Okay, again with the filler chapters. It just sets it up for the next chapter, which should be the battle. At least, that's what I'm hoping. I might end up bringing the lesser gods too, like the 3rd and 4th generations, into the battle. I don't know yet.

Destiny watched the army of demons approach. Phoenix was out there somewhere. Doubtless the other Gods felt it too but could not identify it. Not that Destiny was that shocked by their lack of knowledge; they were children in terms of their knowledge of the universe. Hellfires, they didn't even know that Phoenix existed.

Shaking her head, Destiny sat on the red silk-canopied bed that once belonged to the Queen of the Gods. She sat still, thinking about how foolish her fellow Gods were. Who did they think created the universe? Sinister had certainly never claimed that he was responsible, and he didn't know about Phoenix either. Magneto might, as he certainly knew about Apocalypse, but no one knew about that either.

"What are we supposed to do?" Nightcrawler asked, breaking into Destiny's thoughts.

Polaris answered before Destiny had a chance to speak, "Can't you control your 'subjects,' Nightcrawler?"

Nightcrawler hung his head, "Unfortunately, no. Archangel has stolen control of them from me without actually fighting me for them."

"Did you not fight?" Colossus asked, confusedly.

"I tried. His mind and powers are so much stronger than mine. I was no match for him. I have failed."

Domino walked over to her husband and put an arm around his shoulders, "No one blames you. My love, you did the best that you could."

"I'm afraid my best wasn't good enough," Nightcrawler whispered, for the ears of his love alone.

But Sage heard him despite his efforts to keep quiet, "You're right. But that doesn't mean that you give up. You just learn to do better and fight harder."

Meggan gave a soft giggle, "Maybe Cyclops should listen to your advice. I think he needs it more."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Mystique threw her hands into the air. She had tried being nice, being sarcastic, and even being sympathetic, something she didn't usually do. Talking to Cyclops was getting her nowhere. He refused to give up on his grief, even in the face of grave peril to his wife and children, not to mention siblings and friends. Now she was angry. "I have just about had it with you! You selfish, pig-headed, stubborn JACKASS! You are not the center of our universe! So you killed your son, it was an ACCIDENT!! I had to give my only children up to my SISTER to watch her raise them! You had a chance to love Morph when he was alive while I've hardly ever even SPOKEN to my daughter!"

Cyclops's head had snapped up at her first angry word. No one had ever spoken to him in such a tone before. He was so shocked that for a moment he couldn't speak. When he finally did speak, his first words were not at all related to the topic at hand. "You have a daughter?"

Mystique looked at him with a completely dumbfounded expression on her usually impassive face. "Well, yeah. I thought you knew." She visibly pulled herself together. "I have a son too."

Cyclops frowned, "I knew that. Nightcrawler is obviously yours, but who is your daughter?"

Mystique gave a little ghost of a smile, "Nightcrawler may have been obvious to you, but my husband has never even raised an eyebrow. As to your question.Shadowcat is Nightcrawler's twin sister."

"The Goddess of Spirits is your daughter?" Cyclops asked incredulously.

Mystique nodded, "She sure is. I was going to have her take my place as Goddess of the Night, but she didn't want it."

"Take your place?" Cyclops asked. "Why?"

Mystique smiled. At least now the King of the Gods was focusing on something completely unrelated to himself. That was progress if Mystique had ever seen it. She shrugged, "It seems only natural giving up my place as Goddess of the Night to one of the younger Gods. I'm trying to free my love from evil and I have duties as Goddess of the Night that interferes with those plans. Since my own daughter would rather be a Goddess of Spirits, and her husband Banshee is God of the Inner Voice, I have to chose a grandchild."

"Have you chosen one yet?" Cyclops asked with genuine interest on his face.

Inwardly Mystique smiled, it wouldn't be much longer now. To Cyclops, she nodded, "Shadowcat's daughter Siryn is now the Goddess of Music and her brother Synch is too wrapped up in M to really care much. Of Nightcrawler's children, Blink is already Goddess of the Hunt, so that really only left one grandchild to choose."

Cyclops nodded, "Nocturne. That works."

Mystique sighed, "Yeah it does. I just hope that things work out better for her than they did for me."

For a while Mystique and Cyclops sat in silence both lost in their own thoughts. For the first time in a long time, Cyclops's thoughts were not on Morph. He was thinking about Mystique and all of the things she had had to go through alone. He felt sorrow for the first time since Morph for someone else.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Meggan looked to her sisters, "She's making progress."

Sage and Destiny looked at Meggan, desperation showing in their eyes. "Will it be enough?" Sage asked.

All three Fates looked out to the advancing armies. Meggan's eyes held fear, "I hope so."