Under the cover of an inky sky lurked charcoal a building. Jason could only guess where its outlines lay. Though the fires died down, he was sure it had to be the forge, hidden and waiting and somehow unbelievingly far. It called to him, and the former praetor took a wary step in its direction.
He noticed he wasn't alone. In the distance, he saw the silhouette of another person - narrow shoulders, slim frame. Jason struggled for air when the darkness got thick as a nightmare. The boy standing at its core looked unbearable young and so very lost.
Nico, he thought and the son of Hades turned. His features were blank, his skin glowing in a ghostly hue. A specter about to fade, it shot through his mind. Out of his eyes oozed pitch black liquid. Liquid was not quite accurate. The stuff was more dense, like molasses or honey. In thick waves it slithered over his cheeks, along his neck and collarbone, seeping into the white of the hospital gown he was wearing.
The boy's face shifted in confusion. "Jason?" He asked, sounding alarmed as if the other wasn't supposed to be here, as if he wasn't allowed. Undeserving.
Jason wanted to say something, wanted to go to him, wanted to help. He didn't. His tongue was made out of lead, his legs wouldn't move - not even an inch. All he could do was watch as more and more of the substance gushed over Nico's body. A river of boiling tar leaked out of him, staining the fabric of his clothes to the point where back- and foreground merged into a strange illusion that looked as if Nico was slowly getting erased while a puddle of darkness formed at his feet. Sluggish it raised up to his ankle up to his knee. With every beat of his heart the nebulous goop wrapped around Nico further.
In fascinating horror Jason witnessed his friend being pulled under. However, he wasn't the only one. There were countless disembodied eyes staring. Jason was just one of many, and he began to feel weirdly detached. Dread spread inside of his stomach, twisting and gnawing. There was no doubt in his mind what was about to come. The panic build. With all his might he tried to fight, desperately pushing, pushing against a nonexistent wall, pushing for words. He needed -
Too late. Before he could do anything Nico was gone. One moment he was there and then he simply wasn't.
.
.
.
Jason's eyes snapped open. He bolted up, sitting straight in his bed, barely registering the soft mattress and fluffy pillows beneath him. His pulse was racing and all he could think was, Nico!