It took a little while for Hazel to start to feel better. The most challenging part was stabilizing her breathing. After that, everything eventually fell into place. She was still a little sore in some places, but she was fine in her eyes.

After about ten more minutes of rest, she was ready to leave and go back to her daily activities. She glanced at Terra every now and then. The other woman didn't seem to have the desire to talk as far as Hazel could tell. Terra could be silent for hours if she wanted to. Because of this, Hazel decided to break the ice instead of continuing to sit in a blanket when she felt good enough to get something done.

With that, she stood and tossed the blanket aside. "Alright. I'm feeling better now." She rubbed a sore spot before shrugging. "I'm going to see what I can fix in my garden." The ruby haired woman said as she made her way to the door.

Terra casually got up and maneuvered her way over to the door before standing in front of it. "Nope. You need to stay in here for a bit longer." She said calmly, though there was a hint of mischief in her eyes.

Hazel looked at her before looking at the very tempting door behind Terra. "...Why can't I leave yet?" She asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"...Because you'll freak out again the second you spot anybody that's with or being the messenger for Audrey," Terra said matter-of-factly while folding her arms.

Hazel gave her a half eyed gaze. "If I see Audrey, I'll go elsewhere like I've been doing since…" She trailed off seemingly in thought. "Anyway, I've got it handled."

"...Nope," Terra said with a small smirk. "You are gonna have to get past me and the spell on the door if you want to leave right now."

Hazel blinked before looking at her in exasperation. "You put a spell on the door?" She shook her head. "Terra! Just...move!" She said in a pouty manner.

"Nope," Terra repeated while shaking her head. "It's not gonna happen."

Hazel wilted with an aggravated sigh. "So...you want me to just...sit in here and do nothing?" She said in a bored tone.

"No, I want you to sit in here and relax." Terra responded with a tilt of her head.

Hazel folded her arms at that. "But...I don't want to relax." She said in a huff as she folded her arms.

"It's good for you. If you relax, you'll be less likely to panic when Audrey ignores everybody and charges you demanding answers." Terra said while raising a finger. "Because you know she's gonna do that...right?"

Hazel blinked at that before placing her head in her hands. She groaned deeply. "What am I going to do..?" She thought aloud.

"...You let Heidi get charged instead since she's the person this whole situation is about?" Terra questioned with a raised eyebrow. "You could always hide in here while those two...talk it out." She stated with a small head tilt.

Hazel remained the same as she said, "That's just one thing. I can't...mmm…" She placed a hand on her head. "I don't think I'm going to-to go to Heidi's Castle…" She said with a frown.

"Why? Because those two have, clearly, an unspoken thing to talk about?" Terra asked with a head tilt. "Or is it because something else is bothering you?"

Hazel took a moment before swallowing. "I'm scared of kids. Like...very scared. This whole situation with the babies, the godparents thing, and Heidi and Audrey...I...don't think I can continue on like this." She admitted before averting her gaze.

"Then...why don't you just tell Audrey? Considering the fact that you probably have already let Heidi in on that secret, I'm sure that Audrey would be very understanding." Terra said while rubbing her chin. "And if she doesn't understand you, simply tell the truth. I'm sure it isn't the first time that this has come up."

Hazel looked up at her before nodding. After that, she looked back down, seemingly in thought. "I'll see."

Terra looked down before placing her hand on her hip. "Have you tried talking to anybody about it? I know Heidi is...an option, but surely there is somebody even a bit more stable than her that would understand you." She said with a thoughtful look.

Hazel shook her head in a casual manner. "No. That's not on my list of importance and frankly, I'm fine as long as that stuff stays away from me. Just like an allergy." She removed her hands from her face.

Terra shook her head. "That isn't a healthy way of dealing with things and you know that. What would be the harm of just talking with somebody who has been in your shoes? They could help you out before this gets out of hand like it clearly has for Heidi." She frowned at her and tilted her head.

Hazel stubbornly turned her gaze away from Terra. "I can handle my own problems. Especially this one. I don't want to talk about it. This is personal and it will stay personal." She folded her arms.

Terra gave her a deadpan. "...Okay, I'll just sign you up for therapy." She said casually while whipping out her phone.

Hazel looked at her in annoyance before saying, "Seriously?" She asked, clearly bothered. "What part of personal did you not understand?"

"The part where you must bottle it up until you explode," Terra responded with halved eyes. "See how I said must instead of choose. It's all, must, must, and must, with what you are saying. If you choose to speak out and not feel like you must bottle it up, you will feel better. You can't keep avoiding this forever…'cause even gods can't pull that one off." She said with a deep frown. "So, you can either talk with someone that would understand you, or get teamed by Hestia and Vesta who I have on speed dial."

Hazel, whom's eyes turned a shade of purple, refused to answer and remained turned away from her. What she did do was murmur and complain under her breath. One of those things being, "...I don't see what any of this has to do with me anyway. It's not like they're my kids." She shook her head afterward.

Terra closed her eyes for a moment before opening them and she tilted her head. "...Heidi said that she knows somebody with a fear much like yours, didn't she?" She questioned her with a raised eyebrow.

Hazel reluctantly nodded at that but she still didn't respond verbally.

"...What if I got them to talk with you? Would you talk to them about it?" Terra asked while lacing her fingers together.

Hazel screwed her eyes shut as memories flashed through her mind. "I want to be left alone." She stated. "...I don't want to talk." She said with annoyance evident in her voice.

"And I don't want to see you do this to yourself. You are destroying yourself by not letting go." Terra said calmly while closing her eyes.

Hazel faltered the slightest at that, opening her eyes. That was before she closed them once again. "I'm okay."

"No, you're not. You are letting your past mistakes break you up to the point where you are hanging on. You are letting them rule your mindset into believing that you cannot discuss it or move past it." Terra said, her eyes still closed as she kept her voice soft.

"I can fix it on my own," Hazel stated as her eyes scanned the ground.

"...Then why haven't you? Why have you let it destroy you?" Terra asked with a raised eyebrow. "If you could fix it, we would not be here discussing the very issue."

"I just...I…" Hazel glanced up at her before looking down to hide her coming tears. "I...I don't know, alright?" She said with a hiccup. "I don't know."

Terra was silent for a moment before she walked over and sat down next to her. "...You can't do it on your own." She said quietly while patting her on the back.

Hazel closed her eyes as a few years fell. "I hate talking about it. It j-just hurts too much. I would...rather forget." She said in a wavering tone.

"You can't forget painful memories like that. You have to move past them." Terra said softly, bringing her into a side hug.

Hazel looked up and her before turning her head down in shame. "I'm sorry I snapped at you…" She shook her head. "I should've…"

"You're fine...I'd be more surprised if you hadn't snapped at me." Terra said, smiling a bit at her words before shaking her head.

Hazel nodded, trying to wipe the tears off of her face. "Thank you." She responded. "A-are you sure that...talking to someone would help?" She asked hesitantly with fear in her eyes.

"The someone that Heidi told you about...I think it would help both of you. They aren't going to judge you...mainly because they've done something ten times worse." Terra said with a reassuring smile.

Hazel looked to the side and said, "I always considered help from others to be a no go. I just...took care of myself. I couldn't trust anyone else."

Terra nodded at that and closed her eyes. "I wouldn't bring you someone that I wouldn't trust...or somebody that Heidi doesn't trust either." She said with a head tilt. "But I trust them."

Hazel sighed. "Okay...I-I-I...maybe I could...talk…" She mumbled.

Terra patted her on the back. "I'll go find them in a bit. For now...Just relax." She said with a small smile before bringing her into a gentle hug.

Hazel nodded and leaned into the hug with another hiccup. At that, a memory popped into her head. She wondered if she should share the thought with Terra since she usually doesn't like to talk about that kind of stuff.

"Hey, Terra?" She started before discarding the thought. "Pfft. Nevermind." Hazel said before reaching over to get a tissue box.

"What's up? Need something?" Terra asked with a head tilt.

Hazel thought for a few seconds before shaking her head. "I'm good. I'm just...relaxing, or trying to."

Terra nodded before pausing. "Well...According to Heidi...The individual I need to go find is...being dragged out of the mall?" She said before suddenly sounding very confused at her words. "What is he doing at the mall?"

Hazel looked up in thought. "I have no idea. However, I do feel it's related to me making Heidi do the splits in public. Don't ask." She blinked before shrugging it off.

"...That explanation makes it hard not to ask, but I won't," Terra said with halved eyes before pulling away from her and getting up. "I should probably go get him before he does something else…" She said with a headshake as she rubbed her forehead.

Hazel nodded before covering back up in her blanket. "Okay. I'll just be...here." She said with a small smile.

Terra nodded and returned the smile. "Feel free to text me if you want anything while I'm out. I'll probably have to bribe him, so I'm free to make food runs or shopping trips." She said with a small chuckle.

Hazel pulled out her phone and waved it. "I will! In the meantime, I'll be spending time with my best friend." She said, referring to the TV.

Terra looked at her in amusement before nodding and disappearing in a flash of magic.

8888888

Deuce looked over the pregnant woman with a raised eyebrow. He tapped her on the arm with his paw. Not surprised at the lack of movement, he said, "Yup, just as I thought…she's dead." He stated with halved eyes. "Time to get this body out of here!"

Chester, who was right beside him, facepalmed. "She's not dead, you twit! She's perfectly fine. Just unconscious."

Deuce nodded slowly, now understanding. "Oh...That's good then!" He said with a grin.

Triple G looked down at Audrey. "If that's it, how do we wake her up? He tapped his chin.

JR blinked before saying, "I have a few ideas." He smirked. "Can we use water?"

"Uh…" Uma said from her shopping spot. "No, you cannot!"

JR deflated at that. "Darn it." He placed his hands in his pockets.

While they continued to ponder on Audrey, Ara was more than confused at what she had been told.

Ara blinked, "Wait, so all of this happened while I was in the shower?" She asked once they had briefed her on what happened.

Freddie looked at Ara with humor. "You do realize you took an hour and a half long shower, right?" She shook her head at that.

Ara tilted her head at that. "Oh...huh. I guess that does shine a little bit of light on things." She looked to the side. "I'll catch up with Hazel through telepathy. The usual." That's when she turned her attention to the boys. "Did you guys get her up yet?"

JR, who had given up once they said he couldn't use water, was sitting in a nearby chair.

Triple G and Deuce shook their heads.

"Nope!" Triple G exclaimed happily despite the news. "We're gonna make her smell stuff now and see if she'll wake up. For example…"

He held down a sandwich to her nose. "Here you go, Audrey! A nice...juicy...delicious…"

He ate it.

CJ looked at him in the deadpan to end all deadpan. "...Just...let her smell salts or something. Just...anything but that!" She said before going back to shopping.

He and Deuce looked at each other in understanding.

Triple G came back with said salts and began to hold them up to Audrey's nose. "Audrey..? Audrey..? Whoohoo!" He said, calling out to the woman.

Audrey didn't respond at first before she twitched a bit and began to wake up.

"I knew she was alive!" Deuce exclaimed as if he believed that the whole time.

The group looked at him with half eyes.

George walked over and helped Audrey into a seat.

That gave Ara time to ask, "Are you okay, Audrey?" She tilted her head.

Audrey blinked and stared at them. "I guess...I just had this...awful dream. But it was just a dream so...I'm fine." She said with a small smile.

"Yeah...no," Freddie said. "It wasn't a dream." She said in a deadpan.

The group looked at her in annoyance.

Freddie shrugged. "What? I don't believe in 'sugar coating'." She said, using air quotes.

Audrey's eyes widened. "You mean...she said all that and jumped into the River Styx?" She asked as her face slowly began to pale in color.

"Who's river has sticks?" Deuce asked in a confused manner.

Ignoring him as usual, Ara shrugged. "I...don't know. I didn't know any of this."

Uma tilted her head. "Me neither. Hazel is the one with all of the bad news." She said as she continued to shop.

"...Bad news? Don't tell me she jumped into some random portal and...died." Audrey said as she paled even more and began to shake.

Uma shook her head. "Not bad bad. Just bad news. Like...mildly bad." She shrugged at that.

"Not to mention," CJ started, "She was last seen at the mall."

JR tilted his head. "How do you know that?" He asked curiously.

CJ showed him her phone. "Oh. The two Hades fighting went viral. There's a glimpse of Heidi in the video." She said with a laidback smile.

"There are two Hades now?!" Audrey asked in a panic as if she just had a traumatic flashback of some sort.

Freddie leaned over to Uma and asked, "Does she have an off switch?" She whispered with a raised eyebrow.

Uma shrugged in response.

Ara sighed before standing. "Everything is fine. Everyone is alive. No one is in danger. The two Hades are just the ones from our world and yours. No big deal." Ara explained with concern.

"So...there isn't some form of fake cloning going on that's a plot from Heidi's psycho mother?" Audrey asked slowly with widened eyes.

JR blinked twice. "What the hell?" He asked in pure confusion.

Chester smacked his lips. "They've been through a lot. Don't get them started." He said before turning his attention back to the screen.

"Heidi's mother is...psychotic and crazy…" Audrey said while trailing off and looking away.

"Right." Triple G said. "Well, none of that here." He said with a shrug.

Chirpy nodded at that from her work station. "Yep. It's pretty quiet here...for the moment…" She winced at the end.

Audrey shook her head and laid her hand on her heart. "Sorry...the crazy parts just seemed too real. Almost like someone wanted me to have the nightmare to end all nightmares…" She said with a sigh as she looked down at the ground.

Ara sighed in irritation. "I will be having a talk with Heidi later. Seems like a certain pink nuisance ruined your sleep." Ara rolled her eyes at that.

"Pink nuisance?" Audrey repeated with a head tilt.

Chirpy, catching on to what Ara was implying, called, "That's it! No evening cuddles for you today!" She said, inwardly snickering, already knowing Pinky could hear her if she wanted to.

There was a nearby crash before a disgruntled looking Pinky with glowing eyes ran in. "Wha-It called for a nightmare and I was on dream duty!" She exclaimed with confusion on her face as she marched over to a free chair and stood on it. "I have a duty to complete! I cannot ignore said duty!" She declared while pointing at them all.

The group looked at her with halved eyes.

Chirpy huffed at that. "Did you have to give her a nightmare of all things? She was already going through enough." She turned towards the blonde. "I mean...that's like saying, 'Oh my! You've got a papercut!? Here. Let me put some lemon juice on that!" She said in a mocking voice.

Pinky huffed and folded her arms. "You can blame my idiot boss Hypnos! He told me, "Give her the worst nightmare ever or I'll kick your ass!" when I said no. I did it so that I wouldn't be stuck in an eternal sleep with an eternal ass-kicking!" She exclaimed loudly with a scowl.

JR grumbled under his breath. "I wish she would have said no…" Prompting some of the others, mostly the boys, to nod in agreement.

Pinky whipped around. "I heard that!" She said before firing a blast of sleeping magic at the ones who spoke up or nodded.

JR and the ones who were hit, crumpled to the ground upon contact and immediately fell asleep.

Ara looked at the scene in a deadpan before saying, "Well, Audrey here you have it. The roots of your stress. Hades, Heidi, and Pinky." Then she chuckled. "Coincidentally, they are all in the same family," Ara said, tapping her chin.

When Audrey shot Pinky a glare, the blonde pursed her lips. "Huh, actually...I think I hear Hypnos calling for me. Better answer before my torture comes!" She said while throwing up a peace sign before disappearing in an explosion of pink sparkles that went everywhere.

Ara looked at the sparkles in distaste. "I never was a big fan of pink…" She grumbled. "Well, I believe my work here is done."

Chirpy nodded at that. "Same. I'm going to take a break and get dinner going. The boys are asleep and Pinky is gone so I may be able to concentrate this time." She said with a smile.

"That sounds good," Freddie said, looking up with a smile at the thought.

That caused Chirpy to smile and look at Audrey. "Did you want anything special, or are you still on a candy diet?"

"Ah...just something sweet," Audrey replied in a distracted manner, looking away to hide her troubled look.

Chirpy nodded before Freddie, Uma, and CJ went off to take a break with her.

As soon as they were gone, Ara, who had stayed behind, looked at Audrey with concern. She sighed before asking, "What's on your mind?" She sat across from her on a nearby sofa.

Audrey glanced around her and looked away. "Nothing. I am fine." She said in a neutral voice while lacing her fingers together.

Ara blinked and tilted her head at that. She looked back at the other and said, "Audrey…" She trailed off, already knowing the pregnant woman was the opposite of fine. Ara threw her a knowing look to go with it.

"I am fine, Ara. I had a nightmare...but I'm fine." Audrey repeated with a shake of her head.

Ara took a moment, still holding her knowing gaze. "I'm getting mixed signals. You are saying that you are fine...but your eyes are telling me something else." The bluenette said gently. "After everything, I just heard, you can't be looking like that over just one nightmare."

"It was a bad nightmare," Audrey said simply with a sharp tone to her voice as she looked away.

If Ara hasn't gotten her fair share of sharp speech in her life, she would have been offended. Ara leaned forward and tilted her head the slightest. "You want to talk about it?" She asked, trying to catch Audrey's gaze.

"And get heckled due to its sheer ridiculousness? Not a chance." Audrey said with a huff as she folded her arms.

"I won't heckle you." Ara looked up in confusion. "Heck, I don't even know what that means. All I know is, you need comfort and what better way to receive that than to vent to a friend?" Ara said with a small smile. "I don't have to say anything, either. I just want to listen."

Audrey glanced at her before sighing in apparent annoyance. "You'll laugh, even she'd laugh about half of them." She said with a shake of her head.

Ara looked around for a moment before nodding to herself. She smacked her lips. "Try me." She said with a challenging look in her eyes.

"...Heidi's psychopathic mother made clones of everybody that then replaced them within society and thus took over the entire world while the real individuals were either dead or trapped….and that's just one of the things." Audrey said, somehow managing to say it all in under one breath.

Ara blinked at that. "Well...that beats my guess. I was thinking on the lines of a shoot out in a candy bar." Then she looked downward. "Or...I have an unsatisfied sweets craving…" She mumbled in a deadpan.

"Another one is where her crazy mother dragged her into the void as a way of revenge for no reason. Both died since the void is the void and I died in a Padme-esq manner." Audrey continued with a bland tone to her voice.

Ara leaned on the armrest until she had gotten comfortable. After that, She looked back at the woman. "Anything else?"

"Heidi jumps into the River Styx and stays there for the rest of eternity because souls are better company." Audrey deadpanned with halved eyes.

Ara blinked before saying, "You guys have a weird sense of humor." She said blankly.

"Blame Hades, he's the one who influenced our sense of humor for the past two years," Audrey said with a blank look.

"Well…" Ara said while she lazily leaned on her arm. "I didn't understand some of it. How-ever," She said as if the word had two syllables. "What I did understand sounded downright messed up, so I feel you." The bluenette said in a casual manner.

"Long story short, I ended up dying in most of those." Audrey summed up while looking away.

"On the bright side, they're just dreams," Ara replied as she sat up a bit.

"Until somebody makes it a reality," Audrey mumbled as she looked at the ground.

Ara shook her head at that. "Don't be so pessimistic. That's Heidi's job." She continued, "We have a chance. That's all that matters. If I really didn't believe in you and Heidi, I would have never agreed to this." Ara explained.

"You didn't know about this-" Audrey gestured at herself and huffed. "Heidi knew and she's probably going to run away or ditch me like I was some one-nighter." She said, obviously upset as she glared at the wall.

Ara nodded acknowledging the real problem. "I'm going to be honest. I don't have the foggiest idea about kids, expecting kids, being pregnant...but I do know that it's a serious matter. If...you do something wrong, they'll turn out wrong...kinda like me when I was younger." Ara said as she thought. "Knowing that alone puts pressure on me and...I haven't even thought about having my own." She shook her head at that.

"If Heidi had an issue with it, why would she try to do it?" Audrey asked with a scowl. "I was raised to want kids, so she knew that I would want some and here she goes jumping ship!" She exclaimed, balling her fists with a huff.

"I have to admit that Heidi is late on this topic…" Ara tapped her chin. "I don't know, Audrey. It's one thing to say you want kids. It's another when the kids are actually coming." She said, still thinking.

"No-she told me that she was fine with it. She said that I had to limit it to three when I said I wanted four at once because I liked kids! The way she responded is how somebody would respond to having something for dinner!" Audrey said, growing more and more upset by the minute.

Ara raised her eyebrow at that. "Okay, Audrey calm down for a moment...but I just have to ask...wait so...she said to limit it to three...then she passes out when you get three? The three within the limit?" She asked for clarification, still holding her raised eyebrow.

Audrey let out an unamused laugh. "Well if Heidi has been lying about having kids or even liking them, maybe I should let you in on my own little lie. It isn't going to matter since she's probably leaving me!" She exclaimed, not calming down one bit as it appeared as though she was about to get up.

"What might that be?" Ara asked cautiously but curiously.

"...I didn't follow the limit!" Audrey said before giggling. "I didn't, not one bit." She said with a smile.

Ara's eyebrows flew up before she looked at her in speculation. "You didn't what and a who, now?" She asked, hoping Audrey didn't mean what she thought the pregnant woman meant.

"...I didn't follow the limit. Crossed my fingers and said I would then told Hera otherwise." Audrey said with a smile and closing her eyes.

Ara froze for a solid minute before looking down. "Shut...up." She looked back up with an interested smirk. "...how many?"

"Hehe...I lied about one." Audrey said with a snicker.

"Four…" Ara said before silently chuckling. "You are everything I want to be." She said as she leaned back in her seat.

"A liar and probably a single mother to four?" Audrey asked before pausing. "...I'm gonna be a single mother because she's leaving me…" She mumbled, now shifting to a much sadder mood as she sniffed.

Ara's smile disappeared at that. Then she looked up in thought. "This must be one of those mood things Kam was blabbing about. Good thing I was partially paying attention!"

Ara gave her a soft smile before saying, "Hey, I'm nearly very sure she won't leave you. She's very fond of you." She said with a smile.

"But why would she stay around me? She'll just do what her dad did and hide with some souls for ten years." Audrey said with a sigh as she gained a dejected look.

Ara frowned before saying, "You know that you'll never be alone as long as me and the lazy bunch are around." She said, referring to her friends. "I'll help you the best I can."

"You'd do that for me?" Audrey asked with a sniff as she looked at her.

Ara looked at her with a smile before making her way over to Audrey. "Have I ever gone back on my word?" She tilted her head.

The pinkette shook her head. "I guess not…" She mumbled with a soft sigh.

"So you can rest assured that my word is good." Ara smiled at that. "Don't thank me. Think of it as a...gift." She nodded to herself.

Audrey nodded with a sniff and rubbed at her eyes. "Okay...I'll think of it like that…" She said while managing a small smile.

Ara gave her a brief hug before standing up in thought. "Hmm...that means I'll have to up my baby game." She tapped her chin. "I'll have to talk to Hazel because...I think I have an idea…" She said with a smirk then looked down at Audrey. "As for you, I'm sure you're tired."

Audrey nodded a bit at that before blinking as she remembered something. "Yes but...I don't know the gender of the fourth one...it was supposed to be between me and Hera…" She said while averting her eyes as she attempted to get up.

Ara snapped her fingers, causing a purple cloud to appear. "Really? What happened with that?" She asked, motioning for Audrey to climb on the cloud.

Audrey managed to get up and sighed as she got up on the cloud. "We didn't get to discuss it before the uh...you know, happened." She said with a soft yawn.

Ara nodded and shrugged at that. "Huh, that's understandable." She shook her head. "Anyway, I'll have Puffy, here, send you to your room," Ara explained, patting her cloud.

"Its name is Puffy?" The woman asked with a head tilt.

Ara nodded at her. "Yup. This is good ole Puffy. The best transporter cloud on this side of Rome. She'll get you where you need to go." Ara said with a smile.

Audrey nodded at that and shrugged lightly. "Well...whatever works." She said with a small smile.

Ara's smile grew. "Yo, Puffy! Make sure Audrey gets to her bed safely. She's pregnant! That package is fragile!" Ara said to the sentient cloud before Puffy began to hover right out of the open room. "I'll see you after your nap!" Ara called with a wave.

"Okay, see you then," Audrey said with another yawn as she waved back.

Ara sighed after Puffy carried Audrey out. "So...I have a blue chick to talk to, a pink chick to chastise, a red chick to find, and a Susanoo to avoid…" She shook her head. "Man, I have a busy day today." She shrugged before she left the breezy meeting room.

8888888

Jupiter took a deep breath as he took in the familiar scenery. After his 'break', he was finally back home. No longer feeling ready to explode, he calmly walked back inside with a pleasant smile on his face.

The only thing that made his smile fall was the fact that no one was running around causing mayhem in the halls. That was a familiar scene whenever Ara's friends were around. It was abnormal for everything to be orderly.

"They must all be busy…" He mumbled to himself before shrugging and heading to the room he and Elsa shared.

He took his time walking to the room just in case he would see something out of the ordinary. Still nothing. He raised an eyebrow when he finally made it to his room. That's when he opened his door to find Elsa and Ara talking to each other. They seemed to be in a pretty deep conversation since they didn't recognize that he entered the room.

Jupiter tilted his head at that saying, "I hope I'm not interrupting." He started as he walked deeper into the room.

The two women looked at him with a smile.

Ara happily said, "Welcome back, dad." She turned to him. "Don't worry. The house didn't burn down in your absence, or anything. Everything was fine...for the most part." She said, thinking about a few things that had been broken or scorched.

"I'm glad?" Jupiter said more like a question.

Elsa leaned back in her seat. "Nothing bad happened. We were all fine. Ara was just in here talking to me about a...slight problem she's been having."

"Mom!" Ara scolded.

"What?" Elsa asked with a slight chuckle. "You didn't say I couldn't tell your father." She motioned her eyes toward him.

"He wasn't supposed to be here!" Ara exclaimed, messaging her temples.

Jupiter raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean I wasn't supposed to be here?"

"In all fairness," Elsa began, "You were gone for nearly a week." She said with a tilt of her head.

Jupiter pondered over this before nodding. "Fair enough." Then he looked at Ara. "So...what has you so worked up?" He asked her with interest.

Ara looked at Elss with irritation. Else smiled and battered her eyelashes innocently.

Ara sighed, clearly aggravated. "Fine. My friend Audrey is having kids. My friend Audrey wants help with the kids. I want to volunteer and I love kids, but I know nothing about kids." She said in a deadpan as she folded her arms.

"The absolute worst at it," Elsa said with amusement.

When Ara glared at her, she looked at her daughter with innocence once more

Jupiter shrugged. "I see. Well...why would you need to know about kids anyway? They are demanding, stressful, and burdensooo…" He trailed off at the half eyed look Ara was giving him. "Ooo...but they are worth it in the long run?"

"Nice save," Elsa said with humor.

Jupiter nervously chuckled before scratching the back of his head. "Eh...proceed?"

Ara shook her head then nodded. "Alright. Since I'm the worst, I asked Susanoo for baby lessons. One thing led to another. Next thing I know Hades says something that Chirpy translated into...into…" She looked around.

Ara swiftly walked up to her father's ear and whispered the information to him. His eyes widened comically at that.

Ara continues. "After...that...I have been hiding from Susanoo ever since. I mean…It's just so awkward now." She said with a shiver. "Maybe I'm just being weird."

Jupiter, once he recovered from the last statement, smirked at that. "Oh no. Feeling the way you feel is normal. Especially about...that." He said with a smile.

Ara turned back to him and asked, "You think?"

"I know," Jupiter answered confidently. "But you must realize that this is what boyfriends are for." He said before explaining.

Ara tilted her head at that.

Seeing her confusion, he started. "First, you two begin dating as boyfriend and girlfriend. Then here comes marriage where you spend your whole never-ending immortal lives together!" He said, emphasizing certain words. "After that comes the kids and you know what they say? However bad you were, your kids will be twice as bad!" He chuckled at that, putting his hands in his pockets.

Ara made a small squeak in response while Elsa rolled her eyes.

Jupiter shrugged with a smile before tsking a seat. "Of course you wouldn't have to worry about any of that if you just stay away from boys…" He closed his eyes before opening one to peek through it.

Ara swallowed before saying, "I'll...I'll think about it…" She said before regaining her composure. "Well, I'm off to help my friends with baby shopping. Welcome back, dad." She smiled and left the room.

"No problem sweetheart. Any time!" Jupiter called with a smug grin.

Elsa looked at him with a knowing smirk. "That...was dirty." She shook her head.

Jupiter shrugged. "What? This is the stuff that she needs to know as a young woman...besides...I got an opening and I took it." He stretched in his seat.

Elsa rolled her eyes at that. "...Let's see how long this lasts…"

"I heard that," Jupiter said in a deadpan, prompting Elsa to put on a smirk of her own.

88888888

Hazel patiently waited of sorts while Terra was absent. She stared at the TV as if she was a zombie, she took power naps, and she even played in her phone a bit. The ruby haired girl wondered if lampshades were edible at one point. Terra had yet to bring her food. The woman was sure she was on the verge of starvation.

The only thing that partially kept her mind off of her angry stomach...was more TV. So, she flipped through the channels lifelessly until Terra showed up.

Terra, thankfully, decided to show up...not alone, however. While she held the countless bags of food using her magic, she was somewhat occupied dragging a beat-up looking Hades by the ear.

"Owow...How does this even hurt?! I am a god." Hades said loudly, prompting Terra to smack him with her free hand in order to shut him up.

The bluenette faced the other woman and waved. "I'm back, had to sort of...break up a bit of a fight…" She said, gesturing to the wounds the god had managed to sustain.

Hazel snapped back into the real world at the sound of her voice and whipped her head around. Her eyes went past Hades and Terra, right to the bags of food. "Uh-huh...but about the food..?" She asked, her eyes still on the bags.

While Hades deadpanned at the comment and groaned as his ear was tugged on again, Terra floated the bags over to Hazel with a shrug. "That's all yours. Hades declared he didn't need anything...unless it was a couple hundred million in cash for the nearest casino." She said before looking at the unhappy god with halved eyes.

Hazel wasted no time to crack open the first container. "More for me." She said before swiftly working on the plate.

Terra dragged the disgruntled god and, quite literally, tossed him into a chair before stepping back. "Well, I am going to go run some more errands since somebody here has declined any help for his wounds." She said, shooting Hades an exasperated look while folding her arms.

"...I'm a god," Hades said plainly, prompting Terra to facepalm.

"So you have said the other fifteen times," Terra said with a bit of annoyance before looking at Hazel. "Call me or text if you need anything."

Hazel nodded at that. "Sure." She said, holding up her phone. "Stay safe." She said with a smile.

Terra nodded before disappearing in her usual style, prompting Hades to immediately charge the door in an attempt to leave...only to get launched back onto the floor from a blast of magic.

At the sight, Hazel nearly choked from holding back laughter. "And...home run!" She said, truly entertained. "Whew! That was a doozy!"

"Oh shut up...Peanut gallery," Hades grumbled, pushing himself up before slowly approaching the door. "Now how did she…" As soon as he went to touch it...he was zapped yet again and back on the floor. "...I hate this chick…"

Hazel...was cracking up. "Did...did I order fried Hades with my lunch? This appetizer was complementary!" She said before laughing even more.

"I don't know why I'm here...but you are annoying." Hades deadpanned. "Very, very annoying."

Hazel shrugged, trying to regain her composure. "Hey. It's not my fault you got beat down, dragged in here like a terrible toddler, and got crispified like a moth in a bug zapper." She said cooly with a shrug.

Hades huffed at that and stood up. "I was fighting some dumbass that thought he was the dad when I am the dad and he's simply the guy who has my face! I wasn't counting on the fact that his Cerberus actually listens to him." He explained in a grumpy manner.

Hazel held in another laugh before saying, "I don't know what's funnier. The fact that you tore yourself up over something you simple or...the fact that you indirectly called yourself a dumbass." She barely held her laughs in at that point and she wore a large grin.

The god scoffed at that. "I did not! I called him a dumbass for thinking my daughter is his just because he had a five minute bond with her or some crap. I'm the one who did the hard work for several decades, he just has my face and the brain of a dumbass!" He said, ranting as his hair flamed up and he began stomping back and forth.

Hazel shook her head as she watched him stomp around. "Believe it or not, candleman, you are in here for a reason." She said, very entertained.

"A reason? Oh, you mean the reason that involves Heidi's crazy stunt double trapping me in here while the dumbass gets all the time he wants with Heidi and the press!" Hades exclaimed as he subconsciously patted his fiery hair down. "That moron is going to declare it all across TV and claim her as his while I'm stuck in here!" He said as he continued to rant and get only crankier.

"More or less." Hazel responded frankly before downing the last bit of food in the third container. "Besides yourself and your 'dumbass' problem, Terra suggested that I should talk to you. I agreed to that, against my will, but agreed nonetheless." She began working on the fourth plate.

"First off, he's the dumbass, not me. Second, I don't know why the stunt double told you that unless you want me to tell you how to plot the demise of your least favorite relative. Third, and lastly, I am not needed for your mental health issues, you have the wrong god, contact Hestia." Hades said as he listed everything off before flopping in a nearby seat.

Hazel rolled her eyes at that. "Look, bandaids. I'm just going to get right into it. I have problems with kids. Ten and under...yeah I burn the house down. I am straight up and down terrified of them, actually." Hazel said casually. "I heard that you can relate. No one else can. That's why she suggested you."

Hades blinked at her before folding his arms. "...I don't have that issue." He said plainly, obviously lying as he turned his attention to something nearby.

Hazel looked at him with the deadest deadpan. "Uh huh...right." She said as she nodded. "Lemme ask you a question. Do you know how many kids Audrey is having?" She asked with a raised eyebrow and formal demeanor.

"...Too many?" Hades responded with a deadpan.

Hazel nodded. "Mhm. You don't know." She stated the obvious. "How do I put this…" She purposely dragged it out. "She's having three...plus one." She resumed her eating.

Hades didn't immediately catch on and instead rolled his eyes. "Great...so she's counting the mutt as a late plus-one." He deadpanned with a shake of his head. "I'm surprised she isn't counting that pink one in as well!"

Hazel burst into hysterics at that before gathering herself. "Ahh...you are a funny man. No…" She wiped at her eye and shook her head. "Let me explain. Audrey told my sister Ara that she lied. She told us she was having three, but in reality, she is having four. Me and my sister share this space between our individual thoughts. I received her message earlier this evening." She waved that off. "The bottom line is, she's having four kids...at once! Like twins, but in two sets." She looked down with a cringe.

Hades stared blankly at her. "So...you mean to tell me she's just been hiding one? I've seen my brother's knocked up mistresses enough to know you can't hide one! It just isn't possible and if I, the five-thousand-year-old god, is saying that...I am definitely correct." He said while gesturing to himself.

"She said it herself!" Hazel rebutted. "Not only that. Wake up and smell the coffee! She's huge! There has to be an extra baby in there somewhere!" Hazel said before folding her arms. "Not only that, but Ara sent me the part where Audrey said her and Hera 'worked something out'." She said with air quotes.

"Maybe she's just fat." Hades said plainly, missing the point once again as he shrugged.

Hazel moved onto her fifth plate. "Yeah. I thought the same thing until I heard it myself." She said with a shrug. "It's not like I can take you into my mind space." She said with a roll of her eyes.

"...I can call up Hecate and have her probe your mind, as Heidi put it." Hades said with a wide grin.

Hazel blinked at that before pursing her lips as she thought it over. "Alright. Let's do that." She said with a nod.

Hades casually knocked on what almost seemed like an invisible door before pausing. "...Hold up, she's dealing with a reanimated corpse." He said in a laid back manner. "She should be here in…" He held out the last word until he noticed a door materialize. "Now." He gestured and pointed as a woman with bright green eyes and dark brown hair stepped out.

The woman looked around as she fixed her incredibly revealing dress. "Huh...Hades. Been awhile since I've arrived in somewhere that isn't a casino." She said casually, prompting Hades to scowl and silently tell her to 'Shut it'.

Hazel just blinked at the woman before waving. "Hecate. It's been awhile." She said before twirling noodles on her fork.

"Hazel. A pleasure to see that I wasn't stuck for quite as long as I imagined...Mainly because you look relatively the same while Hades is covered in bite marks and Audrey is huge." Hecate said, her lack of filter proudly showing itself as she grinned and waved.

Hazel smiled at that before saying, "Glad to see I'm among the good looking." She stated, subtly hinting at the chewed up god in the room. "We wanted to know if you could make my thoughts visible. Ara sent me a message about Audrey and her four kids, but he doesn't believe me. So, it would be more effective if he could see it for himself." She said, putting her plate down.

Hecate shook her head in exasperation. "I already knew about the whole secret kid debacle, even from within a locked up dimension, since those two used magic and I know all magic." She glanced at Hades. "So...why don't you just ask for physical evidence before you start demanding that I do something incredibly not needed like probing a girl's head while you play around and try to break the door down?" She asked in a casual manner.

Hades was caught off guard by that and scoffed. "Physical evidence? You can't get any of that! Much less actually convince me that there's one hidden that she's been lying about." He told her, prompting her to facepalm.

"I can't wait till your face gets broken…" Hazel said casually as she chewed her food then smiled.

Hecate nodded at that. "I'd have done the same if he called me fat when I had a kid. Well, actually I would have just suspended him above the void." She said before adding on the last part as an afterthought.

Hazel nodded at that picture in her mind. "I like where your head's at." She said with a growing smile.

"Hey, it worked out for Zeus and Hera, she betrayed him only a bit in three thousand years after the void suspension punishment." Hecate said with a shrug before folding her arms. "So, why don't we just get physical evidence instead of sending me to mess with her head?"

"...But messing with her head would make her less annoying." Hades said bluntly, prompting Hecate to give him a half-eyed look.

Hazel shrugged before saying, "Nice try, bandaids. No one is playing Operation with my mind." She jabbed her thumb to herself. "It's not like the feeling isn't mutual. Does 'against my will' ring a bell?"

"You think I was gonna ask for you to willingly get dumber?" Hades asked in a deadpan. "I don't even ask the people I torture what their favorite technique is."

Hecate mockingly coughed at that. "Yes-cough-you do." She said, loud enough that he would hear her, making the god scowl at her in annoyance.

Hazel chuckled. "And just like that," She snapped when she said 'that'. "You've been made waaay less intimidating." She shook her head.

"You don't even want to hear how he acts when he's hanging out alone with Cerberus. He turns to a big mushy baby for his big puppy." Hecate said in her best baby voice.

Hazel cringed at that. "Oh yeah. Hard pass." She stretched before saying, "As much as I love to bicker till Christmas, we still need our proof." She explained. "Once I get it, that's one more step I take for me to get the hell out of here."

"Ohoho! And how are you supposed to get it? Hecate don't you dare help her." Hades asked before his voice dropped to a deadly tone that was directed towards the other goddess.

"Eheh, Excuse me. I was talking to Hecate and only Hecate if you get my drift." Hazel said, picking up another plate. "Besides, this is mainly for you at this point. I'm not going to be the great great great great great great grandfather of four." She replied sassily.

"There isn't even one great in my title...aside from the actual title Great and Powerful Hades." Hades commented back in just as sassy a manner.

"I just tagged on some extra greats since you're like...super old and stuff." Hazel chuckled at that.

"I'm not as old as that Susanoo-I'm five thousand, he's like eight or nine something thousand. I am therefore young." Hades said with a huff, ignoring the fact that Hecate had somehow managed to acquire a bucket of popcorn.

Hazel looked up in thought before saying, "Susanoo has that...fountain of youth vibe to him. You…" She looked him up and down before saying, "kinda remind me of a grape sat outside...in the desert...getting old...and shrively...and dusty." She smirked as she tapped on her chin.

"Oh, and if I remind you of that, which insults me, truly, then you haven't seen old and dusty until you've seen my brother, Zeus. He's a dusty airhead. At least I have style and am not wearing a bathrobe!" The god said while smirking back.

Hazel tilted her head. "Yeah, I can only imagine all of the cows killed to make that jacket." She silently chuckled.

Hecate tilted her head. "Actually it's all made out of souls... it's really kind of cool-" She stopped once she noticed them staring at her, prompting her to blink. "Oh, continue, ignore me." She said before promptly shoving some more popcorn in her mouth.

Hazel blinked at her before waving it off. "Anyway, the fact that you think you know everything shows that you, sir, belong in a museum." She stated with a fold of her arms.

"That's called being wise and smart, Athena is both yet you don't see her in a museum," Hades responded while shrugging.

"That's because Athena actually knows everything. You think you know everything." Hazel said with a smirk. "Just like the thing with Audrey's kids. You don't believe me. You know what they say, you can't teach an old dog new tricks." She said with a smirk.

"I don't believe you or her because, frankly, you are both highly annoying," Hades commented while pointing to both of them.

Hazel raised an eyebrow at that. "So...you would rather disregard facts, eyewitnesses, proof, and overall common sense because we annoy you?" She tilted her head. "Maybe you are a young guy because you're surely dumb like one." She said the last part in a deadpan.

"Maybe you are a dumb, naive kid for claiming that there is a kid hiding when you have nothing and no physical evidence to back it up. You can point to whatever she blabbed, but until you have physical evidence...it's not real in my mind. Hate to say it, but she may have hysterically told you something like...oh, a lie." Hades said before finishing with a deadpan.

Hazel looked at him with halved eyes. "Maybe you are right. Maybe I am a dumb and naive kid. I know I'm right about the kid. I'm no ignorant woman about fact and logic." She said as she placed her hands on her hips. "My mistake was actually thinking I could actually talk to the likes of you about anything other than blowing up or burning something down. Yeah. I am naive, thanks for showing me that." She said with sarcasm.

Before Hades could blow up, the chiming of Hecate's phone cut him off. "Oop-Sorry, just lemme grab this…" She pulled out her phone and blinked. "Oh, it's just your other kid and her kid. She just wants to know when you're coming back." She said in a completely casual manner.

"...Excuse me?" Hades looked her in the eye.

"Your other kid and her kid want to know when you'll be back. Should I say soon since there's a pregnant woman who is gonna stomp you into the ground so far that you'll wind up down there?" Hecate asked innocently, shooting Hazel a smirk as Hades froze and suddenly began paling. "I think she wants to see you!" She added on with a smile as she saw the god twitch and look as though he was gonna jump a mile into the air.

Hazel looked at him with a shake of her head. "I am so glad that is not me." She expressed her thanks verbally.

"Oh yeah, whenever Mal shows up with her kid he freaks out. Especially this time since he was avoiding the subject of her entirely and…" She paused as she saw him comically fall out of the chair to the floor. "Ooh, he's down."

Hazel nodded at that. "Yeah. That's the whole reason I'm trapped in here with that hot mess." She gestured to him with her head. "Unfortunately, we have that in common." She leaned on her hand.

"Yeah, well one way to get him to shut up and listen is...somehow get physical evidence showing that there is four. Just get it and smack it in his face while he's busy half-dead on the floor." Hecate said, nudging the downed god with her heel to see if he'd react.

Hazel dryly chuckled at that. "To do anything close to that, I have to get out of here. After that, I have to not get caught by my overprotective and overall nosy friends." She explained. "They are concerned since I had a meltdown earlier today."

"Huh." Hecate rubbed at her chin before smirking. "What if I distracted them…?" She asked with a look of mischief in her eyes. "I would be so easy since one I'm dressed like this, two...I'm the goddess of magic and lots of other things. If all runs out, distract with the trivia questions." She finished with a wide grin.

"My mind says that's pretty mischievous…" She said with thought. "But my adventurous spirit says yes." She finished off the last plate. "Let's do it." She nodded.

"Perfect! This form alone will distract the men...and some clever illusions can handle the ladies if they aren't too busy handling the boys." Hecate said with a grin.

Hazel looked at her blankly before asking herself, "What have I done?" She shook her head. "So...about getting out of here?" She tilted her head.

Hecate hopped up and walked over to the door before she casually waved off the spell with a simple move of her hand. "Done!" She said with a smile.

Hazel nodded in thanks. "Proof here I come! I owe you one, Hecate!" She said before heading out the door. "Sorry, Terra!" She whispered, knowing she deliberately is going against her girlfriend's orders.

Hecate waved her off as she shut the door before smirking. "Time to do the trial run I've been wanting." She said with a mischievous chuckle before heading off in the direction where most of the people were.