Again he dreamed of tar and empty eyes. There was nothing alive left in this world that belonged to them. Nothing to hold onto.
Jason wanted to call out, scream against the darkness and confusion, tell him he wasn't alone, that he was there. Always.
He couldn't. It felt like a hand had wrapped around his neck. Through the layers of skin and flesh, it burned it's way inside his throat. With each shallow breath, flames fanned up while the pressure increased. Choking on scorching hot pain, he swallowed around an ocean of melted lava just to drown on gallons of his own blood.
Please, he begged in his mind, as he tried and failed. Every sound was muted by agony, every word set ablaze, hopelessly out of reach. Dark silence was all that remained.
Jason's vision blurred. Soon it would be over. Angry tears formed at the rim of his eyes and he wondered if they were black as well.
With a jolt, the son of Jupiter awoke to reality. He drew a stuttering breath and then another. Just a dream - a nightmare, he told himself, yet his heart continued to drum loud and fast. By now it was a common sensation. A word stuck in his mind. He sat up and followed it until he knew what it was. Nico.
"Why?!"
Jason buried his face into his pillow. It had been weeks since the young demigod returned. He was here. He was safe. He was fine. Still, deep at his core lingered the fear. He needed to be sure. Now.
The son of Jupiter gazed into the distance. Above, the sky was freckled with stars. The wind whistled and the earth's voice sang. No words, just a forgotten tune, whispering in his ears. It led him up the steep path and along awkward slopes and corners of the road he oh so often trod in his dreams. Friendly by day, darkly ominous by night. Debris cringed under his feet as he stopped in his search. There. He was there. All thoughts vanished.
Before him, stretched a field of flowers. Moon-flowers. He'd never seen them here before.
Their soft, white glowing petals throve in the fading darkness. Their silver light gracious and kind as they bloomed. So very pretty.
They filled the air with a sweet smell, a mist that tasted of moonshine on his lips. Fate rustled through their leaves, while their roots were grounded in destiny. A playful little breeze rocked them back and force as it would do with the great grim sea. Light and shadows intertwined, tangled in the webs of fate, changing their course in an ethereal dance. Its beauty otherworldly.
It was nothing compared to the demigod standing in their midst.
With wide eyes Jason watched. He didn't know Nico could look like that. A crown of dark locks. A serene smile. Elusive like the flow of time, terrifying, but soothing in its familiarity. Jason's head was spinning. He had to take a moment. A Shiver ran down his spine. He was everything he wasn't supposed to be.
Jason gulped.