Soon after their horses were saddled up, La Muerte and Xibalba left for the Land of the Remembered as quickly as they could. Zipacna, however, stayed behind, on Epona's insistence mostly. He sat down in La Muerte's former place, chuckling at the idea of his brother being actually dragged just like that by a woman, he was happy for him. Their little plan was working, after all.

"Well, I think that it went pretty well." He commented. "Obviously, it would have been even better if Xibalba hadn't panicked like that." Zipacna snickered at the memory of Xibalba looking around frantically for his wife and yelling things about Kelpies.

"It was smart on your part to send Blanca to get La Muerte, you know." Epona complimented, taking a sip from her cream tea. "It wasn't obvious at all, it was subtle."

"I may not be good with horses, but I know when to stay hidden. Besides, Xibalba's face was priceless!" Zipacna burst out into laughter this time. "He thought a Kelpie had eaten La Muerte, and I had to calm him down."

The goddess of horses giggled. "I can imagine it!" she became worried. "You think La Muerte will give Xibalba another chance? You know, forgive him?"

"As far as I could tell, she already has. She only has to let him know."

"Hmm… I guess so. Xibalba changed so much ever since he married her… And after he found out, from you now that I recall, that he is going to become a father."

"It caught him by complete surprise, though I'm not really surprised either. I mean, he's a bit potent; the difference between him and me is that he used a condom when he was not married… But he and La Muerte were married, so… Well, you know…"

Epona noticed he was getting red in embarrassment. She decided to tease him a bit about it. "Mmm… He didn't always wear a condom, if I remember well." She giggled internally when Zipacna's face became redder, almost giving him a pinkish shade. "But yes, I know what you mean. It was meant to happen."

Zipacna changed the subject before he started to sweat. "I… I haven't seen the nursery he is making, but I bet he hasn't picked a wall color yet."

"La Muerte thinks it's going to be a girl, you might as well have a little niece soon."

"Well, she does have the maternal instinct advantage, so I guess I'd bet for a girl for the time being as well."

"Count me in." Epona looked at the rising moon from behind the mountains, and caught a glimpse of Kelpies breaching in one of the lakes, playing amongst each other. "I think Xibalba would like a boy, but knowing him he'll be a great father regardless of the gender." She remained silent for a few moments, recalling there was something else that was bothering her. "I hope things will turn out smoothly. After Xibalba beat Itzlacol in that race, he didn't show up in the Land of the Remembered for all these days, but… I don't know, I wonder if he might have planned something meanwhile. From what I've heard, if he has free time he will take advantage of it to plan things out to his favor. Not to mention King Sol obviously wishes La Muerte would end up with Itzlacol."

"Don't remind me of that redhead!" Zipacna growled, starting to feast on the pastries. "I've been wanting to run a spear through him for centuries! Really, I don't see what Sol sees in him that he likes him so much!"

"I don't know either…" Epona left her seat, and walked towards the hall. Zipacna went after her, both out of respect, and because it was getting cold out there. Epona thought she heard something growling. She glanced back at Zipacna, who smiled sheepishly, blushing. She smiled at him. "Are you hungry? Now that I recall, with all those movements and Xibalba dragging you away from the snacks you didn't have any time to eat. I could ask my chefs to prepare you something. If you can stay a little bit longer, that is."

Zipacna had the feeling she was inviting him to dinner. "Well, I guess I wouldn't mind… If you don't mind, I mean…" he scratched the back of his head awkwardly, lowering his ears.

"No! I mean, you are always welcome here and you can stay as much as you want. I know that your realm isn't exactly… Well…" She struggled to find a word that wouldn't offend him. "Joyful or… Welcoming, at all. I've never seen it, but I heard about it from others."

"Say it, its hell." Zipacna sighed in dismay. "Literally, unfortunately."

Epona giggled and spoke in a playful manner as she led her guest down the corridor and towards the dining hall. "Well, it's a good thing that its ruler isn't like that. Or is he?"

He blushed. "I guess I'm not. Sometimes I think I was only given the realm because there was no one else available, or no one wanted it at all…"

"Hmm… You must be all alone down there, Zipacna. It must be horrible."

"It is. I mean, the imps I have as servants are annoyingly clumsy!"

"I can imagine it, actually…"

The two gods entered the dining hall. Like the rest of the castle, it was made of green, golden and ivory polished marble, illuminated with candles on the walls. The table was very long, and there were two chairs on each end, with a bowl of fruits in the exact middle. There was a chimney burning brightly on one side, and on the other the windows were closed, but the beautiful starry night sky could still be seen. The light of the fireplace reflected beautifully on the marble pillars around the room. Each god took their seat at the end of the table.

"Hey, Xibalba mentioned something about you travelling a lot. Is it true?" Epona inquired.

"It is." Zipacna shrugged.

"Did you have a good experience? Were there any special places that stuck in your mind and heart? I mean… After seeing so many places you must have your favorites."

"So far, my favorite place was France. I loved the champagne, though I can't say the same for the food. I mean, they serve you a cookie-cutter little pieces of things! And here I was wondering why French always look so famished."

"I guess you received a French kiss before you left, didn't you?" Epona asked him casually, resting her chin on her hands. "I mean, it is France."

"Err…." Zipacna blushed deeply. "Sort of… Hehe…" he chuckled nervously. Soon after, Epona's servants-much to his surprise, all female centaurs-brought dinner. Epona was content with some fruit ice cream, while Zipacna was served a big cut of meat, but the two of them drank a bit of champagne to pass the time. "Say, Zipacna, sorry about what happened with that horse. I don't know what went wrong; I gave you the calmest steed... Maybe something spook him, but you need some practice too."

"He could have gotten spooked of me." Zipacna commented, taking a big bunch of meat into his mouth.

"You?"

"Heck, that Nezmal guy took a look at me and took off like a bullet!"

"I guess I'll see him around sometime, he's still a bit shy." Epona thought for a moment. "What should we do next, Zipacna? I don't know why, but I have the feeling we'll have to keep an eye on Xibalba. The ten days expire tomorrow, and I can bet the first thing Itzlacol is going to do is to go to see La Muerte. And I can assure you he won't be very happy to see Osvaldo… Well, Xibalba, again."

"Hell, of course he won't. I mean, he beat him on a horse race. That is a reason good enough for Itzlacol to have a grudge against him."

"No, it's not only about that…" Epona fidgeted with her ice cream a bit. "I just have a very bad feeling… Something like when horses predict a storm."

"Oh… You mean when they go find shelter? I have never understood why horses are always released when such things happen."

Epona rolled her eyes. "You don't understand, do you? They feel that a storm is coming at least an hour before it hits. It can be sunny, but in one hour a storm may strike… and they feel it. That's how I feel now. I feel like something it's just not… right. About Itzlacol and Xibalba. We have to keep an eye on Xibalba, even if Itzlacol doesn't know about his true identity."

"I'm with you on that one. I know who might be able to help us with this."

"Who?"

Zipacna grinned as he lifted his glass of champagne. "The Candlemaker, of course. The Book of Life records everything that happens in its pages."

Epona smiled in delight. She had heard stories about it, but she had never actually seen it, since she belonged to a different pantheon. "Zipacna, you are a genius!" she grew a bit hesitant. "Well, that would technically count as stalking, but what Xibalba doesn't know, won't hurt him."

"What he doesn't know might save him, actually." Zipacna chuckled.

Still, she pouted. "Hmm… I hate to do this to him, but it's the only way we can make sure he is safe, I guess… Unless YOU move with Xibalba, but after the argue you had I doubt Xibalba would let you."

"Heck, he'd probably slam the door on my nose, but he is not as sore with me as before."

"I know… And I also know about why you argued."

Zipacna froze. "You do?"

"Don't worry, I didn't hear any of it, but I'm no fool. I noticed Xibalba's expression when he saw you with me."

"He sort of thinks I'm going to dump you later on. But come on, it's not like we're dating, we're just friends…!" Zipacna's tone grew serious. "But then it escalated into something a bit more… personal."

"You?" Epona inquired after wiping some whipped cream off her lips with a napkin. "Dump me later on?" She knew what he meant, but she wanted to hear him explaining.

"Well…" Zipacna's face turned red. "I guess you've heard of my reputation of courting girls and then… Well, you know the rest… But I'd never do that to you! Come on, Xibalba would murder me! Besides… I really like you as a friend. You're funny to be around…"

Epona giggled. "I'm the funny one to be around? Think of how I feel around you, you clumsy dork!" she said playfully, making him blush. "I wonder why people are annoyed by you… I mean, it's obvious why good people are so rare these days. Every person with a good sense of humor might go extinct; people just don't appreciate that anymore… I actually enjoy it." A while later, they were done with their meals, and both let out subtle burps, though on Zipacna's part it was a bit more loud. Both blushed in deep embarrassment before Zipacna managed to calm down.

"I'll come around more often, my dear!" he grinned, licking his lips. "Your chefs are simply exceptional!"

"As I said before, you are always welcome."

"Thanks."

Epona grinned. "With one small condition…"

"What is it?"

"That you will allow me to come over to your place every now and then."

Zipacna hesitated momentarily. "Certainly… If you don't mind being over 200 grades Celsius."

"Are you kidding me? I love heat! Literally, I do! If the temperature gets lower, even if it's just a few grades, I just have to start a mini fire or get warm somehow." Epona sighed in dismay. "Imagine me in winter month… I'm literally a frozen mummy, I can't move from all the blankets and clothing I have on. The warmer, the better, but I guess that your castle is endurable enough to stay at…"

"Oh…"

"Effectively, Zipacna, I hate the cold."

"How ironic, I love it." The crocodilian god chuckled. "I'm always melting down there."

"Oh my… then I guess that your castle, or at least your bedroom, must be really cold."

"Sort of."

"How? Some sort of spell to make it cooler? Here it rains almost everyday. Not that much, only a few minutes, but still…" Epona sighed.

"Considering you live in a forest, it's quite of understandable."

"And considering that you live in the center of this world, I think it's obvious why it's so hot down there." Epona noticed there was still a bit of ice cream left in her cup. Maybe it wouldn't hurt… Zipacna had said he loved the cold, and he had already finished his cut of meat, so perhaps he'd like a little desert. She took the small spoonful of fruity ice cream and teleported to his side, leaning the spoonful closer to him. "Here, try this."

Zipacna accepted the ice cream into his mouth. A cold party of perfectly blended flavors of different fruits overcame him, and he smiled I delight. "It's delicious." The cold temperature of the treat reacted to the heat of his body, and he blew some vaporized smoke off his nostrils, startling Epona lightly.

"How did you do that?!" She inquired.

"Well, I'm hot, and this is cold."

Epona started to laugh. "Yeah, you are hot alright…" she giggled playfully.

"I was actually talking about my body temperature…" Zipacna blushed, smiling sheepishly. "But yeah, you're right."

"What did you think I was talking about? … Something else in mind?"

"Not really."

"You know, those words coming out of a man's mouth usually sound weird, but now that I've seen you blow out smoke, nothing seems odd to me anymore. You blew me away with that, I can't imagine how steamy your realm would be if actual rain fell on it." Epona leaned on the table, giving Zipacna a playful glance. "Two words. Perfect sauna."

Zipacna chuckled, leaning back on the chair. "I can imagine it."

"You know, I have thousands of horses, and most of them need horseshoes… made with iron at extremely high temperatures. With normal fire it takes a long time to make a single horseshoe. Do you think you could lend me, or rather, my farriers a hand with some extra heat? Maybe a bit of lava?"

The Ruler of the Cursed scratched his chin in thought, his crest feathers bristling and flattening unconsciously. Epona had noticed he did it when he was thinking about something. "I guess I could do something useful with that lava that is always leaking from the rivers near my castle…"

Epona blinked. "Hold on. Lava… river? As in… an actual, flowing river but made of lava?"

"Eyup." He stared at her like he were surprised at the question, to him it was a common thing while the concept was foreign to his companion. "Lots of volcanoes plus cracks in the earth and rocks equal to lava rivers." He felt a small chill down his spine when Epona grinned in ecstasy.

"Expect me by your door in the next few days, you'll have a guest soon." She said.

"S-Sure… just let me make a few adjustments to keep the lava from overflowing."

"Overflowing?"

"You know, obsidian fences and bridges to keep it from entering my castle."

"Xibalba helps you with that, right?"

Zipacna nodded. That was one of the reasons Xibalba had no other choice but to keep in touch with him during the time they were estranged. Zipacna needed the obsidian his brother harvested, while Xibalba was in need of some minerals and types of rock that could only be found in the Land of the Cursed.

"Hmmm…" Epona thought for a moment. "I don't know why Zipacna, but I kind of see you like… the disorganized type of guy. Could you describe your study in one single word?"

It took him a while to find an appropriate word. "Labyrinth."

Epona tried, but failed to contain a laugh. "Come on, it can't be that bad…!" she noticed he didn't have any humor on his expression. "… Is it?" Zipacna shrugged. "Oh… I could lend you a hand, if you want. With the paperwork and everything, it's overwhelming. No big deal, I mean."

"That would be nice on your part, but you must have things to do yourself, my dear…"

Epona winked. "What do you think about my proposal to help me with the fire that I need for the horseshoes? I'll never manage to get on a horse again, but that doesn't mean that I can't ask other things from you, if it's okay with you, that is…"

"It's alright, as long as I don't have to ride one, I'm fine with it."

"Well, you can't blame me for trying…"

"Don't worry, I can even help you forge some horseshoes…"

"Thank you…" Suddenly, Epona noticed that the moon had long risen and was almost at its summit, if not a bit past it. She panicked when she recalled there was something important she had to tend to. "IT'S PAST MIDNIGHT?!"

Zipacna was startled by the sudden yell, nearly falling back on his chair before managing to remain his balance with his wings. "W-What is it?! Do you have to do something?!"

"Oh! I usually go to sleep early, but… Oh my gosh, what day is it today?!"

"Well, considering it's midnight, we're technically on June 23rd officially right now!"

"I forgot! I have to go, Zipacna! It's urgent!"

"D-Don't worry! I do have to take my leave, anyway…!" he was freaking out by how she was acting at the moment.

"I forgot a few mares were going to foal today, or rather yesterday, in my stables! What a horse goddess I am! I have to go and check on them!"

"Do you need any help?"

"Only if you want to attend a horse birth… Well, by this time they could have already given birth, but I have to make sure the foal and its mother are okay."

"I think I can handle it…"

Epona chuckled. "I'll get to see how strong you actually are, and how much you can handle."

"I guess so…"

Epona led Zipacna out of the dining hall, down the halls and outside towards the stables in the lower level. All the stalls were spacious, and a few were occupied by horses of all breeds, sizes and colors, illuminated by lamps and filled with straw. She couldn't help it; she liked Zipacna's company. He was funny and had sense of humor, something one couldn't find in men these days. Xibalba was unfortunately a sort of example; he did have his sense of humor, but it was mild and often dark.

"So…" Zipacna tried to look for a topic to talk about. "How is a horse birth like? I've never seen one with my own eyes…"

"Most people find it nasty and messy, but it's actually pretty fast. I have the feeling they won't need any assistance tonight, though, I just need to check if the new foals are alright." Epona explained, her suspicions confirmed when they arrived at the stalls where the pregnant mares were and found it was surprisingly quiet. She took a look inside one of the stalls, and smiled.

"Who are the mothers, by the way?"

Still smiling, Epona motioned Zipacna to get closer. Three mares had foaled tonight, but they were all in separate stalls. The first was an all-black thoroughbred mare with two white half pasterns in her back legs; her foal was an equally black male foal with a white blaze on his face. The second mare was white with a fading off gray in her rear, and her female foal was a chestnut tobiano color. Lastly, there was an Arabian gray blue mare, though her foal-apparently a male-was a surprisingly contrasting, reddish color with black stockings. The first and second foals were still resting on the ground, half-covered amniotic fluid as their mothers licked it off them, stimulating them to stand up, while the third foal was already walking on his feet and around his mother.

"Woah, they're cute…" Zipacna had to admit these little horses were cute, though he couldn't' help but shiver when he saw the placenta still hanging from the first two mares. "…All covered in fluid and trying to stand up…"

"That one was born earlier." Epona pointed at the reddish foal, which by then had started to suckle from his mother. "He already stands and plays around, and the mother is more active than the others."

"What about the other two?"

"Probably about thirty or twenty minutes ago, they're still getting used to the outside world yet."

"Now that we're on it, mind if I ask who are the parents of Xibalba's horse?"

Epona sighed in remembrance. "His grandfather was a Kelpie, that's why he is so exceptional. As for his parents, such a fabulous horse could only come from the finest mare and stallion."

"And those are…?"

The horse goddess motioned Zipacna to follow her, leading him further into the stables, until they reached a much bigger stall than the others. Zipacna glanced inside and saw the most beautiful mare he had ever seen. Her coat was midnight black, and it glistened under the lamps beautifully, her eyes were like shining emeralds, and her mane and tail were beautifully curled. The mare was apparently elderly, but she still had an air of grace and elegance that had once characterized her.

"Is that his mother?" he inquired. What a silly question, of course she had to be. "What breed is she?"

"Thoroughbred Friesian, but she mated with a percheron. Though he must be out, I haven't seen him for a while."

"Makes sense, I always thought Medianoche was a bit too big for a normal freesia, when I first saw him I thought he was a draft horse…"

"Everyone thinks that at first glance…" Epona patted the mare's beck gently. "This lady here is not that young anymore, but she still radiates beauty and pride. Medianoche was her only foal."

"Really? What about his father? Any particular traits I should know about?"

"Well…" Epona had not seen that stallion around that much anymore, which made her think he had disappeared long ago, but she still remembered him clearly. "He had a dark gray coat with black mane… But he never came to the stables, he was wild at heart and was always wandering around. I rarely see him anymore, if at all."

"Hey, if you never see him how come he impregnated…" Zipacna recalled he didn't know how this mare was called. "What's her name?"

"Camaria. My intention was to breed these two from the very beginning."

"How did you do it?"

Epona smiled in remembrance as she stroked Camaria's head, to which the mare replied with a gentle snort. "I released Cami and… Well…I guess it was love at first sight."

"Didn't you follow them? You just let her roam free and he came…?"

"I did interfere a little bit. Have you heard about horse whispering?"

Zipacna nodded.

"Well, the moment I sent Blanca over to Xibalba I was also thinking on Medianoche. I knew he would like her."

"I have heard about it, so I wouldn't be surprised if Blanca comes with a little surprise later on too…" Zipacna chuckled at the idea of a little Medianoche galloping around.

She winked. "Let's say that it was kind of intentional, and one of my attempts to have the best foal."

"Wouldn't it have been easier to ask Xibalba and La Muerte if they would be okay with Blanca having a foal? If she isn't pregnant already, that is. I mean, they had to do something while they were wandering off with the wild herd, right?"

"Only time will tell, I guess… It would be a nice surprise."

"How was Medianoche as a foal?"

At this, Epona took her hands to her lips and started to laugh in reminiscence. "He destroyed three stalls, freed a whole herd, went missing about five or six times and… He almost drowned."

Zipacna snickered. "Almost drowned? What? His dear ol' grandpa wanted to teach him how to swim or what?"

"Sort of…" Epona couldn't help but let out a yawn. She was exhausted, she had a very long day today, and she needed to take a good night's sleep right now. Not to mention it was already very late, anyway. Zipacna took notice.

"You look tired, my dear."

"Yeah, I should probably go to sleep…" Epona gently replied, stretching out her back a bit. "I'll wake up pretty late tomorrow, but anyway…" Epona glanced back at her companion. "You can spend the night here if you'd like. Xibalba will freak out thinking that you might… You know, but it's very late and I wouldn't want you to be eaten by a Kelpie on your way back."

"Good point. Do you have any spare rooms here?"

"Considering that I'm alone in this castle… the servants have their own rooms, but I have plenty of free rooms." She led Zipacna back towards the castle, but the cold night air made her shiver a bit. Zipacna covered her with a warm wing as they walked up the stairs, and then into the castle, but he continued to keep her warm. Epona smiled at him. "Thank you."

"Your welcome." He retuned the smile as they arrived to one of the spare rooms. It was a very large room with green and ivory walls, a large canopy bed with curtains and a great balcony window.

"Is it fine enough? Cold enough?" Epona smiled slyly at him.

"Yup, much better than my realm." Zipacna smiled at her. Thanks…"

"Your welcome. I'll be in my bedroom if you need anything, I usually don't like to wake my servants up…" Epona blushed slightly. "Thank you for tonight, Zipacna… I really had a good time."

"Me too." He glanced at her as she went back to the door and glanced one more time at him with a smile. "Good night."

"Good night… Epona."

As she gave him one last smile and closed the door behind her, Zipacna felt his heart skipping a beat. He had never met such a woman, it was no wonder why Xibalba was so attached to her. He had to say, he was growing attached to her himself, she was the first person to like him for who he was. She hadn't had let his outward appearance affect her opinion of him. Thoughts of this day's events were swirling inside his head as he headed to bed. He has glad to have finally settled matters with Xibalba; he had been carrying that burden for centuries, but he was glad to say everything was cleared up.

He fell asleep soon after, dreaming pleasantly for the first time in eons.


The Nahual hadn't taken long in finding out what Lord Itzlacol had told him, he had to slice a few necks, but it would be worth it. When he got to the palace, he was directed by the servants to go to the gardens, stating Lord Itzlacol was tending to some issues with the gardeners. It wasn't that hard to figure out, as soon as he stepped out into the courtyard he smelt burnt flowers and ash, and heard yelling coming from the Fire God. The Nahual hid in the shadows in his animal form, awaiting for the right moment to appear; Itzlacol was towering over his chief gardener, a murderous glare in his severe expression.

"I SAID I WANTED BLUE ROSES!" he roared at the top of his lungs, his eyes almost literally in fire, almost like his robes. The failed attempts at creating said flowers were strewn all on the floor, burned into ashes along with the bushes they had come from.

"B-But My Lord…!" the gardened stuttered in terror. "We've worked to exhaustion to creature the p-pigment you desire, but there's been no success-!"

Itzlacol chuckled darkly. "Really?! And how come Count Osvaldo has naturally-colored blue roses?!"

"I don't know what techniques his gardeners used, but blue roses don't usually exist in nature, they don't have the specific gene that produces a true blue color-!"

"Which goes back to my question! How come my acquaintance HAS?!"

"I swear, My Lord, we're doing our best-!" the poor spirit couldn't continue as Itzlacol grabbed his throat and lifted him to eye level.

"Go back there, and do not come to my presence until you've managed to create a blue rose!"

Prey of terror, the gardener, as well as his assistants, scrambled out of sight as soon as the former was thrown against the ground in an harsh manner. Itzlacol grumbled things under his breath until he felt another presence in the courtyard. "And you, give me the information I told you to bring before I lose my patience and turn you to ashes as well!"

The jaguar stepped out of the bushes and changed back into his human shape, bowing before his master. "I found out quite interesting things, My Lord."

"You said that Selena woman was forcibly wedded to a dragon. Did you find out who he was?"

"Indeed I did, My Lord. His name was Akrinok, and they weren't precisely in love, as far as it is known."

Akrinok… that name rang a bell, he had heard it somewhere… "Where was he from?"

"Apparently, he came from a clan of Drampires, but he never grew fangs, and he got involved with the Dark Arts, which explains why he looked like a monster. Anyway, at some point before his marriage to Selena he gained the right to rule the Land of the Forgotten-"

!

"Wait, the Land of the Forgotten?!" Itzlacol repeated in surprise.

The Nahual nodded. "After his marriage to Selena, they had two sons; Lord Zipacna, ruler of the Land of the Curse and-"

"Lord Xibalba." Itzlacol finished. "And you say only Selena could ever grow the blue roses?"

"Indeed, My Lord. There's a rumor that in Lord Xibalba's castle there's a beautiful garden filled with said roses, but no one has ever seen it."

Itzlacol rubbed his chin in thought, waving the Nahual away so he could receive his 'payment' from one of his servants, and processed the information in his brain. So Selena was Xibalba's mother, and the only one who ever grew blue roses naturally, but then how did Osvaldo obtain such rare flowers? He had claimed they had grown in his family's garden for generations, but he was not related to Selena in any way.

Unless….

…Unless…

… Could it be?