MERRY CHRISTMAS!

'Good gods, that can't mean anything good...'

White Knight

I moved over towards the new king, my hands slightly shaking as I neared the large group of well-dressed gods.

I quickly glanced over my shoulder in the direction Thanatos and Hypnos had disappeared. I hope they weren't having any trouble. I'm sure with Thanatos leading the way they'd be fine...

Apollo was quick to spot me approach, and even faster in snatching up the opportunity to be alone with me. Thanatos was nowhere in sight and I could see the familiar glint in the young king's eyes. I suppressed my natural urge to roll my eyes.

Apollo dismissed the rest of the gods around him, waving his hand in the air and dispersing the group of bootlickers with a swift dictatorship. I felt his eyes on my face; he was probably hoping I would look somewhat impressed.

I wasn't.

"My king..." I bowed; out of common-courtesy, not respect.

Apollo, however, didn't seem to think the reasoning behind it mattered; "Aurora, finally we get to have a chat. It's been too long."

I nodded, lifting my drink to my lips and muttered; "Not long enough..."

"Pardon me?" Apollo smiled charmingly, clearly not having heard what I'd said. I smiled widely and with so much falseness I thought it might start seeping out; "I said, I agree. How are you?"

Apollo grinned, happy by my sudden attention; "Very well, as you can imagine." His eyes didn't leave mine as he gestured to the large, lavish party around him. My smile turned thin. "And how are you, dear? Still enjoying the dreary Underworld?"

"I am, actually. It's unbelievably stunning." I smiled brightly, hoping it would irk him. It did.

"Yes..." He drawled; "Unbelievable."

I ignored his sarcasm; "So, as king are there any new laws I should be careful of or do you plan on taking some time to adjust first?"

Apollo looked genuinely surprised by my unexpected interest in him. If I hadn't been looking at him over the rim of my cup, I would've missed his eyes skimming down to my cleavage. But I didn't miss it. I bit my tongue.

"No rest for the wicked, Aurora dear. I'll be starting as soon the festivities are done."

"So about another month from now, I suppose?" It was no surprise to me anymore just how long Greek god's parties lasted. It was ridiculous. And I had the feeling this one was going to take at least a week to wrap up.

Apollo laughed loudly as the music continued to blare throughout the vast gardens; "You're catching on!"

I smiled, despite myself. If only Apollo wasn't such a pompous ass we might actually be friends.

"Tell me, dear, how is your training coming along? Will I be inducting you into the Pantheon soon? We have an opening..."

There were so many things wrong with the way he said that. Inducting? Gods, that sounds far too much like something Thanatos would say to me right before he unbuckles his belt.

'We have an opening'? Apollo does realise that this 'opening' he's so nonchalantly talking about was caused by the gruesome murder of his father? Of course he does. Look at him. Smiling.

And why does he keep calling me dear?

I gritted my teeth; "Soon; I'm making progress."

"I heard you were..." Apollo ran his eyes down to my lips; "Care to show me some of your skill?"

Was he still taking about magic? His eyes didn't seem to think so.

"What would you like to see?" I cringed. How low can one woman go? At least I was doing my job right- I just hope Thanatos and Hypnos would hurry up and get theirs done before I had to resort to fluttering my lashes and shyly touching Apollo's arm.

Gag.

"I quite like seeing your fiery side," Apollo leaned in, his blue-green eyes flecked with gold; "Care to lend a helping hand?" He indicated to a secluded area around the terrace where two guards were stationed.

I swallowed softly. Oh, no... "Lead the way."

Apollo grinned from ear to ear and turned to guide me to the clearly restricted area. The two guards immediately lifted their spears up from blocking the entrance as the new king approached. They bowed silently.

Apollo indicated for me to come closer. I followed him in, the small patch of garden slightly covered by a wooden patio overgrown with lush ivy. The music was somewhat fainter here and Apollo didn't have to raise his voice as he spoke; "Here we are..."

With a swift swoop, he lifted a large sheet from a few bulky boxes. My heart slowed down in pace as I released a steady breath.

Thank the gods! I don't know what I expected him to ask my help with, but I definitely didn't expect fireworks.

"Would you mind lighting these? I was going to ask Hephaestus, but I'd rather you do it." I buried my initial response to dart away as Apollo's hand grazed my cheek, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

I tried smiling; "Not at all. Leave it to me."

"Good." He grinned widely; "I knew I could count on you..."

He was too close. I stepped back, creating some space between us. Apollo noticed and chuckled; "Relax, Aurora. I'm not about to ravage you in a dark corner of the night. I'm not Thanatos."

I wouldn't mind Thanatos ravaging me in a dark corner.

"When would you like these lit?" I pointed to the fireworks, eager to change the subject.

Apollo's lip twitched with sudden sourness; "I'll come fetch you later..." His eyes scanned a group of elderly gods taking in the far corner. They clearly peaked his interest; "But first, unfortunately, I must go. Kingly duty calls, I'm sure you understand?"

I tried very hard to look disappointed; "Of course, don't let me keep you."

Apollo walked past me with a smile, but just as I was lifting the chalice to my lips, a large hand grabbed mine. I froze as Apollo lifted my palm to his lips and gently kissed it, his eyes fixated on mine.

If Thanatos were here- well, let's just say Apollo would need a face transplant.

"I'm very pleased you came, Aurora..."

I nodded and pulled back my hand, my mouth itching to ask him who the hell he thought he was, but the answer was pretty obvious. The king; and the king does as he pleases...

"I do so hope you stay until tomorrow at least. You must experience a godly party before you ascend, don't you think?"

"I agree." I smiled thinly and subtly wiped my hand against my dress before he could notice. Apollo smiled widely; "Good; I have a few announcements to make tomorrow and some of them involve you."

As he turned to leave, my heart stood up and raced the other way.

Good gods, that can't mean anything good...

I walked towards the small huddle in the corner of the party.

I raised an eyebrow as I noticed that Persephone, Poseidon and Amphitrite were all standing in front of two figures, dotting on them like concerned parents. I quickly let a servant fill my glass as I examined the scene a bit more, my eyesight not as good to spot who the two figures were.

Poseidon moved his buff chest out of the way and suddenly my heart shot up in its place.

Thanatos and Hypnos.

They were both slumped against the table in the far corner, Amphitrite's arm over Hypnos' shoulder, trying to keep him upright. I felt my stomach lurch and lunge up as I raced towards them- horrified at the thought of something terrible happening to them.

I pushed past Poseidon and Persephone, my feet moving faster than my brain. I threw my hands onto Thanatos'; "Thanatos, wha-" And then the hard, wafting smell of pure alcohol hit me square in the face.

"Oh! Gods!" I backed away slightly, my one hand still squeezing his. Thanatos' red eyes were clouded over with intoxication, but as soon as they landed on me, he sprang to life.

"Aurora!" I was grabbed around the waist by two large, muscled arms and hoisted up until I could just make out the edge of the vast garden's horizon. I yelped slightly at the sudden motion, causing Thanatos to laugh loudly. "My sugar-muffin!"

"Sugar-muffin?" Poseidon raised an eyebrow at Persephone, but she just shrugged and shot him a confused look.

"Thanatos, darling, let me down!" I said as gently and loudly as I could over the blaring sound of the drums and musicians. Thanatos hugged me to him, his face buried in my hair.

"Hmm..." He moaned and nibbled at my neck; "Where were you, you naughty girl?"

"Me?" I practically yelled and pulled back to look him in the eye; "Where the hell have you two been? You're as drunk as a-"

"Goose!" Hypnos shouted as he laughed; Thanatos joined in as the rest of us looked at each other in puzzlement. Clearly somewhere there was some in-side joke no one could decipher. I wasn't even going to try.

"Relax, darling..." Hypnos said to Amphitrite as he shoved off her arm; "I'm fine! Never been better."

"You two are awful..." Poseidon said as he shook his head and pouted. "All I want is to get drunk with my two best friends and here they are again, not including me. This is getting really annoying." He crossed his arms and sulked.

Amphitrite rolled her eyes; "You'll have the rest of this party to do that, but tonight you know we need to keep face and socialise. It's not often there's a new king."

All while they were talking, Thanatos was nibbling at my cheek. I pulled away slightly and he leaned in to smirk seductively at me; "Let's go find an empty room..."

He must've thought he was whispering, but it was even louder than the music; "Don't leave me here!" Hypnos said as he swung an arm around Thanatos' shoulder and whined.

I rolled my eyes. They really were like children when they were drunk, but equally adorable too.

Amphitrite and Poseidon shared a look and quickly asked; "Will you be fine with these two?"

I nodded quickly, eager to get to the bottom of this; "Sure, go ahead, I'll take them inside to rest."

The couple nodded and quickly ducked away to attend to their royal-family duties. Persephone watched them scurry off; "Nectar."

I was too busy trying to pull glasses of ale from the twins' hands to really notice what she was saying; "What?"

"Nectar." Persephone said again; "They smell like Nectar. It's a drink made only for gods; it's almost like a heavy dose of alcohol and drugs combined."

"Oh, fuck! Will they be okay?" I quickly felt Thanatos forehead to check for a fever, but he grabbed my hand and started kissing it. I tried to pull back but it was useless.

"Oh, they'll be fine in a few hours. It only affects gods and deities. To mortals it will be like drinking water..." Persephone sniffed my glass. She smiled; "Good thing you're not a goddess yet."

"What?" I grabbed the glass with my right hand as Thanatos was still trying to eat the other. "I'm drinking Nectar?"

"You should really test things before you drink them, Rora..." Persephone laughed. "Relax, it won't do anything to you at all. But those two will certainly feel it in the morning..."

"Ah, dammit." I sighed and tried to ignore Thanatos and Hypnos laughing at something stupid as they giggled like two schoolgirls in the direction of the large ice sculpture. "I was so nervous about-" the plan, but I couldn't say that; "-the party that I just grabbed the first thing they sent around. And Apollo asked me to stay until tomorrow, but now we'll definitely have to because there's no way I can get these two home like this."

"Don't worry, let me go talk to that guard over there. I'll get you permission to head inside and drop them off in one of the rooms. By morning they'll be right as rain."

I eyed the twins; they were stuffing their faces with small pastries, mini cakes and bread sticks. I sighed; "Thanks, Persephone. I owe you one..."

"Don't mention it; just don't head right when you get inside; you don't want to run into Hera and her group. The royal quarters are that way."

I nodded and she swiftly jogged off towards the large entrance, where two armoured guards stood. They bowed as she approached.

I turned my attention back to Pinky and the Brain.

"Hey!" I smacked Hypnos' hand as he tried to touch the large, fragile-looking ice sculpture. That thing wasn't going to last the night with these two standing next to it. "No touching."

Hypnos pouted and stuck a plum in his mouth. I resisted the urge to laugh. Thanatos was suddenly right in front of me, his smile bright; "Look what I found!"

Suddenly, my gaze was blocked by a tall bottle of champagne. I shot my hand out to grab it, but Thanatos was even quicker when he was drunk; "Nah-ah-ah!" He wiggled his finger; "What's the magic word?"

"I'm going to sew your mouth shut."

"Those are words- not a word..." Thanatos said with an oddly chirpy tone.

I tried hard not to let his adorable expression get to me; "Okay! Gather round!" I grabbed the two men by their toga's and pulled them closer, until the three of us were facing each other in a close-knit circle.

Hypnos was chewing at a breadstick, his eyes wide. Thanatos was fiddling with the champagne top, but I quickly grabbed it from his hands and the breadstick out of Hypnos' mouth; "Let's focus, guys. Did you at least manage to get anything useful?"

The two of them shared a look and then quickly shook their heads. I pursed my lips and looked down; "Of course not..." I mumbled.

Thanatos was quick to defend their expedition; "Hang on a minute! I think we made considerable progress!"

"Oh, really?" I titled my head, my tone dry and sarcastic; "How so?"

Hypnos eyed his brother; "Yeah, how so?"

Thanatos shot him an annoyed expression; "Well, first of all, we made it inside."

Just then, Persephone popped her head into the small circle. The two brothers got a bit of a fright. "Everything's set. Just head inside."

"Thanks again; sorry we kept you."

"Stop thanking me!" She laughed and eyed the boys; "Now go get these two into a bed."

"Now we're talking..." Thanatos eyed me with a foxy grin. I rolled my eyes and grabbed them both by the arm and dragged them towards the palace.

This may be my chance to explore and complete the mission- without the help of tweedle-dum and tweedle-dee.

The guards acknowledged us as we passed, bowing their heads, probably so used to drunk gods by now. I quickly ducked left, away from the royal quarters and up the stairs.

I smirked at Thanatos; "How's this for progress?"

He scoffed; "We made it upstairs too!"

"Oh, and did you manage to get into a room by any chance?"

He paused and furrowed his brows; "I think we landed up in the kitchen at some point; all I really remember are the sexual advances of my aunt."

"Is that code for something?" I looked up at him in bewilderment. He sighed and shook his head; "Sadly, no."

"Ehh..." I cringed. Now that's just gross; no matter how common incest is here. "Well, let's keep moving then. Hypnos, are you still okay?"

The golden-haired twin on my other side was trying very hard to figure out where we were as he looked around in dismay and horror; "Wait? Weren't we outside a few seconds ago?"

"You're really bad at directions when you're drunk, you know that?" I continued to lead them along the hallway, the walls white and decorated with gold. The floor was polished and clean, leaving our reflections racing after us.

"And you're mean."

I bit my tongue and kept moving. I had to choose a room, and quickly. I spotted two doors, both big and bronze. I grabbed the twins closer and said; "Pick one."

"Right is always right, because it rhymes." Thanatos-logic was never wrong, but Hypnos quick shook his head; "Oh, please! Left is clearly the safer option; it's closer to the gardens outside."

I nodded my head; "Good point! We don't want people seeing us snoop- right door it is."

Thanatos stuck his tongue out at his brother as I dragged them inside the room. It was dark.

Suddenly, a hand found my ass.

"Thanatos, if that's you- stop it. Hypnos, if that's you- why?"

It was definitely Thanatos; he leaned in, his soft voice sending pleasurable vibrations down my back; "Darling, not to be ungrateful for your quick thinking, but don't you think three's a crowd?"

Obviously he thought we were here to explore each other and not the room.

I shot him a glare as I fumbled for some sort of lighting; "Shush!" My hand landed on a small lantern. Quickly I extended my fingers and a small flame sprung forth. Part of the room lit up, bathing us in a fiery glow. Thanatos' and Hypnos' eyes looked more similar in the dim light.

"No offense; you two are great, but I don't want anything to do with your weirdly passionate romance." Hypnos muttered.

I smacked his arm; "Ouch!"

I paused; "What do you mean by 'weirdly passionate'?"

Hypnos shrugged and tried to ignore Thanatos' glare; "You're both so cold and detached and yet whenever you're around each other it's like a bolt in your brain springs loose. And don't even get me started on all the lovey-dovey stuff..."

"Hey! It's beautiful, okay!" I crossed my arms and Hypnos nodded; "I agree, but not on my brother."

"Shut up-" I glared. Thanatos opened his mouth- I knew exactly what he was going to say; "Both of you! We're here on a mission, not to fulfil any weird fantasies."

Thanatos eyed his brother with a disgusted look; "He's most certainly not involved in any of my fantasies...." I ignored the two of them as they bickered. I was looking for some more light sources to make all of this easier for us.

It's not like they were helping the situation.

"I'm hurt!" Hypnos touched his heart; "I'll have you know I'm great at giving women what they want."

"Do I look female to you?"

"I don't know- your eyebrows are weirdly sculpted..."

"It's natural!"

"Sure..."

"That thing I said a few seconds ago about shutting up?" I turned around to glare at them; "That's still applicable!"

It was quiet for a few seconds, but then the magical silence was filled again with Hypnos trying to whisper, and failing miserably; "Is she always this bossy?"

"Sometimes, but I rather like it..."

I nearly gave up hope tying to find something that could help us, but then out of the blue, my hand landed on a marble mantelpiece. A fireplace! Yes!

I quickly felt around it for some wood and stacked some logs into the hearth and lit it up with my magic, the flames large and quickly basking the large room in an eerie glow. I smiled widely, now being able to properly see where we were. The room was quite vast and full of grey-coloured sheets, drapes and pillows. The flooring was stone and the bed was made from old oak. This looked like a male's room.

Perhaps Ares' even? Perfect.

"Can we go back outside now?"

I sighed and glower in Hypnos' direction; "No, we just got here. Don't you two remember the mission? We have to find some evidence or clue to who the third traitor is."

"Oh, yes. I forgot."

Thanatos' face suddenly fell; "Wait- that's why we're here?"

"Yes? What did you think?" I kept my eyes on Hypnos as he fumbled with a small golden chest filled with jewels.

"That, you know..." Thanatos wiggled his eyebrows at me; "We could have some privacy." He glared at his brother. Hypnos didn't seem to notice our stares.

I tapped my foot against the stone floor; "Really? You thought I dragged you both up here, potentially risking my ass, missing a good party and probably making Apollo really suspicious that I'm not by the fireworks display all just to have a quickie! Really!"

"Shhh!" Hypnos said as his finger tried to find his lips; "We're trying to be quiet..."

I ignored him and fixed Thanatos with an 'are-you-serious' look; "Thanatos, sweetheart; you're a walking sex-bomb and I love you more than anything, but get your head out of your ass!"

Thanatos smiled widely and turned to his brother, not even bothering to respond to me; "You hear that- I'm a sex-bomb. Beat that."

I stood there, my teeth gritted as they continued to bicker; "She's obligated to say that!"

"Aurora has had first-hand experience at my brilliance! More than once..."

"Stop reminding me. Your walls aren't that thick!"

"Listen in, maybe you'll be able to learn a thing-or-two, you nun."

"Barbarian."

"Baboon!"

"Prima-donna!"

I picked up the lantern and shut the door, leaving them to their awful insults.

I exhaled a steady breath- finally, some quiet. I could still faintly hear them throwing names around behind the door, but there was no way I was going back in there any time soon.

I moved on to the opposite door, careful not to let the lantern reflect too much in the hallway, in case someone was walking past. I quickly dipped into the room and closed the door. Hypnos was right- the gardens were right beside the room, one story bellow. I turned off the lantern and continued my investigation by using my hand as a guide. The flames were smaller and didn't make my presence as known.

Now, let's see what we can find...

After the first room, I still had high hopes, but I must admit, after the fourth room I was starting to feel a little deflated.

Dammit.

I gritted my teeth and ran my tongue over my lips as I held the lantern up to the fifth room's door. One more and I'll head back...

I gripped the handle and creaked it open. I peered inside. It was dark, like all the rest. I quickly crept in and closed the door. I twisted the lamp brighter, scanning the large room for a place to start.

I rushed through the table in the corner first, checking every nook and cranny. I moved on to the chest and boxes stacked on the opposite table and the dresser. Nothing.

Moving through the room was fairly easy by now; I'd gotten rather good at spotting strange hiding places and odd corners. It was also relatively easy to identify which room belonged to which god as soon as you started rummaging through their belongings.

The first room I'd searched was Artemis', the second Dionysus' room and the third was most definitely Apollo's. Too much gold and too many sun statues to miss. The last one I'd searched was Aphrodite's; her entire room covered in mirrors and a closet so big I thought I might get lost.

I still had the feeling Hypnos and Thanatos were currently bickering in Ares' room. Gods, I hope he didn't decide to head up to his chamber now- that would be disastrous.

This room, however, was definitely Athena's. Golden armour with spears and shield, old manuscripts on the Trojan War, a statue of an owl, some olive branches from Athens... Oh, definitely Athena's room; not to mention it didn't look like a woman's chamber, which made it all the more likely.

I sighed and put my hands on my hips. Of course Athena was an unlikely suspect- she loved Zeus. It felt more to me like she was the only one of his many children who actually did. Why would she kill him?

I pushed back my doubts and looked up at the tall bookcase- the last place to look. I stood up on my tip-toes and reached for the top, but by accident, my elbow nudged a small figurine on the shelf and it toppled over. I quickly reached out to grab it.

It fell into my hands with a clump, my eyes wide and my breathing non-existent; "That was close." I whispered to no one in particular.

I blinked my eyes in relief, but before I moved to stand up, my eyes fell on a small, glittering box in the corner of the bookshelf. It was somewhat hidden, but not completely- like someone wanted me to find it.

I placed the figurine back on the shelf and reached for the small box. It was heavy. It fit in both my palms. I bit my lips and drew the lantern closer.

This could be it.

Something in my stomach told me it was, but I didn't want to jinx it. Tonight was turning out to be really unlucky- I needed some luck.

I sucked in a deep breath, my fingers curled around the lid, itching to flip it open. I pulled them up and along with it, the lid.

A gasp escaped into my mouth before I had the chance to stop it- my eyes widened and all the blood from my face drained down to the soles of my feet.

On the satin cushion of the box sat a decomposing, dark red heart.

What a great Christmas gift for Aurora!

Is it weird that Thany and Nossy are my second favourite couple? (^.^)

NEXT UPDATE- 28th of December

Happy Holidays guys! Xx

Here's another picture of Thanatos to keep the summer hot (Or in some other's case, the winter bearable...)