Never Again [UNEDITED]

Chapter 8: This is different. This is Tartarus

Percy pov

After Annabeth left Tartarus dragged us back to our cell and left. "Thanks for not sending me home, Percy" "well, your next" I told him. "Obviously" He whispered. "Hey, we'll all be fine," I said. He nodded.

Days passed as Tartarus tortured me before I was allowed to fight for Leo's freedom. I failed and got cut by a empousai claw across my chest. It was days, possibly even weeks, until i was allowed to fight again. I won the fight without getting hurt and I let Leo go. Before he disappeared I whispered to him. "It helps to talk about the horrors to someone who knows what you're going through." He just looked at me then disappeared. I sighed as Thalia and I were dragged back to our cell. "Well, now it's just us," I said. She sighed. "Yup me and Kelp head" She said. I rolled my eyes as I sat back against the wall. I looked up and saw shimmery air. I waved but went serious again when Tartarus came in.

He was holding a chain with a leather handle at one end. He snapped his fingers and Thalia was on the other side of the room chained to the wall and gagged. My shirt was gone revealing many many scars and I had chains around my wrists and ankles that connected to the wall.

I knew what he was going to do with the chain whip before he told me. He walked behind me and began to whip my back with the chain. I tried not to cry out but it was hard. I did cry out a couple times when he hit a certain nerve or vein. By the time he was done my back and lip were covered in blood. He left without a word and the chains disappeared. Thalia ran over to me and ripped a piece of cloth ff of her already ripped jeans and began to dab very lightly at the wounds. I would wince when she hit a particular one but i tried to stay quiet. I knew my friends hadn't stopped watching. "It's fine Thalia. I'm fine" I said. She glanced up at the shimmer and understood. "Are you sure?" She asked. "Yeah, I'm fine" I told her.

I laid on my side for a couple minutes before looking up and seeing that the air was normal. "How are you really?" Thalia asked, noticing the perfectly normal air also. "Not great," I said as I sat up. I groaned as my back stretched. "That was...." She trailed off. "Horrific? Terrible? Gruesome? Painful?" I supplied. "I was going to say bad, but yeah" she said. I nodded my head. "What do you think is gonna happen now?" I asked. "I don't know seaweed brain." She said. We sat there, next to each other, in the middle of the room.

"Percy...Someones going to die aren't they" she asked. I thought back to the dream where Frank, Jason and Annabeth died and then thought back to the dream where Tartarus killed Thalia. "I hope not, Thals" I answered. "Let's try to get some sleep" I told her. She nodded and laid down on her back. I laid down on my side and tried to get some sleep.

Leo pov

I woke up and saw my empty bedroom. I got up and walked out of my room into the common room where everyone was talking. "Leo flamin' valdez is back, baby!" I yelled. All 14 heads turned my way. Piper got up and ran to hug me. "Hey beauty queen," I said.

"Miss brainiac"

"Blond Superman"

"Chinese canadian"

"Miss Metal detector"

"Death boy"

"Cissy"

"G-man"

"Blake"
"Claire"

"Lily"

"Harry"

"Ginny"

"Neville"

"Dean" I greeted each person with a nod and a high five. "Those nicknames are new." Ginny said. "Yeah Leos weird." Frank said. "Thank you," I said sincerely, putting a hand to my heart. The demigods chuckled. "So Percy got you out?"Annabeth asked. "Yeah" "how many times did he try" Hazel asked. "Twice" "Do you know what happen-" Annabeth was cut off by Lily. "Uh guys you might want to see this. Or not." She said. We turned to see her IM Percy and thalia.