Against All Odds

Chapter 9- Trust

Xibalba walked down the halls of the castle, carrying a silver tray with a bowl of fresh fruit and a glass of orange juice, back towards their room. La Muerte was hungry, so he better hurry, he didn't want her to starve; if she heard him right now, she'd say he was exaggerating. Ah, his Muertita. How he loved that woman, his angel.

He felt a presence behind him, but when he turned around, he saw no one. Again, he felt the eerie presence, this side to the side, and again he saw no one. Choosing to pass it over as wind, Xibalba continued on his way down the hall, wondering what had happened with the Veneno guy now that he was a Most Wanted, technically, as mortals called it. For the third time, he felt someone was following him. It was giving him the willies.

"I know you are there!" he growled. "Show yourself!"

"As you wish."

Out of sudden, a pair of arms came from behind and drew a cloth muffler tightly over Xibalba's mouth from behind, gagging him. The surprise and shock made the dark god drop the tray, spilling its contents over the marble floor; the mysterious attacker quickly pinioned Xibalba's arms behind his back before he could react. Immediately, Xibalba let out muffled growls and cries of protest as he struggled against his captor, flapping his wings in desperation. He was dragged into one of the chambers; the curtains were closed, and there was little light in there. There was something familiar about this particular room

"Remember this place, Xibalba?" a feminine voice whispered into his ear.

Xibalba froze. No. It couldn't be… he turned around to see who was speaking, and found himself staring into La Noche's eyes; part of him was relieved it was not her, but he had a hunch to what she was going to do.

"Of course you do, it's where I heard you first cheated on your wife." La Noche traced a finger down Xibalba's neck, making him shiver. "And with her own sister, no less."

Xibalba struggled to release himself from Veneno's (or so he assumed) hold, letting out muffled protests, flapping his wings desperately.

"Oh, don't worry, cielito." La Noche stared into the dark god's eyes, hers glowing with a yellow light. "You're going to enjoy this."

Xibalba's eyes rolled back and he lost consciousness, falling unto Veneno's arms, his wings drooping to the ground.

"What now?" Veneno inquired.

"Take off his armor. All his clothing." La Noche replied.

"Seriously? Why do I have to do that?"

"Just hurry up, would you?"

Rolling his eyes, Veneno untied Xibalba's arms and removed the gag from his mouth. Then he proceeded to unlatch his armor and remove it, then the gloves and the crown. Knowing what would happen next, Veneno picked Xibalba up and placed him unto bed, where La Noche was already waiting, in nothing more than her underwear.

"Let me guess, I'm supposed to leave and leave you with 'prince charming'." Veneno sighed. "You don't have to tell me, I know." He narrowed his eyes. "This better work, woman…"

"It will, now go!" Aimé snapped back.

As soon as the snake turned into a shadow and slithered through the window, Aimé started stroking Xibalba's body. His cheek, his shoulder, his wings… oh dios, they were so cold! She shifted closer to the unconscious god, and started kissing his lips, running her hands down his shoulders wrapping her legs around his waist. How she would have liked that he were awake, and returning her caresses, her kisses. But if everything went well, he would soon.

La Muerte grew worried when Xibalba had taken too long in returning, so she decided to go look for him. Despite Xochiquétzal's insistence, she preferred to go by herself. What could have possibly happened to him? As she was making her way, towards the kitchen, she nearly slipped but managed to regain her balance in time.

"What's this…"? Looking down, she gasped when she found a tray, a shattered plate and glass, and pieces of fruit on the ground. There was orange juice spilled on the ground as well. Like she had suspected, something had happened to her husband, but what…?

She noticed one of the doors nearby was half-open, and was hearing moans coming from the inside. Maybe he was in there, hurt. La Muerte hurried towards the door and walked into the room to see if he needed anything…

Her heart nearly stopped.

He was in bed… with La Noche…

"Oh my gosh!" La Noche quickly pulled the blankets to cover her body. "L-La Muerte, I…"

Just then, Xibalba started to stir with a pounding headache. Letting out a groan, he rubbed his head and sat down in bed, trying to remember what had happened. Someone dragged him there, La Noche's eyes glowed yellow, then everything went black. "Que demonios?" Suddenly, he realized he was in the bed, naked, with La Noche…

Wait, WHAT?!

With a yelp or bewilderment and shock, he jumped back and fell from bed, his back meeting the hard ground. With a groan of pain, he stood up and quickly wrapped his wings around himself. He noticed someone was standing at the door, and when he caught sight of a familiar figure with a red sombrero and dress... Oh, no.

"La Muerte, it's not what you think!" his heart skipped a beat, fearing the worst now. He prayed with all his might she wouldn't think he had cheated on her once again.

She didn't say anything for a while. Her Balby… He had… Had he…? No! She refused to believe it! He wouldn't do that, especially now. She recalled the tray and scattered fruit outside, dropped in the floor, she could assume he had been taking it for her, but somehow La Noche must have found a way to bring him in there against his will.

He had believed in her. Now it was her turn to believe in him.

"I know it, Balby." She crossed her arms matter-of-factly, staring curtly at La Noche. "After all, not everything it's what it seems, is it?"

La Noche blinked in surprise. "I'm so sorry, La Muerte, I told him that I couldn't do this, that he was expecting a baby with you, but he wouldn't listen!"

"QUE?!" Xibalba had never felt so undignified in his entire life. "That's a big, fat lie!"

"Of course it is." La Muerte replied, controlling her thousand-bull rage for this once.

"I didn't provoke him! He did!" La Noche pointed her finger at the dark god as he quickly started dressing up. "How can you be so blind about him?!"

"You're right in one thing, La Noche, Xibalba's here with you, naked, but I'm sure there's a good explanation for this, and Xibalba will give it once we get out of here." La Muerte shook her head at the younger goddess. "But I'm pretty sure my Balby would never betray me with you." She turned to her husband. "Hurry up, Xibalba, I don't want to spend one more minute here."

"Please, take him away!" La Noche still played the innocent. "I don't want him near me!"

"Thank heaven…" Xibalba grumbled sarcastically as he put his gloves back on.

"For goodness sake, La Noche, stop lying!" La Muerte shook her head in annoyance.

"I'm not lying! Your husband will surely come up with something, but it seems you'll end up believing it because you're a fool! The truth is what you've seen! Your husband lured me into bed!"

"Ya, por favor, mujer, cállate!" Xibalba snapped at her, now fully dressed, though he still tried to shield himself from view with his wings.

"Leave her." La Muerte grabbed unto his arm. "She's pretty happy believing all her lies and I don't really care."

La Noche wanted to scream, she wanted to lunge at her sister and tear her apart, but for now she just stared at the pair with a poisonous glare.

"Let's go, mi vida. We should leave her to dream with what she'll never have." With that, the couple disappeared through the door, leaving behind the white-feathered Goddess with her the pieces of her mangled pride.

It wasn't until she was certain they were out of earshot that she let out a scream of rage.

When they were back in their chambers, the first thing Xibalba did was to embrace his wife tightly, though not too tight so not to hurt the baby.

"La Muerte, I swear by our baby, nothing happened between me and La Noche!"

"Balby…" she tried to speak, but he wasn't done."

"I was bringing you some fruit because you hadn't eaten, but Veneno came from behind and he bound me!"

"Xibalba…"

"He dragged me into that room with that crazy woman and-!"

"XIBALBA!"

He stepped back in fright when she yelled, but she was not angry. Thankfully.

"I believe you, Balby." She smiled, caressing his cheek gently. "I know you would never do something like that to me. Besides, I figured it out when I saw the tray of food on the ground."

He didn't know what to say to that. He had been afraid she'd become angry at him once again, that she'd banish him once again, that she wouldn't let him meet their baby. But to hear those three wonderful words from her was lifting a great weight from upon his shoulders. His reaction was to embrace his wife tightly, holding her close to her and burying his face into her hair. La Muerte was taken a back for a while, before returning the embrace, resting her head against Xibalba's chest. She felt his shoulders bouncing.

"Don't cry, Balby." La Muerte whispered. "I'm here."

"Thanks for believing me, mi amor…" Xibalba sniffled. "Mi corazón, mi vida…"

"Please, Xibalba, you'll make the baby cry." La Muerte placed her hand on top of her bump. "And me too…"

He only pulled her closer, not wanting to let go of her. His wings embraced her gently, and she snuggled deeply into their warmth. When she realized Xibalba wouldn't stop crying, La Muerte stroked the back of his neck and started humming a song. Xibalba's sobs diminished when he heard the familiar tune, when he remembered it. It was a tune La Muerte would hum for him back in their childhood, when they would sit under the cool shade of a tree, and he'd rest his head on her lap.

Even today, that little song still soothed him down like a nightingale's song.

When Veneno heard a high-pitched scream of frustration coming from the chambers, he knew something went wrong. His theory was confirmed when he slid back in and found La Noche on one of the couches, bawling and sobbing in a sorrowful rage and fury. The room looked like it had been torn apart by a vicious beast, with shreds of blankets and swan feathers from the pillow and cushions on the ground, along with shredded carpets hanging from the walls and most of the furniture either overturned or broken into splinters.

"Let me guess…" Veneno sighed. "He rejected you right after Muertita caught you both."

"She came in, she found me with Xibalba naked on bed, when I was kissing him."

"That's what we wanted, so why are you so upset?"

La Noche pronounced the next words with hate and spite. "She didn't care." She hissed dangerously, hot tears streaming down her cheeks. "She didn't care."

Veneno could not believe what he was hearing. "What are you saying?"

"La Muerte didn't care to have found us in bed together!" La Noche repeated desperately.

"No, that can't be. That can't be!"

"My damn sister trusts him blindly! Not even after seeing us in bed together did she doubt him! She said everything must have a good explanation and took him away…"

The look of anger the snake was giving La Noche could have given Lord Akrinok chills.

"I don't know what went wrong! I don't know!"

"You don't know what went wrong?" Veneno growled like an animal, approaching La Noche and grabbing her throat. "You don't know what went wrong?" his eyes glowed orange. "I'll tell you want went wrong, estúpida. Your plans are a waste of time, you say all men melt when you touch them and yet you are unable to get Xibalba's attention."

"You talk much for having the same problem with La Muerte…" La Noche choked, venom in every word. "Or what? Did you forget the reason Xibalba locked you down there in the first place?" She choked when Veneno's hold tightened around her neck.

"She would have been mine if that tar head hadn't found us, but this time, I'm not letting her go that easily."

"And what about me? You're a fool if you think I'll leave with empty hands."

Veneno stared with disgust at the Goddess before him. Was she so desperately in love with Xibalba? He had rejected, insulted, spited her, but she still was bent on making him hers? Aimé could never understand that what didn't belong to her belonged to another, it had always been her greatest flaw, everyone knew that, but he never knew it would go that far. Maybe… if he played things wisely, he would kill two birds with one stone: he would get La Muerte back, and get rid of Xibalba once and for all.

Víbora was known for many things. In ancient times his very name could make children cry, and send the bravest of warriors cowering away like whipped dogs. Before his imprisonment, he was famous for devouring entire villages, for consuming the souls of people and making them disappear forever, he was even feared among the gods, especially for his venom. Rumor said that a single drop of his venom could kill immortal beings, though he had never actually tried it on a god.

Maybe it was time to clear the doubt.

"Tell me, Aimé…" Víbora hissed into the goddess's ear. "…Would you like to be with Xibalba for all eternity?"

She looked at him in confusion, but she nevertheless managed to nod at him.

"Yes."

"At any cost?"

"Anything, if it means I could have him."

The malicious, cruel smile that drew on his scaly lips was dark and sadistic. "I think I can help you with that."