The mischievous gamer God

The next morning, Percy woke up to the smell of something warm and sweet in the air. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and sat up to find Grover and Annabeth already awake, sitting around a small campfire and eating breakfast.

He stretched with a yawn, then reached for his lunch box. "All right," he muttered groggily, "pancakes."

The box flashed once. When he opened it, a perfectly stacked pile of fluffy golden pancakes sat inside, dripping with melted butter and rich maple syrup. Percy raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. "Nice."

He sat down next to the others and started digging in. Between bites, he looked at Grover and Annabeth. "So. What's our next move then?"

Annabeth wiped her hands with a napkin and said, her voice calm and focused, "Grover and I were just talking about that."

Grover nodded, ears twitching slightly. "Yeah, I was thinking of going around and asking the local animals if they knew any way for us to get a ride."

Percy shrugged and nodded with his mouth full. "That's as good a plan as any, I guess. Let's—"

He stopped mid-sentence, wincing as he suddenly felt something heat up in his pocket. Frowning, he reached in and pulled out the taxi card from earlier. It was warm to the touch and glowing faintly at the edges.

Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"

Percy looked at it, flipping it over. "It was a taxi card… for a service I don't recognize. It came with the red leather case from earlier."

Annabeth gave him a look. "And you're only just mentioning this now?"

Percy scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I didn't think it was important…"

Without waiting for permission, Annabeth reached out and snatched the card from his hand. "Give it here."

She examined it with a critical eye, her fingers tracing over the unfamiliar logo. "I don't recognize the name at all," she muttered. "Oh well. I guess we just try it."

After finishing breakfast, the three of them packed up camp and made their way to the nearest road—an old, cracked stretch of asphalt barely visible beneath patches of moss and overgrowth.

Standing at the roadside, Annabeth held up the card and tried to figure out how it worked. She turned it over, squinted at it, and even shook it slightly, but nothing happened.

Finally, out of ideas, she stared at the card and said clearly, "We'd like a ride, please."

The card pulsed with light for a brief second—then vanished from her hand in a shimmer of sparks.

Suddenly, the air behind them warped slightly, like heat off pavement. Out of nowhere, a sleek black limousine appeared—its body curved with aerodynamic grace, the polished metal reflecting sunlight like obsidian. Along the side was the bold, stylized letter D, accompanied by a sleek checkered-flag decal running from front to back like a racing stripe.

It was the unmistakable vehicle of Delamain—an advanced, AI-driven luxury cab service known in another world for its smooth, intelligent operation, calming voice, and absurd punctuality. The windows were tinted pitch-black, and the vehicle purred softly, almost silently, as if inviting them inside.

The trio stared in stunned silence.

Percy blinked. "Okay… now that's cool."

The back doors opened smoothly with a soft hiss, inviting them in. Percy blinked, then shrugged and climbed in first, followed by Grover and Annabeth. As soon as they were all seated, the doors shut securely behind them with a quiet click of precision.

A moment later, a sleek digital interface flickered to life on the screen mounted in front of them. A digitized face of a bald man appeared, refined and calm, with piercing eyes and a subtle, polite smile. In a chipper, well-mannered British voice, he spoke:

"Welcome, and thank you for choosing the Delamain Cab Service. Your voyage today will take you to St. Louis. From there, you will have to make your own way, I'm afraid. But until then, your fare is taken care of, and you've even been given the Excelsior Package."

The car began to hum softly as it pulled away from the forest road, smoothly gliding along the asphalt. There was no driver—only the sound of the world moving past them.

"So rest comfortably knowing that you are safe. I will do everything in my power to see to it that you reach your destination unharmed… and woe to anyone who tries to see otherwise."

Percy leaned back in his seat, eyes widening slightly. "Okay, that's either super reassuring… or slightly terrifying," he muttered.

Annabeth, wide-eyed with interest, leaned forward. Her gray eyes sparkled with curiosity. "Are you an AI, then?"

Delamain turned his attention to her, his digital smile unwavering. "Why yes, I am, young lady. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them. We have a rather long ride ahead of us."

Annabeth's eyes practically lit up. She immediately launched into a rapid-fire string of questions, her voice filled with intellectual excitement.

Percy slouched lower in his seat, half-listening. "Uh oh," he whispered to Grover. "She's in her happy place."

Grover chuckled sleepily, pulling his cap down over his eyes. "Wake me when we get there."

Before long, Percy dozed off as well, lulled by the smooth hum of the AI-driven vehicle and the steady rhythm of Annabeth's voice and Delamain's calm replies.

Annabeth, completely absorbed, didn't even notice as the city skyline of St. Louis came into view in the distance. She only paused when the screen lit up again and Delamain spoke once more, his tone still polite, but gently final.

"All right, ladies and gentlemen. We have arrived at our destination. Thank you for choosing Delamain Cab Service."

The car came to a smooth, seamless stop right in front of the St. Louis Arch, the iconic monument gleaming under the morning sun.

As they stepped out of the cab, Annabeth looked back over her shoulder, her expression soft with gratitude. "Will we ever be able to use your service again?"

Delamain smiled, his tone almost mysterious. "Perhaps. That all depends… if the Creator sees fit to give you another card."

Annabeth tilted her head, curiosity once again piqued. "Who's your creator?"

Delamain paused for a beat, then answered evenly. "Unfortunately, he wishes to remain anonymous for now… but I'm sure he'll reveal himself to you in time, little ones. Now, off you go on your adventure. Please be safe and have a pleasant journey."

With that, the cab's door shut silently, and the sleek black limousine glided away down the road, disappearing around a bend with the same quiet grace with which it had arrived.

Annabeth spun around, eyes wide, practically bouncing in place. "Oh my gods, that was so much fun! I got to talk to an artificial intelligence—and now I get to see the St. Louis Arch in person! Let's go take the tour!"

Percy blinked away the last bits of sleep and gave her a sideways look. "Sure… okay… guess we're doing this now."

Grover just sighed, slinging his pack over one shoulder. "Not gonna argue."

The two of them followed after Annabeth without protest, the sun rising higher behind them as the day—and their next adventure—began.

As the tour ended at the top of the Arch, Grover and Annabeth stepped into the elevator and began their descent, chatting quietly as the doors slid shut behind them.

Percy stayed behind, lingering a little longer by the observation windows. He watched the Mississippi River below, feeling the breeze from the ventilation fans brush against his face.

Just then, an obese woman nearby looked down at the tiny Chihuahua in her arms and said sweetly, "Now, son… we can't do this here. We've got all these nice people around."

Percy blinked, slowly turning to look at her, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "Wait—you… you named your Chihuahua Son?"

The woman turned to him with a toothy grin that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Oh no, Chimera, dear. It's a common mistake."

Percy's stomach dropped. "Wait, what?"

Before he could say another word, the little dog suddenly exploded in size, muscles expanding grotesquely as it transformed into a massive lion, its fur bristling like needles. On its back, a goat's head erupted, snarling and frothing at the mouth, and its tail morphed into a serpent, which hissed and snapped at the air. Flames billowed from its lion's jaws with each breath, searing the air and sending panicked tourists screaming.

At the same time, the woman's form twisted and mutated—her body stretched unnaturally, her fingers elongating into claws, and her skin turning a greenish hue with patches of rough, glistening scales. Her eyes glowed like molten gold.

With a snarl, she stepped forward and hissed, "Percy Jackson… you have offended the gods. And for that, you will die."

Percy's instincts kicked in. He dodged a sudden lunge from the Chimera, rolling to the side and nearly tripping over a bench. "You really need to help me understand how I offended anyone!" he shouted, heart racing.

Then he felt it—the familiar heating sensation in his pocket.

Yanking the case free with one hand, Percy flipped it open. One of the figures inside was glowing brightly: a portly mustached man in a red hat, red shirt, white gloves, blue overalls, and brown shoes.

He didn't hesitate.

Percy quickly pulled it out and set it on the ground. The glow intensified—brighter and brighter until it filled the entire observation deck with golden light. Then, just as quickly, it faded.

And there he stood.

One hand rested on the brim of his hat, his mustache twitching with determination. His blue eyes narrowed seriously as he looked straight at the Chimera.

Percy's jaw dropped. His voice was full of childlike wonder. "Oh my gods… Super Mario."

With a confident smile, Mario shouted, "Let's-A go!"

He dashed forward at impossible speed, effortlessly leaping over the Chimera's snapping maw. He landed cleanly on the goat's head, bouncing off it like a trampoline, then flipped over the serpent tail with a spin that defied physics.

When he landed, he spun around quickly and grabbed the serpent by the neck—behind the head to avoid the fangs—and, with surprising strength, lifted the entire Chimera off the ground.

Spinning several times on his heels like he was winding up a throw in Super Smash Bros., he launched the monster through the observation deck window. Glass shattered into a million shards as the Chimera plummeted down from the Arch, roaring all the way to its doom.

Echidna shrieked in fury. "How dare you do that to my son! I'll kill you!"

She lunged toward Super Mario with a feral scream, claws extended.

Mario calmly jumped high into the air and came crashing down with a comically forceful stomp, landing right on her head.

With a cartoonish SPLAT, Echidna was flattened like a pancake, disintegrating into dust and sparkles.

Mario turned to Percy, gave him a confident wink, and then vanished in a swirl of kaleidoscopic colors—reds, blues, yellows, and stars dancing behind him.

Percy just stood there, stunned and grinning from ear to ear. "That… was amazing. This might be one of the greatest days of my life."

He took the elevator down, barely able to stop smiling. As soon as he exited the Arch, he spotted Grover and Annabeth waiting nearby.

"I gotta tell you guys what just happened," he said excitedly. "I just got saved by Super Mario!"

Grover's eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open. "You got saved by Super Mario? Lucky!"

Annabeth, still scanning the area suddenly stiffened. "Guys," she said, pointing subtly, "we've gotta go."

Across the plaza, a group of uniformed police officers were making their way through the crowd, looking around with growing suspicion.

The three of them moved quickly, disappearing into the crowd and slipping away from the Arch before anyone could ask questions.