Shura, Aphrodite and Deathmask sat at the dinner table in Scorpio while Milo, covered in flour and batter stared down at them.
"I need help," said Milo
"About time you recognized it," said Aphrodite, pulling a hand mirror from his pocket to check on his hair.
Milo slammed the wooden spoon in his hand against the table. "I'm serious! Today is a very important day. Today, I am finally confessing the truth. I am telling Camus that I love him."
Shura raised his hand. "I already knew about you two, so…can I leave now?"
Deathmask snickered. "I think the only one who doesn't know is Camus."
"Silence!" yelled Milo, hitting the dinner table with the spoon again. "Look, I spent the whole damn night baking. I have no more patience for anything. I need your help. Between you three you always make the birthday cakes for everyone in the sanctuary, so I need you to help me bake a cake for Camus' birthday today. I'll give him the cake and confess my feelings for him when I do."
"If you need help with baking, then what the hell were you doing baking all night?" asked Aphrodite.
Milo stomped to the kitchen and came back with four molds of strange looking batter at different burnt stages.
"I don't know what happened!" he cried. "I followed four different recipes to the letter!"
Aphrodite sighed. "You disaster of a man," he muttered, taking a mold and inspecting it. He set it down then turned to Shura. "Why don't you help him bake that chocolate cake you know?"
Shura rolled his eyes. "Fine," he grunted.
Aphrodite suddenly stood up. "Oh, wait! I have a cake ready at Pisces! Well, it needs to be decorated…"
"Wasn't that one for Mu and Shaka? Those two need help too," said Deathmask, scratching at the batter in one of the molds.
"We'll get something for them later. Help Milo or he's going to poison someone. I'll bring the cake I have!" he said and ran out the door.
"Aphrodite no! The point is to bake it myself!" called Milo after him, but Aphrodite was already gone.
Shura stood up. "Don't mind him. The cake he has is for…something else. Come, I'll show you how to make it. Deathmask, go get the stuff for the icing."
Camus knocked on the door to the Scorpio residence a few times, but no one came to open even though he could hear noise inside. Worried, he turned the knob and found the door open. He stepped inside.
"Milo?" he called. He heard something fall on the kitchen and when he approached he heard Milo's and Shura's voices.
"Don't do it so hard! You're going too fast!" was saying Shura.
"Th-Then tell me how! This is too complicated!"
"It's not too complicated, you're just hurrying too much!"
Scandalized, Camus looked into the kitchen and found Shura holding Milo's hands, embracing him from behind against the counter. The books Camus carried fell to the ground and Milo and Shura turned around.
"Camus!" cried Milo, letting go of a bowl he had been holding. "W-What are you doing here?!" he demanded, walking towards Camus with an angry expression.
Camus gritted his teeth and picked up the books he had brought as an excuse to see Milo. "I came to give these back to you. Am I interrupting something?" he asked.
Milo closed the door. "No! Nothing! Now go. Come on, go back to Aquarius," he said, leaving the books on the dinner table.
"Are you baking something?" asked Camus, seeing the molds on the table. Then he noticed a beautiful tiny cake with white frosting and sugar flower petals in the center. He moved closer to see it better. "That one looks pretty."
"Oh, no. No. That's Aphrodite's," said Milo, pushing the cake further away from him. "Don't touch that. Just go back to Aquarius!" then he went back to the kitchen with Shura and closed the door.
Camus frowned at that. So it was his birthday, but Milo was baking cakes for everyone else? He didn't even remember to at least congratulate him on his birthday but just sent him off like nothing. He huffed at that. So much for their supposed friendship…
He stared at the white cake with resentment. It did seem like something Aphrodite would like, but why should he get to have a cake on Camus' birthday of all days? And one made by Milo? How annoying. Milo had never baked anything for him, but here he was, getting touched and embraced by Shura and baking cakes for anyone whose birthday wasn't today.
He reached out to scoop a bit of the icing and tasted it. It was very sweet and had a strange flowery after taste. Definitely something that seemed to say "Aphrodite" in all ways.
Someone entered Scorpio behind him. "I brought some wine!" said Aphrodite, closing the door. "Gods know we'll need it." He noticed Camus with his finger in his mouth next to the dinner table. Then his eyes traveled down to the cake with an obvious finger mark and his face paled.
"Uhm, Aphrodite," said Cams, pulling his finger out of his mouth and taking a step backwards. He felt his heart racing for some reason, and his cheeks flushed despite himself.
"Camus, Camus, oh you're cursed," said Aphrodite, setting the wine bottles on the table. "But let's see. Did you taste my cake?"
"No!" said Camus, giving another step backwards. His knees buckled and he had to hold on to the dinner table not to fall. The heat from his face extended down to his chest. He felt hot. Too hot. And dizzy.
"Idiot. How much did you have?"
Camus tried to speak, but he felt weak all of a sudden, and fell forward. Aphrodite caught him in his arms. Camus grabbed on to Aphrodite's shirt and looked up at him.
"Aphrodite, you're so beautiful," he whispered, as if he was seeing a dream.
"And you're such an useless liar," said Aphrodite, smirking down at him with barely contained rage. Then he called out to the kitchen. "Milo! Your plan just went down the toilet!"
Milo came out of the kitchen and saw Camus in Aphrodite's arms, staring up at him with the most besotten look of absolute love.
"What did you do to him?!" yelled Milo, moving to pull Camus away from Aphrodite.
"Nothing! The idiot just tried the special cake right when I was coming in. It makes you fall in love with the first person you see. That's why I said to be careful with it!"
Camus wouldn't let go of Aphrodite, holding on to him like a lifeline.
"How long is this going to last?" asked Millo, pulling on Camus so hard, Aphrodite's shirt tore on Camus' hands.
"Stop! My shirt! Ugh, you idiots! I'll go get the antidote. Don't let him go anywhere!" said Aphrodite and went out the house.
"Aphrodite! Aphrodite! Come back! I love you!" cried Camus, fighting to get away from Milo's hold.
"No! Camus you don't love him. You love me! Gods, what a nightmare!" said Milo, pulling him towards the living room. "Shura take care of the cake, we have a problem.
"I know, I heard," answered Shura from the kitchen, completely unconcerned about the situation.
Camus stumbled and Milo had to hold him up while he dragged him towards a couch. Deathmask entered the house with the bags full of cake decorating stuff. "I'm back! What happened to him?"
Milo managed to lay down Camus on one of the couches but he was still dizzy, his face still flushed red and his skin way too hot to the touch.
"He tried Aphrodite's cake and ended up falling in love with Aphrodite," said Milo, setting Camus' head on his lap and pushing some of his hair away from his face, but he ended up smearing some chocolate cake batter on his face.
"Oh, that sucks. It's happened to me. I usually just have a drink and it goes away. Stay there. I'll get something for him," said Deathmask and went to the kitchen.
Milo huffed. "Out of all things that could happen today," he said, wiping some of the batter away from Camus' cheek.
Deathmask came back with a glass. "Let's get him to drink this and he should be fine," he said.
Between Milo and him they managed to make Camus sit on the couch and then forced him to drink the whole thing at once. Camus coughed.
"Drink it. You'll feel better," said Milo, hoping it was true.
"Milo? Where's Aphrodite?" asked Camus.
"Stop asking about Aphrodite!" yelled Milo. "It's me you love! You're supposed to fall in love with me!"
"Don't worry, it'll all be gone in like a day, but he should get better with this," said Deathmask.
"A day. Shit, his birthday's ruined," muttered Milo.
Someone knocked on the door, then came in anyway. It was Aioros. "Hey guys, Aphrodite said you guy would need ice? For Camus?" asked, confused, holding a bag of ice in his hands.
"Yes, he's too hot. We should try and cool down his head a bit," said Milo, motioning for him to bring the bag to them. He tore a piece of his apron and wrapped a piece of ice in it, pressing it to Camus' forehead.
Aioros paced around the house, and went to see the cakes in the dinner table. "You guys were making cakes? Is this for Camus' birthday?" he asked.
Shura came out of the kitchen carrying the chocolate cake in his hands. He froze when he saw Aioros in front of him.
"A-Aioros, what are you doing here?" he asked.
"I came to bring ice for Camus. Did you bake that? It smells delicious. Can I try some?" he asked.
Shura, whose entire higher thinking capacity shut down in the presence of Aioros, blushed. "Yes, yes, you want it?" he asked.
Milo, decided to salvage the very last remaining part of his plan, stood up from the couch and left Camus in Deathmask's hands.
"No! He can't have any! That's Camus' birthday cake," he said.
Shura glared at him. "Aioros can have it if he wants!" he said.
"No he can't!" said Milo, trying to grab the cake from Shura's hands.
"It's ok, I can just try this one," said Aioros, and took a piece of icing from Aphrodite's cake.
"No! Don't eat that!" yelled Milo, pushing him away from the table.
"Sorry! Sorry! It was just a taste!" said Aioros with an Apologetic smile and looking at Milo. Then his smile vanished. "Milo…you're so beautiful…"
Shura slammed the glass mold on the dinner table, making it crash into a million shards. "Milo get away from him!" he yelled.
"This is your fault!" cried Milo, trying to step away, but Aioros pulled him closer, grabbing his waist.
"I love you," he said, staring at Milo's eyes.
"Shura get him away from me or I'll hurt him!" yelled Milo, while Aioros pushed him down on the dinner table.
The temperature on the house suddenly decreased, a layer of ice covering everything, and then Camus had grabbed Aioros and thrown him away from Milo.
"Don't touch him!" he said, crying.
Shura ran to help Aioros, while the temperature in the house kept going lower. The ice covering everything growing all around.
"Camus, stop! My house!" said Milo.
Camus turned towards him. Tears still fell from his eyes. "Why?!" he yelled, tried to walk and stumbled. "Why don't you love me?!"
"Camus?" whispered Milo.
"Out of everyone. I only want you to look at me," said Camus, hugging him. "Please don't let anyone else touch you. Only I…Only I want to touch you and love you!"
Milo's heart jumped in his chest. "Camus you…we really are cursed, uh?" he said with a laugh, hugging him back and kissing his cold lips that tasted of alcohol. "Happy Birthday, my ice prince. I don't have a cake, but you can have me instead.