Marinette ran as fast as she could up the hill, making sure her eyes were trained on the path ahead of her. She couldn't afford any more distractions.

As she grew closer and closer to the top of the hill, a dark palace came into view. And out of all the godly places she had been, this seemed the most godlike.

The palace was dark and unbelievably massive. Towering pillars shot out of the ground, reaching up to hold the triangular roof, which was wreathed in elaborate golden moldings. Two large wings jutted out from either side of the temple-like structure, making the building's reach incomprehensibly expansive. Iron gates surrounded the structure, and seemed to snake for miles and miles, with no seeable end. The stone was like nothing Marinette had ever seen; it was like the palace was carved out of darkness itself. The only way Marinette could distinguish the palace from the surrounding cliffs was the faint orange glow that cloaked the construction. The entire thing gave off a commanding and powerful aura, and seemed to be designed to keep everyone else at bay.

A lump formed in Marinette's chest. Never had turning back appealed more to her. But she couldn't do it. She needed to move forward.

Marinette forced her feet to move. It took every ounce of her willpower, but she was able to keep walking through the overpowering aura, eventually finding her way to the gates.

Surprised to find them open, Marinette poked her head through the large, iron structures. "Hello? Is anyone there?" She knew better than to trespass on a god's territory.

"Come on in." A sweet voice drifted from out of the gloom. "Head right. Find the garden."

Marinette looked around, but saw no one. She decided that it was better to listen than risk ignoring the gods, and so she took a careful step into the gates. "I'm coming in now. I'll head towards you." She said, still a little scared.

"Good. See you soon.~" the voice answered.

The path was long and dimly lit. Marinette followed along the fence, trying not to get lost. The estate was so vast, so expansive, that she guessed that it was larger than her entire town had been. However, soon lights were seen ahead, and the sound of a gurgling fountain floated towards her ears.

The gardens were strangely stunning. The colors lacked the vibrancy of flowers on the surface, but in some odd way, it seemed to tie everything together. Faded reds and purples flowed into faded greens, with pale yellows and oranges both standing out and blending in simultaneously. Small, floating lights sparkled around the gray-green hedges, and large trees made the haunting beauty of the enclosure feel weirdly intimate.

Two people sat at a table in the middle of it all. One was cheerfully out of place, with sunny blonde hair and a rosy pink dress. The other looked like she was born to be there, with long dark hair that became subtly more purple as it descended towards her waist.

The happy-looking girl waved when she saw Marinette, a large smile stretching across her pink cheeks. "Hello there! Please, come sit!" The other girl then turned her head, settling her coppery eyes on Marinette.

Marinette gulped. She immediately knew who these two were. The smaller, cherrier girl was Rose, goddess of springtime. She had a wide, kind smile, and her eyes glinted with a rare sort of innocence, so she was not the main focus of Marinette's fear. No, it was Juleka, goddess of the underworld, who made Marinette's blood curdle.

Swallowing her fear, Marinette stepped closer and closer to the goddesses, eventually taking a seat at the table beside them.

"We never get visitors! We're so glad to see you! Aren't we Juleka?"

The darker girl gave a tight-lipped smile. "Yeah. We are."

"So what brings a pretty little living person like you all the way down here?" The two goddesses looked at Marinette expectantly.

"Gabriel sent me." Marinette worked hard not to stutter. "He wanted me to ask Rose for some extra vitality. You see, his son is hurt and…"

Juleka put up a hand. "Adrien isn't as hurt as Gabriel wants you to believe. At least, not anymore."

Relief flooded over Marinette. "Really? He's better?"

Juleka nodded, but gave no further explanation.

"Well I would be happy to give you some anyway, so you'll have something to give Gabriel." Rose said, reaching for the box, but Juleka stopped her hand.

"No. What exactly, did Gabriel promise you?" Juleka asked.

"Um well…" Marinette thought back to her conversation that morning. "He told me to ask Rose for the vitality, and return with the goddess's gift." Marinette said, hoping she got the wording correct.

Juleka smirked. "You're sure that's what he said?" Marinette thought for a moment, then nodded. "Good. Then give that to me." She took the box from Marinette and lifted the lid.

"Juleka? What are you doing?" Rose asked, concern filling her gentle voice.

Juleka breathed into the box, then quickly shut the lid. "Gabriel deserves this for all he's done. I won't let him take advantage of this girl anymore, and I certainly won't let him take advantage of you."

Rose blushed slightly. "You're sure this will still work?"

"Of course. I wouldn't do it otherwise." Juleka smiled and handed the box back to Marinette. "Take this back to Gabriel. I'm still a goddess, so my gift should suffice. Just don't open it, no matter what happens."

Marinette took the box in hand, noting that it was no heavier than before. She didn't know exactly what was going on, but she knew better than to question Juleka.

"Thank you, goddesses, for your generosity." Marinette bowed, and Rose giggled.

"Thank you for visiting! Please come again! It can get a little lonely down here sometimes with just the two of us." She gave a happy little wave to her guest, and turned back to Juleka. "Not that I get tired of spending time with you."

Marinette turned her back on the goddesses. She was grateful, if a little confused, but she didn't have any more time to waste. She needed to get back up to the surface, so that she could give the box to Gabriel.

Adrien was so close, she could almost feel his warmth around her.


She made her way out of the underworld much the same as she had came. There were no weaving women, swimmers, or old men to ask her for help this time, but she still had to face Fang and the mysterious ferryman. However, this time it was much easier, for she had what she needed, and she knew she could succeed. She would soon see Adrien again, and this time, she wouldn't mess things up.

She soon enough made her way out of the dark cave, and immediately set back towards Gabriel's house. She was almost there. She had almost done it. She couldn't let herself get distracted now, not when-

"Marinette!" A sickly sweet voice called out from behind her.

Marinette froze. She knew that voice.

"Thank the gods we finally found you!" A second voice called, this one just as familiar.

Marinette turned, only to see that her terrible suspicions were confirmed. Chloe and Lila ran toward her, arms open wide, and crocodile tears streaming down their faces.

"We are so sorry Marinette!" Lila said, her false words dripping like poison from her mouth. Marinette stiffened. How had she never before been able to see her sister's insincerity?

"We had no idea who your husband was! Honestly if we had known, we would never have given you that wretched advice!" Marinette had to hold down the bile growing in the back of her throat. Chloe suddenly seemed so overly dramatic and fake. What Marinette had once seen as her sister's odd, passionate demeanor was now a clear facade. Had her sisters always been like this?

"Of course! If we had known Adrien was your husband, we would have given you all of our support. Can you ever find it in your heart to forgive us?" Lila asked, trying to sound innocent.

Marinette looked at her two sisters. How were they here? And more importantly how had they found out about Adri-

Gabriel. This was his final obstacle. The last thing he was throwing in Marinette's way. It was the only explanation.

"Oh of course I can forgive you!" Marinette said, putting on her best smile. Lila may have been the queen of lies, but Marinette had so much more practice with hiding her emotions behind her smile. "You two are my sisters. How could I not forgive you?"

Lila and Chloe smiled to each other, buying the lie. "Oh thank you Marinette! We don't deserve a sister as kind as you!" They shouted, forcing more false tears out of there eyes.

Marinette looked down at the ground and faked a sniffle. "I don't know what I should do! I don't think Adrien would ever take me back now. Especially after what he said…"

Her sister's ears perked up. "What did he say?" Chloe asked.

"H-he said…" Marinette forced a tear out of her eye. "'You really were shallow! I thought you were kind hearted, but now I see that even your sisters must be better than you! If I were to see one of them on that rock spire now, maybe I would consider taking one of them for my wife!"

Chloe and Lila looked at each other knowingly, then back at Marinette. "Really? He actually said that?" Chloe asked, intrigued.

Marinette nodded. "Word for word. But you two would never go up there, right? You are my loving sisters, after all."

"Of course we wouldn't! We couldn't take advantage of our sister's misfortune like that, could we Chloe?" The blonde girl shook her head. "Exactly. So why don't you go back to Gabriel, Marinette, and tell him that you've given up on Adrien, and plead that he let you return home. Meet us there, and we'll find you a nice, human husband. We'll get a head start, so that me may tell mother and father of your miraculous return?"

Chloe nodded. "Oh yes. They will want several days to prepare a great feast for you, so take your time coming back, alright Marinette?" Chloe giggled, and Lila glared at her.

"You'd really do that for me?" Marinette asked, having to stifle her own giggles. Her sisters were so gullible when it came to Adrien.

"Of course we would! You're family! And once the feast is over, we'll work to find you the perfect human husband to marry, won't we Chloe?"

Chloe nodded, but kept her mouth shut.

Marinette wiped away her fake tear. "Really? What did I do to deserve such caring and devoted sisters!?" She flung her arms around the both of them, still careful not to let go of the box in her hands.

The two girls shared a glance, believing that they were about to get everything that they deserved, all while Marinette was smiling to herself, proud of the trick she was playing on them.

She eventually pulled away, and gave one final look at the two girls she had known all her life. "Well, I should head back to Gabriel. Thank you two for everything." She then turned away from them, vowing in that moment to never see the two ever again.


Marinette walked towards Gabriel's manor, feeling excited and strangely lighter. There was nothing holding her back now. In just a few moments, she would be free to be with Adrien. She couldn't feel happier.

Soon Gabriel's manor came into view, and Marinette's pace quickened. She was almost there. Just a few steps away from the life and the freedom she had always wanted.

She passed the main gates, and soon, something strange struck her.

"Do you really think that Adrien will still want you?" A voice echoed in her ear. She turned, but saw no one. "Hello? Is anyone there?" She got no response, so she continued forward, a little slower this time. The voice had startled her more than she cared to admit, but it wasn't about to stop her.

"I mean honestly, look at yourself."

Marinette quickly spun around, looking for the source of the voice.

"So filthy. So mangy. How could anyone want a dog like you for a wife?"

"You should just turn back now."

"You aren't even a goddess."

"Adrien's so perfect. What makes you think he actually likes you?"

"He deserves a goddess. Not a shallow little nothing like you."

The voices swarmed through Marinette's head, echoing every doubtful thought she'd ever had about herself. She tried to keep walking, but with each step she took, the voices grew louder, until she couldn't handle them anymore. She broke down, right on Gabriel's doorstep, unable to handle the throbbing in her skull.

"Please! Make it stop! Stop talking!" She yelled, clenching her ears between her hands, but the voices continued, and only got louder.

"Maybe he'd like you if you were pretty again."

"You just need a little more spring in your step. Just a little more life."

"Maybe some vitality?"

"Oh, you have some!"

"In the box!"

"Open the box Marinette!"

Marinette tried to think, but the voices were too loud. They drowned out any other thought. Why shouldn't she open the box? She knew it was a bad idea, but she couldn't imagine why. What was the harm of a little vitality anyway?

Marinette reached for the box, every instinct telling her to stop, but she knew it was the only way to silence her doubts. She had to make the voices stop. This was the only way…

Marinette grabbed the lid and cracked it open, just a bit. She only needed a little...

The lid came open, and the world went black.