Dream's POV a few days later

I wander around the large space meant to be my room and stretch the best I can. Then I jolt, sensing a large amount of negativity arrive. I shake my head, dismissing it. That's not my job here. My job is to recover. It is probably just another issue with one of the gods and groups of mortals. Then I hear a knock at the door and see that it's Atheno again, smiling at me.

"Want to go for a stroll by the water? Something is brewing here and I can hear Father getting angry again."He suggests with a roll of his eyes

"Sounds like a good idea."I say, following him out.

We leave the temple in the stormy clouds and land along a shore, gazing out along the sea. We walk along it, chatting and avoiding any storms that get too close. At one point Poseidon rose from the waters after a few too many bolts of lightning struck his water and he shouted up for Zeus to cut it out. Atheno and I quickly left to find another spot before it became a fight between Poseidon and Zeus. We settled in another area, simply strolling and discussing things.

Yet I can still sense that negativity and it's only getting stronger by the minute. Then I recognize it. It's Nightmare's....but that means he is here...in this AU at least...Is it even my Nightmare or another intruding on it?

"I haven't seen my sister in a bit. Usually her violent sprees among mortals don't last this long."Atheno says

Ah, right. Part of this AU gender-swapped some of the gods so Ares is a goddess here...And gone for a bit...

"I'm sure she will return soon."I say

Then there's a rumbling heard and in the blink of an eye, Hermes is in front of us with her winged sandals and waving a skeletal hand to us nervously.

"Heeey, so um, Ares just burst into Aphrodite's room shouting up a storm....She's looking for you and we need someone to calm her down while we try to get Zeus to settle down."She says

Atheno looks at me and shakes his head.

"Guess you were right."

"I didn't know it would be that fast!"I say

"Can you come help?"Hermes asks

We nod, following her back. I land and they "wish me luck" as I walk to my room. I haven't seen this AU's Ares but know that they're a goddess and already in a relationship with the love goddess....I try to go through the myths in my mind to get an idea of what I'm about to walk into...

I push the door open and see someone in a long red toga and helmet freeze up. I can see that she's a skeleton with a....strong resemblance to Error. I'm not too surprised given that Hades here looks like Reaper and Persephone looks like Geno. It wouldn't surprise me if they made the destructive goddess of war look like the multiverse's god of destruction. I shut the door behind me, noticing a lack of glitches.

"Hello, Ares. What has upset you this time?"I ask, walking over to my cushiony bed.

I got a quick glance from Ares but that was it. I lay down on the bed, relaxing.

"Tell me whenever you're ready."I say

I watch as Ares marches to the door, then hear the click of the lock.

Great....

Then she runs over, throwing herself onto me. I see her smile at me as she traces a finger along my chin, taking off the helmet.

"Now we can begin. I see those scars, darling. Who dared to harm you and when was the last time you got worshipped?"

"Well..."I say, nervously glancing away.

This feels weird...

"Say no more. I'll treat you right."She says

I feel the sleeves get pushed down and gentle kisses placed along my shoulders and every scar on my arms. Then in a blink, a tentacle yanks her through a portal. It shuts and I sit up, glancing around in confusion. What just happened...? That was strange and felt strange but it's part of the myth, right?

Then I see a portal burp Ares back into the room, sending her stumbling and trying to regain her balance. I see her hold her head as her helmet looks cracked.

"Ares? Are you alright?"

She glances over and freezes up, her red eyes shining under the helmet.

"What happened to you?"

"Oh dear, you must've hit your head if you forgot. Come sit, I'll check you for injuries."I say, pulling up the sleeves.

"What's your name?"

"You know it, silly."

She sits beside me and I smile at her, carefully checking for wounds but finding none. Her bones look so much like....her hands look almost exactly like...I shake my head. The creators simply took inspiration. She refuses to remove the helmet though. Then I feel a hand on my spine, feeling it carefully. I glance at her and tilt my head.

"I can't see under your helmet but you can slip a hand to my spine? That doesn't seem quite fair. And I'd rather not get touched there..."

Then I get pulled closer, feeling her hug me close. She buries her helmet-covered head into my chest, whimpering out apologies that I can hardly make out. All that I got clearly was "Sorry", "I'm a failure", "failed you", and "useless".

"Stop right now."I say, feeling her tense up.

She glances up at me and I see tears slipping out from under the helmet. I sigh, cupping where her cheeks would be beneath the helmet.

"I don't know what has gotten into you today but none of those things are true. Please don't call yourself names like that. You're not a failure and I don't even know what you're apologizing for. You're the strongest and most beautiful war goddess around. You're the opposite of a failure so don't be so cruel to yourself."

She pauses for a moment.

"Wait...goddess?"

"Yeah? Atheno is the god of wisdom and war, remember? He was getting worried about you today. Do you want to go see him?"

I see her face burn under the helmet a bright blue.

"You don't recognize me?"She asks, lifting up her hand.

"What are you talking about, Ares? Of course, I do. Your voice sounds slightly higher but other than that, not much different."

"WHAT?"

She looks down at herself in shock, quickly glancing around.

"That little-! When he said disgui-! Uggh!"

Knock knock knock!

"Are you two done in there? We calmed Zeus down but now he wants you, Aphro!"Hermes says from the other side.

"Be right there!"I say

I feel her grip tighten on me again.

"We could leave right now without looking back. Just say the word."

"What are you talking about? I should go see what's needed. Please let me go."

She sighs, releasing me. I walk out, following Hermes, and see her smiling at me.

"How'd you calm that storm down?"

"Ummm...Cuddles?"I say

"Riight, okay."

I glance up, seeing Zeus grumbling to himself as a tall goddess hovers beside him with a grin.

"You broke the rules.~ You owe this.~ Unless you want Hera to know the inside of that head.~"The goddess coos with a grin

"You called for me?"I ask

The goddess turns to me and grins, swooping down to land beside me.

"Apologies, Aphro but I've gotten you stuck in a deal similar to Persephone's. You will now marry Hypnos here and join her down below. To keep trouble from unfolding, you will have the same routine as Persephone: six months down there and the other six up here. I do not want to deal with her mother..."Zeus says as Hypnos waves to me.

How odd...This is interesting...Different from the usual myths...The god of love and goddess of sleep? Isn't Hypnos the child of Nyx? No wonder Zeus gave in...

"I...I see...Alright, so what do I-Oh! Okay!"I say as I get scooped up and tossed over her shoulder.

"Thank you, Zeus!"Hypnos says before zipping away.

I can hear her giggle eagerly as she carries me away into darkness. I glance around, recognizing parts of the Underworld as she places me down.

"Stay here and chat while I go find my mom. MOOM! MOM! MOOOM! COME MEET WHO I GOT!"

I shake my head, laughing at how excited she sounds. I glance over, seeing Persephone sitting beside me and looking unsurprised. I smile, taking a moment to not call him Geno before opening my mouth.

"Hey, Persephone."I say

"Don't eat the pomegranate, Aphro. You'll get stuck here longer if not already. Hades fooled me with it so don't get fooled by that one."He says

I nod, sitting beside him.

"Thanks for the warning."I say

He nods, tossing a small rock between his hands tiredly.

"Want to see Spots? There will be enough hands between us to pat all three of his heads."

Oh right, Cerberus is said to mean Spot. Funny how the scary god of the underworld has such a cute name for his dog.

"Should I? I think he wants to get Nyx here."

"You're stuck down here for months, Aphro. You're going to be seeing a lot of Nyx."

"Ahem."I hear a voice behind us say

I glance over, seeing Nightmare behind us in a black toga. His eye shrinks once he sees me and Hypnos soars to land beside me.

"Look at my new husband!"She cheers, hugging me.

Well, this just got REALLY weird....

Nightmare sighs, shaking his head.

"Hypnos, can you go? I'd like to speak to him in private."

"Let's go, Hypnos."Persephone says

Hypnos nods, reluctantly leaving me.

Nightmare waits until we're sure that we're alone, then smirks at me.

"Aren't you supposed to be with the guy in the forge?"

"Apparently Zeus fears you more than he considers getting his wife out of a chair."I say

He chuckles, stepping closer and hugging me.

"It's so good to see that you're alright, Dream. You've really been recovering well here, huh?"He says

I smile at him, nodding and able to sense that this is him.

"Why am I not surprised that you got put here as Nyx?"I say

He chuckles.

"Yeah, I guess it's an obvious one. Did Error get tossed to you yet?"

"What do you mean?"

"He was supposed to land in his place by now unless Shattered held him back for some reason...Or he got pulled into a war as per his alias..."

"Wait, he took on Ares as a disguise?"

He nods.

I pause, making the connection now.

"Okay, so Error was there but I didn't realize it. The goddess Ares here has a strong resemblance to him so when he was thrown in, I didn't know the difference. He wasn't glitching and the disguise might've changed his voice like how Shattered made mine to limit my aura's detection."

"Shattered says you didn't mention Error...?"

"I didn't think it was a good idea after he told me how his version of Error betrayed him. Just referring to Error put him in a bad mood."I say

"Good point...Something tells me he did things to Error's disguise as a taunt or something...He certainly enjoyed making Error frustrated...Which doesn't help things..."

"What happened?"

"I'll let him talk to you about that. Now do you know if she used me to abduct you or pressure Zeus into allowing it?"He says

"I heard her making that sort of comment...I'd say so..."

"Great....I'll see him about this..."

I nod, watching him leave. Then I hear a whine behind me. I turn around, seeing a large three-headed dog behind me and giving me sad puppy-dog eyes.

"You want to be a pet, don't you?"

Three heads nod in response and I sigh, reaching up and trying to give three of them their fair share of head pats.

Time passed quicker in the Underworld and it is even hard to tell when there's no sun or moon to indicate anything. Hypnos had me sleep next to her, eat with her, chat with her, but we never really did anything intimate. I think she just wanted someone to talk to, although we did trade compliments a lot. Then one day she started a deeper conversation.

"Hey Aph, you deal with emotions a lot, right?"She asks

"Yes...?"

"Well...hypothetically...If someone felt guilt for letting the words of others influence their actions and it caused someone they cared about to get seriously hurt...and they hold guilt for not preventing it....how would you feel about this person?"

"That's oddly specific but...I'd want them to explain their side and find a way to get rid of that guilt, I guess. Why?"

"I keep finding the same dream from the same person. They're basically beating themselves with their own guilt."

I frown, considering that. Then I hear a laugh behind me, seeing Nightmare walk over.

"Oooh stars! I see what you mean about his voice! If it was made any higher then I think only dogs could hear his squeaks! Hah!"He says

I quickly understand that he means Error. Then he grabs me and leads me away.

"Time for you to see sunlight again."

He takes me up out of the Underworld before going back down. I glance around, finding Hermes flying down to me. He takes my hand and helps my fly up and get greeted by Atheno.

"Welcome back! Someone has been waiting for you!~"He says, pointing to my room.

I curiously walk to the room, then push the door open to see someone asleep in my bed. I step closer to the bed and see Error or Ares asleep under the blankets, a frustrated resting face. I slip off the ring from Hypnos, setting it aside. I carefully feel his cheek, finding tears resting where his tear-marks are...

Wait...Is HE who Hypnos meant?

"Error?"I say softly

His eyes open and he jolts, sitting up quickly.

"Dream! You're...you're here!"He says, sounding like he couldn't believe it.

Wow, his voice has gotten even higher than before...

"Yes, I am here. And you have been crying. Are you or the voices being mean to you?"I ask

His face burns and he quickly tries to wipe his face, glancing away. He spots the ring and frowns.

"So....you're married..."

"No, Aphrodite is. Come on, Error. You should know I'm not staying here forever. Especially after seeing my brother as Nyx."I say

He glances at me and tilts his head.

"I got arranged to marry Nyx's child. Somehow that feels ickier than any Dreammare AU I walked into. Thanks a lot, Zeus."I say, shaking my head.

His face scrunched up in disgust and I laugh at the sight. Then I lean in close.

"You haven't answered my question, Error.~ Why did I find you in tears?"

He bows his head low, starting to physically tremble.

"I'm...I'm so sorry, Dream....For what I said...did...and what I didn't do...I....If I didn't let the voices get to me...didn't open my mouth....push so much to justify my behavior based on them...Just didn't do any of that...Then Swad wouldn't have gotten near you and you wouldn't have gotten hurt. I should've protected you! Done something other than failing you and upsetting you! They just got so...so loud and I wanted them to stop! I wanted them to be wrong and prove them wrong but I shouldn't have...wasn't meant to believe...I-I-I-I...You could've died because I was dumb enough to-!"He says, completely breaking down until I cover his mouth.

"Error, stop right now! Stop it! We both know that Swad would've just come at some other place or time to cause trouble! That was their plan! It's his goal from the start. And I would've refused any of his offers anyway so don't go down that route and blame yourself for events that were just going to happen anyway because of an opportunistic asshole! I'm just glad that you're okay and that he didn't hurt you. And as for the voices, don't apologize for listening to them. They must be a pain to hear and hard to ignore. It's hard to shut the negative voices out, I know that. It just hurt and was upsetting to see you go down that route that was hurting you and believing them...I know they're wrong and I didn't want to let it happen or have anything twisted for you to believe them more. Just...don't ever put me in a position to use you again, please? That expectation to just let you break yourself down just felt so wrong...We're both learning though so now we know what to improve from, right? We can work on handling those voices, Error. Maybe next time instead of pushing to act, let's talk about why you feel the need to do so or what they're saying. You're not a failure, Error. You're one of the dearest people to me. So take a deep breath and calm down."I tell him

His face burns up even more as he listens. I slowly take my hands away from him to let him speak.

"I thought you were upset with me...hated me...You didn't tell Shattered about me..."

"Yeeeaaaah no. I just didn't think it was a good idea to tell the version of me who has the only picture of their AU destroyer on a target with a knife through it about you. Didn't want his feelings corrupting his perception of anything I said and becoming the next threat against you. Just...didn't think it was a good idea after hearing about what that version of you did....But given that you thought I hated you, I'm guessing you haven't been visited by anyone special yet..."

"Makes sense...Wait, what's that last part supposed to mean?"

"Well....while I was unconscious, I got visited by my mom...or her spirit and kind of...told her about you..."I say, feeling my face burn.

"Aaaand? Should I be concerned about some spirit's view of her 500-something child being near me?"

"Well...She was glad that it wasn't INK I was telling her about so I guess that's a good thing...Her first question was to make sure that you weren't like him...She says she's going to see you at some point..."I say, rubbing the back of my skull.

He shakes his head.

"Great...."

"Got any room in that bed?"I ask

His face burns up and he nods, scooting over to make room for me. I smile, sitting beside him and he drops his head on my shoulder.

"How come you didn't recognize me before now?"

"One, have you heard your voice? Two, the Ares here already looked like you so lifting up your hand did nothing to indicate any differences. Three, I didn't even know what happened after Swad sent me to Shattered so I didn't really have it on my mind...consider you coming..."I say

He glances at me, his head still on my shoulder.

"Was Ares good to you?"

"We had a brief interaction before you dropped in but maybe that was for the best..."I say, glancing away.

"When is a good time to bring you home?"

"I think I should be good to go soon. My spine doesn't hurt anymore and this was more of a recovery area where they wouldn't come looking."

"I see...."

We go quiet, neither of us trying to move or in a rush to go. I feel my face burn, feeling him wrap his arms around me and pulling me closer to him. I see his face glow a bright blue before he hides his face in my arm.

"This doesn't trigger your phobia too much?"

"Mm-mm."

"You want to stay like this for a bit?"

"Mhm."

"Okay."

We stayed like that until the sun went down and I hear a snore escape him. I shift carefully, finding that he fell asleep hugging me close to him. I carefully lay him down against the pillows, trying not to trigger his phobia. But he was not letting me go. He made that clear as every time I tried, he'd just roll closer and sleepily grumble until he had a grip on me again. I tried to shift him away from the edge and made the mistake of removing his hands from my arms. They quickly snapped upward, locking around my neck and pulling me closer. I could've sworn he was awake but the snore I heard said otherwise. Who knew that the one with a touch phobia would have such a tight grip? Not me. Our faces were inches apart due to his yank at my neck and I can tell he is asleep. My face burns up at how close we are.

He actually trusted me to test the limits...He wanted to cuddle me and felt comfortable enough to fall asleep hugging me...And he's sleep yet his body is reacting like it has its own awareness...Or is this his unconscious or subconscious actions? What he wants? Maybe the phobia makes him touch-starved and that's what he desires but can't admit...I'd gladly give him it if he enjoyed cuddles this much...

I get snapped out of my thoughts, hearing the door creak open. I turn my head the most I can in my position, trying to sit up to see who it is but that was apparently not allowed. Next thing I know is that I'm under Error as I was forced to turn over and he lays on top of me, seeming quite pleased as he sleeps with a smile now. I can see Atheno at the door having just witnessed this and seeing that I was not in control of it as my arms are not touching Error. He grins, muffling a laugh behind a hand.

"Atheno please-"

"Guess everything really is fair in love and war! Hah!"

"Atheno-"

"You look really cozy with her, Aphro! You enjoying yourself with Ares? Hmm? It's only your first night back so what should we expect for-Ooomph!"

Error threw a pillow, knocking him back and threw a second to knock the door shut. He rubs his eyes sleepily.

"Night...quiet...Mmmm....I swear...can't even...cuddle in peace...Mmm..."He sleepily grumbles.

Then he settles back down on me as if it's nothing. He snuggles against my chest with a smile, his hands beside his head. Now, nothing was stopping me from moving but...part of me doesn't want to face his cranky wrath and the other doesn't want to disturb him when he's finally sleeping peacefully...Especially when I hear a soft purr-like hum from him. He's such a cat....I just gaze at him, appreciating this rare experience until I find myself dozing off.

"Dream...? What am I...? Dream wake up!"

I open my eyes, finding him leaning over me as the sun shines through the window.

"Morning Error..."

"What am I doing on top of you?"

"You um...have interesting sleep habits, Error..."I say

He leans closer and my face burns. I glance away, not sure where this is going. He doesn't do anything though.

"And...I didn't crash?"

"No..."

I glance at him and he grins, settling right back into his spot.

"I don't mind staying a little longer then."

He pulls the blankets up with a grin, hiding us from sight. Seeing him smile was...nice.

"I like your soulbeat...."

My wings swing open under me and he jolts, glancing at me. My face burns and he smirks.

"You say authenticity is your thing but something tells me words really do it for you.~"He coos

I glance away, feeling my face burn more.

"Got room for one more?"A voice asks

I glance over, seeing a little girl hovering beside the bed. She has a long nightgown on in dark shades of pink rubbing her orange eyes sleepily. She has bracelets with the peace sign pattern on it and earings shaped like musical notes. She looks like a tired child coming to bed after having a nightmare. She glances at me and tilts her head.

"You're Dream, right? I was woken up to find you."She says, fixing her bunny slippers on her feet.

"What's your name?"I ask

"Lulabina."

Ah...Named after a lullaby..... A peaceful song...Wait, is this the keeper of peace?

"Can I sleep with you? Your wings look soft..."

Error only spares a glance to her, then pulls me to lay on my side with my wings facing her. He shifts further into the bed to provide her room. She doesn't seem to mind, snuggling closer as she feels my wings until she hugs me from behind.

"Cozy...."She says before I hear soft snores.

I glance at Error, then he buries his head in my chest, gripping onto me firmly. Then I hear him start to snore, relaxing again and trapping me between them. I can't move without one of them gripping onto me tighter. The sunlight is still shining in as Error rests his head under mine and I hear the door creak open.

"Aah, so this is why nobody has seen you."Nightmare says, walking over to me with a grin.

He leans over us, trying to observe us.

"Who is the girl?"

"Lulabina. I think she's the keeper of peace....Obscuro's opposite. She just appeared and slid in."I say quietly.

"So what are the chances of you getting up and eating with me?"He asks

"Unless you're going to help me, I'd say slim to none."I say

"Oh come on. How hard can it be? They're holding on you and leaving your hands free. Can't you just carefully pluck them off of you?"

"I've learned not to push it...and don't want to risk it with her behind me."I whisper

"I think you're overthinking this. All you have to do is just carefully move his hand off of you. Here, just like this."He says, reaching for Error's hand resting around my waist.

I feel Error jolt and he smacks Nightmare's hand away, already reaching for another pillow. He flings it as he pulls me to shift with him, landing on the opposite side of the bed. I find myself on the edge and torn from Lulabina who blinks awake confusedly at the loss of my wings to see Error's back to her instead. Error doesn't even open his eyes, already locking his grip onto me again as Nightmare, who dodged the pillow aimed loosely at him, stares at us blankly.

"You see what I mean? Please help..."

But then he starts to laugh as Error settles his head on my chest again.

"This is hilarious! He has never acted like this before! Certainly a unique sleep habit!"

I frown as he takes his phone out, quickly realizing that I'm getting no help from him. He starts to record us as he tests the cranky reactions from Error, dodging the many pillows thrown at him whenever he tried to separate us. Error kept shifting and pulling me along as if I weighed nothing, repositioning us and locking his grip onto me again. Lulabina shakes her head and yawns, humming softly as she hovers near the ceiling as this unfolds.

"Do they have pancakes here? I can really go for pancakes..."She asks

"I don't think so."Nightmare says as he dodges another pillow.

"Brother, please stop this and help me wake him."

"Alright but I'm taking pictures for Blip's scrapbook at least. He isn't going to believe it if there's no proof to show for it. Error has never been so clingy."

He snaps a few pictures, chuckling to himself. I'm currently stuck under Error as his arms are locked around my neck as he rests his head over where my soul is. Bonus, he used his strings to lock my arms around him this time as well. They're currently wrapped around his waist under the blankets and I can't lift them away.

He certainly gets creative when half-asleep...I'm shocked he hasn't crashed.

"Maybe the green lady can help me find the pancakes. Hi Giant Green Lady!"She says

"WHAT?"Nightmare snaps

We glance over-well, I try to turn my head the best I can-to see Mom hovering behind Lulabina with her arms crossed. She looks almost completely translucent so she isn't physically here...just another spirit visit...Her gaze is currently fixed on my position with Error with a frown visible on her face. She glances at Nightmare and smiles.

"Hello, my beloved son. It has been far too long. It's wonderful to see how you've grown so far. You've been through so much but I'm proud of you for recovering from it. And it makes me so happy to hear of a truce that prevents my children from tearing each other apart..."She says, gently feeling his cheek.

He stares up at her, speechless and shocked by her words.

"B-But I...I've become this. How could you...? Now...? I sliced your tree! I-!"

"You freed yourself and it was something inevitable with Fate pulling the strings. Fate led you down the wrong path but along it you got to find yourself and grow....experience things that village never offered you...You've suffered and I'm sure it was painful to change but you're still my child. I love you, Nightmare. I love you both very much and it brings me such joy to see that after so long, you're finding yourselves again...You were just kids, Nightmare. You were just a child when you did that, Nightmare. You were lost, scared, and hurt. Nobody was there to help either of you or guide you properly. Bad circumstances lead to bad results. But you survived and you don't have to carry the burden of that pain anymore. I'll fight to make sure you don't get pushed into living hell like that again, my beloved Moon."She says

This seems to bring him to tears and she tries to soothe him. I smile, knowing the words he has needed to hear for years and the comforting security we've wished to have...Now this can soothe him. We never got to communicate with Mom like this in our AU since the villagers were usually around, so we showed our love by caring for her tree....So I know how much these words mean to him after all the names or crap our AU threw at him...

Then her expression gets stern again.

"Now, what's with your brother being seemingly trapped? Is this really Ink's counterpart on him? Is he using some strange new method to hold him hostage? I know he likes to use his strings but I wouldn't think he'd weaponize his phobia."She says, looming over Error and I.

"Mom, even I know it's called a cuddle. He's asleep with albeit defensive sleep habits but it's nothing close to a scheme to hold him hostage."Nightmare says

"Well is he waking up anytime soon? I'd like to speak with him."She says with a stern gaze fixed on Error.

I start nudging Error gently and he grumbles.

"Error, wake up. You dozed off and I don't want to risk you crashing...We also have company..."I whisper

"Go greet them then..."He whispers

"You need to release my hands then..."

"Error, wake up."Nightmare says

Error's eyes snap open and he quickly checks our position, releasing my neck and his face burning when he notices my hands tied around him. Then he glances over in shock at the sight of Nightmare and tenses up seeing Mom.

"Done cuddling, Error?"

He crashed as soon as she said that.

Great....

TBC