Nameless Darkness
Darkness.
Nothingness itself.
A sensation that was possibly maddening to feel… or to not feel. A sensory void whose only effect was to drive anyone who touched it insane. Or anyone who was there.
A place where time seemed not to exist, or where every second felt like an eternity.
A place where screams did not seem able to escape.
Or so he believed.
“Aaah!”
Suddenly, Percy realized he could begin to feel every part of his body. His own scream echoed in his ears as he abruptly looked around. He clutched his head tightly, trying to keep control of his emotions. His breathing was ragged; his hands trembled as he looked at them. Still, simply being able to see them began to calm him, slowly.
He could feel every part of himself. The rapid pounding of his heart. His uneven breathing.
Silence closed in around him again as he tried to steady himself.
“W… what the hell was that?” he said, realizing he was kneeling on the ground, completely at the mercy of panic from what he had just felt… or lived through. From that darkness.
For a moment, he was afraid to speak, as if his voice might break something.
The ground beneath him was completely black. When he lifted his gaze, he noticed he was still in a place utterly shrouded in darkness, except for his own body, which he seemed to perceive with absolute clarity even within that total blackness.
He quickly realized his clothes were gone. In their place, he wore what looked like a truly ancient loincloth, white in color, traced with golden markings resembling runes written in a strange language.
The tattoos covering his body, etched in the language of dragons, glowed faintly with a pale white light.
That only made the fear tighten in his chest.
Percy looked around, trying to find someone, something… an exit.
“Hello? Annabeth, Tyson, Clarisse,” he shouted into the darkness. Though he could hear his own voice leaving his mouth, he noticed it did not travel very far from him.
“There’s no one else here.”
The voice appeared suddenly, making him flinch. Instinctively, he reached for his waist, for the pouch where he usually kept his sword, but, obviously, it was not there.
“Who’s there?” Percy said, trying to focus his sight into the darkness itself. He could see nothing, yet he felt a kind of presence in a specific direction. Something that seemed to pull at him.
He took a step, and for a moment he felt every word of dovahzul carved into his body blaze intensely with each movement toward that direction.
For some reason, he felt tempted to move even closer.
Then something there began to move.
It made no sound.
That was the worst part.
Suddenly, the largest eye he had ever seen in his life opened before him, freezing him completely in place. At the same time, his tattoos flared so brightly that his body looked like a living torch within the darkness.
Even so, Percy barely noticed. He was completely paralyzed beneath that gaze.
“Mmm… yes. That might be too much for a mortal,” the voice said suddenly.
Percy did not answer.
He was not even sure he could.
The eye slowly closed again, while Percy thought he heard the sound of chains shifting, along with a faint glimmer in that same direction.
“Come. Come closer, little dragon,” the voice said again, breaking Percy’s paralysis.
Percy looked toward where the voice had come from and hesitated. Yet, for some reason, he felt he did not need to be afraid. He was still scared, but that was not all. That strange title had also stirred his curiosity.
Still nervous, he began to walk. He felt as though he might collide with that enormous eye at any moment, but it did not happen.
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Instead, as he moved forward, he began to see what looked like golden chains stretching across the dark ground.
And with every step, more chains appeared. They shifted slightly, as if they were holding something in place… right in the direction he was heading.
That only made him more uneasy. He swallowed, the sense of danger tightening with every step.
“Come on, there isn’t much time,” the voice said, now carrying a sense of urgency.
“Well, you know… I… maybe I have other things to do, so I’d really like to know where the exit is,” Percy replied quickly, afraid of getting himself into trouble, as usual, by listening to an unknown voice.
He pointed behind him before turning his face forward again.
And then he froze completely.
He felt something occupying the space in front of him.
Far too close.
A person was standing just centimeters from his face.
The shock was so intense that he stumbled several steps backward.
“Hehehe. You really are a cowardly little dragon,” the voice said in an amused tone.
As it moved away, the darkness once again swallowed whoever had been standing there.
Percy frowned at the mockery. He swallowed again and took several steps forward once more.
But now, where he had seen that face before, there was nothing. Only the chains, gently shifting.
Percy looked at the chains, then glanced around… until, suddenly, a head peeked out beside him, watching him with a playful smile and startling him all over again.
This time, instead of running, Percy immediately put himself on guard, raising his fists.
“Hehehe. Such a fun little dragon… it’s been a very long time since I’ve seen one,” the figure said as she watched him take a defensive stance.
Only then was Percy able to clearly see her.
She was a woman. And possibly the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life. Her hair, completely white, fell in thick cascades all the way down to the ground. Yet what stood out the most was not her almost otherworldly beauty, nor her hair.
It was the fact that she was entirely wrapped in golden chains, coiling around every part of her body except her head, which seemed to be the only part she could move freely.
And her eyes…
Two eyes completely black, as dark as the place they were in. And yet, at the same time, they carried that reptilian shape Percy had seen before.
The same shape Miraak’s eyes took when he transformed into… a dragon.
“Truly… a very, very long time,” the woman continued, her gaze resting on Percy with an expression filled with longing. Not for him, but for something else. Then her face darkened with sadness. “Time is up… or they’ll realize that I’ve regained consciousness again,” she said, looking at him with quiet sorrow.
“Now I understand why he chose you. I really would have liked to make you my child as well,” she added, offering him a maternal smile that cracked for just a moment. “It was nice to see someone again before returning to the void.”
Then she gently blew toward Percy’s face.
Percy felt something strange move through his body, as if he were beginning to float.
“Don’t worry about the others. It was my fault, I got too excited. But no… their souls have not been claimed yet,” he heard her say, as his eyelids began to feel heavy and slowly closed.
“I’ll give them a small gift as an apology.”
That was the last thing he heard.
Percy opened his eyes with a sudden jolt. He looked around and realized he was no longer in that dark place. Instead, he seemed to be inside some kind of room.
Instinctively, he checked his clothes, noticing that he was fully dressed again and that his magical bag hung at his waist. He let out a small breath, more relieved to have his clothes back than anything else. Then he gently touched his forehead, as if trying to organize his thoughts.
“You’re awake,” a familiar voice said not far away.
It was Annabeth, who seemed to have been sitting there, waiting for him.
Percy lifted his gaze toward her before taking a better look around.
“Where are we?” he asked.
“I don’t know. I haven’t explored the place yet. I was waiting for you,” she replied.
Percy nodded slightly. Suddenly, he snapped his head to the side and drew his sword just as a nearby door opened and a woman stepped inside, freezing completely when the blade stopped inches from her neck.
“Ah… I’m sorry. Perhaps you need a bit more time to acclimate,” she said calmly. “My apologies. I’m Hila, your concierge. I’ll be outside with cucumber water whenever you wish.”
She took a step back, ready to leave.
“Wait,” Percy said, lowering his sword slowly. “Where are the others? Tyson and Clarisse?” he asked quickly.
The woman turned back to him, her expression now carrying a hint of seriousness.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know anything about that. Some fishermen found only the two of you floating on a broken wooden plank. Possibly… you are the only survivors of that tidal wave,” she said softly.
Percy slowly brought a hand to his face, processing the information with mild shock. Annabeth, meanwhile, couldn’t bring herself to say anything.
Percy felt the need to sit down, and so he did, his face serious and his gaze unfocused.
Annabeth moved closer, noticing a faint tremor in Percy’s hand.
“Percy, maybe—”
Before she could finish, Percy spoke.
“She said their souls hadn’t been claimed. What could that mean?” he asked, looking straight into Annabeth’s eyes.
Annabeth showed a momentary look of confusion.
“Their souls? Who?” she asked.
“Just tell me what it could mean when someone says their souls haven’t been claimed,” Percy insisted. Even though he seemed to understand it himself, he needed to hear it from someone else, as if that would stop him from believing he was fooling himself.
“Well… it could mean that no one died,” she replied, though not entirely confident. The words lingered heavier than she intended.
Percy let out a breath.
“Good… good,” he said, sounding a bit more at ease. “I hope I can trust her words,” he added. “I don’t want to be sent by my master to Tartarus to look for Tyson without even knowing where it is.”
Annabeth looked even more confused.
“What are you talking about?” she asked.
Percy watched her for a moment before shaking his head.
“When I understand it myself, I’ll tell you,” he said, standing up. “Let’s explore the place,” he added, his tone serious.
Annabeth looked at him with some concern, but eventually nodded and followed him.
