Okay, everyone, I'd like to let you know something. A good friend of mine, Neagoieolivia, has become my creative consultant for this fic. The plot and characters still belong to me, but she helps me develop certain plot points and character developments, particularly with the character of Itzlacol, which she helped me create.

Enjoy the chap!


Despite being a god of fire and war, Itzlacol's realm was curiously anything but violent. It was a mountainous region with forests and jungles filled with predatory animals, all the inhabitants representing not only big and strong, but also cunning. Just like the realm's master. Itzlacol's palace was the very definition of majestic and luxury. The walls were of polished marble with gold, and the walls and pillars were impeccably clean, so much one could see their reflection everywhere they looked. The throne room was the piece de resistance, everything was bathed in golden and marble, the throne was adorned with rubies, sapphires and great diamonds. The chandelier had crystals of all sizes illuminating the large room, reflecting on the walls impeccably. Many of Itzlacol's trophies-most of them head of various creatures from far and wide such as hippogriffs, wendigos and many more- were exposed there as 'proof of his greatness and strenght'.

Itzlacol was on his throne, taking a sip of red wine from a golden jewel-encrusted goblet, before staring at the drink and waving it inside the cup. Two more days and he would be able to go see La Muerte. He cursed his luck for losing against Osvaldo, he had lost a very expensive horse, and unfortunately, it had been a wager by the Ancient Rules. He usually didn't care about those stupid rules, but to break a deal by them was a very grave crime. Then again, it was not the loss of the animal that was infuriating him, but rather because he had lost precious time, and Osvaldo had gotten ahead of him. It was as if the Count had known all along that he'd win…

Now that he thought of it, Osvaldo's attitude reminded him a lot of a certain dark god, but he couldn't be certain… And those blue, seductive roses had never left his brain ever since he first saw one of those… How could a mere Count obtain such roses? Osvaldo said those roses had been in his family for generations, but there was something missing…. He couldn't tell what. He had never heard of any Gods who could grow the blue roses, or he just wasn't tying up the knots correctly…

"My Lord?"

Itzlacol muttered and glanced at one of his servants. "What?" he said coldly, but there was a fire in his eyes that let the servant know he was angry at being disturbed.

"E-Excuse me, but there's an entity who wants to see you…"

Itzlacol needed no more explanations. He left his throne and silently motioned his servant to let him in. The golden gates opened, and a skeletal jaguar entered the room in an elegant trot, before it started to change shape into a skeletal man wearing an old intricate robe and a headdress that reminded one of the ancient Aztec nobility, but his were all worn down and there were marks of wrinkles on the skeleton's face. It bowed before Itzlacol, before looking up, though avoiding the God's face. He knew he didn't like 'minor entities' looking at him in the eye like they were his equals.

"Did you find out what I asked you?" Itzlacol inquired, drumming his fingers on his throne.

"Indeed, My Lord, I managed to learn a bit about those… particular flowers that have caught your interest."

"Stop blabbering and speak at once."

"Apparently, there was only one goddess who grew roses of such color, My Lord. Her name is Selena, she belonged to a long-gone pantheon in Ancient Days."

"And where can I find her?"

"I'm afraid I couldn't find about her whereabouts, My Lord. The last thing I learned was that she was offered as a bride to a monster in hopes her pantheon would be spared, but her intended husband massacred them anyway. I could learn he was very cruel dragon-"

"Wait." Itzlacol lifted his hand, frowning. "A dragon?"

"A very strange dragon, indeed. He was a living creature, and yet he had the appearance of a black skeletal dragon with green ectoplasm for insides…"

That description… He was certain he had heard it somewhere, but he couldn't place where and when… "Find out more about that dragon and the goddess and then return to inform me of what you have learned." He motioned to his servant. "My servant will lead you to your… payment."

Bowing once again to than the God for his time, the Nahual turned back and changed back into a jaguar to follow the servant out of the throne room, leaving Itzlacol alone with his thoughts. The Fire God looked into his wine with all the calm of the world, but it had started to evaporate from the heat emanating from his anger in a repressed fury.

La Muerte would be his, one way or another…


A few days passed since their 'secret meeting', and she got much better thank to both Doctor Chamán and Asclepius's (who, like Xibalba had predicted, Sol hadn't the heart of rejecting because of his medicinal prowess, and he wanted the best for his daughter and grandchild) treatments, and she was a bit amused at how the two doctors often bickered about their methods. Osvaldo would visit her every day, and he'd bring hand-made gifts from Emilio, Regina and the rest of the lizards under the pretense that he wanted to give gifts to his future 'stepchild'. Soon she was able to leave bed again. She was glad, she hated to be bedridden all the time like she were crippled. In fact, when 'Osvaldo' came to fetch her for their next date, she said she wanted to let Blanca stretch her legs a bit. He was reluctant, thinking that if she were to fall off the horse for any circumstance the baby would get hurt, but she insisted so much that Osvaldo had no choice but to agree. Much to La Muerte's surprise, Osvaldo was bringing another steed along, a beautiful Arabian with reddish brown coat.

Xibalba teleported them to Epona's realm to spend the day, and much to La Muerte's surprise a small green canopy with golden swirls was already set up, with a white wooden tea table with matching chairs underneath its shade, complete with small cakes and pastries, along with the teapot and cups ready for use. Xibalba was the first to dismount, and rushed to La Muerte before she could get off Blanca. "Hey, hey, let me lend you a hand."

La Muerte rolled her eyes as he lifted himself with his wings and gently took her by the waist, helping her dismount as carefully as he could. "I'm not that fragile, you know…"

"I know, but you just recovered. In fact, you shouldn't have come here on horseback, what if Blanca spooked and you fell off her like that time?"

"I'm not an amateur anymore."

"I know, I don't doubt that you're better, but…" he placed his hand on her abdomen without fear of rejection this time. "…I would never forgive myself if something happened to you or the baby…"

She blushed when she felt his hand on her belly. "I'm fine, I can handle my own horse…"

Chuckling, Xibalba led his wife towards the tea table and helped her take a seat. "Wait a minute…" he placed his staff aside for the moment, then went back to the horses and, much to La Muerte's surprise, removed the saddles and bridles from Medianoche and Blanca and gave them a pat on the flank, letting them gallop towards the wide green fields before them. However, as he released Nezmal's bridle and gave him a path on the flank, the horse didn't move. Xibalba walked back to the tea table to join his wife, only to be followed by the stallion.

"He seems to like you very much…" La Muerte pointed out after taking a small bite from a slice of cheesecake.

"He does." Xibalba sighed, sitting down on the table and patting Nezmal's nose gently. "But he is still too shy, he is still traumatized by what he lived under Itzlacol."

"Is that why you brought him?"

"Epona said it would be good to have him interact with other horses…" he gently pushed Nezmal's head away from the pastries. "No, no, boy. You can't eat this."

"Is Epona coming, by the way?"

"She said she'd take a while, there was something she had to tend to."

Both gods continued to drink tea and accompany the drink with pastries (all the while keeping Nezmal away from the cakes), and watched as Medianoche started to gallop around, jumping and kicking into the air around Blanca while letting out loud neighs of delight. Blanca just trotted around, and he followed her. A while later, Xibalba spotted a herd of wild horses approaching at the sound of his horse's attempts at courting. Nezmal lifted his ears in curiosity at the newcomers, and miraculously left Xibalba's side, heading towards the heard shyly.

"How are you feeling?" the dark god asked his wife in concern. "Do you need something? Would you like some sugar or cream?"

"I'm okay, really…" she said gently, taking a sip from her tea.

"Say, La Muerte… we haven't thought of a name for the baby."

"Don't you think we should wait till we know the gender?"

"I know, but the sooner we start thinking about it, the better…" sheepishly, Xibalba took out a slip of paper from his cloak. "I hope you don't mind, but I've been considering some options for both genders…"

Rather than being upset, La Muerte took the slip of paper and took a peek at it, giggling. She could tell he had been working on it for a while now, there were crossed out names, and there was one that caught her attention. "Tallulah?"

"Emilio's suggestion, don't ask me why I added it."

"We can't do that to the baby."

"I know, I just… Well, I didn't want to hurt Emilio's feelings."

As both reached out for a macaroon, casually the same one, their hands touched...

He blushed when he reached out to grab a flower, only to end up taking Snow White's hand as she reached out for the very same flower, and his heart fluttered when she giggled, her cheeks as red as his…

Xibalba's face turned red as he retreated his hand, his heart drumming inside his chest. "I'm s-sorry, I…"

"What's wrong?" La Muerte asked him in surprise. "We're still married anyway, so it doesn't really matter…"

"Yeah, but… Well…" he quickly regained his composure. "Anyway, I'm glad you're feeling better…"

By then, Nezmal had apparently warmed up to the company of the wild horses, and he was interacting with a blue gray mare; it wasn't long before he was jumping around like Medianoche, galloping around followed by the blue gray mare. Speaking of Medianoche, the dark god noticed he and Blanca were getting a bit to much… affectionate with each other. La Muerte got to her feet and stepped forward, giving a small whistle, to which Blanca responded by turning around and trotting towards her. Medianoche ceased in his 'courting' and galloped after her.

"La Muerte, what are you doing?" Xibalba grabbed his staff and left his seat to walk over next to her as she patted her horse's head.

"Well, she's been stuck in her stall for a long while, I think it wouldn't do bad to…"

"Oh, no! I don't think that's good in your state…."

"I know, but… I think I want to stretch my legs a bit too…"

Seeing she would not budge, Xibalba thought the least thing he could do was to lend her a hand… and maybe teach her something else… "Say, La Muerte, remember the first time we had a race?"

"How wouldn't I…?" La Muerte rolled her eyes. "You made me ride bareback, and I ended up falling off Blanca and losing consciousness."

Xibalba felt like an idiot when he recalled it, and thought he should make up for it. After turning Ponzoña back into a snake and letting him slide into his armor, he motioned Medianoche to come closer, and climbed unto him bareback, before glancing at his wife. "How about I give you a… proper lesson this time?"

La Muerte crossed her arms, pretending to be offended. "What were you saying a while ago about my state…?"

"I'll be here this time, you don't have anything to worry about. I've never fallen off a horse in my entire life." Medianoche snorted in disagreement, Xibalba gave him a gentle kick on the sides in embarrassment. "Come on, don't make me look bad in front of her!" Xibalba calmed down and held out his hand to his wife, smiling. "Come on, you can trust me. I won't let you fall."

Although she wasn't certain of it, La Muerte nevertheless took his hand and allowed him to help her unto Medianoche. She almost immediately clung to his neck when she felt she was going to fall off, even after he pulled her close with his arm and wrapped his wings around her.

"Don't be afraid, it's not that hard. It's like normal riding, you just have to keep your balance, just without the saddle."

"Oh, thanks! That makes me feel better!"

Chuckling, Xibalba accommodated his wife in his hold and gently kicked his horse into a walk. "Just place your legs as if they were on actual stirrups, and keep your back straight, that is the basic of all the forms of horseback riding." He gently took La Muerte's hands and placed them on Medianoche's mane, motioning her to take a hold of it. "You can lead the horse with the mane as well, just don't pull it too much."

Reluctantly, La Muerte pulled Medianoche's mane to the right, and stiffened when the horse moved rightwards. Medianoche soon stopped and lowered his head to have a good grazing, it had been so long ever since he was here, it was evident he wanted to enjoy it as long as it lasted. Xibalba dismounted and helped his wife get off, carrying her bridal style back to the tent just as they saw two figures approaching on horseback-wait, two?

"HOW DO I STOP?!"

"Pull the reins!"

"I'm pulling the reins!"

Zipacna?!

Indeed, soon Epona and Zipacna came into view, the formed on her palomino steed, the latter on a blue gray horse who didn't look very happy. Finally, Zipacna's steed came to an abrupt stop, sending its rider to the ground abruptly. Zipacna muttered under his breath as he sat up, rubbing his sore back just as Epona's horse stopped a few steps away from the canopy, and she dismounted, giggling.

"You are not that bad! You just need a bit of practice." She said, patting the blue gray horse's neck gently

"No way! I'm not getting unto a horse ever again!"

Xibalba carefully placed La Muerte down on the chair, staring at his brother, then at Epona incredulously. La Muerte smiled at them, on the other hand. "Epona, Zipacna, it's nice that you join us."

"Sorry we took so long, I was trying to teach Zipacna how to ride a horse."

"You… teaching him?" Xibalba had a bad feeling about this. "Since when are you two in touch?"

"Well, I was always curious about your brother since you never talked about him, so I decided to contact him myself."

"And I simply had to meet the former object of your…" Zipacna tried to look for a proper word with La Muerte present. "…affections. I must admit, she is truly an amazing woman!"

Epona blushed. "Oh, you flatterer!"

Oh, no, there were the signs of Zipacna's modus operandi right in front of him. Of all the goddesses he could have put his eyes on it had to be precisely Epona?! He had to do something about it before someone, Epona specifically, got hurt. He forced a grin. "Um, Zipacna, could you lend me a hand with…. Something?" Before Zipacna could say anything, Xibalba had already grabbed his feathery ear and had started to drag him towards the nearby woods, ignoring his yelps of pain.

"Why do I have the feeling they are going to fight again?" La Muerte sighed, patting her abdomen. "There goes papi, baby."

"Since we'll apparently wait a long time while those two settle their differences, how about we catch up on what has been happening?" Epona grinned, lifting the tea pot. "Would you like some tea?"


"OWOWOW!" Zipacna continued to yell long after his brother had taken him to a considerable distance from the canopy where Epona and La Muerte were. "Not by the ear!"

When he was certain they were out of goddesses' earshot, Xibalba released his brother's ear and glared at him. "Zipacna, what in tarnation are you doing here?!" he snapped with sharp teeth. He was beyond furious, he swore his tar robes had started to boil from his incensed anger, especially when Zipacna acted like nothing was wrong at all.

"What?! I just paid Epona a visit!" Zipacna shrugged, trembling under his younger brother's glare. How ironic.

"Oh, a visit! RIGHT! Like the same kind of visits you always pay to your lovers, right?! And since when did you and Epona become so close, if I may know?!"

"Well, she kinda saved me from a Kelpie." Zipacna chuckled nervously, trying to change the subject. "It's a funny story, wanna hear?"

"NO!" Xibalba yelled, spreading out his wings, his feathers bristled in pure fury. "ALL I WANT TO KNOW IS WHAT INTENTIONS YOU HAVE WITH EPONA! Complimenting her, appearing on my castle WITH her out of nowhere, and now this?! QUE DEMONIOS, ZIPACNA!"

"Hey, I don't think you are in a position to tell me anything! Unless memory fails me, you did the same with her!"

"It was different!"

"In what sense?!"

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm still in touch with her! I didn't dispose of her after I got what I wanted, unlike others who just wait for the right moment, do the job and then disappear without any trace! She is not an object for you to give her hopes just to crush them later!"

Now it was Zipacna who was growing angry. "I don't have any bad intentions! I only want to get to know her better!"

Xibalba narrowed his eyes suspiciously, crossing his arms. "Oh, right. Know her better. And by that you mean to simply satisfy your so-famous needs."

"No!"

"Really? Give me a good reason of why I should believe you. I'm your brother I know you better than anyone in the whole universe. I know you have a big appetite when it comes to women, but this time you chose the wrong target! Do not dare denying it, because the both of us know its true!"

"For your information, I'm not as insensitive as to take my only brother's ex-lover as MY lover!" Zipacna snapped back, his crest feathers bristling in indignation. "Besides, why does it bother you so much anyway?! You are married to La Muerte now, and Epona can take good care of herself, she is no idiot or damsel-in-distress!

"It bothers me because I don't want you to hurt her in such a cruel way just like you do with all the women you encounter…! She doesn't deserve that! Admit it, Zipacna, your intentions are not as uninterested as you say they are!"

"Come on, it's not like you are a saint either! You did the same as me, remember? You also bedded lots of goddesses and then discarded them like nothing!"

That struck a nerve. Xibalba's pupils rotated forward and he started to search through Zipacna's mind for a few seconds until he had found what he was looking for. Once his suspicions were confirmed, he slapped Zipacna's shoulder, hard enough to make him yelp in pain. "You jerk!" the younger god snapped. "And of course I remember those days, but you have said it so well. I USED to be like you!"

"See? Technically you really aren't in a position to give moral lessons at all!"

"I am." Xibalba said calmly, crossing his arms once more. "You know why. Unlike you, I actually care for a woman's feelings. Before and after it happened I made sure not to hurt Epona's feelings… And I did not fool or trick her into doing anything she didn't want to do, she also felt the need to… do it."

"So do I. Are you sure you are not actually jealous?"

"Jealous? Why? I'm married with the woman I love, the mother of my future child, I have no reason to be jealous. I told you, I care for her like a friend! I don't want anyone to use her in such a way! I saw your thoughts, I know what you want and I know how far you'd go to get it."

"Usually, but Epona's different-!"

"Then treat her differently! Not like one of your sex dolls!" He glared at Zipacna again, but this time there was deep disappointment in it mixed with the anger.

"Oh, come on! She is not a sex doll! You think I'd do that to a person so close to you?!"

"Yes I do." Xibalba's voice was cold and stern, his expression serious. "You can go against your principles to get what you want. Like I said before, I know you far too well." He shook his head sadly. "Mamá would be so disappointed in you… Just like I am now."

That was a severe blow. Zipacna just stood there, completely speechless with a hurt expression. He just had to bring Selena into the conversation, had he? Who was he kidding? Xibalba had not, and would never forgive him, it was pretty evident. Why did he keep getting his hopes up just to have them crushed into pieces all over again? Zipacna's face stiffened into an apathetic one. "If you want me to stay away from Epona, and you in general, just say it. You don't have to hurt my feelings like that." He didn't react when Xibalba's expression changed into a confused one. "I thought you ha changed, but I see you will never trust me again, so I guess we should leave it like that." Zipacna turned around and started to walk away, avoiding his brother's gaze.

He hadn't meant to sound so hard. He just wanted Zipacna to respect Epona, he didn't want him out of his life again! "Wait, I didn't mean that!" Xibalba grabbed his brother's shoulder, stopping him momentarily. "All I want is that you don't use Epona in any way, she is too good and king to be fooled like that! If you are actually serious about this, then I wish you all the luck and ambition-" much to his shock, Zipacna frowned and brushed his hand off, rejecting the gesture of comfort coldly.

"I don't need, nor want, your pity anymore. I had enough of it. I hope you have something in mind about how you are going to explain to Epona and La Muerte about why I left just like that." he started to walk further away once again.

"No, don't go!" Xibalba panicked and ran after his brother, eventually turning into a ball of tar and teleporting all the way to Zipacna's path to block his advance. "I do believe in you! That's why I care so much! I just want to help the both of you, Zipacna! I'm afraid you might lose it." He stopped Zipacna from ignoring and pushing past him. "All I want for you is to be happy, but I also care about Epona!" he whispered, sighing. "But I also care about Epona, I don't want you to mess it up…"

"You think I'm made of stone? I'm not perfect, like you. Heck, I'm not even respected! Even Father acknowledged you while I didn't even exist for him!"

"At what price?" Xibalba said bitterly, extending out his burned wing and pointing at it. "Remember this?"

Zipacna scoffed bitterly. "If you knew what he did to ME…"

"I know, Zipacna, but we were talking about Epona. I have a few suggestions for you."

"Suggestions?" the croc-headed god raised an eyebrow. "Like what?

"You can stay and flirt a little with Epona, but if you want something serious do it the right way, I could help you with that-"

Again, Zipacna groaned in frustration. "I just want a fucking friend, didn't I make it clear by now?!"

"-you helped me win back La Muerte's heart, I can help you win Epona's-" Xibalba blinked when he realized what his brother had just said. "Wait, what did you say?"

Zipacna smacked his forehead. "I want a goddamn friend, not a lover! Unlike you, in case you haven't noticed by now, I don't have any 'contacts' outside, not even inside our pantheon! Everyone simply sees me as a joke, a clown, a lesser spirit just because I'm not all scary and intimidating like you! Epona was different! She did not judge me, she actually liked me for the way I was! And now it turns out I can't be her friend just because YOU think I'm just going to strip her virginity like an animal who doesn't reason! Do you think I have a frozen heart or what?! "

Xibalba remained silent. However, soon he was trying to repress laughter as he gave his older brother an amused smile. "Seriously?" he inquired, taking a hand to his mouth.

"What's so funny?! I don't find it funny at all! And you don't really know what HE did to me!"

The dark god became serious when Akrinok was mentioned. "I do. He drove you away."

"Have you ever wondered why?!"

"Neglect…" Xibalba didn't like how Zipacna's tone of voice was growing more hostile, and his eyes had started to glow an icy blue. Zipacna chuckled darkly.

"If only it had been that. I can bear neglect. Lack of attention from him? That's no big deal. But it was more than that."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't you remember seeing him going into my room one night a few months after mamá died?"

"What does that have to do with-?"

"Answer the question. Haven't you asked yourself what he did that frightened me so much into running away?" Zipacna's voice started to shake when he started to tremble. He waited a few minutes. Long, silent minutes as Xibalba stared at him in confusion, trying to understand, but failing to apparently. "Did you connect the dots?"

Xibalba had to shake his head in a negative reply. What could have happened?

Zipacna sighed. Maybe it was time for him to know once and for all. "He told me that I was nothing but a burden for you."

"What? That's all…?" Xibalba couldn't finish his sentence as Zipacna turned his back on him, trembling.

"He said that you would never become strong if I kept shielding you."

"What did he do to you?" Xibalba still didn't understand. He had never seen any sort of scar on Zipacna; he didn't look like he had received any slaps or whippings. He had received them every now and then, but they never were grave enough to leave any sot of scarring, and he recalled he didn't receive them that often.

"He tortured me, not physically like he did to you."

"B-But… how… what?"

"He showed me all the people he killed…" Zipacna closed his eyes shut as the tears started to flow down his cheeks. Even after all these years, those images were still fresh in his mind. The screams, the blood, the smoke and fire, he couldn't forget… He had tried to forget with all his might, but it had been imprinted on his mind ever since, came back to haunt him, even. "He said it would be you next if I didn't leave you alone. Those screams tormented me for nights! I didn't want him to kill you!" Zipacna glared back at his brother with teary eyes. "What other choice did I have but to do as he said?! You think I didn't want to go back to see you?! Everytime I tried the screams would come back to haunt me! Then I'd remember how he said he'd kill you in the slowest, most painful manner if I dared to return!"

"When he died, I thought we could finally be together again, I thought I could finally make up to you for having to leave you like that, and then it turned out he made you an exact copy of him! And you shut me out like a rain otter without even giving me a change to explain why I did what I did!" Zipacna turned around, yelling at full volume. "HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO FEEL ABOUT THAT?!"

Xibalba was frozen in complete shock at the revelation. Akrinok forced him to leave? He hadn't abandoned him by his own choice like he had thought all of this years? A sudden pang of guilt started to grow within him, and his eyes swelled up with tears. All this time… "Y-You…" he saw his brother weeping. He was weeping too, the tears making it down his cheeks. "You were… You only wanted to… protect me?" his voice was hoarse and broken.

"I even tried to think that it wasn't really you, that Akrinok's soul had somehow possessed you to haunt me again, but then it became evident it was YOU who was shutting me out."

"Z-Zipacna, I… I didn't know, I… You never told me…" Xibalba had to turn Ponzoña back into a staff to lean on it, and keep himself on his feet. "I don't…" he didn't know what to say anymore.

"How was I supposed to tell you when you never allowed me to?" Zipacna said bitterly, his gaze hardening more than ever. "It should have been me who was mad at you because I sacrificed lots of things for you, but I let it slip. I always let it slip because you 'had not known, it wasn't your fault, it was HIS fault'. That was what I kept telling myself every time you snapped and shut me out of your life just like HE would have done."

Zipacna was caught by complete surprise when Xibalba rushed forward and wrapped his arms around his frame, sobbing and wailing, crying his heart out at full volume; he barely had time to cast a soundproof spell to keep the whole realm from hearing his brother's cries. Xibalba could not bear the guilt, all this time thinking his brother had failed him when it was HE who failed as a brother. If only he had listened… He thought they had reconciled when Zipacna had gone to inform him of his upcoming fatherhood, but he was very wrong. He had never been so wrong in his entire life.

"I… I'm so sorry…" He eventually fell to his knees, clutching his brother's cloak tightly. "If I had known, I swear… I would have never…" He wouldn't be surprised if it was Zipacna who wanted nothing to do with him now. He had withstood cruel words, cold shoulders and angry glares for years, he could have very well told him to go to hell, but he never did. He always tried, again and again, to reconnect with him, and he always rebuffed him all those times.

But he felt a scaly hand on his shoulder, and a pair of wings wrapping around his body, there was familiar warmth he had no felt in a long time. Zipacna had kneeled down, and pulled him close in a protective embrace.

"There, there…" Zipacna whispered into his ear. "Don't be such a crybaby, Balby."

Xibalba had not heard that sentence ever since.. ever since…

Mamá… What have I done…?

Zipacna grew alarmed when a dark aura started to emanate from Xibalba, and had to release him as a dark fog formed around him. "X-Xibalba?!"

Xibalba was unresponsive. He just remained on his knees, but his green markings started to grow a sickly green, his feathers slowly started to fall off and turn into naked dragon wings, and even his face was shape shifting into a more reptilian one, much to Zipacna's shock and horror. The fog turned into demonic-shaped shadows that slithered around the dark god like snakes wanting to coil around their prey. Something was happening to him, and it seemed like it was nothing good. "XIBALBA!" he took him by the shoulders and shook him violently. "SNAP OUT OF IT RIGHT NOW!"

Almost instantly, the fog and shadows disappeared and Xibalba's features went back to normal, but he was still weeping.

"I am such a fool…" he whispered almost inaudibly. "I have always been so blind…"

"Stop degrading yourself, you're pathetic!" Zipacna growled, his eyes glowing a bright blue. "The Xibalba I know never kneels to anyone, not even to the Kings!"

"The Xibalba you knew is dead…" was the reply. "Akrinok killed me the moment he took everything from me… First mamá… then y-you… The hardest blow was when he made me drive both the woman I love and my child away… He killed me when he took what I loved the most in the entire world… When I finally discovered what true love was, it was the moment I lost her…"

"But you didn't lose her! You didn't lose me!" Zipacna continued. "Understand it at once, you are NOT Akrinok! In fact, you are much better than him!"

Xibalba looked up at his brother with tearful eyes, shaken by his words.

"You made mistakes, that's right, but who doesn't?! No one it's perfect! But at least YOU made up for those mistakes, didn't you?! You fought hard to earn La Muerte's trust back, didn't you? And you NEVER lost me, you just wanted to keep me away because of something that wasn't your fault! So what if Akrinok messed up both out lives?! In the end, he tried to make you be like him so badly he actually turned you into a person he didn't want you to be! You are fair and honorable, you respect the woman you love, you admit when you're wrong sometimes! So if you don't stand up and stop pitying yourself I'll lift you by the moustache myself!"

There was a long silence afterwards as Zipacna regained his lost breath, panting heavily and wiping the tears off his cheeks. Xibalba was staring up at him, still frozen in deep shock, until his lips curved upwards into a sad smile. "Three months ago you asked me to forgive you…" he lowered his gaze to the ground, unable to look at his brother in the eye. "I told you that I couldn't, but… It's not you who should have asked for forgiveness… It was me all along. Can you ever forgive my blindness?"

Zipacna smiled sadly, placing his hand on his brother's shoulder. I have nothing to forgive you… hermanito." He helped his brother up to his feet. "Well, we should go back before La Muerte and Epona think we were eaten by a Kelpie."

As they headed back to the place of the date, Xibalba decided to lighten up the mood. "Hey, by the way, what was that story of the Kelpie you were telling me about?"