▬▬▬ CHAPTER FIFTEEN ▬▬▬

Chapter title came from the song "I Wanna Be Your Slave" by Måneskin (an awesome band, btw). If you've heard the song, then you'll realize why I used that as a chapter title once you're done reading 😈

Also, I saw some comments say "i WaNt A FAmIlY ReUnIoN 🤡" between Alabaster, Essie, or Étienne or whatever and well... It looks like some people forgot what the summary says! 😂 Lemme just remind you:

"From rabid Romans hunting her down, family reunions ending in murder, and ANOTHER war thanks to ANOTHER world-ending immortal, this summer vacation was definitely the worst out of all of them."

Yeah. I wouldn't be eagerly awaiting a family reunion if I were you. Your favs might die... :) Dw, I'll leave taunting warnings in the A/N's when we get close to the fated family reunion so you guys can mentally prepare yourselves for the death(s). I'm so kind 💖

ETHAN WAS CERTAIN THAT HE was dead. He had no idea what would happen to his soul once his body passed away in Tartarus. Would he return to the Underworld? Or would he be stuck in this hellhole forever? Or what if—

He was suddenly slapped in the face in the middle of his post-existential crisis.

It was enough to make him snap out of it at least, but after that, his body suddenly registered a drop in temperature. It was so cold he could see his breath every time he exhaled.

Wait. Exhaled.

Dead people didn't need to breathe...

I'm alive? He thought to himself, stunned. He was pretty sure he was dead... The last thing he could remember was losing his mind and succumbing to the toxic air of Tartarus. He had almost made it to the River Phlegethon too...

"He's awake, mother," said an unsettling voice.

"Finally," came a soft, lofty voice. It was more unsettling than the first one. It made his body colder than it already was, like a layer of ice was creeping through his skin and squeezing his heart.

His eye fluttered opened and he was met with the most terrifying sight he had ever seen.

Standing before him was a woman, or something that resembled a woman. She was a forty foot tall humanoid figure made of churning ash and smoke. Her eyes bore into his, and they looked so much like quasars. Like he was witnessing a pair of celestial objects from the galaxy. It was beautiful and horrifying at the same time. Behind her was a pair of wings as black as a nightmare. She wore a dress of void black, mixed with the colors of a space nebula as if galaxies were being born in her bodice.

He had never met her before, but he immediately knew her name.

"Nyx," he croaked.

The primordial being curled her purple lips into a smile. "Yes, it's good you recognize me Ethan Nakamura. Welcome to the Mansion of... well, me."

It was then he noticed the people behind her. He hadn't been able to see them since her wing span was so huge, but when she curled them inwards he was able to see an army of shadowy figures hovering not too far behind her.

There was a horde of wrinkled hags with bat wings, brass talons, and glowing red eyes. The arai, he recognized. Flanking Nyx's left was a withered old man who must have been Geras, the god of old age. Flanking her right was a younger woman in a black toga who was smiling at him like a serial killer who just found her next victim. That must have been Eris, the goddess of strife.

There were tons of other people there, but there were too many for Ethan to count or even recognize. All he knew was that he had been brought to the Mansion of Night, and now he was currently being surrounded by Nyx herself along with an army of her terrifying children.

Except for Nemesis. She was nowhere to be found. She would've fit in well though...

"Why am I here...?" He asked warily, sitting up.

Now that he was looking around, he realized that he wasn't actually in the Mansion of Night, but outside of it. He had been dumped in the front yard instead.

He was leaning against a stone fountain and judging by the strong metallic stench coming from it, it was spewing out blood instead of water. The ground underneath him wasn't made of actual ground but bones, like the designer just squashed a bunch of skeletons together and called it a 'foundation'.

Behind the army of Nyx and her spawns he saw the mansion at last. It was freaky enough to put haunted houses to shame. It was a massive, pristine looking pitch black temple, but it churned around as if it was alive. It didn't look scary per se, but it radiated enough terrifying energy to make him lose his mind.

"I had my arai bring you to me," Nyx answered simply, her glowing quasar eyes raking him up and down as if she was analyzing him. "Hmmm... Nemesis' son, correct? Yes, I can see it. You even have her whip."

Ethan glanced down at the slap on cat watch his mother had given him.

"Nemesis gave her whip to him?" Geras' already wrinkled face wrinkled even more when he put on an expression of displeasure. "He doesn't look like much."

"That's because he's half-human," Eris spat at her brother. "I never understand her fondness for humans."

Ethan wouldn't exactly call it 'fondness'. Fondness wasn't having a kid with some mortal man and then leaving the both of them to suffer. 'Boredom' was a better way to describe it. Nemesis had grown bored after eons of living, having some momentary fun with a random mortal was just something to keep her mind off of things. Nothing more, nothing less.

"Why did you want to see me?" He asked, ignoring the siblings' banter and focusing on Nyx instead.

A part of him wanted to demand for answers, but now wasn't the time to get angry. Nyx was older than the Olympians, older than the Titans, and even older than Gaea. She was the most powerful being he had ever faced, so he had to stay on her good side and not piss her off.

"My daughter called out to me when she found out you were here," Nyx replied. As she spoke, he could see the inside of her mouth. It was as pitch black as her, like a never ending abyss. He couldn't even see her teeth or her tongue. "She told me to help you. Even added a 'please mom' and a 'thanks' at the end. That's the nicest she's ever been and it nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"You don't have mortal organs, mother," one of her many children pointed out. "So you can't actually get a heart attack."

"It was a figure of speech, you fool!" Eris hissed venomously at them.

Nyx went on as if her children never spoke. "Nemesis has never been so nice before, so I just had to send my arai to fetch you. I do wish she would visit me more often though... Oh, and I was the one who finished off Asterius, great work on that by the way."

"Hold on," Ethan paused. "She comes down here to visit you? In Tartarus?"

"Yes."

"Why couldn't she come down here to help me herself?" His voice rose a little, and it was getting harder for him to keep his temperament in check.

"Nemesis is always too busy to visit," Nyx said, almost sounding despondent. "Right now she's up in the mortal world cursing a fortune cookie factory."

Ethan couldn't believe what he was hearing. One of Nemesis' only kids was being tortured in Tartarus and she was out there fighting fortune cookie factories of all things. Sadly, it also wasn't very surprising. At least she had the decency to call down her mother for assistance.

"Nemesis has gone soft, mother," Geras sneered. "That's why she never comes down here. She would rather roam the mortal world with Hemera and Aither."

"Yeah, and look at her son too!" Eris jeered. "He's tiny and... fleshy. Just like the humans out there."

"Every child of mine is terrifying," Nyx said sternly, giving her two kids a scolding look. When she turned back to Ethan, she added proudly, "Even my grandchildren. You may be half-human, Ethan Nakamura, but you're part of my bloodline. I'm not called the mother of all terrors for nothing! I can see it in you, you're just as dark, twisted, and horrible as the rest of our family!"

"Thanks."

Nyx didn't seem to think that her words were insulting. In fact, with the proud look on her face, 'dark', 'twisted', and 'horrible' might as well be synonymous to 'heroic', 'brave', and 'noble'.

He looked around at all of the nasty faces, his immortal side of the family. None of them looked very pleasant. Every single face he saw looked looked as if they were missing pieces of their sanity. They also seemed like the type of people to commit horrible acts like murder, kidnapping, or tax evasion.

In other words, he fit right in.

"So be nice, everyone," Nyx turned her back to him to face the rest of her children. She had her hands on her hips, and he was vaguely reminded of Esmerelda. "Ethan is your... little nephew, in a way. He's no different than us."

Her children sent him questioning glances, as if they were expecting him to suddenly shift into some eldritch abomination like they could.

"Personality-wise," Nyx added, and that made more sense to them.

It also helped to earn their approval a little more.

"You've caused suffering too then, haven't you?" Eris asked him eagerly. "Isn't it fun? Causing so much destruction and pain?"

"I—"

"—Or are you more interested in watching people break down emotionally?" Geras questioned him next. "I love feeling the despair mortals feel when they start to notice that they're aging. The psychological struggles that they go through, all their insecurities... it entertains me watching how desperately they beg and grovel for more time."

"Why are you being so quiet?" Eris demanded even though he never even got a second to speak up for himself. "Don't tell me you're one of those annoying little do-gooders."

"Oh he isn't," Nyx assured, smiling sickeningly. "I've seen it. You've done some awful, awful things, my dear. Joining Kronos, slaughtering people... and now you want to lock away one of the only people who truly loves you."

Ethan snapped his head up to her. "I don't want to—"

She raised an inky black hand to stop him. "Uh uh uh, you cannot lie to me. I've been alive since the beginning of all. I know a twisted love story when I see one."

Behind her, Eris gagged. "Ugh, love—"

"—I'm not done talking!" Nyx snapped, a whip made out of stars like diamond barbs appearing in her hands. She lashed it at her daughter's direction, and the goddess of discord jumped when a crack appeared at her feet.

"Sorry, mother," she grumbled under her breath.

What the fuck, Ethan thought. Did everyone in the immortal side of his family just have this weird fascination for whips?

"As I was saying," the primordial continued. "I know a twisted love story when I see one. I can see why Aphrodite's so fond of you two. Esmerelda was it? A daughter of Hecate, how interesting. I wonder what you'll do to her next."

Ethan bit back the urge to scream. He didn't like how she spoke about their relationship, and he especially didn't like how she was implying that he'd do something fucked up. I mean, yeah he was a fucked up person, but he was good to Esmerelda at least... right?

But deep down, he knew he was just lying to himself. Esmerelda deserved better than him but he was too selfish to let her go. He was a horrible person and Tartarus was just making him worse. His head was already being filled with thoughts of doing unspeakable things.

Nyx was right. He was becoming something vile.

"Look," he forced himself to stay patient, but his heart was drumming at the revelation. "My mom asked you to help me, right? I didn't end up here alone, I came here with Essie and Nico. Do you know a way out? A way to the Doors of Death?"

Nyx was looking at him slyly, as if she had read the dark thoughts he was having.

"The Doors lie at the very heart of Tartarus, and the only way for you to reach them is through the halls of my Palace." She answered. "Come back here with your two acquaintances, and I will allow you entry."

Ethan scrambled up to his feet in a nanosecond, which was embarrassing.

"Seriously?" His eye widened. "You'll help us?"

"Your mother asked that I do," she shrugged. "Promised a visit soon as well. Now hurry on and find them."

"Do you know where they are?" He asked, trying not to look too hopeful.

She grinned wickedly. "Try the Forest of Nightmares."

Then she snapped her fingers and he was suddenly swallowed up by the shadows.

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Nyx ended up shadow traveling him to his destination, the Forest of Nightmares. Unfortunately, she didn't take him to the exact location of Esmerelda and Nico, but he wasn't going to complain. The second he saw the dense line of dark trees, he didn't hesitate to brandish his sword and run right in.

His movements were more smoother, and as he ran, it suddenly dawned on him that he wasn't feeling like he was in pain anymore. He figured Nyx must have ordered him to be healed while he was still unconscious or maybe healed him herself.

Not being in agonizing pain and seconds away from death was a good feeling for him. Right now, he felt good enough to fight an army.

(Not that he wanted to though.)

"Essie! Nico!" He yelled out as he ran through the forest.

It probably wasn't wise to go calling attention to yourself in the middle of some dark, creepy forest, but he was just so desperate right now. A way out of Tartarus was just at his fingertips, and all he needed to do now was find Esmerelda and Nico so they could finally escape.

But suddenly something materialized in front of him and he just barely managed to stop himself.

He stuttered to a stop, his lone eye widening at the figure in front of him.

"What the fuck are you doing running around here?" His father snapped, glaring at him with bloodshot eyes.

That was when it clicked into his head. Forest of Nightmares. Of fucking course.

His shoulders shook with rage.

"I don't have time to deal with this right now," he growled, trying to shove past him but his father grabbed him by the shoulder in an attempt to yank back.

Ethan ripped his hand off before reaching out with his own to grab him by the neck.

"You're not real," he whispered, more so to himself, his hands trembling at what this meant.

His real father was rotting away in prison thanks to him. The one before him was just a manifestation this twisted forest created in order to haunt him.

Well, sorry to disappoint the creator of the forest, but it wasn't going to work on him.

He locked eyes with his father, who was gasping for air.

"I've always wanted to do this." He said, his nails digging into the flesh of his father's neck, as if he was about to rip his throat out.

But rather than doing that, he threw him back onto the ground and stalked after him like a predator. He could feel nothing but pure glee as he approached the man's coughing form, his grip on his sword tightening.

It was no secret that he hated his father, and now... well... now he had a chance to get some payback for all the pain he gave him and his grandparents. It was just a damn shame he didn't have the real thing.

Before his father could crawl away, he placed a foot on his neck to keep him still before leaning down to jab his fingers into his eye.

"No—ARRRRGHHH!"

As Ethan ripped out his father's eye from its socket, he could finally understand why Nyx was so quick to approve of him.

His hand reached out for his other one, and just as he jabbed his fingers in to pluck the last eyeball out, he heard a familiar shrill scream that made his heart stop.

That was Essie, he realized in growing horror. Fuck!

He retracted his hand, glaring down at the manifestation of his childhood nightmares.

"You're lucky you aren't real," he spat at his father before bringing his sword down for one brutal stab.

He would've stayed longer to twist the blade around or cut him open, but Esmerelda took precedent. He didn't wait to watch his father melt into the ground and sprinted as fast as he could towards the scream.

His prior joy to torturing his father was long gone now, replaced by cold dread and terror. Now the Forest of Nightmares was beginning to turn into just that—a nightmare.

Her scream sounded so raw and so full of fear, he knew it had to be real. She was no physical manifestation of his nightmares, but the real Esmerelda that he had been looking so desperately for.

He sped through the forest, ignoring the stray branches that stung at his skin, and finally reached the scene.

Alabaster—a fake one, no doubt—had formed, and now he was currently trying to murder his own sister. Watching Esmerelda struggle underneath him made something in Ethan's head snap, and he reacted with no hesitation.

He drove his sword through Alabaster's neck, listening to him gurgle as blood poured down his mouth. Then he pried the blade out and kicked him to the side. He could see Alabaster's green eyes staring at him, and Ethan found himself unfazed by the betrayal in his old friend's eyes.

A second later, Alabaster melted away too, and he was left alone with Esmerelda. She stared at up at him, trembling like a leaf. Her pale skin that once made her glow now made her look sickly. But despite her ill appearance and the blood splattered all over her, Ethan wanted nothing more than to kiss her and hold her close.

"Essie," he breathed out, relief flooding his system. He didn't seem to realize how scared she looked.

He stabbed his sword into the ground, earning a slight flinch from her, before getting down on his knees.

"I'm so glad you're okay," he brought her shaking, bloodied form in for a hug. "I've been looking everywhere for you." He murmured into her hair, and then pulled his head away to kiss her.

He could taste and smell the blood all over her face, but he didn't care. He pressed his lips against her harder, but then a second later she pushed him away and tried to crawl back.

Ethan's face contorted into one of heartbreak and astonishment. He didn't seem to understand why she was so scared.

He grabbed her by the ankle and tried to drag her back, but she let out another terrified scream and tried to kick at him.

"It's me!" He shouted over her screams. "It's me, I'm the real Ethan!"

"NO!" She shrieked, and then finally broke free from him. She pushed him away again and scrambled up to her feet, breaking out into a mad sprint.

He stared at her in disbelief.

She... ran away from him.

She... ran away. From him.

His whole body shook and there was a wide, deranged look in his eye. He could feel something inside him break, and he had no idea if it was his heart or his mind. He didn't care. Tartarus had taken everything from him, but he wasn't about to let it take her too.

He got up on his feet and chased after her.

"ESSIE!" He roared her name, his gaze zeroing in on her retreating figure. It was like he had tunnel vision. He couldn't see any of the trees or bushes. All he could really see was her, and she was getting farther away from him.

"DON'T RUN AWAY FROM ME!" He bellowed, and he saw her turn back to face him, her eyes wide with terror.

She abruptly turned to the side and ran down a different path. He skidded to a stop and made the same turn, resuming his chance.

"Essie," he called after her, feeling his desperation grow. "Get back here! Please!"

Tartarus must have messed with her head, that had to be it. Esmerelda would never react like that towards him. She loved him just as fervently as he loved her. Even after all the horrible things he had done, she still choose him. She would never actually leave him. The very idea of that was laughable.

He was getting closer to her now, close enough to hear the way her breathing quickened and shook. He pumped his legs faster and then once he was close enough, he tackled her down.

"Argh!" She cried out in pain when she hit the ground. She used one hand to push him away and the other to try and crawl forward, but he grabbed her by the shoulders and whirled her around.

"Essie—" He tried to say.

"—Go away," she begged, tears streaming down her face. "Please j-just go away! I don't want to hurt you!"

"It's me!" He shouted. "Please—stop it! It's me!"

He grabbed her hands to keep her from pushing him away and pinned them next to her head.

"It's really me, I swear it!"

She finally stopped thrashing around, breathing harshly.

"P-prove it," she stammered, her whole body trembling underneath his.

"I can't," he told her honestly. "I don't know how, you just have to trust me. This forest... it was haunting me too. It brought up a manifestation of my dad. I was... I was talking to him when I heard you scream. That's how I found you. I'm not lying. I swear."

Esmerelda looked like she was going to break out into sobs again. He had never seen her look so fragile before, so close to the brink of insanity.

"Please don't be lying," she whispered, her eyes pleading with him.

"It's me, angel, it's me," he promised.

She watched him warily before slowly nodding her head in acceptance. "Alright... I believe you..."

"Good," he said with relief. 

(She wouldn't have liked what he would've done if she didn't believe him.)

He gingerly released her hands and crawled off of her, allowing her to sit up and calm herself down.

"I know a way to the Doors of Death." He told her. "I can take us there and we can finally get out of this gods awful place."

Her eyes widened, but this time, it wasn't with fear. "You found them?"

"I found a path," he clarified. "I'll explain on the way there, but where's Nico?"

She burst into tears.

"No," he whispered, feeling his heart drop. "He isn't... H-he can't be..."

She shook her head. "I can't find him," she said between sobs. "I fell asleep and he was su-supposed to stay on guard and wake me up, but he was gone when I woke up!"

Ethan thought back to his dreams where he had watched Nico walk away from the Delta of Despair to confront a monster. How long ago had that happened? How long had he been missing for?

"Can he summon you to his side?" He asked.

She started to cry even harder. "I never got t-the chance to cast the spell on him...!"

"Alright," he came to a decision. "We'll look for him. We'll find him, okay, angel? We'll find him and we'll bring him home. The three of us are getting out of here."

There was a desperation in her eyes that told him that she wanted to believe him, but Tartarus had crushed her hopes so much to the point that she couldn't anymore. But then he offered her his hand and he could see a glimpse of her despair disappear for just a brief moment.

"Okay," she breathed out, accepting his hand and letting him pull her up.

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Esmerelda knew that Tartarus was going to change them for the worst, but something about Ethan was really concerning her. She had no doubts that he was the real one, but her issue wasn't that. It was his... behavior. She didn't know how to describe it other than odd.

"Ethan," she whispered to him quietly as he pulled her through the forest. He had a vice grip on her hand, and it was starting to hurt. "Can you let go of my hand for a bit? It's... you're kind of hurting me."

He paused, glancing down at their joined hands. His fingers had been digging hard into her hand, and he could see the half moon-shaped impressions on her skin left from his nails.

Rather than letting her go like she asked for, he loosened his grip instead.

"Sorry," he mumbled before resuming their walk through the woods.

She frowned and discreetly tried to pull her hand away. The vice grip returned and he whipped around to face her.

"What are you doing?" He asked in a hard voice.

"I... just wanted you to let go," she replied, her brows furrowed.

"I'm trying to lead you out of here," he said.

"I know, but you don't need to hold my hand—at least not so tightly—"

"—And then risk losing you in this fucking place?" He snapped. "Out of the question. Now stop complaining and let's go."

Esmerelda's face fell, but she stayed quiet and let him resume their walk.

They finally made it out of the forest, but the growl of a monster made them duck behind a tree. Ethan released her hand at last and went for his sword, but Esmerelda spoke up.

"Wait," she whispered. "Look."

A short distance away, a monster was standing at the top of a ridge. It sniffed the air a few times, but rather than smelling the two demigods not too far away from it, it seemed to grow agitated instead. It backed away from the ridge as if it was afraid and scurried off.

Weird, Esmerelda thought. It didn't even bother to look for us.

"Come on," Ethan whispered, gesturing forward.

They crept forward, but there was no other monster in sight.

When they reached the ridge, they looked down. Down below was a huge crater, larger than anything her bombarda could create. At the center of it was a ring of broken black marble columns surrounding a dark stone altar. There was a funny smell coming from it, like... rotten food.

Something in the rubble caught her eye. It was a large chunk with a caduceus carved on it. That was the symbol of Hermes.

"This is one of Hermes' shrine," she realized. "That must be why the monster ran away from it. It still holds some power."

"So it's like a safe zone then," Ethan stated. "Let's go down. There might be something useful in here."

They slid down the ridge, and the stench of rotten food grew worse once they reached the bottom. As they walked closer to the middle, Esmerelda spotted random bits of food laying around. Rotten fruits, uneaten scraps of chicken, and even a whole cake that was probably long expired.

"Why is all this food here?" She wondered aloud.

There was a soft poof as a cloud of smoke appeared before them. Esmerelda nearly screamed and Ethan nearly stabbed whoever it was, but it wasn't an intruder. When the smoke dispersed, they looked down and saw... a plate of barbecue.

Esmerelda's jaw dropped. "No way... Are these burnt offerings from the mortal world?"

She bent down to pick up the plate, practically inhaling the wonderful smell of the food. Before Ethan could tell her to be careful, she took a bite.

"Essie—!" He hissed.

"Relax," she said with her mouth full, picking up one of the barbecue sticks and offering it to him. "They're not poisoned. They're real food, so eat up."

He grumbled in response, but started eating with her after they found a nice spot on the ground to sit on. When the plate was all empty and their stomachs were full, Ethan suddenly stood up.

"You stay here," he said. "I'm gonna go back to the Mansion of Night and ask if Nyx could tell me where Nico's at. She took me to you, so maybe she could take us to him."

"I'll go with you," she rose to her feet.

He shook his head. "No, you stay here. It's safer here. The monsters avoid this place and food keeps popping up so you won't starve to death either. I'll come back once I get my answer."

She gave him an uncertain look. "Ethan... we—we shouldn't separate. Not after what happened to Nico. Let me come with you."

"I said no!" He lashed out.

"But—"

He took a step forward, his face stormy.

"Listen to me," he said through gritted teeth. "I'm trying to keep you safe, alright?! Do you know how many fucking monsters are waiting to take a bite out of you?! This is probably the only safe place in Tartarus and I'm not gonna let you leave it just because you want to risk your life again!"

Her lips started to tremble. "I just... I-I just want to help you."

His face softened, but only a little bit. "You can help me by staying here and waiting for me to come back. Better yet, stay here until I get Nico."

"But—"

"—I said NO!" He roared, his face growing red. "Gods dammit, Essie, just do as I say and stay here!"

She stared at him miserably. "...What's gotten into you?"

"What's gotten into me?" He repeated, the littlest amount of softness disappearing from his face. "You wanna know what's gotten into me?! EVERYTHING! Fucking EVERYTHING, alright?! This whole place—no, everything that's happened to us up until now has been driving me crazy! The war, the deaths, your death, and then this fucking shithole! I can't fucking stand it anymore!"

Esmerelda stared at him with wide eyes. Her whole body was frozen over, but her mind was racing. Ethan always looked terrifying to other people, but never to her.

And now, seeing him look so unhinged and broken, she was beginning to understand why so many people were afraid of him.

But the worst thing was that she still didn't want to leave him. Even now. Even after everything. He had gone completely insane, but she didn't want to run away. Instead, she just wanted to melt back in his arms and pretend like everything was okay—the same thing she always did.

She knew it was sickening, but she didn't care, and she knew that made it even more sickening.

I've really lost my mind, she thought, feeling tears springing in her eyes while simultaneously sensing a hysterical laugh bubbling within her.

"I can't lose you again," Ethan yelled out, his voice growing heavy with emotion. "I can't, I just can't go through that anymore!"

She backed away, her heart racing. "Ethan, please, you're—"

"—Scaring you?" He finished, letting out a wild laugh. "Is that what you were gonna say? I'm 'scaring' you? You wanna run away from me now, is that it?"

She shook her head. "No, that's not—"

"—Well it's too fucking late!" He shouted. "You've had so many chances to run away from me but it's too late for you now! I'm in love with you and now you're trapped, do you get that?! I AM NEVER LETTING YOU GO! You're stuck with me for the rest of your fucking life!"

He started towards her, and she instinctively backed away until she hit one of the marble columns. He reached out to grab the front of her shirt, keeping her stuck in place there.

"You don't get to have that—that Prince Charming that you deserve, you get me instead!" His voice broke, his eye watering. "And you have no idea how sorry I am for you for being stuck with me. I'm literally the worst person you could be with, but I don't care anymore. You're mine now, and I love you too much to let you do whatever you want if that means you risking yourself. So just listen to me and stay here for fuck's sake!"

Esmerelda locked eyes with him, breathing just as heavily as he was. Slowly, she reached up and grabbed the hand pinning her, removing it.

"Okay," she consented softly, nodding her head once. "I'll stay here."

He stared at her intensely before yanking her forward and crashing his lips against hers. It was the harshest kiss she ever experienced. She could feel his teeth clacking against hers, the hard pressure of his lips, and the way he squeezed her against him so tightly that she could barely breathe.

There was no gentleness, no sweetness. Just pure desperation and need as their mouths moved together greedily. Esmerelda could feel a small moan emit from the back of her throat that spurred him on, eagerly prying her lips open with his tongue.

"Ethan," she groaned his name into her mouth before he slid his tongue against hers once more.

He moaned in reply, rocking his hips against hers. He could practically taste her moan on his tongue before began stroking at the roof of her mouth. His nails dug deeply into her waist, and he wanted nothing more than to push her onto the ground and have his way with her, but he knew he had to stop himself.

So he pulled away, drawing out a small whimper from her which he soothed by kissing her sweetly on the lips.

"You'll stay here and wait for me," he breathed out, staring deeply into her hazy green eyes. "Right?"

She nodded wordlessly, as if that kiss had knocked all the air out of her lungs.

His shoulders sank in relief and he finally backed away.

"Good," he murmured, the soft look on his face making a return. He wrapped his arms around her, his lips pressed against the top of her head while his fingers combed through her hair. "That's good... I'm sorry for scaring you. I just... I need you to be safe, okay? I love you too much."

Esmerelda nodded in understanding.

There was no point in struggling, no point in fighting. It wasn't like she wanted to anyways. Ethan was right. She was far too in deep to try and get away now. He had carved his name on her heart just like she had done with his.

"I love you too," she replied back, sighing with content. She could feel herself willingly embracing this fate of hers, with Ethan's strong and warm arms caged around her.

He was never going to let her go anyways.

╞═════𖠁𐂃𖠁═════╡

When Ethan made it back to the Mansion of Night, Nyx was already waiting at the front doors for him.

Her quasar shone knowingly, as if she had witnessed what had gone down with him and Esmerelda. Her face was beaming with twisted approval and dark satisfaction, like she had expected him to blow up like that.

See? Her wicked smile seemed to be saying. You're just as corrupted as us.

He chose not to acknowledge that.

"Thank you for taking me to her," he said stiffly, and he didn't have to specify who 'her' was. "Would you happen to know where Nico is?"

"Oh he's already at the Doors actually," she answered smoothly. "He's currently waiting for you."

He stilled. "He's—he's already there? He made it?"

"Yes," she nodded, her smile turning sharper. "And you both should hurry. I'll see you soon."

She flicked her hand at his direction and he was swallowed up by the shadows once again. When he was spat back out, he nearly bonked his head on a column that was in front of him.

"Ethan?" Esmerelda rose up from the spot she was laying on, blinking at him in surprise. "You can shadow travel?!"

"No that was Nyx. She told me that Nico was already at the Doors of Death," he told her eagerly, unable to keep the smile from crawling over his face.

She scrambled up to her feet. "And he's okay?"

His smile slipped off and the previous joy he felt turned to ice cold fear. He had been so relieved to know that Nico had reached the doors that he hadn't even asked if he was okay.

"I-I don't know, but I'm sure he is. She told me he was waiting for us." But now that he thought about it, he didn't like the look on Nyx's face when they talked. It looked too sly, too untrustworthy, all too much like his mother whenever she tricked someone into a doomed fate with a twisted deal.

"Let's hurry," Esmerelda decided, grabbing her things.

He nodded in agreement and they headed for the Mansion of Night. They got there quicker with Esmerelda shortening the distance as much as she could with Mist travel. When they reached the dark palace, they realized quickly that it seemingly empty.

"This... place is..." Esmerelda shivered. It radiated with a horrible sensation so intense that she could hardly speak. She had never felt so much power, and the primordial wasn't even near her.

Ethan held her hand, his thumb running soothingly over her knuckles. "I know, I feel it too."

"I can't see anything," she said shakily. "This shouldn't be possible. I can always see in the dark."

"It must be Nyx," he guessed. "The Mansion of Night is a horrifying place, too horrifying for our eyes to take in. She must have cloaked the whole place in darkness to keep us from witnessing it."

Which was surprisingly nice of her. But then again, Nemesis did ask her to help them out.

"Are we alone here?" She asked as they walked around aimlessly.

"I doubt it," he replied. "They're somewhere around, probably watching us... It's okay, I think I know where to go..." He trailed off, turning his head to the side.

All he saw was darkness, but his ears were picking up on a throbbing sound. It sounded like somebody had placed the sound of their heartbeat through a speaker, amplifying it so powerfully that he could feel the floors vibrate.

"This is the way," he stated, tugging her towards it.

The closer they got, the louder the noise became. His ears were begging for him to cover them, but he kept a tight grip on Esmerelda's hand—too scared to let her go and lose her amongst the darkness.

Suddenly, the air smelled less sulfurous than before and another sound reached their ears—the sound of flowing water. They took a few more steps and the darkness was all gone. They could finally see again... but everything was so blinding.

Tartarus' red glow became more vibrant like freshly spilt blood. Before them stretched a valley big enough to hold the San Francisco Bay. The booming noise came from the entire landscape, as if thunder were echoing from beneath the ground. Under poisonous clouds, the rolling terrain glistened purple with dark red and blue scar lines.

The heart of Tartarus.

And blocking their way to it was a river. It flowed left to right through a channel cut in the rock. The opposite side was about twenty feet away. But Esmerelda wasn't too concerned with the distance, she was more concerned about the voices in her head.

These were different from the ones in the River Cocytus. While the voices there sounded anguished and miserable, the voices here were shrieking in agony and pleading for mercy.

Help! They cried out. It hurts too much! Help us!

"This is the River Acheron," she muttered in realization. "The River of Pain. This is the ultimate punishment for the souls of the damned."

You're just as damned as us! They shrieked, causing her to wince. You deserve to be here too!

Ethan looked like he was about to fight the river, and while that would've been a funny sight, she squeezed his hand and pulled his attention back to her.

"We need to hurry on and get away," she informed him. "This river tends to show us our worst memories in order to tempt us to jump in. The longer we stay, the more memories they'll force us to see."

And it was doing just that. She could see the horrible flashes of her life coursing through her brain. Her siblings' dead ghostly bodies, Alabaster screaming at her for letting them die, everyone's deaths...

She shook her head and held Ethan's hand tighter, knowing he was going through the same thing. She kept her eyes glued on the other side and the river and Mist traveled, crossing the distance.

Now that they were closer, Esmerelda could finally feel the impact of the Doors of Death. She couldn't even see it, but she could sense its power tugging at her soul.

"Holy shit," Ethan winced, looking ahead in the distance.

Far far away from them, the center of the valley was covered with an army of monsters. There must have been thousands, maybe even tens of thousands of them. She already knew what they were crowded around for.

"The Doors of Death are right there," she said, but her stomach was churning with fear. "But Nico... Nico's somewhere there. With all those monsters..."

Ethan tensed up beside her.

"Let's go," he said, and she didn't protest when he started tugging her forward.

Their journey through the heart of Tartarus was... painstakingly slow. As much as they wanted to rush through to go find Nico, they knew they had to be careful. Esmerelda was trying to cover them with as much Mist as possible so the monsters wouldn't notice them, but it was hard since she had already used it so much. Her concentration was wavering, and if it broke even a little bit, every monster would be on them in an instant.

She was absolutely terrified. This was worse than when she was being chased by an army of monsters led by two Elder gods. She was literally at the very center of all these monsters, walking amongst them and everything. She was surrounded by them, so much that it felt suffocating.

Ethan had a death grip on her hand and she knew he was scared too. Esmerelda was glad to have him with her, but it also made her even more afraid at the same time. If she screwed this up, she would be taking him down with her and the thought made her want to throw up.

Something brushed up against her and when she saw what it was, her breath hitched.

It was the Chimera. A monster she hadn't seen in years. It prowled close to them, sniffing at their direction but unable to really see them.

Ethan quietly moved her away from it, giving her a look and mouthing, 'Nico'.

She swallowed thickly. That was right. She couldn't get distracted by an old enemy now. They had to get to Nico.

Not even a second later, a horrible wail pierced through the air.

"Nico," Esmerelda and Ethan said in unison.

And then another thing happened.

Her concentration broke.

Every monster in the area turned to look at them.

╞═════𖠁𐂃𖠁═════╡

Nico wanted to die.

Everything was going downhill ever since he ran into Akhlys. He turned into a zombie, his mother ran away from him in terror, and just when his Death Mist wore off, he was captured by Ephialtes and Otis—two of the most overly dramatic giants he had ever met.

They dragged him all around Tartarus before finally taking him to the Doors of Death. It turned out to be an elevator door framed by Stygian iron, the very same elevator he dreamed of before.

Rather than dragging him through the doors, the twin giants stationed themselves right next to it, apparently wanting to wait for Esmerelda and Ethan to reach them. He had no idea how long he had been stuck here, but he passed time by watching the monsters use the elevator to gather information on how to close them.

And that was how he learned that his initial idea of closing the doors himself had been doomed from the very beginning.

Every time a group of monsters entered the elevator, one of the guards—Krios or Hyperion—would hold the UP button for twelve minutes straight. They did that every time. That meant someone needed to hold the UP button in order to send the elevator up to the mortal world...

"And then someone hits the button in the mortal world and the monsters are freed," Otis finished the explanation. "So you see, son of Hades, one of your friends would've been left behind, and even then you might not reach the other side since there won't be anyone to hit the button for you. Good thing Ephie and I came to fetch all three of you, right?"

"Your plan was for naught!" Ephialtes boomed, dramatic as ever. Several of the monsters flinched at the volume while Hyperion sent him a scathing look. "Your arrogance has blinded you. You alone wouldn't be enough to close the doors for good. It was not the destiny the Fates have given you."

His words made Nico want to curl up. It was the confirmation he expected to hear. He had brought Esmerelda and Ethan down here for nothing. The giant was right. He had been arrogant to think he could close the doors by himself just because he was the son of Hades. He had been blinded, and now Esmerelda and Ethan were paying the price for it.

"I tire waiting for them," Ephialtes scowled as he overlooked the crowd of monsters.

Nico tensed up, knowing what would come next. His heart began to race and cold sweat seeped through his skin.

The only reason they had been staying here was because the twins were waiting for Esmerelda and Ethan to arrive. The twins thought torturing him would encourage them to come here faster, wanting to use his screams of pain to lure them to a trap.

They first started with his toes, snapping them with ease, but Krios made a comment that he wasn't screaming loud enough and there was no way Esmerelda and Ethan could hear him, so the twins snapped his legs, then his fingers, then his arms and so forth. They would make him drink from a flash containing fire from the River Phlegethon so he wouldn't die, but they would repeat the process all over again so it was always agonizing for him.

Otis turned to Nico like he was inspecting a skeleton from an anatomy class. "Should we snap his neck next? We broke everything else."

"Not the neck, you moron," Ephialtes hissed. "He's half human, humans die if they get their necks snapped. There's no healing from that. We'll just dislocate his shoulders again."

"That's boring," Otis frowned.

"We're not here to have fun," his twin grumbled, standing up and approaching Nico's prone form.

The closer he got, the harsher Nico's breathing became. He wouldn't say it out loud, but the twins terrified him. They may have been ridiculous and annoying to deal with, but their brutal nature was hard to ignore.

"Make sure to scream loudly, alright? That way those other two could hear you and finally make it. Then we can be done here," Ephialtes grunted in annoyance.

His massive hand grasped his bicep and Nico whole body began to shake in fear. Then, Ephialtes jerked his arm upward and a loud SNAP! cracked the air.

"ARGHH!" He screamed out loud, unable to help it. He bit harshly on his tongue, desperate to keep his screams in, but Ephialtes twisted his arm all too easily and Nico could no longer hold in his screams.

The monsters waiting to pass through the doors went crazy. At first Nico thought it was because they were sadistically entertained by his pain, but they were fighting each other instead. Through his dizziness, he could see monsters toppling each other for something in the middle of the crowd. There were hisses, growls, and yells echoing around.

"Hey! Quit fighting and fall back in line—" Hyperion suddenly stopped, his features contorting into anger. "It's her again...!"

"They're here!" Otis cried out with relief.

"About time," Ephialtes released his hold on Nico's arm, letting him fall to the ground. "I'll go get them before they get killed."

No, Nico thought with despair. He pushed himself up with his other arm and lifted his head, ignoring the burning pain that coursed through his other arm. He couldn't see anything them at all. The only thing he could see was monsters trampling each other and going ballistic.

And then there was an explosion. It was weaker than what he expected, but it was enough to make several monsters disintegrate. He could finally see Ethan and Esmerelda standing back to back, trying to fend off as many monsters as they could.

But they looked terrible. Blood was pouring down their bodies from all the injuries they accumulated, Ethan's hand looked too shredded to hold his sword properly, and Esmerelda was swaying with exhaustion. They were so bloodied and injured that he could barely see what their faces looked like. Watching them get swallowed up by the swarm of monsters was horrifying for him.

The worst part was that they weren't going to stand a chance. Not when they were already so weakened, not when they had thousands of monsters coming at them from all sides, and they definitely didn't have a chance when Ephialtes joined the crowd, shoving the monsters out of his way to reach them.

"Run!" He rasped, his voice hoarse from all the times he had been forced to scream. "Mom! Ethan! RUN!"

They couldn't hear him over all the chaos but he knew that even if they could, they wouldn't listen. They would never abandon him, and that was going to be their downfall.

Nico couldn't bear to watch what would happen next. He turned his head away, his eyes clenched shut as his ears were bombarded by the sound of their screams.

And then after that, there was nothing.

"Finally," he heard Ephialtes say, followed by the sound of two thuds as if he had dropped a pair of bodies at his side. "I've got the package, Otis. Now... let's go back to Greece."

— author's note —

Be honest with me, which one of you guys thought I was gonna have Essan legit fuck in Tartarus? 😂😂😂

Ethan any time Essie showed nervousness around him:

Essie's crumbling common sense: Girl stop loving him and look at the goddamn red flags for fucks sake

Essie: Okay, you're right I should—

Ethan: *exists*

Essie:

From M. A. Azalea White: