What Did We Do (Percy Jackson Betrayed)

Tartarus is horrible

Percy pov.

Nico was still in shock.

It had been several hours since Ella and some campers fell into Tartarus, and we had passed time by blowing up dummies in the training centre, but Nico had spent all his time trying to contact Ella, and pacing. I knew him well enough to know he was stressed.

I was fairly certain that Ella could handle herself, but that didn't stop me from being worried. Tartarus was one of the most dangerous places in the universe, and while Ella had survived lots worse, she had never done so alone.

And not only that, she had seven other campers to help along. They were much weaker and much stupider, and knowing Ella, she would do anything to protect them.

Even if it cost her, her life.

Jason pov.

It feels like it's been days, but it probably hasn't.

We are still falling, and to be honest I was impressed that Nebs had voluntarily fallen to Tartarus to help us.

I had no doubts about the loyalty of the Chaos army now.

Nebs was looking annoyed, and not the least bit concerned that we had no way of stopping our fall. I held on to Piper, and the magnitude of the situation hit me.

We are gong to Tartarus.

I heard Will gasp out one word; 'ground'

Ella reacted immediately, flapping her wings with such force I did not think it was possible. She twisted in mid-air, and blew us towards a black river...

I knew it wasn't the Lethe, but it didn't look nice either.

We hit the water, and guilt overwhelmed me. I heard voices.

You killed them, you betrayed your friends, you shattered them, they died because of your mistakes. Give up, you are worthless, despair, for you are nothing, traitor, murderer. 

I felt something hoist me out of the water, and I felt myself on the shore. Nebs had brought me out of the river. She dove back in a rescued Piper, Katie and everyone else. Nebs dried everyone off and we lay on the shore for a minute, recovering, until Piper broke the silence.

"It... It didn't effect you?" She wheezed, and I was alarmed at how weak she sounded.

"It did, I just have training that helps me endure this sort of thing." I noticed in the dim red light that Neb's eyes were sparkling with tears.

Wait.

Her eyes.

I can see her face.

Nebs gave me a knowing look.

"Tartarus dims the magic in my hood, you can see my face here. But don't bother trying to hard, this isn't what I look like. I can't change my eyes, though, which is annoying."

She removed her cloak and covered Lou Ellen, who was shivering and pale. She had the form of a plain young girl with green eyes and blonde hair, and under her cloak she had a simple black top with a pink stripe and black pants. She looked at us and stood up. 

"We need to get moving. If we don't, this place will kill you all."

Nebs helped us to our feet, and was perfectly okay with us leaning on her for support. The more I thought about her, the nicer she seemed, and I wondered what she was really like, as my first impression of her was 'nice, but I wouldn't mess with her'

We trudged along the rocky terrain, Annabeth looking terrified. That was how I felt.

"Where, exactly, are we going?" Demanded Katie.

"I need to get some things off my checklist. I need a sample of the river Phlegethon, which you will have to drink from if you want to stay alive. I also need some herbs that only exist in Tartarus, so we will visit the hut of Damson eventually." Annabeth made a small chocking sound. "Then we will leave."

"And how are we going to do that?" Asked Travis.

"Words have power here, I can't tell you now."

We trudged along the side of a cliff, and Nebs refused to answer any questions. I saw a glow up ahead, which apparently meant the river Phlegethon was near. Nebs told us to gather in a circle, and she teleported us down to the river bed. I was feeling very ill by then.

"How... exactly," I winced, it hurt my throat to speak. "Do we drink the fire?"

Nebs plunged her hands into the river. We did the same.

It felt cold, which was weird, but I could feel pain coming. I scooped up liquid fire, and drank it. My mind exploded with one word:

SPICY.

 I retched as heat consumed me, and Piper actually threw up. Nebs stopped her from rolling in the river, then she took a vial from her backpack (somehow, she summoned one) and filled it with liquid fire. She also gave a strange red leaf to everyone.

"Eat this, it'll help with the heat."

I felt instantly better, which dulled the rational part of me that was asking me why I was eating a leaf. Nebs stretched her wings, and I saw several feathers fall out, brittle and damaged. This place was effecting her too, she just didn't show it, and I felt a wave of guilt for mistrusting her before.

"Thank you." I stuttered. "You came here to help us?"

"Don't think this changes anything." Nebs said. "I still hate you all."

Somehow, Nebs gathered enough strength to teleport us to Damson's hut. We stumbled through the door and lay down on an enormous bed. I saw Nebs walk to the fire still burning in the hut and put a pot over it before I felt darkness consume me.