The smell of rotten flesh woke Jason up. That and a good dose of old blood. He opened his eyes to the orange sky, with thin clouds spread out across the horizon. Bumping up and down he realized he was laying in a cart. Lifting himself to a sitting position, he saw what had woken him up.

To his left was a pile of bodies. They were covered in cloth, so he couldn't see what they looked like. But the smell was unmistakable. Flies and other insects buzzed around the pile. The stench of death was unbearable.

He looked to his right and found a soldier riding a horse. The man had a plain face, with bags under his narrow eyes. His hair was short and black, and he was wearing the same outfit that every other member of the scouts corp donned, cape and all.

"You're finally awake."

Jason looked at him. The man kept his sight ahead.

"The scout that found you tells me you have amnesia."

Jason suddenly remembered Armin and searched for him. Not finding him, he stared at the pile of dead bodies. Did Armin…?

"The scout that found you isn't dead, if that's what you're worried about."

Jason returned his eyes to the man.

He didn't know why, but this scout's demeanor reminded Jason of Reyna Ramírez-Arellano, his co-praetor at Camp Jupiter. She was a tough capable leader, always dependable in dire situations. Being the daughter of a war goddess will make you like that.

If this man was anything like Reyna, Jason needed to keep his guard up. While a valuable ally, she devastated her enemies, and used any means necessary to destroy them.

With his gaze still forward, the man asked the following, "So, were you a scout? I find it very unlikely that anyone without a horse or ODM gear could survive outside the walls for any amount of time. But then again you have amnesia, who's to say you didn't."

He shrugged his shoulders, but his face was still.

"Me and the weirdo found the body of a scout once. She had lost her horse and abandoned her ODM gear. Her corpse was found with her uniform intact."

The man pointed at an emblem on his chest. It was a small patch of the winged symbol on their back. "This right here is a patch we change every time we leave the walls. It states our rank as well as the numbered expedition we are on. It's what allowed us to determine the identity of that dead girl we found a while back."

Narrowing his eyes, he finally gave Jason his full attention.

"You seem to be missing yours."

Jason couldn't help looking down at his own clothes. A pair of jeans and an orange camp half blood t-shirt capped off with a pair of sneakers. Anywhere else, this would have looked like a normal outfit to anyone. That was not the case here.

"Who are you?" The man asked calmly.

He was on to him. Armin had specifically warned against revealing the truth, as that would warrant a death sentence. Even if I did tell the truth, and they believed me, what happens next? It's not like I know where I am, or even how to get home.

Remembering the note he gave to himself earlier that day, he decided to stay silent. Answering any questions here would not be the best idea. If they decide he's an enemy and leave him to deal with the monsters on his own… Even with his speed, he wouldn't survive.

The man glared at him. He returned his gaze to the road.

"Don't worry. Sooner or later, I'll get my answers."

Silence filled the air.

It was only after the awkwardness subsided that Jason saw two titans approach them, as well as a pair of horses running away from them. The man clicked his tongue, "Those idiots." he mumbled to himself.

Jason saw one of the men get captured by one of the titans. He tried to get up to help, but had no energy. The soldier next to him gave orders.

"Dump the corpses!"

"But sir…!" Armin's voice came from behind Jason. He looked behind him, and there he was, blonde hair and all. He still had a bandage on his head from his encounter with the Female Titan, but other than that he looked fine. He avoided Jason's gaze.

"If those titans get any closer, none of us are getting back. Dump the corpses!"

Too many emotions filled Jason's brain. The relief of seeing Armin alright, the horror of the amount of bodies next to Jason, and the disgust of understanding what this scout was ordering his men to do. They all rolled around in his brain, not giving him enough space to think of what he could do.

He tried standing again. Maybe if he stayed as bait, they could take these bodies home to their families.

A blade was raised to his throat. Jason sat back down. The scout's narrow eyes glared at him.

"As much as I would rather you die, you're not a good enough distraction."

He cut the ropes that held the bodies next to him in place.

Jason saw the bodies tumble into the abyss. They tumbled and thumped and hit the ground hard. The cloth, no longer tied to the bodies, revealed faces and blood and innards. Jason stared wide eyed at the sight.

The two titans chasing them slowed down and proceeded to kneel for their next meal.

The man who survived the chase caught up to them. Eyes filled with horror, he avoided all eye contact.

Jason investigated the faces around him. While everyone was picking up the pace to escape the creatures, their faces couldn't ignore what had just happened. Horror, fear, disgust, anger, were all on display. Even the man next to him displayed sorrow at the sight. But the expression left his face just as fast as it came.

Jason put his head between his knees and covered the rest of his face with his arms. His eyes, still wide from shock, began tearing up.

A strange memory came to Jason. Percy and Annabeth had recounted their trip through Tarturus. The disgusting environment, the constant onslaught of monsters, the fear of not being able to survive. But Percy and Annabeth got out of there. They left tartarus behind and never looked back.

These people couldn't leave. This was their world. A world of monsters and death. A world much like tartarus, and yet worse in every way.

Jason grabbed a fistfull of his hair.

This place is hell.