The small group emerged from the hall and entered the dining room, a large room with a wide and lengthy table of dark oak, which was made by taking two different tables and lining them together, there were ten chairs in total, four on the left and right of the table, leaving one to stand at the end of each end.
Only one was in use, however, as the Slenderman would sit at the end of the table. They were the head of the household after all. Some of the households had arrived for dinner already, Eyeless for example was moving from the dining room to the kitchen, preparing the dishes, silverware, and by the sounds of it, dinner as well.
"I've missed Eyeless' cooking," Nico admitted with a smile, waving to Hoodie as he walked in from the kitchen, with a stack of glasses. The older proxy nodded to him in acknowledgment and began setting the glasses on the table with the plates, before entering the kitchen to get silverware.
"You're not getting anything big you know. If anything, Eyeless is going to force you to a souls-only type diet until you can eat anything more than liquids." Jeff ruffled Nico's hair, watching the demigod pout and cross his arms, seeming upset with the knowledge.
"Just let me get some ambrosia with my meal and I'll be fine! Demigods heal quickly. Besides, Souls taste disgusting on their own, it's better to eat them with the flesh, it goes down better that way." Jeff snorted, amused by Nico's complaining.
"It might just be a son of Hades thing, Neeks."
Nico playfully stuck his tongue out at Jeff in response, earning a chuckle from the taller killer. Nico relaxed against Jeff's side, watching as Hoodie and Eyeless began bringing out plates of food.
"Come on love birds, sit down and wait for everyone else." Eyeless snarked as he skirted past Nico and set down a plate of what looked like burgers, flicking the smaller boy's forehead before disappearing into the kitchen.
"Mk J! Jeff, Nico, you're over by the Slenderman. Some of my little friends overheard that you have business to attend to with him." Nico matched Laughing Jack's wide grin, a sadistic thing of fangs and sharp teeth that lookedwrongfor a human appearance.
"Can I stay with you and Jeff? I don't want you to leave again." Sally pulled on Nico's hand, looking at him with tear-filled green eyes. She was hugging her teddy bear close to her, leaning into Nico's side. The young ghost girl adored the son of Hades, which would be odd given that many ghosts were terrified of the boy because of his status as both the heir to King Hades' throne, and the king of ghosts.
"Of course, you can Sal, you don't even have to ask." Nico smiled, gently combing a hand through Sally's hair and ignoring the sensation of brain matter on his fingers. While ghosts were corporeal and unable to touch most objects, he was able to touch them, to be the physical and mental bridge between the living and the dead. He wiped the blood and brain matter on Jeff's hoodie, glad to have it off of his fingers before he sat down to eat. He knew how E.J. could be about proper cleanliness.
Finding seats near the head of the table, Nico sat closest to the Slenderman's side and Sally sat in his lap, a seat beside him where she was supposed to sit for dinner, Jeff sitting beside them and leaning an elbow against the table. They waited idly as family members filed into the dining room, each killer taking a chair around the table. E.J. sat by Jeff, Laughing Jack sitting by Eyeless at the stray seat at the end of the table, with Liu sitting and reading a book on his left. On the left side of Liu sat Hoodie and Maskey, the two sat by the head of the table to be closest to the Slenderman. A small gap between the seats gave Smile Dog a spot to sit and pick up scraps from the floor, his teeth human-like and stretched in a wide grin.
With the family all seated, the Slenderman finally appeared, sitting in its seat at the head of the table and silent as the group began to dine.
"What of the doors of death, Nico?"
Nico stabbed his fork through the heart, a large human organ that had been baked, left to marinate in its juices, and seasoned with blood and the slimyfiltha soul retained. He cut into it with his knife, glancing at the Slenderman between his unruly black hair.
"They're still open, I tried to go into Tartarus to close that side, but I was unsuccessful."
"That is understandable young one. Do you plan to work with the demigods?"
Nico sighed, his teeth tearing through the meat in his mouth with ease as he took his first bite. He ate slowly, and quietly, avoiding answering the Slenderman.
"Yeah. I kind of have to... By ourselves, we'll end up killed, but together, we at least have a fighting chance. None of us wants the world to end, after all."
"Good, good, I trust you'll request Jeff to go with you on your quest."
"Yes, of course."
"You'll leave in the morning then. Take your ambrosia, prepare for the trip, and rest before you join the demigods. Your father informed me that they're on a quest for Rome, to find you. The giants will be dealt with, and you will find refuge aboard the Argo II. Thank your father for his assistance, and prepare yourself for war."
"Thank you, master, I appreciate your help with this."
"Don't thank me, simply uphold the balance. Do you understand young proxy?"
Nico nodded, hands shaking as he cut into his food, the idle sounds of dinner doing nothing to quell his terrified mind. He didn't want to do this, he didn't want to fight, and he didn't want to see the demigods that had caused his sister's death. He didn't want to see Jeff hurt, or any of his family hurt.Distantly, Nico thought of Hazel, his half-sister was so delicate, the opposite of a child of Hades, she was the more refined gem as opposed to his corpse, which shambled across the earth and fed upon souls to heal whatever semblance of humanity he had left. Divinity was damning, leaving him a true shell of his former self. Hazel was perfect, kind, gentle. A true opposition to himself. He considered her family, but he knew she would sooner cast him away than accept this part of him, the monster that he was.
"I understand, Master."