Yes, achieving this can be done. However, providing all the necessary code advice at once may not be the most efficient approach. It's better to tackle it step by step and only ask for specific advice when you encounter issues:
To create a fluid layout, you'll need to use relative units like ems and %. Research "fluid layouts" to get started.
To make the "arrows" wider and possibly taller as they grow vertically, position them to the right and vertically center them within their containers. Set overflow:hidden on the containers so that as they expand, more of the images are revealed, giving the illusion of stretching without distortion.
Here's a preliminary proof of concept:
http://jsfiddle.net/q2Wdc/2/ [now with complete image samples]
I must admit, I faced unexpected challenges while trying to implement my vision. Achieving the desired effect is more complex than anticipated due to several reasons:
a) Images naturally stack in the order they appear in the markup, leading me to float right and reverse the list order.
b) To ensure fluidity, negative margins for overlap must also be set in %. Maintaining alignment while dealing with the 'shift' poses a challenge. My approach (-5% compensated by increased width %) may not work universally.
c) Creating transparent effects for overlapped semi-transparent arrows results in unintended darker intersections. Oops!
If anyone can improve the CSS to properly achieve the desired outcome (Home first, Special last, filling the parent container), I'm eager to see your solution. Personally, I had to stop before investing too much time into code that might never be utilized.
The "windows" method still holds potential and could be adapted for media queries targeting specific screen sizes, allowing certain units to be set in pixels.
An interesting challenge to take on, regardless!