Act 5 - Helios' Affair?

Back in Delos, Shadow was in the empty strategy room, trying to decide how to break the news to his father. King Scorpio would most definitely not be pleased by this turn of event. Why did those nosy Sailor Babies have to get in the way? If it weren't for them, he still would have the Dream Crystal.

If that wasn't enough to worry about, he also had to convince Midnight not to spill the beans about the kiss between him and Dreama Aurora. He was almost 100 sure she had seen them, and there was no doubt in his mind that she would try to use that information to her advantage. King Scorpio would be furious if he discovered that his son had kissed the beautiful princess of Silver Millennium.

Thinking of the dance, he smiled softly. How wonderful it felt to have Dreama Aurora in his arms, even if it was only for a few minutes. Whoever her fiancé was, he was a lucky man.

Shadow hoped that she had recovered from the attack. He hadn't wanted to call her shadow, but he had no choice. Why did Midnight have to choose Dreama Aurora, of all people, to be the puppet? There were plenty of other people at the ball who would have worked just fine, like her new boyfriend, Joji. If anything happened to her, Midnight was really going to get it.

A worn picture of King Helios, punctured with hundreds of tiny holes, hung on the wall. Shadow picked up a few darts that happened to be laying on the table and began throwing them one by one at the photograph.

It was one of King Scorpio's favorite activities. Many times he would lock himself in the room the entire day and just throw darts at Helios' picture, going through at least fifty photos over the years.

Sometimes Shadow suspected that the real reason his father wanted the crystal so badly was not to rule the universe, but to get revenge on the handsome king of Silver Millennium. Scorpio's hatred of Dreama Aurora's father was legendary throughout the Delian Nightmare Alliance, although the cause was unknown. Shadow had once found the courage to ask his father why he hated Helios so much, to which Scorpio responded angrily that it was none of his business. After that, he didn't dare to ask any more questions.

"Master Shadow-sama, King Scorpio-sama requests your presence in the throne room," his guardian cat Phantom informed him.

"Thank you, Phantom," Shadow replied, waving the cat away.

He sighed. This was it. He hoped Scorpio was in a good mood tonight. After throwing one last dart at the picture, Shadow orbed to the throne room.

When he arrived, he discovered that Midnight was already there. She stuck her tongue at him, obviously not too worried about what might happen, and why should she be worried? Their father let her get away with murder. Midnight had him wrapped around her little finger.

Glancing up at King Scorpio, Shadow grimaced at the furious look on his face. Midnight must have already told him about the crystal, and knowing his sister, she probably painted it to be completely his fault, even though it was as much hers as it was his. She could have easily counterattacked when Mercury used her confusion power instead of looking at her reflection in the mirror.

"What do you have to say for yourself, Shadow?' he asked. "I gave you a simple mission, which you assured me would be no problem, yet not only do you fail, you let a bunch of Sailor Soldiers-in-training defeat you. Perhaps you aren't the warrior I thought you were."

At those words, Midnight's lips turned up in a small smirk. She was enjoying this immensely. It was about time her father realized that her brother wasn't perfect.

"It won't happen again, Your Majesty," Shadow replied, silently cursing Midnight and her stupid lies.

"I certainly hope not. I've decided to give you one more chance, so you better not waste it, Shadow."

"I won't."

"Good. I want you to begin the ground attacks. The Delian Nightmare Alliance has officially declared war on the Silver Millennium. Also, I need you to continue with our original plan. Go back to the gardens and discover where the crystal is hidden."

"Back in the gardens? But what if one of the Dream Soldiers recognizes me from tonight?"

King Scorpio dug in his pocket and pulled out a small vial containing a clear liquid. He tossed the bottle to Shadow.

"Take this forgetfulness potion. If you happened to come across one of the Dream Soldiers, splash a tiny bit of this on you, and they will immediately forget who you are. Now both of you leave. I'm tired."

"Yes, Your Majesty."


Helios tucked Yumeko into bed, reminding him of the nighttime ritual they used to have when she was younger. Those days seemed so far away now. His angelic little girl had transformed into a beautiful young woman right before his eyes.

He choked back a sob, realizing just how close he came to losing her. He didn't know what he would do if anything were to happen to his daughter. She and her mother were his entire life. Without them, he would surely die.

Almost as if she could understand what he was feeling, Yumeko reached for his hand. "Papa, sing me our lullaby," she whispered.

"Yumeko, you haven't asked me to sing to you since you were ten."

"I know, but I want you to sing tonight."

Unable to say no, especially after what happened earlier, Helios cleared his throat. He didn't know if could remember the words after so many years, but once he began to sing the familiar melody, everything came back to him, crystal clear. Much to his joy, Yumeko joined in on the second verse, her sweet soprano voice a perfect compliment to his own.

As they sang the last couple of notes, Serenity walked into the room, a soft smile on her face at the sight. She sat down on the bed beside Elysia, who was already sleeping.

"How are you feeling, Yumeko?" she asked. "Do you want me to get Tomoe-sensei?"

"I'm fine, Mama," Yumeko assured her, letting out a big yawn. "Just a little tired."

"Well, we will let you get some sleep then."

Serenity stood up and kissed Yumeko on the forehead. "Goodnight, our beautiful golden dream."

"Goodnight, Mama and Papa."

Her parents exited quietly out of the room and headed toward their own bedroom, but something made Helios turn back.

"Honey, aren't you coming to bed?" Serenity asked.

"Go ahead. I'll be there in a couple of minutes."

Once she was out of sight, he walked back to Yumeko's door and opened it a crack. Yumeko was already peacefully asleep, seeing a wonderful dream.

Helios sighed, thinking she was even more beautiful in her sleep. "Dreama Aurora, may all your dreams come true."

"King Helios-sama?"

He quickly turned around, surprised at the sound of the voice. The voice belonged to Phoenix, whose eyes were filled with concern.

"How is she, Your Majesty?"

"She's fine, Phoenix," Helios replied. "Why are you still here? I thought Serenity had sent all the guests home."

"She did, but I couldn't leave until I knew Yumeko was alright. May I see her?"

"I'm afraid she's already asleep."

"That's okay. I just want to see her with my own eyes. I promise I won't disturb her."

"I suppose it would be okay," he relented. "But just for a couple of minutes."

Phoenix quietly entered the darkened room, careful not to make any loud, sudden movements. He left the door open just wide enough for some light to come through, illuminating her lovely face.

Elysia, who slept at the foot of Yumeko's bed, was purring loudly. Phoenix rubbed the small golden-hued kitten behind the ears, her favorite spot, causing her to purr even louder, but she didn't wake. Then, he took a seat in the chair beside Yumeko's bed where Helios had sat just a short while ago.

For the first minute, he didn't say a word, overcome with conflicting emotions. One part of him wanted to take her in his arms and shower her with sweet kisses, while another wanted to wake her and ask her directly why she had kissed that other man at the Crystal Ball. He did neither, however, just glad that she was okay. They could discuss what happened at the ball another time. What was important that she was alive.

"Yumeko, I love you," he whispered, taking her hand. "No matter what happens, I always will. Remember that, okay?"

Phoenix glanced over at the door. The king looked in, signaling his time was up. Reluctantly, he stood up and kissed her softly on the lips before leaving the room.

"Come on, Phoenix," Helios said, resting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I'll walk you to the door."

The two men silently went downstairs. Phoenix grabbed his coat from the coatroom and opened the door, but did not go out. There was something that was still nagging him.

"Your Majesty, who was behind the attack?" he asked. "I thought Silver Millennium was at peace with all the other kingdoms."

"All but one, the Delian Nightmare Alliance," Helios answered, the anger noticeable in his voice. "It looks like after all these years, my old friend Scorpio has finally decided to act on his threats."

"King Scorpio?"

"There's been bad blood between us for years," he admitted. "You should prepare the troops. Knowing Scorpio, he won't give up with out a fight."

"You don't mean a war?"

Helios sighed. "Yes, Phoenix, I'm afraid that is exactly what I mean."


In her bedroom, Mai and Renjiro were on her computer, trying to find information on their new enemy. The rest of the girls were scattered around the room, except for Tokemi, who had went to inquire about her cousin.

"Have you found anything yet, Mai-chan?" Kaya asked.

"Not yet. I keep on hitting dead ends. It's as if somebody doesn't want us to find anything. The only bit of information I have found is that Scorpio is the ruler of the Delian Nightmare Alliance, a small kingdom located in the Hecate Galaxy."

"The Delian Nightmare Alliance? I've never heard of it," Kagami said.

"Neither have I."

Tokemi returned, looking somewhat relieved. She grabbed a couple of Hana's delicious cookies and took a seat beside Kagami on the bed. "I talked to my aunt," she informed the others. "She said Yumeko seems to be doing fine, but she's really tired."

"Thank goodness," Tori said.

"Aha!" Renjiro exclaimed, his eyes lighting up.

Mai's boyfriend had managed to hack into one of the protected web sites, which contained Scorpio's official records.

"You're a genius, Renjiro!" Mai said, giving him a huge kiss on the cheek. "No wonder everybody calls you a computer whiz."

He blushed at the compliment. It was very flattering, especially coming from the true genius. He might be pretty good at computers, but she was far superior in all other subjects.

"What does it say?" Suki asked.

Everybody gathered around the computer screen, anxious to hear what the files had to say about King Scorpio. Renjiro cleared his throat and began reading the information off the screen.

"It says here that Scorpio was born Prince Magic on November 13, 2266 to the king and queen of planet Delos. He was orphaned during the infamous Galaxy Wars and claimed the throne at the tender age of 11. Though he was a young king, he managed to ally himself with the rulers of the reborn Silver Millennium, Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymion. Delos became a leading trade partner with our kingdom, specializing in crystal balls, tarot cards, and fortune cookies.

"King Magic was a notorious bachelor for many years, linked with many beautiful women from around universe. He did not marry until the rather late age of 37. For his wife, he selected a young woman named Eos, who was born right here in Elysion and served as a Maenad in Priest Helios' shrine. In fact, Helios performed the wedding ceremony. Together, Magic and Eos had two children: Apollo, who would probably be around twenty today, and Circe, a teenager."

Hana scratched her head in confusion. "I don't understand, Renjiro-kun. It seems as if everything was going fine between our two kingdoms. What could have happened?"

"Delos remained an ally of Silver Millennium until around fifteen years ago, when Magic suddenly cut off all ties. There appears to have been some kind of major scandal, but the details are sketchy. Anyway, he changed his name to Scorpio and began to slowly conquer neighboring planets to form the Alliance. At that time, the queen also mysteriously disappeared. She hasn't been seen since."

"Strange," Ryoko commented. "I wonder what the scandal was about, and Eos' disappearance is majorly weird."

Mai took the keyboard and typed something in the search engine. "Maybe if we search the tabloids, we'll find something about the scandal. It might not be the most trustworthy source in the world, but perhaps we'll get an idea of what happened."

She reached the website of the Galactic Enquirer, one of the largest tabloid magazines in the universe. If there was any information about the scandal, it would be found in the magazine's archives.

Sure enough, she found about twenty articles on the subject, but when Mai attempted to read them, a message popped up on the screen, saying that their access was denied. Renjiro took over again and quickly cracked the protected code.

Suki gasped at the headline that blazed across the screen in bright red letters: Affair Between Helios & Eos Rocks Two Kingdoms! The girls quickly scanned the article as Tori read it aloud:

News of a possible affair between King Helios of Silver Millennium and Queen Eos of Delos threatens to destroy two of the universe's most stable marriages. A source close to Eos' husband, King Magic, reveals that the king has become convinced that his wife and Helios have secretly been meeting at the shrine of Elysion for romantic trysts over the past year. Although both parties have denied involvement, the Galactic Enquirer has managed to acquire these exclusive photographs which show proof to the contrary.

Those who are dedicated royal watchers are aware of the fact that before her marriage, the beautiful Eos served as a Maenad at the shrine under the future king of Silver Millennium, who was then priest of Elysion. Childhood friends of the queen claim that even then, she had a huge crush on her handsome master, although nothing ever became of it. He was engaged to Princess Lady Serenity, and she was seriously dating King Magic.

However, after their respective weddings, Helios and Eos reportedly maintained a close friendship, with Eos even naming Helios the godfather of her first born son, Apollo.

It is suspected that the affair might have started shortly after the birth of her second child, Circe. At that time, Eos began spending most of her time in Elysion, her true home.

King Magic has had Eos arrested for adultery and high treason to the throne. She awaits trial in March, and if convicted, faces execution.

Helios' wife, Queen Lady Serenity, has refused to respond to the rumor other than to say that she loves her husband and trusts him with all her heart.

After Tori finished reading, there was a loud silence as everyone struggled to digest the information. It didn't seem possible. It couldn't be true, but the pictures of Helios and a gorgeous young woman with long white hair kissing in the temple proved otherwise.

It was Tokemi who finally broke the quiet. "I can't believe it," she said softly. "Uncle Helios would never do that to Aunt Usagi. Everybody knows how much in love the two of them are. Those pictures have to be doctored."

"They look pretty believable to me," Kagami replied. "Maybe it is true. That could be the reason why we had such a hard time finding information. Somebody obviously didn't want us to find out about the scandal."

Mai quickly logged off the computer as they heard a knock on the door. Her mother Tomoko popped her head in the room, surprised that her daughter had so many guests at such a late hour.

"What are you girls doing here?" she asked. "Shouldn't you all be in bed by now? And Renjiro-kun, you were supposed to leave over an hour ago with the other guests."

"We were getting some help with our homework for Monday, Tomoko-san," Ryoko lied. "We just need a couple more minutes, then I promise we'll go."

"Okay, I'll give you five more minutes, but that's it."

As Tomoko closed the door, Mai breathed a sigh of relief. That was a close call.

"Well, whether or not the story is true, there's one thing I know we can all agree on," Kaya said. "Everyone must promise not to breathe a word of this to Yumeko-chan. She would be heartbroken by the news. Promise?"

"Promise!"


The sound of her husband's footsteps coming down the hall caused Nyx's naked body to tremble in fear. She knew what was coming. It was the same thing every night, yet even after all these years, she still wasn't used to it. Rape was something you never got used to.

Scorpio opened the door to their bedroom, letting a flood of blinding light into the darkened room. He was panting heavily, like a dog in heat, and she could tell that he was already quite aroused.

He undressed in front of her, a huge, goofy smile on his face. Nyx closed her eyes shut as he crawled into bed and roughly entered her. She had learned long ago that it was easier to surrender herself to him than to put up a fight.

"Give it to me, bitch," he growled, grabbing both her breasts with his greedy hands.

The pain was excruciating, but she forced herself to silence her screams. Scorpio quickly reached orgasm, then rolled over to his side of the bed in satisfaction.

Tears ran down Nyx's face as she softly touched her tender breasts. How could he do this to her? He used to be such a kind and gentle lover…

No, Magic had been the man her body ached for every night, not this monster. Her husband was dead, replaced by a stranger who kept her as his sex slave in punishment for a crime she never committed.

For fifteen years, he had kept her locked up in this fortress as his prisoner. The only joy she had left in her life was her two beautiful children who remembered nothing of their former happiness. If it weren't for Apollo and Circe, she most likely would have tried to escape, but instead she stayed, hoping that someday they would all wake up from this nightmare and become a real family again, but in her heart, Nyx knew it was an impossible dream.