kaleidoscope gold ● jason grace

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 Jason only noticed that Sam had vanished three steps in.

To be fair, he was distracted. The argument between Jason and Daria had been brutal, but he didn't regret it. Someone had to hold Daria accountable for her actions, make sure she came out of Tartarus alive, and did you see anyone else around?

Still, he wished he could make his point and still be able to hold Daria's hand. The white fog was unnerving him, he wanted to know that Daria was by his side if he couldn't see her, but this was a matter of pride. She already had the upper-hand, flustering him with her demanding tone, being absolutely commanding in dealing with Akhlys, making sure to trail her fingernails down his forearm so that it sent chills down his spine.

She's hot, some neanderthal part of his brain thought.

He shook his head, scolding himself. They were in Tartarus.

Uhhh, the neanderthal responded intelligently.

His dilemma was solved. Daria's small hand made its way to his as she silently made eye contact with him, asking him a silent question. She was just as scared as he was, he realized, squeezing her hand gently. It was comforting to know that, as rash as Daria was, there was some part of her that knew fear.

"Here we are." Akhlys turned and leered at them. Blood from her cheeks dripped on her dress. Her sickly eyes looked moist and swollen but somehow excited. Can Misery look excited?

"Where's my dad?" Daria asked warily.

"Oh, he couldn't join. He's already a ghost isn't he?"

Jason knew this was a trap, and he'd bet money on it that Daria had figured that out long before he did. But they had no other choice. "Where is here, exactly?"

"The verge of death!" Akhlys said gleefully. "Just look around."

He turned to Daria and lost his breath, not in the good way.. "You're...." After the last few hours, this was getting to be too much. Jason's blood moved like sap in his veins. "You look dead."

Daria's right hand was so pale that he could see the veins through it as she covered her mouth in horror. She looked like she'd been stuck in a cool, dark mausoleum for decades, slowly withering away. He worried about Daria dying every day, most demigods didn't live that long, but seeing her now...

"Is this some kind of sick joke?" Her voice trembled and Jason had forgotten that he looked the same. He was struggling to move, the death mist must be slowing him down.

"We can pass unseen now?" Jason asked. "To the Doors of Death?"

"Oh, perhaps," Akhlys crooned. "But unfortunately for you both, you won't live that long."

"It's a trap," Jason stated.

The goddess cackled. "Didn't you expect me to betray you?"

"Yes," Jason and Daria said together.

"Well, then, it was hardly a trap! More of an inevitability. Misery is inevitable. Pain is –"

"Yeah, yeah," Daria interrupted. "Let's get to the fighting." She moved to slash her sword but it evaporated as soon as she struck the goddess. Daria blinked. "What-?"

"Did I forget to mention?" Akhlys said innocently. "You two are mist now. Which means, you can't kill me."

Her fingernails grew into talons. Her jaw unhinged, and she lunged.

Jason dove left as Daria did the same on the other side. His brain was wracking itself for a plan, trying to remember something from his years of training, but as he met Daria's wispy gaze, he knew that they weren't equipped for this. There were no How to Fight When You're Made of Mist classes at camp.