Countdown to Chaos

By Kristina Andersson
kriscat@gmail.com

Category: Romance/ Humor 

Disclaimers: I don't own any of the characters from 'Xena: Warrior Princess' or 'Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'. If I did, the shows would be named 'The War God and Joxer the Mighty' and 'Love and Mischief' and be quite different… 

Finally, the sequel to Complete Chaos. 

Hugs and thank you's to my betas Christine and Carrie. I couldn't do this without you two. 
 

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The predator slowly, slowly closed in on his prey. Pointed ears facing the direction of the footsteps. The prey came closer. Yellow eyes gleamed in the shadows. Soon, very soon. The beast prepared himself, black fur raising on his back. It was soon time to attack. Feline features showing complete attention on the prey. The prey came closer. The animal's muscles tensed. His body moved into the right position for a perfect jump. The prey was here. The cat attacked. 

"Aaah!!" Zeus screamed and almost jumped out of his skin and then glared at the feline attached to his right leg. "This is starting to become an annoying habit." He stated and removed Mjau from his leg. "You need to learn how to behave, little one," he told Mjau sternly and then ruined the scolding by gently patting the cat before putting him down again. 

Cupid smirked, "I see he's got you under his spell too." He said, putting butter on a piece of bread for Bliss. "Want some breakfast?" 

"No thanks, I've already eaten." Zeus declined absentmindedly and sat down at the table next to Bliss. "Is Ares still asleep?" 

"Yes," Cupid answered. "He and Joxer were awake late last night. But they went to bed early… Or at least it sounded that way." He smirked. 

"Did Gwandpa snore?" Bliss asked. 

"Eh, not exactly…" Cupid started uncomfortably and looked into his son's curious, innocent eyes. "Yes, he did," he decided with a strained smile. He was SO not ready for that talk yet. 

Zeus snorted, "It seems that my great-grandchild is growing up." 

"Yeah! Bliss is this big!" Bliss threw out his arms, showing his great-grandfather exactly how big he was. 

"My, my, that's big. "Zeus said admiringly and tousled the boy's hair. The boy was adorable, sitting there looking recently awoken with slightly ruffled feathers and a milk mustache. Next to him at the table was the thistle, now planted in a pot, Bliss insisted was Psyche. Poor boy. 

Psyche was still missing and some voices had been raised that Cupid should be officially questioned for her disappearance. It didn't help that Cupid now was involved with Strife. Many who doubted that Cupid was able to do something sinister believed that Strife might have done it for him. Emotions ran high on Olympus right now. Many believed Cupid shouldn't have custody of Bliss until he was proven innocent. 

Cupid had few enemies, but his father had many. And Zeus suspected that they used the son to get to the father. That was the only explanation he could think of. Psyche had never been popular on Olympus. Quite the opposite, and now, people who ordinarily wouldn't care less where Psyche was, demanded an investigation on 'the cover up of this horrible crime'. That was a direct quote from Athena. 

This whole sordid affair had to be stopped before the power balances on Olympus started to change. Right now the political climate was calmer than ever, but Zeus knew it was just the calm before the storm. Soon, someone would speak up and accuse him of favoritism for not accusing Cupid, and if he did, Ares would be furious and defensive again. 

Ever since Joxer had moved in with Ares, Zeus' relationship with his dark son had improved. Something he knew he had Joxer to thank for. He liked to be close to Ares again. Ever since Ares grew up and took his position as the God of War, they had had communication problems. Not many would believe it, but of all his children, Ares was probably the one he loved the most. Unfortunately, he was never able to tell Ares that. They always seemed to misunderstand each other. And while he loved his son dearly, no one could make him more furious than Ares, somehow the boy knew exactly what buttons to push. So their relationship had always been a bit shaky. And then Hercules had been born and their relationship had gone from bad to worse. With Joxer calming down both Ares and Zeus they finally seemed to be on the right track again. But it wouldn't take much to get them back where they used to be, something this Olympian witch hunt against Cupid could easily do. Zeus wanted to avoid that. 

Which was why he was here in Ares' temple to begin with. Maybe Ares and Joxer had some ideas of what could be done. 

"Do you think they will sleep long?" he asked Cupid while nodding in the direction of Ares' bedchamber. 

"Probably," Cupid answered with a grin. "Dad's kinda protective of Joxer right now and doesn't like to leave without," he glanced at his son, "showing Joxer his love." 

"Are you staying here or are you leaving for your own temple later?" 

"We're spending the day here with Strife. He just had some business to take care of first." 

"I'll bet," Zeus snorted. "That boy really enjoys his work." He sighed, "I really don't have the time to wait for Ares. Can you please tell him I want to see him in my study later today. We need to discuss the possibility of a war in Pylos," he lied. 

"Sure thing!" Cupid said and realized he was talking to a few lingering blue sparkles. "Hm, rude much?" he huffed and poured Bliss some more milk. 
 

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Joxer woke up with a contented smile on his lips. He looked down at his husband who seemed to be having a serious conversation with his rather large belly. "Ares, what are you doing?" he asked with laughter in his voice. Ares' beard tickled.

"I'm telling our son about all the fun things we're going to do when he finally gets out of there." Ares explained. 

"Really, like what?" Joxer asked, a bit curious. 

"Oh, everything I guess. Teaching him how to fight, how to hunt, how to live. Visiting the moon, Earth is so beautiful in a distance. Showing him this wonderful crystal cave I know. Taking him down to Poseidon's underwater palace, letting him play with the dolphins. Things like that." Ares said with a soft smile. 

"Oh, sounds like you guys are going to have a lot of fun," Joxer said, trying to sound cheerful. 

Ares raised his head and frowned, "What do you mean 'you guys'? Don't you mean *we* are going to have fun? You're coming too!" 

Joxer gave him a cheerful smile, or at least a try for a cheerful smile. "I guess I still have a hard time believing that this is real." He raised his hand to Ares' face and gently caressed his cheek, "You…," he moved his hand to his big belly, stroking it lightly, "the baby…" he looked into Ares' eyes, "our love…" 

Ares kissed him gently on the lips, "It's real, I promise. You'll never be lonely again. This is forever." 

"I love you," Joxer said. "I don't know what I did to deserve you, but it must have been something good." 

Ares frowned, "Don't talk like that, Joxer! You deserve only the best because you are the best." He smirked, "That's why you're with me. Or do you think I, Ares, God of War, would settle for second best?" he teased. 

Joxer smiled, a real one this time, and his eyes shone with love, "No, you wouldn't. I guess I just need you to remind me once in a while." 

"As often as you need. That's one thing I don't get tired of repeating," Ares said and kissed his love again. "I still think Strife should've continued making your father's life miserable, though." 

Joxer shook his head, "No, Ares. I don't want to lower myself to his level. I understand why you asked Strife, and I love you both for doing that for me. But that's not going to change my past, and he's not worth it." 

"It's not like we killed him or something," Ares pouted. 

Joxer smiled and gave his lover a kiss on those pouting lips, "I'm sure that thanks to Strife, there was moments when father *wished* he was dead." 

That perked Ares up a bit, "You really think so?" 

"I'm sure," Joxer said, moving even closer to Ares. "Now, let's talk about happier things, I want to snuggle in peace." 

"Your wish is my command," Ares said and hugged Joxer close, burrowing them both under the blankets. 
 

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Several hours later, Joxer left the bedroom and encountered Cupid and Strife necking in the hallway. 

"Don't stop on my account," Joxer said with a smile when they pulled apart. 

"We won't," Cupid said with a grin. "But it's time to check on Bliss. He's way too quiet for my liking." 

"Yeah, tha little tyke is almost as good as me when it comes to mischief," Strife said glowing with pride. "He needs to be watched so he doesn't get hurt, and I can't believe I just sounded like a responsible parent! I can kiss my rep as a bad ass goodbye now," he frowned. 

"I'll make it up to you, Babe," Cupid said with a leer and kissed Strife on the nose. 

Joxer laughed at their antics and asked, "Has Ares left?" 

"Yes," Cupid answered. "He had to see Zeus about some stupid war in Pylos." 

Strife looked puzzled and was about to say something when Joxer gasped and clutched his stomach. 

"Joxer! Are you all right?" Cupid asked, grabbing Joxer's elbow, supporting him because it looked like Joxer was about to lose his balance. 

"I'm fine," Joxer said with a pale smile. "The baby is very active, that's all. He likes to kick, and boy, does he kick hard!" 

"Do ya want ta sit down somewhere? Can I get ya anythin'?" Strife asked concerned. Joxer was a good friend and Ares loved him so much. If something happened to Joxer, Strife wasn't sure Ares would be able to handle it. And Greece *so* didn't need an insane War God! His mother filled the House of War's insane quota quite nicely. No need for more. Thank you very much. 

"No, Strife. I'm fine, but thank you for caring. Let's go and find Bliss. And speaking of young ones, who is way too quiet, have you guys seen Mjau today?" 

Cupid snickered, "Not since he attacked Zeus this morning." 

"Oh dear…" 

When they came closer to Bliss' playroom, they heard the boy talking. Cupid put his finger to his lips, indicating that they should be quiet and they sneaked closer and closer and listened to the little love god. 

Bliss sat on the floor with the thistle pot between his legs. He was pouring water on the plant from a small colorfully painted urn while cooing softly to the thistle. 

"Do you want more water?" Bliss paused and crocked his head as if he was listening to someone. He started to pour again but then change his mind. "But Grandma Hera said not to give to much water. Even plants can drown, she said." He put down the urn, "Best be careful. We don't want you to become all lellow and icky. You can have some more later, Mommy," he decided. The boy smiled at the plant; "You are so beautiful! I love green," Bliss complemented the thistle. "Me just wish it was easier to hug you though. Last time Mommy hurt Bliss!" he pouted. "You're sticky and pointy and those thingies hurts! But Bliss still luv you," he assured the plant. "And Daddy gives good hugs, and Joxer too. But me always careful hugging Joxer. Joxer's going to have a baby." Bliss leaned closer and whispered, "It's in his tummy, when me touched it Bliss felt the baby move. Was Bliss in your tummy, Mommy? How did I get *out*?" Not getting a reply he sighed, "Me can't wait for Joxer's baby. We're going to be best buddies like Daddy and Stwife. I like Stwife. He's funny and knows a lot of great games. Me love him cause he makes Daddy happy and gives great cuddles." 

Cupid smiled and gave his lover a hug. He could've sworn there was a tear in Strife's eye. 

"I miss your cuddles, Mommy." Bliss continued. "Want me to sing for you? Stwife thought me a neat song. Wanna hear it?" he asked and started to sing a song about bottles of beer on a wall. 

Joxer shook his head, "He still believes that the plant is Psyche?" he asked sadly. 

"Yes," Cupid answered. "It's hard, but Hera advised to let him continue. She thinks it's his way to cope with his grief. That we should give him time to work it out on his own." 

"Well, as long as it doesn't hurt him, I guess she has a point. You better make sure the plant continues to survive Bliss' care though." Joxer advised. 

"We keep an eye on it," Strife said. 

Bliss finally noticed the three men in the doorway. "Joxer!" he exclaimed cheerfully and moved from the floor towards the doorway. 

Joxer laughed and bent down and lifted up Bliss and gave him a bear hug. Suddenly he gasped in pain, practically threw Bliss to Strife and sank to the floor, arms around his stomach, face showing his pain and agony. "Something's wrong," he whispered. "It hurts!" Joxer collapsed and lay unconscious on the floor before the gods had time to react. 

"Joxer!" Bliss screamed, frightened and began to cry. "Bliss sorry! Didn't mean to hurt you!" 

Cupid was on his knees next to Joxer trying to wake him up, silently screaming for both Apollo and Asclepius. 

"Hush, baby," Strife hugged Bliss, trying to comfort him. "This is not because of something you did," he said gently and started to quietly rock Bliss back and forward to calm him down. 

"Pwomise?" Bliss sniffled and looked at Strife with big teary, blue eyes. 

"I promise;" Strife said and hugged the boy harder. As Apollo and Ace arrived he realized no one had called for Ares. He stretched out his mind and shouted, "Unc! Something's wrong with Joxer!" 

At the same time, Joxer opened his eyes and screamed, "Ares!" 
 
 

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Ares had left a warm and comfortable bed and a snuggly, cuddly Joxer an hour earlier responding to a mental call from his father who was tired of waiting any longer. He'd materialized in Zeus' chamber with a growl and a huge chip on his shoulder, anxious to get whatever the old goat wanted out of the way as soon as possible so he could return to Joxer. 

His scowl and attitude had disappeared when Zeus had explained that this was about how to help Cupid. Father and son had spent the hour discussing and dismissing different ways to deal with the situation. For some reason Zeus didn't think that making those who accused Cupid meet Ares in combat, defending his son's honor, was a good idea. He preferred his pantheon alive and squabbling rather than calm, mellow and permanently visiting Hades. 

Ares had already blasted two statues, burnt up the goat tapestry Hera had made and made a new hole in the wall of pure frustration. But still there was a warm fuzzy feeling deep, deep inside. He'd rather die than admit it to someone else than Joxer, but having his father so completely on his side, plotting and planning against other Olympians to help Cupid, felt … nice. 

Mental screaming suddenly interrupted their brainstorming. All Ares heard was Joxer crying out his name. 

Ares materialized into a chaotic Temple of War. Strife was holding and trying to calm down a hysterical Bliss, who was crying at the top of his lungs. Apollo was carrying a moaning Joxer towards the main bedroom while Asclepius opened the door. Behind Apollo, a trail of blood followed on the marble floor. Cupid hovered over them all, trying to help Strife comfort Bliss, asking Apollo questions and remaining calm and useful, all at the same time. 

"Joxer!" Ares shouted and followed Apollo into the bedroom, preparing to rip Joxer out of his arms. 

"No, Ares!" Ace shouted. "You have to let us help him!" 

Apollo laid Joxer down on the bed and Ares went to his knees beside it, trying to pull Joxer towards his chest. "Joxer, what's wrong? You can't die! You're immortal! Don't leave me! Please don't leave me!" he begged. 

"Ares, you got to let us do our job and examine Joxer," Asclepius said gently, like talking to a little child. "I think it's best if you wait outside until we're done." He gently grabbed Ares' elbow and helped the War God raise from the floor. When Ares frowned and was about to object he added, "Think about what's best for Joxer. We really don't need you to distract us right now." 

Ares nodded and left the bedroom casting one last look at Joxer now surrounded by a yellow glow created by Apollo. "You have to save him," he said hoarsely. "I can't be without him." 

"We'll do all that's in our power," Asclepius promised and gestured for Cupid to come and help him. "Take care of him," he ordered before he went back into the bedroom and closed the door. "He'll need his family right now." 

Cupid nodded and led his now zombie-like father to a bench. He sat down next to him pulling his father into a hug. 

Ares just sat there, unmoving, keeping his eyes on the same spot, completely silent. Suddenly Cupid realized he was staring at the trail of blood. With a curse and a gesture towards it, he cleaned it up. 

Hera and Zeus entered. Hera came up to Ares, gave his cheek a pat and a kiss and smiled apologetically, "I'm sorry, dear. Apollo and Ace called for me." Getting no reaction, she entered the bedroom. 

Zeus sat down next to Ares, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Hera told me what's going on. How are you holding up, son?" 

Ares finally moved and looked at his father, eyes showing his despair, "Joxer… he's hurt." 

"I know, son." Zeus answered, looking at Ares he saw the little boy he once was. The boy that usually followed him around laughing and giggling with mischief in his eyes. The boy who believed that Daddy could do anything cause he was the best Daddy in the world. And during those rare occasions when Ares the boy was sad or upset he would give Zeus that look that said 'Fix it, Daddy. I know you can!' The same look that Ares the man now gave him for the first time in centuries. 

Zeus pulled Ares into a hug, ignoring the fact that the movement almost pushed poor Cupid onto the floor. 

Ares hesitantly returned the embrace first soft and then harder. Zeus felt his son starting to shake and Ares began to cry. They just sat there, Ares crying his heart out, something he hadn't done for a long time and Zeus holding him, silently stroking his hand over Ares' back in a comforting motion. 

After a while, Ares raised his head from Zeus' chest and started to notice their surroundings. He saw Strife sitting on another bench with a still sobbing Bliss. Cupid had moved and sat beside Strife, gently stroking Bliss between his wings. Aphrodite and Hephaestus had arrived, sitting on a newly created bench next to them. 

Cupid noticed that Ares was aware and looking at Bliss. "Joxer held Bliss when he collapsed," he explained. 

"Oh, poor child. Hey, Bliss!" Bliss looked up. "Want to sit with Grandpa for a while? 

Bliss nodded and hesitantly walked the way over to Ares who lifted him up on his lap and gave him a hug. "I love you, Bliss," he said. 

"Bliss luvs you too, Gwandpa," Bliss said and returned the hug. "Bliss' so sorry…" 

"It's not your fault, Baby," Ares interrupted. "Just picking you up can't have hurt Joxer." 

"Kay," Bliss said and turned in Ares' arms so he faced Ares' chest and promptly fell asleep. 

"How do ya do that?" Strife asked, shaking his head. "I've been trying to calm him down for ages." 

"It's a talent I have," Ares answered. "Children listen to me. At least my own." 

Cupid nodded, "I bet that if he ordered me to clean up my room, I would be pushing things under my bed before I even realized what I was doing." 

"Go to your room, Brat!" Ares said. 

"Aw, do I have to? I just got here!" Phobos whined as he materialized, sitting on the bench next to Ares. "I felt your fear," he explained and leaned against Ares' shoulder. "I'm sure things will work out fine. It has to." 

"I hope so," Ares said and put a kiss on the black curls on his son's head. So like Strife, he thought, not for the first time. 

"It scared me, you know. Feeling your fear like that. I've never felt it before." Phobos looked up, "Is it like that to love? If it makes you scared and stuff, what's the point? I want to scare others, not feel it myself." 

"It's worth it, son. Believe me. It's worth it." 

The air glimmered and Deimos appeared. "Hermes told me," he said and then just stood there, looking at his father, biting his lip, scraping a foot against the floor. Looking extremely undecided. 

After a while he said, "Aw, fuck this!" he bent down, carefully not to disturb the sleeping Bliss, he gave his father a quick hug. He swiftly moved away, straightening out his outfit, trying to look cool and indifferent. He glared at the others, "Not a word about this to *anyone*, understand? Talk, and I'll figure out a way to make your life miserable, " He threatened pompously. Completely ignoring the fact that all Gods present except Phobos and Bliss were his senior and most likely to make *his* life miserable if he tried something. "I got a reputation to maintain." Ignoring Phobos' snort, he sat down next to Aphrodite. "People don't seem to take me seriously so the last thing I need is a bunch of rumors saying I've gone soft." 

"It's the short pants, Dear," his mother told him and patted his knee affectionately. "No one can take someone in short pants seriously. And that bleached hair, honestly." She sighed, "And you were so cute as a baby…" 

Deimos' outraged "MOM!" was the last thing heard in the hall for a long time as the gathered gods just waited. And waited. 
 

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After what for Ares felt like an eternity, Hera and Apollo came out in the hallway.

"Please sit down and be calm, and I'll tell you all what's going on," Hera said, noticing Ares, trying to get on his feet without waking up Bliss. 

Ares leaned his back against the wall again and tried to be patient. "How's Joxer?" he asked. 

"Joxer is fine, for now." Hera answered. "We got to him in time and there's no harm done to him or the baby. Yet." 

Ares let out a relieved sigh and then... "What do you mean, YET?!" 

"Shhh! Don't wake Bliss!" Hera said. 

"I'm afraid it's my fault," Apollo said and bit his lip. "At least partly. Joxer is immortal, but not even an immortal man is supposed to get pregnant. Male God's can, but it takes a lot of power and energy." 

Zeus nodded, "While I was carrying Dionysus, I hardly used my powers for anything. Just keeping him alive was hard enough." He glanced at Hera to see if she would throw a tantrum at the mentioning of one of his bastard children. Fortunately, Hera only tightened her lips to a thin line. Zeus let out a sigh of relief. 

"Exactly!" Apollo continued, "Now, Joxer didn't seem to have any troubles. Since the Chaos Stone 'helped' him to get pregnant, Ace and I thought it had taken care of the problem. Since the last thing Joxer needed was stress during the pregnancy, we decided not to mention that this could be a problem, and just keep an eye on him and be prepared for an emergency. We didn't think there would be any complications." 

"Well, obviously you were wrong!" Ares growled. 

Apollo bent down his head, not willing to meet Ares' eyes. "Yes, we were wrong," he admitted. "And you can't imagine how we regret this. Ace is completely beaten up by it." 

Trying to get the focus off Apollo and on the important parts, Cupid asked, "What did you mean with 'yet'? You've fixed Joxer now? Right?" 

Apollo shook his head, "We've healed him and given him extra energy and power, but that's not enough to get him through the whole pregnancy." 

"So I have to share my strength with Joxer?" Ares asked. "No problem!" 

"That's not enough, dear," Hera said sadly. "Giving Joxer power from someone else is just a quick fix. It has to come from himself. As it is now, Joxer's immortality won't allow him to die, but it's not enough to help him deliver a healthy baby. He will be in constant pain, and the child will probably be either gravely deformed or dead at birth. If it gets born at all." 

"What do you mean?" Strife asked. 

"There is a possibility that Joxer's immortality will fight the pregnancy. Not allowing it to change, keeping him pregnant and in agony forever." Apollo answered. 

Ares calmly handed Bliss over to Zeus, stood up, went over to Apollo, grabbed him by the throat, lifting the Sun God high off the ground, and hissed, "So how do we *fix* it?" 

Apollo swallowed and squeaked out, "There is probably only one thing to do. Could you put me down, please?" 

Growling, Ares put him down again. 

Apollo cleared his throat, "Thank you. Now as I was saying, Joxer needs to be able to produce the power necessary by himself. And there is only one way to do that. Joxer has to become a God." 

Everybody turned as one and looked at Zeus. 

"Father?" Ares asked softly. 

"Oh, I don't mind if he becomes a god," Zeus said hastily, so Ares wouldn't become defensive again. A defensive Ares was almost as bad as an offensive Ares. Almost. "But it's not just in my hands, you know. If a large majority of the twelve don't agree to make him a god, many in the pantheon will see him as a lesser being and make his life miserable." Hearing Ares growl at the thought of anyone messing with his mate, he added, "When you weren't around, of course. And you know Joxer would keep quiet about it to not cause trouble." 

"You're right," Ares reluctantly admitted. "Well, *I* vote yes!" He looked expectantly at his relatives. 

"So do I," Hera smiled at her son. "I like him." 

"Of course, Joxie should be a god!" Aphrodite squealed and jabbed her elbow in Hephaestus' ribs. 

Her husband grunted, glared at his wife and said, "I vote yes." 

Everybody looked at Apollo. 

"What?" The sun god glared. "I might usually vote against Ares on pure principle, but I didn't work this hard to save Joxer just to let him die again. Of course, I vote yes!" He added a bit quieter, "Besides, Ace would stop talking to me if I voted no." 

"Even with Apollo, we need one, or better yet, two more," Hera said. 

"Athena would vote no just to get to me," Ares said. 

Apollo nodded, "So would probably Artemis too." 

"Poseidon would say no if I say yes," Zeus said. "We had a fight…" He stopped realizing what the fight had been about and how Hera would react to hearing the cause. But still, Poseidon was unreasonable. How was he supposed to know that Poseidon had saved that cute little sea nymph for himself? 

"What about the rest?" Strife asked. 

"I'm not sure," Zeus answered. "But there is no other way. We have to put this before the council or Joxer might become an outcast." Seeing Ares wanting to object he added, "And if they say no we can always pull a sneaky one and make him a god anyway. Better an outcast than dead." 

"So, let's call everybody in for a vote!" 'Dite bounced. 

It took a few sharp mental commands from Zeus, but the twelve were soon gathered in the Great Hall. All except Ares, who refused to leave Joxer. Apollo quickly explained the problem with a few interruptions from Hera. 

"So, now you know. Should Joxer be granted godhood?" Zeus finished. 

"Why?" Athena asked. "We can't go around giving all kinds of people godhoods. Just think of the chaos, and what it would do to our power bases. If we grant this for Joxer, then other gods will want to make some of their mortal followers gods also. Olympus would be overcrowded in no time! I vote no." 

"But we're not giving just some mortal guy a godhood," Aphrodite objected. "Joxer is Ares' *consort*, that's different. I vote yes!" 

"But why should Ares get special treatment?" Athena persisted. 

Zeus sighed, "Believe me, daughter. If your consort was risking death and godhood was the only way to save him, I would put that into vote too. But unless you have a huge secret life you haven't told anyone, I don't see that day coming very soon. Do you?" 

"No," Athena mumbled. 

"We're not only talking about Joxer's life, but also about the life of his and Ares' child. I urge you all to vote yes. As I do." Apollo said, looking at Hermes. 

Hermes nodded. "I vote yes," he said simply. 

"I vote no!" Poseidon said and gave Zeus a glare so the King of the Gods would know exactly why he voted no. 

"So do I," said Artemis, disinterested in the whole subject. 

"I vote yes," Hephaestus smiled at his wife. 

Hera voted yes and so did Zeus, adding Ares' vote to the yes pile since Ares couldn't be there in person. 

Everybody looked at Hades and Hestia. 

"Well, I certainly do not mind if Joxer becomes a god," the Hearth Goddess said. "In fact, I think he'll make an excellent god. I like the boy." 

"And I don't need all the Olympian visitors the Elysian Fields would get if Ares' child dies. Besides, I guess I owe Joxer one. If I remember correctly, he was the one who found Ares' sword during that whole Sisofys debacle." He shuddered. "I'm the first to admit that that could've gotten ugly." 

"Then it's decided," Zeus said, relieved. "Nine votes for and three against. That makes a large majority for Joxer being granted a godhood. Which one, can be decided later." Now, they didn't have to go against the council, which made everything so much easier. "Unless someone has something important to add, I declare this meeting adjourned." 

All rose and those that considered themselves part of Ares' family hurried back to the Hall of War. It was time to save Joxer. 
 

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Joxer opened his eyes, noticing the shadow over his bed, "Mmf, Ares?" he asked with a shaky voice. 

"Hush, Love." Long fingers gently ran through his hair. "Everything's going to be alright now." 

"Hurts!" Joxer moaned. 

"I know, Love. But I have medicine for you. Do you think you can sit up?" 

"Uhuh," Joxer nodded slowly. Strong, warm hands helped him sit up and pillows were moved behind his back. 

"Here, Joxer," A golden goblet appeared in front of him. "Drink this. It will take the pain away." 

"Promise?" 

"I promise," Ares said.
 

Joxer drank. 

When he finished, he said, "I thought all medicines were supposed to taste icky? This was kinda good." 

Soft vibrant laughter seemed to come from every corner of the room. "This is a special kind of medicine." 

"Oh. Why is it dark?" Joxer asked tiredly. 

"No need to disturb you more than necessary." A warm hand tenderly stroked his cheek. "Go back to sleep, My Love. And tomorrow, you'll be all better." 

"Kay," Joxer mumbled and yawned. "Love you." 

The last thing he was aware of was a soft kiss on his temple and a beloved voice that said, "I love you too." 
 

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Poseidon fumed, "And now that puny little mortal is a god!" he ranted and continued to pace across the Great Hall. "And to top it off, he's a friend of Xena's. XENA! Like we don't have enough trouble with her already."

Athena nodded, "I don't like it either. Our own young are already crowding Olympus. There is no need to bring in outsiders." She sighed, "But done is done, and it could be much worse. Joxer isn't that bad. Not very bright, but not aggressive either. And he seems to calm Ares down." 

"A spoiled incompetent mortal brat with a bad choice of friends. That's what he is. He doesn't deserve to be a god!" Poseidon shouted. "Just prancing around, roaming the country sides without a trouble in the world. Causing trouble with that warrior bitch." 

"So ya think Joxer's never had any hard times, huh." Strife appeared from behind a column. "Don't ya know it's unjust to judge someone ya don't know a thing about?" 

"What do you mean?" Athena asked with a frown. 

"Oh, nothin' at all," Strife said innocently. "Only that I would check out the Hall of Time before I made any accusations about someone's life…" He disappeared in a blue flash leaving Poseidon and Athena looking puzzled at each other. 
 

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When Joxer woke up he felt a warm body on one side and a hideous smell on the other. He opened an eye and stared right into Mjau's eyes. Ew. He made a face. Mjau sure didn't have nice morning breath. He raised a hand and started to stroke the feline's fur. Mjau soon began to purr.

The warm body on the other side of Joxer moved. An arm ended up on Joxer's belly. "Morning, Love," Ares murmured in Joxer's ear. 

"Morning, Ares," Joxer said and snuggled close to his husband. 

"How do you feel?" The war god asked. 

"Good." Joxer frowned, "Considering how I felt yesterday, suspiciously good. What happened?" 

"Your body wasn't strong enough to continue to support you, and the baby. Apollo can explain it better later. But to make a long story short, to save you both, we had to feed you ambrosia." Ares said gently. 

"Ambrosia? That was the medicine you gave me last night?" 

Ares nodded. 

"But, but doesn't ambrosia make you a… a…" 

"God," Ares finished. "Yes, you are a god now. Do you mind?" 

"Mind? How could I mind if it saved our baby? But, I can't be a god!" Joxer's chin quivered. 

"Why not?" 

"Cause I'm not good enough. I don't know anything about being a god. I'll screw up!" 

Ares drew him in for a hug. "That's your father talking. Not you. And you'll make a wonderful god. We'll teach you. You'll do great." 

Joxer snuggled into the embrace; "You'll help me?" 

"Of course. Don't worry." 

They lay like that for a while, content with each other's company, basking in the other's presence, listening to Mjau's purring. 

Ares raised and cocked his head as he was listening to someone; "Cupid want's to know if you feel up to visitors. Bliss really need to see you." 

Joxer paled, "Oh, dear. I was holding him when I collapsed. I didn't drop him, did I?" 

"No. But it upset him. He blamed himself." 

"Poor baby, please tell Cupid to bring him in." Joxer said. 

Just as he finished the sentence, the door opened and Cupid and Bliss entered. Bliss was pulling a little red wagon. Psyche the thistle sat upon it. 

"That mind speak seems very practical," Joxer said to Ares. 

Ares smiled, "Yes it is. It will probably be one of your first lessons." 

Bliss toddled up to the bed on Ares' side and raised his arms. Ares lifted him up on the bed and positioned him between himself and Joxer. 

"Hi Bliss," Joxer smiled. 

"You better now?" Bliss asked a bit shyly and wary. 

Joxer nodded, "I'm much better." 

Bliss smiled and moved closer, "Baby OK too?" 

"Yes," Joxer said and patted his stomach. "Want to feel him?" 

Bliss nodded and put his little hands on Joxer's belly. He giggled when he felt some movement. 

"See, Bliss? They're fine," Cupid said and sat down on a chair close to the bed. "I'm so glad you're all right," he told Joxer. 

Before Joxer could reply there was a knock on the door and Gaea, Hera and Zeus entered. 

"Dear child, how are you? I just heard," Gaea said and walked up to Joxer, hardly noticing anyone else and put one hand on his temple and the other on his belly. 

"I feel fine," Joxer reassured her. 

Gaea sat down on the bedside, "I do wish someone had contacted me, but things seem to have turned out for the best anyway." She smiled and looked at Bliss, I see you and your Daddy were Joxer's first visitors." 

Bliss nodded, "And Mommy too," he said. 

Gaea frowned and looked around, "Psyche's here? I don't see her." 

"Mommy's flower now," Bliss explained and pointed towards the thistle. 

Gaea gave the thistle a stare, moved from the bed and picked it up. 

"Bliss took Psyche's disappearance very hard," Hera explained. 

Zeus nodded, "He believes the thistle is Psyche, and we couldn't see any harm in letting him keep it." 

"Of course Bliss wanted to keep it! It's Psyche!" Gaea exclaimed. "The bound between mother and child is a special one. Bliss sensed her where others couldn't." She looked at Zeus and Hera; "I'm not surprised the younger ones didn't feel her, but you two. You should've felt her if you'd bother to take a closer look." She shook her head, "When will you learn that children can have something important to say too?" 

Cupid rose and just stared at the thistle, "That's really Psyche?" 

Gaea simply nodded. 

"But, but how?" Not waiting for an answer he turned to Bliss, "I'm so sorry, Bliss. I should've checked closer." 

"It's 'kay Daddy. Bliss luvs you and Bliss got to have Mommy all by myself for a while." Bliss said, still nestled between Ares and Joxer. 

"And as for how," Gaea said. "I sense chaos energy." She turned to Joxer, "The last time the Chaos Stone was loose, you didn't happen to make a wish regarding Psyche, did you?" 

Joxer thought about it for a while, "Oh, dear…" and then bit his lip; "It was before the divorce hearing, I found Bliss upset," he glanced at the little godling, "about something he'd heard Psyche say. I kinda wished that Psyche's pretty outside should show how she really was. This is all my fault." He finished miserably. 

"Nonsense," Gaea comforted him, "Not even I can completely control the Chaos Stone. You can't be held responsible for what it does." 

"That's right," Zeus agreed, relieved that this problem had reached a solution and that Cupid was off the hook. 

"But how do we change her back?" Cupid asked. 

"It's hard for us to change something the Chaos Stone has done," Gaea answered. "I think the best way is that I take Psyche with me to the Valley and ask the Chaos Stone to change her back. If it is in a good mood it shouldn't take long and if it isn't… Well, Psyche is immortal, so does it really matter?" 

"Nana Ga's going to take Mommy away?" Bliss chin quivered. "But Me want Mommy to be with Bliss! Me misses Mommy when she's gone." 

"Sweetheart, Mommy will only stay with me until she gets back to being herself again," Gaea explained. "And you can come and visit whenever you like. You know what? I'll make a portal from your temple to my cottage so you can get there on your own. How does that sound?" She cast a glance at Cupid, "I assure you, he'd be perfectly safe in the Valley. Nothing would harm him there and I'll make it so the portal shows if he's gone through it, so you know where he is." 

Cupid nodded, "What do you think, Bliss?" 

Bliss bit his lip, "Bliss'll miss Mommy, but it be nice to get real hugs from Mommy again. Mommy stings right now." He started to crawl off the bed and onto the floor. "You can take Mommy," he told Gaea, "But Bliss want to say Bye Bye first." He took the handle of his little red wagon and left the room. 

"Poor child," Hera said. "I almost wish we could keep Psyche as a Thistle. Somehow I think Bliss would have a better mother that way, even if her hugs sting." 

Cupid just shook his head, "I can't believe I didn't realize. Not just that Psyche was the thistle, but that it took me so long to figure out what kind of person she really was. And yet, I can't regret it, cause our marriage gave me Bliss, and he is the greatest thing that's ever happened in my life." He looked at his father; "I understand what you meant now. And you're right, those four words makes it all worth it." 

"What four words?" Zeus asked curiously. 

"I love you, Daddy," Ares answered softly. 

Zeus gave him a gentle smile, "You're so right, my son. Those four words makes it all worth it." 
 

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If the marble statues that covered the entrance to the Hall of Time could talk, they would probably discuss the increase of gods visiting the hall during the next couple of days. It seemed like everybody on Olympus was there at least once. From the big shots like Athena and Hermes; to the smaller deities like the muses or the graces. The one thing they all had in common was that no one left unaffected.

Some came out crying, others with a frown of determination, some fuming with quiet fury, others having quite loud fits of rage. But no one was unaffected. 
 

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 "Ares?" Getting no reply, Joxer glared at his sleeping husband. "Ares?" he said a bit louder. 

His only answer was a soft snore. 

Joxer growled, "Ares!" he said again, quite loud, and jabbed him with an elbow. 

Ares bolted right up, "Wha… what? Joxer?" he asked a bit disoriented. 

"I can't sleep," Joxer complained. 

Ares blinked, "You can't sleep" 

"Nope." 

"And you decided misery loves company?" 

"Yep." 

Ares leaned back on his pillow and reached for Joxer who eagerly came into the embrace. "Then let's snuggle." 

After a while Joxer said, "You know who I'm thinking of?" 

"Me, hopefully." 

"I always think about you, Ares. But right now I was talking about Falafel." 

Ares raised an eyebrow, "Falafel?" 

"Uh-huh," Joxer nodded. "He's a friend, sort of, to Hercules and Iolaus. He makes food, sort of. He made this thing he called a hotdog. I could kill for one of those right now," he said wistfully. 

"You eat dogs?!" Ares asked incredulously. 

"Of course not, silly!" Joxer slapped him playfully on the shoulder. "They're just called hotdogs. They're made of pig, I think." 

"Well, that's a relief!" 

Joxer sighed, "Yes, those hotdogs sure were good." 

No reaction. 

"Yep, you could almost say I crave them…"

Still no reaction. 

Joxer pouted, "If someone would get me some, I would feel very loved…" 

"You want me to go out and get them NOW?" Ares asked. 

Joxer nodded, "Well, it's now I want them." 

"In the middle of the night? You want me to wake this Falafel person up, in the middle of the night, to make you these hotdogs?" 

"Uh-huh, I'm hungry." 

Ares sighed, kissed Joxer on the cheek, got out of the bed and left. 

Joxer let out a contented sigh and buried himself in the blankets. This was life, a warm comfy bed and a loving husband willing to fulfil any cravings he might have. Yep, life was good. 

The last couple of months, Joxer's skills in controlling his new powers had grown, just like his stomach. But he still had a problem making things appear. But then again, that's what Ares was there for. 
 

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Falafel snuggled closer to his lover. He was so lucky to have him. He was kind and nice, but a real man, a warrior. And he loved Falafel, and his food. Finally someone who understood his true greatness. And he was a good cuddler too. 

Falafel's musings were rudely interrupted when he was pulled out of bed by a strong hand grabbing his nightshirt. He found himself staring at the God of War. 

"Ares," he managed to squeak out. 

"You the one who makes hotdogs?" the war god growled. 

Ares was not pleased. Finding Falafel had been harder than he thought since Falafel wasn't a follower of War and therefore hard for him to track down. So, Ares had to seek out someone who was, and who knew where Falafel was. Namely Hercules. He'd often wondered how Hercules would react if he realized that in all that matters, he was counted as a follower of War. Ares found it quite amusing since Hercules spent most of his time stopping wars. Thereby, making war with War. 

Hercules had not appreciated being woken up in the middle of the night. Ares had to duck a couple of punches and get slammed into a tree once before he got Hercules to listen. And then promptly got laughed at. Hercules found it highly amusing that Ares was 'whipped'. He wasn't so amused when Ares put his bedroll on fire, *after* Hercules had told him where he'd seen Falafel last. 

Which led to the present. 

"Well? Answer my question!" Ares demanded. 

Falafel nodded. "Yes, I do. Can you let me go now? I'm having trouble breathing," he whimpered. 

Ares let him go, "I'll take one order to go, please." 

"NOW?!" 

"Yes, now." 

"You wake me in the middle of the night, and want me to make hotdogs?" Falafel asked incredulously. 

"I said please." 

Falafel became teary eyed. "I'm so flattered. This is so great!" he said and caught Ares in a bear hug. "Finally, someone except my honey understands true talent!" 

Meanwhile, said honey was waking up. Spotting Falafel with his arms around the god, "What's going on here? Keep your godly paws of my pookie!" he growled. "My lord," he added after a nasty look from Ares. 

"Oh, it's not like that, babe!" Falafel said cheerfully. "Ares wants me to make hotdogs!" 

"Now?" 

"Yes, now," Ares glared. 

"Why?" Falafel's lover asked suspiciously. 

"Because my consort is in the last stage of pregnancy and has food cravings," Ares explained. "And why am I explaining myself to you?" he glared. "I'm a god, you guys are mortals, now get me some damned hotdogs!" he demanded. 

Falafel started to leave the room, going to the kitchen to start the cooking. In the doorway he stopped, "Hey, does this mean I can put up a sign saying 'Caterer for the Gods?" he asked. 

"NO!" 

"Fine be that way," Falafel mumbled and left. 

His honey just nodded wisely. "So you're not getting any," he stated. 

"What?!" Ares howled. 

"Well, you seem to be real wound up and tense, just like my pa when mother was that way. Cause he didn't get any." The man smiled, proud of his own deductions. 

"Not that it's any of your business, but I *do* get some!" Ares growled. The man seemed familiar… 

"Sure," Falafel's lover smiled indulgently, not believing a word. 

Ares frowned, "Don't I know you?" he asked. 

"Sure do!" the man nodded vigorously. "It is I! G.I Joeus! We met in your temple a while back." 

Finally remembering where he'd met the man, Ares took a step back. He *so* didn't want another kiss from the man. "Now I remember. You asked if I was still crazy," he said. 

G.I Joeus grinned proudly. "Yep, that was me," he said. "Say, why don't we hang out, you and me, warrior to warrior until my babe is done with your hot dogs?" 

Ares moaned. 
 

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When Ares finally arrived at the Hall of War, he was severely tired, and traumatized. He wouldn't wish G.I Joeus on his worst enemy. Yes, he would. He perked up at the thought of Hercules having to travel with the man for a while. Worth considering…

Well, he better not let Joxer wait any longer. His love was carrying his baby; the least he could do was hurry to bring Joxer the food he so craved. His poor darling had probably been waiting eagerly ever since Ares left. 

He entered the bedroom with his treasured burden and stopped and just stared at the sight. 

Joxer was still laying in the bed, but sound asleep. One hand on his large belly and the other one resting on Mjau, who'd snuggled close. Both Joxer and the cat snored lightly. 

Resisting the urge to wake Joxer and shove the hotdogs down his throat, Ares just cursed, put the hotdogs on the table and went to bed. He kept chanting, 'I love him and he's pregnant with my child, I love him and he's pregnant with my child,' until he fell asleep.
 
 

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Joxer woke up with a start a few hours after dawn. "Ares!" he said and shook his tired husband. 

"Joxer, my love. If the temple isn't on fire, and you continue to wake me up, I'll be very upset…" Ares mumbled into his pillow. 

"I think it's time…" 

"Time for what?" Ares pulled the blanket over his shoulders. 

"Time for the baby to get out!" Joxer answered with panic in his voice. 

Ares opened one eye, "Baby?" 

"Yes!" 

The other eye opened, "Baby, now?" 

"Yes!" 

Ares bolted out of bed and then proceeded to try and pull Joxer out of bed. 

"What are you doing?" his husband glared. 

"Baby's coming! We need to go to Mom!" Ares pulled at Joxer's arm. 

Joxer patted Ares' arm soothingly, "I have a better idea, why don't you go and get Hera and I'll wait here. I don't think I should be running around Olympus right now." 

Ares looked at Joxer; his love was completely brilliant! What a great idea! He nodded, fluffed Joxer's pillow and gently pushed Joxer back into the bed. He then pulled the blanket up to Joxer's chin and tucked him in. "Comfy?" he asked. 

Joxer stared in bewilderment at his husband and hesitantly nodded. 

"Good," Ares grinned maniacally and disappeared. 
 

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He appeared in Zeus and Hera's bedroom, between them in the bed to be precise. "Mommy!" he said and shook her shoulder.

Hera just stared at her son. "What in Tartarus are you doing in our bed?" she asked a bit grumpy. 

"Joxer!" Ares exclaimed and started to move to the floor, climbing over Zeus, hitting him in several sensitive places. Finally getting out of the bed, he rushed to the other side and grabbed Hera's arm. "Baby," he grinned. 

"Oh, dear," said Hera and rolled her eyes at him. "I'd completely forgotten that you turn into a complete idiot whenever your children get born." 

Ares gave her an idiotic smile, "Baby coming!" he said and pulled her arm again. 

"Go back to Joxer and I'll get Apollo and meet you there," Hera suggested. 

Ares frowned and then shook his head. "Baby. Joxer!" he said stubbornly and continued to pull on Hera's arm. 

"You better go with him, dear," Zeus said with a sigh. "If he tries to transport himself back to Joxer, he's bound to get lost. I'll get Apollo for you." 

"You're right," Hera said and went up and dressed herself with a thought. "Come on, Ares, let's go." She grabbed her son's arm with one hand and an old scruffy bag with the other, and they disappeared in a deep blue purple flash, leaving a slowly dissolving image of a peacock feather. 

Zeus watched the feather disappear, then went up and got dressed. It would take a lot of time to wake Apollo up before daybreak. 
 

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They appeared in Ares and Joxer's bedroom. Joxer was laying in the bed, moaning and huffing, obviously in pain.

"Joxer!" Ares gasped and hurried to his husband's side. He gathered Joxer in his arms and hugged him. "You're hurting!" 

"Let go of me, you big lout!" Joxer hissed. "I need to lay down on my back!" 

Ares reluctantly put Joxer down on the bed and took his lover's hand in his. 

Hera put a hand on Joxer's stomach, "I think the contraction is soon over now," she said. 

Joxer nodded and seemed to relax, "Yes, it just stopped. Help me get the baby *out*. It hurts! I don't want to do this anymore," he whined. 

"My poor baby!" Ares said and gently stroked his hair. He turned to Hera, "Mother?" 

"I'm sorry, Joxer. But you have to hold on for a while. Until we know if you can do this naturally or not. You see, you never know that until the birth when it comes to male gods having children." 

"You mean I might have to do this the natural way?!" Joxer shouted incredulously. "But labor can go on for hours!" 

Hera smiled and nodded, "Yes it can. Having a baby takes a lot of suffering and hard work. It's kinda Mother Nature's way of making sure we appreciate them when the work's finally done." 

Joxer gasped as another contraction began, "Screw Mother Nature! I want this to stop!" 

Ares produced a wet cloth and wiped off Joxer's forehead, "Don't worry, my love. Everything's going to be alright," he cooed. 

"Don't 'my love' me!" Joxer sneered. "This is all your fault. Well, I hope you enjoyed it while it lasted, cause we're never having sex again. Ever!" Then he moaned, "Damn it hurts!" 

Apollo appeared in the room waiving a bag around, "I heard we're getting a new little one." He searched around in the bag for a while and finally came up with a sharp knife. "I thought it would be good to find this now incase we have to cut you up later," he told Joxer cheerfully. 

Joxer paled and moaned. 

Ares left his place by Joxer's side and grabbed Apollo by the throat and shoved him up against the wall. "Don't even *think* about cutting into my Joxer!" he growled. 

Hera moved from the chair she'd been sitting in; and patted Ares' arm, still holding Apollo by the throat. "There, there," she said comfortingly. "Calm down, Ares. I think you do more harm than good in here at the moment. Why don't you find me something very important that I'll need later and let Apollo and me help Joxer? We *do* have some experience, you know." 

Ares reluctantly let go of Apollo who gasped for air and fell into a heap on the floor. "You won't hurt Joxer?" he asked. 

"We won't hurt Joxer," Hera said calmly. 

Ares pouted, "Promise?" 

"I promise." 

"OK. What do you need?" 

Hera smiled, "I need you to boil some water." 

Ares stared at her blankly. 

"I think there's a cauldron you can use next to the hearth in your common room," Hera added helpfully. 

"Boiling water will help Joxer?" Ares asked. 

"Yes, immensely," Hera nodded. 

Ares nodded back seriously, "You can count on me, mother. I will boil water. That will help Joxer and Baby. I won't let you down. I will boil the ocean if I have to!" 

"Oh, please don't," Hera said hastily, knowing very well her son's brain had gone for a holiday and probably wouldn't be back until the baby was born. "It can't be salt water, and Poseidon would get very upset. Just boil some water the traditional way." 

Ares nodded solemnly, "I will boil water the traditional way." He gave Joxer a gentle kiss on the cheek and left the room. He had an almost fanatical gleam in his eye and just before he left, he mumbled "Boiling. Water," for himself. 

Hera let out a relieved sigh, "Finally." She rolled up her sleeves, "Now, we can get something done!" She looked at Apollo, "What are you still doing on the floor? Get up! There's work to be done. A baby usually doesn't deliver itself. That's so uncivilized." 
 

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Ares looked at the black cauldron and lifted his hand to will water into it. He hesitated. Hera said to do this the traditional way. The mortal way. Mortals couldn't make water appear at will. Maybe willing the water into existence would damage some important part Joxer would need later? Not wanting to take any chances, he decided to do everything the mortal way. And that meant he had to find water.

Ares pondered about it for a minute, then grinned and said out loud, "The fountain!" He grabbed the cauldron and ran out to the garden. Almost knocking down Asclepius on the way out. 

Arriving at the fountain, he frowned. Exactly how much water would Hera need to what ever it was she needed the water for? He bit his lip. Joxer was at stake here, best not to take any chances. Better too much water than too little. He filled the cauldron to the rim. 

Back at the hearth fire he hanged the cauldron over the fire and sat down and waited. 

And waited. 

And waited. 

Growing frustrated, he finally growled, "Boil, damn it!" 

The water still didn't boil. Like all hearth fires on Olympus, this one was kept alive by Hestia. Never going out and never lacking fuel. But hardly used, since it was always easier to just make food appear out of thin air than actually use the hearth for cooking. But maybe the fire wasn't big enough to heat up all that water; maybe he needed to put more fuel in the fire? But he couldn't just materialize a couple of wood logs. He had to do this the traditional way. Now, where could he find some wood?

When Cupid and Strife arrived in the Hall of War, they found Ares cheerfully trashing several chairs into neat, perfect pieces while humming to himself. 

"Uh, Dad? What in Tartarus are you doing?" Cupid asked, a bit afraid of the answer. 

Ares grinned at him, "Joxer's having my baby," he said dreamily. 

Cupid nodded, "I know. Grandpa Zeus told me. But why are you destroying the chairs?" 

"Why?" Ares huffed. What a stupid question! "To get Hera the boiled water of course!" He huffed again. Obviously Cupid had inherited his mother's mind. "Why?!" he muttered to himself and shook his head. 

Cupid just stared at him. 

Strife looked from the hearth and the cauldron to the pieces of wood. "Oh, you're trying to get the water to boil?" he asked. 

Ares gave him a brilliant smile. Now, here was someone who'd gotten his brains from Ares' side of the family! "Yes!" 

Strife gave him a calculating grin, "But why mess up tha chairs when you have plenty of wood in the garden?" 

Ares gasped; the boy was a genius! He grabbed a hold of Strife and hugged him tightly. "Thank you!" he said and gave his nephew a kiss on the cheek before producing a huge axe, (the axe wouldn't come near the boiling water, after all) and then dashing through the door out into the garden, hunting for appropriate trees. 

Cupid shook his head; "Dad's really lost it this time. And you will be in so much trouble if Hera finds out you put him up to cutting down trees in the garden. She designed that garden for him you know." 

Strife grinned, "Oh, it was about choosing the lesser evil. Gaea decorated this room as a present for Ares and Jox' weddin'." 

Cupid shuddered, "Good thing you got him to go for the trees before he destroyed the couch." 

The couple sat down on said couch, snuggled tightly together, and waited. 
 

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Ares leaned on the axe and looked satisfied at the formally huge oak, now chopped into little pieces. Maybe this was enough wood for the fire?

A gentle touch on his shoulder made him jump. Hephaestus looked down on him with a smile on his lips. "It's over now, Ares. You've become a father again." 

Ares just stared at his brother, "Joxer had the baby?" he gasped. 

"Yes," Heph nodded, still smiling with joy. "They're both fine, but missing you." 

Ares pulled him in for a quick hug, and then ran to the bedroom. The axe and the wood completely forgotten. 

Ignoring the others, (who where silently leaving the room, giving the new little family some privacy) not even realizing they were there, Ares focused on Joxer. Joxer was still laying in the bed, but looking a lot better. Tired but happy. Looking at Ares, his eyes shone with joy and love. 

"Hello, Ares, my love." He said, smiling happily and held up the little bundle he'd been holding against his chest, "Your new son want's to meet you. Say hello to Arion." 

Ares gently took his son. "We're naming him Arion?" he asked. 

Joxer nodded, "He looks like an Arion. And after what I just went through, *I* get to chose his name." 

The war god gave his spouse a smile and sat down on the bed next to him and snuggled in as close as he could while still holding Arion. "I like Arion," he said. "It has character." He gave Joxer a gentle kiss on the cheek. "Like yours." 

Joxer sighed and leaned his head on Ares' shoulder, "He's perfect, isn't he?" 

Ares nodded, "Absolutely perfect." He smiled when he realized that Joxer had fallen asleep. Good, he needed the rest. 

Ares cooed at the baby in his arms. Surely this was the most beautiful, extraordinary baby in the world. He smiled at the thought, he'd felt the same for all his children. Those he'd seen as babies, anyway. 

But Arion was special. A meld of Joxer and himself. Ares' raven hair, Joxer's smile, and eyes of exactly the same blue as the Chaos stone. Luckily Arion had ended up with Ares' nose instead of Joxer's. As far as Ares was concerned, Arion could easily fit the role as God of Perfection. 

He traced the child's cheek with a finger. "You're so little," he murmured, "And already you've captured my heart completely." 

Life was perfect. 
 
 

THE END 
 
 

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