Nightmares (Jercy Oneshot(s)) ✳️

Well...here is an SAO AU that nobody asked for part one of like.. 4

Jercy -  - Oneshot #101

"Hello world, I'm back." Percy said as his avatar had loaded in the game. Annabeth insisted that saying that phrase would give his character some sort of XP advantage, but Percy doubted it. The only reason he had said it was because she gave him that look. The look where her nostrils flare up and her eyes peer at him.

In the real world, the teenager was laying in bed with Nerve gear surrounding his head. The headgear masking his face from the world as the infinite battery charge had transported him to another world. Well, a virtual world, anyway.

He stretched each finger from his left hand cautiously. Sword Art Online, SAO, had just started. The Beta runs were complete, not that Percy had taken apart of any Beta testing, but the system was bound to have a few bugs. His avatar and himself had the same green eyes, but that was were the similarities ended.

Instead of the mop of black hair on his head from the real world, Percy's avatar had rich pink hair. It was not hot pink, fortunately for Percy, but a soft, pastel color that looked like it was meant for a gender reveal party.

His hair came down his neck in spikes. The pink strands sticking to his forehead as his character sweat. His hair was matted to the sides of his cheeks, the hair was in a bit of an overgrown, but still short, bob.

His menu was blank, and all he had was his character's name. It, much like most of the world, was fake in a sense. Too perfect, too beautiful, too fantasy in a sense that fantasy had morphed into real life. It was if the beauty of Sword Art Online had shifted reality into a chaotic world of potions, duels, and bosses beyond one's imagination.

Achilles, he read from the top of his view. His health bar was a putrid green color, filled to the maximum for his level 1 avatar. His shoulders were slimmer than his frame away from the game, and his height was shrunk. He almost felt like a woman avatar.

He glanced around, multiple female players catching his eyes. They all were huddled around a shopkeeper, he noticed. He peered into the mob and saw a young man. He had choppy black hair, deep brown eyes, and was handing out copies of a book?

Percy, now intrigued, decided to join the group of players. After all, he could always play around with the game solo later. It was now or never to get information before doing something reckless. The man in front of the mob looked flushed. His hand was thickly protected in armor, studded with wooden chips. They were sharpened to be lethal, and the rest of his armor was made of steel. The material shone in the game's sun.

it was so breathtaking, how real the world was. It was almost as if this world was real and the bland reality he left back in real life was a boring, historical fiction novel.  

Shaking his thoughts away, Percy (or now Achilles) gathered into the group of girls. He was a head taller than several, so he glanced over their shoulders with ease. The man in the studded armor had crinkled over his eyes, crows feet, that grew as he grinned at the group of players. The babble of avatars staring at him as if he had brought the gods to their knees and restored Earth to any unworldly former glory. 

"You, in the back!" The man pointed to Achilles. Achilles froze and watched with wide eyes. He scanned his body over once again. Long arms, slim fingers, a sculpted face. He looked above his head, a name hovering in such a light lettering it was easy to miss. Annabeth, one of his best friends and a beta tester, had coded his game so that he could catch a glimpse of names if he truly tried. It wasn't a large advantage, but it was nice considering that she really owed him nothing at all. 

Jove it read in a small intensity. 

Jove tossed a book at Achilles, Achilles catching it with ease before stepping back. The book was relatively thin. Leather covered the spine and was connected to the cover with thick twine stitches. The leather the shade of Jove's eyes, and the twine a startling grey. The pages were crisp and a blinding white. The book, other than the rather beat up cover, looked newly printed. Achilles swore he could still smell the ink from off the pages.

He licked his lips and threw out a soft "thank you" in Jove's direction before stumbling to a small bench. The bench laid under a large tree, soft leavers hiding the harsh rays of the sun as Achilles opened the book.

Welcome to Sword Art Online! Here's a Guide to all the monsters, leveling up, weapons, and occupations throughout the game. 

Love,

The Beta Testers <3

Achilles snorted at the block letters covering the first page. He then felt a tug in his gut and gasped. He dropped the book and was diminished into a pool of crystals flying up in the air. He tried to scream, but found his feet on solid grounds withing seconds. He panted and looked around. Crowds of hundreds surrounded him, players of all types surrounded his body like waves of the sea.

Above him, there was a man in a red robe. 

He was confused, was this part of the game?

As the mystery man spoke and revealed that Sword Art Online was no longer just a game, Achilles swore his heart stopped. Whispers filled his ears, some people around him started to cry, a few screamed in outrage. 

Where was Annabeth? She was suppose to meet him after they got out, they were suppose to stop by the local pub in the game and log out together. They had a biology test to study for. What was going on?!

His heart started to beat rapidly as his chest felt tight. Tears flooded his vision as his arms began to shake. When the mirrors were shown to the players, his veins flooded with cold anxiety. He no longer had pink hair, not did he look younger than his age. His black hair was matted to his forehead with sweat, his terrified green eyes staring back at his reflection. 

He frantically scanned the area, seeing Jove transform into a blond hair, blue eyed kid with glasses. Percy guessed he was around his age, but his panic didn't make him think much besides finding Annabeth. He had to find her, make sure his best friend was safe. She knew this game inside and out, she was a beta tester, but she could still die.

Achilles didn't want to think of what would happen to him if she died. 

"Annabeth!" He screamed, a broken sob being choked down in favor of another round of her name ringing in the others ears. Her avatar name wasn't Annabeth, but Metis. Achilles didn't know if she would reply if he screamed that name. 

The red robed figure continued- not that Achilles would ever remember how to pronounce his name- and talked about the players who were already lost. Names flashed on the dome formed above the main town and he desperately searched. Screams of sorrow filled the air as people found the names of their friends, family, significant others. Achilles tearfully read the names, searching for both Metis and Annabeth. Next to each user's screen name was their biological name, so there was no doubt that someone was dead. Even if they had the same screen name as other players.

He released a shaky breath when he didn't see Annabeth's name. His heart still hammered in his chest, and he noticed Jove was next to him now. His shoulder brisking over his as he squinted at the sky. His eyes moving quickly over each name. A sigh of relief exiting his body after a few minutes of tense reading.

"T-Thalia, Piper, and Leo are still alive." He whispered to himself, Achilles overhearing Jove.

"They're okay," Achilles whispered back awkwardly. His hands were still shaking and the trembling had moved to his shoulders. Jove's eyes weren't the warm brown they were minutes ago, but they were still just as beautiful in the light as Achilles had seen when they were still brown instead of sky blue.

Jove swallowed thickly and turned to him. His jaw was set and his face was hesitant. Achilles tried to remain cautious but didn't move away as Jove slowly reached for his hand. He squeezed it, his palm lying flat against his. It was almost like a business handshake, only saggy and informal.

"Anybody you know up there?" Jove breath-fully asked. Achilles shook his head.

"I still don't know where she is though." He found himself telling Jove before pulling his hand away. Jove smiled sympathetically.

"Same."

The cloaked figure waved his arms up.

"Welcome to Sword Art Online!" He cried out before melting. Achilles' heart hammered in his chest as he walked away hurriedly.

He had to find Annabeth, he had to.