𝙄𝙉𝙁𝙇𝘼𝙈𝙀𝘿; heroes of olympus

hello, goodbye, i love you

ERITH JAY
ERITH WASN'T SURE SHE WAS STILL ALIVE.

When she regained consciousness, she was laying on cool stone. It was so unlike Tartarus she felt bewildered. There was no stone in Tartarus, and if there was, it was hot enough to burn.

Her ears rang. Her body felt like overcooked spaghetti. Spots danced before her eyes. On her stomach, just above her belly button, a circle burned all the way around, so harsh that she nearly cried out.

Payment, said a quiet voice. She thought it was a girl. 

Memories of Tartarus slid into her like a hot sword. Bob's final goodbye. The feel of Damasen's hand. Percy grasping her like she was the only thing left in the world. The hot air. Shattering breaths. Ghost kisses.

She creaked her eyes open.

Standing over her was a giant, except he was like no giant she had ever seen. He was vaguely reptilian, but all darkness. A shroud of it consumed him, billowing down onto the floor around her.

Lying next to her, still unconscious, was Percy. For a moment, she panicked, but he made a strangled sound: half moan, half gasp. He was alive.

Slumped over him was Annabeth, eyes closed. Percy's head was in her lap.

Annabeth was here. Which meant―

Then Erith spotted the Doors.

They were exactly like the ones in Tartarus. But they were still chained.

No time for plans. She lunged toward them, drawing her sword, and cut through the first chain like butter.

The second chain was harder, because chaos ensued.

A voice―Hazel?―screamed. Leo shouted. The giant spoke, a horrible, gasping thing: "You dare, child of the sun?"

No strength to respond. She lifted her sword and cleaved through the last chain.

The Doors disappeared. The giant roared and swiped at her. She hit a wall hard, felt something in her crack with a sharp, flaring pain. She might've cried out. She might've gasped. She heard Hazel and Leo screaming her name.

Then she passed back out.

―

"Erith."

Luke's teasing smile. Ethan's scowl. Zoe's bloody hands. 

"Erith, honey, wake up."

The ghosts were getting blurrier. Ethan's features dissolved. Luke's smile faded like an imprint of white. Zoe was nothing but blood.

"Please wake up."

All three of them blurred together as one, and in their place stood Piper. Her hair had grown slightly longer, held back in two braids. Her eyes, brown flecked with green, drilled a hole into Erith. 

She had gotten stronger.

Piper's hands flew to her mouth and she let out a strangled cry. She stepped back, and Erith could hear her sobs echoing off of the walls.

She was in a cavern. They were in a cavern.

Jason kneeled right in front of her. He was tanner. His blonde hair had gone longer, and his blue eyes were far more piercing than she remembered. He was tense―his muscles stood out under his clothes. With one hand he grasped her right shoulder, and with the other, he tilted up her jaw.