Rise of the Guardians

Arlecchino

Chapter Ten

"I never agreed to this."

Marcaria was sick to her stomach, hunched over the toilet in her pajamas as she glared sideways at Momus, who was partially hidden for safety reasons.

"I know that. I'm sorry but it just happened."

"Just happened?!" She shrieked before heaving into the toilet. After a long moment, she resurfaced again. "I told you I wasn't ready! Damn it, Mo, I should kill you!"

She heaved again as Momus looked behind him. He didn't want to leave her in that state but as she wasn't going to go that far anyways, he hurried out of the bedroom and down to the entrance.

He opened it to see Nyx holding a bottle expectantly.

"Sweeeettt!" He tore it out of his mother's hands with a wicked laugh. "Be right back!" He added hurriedly, slamming the door in her face. Nyx rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

Behind her, Philotes was prancing around Eris, giggling as Eris regaled her with yet another conquering of another God's heart.

"Eris, will you please censure yourself! I can hear all your little details and it's not what I want to hear!" Nyx shouted behind her.

Eris watched Philotes looked at her then at their mother before smirking as the two women resumed chatting about their sexual escapades. Nyx covered her ears in irritation.

"Get back out here now, Momus, before I lose my motherly feelings.."

"Hi!" Momus ran into the bathroom, skidded on the rug and fell over into the large bathtub. "Fuck, that hurt."

His arm pushed over the edge of the bath, holding the bottle. "Take a sip. It's from Mother Rhea."

"Oh, thank god!" Marcaria popped the top and took a hard chug. In moments, her stomach settled. "And I got a bigger load this time! Nice!"

"MOMUS! GET OUT OF THE HOUSE NOW!"

Marcaria looked to Momus. "What the Hell did you do to piss off your mom?"

"I didn't do anything.. Well, I slammed the door in her face but at the time, I was in a rush and she didn't seem to mind."

They looked at each other silently.

"MOMUS!"

"But then again, I was distracted so I'll be right back, hopefully, and help you get better settled."

Momus inched toward the entrance door. He kept to the wall as he carefully opened the door. And then wished he wasn't behind the door as the door struck him hard enough to make him see double. "Oh, shit.."

The door drifted away as he fell to his knees. Nyx looked humiliated about slamming the door and wasn't paying enough attention to the girls who tore into the house, sending the door back into Momus, this time the doorknob striking his face as he screamed in pain.

"Oh, gods! Momus! What are you doing behind the door?!" Philotes gasped.

He fell down to his side with a whimper. "Because I was trying to avoid Mother's wrath."

"She's not mad at you, she's mad at us!" Philotes poked him with her toes. "Momus, you still alive?"

"He's bleeding," Eris sighed. "That was great, Philotes."

"I didn't do it, you entered first!"

"But it was your last hit that did that."

"Mother!"

"What I find funny is how you all are just ignoring him on the floor there," Nyx said with a sigh. "Momus." She knelt down and shook him lightly. "Well, great. I think he passed out."

"Does he have a black eye?" Philotes continued to toe his slack form.

"What are you doing?! I need him alive to take care of me!" Marcaria made her way down the hallway slowly, hand against her back. She'd dress herself in a robe to hide her pajamas but it did nothing to hide the big bulge. "I still have two fucking months left.. By the way, Mama Nyx, I really appreciate you bringing in the remedy! And he still hasn't fully apologized for knocking me up."

It took a moment. "Please wake him up, this is starting to freak me out."

Philotes gave a salute. "Will do!"

His scream echoed in the hallway as her foot went directly where it wasn't supposed to do as he hunched over on his side, sobbing like a little girl.

Eris stared at Philotes. "Oh, you better run before he gets up. No wrath like a man who's been kicked in the balls."

"Oh, he'll.." A vase smashed on the wall next to her, inches from her face. "Bye!" She disappeared hurriedly as Momus used the table against the wall to drag himself up.

He was breathing through his mouth as he straightened out. As he was awake, more or less, his slight wounds healed, including the pain between his legs.

"I'm still going to kill her for that." He said out loud. "Bring her back anytime soon and I will make both of your lives a living Hell." He stared at Eris.

"All right, fine. But it'd be fun to have a little discord around here."

She ebbed away from both Marcaria and Momus who were openly glaring at her. "Fine, I'll leave but only because I want to."

Momus sighed and then noted Marcaria. "You can't be moving around! Get back to bed!"

Marcaria crossed her arms.

"You look a lot like my mother when you do that and have that face."

"She must've learned it from me," Nyx said affectionately. "By the way, I strengthened your barrier."

"Again? What am I doing wrong?"

"Nothing, Mo. I just like to do it when I visit."

"I'm fine!"

The two glanced at Marcaria before Momus went to her side. "Here, we're closest to the living room, let's just carefully…"

Marcaria snorted and punched him in the shoulder. "For the last time, I'm not an invalid!"

Momus rubbed his shoulder with an embarrassed glance to his mother. Once settled, Momus disappeared to get something to appear more hospitable.

"How are you?" Nyx patted Marcaria's belly.

"Fine if you stop touching me," Marcaria said darkly.

"You've gotten very comfortable with your skin. I bet you don't miss your mask anymore."

"No, I do. It's the second gift that Lune gave to me. It gave me confidence as well as a reminder that there was someone out there who cared for me."

"Plus it did make children laugh." Marcaria added.

"I'll see if I can find it. Knowing Zeus, he probably still has it."

"That dumbass." Marcaria growled with low rage.

"Hey! Don't go getting her upset! She's still got two months left and I need her calm!"

"MOMUS!"

Momus fled from Marcaria's shout.

"What am I going to do? I barely leave the bedroom now and he's soo… clingy and desperate to keep me safe. I think that's why you keep putting up extra strength to the barriers. You're trying to make him feel better without actually having to say it."

"You are a very clever girl. I don't want to emasculate him so I don't make a big deal about it."

Momus called in. "Can I come in now?"

"NO!"

Momus was heard swearing behind the door. Marcaria turned her attention toward Nyx. "I was thinking about names. I wanted to combine ours to make a new name for the little demi-god."

"I've been thinking about that. Technically, you're not human anymore. You could just call the boy a god."

Marcaria said carefully after a pointedly long pause. "The name I was thinking for the little demi-god was Marcarius. Based on my name since I am carrying the boy. Plus Momus won't give me his input on the naming process at all."

"He's a little old-fashioned. Let the women do what they must and he gets to stand by and watch the fun."

"He started this!"

Nyx sighed. "Yes, yes and he is involving himself in more. Trust me, he wouldn't have before."

"What do you mean 'before'?"

"I'm sure he has children somewhere out there."

"In Olympus?"

"Yes. He's like most Gods, likes to be with a good body."

"So what does that make me, chopped liver?!"

Nyx winced. "He fell in love, Marcaria. He's completely devoted to you. He gave up his place in Olympus to stay with you here in your own world."

"This isn't my world.."

"Technically, now it is. The Man in the Moon has claimed this place for the Earth where he shines. This was never a piece of Olympus, just a pocket of time space that Momus made to hide from the worlds."

"Plllleasseee…"

Nyx and Marcaria glanced at the door.

"I haven't heard him make that noise in a long time. He's resorting to being a child."

Marcaria heaved a low sigh. "Fine, you can…"

"YES!" He was at her side in seconds, pressed closely as he beamed at his mother. His arm snaked around Marcaria's shoulders as she glared at him. "Uh.. Yes?"

"SPACE!"

In another five seconds, he was at the far side of the couch, looking wary. "Got a good set of lungs. Hopefully the little demi-god won't inherit that."

"I'm sure he will. She's not the only one who screams."

"Mother, please, don't add your input! It doesn't help!"

Nyx chuckled. "Marcaria, if you will, let me cook you dinner tonight. I've been wanting to make a dinner for you, fit for a Goddess and it'd be a nice change of pace instead of me being served on."

"I get fed too, right?" Momus asked hopefully.

"No, I'm going to make you go out and hunt for your food. Of course, my son!"

Marcaria was not allowed to help so she prodded Momus to help his mother. It was difficult as his mother was a disciplined woman when it came to her cooking so she often whapped his hand or head with a spoon to get him to do what she wanted correctly.

The table was set with delicious smelling Greek food, Nyx looking quite pleased with herself. Momus wanted to stuff his face badly but he waited until both women were served. As the two ate and chatted, Momus swallowed whole nearly the rest of the food.

Marcaria finally finished her plate and looked for seconds only to find the food gone. "Hey!"

"MOMUS!"

Momus had been lounging back, sated. He turned red. "I haven't had my mother's cooking in forever! She makes everything delicious!"

"Don't butter me up, boy! You shouldn't have eaten everything! She's the one that needs all the food here!"

"I don't need -all- the food," Marcaria protested. "I'm fat enough already!"

"You're not fat, you're heavy with child. Trust me, I'd tell you if you were fat."

Both women looked at each incredulously as Momus was kicking himself in the ass. "Fuck. I can't watch my mouth sometimes."

"Mama Nyx, I can't do anything in this state, can you…?" Marcaria trailed off as Momus tore out of the kitchen.

"Sure, my dear." Her hand wove up and somewhere in the distance, Momus could be heard screaming in pain. "Sometimes he needs reminders of his place when it comes to us women."

Nyx eventually left, stilling at the borders around the grounds. The area wasn't as big as it used to be, having condensed the barriers to be tighter. At this point, there were several levels of barriers, mixed with hers, Momus's, Eris, and even Philotes had added her own energies to the protection spells woven tightly.

"No way in Hades will that bastard get here." But Nyx wove her hand in the air again, adding yet again more strength to it. She was bothered by something she couldn't place. It might have been the thought of Momus too distracted by Marcaria's state to really pay attention to anything else.

And Zeus was looking for a way in, his fury having not lessened in the least as he began to gather followers to start a fight against those who dared go against him. He vowed to destroy all those who opposed him, including the Man in the Moon, and recreate his world in his own, true vision.

After all, Zeus was the Almighty Father, the greatest God ever to be. No one was ever going to overthrow him.