DISCLAIMER: If you recognize it, I don't own it.

A smile spread across Xibalba's face. "The look Tezzy had on him was the first thing I'd been truly happy to see all week."

"So then what happened?" Sanjay asked. "Did everyone get sent home?"

"After a display like that? Of course not. We barely had time to put ourselves back together as it was. Quetzalcoatl asked that all his visitors remain in Aztlan one night more. In the morning, he said, the whole story would be brought out and a proper judgement reached. Tezcatlipoca and Tlaloc were locked away. The rest of us went back to our bedchambers, but most of us didn't sleep a minute. We were exhausted, but we were even more amazed. And just a little bit nervous."

As the sun rose over the lake, the people of Aztlan quietly convened around Quetzalcoatl's pit. The plumed serpent was waiting for them, silencing the crowd with a single huff of breath. "We shall begin at the root of this affair," he said. "How did Mictlan escape from the deepest cavern of your realm, Lord Xibalba?"

"Great question. Who wants to answer it?"

Tezcatlipoca stood straight as a board and kept his eyes cast to the ground as he spoke. Tlaloc had found him first, wandering through his domain with the jaguars who had helped free him in tow. He was told of what had transpired in the years since his imprisonment, and upon hearing the tale of Manolo, his face had gone dark before lighting up with inspiration. Going to the king together, they offered him a deal: help us return mankind to its proper, subservient state, and we shall help you become the sole ruler of Aztlan. And so Tezcatlipoca had called the meeting.

"Just so you know, he was literally gonna stab you in the back," Xibalba added. "He never liked sharing."

"Silence. Tell me of what has transpired since I last saw these mortals."

Manolo, Maria and Joaquin quietly spoke of the four trials and how each one had nearly been lost. How the jaguars had come for them, how Joaquin had been left for dead and of his time in the caves with Ixa. How they had lost Manolo and found him once more, discovered Tezcatlipoca's deception and confronted him at the ceremony.

"And…well, that's that," Manolo said, aching to slip back into the crowd. All three of them had found their throats too tight to continue at various point, leaving the other two to pick up where they left off.

Quetzalcoatl nodded. "I see. You need not say any more. Bring forth my brother and Tlaloc."

Tohil laughed. "Now you shall receive the punishment you deserve for daring to commit such atrocities!"

La Muerte gave him a look. "You were helping them."

"…I was not properly informed."

Quetzalcoatl's eyes focused on the two gods standing before him. "Tezcatlipoca and Tlaloc. This is my judgement for you…"

The rest of the room leaned forward.

"…life."

"What?" the humans and their allies all shouted. "After everything they did?"

"But not a life to look fondly upon. Both of you shall be forever confined to the lands you rule over, never to be free from them even for a moment. Should you dare to leave their boundaries, or to use your powers to torment the race of men, you shall be put to death." He huffed, warm air blowing from his nostrils. "I decree this judgement to be fair and good."

Xibalba rolled his eyes. "Not good enough," he grumbled.

"There is a balance in this universe which must be maintained, Lord Xibalba. Light cannot be without darkness. My brother is not wicked, for there is no good or wicked. He and Tlaloc merely acted in their nature. We are but the pieces of a whole. You and Mictlan were the same."

The room went quiet as all eyes fell on Xibalba, who stared back at the plumed serpent. "I don't think so."

"Then explain to us why he is dead."

For several long seconds, the younger god was silent. "I thought he'd killed our father," he said at last. "And he was going to kill those three with that knife," he added, gesturing to the humans.

"You said no had no love for humankind, Lord Xibalba."

"I did."

"You could have let the three humans die and still stopped your brother."

"No, I couldn't have," he said quickly. "Especially not those three."

"Why not?"

Xibalba sighed, then folded his arms behind his back and began to pace around in front of the crowd. "It's just as frustrating as it sounds, believe me. All the humans to get under my skin, and it had to be them. I can't even describe what it's really like just looking at them!" Whirling around, he stared right at Manolo. "You know what I see every time I look at you, boy? I see the one thing I hate more than anything else."

"And what is that?"

He didn't hesitate. "Me."

The smallest pin in the world could have dropped at that moment, and it would have sounded like a thunderclap.

"I see a lot more than I'd like," Xibalba continued, growing quieter and not taking his eyes off the stunned young man. "I see what I used to be. Sometimes I see what I still am. Then I see what I should be, and I can't help but wonder if I still can. All in one mortal." He turned to look at the rest of the gods. "The reason this happened is because we thought mortals were supposed to be lesser than us. That they couldn't think or feel the way we do. But you know what I've realized? We're more like them than we care to admit. We can't go on about how they're not all perfect when we aren't, either. Not when they have so much more potential than we realize. Just look at what three of them can do."

La Muerte was beaming, and a smile played across Kisin's lips as he shook his head in disbelief.

Xibalba staggered, seemingly drained of fire and out of breath, then turned back to Quetzalcoatl. "And for the record," he added, "not a word of that leaves this room."

The air filled with a deep rumbling that might have been the plumed serpent chuckling. "You have spoken well, Lord Xibalba. However, I believe your matter is not truly mine to judge. What say you, Kisin? Do his words suffice?"

Kisin slowly stepped forward, his eyes still on his son and his son's eyes locked on him. He stroked his beard, mulling the torrent of words inside him. "You did what had to be done," he finally said. "I will not forget it. But I will forgive."

"T-Thanks, Dad…"

Screams filled the air as Pax broke from the crowd and lunged towards the two gods. "You are fools and traitors!" he shouted. "Mictlan is the rightful ruler of your land, and we shall continue his work until - "

"You turn to dust?" Xibalba said. "Fine with me." He snapped his fingers, and glowing green chains materialized to snap around the jaguar's neck and legs, pulling him to the floor. "You and your men escaped from where you were rightfully imprisoned and allied yourself with one who would kill me. As ruler of the Land of the Forgotten, I condemn you to return to your prison and remain there for all eternity. Bye." When he snapped his fingers a second time, the jaguar vanished.

"Does anyone else object to these decisions?" Quetzalcoatl asked.

Shrugging off the guards holding him, Tlaloc oozed forward. "I request justice of a different sort, my king!"

"What do you mean?"

"If Kisin has the right to judge his son, then I have the right to judge my daughter."

Joaquin's face went pale. "Ixa? W-What are you gonna do to her?"

"Your logic is sound, Lord Tlaloc. You may bring your daughter forward."

"He can't!" Joaquin said. "She didn't do anything wrong!"

"I'll decide that," the water god sneered.

Two water spirits rose from the moat and approached their father. Each one had Ixa by an arm and dragged her behind them as she struggled. They threw her forward and sank away, leaving nothing between her and Tlaloc.

"I must say, middle daughter," the god began, "I could not have predicted such behavior from you. Despite the way you have always been. I raised you better than this."

Ixa trembled but kept her head up. "You did not raise me. Not as a father should raise a daughter."

"Because you have always been a cowardly, human-loving wretch!" he snapped, then quickly regained his composure. "But, you are not yet beyond saving. If you repent for your crimes, renounce your friendship with those creatures and bow to me, I shall forgive you." He stared down at her as he had when Xibalba had questioned her, daring her to refuse.

Her eyes dropped away from his, and for a moment, she began to bend. Then she straightened up once more, defiance and resignation in her eyes. "I shall not repent. I have nothing to repent for."

Tlaloc's eyes narrowed. "I thought you would say that."

Ixa tried to back away and was caught by two of her sisters, who hissed in her ears. A third rose up from the water, carrying a small bundle in her arms: a lump of brown clay wrapped in a light blue cloth, which she tossed to the floor.

"What's that?" Ixa asked.

Tlaloc smirked. "What you want."

He slowly closed his hand into a fist. Ixa abruptly doubled over, letting out a strangled cry of pain. Her whole body was beginning to ripple and shudder, and with a scream and a splash, she exploded into thousands of water droplets.

"No!" Joaquin shouted. His knees buckled, and his friends had to keep him from falling to the ground altogether.

The droplets remained in mid-air, floating. With a wave of his hand, Tlaloc moved them until they were hovering over the lump of clay. They sank down and merged with it, sinking beneath its surface until there wasn't one left.

La Muerte gripped Xibalba's arm, trying not to fly into a rage. "She did not deserve such a death…!"

"She is not dead," Tlaloc said calmly. "This fate shall be worse than death."

On the floor, the lump of clay was beginning to twitch and writhe. The crowd backed away as it grew and stretched until it was several feet long and wide. It molded itself, forming a head, a torso, slender arms and legs. The cloth stretched with it, turning into a loose dress. Reddish-brown hair sprouted from the top of the figure's head and grew down to its shoulders. A face appeared: large eyes, a small, pointed nose, ears and red lips.

With a shudder, clay turned to skin. Pale blue eyes snapped open, and new lungs gasped for breath.

"She chose her side," Tlaloc said as the whole room gaped at him. "I simply made it official."

Ixa slowly sat up, her face twisted in fear and confusion as she looked at her hands. When she caught sight of her legs, she froze altogether. "…What's going on…?"

"I hereby trap you in this mortal shell and banish you from my realm forever," Tlaloc said. "You are your sisters' prey now, and they shall hunt you for the rest of your days."

Xochi hurried forward, pulling Ixa to her feet and away from the moat as the water spirits leapt at her, clawing the air and hissing. "Are you alright, child?"

Ixa collapsed the moment Xochi let go of her, unable to stand. Her breaths were coming in short, frantic heaves and tears were forming in her eyes.

Joaquin had stopped moving as soon as the clay had started to change. Now he walked forward in a trance, blinking over and over. "Ixa…?"

She looked up at him, her eyes darting between his form and her new one. Finally she nodded. "Help…"

Kneeling down, he gently put his hands around her waist and lifted her to her feet. She was light and wobbly, and she grabbed his shirt for support. She nearly collapsed against him, blinking back more tears.

This is because she helped us. Because she helped me. "I'm sorry," he murmured, not feeling worthy to look her in the eyes.

Her grip only tightened as she weakly shook her head. "No. You mustn't be."

"Take her back with you if you wish," Tlaloc said with a sneer. "But you shall make enemies of my daughters and I forevermore."

"Uh-huh," Joaquin said dazedly, focused on Ixa. "Good plan."

"You shall not bring harm on them, Tlaloc," said Quetzalcoatl. "As long as I reign, no god may harm a human. From this day forth, we shall strive only for peace." He looked at the four mortals. "You have shown great courage in these dark days. As an act of thanks and goodwill, I shall give you the reward you seek."

A column of light, much like the one which had brought them to Aztlan, suddenly enveloped them where they stood. They flinched and blinked as it grew brighter, blocking their vision. The room and its inhabitants began to melt away.

"Farewell, young ones."

"Adios!" they heard Xochi add. "Good luck to all five of you!"

Manolo started. "Wait, what do you - "

But they were already gone.

People chattered. A bell rang. Water sloshed against the legs of the bridge.

Manolo blinked rapidly and turned around, trying to get a sense of his bearings once more. Maria and Joaquin stood on either side of him, just as dazed as he was. Ixa sat on the wooden planks of the bridge, staring at her legs with a mixture of apprehension and awe as she tried dangling them. They were halfway across, and behind them, the buildings of San Angel were glittering in the sunrise.

"How long do you think we've been gone?" Maria asked.

"Probably a few days," said Joaquin. "We better go make sure your dad hasn't had a panic attack."

"Five."

They all looked at Manolo. "What?"

"Xochi. She said good luck to all five of us." He stared at Maria. "What was that supposed to mean?"

Joaquin shrugged. "Maybe she just has a few screws loose. Wouldn't surprise me, to be honest."

But Manolo and Maria were already holding a silent conversation, and their eyes gradually bulged to the verge of escaping from their sockets as the realization of something crept over them.

"Ixa," Maria said, "did Xochi ever tell you about any protection spells she knows?"

"Only one," she answered obliviously. "To protect a woman from all danger and wickedness which might cross her path. She doesn't use it often. It can only be cast on a woman who is with child. Why do you ask?"

Joaquin was backing away inch by inch. "I'd give 'em some space if I were you."

Maria wobbled as though struck. Her hands subconsciously drifted to her abdomen, as though trying to feel the tiny life within. A million words were rattling around in her brain, but one sentence stuck out above the others: We're not ready for this. Are we…?

She looked at her husband, who was standing stock still with a distant look in his eyes and possibly about to faint. "Manolo…?"

He blinked a few times, noticing her once more. Then a grin the likes of which she hadn't since before the Day of the Dead burst out across his face. With an ecstatic shout that could probably be heard in the churchyard, he hoisted her into his arms and twirled her around until everyone and everything else seemed to vanish. His laughter was crisp and melodic, broken by the tears of joy he had to choke back, and her fears melted away as she laughed with him. When he finally set her down, it was to kiss away the tears now streaming down her own cheeks.

"Is that a good thing?" Ixa said, watching them tear off down the bridge into town.

"Not quite," Joaquin answered as he gently lifted her into his arms. "It's perfect."