Within the confines of his tower, Clockwork watched the various time windows, keeping track of any possible anomalies that might happen so he may prevent them. It was mostly silent in the tower, with the only sounds that could be heard being the sounds of possessed brooms sweeping the recent debris off the floor and the labored breathing of his guest.

"Have you calmed down now, Pandora?" questioned the Master of Time, not taking his eyes off of the time windows.

This only earned him a fierce glare from the ancient warrior. "You dare ask if I am calm after finding out what that wretch Plasmius did to Daniel?! I want to send him to the deepest parts of Tartarus!"

"Well fortunately for the denizens of Tartarus, Plasmius has been banished to the outer reaches of space," replied Clockwork, smirking slightly when Pandora growled in annoyance.

"Do not joke of this as if you are Hermes, Clockwork! What happened to Daniel…"

"Is already done and cannot be changed," finished Clockwork, looking back at Pandora with a serious look. "Even then, would you deny young Danielle's existence?"

Another growl came from Pandora. "The little one has every right to exist! She did not ask to be brought into this world, especially through Plasmius' selfish desire, but it is clear that Daniel is doing everything he can to give her a good life."

"That he is," replied Clockwork, proud of his apprentice. "He also has Ember by his side to help him every step of the way."

Pandora couldn't help but smile as she remembered how happy Daniel looked with his significant other. She could tell that the two had a very strong bond that could never be broken.

-:-

Back in the Living Realm…

"I still don't know what's more astonishing, Baby-Pop. The fact that you personally know Pandora or how you met her."

"Probably the latter since it involves the Box Ghost of all people being an actual threat."

Ember let out a huff at that. Once they were on the bus and left for the next city, Ember demanded that Danny tell her about how he came to know Pandora. To hear that the Box Ghost was somehow able to steal Pandora's Box felt surreal. She felt that it was more likely of the Easter Bunny being real over the Box Ghost ever being a threat.

Then again, Baby-Pop did tell her about the Box Ghost of the Dark Timeline, but she'd rather not think about that future even if it was never going to happen.

"He couldn't have become that much of a threat if you were still able to beat him, Baby-Pop."

"In fairness, I didn't technically beat the Box Ghost when he was under the influence of Pandora's Box. All I did was trick him, which gave Pandora enough time to reclaim everything he released," explained Danny.

"Either way, I'm glad you stopped him," said Ember. "I've heard of the Pandora's Myth before when I was alive and I don't even want to know what kind of horrors could have been unleashed in the long run."

Danny nodded at that. "Definitely for the best, considering each evil is worse than the last every time the box is opened. Did you know that boy bands are worse than plagues and pestilence, according to the box?"

"That actually explains so much," replied Ember with a shudder. She then brighten as a thought came to her. "But hey, if that's the case then that means I was actually saving the world back when I was trying to make rock n roll the only music on the airwaves."

This only made Danny roll his eyes at the smirking rock diva. "While I don't disagree that boy bands are the lowest common denominator when it comes to music, I think we should talk about something else. Like which city we're heading to next so we can figure out a way to cheer Danielle up."

The two teens turned to where the ghostling was. Danielle was currently sitting on the couch, pouting, and has been doing so since they left Athens.

"Stop pouting, Mini-Pop," came the gentle reprimand from Ember. "That rooster was working for Ares, so Pandora had no choice but to take him with her."

A huff came from the ghostling. "It's not fair. I want a pet, too!"

Danny and Ember glanced at each other in concern. Having a pet was a lot of responsibility and while they were sure Danielle could handle it, they were on vacation and Danielle's attention would be on other things instead of trying to care for or train the animal. It would be for the best to introduce her to Cujo when they got back home, so in the meantime they would do the next best thing.

Distract the ghostling once they arrive at their destination.

-:-

Danielle drooled slightly as she stared at the frozen treat that was being presented to her, causing her current guardians to worry.

"We're really going to have to do something about Mini-Pop's eating habits, Baby-Pop," stated Ember.

A sigh escaped from the Halfa hero. "Yeah, I know. Unfortunately that's going to have to wait until later. Here you go, Danielle. Just be careful. Just like any ice cream, gelato is messy once it starts melting."

The little one snatched the cone out of Danny's hand and started enjoying the rich chocolate flavor. With Danielle placated, the trio went on their way to explore the city.

"Well, Baby-Pop. Welcome to Rome! Ready to see what another ancient city has to offer?" asked Ember before she took a bite of her strawberry gelato.

Danny took a bite of his own custard gelato before he answered with a grin. "Do you even have to ask? There's so much to see here! There's the Trevi Fountain, the Sistine Chapel, the Piazza del Campidoglio, the Pantheon, and of course the Colosseum."

"Sounds like a plan! So where to first, Baby-Pop?"

"That's easy. Since we're in Rome, a hot spot of the Italian Renaissance, I think it's only fair to go see one of the great masterpieces first."

"So we're going to a museum again?" asked Danielle, confused.

"Not quite, Danielle," replied Danny with a smirk.

-:-

The Sistine Chapel, considered one of the most famous houses of worship and home to the magnum opus of Renaissance artist Michelangelo. The ghostly trio arrived at the chapel and, after Ember performed the Sign of the Cross, took in the sights of the frescos.

"Whoa," said Danielle, looking up at the ceiling in awe.

"I know. It is amazing, isn't it?" replied Danny, glad that his little clone was appreciating this.

"Definitely, although I'm surprised by how much it cost to get in here," added Ember, looking at the ceiling with a narrowed look.

Danny just gave off a shrug. "Apparently the Vatican thought it was a good idea to reduce visiting hours and raise the price of attendance as a way to discourage visitors, thinking it would help prevent damage to the frescos they recently had restored. Of course that wasn't going to stop the likes of us from seeing it."

Ember matched Danny's grin. She may have turned a new leaf, but she was still a rebellious teenager and go against the establishment when necessary.

"Hey, Danny? Who did you say painted this thing again?" asked Danielle.

"Michelangelo."

"Yeah, him. So how exactly did this Mikey guy paint this?"

Ignoring the name that the little one used, Danny explained. "Michelangelo would use scaffolding to help him. Sometimes he would stand straight up on the scaffolding to paint the ceiling and sometimes he would lay flat on his back."

"The man must have been dedicated if he was willing to risk his neck and spine for this," said Ember, slightly impressed.

"Well he was considered one of the Renaissance Masters for a reason. In fact, he was a rival of Leonardo da Vinci's."

"Why does that name sound familiar?" questioned Danielle, furrowing her brow in confusion.

"We talked about him back when we were in Paris, Mini-Pop."

"…That was a long time ago."

"Yes, it was," replied Danny, as he ruffled Danielle's hair. "Anyway, we should probably get going if we're going to see the other landmarks."

The rock diva became confused when she watched Danny turn to leave. "Aren't you going to take a photo, Baby-Pop? You took photos of every other landmark we went to on this trip."

"I'd love to, Ember, but photography isn't allowed in the Sistine Chapel. It's another way to prevent damage to the frescos," replied Danny with a shrug.

A frown appeared on Ember's face as she watched her Baby-Pop leave. She knew that he wanted a photo of the ceiling to add to his photo collection, so to see him just give up because of some, in her opinion, stupid rule was just sad.

She and Mini-Pop followed after and once outside she quickly gave her Baby-Pop a hug and a kiss on the cheek before telling him she would be right back, leaving behind a very confused Phantom. It didn't take long for Ember to come back and when she did, she had a smirk on her face as she handed Danny a familiar object.

"Wait, how'd you get my phone?" questioned Danny, taking his phone back.

"Never mind that, Baby-Pop. What matters is the surprise I put on there~"

Worried, Danny opened up his phone and was indeed surprised when he saw a photo of the Sistine Chapel ceiling and surround frescos.

"Wha…?"

"Just so you know, not only was I invisible when I took it, but I made sure to turn the flash off to make sure I wouldn't be caught," explained Ember, a look of victory on her face. "I know how much you wanted a photo, Baby-Pop, and you deserve it for everything you've done for me."

The boy glanced around to see if anyone had been listening in and when he saw that they were in the clear, he leaned in and gave his wonderful, beautiful girlfriend a quick kiss.

"Thanks, Ember."

She beamed in happiness at the love she could feel coming from her man. She then latched onto his arm as they made their way to the next landmark, with the little one following right behind.

-:-

"Didn't we see this place in the last city we visited?"

"That was the Parthenon, Danielle. This is the Pantheon and despite the similar sounding names, they're two completely different buildings."

"Okay, but what's so special about this place?" questioned the ghostling. "The other place looked a lot cooler, even if they were ruins."

"You know how you learned about Leonardo and Michelangelo on this trip?" asked Danny, getting a nod. "This place is where you'll learn about the third Renaissance master, Raphael…since this is the place where he's buried."

Ember just gave him a blank look as he refused to make eye contact. "Really, Baby-Pop?"

"It made sense when I came up with the idea!"

She rolled her eyes before turning to Danielle. "Okay, Mini-Pop, since we're visiting someone's resting place, do you remember what you're supposed to do?"

"Be respectful and be on my best behavior."

"Good girl."

The three headed inside, where Danielle was once again impressed with what she saw.

"This place is a lot cooler than I thought it would be," said Danielle as she looked around the dome-shaped room. "They should fix the hole in the ceiling, though."

"The hole is the only source of light here, Danielle," replied Danny with a laugh.

"What happens when it rains?"

"Surprisingly, rain rarely falls into the dome. If it does, though, you'll notice that the floor is slanted a little, so any water that does come in will drain away," explained the older Halfa.

They continued on into the church, taking in the architecture before heading to where Raphael's tomb was.

"For an ancient building, this place is in pristine condition," stated Ember, impressed.

"Well it has been in use since the seventh century, so there's always someone here to keep the place clean and running," replied Danny.

When they arrived at Raphael's tomb, Danielle pointed at a nearby bust.

"Is that Raphael?" she asked, looking up at Danny. "He doesn't look old at all!"

"Yup, that's what he looked like. He was actually the youngest of the Renaissance masters. Unfortunately, he died very young as well at the age of thirty-seven," explained Danny with a frown.

Ember frowned as well. "How did he die so young if Leonardo and Michelangelo were able to reach old age?"

Danny glanced at the little one to find that she was also curious about the answer. Not wanting to deal with the onslaught of questions he knew would come, he placed his hands over Danielle's ears, much to her annoyance.

"According to some sources, Raphael died from exhaustion due to unceasing romantic interests," replied Danny as he tried to keep his hands on the squirming ghostling's ears.

This earned him another blank look from Ember before she pinched the bridge of her nose with a light dusting appearing on her cheeks.

"I regret asking," she said, wanting to erase the last minute or so from her memory.

"It is what it is, Ember," said Danny with a shrug before he released Danielle. Once she was free, she gave him a pouty glare.

"Okay, different subject!" exclaimed the rock diva. She really didn't want to talk about Raphael's sex life. "Wasn't there supposed to be a fourth Renaissance master? That turtle cartoon you got me to watch said there was a fourth one."

With amusement in his eyes at the mention of one of his favorite shows, Danny replied. "You're thinking of Donatello. Unfortunately most of his works are in Florence and I'm guessing we won't be going there anytime soon."

"No we're not. Rome was pretty much the only stop we're making here in Italy."

The trio stayed at the Pantheon for a bit longer to pay their respects to Raphael and the others who were laid to rest there before heading out to see more of the city.

-:-

Meanwhile, at the Colosseum, a large ghostly figure stood before a group of other ghostly looking figures.

"Fellow gladiators! I, Maximus, the greatest gladiator in all of Rome, declare that it is time for the annual chariot race!"

The rest of the gladiators cheered before their leader silenced them.

"As you know, every year when we hold the chariot race, we set out to look for a warrior strong enough to race alongside us, so we can then crush them and show the REAL warriors are!" declared Maximus with an arrogant grin, earning more cheers from his men. "Now go! Let no one get in your way and find the one we can crush and show our dominance to!"

Maximus reveled in the cheers of his men as he watched them scatter to find his next victim.

TO BE CONTINUED

-:-

Yup, we're still going. I figured with how long it took to get the Athens episode out, I'd give you guys another episode to make up for it.

I'm surprised by how little of you guys didn't guess Pandora as the one causing the "storm" last chapter. I thought I left enough clues to make it obvious.

Anyway, we're finally in Rome. I really wanted the villain to be something other than a gladiator, since we had Ares last episode, but I honestly could not think of anything that fit. Danny and Ember will make mention of this next chapter when they face off against Maximus.

The song title this time…

"Heart of Rome" (2:56) – Elvis Presley

It's not one his more well-known songs, but I think it's pretty good.

Lastly, picture Maximus being voiced by "Macho Man" Randy Savage, because that's the only voice I can picture coming out of him.