Who I Truly Am

Ch. 7 *Edited*

Percy POV:

I wake up and get dressed, choosing a green shirt and some shorts. The sun hasn't risen yet, so I decide to jog around camp, waiting for others to wake and breakfast to start. I watch as the sun rises, the calm water, soft breeze, trees quiet, wildlife still asleep. It was peaceful. The most peace I've felt in a while since Gaea's last sentence has haunted me. Since I've thought about what the heck is going on and what they're all keeping from me.

Fuck, why did I have to think that? Wait, shit, I need to water Steve, don't I, or did I water him yesterday?

I jog back to my cabin to see Steve a little browned, I water him, and I could almost see the immediate change. From drooping and slightly brown, to green stick straight aloe vera leaves. Aloe Vera, that's kind of ironic isn't it, because Gaea exploded with Leo, and this little Gaea plant, Steve, is something that helps burns.

Before I walk back out, I swear I hear Gaea's voice coming from the aloe vera. The same haunting repetition, though more desperate."Remember who you are, Jackson. Remember who you truly are."

I walk outside, camp more alive now, people heading towards the pavilion. As I get closer, the chatter gets louder. Breakfast has started. I sit down at my table, ready to eat. I try to ignore the increasingly loud clamor of people chatting, but I keep hearing that same haunting rasp from Gaea in everyone's voice. It surrounds me, I struggle to breathe. It gets louder and louder, Gaea's sleepy voice chanting over and over.

I can't take it anymore. I get up and walk away, without grabbing anything to eat. Gaea's voice doesn't stop engulfing me. I can't hear anything else. I'm stumbling as I walk away, my hands covering my ears so tightly it hurts. I tell myself to breathe, to start counting to focus my mind on something else. Gaea's verse remains persistent, developing from barely a whisper to a full scream match.

One

Gaea chants over and over.

Three

I start to lose focus

Five

I trip and fall, the brief pain letting me ignore Gaea's voice.

Ten

I get up, my vision blurring

Fifteen

I can vaguely see in front of me. The beach.

Twenty

I get to the water, hoping that underwater, her voice will be dampened, gone.

Thirty

I fall into the water, letting myself submerge completely, but even at the bottom, Gaea's voice thunders through my ears.

Thirty-something

I lose track of the numbers

What would be sixty

I see stars dancing in my vision, or is that just fish?

What would be eighty

I subside to the stars, letting Gaea's voice fade out, lulling me to sleep.

I'm on a different planet, The sky is purple, its red star at its highest point. You can see three other planets from there, one has huge rings, one is super bright and pink, and the last one I could barely see, it looks pitch black, the only reason I could see it is because of how bright the sky is. I walk into the nearest building, a stunningly bright, white, building with huge black doors made of vanta black smooth handles. I turn the handle and enter the building.