A few days later, Apollo and Aphrodite were playing in the opera house. They were having a joyous time when Apollo noticed a small girl sitting in a corner. It appeared as if the girl was crying. Leaving his sister, Apollo moved toward the girl.

   "Hello," Apollo called softly. "Are you alright?"

   The girl mumbled something indistinguishable.

   "What was that?" Apollo asked, still speaking in a gentle tone.

   "I miss my parents," the girl muttered, audibly this time.

   "Where are they?"

   "Gone. Dead."

   "I'm very sorry to hear that. My name's Apollo. May I ask-"

   "Alice Gaston," the girl interrupted. "Is that your sister over there?"

   "Yes. Her name is Aphrodite. It's very nice to make your acquaintance, Mademoiselle Gaston," Apollo said with a small bow.

   The girl got up, smoothed her skirt, and dried her eyes. "No need for formalities. Just call me Alice."

   "Okay then, Alice," Apollo replied. He introduced the new girl to his sister.

   "Would you like to come play with us?" Aphrodite asked the stranger.

   The girl thanked the twins, but declined saying that she needed to get back to her brother. Aphrodite suggested that Alice's brother join them as well and the girl went of to fetch him.

   "Both of their parents are dead," Apollo whispered to his sister, after Alice was out of earshot.

   "Poor girl. Such a sweet thing, she is. We must befriend her and her brother," Aphrodite decided.

   The girl returned. Sadness had left her demeanor entirely. "This is my brother Vincent. Vincent, this is Apollo and Aphrodite."

   "It is a pleasure to meet both of you," the boy greeted.

   Aphrodite stepped forward. "The pleasure is all mine."

   The Gaston siblings were invited to join the twins in playing a game. They accepted the invitation and throughly enjoyed themselves.
   Over the next few weeks, the Gaston siblings and the Destler twins became very close. Vincent and Alice told of their tragic past and Apollo and Aphrodite comforted them in their sorrows. It seemed like everyone they met nowadays was orphaned in some awful way. How was that possible?
   The Destlers had the Gaston siblings over for dinner multiple times. They enjoyed each other's company. All except for Demetrius.
   Demetrius knew that the day would come when the twins would make friends and forget all about him. He used to dislike their constant nagging. He used to find comfort in the silence. Now that they weren't always around, he felt abandoned.
   Mia was the only one who really understood him. She wasn't always around, though. She was a chorus girl in an opera every now and then, robbing Demetrius of time spent with her.
   Demetrius took Apollo and Aphrodite's companionship for granted. It wasn't until they made friends of their own that he realized just how much he needed them.
   One day, after Apollo and Aphrodite had returned from playing with Vincent and Alice, Demetrius decided to talk to his aunt and uncle. He asked if they had a few spare minutes and they said that they did. Demetrius led them into the other room.

   "I have something I wish to discuss with you," Demetrius said.

   "Yes?" Apollo asked.

   "What is it?" Aphrodite inquired.

   "Well, you see it's like this..."