Percy Jackson, the embodiment of hope.

Chapter 14: Strange experience. [Story building]

Excerpt from Percy's journal:

I am not entirely sure what happened on the planet Lardyz. I was on a mission with Luke, Silena, and Charles a couple of years after the failed mission.

Our objective was to find and kill a rogue assassin on the planet. He had been killing unjustly.

We were searching in the designated forest when I was split up with the rest of my team.

I wandered blindly, trying to mind message them, but it seemed I was cut from all communications.

I entered a clearing in the forest and saw a cabin made out of Earthen red wood.

I stared at it for a while before a voice called out from inside of it.

"You coming in, or not?" It called out to me.

I entered the cabin and abruptly collapsed. It was the worst possible time to have a vision, and it was now.

Ever since my close 'friends' at camp... harmed me, I've had visions of horrible things. Not parts of the future, just visions of those I love dying and of me killing them.

It started after Piper stabbed me with Katoptris.

Anyway, I heard the voice say,

"Oh, shoot. Come on, I got you."

I felt him pick me up and put me on a couch, but that was it. At that moment I was watching my parents burn. I knew the visions would last a couple of hours.

I was wrong. About a minute after the man picked me up, my vision disappeared, and I felt... more free than I had in a while.

I groaned and sat up, only to stare into a set of eyes. That looked exactly like my own.

I scrambled back in surprise and pulled out my trident, only for the man to stand straight and laugh.

"So you're Percy Jackson?" He frowned and looked me over.

"What happened?"

I was stuck staring at him. He looked exactly like me, minus the wings and cloak.

He walked a couple of steps away and into a kitchen. I assessed my surroundings and just saw some couches, some game consoles, a door, and a kitchen. Along with a strange cage.

I put my trident away and walked to the kitchen counter and sat down, and the man smiled at me.

"What would you like to eat?" He asked me.

I eyed him, and he sighed.

"Look, I cured you of your Katoptris visions. It's not like I'm gonna poison you or anything."

I stared at him and asked for a blue burger. He smiled and set the ingredients out.

I asked who he was, and he simply said,

"I'm Percy Jackson."

I shook my head and told him he's not, because, well, I'm Percy Jackson.

He looked at me with laughter in his eyes.

"Oh, but I am. I am Percy Jackson, but I'm not you."

I asked how that worked, and he didn't give a straightforward answer.

"So. What happened to you to make you, well, this?" He asked with worry in his eyes.

I explained what the camps did and who I am now, and he frowned.

"What an... interesting story," he said.

I asked him what he meant, and he just said that his story was different.

At some points, he would randomly pause as if hearing something. Then, he would either ask me a question or shake his head.

The questions he asked were strange. He gave me the burger.

"What's your opinion on Jason, Gaea, and Annabeth?"

They all sucked. Except Gaea, but she used to.

"What magic powers do you have?"

I didn't tell him.

"Who did you bring back?"

I ran down the list.

"How do you feel about the river Phlegethon as a food ingredient?"

I didn't mind it.

"Do you ever plan on returning to Earth?"

Hm. I don't want to. I really don't want to return to Earth, but I know someday I will. I just hope I get to see Her again when I do.

He asked who She was, and I answered honestly.

He was taken aback, genuinely surprised. By now, I had eaten the burger. It was good.

I asked why he was so confused, and he just shook his head, so I asked him who he loved.

He winced and said "Annabeth" under his breath.

I was confused, but he rushed to explain. Apparently, in the same way that he is Percy Jackson, but is not me, he means a different Annabeth than my ex.

Confusing, and I still haven't figured it out. I have some guesses, but they're pretty outlandish.

I finished the burger, and he softly touched my forehead. I asked why, and he said that he removed a curse from me, one that made me unable to contact anyone.

I don't know why it didn't affect him. He shook my hand and asked to pluck a couple of feathers from my wings before showing me out the door.

I stepped out of the cabin and found myself in my room. I whirled around, but the man and the door I came through were gone.

Confused, I made my way to Chaos's office, only to find my team and Chaos in a heated discussion about me.

I walked into the room, and it went silent before I was tackled by Bellerophon and Luke, who are the closest on the team to my brothers, literally in Bellerophon's case.

Apparently, I had been gone for a week. Luke and the others had successfully killed the assassin and returned, waiting for me.

Only for me not to show up. I was confused and shaken. Nothing bad had happened in the cabin. Heck, it was good. No more visions, a free burger, and a strange talk.

But a WEEK of being gone?

I reassured the team that I was fine, and they eventually left, but I stuck in the room to talk with Chaos.

He asked where I actually was, and I explained to him. He frowned but told me not to worry about it. I asked why, and he simply said,

"Because it's out of my jurisdiction."

I fell asleep that night, thinking. Out of his jurisdiction? He's the creator of the universe. His jurisdiction is LITERALLY EVERYTHING. Right?

It implies that there is something more powerful/above Chaos, and that scares me.

I've never heard of a being like that, so... was it the man in the cabin? I don't think so, but he definitely had something to do with it.

That burger was good though.