The air within the throne room was still; torch flames reflected off the gold and marble, lighting the great hall. Inside, all twelve Olympians sat in their thrones, waiting for Zeus to start this sudden council. The reason it seemed so unexpected to the gods was that meetings requiring all twelve of them to appear typically occurred during a solstice or a significant event. However, neither a solstice nor any such event had occurred, and they had received no rumors of anything requiring their council.
Zeus sat forward, fingers drumming on the arm of his throne. He saw the confusion in the eyes of the rest, knowing most of them would rather be elsewhere, but he ignored their looks and turned to Apollo.
"Report," he said.
Apollo sighed, standing, regretting why he had come forth to report to his father. About what he found, he would rather continue with his recitals and communicate with the dryads. There was one who caught his eye, a charming one called Ivy, she-
"Apollo!"
Zeus's shout snapped Apollo out of his thoughts, focusing back on the chamber as he saw the gods snickering at his actions, with Hera looking at him with contempt and his father's eyes flashing with restrained thunder.
Clearing his throat, Apollo ignored the looks of the gods and instead focused on his father, repeating what he had previously told him in private.
"I have recently received some omens that suggest we are in for some trouble; the omens tell of how an old enemy will return."
Poseidon snorted, disdainful of the news. "Have you been chasing skirts so long you've gone stupid? We have no enemies who can return; all of them are imprisoned in Tartarus."
Hermes lounged with ease. "I hate to say it, brother, but he's right. Are we sure what you saw were omens and not another drunken hallucination from partying with Dionysus?"
"Unless I've had another party which I don't remember, I don't think this can be attributed to me," Dionysus spoke out, drinking from his goblet, before feeling electricity tingle around him, causing him to spit out his drink and look at his father's angry eyes, understanding Hermes had inadvertently outed how he has been secretly partying and drinking, ignoring the punishment his father gave him.
Before Zeus could snap at his son, Artemis spoke up in defense of her brother.
Artemis spoke flatly. "My hunters have found such omens, too, monsters gathering and moving east."
This information caused the gods to sit up straight. There is one location that could draw all monsters east, Mount Othrys, and for that place to draw attention meant one thing.
A murmur rippled through the thrones.
"Impossible." Zeus declared, silencing the throne room, "They are imprisoned; they can't escape. Enough."
Athena's eyes hardened almost imperceptibly as she looked at Zeus, who was ignoring the obvious signs, though whether his words were an attempt to convince others or himself, she couldn't tell.
Seeing the situation in the chamber, Aphrodite decided to speak out.
"Maybe we should send someone to investigate, even if it's not them; we can at least see what's drawing all the monsters."
Aphrodite's words eased the tension in the room, eliciting a grateful nod from Artemis, who then returned to look at her father.
"I'll go." She declared. Artemis was confident in her abilities, capable of infiltrating and escaping if her fears were true, and if they weren't, she could bring the information to Olympus and let the rest come to a decision; it saved her from being called for boring meetings.
Zeus considered it, giving a quick glance towards Athena and seeing no response, nodded, ordering Artemis to go to San Francisco and see what was happening.
"On the subject of cities," Ares spoke out, anticipation in his eyes, "I have some news to share."
Seeing as he had everyone's attention, Ares turned to Zeus and spoke.
"I heard some interesting news lately from Elysian: two new demigods have joined them..."
The gods were puzzled by Ares's interest in this matter. Children of the minor gods had been heading to Elysian for some time, making it unimportant news. However, given Ares' focus on battle, it was likely that these demigods were something special if they caught his eye.
Seeing as he had everyone waiting on his words, Ares gave a deep smile.
"Twins. Spawn of Uncle Hades."
Zeus' fingers, which had been tapping his armrest this whole time, stopped drumming. The tension soon returned, the atmosphere growing heavier. They understood the importance of the children of the big three, and now they have learnt that Hades not only secretly had children but even hid them with Lucas; it was a dangerous signal.
Wanting to ease the atmosphere before Zeus spoke out, Hermes let out a low whistle.
"Even more children of the big three, with Poseidon's hidden son, this makes a full hand, right?"
Hearing Hermes attempt to drag him into the picture, Poseidon snorted. "Lay off the tricks, boy. My son is loyal to me; he has no reason to threaten Olympus. However, we all know what his children are like, and don't forget how your daughter is so close to Hecate's brat."
Poseidon finished, turning to Zeus, redirecting the attention from his own son.
Aphrodite spoke out, "Hestia is also at Elysian, right? Under her care, they probably won't be influenced by Lucas to harm Olympus, you know how she is. After all, she is the strongest of us; if she wanted, she could even rule Olympus, but instead she would rather tend to the hearth. With her guidance, those children won't be trouble."
Zeus's aura flared, quieting the gods.
"Allowing my daughter to stay in that city was already a mistake; now even Hades has broken his oath and added more fuel to the fire?" He snarled, "Kratos!"
With his shout, the doors to the chamber opened, revealing Kratos, who marched in, ignoring the gazes of the gods, and knelt before Zeus.
"You will go to Elysian," Zeus said. "Escort Hecate to Olympus; it is time we settled this."
Kratos bowed. "As you will, Lord Zeus."