Percy's Pov
Everything hurt. It felt like I'd swallowed a grenade that exploded on impact and if anyone asked I'd swear my head was being squeezed in a vice. But the worst pain by far was the Ara's curse. It constantly burned and ached as if someone was dragging a hot knife across the same spot again and again going deeper with each slice but cauterizing the wound every time so I wouldn't bleed out and the torture could last forever. Along with my physical suffering there was also a new problem I liked to call mental lockup.
My mind was a jail and I was it's prisoner. I had no clue how long I'd been trapped in my own head but it felt like forever. Ever since I overextended my powers and lost consciousness I'd been stuck in a dream like state. Except it wasn't exactly a dream. To me a dream is happy and usually involves love and fun and in my case swimming with Annabeth. Don't judge, they're two of my favorite things. Anyway, what I was dealing with was definitely no dream.
At first it was silent and empty in my subconscious, peaceful even. Though my tranquility was short lived as the nightmares emerged before I could get any real rest. The nightmares started as hundreds of angry voices that clashed in my mind like swords on a battlefield. They sounded furious and spiteful as if they wanted nothing more than to rip me to pieces. The voices belonged to evil beasts and I recognized some of them from previous quests. After a while of listening to the voices, the world around me shifted and I found myself standing in a dark room that heavily resembled a basement. It smelled horrible in the room like sweaty socks and stale beer. It brought back unpleasant memories of when my mom and I were living with Smelly Gabe. I just started to think about my mom when the shadow in front of me shifted and shimmered, drawing my full attention.
The folds of darkness took on a solid form and I was met with the presence of an old buddy of mine. Luke Castellan stood in front of me with a cruel face that held an arrogant smile as he spoke, "Perseus Jackson. It has been too long. I am going to enjoy this."
With a frown I realized it wasn't Luke. It was Kronos in Luke's body again. He must've read my expression because he said, "Don't worry that traitor Luke is somewhere pleasant being treated like a hero he never was. I was sent to appear in this form as it might make you more miserable." With a sadistic grin on his face Kronos slowly glided toward me, his wicked looking scythe grasped tightly in his hand.
Confused and honestly kind of afraid of this lunatic I tried to step back to get away from the Titan only to hear a metallic clattering along the concrete floor as I moved. I looked down only to discover thick metal cuffs were tightly secured around my ankles and wrists. Chains were connected from the cuffs to a single loop of metal that was attached in the center of a brick wall that seemed to have just now materialized behind me.
With a sharp tug of my arm then an abrupt kick of my foot I desperately tried to break my bindings. The chains shook and made plenty of noise but they refused to break. In addition to failing at escaping my confines, the rough texture of the metal was leaving painful scratches and bruises on both my wrists and ankles. However the small injuries were nothing compared to the white hot pain that exploded across my upper body as Kronos slashed his huge scythe at me, leaving a massive gash in my chest.
Moments ago I was convinced that this was all some crazy nightmare. Now I had no idea what was happening. All I knew was that I was in a lot of pain and it only continued to get progressively worse from then on.
Kronos tortured me for what felt like hours. It was excruciating and humiliating since I could only stand there and take it because of the cuffs. Kronos promised he'd stop if I would give up hope and accept defeat. Honestly it didn't sound like that bad of a deal right now.
A tiny voice deep inside my head warned me not to give up under any circumstance. I couldn't place the voice but it was somehow familiar to me. I did my best to listen to the voice. I tried to focus my thoughts on everyone I loved. Everyone back at both camps, my parents, everyone on the Argo II, they all needed me. Annabeth needed me. I had to stay strong for them. I wanted so badly to see their faces. I held onto these thoughts as Kronos kept making non fatal strikes all over my body, inflicting pain with each swipe but never taking the final blow.
Mind over matter. That's all it is. I can do this and I sure as Hades won't let Kronos get the best of me. Besides, if I could make it out of Tartarus alive I'm pretty sure I can deal with some major bullying from Lord Lameo over here. It's not like this could last forever right? Gods I hope not...
When Kronos finally gave up I doubled over from the pain, collapsing to my knees and breathing heavily. I gave a weak tug of my arm and found that I was still chained up. I was exhausted and every inch of my body seared with pain but I kept my mind focused on thoughts of home.
While I caught my breath I heard Kronos say, "Perhaps another memory will be better suited to destroy your will." He grinned at me before turning away to leave. I knew this might be my only chance at finding out what was happening to me so I took a risk.
"Wait!" I basically yelled, hoping he would answer the questions I had about this horrible place instead of leaving me alone in the dark. "What is all this?!? Am I dreaming?"
Kronos slowly turned back to face me, an evil smile playing at his lips. "You are not awake Perseus Jackson. The last curse you obtained in Tartarus was very unique. It buried itself deep in your heart but when you washed yourself, the water attempted to heal the curse. However the curse cannot be healed by water alone. It merely brought the true damage to the surface of your body before rooting itself in your mind. It will consume your thoughts and soul. It will test your mortal mind and body to it's limits. If you can survive the trials of the curse before your body gives into the pain than you could possibly live but only if your little friends can figure out the cure before its too late. Though I doubt they will figure it out in time...I think that your next task will prove to be even more daunting than me. You might not even live another hour."
Whoa whoa this was a lot to take in. Who could've made a curse this complicated. Whoever it was must've really hated me but I didn't think I wanted to know. I was in deep trouble but I still couldn't give up. I owed that to Annabeth.
As I thought about Kronos's words I made myself a promise. I just had to stay alive until the other's could find a way to save me. I could do that easy right? No matter what torture I had to face, I wouldn't give in to the pain. I'd get out of this place and be with everyone I cared about again. We'd defeat Gaea, I'd finally see my mom again, and then I'd live in New Rome with Annabeth and we could grow old together in peace.
While I gathered my courage, Kronos seemed to grow even more amused. "Your optimism is pathetic. I look forward to watching the hope drain out of you in the same way that your life force will. Until we meet again son of Poseidon." His dark laugh echoed as the Titan Lord stepped backward and vanished into the shimmering curtain of shadows.
The second Kronos disappeared I looked around my empty, pitch black prison in search of a way out. I could see my chains, the brick wall behind me, and a patch of illuminated flooring in front of me like a spot light on centerstage. I couldn't see any doors or windows, not even a crack or hole in the walls. There was no way to get out.
As my eyes frantically searched the room I realized that my body was no longer plagued with horrible pain. I looked down and saw that the gashes Kronos had sliced throughout my body were completely gone and there wasn't even a single scar in their place. The only pain I still felt was on my side from the Ara's curse but other than that I seemed to have healed on my own somehow. This place couldn't get any weirder.
Before I could think too much about everything that happened since magically arriving here, a loud hissing noise echoed all around me.
As I tried to place the sound, a cloud of fog invaded the room from in front of me. I moved as far away from it as I could until my back was pressed firmly against the brick wall. The fog didn't stop its advancement towards me and the second it touched my eyes and entered my airways I knew it was poisonous.
My body reacted instantly as the acid burned every inch of exposed skin. I felt a scream of agony rip itself from my throat as I choked on the fumes and fell to my hands and knees, desperately trying to fill my lungs with air. It felt like I was in the middle of a blazing fire, my insides slowly igniting and burning away as if I were choking on smoke. I suddenly wished I was Leo so I wouldn't feel my skin burning alive but no, this wasn't fire. It was acid. Nothing could help me now.
My mind was so riddled with pain that I barely noticed the giant, hideous form of Kampé emerging from the depths of the room. With a loud hiss I tried to look up and focus my eyes on her but she was so hideous it was hard to keep watching as she slid toward me.
Her laughter was worse than a thousand nails on a chalkboard and her fiery whip moved restlessly across the floor as if it were eager to lash out at the closest prey. Which just so happened to be me. Oh goody.
Without any small talk or warning, Kampé pulled back her whip and snapped it to the side with a crack that was louder than a thunderclap. The fiery material of her whip wrapped around my body and an unearthly sound was torn out of me.
The heat that coursed through me was a thousand times worse than drinking from the phelgethon. I could tell that my body temperature was rising quickly and it was getting harder to breathe each minute I was trapped in her nasty acid body odor.
Somewhere far off I heard Kampé speaking to me but I couldn't quite register what she was saying. I couldn't breathe. It was like my throat had completely closed shut and forgotten how to work altogether. My body was violently shaking as I struggled to suck in any amount of air possible. Death sounded really good right about now. I could barely handle the intense torture anymore.
It was the worst pain I'd ever experienced and I knew a little something about pain. Kampé seemed to squeeze me with her flaming whip for so long that I was positive my brain had melted into a pile of goo. I swear I didn't mean to but my head was so muddled from the agonizing abuse that I was practically begging for death.
When Kampé deemed that she had finally succeeded in breaking my will to live she brought her huge sword above her head as she readied to finish me off. She grinned viciously and with the hissing of a hundred snakes said, "It is over Perseus Jackson. You have failed."
As I saw the blurry piece of metal coming towards my face a sudden rush of energy washed over me and my vision cleared. I put my arm up in a desperate attempt to shield my face and gasped as Kampé's sword made contact with my arm.
Instead of losing my appendage like I was sure was going to happen, the blade shattered into a million pieces as if it'd been made of glass and my arm made of steel.
Kampé snarled at me and muttered, "Curse your allies. Curse Poseidon. This isn't over." With a look of fury the evil monster melted into the darkness and was gone, taking her acid fog with her.
I was so overwhelmed with everything that was happening that It took me a few minutes to realize that my chains had vanished along with any wounds I had received during Kampé's torture fest. Lifting my shirt, I noticed that the Ara's curse was glowing a faint blue color startled me. This was all too weird. Too confusing. None of it made sense. I was so overwhelmed that I almost passed out. Not wanting to leave myself completely vulnerable I moved away from the wall behind me and took a few deep breaths to clear my head and try to process everything I just discovered.
What the heck did I know? To recap what is supposedly true, I am trapped in my mind and in order to escape I have to survive whatever monsters are thrown my way whose only purpose is to break my spirit and then kill me if they succeed. My only job is to stay alive until Annabeth and the others can save me with some mysterious cure? Piece of cake. Now if I could just find the exit to this room before any other monsters from my past find me I would be golden.
Looming in front of me I saw the veil of shadows where both Kronos and Kampé had appeared and disappeared from. I sighed knowing that was the only choice I had. With a slow breath in and a long breath out I walked into the shifting darkness only to materialize in a somehow worse location than before. I immediately wanted to go back to the basement of doom but the rippling shadows were gone.
I was now stuck in a place that I feared more than anywhere else in the world. Where I felt almost nothing but pain and felt utterly hopeless at protecting the one I loved most.
I was back in Tartarus but this time I was completely alone with only the horrors of this place to keep me company.
My poor Percy, I'm sorry I did that to you. I had to but I'm still sorry. This is a big chapter for me as it's a major turning point in the story. I hope you like this extra long chapter and let me know what you think but be gentle...I'm a fragile soul xD. Thank you all for being so amazing and supportive!