Percy had thought that maybe after having faced the golden haired, blue eyed assassin three times before and still managed to live, the fourth time might be a little less anxiety inducing.

It wasn't.

He stood in the center of the clearing with his sword drawn simply because it felt better than with his hands empty. He glanced up at his menu, the white text something of a familiarity now:

Riptide: Male, Swordsman

Health: 79%

He was alone, but his nerves were racing. He refused to lower his guard, but his shoulders were beginning to ache from how tense they were. His mind kept playing the look on Annabeth's face over and over as she ran away from him. It was the look of fear, something he knew from his own expression some days, the look he gave himself when he was wondering if he'd turn out the same way Gabe was; if he'd forget how to protect the things he cared about.

-Chasing- fearing him was a dumb notion, even Percy knew that. But at the same time he couldn't stop thinking about it. Was it possible that one day he'd turn into something she'd hate?

Was he already something she hated?

He glanced around the empty clearing again, before he reached up and pressed the map icon on his menu. The three dimensional plane popped up again with the grey icons floating across it. They were almost a comfort. Whatever anger he should have had for the other players was nonexistent anymore.

Everyone wanted to live; no one wanted to die.

Percy thought back to Stargirl365. He hadn't paid much attention to her when her team was announced as a competitor. At least not as much as he had spent for -Chasing- and >Stolls<. He never had any run ins with the Hunters Guild.

But for some reason the girl had decided he was worth risking-- worth giving her life for. She had carried his dying form across the clearing, into the brush, despite the fact there was an assassin tailing her, despite the fact that his health bar was unsaveable, despite the fact that he was the weakest player in the Age of Heroes Tournament.

What made him worth saving?

What had that girl seen when he stood on that rock, stuttering through a speech that made him look like an idiot? What had she seen that told her he was someone special?

He'd never once in his life had been something amazing. He let Gabe use him as a punching bag for years. He let his mother suffer through a marriage that could physically kill her. He pretended to get a job, and played video games at his friends house instead. He took advantage of Rachel's willingness to babysit to gamble on the chance that a game was going to-- for some stupid reason-- solve all his problems.

He wasn't anything. So why had she saved him?

"Aren't you going to run away too, Percy?"

The voice broke him from his trance, sending shivers down Percy's spine. He wondered if that's what the devil sounded like: a friendly tone, with a sharp edge. Kronos was leaning against a tree, mask and cloak discarded. He was unassumingly normal. Mistakenly normal.

He was still wearing the boots from before: the expensive type that Percy had only ever dreamed of seeing. They were splattered in a dark brown that could have been mud or blood. His clothes were the signature assassin's garb: Neat cotton cloth that didn't make any sound when he moved, dyed the same color as an abyss. His scar was pale against the flush of color in his cheeks, his eyes were drilling holes into Percy's figure: as if he could kill him with just a look.

He spun a dagger in his hands, twisting it into his thumb only to prick the skin. He drew blood without putting any real pressure on it.

Beside him, his health bar matched the vibrant greens of the leaves swirling on the branches.

"Why would I run away?" Percy responded, his tone jumping up and down. It ruined his attempt to be suave. "I'm ready for our rematch now."

"A Rematch?" Kronos scoffed. "What made you so sure that I'd come after you and not anyone else?"

Percy smiled slightly. The tension was thick in the air it filled his head like a smog, but Percy thought maybe that was a good thing; it reminded him of the real world where smog was part of the city.

"Well, I figured after having failed to kill me three times," Percy spun his own sword in his grip. "After twice being on live TV for everyone to see, I just thought maybe I'd give you another chance."

Kronos raised an eyebrow, "You don't know when to stop, do you." There was a downward twitch of his lips and just for a moment, Kronos pulled back the fake persona to let his bloodlust show through. "I hate you so much."

"I gathered." Percy shrugged, "Not many people who love me, try to kill me so many times. But that's not the only reason I knew you were going to come after me next."

"Oh?" Kronos stepped into the clearing with all the noise of a shadow, "Do share."

"I unlocked my Valiant Hero mode," Percu motioned to his menu, where the new mode icon was glowing bright, "You knew that came with a message: an easily hackable one programed by Olympus. You probably thought they slipped in a message to us. And you're right. They did." Percy leveled his stance, "They told me exactly how to defeat you."

Kronos pinched his smile into a look of anger. "What."

"They weren't obvious about it," Percy said, "Because I don't think Olympus could be obvious about anything, now could they? You see I kept standing here, trying to figure out why you went after the players you did: Me when I was standing on that rock, Stargirl365 when she was trying to save me, Imbetter when he and Imthebest were hiding in the Native American camp despite the fact that there were six of us trapped in a small building in the city. And then I started thinking about how you came after us in that same city; I thought it was because you were coming after me. Trying to clean up the mess you made once your outside hacker friends found out I was still alive.

"But that wasn't it, was it?" Percy took a step to the side, measuring the distance between the two of them. "You didn't come for me. You came for Leo-- Hawtstufz9."

Kronos's eyes narrowed. Percy swallowed hard. "That's because you had to get rid of the only players who could defeat you."

"Defeat me?" Kronos laughed, but Percy wasn't fooled. He tense, angry, and that was the same lethal combination for an explosion.

"Yes," Percy said, "It took me a while to figure out what the four of us had in common. And why I seemed to be your biggest problem. As you so wonderfully pointed out, I'm not the smartest crayon in the crayon box.

"But when we unlocked my Valiant Hero Mode, the gamemakers sent me one single message: Powers are used better in Guilds. Isn't that strange?" Percy took another step, forcing the words to come out, despite the fact they made his hair stand on edge. He was stalling, just stalling, but that was okay. No one could blame him, now.

"That's when it clicked. When it was one-to-one you're untouchable! I could slash and hack at you and your health wouldn't change a single percent. But...." Percy allowed himself a shake of his head, "But when I was near someone else, we could always injure you. In the city -Chasing- surprised you with an attack that knocked your health a few points, Hannibal and I managed to take a few points as well. I'm willing to bet the reason you didn't fish me out of that river was because Stargirl365 beat you so bad you needed a health pack to continue.

"You're weakness is the guilds and teams! We can only hit you when we team up, can't we? Stargirl365 and -AngelQueen-, Hawtstufz9 and Charm4u, Imthebest and Imbetter... they all shared guilds. And me...I was so dangerous because I wasn't any of those." Percy squeezed the grip of his sword as he spoke, shifting his weight just enough. "I never had a team or guild or anything. I am a wildcard, which means anyone could team up with me."

Percy didn't see Kronos move, but his his instincts screamed. Without hesitation he swung his arms, the blood pumping adrenalin through his veins so strong he was sure they were going to burst. The metal of his blade exploded in sparks as Kronos's sword met the one barrier.

The pleasantry of before was gone, lost in the swirling void that made up the other player. His blue eyes boiled with anger, drawing strength enough to force Percy's feet back. Percy threw him off with difficulty and drew back enough to put space between them. He didn't realize he was short of breath until he realized he couldn't hear his thought over his own shallow breathing.

"Congratulations, Player Riptide!" Kronos laughed sarcastically, dipping his head to the left. The smile on his face was made of bloodlust and hatred. "You figured it out!"

He lunged forward again, and Percy dodged the whirlwind of attacked with difficulty. Everywhere he turned there was a blade and he met it only inches away from his body. His sword was an extension of his his body, but he wondered if he should have taken Travis's sword before the other boy had left with the help of Iam_Superman.

Percy yelped at the golden blade nicked his cheek, as fast and flighty as a papercut.

"You are every bit a nuisance!" Kronos's flicked his leg out, catching Percy by surprise --again-- when he feet tumbled from under him. His own bronze sword tumbled out his hand, but before he could even regain a breath Kronos was stepping in his wrist. Percy blinked and his blade was pressed against his throat. He choked on a scream and there was a knee on his abdomen.

"I am going to kill you, right here, Percy Jackson." Kronos had turned his smile off, like the flick of switch. He was uncanny, but Percy thought maybe that he was more honest in this ugly hatred he showed than the fake smile and bone-chilling laughter. "Do you know the best thing about this stupid Tournament, Percy?"

Percy didn't answer. His eyes locked on that stupid sword right above him. It was blinding in the sunlight; Percy could feel the heat of it, the sting of were Kronos was pressing it to his throat.

Kronos wasn't deterred by lack of response. He leaned closer until he was right in Percy's face, eyes as icy blue as rapids and twice as dangerous to look at.

"The best thing about this Tournament is that with the head gear linked right to your brain, you feel every injury as if you actually were receiving it. Every. Broken. Bone." Kronos leaned forward, but instead of driving his sword in, he put pressure on his knee: the one right over Percy's chest.

"It's funny." Kronos said, even though there was no humor in his tone, "I never thought that I could survive falling fifty feet from the air, but even I amaze myself." He jabbed his heel in Percy's wrist, keeping him from squirming. "But there are far easier ways to kill people, don't you know, Perseus?"

Percy's breath was shallow; he was sure he was going to swallow his tongue rather than air. Cold sweat hung on the back of his neck, the roof of his mouth was so dry he wasn't sure it would ever hydrate again.

"I know lots of ways to kill people." Kronos said deliberately, "For example, if you surprise someone with a quick slash to the backs of their knees, cutting the tendons, it turns them to jello. Then you just have to drive your blade between the top of his spine and the skull: destroying the Medulla that keeps all survival instinct intact while his brother watches helplessly from the sidelines.

"Or! Or! You can take a more direct approach, where you faint an attack on her left side that she doesn't catch fast enough and she's left wide open for the dagger in your other hand that she doesn't see. One quick swipe across her stomach isn't enough though, but she's too distracted by the pain-- no one ever thinks it will hurt that much-- to stop you when you bring your sword down like an axe. It's harder than TV makes it look, especially with a mangled hand and the slices on your arm." Kronos shrugs despite that, as if he were talking about the weather and not a human being that he stole the last breaths from. Like it wasn't about a boy named Connor who had a brother named Travis, or a girl named Zoe who had saved Percy's life.

There was more anger in his gut than Percy thought was possible. There was a rage, that swamped over his exhaustion, his fears, his entire psyche.

"Ooh," Kronos whispered, "That's an angry look. Did I hit a nerve Percy Jackson? Are you mad you couldn't protect them? You know there's no water here for you to control. Such poor planning."

Percy gritted his teeth, struggling to see through his own anger and the cold sweat that clung to his face. "You're a Monster."

"You don't know half of it, kid." Kronos smiled cold and ruthless. "You know what, I have a present for you!" Percy watched Kronos's empty hand wave towards his menu where his health bar blarred an ugly green light. Percy thought that if he survived any of this, he'd hate the color green for the rest of his life: all the shades that made Kronos so horrifyingly intangible.

He swiped the menu, bringing up the search bar for other players. The same one that Percy had been staring at what felt like decades ago. His sword was just out of reach.... if he could get Kronos a little more distracted--

Search: Finding P_

Percy couldn't breathe and it had nothing to do with the sword on his throat or the knee digging between his ribcage like it could drill straight past the skin and bones and hollow out Percy's heart.

"Speaking of things you like to protect, Percy." Kronos spoke with more of that sickeningly blithe charm, "Say hello!"

The Video Call was answered, but it wasn't by Grover. The room that Percy had grown to care as much about as his own was a mess. The camera was askew, peering at an angle from the floor. There was a tangle of wires, papers, the trash from Grover's trash bin that he religiously took out every Sunday was scattered across the carpet. Grover's crutches were nearby, uselessly out of place. The only thing untouched was the bed, where Percy could see his own body, pale and lifeless as his mind was absent.

Percy thought he'd rather his body be dead completely than to see the all too familiar form on the ground leaning next to the bed. The all too familiar curls, fallen over his closed eyes, the swelling bulge on his forehead looked like a softball-- unrealistic and impossible. One of his eyes were purpled, his cheek swollen, and blood was dried in a trail from the corner of his lip down his chin.

Grover's hands were duct taped together in tight gray bands, but his ankles were unbounded. Not that, that meant anything; it was a waste to bind the legs of a kid who couldn't walk without crutches.

"Oh," Kronos said with fake disappointment, "I hope they didn't kill him. I wanted to."

Percy kicked in anger, but Kronos was unmoving, his blade was sharp. Percy could feel it dig into his skin and take a drink of his bitter blood, but he couldn't find it in himself to care.

"Oh, I guess I better turn the audio on shouldn't I?"

Percy thought he had fallen back in time. His brain screamed that it wasn't true, that he was right here right now, before his eyes, the entire world shifted:

He was standing in the doorway, Tyson was too far away-- he should have known better than to be creeping around this late at night. Percy should have been more aware of what he was doing. Tyson-- Tyson! He was so small compared to the giant form, compared the the demon that towered over him with fists raised. No with one fist raised, holding a shining object that glinted in the moonlight. A bottle. It was flying. Tyson was on the ground crying, shattered glass looked like the stars---

Percy screamed.

Because in the here and now, it wasn't a bottle. It was a knife. Imbedded in the headboard of the bed that wasn't his.

It was Tyson pressed against the wall, and he was crying so hard his face had turned completely red.

"Percy!" He screamed, "Percy!" His hands were wrapped in the silver duct tape. He was pushing himself as far away from the camera as he could: he was terrified. "Percy! Wake Up!"

One of his feet kicked the other Percy, the lifeless Percy, and he felt it as if Kronos had punched his blade right through his shoulder.

"Stop it!" Percy yelled, "Leave them alone!"

Kronos's eyes shined. He turned up the volume.

Percy gritted his teeth pressing his head against the grass as if it could drown out the sound of his brother's terror while he was helpless here. It was his fault. It was all his fault. He should have-- He never should have tried to join the Age of Heroes. He was no hero. What hero could help his own little brother?

What hero brought monsters into the houses of the people he loved the most?

"What do you... want... from me?" Percy whispered between gritted teeth. He was crying, sobbing really, without any breath to breathe, or thought to hold on to. How did he make it stop?

"You?" Kronos laughed, "I don't want anything from you." He pressed his weight into his knee, Percy felt his ribs starting to scream, starting to cave. "Let me tell you a little secret, Percy," The assassin said. "I'm not doing this just because Olympus hurt my itty-bitty feelings. I knew going into it that I was nowhere near a match for the "Gods". I asked for an internship and they accepted me despite what I told Thalia."

"W-hy--?"

"Why do I hate them so much?" Kronos laughed, "Because they didn't let me touch anything. I was an errand boy for them: "Luke! Fetch me a coffee, will you?", "Luke pick up my dry cleaning, Sweetie!", "Luke get me a tissue to wipe my nose!" And I was supposed to be happy with about it! I was supposed to be satisfied with the opportunity to look at them!" He's teeth pressed together in a thin line.

"So I started my own project! A game I created in my free time! A code that could build whatever I wanted: a world where all magic in all forms and weapons and armors were accepted. Where they had an opportunity for the upperhand. I worked on it in my free time, on a computer that I built from scratch! I poured my soul into this idea!"

Percy flinched as spit his his cheek. "THEY TOOK IT FOR THEMSELVES!" Luke Castellan screamed, "THEY STOLE IT FROM ME!" His arms shook from holding himself back. Percy could see the mania in his eyes, "I worshiped them! And they took advantage of that! They took everything from me and then fired me out of my internship! Then weeks later I hear about a tournament? Age Of Heroes? Where anyone had a chance to win?

"They took my board player board and gave it you worthless amateurs! My work! My life!" Luke yelled, "So I am going to take the one thing they cherished: their reputations. I'll burn every good report they ever received, splatter their names crimes and scandals, and I'll kill any stupid faithful follower who dares worship them after it! I'll destroy all the virtual reality if I need to!"

Somewhere along the line, someone must have pulled the plug on Grover's monitor. It had probably happened a long time ago: back when Percy decided standing against Kronos was the only option. He could see the cameras-- three of them--circling around them as silent judges. The world was seeing them again.

If Percy didn't hate him as much as he did for killing, for hurting, for scaring his little brother, he feel bad for the man towering over him.

"I'm going to kill you, Percy Jackson." Luke spit, "because you are just a blind follower of thieves and egomaniacs."

Because Percy reminded him of himself. Because Percy was what Luke Castellan was once.

"And once I'm done killing you, slowly-- after I break these ribs with just enough force to have them pierce your lungs and after they fill with your blood and you suffocate all alone without the breath to even call out to you little brother, and tell him it's going to be alright one last time.... I'm going to kill Annabeth, and then that Valdez kid, and then the rest of them in all equally horrible ways. Then I'm going to remove my headset, and I am going to take my knives, and I'm going to reunite your brother with you MYSELF!"

Fifty Million Dollars for Tyson. Percy thought he wouldn't have even known what to do with that much money.

"It's too bad you never joined a guild Percy," Luke said, "Really, Multiplayer can be so much fun. It's like being in two places at once. But I guess you've always like to play alone."

And despite everything, Percy craned his neck to get a look at the assassin himself, his throat was slick with his own blood, his chest was screaming, his ears were grating with the sounds of his brother's screaming for help. He stared down Kronos-- Luke-- whoever he was pretending to be, whoever he wanted to be-- and Percy Jackson offer the sick son-of-a-bitch a smile.

"Who..." He asked, "ever said I was playing alone?"

The blue eyed boy had just enough time to look confused before a familiar dagger was thrust straight into his back.

Percy wasn't sure what happened next. All of a sudden Kronos was off of him and he could breathe in completely. The Cameras were everywhere: circling like probes to get every angle of the fight that was happening around him. The video feed of Grover's room was gone, as were the sounds of Tyson yelling.

The winds tore at the trees, and lightning crackled down from the sky. Then El3ctric and Iam_superman were there on either side of Kronos, with spear and sword drawn, and attacking. They were working together like they had never argued before in their lives.

Kronos had a sword in one hand and dagger in the other, but he was still taken by surprise and he was barely holding his own. The wound in his chest leaked blood all over his fancy virtual clothes.

Shadows danced under his feet, turning to water when the assassin stepped in them. Percy could see ~GhostKing~ with his arms raised just outside the line of trees.

A bird swooped down from above talons stretched and it ripped across Kronos's forearm. He cursed and batted the bird straight into Iam_Superman who fell over when it turned back into Hannibal.

El3ctric yelled and swung at him, but Kronos easily blocked her and took a jab under her guard. His arm stopped short though by a powerful shout: Charm4u appeared dazzling and dangerous. Percy had never seen her power, but he had read about it: Charmspeak that could be used once against an opponent who wasn't expecting it. El3ctric took advantage of Kronos's brief confusion to knock him away again.

The ground burst under him, shining with a million gems and rare rocks. They moved like water and buried him alive at xClassicx's command.

Then Percy was staring up at -Chasing-. Her gray eyes were dark and unimpressed, "This was the stupidest plan I have ever been a part of." She told him.

"It worked, didn't it?" Percy responded hoarsely.

"I'm not sure if I want to punch you or kill you myself."

"Can I choose?"

"N--"

"Hey! Chasetide!" Leo's voice called over to them, "Less flirting, more doing the plan! Even Travis is doing more than you two!"

Percy grinned, although the situation was far from being fun and exciting. Imthebest was currently throwing rocks at the dirt pile Kronos was buried under. He was still too weak to stand on his own by the way he was leaning heavily on Hawtstufz9 who was setting the clearing ablaze with fist fulls of fire.

Kronos broke up from the ground, looking disheveled and murderous. Beside him his stats floated like a ghost: Percy thought they all were a little surprised to see his code in the red.

"How!" Kronos demanded.

"Didn't I already tell you, jackass?" Percy yelled, "Your weakness is in guilds!" The assassin sputtered looking frantically from one player to the next. They were all the same: shining with a single simple icon next to their names: a Pegasus. A brand new guild, only a half hour old but had nine members.

"You were so busy fighting with me you never even noticed the change in the alliance of the others. -Chasing- made a new guild herself and you never even saw it coming." Percy told him, "Now it doesn't matter who I'm fighting with: I can team up with everyone."

"And it's double the damage!" Annabeth yelled with a triumphant smirk, "The Gods of Olympus might not care about anyone, but they really don't like it when players break the rules, Kronos! They gave us all the upperhand that we could get!"

His face turned red. The same color Gabe's face would turn-- the same color it did turn when he threw that bottle at Tyson. "Upper Hand?" He snarled, "I'll show you the upper hand--"

Percy blinked.

All the sound in the world was gone. Replaced by a silence that was so profound Percy barely noticed it at all. Annabeth had been standing beside him. Her hand had been in his-- somehow it had made it there without either of them realizing it. Then she was gone. Her grip broke, her nail scratched his skin, the force of the wind blew him in the other direction.

Kronos was standing behind him, with his blade to Percy neck again, pinning his arms to his side, and Percy's sword knocked away.

"Teleportation!" Leo yelled, "Damnit! I didn't--"

Kronos's breathing was harsh in Percy's ear, "Put down your weapons! Or I kill him!"

Percy tore at the restraint but Luke was just too much stronger than he was. Percy's eyes fell around the stone faced group. Names, gamer and real, flashed at him like lightning.

He locked eyes with one single person. It wasn't a question. Her head shook back and forth, but Percy knew she understood by the way her eyes flickered away.

"Drop them!" Luke yelled.

"Don't!" Percy yelled.

Annabeth screamed-- there was blood in her blonde hair. Piper was the only thing holding her back. Frank let go of his bow. Travis's rock fell short. Hazel lowered her sword, gritting her teeth. Percy fought against Luke's hold. He did not get them all the way here to get them killed. He did not come all this way to lose.

One day they would understand, wouldn't they? They only had this one chance to do it.

He closed his eyes. Tyson would grow up one day. He'd graduate high school and everyone who ever told him he couldn't do something with that faulty eye wouldn't be able to touch him. His mother who finally get that divorce she had been too afraid to get before. She'd find the real "one" for her-- maybe an English Professor? Rachel would help Grover and his brother. Grover would get married to Juniper one day.

They didn't need him for any of that.

He let his knees go weak, forcing Kronos to stumble with the excess weight. Percy rolled forward, spitting out his own blood as the golden sword sliced right through his neck. Every part of him screamed. Kronos tumbled over Percy's back, twisting in a tumble of limbs. Percy wasn't sure what part was him and what was Luke's anymore.

Something clamped over his throat, trying to staunch the blood flow. But he knew it was too late to do anything about it. His mouth was full of the scarlet liquid, he couldn't take another breath. He could think except for one thing:

He was the only thing keeping Kronos from Teleporting away.

"Do It!" He spit at the players.

Thalia rolled forward before anyone else could move, scooping up Frank's bow and she notched the arrow. Lightning crackled on her fingertips, charging the arrow with energy the way she did before with her spear.

"Thalia!" Luke wailed.

Her eyes were full of tears that glistened like the stars in the night sky. Annabeth broke free of Piper's hold, running, but she was already too late. Thalia let go of the arrow.

And that was the last thing Percy remembered: white light exploding all around them and the world dissolving. Faded screams, a name that might have been his, an emptiness that definitely was. He found enough in himself to be quietly impressed with her power combo.

It looks like, Percy thought as he watched the brilliant blue sky shatter into the red Game Over alarm, a broken glass bottle.