Storm Rising

Chapter 25

Percy's POV

Each being is at least thirty feet tall, just like Ananke and Hydros. A blue staff appears in Hydros's hand, and he slams it into the floor. "I call this meeting to order. Ananke, would you start?"

Ananke smiles. "We have brought from earth the heroes, Percy Jackson," A woman with brown hair and hazel eyes stiffens at this. "Bianca di Angelo, Nico di Angelo, Ivory Wolfe, Hazel Levesque, Frank Zhuang, Reyna Ramírez-Arellano, and Ricky Johnson. We have brought the gods, Amphitrite and Triton. They do not know who all of you are, so please be patient and tell them who you are."

A man stood up on the left side of the ring of thrones. He had brown hair and green eyes that looked like lush grass with a few streaks of black, white, and brown. He wore a black suit with a tie with mountains and lakes on it. It seemed so real. "I am Ourea, primordial god of the mountains," He sat back down on his throne that looked like it was made from the mountains with jagged peaks and green pillows for comfort.

The man with black hair and very handsome eyes to Ourea's left got up from his red throne with little cupids and hearts on it. "I am Eros, god of love and attraction."

"I am Thesis or Physis, goddess of creation and nature," A woman with black hair and eyes that seem to have every color in it. She wore a long dress with scenes of nature on it. "I am also wife to this dolt," She said playfully, whacking Eros on the head.

Eros looked miffed. "I seem to remember differently. It was YOU who fell for me."

Blackness erupted from the man next to Thesis. The room went completely dark. "Tartarus! Not again!" A female voice called out, annoyed. The room becomes full of light again

"Name's Tartarus," A man in a pitch black suit with blood red accent flashed us a peace sign. "It's pretty obvious what I am the god of. And I am also single for any of you ladies," He winks. Bianca, Reyna, Hazel, and Ivory blush and look down.

Hydros snort from his blue throne that almost looks liquid. "You know who I am, but just as a refresher, I am Hydros and my domains are water."

"Erebus, god of darkness and shadow," A man in all black says.

"Nyx, goddess of night, wife to Erebus," The woman with black hair and eyes sitting next to Erebus says.

The goddess next to Nyx gulps, the same one who was startled when Ananke said my name. The man next to her, who must be her husband, squeezes her hand encouragingly. I realize that these two are the center of the U.

"I am Gaia or Gaea, the personification of the earth, mother of the titans," She says.

Gaea? How could Hydros and Ananke bring us here? It is a trap! I grab Diarkis in my pocket and prepare to destroy her like I did on Mount Olympus in Greece.

"Wait!" Gaea cries out, seeing our weapons drawn. "I mean you no harm. I was corrupted by my evil sons, the giants. Normally, they were good children. Something possessed them to try to take over the world. They tried to wake me in doing this."

My friends don't put away their weapons either.

"Please, I take a Chaos vow, not to intentally harm you," Gaea pleads. She gets off her throne, shrinking down to human size. She walks over to each of us in turn.

"Reyna, I'm so sorry I caused you to lose Jason through my rising."

"Frank, I'm so sorry my army burned down your mansion."

"Percy, I'm so sorry for taking you and the Athena girl to Tartarus."

"Nico, I'm so sorry for pulling you into Tartarus."