The entire hall erupts into chaos. The sound of Sonii's dress crashing onto the hardwood floor is enough to awaken Toni from his daze and send him into battle. All the elders gather around and stare in dissatisfaction at the fight being broken apart by the nighthowlers as quickly as it started. The brawl has finally ended.
For now.
The blond is being dragged away by one of the night howlers. Toni forces his way away from the nighthowlers clutching him back so that he can tend to his brother. Milo continues to aggressively launch himself forwards despite the nighthowlers firm grip restraining him. His jaw is bruised and his eyes are wide with rage, searching for a proper end to the fight.
The staff moves in and out of the kitchen with plates of food that no one has the chance to touch. Faces, still fresh with shock, pile out of the hall to escape the scandal within the walls. Those inside the palace have lost their appetites and scatter off to their private corners of the fortress.
The King bids all goodbye as she stands on the steps and sees everyone off. No one can stand the sight of blood, not even if it's not due to a fight. They're almost too innocent for their own good.
Toni stands over the stove as the water boils for him to prepare a calming tea for the boys who hang around the kitchen island. Milo sits at the table behind him with an ice pack pressed to his jaw while Kai paces up and down the kitchen floor.
Sol runs his fingers over his bruised knuckles, he feels as if he wasn't the one fighting. It's as if the god of war took control during the fight and that's how he managed to escape without bruises. He can't help but think if his fighting skills are only spontaneous and that might be the reason someone dies one day.
Toni, on the other hand, replays the night's events over and over in his mind while he stirs the calming herbs in the bubbling liquid. He remembers walking down the stairs early so he could hang on the outskirts of the party. When more masked people filled the hall, he couldn't take it anymore. The House of Cards had forever changed him. He resorted to standing in the open air, away from the crowd.
He spent most of the time talking to Hunter. Impersonally in the beginning, they tried to tolerate each other after the last encounter. But, soon their short answers grew to words full of truth and emotion and Toni became more comfortable. They stood on the balcony underneath the stars and revealed everything within their overworked minds. Hunter isn't the hard shell everyone sees, he's the gentle body inside that hates seeing people get hurt.
Toni can't even remember how long he'd been talking to Hunter. The sound of Sonii's body hitting the floor brought him back to reality and he stormed towards the corruption to defend his family. He didn't even realize that Hunter had his back until he saw Hunter being dragged away by other nighthowlers.
"Antonio." Kai calls bringing Toni back into the moment to find the tea over boiling. He moves it away and pours the remnants into cups and passes it over to the boys.
Sol slowly takes a sip the moment the cup is passed to him. His movements are shaky causing him to spill a few drops.
He's stressed.
He worries about his sister.
He's stressed about his father.
Will the moon ever kick out his shining stars? Will the sun allow that?
The kitchen goes quiet as the staff stop chattering leaving an uneasy aura surrounding the kitchen. The king walks in and dismisses the staff, leaving only the boys seated at the table.
He doesn't look furious but instead looks more overwhelmed with emotion. His wrinkled face makes it hard to tell whether he's frustrated or not. He looks as if he can't wait for this night to end. This makes Toni feel bad for him since he was the one that looked forward to it the most.
Once the last staff member disappears down the hall, he clears his throat.
"On most occasions I would be fuming. I hate violence. But, seeing that it was the boys of Jupiter that started it...I'm furious that you didn't hit harder." He finally admits and displays his teeth in a warming smile which causes a sight of relief from Sol, who rubs his temples. Sol looks adamant to leave but his lust for knowledge glues him to his seat and he asks, "Jupiter? What's wrong with people from Jupiter?"
"Im not referring to some extraterrestrial entity, my boy. Like me, Jupiter is represented by a person. My brother." The king sits down next to his son, queuing everyone else to leave. Kai, Milo and Toni softly walk out, thanking god that they weren't in trouble as they sprint away down the halls.
Once they finally disappear from earshot, Sol continues, "I understand you have your family feuds dad and I don't want to be informed because that would make me part of it. I only want to know what that has to do with the whole brawl taking place."
The king presses his lips together as if he's contemplating what to say next. Finally he meets his son's curious gaze and says,
"That blond boy that started it. That's your cousin, Callisto."
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