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CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE xxxix. the bitter and the defeated _______
After a while, Sebastian's feet felt like Titan mush. He marched along, following Bob, listening to the monotonous slosh of liquid in his cleaning bottle.
Stay alert, he told himself, but it was hard. His thoughts were as numb as his legs. Percy holding his hand did lift up his mood a bit, but he could tell that the dark landscape was getting to Percy as well. His eyes had a dull sheen - like his spirit was being slowly extinguished. Sebastian hated the thought of that. It wouldn't be fair.
"Hey, Bob," Percy called out to the Titan. "Where exactly are we heading?"
"The lady," Bob said. "Death Mist."
Sebastian exhaled. "But what does that mean? Who is this lady?"
"Naming her?" Bob glanced back. "Not a good idea."
Sadly, the Titan was right. Names had power, and speaking them here in Tartarus was probably very dangerous. "Can you at least tell us how far?"
"I do not know," Bob admitted. "I can only feel it. We wait for the darkness to get darker. Then we go sideways."
"Sideways," Sebastian muttered. "Naturally."
He was tempted to ask for a rest, but he didn't want to stop. Not here in this cold, dark place. It seemed to dangerous, and that was saying something if he thought the rest of Tartarus was a perfect rest stop.
Sebastian was no stranger to the feeling a homesickness, though he was often yearning for a place or person that was long gone. Sometimes he'd find himself wishing he was back in Ancient Rome, where things were, admittedly, simpler for him despite all the torment he suffered. And now he just missed home.
Home would never be the same again. He knew that. Firstly, it had been destroyed by the battle and then by the eidolon attack. Secondly, Sebastian had been labeled a traitor and they'd decided to start a war with the Greeks, which could not end well. As much as Sebastian hated the thought, he might not have a home to get back to if he and Percy escaped Tartarus alive - and then survived Gaea herself. And even if New Rome was repairable, Sebastian's position there probably wouldn't be. He'd been labelled a traitor with justifiable cause. Even if those charges were lifted, it was highly unlikely that the masses would feel comfortable with Sebastian as their 'supreme ruler' after this stunt.
Sebastian glanced at Percy, who kept his eyes on the endless darkness ahead as they walked, always remaining vigilant. He recalled when they'd first entered Tartarus and were sinking in the River Cocytus. Percy had mentioned a future with Sebastian. Maybe Sebastian hadn't been able to see it then - still believing he was forever cursed to immortality or the sweet release of permanent death if Gaea managed to kill him - but now... now it was something Sebastian could picture.
