"Late! So late!"

Athena could barely hear the chirp of the device around her neck over her own breaths. The Wright Anything Agency was in sight at last.

She hoped that Trucy and Mr. Wright would be understanding. Accidentally reading a digital clock backwards in a bathroom mirror and believing that she had a lot more time before work than she really did was a common mistake, right…?

If she'd realized before leaving home that she'd made a mistake, she would have just driven here. The fact that she was the only person in the office with a driver's licence made it even more embarrassing to also be the person who was late the most.

A cursory glance down the road told her that she had time to make it across before the approaching cars reached her. She sprinted across the way, receiving a distant car horn for her troubles. She ignored it and rushed up the front steps to the office's door.

So far, so good, she reasoned, as there were no disapproving faces waiting just inside for her. She glanced around the main room just in time to spot Trucy's top hat poking out from behind one of the couches.

She quietly cleared her throat and called, "Hey, Trucy!" Fortunately, her voice wasn't too strained from all her running.

"Oh-! Good morning, Athena!" Trucy popped up from her spot behind the couch and grinned at her. "So you're here, at least. I'll tell Daddy. Polly's late, too."

"He is?" Athena asked, surprised. Apollo was rarely late.

"Yep. I hope nothing's wrong." Trucy replied. She spun on her heel and headed off for the door leading to the stairs up to the second floor. "Be right back!"

Athena waited until the last of Trucy's cape had vanished through the doorway to sigh heavily. If Trucy wasn't annoyed with her, she was probably safe. She headed for her desk feeling much more relaxed than she'd ever been during the trip over.

At almost the exact moment that she sat down, she caught the sound of the doorknob across the room turning.

"Hey, Apollo." she said with a smile when the familiar sight of her red-clad co-worker came into view. "Y'know, the boss probably won't be happy that you're so late"

Apollo watched her for a moment. A smirk appeared on his face.

"… What's that look for?" Athena inquired.

"Oh, I'm just wondering how much you must have been running to get here for yourself." Apollo answered, crossing his arms after shutting the door. "Going off the red face and upside-down hair tie, I'd guess you were late, too."

Athena's smile vanished as she brought a hand up to check on her hair and indeed found her blue hair tie to be awkwardly dangling upside down. She laughed nervously.

"I-… Heh… I-I've got some work to do here, so if you'll excuse me…"

Burying her face in the papers scattered on her desk, Athena did her best not to acknowledge the smirk Apollo was still wearing.

She heard the bathroom door several seconds later and reeled back in her chair. Truthfully, the collection of papers before her was just the leftovers from last night's work which she'd skipped out on organizing.

She got to her feet and walked over to the shelves beside the doorway. There was something she'd wanted to dig up from the line of books there. As she looked through the shelf, putting aside the various magic-related books that Trucy had disguised as law books, she was just thinking to herself when she heard the office's front door open. Looking up in surprise, she froze.

Apollo was just coming in. She looked between him and the bathroom door across the room. It was closed. Wasn't he the one in there…?

Maybe Trucy had come back downstairs very quietly.

Apollo caught her attention. "Hey." he said cheerfully. He approached, and just before Athena could ask what he'd gone back outside for, his next action put her mind on temporary hold.

Stooping beside her, Apollo had pressed a kiss to her cheek.

Even to her highly sensitive ears, the sound of his footsteps as he walked to his own desk faded from her notice.

Her fingertips grazed over the spot on her cheek that his lips had touched. "A-" her voice broke on the first syllable. She coughed. "… A-Apollo?"

He turned. "What's up?"

"I-… Uhh-… W-What was that…?" she asked, pushing herself to her feet against the bookshelf.

Apollo raised an eyebrow. "… What was what?"

Athena only felt more confused by the blank look on his face. She opened her mouth to answer when her ears perked at the sound of the door being opened once more.

When she saw who was entering, she nearly fell over. Only catching herself on the bookshelf just in time, she watched, her mouth agape, as another Apollo walked into the office. He cast a glance between Athena and the identical red-suited young man across the room.

"Uh huh." was all he said. He held the door open, and as if nothing were wrong at all, he allowed another Apollo to walk in from behind him.

Athena slumped. Widget chirped something, but all she heard was an indistinct slur of syllables.

What the hell was going on?

Judging by the look on his face, the Apollo that had just kissed her a minute ago understood about as much of this as she did. He walked quickly over to her and offered a hand to help her balance herself.

"… Who are you two?" he asked his pair of duplicates.

The Apollo that had entered most recently gave a drawn-out sigh. "Uhh… That's gonna be tough to answer."

"I'm listening." replied the Apollo standing with Athena. She looked frantically between the three copies of her friend and slapped herself across the cheek. To her dismay, she didn't jerk awake, lying in her bed. "H-Hey…" came Apollo's concerned voice from right beside her. Still at the doorway, the other two Apollo look-alikes expressed similar concern. She felt too stunned by what was going on to stop the nearest Apollo as he tenderly placed a hand against the spot she'd just smacked herself on.

The creak of the bathroom door sounded, and the all four faces turned to the source of the sound.

A noise not unlike a cat having its tail stepped on escaped from Apollo's throat as he exited the bathroom and took in the scene before him.

"… I need to sit down." Athena groaned, pulling away from the nearest Apollo's grip.


Athena was still not entirely convinced that she hadn't been drugged recently a few minutes later, as she sat on the couch between two copies of Apollo, opposite two more.

"So you're all Apollo Justice…?" came the exasperated voice of the Apollo that Athena hoped was the one she knew. She wished that they had some sort of obvious distinction between them.

"Last I checked." said the Apollo opposite him. Athena squinted at him. Come to think of it… he looked a touch different. His hair was very slightly longer in the back, and maybe she was just imagining it, but his suit looked a bit more well-kept. He noticed her gaze. "Hey, Athena…? I just wanna check - is Junie here?"

"Junie?" Athena repeated. "Why would she be here?"

The Apollo who'd asked hesitated, looking like he was thinking things over. A moment later, he asked, "What… what year is it?"

"2028." came the simultaneous answers of the three other Apollos at the same time that Athena answered. She flinched.

"O-One at a time, please." Hearing all their near-identical voices at once was uncomfortable.

"… I was afraid you'd say that." said the Apollo who'd asked. He produced his cell phone from his pocket and switched the screen on to show it to her. It was different from the one she was used to seeing him carry.

Athena squeaked in surprise at the photo that covered the phone's background. The laughing faces of Apollo and Juniper could be seen there, both looking so perfectly happy that Athena broke into a bright grin, momentarily overcome with joy at the sight. She couldn't remember a time she'd ever seen her two best friends so happy.

"Look at the date." Apollo told her. She did so.

"… 2029."

"Yeah." Apollo replied, stowing his phone away. He raised his hand before her once it was free again. Athena made another surprised noise, wondering how she hadn't noticed the engagement ring on his finger before.

"Y-You're marrying Junie-!?" she stammered.

Before Apollo could answer, a giggle was heard from the stairway door. It opened, and the group spotted Trucy entering, along with her father.

Their footsteps halted together.

"What the-…!?"

Mixed stammers sounded from the group on the couches.

"T-Trucy, what's going on!?" Phoenix asked, incredulous. He looked distressed once he spotted Trucy with an expression of equal shock to his own.

"Mr. Wright, Trucy," the apparently older Apollo began, standing up. He flinched when Phoenix's legs suddenly gave out beneath him.

"D-Daddy!" Trucy squeaked. She only narrowly caught him in time, throwing her arms beneath his as he slumped in place. Phoenix simply uttered incoherent sounds for a second or two. Athena thought she caught one or two instances of "Objection" somewhere in the mix.


"No - unless we all have head injuries, I think you're OK, boss."

There had been a scramble amongst the room's occupants to check that Phoenix was alright, but Athena insisted that just one of the four Apollos at most approach with her. He stood next to her in front of the armchair that Trucy had helped her father into.

… Was this one their Apollo? She inwardly cursed at having lost track.

"I don't suppose anyone here before us has any idea why we're all here?" one of the Apollos still standing back inquired.

"'Before us'?" Athena repeated. "So, that makes you Apollo number three or four?"

"… I don't really like the way that sounds, but… Yeah, I guess so." he replied. "It was bad enough running into a twin of me on the way to work, but then I had to see two more once I got in?"

"You're making my head hurt again…" Phoenix groaned, pressing a palm to his forehead. "… I don't have to pay all of you, do I?"

"I dunno, Daddy - this could make a pretty great setup for a new magic show!" Trucy interjected. "Polly already makes a great assistant, and now we've got four of him!" She looked around at the group, and her smile turned to a frown after a moment. "Oh, wait… Which of you is my Polly?"

Athena nodded. "There must be something separating all of you. I'm pretty sure Apollo would remember if he signed up for cloning experiments or something."

One Apollo raised a hand. He was the one wearing the engagement ring. "We already figured me out. I'm a year or two older, and I'm getting married to Junie."

Athena couldn't help but break into a wide smile again as she heard the way Apollo said Juniper's nickname. She shook her head, trying not to be distracted. "So that just leaves three more." She thought it over. "Oh-! Right - one of you guys kissed me when you came in." she said, scanning the remaining three. "… Totally overstepping your boundaries, by the way…"

"Heh… S-Sorry." another Apollo replied, grinning nervously.

"So, I'm guessing that means you're, umm… You're dating a different Athena…?" Athena probed.

"Y-Yeah." Apollo confirmed with a nod.

"Well, it's a good thing we're such good friends anyway, or I probably would've tossed you across the room." Athena said, smirking at him. "So, who's next? Give me something to tell you apart by."

The two remaining Apollos exchanged wary expressions. One spoke up. "Maybe… is the Apollo you know dating anyone at all, Athena?"

"Nope." she answered. "Unless he's a much better liar than I think he is, anyway."

Apollo looked relieved. "I think it's me, then."

"Hmm. Maybe I shouldn't be too surprised that you'd find having no love life at all a relief…" Trucy remarked. She sighed. "Oh well. Pearly and I will get you there someday, Apollo Prime. Now, how about you?" With her last question, she turned to the one remaining Apollo. "Got anyone special?"

"Y-Yeah. actually." he answered. "It's-"

Whatever he was going to say fell silent as a knock sounded at the office door. Athena apprehensively looked over.

"… I'll get it." she said. "You guys want to… get out of sight or something?"

"Oh-!"

"R-Right…"

Three of the Apollos moved hurriedly to the door leading to the stairs. Athena waited until they'd closed that door to answer the other.

"Uh oh."

She heard Trucy speaking up in a panicked voice from behind her.

"D-Daddy, don't pass out again-!"

Athena stepped aside, gesturing for the three people at the door to step inside. They looked at her curiously, but entered nonetheless.

"I'll just go and tell the others…" she said with a groan once the three additional Apollos had made their way inside. "I hope you three have some good details to share about your love lives, or this is gonna get even more complicated…"


And there you have it. Just a silly little way to close out the basis that we started this with.