Olympia : The Game

Chapter 8

"Remind me again," Percy said as he sat next to Annabeth in her limousine. "Where are we going?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "How short is your memory?" Annabeth asked. "We're going to the Olympia Market."

"For what?"

"To help you prepare for the Rookie Showcase." Annabeth said. "I do hope you brought your wallet with you, because I'm not buying you anything."

Percy felt a little offended by that statement. "I can provide for myself, thank you very much."

"That's good, because these people don't take lightly to people with no money." Annabeth said.

"Wait, what do you mean they don't –"

"We're here," Annabeth said. They both exited the vehicle and the place made Percy gasp. It was a circular plaza ringed with buildings that looked like hotels and houses. At the center of the plaza, Percy could see a huge fountain sprouting water upwards.

The most interesting part in this place were the stalls. There were stalls everywhere, scattered around the plaza that was almost as wide as the Colosseum in Rome. People were bustling around, checking through the stalls and shops looking for things that they would buy. At first, Percy saw nothing. But when he put his Iris Vision on, he could see the items sprawled everywhere. Some looked like basic items, others looked like they were one-of-a-kind edition.

"Whoa," Percy managed.

Annabeth chuckled. "I had that same reaction when I first came here." Annabeth said. "This is the Plaza. This is where all kinds of magic happen. Here, you can trade with other players, buy items that you're looking for, sell items you don't want, et cetera."

Percy could hear people promoting their shop to have the lowest prices while other shops were promoting the same thing.

"You can make a living here," Percy said.

Annabeth nodded. "Some merchants, who have the rare items, are super rich." Annabeth stepped closer to him. "But between you and me, some of these items are . . . illegal."'

Percy decided not to question any further as they stepped into the Plaza. Percy could feel Annabeth wrapping her arms tightly around his, careful not to get separated. Thanks to their casual clothes and the bustling atmosphere, hardly anyone paid any attention to them.

Percy and Annabeth surveyed some of the shops and stalls on what they're offering. There were a few items that attracted Percy's attention. Some were just way out of Percy's price range, while some were just too weird for him to use.

Like, who uses an electric back scratcher to fight?

"See anything you like?" Annabeth asked.

"Some," Percy admitted. Then, he noticed one of the shops were selling necklaces. "Let's check that one." Percy said as he and Annabeth went towards it.

The shop was selling all kinds of necklaces. Some looked fake and some looked rare. When Percy hovered his hand over some of them, a message box containing all the info about the item popped up.

"Good morning," The vendor greeted them. "Fancy for some necklaces?"

"We're gonna take a look first," Percy said. Percy looked around to see a variety of them. Annabeth was looking as well, but she kept glancing at one of the necklaces. It was a silver necklace with an owl emblem attached to it. Percy hovered his hand above it. It didn't show anything. Percy lifted his Iris device to see that it was a real necklace. Not one from Olympia.

"Ah, you want to buy the girl a gift?" The vendor smiled.

"Um, what?" Annabeth asked.

"How much is it?" Percy asked.