𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐑𝐔𝐒𝐇 [Jason Grace]

69

𝐉𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐲𝐞𝐭, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 of being a corpse.

As they trudged toward the heart of Tartarus, he kept glancing down at his body, wondering how it could belong to him. His arms looked like bleached leather pulled over sticks. His skeletal legs seemed to dissolve into smoke with every step. He'd learned to move normally within the Death Mist, more or less, but the magical shroud still made him feel like he was wrapped in a coat of helium.

He worried that the Death Mist might cling to him forever, even if they somehow managed to survive Tartarus.

Jason tried to focus on something else, but there was no safe direction to look.

Under his feet, the ground glistened a nauseating purple, pulsing with webs of veins. In the dim red light of the blood clouds, Death Mist Dante looked like a freshly risen zombie.

Ahead of them was the most depressing view of all.

Spread to the horizon was an army of monsters—flocks of winged arai, tribes of lumbering Cyclopes, clusters of floating evil spirits. Thousands of monsters, maybe tens of thousands, all milling restlessly, pressing against one another, growling and fighting for space—like the locker area of an overcrowded school between classes, if all the students were 'roid-raging mutants who smelled really bad.

Hipp led them toward the edge of the army. He made no effort to hide, not that it would have done any good. Being fifteen feet tall and wearing a bright orange tracksuit, Hipp didn't do stealth very well.

About thirty yards from the nearest monsters, Hipp turned to face them.

"Stay quiet and stay behind me," he advised. "They won't notice you."

"We hope," Jason muttered.

On the Giant's shoulder, Hoop woke up from a nap. He purred seismically and arched his back, turning skeletal then back to calico. At least he didn't seem nervous.

Dante examined his own zombie hands. "Hipp, if we're invisible... how can you see us? I mean, you're technically, you know..."

"Yeah," Hipp said. "But we are friends."

"Nyx and her children could see us," Dante said.

Hipp shrugged. "That was in Nyx's realm. That is different."

"Uh... right." Dante didn't sound reassured, but they were here now. They didn't have any choice but to try.

Jason stared at the swarm of vicious monsters. "Well, at least we won't have to worry about bumping into any other friends in this crowd."

Hipp grinned. "Yes, that is good news! Now, let's go. Death is close."

"The Doors of Death are close," Dante corrected. "Let's watch the phrasing."

⭒☆☆⭒

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐩𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐝. Jason trembled so badly, he was afraid the Death Mist would shake right off him. He'd seen large groups of monsters before. He'd fought an army of them during the Battle of Mount Othrys. But this was different.

Whenever he'd fought monsters in the mortal world, Jason at least knew he was defending his home. That gave him courage, no matter how bad the odds were. Here, Jason was the invader. He didn't belong in this multitude of monsters.