AresJoxerCupidStrife - MultiMapper

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4


Title: Uncontrolled Chaos /?
Author: MultiMapper
Disclaimer: Renpics owns the Xenaverse characters, except the Greek
Gods, they own themselves. I make no money, so it don't count.
Author's Note: Follows the events of 'Controlling Chaos'. Sorry,
you've got to read that for this to make much sense.

[Chapter 1]

Ares and Hephaistos were sitting in silence, each thinking their own
thoughts.

"I just don't know Heph, I can't see how we can cover another
country." Ares said simply.

"I know." Hephaistos said quietly.

"If you leave the other houses out of it, the House of War can't
divide it's resources that much. The entire power structure of both
countries would collapse if we tried." Ares said, then took a drink
of his wine.

"It's the same with all the other houses. I've already had the same
conversation with Demeter. She says that the House of Nature won't be
able to do double duty, even if she had the assistance of
Persephone... which she doesn't." Hephaistos said absently.

"She'll never concede that point." Ares said with a shake of his head.

"Zeus left me a real mess. The Grecian power structure was in such
disrepair when I inherited it that I'm overwhelmed just trying to
keep things going." Hephaistos said in an exhausted voice.

"Heph... have you considered asking for help?" Ares asked carefully.

"There is no help." Hephaistos said in desperation .

"What about Uncle Hades and Uncle Poseidon?" Ares asked in a quiet
voice.

"They have their own realms to oversee." Hephaistos said tiredly.

"At least ask for their advice. You won't do any good to anyone if
you drive yourself to exhaustion. If you won't do it for yourself,
then do it for Greece." Ares said in an imploring voice.

"Yes Ares, I suppose that would be a wise course of action."
Hephaistos said with resolve.

Ares nodded but stayed silent.

"How are your family doing? I don't get to visit as often as I'd
like." Hephaistos asked with a gentle smile.

"They're fine. The twins have accepted Joxer as their parent, Anteros
and Cupid have finally come together as they should have been
centuries ago. And now Harmonia is happy, thanks to you." Ares
finished contentedly.

"That's good. I knew that she was denying her legacy to be with her
husband. Now maybe she can attain her godly potential." Hephaistos
said in thought.

"Is that why you did this?" Ares asked with concern.

"Yes, why?" Hephaistos asked curiously.

"Don't take this the wrong way Heph, but that was a move worthy of
Zeus." Ares said carefully.

Hephaistos looked shocked, so Ares continued.

"I thought you wanted her to be happy. If you bestowed immortality on
her husband to encourage her to take up her godly duties again, then
you're trying to control her actions, and disguise it as caring. It's
wrong Heph." Ares said darkly.

"I... I didn't do that did I?" Hephaistos asked in confusion.

"Only you can answer that, but I think it's important that you
understand your true motivation. If you're starting to think like
Zeus, you need to get help as soon as possible. I don't want to lose
the Hephaistos that is the example to all of us of what a father
should be." Ares said in a pained voice.

"Yes. Perhaps I should take some time to reflect on my motivations.
Thank you Ares, for being honest." Hephaistos said quietly.

"Try and get some rest Heph. I think you need it." Ares said as he
stood to leave.

"I can but try. There's so much to oversee that I'm afraid that if I
let my attention lapse for an instant, the whole country will
collapse." Hephaistos said in despair.

"Then call Hades and Poseidon. If they can't help directly, maybe
they can suggest what will help." Ares said as he walked toward the
door.

"You've convinced me. I'll call them." Hephaistos said as he stood.

"Take care of yourself Heph. We all need you healthy and strong to
face this new age." Ares said, standing by the door.

"You too Ares. You aren't only War, you're also our defender and
protector. Now that the barrier is down, we need you more than ever."
Hephaistos said, while looking him in the eyes.

Ares gripped Hephaistos forearm in the warriors grip, then walked out
of the room.

[*********]

Ares walked through the Halls of War and made his way back to the
private chambers engrossed in his thoughts. As he walked into the
sitting room, he felt ice flow through his veins as he saw a foot
laying unmoving from the other side of the sofa.

"Joxer?" He asked in a small voice as he moved around the sofa to see
Joxer laying in the floor, face-down in a pool of blood.

"Joxer!" He screamed as he pulled Joxer out of the blood and tried to
find any sign of life.

//Asclepius! Apollo! Joxer needs your help NOW!// Ares sent with such
intensity that no god could possibly ignore it.

In twin flashes of light Apollo and Asclepius appeared in the room.
They immediately started scanning and probing Joxer to determine his
condition.

Only a few minutes passed as the healers performed their examination
but it could have easily been years in Ares' opinion. Finally Ares
was jolted by a break in the silence.

"I just don't know. Come on Ace, let's get him to the temple." Apollo
said suddenly.

"What's wrong with him?" Ares asked in panic.

"Give us time to find out. I promise he'll be alright. Give us time
to do our jobs." Apollo said, then nodded to Asclepius.

There was a sudden flash of light, then Ares stood alone in the
room... looking at the puddle of blood at his feet.

[***********]

"What's wrong dad?" Phobos said as he flashed into the room.

Ares stood silently.

Phobos saw the blood in the floor and could clearly feel the waves of
fear coursing off his father.

"Is... Is it Poppa?" Phobos asked hesitantly.

Ares turned his gaze to Phobos, revealing the tears filling his eyes.

//Deimos! Cupid! Ter! Something's happened to Poppa!// Phobos sent in
panic.

Cupid, Strife, Anteros, Senscie, Deimos and Tad appeared in the room.

Ares turned his gaze back to the floor and stared at the blood.

"What's wrong Pho? What happened to Poppa?" Demi asked quickly.

"I... I don't know. I found dad like this... and there's blood."
Phobos said in a quavering voice.

"Pho, help dad. Do something with his fear so he can tell us what's
going on." Cupid said as he held close to Strife.

Phobos nodded and concentrated his power on his father. It wasn't the
same as altering the fear in a mortal, but he soon got control of the
fear and was able to move it aside.

Ares looked around the room in dawning comprehension.

"Dad, what happened to Poppa Joxer?" Anteros asked quietly.

"I... I don't know. I came home and he was..." Ares trailed off and
looked at the puddle of blood again.

"Where is he Dad?" Cupid asked forcefully.

"With Apollo and Asclepius." Ares said quietly.

"Come on Dad, you and me are going to Apollo's temple. Strife, will
you stay here with Ter and the boys?" Cupid asked as he walked to his
father's side.

"We want to go too." Phobos said immediately.

"It won't help Poppa to have us getting in Apollo's way. I'll tell
you as soon as we know anything, just as soon as we find out what's
wrong, I promise." Cupid said as he looked into Phobos' eyes.

"As long as you promise." Phobos said quietly.

"I swear, come on Dad, let's go." Cupid said and pulled his father
into a hug.

There was a flash of light and they were gone.

[**********]

"Pol, what's wrong with Joxer?" Cupid asked as soon as he appeared.

"Get back Cupid, I'm not sure if this is some kind of plague. Jett
seems to have the same problem as Joxer." Apollo said with worry.

Cupid paled as he saw Jett laying deathly still on a bed being
examined by Asclepius next to the one Joxer was on.

"Dad and I are the only ones coming, I got the rest to wait at the
Halls of War." Cupid said as he guided Ares out of Apollo's way and
noticed Zeus watching Jett with worry.

"Good, thanks Cupid. We should put up some kind of a shield or
something to keep anyone else from coming in case it's... Tartarus...
I can't leave Joxer... Jace has collapsed..." Apollo announced.

"Thanatos is bringing him... Cupid, can you whip up another bed, I
can't divide my attention any further." Apollo asked as he held his
glowing hands over Joxer.

Cupid concentrated and another bed appeared.

"What in the nine levels of Tartarus is going on here?" Apollo asked
as he hurried across the room to assess Jace's condition.

"Don't leave Joxer." Ares said in a growl.

Apollo stopped in his tracks, and thought.

"Ares, feed Joxer power. That's all I've been able to do for him so
far." Apollo said then continued to Jace.

"Come on Dad, we'll both feed him power." Cupid said and led Ares to
Joxer's side.

"Cupid, another bed, quick." Apollo called.

Cupid was stunned, but he quickly made another bed.

A second after the bed formed into being, there was a green/black
flash and the unconscious and bleeding body of Tsunami appeared with
a worried and crying Erebus holding his hand.

"Oh Gods, not you too." Cupid said with worry filling him.

"Zeus, feed power to Jett." Asclepius said in a rush as he ran to
Erebus and Tsunami.

//Cupid! Charise just prayed to me. Ganymede just passed out at
Meg's, he's bleeding out of his mouth!// Phobos sent in terror.

//Can you and Demi bring him here? I'm kind of busy... And ask Strife
to get Bliss and keep him safe... a lot of Gods are getting sick, all
at once.// Cupid sent with dread.

//We'll get Ganymede, Strife is going to Hestia's now. Ter and
Senscie want to know what's going on.// Phobos sent, more calmly than
before.

//A lot of sick gods... That's all I know.// Cupid sent seriously.

There was a bright flash of light and Cupid turned expecting to find
Deimos and Phobos with Ganymede, instead he was facing Hestia holding
the unconscious body of Strife.

[**********]

"Apollo! Come here, look at this!" Ares called out from beside Joxer.

"I'm kind of busy here." Apollo said from Jace's side.

"I think I know what's wrong." Ares said firmly.

Apollo looked up at that and said, "Feed him power Thanatos, I'll be
right back."

Thanatos nodded and moved his hands over Jace's body.

"What about Strife?" Cupid asked with tears.

"Give me a second, your dad may have found something." Apollo said as
he hurried away.

"GAN!" Asclepius said in panic as he saw Phobos and Deimos with
Ganymede.

"Pol, look at this, right here... is that what I think it is?" Ares
asked as he pointed at Joxer's abdomen.

Apollo focused his power and looked at the area Ares indicated.

"Ace, come here, you've got to see this." Apollo called out.

Asclepius started to walk to his father's side, then crumpled to the
floor.

"ACE!" Apollo said and ran to his son.

"Apollo, what can we do for Ganymede?" Cupid asked as he and Hestia
fed power into Strife.

"Pho and Demi... feed him power." Apollo said as he rushed to examine
Asclepius.

Phobos and Deimos both raised their hands immediately and began
projecting their power.

"What is it Dad?" Cupid asked as he reluctantly left Strife to join
his father.

"Look there..." Ares said in a calm wondering voice.

Cupid concentrated and took in a gasp of astonishment.

"What is it?" Cupid asked in panic.

"Hang on." Apollo said and moved to examine Jett.

"Strife is bleeding again!" Hestia said in uncharacteristic panic.

"Cupid, check out Strife. Ares, check Tsunami." Apollo said quickly.

"Strife's the same as Joxer." Cupid said, focusing his vision tightly.

"Tsunami too." Ares said as a smile crept across his face.

"Everyone! Listen up! They're all going to be fine. I can't tell you
why this is happening all of a sudden, but for some reason, they're
all pregnant." Apollo said to the room, then noticed that he was
visibly shaking.

"Pregnant?" Cupid squeaked.

"Really?" Phobos asked in wonder.

"Yeah, I know it's possible for a god to bear children, but it's like
a really rare thing. It usually takes a major shift in a god's power
base for that to happen, like the fall of the Titans... no offense
Erebus." Apollo finished shyly.

"None taken." Erebus said without emotion.

"A major shift... like the breaking of the seal?" Ares asked.

"Apparently so... and if that's the case... the goddesses will
probably be pregnant too. They just won't have to grow new internal
organs to accommodate the babies." Apollo said in thought.

A silence fell over the room as each of the gods comforted their
loved one.

"Um, could a God get pregnant from a mortal?" Deimos asked hesitantly.

"No, I don't think so... but if you'd asked me a few days ago if this
was possible I would have said 'no'." Apollo said with a shrug.

"So Joxer's going to be okay?" Ares asked with tension.

"Yes Ares, his body is just making a safe place for the baby to grow.
Keep feeding him power and when he wakes up, feed him some ambrosia.
I expect him to be back on his feet by the end of the day." Apollo
said in a considering voice.

//It can't be... I'm death...// Thanatos sent in confusion.

"Your aspect of death is different than that of Hades. Yours is the
touch of death, but since Jace can tolerate your touch, there is
nothing stopping him from conceiving your child." Apollo said
seriously.

"Me too?" Erebus asked from Tsunami's side.

"Yes. I'm not as familiar with your godhood as I am with Thanatos'
but the evidence before us would seem to support that conclusion."
Apollo said professionally.

//I'm going to be a father.// Thanatos sent in shock.

Everyone looked at him and felt tenderness for the shocked god of
death.

"Strife and I are going to have a baby." Cupid said with a grand
smile.

"After I've checked everyone out, you'll be able to take them home.
Just feed them power until they wake, and feed the Olympian gods
ambrosia when they wake up. Feed the members of the house of death
Asphodelain blood wine when they wake. And all of them will need to
stay in bed for the next three days for their new organs to complete
their development." Apollo said to the group before moving to examine
Joxer.

"Thanks Pol." Ares said in a whisper.

"You had the tough part, I'm glad they're all going to be alright."
Apollo said as he finished examining Joxer.

"Go on, take your husband home." Apollo said as he moved to Jett.

Ares nodded and looked to see Phobos and Deimos watching him.

"Come on boys, let's take your Poppa home." Ares said and waited for
his sons to join him.

"I'm going to take Strife to his parents, I think he'd want that."
Cupid said to his father.

"Just let us know how he's doing." Ares said tenderly.

"I promise." Cupid said and waited for Apollo to make his way to
Strife.




Title: Uncontrolled Chaos 2/?
Author: MultiMapper
Disclaimer: See Part 1

[Chapter 2]

As soon as Deimos appeared in the room, Tad immediately pulled him
close in a hug of relief.

"Don't worry Taddy, I'm fine." Deimos said in a soothing whisper.

"What's wrong with Joxer?" Senscie asked in near hysteria.

"Joxer's pregnant." Ares said with a grand and glorious smile as he
arranged Joxer on the couch.

Silence.

"We're gonna have a baby brother or sister?" Phobos said in
realization.

"Yes... and nephews, nieces, cousins... It seems that all the newly
married couples are pregnant." Ares said with joy.

Senscie got a look of surprise and looked quickly at Anteros.

The look of peace and joy that Anteros gave her burned itself into
her soul for eternity.

"We need to check to be sure." Senscie said in warning.

Anteros dropped to his knees before her and held his opened palm
before her abdomen.

As Senscie watched the glowing hand move, she held her breath, not
daring to hope.

"There it is... our baby." Anteros said as tears of joy fell down his
cheeks.

"Can I see?" Senscie asked in a whisper.

Anteros took her hand in his and guided her mind to be able to focus
on the baby.

"That little spark is our baby?" Senscie asked in wonder.

"Yes. Our baby." Anteros said with joy.

Tad was still holding Deimos tightly when he felt him start to shake.

"What's wrong Demi?" Tad asked immediately.

Deimos' eyes rolled up in his head and his weight fell fully against
Tad.

"Someone help me, Demi just passed out." Tad said in panic.

"Ease him to the floor." Ares said as he moved to Deimos side.

"Is he? Is it?" Tad stammered.

Ares moved his hand gently across Deimos abdomen to be sure.

"Yes Tad, it looks like you're going to be a father too." Ares said
cautiously, waiting for Tad's reaction.

"A... a father?" Tad asked, then went pale.

Fortunately Senscie was close by and caught Tad as he fell
unconscious.

"Lay him beside Deimos... I guess I'd better check him to be sure."
Ares said and moved his hand over Tad.

"He just fainted... thank the gods for that. His mortal body couldn't
have handled the formation of new organs." Ares said in relief.

"Besides that, Deimos and Tad are going to have their hands full
taking care of *one* baby." Anteros said, watching his brother with
sympathy.

"It's too early to be sure of that... Deimos *is* a twin." Ares said
frankly.

"So are you." Anteros said, then added, "And Joxer's a triplet."

Ares eyes went wide at the thought.

"Dad, you can't pass out... there's no one left to catch you."
Anteros said, trying to distract Ares from the thoughts racing
through his mind.

"I've got to go check on Charise... I mean, if Deimos is pregnant..."
Phobos said with wide eyes.

"Go ahead Pho... bring her here. And let everyone at Meg's know that
Ganymede is going to be okay." Ares said seriously.

Phobos nodded and flashed out of the room.

Tad's eyes began to flutter, then he said, "I just had the weirdest
dream."

Ares, Senscie and Anteros shared a look of amusement.

Tad looked to see Deimos beside him and then around the rest of the
room.

"Oh gods! It wasn't a dream... I'm going to have a baby!" Tad said in
panic.

"Well, Deimos is going to take care of that part, but yes, you're
going to be a father." Ares said with amusement.

"I can't... I mean... I work in a brothel... I can't be a good
father." Tad said in anguish.

Anteros released Senscie reluctantly and moved to Tad's side.

"Do you love Deimos?" Anteros asked seriously.

"Yes." Tad said without hesitation.

"Do you want this baby?" Anteros asked, sending an undirected prayer
to whoever would listen that the answer was 'yes'.

"Of course." Tad said with offense, hurt that Anteros had even asked
the question.

"Then you'll be a fine father." Anteros said with assurance.

"Should I marry him?" Tad asked, and shifted his gaze to Deimos.

"That's between you and Deimos. You should really talk to Dad about
that... Ares. Him and Mom never married but they were the best
parents anyone could ask for. If they'd gotten married... it probably
would have been a living Tartarus for everyone. If you decide to get
married, do it because you want to be married to Deimos, not for your
child. You'll be the baby's father no matter what." Anteros said
softly.

Tad nodded, then smiled at Anteros.

"Thanks Anteros. With a brother-in-law like you to give me advice, I
can't go wrong." Tad said as he held one of Deimos' hands firmly.

"Let's get him to bed so he won't be stiff and sore when he wakes
up." Anteros said with a smile.

Tad scooped Deimos up in his arms and walked to Phobos' bedroom.

"Deimos' room is here." Anteros said from the door Tad had just
passed.

"I know, but Demi told me that they put two beds in Phobos room so
they could share it. I think he'll need his brother right now more
than ever." Tad said as he toed open the door and laid Deimos gently
on the bed.

"There's no doubt that you'll be a good husband to him if you decide
to marry." Anteros said from the doorway.

"Thanks." Tad said as he arranged Deimos to be comfortable.

"We'll be coming in to feed Deimos power in a few minutes. I'll give
you a few minutes alone now." Anteros said and withdrew.

"Thanks again." Tad said as he moved a few strands of hair from
Deimos' forehead.

[**********]

"What happened?" Jett asked in confusion.

"You passed out." Zeus said in a whisper.

"Am I sick?" Jett asked as he tried to shake the fog from his mind.

"No my love, you're pregnant with our child." Zeus said happily.

"Really?" Jett said with wide eyes as he looked at his stomach.

Zeus guided Jett's hand to the spot that housed their baby and guided
his supernatural sight to see the child.

Jett's eyes went wide as he understood what he was seeing.

"That's our baby." Zeus whispered as he began to stroke Jett's hand
gently.

"Our son." Jett said in wonder.

Zeus looked at Jett in question.

Jett noticed and elaborated, "Can't you feel his presence? He's
passion, power, and.... and like you. He's a force of nature."

Zeus carefully merged his mind with Jett's to see what he was seeing.

"Whirlwind... Tornado... Waterspout... our child, our son, he's going
to have such power." Zeus said between wonder and joy as he looked at
Jett's abdomen.

"Our son." Jett said and drew Zeus' gaze and held it.

[**********]

"HE'S WHAT?" Hades asked in a booming voice.

"Pregnant." Cupid said in a small voice, still feeling intimidated by
Hades.

"How? Wait, I know how, but... how?" Hades stammered.

"The power shift. It caused supernatural fertility." Cupid said as he
rested one hand on Strife's slim belly.

"So Strife's not the only one?" Hades asked in thought.

"No, Joxer, Jett, Jace, Tsunami, Ganymede and Asclepius as far as I
know... probably a lot more." Cupid said shyly.

"Thank you for bringing him here Cupid." Persephone said quietly as
Hades absorbed the news.

"I knew he'd want to be with you both. He loves you so much..." Cupid
said as he gazed at Strife.

"He loves you too." Persephone said as she took a seat by Strife's
other side to look fondly at her son.

"Yeah. I've been a love god all my life and never knew this kind of
love existed... it's humbling." Cupid said in a distant voice.

"Cupe?" Strife asked with his eyes still closed.

"Right here, lay still." Cupid said quickly.

"Bliss?" Strife asked immediately.

"He's with Hestia." Cupid whispered.

"Ah need ta talk ta him." Strife said firmly.

"Shhh. Give yourself a few minutes to wake up, then I'll get him."
Cupid said in a soothing voice.

"Ah felt mahself fallin unconscious, an Ah saw tha look in his eyes.
He was scared Cupe. Ah need ta let him know Ah'm okay." Strife said
with more strength.

"I'll get him now. Your mom and dad are right here if you need
anything." Cupid said to Strife, then looked to Hades and
said, "Apollo says he needs to drink some Asphodelian Blood Wine."

"I'll take care of it. Go get my grandson." Hades said with a smile.

Cupid froze for an instant. Hades had never acknowledged any kind of
relationship to Bliss before.

Soon Cupid snapped out of it and went to collect Bliss from Hestia.

[**********]

Apollo appeared in the living room of the Halls of War looking
exhausted... but happy.

"So what's the news 'Pol?" Ares asked as he fed Joxer power.

"As near as I can tell, the shift in the power base made everyone
present in the field that day supernaturally fertile." Apollo said as
he sat heavily in an armchair.

"Supernaturally? How do you mean?" Anteros asked from Senscie's side.

"For example, Lust is pregnant by Hera. Apparently..." Apollo said
with a pained expression.

"Please stop. Hera's my grandmother and I don't want to have to live
with the mental image I think you're about to give me." Anteros said
with a sour look.

"I'll stop." Apollo said with sympathy.

"Anyone else?" Ares asked casually.

"Well, of course all the newly married couples are pregnant. It seems
that Charon and Celeste are going to have a child even though they
never technically had sex." Apollo said weakly.

"How? I mean, what do you mean *technically*?" Anteros asked.

"You really don't want to carry that image Ter, I'm thinking of
asking Lethe to give me something to get it out of my head. Some of
the members of the house of death have very different ideas about
what constitutes sex." Apollo said with a queasy look.

Anteros nodded hesitantly.

"Athena's pregnant." Apollo said quietly.

"What? She holds her virginity up like a banner... or a shield. How
can she be pregnant?" Ares asked in confusion.

"I guess the power shift along with millennia of unsatisfied sexual
tension combined to cause her to spontaneously regenerate." Apollo
said unsteadily.

"She's asexual?" Senscie asked with a furrowed brow.

Apollo considered that for a moment, then smiled and said, "Yes
Senscie. In fact, that explanation not only fits the situation, but
her personality. Thank you."

Ares chuckled.

"I'm here to see if any of the other members of the House of War have
fallen pregnant." Apollo said, back to his professional demeanor.

"Yes, Deimos is pregnant and so is Phobos' mortal girlfriend,
Charise." Ares said seriously.

Apollo nodded.

"Did you get anyone pregnant?" Anteros asked, knowing Apollo's
reputation for being a horn-dog.

Apollo nodded shyly, then said, "I guess everyone will find out soon
anyway. Three muses, a priestess in Thebes and..."

"I didn't catch that last one 'Pol." Ares said curiously.

"I said Pan." Apollo said in a humiliated voice.

"Pan?" Ares asked with wide eyes.

"We were drunk and having a good time and one thing... yeah, Pan.
He's a nice enough God." Apollo finished defensively.

"I'm sorry 'Pol, I just never expected..." Ares trailed off.

"I'm actually worried about him. None of the male gods are designed
for childbirth, but I think Pan is going to have a more difficult
time than anyone else." Apollo said with actual worry.

"If there's anything we can do to help, just let us know Pol." Ares
said seriously.

"I'll keep you posted. In fact, I need to check on Ace and Gan, then
get back to Pan. I'm really worried for him. He's not physically
equipped for this, but he's even less emotionally equipped." Apollo
said in a quiet voice.

"If you think it would help, you could bring him here to visit. Being
around so many other pregnant male gods might give him a sense of
normalcy about it." Ares said thoughtfully.

"I may do that. Thanks Ares. Remember to start feeding them Ambrosia
as soon as they wake up, the babies will need it." Apollo said as he
stood to leave.

"Even Deimos? His child is a demi-god." Anteros asked quickly.

Apollo stopped and thought.

Finally he said, "Yes, especially Deimos. Him being so young, he'll
need the Ambrosia to help him cope with the birth. The child will be
born a full god, but the other choice is the possibility of losing
them both."

"Thanks 'Pol. When everything settles, we'll bring everyone by for a
checkup." Ares said as he stood.

"Please don't. It makes no sense to bring everyone to my temple when
I can come over here. Call me if you have any questions or concerns,
otherwise, I'll be back later this week to check everyone out."
Apollo said, then flashed out.

[**********]

Tsunami's eyes began to flutter open.

"Nami? How are you feeling?" Erebus asked with panic and concern.

"I'm... I don't know. What happened?" Tsunami asked, puzzled by
Erebus' worry.

"You're pregnant." Erebus whispered.

"I'm WHAT?" Tsunami screamed as he bolted upright.

"Nami, you need to stay laying down. Your body is creating a safe
place for our baby to grow." Erebus said as he tried to ease Tsunami
to sit back.

"How did this happen?" Tsunami asked in confusion.

"Well, when two gods really love each other..." Erebus began with a
playful smile.

Tsunami rolled his eyes, then chuckled.

"Apollo thinks that the breaking of the seal made everyone super
fertile." Erebus said, then took Tsunami's hand to his lips to give a
gentle kiss.

Tsunami smiled at the loving gesture and pulled Erebus down into a
slow kiss of love.

After a long minute of kissing, Tsunami suddenly broke the kiss and
asked, "How's the baby? Is it going to be alright?"

"Shh Nami. Here, drink this and the baby will be fine." Erebus said
as he produced a chalice of blood wine.

Tsunami sat up with Erebus' help and sipped the wine.

"This is really good." Tsunami said with a curious look.

"It's Asphodelian Blood Wine. It serves the same purpose to the
members of the House of Death as Ambrosia serves the other houses of
Olympus." Erebus said as he guided Tsunami to take another drink.

After finishing the wine, Tsunami rested back and looked into Erebus'
eyes with worry.

"What is it Nami?" Erebus asked with concern.

"What kind of a life can we give our child? We're Titans in a world
of Gods." Tsunami said darkly.

"I don't understand." Erebus said quietly as he held Tsunami's hand
firmly to his heart.

"Our time has come and gone. We have no purpose in this time. Maybe
it would be better if we lived beneath Tartarus, at least we'd be
among our own kind and in our proper place." Tsunami said as tears
filled his eyes.

"Nami? Why haven't you told me you feel this way?" Erebus said with
pain.

"I love you so much. Being with you was enough, but now we have to do
what's best for our baby." Tsunami said darkly.

"I'll find us a place Nami. Don't worry, by the time our child is
born, we'll have a purpose." Erebus said firmly.

"Thanks Erry, you've always kept your promises to me. I won't worry
about it anymore." Tsunami said with heavy lidded eyes.

"Sleep now my love. You need plenty of rest so our baby will grow to
be a big strong Titan." Erebus said with love.

A tender smile fell across Tsunami's face as he drifted into sleep.



Title: Uncontrolled Chaos 3/?
Author: MultiMapper
Disclaimer: See Part 1

[Chapter 3]

"Ares, do you mind if I bother you for a minute?" Hephaistos asked
quietly as he faded into being.

"Anytime Heph... I mean, you *are* king of the gods after all." Ares
said as he kept his power flowing into Joxer.

"I'm not visiting you as a king, it's as a brother." Hephaistos said
as he produced a chair for himself and sat beside Ares.

"What's wrong Heph? You sound really worried." Ares asked with
concern.

"It's Aphrodite..." Hephaistos said with pain.

"What's wrong with Dite?" Ares asked and turned his full attention to
Hephaistos.

"This whole pregnancy thing plus all the marriages are kind of
overloading her godhood." Hephaistos said with worry.

"Marriage and Childbirth... I can see how that could happen." Ares
said as he stopped the flow of power and took Joxer's hand to hold.

"She needs to be pregnant." Hephaistos said in a pained voice.

Ares stared as he thought about that.

"It's about the only thing I can't do for her... and she needs it."
Hephaistos said with anguish.

"Heph, if you're asking what I think you're asking, I can't... I'd
never do that to Joxer." Ares said firmly.

"I know. What I'm asking is for you to help me find someone... it
will kill me to do it... but I need to find someone to make her
pregnant." Hephaistos said with tears forming in his eyes.

"I don't know." Ares said as he thought.

"Arry?" Joxer said in a weak voice.

"Joxer? How are you feeling? Do you need anything?" Ares asked
immediately.

"Drink." Joxer said in a whisper.

Ares produced a glass of water and helped Joxer sit up so he could
drink it.

"Thanks Ar, what's wrong with Aphrodite?" Joxer asked with concern.

"When the seal on Greece was broken the increased power base made
everyone super-fertile, so every couple there... and a few others...
became pregnant. Aphrodite is feeling the power boost from her
godhood plus the super-fertility and it's hurting her." Ares said
with concern.

"Is that? Am I?" Joxer puzzled.

"Yes, you're pregnant with our baby." Ares said with a glorious smile.

Joxer pulled Ares to kiss him deeply.

"I'll come back later." Hephaistos mumbled.

Joxer pulled out of the kiss and said, "No, please don't."

Hephaistos waited with a look of question in his eyes.

"Ar, I heard you talking before, what you said, and I love you more
than ever because of it. But you have to understand how I feel."
Joxer said with determination.

Ares nodded.

"I want you to do it Ar. I've never been jealous of Aphrodite for
even a minute since we've been married. She's the mother of all your
godly children and that's just her part in our family. I know you
love her, but you're in love with me, and I trust you completely. Go
and make her pregnant, then come home to me. Do it for our kids
mother if for no other reason." Joxer said in a begging tone.

"I never thought it was possible to love you even more..." Ares said
with tears in his eyes.

"Go ahead and do it Ar, she's suffering." Joxer said with a smile.

Ares eyes defocused. A heartbeat later Anteros and Senscie appeared
in the room.

"What is it dad?" Anteros asked with worry.

"Will you stay with Joxer while I go help Heph with something?" Ares
asked quietly.

"Sure. Will you be gone long?" Anteros asked casually.

"No longer than I have to be." Ares said with a tender smile directed
at Joxer.

"Okay, we'll be fine." Anteros said and took the seat that Ares
vacated.

"Oh, and get him to eat some ambrosia, the baby needs it." Ares said
as an afterthought.

"Will do." Anteros said and produced a bowl of ambrosia.

Ares waited for Hephaistos to join him and watched tenderly as
Anteros said, "Come on Poppa Joxer, open wide."

[**********]

As Jace awoke, he recognized the sensation of being held.

//Than?// Jace asked hesitantly.

//How are you feeling, my love?// Thanatos asked with such intensity
that tears came to Jace's eyes.

//Confused. We were talking about putting in a garden, then... I'm
here. What happened?// Jace asked as he snuggled closer into
Thanatos' chest.

//You're carrying our child.// Thanatos sent with such absolute joy
that Jace couldn't help but pull Thanatos into a deep kiss of passion.

When the kiss finally broke, the words really registered in Jace's
mind.

//I'm pregnant?// Jace asked in confusion.

//Yes my love. You've given me a gift that I'd never thought
possible. We're having a baby.// Thanatos sent in glorious rapture.

Jace felt a tear fall on his cheek and looked to see the tears of joy
freely flowing from Thanatos' eyes.

[I've never done anything to deserve such a wonderful gift as
Thanatos. I can never be worthy of such love. But I swear by all that
is good and holy in the universe that I will do everything in my
power to provide the happiest, best home that Thanatos or the baby
could ever dream of.] Jace thought to himself.

//Here, drink this.// Thanatos thought hurriedly and produced a
chalice of Blood Wine.

Jace obediently drank the wine, then pulled Thanatos into another
kiss.

[A baby, our baby.] Jace thought in wonder.

[**********]

Ares and Hephaistos appeared in the private rooms of the Main Temple
of Olympus.

"Ares came to help us with our problem." Hephaistos said quickly at
Aphrodite's inquisitive look.

"No Hephy, I can't do that to Joxy. It violates their marriage vows."
Aphrodite said immediately.

"Joxer asked me to come here and make you pregnant." Ares said
quietly.

"What?" Aphrodite asked with wide eyes.

"He said that you are the mother to all of our godly children, that's
your part of our family. You're suffering, so I'm to come over here,
make you pregnant, then come home." Ares finished with a great smile.

"Oh Ar, you'd better appreciate him. I can't think of anyone else,
god or mortal, who would do that." Aphrodite said as tears formed in
her eyes.

"He's my one true love." Ares said with a tender smile.

"Then let's not keep Joxy waiting." Aphrodite said with purpose.

Ares and Aphrodite began walking to the bedroom as Hephaistos watched.

"Come on Heph, we're making your child, you need to be there." Ares
said gently.

Hephaistos stared apprehensively.

"He's right honey bunch. This is going to be our baby, and I want it
to be conceived in love. Ares is going to provide the seed, but you
need to provide the love." Aphrodite said as she gazed into her
husband's eyes.

Hephaistos finally smiled and said, "I can provide all the love our
child will ever need."

Ares and Aphrodite pulled Hephaistos to walk between them and led him
into the bedroom.

[**********]

Ganymede opened his eyes hesitantly as he felt something... off.

"How are you feeling Ganymede?" Apollo asked as he moved to
Ganymede's side.

"Um, okay, I guess." Ganymede said as he looked around.

"Let me help you sit up so you can eat some ambrosia." Apollo said
professionally.

Ganymede allowed Apollo to help him to a sitting position, then
noticed Asclepius on the next bed over.

"ACE?" Ganymede said with panic.

"Shhh, let him rest a while longer. He'll be fine, I promise." Apollo
said as he held a spoon full of ambrosia before Ganymede's mouth.

"What's wrong with h..." Ganymede started to say, but was interrupted
by a spoon of ambrosia being popped into his mouth.

"He's pregnant." Apollo said as he withdrew the spoon and loaded it
again.

Ganymede's eyes went wide and his mouth dropped open slightly... and
it was promptly filled with ambrosia.

After swallowing the mouthful of ambrosia, Ganymede asked, "How is
he? How's the baby?"

Apollo smiled warmly at Ganymede and said, "Both are fine... but
there's more."

Ganymede looked at Apollo warily.

"You're pregnant too." Apollo said, waiting to catch Ganymede if he
had to.

Ganymede's eyes went wide and jaw went slack again.

Apollo couldn't resist the opening and hurriedly spooned in some more
ambrosia.

Ganymede looked at Apollo with irritation and swallowed before
asking, "How? I mean, we only tried it once."

"Gan, once is all it takes." Apollo said with a look of apology.

"So we're both pregnant... by each other... please tell me that's all
the news." Ganymede asked as he looked into Apollo's eyes with
begging worry.

"Yeah, that's all the big news. Except that just about every godly
couple on Olympus is pregnant." Apollo said as he eased Ganymede to
lay back on his bed.

"Ace is really okay?" Ganymede asked with worry.

"Just fine, he should wake up soon." Apollo said with a gentle smile.

Ganymede nodded and turned to watch Asclepius sleep.

"Ganymede?" Apollo asked hesitantly.

Ganymede turned slightly to look at Apollo.

"I don't remember if I said it before... Welcome to my family. I can
see how much you and Ace love each other... I don't know how else to
say it..." Apollo said unsteadily.

"I understand. This all came up so fast that we didn't ask for your
blessing or approval. Thank you for giving it." Ganymede said with a
sincere smile.

"Yeah, that's what I was trying to say." Apollo said with relief.

Ganymede nodded and turned his gaze back to Asclepius.

[**********]

"What's going on Poppa Joxer?" Anteros asked when the last of the
ambrosia had been eaten.

"Your dad is making your mom pregnant." Joxer said with a peaceful
smile.

"Really?" Anteros said in surprise.

"Yeah. I don't really understand it completely, but all I know is
that she was suffering because she needed to be pregnant and
Hephaistos couldn't do it for her." Joxer said, looking into Anteros'
eyes for understanding.

"And you're really okay with that?" Anteros asked hesitantly.

"Yes Ter, I really am. Your father and I both love Aphrodite as part
of our family and... I don't know if I can explain it except to say
that it feels right." Joxer said in tranquility.

Anteros got a distant look, then a smile flooded across his face.

"What is it Ter?" Joxer asked curiously.

"My new godhood... Everything is going to be fine." Anteros said,
looking like he was about to cry with joy.

"Tell me." Joxer said, in awe of Anteros' expression.

"The essence of Brotherly Love. Dad and Hephaistos... it's beautiful.
Oh gods Joxer, I didn't understand this type of love before... I've
got the best godhood ever." Anteros said as the tears began to fall.

"I guess that means that Heph and Arry are both at peace with this."
Joxer said happily.

"Yeah. I think dad is doing this out of love for Hephaistos as much
as love for mom. It's so beautiful..." Anteros trailed off.

"Good, every child should be conceived in love, their child will be a
child of the romantic love of Hephaistos and Aphrodite, brotherly
love of Hephaistos and Ares, and the physical love of Ares and
Aphrodite... the child is blessed." Joxer said peacefully.

"There's one more..." Anteros said, drawing Joxer's attention.

"What's that Ter?" Joxer asked curiously.

"The spiritual love that you have for Daddy Hep and Mom. You're there
with him in spirit, dad carries you with him." Anteros said with
certainty.

Joxer placed a hand on his abdomen and said, "Their child will be a
brother or sister to my child..."

"And you'll be Poppa Joxer to both of them." Anteros said contentedly.

"And if she'll allow it, Aphrodite will be my child's mother, just
like she's mother to the rest of my children." Joxer said in
realization.

"So both babies will have a Dad, Mom, Daddy Hep and Poppa Joxer."
Anteros said joyfully.

"That sounds perfect Ter. Do you think it can work?" Joxer asked
hopefully.

"We'll make it work Poppa." Anteros said happily.

[**********]

"I love you." Hephaistos whispered to his wife as he kissed her.

"I love you too Hephy." Aphrodite said after the kiss broke.

"How do you want to do this?" Ares asked hesitantly.

"The easy way." Aphrodite said and their clothes vanished with a
thought.

Hephaistos blushed deeply and he turned away from Ares slightly.

Ares looked at Aphrodite curiously and she nodded.

Ares moved to Hephaistos and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Heph, we'll only do this if you're really okay with it. I'm here for
you as much as Aphrodite." Ares said seriously.

Hephaistos nodded and turned to look at Ares.

A look of surprise came over Hephaistos when he saw the peaceful and
joyous expression of love in Ares' eyes.

"Thank you." Was all that Hephaistos could say as he was led by
Aphrodite and Ares into the bed.

The three settled in quietly, then gentle petting began in prelude to
the act of love.

[***********]

"What are you doing out of bed?" Joxer asked seriously.

"Need my Poppa." Deimos said shyly as Tad and Senscie led him to the
other sofa.

"Do you need anything right now?" Joxer asked while Deimos was
getting settled.

"Don't know what's gonna happen. Never thought I'd be pregnant."
Deimos mumbled.

"To be honest, I don't know what's going to happen either. But we'll
all be going through it together." Joxer said peacefully.

Phobos and Charise walked into the room next.

Phobos looked around, then produced an overstuffed chair for Charise
to sit in.

"How are you doing Charise?" Joxer asked with a smile.

"Pho won't let me lift a finger to do anything. He treats me like I'm
made of glass." Charise said as she took Phobos' hand and held it to
her heart.

"Good for you Pho." Joxer said proudly.

"Thanks Poppa." Phobos said shyly.

Anteros blushed a little and produced a chair for Senscie.

"It's okay Anteros, I could have done that." Senscie said with a
chuckle.

"I should have thought of it earlier." Anteros said hesitantly.

"Don't start with the guilt already, I'll make you a deal. If I need
you to do something, I'll tell you. How's that?" Senscie asked
seriously.

Anteros nodded.

"Poppa?" Deimos said carefully.

"Yes?" Joxer responded.

"What would you think if me and Tad got married?" Deimos asked
carefully.

"Why do you want to get married?" Joxer asked slowly.

"Cause I don't want to be without him." Deimos said hesitantly.

"How do you feel Tad?" Joxer asked, liking Deimos answer.

"The same. I want to be with Demi." Tad said as he looked into Deimos
eyes.

"Guys, I think it's a good idea. You two should talk to Aphrodite and
get her advice on how best to proceed. Her godhood is marriage and
she should be able to give you the best advice." Joxer said
peacefully as he absently stroked his stomach.

"Thanks Poppa Joxer, we'll do that as soon as I'm allowed to get up."
Deimos said quietly.

"Yes, thank you..." Tad trailed off, not knowing the proper address
for Joxer.

"Call me Poppa Joxer, Tad. I'm going to be your father-in-law and
grandfather to your child." Joxer said with peace and joy.

"Okay, thank you Poppa Joxer." Tad said with a watery smile.





[Chapter 4]

"How you doin boogah?" Strife asked as he hugged Bliss gently.

"You gonna be okay Poppa Stwife?" Bliss asked with tears in his eyes.

"Yeah, I promise. Yer Daddy's gonna take good care of me, jest like
he takes good care of you." Strife said gently.

"Auntie Hestie said you gonna have my baby brother or sister." Bliss
said carefully.

"Yeah. I got yer baby brothah or sistah right in here." Strife said
as he pointed to his abdomen.

"You ate him?" Bliss asked with the tears starting to flow again.

"No boogah. Ah'd nevah do that. Yer Daddy put the baby in here soes
it can be someplace safe until it's ready ta be born." Strife said
lovingly as he pulled Bliss tight to his chest.

"My Daddy can do anything." Bliss said with a watery smile.

"You got that right." Strife said happily.

[----*----]

"What happened?" Joxer asked in confusion.

"Ya fell asleep. Can I get'cha anything?" Phobos asked gently.

"Um, no. Not right now. Let me wake up a little bit first. I feel
like I've been sleeping for over a year." Joxer said as he blinked
his eyes.

"Ten minutes, fifteen tops." Phobos said with a smile and took a seat
on the chair by the sofa.

"Where is Charise?" Joxer asked as he looked around.

"Taking a nap. Everyone is. I guess when they saw you sleepin it
sounded like a good idea." Phobos said with a smile.

"Why aren't you taking a nap with Charise?" Joxer asked curiously.

"Cause I'm not sleepy. I wanted ta be in here when you woke up soes I
could give ya a message from Dad." Phobos said seriously.

"Oh? What did Arry have to say?" Joxer asked, beginning to feel more
awake.

"He didn't want to wake you up. He said that since you was sleepin,
he had some stuff he wanted ta get done in tha mortal realm. War
stuff. I asked if he wanted me ta help him but he said this was just
some boring stuff that he could take care of." Phobos said as he
crossed his legs and began to shake his foot with nervous energy.

Joxer watched the foot for a moment, then said, "Well, if you don't
have anything else planned, I could use your help with something."

"What can I do fer ya Poppa?" Phobos asked immediately as he placed
both feet on the floor.

"You know I just made my first temple in the mortal realm..." Joxer
said slowly.

"Yeah." Phobos said quickly.

"I thought I had a high priestess selected, but she ended up marrying
Anteros." Joxer continued.

"Yeah." Phobos said anxiously.

"So there's no one to take care of my temple. Someone needs to feed
the toads and water the plants." Joxer said seriously.

"I can do that!" Phobos said and immediately hopped up out of the
chair.

"Wait a second Pho. There's more." Joxer said quickly.

Phobos slowly sat back down, this time on the arm of the chair.

"You remember how we acted when we visited Arcadia?" Joxer asked
slowly.

Phobos nodded quickly.

"It'll be best if you act like that... Like a mortal." Joxer said
seriously.

"Yeah. I can do that." Phobos said with a smile.

"One other thing... I know that as the god of fear, that you like to
scare people. There probably won't be anyone in my temple, but if
there is, I need for you to treat them kindly. I want my temple to be
a place of refuge for people who need help... especially kids. Will
you promise me?" Joxer asked seriously.

Phobos looked at Joxer in consideration for a moment before
saying, "Hows bout this? I'll be nice ta any kids around, and I'll
just leave tha adults alone?"

Joxer smiled and said, "Close enough. Are you going to be okay going
to the mortal realm on your own?"

"I wouldn't want ta go ta Thebes or Athens by myself, but I'll be
okay at yer temple." Phobos said seriously.

"Since I have to stay in bed, I'm not allowed to use my god powers,
but you can still mind-speak with me if you have any questions or
need anything." Joxer said seriously.

"Yeah. You need anythin before I go?" Phobos asked quickly.

"No. I'm fine. But if I do need anything, I'll call you. I promise."
Joxer said with a gentle smile.

Phobos rushed to Joxer's side and gently hugged him as he
said, "Thanks Poppa Joxer. No one never trusted me or made me feel
important before."

Joxer smiled and said, "Soon you're going to be a father. If you're
old enough to handle that kind of responsibility, then I think you're
old enough to take a solo trip to the mortal world."

Phobos quickly stood and said, "Okay. I love you Poppa Joxer."

Joxer watched with a tender smile as Phobos vanished in a bright red
cloud with silver sparkles.

[----*----]

"Gan?" Asclepius asked in confusion as he started to come awake.

"How are you feeling Ace?" Ganymede asked immediately.

Asclepius put his hand on his abdomen and said, "Sore, like I was
punched in the gut... did Hercules catch me off guard?"

Ganymede motioned for one of the temple priests to come to him and
said, "Tell Apollo that Asclepius is awake, then get him some
ambrosia."

The priest nodded once and left to perform the appointed tasks.

"What happened?" Asclepius asked in confusion, then paled as the
memory of Ganymede, unconscious and bleeding, filled his mind.

"I'm fine Ace. I promise..." Ganymede began to say when Asclepius
broke in.

"The plague! Did Dad find a cure for it? Are you going to be okay?"
Asclepius asked in escalating panic.

"It's not a plague, everyone is pregnant." Ganymede said quickly,
hoping to assure Asclepius before he became so worried that he got
out of bed.

Asclepius' foggy mind tried to process the statement and make sense
of it.

"Ace, I'm pregnant with our baby." Ganymede said in a softer voice.

"Oh Gan! How?" Asclepius asked in wonder.

"You remember last night when we decided to... um..." Ganymede began
shyly.

"I know how. I mean... how?" Asclepius asked with frustration.

Before Ganymede could answer, Apollo walked to Asclepius bedside and
said, "When the seal on Greece was released, all the gods were
flooded with power from the expanded power base. I suppose the
natural reaction to overwhelming power is to produce more gods to
help channel it."

Asclepius squinted at his father in thought, then a look of
realization came over his face.

"Gan's pregnant?" Asclepius asked in a gasp of disbelief.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you." Ganymede said in a
hesitant voice, not knowing what Asclepius' reaction would be.

"Both you and Ganymede are pregnant." Apollo said firmly.

Asclepius looked into his father's eyes, hoping to find some hint of
this being a joke... he found none. Finally he whispered
helplessly, "What am I going to do?"

"You're going to sit up and let me feed you some ambrosia." Apollo
said as a bowl of ambrosia appeared in his hand.

Asclepius sat and stared in shock as Apollo spooned the ambrosia into
his son's mouth.

"Ace?" Ganymede asked in fear, not wanting to even consider that
Asclepius might not want their children.

Asclepius turned absently and glanced at Ganymede.

A bolt of ice ran up his spine when he saw the expression on
Ganymede's face.

"I love you Gan, we're going to have some wonderful babies. "
Asclepius said with assurance, hoping to elevate Ganymede's fear.

Ganymede rested back in relief at the statement and said, "I love you
too Ace."

"Good. That's what's most important right now." Apollo said seriously
as he put the last spoon of ambrosia into Asclepius' mouth.

Apollo noticed that both Asclepius and Ganymede were looking at him
with question, hoping for some guidance.

"Guys, for the next couple days you both need to stay in bed to give
you time to fully develop the new organs your babies will need."
Apollo said clinically.

"Ace, you need to pick one or two of your priests to watch over you.
Let me know who it is and I'll see that they're brought here." Apollo
said in thought.

"Cleptus and his wife Alonnia would be a good choice. Cleptus is as
good a mortal healer as I've ever seen and his wife is a talented
midwife." Asclepius said in thought.

"What about you Ganymede, are there any of your priests or followers
you'd like to have brought to Olympus to take care of you?" Apollo
asked casually.

Ganymede thought for a moment, then said, "There's a boy named Dorin
from a small village East of Corinth. When his sister became my
follower, Dorin followed her example and dedicated himself to me.
He's too young to do... um... the usual work. But I think he would
take good care of us and be good company besides. He's really a nice
kid."

Apollo smiled and said, "Good thinking, both of you. Ace's priest can
help ease any physical discomfort that might arise and Ganymede's
acolyte can help to elevate the boredom that comes with extended bed
rest."

Asclepius looked at Ganymede with a gentle smile, feeling pride on
behalf of his husband.

"My priests will be in to move you to Asclepius rooms. You are both
to stay in bed and use no godly powers." Apollo said firmly.

"Don't worry. I'm sure we can survive a few days together." Ganymede
said with an expression of love directed at Asclepius.

After a long moment of looking into Ganymede's eyes, Asclepius
said, "Three days in bed with you... I can't think of anything
better."

Apollo smiled at the statement, then walked to the priest by the door
to give his instructions.

[----*----]

Phobos followed the glimpse of the location that Joxer had mentally
sent to him and appeared before the temple in the mortal realm.

He was about to go in and get to work when he stopped and tilted his
head a little one way, then the other as he looked at the building.
It was somehow misshapen, off-center and the whole thing seemed to be
tilted slightly to the left.

Phobos shook his head to dismiss his curiosity and get to work.

As he stepped through the large entry door he nearly stepped in
something.

"Ewww." He said to himself, as he looked at it, then realized that it
was made out of stone.

Phobos looked at the 'sculpture' for a moment longer, then giggled as
he muttered to himself, "Pretty cool Poppa Joxer."

The sound of hungry toads drew his attention and he walked to the pit
that was to the left of the floating alter.

"Don't worry guys, I have lots of food for yas." Phobos said into the
pit as he produced a bowl full of live meal worms.

"Did you say food?" A voice asked from behind him that made Phobos
jump nearly a foot in the air.

Phobos whirled around to find a boy a few years younger than himself
looking dirty and hungry and more than a little frightened.

"I'm sorry if I scared you." The boy muttered in a trembling voice.

Phobos began to giggle and said, "That's okay. I've scared lots of
people before, but not many people have scared me... My name's Pho,
what's yours?"

The boy wilted with relief at Phobos' friendly nature and happily
said, "I'm Van... Did you say something about food?"

Phobos looked down at the bowl of meal worms he was still holding and
said, "Yeah, for the toads."

Van followed his gaze down to the bowl and reluctantly said, "A few
more days and that might even look good."

Phobos thought for a moment before saying, "I've got to feed the
toads and water the plants. But when that's done you could come to my
house for dinner if you wanted."

"Really?" Van asked with wide eyed excitement, then asked in a
guarded tone, "Your mom won't mind if I come over will she?"

Phobos reached into the bowl of worms and began to casually scatter
them into the pit of toads as he said, "I never lived with my mom. I
live with my Dad and I know he won't mind."

"I've always lived with my mom... at least she says she's my mom."
Van finished bitterly.

"If you'll take that bucket and water the plants we can get done
faster and have dinner." Pho said as he pointed.

Van nodded and walked to pick up the bucket as he said, "My mom lied
to me all my life... about everything."

"I don't think my Dad ever lied to me. He's sometimes too busy with
work to spend time with me and my brother. Or sometimes he gets to
thinking about other stuff and kind of forgets us for a little bit.
But he never lied." Phobos said in thought as he continued to scatter
the meal worms among the appreciative toads.

After drawing some water from the pool where the alter was floating,
Van began to water the plants as he said, "I never knew my dad. I
think I met him once when I was just a little kid, but... I'm not
sure. He might've just been some guy... He was nice to me..."

Phobos turned over the empty bowl and tapped it a few times over the
pit before going to the pool and dipping some water to help water the
plants.

"Did you run away from home?" Phobos asked as he walked to the next
flower box and began to pour the water.

"Yeah... A couple weeks ago." Van said quietly.

"What are you gonna do?" Phobos asked with interest.

"I don't know. I didn't think it would be like this. I thought people
would help me and take care of me like... like they always did
before." Van said with a distant look in his eyes.

"Maybe you should think about going back to your mom. She's probably
worried about yas." Phobos said quietly.

Van shook his head and said, "No. I can't live with the lies anymore.
I've grown up believing things that were all wrong. I have to find
out what's real before I can go back there. Otherwise she'll be able
to lie to me and make me believe her again."

Phobos thought about what Van was saying and was assaulted by
inspiration.

"What would you think about being a priest?" Phobos asked suddenly.

"A priest?" Van asked in confirmation.

"Yeah. This is tha temple of tha god of mischief. Tha priest that was
s'posed ta take care of this temple ran off and got married. I bet if
we talked to my Poppa, he could fix it soes you could live here an
take care of tha place." Phobos said quickly.

Van looked around the room in wonder, as if seeing it for the first
time. Finally he said in amazement, "That would be so great. It would
be like an answered prayer... if I knew how to pray."

"You don't know how to pray?" Phobos asked with astonishment.

"No. That's one of the things that my mom lied to me about... We're
done in here, are there any plants in the next room?" Van asked
curiously.

"Dunno. I never been here before. Let's find out." Phobos said and
approached the door.

The boys passed through the door and waited for their eyes to adjust
to the much dimmer light.

"What's that?" Van asked suddenly and pointed to something low to the
ground that moved toward them.

"I don't know, I can't see it. Close the door and I'll get a torch."
Phobos said then looked around to see if there were any torches in
the room.

He didn't find any, but glanced at Van and found him peeking through
the crack in the door.

With a thought, Phobos produced a torch, then for good measure
produced a second one for Van.

"Here." Phobos said as he handed Van a torch.

"It's over there." Van whispered and pointed across the room.

"I'll go in and see what it is. You stay by tha door and be ready to
close it behind me if the thing chases me out." Phobos said seriously.

"Okay." Van said seriously.

Phobos started to walk, then turned to look Van in the eyes as he
said, "Wait for me to run by *then* close the door.

"I will Pho, I promise I won't shut you in. You're the first friend
I've had that my mom didn't pick for me... you're my first real
friend." Van finished softly.

Phobos smiled at the statement briefly and said, "Okay friend. Watch
out while I see what this is."

Van nodded and held the door open for Phobos to enter.

[----*----]

"How are you doing Nami?" Erebus asked in a whisper as Tsunami's eyes
fluttered open.

"I've never felt so loved." Tsunami said as he looked up into Erebus'
eyes.

"I've done some checking since you've been asleep and I think I found
a place for us." Erebus said gently.

"Where?" Tsunami asked in delight.

"I still need to talk to Hephaestus about it, but... the savages to
the West haven't claimed any gods as their own. They are just
beginning to become civilized enough to really grasp the concept of
religion. I don't think Hades could administer their underworld in
addition to this one. I'm going to ask King Hephaestus if we can go
there and start a new underworld. You can still be the Titan of Death
and Destruction of the sea... we could work together." Erebus said
happily.

"Do you really think King Hephaestus will allow it?" Tsunami asked in
thought.

"He cares for the mortals. When I point out that the souls of the
fallen savages aren't moving on to an afterlife, but are left to
wander the mortal realm, I'm sure he will agree. Not only does this
solve our problem about not having a purpose but... we really are
needed." Erebus said with an expression of honesty.

Tsunami gave Erebus a gentle smile and said, "I knew you'd come up
with a way for us to be happy. You're going to be such a wonderful
father."

Erebus leaned in to give Tsunami a gentle, tentative kiss.

Tsunami pulled Erebus down to make the kiss one filled with all the
love that he felt.

[----*----]

"It's okay Van, you can come in." Pho said from inside the room.

Van walked in to find Phobos looking at the strange... thing
curiously.

"What is it?" Van asked as he hesitantly approached.

"I have no idea... but it seems friendly." Pho said as he moved
around to look at it from a different angle.

"Maybe my mom was right... the gods must be really cruel to create
something like this. Something born to suffer." Van said in a
troubled voice.

"I don't think so." Phobos said speculatively.

Van looked at him curiously.

After a long moment of silence, Phobos said in a considering
voice, "It's not alive."

"Are you sure?" Van asked as he looked at the 'whatever it is' more
closely.

"Yeah. It doesn't breathe or eat or have babies. It doesn't even
think." Phobos said in deep thought.

"Then how does it move?" Van asked curiously.

"It's enchanted. The gods can put a spark of their power into an
object to allow it to move or give a mortal a special ability or even
effect a god's powers." Phobos said in thought.

"Could you recognize one of those enchanted things if you saw one?"
Van asked hesitantly.

"Yeah." Pho said, then realized that he'd just admitted to having
godly sight.

"I'm not really sure I want to know, but... would you look at this?"
Van asked quietly and held out his arm to reveal a metal bracelet.

Phobos looked closely at the bracelet and gasped.

"Is it something bad?" Van asked with a sinking feeling.

"It's Hephestian metal!" Phobos said in astonishment.

"Is that bad?" Van asked with dread.

Phobos finally noticed his friend's mood and quietly said, "No. It
doesn't have any effect at all on mortals."

Van let loose a sigh of relief and said, "Good. I was worried because
my mom put this thing on me and I can't get it off."

"I tell you what. Since you're coming over for dinner anyway, we can
show your bracelet to my dad. I'm sure he'll know how to get it off."
Phobos said casually.

Van smiled at Phobos and whispered, "Thanks."

Phobos smiled, then looked around the room and said, "There aren't
any plants in here. We can go to my house if you still want to."

"Sure I do. How far is it? Can we get there before nightfall?" Van
asked, suddenly reenergized.

Phobos looked at the floor at his feet and quietly said, "I've got to
be honest with you Van"

"Your family doesn't have enough food?" Van ventured to ask.

"No. That's not it. We've got plenty of food and we'll be happy to
share it with you. It's just... Since you're my friend, I don't want
to lie to you." Phobos finished in a mutter.

"Just tell me Pho. Whatever it is I won't be mad at you." Van said
gently.

"Okay... Van, I'm a god." Phobos said quietly, watching for Van's
reaction.

Van looked at Phobos with fear and disbelief.

Phobos disappeared in a cloud of red smoke and silver sparkles.

A second later he appeared on the other side of the room.

Van looked as though he were ready to run away in terror, but somehow
he was able to keep his place.

"If you still want to come to dinner with me, you're still invited."
Phobos whispered.

Van looked into Phobos' eyes and said, "My mom always told me never
to trust gods. That all they ever did was trick and lie to mortals to
make their lives miserable..."

Phobos nodded in acceptance.

"But since I figured out that she's a liar, I guess I don't need to
worry about that. I'll just listen to my stomach..." Van finished
with a smile of accomplishment.

Phobos chuckled at the statement, then said, "Since you're wearing
that bracelet, I won't be able to transport you. But give me a second
and I'll get my brother's help to make a gateway so we can just
walk."

"What do I need to do?" Van asked quietly.

"Just wait." Phobos said with a smile, then concentrated.

//Ter. Can you help me make a gate from the mortal realm?// Phobos
sent seriously.

//Why do you want to create a gate?// Anteros asked with confusion.

//I made a new friend and I want to bring him home to meet Dad and
Poppa. Will you help me make a gate or not?// Phobos asked
insistently.

//Give me a second to get into the entry hall, then you push and I'll
pull. We'll have this thing opened in no time.// Anteros sent as he
walked into the next room.

"Is everything going okay?" Van asked quietly.

"Fine. Just one more second." Phobos said gently. Then turned his
attention back to Anteros.

//I'm ready.// Anteros sent as soon as he was in position.

//Let's do it.// Phobos replied and extended his arms in a dramatic
gesture.

Van involuntarily took a step back as a swirling mist started to form.

//That's it Pho. You're doing it just right.// Anteros said with
encouragement.

//I feel it Ter, it's just like you taught us. I never thought I'd
make a gate without Demi.// Phobos said with some effort in his mind
voice.

//That's it Pho. It's stable. You can let go now.// Anteros said
gently.

//Thanks Ter, I'll see you in a minute.// Phobos sent happily, then
turned to Van and said, "This is a shortcut to my house. You still
coming?"

"Um... yeah." Van said in astonishment as he followed Phobos into the
vortex.

[----*----]

"Hi. You must be Pho's friend, I'm Anteros."

"Really?" Van asked with wide eyes as he looked at the young man with
wings standing before him.

Anteros smiled gently at Van, and nodded.

"Yeah. That's Ter, come down the hall and meet my Poppa Joxer. That
was his temple we were in." Phobos said with excitement as he led the
way toward the door.

"Pho, you don't want to leave the gate open do you?" Anteros asked in
a leading tone.

Phobos stopped in his tracks, then shyly said, "I forgot."

Anteros smiled and watched as his brother skillfully collapsed the
gate.

[----*----]

"Poppa Joxer, this is Van. I thought that if it's okay with you, he
could take care of your temple." Phobos said in a rush as he hurried
into the room.

Van froze in the doorway when he saw the man standing beside the
couch.

"You're him..." Van said in astonishment.

Ares turned and looked at the skinny, dirty boy and hesitantly
said, "Evander?"

[To Be Continued]

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