Trying to spam my forum to the first page because we are so close... (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡 I gave up to come and write this instead as a shipping of two characters on that forum. Enjoy!

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Zavid gasped as he reformed completely. It was dark and cold, yet bright and burning. I died... He remembered. Somebody stabbed me... right here... He touched himself over his heart. With imperial gold... and I vanished immediately... The manticore panicked then. The camp! But more importantly, Lorelei!

Clawing his way out of his reforming chamber, Zavid spilled out onto the grounds of Tartarus, thankfully with a loincloth around his waist. He may be a monster, but he was also civilized. Gasping for air and sticky, Zavid stood up on shaky legs, coughing on the scorching air of the deepest parts of hell. Looking around, he saw other monsters spilling out of their chambers as well. But he didn't care about them. There was only one thing on his mind at the moment.

Lorelei.

I need to get to her... See if she is still alive... Taking a step forward, the manticore stumbled. The world spun around him. How long has it been? He asked himself as the world continued to dip and spin. Closing his eyes tightly, he counted to ten before opening them again. Some things were still out of focus, but it was good enough.

I need to find Hades... He thought. But where... A pull in his gut told him where. Looking around, Zavid took another step forward and went against the push and shove of other monsters. Stumbling and shoving, pushing and scratching, writhing and howling masses of other monsters pushed against Zavid as he tried to advance, slowing his progress down significantly.

Did this many of us really die in that battle? The blonde manticore thought. A sudden cold grew in his stomach. How many of the campers died? And was mon cher amid those who had fallen?Zavid pushed harder, even shifted into his manticore form and tore the heads off of a few daimons to get to the end of the crowd.

Once there, the beast collapsed. He heard flames, but their roar was dull to his ears. He was thirsty. He was starving. He was exhausted after his struggles through the crowds.

But her name went through his mind once more.

Lorelei.

No. He couldn't give up so early on.

Pushing himself to his feet, Zavid returned to human form, clutching his stomach as he stumbled across the empty fields.

He walked for hours on end, feet blistering and bleeding, but still he trudged forth. He would get there, back to the surface world, even if it only meant seeing her for just one more second before he was sent back to Tartarus again. And he would do exactly as he was now again if he was sent back.

As he walked, memories flashed through Zavid's mind. He had almost lost her twice when he had taken the camp to Rome. Twice he had almost driven himself to despair as he impatiently paced halls as the Apollo kids worked on her, permitting no visitors into her room, even the camp directer himself.

I'm coming home, Lorelei...

...

Zavid walked for days on end. He wasn't sure if he was walking circles or not, but his feet hurt so much he felt as though he had walked the entire world. Maybe he had. He didn't know. All the manticore knew was that he had to see her again, to see if she was alive and as well as a demigod could be with the threat of creatures like him lurking around every corner.

...

Eventually Zavid made it to a dead end. He pushed on one of the walls around him. It felt like stone, and it felt a bit damp, too. Looking up, Zavid saw nothing but a black abyss. He smiled as much as his chapped lips would allow. Black above. That was new from the orange haze he saw every time he looked up, trying to remember the stars at which he gazed with his cher.

Grabbing hold of the wall with both hands, Zavid began to climb up into the black abyss.

Even if it takes me my entire life to find you again, mon cher, I shall never give up my search. He thought as he climbed slowly up and out of Tartarus. Not even Hades' walls shall keep us apart. The gods will not stand between us and our love for each other.

Zavid's foot slipped and the stones on which it had been on clattered down. Grunting and breathing in deeply, Zavid readjusted. He was sweating terribly, but he wouldn't let discomfort stop him from completing his quest.

Je vais vous retrouver, mon amour. Zavid thought. I will find you again, my love.

*To be Continued!*

I know. You all hate me for doing that. XD But I'm going to make this a good three chapters or so long. Chapter one: Tartarus, chapter two: Hell, and chapter three: Lorelei. Sound good everybody?