Emily awoke in a bright white room, lit up as if next to the sun, even though there wasn't an electric fixture to be found anywhere. She sat up, groaning as the pain in her sides gnawed away at her like tiny knives through her ribcage. "Where the fuck am I?" There were no doors, just white walls, at least they looked like walls. As the brunette moved to touch one, a loud pop echoed in the room.

"Emily, dear, you shouldn't be out of bed just yet." Aegis was perched on top of what looked like a stool.

"Aegis… where are we? Did I… Did Toby ki…"

Aegis interrupted her. "Oh no, my darling, you're not dead, trust me, Hades' pad looks nothing like this. You'd recognize that décor anywhere." Aegis moved over to stand next to her, poking his fingers into her ribcage. The girl yelped loudly.

"See, not fixed. Get back up in the bed…" Before Emily could say another word, Aegis blew a fine purple powder in her face, causing Emily body to go limp on the mattress.

"Sweet dreams love!" And with another loud pop he'd vanished.

Paige had been pacing her room for what had felt like days, a noticeable path had been created in her carpet.

"She's fine." Paige jumped at the sound of her brother's voice.

"Has she woken up yet?" Aegis nodded.

"She wanted to leave immediately, but doctor's orders forbid it, so I knocked her out again." Paige's expression went from relieved to anger, thinking her own flesh and blood had hit Emily over the head. "With Nymph powder, jeez, who do you think I am… Ares?"

Paige shook her head and collapsed down onto her bed. "I don't know if bringing these girls into all of this was the right thing." Aegis scooted up next to her.

"You didn't really have a choice, my dear, it was either you bring them into it, or our sister does and I don't think you wanted that sort of fate for them, did you?"

Paige shook her head and turned to face her brother. "Fuck prophecies. How are teenagers supposed to be able to enter a battle of the gods after a few days of training? If I didn't know any better, I would've sworn Father wrote his whole game up for shits and giggles." Aegis laughed.

"Well there was that one time he…"

"Not now, Hermes." The messenger let his words trail off.

"At least Emily is fine, right? Should be good as new any minute now, and none the wiser…" Aegis flashed a smile.

"I don't like lying to them…"

"You don't have a choice. Remember… Rules…"

"Are rules, I get it…." The truth was, Paige didn't like lying, especially to Emily. She feared the day the truth would come out and that look of affection she was becoming used to seeing across that beautiful woman's face, would quickly turn back to the hate and anger she'd tried so hard to fix.

"Actually… that's my cue… your lady is waking up. Be right back!" Before Paige could correct the God, Emily was not hers, he was gone as quickly as he'd arrived.

"Aegis!" Emily yelled out, hoping there was some sort of communication in this place.

"At your service Miss Fields!" The God appeared, bowing before the brunette. "Feeling better… let's see... open your mouth and say 'ahhhhh'" Emily did and Aegis promptly poked her in the side.

"Perfect! You're cured. It's a miracle! Praise the Gods, that means me!" Emily shook her head at his antics.

"Can you get me out of here?" Aegis nodded.

"Where to? Paris, Berlin, London maybe?"

"Take me to Paige."

"Never been to that city, but I'm sure I can find it." He winked and grabbed her hand, both of them disappearing in a puff of smoke.

"Where is she? You were supposed to keep her safe! You were supposed to save us from these monsters!" Spencer was practically beating Paige over the head with the tome when Aegis and Emily phased in from thin air.

"I did… see!" Spencer stopped, looking at where her friend was now standing. Paige quickly took the book from the other woman and tossed it across the room.

"Thank God you're okay!" Spencer wrapped her arms around Emily.

"You're awfully welcome!" Aegis beamed at the two girls, taking a bow.

"Where were you?" Spencer held Emily by the shoulders.

"I don't know… all I remember is Toby crushing me like an aluminum can, Paige fighting him and then waking up with this guy in my face."

"All of that sounds horrible, at least I was there to brighten your memories with my charming good looks." Aegis beamed at them.

"Spencer, I told you, Aegis was taking care of it…. I wasn't going to let anyone hurt her."

Spencer turned, angry at Paige. "Someone did hurt her… Toby and you can't be everywhere at once Paige. You're not superman." Spencer knew the accusation was strange, since Paige seemed to be the closest thing to the comic book hero, but Spencer Hastings would never admit that.

"I know… but I can do my best…" Paige's words were soft, as if more directed at herself than at anyone else in the room.

"Spencer, I'm fine. If it hadn't been for Paige…"

"And yours truly!" Aegis added.

"And Aegis… I wouldn't be standing here…." Emily wrapped her arms around Spencer, pulling her friend into a hug. "I'm fine… I promise." Spencer relaxed into the embrace, a huge weight dissipating from her shoulders.

"Okay… okay… well I'll let it all slide for now…. But you're coming with me. We'll be back tomorrow Paige." The redhead nodded, giving Emily a small smile as Spencer tugged her out of the room.

Once they were out of Paige's house, Aegis moved to sit next to his sister.

"You sure there isn't some remote island we can just run away to and live happily ever after?" Paige asked, leaning her head on her brother's shoulder.

"If there was, we'd all be there, sugar."

"It has to be her, pigskin of all people." Ali was pacing the hardwood floors of her childhood home.

"Pig what?" Ares popped a grape into his mouth as his eyes followed his sister's movements.

"Pigskin… nevermind. It has to be Athena. No one else could've stopped them, definitely not my friends." Allison collapsed into a nearby chair. "We need all nine, I'm no good with just 5."

"Correction, four, you only have four… you let that little wimpy kid die." Allison shrugged him off. "He isn't dead, he's vacationing… with our uncle." Ares laughed sliding down onto the couch next to his sister.

"Well you can't attack her until the blue moon… so what's your next move oh wise one?" Allison reached over, her hand moving to cup Ares' face. He smiled, thinking this was some sort of loving gesture, but his expression changed the minute her nails began to dig into his skull.

"You, dearest brother, are going to help me get the other souls. Gather the rest and do whatever it takes to convince them our side is the one to be on. I don't want to see you until you have four other girls with you." The God of War grimaced, trying hard not to break under his sister's pressure.

"Go… now." The place where Allison's nails were digging into his skin began to smoke as her eyes turned a deep red.

"Going… going!" He stood up, instantly vanishing before she could dig another claw into him.

"Mona dear… I have a mission for you! Time to come out and play!"