As soon as Deimos appeared in the room, Tad immediately pulled him close in a hug of relief.
"Don't worry Taddy, I'm fine." Deimos said in a soothing whisper.
"What's wrong with Joxer?" Senscie asked in near hysteria.
"Joxer's pregnant." Ares said with a grand and glorious smile as he arranged Joxer on the couch.
Silence.
"We're gonna have a baby brother or sister?" Phobos said in realization.
"Yes... and nephews, nieces, cousins... It seems that all the newly married couples are pregnant." Ares said with joy.
Senscie got a look of surprise and looked quickly at Anteros.
The look of peace and joy that Anteros gave her burned itself into her soul for eternity.
"We need to check to be sure." Senscie said in warning.
Anteros dropped to his knees before her and held his opened palm before her abdomen.
As Senscie watched the glowing hand move, she held her breath, not daring to hope.
"There it is... our baby." Anteros said as tears of joy fell down his cheeks.
"Can I see?" Senscie asked in a whisper.
Anteros took her hand in his and guided her mind to be able to focus on the baby.
"That little spark is our baby?" Senscie asked in wonder.
"Yes. Our baby." Anteros said with joy.
Tad was still holding Deimos tightly when he felt him start to shake.
"What's wrong Demi?" Tad asked immediately.
Deimos' eyes rolled up in his head and his weight fell fully against Tad.
"Someone help me, Demi just passed out." Tad said in panic.
"Ease him to the floor." Ares said as he moved to Deimos side.
"Is he? Is it?" Tad stammered.
Ares moved his hand gently across Deimos abdomen to be sure.
"Yes Tad, it looks like you're going to be a father too." Ares said cautiously, waiting for Tad's reaction.
"A... a father?" Tad asked, then went pale.
Fortunately Senscie was close by and caught Tad as he fell unconscious.
"Lay him beside Deimos... I guess I'd better check him to be sure." Ares said and moved his hand over Tad.
"He just fainted... thank the gods for that. His mortal body couldn't have handled the formation of new organs." Ares said in relief.
"Besides that, Deimos and Tad are going to have their hands full taking care of *one* baby." Anteros said, watching his brother with sympathy.
"It's too early to be sure of that... Deimos *is* a twin." Ares said frankly.
"So are you." Anteros said, then added, "And Joxer's a triplet."
Ares eyes went wide at the thought.
"Dad, you can't pass out... there's no one left to catch you." Anteros said, trying to distract Ares from the thoughts racing through his mind.
"I've got to go check on Charise... I mean, if Deimos is pregnant..." Phobos said with wide eyes.
"Go ahead Pho... bring her here. And let everyone at Meg's know that Ganymede is going to be okay." Ares said seriously.
Phobos nodded and flashed out of the room.
Tad's eyes began to flutter, then he said, "I just had the weirdest dream."
Ares, Senscie and Anteros shared a look of amusement.
Tad looked to see Deimos beside him and then around the rest of the room.
"Oh gods! It wasn't a dream... I'm going to have a baby!" Tad said in panic.
"Well, Deimos is going to take care of that part, but yes, you're going to be a father." Ares said with amusement.
"I can't... I mean... I work in a brothel... I can't be a good father." Tad said in anguish.
Anteros released Senscie reluctantly and moved to Tad's side.
"Do you love Deimos?" Anteros asked seriously.
"Yes." Tad said without hesitation.
"Do you want this baby?" Anteros asked, sending an undirected prayer to whoever would listen that the answer was 'yes'.
"Of course." Tad said with offense, hurt that Anteros had even asked the question.
"Then you'll be a fine father." Anteros said with assurance.
"Should I marry him?" Tad asked, and shifted his gaze to Deimos.
"That's between you and Deimos. You should really talk to Dad about that... Ares. Him and Mom never married but they were the best parents anyone could ask for. If they'd gotten married... it probably would have been a living Tartarus for everyone. If you decide to get married, do it because you want to be married to Deimos, not for your child. You'll be the baby's father no matter what." Anteros said softly.
Tad nodded, then smiled at Anteros.
"Thanks Anteros. With a brother-in-law like you to give me advice, I can't go wrong." Tad said as he held one of Deimos' hands firmly.
"Let's get him to bed so he won't be stiff and sore when he wakes up." Anteros said with a smile.
Tad scooped Deimos up in his arms and walked to Phobos' bedroom.
"Deimos' room is here." Anteros said from the door Tad had just passed.
"I know, but Demi told me that they put two beds in Phobos room so they could share it. I think he'll need his brother right now more than ever." Tad said as he toed open the door and laid Deimos gently on the bed.
"There's no doubt that you'll be a good husband to him if you decide to marry." Anteros said from the doorway.
"Thanks." Tad said as he arranged Deimos to be comfortable.
"We'll be coming in to feed Deimos power in a few minutes. I'll give you a few minutes alone now." Anteros said and withdrew.
"Thanks again." Tad said as he moved a few strands of hair from Deimos' forehead.
* * * * *
"What happened?" Jett asked in confusion.
"You passed out." Zeus said in a whisper.
"Am I sick?" Jett asked as he tried to shake the fog from his mind.
"No my love, you're pregnant with our child." Zeus said happily.
"Really?" Jett said with wide eyes as he looked at his stomach.
Zeus guided Jett's hand to the spot that housed their baby and guided his supernatural sight to see the child.
Jett's eyes went wide as he understood what he was seeing.
"That's our baby." Zeus whispered as he began to stroke Jett's hand gently.
"Our son." Jett said in wonder.
Zeus looked at Jett in question.
Jett noticed and elaborated, "Can't you feel his presence? He's passion, power, and.... and like you. He's a force of nature."
Zeus carefully merged his mind with Jett's to see what he was seeing.
"Whirlwind... Tornado... Waterspout... our child, our son, he's going to have such power." Zeus said between wonder and joy as he looked at Jett's abdomen.
"Our son." Jett said and drew Zeus' gaze and held it.
* * * * *
"HE'S WHAT?" Hades asked in a booming voice.
"Pregnant." Cupid said in a small voice, still feeling intimidated by Hades.
"How? Wait, I know how, but... how?" Hades stammered.
"The power shift. It caused supernatural fertility." Cupid said as he rested one hand on Strife's slim belly.
"So Strife's not the only one?" Hades asked in thought.
"No, Joxer, Jett, Jace, Tsunami, Ganymede and Asclepius as far as I know... probably a lot more." Cupid said shyly.
"Thank you for bringing him here Cupid." Persephone said quietly as Hades absorbed the news.
"I knew he'd want to be with you both. He loves you so much..." Cupid said as he gazed at Strife.
"He loves you too." Persephone said as she took a seat by Strife's other side to look fondly at her son.
"Yeah. I've been a love god all my life and never knew this kind of love existed... it's humbling." Cupid said in a distant voice.
"Cupe?" Strife asked with his eyes still closed.
"Right here, lay still." Cupid said quickly.
"Bliss?" Strife asked immediately.
"He's with Hestia." Cupid whispered.
"Ah need ta talk ta him." Strife said firmly.
"Shhh. Give yourself a few minutes to wake up, then I'll get him." Cupid said in a soothing voice.
"Ah felt mahself fallin unconscious, an Ah saw tha look in his eyes. He was scared Cupe. Ah need ta let him know Ah'm okay." Strife said with more strength.
"I'll get him now. Your mom and dad are right here if you need anything." Cupid said to Strife, then looked to Hades and said, "Apollo says he needs to drink some Asphodelian Blood Wine."
"I'll take care of it. Go get my grandson." Hades said with a smile.
Cupid froze for an instant. Hades had never acknowledged any kind of relationship to Bliss before.
Soon Cupid snapped out of it and went to collect Bliss from Hestia.
* * * * *
Apollo appeared in the living room of the Halls of War looking exhausted... but happy.
"So what's the news 'Pol?" Ares asked as he fed Joxer power.
"As near as I can tell, the shift in the power base made everyone present in the field that day supernaturally fertile." Apollo said as he sat heavily in an armchair.
"Supernaturally? How do you mean?" Anteros asked from Senscie's side.
"For example, Lust is pregnant by Hera. Apparently..." Apollo said with a pained expression.
"Please stop. Hera's my grandmother and I don't want to have to live with the mental image I think you're about to give me." Anteros said with a sour look.
"I'll stop." Apollo said with sympathy.
"Anyone else?" Ares asked casually.
"Well, of course all the newly married couples are pregnant. It seems that Charon and Celeste are going to have a child even though they never technically had sex." Apollo said weakly.
"How? I mean, what do you mean *technically*?" Anteros asked.
"You really don't want to carry that image Ter, I'm thinking of asking Lethe to give me something to get it out of my head. Some of the members of the house of death have very different ideas about what constitutes sex." Apollo said with a queasy look.
Anteros nodded hesitantly.
"Athena's pregnant." Apollo said quietly.
"What? She holds her virginity up like a banner... or a shield. How can she be pregnant?" Ares asked in confusion.
"I guess the power shift along with millennia of unsatisfied sexual tension combined to cause her to spontaneously regenerate." Apollo said unsteadily.
"She's asexual?" Senscie asked with a furrowed brow.
Apollo considered that for a moment, then smiled and said, "Yes Senscie. In fact, that explanation not only fits the situation, but her personality. Thank you."
Ares chuckled.
"I'm here to see if any of the other members of the House of War have fallen pregnant." Apollo said, back to his professional demeanor.
"Yes, Deimos is pregnant and so is Phobos' mortal girlfriend, Charise." Ares said seriously.
Apollo nodded.
"Did you get anyone pregnant?" Anteros asked, knowing Apollo's reputation for being a horn-dog.
Apollo nodded shyly, then said, "I guess everyone will find out soon anyway. Three muses, a priestess in Thebes and..."
"I didn't catch that last one 'Pol." Ares said curiously.
"I said Pan." Apollo said in a humiliated voice.
"Pan?" Ares asked with wide eyes.
"We were drunk and having a good time and one thing... yeah, Pan. He's a nice enough God." Apollo finished defensively.
"I'm sorry 'Pol, I just never expected..." Ares trailed off.
"I'm actually worried about him. None of the male gods are designed for childbirth, but I think Pan is going to have a more difficult time than anyone else." Apollo said with actual worry.
"If there's anything we can do to help, just let us know Pol." Ares said seriously.
"I'll keep you posted. In fact, I need to check on Ace and Gan, then get back to Pan. I'm really worried for him. He's not physically equipped for this, but he's even less emotionally equipped." Apollo said in a quiet voice.
"If you think it would help, you could bring him here to visit. Being around so many other pregnant male gods might give him a sense of normalcy about it." Ares said thoughtfully.
"I may do that. Thanks Ares. Remember to start feeding them Ambrosia as soon as they wake up, the babies will need it." Apollo said as he stood to leave.
"Even Deimos? His child is a demi-god." Anteros asked quickly.
Apollo stopped and thought.
Finally he said, "Yes, especially Deimos. Him being so young, he'll need the Ambrosia to help him cope with the birth. The child will be born a full god, but the other choice is the possibility of losing them both."
"Thanks 'Pol. When everything settles, we'll bring everyone by for a checkup." Ares said as he stood.
"Please don't. It makes no sense to bring everyone to my temple when I can come over here. Call me if you have any questions or concerns, otherwise, I'll be back later this week to check everyone out." Apollo said, then flashed out.
* * * * *
Tsunami's eyes began to flutter open.
"Nami? How are you feeling?" Erebus asked with panic and concern.
"I'm... I don't know. What happened?" Tsunami asked, puzzled by Erebus' worry.
"You're pregnant." Erebus whispered.
"I'm WHAT?" Tsunami screamed as he bolted upright.
"Nami, you need to stay laying down. Your body is creating a safe place for our baby to grow." Erebus said as he tried to ease Tsunami to sit back.
"How did this happen?" Tsunami asked in confusion.
"Well, when two gods really love each other..." Erebus began with a playful smile.
Tsunami rolled his eyes, then chuckled.
"Apollo thinks that the breaking of the seal made everyone super fertile." Erebus said, then took Tsunami's hand to his lips to give a gentle kiss.
Tsunami smiled at the loving gesture and pulled Erebus down into a slow kiss of love.
After a long minute of kissing, Tsunami suddenly broke the kiss and asked, "How's the baby? Is it going to be alright?"
"Shh Nami. Here, drink this and the baby will be fine." Erebus said as he produced a chalice of blood wine.
Tsunami sat up with Erebus' help and sipped the wine.
"This is really good." Tsunami said with a curious look.
"It's Asphodelian Blood Wine. It serves the same purpose to the members of the House of Death as Ambrosia serves the other houses of Olympus." Erebus said as he guided Tsunami to take another drink.
After finishing the wine, Tsunami rested back and looked into Erebus' eyes with worry.
"What is it Nami?" Erebus asked with concern.
"What kind of a life can we give our child? We're Titans in a world of Gods." Tsunami said darkly.
"I don't understand." Erebus said quietly as he held Tsunami's hand firmly to his heart.
"Our time has come and gone. We have no purpose in this time. Maybe it would be better if we lived beneath Tartarus, at least we'd be among our own kind and in our proper place." Tsunami said as tears filled his eyes.
"Nami? Why haven't you told me you feel this way?" Erebus said with pain.
"I love you so much. Being with you was enough, but now we have to do what's best for our baby." Tsunami said darkly.
"I'll find us a place Nami. Don't worry, by the time our child is born, we'll have a purpose." Erebus said firmly.
"Thanks Erry, you've always kept your promises to me. I won't worry about it anymore." Tsunami said with heavy lidded eyes.
"Sleep now my love. You need plenty of rest so our baby will grow to be a big strong Titan." Erebus said with love.
A tender smile fell across Tsunami's face as he drifted into sleep.