Shrouded in Darkness

In the End

I wondered if this was what Nico and Hazel saw. Purple and blue veins full of some golden liquid flowed all along us, but there was something else in those bands of veins. I just didn't want to take a closer look. Those "rocks" we've been leaning against this whole time weren't really rocks. They looked like bundles of nerves or muscle. The ground beneath us was red because we were standing on his internals organs at least that's what it looked like to me. Rolls of raw sinew, muscle, nerves, tendons. It was making my mind reel. The heart itself was big black and disgusting. Like a giant lump of coal, but one that could apparently pump out blood and monsters. I stumbled backwards staring at it and landed on the ground with a thump.

"Violet?" Percy asked concerned. I stayed on the ground shaking out my head and keeping my eyes closed shut. "What's wrong? Are you ok?" He continued kneeling down next to me. I opened my eyes and looked at the ground before helping and jumping up. It wasn't dust on my hands it was something slimey and wet. I wiped it off on my pants completely disgusted when. Nightwing made a noise behind me. I turned to look at him while my friends continued to asks what was wrong. I almost screamed when I saw how Nightwing really looked. He was wild and ferocious and while I knew his tongue was lolling out of his mouth he didn't have one anymore. He was a stinking rotting corpse with his flesh peeling off his bones and tufts of fur sticking out every now and then.

"Oh. Nightiwng." I murmured stepping closer to him. He whimpered like he knew what I was actually seeing now.

"Violet." I turned to face Nico who pulled off his sunglasses and stared at my eyes. "Look at her." He said stepping back and letting Percy through.

"Look at me what?" I questioned as I watched him place his sunglasses back on the brim of his nose.

"Your eyes." Percy said a it bewildered cupping my face in his hands and staring into me deeply.

"Umm what about them?" I questioned uneasily.

"They're not blue anymore." He said taking a step back from me.

"Well what color are they?" How could my eyes just not be blue anymore that doesn't make sense.

"Black." I cocked my head.

"Like Nico's?" He nodded.

"And Hazel's." He said gesturing toward his sister.

"So why are they black?" I said still confused as to where this was going.

"You can see Tartarus for what it really is can't you?" Percy looked at me shocked.

"Um yeah I think so. It's sort of disgusting." The black clouds above us was actually the breath of Tartarus himself and I wasn't sure anymore if his. Insides were out of his body or if he just didn't have skin. I shivered thinking about it and continued to let my eyes wander across the limos and mounds when. Nico jerked my head back and placed something over my eyes. "Hey!" I shouted at him pulling his sunglasses off. "You'll go insane without these!" I shout shoving them back into his hands.

"So will you." He countered.

"I'm not taking them they're yours." I say moving away from him and towards the ledge.

"Yeah and I'm giving them to you." Nico replied evenly.

"You nearly went insane last time you were down here!" I reminded him.

"So you'll go insane without them." I rolled my now black eyes and scoffed.

"I'm going to die might as well go completely mad while I do it." I spit back. Nico just stared at me.

"Don't say that." He replied bitterly.

"Well it's true." I snapped. Turning around and facing Tartarus heart again. It wasn't so bad I mean after you got past all the awful looking colors and disgusting trails of veins. Actually I might throw up. I began blinking rapidly and breathing heavily clutching my throat.