It's Alex's birthday. Prepare for some serious mayhem. If you're a Liz Maza fan, she makes an appearance in this chapter. Please review.


The preparations for Alex's third birthday were almost completed. Gifts had been bought, wrapped, and hidden and the guest list was created, the invitations went out, and the caterer and decorator were chosen. It was actually going to be two parties, both on the same day.

The first would be just for show for Xanatos and his business associates. They would bring gifts, chat with the parents of the birthday boy, and at the end of the party, hopefully have a good standing with one of the most powerful business men in the world.

The second party would be for family and close friends. It would be much smaller and more intimate. And there were no secrets, meaning anything could happen, and chances were anything would.

But some were stuck: Ariana and Morgan had no idea what to give to Alex. The kid had just about everything his little heart could want. His family had money and the girls were barely paying rent.

Ariana had a solution to that. She visited the castle when she had a night off.

"Hey, Fox," she said when she saw the birthday boy's mother. "I need to talk to you. It's about the party."

"Oh?" said Fox. "What is it?"

"Morgan and I have no clue what to get Alex," Ariana said.

Fox giggled. "Don't worry about it. He doesn't need gifts from everyone."

"We don't want to freeload," said Ariana.

"If you want to do something, help out in the kitchen," said Fox. "You can bring food. I know Morgan likes to cook. Iris is going to need all the help she can get."

"That works," said Ariana.

Alex came tottering into the hallway. "Ariana! Ariana!" he called, floating into her arms.

"Hey, Alex," said Ariana, ruffling his hair.

"Are you coming to my party?" he asked.

"Yes," replied Ariana. "I'll be there."

"Morgan, too?" asked Alex.

"Yes, Morgan's coming. Ruth, too," she said. Ariana looked at Fox. "If that's okay with you."

"Ruth's here all the time," said Fox. "I don't mind."

Ariana could feel that they were being watched. She could just picture those ice blue eyes staring at them, making them feel uncomfortable.

"Puck," Ariana said, her pale lips smirking. "Where are you?"

"Right here!" yelled a cheerful voice behind her.

Ariana nearly jumped out of her boots and she let out a scream. Alex and Fox laughed and Ariana giggled as well.

"Peek-a-boo to you, too," Ariana said, giggling. "Whoa."

"It's time for lessons," said Puck. Alex cheered and jumped into Puck's open arms. "I'll see you later, Silver."

"Definitely won't miss this party if Puck's the entertainment," said Ariana.

Fox smiled, but it was a bit forced. Her green eyes reflected her worry and that did not get by Ariana.

"What's wrong, Fox?" she asked.

"I'm just concerned," said Fox. "I know my mother is coming and I'm a little worried about that. And the torc has to be returned to Oberon. I don't want him coming here. There is still tension between us, Puck especially."

"I thought that mess with Puck was solved," said Ariana.

"Oberon was tricked," said Fox. "He holds a grudge."

"Oh," said Ariana. "Do you need me to play protection detail?"

"No," Fox quickly said. "You may be strong, Ariana, but Oberon is the most powerful fey. I don't want you or anyone else to get hurt. Besides, we will only attack if he threatens us or attacks first."

"I'll keep the Grimorum Argentum on standby," said Ariana. "I think I have some trap wire, too. That might help us."

"This is a party, Ariana," said Fox. "Not a war."

"Gotcha," said Ariana.


Ariana went home. Morgan was working at the health store, which moved to a temporary location until the bombed store was rebuilt. That meant Ariana had time to herself before she had to go to work. She looked at her work room. There were scraps of fabric laying everywhere. She really needed to clean it up.

An idea came to her. Ariana picked up her sketchbook and began to draw. A few minutes later, she called Manny to her and left, hurrying to work. So what if she was an hour early? She was going to need that time to take her idea from paper and make it real.

Ariana was currently working at a boutique where some very high end clients special ordered clothes at times. Ariana liked this job because it allowed her to be a little creative instead of selling what was on the racks. And right next door to the boutique was a fabric store, another reason why Ariana liked this job.

She went next door first and chose her fabrics. She then went to work. In the back room was a small torso she could use. One hour later, when it was time for her to start work, Ariana had completed her project and thought of several more.


Morgan waited up for Ariana. It was almost ten o'clock when she came home.

"Hey," said Ariana.

"Hey," said Morgan. "Where were you?"

"At work," replied Ariana, carrying several boxes.

Morgan got up from the chair. "I'll take those."

"Thanks," said Ariana. "The top two are for Alex and Fox. The bottom two are ours, but I'm not finished yet."

"So this is what kept you," said Morgan, opening the top two boxes.

"Yeah," said Ariana. "Don't look at yours yet. I want to finish it first."

"Okay," said Morgan.

Ariana got her dinner and disappeared into her work room.


It was now the day of the party. The Xanatoses were holding their first party when Morgan and Ariana arrived.

"Hope we're not late," said Ariana.

"Not at all," said Owen, who came down to meet them in the lobby. "You are very early. Iris requires some help in the kitchen and when the gargoyles wake, you can help finish putting up the decorations."

The girls reported to the kitchen immediately and helped Iris with whatever needed to be done. Iris could do most of it with magic, but there was some that needed to be done with a thoughtful hand.

Iris checked to see what needed to be done yet as the sun was going down. "Cake's cooled and ready to be frosted, snack bowls are filled and ready to be taken to the room, ice cream is in the freezer, and breakfast for the gargoyles is on the stove."

"Doesn't sound like you're missing anything," said Ariana.

"Drinks," said Morgan.

"In the refrigerator," said Iris. "I don't want to take them out until we are ready to start the party. Everything else is done. You can go put up the rest of the decorations."

Ariana and Morgan went to the room where the party was to be held. Most of the decorations were up already. The snack table needed snacks and a tablecloth placed on it. Someone had left them a list of things to do and by the look at the handwriting, it was Owen.

"Okay," said Ariana, partially reading out loud. "Presents on one table, snacks on the other. Tablecloths are on tables. Cups, plates, utensils. Ask for Owen to bring out the presents. Okay, not much then."

Morgan got the snacks from the kitchen and Ariana set up the tables, cups, plates, and utensils.

"Our presents are in our rooms," said Ariana. "I guess Alex was being sneaky and was trying to get a look since Owen said to ask him for the presents."

"Alex probably learned how to get the wrapping paper off, look, and seal them back up," said Morgan. "With him, it's probably very simple."

"Well, your dress is on your bed," said Ariana. "I suppose we can get changed soon."

Morgan fetched her present from her guest bedroom and took it to the room.

"Do you think he'll like it?" Morgan asked Ruth.

Ruth appeared beside her. "He'll love it, sweetie," said the ghost. "Don't worry."

Morgan returned to her room. She hadn't open the garment box that Ariana gave her, so she had no clue what Ariana made, except that it was a dress. Ariana had been secretive about it, forbidding Morgan to go into her workroom, not that Morgan went in there anyway. She lifted the lid and removed a crimson red dress from the box. The skirt came to her knees and the sleeves were long and tight at the wrists, just as Morgan liked them. The skirt had an asymmetric design. Ariana made several strands of black beads and wove them together to look like a spider's web and there was similar work at the sleeve cuffs. There was also a pair of black hose and shoes tucked in the tissue paper.

"You look lovely, sweetie," said Ruth, fixing a few pieces of Morgan's dark hair.

Morgan walked out of the room, adjusting her black shoes as she went. Ariana was stepping out of her room, fluffing her silver hair. She was wearing a black dress with a full skirt that stopped above her knees and wide shoulder straps trimmed in black lace. She was wearing black hose and a pair of bright pink pumps for a splash of color.

"Ready?" asked Ariana.

Morgan stared at her friend for a minute.

"What?" asked Ariana.

"Why do you always look like you just stepped out of a magazine?" asked Morgan.

Ariana laughed. "You think?" she asked, looking at herself. She shrugged. "I don't know. I know that you will definitely have the attention of a certain gargoyle tonight."

Morgan's cheeks turned as red as her dress.

Ariana shrieked with laughter. "Come on," she said, taking Morgan's hand. "There's a party waiting for us."

Morgan and Ariana went to wish the gargoyles a good morning. They stepped into the room where they were having their breakfast.

"Hey, guys," chirped Ariana.

The gargoyles turned to the girls. Brooklyn's eyes widened and Lexington's jaw dropped.

"Ah, hello, lasses," said Hudson. "You both look so beautiful."

Ariana grinned and Morgan smiled shyly and tipped her head forward, her dark hair spilling over her shoulders and hiding her face along with her blush.

"Are you hungry?" asked Broadway.

"We'll wait for the cake," said Ariana.

Iris walked in looking a little paler than usual. "I'm going outside for a minute," she announced. "Broadway, if I'm not back before you're finished with your breakfast, could you start frosting the cake?"

"No problem," said Broadway.

"Thank you," said Iris.

"She's been working hard," said Ariana after Iris left. "And it's a bit warm in the kitchen."

There was a squeal of delight and Alex came running into the room.

"Hey, birthday boy," said Ariana.

Lexington got up from his chair and scooped up Alex. "What have you been up to today?" he asked, ruffling Alex's red hair.

"Oh, he's been busy all day," said Fox, having followed her son. She was wearing a cream silk and emerald chiffon gown. The bodice was made up of intricate pleats of cream and emerald and the skirt was of flowing emerald chiffon with hints of the same cream color hidden under the folds.

"Wow, Fox," Morgan said in a small voice.

Fox smiled and gave a simple twirl so everyone could see. She turned to Ariana. "I had about five women ask me where I got this. They were completely in love with it. Thank you."

"No problem," said Ariana.

Xanatos came into the room. He walked up behind Fox and wrapped one arm around her waist. "Alex is supposed to be the center of attention," he joked. He kissed her on the mouth. Xanatos turned to Ariana. "And you have talent."

Ariana straightened, pleased with herself, pale pink lips colored with a thin coat of silver gloss twisting into a satisfied smirk. "Thank you."

"My father will be here soon," said Xanatos to Fox.

Fox sighed. "My mother will probably be stopping in soon," she said. "Daddy will be here any minute as well."

Xanatos looked at the gargoyles. "Has anyone seen Owen?"

"He's probably checking on Iris," said Broadway.

"She did not look well when we saw her," said Angela.

Goliath finished his breakfast. "I will see if she is all right," he said, leaving the room.

Goliath walked outside and found Iris standing against the stone wall fanning herself with her apron. Puck was standing next to her, a concerned look and a smile on his face. In one hand he held a glass of water.

"Is everything all right out here?" asked Goliath.

Puck turned and grinned. "The little flower here just need some fresh air and some water," he replied cheerfully.

Iris turned to Goliath, her eyes blue-green in color, a good sign. She smiled weakly at him. "I need to finish the cake," she said.

"Let Broadway do it," said Goliath. "You look as though you've done enough." He turned to Puck. "I believe Xanatos is looking for you. I'll look after Iris."

"Okay," said Puck. He kissed Iris on the cheek. "See you later."

Iris blushed furiously and Puck disappeared.

"Come," said Goliath, placing a hand on Iris' shoulder. "You deserve a rest."


Back inside, Ariana and Morgan were walking around the corridors, waiting for the second party to begin. They heard voices by the elevators and investigated. The voices belonged to Xanatos and three other men. One looked very much like Owen except for the black hair, glasses, and bow tie. The second man looked like an older version of Xanatos, minus the beard. The third was an old man in a custom mechanized wheelchair. He wore a gray turtleneck and red and black jacket. A heavy blanket was tucked around his legs.

"I know him," Morgan whispered to Ariana.

"You do?" asked Ariana. "From where?"

"From the time I was out," replied Morgan, referring to the time her spirit separated from her body during the bombing of the health store she worked at. "I remember healing him."

"That's Halcyon Renard," said Ariana.

"Yes, I know," said Morgan. "He's Fox's father. I remember seeing him on television."

Ariana nudged Morgan. "Wanna say hello?" she asked, smirking, a glint of mischief in her opaque blue eyes.

"Ariana," whispered Morgan, but Ariana was already moving to the elevators.

Ariana's heels announced her presence before she could say anything. All four men turned to her.

Xanatos chuckled. "Here's one of them now," he said.

"One of them what?" Ariana asked, smiling.

"Special friends of the gargoyles," said Xanatos. He turned to the gentlemen. "This is Ariana Caelum. Ariana, my father, Petros. And you've probably seen Mr. Renard and Mr. Vogel on the news."

"Hello," said Ariana. She looked over her shoulder. "Are you going to come over here or what?" she called to Morgan.

Morgan walked over to them, taking her time.

Ariana grinned. "They won't bite," she said.

Xanatos chuckled as Morgan's cheeks turned as red as her dress.

"I remember you," said Renard to Morgan. "I am grateful for what you did. Thank you."

Morgan turned to him and forced a small smile.

"And here's the other," said Xanatos. He introduced Morgan to the group.

There was a sudden chill in the air.

"A little cool to have the air conditioning on, boy," said Petros.

"That was not the AC," said Ariana. "Ruth!"

The ghost appeared behind Morgan. "Just checking," she said before disappearing once more.

"What was that?" cried Petros.

"It's only Ruth," said Morgan in a small voice. "She doesn't bother much."

"She's always looking out for Morgan," said Ariana.

They walked to where the party was being held. Morgan and Ariana heard Ruth snort with laughter at something the Xanatoses said before she could not hold it in any longer.

"What's so funny?" asked Ariana.

Ruth quieted herself before whispering in Ariana's ear, "Petros said that Xanatos should be careful when surrounding himself with beautiful young ladies."

Ruth whispered the same thing to Morgan and her face turned completely scarlet. Ariana laughed at her friend.

Fox greeted her father and her father-in-law.

"That is a beautiful dress, Janine," said Renard.

It took a few more minutes before the rest of the guests arrived. Elisa and Matt had both taken the night off and Macbeth came to wish the child a happy birthday. Alex didn't have any friends his age, but Ariana, Angela, and the trio joined in on the little games. Puck had Alex showing off a few of his tricks. Iris stayed out of sight for a while until it was time for cake.

"Where were you?" asked Ariana.

"Taking a nap," replied Iris.

"Feel better?" asked Puck.

Iris nodded.

The trickster grinned. "I figured that a little rest was all you needed." Puck quickly turned his head to have a balloon bounced harmlessly off his nose.

Morgan watched from her place off to the side and out of the way with Goliath and Hudson. It was Morgan who first felt a change in the energy around the castle. Her head snapped up, her eyes darting all over the room.

"What is it?" asked Goliath. "What do you sense?"

Before Morgan could answer, Elisa let out an immature squeal and jumped. She whirled around.

"Liz!" she cried, throwing her arms around Liz Maza.

"Hey," said Liz, hugging Elisa. "How are you?"

"Great," replied Elisa. "What's the big idea poking me in the sides like that?"

Liz gave Elisa an innocent look. "Me?"

"Yes, you," said Elisa. "Who else?"

Elisa squealed again, but this time threw her hand back and catching something in the process. There was a grunt and Coyote became visible, a smirk on his face. He was holding Elisa's wrist in one hand.

"What are you doing here?" Goliath asked.

"Liz wanted to visit," said Coyote. "And someone has to keep her out of trouble."

Alex jumped up and ran over to Liz.

"Hello, kiddo," said Liz, picking him up. She gave Coyote a light glare. "What do you mean someone has to keep me out of trouble?"

Coyote smirked and turned his attention to the other guests. "Well, I know all of you in some way." He turned to Morgan, Ariana, and Petros. "Except for you three."

"Coyote is one of the Children of Oberon," Xanatos explained to his father.

"Oh, not another one," muttered Petros.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Coyote. "Oh, that's right. Lord Oberon and Queen Titania showing up and that mess. Don't worry; I have no intention in taking Alex away, not with Puck taking care of him. So, cousin, how is training the little tyke going?"

"He is doing very well," said Puck, relieving Liz of Alex. Alex yawned and gave Puck a cuddle, settling in for a nap. "Going to sleep on us already?"

"He's been up since early and didn't have a nap," said Fox.

Xanatos came forward and took Alex from Puck. Alex blinked at his father. "Let's open your presents and then you can go to bed."

"Cake, too?" asked Alex.

"Maybe," said Xanatos.

Alex opened his presents, receiving mostly toys. Ariana and Morgan were the only ones who got him something a bit more practical.

"Oh, Ariana," said Fox. "You didn't have to."

Alex had opened the box Ariana gave him and pulled out a jacket. It was a dark gray with a lovely green fleece lining. Embroidered onto the back was a pair of gargoyle wings in emerald thread and a tiny gargoyle silhouette on the left breast, over Alex's heart.

"Well, I did," said Ariana. "I didn't know what to get the kid, so I thought I would make him something he could use. Then I got an inspiration bug bite and went bonkers with everything else."

Fox coaxed Alex into trying the jacket on.

"It's going to be a little big," said Ariana. "He'll grow into it by the time he needs it. And you can always roll the sleeves up."

"Did you do anything to it?" asked Brooklyn.

Ariana caught the meaning of his words. "Did I jinx it?" she asked. She got a funny look on her face. "Maybe a little."

Both Petros and Renard started to say something.

"It's just a warmth spell," said Ariana. "Other than that, no."

Alex opened Morgan's present next. Morgan had knitted him a hat to match the jacket.

"And I did nothing to that," Ariana said before anyone asked.

They sang "Happy Birthday" to Alex and cut the cake. Alex had his little piece and was sitting on his grandfather's lap. They chatted for a bit, Coyote telling everyone what Liz did for Banshee and her little present for Queen Titania.

Iris started giggling. They turned to her and then looked at Alex. Alex was half-asleep on Petros' lap and had dipped forward, his face landing in his piece of cake. He had frosting on his nose, around his mouth, and in one eye. He looked up, confused, trying to stay awake.

It was at that point that Morgan's head whipped around for a second time.

"Looks like I'm a bit late," came a voice.

They turned to see Titania in Anastasia Renard's form and another young man that they did not recognize immediately. He was African, wearing a kilt and mantle with dark coloring and thin white lines in the design of a spider's web.

"It's Anansi," whispered Liz. "Wonder what he's doing here."

There was a bit of tension in the room now. It was unclear what the fey queen's intentions were, but everyone was set a bit on edge.

"Explain," whispered Matt to Elisa.

"Later," Elisa whispered back.

"Oh, come now," said Titania. "What's with the somber mood? This is supposed to be a happy occasion."

Little by little things became less tense. Titania was allowed to hold her grandson and she cleaned him up.

"I'll put him to bed," Titania volunteered as Fox stood up to take Alex from her. "I remember how to do that, Fox."

Goliath placed a hand on Morgan's shoulder. "Keep an eye on them," he whispered.

Morgan understood. "Follow them, Ruth," she told her friend.

Coyote was properly introduced to Ariana and Morgan, Morgan being the more interesting of the two, also drew the attention of Anansi. He sat next to her, watching her intently. Both tricksters were hoping to get a glimpse of the power this girl held.

Titania soon returned and Morgan exited the room. She came back with a small box and handed it to Titania.

"What's this?" asked Titania.

"Puck told me this belongs to your husband," said Morgan.

Titania opened it and looked at the torc. "He will be very pleased to have this returned."

Morgan skirted off to Ariana and Lexington.

Titania smiled. "She is very shy," she said to Fox. "Is she always like this?"

Fox nodded. "Usually. It takes a lot to get her to open up. Ariana usually does the talking for her. Ruth is always protecting her."

"How strange," said Titania. "You would think that the power she possesses would give her some sort of confidence."

"She has some confidence in her abilities," said Fox. "She opens up now and then, mostly to Ariana and recently Lexington, but she is very quiet for the most part."

The two women watched Morgan. Anansi approached her and was speaking to her. Morgan made herself small, pulling her arms tight to herself and avoiding eye contact. Anansi had a dark hand on her shoulder. Whatever they were talking about, Ariana seemed to be fine with it. The silver haired sorceress was smiling encouragingly at her friend. Soon Coyote joined the group and was smiling and talking.

"We keep learning new things about her powers," said Fox. "Her spirit was knocked out of her body not too long ago. She had us all scared because she was in a coma and we did not know what was wrong with her. We thought she was not going to wake up at first."

The fey queen thought for a moment. "Her name is Morgan?" Titania asked.

"Yes," replied Fox.

"Morgan," called Titania.

Morgan whipped around. Her dark eyes were filled with confusion and a bit of fear. Titania crooked her finger at her. Morgan came up to them.

"May I see your necklace for a moment?" asked Titania.

Morgan removed her necklace and handed it to Titania.

"This is lovely," said Titania. "An amaranth flower."

"An amaranth?" repeated Morgan.

"A legendary flower said to never fade," said Titania. "How fitting for one such as yourself."

Morgan frowned, tilting her head.

"Your power does not fade," said Titania. "Your concentration may fail, but there is always power inside of you."

Titania closed her hands around the necklace and muttered something under her breath. Her eyes flashed emerald and so did her hands. She removed her hands and held the necklace by the chain. The red of the flower was mixed with the residual green magic.

She handed the necklace back to Morgan. "Now if you ever leave your body again, this flower will glow to show that you have left."

"Thank you," Morgan said, putting her necklace back on.

The party began to wind down after midnight. Morgan had to go to work in the morning and Ariana had an appointment with a bridal party. Both needed their sleep and retired to their rooms. Liz and Coyote left next, then Titania and Anansi, Macbeth, Renard and Vogel, and then Matt. Elisa wanted to spend some time with Goliath and Petros was staying at the castle. It was Petros who noticed the small box left on the windowsill. He opened the window and brought it in.

"What's that, Pop?" asked Xanatos.

"I found this on the windowsill outside," said Petros, looking the box over.

There was a simple bow on top and a slip of paper with Alex's name on it. The elder Xanatos opened the box. Inside was a small necklace of thin cord, small shells, and an off-white pendant.

"A sea turtle," said Xanatos. He smirked. "I think I know who sent this."

"What?" asked Fox.

Xanatos turned to his wife. "Keahi was here."

"She was? Why didn't she come in and join the party?" asked Fox.

"Perhaps she felt uninvited," said Xanatos.

"Alex would have been overjoyed to see her," said Fox. "He adores Keahi."

"Let's put this with the rest of his presents," said Xanatos. "We can give it to him in the morning."


This chapter takes place after the story Family Guardian, the third entry in the Liz Maza series. The other two for Liz Maza are Warrior of Change and Liz Season. And for those who don't know, Keahi appears in Project: Keahi and Go On Living. Please review.