The first thing that Nico saw after rounding the corner was a group of three youths standing in the middle of the corridor. Leon stood in the centre of the trio, flanked by two of the most eye-catching people he had ever laid eyes upon.
The figure to the left had short, wavy light green hair, light brown eyes, and a lean frame. In the hazy gloom, his skin seemed to glow with a soft, pale glow, the air around his head shimmering strangely as if it were just a mirage.
His face seemed to be sculpted by a master sculptor; the contours and proportions made even Nico feel a hint of envy. The green-haired boy held a wooden bow in his right hand, a lightless mantle fluttering softly from an icy breeze. A quiver also strapped to his back.
Nico observed the indifferent expression plastered on his green-haired peer's face with a hint of Déjà vu.
On the other side, a person with similar features stood. The only difference was that he appeared to be a little younger and instead of maroon, the colour of his eyes sparked a shade of light red. The highlight of the delicate youth's facial features seemed to be a celestial nose that curved upward slightly, depicting a marginally aristocratic feel.
A similar wooden bow occupied his left hand. A quiver stocked with arrows rose from behind his shoulders as well.
'Woah…'
Nico blinked, transfixed with the duo's good looks. He shook his head, breaking out of his stupor a moment later.
"Hi! You must be one of the two remaining members of our squad! Nice to meet you, I'm Isaac!" The younger of the two green-haired youths waved to Nico as he neared. A cheerful grin graced his face.
"The person to your left is my older brother, Oliver. Ollie, say hi!" Isaac pointed towards his sibling, urging him to greet the brown-haired boy.
Oliver's eyes scrutinised Nico's frame carefully for a moment, before he nodded, "Nice to meet you."
'One of them's reserved, while the other is chipper. Talk about contrast.' Nico chuckled to himself silently.
"Pleased to meet you." The brown-haired boy dipped his head toward Isaac and Oliver, acknowledging their greetings. Then, he shifted his attention toward the half-blood, a broad grin splitting his face.
The two promptly clasped forearms.
Feeling Leon's strong grip, Nico's grin stretched, his eyes dancing with mirth. The half-blood's hazel eyes twinkled as well.
"You two know each other?" Isaac's query broke the brief reunion, his tone curious.
Nico turned toward the handsome youth, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Yeah. This guy over here is pretty famous, you know. People even call him the Cobra Slayer." he slapped Leon on the back, punctuating the friendly air.
The burly half-blood snapped his neck towards his companion, his face growing pale.
"Woah, really?! That's so cool! So, it wasn't just a myth that half-bloods were very strong then…" the delicate youth muttered under his breath.
He caught his brother's warning glare and winced.
"I mean… as expected of a half-blood! Great job, Leon!" Isaac beamed.
Nico and Leon shared a silent glance. The brown-haired boy turned around, his shoulders trembling. The burly boy beside him showed a mildly chagrined smile, not having the heart to douse Isaac's infectious enthusiasm.
Just then, a pair of approaching footsteps broke the genial atmosphere that surrounded the group. Nico turned around, his face darkening, as his gaze reflected a hooded figure radiating an aura of death.
Beside him, Leon's brow furrowed.
His instincts told him the new arrival would not be good news. And he was proven correct only a moment later, as Isaac's cheerful voice reverberated through the hazy gloom:
"Hi! I'm Isaac, nice to meet you! What's your name?"
The cloaked figure proceeded to ignore the delicate youth, making Isaac flinch.
Nico rolled his eyes, while the half-blood's frown deepened.
"Hey, isn't it bad manners not to respond when someone's addressing you?" Oliver stepped into the path of his new teammate, his attractive face creasing in displeasure.
"Step aside," The raspy voice of the hooded figure reverberated, sending a small chill down the green-haired youth's spine. "I'm only going to say this once, so move while you still have the chance."
Oliver gritted his teeth, tightening his grip on the bow. His eyes narrowed dangerously. "Is that a threat?"
Just as the tension in the misty corridor peaked, Nico moved, dragging Oliver out of the way. "Don't antagonise him. Trust me, it's not worth it. I know that you're annoyed he ignored your brother, but he's strong. Strong... strong enough to make me think he can solo this Ceremony by himself…"
The brown-haired boy whispered in his handsome peer's ear.
As he did, he noticed the earlier shimmer in the air take place again.
Shelving the strange phenomenon for later, Nico let go of Oliver and apologised for touching him so abruptly, watching the struggle play out on the fair-skinned youth's face.
'You're a good brother.' He mentally praised the green-haired boy.
Eventually, Oliver settled for doing nothing, clenching his fist as the cloaked figure passed him. His eyes glinted, his nose catching the trace of a certain scent.
The individual with the tenebrous void obscuring his features took a few more steps and stood out of earshot from the rest of the squad. He leaned leisurely on the jagged wall, seemingly without a care for the world.
To Nico, this was akin to a front erected by the cloaked figure, meant to let someone's guard down. He chewed the inside of his cheek and ignored the weird feeling in his chest.
Turning around, he sent a reassuring glance towards Isaac. The exquisite youth smiled appreciatively in return.
"OK, now that everyone's here, why don't we each reveal our strengths, so that we can come up with a strategy to beat these chilly spiders? That lady… I think she called herself the Saintess, did say for us to keep each other's strengths in mind when fighting." A scholarly air now surrounded Isaac.
"I'll go first! I specialise in mid to long-range attacks, and my preferred weapon is choice is this fine piece of crafted wood!" The green-haired boy patted his recurve affectionately.
Oliver, Nico, and Leon then looked at each other, unsure of who was to go next.
The brown-haired boy shrugged.
"I'll go next. I specialise in mid to close-range combat, and my preference is this beauty." Nico held up his trident-like spear for the others to see.
Isaac's red eyes instantly sparkled. "So cool! Is it okay if I touch it?"
"Isaac, what did we talk about before we came here?" Oliver's exasperated voice caused the younger green-haired youth to freeze in his tracks. His hand was comically outstretched in the air.
"It's okay, he can touch it. Here." Nico smiled, handing over his spear to the regretful youth.
Isaac perked up, the sparkle in his eyes multiplying threefold.
"Sorry about him and his unrestrained curiosity. If you give him an inch, he'll take a mile. That's why I didn't want him to touch your spear," Oliver released a troubled sigh as he shook his head. "Anyway, I guess I'll go next. I'm the same as Isaac, we both specialise in ranged attacks. Although, if need be, I can use a sword as a last resort."
Nico nodded.
'How handy.'
The brown-haired boy then glanced in Leon's direction.
The burly half-blood took a breath and opened his mouth, raising his sledgehammer and golden aegis in the air. "I'm a close-quarter combatant. I'm most effective when deployed as a tank."
Oliver nodded, distracted slightly by his brother's mutterings of "How smooth!", "So ominous!", and "This is mega-cool!".
A mildly chagrined smile split his face.
"What about that guy?" he jutted his chin towards the cloaked figure with a frown.
"He uses a pair of sickles, so my best guess is that he's also a close-range fighter like me and Leon," Nico said thoughtfully.
Oliver nodded and closed his eyes, ruminating over a strategy until his brother had had enough of the menacing spear.