Author's Note: SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG! Please don't be mad at me my good readers! I suffered ungodly writer's block for this chapter. Plus, I've been a little uninspired as of late. I don't know. But after an unconventional hiatus, I think I'm back on track! So please enjoy!

Unexpected

By: Mad Betrayal

"Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends…?"—Abraham Lincoln

Chapter 37 ~ Behind Enemy Lines

Apollo violently kicked open the door to the Destiny Bounty's interior and strode inside with the unconscious Morpheus in his arms.

"And Apollo does his nut to the door," Dionysus chuffs, following after his fellow deity with the others trailing in behind him. He slid his white jacket from Morpheus' person and flipped it onto his shoulder once taking note of the warmer climate inside the flying home. An intrigued low whistle escaped the Master of Dark Matter's lips as he took in his surroundings.

"Well, well, nice digs this one." He ambled forward into the dining room and plopped down into the nearest chair, kicking his long legs up onto the table and leaning back with his arms folded behind his head. He eyed his family with a saccharine smirk. "I'm sure the blokes who own this place wouldn't mind if we crashed for a fortnight or so."

"We'll only stay for as long as we need to, Dionysus," Athena said sternly, coming around to stand on Apollo's left. Her steel blue gaze shifted fretfully to the Family Seer's haggard visage and she lighted her hand down onto his forehead. "We need to find a place where Morpheus can rest properly."

"There are a set of bedrooms down the hall there," Zelus supplied, nodding towards the right of the corridor. Smirking, he came around to lean against the wall of the archway connecting to the dining room and crossed his arms. "Go, Apollo. Make sure our dear, sweet seer is nice and comfortable. We'll leave him in your capable hands."

Wordlessly, Apollo turned and left the group, disappearing down the dark corridor. Persephone's expression turned pensive as she took up position at Athena's right flank. "There are copious amounts of elemental residual here…" she mused. "This domicile belongs to Elemental Masters. And quite a few of them too…"

"What?" Three shocked pairs of eyes looked to the ravenette, while Zelus just continued to smirk.

"Oh my…" Eros pressed a painted, manicured finger to his full, pouty lips, his lavender gaze sly. "Don't tell me we've stumbled upon our preys' little nest…?"

Athena was first to turn a piecing glare to Zelus when the latter threw his head back and laughed. Calming somewhat but still wearing a devious smirk, the Master of Wind flicked his bangs from his temple in a pretentious manner. "Yes. Yes, we have, Eros. Welcome to the Destiny's Bounty, everyone."

"Flippin' hell! Now that's right spawny!" Dionysus crowed, jumping to his feet. "Whattaya say we demolish the place before leavin', eh Queenie? I'd say the nobs would be right gutted, they would."

Athena frowned, not taking her eyes off Zelus. "Fine. You can even do the honors, D."

"Fuck yeah!"

Eros chuckled. "And to think we would've flown right by it without our seer's sixth sense. This is a cause for a celebration!" He bypassed the others and headed for the kitchen connected to the dining room. "I'll make a nice, hot meal for us. I need to hone my cooking skills anyway, if I'm to be absolutely perfect for my beloved."

"And drink!" Dionysus cried, following after him. "Tis the season, after all!" Even though they all knew he would look for any excuse to down a bottle of wine.

"This is quite fortunate," said Persephone. "We must make productive use of our time here to learn all we can about our enemies." And she left also, disappearing down the same corridor Apollo had.

Zelus and Athena were more or less alone with only the distant chatter and clang of pots and pans coming from the neighboring kitchen. Zelus arched an eyebrow at the lone, glaring female. "Well aren't you going to follow her example?"

Athena planted a hand on her cocked hip. "Why? When a fountain of knowledge is right here in front of me."

"You flatter me, Athena…"

"Oh cut the bullshit, Zelus!" Athena snapped. "It's so obvious you know more than you let on. Why are you being so secretive? Why not just tell us what you know about these guys? We're your family—"

"You all are not my family." Zelus' harsh tone had cut through Athena's. The smirk on his face had dissolved, being replaced by a dark, belligerent scowl. "Never have. Never will be. And the sooner you get that through your thick, braided skull the better."

Athena just looked at him, expression unreadable. Her heart was beginning to pound in that anxious way it did before a fight. Her fingers trembled by her side, working to form a knuckle-cracking clench. It was steadily building, her wrath. But there was also something else that fought to counteract it: melancholy. Just what did Zelus have against the concept of family and togetherness? She had always strived to make sure he had felt welcomed and cared for just like everybody else. And yet, despite her best efforts, he had willingly ostracized himself from the clan and voluntarily got himself labeled as the pariah of the family. She didn't want to give up on him, but there were times like these when he really did hurt her.

Conflicted and weary, the Master of Cosmic shook her head. "…I have never met anyone so adamant about being alone and unhappy."

"Wrong again," Zelus scoffed, looking away. "As you usually are in regards to me."

At that moment, it would be so easy for her to channel a small black hole that could suck him in. And then she'd watched gleefully as his body decompressed and literally become spaghetti by the event horizon. Unfortunately though, she knew her happiness would be fleeting as she would instantly regret her actions and cry for him. Oh why did her heart bleed for this asshole of a man…?

Taking a note out of Apollo's book, Athena said nothing more and walked away. She wanted to check on the only couple in the clan anyway.

*~XxX~*

Apollo hadn't cared which bedroom to enter. He had simply chosen the door that was ajar and easily accessible, what with Morpheus occupying his arms in all. That door just happened to be blue. But now that the seer was settled on a neatly made blue bed and looking less pale (which had been a feat considering his bronzed caramel skin tone), Apollo felt that he could breathe a little easier.

Nevertheless, the musician stayed seated beside him on the bed overlooking the smaller deity's condition (He failed to notice Persephone slink past). Dammit, Morph, what's wrong…? What happened to you…? It was then when something caught Apollo's periphery. An innocuous picture frame sat isolated on the bedside table, distanced from all the other knick knacks and digital clock lining its surface.

He slowly turned to it, letting his one visible blue eye take in the happy people featured in the photo. He saw a face, one that reflected his own. God, they even had the same scar cutting through their right eyebrow. An immediate swathe of rage encompassed Apollo then. But just as quickly as it came, it dissipated when he noticed the two other people in the picture, their arms wrapped lovingly around the smiling Blue Bastard in the middle.

Swallowing, Apollo reached out with trembling fingers to grasp the silver picture frame. He didn't understand why his heart throbbed painfully at the sight of the older man and woman. He didn't know these people. He didn't—

"Still no pulse, Doctor!"

"Ed…*sob*…our baby…? Where's our second little boy…? Where's Jacob…?"

"…Doctor…?"

"…I'm…I'm sorry… He's gone… We tried…"

"No…"

"No…NO! THEN TRY HARDER! WAIT! WHERE ARE YOU TAKING MY BABY!?"

"All deceased infants must be transported to the Purgatory Ward for immediate release. You signed a consent form, remember?"

"No! Not for this! We want both! We have to give Jacob a proper burial! He's still a Walker!"

"I'm sorry…"

"TO HELL WITH YOUR SORRIES! GIVE ME BACK MY LITTLE BOY! GIVE ME BACK MY JACOB! AAHHH!"

"EDNA!"

Apollo gripped his throbbing temples with both hands and squeezed his eyes shut, fighting to block the images out. Teeth gritted, he stumbled to his feet as his vision went white behind his eyelids. Crimson coils of lightning ensnared his body. Fast pants and discombobulated mumbles escaped him in rapid tandem.

"No, no, no! I don't care. I don't care. I don't care. I. DON'T. CARE!" With an infuriated roar, Apollo threw the silver frame against the wall, the glass shattering upon impact before it dropped to the floor. And the deity fell with it, collapsing to his knees. Heart pounding, Apollo breathed heavily into the silence, staring at nothing.

The lingering jolts surrounding his body flickered and jumped like a broken circuit. He trembled, though, when he felt something, when he thought he saw something. Apollo jerked when he felt it again—a spark that wasn't his own, but nonetheless felt like his own. It touched his right shoulder, and then his left, settling there like a weighted comfort.

A chink formed in his mask when it attempted to touch his face, and Apollo gasped at the sensation reverberating through it, scooting backwards until his back touched the side of the bed. The weighted jolts had left him when he moved, but soon found their place on his shoulders once more. Apollo blinked, wide-eyed as veins of sapphire lightning glinted into sight right in front of him.

They had no shape or form. They were just there—lingering and wanting to…what? Apollo knew whose room he was in. But why couldn't he move? Why did he feel…rooted? The pressure on his shoulders was light not heavy. He knew he could throw it off if he wanted. So why couldn't he?

Seemingly of its own volition, the crimson coils sputtering around him jumped towards the sapphire veins. They repelled upon collision, sparking with an angry pop. Apollo's left eye twitched. He remembered this feeling. It was the same as when he and the Blue Bastard had clashed at Booster Park.

Nothing has changed… I won't allow it to change…

Apollo wouldn't allow a weak, sentimental fool to get to him. He would have his vengeance no matter what the Blue Bastard said, did or felt. Flaring his lightning element, he repelled the comforting weight off his shoulders and watched with a frown as it recoiled. The sapphire veins sparked and shimmered, but didn't try to touch him again. He then rose to his feet silently and turned his back to the lingering blue element. Focused on Morpheus once more, he carefully scooped up the seer in his arms and headed for the open door.

"I won't allow you to taint him with your foolishness."

Making his exodus and kicking the door closed for good measure, Apollo decided to search the other rooms stationed in the hallway. The white room, while it had a tranquil and serene atmosphere, it was much too cold for Morpheus to handle. The red room neighboring it was just the opposite. As soon as Apollo had opened the door, he had been swamped by heat and aggression, and growling had slammed the door shut.

Patience wearing thin, he took a chance with the black door and entered. Like the Blue Bastard's room, the walls were painted silver and was furnished with the typical living essentials as all the others: bed, dresser, nightstand, desk and desk chair. However, the swathes of onyx coloring the room gave the impression of a no nonsense occupant. And if nothing else, Apollo could appreciate the ambience.

He made his way over the black-lined bed and tenderly placed Morpheus down on top of it. As for the elemental presence in the room… "…Earth…" Apollo muttered, sensing the settled power. It was strange, really. Though the presence filled the room like all the others, it wasn't wild and oppressive like Fire, it wasn't frigid and inquisitorial like Ice, and it wasn't stupidly sentimental like Lightning. It was just…there—nonchalant, nonplussed and unobtrusive.

"Hmph. Good." Glancing around himself, Apollo gave the room a closer inspection. He eyed the MP3 player and ear buds sitting carelessly on the nightstand with a modicum of curiosity, but didn't reach for it. The playlist probably sucks anyway… He then approached the desk nestled in the corner, for there were sheets of paper strewn about on its surface.

Eyes narrowed suspiciously, Apollo used a hand to leaf through the parchments, quickly realizing that the earth-user was an aspiring artist. The ones he found appeared to all be bust portraits and lightly shaded in pencil. And to the deity's chagrin, they were all pretty damn impressive. The realistic expression of each person portrayed was staggering. Apollo didn't recognize the people, of course, but could deduce that the artist had copious amounts of respect for the people they drew. It felt that way to him at least.

Something caught his attention, though. Sitting on the edge of the desk was a blue folder. And by the gods did it look out of place considering all the black and silver in the room. But what was even more intriguing about the folder, was the image of a blue jay on the cover. "What, do they like birds too…?" Apollo mused, picking up the folder.

However, upon opening the folder and seeing the contents within, Apollo could only stare. There he was again—the Blue Bastard, only this time drawn to such perfection that a camera could only hope to replicate it. And not only that, it was colored in luscious hues unlike the previous ones, giving the portrait even more depth and substance. The blue of his twin's eyes were soft and vibrant. The artist even captured the multitude of colors highlighting their otherwise deceptively ordinary brown hair.

In short, it was too perfect. Too perfect and beautiful. It contrasted greatly against what Apollo knew and kept close to his heart. This beautiful man, this ethereal version of his twin couldn't possibly be the same man that had helped murder his father. He simply refused to believe it…and thus, didn't.

Scowling, the Deity of Pride viciously closed the folder and dropped it unceremoniously back on the desk. "Fuck you." The sound of the bed creaking behind him, though, had him turning back in alarm. "Morpheus?" The Family Seer was sitting up on the bed, one hand painfully gripping his temple, while the other wrapped around his legs.

"Morpheus!" Apollo was sitting on the bedside next to the other a second later, his one visible blue eye looking over the younger male anxiously. "Are you alright? Do you need anything? What happened? You never fainted before after one of your visions…"

Morpheus lowered his hand and slowly turned to look at him, his beautiful, otherworldly eyes wide and unblinking…fearful. "Morph…? What's wrong? Don't you—" Apollo hurriedly took off his mask, remembering how the other preferred him without it. "Don't you recognize me?"

Morpheus lips moved, but no sound came forth. But regardless, Apollo focused on those creamy lips, knowing they had formed his name. "Yeah, it's me…but… Morph, what is it…? Why can't you…" Apollo reached instinctively forward to touch Morpheus, to cup his jaw line like he had done so many times in the past. But upon doing so, he was unprepared for the seer to recoil in fear, and even more unprepared for a burst of sparkling, golden sand to hit him in the chest and send him careening backwards and crashing onto the floor.

More from shock than pain, Apollo stared at Morpheus from his sprawled position on the floor. Never. Never ever had the seer attacked him before—or anyone in their family for that matter. He didn't even participate in sparring sessions, preferring to train either by himself or under Chen's direct tutelage. But even then, Morpheus' sand was used primarily in defense, buffs and long-range attacks, as the seer was no upfront fighter.

"Morph…?" Unable to do much else, Apollo continued to stare, watching flummoxed as the Family Seer looked at him with such…fear and…mistrust…? His hand was held out in front of him and shook with each of his trembling and ragged breathes. Tears soon pooled, and fell in rivulets down his cheeks.

"Oh here you two ar…"

Athena stood frozen in the doorway, her gaze shifting bemusedly between Apollo and Morpheus, and back again. As soon as she noticed Morpheus' tears, however… "What happened?" She asked, striding inside, focused solely on the seer. But a wall of golden sand immediately materialized to block her—and anyone's—path to the youngest deity, stopping her dead in her tracks.

She stared at the blockade in utter bewilderment. "Wha…? Morpheus, talk to me! What happened?" Athena pounded lightly on the sand. And although the abuse produced bursts of grain, the wall stayed firm.

The deity in question said nothing—or could say nothing, and just sat in a fetal position on the bed, his arms curled around his legs and his face pressed into the top of his knees. The slight tremor of his delicate frame portrayed his continued sorrow. But what could've happened for Morpheus to react in such a way upon awakening? What did he see in his vision?

Apollo got gingerly to his feet, his sight of Morpheus now blocked by the wall of sand. "I don't think he can, Athena."

"What?"

Apollo shook his head, his expression morose. "As soon as he woke up, I tried to talk to him, but, well…that's how I ended up on the floor. Something must've happened during his last vision. Something bad enough to take his voice and for him to…not trust us…"

Athena looked incredulous. "What? No…" Turning back, she placed her hand on the wall of sand. "Morpheus, you know we would never do anything to hurt you. We just want to help. Oh god, Morpheus, please—"

All at once, the wall of sand suddenly crumbled to the ground and evaporated. But before either of the deities could breathe a sigh of relief, the sight before them made them gasp instead. Morpheus' left hand was entirely engulfed in golden flames. The Family Seer twisted and writhed on the bed, his eyes squeezed shut and his mouth wrenched open in a silent scream.

Frantic, Apollo was the first to move. Climbing onto the bed, he pulled the smaller male into his arms and flush against his chest to steady him. He then grabbed his left arm and held it out to keep the flames at a distance. "Athena, grab a wet towel!" He barked. "We'll smother it!"

Head whipping around the room, Athena dashed to the nearest door and threw it open, revealing a darkened bathroom. Not bothering with a light, she grabbed the first thing she saw cloth-wise, wetted it under the faucet and dashed back out. But as soon as she raced up to the duo on the bed, the golden flames dissipated in a swirling, sparkling wisp.

She stood poised, wide-eyed over the two with the damp towel held open. Morpheus on the other hand lay slumped against Apollo's chest between his legs, unconscious and unresponsive. "Morph…?" He called softly, but was rewarded with only silence. Cursing under his breath, he held on to the other tighter. "Dammit, what's happening? I should've listened to those damn plants when they tried to talk to me—"

"Apollo. Look."

Apollo was still holding out Morpheus' arm, and Athena's gaze was transfixed on the seer's hand. Dropping the towel, she held Morpheus' hand tenderly in her grip and used a finger to trace the image that had been left in the flames' wake. On the back of Morpheus' palm, etched in the center was a six-point star encircled by feathery wings.

Apollo stared at the brand. "What in the hell…?"

Morpheus' body gave a sudden lurch in his grip. Athena had only a millisecond to react and release the seer's hand as he pitched forward to vomit all over himself. "Morpheus!"

"Shit!"

Morpheus' breathes came short and quick as his small frame began to wrack with shivers. "He's… He's getting cold!"

Athena hurriedly retrieved the towel from the floor and wiped off the front of Morpheus' shirt and around his mouth. "Oh god, what do we do? What do we do?"

"Move." When Athena retreated back a few steps, Apollo lifted himself and Morpheus slightly off the bed to yank the comforter up from underneath. He then proceeded to cocoon the seer's body into it.

"What's going on?" Zelus demanded, entering with a staid frown.

Athena's face contorted into a snarl as she cut her steel blue eyes over her shoulder at the eldest deity. "Like you give a damn. Get out!"

Zelus rolled his eyes and looked to Apollo on the bed. "What's going on, Apollo? Is it Morpheus?"

Before the musician could answer, Athena whirled to face the Master of Wind, her beaded braids clacking loudly as they swished and hit each other. "We're not your family, remember? So get the fuck out! This doesn't concern you!"

"Onna, will you just shut up and tell me what's wrong?!"

"Morpheus is sick! That's what's wrong! Now why don't you make yourself useful and go jump off a cliff!"

"Mummie, Daddy, please don't fight in front of us, it's right upsettin', it is," Dionysus slurred as he staggered into the room wearing oven mitts and holding a steaming pan of lasagna. Looking at his dopey grin, flushed cheeks and dilated pupils, it was easy to discern that the Deity of Gluttony had found something to get himself thoroughly plastered with. And from the smell of his breath, it had to have been some type of wine.

Athena and Zelus stood toe to toe, glaring furiously into each other's eyes (though Athena had to crane her neck up, of course). "Not now, D," the female deity growled out through gritted teeth.

"Aww, but lookit. Found one of them lazagas you like, Queenie. Right spawny we were. Only took like four five minutes. Heh, that blonde bloke in 'ere called himself cooking…more like heatin' up." Chuckling still, Dionysus turned to regard Apollo and Morpheus on the bed, his features immediately twisting into confusion. "Oi, oi, intruder alert! Intruder alert! What y'all standing around here for, eh? That leather-clad lag over there has our poor 'ol seer wrapped up like a bloody burrito."

Athena rubbed her temples with a tight grimace, while Zelus peered at Dionysus from his peripheral, clearly annoyed. "Dionysus, that's Apollo," he sneered.

The spiky-haired ginger blinked owlishly at his fellow deities on the bed. "Oh." He blinked again. "Who?"

While Zelus face-palmed, Athena clenched her fists and spat at the drunk deity. "Dionysus! You and the lasagna go back into the kitchen right now! Go!"

"Pfft. Well you don't hafta get all miffed about it, Queenie. Though I gotta say I kinda like it when you do…" He licked his lips as he eyed the Master of Cosmic appreciatively. "…Each of your mighty huffs seems to thrust your strawberry creams forward."

Poison green eyes turned to venom, and Zelus was just about to ram his fist into the drunkard's face—ally or not—when Eros pranced in, wearing a frilly pink apron of all things and holding a small bottle of parsley. "Dionysus, you stupid ruffian! I wasn't done with that! Oh…what's going on here?"

Relieved to see another fellow deity who she didn't want to throttle, Athena addressed Eros quickly. "Eros, find Persephone and tell her we're leaving right away. Morpheus is sick."

"Sick?"

"Yes. A mark—s-some kind of mark appeared on his left hand by way of flames and he..he threw up." It was obvious Athena was trying her best to be strong—to be the family's infallible matriarch that their father had appointed, but her twitchy movements and shuddering breathes gave away her anxiety.

"When I am unable, I'll be counting on you to watch over the family, Athena. Your power and fathomless love and devotion are invaluable. You must keep yourself and everyone else in our clan safe and healthy. Understand?"

"Yes, Father! Of course!"

Blinking out of the brief stupor, Athena took another breath and clutched her right wrist. Zelus watched her closely. "He's unconscious now, and his body temperature seems to be dropping. We need to get him to the nearest hospital."

"A mark?!" Eros huffed and flipped his long, silky ponytail over his shoulder, puffing his cheeks. "Don't tell me that lucky, little sandman got his mark before I did…"

Athena's world shook. "What?"

The Master of Poison cocked a perfectly slender blonde eyebrow. "Well yes. Though I thought I would be the only one in our family to be blessed by the Mana Cetra, it appears Morpheus was also deemed worthy of being a Marked One."

Zelus folded his arms. "And this is the process?"

Nonplussed by the situation, Eros unscrewed the top of the bottle and leaned toward Dionysus. "According to my pretty, little spore, Hunra, yes." He lightly began to sprinkle the lasagna with a few delicate shakes of parsley. "The mark will be branded onto a Marked One's skin by way of fire. And after that, we will become quite sick for a brief amount of time while our bodies adjust to the change. And as an added insurance that we do in fact survive this alteration, our appointed Mana Cetra will stay with us throughout."

Pleased with the amount of parsley peppered atop of the main course, Eros smiled proudly and capped the spice once more. "And voila."

"And what exactly is a Marked One?" Apollo asked with a frown.

Eros regarded the duo on the bed with a sly grin. "Oh my lovely musician, do try to keep up. A Marked One has the wonderful capability of becoming a male mother. Which means, if our dear, sweet seer chooses, he'll be able to procreate with another man."

Apollo's mismatched irises widened to almost comical proportions as his cheeks turned scarlet. Eros chortled daintily and fiddled with the small bottle in his hand. "But who's to say that man is going to be you, hmm?"

Apollo's expression immediately morphed into a scowl. "Get out, Pinky."

The Deity of Lust giggled again, but Athena continued to look forlorn and gripped her wrist. "So then…he's going to be okay…?" She asked softly, hopefully. "He's not…dying…?"

Eros gave her a quizzical look. "I would say not. Not from being a Marked One anyway. But we still don't know why he passed out in the first place…do we?"

When Athena shook her head, the blond shrugged. "Then we have no choice but to wait. This place seems more than well-equipped to sustain us for a few days if need be, so everything should be fine." Eros gave the matriarch a concerned frown. "Honestly, Thena, you're going to get gray hairs and crow's feet way before your time if you keep this up. Relax. We're not children anymore, so you don't have to try so hard to look after us."

"Oh I dunno 'bout that…" Dionysus slurred, giving Zelus a meaningful side glance. And unamused, dark green eyes flecked with gold glowered back.

"You have about five seconds to get the hell out of my face."

"Now, now, I have no desire to see your strawberry creams bounce around, Zelly," Dionysus quipped, stumbling out of the room with Eros following after him.

"Oh come on, you. We need to set the table."

"Break the table! Got it!"

"I said set the table!"

"Break the table!"

"Oh I just hate it when you're drunk!"

Athena stood silent for a moment before turning around and walking the short distance to Apollo and Morpheus. Bending down, she lightly kissed the seer's forehead. "Let me know if his condition changes or if he wakes up, Apollo. Okay?"

"Okay. I will, Athena."

Nodding, the Deity of Wrath turned back around and walked out without saying another word. Zelus watched her go from his periphery as she didn't go towards the dining room like he expected but deeper into the ship. He clicked the back of his tongue irritably and moved to follow her when Apollo's low, cold voice stopped him.

"For your sake, you better not be another one of those indecisive fools, Zelus," he said, glaring at the ravenette's back. "I won't stand for it. Especially not towards Athena. She deserves better."

Zelus snickered, a wicked smirk twisting his lips. "Duly noted, Rotten Twin."

Apollo scoffed at the other man's back, but didn't comment further as he left the room. Falling back against the leather-cushioned headboard, he shifted his gaze down to the one in his arms. Marked One… Male mother…? We haven't even reached that stage in our relationship…

Yes, as shameful and weird as it was, despite Apollo and Morpheus being a couple for over six years now, they have yet to consummate their relationship. Though granted, they had realized their non-platonic love for each other when they were mere teens. Thus, it wasn't too strange for them not to have had sex yet.

Apollo tried to stifle a blush from rising to no avail. Too bad his mask was on the far side of the room now, since after being tossed during the scuffle with Morpheus' sand wall. In retrospect, he wouldn't exactly call himself shy per se. Hell, he was more brazen and decisive than anything else. He made a stalwart effort to never break any promises and always to follow-through with all of his decisions.

No second thoughts. No reneging.

All in or all out. Nothing in between.

Morpheus had similar attributes. Though not as bold as Apollo in some aspects, he was in others. The Family Seer was honest, but had tact. He knew what to say and how to say it. However, there was a reason why he embodied the deadly sin of Sloth. Morpheus was painfully lazy. He wasn't adverse to hard work and training, by all means. He just preferred to spend his time either in deep meditation or lounging around in a hammock soaking up rays.

The musician chuckled quietly to himself. Morpheus had always been a breath of fresh air—the spark to his flint, so to speak. His soft voice and warm presence soothed his soul when the melodies failed. They played off each other like woodwind instruments, knowing when to uplift but also when to keep things low-key.

Lately, however, he admitted to putting their relationship on the back burner. He didn't use to be so taciturn and aloof. Consumed with the spirit of the avenger after their father's death, Apollo had dedicated most of his time to training. He remembered when he had first donned the white mask…and how much Morpheus had hated it.

He still hated it.

Ultimately, their relationship had been a little strained as of late. But none of that mattered now. Their past arguments and grievances meant nothing. He would do everything in his power to look after the one he loved…even if that person didn't trust him to.

Apollo's eyes roved over Morpheus pained countenance. "I don't know what you saw, Morph. I don't know why you looked at me the way you did. Or why you pushed me away. But I'm not going anywhere. You hear me?"

Morpheus' brow quivered and pinched, and slowly…white lashes fluttered upward to reveal translucent pools of grainy gold. Apollo blinked and stared. "Morph…?"

The seer blinked, but said nothing. Gingerly, he began to move, to shrug out of the cocoon of blankets and lifted his right arm to point to the door located on the far end of the room. Apollo followed the finger curiously. The door in question was still ajar after Athena had exited it in her haste to return with a wet towel.

"The bathroom? Do you need to go to the bathroom?" Apollo looked down, seeking confirmation. And after receiving a minute nod, he readjusted his hold on Morpheus and rose from the bed. He was worried. Morpheus' expression had never looked so blank before. And why were his eyes glowing the same color as his element? Was this another part of the "alteration" process in becoming a male mother? Or was nature just calling in a very unorthodox way?

I'll seek Athena out after I've helped him with this…

Using an elbow to flick on the light switch, Apollo gave pause when Morpheus' arm lifted again, this time moving to point at the shower/bath in the corner and not the toilet like he was expecting. The Deity of Pride's face flushed scarlet.

"You…want to take a bath?"

Author's Note: This was a long one, but I'm very happy and proud that I was able to finish it! Though I already have a structure for the release of the chapters down, I'll let you guys decide on what you would like to read next. Would you like to see more of the deities next chapter? Or do you want to see how Brad, Lloyd, Kai and Zane are doing? Or, do you want to see what's going on with Garmadon, Sensei Wu and Misako? OR, is it time to return to Cole and Jay? Please let me know! I can rearrange the chapters easily if I need to. Please leave your thoughts!