Eros' Curse- Revenant's Escape

Chapter 5. That's... Bright

Jason's POV:

Nico's room was pretty dark, kinda gloomy, but Jason didn't mind it. Sleeping in the pitch dark was probably better at this point. Jason stared at the ceiling for a moment.

Who was he going to save? What was this Prophecy thing? Was Nico going to be okay without him? He didn't want him to leave, much less him going on a quest for something with Nico knowing he could die again.

He'd sigh, turning over onto his side and shoving one of the many pillows between his legs as if it were another human being. Ever since he broke up with Piper he gained that habit- it embarrassed him. He set his glasses on the side table next to the bed and drifted off into a light sleep.

"Jaaaasssooonnn Graaaaccceeee..." A voice hissed in his dreams. "I'm expecting yooouuu..."

Jason stood in a desert-like environment, dunes surrounding him, but the sand was black. The sky was... not a sky. Just an endless void of black and red. He'd look around, his glasses still gone. He had to squint to see the figure stepping toward him. A cold, firm hand wrapped around his neck, making it difficult to breathe.

"To cure the curse you must bring her to me..."

"Who? Curse? Who are you?!"
The dirty blond in front of him didn't answer, only choking him before he shot up in his bed, drenched in sweat.

What was that?

He'd look at the clock on the wall, trying to tell the time as he scrambled for his glasses. Once he'd put them on his face, blinking away the sleep from his eyes, finally reading the time he saw it was almost 8 AM. 'Amazing. Just how long was that dream?' He slid out of the bed and onto the obsidian floors of his best friend's room, stretching.

"It was just a dream, Jason. All demigods get them..." Jason muttered, glancing in the wall-length mirror in the corner of the room. He looked a mess- his blond, cropped hair slightly grown out, his shirt messed up, jeans wrinkled. He knew he was much too tall to borrow any of Nico's clothes- but perhaps Hades could summon him some. That would be awkward.

"It's 8 right..? Do I walk out, and look around?" Jason muttered to himself, putting his jacket on that he had shrugged off during the night. Was it disrespectful to wander around the palace? Was Hades even awake- or did gods even sleep? Jason confused himself. Maybe it was best that he stay in the room so the guards didn't confuse him for an intruder. He looked back at the bed before pulling the sheets and comforter back up it was natural that he did that. He was praetor at camp Jupiter before he died after all. He sat down, carding a hand through his hair. He sat and waited.

Finally, after what felt like hours somebody knocked on the door, poking their head inside the room. A mop of blonde hair that fell to his shoulders with a bow over his shoulder stood in the door.

"Hey, Jason. It's me- Apollo, or Lester. Whatever you'd like to call me. Came here to give you something."

Jason looked up from his spot on Nico's bed.
"Huh? Oh, um... Thanks?" Jason replied awkwardly. He watched as the god walked further into the room, stopping in front of him.

"Could I see your hand?" Apollo said, extending his own for Jason's. Jason obliged, putting his hand in Apollo's. The god turned it over on his own, tracing an X over the back of his hand. The X emitted a faint glow, then turned to a binding light. Jason had to shield his eyes from the light before it dimmed.

"What did you just do?" Jason uncovered his eyes, looking at his hand that now had a scar- it didn't hurt, it was just scarred.

"Take out your weapon," Apollo said, his hands resting on his hips as if he were proud of a child.

Jason pulled his coin out, turning it over a few times before it shifted into his sword. The sword looked normal- but now it had a faint glow. It felt like he was conducting electricity to his sword- but instead, it was light.

"See? I blessed you! You won't be able to see too well down there, and you'll need light at one point or another." The light god said happily, a wide grin crossing his face.

"Down there?" Jason repeated. He was confused, nobody had told him what he was supposed to be doing for this 'quest'. "What do you mean? And what is this quest?" Jason almost demanded. He wanted to know. He felt as if he had no control over anything he did anymore. First, he loses his memories because of his stepmother, then he gets plopped down into a prophecy to fight, watches his home turn against him, fights Mother Earth, and wins only to be caught up in helping a god turned mortal and dying. Now that same guy- who was a god again of course-  was teaming up with two other gods and sending him on what he thinks is a death quest. His life could not get any worse, right? He'd pray to the Fates that it wouldn't.

"Sorry Jason, can't tell you that. That's Hades' deal to explain- or well, being as vague as he can be while explaining. But let's get you some new clothes, eh? I'm sure I'll take care of that for you."

"Venus is still here?"

"Kind of, a god is never all in one place, you know?" He scratches his hin before sighing with a shrug. "Let's just get you outta here, too gloomy. I still wonder how Will likes Nico, complete opposites." Apollo started walking out of the room. Jason's sword shifted back into a coin which he put in his pocket for safekeeping.

Jason followed the god out of the room and to the dining hall- where Persephone sat, a backpack beside her on the table with dried fruits in bags. Was she making rations for him for the quest?

"Hey Persephone," Apollo said with a smile. Hades glared at him from where he sat next to his wife at the table, reading glasses perched on his face.

"Hello, Apollo," Persephone replies, only looking up from her work to look at Jason. "Hello, dear. You must be Nico's friend, he talked about you some before your untimely ending,"

Jason cringed at her words- inwardly anyway. He wasn't about to disrespect the queen of the Underworld- she was too much of a figure he respected. She was one of the deities that hadn't screwed up his life.

"Have a seat, Grace," Hades says, looking down at a file for paperwork. 'How much paperwork does this man do?' Jason thought to himself as he sat down in a random spot. A plate was placed in front of him which almost immediately filled with food- just like at Camp Half-Blood. He glanced at the gods present and Persephone shook her head, seemingly knowing his question before he spoke it.

"No dear, you don't have to make any offerings," Her dark skin seemed to glow with the reflection of the soft pink dress she wore. After she spoke, he almost immediately dug into his food, eating like a wolf. Back at the Wolf House, it was either you eat quickly, or you don't eat at all. That's just how he grew up.

After he finished the day went quickly- Persephone gave him his backpack, Aphrodite changed his clothes to his jacket, a grey T-shirt, jeans, and blue running shoes. Now he was with Hades, his hand on the gods' arm as the shadow traveled to who knows where.
He stumbled face-first into sand that seemed to slop down from where he lay. He stood and brushed off the sand, seeing the giant pit in front of him.

"Good luck, Jason Grace. Welcome to Tartarus."

(Sorry for the wait guys I need to get my schedule on track)