guys! Hurry up! This bridge won’t last long!” Yoo Sangah shouted worriedly.

"Hush, just go.” Percy pushed him toward Yoo Sangah. “You don’t want to fall in the middle when the bridge disappears.”

“Percy,” Yo Sangah grabbed both of his hands. “Don’t die. We’ll try to save you.”

Dokja didn’t want to move, but somehow there was a part of him that was sure that Percy would survive. He pulled Yoo Sangah’s hand as they ran across the bridge. He didn’t understand anything about Percy. But there was one thing he did know. Percy is going to be an important person in this story.

Percy stared at Kim Dokja and Yoo Sangah running across the bridge of light. Honestly, it's such a cliché—a bridge of light—but it helps somehow. Except for the rule of having to cross evenly, but Percy wouldn't say anything. It seemed like the gods needed some interesting entertainment.

Percy was worried about Lee Gilyoung, but he was sure the others could protect him. Right now he had to focus on himself.

“DIRTY. DISGUSTING” A voice rang in his ears again. “CLEAN UP! SON OF THE SEA"

Does he have to be a cleaning service for these annoying snakes in the middle of the apocalypse?

Sighing, he turned around, seeing a group of zombies coming towards him, most of them headless. How did these zombies bite? Were they going to beat him to death?

Are there zombies in Greek mythology? The thought suddenly crossed his mind. He had fought all sorts of monsters, but never anything like zombies.

“Dad, are there zombies in Greek monsters? I know I’m not an expert at remembering, but—shit—“

His questioning was cut short when a white-haired teenage zombie charged at him. He easily dodged it. Grabbing the zombie’s arm, kicking its leg, Percy threw his body like a javelin and slammed into other zombies. He easily dodged and kicked the zombies that came his way.

[Spear that Parts the Boundaries of the Sea says you should pay attention to your surroundings]

“You’re eight years too late to lecture me about this.” Percy rolled his eyes.

Regarding zombies, a question popped into his head. Zombies were supposed to attack humans, right? But would they attack demigods? They weren’t technically humans—similar, but not. Would demigods survive a zombie outbreak that hit America? Wait, didn’t Magnus and Alex come back from the dead too? Would they even be considered zombies?

“You never planned on causing a zombie outbreak, did you?” He asked, not specifically to whom.

[Almighty Sun says your idea is very interesting.]

“No, forget it. Don’t ever do that.” He said, realizing something. “Wait, why – Oh..” Looking around, all the zombies were lying on the ground. Some tried to stand up again, but couldn’t because Percy had broken their legs. One tried to crawl but stopped when Percy kicked him with a small apology.

First lesson of the day, Percy would survive the zombie apocalypse.

“Well, did you guys like the show?” He asked with a smirk.

[The Master of the Skywalk whistles at your performance.]

[The King who Protect compliments your skills]

[Some constellations wonder how strong you are]

[You have sponsored 500 coins]

Percy rolled his eyes, looking around. His gaze stopped when he saw someone walking towards him. A man in a black coat, no, his entire outfit was black. Wow, even Nico himself wore more colors than this man. The man was the definition of a true emo. He walked down the bridge, his coat billowing behind him. It was strange because there was no wind at all on the bridge.

And, its that.....chocker?

Yeah, Nico will be bestfriend with this guy.

He stopped in front of Percy, furrowing his brows. But Percy’s gaze was drawn to the sword strapped to his waist. Is this guy some kind of game cosplayer?

They made eye contact, and Percy stared into his glowing yellow eyes.

“Who are you?”

“Uh, I’m…. Percy. Percy Jackson. Or Jackson Percy? How confusing.” Percy lowered his head, thinking about how he was going to introduce himself after this.

“Where’s Kim Naewoon?” He asked this time, glaring at Percy. It was as if Percy had made a big mistake by not being with this Kim Naewoon.

Oh, wow this guy is cold, he didn’t even greet Percy back. And who else is Kim Naewoon? And why is he wearing a long coat? Isn’t it summer now?

[Almighty Sun said he’s cold like his son’s boylfriend]

“Oh, shut up!”

“What?”

"Oh, sorry, I’m not talking to you.”

“You… talked to the constellations?”

“Hmm, yeah. They’re noisy, aren’t they?”

[Pure Hunter of the Moonlight hits her brother on the head]

[Pure Hunter of the Moonlight says don't mind them]

Percy rolled his eyes, used to the siblings' behavior. This new constellation must be Artemis. Looking back at the man, he was looking at Percy with the same look as Dokja, shocked and curious. Like Percy was something that couldn't be valued. Did these two not know any manners? Could they at least do that without being too obvious?

The man looked around, looking at the zombies lying around. When his gaze shifted back to Percy he mumbled something. Then he glared in annoyance, just like Dokja did when they were chatting on the train earlier.

"I will ask you again, who are you?"

"I already said it before, don't you hear that?" Percy looked at the man in front of him with a lazy grin. "And what's with that outfit, dude? You like some kind of game protagonist who – “

Percy didn’t get to finish his sentence as the man lunged forward with his arms outstretched. Not too fast for Percy, he easily ducked and kicked the man in the stomach, causing him to take a few steps back. The movement seemed to have caught him by surprise, as he looked at Percy with apprehension.

“You haven’t introduced yourself, and you’re already attacking me? Not cool man!!” He complained.

[Spear that Parts the Boundaries of the Sea says he’s trying to unlock your Character Identification]

"Wow, dude, you even tried to read my character identification? Without permission? That’s rude.” Percy taunted the man with a lazy smile.

The man stared at him with wide eyes. “How did you know that?”

“Well, I have my way,” Percy smirked.

The man glared at him, before doing something Percy didn’t expect. He drew his sword, which Percy knew from its glint was a real sword, not a cosplay toy sword. It should have awakened Percy’s fighting instincts that had come from fighting for years.

But looking at the way the man held the sword, all Percy wanted to do was lecture him on the basics of swordplay. He chuckled softly at the thought of this grown man, learning from a teenager.

“Why are you laughing!” He shouted as he swung his sword.

Percy dodged it easily, the sword swishing past his face. “You’re using too much energy in your swings, it’s going to wear you out fast.”

The man growled. He lunged forward with exaggerated anger.

“Watch your feet!”

Percy ducked, taking advantage of their difference in body proportions. He dodged to the side, circling behind him.

“Your right side is open!” he shouted, without hesitation launching a kick into the man’s right side, right into his stomach. Making him take a few steps back and gasp for air.

“What the hell are you doing?” The man glared at him through his black hair.

"Give you some advice." Percy raised an eyebrow. "Honestly, you’re doing pretty well, but I think you’re overdoing it. It's too energy-intensive if you need to fight for a long time. And fix your wrist position. It’ll hinder you if you need to slash backward.” He tapped his wrist. Entering ‘Percy’s Lecturer’ mode—as the Stoll brothers called it.

“As if you can use a sword.” The man said with a smirk.

Percy's eyebrow twitched ,this little brat. He took out his pen and uncapped it. Riptide appeared, comfortably heavy in his hand, gleaming in the night. Percy smiled smugly at the man in front of him, who was glaring at him with all his heart.

He lunged at him, surprising him. He parried it, Percy easily using his sword to push him away. The man parried Percy's sword. Percy ducked, aiming for the left side, quickly met by the other's sword. They continued to exchange blows, parrying each other. Percy had to give the man in front of him credit, for he knew what he was doing with his sword.

When he lunged at him for the umpteenth time, Percy dodged. He parried his sword, spun it around with Riptide, and drove it straight into his left shoulder. The fight ended with Riptide stopping at the man's neck and his sword at Percy's thigh. They were both panting. Their expressions now changed, looking at Percy curiously.

[Several Constellations compliment your fight]

“Did you like it?” Percy grinned looking at the ceiling. “Pay! The show wasn’t free!”

[Several constellations rolled their eyes in annoyance]

[You have been sponsored 1000 coins]

Percy nodded in satisfaction, looking back at the man in front of him.

“So, do you believe now?” Percy smiled sarcastically, hands on his hips.

The man sighed in annoyance. “Who were you again?”

“Percy, Percy Jackson. An American student with a hobby of swordsmanship.” He smiled and extended his hand.

“Yoo Jonghyuk….” Jonghyuk, who had just introduced himself, shook his hand.

“And???”

“And what?”

Perry groaned in annoyance "Yeah, I don’t know! Your hobby, maybe?”

Jonghyuk was silent for a moment. “My hobby….. playing games?” He said hesitantly, as if unsure of his answer.

Oh, did Percy find a gamer here? Hobby playing games and has good sword skills? Is he good at swordsmanship because of his experience in games? Wait, if this apocalypse has a system like a game, can the abilities in the game be used by the people who play it? That makes sense, Percy nodded, pleased with the conclusion he made.

[Master of the Skywalk is curious about what you’re thinking]

“Shh, that privacy guy! You all can’t know what I’m always thinking.” Percy said.

Jonghyuk also looked at the notification floating in front of them, looking at him strangely, again. “How can you use a sword?”

“My Summer Camp has interesting choices for class, something about new sports, you know?” He reasoned. Of course, he couldn’t say he learned the sword to survive.

“Hmm, did you meet Kim Naewoon?”

Who else is this Kim Naewoon? Is he some kind of friend to Jonghyuk? Boyfriend?

“Is he your boyfriend or something? And how would I know about him? I just arrived in Korea four days ago.” He muttered annoyedly.

Jonghyuk’s expression changed to annoyance hearing his words. “Just… never mind. How did you survive?”

“I was lucky.” He answered shortly, shrugging.

…..
……
…..

“Alright, okay, okay. I killed a bug.” He answered after an awkward silence as Jonghyuk stared at him. Honestly, he also wanted to know what Jonghyuk did on the train. Did he kill people too? But it didn’t seem like the right thing to ask.

“Do you know where you’re going after this?” Jonghyuk asked as he sheathed his sword.

Percy looked around. The divine light bridge had disappeared, leaving both sides of the bridge cut off. The giant snakes were still moving so that the vibrations were felt at his feet. Honestly, Percy didn’t know where he was going all this time. The option of asking the gods was never on his list. So his best guess was probably exploring while waiting for the next ‘quest’ to appear.

He shrugged. “No idea. Maybe wander around? Looking for something interesting.”

“You can come with me. I know a few things that might help.”

Percy raised his eyebrows. Was this one of Mr. Gamer Man’s specialties? Knowing something that would happen in the future?

“If you insist.”

“I’m not forcing you. It's just a suggestion from me.” Jonghyuk replied in annoyance.

Percy chuckled. “No need to get mad, gamer man.” He frowned at Jonghyuk. “And honestly dude, I think you should change your coat. Imagine someone pulling that during a fight. Or tripping and falling.”

Percy grinned, spinning around intending to act out what it would be like if Jonghyuk tripped because of his coat. When his foot hit something and - .

“Wait, what the – AAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!”

Did he .....  fall?

Yoo Jonghyuk couldn’t understand what he had just witnessed.

He woke up in the subway as usual and slaughtered all the bosses. Everything happened exactly like his previous two lives. But when he went out to meet Kim Naewoon, he never found him. That had never happened in his previous two lives. Was there something different in his regression this time?

As he passed the bridge, his gaze stopped on a person who was fighting off zombies with ease. That caught his attention. Deciding to approach the man, he asked if he knew about Kim Naewoon, only to be met with a confused look from him.

He couldn’t even check the person’s Character Identification with his skill.

[Your level is too low to access this person’s ‘Character Identification’]

Who is he? Does this mean this person has a high level?

When the man mentioned the protagonist, it made Jonghyuk annoyed and immediately attacked him. But the man dodged it easily. Dodging here and there, even though they were almost the same height, the man moved more agilely. And every movement was accompanied by suggestions about his fighting style. Which was annoying.

Making Jonghyuk annoyed and ended up mocking him. How could someone advise about swordsmanship when he didn't even have a sword?

The man had a sword.

And he was very good at using it.

The man introduced himself as Percy. A student from America who had a hobby of swordsmanship. What a strange hobby. Do Americans have summer camps with sword-fighting options?

Percy wasn't afraid to talk to the constellations as if he knew them personally. He even dared to ask for coins after his fight with Jonghyuk. I found this very interesting.

Jonghyuk invited Percy to join him, considering his strength and abilities would be useful throughout their journey. Percy seemed like a good ally, and Jonghyuk couldn't pass up the opportunity to have him on their team

Percy then commented on his coat. What was wrong with the one he was wearing now? This coat was one of the items he got in his first life. He saw Percy spin around as if he was acting out someone pulling his coat.

Yoo Jonghyuk was too shocked to move as Percy tripped, and dove straight into the ichthyosaur’s mouth with a scream.

What? How could someone be so careless?

Jonghyuk looked down the bridge. He saw the snake that ate Percy still roaming around.

He couldn’t be dead, right?

He glanced at the coat he was wearing. Should he change his clothes?

[Spear that Parts the Boundaries of the Sea sighs for the umpteenth time]

[Almighty Sun laughs so hard that he falls off his chair]

[The King who Protects asks if you’re okay]

[Abyssal Black Flame Dragon wonders how someone as strong as you is so careless]

“Shut up… just shut up, all of you!”

His entire face was red. Never in his entire life—after the millions of embarrassing things he’s done—had he been this embarrassed.

How could he have tripped and fallen off the bridge!?

Now all he wanted to do was run to his room and hide under the Nemo blanket his mother gave him.

Thanks to the sword fight with Jonghyuk, he had unknowingly been pushed to the edge of the bridge. And Percy's stupid, pathetic brain didn't realize it. As he turned around, intended to act out the tripping incident. He tripped. Actually.  His foot hit some stupid iron, making him lose his balance, and he fell into the giant snakes. Snakes that had no manners, were dirty mouths, and loved to complain.

[Hunter in the Star says at least that entertaining]

“Zoe!” He groaned, covering his face with his hands. “Damn it, Thals will never stop teasing me if she finds out about this.”

If she and Nico knew how Percy tripped, fell, and ended up being eaten by a giant snake, he would never be able to look at them with a straight face again. He had never had a monster eat him in his entire life – Percy always killed them first – but now he was trapped inside a giant snake’s stomach with dead bodies and other things inside.

It’s never too late to try something new, right?

[Hearth of Empyrean Flame says you should be more careful]

His eyes widened at the notification that appeared. Hearth of Empyrean Flame
 Who is that? Thinking back to all of Annabeth’s history lectures. Empyrean..isn't that another name for heaven? Olympus? Heart? Flame? Percy realized something.

“Hestia?”

[Hearth of Empyrean Flame nods reassuringly]

[You have been sponsored 500 coins]

Percy smiled happily. If there was one god who could keep him sane, it would be his beloved aunt, Hestia.

“Hahh, can't I have a real holiday?” He groaned, closing his eyes for a moment.

“Oh, wow, you’re still alive!”

Percy opened his eyes, seeing Teddy hovering above him with an annoying smile.

“Hmmm….”

“Why aren’t you surprised?” Teddy asked in circles in front of his head. “You should have died, but you survived! Amazing!”

Percy had no intention of replying to his words. He was sprawled on the cement block, too tired to do anything.

“I'm going to deliver some good news!” He said. “You failed the quest! You’re going to die!” Teddy chuckled with a psychopathic laugh.

Since when was his death good news? But he didn’t say anything, the tastes of immortals were questionable.

"Go ahead"

“Huh, What?” Teddy stopped spinning. Tilting his head at Percy.

Percy glanced at him, “You said you'd kill me. Just do it.” He said, “I suggest you just do some torture, it’s more entertaining to watch, you know? Exploding heads? Not entertaining, too fast. Do something like drowning, or involving fire and –” he began to dictate all the torture ideas that all his enemies had been ranting about. Some were creative, others were pathetic.

[Spear that Parts the Boundaries of the Sea doesn’t like you talking about things like that.]

Percy rolled his eyes at his father’s response. Looking at Teddy, he seemed confused by what Percy had said. “Seriously? You don’t know the tastes of those people? How can you be a good host if you don't know your audience's tastes!”

“You! How dare you to say something like that!” Teddy shouted at him in annoyance. His fingers pointed at Percy like a 5th-grade teacher would when he always got the questions wrong.

“Forget it.” Percy sighed tiredly. “So what’s all this about? I’d appreciate it if you’d be so kind as to explain.”

Teddy glared at him. “Why would I do that?”

“I’ll pay for it.”

Teddy was speechless.

“5000 coins”

……
“7000 coins”

…….
“10,000 coins”

“You don’t even have that many coins!”

“Ohh, are you worried about me?” Percy grinned. “But don’t worry, I have some very generous sponsors!”

[Several constellations laugh at your response]
[You have been sponsored 5000 coins]

Percy smiled gratefully, yes, he still had some manners. Thanks for his mom.

“Okay, I agree!” Teddy grumbled. “Give me the coins first!”

A notification appeared in front of him.

[Give 10,000 coins to: Bihyung]

[Yes]        [No]

Is that creature Bihyung’s name?

Percy pressed yes.

So begins a long, enjoyable speech about something called the Star Stream. A broadcasting system was designed to relay its contents to the entire universe. The subscribers were ‘constellations’ and the actors were humans. Various challenges are given to the actors to add more entertainment. Teddy, or something called a dokkaebi, acts as a ‘streamer’ or intermediary who has a ‘channel’ to broadcast everything that happens.

Humans, or actors, are called incarnations. The missions given are scenarios, and each scenario can get different rewards or punishments up to death. Constellations, as far as he understands, are the gods and those equal to them. An incarnation can have one constellation to be a sponsor. That person will get support from the constellation of their choice.

Basically, all of this is a fucking game streaming, full of missions, NPC, and all the viewers who gave donations for more entertainment.

Great, really fucking great.

“I never knew you guys had such a fun entertainment system.” He said here, putting all the sarcasm into his words. He was now using Greek, hoping no one would understand their conversation. “You know, you should invite me over for some kind of movie night? I think it’s good for family bonding.”

[Spear that Parts the Boundaries of the Sea clears her throat, saying you don’t need to know something that could hurt you]

[Hearth of Empyrean Flam says she never liked this]

[Hunter in the Star didn’t even know this existed until now]

Percy didn’t say anything when he realized the other gods weren’t comment anything. He wasn’t oddly angry or upset, just more tired of being caught up in the mess again. His family, no matter how close he had become to them now, were still gods. An immortal being with the power and emotional turmoil of a teenager.

He rubbed his face, calming himself down. Damn, he missed Annabeth already. If she was there, Percy was sure she could get through anything that was blocking them both. Now they were separated, and Percy was already feeling very tired from losing half of his soul. She didn't get involved in this, right?

Looking at Teddy, who was still giving a speech about his experience in the Star Stream, he asked. "So what will I get?"

"What do you mean?"

"Shouldn't something like this have a reward if you finish it until the end? This is no different from a game, right?"

In front of him, Teddy remained silent. "You'll live." He answered after a while.

Percy rolled his eyes in annoyance, well that part didn't matter. "Besides that?"

Taddy was still silent, with a confused expression on her face. His small hands were folded on her chest, and he moved up and down in the air. Slowly a realization came to Percy's mind.

"Don't you dare to say, there's no end to this?"

"Hehehehehe," Teddy chuckled annoyingly. “There is no end, everything ends in death. HAHAHAHHAHA”

Percy groaned, really? Was this going to go on until when– when the audience got bored? How long? Weeks? Months? Years? At least humans had more sane entertainment options than those annoying gods. Couldn’t the gods have hobbies like… knitting, watching movies, or reading Japanese comics?! Percy knew that from his human friends.

But no! They only chose bloody entertainment! Another reason in the 100 annoying things about being a god.

Fuck Immortality.

Percy wasn’t even involved with the prophecy here. At least with the prophecy, he had a purpose. No need to run around America to complete those annoying missions. Never in his life would he think of thanking the Oracle.

I'm going to have to buy Rachel some new paint after this.

What would Annabeth do? Had she planned what she would do if she were here with Percy? Damn, Percy missed her. So much. If only he could talk to her. Wait, could he?

This ‘channel’ was for the gods, technically, they were demigods, right? Could he use the channel to communicate with his friends? But he didn’t want it to be an open channel like now, he wanted to have some privacy okay? Could he open his own channel?

Well, I'm curious," he began to ask. “Do you want to do business with me?”

“Huh?”

“Do you realize that because of me, your audience has increased? Isn’t that interesting?” Percy started to use his persuasive skills that had been honed for years.

“What do you want?” Teddy glared at him.

“Turn off the channel first.” He said,waving his hand at the floating notifications.

The notifications disappeared. Now it's just him and Teddy. He then asked in his serious voice, “Can I open my own channel?”

“What-what question is that?!” Teddy looked at him dumbfounded, glaring at him. “You’re just a lowly incarnation! There’s no way you can do that!”

Percy raised his eyebrows, smirking. It was fun to see the creature upset. “Oh, really? Don’t you remember about my—uhm—special sponsor? Do I need to remind you again?”

“You! Only the highest can open a channel! You’re just a lowly creature!” Teddy was really angry now; his face contorted in a very ugly way.

Percy stood up, pretending to brush his clothes. “Yeah, there should be several conditions if you want to open a channel. Would you be so kind as to see if I meet those requirements?

“Why should I?”

“Well, because I sure as hell, I fulfill all those requirements.”

Percy wasn’t sure at all. But if there was anything he had learned from all his adventures, it was that his acting skills were top-notch. He could fool Nyx, wouldn’t that be worthy of an Oscar?

Teddy was silent for a while. His eyes seemed to read something invisible. No one spoke for a few seconds. The silence ended when he gasped. His eyes glanced at Percy before looking back at the invisible screen. Percy tried to hide his smile. It seemed like he could open his own channel.

"Wait, do you fulfill all the requirements for creating a channel?!" Teddy shouted in disbelief. "How is that possible? You're just a weakling!"

“See? And I want you to manage it.” Percy said dramatically, pointing at Teddy. “Anyone who wants to join must pay coins! How about 5000 coins? Imagine! We’ll be rich!” he exclaimed with great enthusiasm. Glancing at Teddy, the dokkaebi seemed to be getting interested.

“That’s…. too expensive,” Teddy said for the first time in a nervous voice.

Too expensive? Percy didn’t care. If his life in this apocalypse was broadcast like some kind of entertainment comedy show, Percy would rob the gods until they were beggars. ‘Percy Day in Apocalypse’ would be the most expensive entertainment broadcast they ever knew.

“Don’t worry! I promise there will be a lot of interest." Percy assured Teddy. “For the distribution... how about 70:30? Of course, you get 70.”

Teddy stared at him with wide eyes. Percy continued his words. “Don't worry, you can still run this channel of yours. Just tell your viewers that my channel has, uhm, exclusive content.” He explained with a grin. “Doesn’t that sound like a promising business?”

Staring at Teddy, he seemed genuinely interested in Percy’s idea. Percy waited quietly, he was very confident in his idea. Wasn’t that a tempting offer? He even willingly gave 70% to Teddy. Isn't he a good person?

"Fine!" Teddy shouted. He flew closer to Percy, and now they both looked at each other. "75%, and I'll take care of all the requirements for creating a channel!

"Deal," Percy smiled widely. He already had his father for money. No need to worry about the income of his new channel.

"Okay, according to the waiting list, your channel will be ready in five days," Teddy said, satisfied.

"What the - Waiting list?!" He shouted in surprise. What the hell? Waiting list? Just to open a channel?

"Hey, we're a busy company, you know! You should be grateful that I expedited it. It usually takes months for that.” Teddy grumbled in annoyance.

Percy sighed. That's right, company, how could he forget that this is all just business? “Fine, I'll wait. Now open your channel. Those people must be waiting."

Teddy snapped his fingers, and instantly his vision was filled with blue notifications.

[Almighty Sun laughs curiously at what you are doing!]

[Hearth of Empyrean Flame is worried about what you are doing]

[Several constellations are curious about your actions]

“Alright guys, that was just a fun business talk. How about we get back to our main event?”

He was annoyed, but if this was going to take too long, Percy would make it fun.

Pretending to straighten his clothes, he brushed off the dust that wasn’t there. He rubbed his hair that hadn’t been wet since earlier. Then he spread his arms, gave his best smile, and said confidently,

“Let the show begin."

Percy Days in Apocalypse

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The Legend , The Mythic, Our Saviour

....PERCY JACKSON....