by Rabid

The clatter of keys was very loud in the empty, vaulted room, as Tru struggled valiantly to make some sense out of Cupid's scrolls and transfer them to the brand new laptop that rested in front of her. She sighed, blowing a drifting strand of hair out of her eyes. Her eyes briefly unfocused and she closed them, pinching the bridge of her nose. The laptop beeped twice, and Trouble blinked. She hadn't touched anything. Her gaze refocused on the black screen in front of her.

"Aaaahhh!!! You shit!! You fucking shit!!!" she screamed, and began banging her forehead on the edge of the table upon which the laptop sat, silently mocking her. The sound of quiet chuckling brought her head up, and she glared murderously toward the doorway leading to the bedroom. She couldn't see Cupid, but she knew the sound of his voice.

"Oh, very nice. Laugh at the receptionist of Gods, and see how much of the filing gets done." she snapped, her shoulders hunched.

"Oh, yeah. Guess that's a major downside of teasing." Cupid's hands settled on her shoulders, gently massaging. "So, is the setback, like, huge?" he peered over her shoulder at the screen, wondering how she could see anything in the blackness.

"Nah. I saved to disk a scroll or two back, but damn! This thing has it in for me." Tru groused, grabbing the top two scrolls back from the discard pile. " I guess even on Olympus the computer is almighty. Nothing can keep them from screwing up on a regular basis."

"Hmmm." Cupid wisely kept his comments to himself, continuing to work at the tight muscles in Tru's neck and shoulders.

"Wait, the computer is run on "God Juice", and hooked to nothing. Can't you keep it in line?" she twisted in her seat to glare at him over one shoulder.

"Nope." Strife's voice floated out from the bedroom, followed shortly by the God of Mishchief himself, wrapped in a sheet. " Ya gotta go to the God in charge of inventions. He might be able to keep the bugs away, if he's feeling generous." he grinned his infuriating grin at Tru, remaining sensibly out of her reach; even Gods were wary of a disgruntled woman at a keyboard.

"Ooookay, I'll bite. Who do I beg to keep this thing from eating itself?" she demanded, and Cupid stepped back before answering her.

"Dad." he said, and Tru dropped her head to the tabletop again, resuming her head banging. Strife's hand interceded between the wood and her skull on the next down stroke. She turned her head in his palm to look at him, letting him support her. She attempted her best kicked puppy look, all swimming eyes and trembling lip.

"Uh-uh. Not buyin' it, Sweetness. I taught you that look. It don't work on me." he laughed, and her pout was immediately transformed into a wide smile.

"Girl's gotta try." she rubbed her cheek into his hand, and he smirked. She groaned, sitting up. "You guys know what happens every time you send me to Ares' place. He breaks out the booze and stogies, hauls in only he knows who from all over, and decides to start a marathon poker game, with me as dealer. Ack. I think I liked him better when I didn't like him."

"It's your own fault. I know for a fact that if he saw you as a nubile young sex bunny, you'd have no problems." Cupid put his two cents in, sorting thru the stack of 'To do now" scrolls, holding onto some and discarding others.

"Gee, thanks. As if every male drooled over me. Tch! The only reason he looked at me more than once that first day was 'cause I was a new toy. Get real." she scoffed, and rebooted the computer.

"Are you implying we have bad taste in bedmates?" Cupid stopped his scanning of scrolls to arch a brow at her, staring at her intently. She snorted impolitely, and waved a hand at him vaguely.

"Nah, you guys are just nuts. I know I'm no prize, just amazingly inventive." Tru waggled her tongue at him, showing off the new piercing Strife had talked her into. Cupid rolled his eyes, resuming his perusal of requests. Strife giggled, dragging Tru out of her seat and spinning her around with one hand, the other clutching the sheet to keep it from tangling around his legs.

"You are a brat." he told her joyously, pulling her in for a sweet, languid kiss. When he released her, he informed her, " Keeping you was the second best decision I ever made."

"Yeah, and the first was what?" Cupid drawled, stashing the few scrolls he'd chosen into his belt.

"Coming home to you." Strife replied instantly, completely serious for once. He blushed, and before either God or mortal could do more than gape at the confession, he was clothed and gone.

"Wow." breathed Tru, eyes round. She glanced over at Cupid and caught him in the biggest, sappiest grin she'd ever seen, bar none. She cleared her throat, and he snapped out of it. Not all the way, but enough to actually pay attention to what she was saying.

"So I gotta go see your Dad. Hey, how does he get to be invention guy?" she demanded, head cocked and intent.

"Oh, uh, y'know. War makes people create things. Like 'necessity is the mother of invention', right? So, no War, nothing changes. I personally think it's because nobody else wanted the damn job, so they fobbed it off on Dad. He's in charge of implementing, or some such.Okay?" Cupid expalined in a disjointed fashion, absently juggling some peaches he liberated from the permanently full fruit bowl on a stand near his elbow.

"Oh, goody. I feel another round of hooch and bad jokes coming on." she stretched, popping her back loudly enough to make him wince, even in his happy daze.

"I think you've been spending too much time on the filing. Take a break, go play poker with Dad and a few of the guys he keeps finding under rocks. Go back to the scrolls later." Cupid beamed at her.

"Lemme shut the infernal machine down before you send me to my fate." she seated herself and ran thru the shut down, then closed the case. Tru looked down at herself, dressed in cut-off shorts and a t-shirt that proclaimed: A Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste. Her hair was up in a scrunchy, and her feet were bare. " Oh, well. I guess that's what I get for dressing casual at the office."

The God of Love grinned at her and waved his hand, sending her to the Halls of War.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Tru stumbled upon landing, a slight wave of vertigo hitting her. She looked around, but the ominous hall was empty. " Groovy. Just fraggin' uber." she groused, and stomped toward the throne placed commandingly at the end of the room against a backdrop of blood red velvet tapestry. Two massive War axes were crossed behind the ornate chair, and five feet in front of it was the altar. Not wanting to piss off War before she even opened her mouth, she decided it might be prudent to wait by sitting on the altar, rather than the throne.

Ares ambled into his Hall, energised by a small uprising in North Africa. He had taken note of a mortal in his domain the instant it had appeared, and was in a mood for some fun. He ghosted up behind the unsuspecting individual seated so carelessly on his altar, and stopped abruptly when she said, " You need an answering machine, or something, dude."

"Well, shit. It's you." he sighed, realizing his anticipated mortal baiting had flown out the proverbial window.

"Cheese and crackers, W.G. Are you disappointed?" she grinned at him, spinning around on her rump on his altar.

"Oh, excuse me for not having a Mariachi band celebrate your visit, mortal." he sneered at her, and she caught the gleam of amusement in his eye.

"C'mon, Ares, once we got past the "fight it, fuck it, or eat it" stage of our acquaintance, we segued directly into " have it deal five card stud at parties". I'm here to make a deal." Tru made a face.

"Uh-huh. And why would I need anything you have to offer? I can pop in any dealer from any casino on Earth at any point in time I choose. Make your play, little girl, and make it interesting." the God of War, crossed his arms over his impressive chest, and stared at her, foot tapping.

"Yeah, but odds are they won't know all the dirty jokes I do, and they probably won't deal off the bottom of the deck just to you." she shot back, and pulled her legs up under her tailor fashion on the cool black marble. " Okay. I'm Cupid's answer to the question 'Does a God need a secretary', and I can't organize his stupid scrolls if the damn computer he got me keeps barfing. The buzz in my ear is, you're the gent in charge of said machine. Can you keep it functioning?"

"Hmmm. Maybe. What's in it for me? You're amusing and all, but..." he raised his brows at her inquisitively. Tru's eyes narrowed, and she considered her answer carefully before she spoke.

"Cupid and Strife got the invite for your next Gods only high stakes poker bonanza. The one you tried conning me into being dealer for. I'll do it, but no cheats for you, just straight card throwin'." she made the first bid.

"Not good enough. I'll fix your little crashing problem, but you have to agree to set up a filing system Deimos can work for me, and deal the next three games I host with mortals. There are some people I need to blackmail with markers, and the no Godly intervention with winning rule has to be followed. That's where your bottom of the deck talents come in handy." Ares lounged on his throne in a typical pose, one leg thrown over the arm, body sprawled comfortably against the other. He grinned at her. Tru briefly considered going back to banging her head, but rejected the thought. Her skull was pounding enough already.

"Fuckin' A. Not even. I'll go the big game with the Gods, and one other with whoever you want to bilk out of something, but the filing system? So Deimos can run it? No flippin' way, W.G."

"Not an option. The system, two off games, and the invitational." Ares produced a bottle of beer from nowhere, and chugged it. He wiped the foam from his beard and awaited her counter.

"The invitational, one off game, and a system Discord can run." she huffed, leaning back on the altar, her hands supporting her.

"Negotiations are starting to break down, Trouble. Let's keep this simple. I keep your computer purring like a happy kitten permanently, and you do the invitational, ONE off game, and set up the system, then teach Deimos the basics. Final offer." Ares watched her consider, and materialized a pendulum in front of her, swinging back and forth. He made tick-tock soundes with his tongue, then a buzzer went off. " Time's up, Tru. Do we have a deal?" he demanded, and she shot him a dirty look.

"Yeah. You're on." she grumbled, grinning on the inside.

"Good. You know, if you didn't have that gew-gah Hephaestus made you, you'd be a stain on a wall. You're such a pain in the ass." Ares told her fondly, and she smirked.

"Probably, but at least I don't lie to anybody."

-------------

Ares, God of War, leaned back comfortably in his throne, watching Tru's face. She hid it well, but she was happy with the deal they'd just struck. He suppressed a snort of amusement. He'd been bargaining before her ancestors made it out of mud and daub huts long enough to make blue body paint for the first time.

"Right. Send me home so I can get the last of the damn scrolls done." she broke into his reverie.

"Has no one pointed out to you the inherent dangers in being bossy to Gods?" Ares asked, and she shrugged.

"Hey, if I wasn't me, who else would I be? You guys get enough groveling. Besides, I'm never exactly disrespectful, just...." she trailed off, shrugging again.

"Annoying?" Ares supplied helpfully, leaning forward, " Rude? Obnoxious? Bitchy? Perhaps..."

"Okay, okay. I get it. 'E', all of the above. Can I go back to work now?" she prodded, and he laughed at her.

"Did I mention tenacious? I think I'll add that just for shits and giggles." he continued laughing, and Tru just looked at him. Her arms crossed, and she slid off the stone altar, standing a few feet from him, waiting.

"You need therapy." she advised, and that just sent him into more gales of hilarity, hugging himself, wriggling. Tru tried to avoid being drawn into a long, involved giggle fest herself, and marginally succeeded. A blinding flash of gold cut off Ares' mirth, and Tru looked over to see Apollo in all his shining glory, scowling at them both.

"Get out of my sight." he hissed at Tru, launching a ball of fire in her general direction. Before it could hit her, Ares sent her home, not in the least willing to try and explain to his son and nephew how he'd let their mortal become damaged. Even if it couldn't kill her while she wore Heph's bracelet, those balls of power still hurt. He turned his attention back to Apollo, and frowned.

"So, 'Pol. What brings you here to darken my doorstep?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Trouble let out a sigh of relief as she landed with a whump in the sea of cushions covering Cupid's floor. Strife glanced up from his seat very near her, and smothered a giggle.

"Nice landing." he commented, while she gazed at him from her upside-down position.

"Gee, thanks. Your Uncle has good timing." she observed, trying to hide her shaking.

Instantly aware that something was very amiss with his mortal, Strife helped her right herself and pulled her into a comforting embrace. She burrowed into his shoulder, hiding her face, content just for the moment to take sanctuary in her God's arms. Silent tears slid down her cheeks, and she was as pale as he was.

"What happened? Did Unc have a mood swing?" he asked, levering her away from himself slightly to get a look at her face.

"Nuh-uh. 'S' Apollo. He just flashed in, told me to get out of his sight, an' tossed a fireball at me. Ares whisked me out before it hit me." she had stopped shaking, and was looking for a place to wipe her eyes.

Strife produced a handkerchief from the aether, and she cleaned herself up. It promptly disappeared, and she cuddled up to his chest. " He really hates me." she murmured into his leathers, and his arms tightened around her .

"Yup." he returned honestly, and tilted her face up to brush a soft kiss across her lips. " Hates me, too. Always has. He don't care much for our kind."

"What's our kind?" she asked, nuzzling against his neck, her even, white teeth nipping delicately.

Strife tipped his head to allow her better access, and sighed, "Ooooh...anybody not him or his sister....harder..." he paused, shivering as she bit sharply into his throat, sucking the skin tight to her teeth, leaving a glorious mark. He continued, his breathing shallower, " He pretty much holds every one else in contempt. 'Cept maybe Zeus, but that's debatable..." his breath hitched as she trailed her tongue from his throat to his ear, tugging at the spider shaped earring dangling from it.

"I think I like being 'our kind' better." she husked into his ear, and he shivered again, making her clothes be somewhere else as he rolled her under him on the cushions, taking her hands and holding them one-handed under her head.

"Yeah, me too." he agreed, claiming her mouth in a bruising kiss, his tongue finding the barbell in hers and toying with it, before drawing the top metal ball between his teeth and tugging at it. Tru groaned, rubbing her nipples against his leather and safety pin catsuit, enjoying the rough sensation. Strife drew his free hand down her side and over her hip, leaving red pressure trails in his wake, making her squirm.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ares watched Apollo stalk back and forth before his throne, wondering if just ignoring him would make him go away.

"That nasty, dirty little mortal would be better off dead." Apollo announced, and stopped to glare at Ares.

"And your point is...?" Ares needled, irked that the golden boy of Olympus was taking an interest in the goings on within his side of the family. He shifted slightly, elbow on the armrest, chin on fist. " That is to say, your opinion matters to me, why?"

"I don't like her. She's more common than dirt, and she has no place here." Apollo jutted out his chin haughtily, hands on hips, feet braced wide apart.

"I figure that's reason enough to offer her a bite out of a golden apple. She's a mortal, bright boy. In the scheme of things, she's not even a drop in the bucket. Besides, she makes my nephew happy." Ares waved Apollo's words off like a bad odor.

"I'm not alone in my feelings." Apollo informed Ares with malice. " Artemis, Athena, Demeter, and I feel she should be removed. Preferably before she can do more to sully our home."

"Oh, there's a surprise. The four of you together have less of a sense of humor than an eggplant. About the same I.Q. as well. Get out of My Hall, you snot, before I use you for target practice." Ares lazily summoned blue fire to his palm, his sparkling brown eyes gone cold and hard. " And don't make my son or my nephew unhappy, or you'll answer to more than just me."

Apollo's chin rose another notch, and he sneered as he winked out in a searing blast of gold. Ares shook his head. He should have known. Of all the other Gods, only those four would make an issue out of a mortal residing on Olympus as anything other than a sychophant or a servant. He sat in silent thought for a moment, then roared, "Deimos!!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Deimos heard Ares' bellowed summons, and tried, yet again to get free of Psyche's iron grip on him. " Look, I tol'ja, it was just a one night thing! I don't even like you. We were drinkin', we were there, it happened, get over it!" he snapped, prying her fingers away from the fringe of his brown leather shirt. She clung all the harder.

"But Deimos, baby, we were good together.." she enticed, and he shuddered in disgust. With one final lunge, he broke away from her.

"Not! So not, I can't even think it without gagging! Go find some other God to suck up to." he disappeared in a haze of silver.

Ares was less than patiently waiting on his throne when Deimos popped in, without the usual fanfare or chaos following in his wake. In fact, he looked spooked to Ares' sharp eyes.

"So, who is it?" Ares demanded, waiting to hear about the boy's latest disaster.

"Uck. Psyche. She won't leave me alone. It's been months since that night at Dionysus', but she won't let it go." Deimos shook his head, and Ares was almost sympathetic, if only for a moment.

"Hmmm. Yeah." he said shortly, then rose, beginning to wander about the room. " I have a job for you, m'boy, but I really don't know if you can handle it."

"Sure, I can!" Deimos immediately perked up. Business had been so slow lately, Ares had almost completely ignored both he and Discord, and he was glad something had come up.

"This is a bit different from the things you usually do. It's a bit outside your purview." the God of War strung him along just a bit more, teasing.

"Hey, whatever you need done, I'm yer God. I can do it." the slightly unhinged, but terribly earnest God of Pain was so eager, he began to bounce in place.

Ares watched for a moment, letting his son think he was debating giving him the task, then gave forth a friendly grin that made the hair on Deimos' neck stand up in alarm. "Good. As soon as I get a real office set up in one of the back rooms, Trouble will design a system to keep up with the petitions and day to day shit that I never seem to have the time or inclination to deal with. You just got the job of being my assistant. She'll teach you what to do." He relished the look of sheer horror that suddenly blossomed across Deimos' face.

"Ohhhh, I'm gonna be sick..." Deimos groaned, holding his head in his hands.

"Idiot. Gods don't get sick like that, and if you were, you'd hold your belly, not your head." Ares chided, wondering for the millionth time how he'd managed to sire the loon miserably lamenting his fate across the room from him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sweat stung her eyes, and Tru raked damp hair out of her face, her head snapping back into a pillow as Strife slammed into her with a wicked twist of his slim hips, growling her name as he shot deep inside her, his nails digging into her breasts. She shrieked as her body arched under him, following him over the precipice. He slumped forward onto her chest, both of them breathing erratically. With a deep, contented sigh, Trouble extracted her fingernails from her God's left thigh, where she had dug them, her left hand stroking along his back.

"Tru?" he said softly into her ear, planting a kiss on the tender skin just below it.

"Hmmm?" she responded lazily, attempting to unlock her ankles from behind his back. She succeeded, and allowed her cramped legs to relax a bit, settling them over hte backs of his.

"Remind me never to let you play with the spurs, 'kay? Yer plenty dangerous without 'em." he chortled, and she bit him, lightly. His hands sought and found hers, and he laced their fingers together, holding her arms out to her sides. " Shower?" he suggested, letting her go and raising himself up just enough to be able to see her.

"Yeah. I'm way too sticky to sit at a computer now." she assented, and let him help her up. He began walking to the bedroom, and the shower beyond in her bathroom, but stopped when he felt she wasn't following.

"'S'matter?" he asked, looking back over his scratched, bloody shoulder at her. She stood in the middle of the cushions, a strange look on her face.

"This bracelet keeps the Gods from really harming me with their powers, but it won't keep anyone from beating me to a pulp, will it?" she asked softly, her differently colored eyes catching and holding his arctic blue ones.

"No. It won't. But I will." he replied in a similar tone, and strode over to her, wrapping his arm around her waist and steering her to the washroom, his insides turning cold at the thought of losing his only mortal...friend.

-------------

Eris, Goddess of Discord, silently watched Deimos bemoaning his appointment to Ares 'assistant'. Her mouth was covered by both of her hands, and she shook with restrained laughter.

Ares looked at his son with resignation, and disappeared, shaking his head.

"I hate this! I can't even go near her! Strife'll make my life worse than it already is..." he stopped speaking when he saw Discord's sparkling signature arrival.

"You could always go back to hiding behind Thanatos' wings." she suggested cattily, an unpleasant sneer in place. She neatly ducked the small dagger that was his response, and it stuck, quivering in the wall behind her. " Hmmm, still in the doghouse? Touchy subject?"

"Bitch," he said, with no heat.

"Twit." she responded, almost fondly. They looked at each other, then giggled.

"I gotta learn secretary shit from Strife's mortal. Dad wants me dead." he finally said, pacing again.

"If he wanted you dead, he'd have to get in line, and that pesky rule of Zeus' just seems to still be in place." she reminded, and he grinned at her, running a hand back through his white blond hair.

"Yeah, huh?" he smirked, and she snorted derisively.

"Yeah." she winked out, leaving him alone with his predicament.

"Okay. I can DO this," he straightened his shoulders, and blew out a breath. With one last mental pep-talk, he went to visit the God of Mischief, his father's oft-bemoaned, " Why can't you be more like Strife, Deimos?", favorite second in command. As he appeared in the main hall of Cupid's place, he told himself fiercely that he was no longer living under his cousin's shade. He was God of Pain, he could deal.

"Oh, it's you." Cupid's voice forced him to concentrate on the here and now. The God of Love looked seriously ill humored.

"Hiya, Cupid. I was needin' t' see Strife." Deimos said softly, wondering why Love was staring at him like he'd just sneezed and had something unpleasant on his face.

"Funny you should drop in just now." Cupid continued, slowly circling Deimos like a shark. Deimos turned to keep Cupid in his sight.

"Heh, heh," he gave a nervous attempt at laughter, shying away from his elder brother. " What did I do this time?"

"Psyche was just here. Strangely enough, after several centuries of avoiding me, only contacting me when our son was concerned, she appears out of the blue, begging me to limber up my bow and shoot....you." Cupid stopped stalking and speaking at the same moment, toe to toe with Deimos, his eyes flashing green fire.

"Oh, no. No, no, no." Deimos shook his head wildly, his hands up in front of himself, his mind searching frantically for a bolt hole where Cupid couldn't find him.

The jealousy faded before it could take a firm hold, and Cupid snorted disgustedly. " Take the bitch. Just don't trust her." he said, and turned his back on his younger sibling. Deimos let out a huge sigh of relief.

"I don't understand what's going on with her. She's a headcase. It was just one night at Dion's, and she keeps following me around." The God of Pain tried to explain, and Cupid turned back to him with a grin.

"I bet I know. Mom's been waiting for a damn long time to make her suffer. I'll wager a fortune she'd behind it." he laughed, and clapped an arm across Deimos' shoulders. " So what do you need to see Strife about?"

"Ares said I had to learn something from Trouble, and I don't want Strife to fuck up my already uncool existence for it." he mumbled, playing with his fringe.

"Why don't you tell me about it?" Cupid pressed with brotherly concern, intent on getting the whole story before Strife and Tru returned from wherever they'd gone.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Trouble was fussing with the hem of her long gown, feeling distinctly uncomfortable, and surrounded by a crowd of Hera's peacocks. Strife was at the other end of the garden, talking quietly with Hera herself. It was a tea party, as she understood it, and she had no idea how to act, so she tried to stand as still as possible, ignoring the stares from the other guests.

"So. You're the mortal who's causing all the trouble." a voice came from her elbow, and she started violently, turning to see one of the peacocks slowly morph into a pale disfigured male in a shabby cloak.

"Uh, yeah, I guess. My name's Trouble, anyway." she watched him with wariness.

"Ha! Hahaha! Good one." he grinned up at her, his watery black eyes shining. One hand held his cloak tightly closed at the throat, and his eyes slid away from hers, focusing on her hands rather than her face. He shuffled his feet awkwardly, suddenly shy.

"Uh, who are you?" she prompted, feeling his unease. She looked intently at his bowed head, and his gaze slowly traveled up to meet hers again.

"M' Proteus." he said, waiting for the inevitable brush off. His self image was brutally frank, and he knew it was coming. Not even mortals could be expected to put up with him for long.

"Cool. You can be anything you want?" she was enthralled by the concept, and welcomed his presence. The other individuals attending the party seemed to fade into the background.

"Yeah, I guess. I just can't seem to make myself beautiful like the others." he turned away slightly, watching a group of muses dancing gaily in the distance, envious.

"I don't think some of the others are too pretty, right now, regardless of how they look," Tru returned somewhat sharply, and he jumped, turning his eyes to her reproachfully. He watched her a moment, gauging her emotional level.

"You know they hate you for a reason. Perhaps not a justified one, but at least you know why. At least you have some comfort in that. They're my family, and they won't acknowledge me." he muttered, hiding his face in the folds of his hood.

"They suck." she reached out a hand to touch his shoulder, and he flinched, as though expecting a blow. Tru squeezed the shoulder gently, in a hail-fellow-well-met kind of way, and the little God relaxed somewhat. Strife bounded up, all overflowing energy and wild eyed.

"Hey, Pro. How goes it?" he greeted, winding his arm around Tru's waist. She glanced at Strife, and tried hard not to demand to know what was up. He'd tell her on his own time.

"Strife. Nice to see you alive and kicking." Proteus responded, his fingers nervously picking at the hood of his cloak. He turned his face away from the God of Mischief, self - effacing as always.

"Aww, c'mon, Pro. We never been harsh to each other. Relax." Strife elbowed him gently, and the distorted Olympian shrugged, silent.

"If you wanna hang out sometime, we're cool with that." he looked to Tru, catching her nod. " I mean, we gotta be way more fun than followin' Jercules around, waitin' for him to have time to just sit around and bullshit."

A shy smile peeked out from the hood for a moment, and Proteus nodded, then disappeared in a mist. Strife shook his head sadly, turning slightly to face Tru. " He really is the least harmful of all of us, and nobody seems to want him around. I never could figure why- he's a blast once you get him out of his shell."

"He's so hurt..." Tru said pensively, and Strife hugged her lightly.

"C'mon. I asked Hera to look into the crap 'Pollo's startin', and she said she'd let me know. Let's get outta here before we start turnin' into statues from boredom." he gestured, and they faded out.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ares lounged in front of Hades' big screen t.v., in his barca lounger, a cigar clamped between his teeth, one fist pounding on the arm of the chair, yelling encouragement at a pair of prizefighters duking it out. Hades strolled in, leaning his shoulder up against the door frame, watching his uninvited guest.

"Oh, 'lo, Hades." Ares acknowledged around his cigar, then screamed," No! You bum! Get up and beat him to death!" at the screen. Hades sighed, and requisitioned another recliner from the void. He settled himself, and summoned a snifter of brandy.

"I'm just guessing this is a social call." Hades said drily, sipping off his drink. He wore a pair of black silk lounging pyjamas, and a burgundy and black crushed velvet smoking jacket. And no bunny slippers.

"Yup. I figure no-one'll look for me here." Ares didn't turn his attention from the sporting match.

"Uh, huh. And you feel the need to hide in my rec. room, because...?" Hades prompted, draining the brandy at a gulp and tossing the leaded crystal snifter back over his shoulder where it disappeared before it could shatter.

"Deimos is an idiot, Discord is a harridan, and I don't want to even look at either of them at the moment. So, here I am, Uncle Hades, to pay you a visit." he mockingly bowed his head to the God of the Underworld, and received a frown in response.

"You always were a cocky bastard," Hades grinned finally, and summoned his own cigar, and an ashtray in a stand between the recliners. And his bunny slippers.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"But I swore, Cupid! If I do what Dad wants, I'll be hosed!" Deimos wailed, mashing one of the pillows he was surrounded by over his own face and holding it there. He missed Strife and Tru's arrival, and they neglected to announce it, watching him, then turning their attention to Cupid, who grinned and shrugged.

"Hey, cuz." Strife called, and started laughing as Deimos exploded up out of the cushions, fight or flight in his every movement. His eyes locked on Strife, and he swallowed hard.

"Yo, Strife. I'm in a jam." Deimos attempted to look cool, unconcerned, and not as if he'd bolt at the first hint of a row.

"Tru told me all about it. What's got your panties in a bunch?" Strife snickered, throwing himself down to sprawl next to Cupid, while Tru hustled into the next room to change out of the dress Strife had insisted she wear. She hurried back in and collapsed onto the sea of pillows near her Gods, scruffy shorts and t-shirt firmly in place. Cupid reached out and drew her closer, leaning against Strife as he was leaning against Cupid. They all three stared at Deimos, waiting while he attempted to compose himself.

"You know?" was all he could manage, his face turning violently red, his fists clenching. Tru smiled sweetly at him, nodding.

"I made a deal with Ares to get my computer to quit screwing up. It's cool. You won't break your oath as long as you don't get frustrated and try to exsanguinate me>" she giggled at his blank look. Cupid saved him by playfully pulling her hair.

"She'd been running through the thesaurus lately. Ignore her when she starts throwing ridiculous words at you. She meant as long as you don't try to hurt her, kill her, or anything rude like that." Cupid chuckled, watching his brother for signs of imminent explosion. To his surprise, Deimos giggled.

"This is gonna drive Dad nuts!" he crowed, and flashed out.

"Well, that was refreshing." Tru curled up around Strife, and asked," What'll we do if Apollo decides to kill me and be done with it?"

"WHAT??!" Cupid roared, leaping to his feet and unsettling their group cuddle.

"I'm guessin' he didn't hear about that part." Strife winced as a piece of ornate statuary on the other side of the vast hall shattered under the impact of a globe of energy flung by a seriously pissed God of Love.

-------------

Aphrodite was in a foul mood, and Hephaestus peeked around the edge of her vanity mirror, ducking back swiftly as a spike heeled, pink satin mule went whizzing past his head to embed itself in the far wall.

"'Dite, calm down," he tried to soothe, but the look she turned on him was enough to freeze the words in his throat.

"I don't think so! That bitch Demeter was talking about my Cupie! I'll snatch her bald and shove a pomegranate bush up her ass! It was bad enough she nearly ruined everything for Uncle Hades and 'Seph, but now she's messin' with my boy!" Aphrodite howled, prowling around the room, waving her arms, filmy pink veils flying in her wake. Hephaestus wisely remained behind her mirror, safely out of the DMZ she was creating in her chambers.

"'Dite, please. You need to settle down and think, not explode! You're acting like Ares." he admonished, and winced when several vases shattered.

"Ares! Exactly!" she shrilled, and vanished in a puff of pink smoke.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Ares!" Aphrodite yelled, barreling through the Halls of War, pink and red sparks shedding off her as she strode along, her usual wiggling glide completely absent. Her mask as the giggly, air headed Goddess of Love had faded in the face of a threat to her son's happiness. She was indomitable.

The air shivered, and Ares' voice rang out, "What in Tartarus do you want, 'Dite?"

"I wanna see you, like, instantaneously! As in NOW!!" she barked, something she hadn't done in recent memory. Her foot stomped in rage.

"Meet me at Hades'." came the grudging response, sounding surly. Aphrodite winked out. When she reappeared, she followed the sound of raucous laughter, discovering the two Gods' hideout. She stood with hip cocked in the smallish room, waiting to be greeted.

"Pull up a chair, 'Dite." Hades indicated the new third recliner, and took a swig of his beer.

"I don't have time to play boy-games right now." she fumed, refusing the seat. Instead, she planted herself at Ares' feet, filling his field of vision.

"Aww, c'mon, 'Dite!" he strained to see around her, but she leaned down over him, in his face.

"Cupid is really happy, for the first time in centuries, and I will not allow that to be ruined!" she spat, eyes narrowed, and grabbed Ares, her fingers digging into his thighs. He gave her his undivided attention. " I worked far too hard, for far too long, to see this stable triad toppled by the dork squad!" she hissed, and Ares squirmed, trying to find a comfortable position while his arousal made his leathers tighter and tighter.

"Yeah." he breathed, gripping the chair arms tighter, ignoring Hades completely, unaware that the God of the underworld was silently watching the interaction with avid interest.

"Eeewww! Get your so called mind out of the gutter! As if! Dammit, Ares, I'm pissed! This is our son!" she slapped him, and he came out of his lust induced daze with a start.

"Well, don't touch me that way, then. You know what it does to me when you grab me and get all aggressive." Ares pouted, then got his wits together, frowning.

"I need your help, Ar. Heph's not too good with confrontation, but you live for it. Apollo, Athena, Artemis, and Demeter aren't gonna back down easily, and Cupe an' Strifey are no match for them head on. Help me." Aphrodite was wringing her hands.

"Okay, okay. What's the angle? And what perks do I get for my expertise?" he grinned, and she snarled in fury. Her hand reached between his thighs, clamping down hard on his genitals. Ares stiffened, literally and figuratively, as Aphrodite thrust her face to within centimeters of his, her blue eyes incandescent.

"I will say this once, brother. You will help me for our son's sake, or your prick will never work right again. I will personally see to it that War has a permanent case of blue balls no matter what he does to alleviate it!" she dug her nails into his leather encased crotch harder, until Ares actually winced. " Do you read me?" she finished softly.

"Loud and clear, 'Dite," he growled, unable to do anything but capitulate. He hated being at her mercy, but he knew she was serious. Once she actually got fire in her belly, there was no stopping her. It was one of the qualities he liked about her.

"Ahem," interrupted Hades, and both Aphrodite and Ares turned their heads to regard him at the same instant. " I gather there's trouble up on Olympus?"

"Yeah. The more-perfect-than-thou contingent has it in for Tru, and therefore Cupid and Strife. Strife ain't giving up his mortal, and Cupe'll back my nephew 'till doomsday and beyond. And I guess I -should- help out, even if it's just because I made a deal with the mortal, and it wouldn't do to have her murdered before she can keep her end of the bargain." Ares justified his involvement, avoiding Aphrodite's gaze. She let it pass, as did Hades, glossing over her remarkably effective threat.

"Demeter, huh?" Hades' face went perfectly blank. and the other two deities held their breath.

"Seems I owe some slight favor to the boys' little mortal playmate. She did bring me up to date on current events, as it were, and she offered me my first prayer from the living in even I don't know how long. Perhaps I could be of assistance." Hades spoke softly, but there was a world of rancor in his tone, all directed at the Goddess who was his love's mother, who kept them apart for half the year. Darkness seemed to crowd the room, the temperature dropped dramatically, and the air began to stink of ozone.

"If you feel you owe Tru something, then I'm sure you should do something about it." Aphrodite nodded, treading carefully around the thinly veiled revenge Hades was obviously not-planning. She shivered, her breath puffing out in a cloud of frost, and glanced to her brother. The God of War could feel the walls start closing in, and decided a retreat was in order, even though there was no enemy on the field.

Ares cautiously ground out his cigar, rising from his chair. He knew from experience that Hades was immensely powerful, and very strange in his uses of that power. It was unwise to provoke him when he got a mood on him. " Thanks for the break, Hades. We'll have to do it again, soon." he said cheerfully, and zapped himself and his sister to the Halls of War.

"Whew! He hasn't been that scary in a long while." the Goddess of Love let out a shaky breath.

"No shit." Ares glared at her, fists clenched." And what exactly were you thinking? Threatening me? In front of a witness?"

"I was really ticked, Ar. And it wasn't a threat. I meant it. You are going to help me, or I will make you miserable for eternity." Aphrodite was adamant.

"You got pretty big cojones, for a girl." Ares conceded, and dropped onto his throne. Aphrodite summoned her own chair, a white and pink silk draped chaise lounge, and reclined. The War God made a distasteful face, but kept his comments to himself. " Does Cupid or Strife know about any or all of this mess?"

Aphrodite was silent, looking off into the distance. She appeared not to have heard him.

"'Dite!" Ares thundered, and she jumped, startled.

"Yeah, Ar?" she managed to keep her thoughts from wandering. " Uh, sorry, I was just remembering back when Apollo wasn't as bitter as he is now. Back when he used to be a fun guy to hang with. And Artemis wasn't so bad, if the whole virgin issue was left alone." she said sadly, chin propped on one delicate fist.

Ares looked at her quietly for a long moment, wondering what had gone wrong during the long sleep that had taken most of the Gods. He, Athena, and oddly enough, Poseidon hadn't been affected as heavily as the others, but everyone seemed changed, somehow. He shook off the reverie, and cleared his throat. " I remember." he affirmed, slouching in his chair.

"Okay. We need to focus." Aphrodite sat up, straightening her clothes and preparing to plan.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"I am so not gonna put up with this." Cupid ground out, allowing himself to be soothed out of his anger just a bit by both Strife, and Tru, who were plying him with wine and massage, Tru holding his cup for him, urging him to sip, and Strife softly caressing his back between his wings.

"I already talked to Hera. That's where me an' Tru went." Strife assured him, bending down to kiss his ear.

"This is a huge fucking insult! How dare they dictate what goes on in my Hall!" he burst out, standing again suddenly, knocking Tru back on her ass, pulling Strife forward, his wings fully extended, heat flowing almost visibly from him.

He noticed belatedly what he'd done, and folded his wings, bending down to give Tru a hand up, looking apologetically over his shoulder at his beloved.

"If it's me they got a problem with, why are you so bent?" Tru demanded crossly, rubbing her sore behind.

"You may belong to Strife, Trouble, but you're my friend, too, even moreso than my lover. I don't let my friends get killed because some of my bitchy relatives have a stick up their collective asses. And there's the insult factor." Cupid answered, collecting both Tru and Strife and pulling them into a fiercely possessive hug.

"I've never really had a close friend before." Tru admitted, looking from one God to the other. She sniffed for a moment, getting misty, then dimpled in an effort to lighten the atmosphere." I guess it takes the patience of Divinity to put up with me for any length of time."

Cupid just stared at her, nonplused, until Strife's giggling made it impossible not to join in. They all relaxed for a moment, until a loud bang at the rarely used double entry doors separated them. Cupid went himself and drew open the massive portal, admitting Hercules.

"I thought you went back to the world, Unc." the Love God greeted, and Hercules just smiled.

"Hey, dude." Tru called, having seen their guest. Strife opted to lounge on the cushions, wrapping himself around her. He had obviously posed them for his uncle's benefit, rubbing his nose in the fact that this was one mortal who didn't want to escape.

"Tru. I hear there's a dark cloud on your horizon." the demigod started the ball rolling, and made himself comfortable a discrete distance from the two troublemakers. Cupid bemusedly closed the doors and joined them.

Hercules sat quietly, studying them all for a moment, then spoke. " I want to say, first off, that I understand now about Tru. I won't be nagging you to get away from your cruel captors anymore."

Strife made the 'snerk' noise, trying not to bray with laughter, and Tru managed to keep a straight face, but Cupid busted up, the tensions of the past few hours catching up to him. He rolled on the pillows, hands over his mouth to keep in the shrieks of hysteria. The others waited 'til he calmed himself, smiling indulgently.

"Oh, sorry...sorry," he gasped, lying flat on the white marble floor.

"'S' okay. At least yer not waitin' to detonate anymore," Strife grinned at him, and handed over a goblet of cold water. Tru stared expectantly at Hercules, waiting for the bomb to drop.

"I spoke with Zeus. He refuses to give the matter any credence, and said, and I quote," Let them deal with the situation. I have other matters to attend to.". He's not going to get involved." the immortal hero shrugged, looking down at his feet.

"So that means we're on our own." Tru said softly, feeling numb.

"I wouldn't say that, exactly." Ares' voice dominated the Hall, preceding the arrival of he and Aphrodite.

-------------

"You need a damn theme song if you're gonna make entrances like that." Tru advised Ares, watching Hercules watch his brother. " I suggest "Hair of the Dog", by Nazareth."

Strife did a quick mental review of the song, and started grinning maniacally, causing the song to play, very loudly. At the chorus, 'Now you're messin' with a son of a bitch', everyone got the joke. Ares, however, stood with hand on chin, seriously considering it. " Good choice." he smirked, and made himself at home, settling into a huge black velvet hammock he installed between two pillars. Aphrodite sighed dramatically, and moved her chaise from the Halls of War to Cupid's.

"Okay, here's the bottom line." Ares crossed his feet at the ankles, and laced his fingers behind his head. Cupid made sure there was wine all around, and paid close attention, his arms around his knees, leaning his side against Strife. The God of War continued, " We want to avoid a mess, since we do live here, and I'm sure everyone wants to keep the collateral damage to a minimum, since mortals who are truly ours are in such short supply these days. I suggest..." he was interrupted by Aphrodite.

"Bro', we don't want an outright war on Olympus. Like you said, we do live here. I was thinking more along the lines of defense." she said, nervously adjusting the drape of her sheer robe.

"Well, 'Dite, you asked, no, wait, you demanded that War come and play. You got it. Accept that some damage is gonna get done. And remember, the four twits of the apocalypse are NOT gonna buy some token resistance, and run away. They started this. Defense will not cut it." Ares informed her, patiently, for him at least.

Hercules cleared his throat, and all eyes snapped to him. " Has anyone tried talking to Athena? Or Demeter? They might be open to discussing the issue." He leaned back against a pillar, shrugging.

:" Things have changed since the Gods woke up, Herc," Aphrodite said simply, her expression grim.

"This is all well and good, but the real problem is a bid for power." a new voice spoke up. Proteus materialized next to Hercules, who nodded a greeting to him.

"Care to explain?" Strife asked, stroking Tru's hair as he often did when agitated.

"I watch the others all the time. They don't know it, but I do. This move against Trouble is a cover, a convenient excuse to start a massive re-allocation in the balance of power. Athena engineered it. She feels that Zeus' days as King on Olympus are past, and she intends to take over." The deformed God spoke his piece, and seemed to collapse in on himself, hiding in his cloak.

"Come sit with us." Tru made room next to her, and Proteus hesitantly perched at the edge of the cushions. He looked at her with a strange mixture of forlorn hope and self loathing that made her want to cry, but she gave him a brave smile.

"Huh. I guess it's a good thing we all got together. We need to find out who is on what side, and who holds neutral." Ares thought for a moment, and began chuckling softly. The others waited impatiently to find out what he found so amusing.

"Share, bro," Aphrodite prompted, and he waved her off. Cupid threw a pillow at his father, beginning to worry.

"I just got a mental image of 'Athena, King of the Gods', and damn, she makes an ugly man." he wheezed. Hercules just rolled his eyes, but Proteus snickered.

"If you'd seen her in her Temple, pontificating in front of a mirror, you'd laugh too." He advised the demigod.

"I think we're going about this all wrong." Strife finally said, for the first time broaching the subject in a constructive manner, rather than simply supporting his mates. Ares eyed him sharply, wondering what changes time in the underworld had wrought on his nephew, and his twisted logic.

"So? Spill." Aphrodite demanded. Her manipulation of both Strife and Tru had all been for her son, but she was feeling protective of them as well. She hoped he could find a way to weasel out of a direct battle for supremacy.

"What we need t'do is change the venue. This's shapin' up to be a huge fuckin' pissin' match, with losses all over the arena. Now, much as I enjoy a good display of aggression, I don't generally shit where I sleep, if you'll pardon the imagery. How 'bout we take the fight to them, make them enter into it on our terms?" he had stopped running his hand over Tru's hair, in fact, he'd stopped all movement, his only outward show of life the dangerous sparkle in his eerie cyan eyes.

"You, nephew, are a very smart God." Ares commended, slowly evolving a plan.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Psyche had Deimos cornered, her fingers woven into his hair, her body pressed along the length of his. " Oh, Deimos," she sighed, and he shuddered in disgust, in no way willing to be her chew toy.

"Psyche , hon, let me catch my breath." he forced himself to laugh, smiling down on her. She retreated just a tiny bit, her hands moving from his hair down to his chest.

"I knew you'd see how we could be together." she stared into his milky green eyes with addled lust and devotion, whatever Aphrodite had done to her overlaying her wits entirely. Deimos eased out of her personal space gingerly, and abruptly vanished. Psyche shrieked with surprised despair, her arms convulsively closing on air.

Deimos reappeared in his Mother's Temple, surprised to find it a shambles, and deserted.

He peeked into each room, but still found no one. " Why is she never around to undo the damn things she does?" he asked resignedly of the walls, and sat down in a dejected heap. He sat silently, his mind chasing itself with thoughts of his mother, who didn't care if he existed or not, his father, who wished he was someone else, and his aunt, who really didn't care as long as he didn't screw up her plans. His ruminations turned to Thanatos, down in the underworld, most heartily pissed at him. After a thousand years together, he'd reached the end of his tether, and 'suggested' that Deimos absent himself from the relationship for 'a while'. Rejection. His knees came up, he dropped his forehead to his hands, and sobbed.

Then his head came up, a fresh thought coming to the fore: his brother hadn't flattened him, his cousin hadn't turned him inside out. The mortal girl had appeared to have forgiven him. A slim chance that they'd accept him drove him to his feet, and back out of his Mother's place.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of sandals slapping on fine marble paving, and Psyche's squeal of triumph at finding him. He balked, and vanished again.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hephaestus wondered if crawling under a rock was a sensible alternative to joining in the war shaping up between the opposing factions of his fellow Gods. He idly tossed hunks of molten rock into the eternal flame of his forge, enjoying the tiny conflagrations as intense heat billowed forth. He knew he'd join his wife, his love. He just didn't want to. " Ha!" he barked a short, unamused laugh. " I guess I've set the standard for foot dragging on this one." he remarked bitterly to the new presence he felt behind him, referring to his own lame foot. The God behind him didn't answer, and Hephaestus turned.

Hades stood by one of his workbenches, running his fingers lightly over a highly polished dagger in the shape of a flower. " Lovely design," he commented, his tone more sepulchral than usual.

"Hades. What brings you up from the basement?" Hephaestus tried for nonchalance.

"I've been looking into the unpleasantness 'Dite brought to light earlier, and it seems that a coup is underway." Hades caught his nephew's eye, holding his gaze like a cobra would it's prey.

"I figured this dust-up wasn't just about a mortal or two junior Gods. So it's time to break out the weapons and armor?"

"Not yet. There are always alternatives to fighting, if only the opponents are creative enough." Hades smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes, and Hephaestus fist curled tightly around the comforting grip of his hammer, alarmed.

The Lord of the Underworld realized he was frightening the God of Smithing, and reassured him, " Don't worry, Heph. I'm on 'Dite's side." he faded out with no warning, and the God of the Forge sagged a bit in relief, wondering why Hades' statement of 'being on 'Dite's side' had disturbed him so much.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ares reclined with his forearm covering his eyes, trying very hard to ignore the brainstorming around him. Suddenly he reared up, demanding, " Just where the Hell were you for seventy five years?"

The silence was deafening, all eyes glued to the God of War. Strife shrugged, grinning at his uncle. " I was around. Takin' in the sights, re-adjustin' to life. Causin' trouble." he snickered, nudging Tru, who laughed. Cupid shook his head, out of patience.

"It may not have sunken in, Strife, but there's a really big bummer going on here." he snapped, and Strife glared at him, squeezing Tru's shoulder as he rose and stalked off. She just sighed, and rearranged herself so she was comfortable without her God to lean up against.

"Problems?" Hercules queried, brows raised.

"Just a spat. Happens all the time." Tru explained as Cupid, too got up and went the opposite direction. " They make each other happy, but it would get real boring real fast if they agreed all the time, or if they spent all the time in each other's pockets. They also make each other sad, mad, annoyed, and a thousand other things, but if they didn't, what they have wouldn't be real."

Aphrodite turned her startled gaze on the mortal, shocked that she 'got it'. " Where did you get that?" she asked, for the first time not taking the girl for granted.

"I never had a relationship before I came here, except for my Grandma, when I was little, but I got eyes." Tru defended herself, curled up in the pillows, hugging one to her chest. It didn't escape anyone's notice that it was one Strife had used for his head. " I saw the people I grew up with get involved, saw 'em get uninvolved, too. You see a lot from the outside looking in."

Only Hercules saw Proteus nod sharply in assent, before scooting a little closer to the demigod.

"So. Are we done with the tender moment? Can we proceed with the planning, or do we need a big, sloppy group hug?" Ares sneered, dropping back to a reclining position in his hammock.

"Thank you, Mr. Warm Fuzzy Feelings." reproved Aphrodite, huffing in her brother's direction.

"What can I say? I'm a charmer." he retorted. Hercules grunted a comment under his breath, bringing Ares eyes to bear on him. " Got something to add, little brother?" he asked sharply.

"Hmmm. Nope." Hercules refused to rise to the bait, not allowing Ares to draw him into a little recreational violence. Not right that moment, at any rate.

A hesitant voice caught their wandering attentions. " I had an idea."

"At least have the guts to show your face." the War God said disgustedly, and Deimos flickered into view.

"No, really. I got an idea." he insisted, and Tru looked at him expectantly. The others showed only impatience or pronounced lack of interest.

"Shoot," she said, gesturing for him to pull up a cushion.

He did, and said earnestly, " If they weren't empowered, the field would be evened." He waited for the ball of fire to hit him, and someone to shout at him for eavesdropping, even though they did it all the time.

"Okay, that's true, but I don't see it happening." Hercules tried to keep the annoyance he felt in the presence of the godling from showing in his voice.

"No, I mean, make the first move, set the stage, force your choice of rules on them for some sort of non-lethal contest. If they break the rules, they forfeit. They're still using her," he jerked a thumb at Tru," as a front for the real mobilization, right? Well, make 'em put up or shut up. Challenge them first." he finished, breathing hard, waiting for the shit to rain down.

Ares blinked. He opened his mouth, then shut it again. He turned his head to look at Aphrodite, but saw she was in a similar state, all saucer eyes and dropped jaw.

"Cool. What kind of contest, though?" Tru asked, and Deimos just looked at her, not quite able to fathom that no-one had shot him down yet.

"A pre-emptive strike...Yeah, it follows what Strife brought up. when did you start having thoughts, junior?" Ares finally managed. The not-quite praise was tarnished by the barbed insult, but it was enough for the God of Pain, who received either fear or humiliation on a regular basis.

"I'm not stupid, you know." he said clearly, and vanished.

"You guys are just nasty." Tru informed them all, and got up, heading for the bedroom.

"What's eatin' her?" Aphrodite asked into the silence.

-------------

Hercules shot his divine siblings a filthy look, and rose to follow Tru. He entered the bedroom shared by Cupid, Strife, and Trouble, not knowing what to expect. His first impression was of complete chaos, with a mammoth bed in the center. Pillows and fabric were strewn about haphazardly, boots and jeans and t-shirts liberally mixed in for color, with Tru herself flinging more about, obviously searching for something. He took the moment to study her, wondering what it was about her that had taken the interest of two Gods. She was tall, lean, small breasted, and average looking, the only impressive features she could claim were her interesting eyes, one blue, one yellow, and her hair, a rich, thick copper mass. He waited, running over in his head her other traits as she continued to ignore him. He mentally ticked them off; she was contentious, spoke without thinking, rushed headlong into things she didn't or couldn't comprehend....He shook his head, mystified. She didn't fit any of the criteria he recalled in any of either Gods' previous lovers, at least, not the ones he knew about.

"Are you gonna stand there starin' all goddamn day?" she called, pulling him out of his thoughts. She popped her head up over the side of the bed and glared at him, obviously not happy with him, as well as his family. Hercules mentally added the fact that she had a habit of talking like a drunken sailor on the third day of a two day leave to his list of her finer qualities.

"I -uh- just wanted to make sure you were okay." he stammered lamely, offering her a grin.

"I haven't been attacked by my clothes, no." she scoffed, and ducked back down under the side of the bed.

"What, exactly is your problem?" he asked, hands on his hips.

"Did you want the whole fraggin' list, or just the top three?" she flung herself up onto the bed in a huge belly flop, eyeing him crankily.

"Give me the short version."

"Right. First, I can't believe how bad you all treated Deimos. Yeah, he's mental as fuck, but does that mean he deserves to be treated like dogshit all the time? Second, How in Hell am I supposed to take some of the Gods seriously or respect them when they mostly act like school bullies? Yeah, Ares is Lord of the 'Tude, but at least he's got a sense of humor. Third, I'm probably gonna die real soon, and I just got a life. I'm scared!" she snarled, beating a fist into the mattress, tears streaking her red cheeks, her nose growing stuffy. The demigod shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, lost and wooden in the face of a crying woman he couldn't seem to connect with.

Strife appeared in a flash of electric blue, shoving past his uncle as if he were completely inconsequential, and sinking to the bed, drawing his girl up into a protective embrace. He held her face to the crook of his neck, murmuring soothing nonsense into her ear, smoothing his hands up and down her back. He glared daggers at Hercules over her shoulder, his gaze pinning the immortal hero to the spot where he stood.

"What the Fuck did you do?" the God of Mischief hissed, his voice deathly cold, his expression promising an exceptionally painful retribution for whatever had made his Trouble break down. Hercules actually took a step back, astounded by the change in his nephew. His face reddened, and he began to get indignant. Tru snuffled to his rescue before hostilities broke out.

"I just got scared. He didn't do anything." she said softly, huddled in the safety of her God's arms.

Strife glanced down at her, and nodded shortly, showing no signs of letting her go. He spared a moment to wipe at her eyes, then turned his attention back to Hercules. " Hey, no hard feelin's, huh? I felt her get all freaked, and you were here."

It was as close to an apology as he'd ever get, so Hercules accepted it with no little effort. " I guess it's understandable, if it was anyone but you." he said, trying to figure Strife's angle in his actions. "You've never protected anyone but yourself, Strife. What's the deal? And don't cite the dedication."

"You don't know me, Jercules. You never have. All you've ever seen is what I showed, 'cuz you never felt the need to look deeper. Well piss on you. Tru is mine, a part of me, and I take care of what's mine. Go out and wait with Auntie and Unc. We'll be out in a minute." Strife's words were low and harsh, and Hercules went, mulling over what had just occurred.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ares enjoyed taunting his sister. He had since his memory began, never mind that they'd taken time out from the baiting at several points in history to beget several children. Well, he'd enjoyed that, as well, but...the God of War negligently brought to his hand a plastic straw, and a few plastic bb-s. While her back was turned, he used the straw as a blow gun, launching a bb at her. Her hand came up, rubbing at the back of her head where it struck. She squawked in anger.

"Isn't that just a little juvenile, even for you?" Hera's voice demanded, heavy with amusement. Both deities spun about to see the Queen of the Gods standing at the double doors.

"All work and no play makes Jack a dull God." intoned Ares, and Aphrodite flushed angrily, picking the bb out of her hair. She tossed power at him in return, and he found himself wearing a nightmarish paisley smock, with flowers in his hair. He waved them gone immediately.

"Are you both quite finished? I have news." Hera stood calmly, looking like she'd just come from a Wall Street business luncheon, her suit ending in a tight, short skirt under a blazer. Her five inch heels gave the petite Goddess a more predatory than ususal mein.

"Nice look, Mom." Ares said, wondering who'd had the vision to drag his parent to a designer's door.

Aphrodite nodded her agreement, stunned that a fashion had changed on Olympus and she hadn't noticed.

"Hmmm. I got a visit from your son a few moments ago. He was very insistent that I make Zeus aware of the activities of certain individuals. Amazing, isn't it, how quickly news travels?" she laughed softly.

Hercules' spine stiffened at the sound of that familiar laugh, and he stepped out of the bedroom door. Hera spun on a heel and let her appraising gaze take him in.

"I was wondering where you were. I spoke to your Father. It seems he DOES have time to get involved, now that his throne is on the line. Give your plans a rest, children. Zeus and Deimos are deciding what to do about this little insurrection." Hera gave one last chilling smile and was gone amid the screams of peacocks.

Hercules ashivered, still not able to take unexpected dealings with Hera with equanimity. A raw bellow from Ares broke his paralysis.

":Deimos!?" the name was chorused from both of the godlings' parents.

Proteus smiled tightly, unnoticed in the background, as usual. He made himself scarce as silently as he'd come, and no-one paid attention, also as usual.

"This is hands down the most frightening thing I've ever heard." Aphrodite scowled, not caring that the expression marred her perfect looks. She beckoned to Hercules, and he squatted down by her seat.

"Y'know, I think Tru has a point. You really are nasty to Deimos. We all are," he said, thoughtful.

Ares slid to his feet from his hammock, and advanced on his brother. " That is the most assinine thing I've ever heard. I take care of the boy, give him a useful calling." he defended, and Aphrodite just clamped her jaw shut, anger in her eyes.

"That's not the point. We all just blew him off, even though he had the right idea. And you," he pointed at Ares, " Near as makes no difference, told him he was worthless. I was no better." Hercules began to brood.

"Oh, for fuck's sake, don't start with the moping thing. We don't have a century for you to flagellate yourself out of your funk." snapped Ares, pacing like a huge jaguar, rumbling occaisionally to himself.

"Oh, thank you very much." Hercules returned, very close to giving his brother the recreational battle he'd been trying to urge the demigod into earlier. He straightened from his crouch, placing himself in Ares path, nose to nose.

Before they could come to blows, a fireball skimmed over their heads, singeing their hair. They both swung around to confront...Cupid, who looked about ready to knock their heads together.

"Dad. Uncle. If you can't be decent guests, then begone." his voice was rough, and he didn't even glance in his mother's direction.

"C'mon. Let's get outta here and beat the shit outta each other for a while." Ares snarled to Hercules, who gave a sharp nod in assent. They vanished. Cupid sighed and fixed his Mother with an unblinking stare.

"What?" she yelped, looking around selfconsciously.

"I hit Psyche with enough anti- arrows to make her celibate for a year. That was a rotten thing to do to Deimos. Coudn't you have made her pant after somebody who could take the joke?" he asked, perching on the end of her chaise. She broke eye contact with him, smoothing her clothing.

"I guess I didn't think about it that way." she said softly.

"He's my brother, Mom. You can't play like that with him." Cupid put his arm around her shoulders, hugging her.

"I know. He's my son, but it's so hard to accept him! I love him, y'know, but I can't seem to let him close." she sniffled, and disappeared abruptly.

"So much fer workin' together. 'S' a damn good thing we're Gods. any other family business run by this many dysfunctional asswipes'd be doomed before it started." Strife noted wryly, entering the room with Tru snugged close to his side.

"Tell me about it. Uh, 'M' sorry about the scene earlier." the God of Love mumbled, head down.

"'S'okay. We been through way worse, prolly will again." Mischief chortled, joining his lover on the abandoned seat of Aphrodite. Tru absented herself to give them a moment alone. She wandered to the huge pool room, watching the water, letting it lull her into a peaceful state.

A hand on her shoulder made her turn, but her smile of greeting turned to a shriek as she was bodily lifted by a God she'd never seen.

Strife was in the bathing room in an instant, but Tru and her captor were gone.

-------------

Cupid grabbed his lover by the arms, holding him tightly, hoping to keep the slender God of Mischief from exploding. Strife's eyes glowed white- hot, and he wrenched away, teeth bared.

"You gotta calm down," Cupid said softly, and gasped as his temple began to shake around him, down to the very foundations. Strife clenched his fists, his eyes closing as he struggled to contain his rage. He calmed himself by will alone, bottling the wild emotion, and the world stopped rumbling.

"I will find her." he whispered, and the God of Love shuddered.

"How did you do that?" Cupid goggled, warily eyeing Strife as though he'd never seen him before. Strife looked away, his hands limp at his sides. He muttered something that Cupid didn't catch, and hunched his shoulders.

"Tell, me, please," the request was quiet, and the arms that encircled the pale God were gentle.

"About a hundred an' ninety-nine centuries of trapped Power. I was still a God in the Underworld, Cupe. I could feel the spark, but I couldn't touch it. I learned patience. I learned control. When I was turned loose, I could've shattered Olympus. Too much fuckin' power. That's why I didn't come home. I had to tame the fire, or it would've gone rogue." the pain and loneliness in his words was a rasp against Cupid's nerves, and his arms tightened around his beloved.

Love wrapped himself around the shaking form of Strife, and simply held him. As swiftly as the storm of emotion had begun, it ceased, and Strife composed himself. Cupid understood the need to stand on his own, and let him. " I don't get it. How could the power back up like that?" he asked, rubbing his arms as a feeling like static electricity crawled along them.

"When I died, the things I controlled didn't. They just had no focus. The energy from each and every action and reaction was never channeled, never directed. It just sat, waiting, growing. " Strife shook his head. " I got a shit-load of power, Cupe, but I can barely control it. I siphon it off to where it's needed, when I can, but, shit, it's scary."

Cupid reached out and dragged Strife into his arms again, his mouth claiming his love's, putting all the things he couldn't express verbally into the action. The dark haired God melted into Cupid, his arms holding tight about his waist, as if striving to imprint the feel of that golden flesh on his own forever.

Slowly, Cupid released him, one finger softly tracing Strife's lip, then the touch was gone.

"Let's go find her." the Love God gave his partner a feral grin, and they were gone.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Tru had never been so frightened or so furious in her life. She took in the appearance of the God who'd grabbed her: tall, strong, venerably old, with the long hair, the beard, both silver, and the dress. She glanced past his shoulder, where Deimos was quietly having hysterics, his hands covering his face.

"I don't see anything remarkable about her." came the rumbling voice of her kidnapper, as he made a slow circuit around her. " Rather dull." he sniffed, and she ground her teeth.

"I don't know who you are, but this is really uncool." she seethed, glaring at him. She caught Deimos in her peripheral vision, making shushing motions frantically. She ignored him. " I'd really prefer to be back where you abducted me from."

"Sharp tongued, too. No wonder Hera likes her. Look you, mortal. You are the pawn currently being used against me. I don't care for the plans of my children, so I'm changing them. You will assist me, as my grandson suggested."

Tru studied the God before her, quite clearly Zeus, the Boss. She was livid. " Y'know, all this cloak and dagger stuff was totally unnecessary. You could've just asked. I mean, really." she sputtered, attempting to hold her temper in check, to police her language, and show a bit of respect.

Deimos interrupted before she could bury herself. " Zeus, uhm, maybe we should've told somebody we were coming to get her?" he ventured, drawing his Grandfather's attention to himself. Tru cast him an odd look, but held her tongue.

"Deimos, lad, you don't have to be such a ninny. Hold up your head, be sure of yourself." Zeus chided, gruff with the godling. Deimos straightened his posture, and coughed once.

"I am letting Strife know where she is, before he tears the mountain apart hunting for her." he announced, sending off a beacon for his cousin to follow without waiting for Zeus to order him not to.

"He won't care. She's not all that important in the scheme of things." Zeus grumbled, and retreated to a massive stone bench, arranging his colorful robes about him.

"He's changed, Grandpa. He's gonna be way pissed." Deimos warned, but Zeus waved him off.

"T'ch" Tru crossed her arms over her chest, turning away from both Gods.

"You have something to say, mortal?" the King of the Gods asked, a quirk to his thin lips.

"Since it's a pretty sure bet I'm as good as dead, anyway, yeah. I got nothin' t'lose. You're bein' a pushy jerk. I've read my mythology, y'know, an' I was brought up to believe in you guys, but, you got better P.R. than you got manners." she bit off, stopping only when Deimos grabbed her from behind, clamping a hand over her mouth.

"She's just jokin', Zeus." he tried to brush it off. Zeus frowned at the young God, and Pain backed down.

"No, I don't think she was." the Elder God's brows drew together in a fierce scowl as he regarded the young woman before him. " You, my dear, would do well to guard your tongue. I have heard that a few of my children are amused by your barbed comments. I assure you, I am not. You will do as you are told, and keep your place." his gaze felt like the weight of the world pressing down on her.

Tru's response, whether rational or suicidal, was moot. Her God's arrival in a flash like lightning stole her breath, and she cried out his name, too happy to see him to feel ashamed about reacting like a trashy romance novel heroine. Cupid silently formed out of rosy mist behind her, keeping her from moving. She struggled uselessly until his soft voice in her ear let her know who had ahold of her. Both of them stood silent, watching their mate confront his King and Grandfather.

"Zeus." the greeting was curt and sharp. Strife placed himself directly in front of the most powerful God on Olympus, and held his ground, even under the violently angry expression aimed at him.

"Who do you think you are, whelp?!" boomed Zeus, his voice resounding like the crack of thunder it was.

"I'm her God." he responded, outwardly unfazed by the looming presence so threateningly close. Under the surface, his insides were knotted so tightly he didn't think they'd ever relax, even if he did escape without being sent permanently back to the empty, aching solitude of the Underworld. Then Zeus laughed.

Cupid sat down, hard, exactly where he'd been standing, his grip on Trouble bringing her down just as fast to sprawl with him on the floor. Deimos appeared to have gone into coronary arrest, his eyes bugged out, his limbs locked, and Strife swayed, nearly fainting. Zeus steadied him with a firm hand, and chuckled at the spectacle.

"Get up, you two. There'll be no smiting today, at least not you lot." he cast a glance toward Deimos and noted, " It looks as though you were right again. He does care."

A dark presence intruded suddenly, as Hades laid a hand on his brother's shoulder. " I want in." he stated, his face carefully blank of all emotion. " I'll take the onerous chore of devising the punishments for the losers."

"I hadn't realized you had a stake in this, brother," Zeus rumbled back, but didn't shrug off the hand.

"I have." the hollow voice touched something visceral in everyone who heard it, and Tru hid under Cupid's wing, only her eyes and the top of her head showing. Strife saw, and despite his own reaction, had to laugh. He felt renewed, released, and bent to assist his lovers to their feet, kissing both soundly.

"Need I remind you that there is still a task before us?" Zeus called them to order, hiding his amusement under a stern facade.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Hercules and Ares groaned in unison, both propped against opposite walls in the main Hall of War. The hero looked like he'd been plowed under by a backhoe, all black and blue and blood, and the God of War was nursing a spectacular set of lumps and lacerations himself. He leered over at his semi-divine brother and said, " Eh, sometimes a good fight is better than a good fuck."

Hercules stared at him out of the one eye that wasn't swollen shut, and demanded, " Are you completely insane?" through swollen, split lips. He tried to raise himself from the ground using the wall as support, but gave it up as a bad idea and settled back down with a wince. Ares just nodded agreeably, and got up, staggering slightly.

"Are you glad yet that all those times we fought I pulled my punches? Are you glad I still do?" War asked softly, holding out a hand to help Hercules up. The son of Zeus looked up at him, grimaced, and accepted the hand, grudgingly muttering under his breath.

"I seem to be getting hard of hearing in my old age. Wanna turn up the volume a bit? " Ares nudged, and Hercules grunted, " I said, 'yeah, I'm glad,' . Happy now?"

"Well, considering how long I've been waiting to hear that, yeah. I'm pretty near ecstatic." he started giggling, and the sound was so incongruous and infectious, Hercules had to join him. "C'mon. I'll buy you a drink." the God of War threw his arm companionably around his little brother's shoulders, ignoring the pained cry his action brought, and led him toward the back rooms.

-------------

Apollo, God of the Sun, Music, Medicine, and a seemingly endless list of other things, sat gingerly on a hassock at the foot of Athena, Goddess of Wisdom's bed. He looked as if he'd really rather be almost anywhere else, his posture rigid and uncomfortable, his eyes glazed as Athena droned on and on.

"Apollo!" she suddenly spoke sharply, and he jerked in surprise.

"I'm listening. " he sighed, wishing fervently for his sister, Artemis to call him away for an emergency of some sort. She didn't.

"I want this to go smoothly, Goldy. I've waited too long for this to let any of you three botch it up." Athena said severely, reaching up to smooth her hair, which was now in a very short pixie cut, rather than the long bob she'd favored for millennia.

"I'm getting more than a little tired of this predilection of yours for ordering me about." Apollo informed her in a menacing tone. She sniffed imperiously and ignored him.

"Athena, I will drop this whole deal in a heartbeat. Stop acting like such a pompous ass." he warned, and she turned her amber stare full on him.

"There's no way out of this, you self-deluded prig. Even if you did decide to secede from our plan, Artemis won't, and you can't survive anymore without her constant approval. Not to mention the fact that you have no-one else to turn to. All the other Gods are sick of your infinite contempt, your overweening ego, and your constant undermining of their little triumphs." she spat back, casually adjusting the pillow behind her back. Apollo looked away, and his attention was caught by a sunbeam glinting off her armor on it's rack in the corner.

"You make me sick," he whispered, refusing to set his gaze on her again. He transported out in a roiling cloud of yellow, and Athena gave a short, tight grin of victory. It faded quickly, and she flung back her covers, padding over to a shelf near her armor to rifle through a sheaf of papers. She drew one out, perusing it, then rolled it tightly, so that all that showed was Apollo's seal.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hercules, immortal hero, demigod, and all around nice guy, sat in Ares, God of War's new relaxation chamber, eagerly helping his divine brother lay siege...to a vast container of rum raisin ice cream. The two brothers looked up at each other over poised spoons, and Ares scowled.

"If you ever let on to anyone..." he began, voice a dark, menacing growl, but Hercules cut him off.

"Yeah, yeah. If I ever let on that you actually sat in the same room with me shoveling ice cream in our faces, having a good time, yadda yadda, you'll wipe me off the face of the planet. Right?" Hercules grinned, a smear of the sweet treat across his bottom lip. Ares reached out and wiped it off, licking his finger clean.

"No, if you ever let on I breached my secret stash of Haagen Dasz, let alone with the intention to share it, I'll tell Discord that you've been secretly longing for her for centuries. She'll never leave you alone again." Ares corrected with a smug grin. Hercules simply stared at him in shock, his jaw hanging open.

"That's evil, even for you." he finally was able to squeeze out. His expression slowly turned introspective, and he asked, " Why was it never like this before with us?"

"Too much competition for daddy's attention?" Ares hazarded with a shrug, flinging away his spoon and attacking the nearly empty container with his fingers, reluctant to let the last drops escape him. Hercules was silent, but chuckled when his brother left off the activity and looked at him, a thin film of rum raisin glazing his beard. Mirroring Ares' earlier action, he cleared it from Ares chin with his thumb, and offered the digit to the God of War. With no hesitation, Ares mouth engulfed it, his tongue sweeping away the confection, his eyes locked with Hercules'. The immortal hero shuddered.

Immortal or no, hero or no, Hercules was frozen in his seat, rocked by the sight and feel of what Ares was doing. When his trapped finger was finally let loose with a parting nip to the callused pad, he swallowed heavily. Ares smiled slowly, leaning his elbows on the table between them.

"Now that you've made your first offering to me, what can I expect from you?" the War God asked silkily, his smoky voice taking on a timbre Hercules had never heard before.

"Offering?" Hercules just couldn't seem to get his mind to let the image of Ares' mouth working over his thumb rest. He breathed shallowly through his nose, and looked almost faint. The bruises and abrasions from their melee had faded, but stood out in high contrast to his suddenly pale skin.

"You did offer yourself to me, didn't you?" dark eyes held dark promises, and Hercules leaned closer to them fractionally.

"Maybe I did." he said so quietly Ares nearly missed it. " Maybe that's the reason for the eternal enmity." he suddenly surged to his feet, sweeping the table out of the way. Neither of them paid attention as it struck the far wall and shattered. Hercules advanced on his brother until they once again stood toe to toe, nose to nose. With a wild look in his eye, Hercules grabbed the front of Ares black leather vest, and hauled him even closer, slanting his mouth to claim the Gods', his tongue flicking tauntingly over Ares full lips. With a ragged groan, Ares hands fisted in Hercules' hair, and he dove headlong into the kiss.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Quiet reigned in the open courtyard where Zeus presided over the Gods and mortal arrayed around him. " I just don't understand it. Athena was always so circumspect. And now this." he shook his great, heavy maned head sadly, then looked out over his 'congregation'.

"She's had a serious Jones for power as long as I've known her." Strife spoke up, for once not huddled with Cupid and/or Tru. He was alone, leaning on no-one. Zeus contemplated his grandson for a long moment.

"I take it that you've decided to support me even though your pet has become merely a figurehead, and not the true focus of aggression?"

"Yeah. And she's not my 'pet'." Strife dared to correct the King of the Gods.

"I can see why you're so taken with her. She reminds me of you, when you were so very young; you couldn't keep your mouth shut then either, always speaking without thinking first." Zeus smirked indulgently at Strife. Mischief considered the comment, beginning to grin, like the sun coming out on a stormy day.

"Maybe," he allowed, winking at his Elder.

"Deimos!" Zeus barked suddenly, and a clatter sounded as the God of Pain jumped in startlement, dropping the cup he'd been drinking from. " I love doing that. He's so jumpy." Zeus commented as an aside to Strife, who snickered.

"Ye-es?" Deimos was front and center in an instant. Zeus looked from one to the other, noting the similarities between his grandsons. " Did you actually have an idea as to what sort of contest we should demand of Apollo and his little playmates?" he steered the topic back to the matter at hand..

"Uhmmm. Something that at least looks fair. And not like a set-up." his sun bronzed skin contrasted sharply with Strife's pallor, but Zeus couldn't shake the impossible similarities when they stood side by side.

"Huh. Nebulous, that, but we can build on it. Strife...anything to add?" Zeus was unsure if he wanted to bond these two together, or keep them far apart. Strife's words derailed that train of thought.

' How 'bout a game of chance? It looks fair, but even without Godly intervention, a game can be rigged. We'd need to demand a total blanket on power use, like 'Cuz said," he nodded toward Deimos, who beamed, " and depend on our ringer." Strife's crafty look announced that he already had someone in mind.

"Indeed. And who should our ringer be?"

"Ares has this one mortal he insists on using for his games, gets really peeved when something prohibits him from getting her to deal for him..." Strife casually gazed around the courtyard, his attention settling on his lovers. Tru's head was shaking back and forth wildly, her eyes round with panic.

"'S'cuse me." he said to Zeus, and walked purposefully to her, drawing her to her feet, and guiding her a discreet distance away. His long fingers latched onto her arms, holding her directly in front of him. " We need to talk." he informed her.

"I can't do it!" she wailed, knees shaking. Strife shook her, and she quieted.

"You need a lesson, Sweetness. The Gods rarely ask for help, especially from a mortal. You've had the balls to call Ares an asshole to his face, take Hera shopping, tell Hercules he's a doofus on numerous occasions, and berate Zeus himself. If your mouth hasn't gotten you killed yet, why are you so afraid of just dealing cards?" his arctic eyes stared hard into hers. Tru looked away, and Strife let her arms go, making a disappointed chuffing noise. He stepped back, arms folded. Tru watched as he closed himself off from her, and something inside her snapped. She crumpled, her knees striking the pavement hard enough to be heard, and Cupid twitched, but didn't rise.

Tru fell forward over her knees, effectively folding herself in thirds, her forehead on her thighs, her hands clutching at Strife's legs. " Please don't send me away." she begged in a small voice, " I won't talk at all anymore, if that's what you want, please.."

Zeus smiled to himself, watching the scene play out in front of him. He wasn't as completely out of the loop as he'd let everyone think, He knew what was going on.

"Trouble, I don't want you to stop talking. I don't even want you to stop giving everyone a hard time. What I want is your help." Strife told her, prying her fingers loose from his legs and dragging her bodily up from the ground.

"I'll screw it up. I screw everything important to me up." she breathed, eyes shut tight.

"You've got to get your head together. I've never seen you back down before. Come on, Tru, you defended me to the God of War! What's one little game?" Strife cajoled, letting her rest against his chest.

"I didn't think about it, then. I didn't think at all. I just did it." she spoke mournfully. Her eyes were red and puffy, but she didn't cry.

"You dealt all those games fer Unc. You can cheat like a child of Hermes. It's only one rigged game, and nobody there'll have the power t'call you out. Don't make me beg." Strife said quietly.

Tru straightened, wiping at her face with her hands, and took a step back. " You never need to beg. I belong to you. You could just order me to do it." she returned, a tiny bit of her backbone showing.

"In all the time I've known you, all the months we three been together, I haven't ordered you to do anything. I won't. I got ordered around all my life, an' half my death, so I'm not real partial to the whole idea. Your choice, babe." Strife walked away from her.

Zeus watched as the annoying little mortal visibly pulled herself together, staring after her God. His opinion of her rose marginally as her shoulders straightened, and a determined look took over her face. She gave one last glance in Strife's direction, and marched her way directly to Zeus' bench.

"I'll try." Tru stated. She flinched when Deimos leaped to her side and from nowhere dropped a 'Yoda' mask over his head.

"There is no try. Do, or do not! Hmmm." he garbled in her ear in the worst Frank Oz voice Tru had ever heard. She couldn't help it, she doubled over with giggles, punching the God of Pain in the arm like a pal. Deimos gently cuffed her back, sending her tottering disastrously into Zeus himself. Zeus caught her, and she held her breath.

"One can't let one's allies fall. It's bad form." he righted her gravely, and she darted away, hiding behind Deimos. " I won't put up with your shrewish tongue, child, but I won't render you to your component atoms for tripping over me, either."

-------------

Hercules arched over his brother's body, head thrown back, hands braced on Ares' chest for balance. Sweat poured from him, stinging the bloody marks gouged into his skin and his partner's. His body rocked at a frenzied pace, until, with a groan, his muscles locked. His thighs clenched tight, he howled his release as Ares' hand milked his shaft, his ass clenching on his brother's cock. Ares bucked under him, a hoarse shout signaling his own orgasm as he spewed his load into Hercules. The mighty demigod flopped forward onto Ares like a sack of potatoes, spent. Ares waited a moment before easing out of the inert form atop him, then rolled his brother to the side, snickering.

"Oh, yeah, laugh at the non-god." Hercules wheezed, then started giggling. The two lay there side by side for a moment, unable to stem the tide of mirth, then the reality of the situation struck them, and they looked at each other.

"So, I guess I have to revise my earlier statement. Sometimes a good fuck IS better than a good fight." Ares pillowed his head on his laced hands, his gaze taking in the utter destruction surrounding them. " Although, in this instance, what's the diff?"

Hercules surveyed the room they were in, and winced. There was not a single piece of furniture still intact, the tapestries that had hung on the walls were wadded beneath them as bedding. In short, it appeared as if a short and hard fought war had been held indoors on account of rain. He glanced at their bodies, and wondered if that was, in fact, the case. If the fight before the ice cream had been brutal, then the sex after had been worse. Each of them was covered in scratches, bite marks, and bruises, blood stained them both, and Hercules idly mentioned, " I think we broke us."

Ares stared at him for a moment, then his expression of shock dissolved into another round of helpless giggles. He hid his face in Hercules' shoulder, unable to stop laughing. Discord chose that moment to pop in.

"Ack!" she yelped, staring incredulously down at the two males on the floor, who wore nothing but sweat, injuries, and similar looks of startled amusement. Her wide eyes took in the shambles around her, and dropped again to Ares. " Eeep." she said succinctly, and vanished. God and demigod shared a look that spoke volumes, and the guffaws began again.

Discord's disembodied voice cracked whip- sharp into the room, " I hope you two know you've traumatized me for life. I think I need to wash my eyes with molten lava to erase the sight of you."

"Eris, get bent." Ares told her sweetly, dragging his protesting body from the floor, cleaning and dressing himself as he rose. Hercules cleared his throat, motioning to the remains of his own clothing, which were shredded all over the room. With a vulpine grin, Ares waved a hand at his brother, washing away the sweat, blood and cum with a thought, but leaving Hercules naked. "I think I like you better this way,"

"Ares..." his brother grimaced, and the War God gave him a smirk in return, dressing him in Hawaiian print baggy shorts, a tank top, and flip flops. Taking in his creation, he began chuckling.

"You two need to go see Zeus. Now. Before I vomit." Both men cringed at the thought of dealing with their father, but followed the dictate, Ares giving Hercules a lift, not out of the goodness of his heart, but rather so that he wouldn't have to suffer alone.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Hades stood in shadow, silent as a statue, and about as animated. His gaze swept the tableau before him coolly, and he stepped forward.

All conversation stopped, shivers running up many a spine. Zeus, unperturbed by his brother's lurking, merely turned and motioned him into the discussion. " I know you have something to say. Get on with it." he said brusquely.

"I suggest that the final planning be left to Deimos and Strife, with the rest of us none the wiser, the more to unsettle the opposition." he spoke shortly, and went back to the shadows, wrapping his cloak tightly around himself.

"Oohhhkay. I guess that's a good idea. Does that mean we're going with the Tru dealing plan?" asked Cupid, looking up from massaging his brother, Deimos' shoulders. The others around him looked at each other blankly, then back to Zeus.

"As a council of advisors, all I can say is, thank all that's holy we've never had to get anything important done in a short amount of time. And where are my sons?" the King of the Gods thundered.

"Gee, Dad, miss us?" Ares posed, leaning one shoulder against a conveniently placed wall, Hercules beside him, plucking distractedly at his tank top with a sour look on his face. Zeus took in his half mortal son's new appearance, and clucked his tongue disparagingly.

"Haven't I told you two to drop the antagonistic posturings and get to know each other?" their father tutted, and Hercules choked, muttering to himself. Ares lips quirked as he suppressed a laugh, and , with a wave, restored his brother's former wardrobe, all in black.

Strife and Cupid had their heads together, giggling maniacally, and Deimos glared at them for not sharing the secret. Tru simply squeezed her eyes shut tight, refraining from saying anything, her circumspection only enforced by Zeus' presence. How the mightiest Olympian could miss the telling marks both men hadn't bothered to hide.

An idea sprang immediately to her mind, and she called out, " Hey, W.G.! Could we use your place to hold this contest?"

Zeus' head swung around, and she winced, but didn't hide. He rumbled a wordless reprimand at her, but Ares stepped forward. " And why would that be?"

"If I gotta do this, I would really like to be able to do it in a familiar setting, where I know all the lighting angles, and how the shadows move an' stuff." she clarified, edging further away from Zeus, who was glowering.

"Hmmm. Yeah. Tactical advantage to the home team and all. I suppose....but we'll discuss reparations later." the God of War shook a finger at her.

"We have apparently decided to go with the joint ideas put forth by Deimos and Strife, and, as Hades suggested, they will handle the final preparations." Zeus declared, enjoying the show about to commence. He knew that if things went awry, he was fully able to put his rebellious children and juniors in their places, but the amusement to be had by letting the Gods 'on his side' tackle the problem was too great to let slip by. Not to mention the sting it would cause if a mere mortal could actually pull this off.

"Deimos and Strife?" Hercules demanded, eyes wide at the potential for absolute chaos the two Gods represented if put together.

"Bingo," Zeus winked at his son, and the demigod felt his shoulders tense, seeing in his father's stance that it was all a game.

Softly, so that it reached his ears alone, Ares whispered to his brother, " Let this pass. It's not our butts on the line, it's the four lousekateers'. If he wants to make an object lesson out of this, he's gonna. We get to sit back and watch this time, instead of being the one's roasted."

Hercules grunted, amazing himself at actually listening to Ares' counsel, rather than just opening his mouth and letting his fists back up whatever he said. Perhaps they'd found common ground finally, in ice cream, damage, and a wild fuck. He sighed and nodded. Ares beamed, cuffing him in an almost affectionate gesture. At least Hercules took it for almost- affection.

Zeus watched them out of the corner of his eye, pretending to pay attention to what Cupid and Tru were discussing, and he smiled inwardly. Let them think they had one over on him; all children needed to think they'd fooled their parent on occasion.

"Okay. We got it." Strife spoke up, elbowing Deimos in the ribs hard to get him to stop cackling. "We know what we're gonna do. We'll see ya there t'night."

"Don't fuck up my Hall!" roared Ares as the two junior Gods vanished, and he pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and fingers, shaking his head. " I need therapy for letting this happen at my place," he muttered.

"Hercules, you will go to Apollo and set down terms. No powers, they'll be mortal from the moment they enter into the Halls of War. The stakes are the mortal's life, versus their punishment at Hades' whim. This is a one-shot offer. And don't mention anything about the insurrection. Let them think they've got the upper hand." Zeus instructed, and sent his son on his way with a small gesture.

"Athena's coming!" Cupid grabbed Tru and vanished without a trace. Ares cloaked himself with invisibility, as did Hades, leaving Zeus to greet his daughter alone. He arranged his robes and watched her clank her way up the stairs to stand before him.

"Almighty Zeus, I regret to bring before you proof of a betrayal." she spoke sonorously, and Ares was glad he was invisible to her, his signature of power eclipsed by his father's. He sniggered into his palm, recalling a line from a film he had once seen.

"So lofty she sounds as if she'd shit marble...hee hee." he squelched the sounds before she could have heard him, but Zeus did, and barely covered his own amusement with a frown, glaring at the place his son was hiding.

"Indeed. Show me." he commanded, waiting. With barely restrained glee, Athena produced the scroll she'd selected earlier, waving it under Zeus' nose. He reached out with alarming swiftness and snatched it from her hand, unrolling it.

' Athena. I have thought this over, and I must say, the time is ripe for a change in leadership for Olympus. I and my sister have seen Zeus turning once again from his duties and falling under the glamour of the mortal world. We agree it is time to put an end to his philandering. Demeter, too is incensed, and asks you to contact her. Apollo (His Seal affixed)'

Zeus cast his eyes to Athena over the top of the scroll, and said, " Where is the rest of it?" he indicated the top of the parchment, which was perfectly even.

"What do you mean?" she lost the smug look that had been on her face since he'd started to read.

"For the Goddess of Wisdom, you're showing precious little right now, my dear. I mean the rest of the scroll, of course, the part you trimmed off." his voice was gentle, lazy, as if he were asking after a relative in polite conversation.

Flustered, Athena stepped back a pace, her cheeks flushing with angry color. " You old fool!" she hissed, her eyes narrowed. " How you found out, I don't know, but they'll regret selling me out."

"Since we all awoke, daughter, I've kept close watch on all of you, watched as petty personality quirks became dangerously amplified, and finer qualities fell by the wayside. I noticed that you, in particular, had grown increasingly more impulsive, less able to reason, and far more power hungry than ever before. I had hoped that you'd pass through the indiscretions, like a phase. You haven't. Hades." he called, and the Lord of the Underworld made himself visible, standing behind his brother's left shoulder. Athena shrieked in fury, drawing her sword and swinging it up in a double handed grip over her head, her intent to split her father's head a second time.

Ares caught her wrists in his hands, disarming her. " Ah, ah ,ah, sis. Once you're born, there's no going back." he tutted, holding her in her indefensible position while she fought and struggled with no skill, no thought, just insane passion. Zeus shook his head sadly.

"I will take her." Hades drew off his cloak and wrapped it around and around his niece, effectively binding her. Zeus rose and walked to Athena, gently removing her Helm, the seat of her power.

"You are Goddess of Wisdom no longer." he said, setting his hand to her forehead. " I leave you your immortality, but you are stripped of your Godhead." he nodded to Hades, who dragged her away, still struggling, screaming her throat raw.

"I wish I didn't have to do that." Zeus handed the Helm to Ares, who looked at it as though it were a poison fish.

"I don't want that. Power's all well and good, but I don't need the extra headaches of trying to manage another God's jurisdiction. Give it to Jercules. Make him work for a while." Ares pushed the offending helmet away.

"You know he won't do it. Doesn't want to be a God. Huh. I wonder what the sleep did to him?" Zeus turned the burnished gold Helm over and over in his hands.

"Well, I know he tried to mingle with the mortal world. Still does, once in a while, but I think it's hard for him to connect. They don't want real heroes anymore. They want fantasies, icons." the God of War rested his hand securely on the hilt of his massive sword, his own symbol of Power. The gesture wasn't lost on his Father.

"You and he still aren't as close as I'd hoped you could be." Zeus said in a completely neutral tone, though the look he cast his son was sly. Ares missed the glance, his eyes focused on the helmet in his Father's hands.

"Any closer and we'd have to be surgically separated," he snorted under his breath, and Zeus, having heard every word smiled, quickly wiping the expression away as his son raised his eyes.

"What was that?" Zeus asked innocently.

"Nothing. Not a thing." Ares replied, popping out in a sharp burst of blue-white light.

"I didn't think so." Zeus chuckled to the empty air.

-------------

"C'mon, Cupid, spill!" Tru begged as she followed him around the bedroom, where he'd transported them both.

"If I do, will you please stop bugging me about the whole subject? It totally creeps me out." he turned to her, hands fisted on his hips. Tru nodded solemnly, and waited.

Sighing, Cupid drew her to the bed and sat her down, perching next to her. " Okay, so, remember when I said most of the Gods went to sleep? Well, some didn't. It was worse for the one's left awake, I think, Athena most definitely. She was alone. I mean really alone. Ares was always really in tune with the mortal world, so was Poseidon, but Athena wasn't. She kinda made herself a prisoner here on Olympus, with only herself for company. She's totally lost it, now. Completely wacked out." he shivered, and Tru reached out a tentative hand, stroking the leading edge of one wing.

Cupid leaned into her touch, resting his head on her shoulder a moment before sitting up, startling her. " I thought you were freaked over this thing with Apollo." he said accusatorily.

"Like I said, if I don't think about it, I can deal. When I start thinking about things too much, I freeze up." she explained, and he studied her for a while, until she started squirming. "What?" she asked, wiping at her face, wondering what he was staring at. Cupid smiled slowly, recalling his brief discourse with Strife before Athena's entrance was announced.

"I'm in charge of wardrobe for this little get together, y'know. Our Strife's got some pretty wicked cool ideas about distracting the bad guys." the God of Love hinted, and Tru, taking the bait, began bouncing, the sparkle of mischief back in her eyes.

"Oooh! Give! C'mon, share!" she was suddenly a ball of energy, leaping off the bed and dancing around. Cupid laughed, watching her as she spun around a bedpost, then dove back onto the bed, jostling him.

"Wanna help?" he asked, and she squealed, wrapping her arms around him and hugging him tight. "I'll take that as a 'yes'." he grunted, the air squeezed out of him, pleased with himself that his ploy to distract Tru was effective, and hoping that Strife's worked as well.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Hercules silently swore at Ares for the hundredth time, tugging at the collar of the tight black t-shirt the God of War had dressed him in, trying not to think about how tight the black jeans were. At least the black, steel toed boots were comfortable enough. He resolved to have a word with his brother when he returned from playing messenger boy. Monochrome just wasn't his style. He raised one fist to pound on the door of Apollo's palace, and jumped back when the door was jerked savagely open.

"What do you want?" Apollo himself demanded sullenly, eyeing his relative with displeasure.

"Nice to see you too." Hercules rejoined sarcastically. He leaned one callused hand on the massive door frame, his posture tilting closer to Apollo. The golden God hurriedly drew back, as if nervous about the possibility of touching his half- brother.

"If you have something to say to me, say it. If not, get out of here." Apollo was more brusque than Hercules could ever remember him being. Rude, yes, officious, superior, snobbish, certainly, but never so high strung.

Hercules studied Apollo for an instant before speaking, noting a certain tightness around his eyes, a tension in his shoulders. He stood up straight, taking his hand away from the door, and away from his brother as well. " I have a message from Zeus. Your problems with Cupid and Strife keeping a mortal on Olympus will be addressed tonight, in the Halls of War. There's gonna be a contest, winner decides Trouble's fate, all or nothing. The stipulations are as follows: This is a one time shot, accept the terms, or forfeit. There will be no powers once the players are in place - That means everyone participating will be mortal. Final outcome is just that, final. Zeus will referee. No guests allowed. Ares and I will be there with Deimos to keep order, and make sure no one crashes the party." The demigod took a deep breath, pleasantly surprised he'd gotten the whole thing out at once, and waited for the apoplectic display he expected in return.

Apollo stared through him for a few moments, then rotated his shoulders, trying to ease some of the tension. He watched Hercules suspiciously, but when no more information was offered, he gave a short, sharp nod, and replied, " Tonight, Ares' Hall. I'll inform the others." then the monolithic door shut with a boom in Hercules' face.

"Wow. Either he's gotten a lot more twisted than I ever thought he could, or I'm the Muse of Poetry." Hercules muttered to himself, turning around and heading off down the wide, pristine avenue, back toward Ares fortress, rather than his Father's compound.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Zeus paced up and down his open air courtyard, waiting for Hades to return. He was impatient, and the sky mirrored his mood, grey clouds washing by rapidly, pushed by a fierce wind. He noticed what he was doing, and stopped, staring up at the not- quite- storm he was causing. With a sigh, he banished the ill weather, and resumed his seat on the marble bench.

In a twist of black smoke, Hades materialized in front of his brother, his cloak gathered tightly around him. He gestured, and a grey granite stool appeared near Zeus. The Lord of the Underworld sank down on it, and met his brother's eyes.

"Is she irretrievable?" Zeus asked, for once faced with something he couldn't control or dominate. He despised the feeling of helplessness the situation had fostered in him, and looked to his close kin for comforting news.

Hades dropped his gaze, leaning his elbows on his knees, his hands clasped together, his head bowed and shoulders hunched. Zeus waited for Hades to speak, knowing not to rely on body language when dealing with his dark and secretive sibling.

After several heartbeats, Hades head tilted up, and he spoke quietly. " Aesclepius is with her. I've installed her in a suite in Asphodel, with Heph's power - nullifying gadgets on her. She was still raving when I left them. I truly don't know if she'll be able to reclaim her station."

Zeus let his head fall into his hands and scrubbed at his face, his fingers combing his beard into stiff, spiky disarray. " I loathe this inability to cure my daughter. Damn it! I'm the bloody King of the bloody Gods! How can I not be able to ameliorate this problem?" he demanded in a harsh rasp, and the sky blackened with thunderheads, lightning reaching hungrily across them with skeletal fingers of light.

"It was the accumulated effects of the long sleep, Brother, and the fact that she didn't succumb to it. Her centuries of being alone with her own thoughts have twisted her mind and broken her ability to think rationally. She chose her exile here, rather than seek refuge in the mortal world, like Ares and his subordinates, and Poseidon and his lot. I and mine were apart, separate from everyone else. We weren't affected by the lack of worshipers, since my realm is full of them. The reason there is no way for you to snap your fingers and make her well again... " he hesitated, then plunged on, " is that she did this to herself. She is a captive of her own mind, Zeus, and only she can truly heal herself." Hades stopped speaking, sitting upright and stretching out his back.

Zeus stared into Hades unfathomable eyes, his own holding a strange mixture of impotent rage and pained acceptance. " Thank you, Brother, for taking her in and caring for her. If I can repay your kindness...."

"You already have." Hades voice grew cold, and Zeus could swear he saw the image of Demeter in his unwavering gaze.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"No! It should be a juke joint from the 1920's, North America, the South." Deimos informed his cousin stridently, the tendons in his neck taut with the force of his words. Strife stood opposite him, leaning forward over War's altar, his hands braced on it's surface, shaking his head.

"How 'bout a sixteenth century French brothel?" he offered in response to his blond doppelganger.

"Nah. I was there. Ick." Deimos refuted, and set his chin on his fist after mirroring Strife's pose. "Hey, maybe a Vegas casino, when they were all cheesy, y'know, two tone shag carpets, shiny vinyl, color schemes in avocado and orange, like the 70's?"

"Hmmm. We gotta agree on something soon. 'Kay, it's gotta be unfamiliar, noisy, distracting, and above all, confusing. Shit. I wish I had a perfect picture in mind, but there's so much to choose from..." the God of Mischief let his mind wander aimlessly for a minute, then the gleam of inspiration flared like neon in his eyes. Deimos leaned in closer, appreciating the truly frightening grin slowly spreading across Strife's face.

"What, what?" cried the God of Pain, squirming with anticipation.

"The idea is to make the bonehead brigade as off balance as possible, and my Tru as comfortable as we can, yeah? So why didn't I think of this sooner? Fuck me sideways, I guess bein' dead fer so long threw me off my stride." Strife muttered, and Deimos wasn't sure if his cousin were talking to him, or himself. He was practically writhing across the altar, his hands itching to latch onto Strife and throttle him into spilling his insight.

Finally Mischief noticed Pain going into paroxysms of impatience, contorting his lanky body in ways that made him wince. He addressed his relative, " Uh, Deimos? Are you prone to seizures?"

Deimos let out a shriek of annoyance, and flopped face down on the cold black slab, bouncing his head off it for good measure. " Tell me!" came his muffled voice.

Strife snickered, and, in a tone as if to say, ' You gotta get ahold o' yourself', said," American West, mid nineteenth century, say...1850 or so. Nevada? New Mexico? Anyway, Tru's a closet Western fanatic. She talked Cupe an' me into a marathon, one time. We watched 'Tombstone', 'The Long Riders', 'Young Guns' 1 and 2, ' The Quick and the Dead', y'know, the one with the Australian guy, Russell Crowe?" Strife paused, taking in the glazed look in Deimos' eyes. He shrugged, and casually slapped the God of Pain in the face, bringing him back to attention.

"Hey!" Deimos glowered at the pale God on the other side of Ares' altar, but grinned a moment later. " There is such a thing as too much info, y'know?"

"Yeah, I discovered that when we got around to watchin' somethin' Tru labeled a 'clitoral western', I think it was 'Bad Girls'." Strife sighed and pressed on with the matter at hand. " So, we got a theme. All we need now is the setting. I'm thinkin' a dingy saloon, with ugly, unwashed dudes spittin' inta those brass buckets, an...." he trailed off at Deimos expression of fiendish glee and rapidly shaking head.

"Nuh-uh. We gotta go all out, with a really big, glitzy, gilt everything, red velvet flocked wallpaper, piano player in the corner SALOON. It's gotta have, like, the bartender with the psycho mustache, and lotsa fancy dressed whores, and tough cowboys, and..." Strife derailed his excited ramble with a cuff to the back of Deimos' head.

"You wanna stop doin' that?" he growled, his usually milky green eyes sparking and sharp with anger. The anger changed immediately to incredulousness when his cousin gave him a beatific smile.

"You're abso- freakin'- lutely right, Cuz. Let's get on it." Strife clapped his hands in anticipation, rubbing them together. The first change he made was to transform the ornate obsidian hued altar into a green baize covered, ridiculously gaudy professional dealer's table from the era of the gold rush.

Deimos cackled, watching his former nemesis, his father's favorite goad to make the God of Pain feel wretched. The emotions of resentment and inadequacy faded as he, too, began remodeling the Halls of War. He discovered that he liked being listened to, recognized as having ideas of merit. And it had only taken him a little over two thousand years to get his family to actually approve of those ideas enough to involve him in more than side line action. The God of Pain was high on a rush of unfamiliar emotion: not love, but happiness.

-------------

"What the FUCK have you deranged weasels done to my Hall?" screamed Ares, appearing with no warning amidst the hustle and bustle being orchestrated by Deimos and Strife. All movement froze, the two junior Gods ducking out of reflex.

Strife straightened first, pausing to adjust the fit of his spiffy 'Western Gambler' outfit before addressing his Uncle's query. " We got it covered, Unc," he drawled, sauntering over, his spurs jangling as he moved.

Ares couldn't speak. The muscles in his jaw twitched, the big vein in his forehead throbbed, and his eyes glittered like lightning flashing off a blade. Nostrils flared, he sucked in a breath, jerked his head to one side, cracking his neck, and growled, " I told you not to fuck up my place."

Strife just stood there, grinning, head cocked to one side, not offering any kind of apology or excuse. The God of War stared him in the eye, looking for the tiniest sign of hesitation. It never came. Deimos broke the battle of wills, arms flailing, shouting, " Do that later! Zeus will be here any minute!"

Both his father and his cousin turned their glares on him with perfect synchronicity, and he gulped audibly. He was saved from being double teamed by the appearance of Hercules, who entered through the front doors. As he stepped into the hush, he glanced around self-consciously, asking, " What? Do I look that different in black?"

All three Gods answered in three part harmony, "Yes," before ignoring him completely.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Cupid covered his ears to protect them from the squeals of giddy joy Tru was emitting, quite sure the sound could bend metal. " Tru! Trouble!" he yelled, and she turned her ecstatic countenance toward him.

"Westerns! Strife picked a saloon! I just love it!" she leapt into his arms, hugging him, planting kisses on his cheeks, and cooing in his already abused ears. Cupid had to admit ruefully that this version of the young woman was much more to his liking than the momentarily cowed and weepy one who'd hidden behind him in Zeus' courtyard.

"Okay, I get it, you're mildly tickled at the idea." he said drily, giving her a squeeze before holding her at arms length to get her attention. When he had it, he told her, " Keep it together, help me with the outfits, and just get through the game tonight, and I'll personally deliver to you, in bed, one God of Mischief wearing the Clint Eastwood 'Outlaw Josey Wales' gear - even the spurs." He could feel her practically vibrate under his hands, and realized she had it bad, both for the bribe, and the pale lover they shared. He wondered for a moment how he could have missed that development, being the God of Love, then shrugged it off for consideration later.

"'Kay." she chirped, and he let her go. She continued speaking, " Piece of cake. Cake walk, Walk in the Park..."

Cupid recognized the dreamy look on her face, having put it there on others, himself, so many times. He shook his head. " Tru, costumes?"

"Yup. I'm on it." she pulled herself out of her impromptu fantasy, and frowned, concentrating. In moments, she brought her thoughts into a coherent order. " Ready?" she asked, settling on the nearest available flat surface, which happened to be the floor at his feet. Without waiting, she began. " Zeus: The long duster, Wyatt Earp lawman outfit from Tombstone. You have to be Doc Holliday. Ares needs to be in the Ace Hanlon black leather gunman suit from Quick and the Dead. You know, with the really cool aces painted on the boots. Herc. hmmm. put him in the Wild Bill Hickock duds from White Buffalo, the one at the beginning of the movie, with the shades." she fiddled absently with the hem of her t-shirt as she spoke, her eyes on his face the whole time.

Cupid listened in rapt fascination as she rattled the assignments off, memorizing them as she went.

"I get to be Calamity Jane, the one with Ellen Barkin, not Doris Day. Make Deimos Buffalo Bill, he'll like that. Demeter gets to be a Salvation Army band marcher, in that nasty blue wool. Artemis should be a showgirl, with lots of itchy crinoline. Make her wear lots of that blue eyeshadow, rouge, and a really tight corset." Tru was on a roll. " Apollo has to be Custer, the whole uniform. No saber, though, and no gun. Is Hades gonna be there?"

Cupid looked blankly at her, then focused on her sudden question, rather than her costuming choices. " I think so. I did tell you Athena is removed from the whole situation? " he sighed as she gave a negative head shake. " Zeus got Hades to take care of her while she's ..." he gave up trying to tell her, wincing. Tru patted his knee comfortingly.

"While she's resting." she finished delicately for him. He smiled and motioned for her to continue. Tru took a deep breath and forged on," Okay, Hades. That's not easy. His should be...the Clint Eastwood Pale Rider. That's the one. Did I miss any body?"

Cupid thought a moment. " I don't think so, but if you did, we can do it off the cuff." He gave her a hand up from the floor, and transported them both to the Halls of War.

Tru bumped into Cupid upon arrival, and he steadied her absently, watching as Deimos sailed by, landing against the far wall with a thud and a mild comment of, " Ow."

Ares followed closely, on foot, predatorily stalking his son, who was scrambling into an upright position. Deimos noticed Cupid and Tru, and cast a sickly grin in their direction, distracting Ares.

Glancing over, a very perturbed War God grunted " It's about time you two showed up," without breaking his stride. He reached Deimos, roughly grabbed him by collar and belt, and raised him, kicking and screaming over his head, preparatory to flinging him through a wall. A discrete cough stayed his action.

"Son, we really don't have time for this nonsense. Do you think you might finish this romp at a later date?" Zeus asked, finding a chair that wasn't in splinters and taking a seat.

"Aww, Dad, it was just getting good," came Hercules' voice from off to the side. Everyone's eyes were riveted immediately to the demigod, sitting back in the shadows beside Strife, both of them drinking what appeared to be Pina Colada slurpees.

"Who are you, and where is my son?" barked Zeus, hauling the trailing hem of his long robe up to wade through the debris littering the floor.

"I'm me. I mean, I was me...wait, that sounded wrong..." Hercules grinned up at his father, who loomed over him, waiting for an explanation. Zeus probed around his son's aura, and drew back when he detected the signs of a serious sugar rush, compounded by alcohol..

"Certainly, son. You're fine." he said soothingly, glaring aside at Strife, who smiled innocently back at his grandfather.

"He's way looser now." Strife commented, sotto voce.

"I'd say he's wound tighter than a Fate's thread." Zeus responded. He turned back to Ares, who had put Deimos back on his feet, but hadn't released his hold on his collar. " Let the boy go so they can finish decorating, Ares."

The God of War snarled, but let go. Deimos fell back, rubbing at his throat, and made a strategic withdrawal to the other side of the Hall. " Hey, Cuz, can we repair all the props before curtain time?" he coughed to Strife.

"I can." Zeus waved one hand negligently, and the room was once again a gaudy, over done gambling establishment / whorehouse of the old west. The Olympian looked around himself in somewhat disgusted awe. " This is hideous." he commented.

"Wait till you see the costumes." Strife rejoined, leaping up from his seat and joining Cupid and Tru, who had watched the whole scene with avid interest.

"Costumes?" Zeus hesitated, but Cupid took the question for a cue, and the chamber was filled with brilliant light and color. When everyone could see again, there was a general outcry of surprise.

Cupid smugly adjusted the silk brocade waistcoat he wore, and shifted his shoulders, feeling oddly naked with his wings in hiding. Tru bubbled happily, grabbing his shoulder and kissing his cheek, then rushed to Strife and enthusiastically hugged him. He returned her embrace, liking the dun colored suede and leather outfit on her.

Ares' strident voice shattered the moment. " Oh, please. It isn't bad enough that my place gets rearranged by Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee, now I have to look like a..." his words cut off abruptly as his semi divine brother approached and whispered something to him.

Everyone waited for the explosion, but it never manifested. Instead, an enormous, cheesy grin wreathed the God's face, and he punched Hercules in the shoulder. Hercules staggered slightly, grinning back at his older sibling.

"I changed my mind." Ares smirked, and summoned a bottle of rotgut and shot glasses, installing them on the table that had previously been his altar.

Deimos breathed a sigh of relief, sinking to the floor, pushing the brim of his dusty cowboy hat up so it sat on the back of his head. " How are you gonna get the others into their costumes?" he wondered aloud. Cupid turned to him with a twinkle in his eye.

"I got it rigged so that it hits 'em as they pop in. Cool, huh?" Cupid preened a bit, practicing rolling a coin across the tops of his knuckles and down into his hand, again and again. Tru elbowed Strife, pointing out the activity.

"He really gets into his role playing, don't he?" she whispered, and Strife wiggled his eyebrows provocatively.

"Mischief, I am rolling," Cupid drawled, his imitation perfect. Tru sputtered, and Strife patted her on the back solicitously, ogling the God of Love lewdly.

"I'm beginnin' t'see your fascination with this stuff." Strife murmured, pressing up against her.

"Hey! None of that in my HALL!" roared Ares, still put out. Hercules bent double with inebriated giggles.

"Yeah, only Ares is allowed to get frisky around here!" the demigod chortled, ducking as Ares swung on him, dancing back away from the God of War turned gunslinger. Deimos just maintained his seat against the wall, conjuring himself a huge chocolate malt and spectating.

Zeus, having had enough, thundered, " Silence!"

Every one went utterly still, not daring to move. The King of the Gods harrumphed sourly, adjusting his floor length creme duster on his shoulders, and smoothing down the lapels of his knee length black suit coat.. " Better. Now, Hades will be bringing some servers from Asphodel, just to create background noise. Questions?"

Tru's hand shot up, exactly as if she were still in school. Zeus' storm colored eyes lighted on her, and she asked hurriedly, " I know I'm gonna deal, so I'm outta the game. Who's playin'? And what game? And am I supposed to throw the game one way or the other, or just let it ride? Should I..." Strife stopped her babble with a gentle hand over her mouth. He blew a light breath into her ear and she relaxed into his grip, her tension subsiding.

"Interesting technique." Zeus informed his grandson, but addressed Tru's queries. " Strife, Cupid, and Hades will be playing for you, Apollo, Artemis, and Demeter for themselves. The Game?" he glanced to Ares, who was standing with feet planted wide and arms aggressively crossed near Hercules, who was fussing with his string tie and stiff collar.

"Five card stud, no wilds, one stack of chips each." Ares considered a moment, then nodded decisively, " Anyone who loses all their chips is out of the game. The last one at table is the winner."

"Fine, fine. It's your choice, child, when and for whom to cheat. You are the dealer, you control the game." Zeus rumbled, and Tru let out a deep breath.

"Right. Okay. No Problem." Tru said, almost like a self-pep talk.

The gaslights situated around the walls flickered, guttering for a moment, then flaring up. Hades coalesced out of smoke between Zeus and Tru, his armor twisting and writhing on his body as it slowly metamorphosed into his Pale Rider ensemble. He quirked a brow at Tru, taking in his attire. "Lovely choice, Trouble." he approved with a small, wintery smile.

"You practice entrances like that, don't you?" Hercules grinned to his uncle, and Ares rolled his eyes.

"Now I know why he doesn't drink." the God of War groaned, as his brother slapped him on the back and laughed.

-------------

Artemis, sister of Apollo, stood silently behind a golden pillar in her brother's temple, watching. Her sharp eyes tracked Apollo's rangy, bronzed form as he paced, speaking to himself. She felt the sting of tears at the backs of her eyes, and angrily rubbed at the offending organs. " I am still the Goddess of the Hunt, and of the Moon!" she told herself angrily, " I do not cry!"

Apollo's head came up at her words, and he called out, " 'Temi?" his voice rough. He stopped his pacing and waited for her to appear. Putting on a happy face for his benefit, she strode out from her lurking spot, arms outstretched to wrap her twin in a hard hug. She released him and stepped back, looking at him closely.

"'Pol? Athena's out of it." Artemis said gently, and watched as her brother wiped a hand over his brow. He glanced at her skeptically, but her expression verified her claim.

"Then we don't have to do this?" he asked hopefully, his hands waving vaguely.

"You know we do. Demeter won't let the matter drop, even when we've no hope of triumph. You know how she is-- worse than a dog with a bone." Artemis strolled to a low divan and sank down.

"I know...I'd just hoped..." he shrugged, staring off into space. " 'Temi, I don't know what's gonna happen tonight, and I don't really care. Athena and Demeter were the ones who pushed this thing so hard. All I wanna do is go back to sleep."

"I know, 'Pol. But we got in this mess. Doesn't matter if it was blackmail or not. We have to see it finished, one way or the other. You and I both know Zeus can swat us all like flies, and not bat an eye. We know he knows the whole 'bitching about the mortal' was a front. Athena is even now in Asphodel, shrieking her head off to your son Aesclepius about killing Zeus and taking over. Everyone knows." she beckoned him to come sit beside her. He did, balanced on the edge of the seat as if he were ready to flee at any moment.

"I don't give a good damn about Strife and Cupid's messy little mortal. They could keep a stable of them in the Grand Hall, for all I care. I just want to do my duties and be left alone." Apollo, sighed tiredly. Artemis wound an arm around his waist comfortingly, her head resting against the back of his shoulder.

"Come on, then. Let's get over to Ares' and see what horrors they've set up. You can bet the game is allowed one outcome. We've already lost." the Sun God rose despondently, pulling his sister with him, and they both flashed out.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Demeter flung yet another ornament to the floor, the sound of it smashing soothing her fury not at all. " That bitch!" she shrieked, her flowing chiton twisting about her ankles as she stalked the room, fists clenched, eyes burning. Persephone, wisely remaining in an alcove and out of the danger zone, let out a sigh of long suffering.

"You should never have entertained the idea, Mother. You knew Athena was unstable, you knew 'Pol and 'Temi wanted nothing to do with the actual implementing of the plan... in short, you've screwed yourself. I can't believe you did this just so Athena would annul my marriage and give me back to you." Persephone's voice sounded sad, almost defeated. It brought her mother's attention squarely upon her.

"Don't think to browbeat me, my girl. You know I despise your mockery of a marriage to that ghoul. I know what's best for you, and he's never been it. I'll see it end, if it's the last thing I do." Demeter's face clouded with rage, her hands like claws as they latched onto her daughter's arms.

Persephone writhed free and glared at her mother, her spine ramrod straight. " How dare you? That whole load of crap and your temper tantrum may have worked two thousand years ago, but I've had enough! I'm going to petition Zeus to remove your rights to see me at all." she hissed, and faded from view, Demeter's hand passing through empty air where her face had previously been.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Tru sat at the massive altar-cum-poker table, mindlessly shuffling cards, doing tricks with them, dealing black jack hands to Deimos, Hercules, and Ares, who sat across from her, bored with the waiting. Hades and Zeus were off in a corner, their heads together, discussing something quietly, and Cupid had spirited Strife off, promising to return before the action started.

"I'd rather be with Cupe an' Strife," she mentioned, dealing cards to the three Gods with one hand, and cutting another deck with the other.

"Yeah. I bet we all would." Deimos responded, and Hercules coughed, only avoiding spraying the table with coffee by a quick turn of his head.

"Speak for yourself, brat." Ares checked his hole card, and requested another. It came up a queen, putting him over. He made a face, and Tru grinned.

"Just practicing, W.G. " she taunted him, and ducked as he lazily swatted at her, missing on purpose.

"Heads up. We got incoming." Deimos perked up, his words earning him a scandalized glance from Hercules.

More than slightly out of breath, Cupid and Strife made it just under the wire, appearing milliseconds before Apollo and Artemis. The twins looked around at the other costumes, then at themselves, groaning.

"I look like a tart. Even Discord dresses better than this." Artemis sniffed, trying to loosen the corset so she could breathe. Her brother gaped open- mouthed at her saloon vamp dress, and was thankful his own uniform was only scratchy and confining, not in obscenely poor taste.

"We're here to get this over with." he announced, and took a seat, pointedly ignoring Tru and the others sitting near him. Artemis situated herself opposite him.

"Ooh, snubbed in my own Hall. Now that takes some tough stones." Ares purred, rising. He poked Hercules and Deimos to remind them they weren't playing, and Mischief and Love took their places. Hades glided over, a grim smile on his face, and sat nearest Tru.

"Only one more player." Zeus said softly, and wondered why he felt two power signatures. In moments, Persephone was before him, as was her mother, both talking a mile a minute. " Stop!" he commanded, and turned first to Persephone in the resultant silence.

"I want to be quit with her. I am tired of her constantly interrupting my life and marriage. I want her deal of six months a year broken." Hades beamed at his wife, but said nothing.

"It can't be done!" Demeter shrilled, completely missing the fact that her chiton had been replaced by a dowdy, all concealing Salvation Army Band woolen frock, deep blue and heavy.

"I am the final arbiter of what can and cannot be done, Sister." Zeus reminded her gently, his tone deceptive.

"She's mine! Mine to do with as I please. If you even consider taking her side, there will never be another harvest, never another spring." Demeter's voice cracked.

"It will be decided after the game. Old business before new business." Zeus decreed, a sparkle in his eye, an idea forming. He ushered her to the only remaining seat at the table, and forced her into the chair. The King of the Gods concentrated, his brow furrowing, as he leeched the aspects of his own power from the Gods sitting around the table, relieving them temporarily of their aegis. Around each of their necks appeared a thin chain, Hephaestus' work, effectively making them mortal for the duration of the game.

Hades grinned conspiratorially at his brother, knowing Zeus had done nothing to him, leaving him his power and his Godhood.

"Begin." Zeus intoned, winking at Hades. People began appearing in random spots around the room, including the piano player and mustachioed bartender Deimos had stipulated. As the noise and confusion grew, Demeter's face drew into a frown, and Artemis and Apollo glanced around confusedly. The air warmed, becoming dry and stifling, the taste of dust heavy. Tru took the bottle of whiskey Ares had set out earlier and poured the seven shot glasses full, indicating that everyone should drink.

"I won't be drinking that swill," sniffed Demeter, and Ares spoke up from behind her, rearranging the whore on his lap so he could see the table

"It's part of the game, lady. Do it or forfeit. Part and parcel." he crowed, and flicked his fingers rudely at Hercules when he frowned.

"Let's get this goin'," prodded Strife, watching Tru carefully. She opened a fresh pack of cards, cracked her knuckles, and set them next to the two already marked decks.

"Ready?" she asked, and at the nods she received, cut the deck and dealt the first hand, motioning for the first bet. From her right, Hades anted up a single chip from the short stack at his place. Next to him, Apollo waffled, then added his own. Strife was next, then Cupid, followed by Demeter, and finally Artemis. The game proceeded slowly, with the small exception of Strife constantly wiggling in his seat, hunching over his cards, and giggling as though someone were perpetually tickling him. Cupid set his hand down several times to grab ahold of the pale God, shaking him, cuffing him affectionately, whispering in his ear. None of those tactics worked, until finally, tired of watching his nephew twitch like a speed freak being given electroshock therapy, Ares stood up.

"Strife!" he bellowed, aiming a sphere of crackling white energy at the legs of Mischief's chair. " Sit still, or so help me, you won't be able to sit."

Cupid rolled his eyes, silently gesturing for Hercules to do something. Hercules shrugged helplessly, then nudged his irate brother, offering him a drink which he snagged from the tray of a passing bar girl.

By the time Zeus called a break, both Cupid and Artemis were out of chips, and out of the game.

Tru stretched her arms above her head, and cooed with rapture when strong hands began massaging her shoulders. She looked up to see Ares, and jerked violently. " What the hell.." she demanded, and he bent low to hiss in her ear, his beard tickling her neck.

"Settle down, Trouble. Apollo's getting antsy. Give him two decent hands, and then rain on his parade. Hades will change the new deck for the marked one when you all sit down again. He still has power. Now pretend I didn't just tell you something useful." he waited a moment, sure she was going to say something off color, and nearly yelped at her sharp tug on his beard. He leapt back in surprise.

"That is the sickest thing I've ever heard!" she yelled, and wiped at her face where he'd touched her. " I mean, really gross!" she threw him a look of unparalleled disgust, winking when no one else would see. Ares shrugged as if rebuffed, and Strife glared across the room. Deimos, voicing a nervous titter, moved strategically behind Zeus.

Persephone, overjoyed to be with Hades again, shot murderous looks at her mother, who returned them with venom. " I wish she'd let me go." she murmured to her dark husband, shielding her face in the wide lapel of his coat. His arms tightened around her, and his lips brushed her hair.

"Soon, my love. Soon." he assured her, gently extracting himself from her embrace. Zeus called an end to the break, and the game resumed.

Apollo almost perked up when his stack of chips acquired some height, but sank again into apathy at his next hand, a pitiful pair of twos. The run of bad luck set him back severely, and he had to fold on a promising hand, since he couldn't ante up.

Ares bottle of hooch constantly refilled itself as the players drank a shot after each hand. By the time Apollo had lost all his chips, Demeter was listing heavily in her chair, her eyelids drooping. Tru looked to Strife, who was sweating, his usually nimble fingers fumbling slightly. Hades was flushed, and she , herself, felt lightheaded. She shook her head to clear it, and continued, dealing from the bottom and middle of the deck. Strife was the next out.

Zeus ordered a short rest, and Tru breathed a sigh of relief. She tottered to where Cupid and Strife were propped against the bar, watching the bartender with the outrageous handlebar mustache wiping mindlessly at already clean glassware.

"Hey, guys." she greeted, and was immediately pulled between them.

"Tru, do you know what Ares wanted in return for using his Hall?" Cupid asked, his face serious.

"No, but I have a good idea." she responded, puzzled. Strife stared at her with a strange mix of jealousy and fear in his expression. " What?" she asked, beginning to worry.

"He can't have you." Strife growled, his hand closing tight around her wrist. She winced, and pulled away. Mortal, for the moment, and drunk, the God of Mischief let her go. " I don't care what happens, he can't have you." he repeated.

"Oh, and I'm sure he'd want me when he can have anybody on the planet," Tru smirked, missing the despondent look her pulling away brought to Strife's face.

"I saw what he was doin'. I heard what'cha said."

"Oh, Strife...he was giving me the cue to start pushin' cards. The whole thing was a cover." she said, and gasped as all the air was crushed out of her by her God's sudden, unexpected hug. Cupid looked on with amusement. He'd feared his own jealousy would rear it's ugly head, but apparently he'd outgrown the curse.

"It's time for me to go do my job." she wheezed, and directed Strife into Cupid's waiting arms, straightening her stifling leathers. " How the fuck do you guys wear leather all the time?" came her parting shot over her shoulder.

"'Cus we look too good in it!" Strife called after her. He scooted closer to Cupid, settling his arm more comfortably around his waist. " Why'm I so overprotective of her?" he wondered aloud, his gaze distant.

"The love of a mortal, freely given, expecting nothing in return, is a powerful thing." Zeus interrupted their huddle, ambling over. He beamed at his grandsons.

"Huh?" Strife's bleary eyes cleared as his grandfather banished the effects of the drink. " What's that got to do with anything?"

"Twit. She loves you. I hardly think she'll ever admit it, but..." Zeus smiled to himself, and, having set Strife on his ear, leisurely strolled back to his place by the table.

Cupid couldn't help the laugh that bubbled out of him at the jaw hanging look of surprise his beloved wore, and once it started, he couldn't stop it. Strife glanced at him, expecting him to refute Zeus' claim, but Cupid merely nodded, unable to speak through his giggles.

At the table, only Hades and Demeter remained, and their chips were fairly even. Tru started the round with a fair hand, not influencing the game either way. Soon, though, it became apparent her skills were not needed, as Demeter bet recklessly, betting high on a weak hand, and folding on a decent one. She filled her own glass, gulping down the burning liquor, and finally lost.

"No! I'm not done!" she slurred, her hair hanging down in her face. She braced her hands on the table top, turning red rimmed eyes to Hades. He regarded her like some unpleasant species of bug.

"You can't win, you ghoul. I won't have it." Demeter growled, and Hades eyes flashed silver. The drunken Goddess sneered at him, " One hand, double're nothin'"

"No. You lost. You're mine now, to punish as I see fit. Those were the rules." Hades gloated quietly, and Persephone suddenly appeared at his elbow, smiling.

"NOOO!" Demeter howled, launching herself across the table at the smiling face of the Lord of the Underworld. He moved to the side, and she crashed inelegantly to the floor, face first.

Ares winced, " Ooh, that's gotta hurt." and rose from his spectator's position, looking down on Apollo and Artemis, who were beside him. " You know, if you thought about it, one of us could've helped you, when Athena started blackmailing you. Too late now." he snapped his fingers, and thin, silver manacles appeared on both sets of wrists.

"There's got to be a better way..." Hercules started, emerging from the silence he'd held throughout the game. Ares grunted, waiting for the bleeding heart drivel he was sure was on it's way.

"No. Even if they came by it unwillingly, they participated in plotting my death. This will hopefully educate them." Zeus interjected, waving his hand and sending the twins away. His focus shifted to Hades. " I realize that I promised to allow you free reign, Brother, but, a moment of your time?"

Hades waited for the bomb he was sure Zeus had up his sleeve.

"It occurs to me, we're in need of an interim Goddess of Wisdom, until Athena's outcome is assured, anyway. Persephone needs to claim a position equal to that of Demeter to escape any hold on her. I need a functioning Goddess to keep the wheels functioning. Do we have a deal?" Zeus asked, enjoying the stunned faces that stared back at him.

"I'll do it." Persephone finally said, her voice a trifle unsteady. Demeter crumpled to the floor in a dead faint. Hades, completely unprepared, caught his wife up in his arms and swung her around before gathering Demeter's person and popping the three of them out.

"Hmmm. Tidy, that." Zeus mused, returning Strife and Cupid's Godhoods and removing the chains from their necks. They stretched, re-energized, and looked about to collect Tru and flee.

"Uh-uh. We have business." Ares forestalled them, getting shed of his gunslinger attire and assuming his familiar leathers as he walked toward them. Tru held up one hand, for once ignoring Zeus' temporizing presence.

"Hang on, W.G. I know I owe for you lettin' us use the Hall, but don't get too greedy." she stood between her Gods, one arm around each waist.

"Oh, no. No, no, no. I think a fair trade is in order. You already owe me the Big Game, one off match, and tutoring for my (ahem) son on a basic system. Let's build on that. I want six other side matches, my discretion."

"Why do I get the feeling this could take all day?" Hercules asked Cupid, finding a chair and sitting down.

"It can. It has before." Strife answered for his lover, and found his own chair, leaving Cupid to fend for himself.

Zeus watched them all forget about him, an indulgent, if smug grin on his face. He vanished silently, the sounds of their haggling and conversation still in his ears.

`*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Hera banished the huge scrying pool as Zeus appeared, Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Hermes, Dionysus, and several mortals exchanging tokens and money amid an excited babble of voices.

"I take it you're pleased with the outcome?" Hera dimpled at her husband, and he gazed back with a melancholy sigh.

"For the most part, yes. Our two sons have stopped trying to kill each other, at least for the moment, and we have an end to the 'Seph, Hades, Demeter debacle. I could wish the whole Athena incident to Tartarus, but that won't alter the facts. Will the harvests and springtimes still happen without Demeter to oversee them?" he asked, sinking down onto the couch Hera reclined on.

"Yes, as they did while we all slept. If something untoward occurs, we'll simply see if Hades is finished with her punishment. As you know, we all expect it to take years." Hera made room for her once estranged husband, eyeing his wardrobe with a quirked brow.

"Ah, yes." he transformed the suit and long duster into his usual robes, enjoying the feel of the rich fabrics on his skin again. "Better." he sighed, and glanced pointedly at the assembled Gods and mortals, who were watching.

"Be off, you voyeurs." Hera laughed, and they were gone in moments, leaving the King and Queen alone.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ares sat back in his restored throne, staring at his restored (and polished) altar. Hercules stared up at him, feet braced, arms folded, a serious expression on his face.

"What? Wait, don't tell me, you disapprove." Ares held a hand to his brow as if he were having visions. His eyes snapped open, flashing anger at his brother.

"Yup. Can't you think of anything better to do than sit there and look smug?" Hercules taunted, and rapidly began backing up as Ares descended from his throne, stalking him.

" Huh. If I didn't know better, I'd call that a challenge" the war God chuckled, a deep, smoky sound. Hercules dodged to one side, and was immediately countered by his brother. " You want out, you gotta go through me."

"I was hoping you'd say that," Hercules continued to evade Ares, backing just out of range each time he struck. Ares laughed. After a long day of inactivity, he was primed for something fast and furious, no matter what form it took, fight, fuck, or both.

Deimos popped in, Discord in tow, his mouth open to shout for Ares, when he saw his father make a feint at his uncle. His mouth shut with a snap, and, hand over Discord's eyes, he popped immediately back out. Their questions could wait.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Tru relaxed back into the mounds of bubbles in the huge sunken bath, gleefully out of the leather she'd chosen for herself to wear. She was resting, almost asleep, when two enormous splashes dunked her completely under the water. She rose, sputtering and choking, her hair in her eyes.

"You didn't forget about us, did'ja?" Strife asked, smoothing back her hair, while Cupid pressed up to her on the other side.

"How could I forget you two when you keep ambushing me in the bath?" she retorted, and welcomed them both.

"Hey, we all did all right. You pulled off the game, Zeus is happy, Ares has his Hall back..." Cupid breathed in her ear, tracing the outer edge with his tongue. Strife made a noise of agreement, his lips and teeth busy at her throat. Tru gasped, her fingers running through her God's soft black hair.

"Oh, shit..." she moaned, then her brain focused on Cupid's words. " All right? Oh, sure, you don't have to owe five games and Deimos tutoring to Mr. Congeniality..." her response was cut short by Strife's mouth claiming hers, and Cupid nipping at her shoulder. Tru decided that the bargain was a small price to pay for the company she got to keep.

End note : Hope you like it. If you want to elaborate on the final outcome of Athena, or the punishment of Demeter, please do . I'd love to read it.