The shadows flickered and faded as haunting faces appeared and dissolved in the mists that lay just beyond Nico's vision. The air resounded with the screams of the dead – accusations, threats, curses, last words. Serenity, standing beside him, merely looked concerned, as Nico looked like he was about to throw up
With a snap of fingers and a flick of his wrist, the voices died down, and, pulling Nico as he did so, Serenity took one step forward.
It was like a flashbang grenade had been detonated directly in front of Nico. Cold, white light washed over him as the darkness faded away. What lay before him was a small chamber, with walls made of marble and inlaid with a strange, dark, glassy substance, which, when touched, felt cold, like ice. The floor was covered in a thin layer of mist, and beneath it lay more of the same glass-like substance, arranged in shapes resembling snowflakes and stars.
In the centre of the room lay a table made of dark obsidian. The table-top was inlaid with thin streaks of gold that spelled three names, each below the other. "ηρεμία…έκσταση…ανακλυσμός". "Iremia…Ekstasi…Anaklusmos". "Serenity, Rapture, Riptide". Each word appeared to be tinted slightly red, as if the gold had been mixed with a crimson substance – like blood. The gold threads connecting the names also appeared to hold significance, as the bonds between Rapture and Riptide were made of four golden lines, while those between Serenity and Riptide consisted of two.
There were seven chairs arranged around the table, dividing the table into roughly three segments.
One segment was marked with lines being drawn on either side of it, made of thin lines of volcanic glass ("Pele's hair", Nico vaguely remembered. Bianca had always been fond of rocks, especially volcanic ones). Within the segment, two shapes made of mahogany obsidian were embedded into the glossy black surface. One was a large bident, and the other was a Greek war helm. Three seats were arranged behind this third in a vaguely semicircular manner.
The second segment had two chairs, and it's third of the table was decorated with a large sea serpent, made of lapis lazuli, with deep blue gemstone eyes, arranged in a pouncing position behind a vaguely humanoid figure holding a trident, both made of pearl.
The final table held the final two chairs. It was separated from the other segments by two lines of opal, and was decorated with a branching, lightning-like pattern made from delicate threads of gold.
Serenity walked over to the tables and lowered himself into a chair that lay behind the first segment, gesturing for Nico to do the same
They sat there for a while in awkward silence, until a woosh of rushing water broke it. A tower of swirling water had appeared beside the table, and it gave of a greenish-blue light. After about five seconds, the tornado-like formation dissipated into a few puddles of water, revealing two figures. A man dressed in blue robes, who looked relieved to see Serenity and greeted him with a smile, …and Percy ?
Before Nico could grapple with his presence, another sound distracted him. A heavy, electric feeling settled over the room, and the air gained an ozone-like scent. With a crackle, storm clouds gathered in the center of the room, and a figure, a man dressed in golden armour with a large burn across his face, walked out of them, dragging another figure (Is that Thalia ?) behind him.
He kissed the blue-robed man on the cheek, even as the man blushed brilliantly, and turned to Serenity, displaying a fierce, biting grin.
"Finally punctual for once in your life, eh Emo Boy ?"
"Shut it, Scarface"
The blue-robed man held up his hands, halting the argument in it's infancy.
"These are your siblings ?", he said in a smooth, deep voice.
Serenity and the scarred man both nodded. He gestured to the empty chair beside Nico, "Where's…"
Serenity cut him off with a shrug.
The man sighed, "Regardless. I am Riptide, and this is Rapture (Those names suddenly made a lot more sense) Welcome, children of the Big Three, to the Council of the Elder Demigods"
Chapter Management