Thanatos : The Black Dawn

(23)The Crow's Sway

We were already an hour into the meeting and Nyx was still sour that Hemera had been late.

We were sat in Nyx's council room, where she held her appointments and private audiences. Her private chambers were decorated with an air of darker tones and old gold accents. Diamond chandeliers and lanterns adorned with the rarest jewels hung from the dome ceiling, along with fire goblets. Nyx always had a taste for theatre. No doubt I acquired that particular trait from her...

Even her wine chalices were made out of the finest crystal glass and larger than most ordinary glasses. Over the top and dramatic is exactly what I'd use to describe my mother's sense of style.

A handful of peacocks were roaming just outside the quarters, in her private grounds. Nyx had taken Hera's prized peacocks from her the moment the goddess was overthrown as queen of Olympus. My mother even went as far as to dye the feathers of the peacocks black- erasing all vivid resemblance to an animal that had once belonged to an enemy of hers.

Now they looked like morbid, overgrown crows stalking the gardens, screaming just like my mother often did. An uncanny resemblance...

"It won't work." Nyx said with a sigh and a look of complete disgust. She was really working on my nerves today. Every single thing Hemera, Eris or Nemesis said was pushed aside. She didn't agree with any of their ideas for the annual Emperor's banquet.

This feast day was seen as a sacred event, celebrated once a year, on the same day I betrayed Zeus and overthrew his rule. Another name for the feast day was the Old Banquet, in reference to our family's name; a name Nyx loved to use everywhere she went.

Gods forbid we forget it.

Hemera rolled her eyes until they nearly smacked the back of her head. She crossed her arms over her heavy armour and shot me a look.

I glanced back at Nyx. "Is this really necessary?"

"Of course it is." Nyx looked shocked that I'd even asked such a vile question. "This is your day- a day where we honour what you did for this family. We can't just waste it with cheap entertainment." Nyx glared at Nemesis.

All my sister had suggested was a dance troop from the northern parts of the Underworld, but Nyx wasn't having it. She clearly thought it was a low-class idea and wasn't going to stand for any sort of knock-off.

"We also can't waste the treasury on overprized actors." I muttered, dismissing my mother's suggestion for a theatre production centred around our family. I couldn't think of anything more cringeworthy.

"They are professionals." Nyx countered and Nema quickly came to her own defence. "And so are those dancers."

"Oh, Nema. Stop it with the horrid dancers already." Eris rubbed her temple to ease her growing headache. This entire meeting was painful.

Knowing that Aurora was waiting for me in my study, all alone and dressed in a thin, strappy dress, was painful.

"Let each of us just give Thanatos a suggestion for the night's entertainment and then he'll decide? How about that?" Hemera suggested and I thanked my lucky stars that at least one of them was coming up with a reasonable suggestion.