Olivia's warm little body was snuggled around mine, her little snores making me feel a whole new range of emotions I'd never experienced before. The way her hand gripped my shirt, the other tucked underneath her as she half sucked her thumb made me want to cuddle her even more, like forever until I'd smooshed all that cuteness out of her. Not that it would be possible to do that.

I idly rubbed her back, kissing her forehead where it was resting against the curve of my shoulder and for the first time, fast-forwarding the next few months didn't seem like such a terrifying idea. I wanted my own Olivia, now.

"I hate that she still just falls asleep with you like that. I practically have to bribe, beg and make a deal with the devil to get her to nap these days." Raya sighs beside me. "Please come live with us. You know what, take her home with you, just for a night or two. I promise teething isn't as bad as they say it is."

Her feet are up on the coffee table, surrounded by children's books and brightly coloured toys. The usually organised and tidy living room looks like Olivia and her friends had all night toddler party in here and forgot to clean it up before Mum and Dad got home.

Little rebel.

"I would love to, but the other world is calling yet again," Raya closes her eyes, a peaceful look taking over the exhausted state she seems to always be in lately. "Can I get Mum to come around, help you out for a bit while Keiran is away? Penny even?"

"I'll manage. He's going to have to stay home more. Olivia is a lot right now, and this one is already keeping me up all night. It's like as soon as I even think about laying down, she wakes up." She keeps her hand on her bump, smiling. "Not Penny. Every other word that comes out of her mouth is God Mother."

"Just ask her then?"

"Keiran wants to be here for it, so until then." Raya looks at me, smirking. "Want to feel her?"

"Penny?"

"No, this little acrobat in the making." Before I can respond, she puts my hand against her stomach and pushes slightly.

The moving bulge beneath her skin is unmissable and I yank my hand away as if it's about to jump out and bite me.

"That is fucking weird."

"Wait until it's happening inside of you." She sighs again. "Can I go have a nap, please? I'm serious I think. I know we haven't even got a chance to catch up, not that I have much to say but I bet you do. Sleep when the baby sleeps right?"

"Nah, not much at all happening with me. It's been pretty uneventful lately." I shrug as she sits up.

"You're a terrible liar."

"Would I lie to you?" She gives me a look that says yes I would and I smile back at her. "Don't worry, it's nothing I can't handle. Go, you've got an hour before I have to leave."

"Thank you, I love you. I'll be a better friend next time." She gets up, stretching before heading towards her bedroom.

"No need, you're the best Raya. Night, night sleepyhead." I tease her but she's already gone.

I try to adjust Olivia slightly, but her grip on my shirt is only getting stronger and any attempt to put her down has her lip wobbling so I stay put. Raya warned me about waking a sleeping Olivia a long time ago and I wasn't going to make that mistake.

I focus on cleaning up the room, wanting to help Raya just that little bit more before putting the TV on low. The hour goes by way too fast, and it's been closer to two when Cain appears. He looks around cautiously, before looking at Olivia.

"I wasn't sure if you would be here, or if you were up to something and lost track of time." He admits, the look on his face a big improvement from the one he had when I left this morning.

"Not today, there's always a chance of that tomorrow." I smile as he sits beside me. "Raya's asleep, clearly Olivia is too. I don't want to wake them."

"Stay. I'll go, you can join us later." He offers.

Let him go alone after the mood he was in last night, and still was in now, despite how well he was hiding it - not a chance.

"No. Just, give me a sec." I go into Raya's room and sit beside her. Olivia wakes up and sleepily looks around before throwing herself out of my arms and towards her Mum who is awake thanks to the slap Olivia served her with in the process. "Raya, I gotta go."

"Thank you," She yawns, cuddling Olivia as she climbs over her.

"Anytime."

Cains looking through a book on colours, lifting one of the flaps with a bit of interest before putting it back down on the bookshelf. He's tense as I wrap my arms around him, but instead of leaving, he just looks around at the little play corner as if he's never seen anything like it before.

"If we move the sofa to face the window, we could do something like this in its place." He's really thinking this through. "Maybe once he's moving, we will get a house too. The apartment might start to feel too small if we get all this stuff."

"Still a chance its' a she," I remind him, but the look on his face tells me he thinks he knows better. "And I like how that sounds."

"This still doesn't seem real."

"I know, and if its moving too fast for you we can work something out," Cain shakes his head, and we're back home.

"No. I'm ready for the future, our future. Day by day was a stupid idea, and clearly Blueberry had his own feelings about that." He pauses, his eyes searching mine. "Is it too fast for you?"

"I get in my head sometimes." I admit. "But I agree with everything you just said. I want our future, all of it."

"We better go, otherwise we'll be late." Cain sounds as if I'd just rejected what he said, not agreed and as we're suddenly in front of the portal, I stop him.

"Why the rush?"

"Patience has never been my greatest strength," He lifts his shoulder slightly, the darkness still in his eyes but his tone is lighter. "Once we get through this, the future is ours."

He had a point.

Hades is noticeably missing when we arrive which actually makes me nervous. Ares is already talking about a training schedule that only Kara and Deimos seem interested in. Artemis is whispering to Hermes and Apollo is walking over to the table just ahead. Sensing us, he stops and blocks our way as he comes over. I keep my hand in Cains, squeezing it tightly as we stand with Apollo.

I don't hide my surprise as he puts a hand out in front of Cain. "Truce."

"Why?" Cain's voice is like venom, and I see Apollo flinch.

"Last night made me think about a some stuff." He starts cautiously. "I'm trying to do things differently than what I did in the past. This, us, is a good place to start as I know you are trying to do that too. You didn't kill Thor."

Cain doesn't look like he believes a single word he is saying, and nervously Apollo looks at me for some kind of help or support that I wasn't in the position to give right now. I wasn't doing anything to influence either one right now, this was their history to sort out.

"And, I'm sorry." Apollo sounds sincere. "About how I reacted to, the news. Also for the shit I used to say, the lies I told. All of it. I don't expect things to change overnight, there's too much between us, but I do want to at least try."

I could tell it was hard for him to say, and I was so proud of him for even doing it. Apollo offered his hand again and just when I thought Cain was going to reject the offer, they shook on it.

"Truce." Cain agreed.

"This is a team meeting, that means all of us," Kara called out. "Any time you three would like to join, please, take a seat."

Apollo's gone, sitting beside Artemis instantly as we slowly walk over.

"I'm proud of you," I tell Cain.

"Was that your doing?"

"No." I smiled. "That was all him."

He fails at hiding his surprise and we grab a seat at the end of the table. Hades never turns up and Aphrodite complains more than Hermes about Ares plans for training. I tune out for most of it, thinking instead of Olivia and the new babies playing together until Ares slams his hand on the table. Looking around, everyone is tense and sharing looks that range between oh fuck, and brace yourself.

"We all do it. No one is exempt, even Elise. It's how it has always been. The strong lead the weak, Cain and-" Ares roars, as Kara cuts him off.

"She isn't even here full time. It's not realistic for her to participate or lead anything."

Yet again I was being sidelined, left to watch the rest of them. I know she was doing it for the right reasons but I still hated it. Maybe it was time to tell them about Blueberry so we can just get all this, what I can and can't do crap out of the way.

Hermes grabs my attention next as he throws his head back against the chair a couple of seats down from me. He rolls his eyes and then just stares up at the roof. Upside, he was keeping quiet.

Looking at Cain, he's the complete image of what calm would look like in a dictionary. His finger taps against the table where he's resting his hand, almost like a nervous jitter only that's not it at all.

"Maybe, just ask her," Deimos suggests, motioning my way.

Crap, why hadn't I been listening?

"She gets asked, the rest of us are told?" Aphrodite unhelpfully adds.

"Because she has earned that right," Ares growls back.

"He has a point," Athena turned to Aphrodite. "Without her, we'd be living very different lives if we were still living at all. Elise is of two worlds, not all of our problems concern her and the ones that do, I have no doubt she will be at our side."

"As we will be by hers," Apollo adds.

"The Furies want her, this is her problem so let her sort it out." She huffs.

"It's not even about that." Ares flares back up. "It should not be her burden to have to fight your battles. You out of all of us seem to have forgotten this. I doubt you could even wield a sword these days, never mind use your abilities for something other than your own self-gratification. There is no memory of you riding into battle with us since we returned home the first time! Are you happy to have the Furies kill you without so much as even attempting to save your own life?"

"Even Vidar will not save you now," Hermes mumbled a little too smugly for my liking. "So much time wasted."

Cain stopped tapping, as Aphrodite glared at Hermes.

"We were all useless when they came here, unable to break free of their hold like as we were the lesser Powers." Artemis joined in on the gang up against Aphrodite. "Elise saved us again, just how she did last night. If you had been there, you would not be so ungrateful of Ares willingness to retrain us, or for any aid, we'd receive from Elise."

"Then tell me, Elise, do you agree with Ares plan?" Aphrodite challenged.

Did I?

What even was his plan - training like they had last night before it went to shit? It wasn't the greatest idea considering how things were going before Thor turned up.

"It doesn't matter what she thinks," Kara answered for me, yet she didn't quite sound like herself. "This was never up for discussion. I am telling you how things will be. If you do not like it, there is the door."

Silence descended over everyone, the room so tense it was a sneeze away from exploding into who even knows what at this point. I didn't know what to say but felt like I had to say something only Cains hand gripped my thigh - almost painfully and turning to him, he ever so subtly shook his head.

"Good." She says a second later as no one moves to the door or says anything further. "That is all for now. Ares will contact you all with further details."

"Will she banish us next?" Aphrodite muttered under her breath to Athena as the pair passed us on their way out.

"What did you just say?" I go to get up but they're gone and looking at Cain he still looks as calm as he had a few minutes ago. "Can you believe her?"

"Yes."

Ares and Kara talked for a few minutes longer while Hermes and Artemis left. Apollo smiled my way before vanishing and when it was just the four of us that remained, I still wasn't sure what to say. For whatever reason Kara was not in a good mood and I didn't want to make it any worse right now.

"Why did Frigg want Thor?" Cain didn't seem to have that issue.

"Can we not just leave it as a gesture of goodwill between our two kingdoms?" Kara answered him dryly, clearly not wanting to discuss it further.

"No."

"Yes, we can." I argue, slapping his arm.

Kara rolls her eyes

"It doesn't matter, Cain. Believe it or not, neither of you are calling the shots. I am, and everyone needs to remember that!" She snapped. "There is nothing else to discuss right now. All of you can go."

"Kara," I start, but she shakes her head.

"Just leave." Kara demands, her face flushed and an anger I'd never seen in her eyes before was directed my way.

"As you wish." Deimos answered, and as he stood so did Cain.

"But-"

"Now, Elise." She ordered. "Get out."

Cain, Deimos and I were no longer in the throne room and looking around, I recognised the sitting area, minus the smashed glass and broken furniture that had been present the last time I was here. Cain looked very much at home, opening the doors to the balcony before sitting down with a glass of what I guessed was whisky. The rush of fresh air felt nice, and Deimos took the spot opposite him.

"Want to explain whatever that just was?" Cain asked Deimos. "What did we miss?"

"I have no idea. She's hardly spoken to me since we returned from the Valkyries and she was already with Ares when I arrived." He admitted. " It's quite odd. We had breakfast the next morning after we got back. Artemis wanted her for something so I went into the library, did a few things. She was busy all day until we went to the arena and I feel she's been avoiding me since."

"Oh no. What happened over breakfast?" I ask.

"Our usual chatter, nothing seemed off or wrong?" He frowned. "Why?"

"Do you remember much about the Valkyrie trip, more specifically anything that may have happened in the time from after dinner to before you passed out?"

"It's a little hazy, though I do believe a thank you for curing my hangover is necessary." He looked at Cain who simply gave a nod in response. "What happened that I should remember?"

"I can't say, just, ah, try to think about it."

"If it has her in this mood, then you need to just tell me," Deimos pushed, looking almost scared at what I might say.

"Um, do you remember dancing? Specifically dancing with Kara?" I look at him expectantly, waiting for him to catch on. "Being particularly close to her, when dancing."

Deimos just sits there.

"You kissed." Cain just threw it out there. "But that's not why she's pissed off."

"What other reason is there? She told me-" I start to argue but Deimos interrupts.

"We did?" Deimos frowned.

"Then you passed out." I look at Cain. "What else would it be? If he didn't remember, that means she had no intention of saying anything and gods the two of them need to break that damn tension already."

"She's threatened by you. By us."

"That's ridiculous." I protested. "It's Kara."

"What type of kiss was it?" Deimos asked.

"I don't know, we weren't there. She didn't go into it." I quickly told him. "She has nothing to be threatened about. Is it because you let Thor live? I'm sure she has her reasons and Frigg. She probably has her own justice system ready to sort him out or something."

"If the stories are true, Thor once helped Frigg escape Odin. The debt for saving a life isn't one easily paid back. In this case, she may have just returned the favour." Cain paused. "He would be a good ally for her to have as she establishes her own rule. Thor never wanted to do it. It's part of why he and his sire clashed so much, unlike Cronus with Zeus, who wanted it a little too much."

"I was never invited to their talks." Deimos thinks about what Cain had just said. "It makes sense. You should have just killed him. I don't know why she was so insistent on letting him live, she made a mistake."

I am not actually sure what I'm part of right now.

"Are you two listening to yourselves? It's Kara. She's just having a bad day. Listening to that lot squabble all the time would get on anyone's nerves and you can't exactly judge her right now. You had bad days, that turned into bad months." I glare at Cain. "She isn't threatened by us, she isn't about to go on a banishment spree and she isn't making mistakes. Right now she needs our support, not whatever this is."

"We are not your mortal friends with their simple problems," Deimos leant forward as if he had just revealed a big secret. "Think with your head and not your heart for a moment. It's not personal, it's political."

"I can't do that," I decided. "And I'm really disappointed in both of you. Deimos, you practically died for her and now your agreeing with his conspiracy theories? Gods Cain, we literally stood in this exact spot while you struggled through exactly what she might be heading for! Also, FYI, drunk Deimos is way more fun than everyday Deimos. Bring him back anytime."

"Exactly Elise, I have been where she is. Rumours are already spreading like crazy, pressure is building and she has to prove herself worthy to-" Cain starts, but I don't want to hear it.

"Did you not just hear me? You should be more understanding of our friend, not preparing to wage war on her like everyone else. Since you've been where she is, learn from your mistakes and help her. We are in her corner and have her back," I thought about what Brynhild had said about them being kindred spirits. They really were so much alike right now than I ever realised. Next, I point to Deimos. "And you need to get out of your head and listen to your heart. Now you know about what happened, you can't let it fester between you like a giant, decomposing elephant in the room."

"I'm not waging a war on Kara. I'm being cautious," Cain defends but I hold my hand up, stopping him from saying anything else.

"Why is there a dead elephant?" Deimos frowned.

"Don't care. I'm going to go and see her, work this shit out and I will be waiting for your apologies, so don't forget because I won't be talking to either of you until then. K?" I decide.

"Elise," Cain groans.

"The next words you say better be, you're right and I'm sorry otherwise don't say anything." I warn.

"Be careful." He says instead.

I leave them behind, and Kara isn't in the throne room. Closing my eyes I try to find her, but struggle working out where she is so just let myself go with the intent on finding her. It works, leaving the midday light behind, wherever we are is dark and looking around, I'm not sure where I am at all. We're nowhere near the castle; feeling for Cain he may as well be in the other realm as I can't feel him nearby.

The wind is cold, and shivering I can hear the sound of the trees around me, their shape creating tall, dark and extremely spooky shadows. There's a strange feeling here, almost as if I'm not welcome and from the darkest sections it feels like there are eyes watching every move I make. More rustling sounds above, before the distinct sound of wind howling through rocks sounds from up ahead.

Please just let me be surrounded by trees only.

I put on a coat, and get a torch, which gives me a glimpse into the darkness around me. Thankfully the forest isn't hiding some kind of creature that's now going to pounce and destroy me. Thanks to the light my mind stops going over a hundred little horror stories about what's in the dark.  It's quiet, more peaceful than creepy and only about a three on a scale of one to ten for how terrifying this is.

I wander in the direction that I sense Kara to be in and this time the wind brings the salty tang of the ocean and the hint of decay that I hoped was just old seaweed and nothing actually decomposing. If Kara wanted to be alone, she chose a great place to do it.

Leaving the forest behind, I stopped as the sky opened overhead. The stars are even brighter here than they were at the Valkyrie hideout. Galaxies swirl within the inky blackness, surrounded by a million tiny lights that now sparkle down over me.

Wow.

I can see Kara up on a rock in front of me and stepping over a few smaller boulders and chunks of half melted ice I head over to her. She tilts her head my way, but otherwise does nothing. It's not like she couldn't have heard me coming as I mumble and curse the whole way over.

It gets colder out here, each breath visible as I climb up to sit beside her. She still says nothing, just sits there looking out into the night as if she's been there a Millie times before. It's the completely lost look on her face and in her eyes that I see as I look at her now; I knew that feeling.

"I told Deimos about your kiss," I confessed a little while later. Kara groans. "Are you shitty with him, or with us? Both?"

"I can't believe you broke our pinky promise." She doesn't sound as offended as she wants me to believe.

"Technically Cain did. I just didn't deny it, but I guess by telling him, I already broke it anyway." Since she hadn't told me to go away yet, I kept going. "Wanna talk about things?"

"No." In response I pass her over one of her favourite frappe spice things that had always served me well in the past when wanting her to do something, and she smiles as she takes it. "Thanks, I need this."

"Thought so."

She swirls the straw around before taking a sip. "This Queen thing isn't what I thought it would be."

"I'm sorry."

"Why?"

"Well, I practically forced it onto you. It should have come with a cooling down period or something. More time to think it over?"

"No, it's not that." She sighs. "It started off so great, and now, it's just different. It has been ever since the threat of the Furies became a thing, I can't ignore the rumours and whispers, I'm positive Artemis is fucking starting half of them. Since Cain's return, Ares has been one step away from throwing me out of there and chucking him back in. This whole training thing is mostly to keep him busy and off my case about what Cain would do in any situation. I had a chance to prove myself when the Furies came and I failed."

"You can't-"

"I don't need a pep talk, I just need a minute." Kara snapped, not looking at me now as she stared at her drink as if I'd poisoned it. "I thought that kiss meant something, but he didn't even remember. I can't even help you find my own fucking mother, I gave everything I had into fighting Cain yesterday and be honest, he wasn't even trying was he?"

"Not really, no," I admit.

"And he's probably got my name on about twenty shit lists of his by now. I fucked up and I know Thor hurt him, I heard the sound of him being hit. I fucked everything else up yesterday too, by wanting to try and prove myself to everyone. Letting Thor live didn't help. I felt Deimos disappointment and the look on Cains face when Hades cuffed that asshole was brutal. Not only that, put you in danger and you had to deal with Vidal and Tyr. I don't know why or how Cain even still listened to me or how he didn't punish me then and there. Maybe he should have."

"No, you both did the right thing. You don't need to prove anything, Kara."

"I do though, don't you get it?" She closes her eyes, and takes a deep breath. "I am the God Killer now and I can't even do that! I hear what they say about me. I know what they think. Just the False Queen, fooling herself into thinking she can be something she isn't."

"Whoever they are, doesn't matter." I tell her but she isn't finished.

"In some ways, I am no different to Cain. We're both haunted by your ghost, sitting in that fucking chair. No one wants us, they want you."

Everything Cain and even Deimos have said linger in my mind. "Are your threatened by me, by Cain?"

"How can I not be, Elise? He went from Dark King to the biggest over achiever for escaping the Underworld and besting Hades at his own game." She threw her hands up, her voice getting louder as she went. "And you? You do it all without even trying. I don't want to be jealous of my best friend, but every time I look at you I just want to scream. Fate literally planned you a life of glory and success, and you've become something even greater than they had imagined. You meet my people, and they love you. They don't like Powers. Ever. You have Medusa on fucking speed dial, befriended the hellhound Cerberus, and the great Hecate is leaving you notes like it's just a little private game between the pair of you. I swear if we leave you alone in a room with the Furies for half an hour you'd come out as best friends or with their heads. How can I compete with that?"

Kara laughed bitterly before she began to cry.

I wasn't sure what to say.

"I'm so sorry, Elise. I have no right to put this on you." Her voice was breaking as she struggled to talk. "I'm sorry."

I put my arm over her shoulders and she leaned against me, her sobs slowly easing.

"You don't compete, it's not a competition and definitely not with me. You don't have to prove anything. All of this will pass, Kara. You were there when I felt like I had nothing, and I am here for you now. I believe in you, and even if you feel that no one does, just know that I do. The rest do not matter. Don't give them that kind of power over you."

She sniffs and wipes her eyes. "Thank you, guess I did need that pep talk after all."

"Nah, you just needed a minute." When I smile and she returns it, before hugging me tightly. "What is this place?"

"I've been coming here to think. I woke up on this rock a couple of weeks ago after a big argument with Ares and I just wanted to get away. Apparently that translated into sleep teleporting. After this morning, I just needed to get away again." She sighed. "It's one of the last places I came with Hecate before she stripped me of my powers and abandoned me. When that happened, I'd often come back whenever I was in the area, always stupidly hoping I'd find her." She looked around before wiping her eyes again.

"Why would she bring you to a field?" I can't see anything to make it particularly special if not for the cold. "Is it pretty in the day light? Nice views or something?

"It's not just a field. It's a crossroads." She points at three different spots somewhere in the dark. "Three domains have their boundaries crossed here, which aligns to all of the worlds regions. Sky, earth and sea. Plus get this, it's always night time."

"Seriously?" I looked again and only saw a wide open space with creepy forest all around. I didn't even sense anything special or magical, nothing that gave a clue that it could be so significant.

"Yup. It was Hecate's happy place, something to do with the magic that comes to life here on a New Moon which is the start of a new cycle, and new beginnings," Instantly I glance upwards, the fat crescent curve of moon far off to the left of us. "She'd sit right here, forever charting the stars and the moon. The spirits would talk to her, or so she said, and she'd furiously write pages of nonsense, words and symbols in all kinds of languages. How foolish I was to be so dismissive of her ways. Here, in the dark was the closest I ever got to knowing who she really is and I never even knew."

"I believed you when you told me you were ready to see her again, but are you?"

"Yes. No."

"So that's a maybe?"

"Yeah." Kara groans, covering her face in her hands. "I'm a fucking mess."

"Join the club, I'll get us matching jackets." I think about Hecate sitting here, and put my hands on the cold, damp surface of the rock. "What did she do once she finished writing?"

"Burn it."

"Seems a bit pointless?"

"Knowledge is power. She was always paranoid about who would see her words, and page after page would just be tossed down there into the fire." She motioned down beside us into the dirt. "She used to make the flames change colour to entertain me, such basic magic, but I remember it so well."

"I'm glad you have some good memories of her," And I meant it. "But I'm cold and this is just a field to me. Are you ready to go back?"

"You wouldn't be saying that if you came on the new moon" We stand up, and Kara stretches while I fight the cold that's sinking into my bones.

"It's only a few days away, we'll come back and you can show me what I'm missing."

"No point. Hecate does something first for it to all happen. She has a key that opens it up and-" I gasp which makes she stops as she looks at me suspiciously. "What?"

"A key?"

"Yes, she has to open the crossroads." Kara frowns. "Sorry, I left that part out. It's a whole thing. Ask her about it if we ever find her."

I hold my hand out to Kara and the key that's in my palm makes her take a step back,  and she nearly falls off the rock.

"Wouldn't be a key like this would it?"

"What the fuck, Elise?" She gasps now, looking at it with wide, terrified eyes. "No. No you do not have that!"

"This is the key?" I ask softly, not sure I want the answer.

Her eyes move up and down, from my face to my hand and back again as we start to shiver thanks to the wind that has suddenly returned. Clouds roll in over our heads, taking away what faint light we had as the air felt heavier with the promise of a storm. I didn't want to stay here anymore and I could feel that Kara didn't either.

"How did you get that?" Kara reaches for it, but stops as if she's scared to touch it. "Did she leave it for you?"

"No, Portia stole it off Nieve. Can we go now?" I hug myself, trying to keep what warmth I have left.

"Yes, good idea. We're not alone anymore, and its going to snow soon. We'll come back on the New Moon." She decides, as the first drops of rain begin.

"Obviously."

She vanished and I went to follow, yet I stop as I now sensed something out there in the dark. I just wasn't sure what it was or if I even wanted to find out, and quickly went back too.

________________

Sorry if its dragging and not moving forward at the moment. I feel like I should be further along by now, but then something pops up or someone has something to say and there goes another chapter. I'm not sure how long is left until the end but we're definitely not there yet. Too much to get through and tonight I even wondered if it would end up being split over two stories instead of just one 🤔 I know everyone is going to want to have the baby arrive too, and see how they go as new parents... if they get that far that is - so who knows what's going to happen at this point!