| PANDEMONIUM | Percy x Apollo

Chapter 9

Nico cracked his eyes open and looked around, hoping against hope to maybe find that he was back home and all of this was a bad dream.

But he was still in the same ornate dining room, with a long table and three people tied to its chairs on each side, swords hanging over their heads. Opposite him was Will, looking as perfect as always. There was only the tiny issue of the ropes around his shoulders and wrists and the golden sword hanging over his head. To Will's right was Leo and on his left was Meg. On Nico's right, opposite Meg, was Rachel and on his left was Piper.

The room had no windows. Just one door behind the head of the table and a fireplace opposite it on the other side. The walls were decorated with gruesome mosaics of torture and punishment. The colours were dull and dreary, but the decoration was immaculate and skillfully done.

The star of the room was clearly the dining table. It was made of black marble and had golden accents.

The table was filled with all kinds of edibles. The smell was intoxicating. It had initially made their stomachs growl to be fed. But now that they had seen how the contents were made, their empty stomachs threatened to vomit themselves out.

Just minutes ago or maybe hours ago or days ago (they had no sense of time in here) , Khione and Chrysaor had been inside the room.

The first time they came in, how long ago he didn't know, they had brought a young boy with them. He looked to be about 10 years old with jet black hair and light brown eyes. He was crying.

Khione told them he was a son of Hermes. The boy had been taken from his home, his mother killed before his eyes. Chrysaor's sword had still been glistening with her blood. That was the only time Nico and his friends had been spoken to.

Khione asked the boy for his name.

Little voice trembling, he had said, "Timmy."

Timmy was made to stand before the fireplace.

Chrysaor had placed the bloody sword into the fire and they had all watched as it turned hot.

Timmy though, had started to shiver. Khione's snow had started to encroach on him from the tips of his toes.

None of their protests could be heard over the screams of the terrified boy. His tears had made pools of ice beside his feet.

Within minutes, Timmy was covered in a sheet of ice.

As soon as his screams were frozen in place, Chrysaor had taken the sword out of the fireplace and swung it at the frozen boy.

Will, Rachel, Leo and Meg had all vomited at the gruesome sight.

The two of them had taken what was left of him and put it in a bag.

They came back minutes or maybe hours later, this time with plates full of cooked meat.

Polybotes was with them.

They walked to the dining table and stood with their back to the fireplace, placing the dishes of meat before them.

The giant took a giant syringe from a pouch on his waist and filled it with a wave of his hand. The liquid glistened with a sickly green colour.

He then injected the poison into the cuts of meat. The meat turned a sickly shade of black at that.

Apparently, satisfied with the result, they left the plates of meat, as if letting it marinate and left the room.

Nobody spoke a word, but Timmy's cries echoed in the room, haunting it like a ghost.

Sometime later, the three returned.

As if whatever they had done so far hadn't been bizarre enough, each of them took one piece each and tossed it into the fire.