Chapter Text
Percy woke up in the back of a police car, an empousa driving in the front.
Now that wasn’t how the quest was supposed to go.
He blinked against the headache pounding behind his eyes. The ceiling of the car was way too close, and his wrists were cuffed in front of him with a zip tie. He sat up slowly, the leather seat squeaking under him. Outside the window, the world passed by in a blur of city lights and rain. It was night. Great. Because things always went well for demigods at night.
In the front seat, the “officer” driving turned her head slightly, and Percy got a glimpse of her profile. Her cheek shimmered, not with highlighter, but with faint scales. And when the illusion faltered for half a second under the dim glow of a streetlamp, her eyes flashed a hungry, unnatural gold.
“Seriously?” Percy croaked. “You couldn’t have just turned into a bat and flown off with me like a normal monster?”
The empousa chuckled. Her voice was honey and knives. “Oh, but where’s the drama in that? You heroes are always so… theatrical. I thought I’d match the energy. I know my sister would appreciate it.”
She flicked the turn signal at the next intersection, nails tapping rhythmically on the steering wheel.
“You’re not taking me to the station, are you?” Percy asked, wariness creeping into his tone.
“Oh, please.” She glanced back at him with a smirk, one fang catching the light. “Do I look like I'm taking you to mortal jail?”
“No,” Percy muttered. “You look like someone who probably monologues before she eats people.”
She grinned wider. “Only the pretty ones.”
He slumped back in the seat with a groan. “I hate quests that start with me being kidnapped. Can we just skip to the part where I break out and kick your—”
“Language.”
Percy blinked. For a second, he thought he misheard. “What?”
“Language.”
Incredulous, Percy kicked the divider between them with a loud thud. “Are you— you, a monster who just kidnapped me off the streets, telling me to watch my language?”
The empousa didn’t even flinch. She adjusted the mirror with two perfectly manicured fingers, her golden eyes gleaming as she met his glare through the glass. “Just because I’m evil doesn’t mean I’m uncivilized,” she responded testily. “We can be classy and bloodthirsty.”
Percy let his head fall back against the seat. “Oh good. A monster with standards. I feel so much better.”
“You should,” she replied, flicking on the windshield wipers as rain began to pour harder. “I’m taking you somewhere special.”
“Is it the part where I heroically escape, beat you to a pulp, and ruin your evil plan?”
She smiled without looking at him. “You’re welcome to try.”
And as if to answer that dare, lightning struck.
One moment they were driving; the next, the world exploded in white.
The shockwave hit like a freight train. Static screamed in his ears as the car lifted off the ground— flipping sideways in a spray of sparks, metal, and monster shrieking.
When the vehicle finally slammed to a halt, Percy’s skull felt like someone had used it as a drum. He lay still for a second, groaning, as the scent of ozone filled the cabin.
“Di immortales, Zeus, I swear —” he nearly snarled, “Hit me one more time and we’re doing family therapy in Tartarus.” Rhetorically, he could only wonder how many more times in his life he was destined to get electrocuted. Once by accident, sure. (Though, he doesn't think it's ever been an accident) Twice was a pattern. But at this point? It was harassment.
Beside him, the empousa hissed and kicked open the bent door. Percy followed, snapping the zip tie like a bread twist as he crawled out onto the rain-slick pavement.
They both stood there, soaked and blinking, staring at what had once been a street. Cars were mangled around them— some melted, others flipped. And overhead, a dome. A translucent, shimmering barrier, like a bubble made of lightning. It curved into the sky, vast and pulsing.
Then there was the… thing.
Floating above the wreckage was a creature covered in brownish-gray fur, with two tiny horns curling out from under its unbrushed mop of hair. It was wearing what looked like a toga if you bought it from the clearance bin at a Halloween store, and its feet didn’t quite touch the ground. Its proportions were all off; long arms, wide eyes, pointed ears twitching as it turned in the air.
It hovered, arms raised, [“Hello? Hello? Is this thing on?”] The creature called out, voice fuzzy and weirdly amplified, like it was talking through a speaker and a tin can at the time.
Around Percy, the crowd had thickened— people stumbling out of cracked windshields, calling to each other, shouting for help. But that wasn’t what made Percy pause.
It was what they were saying.
“괜찮아요?”
“이쪽으로 오세요!”
“누가 119 좀 불러봐!”
“엄마! 나 여기 있어!”
Percy’s brain lagged.
That wasn’t English.
That wasn’t even Greek.
Everyone— everyone — was speaking Korean. (Thank you, Wise Girl for the language lessons)
He slowly turned, scanning the chaos, the unfamiliar signs on the storefronts nearby, the foreign syllables he couldn’t even begin to read. His head throbbed harder with every shout.
“…I’m not in America anymore,” Percy felt the need to say.
The empousa squinted at him. “Good observation little godling. I can tell where all your training went.”
He ignored her. “I don’t even know Korean.”
“You weren’t exactly known for your smarts,” she muttered.
“Wrong demigod,” Percy shot back. “Why are we in Korea?”
For once, the empousa looked a little lost. “Well, we were in Kentucky about five minutes ago, so your guess is as good as mine.”
Before Percy could demand more answers (because last he checked, he was still in California), the static-heavy voice of the floating, fur-covered creature echoed through the dome:
[“Welcome. The scenario will begin shortly.”]
Percy blinked. “The what will begin?”
All around them, the air shifted. People screamed as a glowing blue text popped into existence above their heads.
[#BI-7843 channel is open.]
[The main scenario has arrived!]
[Main Scenario #1: Proof of Value][Category: Main
Difficulty: F
Clear Conditions: Kill one of more creatures
Time Limit: 30 minutes
Compensation: 800 coins
Failure: Death]
Percy frowned at the message that popped up in front of his face. “Okay, first of all, what? Second of all, I’m blaming Hera for this one.”
The empousa opened her mouth, probably to say something smug, dramatic, or both.
Too late.
Shink.
Riptide was already in Percy’s hand. The celestial bronze blade shimmered in the glowing light of the scenario text, and a heartbeat later—
Thud.
The empousa’s head hit the ground. Her body crumpled after it.
Blue light flared above her corpse:
[You have achieved the “First Kill” achievement!]
[400 coins have been earned as additional compensation.]
Percy blinked. “Huh. Neat.”
He didn’t even get a chance to sheath Riptide.
Someone screamed.
A woman stumbled backward, clutching a child. Another man dropped to his knees in front of the empousa’s body— her illusion was still intact to them, Percy realized belatedly— shouting something in Korean he didn’t understand but could guess the meaning of.
Dozens of panicked eyes turned toward him.
To them, he’d just pulled a gun out of his pocket and shot a police officer. Thank you Mist.
“Oh, come on,” Percy groaned. “She was a literal monster!”
The floating creature clapped its little fur-covered hands again, positively giddy.
[“What a promising start! Oh, we’re going to have fun with this one.”]
Before it disappeared.
Several people had backed away entirely. Some had pulled out their phones. A few looked like they were debating whether to run or try to tackle him.
“Wait— no, no, no, this is a misunderstanding,” Percy called out, lifting his hands— still holding the blood-streaked sword. “She was— look, she was going to eat me, okay?”
Nobody responded. Not in English, anyway. Just more shouting. More confusion. A woman screamed something that sounded like a name.
They didn’t understand him. He didn’t understand them.
And that was a problem.
Because one of the guys up front had just picked up a brick.
“Okay,” Percy muttered, backing up a step, “really not loving the language barrier right now.”
Then the guy with the brick charged.
Percy moved.
He ducked the swing and twisted, catching a flash of gold under the attacker’s skin. His pupils were vertical. Not human.
Riptide slashed once, clean and fast.
The “man” crumpled before he hit the ground.
[You have killed a living thing.]
[100 coins have been earned as additional compensation.]
The crowd froze. Someone shouted. A bottle flew past Percy’s head and shattered against the dome wall behind him.
Then two more people lunged at him.
One had too many teeth. Monster.
The other? Eyes wide with terror, fists shaking. Human.
Percy moved like water.
He sidestepped the human and knocked them out cold with the flat of his blade, even as he spun and drove Riptide into the gut of the snarling not-human behind them.
[You have killed a living thing.]
[100 coins have been earned as additional compensation.]
More were coming now. Some from fear. Some from panic. Some— he was sure— because they weren’t human at all.
Percy kept moving, weaving between them, knocking out those with fear in their eyes, striking true against those whose shadows warped wrong, whose nails had turned to claws, whose blood wasn’t red when it hit the pavement.
“Come on,” he shouted as he parried a rusted pipe, “is everyone here either a monster or trying to kill me today?”
More text scrolled in front of him, bright and taunting:
[You have killed a living thing.]
[100 coins have been earned as additional compensation.][You have killed a living thing.]
[100 coins have been earned as additional compensation.][You have killed a living thing.]
[100 coins have been earned as additional compensation.]
Percy flinched, eyes scanning the notifications. Living thing? That wording wasn’t doing his conscience any favors.
Then—
A loud chime rang out across the dome, sharp and final, like a countdown bell in an arena.
[00:30 remaining]
Panic took hold like wildfire as the remaining crowd snapped. Some screamed. Others cried. A few dropped their weapons and bolted toward anything that looked like an exit— even if it meant slamming face-first into the shimmering walls of the dome.
A woman tackled a person in a business suit, wailing as they tried to beat them unconscious. Another stabbed a creature Percy knew was human— he could see it in their eyes, in the way they begged for mercy, in the way they bled red.
[00:20]
“Stop it!” Percy roared, shoving his way through the chaos. “You’re attacking people! That’s not going to—”
[00:10]
The lights in the dome pulsed like a heartbeat.
And then—
[00:00.]
[Main Scenario #1: Proof of Value — Complete.]
[Evaluating participant results…]
[Cleared Participants: 7.]
[Remaining Participants: 382.]
[Scenario Failure: Executing penalties.]
The world went silent.
For a heartbeat, nothing moved.
pop.
It wasn’t loud. Just a soft, wet sound. Like a cork pulled from a wine bottle.
Then another.
And another.
Percy turned just in time to see a young woman’s head disappear — not explode, exactly, but vanish in a blur of blood and bone, her body dropping lifeless to the ground.
It happened again. And again.
All around him, people were dropping— heads bursting like overripe fruit, bodies collapsing mid-scream. Dozens. Hundreds.
[Penalty Complete. 375 participants have been removed.]
Percy stood frozen in the center of the carnage, his blade still wet in his hand, the dome flickering with the aftermath. He looked down at his blood-soaked shoes, then at the pile of notifications still hovering in front of him.
[You have killed 26 living things]
[Kill History: 26 Humans]
[You have killed humans noted to be stronger than average, so the number of coins you have acquired is doubled.]
[5200 coins have been acquired]
[The “Mercifull Killer” achievement has been gained through one-hit kills while sparing the weak.]
Percy stared at the screen.
"Humans?" he echoed quietly. “They weren’t…” He trailed off. It didn’t matter. The system had already passed judgment.
The people still alive were backing away from him, wide-eyed, whispering. Still not in English, but the fear? That translated just fine.
He wiped Riptide on his jeans, even though he knew it’d be clean in a second anyway. Just something to do with his hands. Annabeth would’ve known what to say. Or Leo would’ve cracked a joke. Or Grover would’ve at least looked horrified with him instead of at him.
A frown pulled at his lips. “…I really hate Mondays.”
[Due to the excessive killing, a group of constellations show a faint hostility to you.]
Percy stared at the text, unamused. “Wow. Good to know the stars are just as judgmental as the gods.”
More messages ticked across the screen:
[A certain nebula is surprised to see you.]
[You’ve been sponsored 1000 coins.]
Percy narrowed his eyes at the screen. “Surprised to see me?” Buddy, same.
Before he could dwell on it, the dome shuddered slightly. A ripple of reality peeled open midair like a zipper being undone and with a flourish of confetti, the same creature from before appeared.
[“Oooh~! Look at this!“]
[“I expected some chaos, sure—maybe half of you wouldn’t make it—but this?“]
[“This is delightful! You humans never disappoint me!“]
It did a midair somersault, laughing with its whole chest. Sparks and confetti rained down around it like stage effects.
[“And such a bloody first clear! Oh, the constellations are eating this up.“]
Notifications burst like firecrackers above Percy:
[The number of constellations in your channel has dramatically increased.]
[Current Viewer Count: 145 constellations.]
[Several constellations are expressing conflicting emotions.]
[Some are intrigued by your efficiency. Others are horrified.]
The creature— still floating upside-down— paused in its celebration, as if suddenly remembering something.
[“Ah! Where are my manners? I suppose I should introduce myself.“]
It snapped its fingers, and a small window blinked into existence over its head, pulsing with obnoxious glitter.
[“I am the dokkaebi, Hwarang.“]
[“You can think of me as your host for this exciting new chapter in your very unfortunate lives.“]
[“And don't worry, I’ll be with you every step of the way… until you die.“]
It winked.
[You may call me anything you'd like. “Announcer” works. So does “oh god no, please stop”.]
It laughed, as if it told the funniest joke in the world. Then it tapped something in front of it and gasped with theatrical delight.
[“And would you look at that— we’ve already reached the survivor report stage!“]
[“Let’s see who’s still alive, shall we?“]
A glowing list unfurled midair in sharp, sterile white:
[Remaining Participants: 7]
Percy Jackson
Choi Minha
Kang Ilso
Park Jinyoung
Hwang Miyeon
Ryu Seungho
Lee Sena
The names flickered in the air, some paired with pale, stunned faces scattered around the wreckage. A teenager clung to a crushed vending machine. An older man stared at Percy like he was the Grim Reaper.
Percy grimaced, Riptide disappearing with a flick of his wrist.
The dokkaebi twirled midair, arms spread wide.
[“Ahem! Surely, such a grueling ordeal deserves something in return, wouldn’t you agree?“]
[“As compensation for surviving your very first scenario, each of you has earned the right to be noticed by the “constellations”! Isn’t that exciting? Ta-daaa~!“]
The six remaining civilians didn’t respond. Not immediately.
[“Come on, don’t tell me you’re not thrilled! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!“]
[Sigh… So little enthusiasm. Do you really not understand how important this is?]
A man in his forties sank to his knees, muttering to himself. A young woman clutched her bloodstained coat and backed away from the center of the dome, as if the dokkaebi might call her name next. One teenager kept looking down at their hands like they were confused.
The same woman was sobbing now, sounding hopeless.
Percy blinked slowly. The sound around him was distant, like he was underwater, “Constellations…” he murmured. “As in, like, stars?”
The dokkaebi froze mid-spin, hovering with one brow raised.
[“Oh~? A reaction? Finally!“]
Percy stared at him, face blank. “What, are the stars sponsoring us now? Like the Little Dipper’s gonna give me a discount card or something?”
[“Kukuku. What a strange little mouth you have.“]
Another survivor spoke up— an older woman, her voice thin with disbelief. “This… this isn’t real. None of this is real. I was just on the bus— how can I be here?”
[“Oh, you’re here all right.“]
A younger man pointed accusingly at Percy. “He killed people. I saw it— he cut someone’s head off. And you’re rewarding that?! ”
The dokkaebi's eyes lit up.
[“Ooooh~ that’s a juicy narrative.“]
[“What’s a survival game without a little bloodshed, hmm?“]
[“Hero? Villain? What’s the difference when everyone dies anyway?“]
It spun midair, arms spread wide.
[“The constellations love moral ambiguity! Keep this energy coming!“]
[“So without further adieu—“]
It clapped once.
[“Let the Sponsor Selection begin!“]
The screen flickered, casting harsh light over the seven survivors. More floating text scrolled before Percy’s eyes:
[Sponsor Selection]
[Please select your sponsor:
- The Architect of Ruin
- The Messenger Who Walks Between Worlds
- The Huntress Among Stars
- The Silent Maiden Beneath the Moon
- The Sun’s Golden Lyre
- The Moonlit Queen of Unmaking
- The Drowned King in the Tide
- The Tyrant of the Deep Sea
- The Swordless General of Fallen Glory
- Abyssal Black Flame Dragon]
He went through the list slowly, thanking whatever gods were out there that it was in Greek and not Korean… or English. His brain was already on fire; at least he didn’t need subtitles on top of it.
Some were easy to guess.
The Messenger Who Walks Between Worlds
That had to be Hermes.
[The constellation ‘The Messenger Who Walks Between Worlds’ is watching you.]
[The constellation ‘The Messenger Who Walks Between Worlds’ adjusts his sandals and lounges casually.]
“Lazy bum,” Percy muttered.
The Sun’s Golden Lyre
No mistaking that one either.
[The constellation ‘The Sun’s Golden Lyre’ is watching you.]
[The constellation ‘The Sun’s Golden Lyre’ glows slightly brighter, basking in his own attention.]
Percy rolled his eyes. “Yeah. Typical.”
[The constellation ‘The Messenger Who Walks Between Worlds’ throws a sandal at their fellow constellation.]
[The constellation ‘The Sun’s Golden Lyre’ laughs and dodges.]
He kept scrolling and froze.
The Huntress Among the Stars
His mouth pressed into a thin line.
[The constellation ‘The Huntress Among the Stars’ is watching you.]
[The constellation ‘The Huntress Among the Stars’ expresses gratitude.]
[You’ve been sponsored 100 coins.]
Percy lowered his eyes. “…Zoe.” There was so many things he wanted to tell her, but he bit his lip and continued reading.
The next name came like a punch to the ribs.
The Tyrant of the Deep Sea
The moment he saw it, he knew.
[The constellation ‘The Tyrant of the Deep Sea’ is watching you.]
[The constellation ‘The Tyrant of the Deep Sea’ is pleased.]
[The constellation ‘The Tyrant of the Deep Sea’ is confused.]
[You’ve been sponsored 1000 coins.]
“…Dad?” Percy asked, blinking hard. He took a step forward, a weird mixture of frustration and hope rising. “What happened? Why am I in Korea?! What is this place?!”
[The constellation ‘The Tyrant of the Deep Sea’ is confused.]
[The constellation ‘The Tyrant of the Deep Sea’ is watching you.]
[You’ve been sponsored 1000 coins.]
Percy rubbed his face with both hands. Cool. Awesome. That’s great. One of the three great gods is confused. Poseidon is confused. Definitely not a red flag.
[The constellation ‘The Sun’s Golden Lyre’ is amused.]
[The constellation ‘The Messenger Who Walks Between Worlds’ adjusts his sandal again.]
Percy groaned. “You guys are no help.”
[Certain constellations are confused.]
[The constellation ‘The Abyssal Black Flame Dragon’ urges you to spill more blood.]
[The constellation ‘The One Who Judges Without Mercy’ is disappointed you stopped killing.]
The dokkaebi finally clapped his hands, the sound ringing unnaturally loud in the blood-stained air.
["Alright, alright, enough standing around—we’ve still got a show to run!"]
["You’ve all survived your first scenario and hopefully gained a powerful new ally. Congratulations~"]
["Now, it’s time for the second!"]
A new wall of text scrolled into existence above their heads.
[Main Scenario #2
Escape the CityCategory: Main
Difficulty: C+
Clear Conditions: Escape the boundaries of Guryong City before the scenario timer ends.
Time Limit: 2 hours
Compensation: 2000 coins
Penalty for Failure: Death]
The dokkaebi drifted lazily through the air, grin stretching wider with every scream of disbelief and fear.
["Oh, don’t look at me like that, you didn’t think you were done after one little warm-up, did you?"]
["Come now, you’ve barely given our dear constellations a taste. They’re hungry for more."]
It clapped its hands and a large arrow appeared, pointing towards the wooded area towards the north.
["Run fast, little humans. You’ll find the edges of the city aren’t quite… natural."]
["Ah, I can already hear the panic. Delicious."]
["Will you claw your way out? Or die in a gutter while someone else takes the glory?"]
Percy sighed, already walking. “You know, you could just say you want us to run for our lives without trying to sound like the villain in a bad TV show.”
The dokkaebi’s stuck its tongue out, before completely ignoring Percy and turning to the remaining six survivors.
["You have two hours. And if you’re smart—well, you might even survive."]
Percy muttered, “Yeah, thanks, that’s super reassuring.”
["Ah, I can’t wait to see who makes it out alive."]