Discolored

10: Oh No, Who Could Have Predicted That This Was A Terrible Plan?

NPOV

It was in the middle of the night that I heard the shouting. It was something about Percy—and it didn't sound good. I jumped out of bed and quickly got dressed. Then I ran outside to find a bunch of other people doing the same. I wondered what happened as I ran into the infirmary.

Inside, everything was even more chaotic than outside. There were people rushing around, and none of them seemed sure of what to do. Will was ordering people to go retrieve things and help him try to help Percy. I couldn't quite tell what had happened to him, but I was sure it couldn't be good. I pushed my way to the front of the crowd that Will was desperately trying to disperse and found that Percy was way too pale... No. Pale wasn't the right word. He was more translucent than pale.Shadows snake around his body.

My eyes widened as I realized what happened. The fang—it must have been venomous with some sort of underworldy poison. The venom must have somehow started pulling him into the shadows. I'm not sure why the shadows had taken so long to manifest—maybe Percy's immune system had somehow been fighting them off, but now the shadows were winning and none of that mattered anymore. He needs outside intervention if he's going to survive.

Schist. I'm going to have to try to save him—and if I can't? What happens then?

I shake my head and stumble toward Will, who glances at me briefly before a small tension in his expression relaxes every-so-slightly. "Nico—I'm so glad you're here. I need you to get some am—"

"He's being consumed by shadows," I interrupt. "I need to bring him out before he gets stuck there."

And then I'm at Percy's bedside again, standing amidst jagged shadows that threaten to swallow anyone who gets too close. I feel like Icarus suddenly—except the thrill of flight has been replaced with the terrible fear that I am the only person standing in between this person and death.

Will grabs my shoulder. "Nico, you can't just—"

"I have to, Will. He's one of our best fighters."

"And so are you. What if you both get lost in there?"

"Then I'll just have to find a way to bring us back, won't I?"

"Nico, that's a terrible plan."

I put a hand on his shoulder—pulling him the tiniest bit closer to me. Despite the chaos of the infirmary, at this moment, it feels like we are the only ones who exist in the world. "It's alright, Will. I'll be okay."

He wouldn't look at me—he's scared of me going in after Percy. But I watch as he swallows his fear and says, "Fine. But just... just be careful."

I squeeze his shoulder and give him the best reassuring smile I can muster. "I will be. I'll come back to you, Will."

And then I tell him to keep everyone away, and I let the shadows around Percy take me.

I'm immediately consumed by darkness. These shadows are thick, and I'm choking on them a little as I try to make sense of my surroundings.

In this realm, there is no sense of direction. There is no "up" to search for—there is no way back. There is only ever a way forward, whether you like it or not. It's disorienting to leave a world with clear dimensions to enter one where the concept of close or far doesn't exist.

I hear a groan and try to follow it. The sound seemed to be right next to my ear, but it feels like I wade through shadows for hours before I finally can make out Percy's body in the darkness. Another side effect of the lack of logical dimensions. When I do finally find Percy, he's almost translucent again—is this his soul? His body is back in the infirmary, so it must be.

I grab his ghostly wrist. I try to aim for the infirmary—but nothing happens. I can't move. Why can't I move?

Schist. I'm stuck in the shadows.

Word count: 666

No, I didn't do that on purpose, but yes, there is a part of me that is feeling very satisfied that the word count worked out that way.

Also, oh nooooo, who could have possibly seen this coming, it's almost as if Will warned against going in after Percy for this exact reason.

I hope you liked the chapter! Thanks for reading <3

Yours,

Sunny