Camp Half-Blood and Earth's Daughter

Chapter 6

"Don't look so scared. We're just going to bring you to the sky and see if anything happens," Thalia explained.

"It might not work, remember. We never have had to try and stimulate powers before, but it's an emergency," Annabeth explained. Jason wrapped his arm around Thalia's and my waist. I felt wind start to blow on us and we started to fly. Jason called the winds to bring us up and up.

"Wow," I sighed as I looked down at Camp Half-Blood. It was beautiful. I enjoyed being in the sky, but them my vision went black.

I heard a scream as fire started to block my vision. When I heard the scream, the first word to come to my mind was Ground.

"Brooke. Brooke, are you okay?" I woke up. Hazel and Nico were crouching over me.

"She's okay now," Nico sighed and leaned back in relief.

"Nico and I can sense death. We felt it in you when Jason and Thalia returned with you unconscious," Hazel said nervously. I sat up, feeling fine now.

"I guess she's not a daughter of Zeus," Jason said.

"She still could be. I'm afraid of heights," Thalia scowled. At that moment, I saw her look shaken up.

"Then why did you come?" Jason asked.

"Because I needed to!" she argued.  The two of them stared at one another and appeared to have a silent argument in their heads.  I watched them curiously, until they started laughing.

"I'm not afraid of heights.  I just blacked out when we went up there," I said as they sat down.

"Hmm, that's weird.  Percy, you try now," Annabeth commanded.

"Are you sure she'll be up to it?" Percy asked Annabeth nervously.

"She'll be fine in the water. I can sense it. I think something in the sky stimulated a bad memory," Hazel stated. Percy nodded and turned to the lake. He put his hand out, and a stream of water swam in the air and formed an arc over us. I looked up. Water has always calmed me. I remembered when I would swim in the river near my foster house. I reached up and touched the hovering water, but nothing happened out of the ordinary.

"Nothing," I said. Percy was panting as he returned the water to the lake.

"Why didn't you just walk to the lake?" Annabeth asked alarmingly and Percy crouched and tried to slow his breathing.

"I felt lazy," Percy said. Annabeth rolled her eyes and eased him onto the bench.

"I like water, but I don't feel any calling to it or anything," I sighed sadly.

"Don't worry. I loved the ocean too, but I didn't feel anything until I dumped water on my head and suddenly was able to sword fight," Percy explained. Nico and Hazel stood up.

"Come follow us," Hazel said and touched the ground. A tunnel formed. We walked in.

I felt at peace in the ground. The dampness of the Earth felt familiar, but I wasn't sure why.

"I like it here," I said. Nico and Hazel exchanged expressions.

"That could have a connection to being a child of Hades, but I don't think you are one," Hazel explained.

"We can sense other children of Hades and Pluto.  Maybe you are a child of Demeter," Nico added half-heartedly. These guys can sense everything, I thought to myself.  I shook my head.

"But I feel something," I whispered. I touched the wall. Dirt and stone was matted together to create it. I ran my hand over the smooth Earth and stopped every so often to trace small rocks protruding from the side.  I head Nico and Hazel whispering behind me.

I closed my eyes and started to follow the tunnel wall.  The tunnel was turning here and there, but I could picture it all in my mind.  

"Brooke?  Where are you going?" Hazel asked nervously.  I stopped, my hand on the wall.  Suddenly, the ground started to shake violently.

"Run!" Hazel cried. We ran to the entrance of the tunnel. We emerged in the light and watched as the tunnel covered itself up.

"What did you do?" Hazel asked me alarmingly.

"I don't know!" I cried. I plopped myself on the floor. Suddenly, grass started to grow around my hands that were touching the floor. The ground trembled and weeds and green grass started to become taller and taller around me. Everyone gasped.

"Wait!" Annabeth cried and pointed to my head. I looked up. Hovering above me was a strange symbol that glowed green. The demigods gasped.

"It's Gaea," Percy whispered in horror. They all backed away from me. The symbol continued to glow above my head as my mother, the goddess of the Earth, claimed me.