The mischievous gamer God

As everyone in Bobby's house watched the game unfold, Tet stretched with a lazy grin and said, "I'm liking their progress so far. What do you guys think?"

Sam chimed in, arms crossed and brows slightly furrowed. "Bobby's doing well in his situation, despite his lack of information or familiarity with the area. If it was me, I'd be a lot more on edge."

Then Castiel, standing with a solemn posture and faint concern in his voice, added, "Yes... His experience is what's most likely allowing him to keep a cool head. But I'm quite concerned about the two young women. Will they be alright?"

Yang leaned back with a confident smirk and said, "Oh yeah. Blake and Weiss have got this. They're the smartest two members of our team." She paused, then added in a mischievous whisper, "No one tell Weiss I said that, though."

Glancing around to make sure no one was watching, Yang subtly reached for a bottle of beer—but before she could crack it open, Sam snatched it out of her hand and smoothly replaced it with a root beer.

"Nice try," Sam said with a raised brow.

Yang sighed, cracked open the soda, and took a sip. Then she looked at Sam with a grin and said, "I'm guessing your brother's the cool one?"

Sam gave a half-smile and replied, "Actually, I usually wouldn't care. But God, an angel, and your impressionable little sister are all sitting right there."

Yang blinked, eyes wide, and said, "Oh yeah... Good point."

Tet clapped his hands lightly and said with a grin, "They're doing great! And I'd love to see more, but I'm going to have to be absent for a bit. I need to take care of some things back in my home world… and I've finally found a place to send Cass."

At that, Castiel looked surprised—but quickly straightened up and said calmly, "Wherever it is, Lord... I am ready."

Tet waved his finger. "Hold your horses. None of that. You're going to a real world. Not a game. Where I'm sending you is a place I might take over in the future." He gave a smirk. "But before that, I need you to give them a helping hand. And the biggest thing of all—you can only go if it's something you desire. Take a look for yourself first."

He tapped Castiel on the forehead.

Immediately, Castiel was flooded with visions—of a world in danger, its protectors barely holding on. He heard the desperate voices of those crying out for salvation that would never come. His gaze grew resolute, blue eyes burning with renewed purpose.

He said firmly, "Lord… I definitely want to help this place."

Tet clapped once, satisfied. "Very well then! There's a vessel ready for you on the other side. I'll keep your current vessel safe in the meantime. Also—" he grinned wide "—I'm upgrading your angelic powers."

Tet raised his hand, listing off each change with a showman's flair.

"From now on, you'll be able to fire beams of light energy, create weapons from light or holy essence. Your healing abilities have been boosted—you can now save someone a hair's breadth from death. And you—and your vessel—will be able to tank attacks that would ordinarily level entire mountain ranges!"

He chuckled and added, "Basically, I've made you overpowered in most worlds. But don't get cocky—some of the heavyweights there can still knock you around. So don't go in there overconfident."

Tet leaned in. "Now open your heart… and your mind… and hear the voice of your vessel calling out. And remember—you're not replacing her. You're saving her. When your job is done, you will return her body to her."

Castiel nodded solemnly. He closed his eyes and focused.

Through the new connection Tet had given him, he heard the faint, frightened voice of a young woman:

"Someone… please help… I don't want to die… I still have too much to do…"

A brilliant glow enveloped Castiel, his wings fanning wide in a radiant burst of holy light—and then, in a flash, he was gone. Off on his mission.

The only thing left behind was his vessel—Jimmy Novak—who suddenly stirred awake on the couch.

He sat up groggily and said, "Where… where am I?"

Tet calmly placed a hand on his shoulder and said gently, "Don't worry. Soon you'll be back with your family. And all of this will feel like a distant dream."

Before Jimmy could process those words, he was surrounded in a kaleidoscope of colors… and vanished.

Sam blinked and said, "Where did he go?"

Tet smiled slyly. "I sent him back to his family."

Sam raised a brow. "What about Cass? When he comes back, what will he do for a vessel?"

Without a word, Tet waved his hand—and a perfect replica of Jimmy Novak appeared, standing motionless like a statue.

Only this one… was soulless.

Tet pulled a red and white ball from nowhere, turned his cap backwards with a flourish, and threw it at Castiel's vessel. It collided mid-air, opened up with a burst of light, and Castiel's body turned into a flurry of glowing red energy—before being sucked inside.

The ball snapped shut and floated back into Tet's hand.

Raising it triumphantly, Tet shouted, "I caught a Castiel! Oh, that was fun!"

Sam stared. "Is that a f***ing Poké Ball?"

Tet beamed. "Sam. Keep up. God of games. Pokémon was originally a game."

Sam rubbed his temples. "Does that mean you can make Pokémon?"

Tet shrugged, eyes glinting. "Yes. Yes I can. But will I? Maybe. Maybe not. Introducing an entire new ecosystem of superpowered animals onto an unsuspecting world is actually a terrible idea." He grinned. "If I were to do it, it would be on a world that's mostly uninhabited anyway."

He casually tossed the Poké Ball to Sam. "Look after this for me."

Then he looked at Ruby and Yang, finger tapping his chin. "I've got a good idea where I'm sending you two… but it'll have to wait a bit."

Ruby nodded with a smile. "No problem! I'll just keep watching Blake and Weiss."

Yang smirked and gave a thumbs up. "Yeah, I'm having fun too. Also, I've already got a new car, so anything after is just a bonus."

Tet grinned. "Alright—I'm off."

With that, he vanished in a kaleidoscope of color and reappeared in his realm.

"HESTIA!" he shouted.

Hestia appeared in a flash of golden flame, and smiled warmly. "What's up, Tet?"

Tet leaned forward eagerly. "Is it time yet?"

Hestia nodded. "Yes. He just got claimed by my brother. The quest will most likely begin shortly."

Tet snapped his fingers excitedly. "Nice! I don't intend to interfere much on this quest."

He paused, then added with a mischievous grin, "Is what I would say… if I was a responsible god. But we both know that's not true."

Hestia sighed gently, crossing her arms. "Yes, unfortunately. Just… don't go overboard."

Tet conjured a wrapped package and held it out with a dramatic flourish. "I'm just gonna provide them a little help, is all. Give this to Chiron—and tell him to give it to Percy."

Hestia nodded, vanishing in another flame-born flash.

Tet chuckled to himself and looked out across the divine expanse.

"This is gonna be really fun. Now I know for a fact things would be just fine if I did nothing… but where's the fun in that? Instead of leaving the kids to fend for themselves, they'll have a bit of divine help."

He smiled wider.

"And Zeus'll be left tearing his beard out trying to figure out who did it."

The day of Percy's quest arrived, and Chiron had just given him Riptide. He handed Percy the pen-turned-sword with a nod of approval, then added, "Oh—and Lady Hestia asked that I give these to the three of you."

He reached into a nearby satchel and pulled out a neatly wrapped package and three lunch boxes, handing them to Percy. The lunch boxes shimmered faintly with faint celestial bronze trims.

Then Chiron said, "Now, I have no idea what's in the package. The Lady herself didn't say. As for the lunch boxes—they're enchanted to give you three meals a day. You need only place your hand upon them and tell it what you want. However, it's limited to three uses a day." His expression softened slightly. "She said something about making sure you all get decent meals, but also not wanting any of you to overeat."

Percy gave a grateful grin. "Tell her I said thank you."

Chiron smiled back, eyes warm. "Of course. Now, off you go."

Percy hopped into the van with Grover and Annabeth and gave each of them their lunch boxes. "Here," he said, handing them over. "From Hestia."

Then he held the mysterious wrapped package in his lap and glanced down at it, turning it over in his hands. "Should I open it then?"

Annabeth, already studying the magical seams of her lunch box with a critical eye, looked up. "You can't ignore a gift from a god. Whatever it is, it must be important."

Percy nodded and unwrapped the package carefully. Inside were two items.

The first was a small card for a taxi service he didn't recognize. The name on it was cryptic and unfamiliar. He blinked at it, confused, then shrugged and slid it into his pocket, thinking, Guess I'll find out how that's supposed to help later…

Then he looked at the second item—a sleek red leather case. Emblazoned on the front was a black circle, divided into four equal parts by two white lines: one vertical, one horizontal. It looked strange… and oddly significant.

He slowly unlatched it and opened it up.

Inside were several miniature action figures, arranged with meticulous care. Nestled between them was a note that read: When the time comes, you'll know what to do.

Percy tilted his head, puzzled. "I guess Lady Hestia was just worried we'd get bored?"

Annabeth furrowed her brow, leaning over to peer at the contents of the case. "No… there has to be something more to them. I'm sure we'll figure it out eventually."

Percy gave a crooked smile. "I hope you're right."

Then Grover piped up with a cheerful bleat in his voice, "Even if they are just regular toys, it was still really thoughtful of her to give us these lunch boxes."

Annabeth nodded in agreement, turning her lunch box over in her hands as she inspected it. "I wonder how they work…"

As she looked closer, she found a small parchment note tucked into the lid. It read: Don't leave your bags.

Her expression shifted to wary curiosity. "I wonder what that means…" she murmured. But not one to dismiss the advice of a god—especially a minor one with that kind of power—she wrapped her arm around her bag protectively, suddenly worried it might disappear.

Percy and Grover exchanged glances, then quickly did the same, both slinging their bags a little tighter over their shoulders. Better safe than sorry.

They stowed their enchanted lunch boxes inside their bags, and the van rolled on. After a little while, Argus let them out at a quiet bus stop on the side of the road.

With nothing else to do while waiting, the three of them started casually kicking around an apple core, playing hacky sack and trying to keep it airborne—laughing, groaning, and teasing each other