Greece

Arlia had managed to stand. She could see the temper flaring in Laurilaine and stretched out being able to just wrap her fingers over his arm before transporting him.

She landed on the grass on her knees, "you need to go and find alea. This is exactly what I saw in my visions but it was one of many. Please do not blame me, I had to see if you really were...really are my father. It has to be, I've never felt a connection like the one I have with you. I seem to always know where you are, most of the time. You have always saved me.

Go and help her demetrios. Do not concern yourself with my fate, I'm dying here as my future self. Maybe I like the others was not ever meant to be. But alea is meant to live, I want her to live for me."

Arlia fell to the side and panted, "go I'm not having you stand over me looking like some crying boy. If I see you sad it will confirm its really happening, walk away and say goodnight and it will seem like I'm only sleeping."

Demetrios left her to go find Alea.


"Alea" Apollonis shouted spotting her. He rushed over kneeling down beside her.

Alea looked up from her head being on her lap, tired, cold and pale, "It's over... the future that girl spoke about, two twins, it was only one, an deformed son. Unrecognisable, deformed more than the gorgons."

Apollonis got down next to her putting an arm around her and pulling her close "It'll be okay."

"I...I promised you sons and daughters," she choked.

"Someday" Apollonis said

Alea pushed him back lightly trying to get up, "no... This is her fault. She has done something to prevent me from haviń kids. No it can't e her, she wasn't around when I lost our other boy. It's a curse... I hadn't named him and I've forgotten him for a few days, its a punishment.

No stop it Apollonis I don't want to be told everything will be okay. How can it? I've always had bad luck and I don't want you to be with a woman that is like me. I'm only going to cause pain."

"I can handle pain" Apollonis said "and there is no other woman I want."

"You are too good for me," alea replied, "but I am very glad you have chosen me."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Arlia panted, it didn't matter what happened next for her, the future did not contain caedus and her visions were no longer telling her about the future that she will either eventually return to or fade away from. She questioned what would happen would those in the future only talk of her vanishing never to be seen again?

"You little fool, Arlia. Coming back to the past when you should've come to find me directly. In stopping caedus from being born you still haven't stopped me from getting to the others."
"You will not harm them!"
"Let me tell you one thing... You might be bad little girl keeping me a secret and playing games with everyone but could you kill? I can, I have and will. But your pathetic mother will throw her arms around this cactus simply because she will see me as such joy."

"Dem..."
"Him? He's not interested in any of this... And the day he does I can break him, I'm older and a far more powerful woman than you can be. Oh have I hurt your feelings? You couldn't do a thing without support but I've done a lifetime on my own."

Once more arlia teleported, she was losing people who would keep her safe. No matter what she wasn't letting the secret of the future kill her.

Apollonis smiled kissing her head before getting up "Come on."

"Where will we go?" Alea asked, "I don't want to be anywhere around here. I just buried the unborn baby anything will remind me of what I have just done."

"Somewhere peaceful" Apollonis smiled

"Sounds ideal," alea replied getting up, "I'll let you decide the place. I look terrible and I don't want the others to know until im ready."

"Then I know the perfect spot" Apollonis smiled

"Wait just a moment," alea said receiving a vision and she breathed a sigh of relief and looked to the sky as it began to rain and didn't wait to come down hard on them both but for alea it washed away the signs of her painful event and it was a good thing as Apollaine appeared with xander.

"How did you escape?"
"Some miracle we did," she replied reaching for xander. Alea smiled putting two and two together.
"Apollonis and I are going away for a little while, its... It's been a struggle for some time and I think all the stress isn't good on the baby."
"Can I ask... Do you feel it yet?"
"Oh no Apollaine... You don't feel a baby until many months into it," alea felt a twinge of pain and retreated back to Apollonis after giving her a hug.

Alea watched them both vanish and hugged Apollonis quickly, "that was hard but I needed them to think nothing is wrong an were going away just for some time to ourselves. They didn't even question it."

"No, they didn't" Apollonis said "but would it have been so bad to tell them?"

"You really think you're pregnant?" Xander asked "or are you just curious for the future?"

Alea turned facing away but took his arms along hers holding her in an embrace, "I... I know Apollaine would give me so much sympathy but would they begin to question my ability to bear children? They would all see me as weak."

"No they wouldn't" Apollonis said

"Don't comfort me with the words I want to hear... they would no sooner treat me like the old gods did to one another. Comparing one another, degrading virgin goddesses especially those unable to bear children. Remember Apollonis, they haven't been gone that long..."

"They are not all gone" Apollonis said "merely stepped aside. Athena is a virgin godess highly respected amongst the others for her wisdom. Artemis is another virgin godess renowned for her skills as a hunter. You would be just like them, respected amongst your peers. But if it cheers you up, if any of them dared to degrade you in any way I would start another war."

"I have failed you though," alea replied still putting so much blame on herself, "I was going to be the perfect wife for you with many strong children."

"All I want is the perfect woman by my side" Apollonis said "I don't care about how many children we may or may not have. In case you didn't notice but children of gods tend to turn on their parents."

Alea softly smiled, "and the children end up lovers... Do you really would put up with me until the end? I can tell you now its not going to be boring."

She leant against him feeling the comfort of being close to him. The way she blushed anytime she was near him would never go away and it suddenly made her consider something.

"Before we do try it all again I want to ask you... No plead for you... You've got it all... Everything I have I've already given you but you should tell the world that I am yours. Oh Apollonis, if I was wife then I would make it like we were king and queen, and the only power we qould rule by is justice and love. As I would make you so happy, you would never need another and I'm not sure how it works but as I'm no fully immortal if I ever died... I will make aure you spend a long time missing me before you find someone else to love."

"If you ever died I would bring you back" Apollonis said

"If it was from old age, having lived a good life, I wouldn't want you to," Alea replied.