Apollo was the one that opened the door, but Thalassa beat him over to walk inside. Funny how the once-blind woman could move so fast with such grace that she seemed to be dancing instead of walking, even though her former job was to sing. She went straight to Trucy, who was sitting on the couch, shaking like a leaf, with a pale face. If the wreck in the house didn't alarm Apollo, Trucy definitely did.

When the magician saw him, she sniffed and cried out, "Polly…!"

Apollo stood on guard, asking her in panic, "What? What happened? Are you hurt somewhere?"

Trucy shook her head before then showing him Mr. Hat, her most prized magic trick. "I'm fine. But Mr. Hat is hurt…"

Apollo finally looked at the wooden puppet with his full attention. Indeed, it seemed that Mr. Hat had seen his better days. The human sized puppet's clothes was tattered and torn, its joints broken at some parts. Apollo cringed. Maybe it was a good thing Mr. Hat was a puppet. At least he wouldn't feel the pain.

"It's okay, Trucy," he managed to say, "We'll fix him. But you're not hurt, are you?"

Trucy paused for a bit before answering, "No." She sniffed and wiped away the remaining tears from her face. "But I'm hurting for Mr. Hat." She said the past bit with a stubborn pout.

Apollo couldn't help but laugh at that, even though he knew it was so out of place Trucy might get angry at him instead. "Alright, Trucy," he said finally. "Where's Mr. Wright?"

"Daddy went to the bathroom. He hasn't come out since," Trucy quipped.

"Thanks, Trucy," Apollo said, then walked to the bathroom to see Phoenix, leaving Trucy alone with Thalassa.

Apollo knocked the bathroom door. "Mr. Wright?" he called out, "Are you in there?"

Soon, the door swung open, revealing Phoenix, standing calmly with his soaked beanie clutched in hand while rubbing his nose with the same hand, his spiky hair springing in the wind even though it was wet. "Hey, Apollo," he greeted calmly. "You don't look so good."

"Well, no offense Mr. Wright, but you look worse." Apollo eyed the wet beanie, and then his eyes grew wide in surprise. "Is that blood?"

"Oh," Phoenix held the beanie to his eyes, looking at the speck of blood he hadn't been able to wash off. "Yeah… I'm sure you already knew that there was an attack here. She got me in the face."

"Are you okay?"

"Got a nosebleed, but it's already stopped. I'm alright now. I'm not sure about Trucy, though," he stared at his daughter, who was sitting quietly, leaning on her mother. Parental concern shone through his dull eyes and, for once, he seemed almost like his old self, the one Apollo admired, with his eyes sparkling with emotion instead of the foggy hue he usually displayed.

"I asked her before and she said she was fine," Apollo told Phoenix, "and that she was hurting for Mr. Hat," he rolled his eyes at that.

"You can't be so sure when she's concerned, 'Pollo," Phoenix said seriously, "She's really good at concealing her feelings."

Apollo couldn't deny that, of course. After an awkward moment, he asked Phoenix, "Did you see how the attacker looked like?"

Phoenix nodded. "I'm pretty sure it's that waitress that attacked you in the diner."

Apollo didn't know what to say. He stared at Phoenix, eyes wide in shock, jaws hung half-open.

"Small world, eh?" Phoenix shrugged and wiped his nose, wrinkling his brows at the bloodstained beanie, and walked over to Trucy.

Apollo's brain whirred to life thinking about the possibilities of the brutal waitress and Cain's relations. He felt terribly stupid all of a sudden. The faux waitress had asked for a cube key that he was yet to have, and then Cain called and asked about the money his father left him, and he knew about the riddles Hera told Apollo about. He smacked his hands to his face.

Just when he turned to see the others, his phone rang. He jumped. Trucy stopped crying and stared at him, Phoenix stopped flapping the beanie in his hand in hope of getting it dry soon, and Thalassa stopped consoling Trucy. Apollo gulped, feeling somewhat nervous all of a sudden, and answered the call.

"Justice speaking."

"Hey, Apollo. So I presume you're already in your agency?"

Apollo clenched his fist. He silently put his forefinger between his lips, signaling the others to keep quiet, as he put the phone on speakers. "Yeah, I'm in here. Nice to see that you've prepared some surprise for my family. Do you still have more?"

"Oh, I'm not that rotten, don't worry," Cain chuckled. "However I am beginning to feel really curious… perhaps you've solved the puzzle to our mystery?"

Apollo's voice was cold and emotionless. "No."

"I see… then, I can't help it. I'll give you more surprises then. See you later, Apollo."

The call was soon disconnected.

"Was that… Cain?" asked Thalassa, breaking the silence that had dawned upon them after the call ended.

"Yeah." Apollo put the phone in his pocket. "I met him earlier when I took a walk in a park. He asked for money. Father's money. When I told him I won't give him some he told me that I'd regret my choices." He sat down on a couch. "I questioned him for a bit, and he pretty much confessed that he killed Hera. But I don't think the police would believe me, not without evidence. He was really persistent about the wealth. He told me that he would regret my choice." Apollo chuckled darkly. "I'm beginning to."

"Don't," Thalassa said, surprisingly looking ready to tear Cain's head off. "No one gets their hands on my family and walks away with it. Bait him. Lure him here. I'll make him regret it."

Phoenix shifted away from Thalassa and Trucy stared at her in shock.

"Er, right," Apollo mumbled, not quite sure what kind of reaction should be given. He looked at his family, contemplating, "Should we report this to the police?"

"Ema can take care of this, I'm sure," Phoenix said.

"She looked pretty busy to me," said Apollo. "And I don't want to be Snackoo'ed."

Phoenix grinned. "Good thing she's not the only detective I know," he said.

"What the heck, pal?! I didn't get any news from you for years and suddenly you call me over to clean up this mess?!"

Phoenix stared at the seething Senior Detective Dick Gumshoe with a blank expression. "I just want to report this, Detective."

"Yeah? You could've just called 911!"

"Now where's the fun in that?" Phoenix grinned.

Gumshoe sighed. "Alright, pal. Talk."

Phoenix began recounting the whole event and Gumshoe dutifully wrote down the events. The writing was only disturbed when Gumshoe asked Phoenix if he heard the words right, or when he made comments, such as "Whoa!", "No way, pal!", "That's dangerous, pal", and "Pal, you're the luckiest man alive I've ever met. Sometimes I even wonder how you're still alive!" The last one received a curt "Thanks, Detective" from Phoenix.

Meanwhile, Apollo sat with the Rubik's cube in his hands, thinking. Maybe the easiest way to make sure Cain wouldn't get the money was to find it first, and make sure it's safe in a bank or something so he wouldn't be able to get his hands on it. He thought as he exhaled loudly. Never before had it crossed his mind that money could make this kind of big problem. He played with the cube without even looking at it, snapping the parts irritably.

"If this is how you wanted to help me, Father, you shouldn't have done it at all," he muttered under his breath. He thought about it one more time before adding, "Actually, leaving me money is fine, I'm happy to receive it. But can I scratch the problems off the package?"

He didn't receive any answer. But of course he didn't. It would be creepy if he did. Apollo sighed, staring at the symbols engraved to the cube. Should he feel that those symbols were familiar? He didn't remember anything involving them.

But then, a memory tugged him. The tug was weak, but it was annoying. The feeling was similar to that when he wanted to say something, he knew what to say, but just couldn't say it, as the words seemed to be stuck at the tip of his tongue. He gripped the cube, trying hard to reach to the memory.

"Well, pal, if that's all you've got to say, then I'll be going! Keep a sharp eye, will you!" Detective Gumshoe's booming loud voice broke Apollo's concentration. The memory faded before he could even guess what it was. Apollo couldn't help but scowl inwardly.

"We will," Phoenix promised Gumshoe, offering him an amused smile. "Thank you, Detective. Have a good day."

Apollo heard the detective laugh bitterly and mutter somethingabout his poor salary before the door closed behind him.

"Gumshoe," Phoenix muttered. "Even after all these years, he still hasn't changed."

"Was he always that loud?" asked Apollo, hinting a tone of annoyance and sarcasm without intending to.

"Yeah, sometimes even louder. Oh, but he was sadder before," Phoenix said. "He kept saying that his salary was getting cut. I heard he's much better now. Doesn't mess up as often. At least his salary is intact."

Apollo sighed. "Nice to know that someone actually has a decent salary," he muttered.

Phoenix snickered. "Have you figured out the puzzle?" hegestured towards the Rubik's cube.

"Which one?" Apollo couldn't hold his sarcasm. "Why Hera was killed? Why my father left me so much money? Why he had to be so complicated to me puzzles instead of a note saying 'Take your money in this location, spend it wisely'? Why the waitress attacked us? Why Mr. Hat had to suffer such damage? Or maybe why Mother looks so scary when she's angry?"

Phoenix's brows shot up. "Easy, Polly. I was talking about that cube in your hands."

"Oh." Apollo looked down at the cube. "I've solved it many times. I just can't imagine how this cube will be used as a key."

"Elaborate."

Apollo held up the cube to Phoenix's face but since he was sitting down, Phoenix still had to look down. "You can see that the symbols are carved nicely, and it looks like they can be used as a key. But seeing how Father made all those annoyingly thoughtful plans, I think there will be combinations for this." He pulled down his arm. "But I have no idea what kind of combination it would be."

"Hmmm," Phoenix hummed sagely, "I wonder if Thalassa knows anything that might be a clue…"

Apollo smacked his forehead, feeling stupid all of a sudden. "Why haven't I thought of it before?"

Phoenix merely laughed and patted Apollo's shoulder before going to the kitchen to drink his booze. Apollo shook his head when he saw Phoenix gulping down the liquid. "Thank God grape juice isn't alcohol," he muttered.

He stood up and walked to Thalassa, who was sitting beside Trucy. As Apollo walked closer, he heard a bit of their conversation, which went something along the lines of,

"Do you think I should do a bit of modification later?"

"Well, a bit is fine. Just remember that he was made to be a magic prop. The modification has to fit his purpose."

"I see. I was thinking about something involving fire, but the risk is too high… What do you think about hidden blades?"

Apollo stopped in his tracks. "What," he asked incredulously, "are you two talking about exactly?"

Trucy beamed at him. "A modification for Mr. Hat! That way, he can defend himself in case something like this happens again. I think giving him hidden blades is a really cool idea!"

"Huh," Apollo thought about it. The idea was ridiculous, actually, and really dangerous. What if the blades end up hurting Trucy herself? "Uh, that's great and all but, I think you should try giving him some mobility instead. Like, giving him more joints, more fluid movements? And you have to be able to actually control his movements, not just making him able to speak while holding the hat."

"Ah, that's a great idea, Polly!" Trucy seemed to be practically glowing with excitement. "If I can animate him more, it'll be easier to defend both of us. Besides, it can make a really good magic performance – like dancing with him, for an instance! Thanks, Polly, you're the best!"

The girl's happiness was so contagious that Apollo couldn't help but laugh. "No problem, Truce. And, uh, maybe it's best if you can make that modification sooner. Cain did say he'd give me, us, more… 'surprises'," said Apollo, making air quotes.

"Right!" Trucy shot up to her feet and marched to her room, no doubt beginning to make the modifications she wanted to have.

Apollo scratched his head. I didn't say that she should do it now, he thought. "Um… Mother?"

Thalassa looked at him in surprise. "Yes?" she asked, her voice trembling. Never before had Apollo addressed her openly as his mother like that. It made her feel so happy, warming her heart, filling her head with so many happy thoughts that she felt almost light-headed. But she tried to push the thoughts aside, because of the way Apollo was fiddling with the cube in his hands – a newly found nervous habit of his. Ever since he got the cube, he brought it everywhere.

"Uh, I want to ask… did Father ever say anything about this cube before?" he asked. "I think there should be a combination to be used later on, but I have no idea what it is. However, Hera," Thalassa winced at the name, "she said that Father taught me everything I needed to know. The problem is, I don't know what is it that I need to know."

"So you want me to tell you if there's something Ares told you, in case it's the thing that you need to figure out the combination?"

Apollo nodded.

Thalassa frowned. "Mmm… I don't think there's something that your father told you about…" she wracked her brain, trying to find out. "Oh!" she exclaimed when something popped up in her mind. "There's something, actually. I don't think that it's going to be relevant, but it's so bizarre that I can't shake it off."

"What is it?" Apollo asked eagerly.

Thalassa smiled. "It's a song."

A/N: and there goes the chapter I promised you I'd upload.

As I said before, the next chapter would probably be updated much later. Just think of this chapter as an early Christmas gift. Speaking of which, I've just realized that I have a bit of Rise of the Guardians in my Christmas tree. There are these candy-shaped ornaments hanging in our tree which has snowflakes pattern in them. There are six of them: red candy with golden snowflakes (North, of course), gold candy with golden snowflakes (Sandy, who else), green candy with gold snowflakes (Bunny, obviously), blue and magenta candies with silver snowflakes (Tooth and Baby Tooth, respectively), and silver candy with crystal blue snowflakes (now this one just screams Jack Frost). I don't know how I didn't realize that they were there. But now that I do, I can't tear my eyes off of the Christmas tree.

Can anyone please leave a review? It'll worth ten Christmas present to me...

And, last but not least, Merry Christmas! I hope Santa will drop by to see you.

#edit: I replaced the last chspter with this one. It was a mistake, I accidentally posted the chapter which hasn't been edited yet. This one is the correct one. I don't even know how I managed to do that kind of mistake...