After those foreboding words, Mother and Father sent them away.
The last thing Perseús had heard was his Father ordering for the return of Kymopoleia and all his grandchildren. "The House of Poseidôn cannot stand to look divided during these times. It will not do for us to look weak to other enemies."
Semelē swam at almost a supersonic speed to the depths further under the ocean floor. He followed after her, of course. He could sense it within her; the storm she was desperate to release.
And what a storm it was.
He sat on the edges of the pit she had landed in; floating calmly at the burst of power from within her. Thankfully there was nothing to be found this way as her power flattened the pit. It would have been enough to make Kymopoleia beam with pride. She was breathing heavily, yet he could still feel small sparks of anger fluctuating.
"Sister mine," he stated. Her eyes flashed to his; blue eyes almost fluorescent under the darken ocean sky. "Tell me… what happened?" Her eyes slipped closed as she took a deep breath. He watched her tail shift into her legs as she began to work through the calming techniques Tritôn taught her.
Once she seemingly calmed enough, he swam to her side. "Semelē?" She was quiet for a moment before she began to speak, "Everything had been going fine. The entire council was in attendance. Not just the Twelve Major. Hêbê and the others had joined the meeting this time. It was fine. A good-natured meeting. Lots of jokes were going around. Father and our Uncles were playfully arguing as usual. It was delightful, brother. You should have come!"
Her mind drifted back to a pair of garnet-colored eyes that tracked her movement with every step. Even as she hid and peeked around her father's throne, she could feel those eyes on her. Her bestest friend aside from her brother.
"The demi divine children were in attendance listening as Father and Uncle playfully argue while Aunt Dêmêtêr and Uncle Haidês and Lady Persephonê spoke of expanding the gardens of Elysium. It was a nice meeting."
The sea warped around them, protecting them as their parents' wrath began to wash over the ocean. "Thank you, Thalassa," they whisper. It felt as if a gentle brush moved across their cheeks before receding.
His sister sighed, "It was a good meeting, brother-mine. And then it wasn't. It was near the end after the mortals went back to their silly little camp that the real meeting started when Uncle noticed his missing bolt. It was like watching glass break. The bond between Father and Uncle disappeared so quickly. Accusations were thrown from left to right as Uncle ordered instant retrieval of the weapon while also demanding Father to return it."
Perseús wiped the tears from her eyes. She slumped over in despair, "I did not know what to do or to expect. I had never seen either of them that angry. It was as if they were different people."
He grabbed her hands, "We will get through this. Together." She looked at him, reading the resolve in his eyes. She nodded sharply, "Yes. We will."
His sister furrowed her brow as she turned away, "Whomever the true culprit is must be skilled or gaining power from elsewhere. To be unseen by not only the gods but also managed to pass King Zeus' retinue. None of them would leave the throne lest Uncle ordered it and yet—"
"Traitors?"
"No," she stated firmly. "Well… I am not sure. I do not want to believe there are traitors within Olympus let alone the House of the King. If they could be that close, who knows what might be overlooked?"
His throne was guarded by four winged spirits, two male and two female: Kratos, Zelos, Nike, and Bia. Kratos and Bia functioned as muscular enforcers. Nike drove Zeus' chariot and often accompanied him in miniature form as something of a divine familiar.
And Themis, goddess of law and order, was seated beside his throne. Themis was also charged with summoning all of the gods to assembly in the courtyard of Zeus.
The twins shared looks, grimacing lightly. "We will not be able to leave," Perseús warned. "We're on the brink of war. We would be unable to leave lest they use us for leverage."
It was the sad thing about being the youngest and their divinity was barely even fully settled. (Twelve years for the Olympians… Twelve years for the Khthonioi… twelve years for the Halioi.) They were nothing more than immortal sea-nymph and daemon at the moment.
If they were truly to go to war, they would be the best leverage.
And—
Alarm spread through them as they immediately headed back to the palace. Not all of their enemies would come from the surface world.
As soon as they came into view, they were surrounded on every side by a plethora of guards. They let their powers swirl around them, placing them into their armor as they headed back into the safety of the palace.
A quick peek into the training rooms showed Rhodê and Benthesikymê reacquainting themselves with their favored weapons. How strange it must be for them. They looked up to see Tritôn carrying messages off for their Father. He was no doubt calling for all the warriors that they had.
Twas all very strange.
"There you are," a voice called out to them. The twins glanced upwards to see Kapheira making her way to their side quickly. "Come. Your Mother is asking for you."
The twins nodded following after their caretaker with quick steps, eyes darting around them taking in every exit that was known to the guards and those that were not. No one was above suspicion. Perseus did not even blink when he saw his nieces and nephews being led into the palace flanked by their own guards as they made their way to the war room.
Kymopoleia was no doubt on her way there. Aside from Makar and Tritôn, she was the swiftest of their family.
And when they entered the war room, it was to see their Mother already in her armour as she glanced about the sea to make for good positions in case of battle. Semelē was pleased to know that it was the currently updated plans that had been activated in the last year so none above surface knew the layout of the sea.
Their Father was nowhere to be found, but there were Haliai and Tritoni spread about the room as they guarded the Queen.
Mother turned to look at them, and the twins immediately knelt and bowed before her.
"Thalassomedoisa," they intoned. Their Mother motioned for them to rise while moving over to them quickly.
"I know you two care not for your guards, but it would be ill-advised to give them chase now," Mother admonished. "We not only have tentative enemies above the surface that would not hesitate to strike you down or use you against us, but there will be some on the outskirts of the kingdom or even those with hidden agendas within the court that may try their hand."
They had already known this, but they still grimaced as they shared looks. Fates, how they hated the guards around them. It had caused quite the consternation in their mischief whenever they pulled the most daring tricks. Worse, when Semelē began her mageia training.
"Where is Father," Semelē asked, not seeing their Father-King anywhere. Mother scowled furiously, but they knew how to see the worry in her eyes. "He has been recalled to the surface. Zeus Panellênios did not trust him to reside at the palace where the kyklôps may make illegal copies of a weapon the sea does not have."
And just like before, all of those from the House of Poseidôn drew anger within their bones.
Twas times like this, Perseús wished he had been able to meet Arsulu before she dabbled in dark mageia and banished herself to an entirely different universe.
(Father kept an eye on her when he visited Olympus, gazing about the universe in which she resided in since she was no longer in the Milky Way that spilled from the breast of Hêrê)
A swift burst of wind-storm surrounded them, and Perseús' sword slipped into his grasp whereas mageia flooded Semelē's surroundings, casting an ominous blue glow that matched her eyes to whip around her.
Once the wind calmed, everyone in the room moved out of their defenses at the sight of Makar and Triteia and Oiolyka standing before them. Perseús snorted. Of course, it was the Troublemaking Terror Trio—Triple T for short— that appeared as such.
Semelē, herself, was amused watching as three looked wide-eyed at each of the very incredible, freshly sharpened prongs of Mother's trident that was so close to their skin that it drew ichor.
She would call them children if she didn't know that they were centuries older than her.
Mother scowled at them in disappointment as she stepped away, and the guards waited until Semelē ran her mageia over them to verify that they were members of the House of Poseidôn before withdrawing their weapons. "Foolish children," Mother sniffed once the young princess confirmed their identities. "Where are your—"
Before she finished her sentence, tritoni and octopan flooded into the room in panic, sinking to the ground in relief once they caught sight of their guards.
Perseus bit back a snicker. What could they say? None but Rhodê, Benthesikymê, and Tritôn liked their guards and even their Brother was known to give them chase at times.
The twins shared looks moving over to a small corner of the War Room where Êlektrê was generating vision pools so that the meeting could begin. Perseús looked over the weapon stock, passing some over to Triteia when she joined him to see where they stood in case of war.
And Semelē focused all her training that she had learned under Eurybiê and Hekatê, Pasiphaê, Kirkê, and Aeetes to strengthen the barrier around the main palace before sinking into the sands of the sea to strengthen the ones in of their various estates.
Her eyes glowed an eerie ocean blue, dazed as she cried out. All eyes fluttered to her, and Perseús was at her side before any could even blink.
She croaked, a raspy thing that her vocal cords sounded, high pitch in sonar. "Two halves of the same tail. A serpents' gaze that pierces the ocean's daze. Thalassa's crown must be found, or the sea shall swallow the sun."
The others in the room gasped.
Semelē thrashed, heat flooding her skin and striking the seabed.
Pontus and Thalassa cried out.
Perseús held on tightly, brushing her hair from her face as she shrieked. Their Family surrounded them in a wide-circle, as close as they dared while still giving them space.
The young princess's blue eyes met her twins, and all watched as the colors swirled, mixing blue and green until both eyes looked teal.
Semelē's head rolled to the side, gaze unseeing. "Son of Jack," she breathed. Mageia flushed through her, turning her sun-kissed strands into flames as bright as her eyes; similar to Haidês from that horrid disney movie.
The fire spluttered out and she slipped into sleep following it, leaving tension and unanswered questions in her wake.
"Is this a bad time," came the voice of Kymopoleia as she entered the room.
Perseús sat at his sister's bedside.
She had placed herself in a temporary—emphasis on temporary—mageia coma Eurybiê and Kapheira and that she would awaken soon.
Eidothea had been summoned and pulled into a meeting as soon as she made it to the palace. And when she couldn't give an answer that they were looking for… all the Old Men of the Sea with Grandfather Nêreus leading the charge had been summoned.
Whatever the case may be, after charmingly speaking to a few of the tritoni that had been in the meeting… Perseús came to learn that "Two halves of the same tail" meant a whole lot more than just a fancy line in a prophecy.
It was deduced that Semelē reached a little too far with her powers, dipping into the bond between she and Perseús and drawing forth his latent prophetic powers that he inherited from their Father and Grandfather Nêreus.
A terrifying prospect as they tended to do the opposite of what their domains hinted towards. Semelē was very much a minor sea-storm goddess, reveling in the destructive nature in her powers, but she tended to focus on the aftermath—the destruction left in the wake and the beauty of it.
(Something Perseús did not understand because the mortals didn't find their destroyed homes so beautiful once she finished.)
She was more interested in watching how the tides were affected by the moon and trying to find a way to Arsulu without falling prey to dark mageia. She liked lazing away in the gentle waves of the sea.
And while Perseús did have their Father's power of destructive forces, he took more after his Mother with her calming of the sea waves—except his name meant destroyer and while he did not enjoy the mortals' distraught, he did like watching how the sea parted and storms rushed towards the surface land.
He knew that he was prophetic, a skill that he did not really care for as he dodged all of Grandfather and Eidothea and Aunt Thetis' attempts to teach him how to utilize the gift. (Something that Semelē delighted in helping him accomplish.) But he had never attempted any of her powers without her there to help him control it.
(He had been grounded for what seemed like eternity the one time he let loose a storm that almost destroyed the entirety of Ireland.)
His sister was his best friend; so, filled with life and animated in every step she took.
She was not someone to lay down so still—like a puppet without strings.
Perseús grimaced, feeling the way Father's anger curled around him like chains. He was no doubt arguing with Uncle upon Olympos. Tritôn had stopped by earlier and told him that it was worse in the olden days. Living in the old palace back in Αἰγαί, Tritôn said that Father's anger was like a noose whenever he argued with their aunts and uncles. The waves crashed upon each other until it seemed to be the only thing left. Mother, together with her sisters Kymatolege and Kymodoke, possessed the power to still the winds and calm the sea yet she did not because she found it amusing on occasions to listen to the screams of those that disrespected the sea.
A groan caught his attention, and he turned to see Semelē shifting uncomfortably. Her face scrunched as she began to wake. Perseús watched with bated breath as she blinked once… twice… three times before looking at the world with ocean blue eyes.
They were glowing, the same color as her mageia.
"Semelē," he called out. Her mouth pulled into a familiar smile as she turned towards him.
"Brother," she breathed, mageia powering down until eyes returned to their normal form. She looked around them. "The healing halls?"
"Naí, you fainted. It has been many moons since the solstice."
"Truly?"
Perseús hummed. "We are upon the spring equinox," he told her. She blinked at him in shock while he reached over to grab some sargassum for her. She scowled before consuming the plant and letting it rejuvenate her. "Father has returned to the King's Palace while the rest of our family have made their way here. Aside from the increase in training, Mother has placed us all over our own command and we have been tasked with knowing our various soldiers."
"You mean?"
"Mm, ναί. Soldiers from every division across the sea have all mingled and mixed together. Cavalry, infantry, and artillery are all prepped and ready on the chance that war is to be declared."
"Has it been declared?"
"Uncle states that the master bolt must be returned by the solstice or war is to be declared."
Semelē cursed, struggling out of the bed. "Όχι," he chided. "Rest while I send for a healer."
She scowled at him but settled down. "Have the magoi been prepared for battle?"
Perseús ignored her because it was obvious that they would be. One of the Aigaiôn's princesses was one of the greatest sorceresses across the realms, a feat of awe due to her young surface age. Kapheira came quickly, smiling in relief at the sight of Semelē awakened. Their nurse checked over her quickly, a glowing hand roaming over her form, divinity flooding her eyes.
"I was worried, my princess," the elder goddess admitted. "Promise not to push yourself any further. Our protection shall not come at the risk of your life."
After all, the twins' divinity had only just settled. Semelē gave her a gentle smile, "I can only promise to try." Kapheira sighed fondly, "I do not know who would have me go grey first. You, your sister, Kymopoleia, Makar or Aktis, or your Father."
The twins snickered as Semelē was allowed to move. The goddess told them all of the adventures that Father had gotten into when he had been placed in her care as a baby before yia yia had to present him to Grandfather.
"Come see me immediately if you have any aches, princess," the nurse said. "Lady Eurybiê stated that you may experience some as your mageia settles once more."
"Now that I can promise," Semelē teased before following her Brother to their chambers.
WORD COUNT: 2,983
