This kind of happened as a side note to everything else. Ugh, its a tough time :(

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The blast reverberated through the field and beyond, reaching as far as the nearby towns and cities, where buildings trembled, and soldiers tightened their grips on their weapons. Deep within one of these shelters, Mattew instinctively pulled his wife, Faline, closer for comfort as she served their children dinner. The sinking sensation refused to settle within his stomach despite having them all here and safe; a warning sign of change, and not the good kind. The whole city felt the shift, a coldness that had once spread across the lands was returning and there was something, darker, about it now.

"They'll be fine," Faline reassured, reading his unease while choosing to ignore her own. "Don't forget who we've got defending us out there."

The dread thickened, pressing like a blade against his throat.

"That's what I'm worried about. What if-" he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper, as if speaking it aloud would make it real.

Faline raised an eyebrow, undeterred. "Are you a Seer now, Matthew?"

He gave a weak shake of his head. "No."

"Then don't you worry about things you do not know," she said, but her hand lingered a moment too long over his, her own doubt slipping into her voice. Something had just happened and she knew the victory bells were not about to ring through the streets. "Do not worry."

Worry was exactly what everyone was doing as they began to rise back to their feet. The blast had knocked them all down, the lesser Powers slower to move or regain consciousness; some didn't.

Like her.

Elise hardly touched the ground before Cain grabbed her. Everything had moved too fast, while Cain knew he hadn't moved fast enough and Hades knew no one could have done more in that moment. They had withstood the blast, now first responders, while their family, friends and allies still fought to recover.

None of them mattered to either of them right now, not like she did.

Hermes was next to appear, missing it all as he slipped between portals in his pop up attacks but he knew he'd faced a new battle now. It was as clear to him as it was Hades - arms didn't bend how hers now did and Cain's desperation filled the air with her name that he repeated over and over again.

"She had a plan." Hermes wiped the tears back, not caring what any thought of him now. "I have orders. Her orders."

Hades was at a loss for words.

The infuriating little creature was still and silent; neither things she was good at nor would he ever expect from her. No, she was chaotic and dangerous, unpredictable. Where was the fierce warrior that challenged him without fear? His skin still bears the mark of their first meeting, only now he wore his failure with pride. He cared for the girl, probably too much.

"Okay, but it feels like I've just hit a nerve, so what aren't you telling me?"

So many things, even now he'd never say them just like he skimmed over it all back then too.

"It's in the past, Elise. I am quite accepting of you these days. Most of the time, anyway and while my intentions did not start off entirely, friendly, that has changed too."

Because it had changed. She was his friend. She was family with or without their actual ties, and now he knew she'd be exempt to simply become another to take up space in the depths of his realm. Tartarus would ensure it would not be done, and if not he, Gaia or another. Elise would become nothing more than a ghost to linger in his memories; another crack within his heart. He reached for her soul, prepared to demand it stay out of all of their holds, but there was nothing there no matter how he tried.

Realising this, Hades didn't even move as Hermes bumped past him, daring to crouch down beside Cain, who only pressed his hand to her cheek, as he searched for a breath, a heartbeat, anything to prove she was still with him. His power flooded her body, seeking connection, desperate to get a sense of her essence, her being, a reaction to give him a way in to heal - anything.

How did she get so cold so fast?

The last time he tried this hard, she'd responded. Cain thought back to that moment that nearly killed him. Worth it. Her eyes had rolled back, she could barely focus yet still she had to have the last word. Her fight had still been there despite all she had endured.

"I. Really. Earn. Ear. Earned that-drink."

"You've earned more than a drink, Hunter."

No words came now. There were no smart ass comments, random thoughts or infuriating suggestions on what to do next. Instead her mouth remained parted just so. Silent.

Is the blood all hers? His thumb brushed the dirt from her chin, away from her mouth yet it stayed stuck on the remaining dampness of her skin. Eyes that normally light up at his presence, were now void of seeing. They didn't seek him out, didn't hold the promises of always and a love he had never dreamed possible.

He couldn't see the fire from her anger, or the mischievous glint when she was plotting. The darkness that soothed his own didn't linger on the edges of her consciousness, with the deep brown hue that was fading away to grey in a way which promised to haunt him forever.

"Cain, please." Hermes begged, daring to reach out and take her limp hand only to be pushed away.

"Apollo!" Cain's roar was a command. It was the law. He would not be disobeyed, and despite the distorted dreams Apollo still remained within he heard this and was instantly in a reality that now contained his nightmares. "Fix it. Heal her."

That's all that was needed. Someone who could do this better than he could. She had left them before. The gold from Cronus' weapon had filled her body quicker than he could stop it, but Apollo had. He'd done the impossible and he'd do it again. Apollo would always bring her back; there wasn't another option.

With a shaking hand, Cain pushed back her hair, the bruise on her neck making him think of the one Apollo who'd been hiding as Logan, had the night of the Warlocks. Such a fragile, mortal thing, a broken neck. Elise was no mortal. She was not fragile. Even if the state she was in now suggested otherwise.

"I'm so tired." She swallowed back her tears; the exhaustion of the last few years all over her face.

He'd felt it. His, hers, it had been too much but now wasn't the time to rest. "I know, Elle. We all are."

The calmness that followed the demand caused Hades to step closer to his brother; in readiness to defend Apollo if it came to it, or to attempt comforting Cain - he wasn't sure. He knew nothing Apollo did now would best his own efforts.

Poseidon appeared, and no one questioned his reaction as he fell to the ground, with loud, devastating sobs.

Deimos gently helped Kara stand, Circe joined them with her pride seconds later. A soft whimper left Odysseus as they neared.. Cain's command hadn't just been a call for Apollo, it was a beckoning to them all - drawing them back into consciousness and to her side. Weren't they supposed to all burn brighter as one?

Ares and Athena stood guard but no one here was a threat. Not anymore.

Uranus was gone.

"I can't." Apollo felt his twin's hand on his back, never more thankful to have her there. Artemis had returned to her senses at the right time. "C-Cain, I- she's, she's."

Elise was what, exactly? Apollo had promised he would always be there when she needed him to be. How many times had he healed her, brought her back from whatever had been waiting on the other side. Death may be constantly seeking to claim her but maybe that was why they had been brought together. He'd never let her go, in the same way he'd never abandon Artemis. Their time had been his greatest lesson, he was still learning. Changing. Growing. He still needed her. They all did.

"I love you, Bunny. That was never a lie."

"I know and I love you. Just, not how you need me to."

And yet - Apollo paused, his hand shaking as he dared touched her stomach. It was faint, but there was still life. Hidden. Protected. His powers flared at the discovery that had nearly been missed; Cain had missed and Hades could also now just detect. The more Apollo tried, the easier it became as the last of her essence and power seemed to fall away as if sensing her final duty was done.

Time was not on their side now.

Hermes looked at Apollo, eyes sharp with understanding. This was her plan and Elise's only request was to ensure the child's survival even if she couldn't be saved. Even in the seconds she had, before her mind could process anything that was happening, she only sought to protect the baby.

"Let me take her," Hermes says, his voice low but resolute. "There's still a chance, Cain. Not all is lost."

His words fell on deaf ears.

Cain's focus was unmoving, fixed on Elise's face, refusing to let go, to even consider releasing her or what any of this actually meant. The world around him had fallen away, leaving only the stillness in her features that were usually so animated and full of life.

Life.

His other hand slid to hers, lifting it as their fingers entwined, as though that touch alone could summon her back as he screamed internally, his own body shutting down.

"You have to stay with me, Elle."

What was his purpose now if he could not be with her?

"Let me take her," Hermes says again, his voice low and broken as his cheeks were wet with tears he didn't wipe away now. "The baby Cain. Let me save the baby."

Kara took a step forward, knowing Hermes needed help that apparently no one else was going to give. "Cain. She needs to go and birth your son. Elise needs you to do this."

"Ours." He mumbled, the words barely heard. "Our son."

"Yes." Circe nodded, biting her lip as she pushed down her own pain. Her heart was shattering at what this meant and as she rested her hand on Kara's shoulder, the other woman held onto it like a lifeline. "Elle needs him to survive."

"Take Apollo. Both of you, do whatever you can." Hades instructed the pair, his own mask of indifference snapping back into place. "I'll give you as much time as I can to take her and go."

Hades knew as they all did what had to be done and it was at this moment Ailin shifted the pile of folders on her desk, nearly knocking them off when a small piece of paper slipped out. Leaning over to pick it up, it wasn't just a piece of paper. It was a card, the scent of something otherworldly about it as she lifted it to her nose and then turned it over to find a drawing. It was a Tarot card, she'd seen plenty of these cards in her time only now The Empress image began to fade as she looked at it. "Oh no."

"Oh no, no." Doctor Katy dropped her cup of coffee as the two men appeared before her in the corridor. Her eyes instantly blurred, yet years of training kicked in as she tried to comprehend what she was looking at.

"Where do we go?" Apollo asked, adjusting the weight of Elises body slightly as he held her in his arms. "We don't have much time."

"Right. I-" She faltered, for a second as she looked at Elise again. There's an unnatural stillness to her body that she doesn't want to acknowledge, just like the way her arm hung slightly off to the side. The doctor didn't dwell on it as she rushed in close to her, checking for a pulse she knew she wouldn't find. "How long?"

"It's hard to say, minutes?" Hermes answers, fussing over keeping the portals closed behind them to get more time than what Hades could offer. "Apollo is doing what he can but it's getting harder."

"Apollo. The Healer. I- I am. We need to get her to the theatre." Doctor Katy runs, sounding an alarm that has the nursing team assembling as they burst through the doors into the hospital.

Hermes falls behind, stopping as Elise is placed on a bed and Apollo is given instructions by the ones now in charge. He walks over to Ailin instead, not saying much as they all vanish behind push doors that shut with a heavy sigh.

"They'll bring her back." Ailin says softly, inching closer to the doors she can't bring herself to go beyond.

"I don't think they can this time."

Ailins shoulders shake with silent sobs as her hands hide her face; Hermes stares at the ground and does the same. The second they hear footsteps coming their way, they both put on their masks and forget what they just saw of one another. The air is thick with grief that neither of them dares to voice. Words made it real.

Ailin stands frozen by the doors, her fingers grasping the cold frame as if it might steady the ache spreading through her chest. Her voice is barely a whisper, an attempt to believe in something, anything.

"They'll do it," she finally says. "Or Elise will find her way back. She always does."

It's how it always happened, and in a few weeks time Elise would pop up in her office, sit on her desk and attempt bringing all this up to talk about it, with a series of non-sense hypotheticals and random side chats until Ailin would have to be direct on exactly what they needed to say to each other.

"I am scared that a time of reckoning will soon be upon you. The price this life demands you pay seems to grow with each challenge it throws your way." Ailin feared the future, knowing the girl would run out of her luck at some point.

"Well, that doesn't make it sound even worse than it already did."

Hermes and Ailin turn sharply, remaining in sync as a wave of magic in the air does nothing to settle them. A golden light appears, right before Aion steps through a portal with the Bunting family in tow.

"I just caught you and Apollo leaving, and realised Plan B was happening.." Aion said softly to Hermes, who stood back as Ailin took over with the mortals. "I never made it back properly, and when I did it was too late."

Hermes wanted to yell, say something hurtful in place of the apology that was on the tip of his tongue and give his pain an outlet, but instead he just nodded. "Thank you."

"How bad is it?"

Hermes just shrugged, and started to walk away. "Hades gave us time. We need to give the doctors time, Apollo time. Take his rage as best you can, we can't let him in until we know if-"

If the baby survived.

If there was hope for her?

Understanding, Aion took a deep breath and braced himself for what was coming, the pair cautious as they sensed a new portal appearing only it held none of the threat they were expecting as Elise's friends joined the group.

The red headed one paused as she passed the men, yet shook her head and went to where the Mother was crying and the brother had slumped down against the wall. Hermes looked at Elise's father and shivered.

"I can't. I can't do it, Elise."

"Yes, you can. One portal. That's it, the doctors will do the rest."

"She asked us for a reason." Hermes continued, swallowing down the memory of when she'd put this plan in place. "And since that battle didn't kill me, he probably will for taking her. I'll risk it for them."

Aion held his staff close. "As will I."

"Apollo!" Penny's shrill cry got everyone's attention and only his arm reached out to grab Elise's parents. They disappeared. "Where's Cain? What is going on?"

It was worse than either of her parents had imagined as they appeared outside the theatre. Crisp white walls and stainless steel equipment glinted under the fluorescent lights. They couldn't see their daughter, the medical team kept her out of view yet the nurse that greeted them looked more hopeful than Apollo did.

"You'll need to get these on, if you are to go in." She smiled gently, directing them away from the window and into a small change area. "Let me know when you're ready, and I'll get you to wash your hands before going in."

Victor looked one last time at Apollo who stood at one end of the bed. His mouth slowly moved, the glow that normally radiated around him less clear under the bright lights of the theatre. With a shiver, he followed the pair, not sure he wanted to go in there and face the reality that was waiting. At least Elise wasn't alone, Apollo was there.

It was the only place he could be as he worked on healing her. Elise's skin wasn't broken and the bruises could no longer be seen. The blood and dirt were gone. She didn't need to be awake to feel him reset bones, and heal the fractures. Too close. She'd been too close when Uranus dealt this final blow and he didn't think anyone would have been able to withstand it. He'd been a fair distance back and his own body still wore the marks and ached with the memory of the hit.

"Almost got you little one," Doctor Katy dropped her scalpel on the tray. "There. Baby is out."

Apollo felt the relief in the room, yet something was quite right. Where was the dramatic announcement of the infants arrival; the big breath and cries?

"No cry,." she murmured, the relief in her voice evaporating as she made a quick inspection of the baby and began delivering her orders. "Clamp the cord, quick. Get the resuscitation kit—now!"

Apollo's heart hammered in his chest as he strained to see the tiny, limp form. "What's wrong? What's happening?" His voice broke, the toll of the day starting to sink in at the worst possible time.

The nurse worked quickly, and the doctor placed the baby on the waiting warmer. "Come on, little one."

Apollo followed, not liking how weak the baby felt as his power covered it. "Let me."

"I need to check the airways and-" Doctor Katy froze as Apollos hand began to glow the closer it went until he held the tiny fist within his hand and closed his eyes.

"Hecate." Hades growled, startling all of them as the light in the room dimmed. "That witch is all over him."

"That means?" Apollo didn't want to be too hopeful right now; he couldn't be.

"It wasn't like that for her. I want to say, maybe." Hades sighed.

"Doctor?" A nurse called from the doorway, startling all of them as Elise's parents stood together behind her.

And then it happened.

The newborn cried. It was faint, a gurgling gasp but he tried, and tried again until he destroyed the silence of the room; raw and primal, as if he already knew the price his mother had paid for him to survive and demanded his own revenge for it.

Hades turned to see Elise's mother running closer and stepped back as the doctor took over from Apollo. He watched as her Father went to her side, not even looking at the nurse that had still been tending to Elise and gently laid the sheet over her. The room had become a place of hope and misery, split between life and loss, as they all prepared to welcome a new soul to the earth, while knowing they were also bidding farewell to another.

Doctor Katy turned with tear filled eyes and a broken smile. Wrapped in a soft white blanket, she gently patted the buddle she held, in an practised effort to comfort that never would replace the feeling of a parent's arms.

"Hello, Mrs. Bunting." She greeted softly, gently shushing as she cradled the baby.

"He's okay?"

Now Doctor Katy smiled, preparing to hand over their grandchild yet instead the lights began to flicker and even deep within the hospital they heard the cracking bang of thunder. It suddenly got cold, so much that each rapid breath was seen in the air. Instead of handing the baby over, the doctor now held it tighter as the remaining nurses instantly grouped together like a herd of sheep sensing danger.

Exhausted, Apollo stood firm unsure of what or who may be coming or where he could take them all that would be safe. His jaw ached with how tightly he clenched it, which wasn't helped as Hermes and Aion joined them seconds later. Their panicked entry seemed to ease into anticipation with the doctor earning all their attention with the screaming creature still in her hold.

"He lives?" Hermes asked, his disbelief unable to be hidden.

"Yes," Apollo nodded yet they all looked at Elise now; the reality hurt despite his success with the baby.

He couldn't save her this time.

"The baby is–" Doctor Katy began, but her words stilled when Cain entered.

They all stopped as he entered; even the baby.

His presence was heavy, charged with his pain and rage. It commanded silence, and submission. Instinctively her gaze fell to Elise, silently begging her to step in now as like the others she understood the hold Elise had over whatever Cain was exactly. She'd been doing her research and the history books never mentioned him, which only made him that much more terrifying now.

Fear that she'd forced away after their first few meetings returned with force, her hands trembling as she sought to keep hold of the baby. A tense quiet settled over the room, with each figure around her, actual gods, seeming to hold their breath just as she did.

That is, all except one whose former mumbling gurgles of quiet protest, erupted back into a battle cry.

"Leave us." Cain whispered yet they all heard.

"Cain-" Hermes started only to disappear and not of his own choice.

They all did until it was only Apollo, the doctor and Cain remaining.

Doctor Katy caught Apollo's eye, and he gave the slightest nod. He'd do what he could for her, and despite her nerves, she swallowed it down. Her steps were slow, not as confident as she'd like, as Cain stood by Elise's side. He pulled back the sheet, and held her hand, not even looking up as she stopped beside him.

"There is nothing you can do for her?" He asked softly.

"I wish I could, but Cain." Doctor Katy didn't get to keep talking as Cain looked at Apollo.

"I healed her." He offered, thankful her skin wasn't broken and the bruises could no longer be seen. Even the cuts the doctor had just made were gone now. "She isn't-"

She isn't what?

Coming back this time?

Suffering anymore?

Able to see her baby?

Apollo swallowed the lump in his throat, unsure what all this meant. Hades hadn't stepped in to comfort them, he hadn't gone to demand she returned. Apollo knew that would be because it was out of his control and if the King of the Underworld could not fix this as he had tried, then she was gone.

It was a reality that like Cain, he wasn't able to understand right now.

"Hecate-" Apollo stopped.

"I wondered." Cain's voice broke just so as he silenced. Of course he had wondered, and if there had been so much as a whisper of her involvement, he wouldn't be there now.

Hades had already tried that path.

"Stay here. Give the child to her parents, you know them. They like you. Aion will stay to help. Hide you all as you hid before." Cain spoke slowly, as each word left his mouth without him even realising he was speaking. "Artemis is not to touch him. I do not trust her with the baby. If anything happens here, go underground. Gaia will be forced to act and if she does nothing, remind her I will come for her next."

"Cain-" She tried again.

He met the doctor's eyes, and she felt the aching sense of loss deepen within her as this was not the man she had first met, or had even seen hours ago. She'd seen grief before. She'd cried for couples whose baby never made it or for those now forced to do it alone. Yet all of her past seemed to fade into just this moment as his eyes held hers. They were completely vacant, his soul if he ever had one, gone. It was as if she was staring into a void of nothing, yet Doctor Katy saw the shadow of Elise in his gaze as the woman beside them was reflected back to her in the harsh surgical light still on over the body. She wished she could offer some form of comfort while knowing no words would be enough.

Apollo couldn't shake the deep sense of responsibility for his younger sibling that was still so new and foreign to him. "Of course. What will you do?"

"End this."

Cain looked at Apollo, unsure what else to say knowing the weight of his request and what it meant. Regardless of the outcome, he wasn't expecting to ever come back.

"Your son needs you. This isn't what she wanted." Apollo pushed.

Closing his eyes, they all saw the tears running down Cain's cheeks. "I'm sorry. I-I I'm sorry."

He couldn't do it. He couldn't be here and Apollo knew the apology wasn't for them. Cain kissed Elise's forehead. His tears dampening her skin as a sob he couldn't contain escaped. The baby cried harder, and before Cain could go, Hades was back.

"No. You are hurting, we all are, but you will not run from this. Be better. For her. For your son!" Hades yelled now; startling all of them as he rarely raised his voice. "You are not alone. You do not have to face any of this alone."

Doctor Katy inched closer to Apollo as Hades hugged Cain. She didn't know them, but from the tension in the room, and Apollos' clearly shocked expression, she was quick to assume none of this was normal, even more so as Cain, albeit reluctantly, hugged him back.

The moment was short lived, as Hades stepped back. His power sparked in reaction to death being so near, and the more he focused on moving beyond the veils between the realms and all that was, he finally found her. It was weak, but it was there and it only grew stronger until it was almost as if he could reach out and touch her if he wanted to - as if she was right there, with them. Hades' gaze stayed fixed on the space just beyond her, his expression darkening with a mixture of fear and unease as he tried to guide her to where she needed to be, but she remained just out reach. Yet something new, different, was coming closer in her place which kept him wary.

"Insufferable creature." Hades murmured, looking around as if he expected to see Elise walking through the doors as Cain fell to her side, holding her hand in his.

Cain felt something too.

Her presence engulfed him like a breeze, a security blanket that only felt like home and eased his pain wherever it touched.

"You have to come back to me, Elle. Please, Elise. Come back."

The room fell silent, the weight of Cain's pleas hung heavy in the air. His voice cracked, broken as maybe it was the situation, or Hades' promise that stripped away the last of the walls he always kept in place around him. Even the baby's cries softened, as if sensing the shift, leaving only the sound of Cain's shaky breaths as he clung to Elise's lifeless hand and begged her verbally and silently, with every inch of his being for her to come back.

"Elle," Cain continued, his voice softer now, filled with something fragile yet powerful. "I need, we need you to come back to us."

All he received in return was her silence.