Chapter Text
Ares was becoming concerned. It had been three days since Joxer had given birth to their daughter and he was still worn out. As a god, he should have recovered by now.
He could remember when Dite had their children. She was up, bouncing around, within a day and flashing around doing her godly duties within a week. Even Xena's mother hadn't needed more than a few days to recuperate. Then there was...
He decided it wasn't a good idea to be thinking of his other paramours and their resultant offspring, not while lying beside his husband. Besides, they had only been flings, he and Joxer were for eternity.
The God of War looked on as his husband slept. He noted the lines of pain that were on the younger god's forehead. Ares reached out a large hand and soothed them out. Joxer sighed happily.
*****
Joxer opened his eyes and jumped a little at how close Ares' face was to him. It wasn't often that they got to wake up together. The war god had many duties and was usually up long before Joxer, especially since Joxer had become pregnant and couldn't attend to his own duties.
"Good morning." Ares' voice was subdued.
"Morning." Joxer smiled and arched his back, stretching a little. He winced as the muscles in his abdomen protested.
"Joxer?" Ares had sat up at the first sign of Joxer's pain.
"I'm okay." Joxer curled up a little, scrunching up his stomach muscles seemed to help ease the discomfort. "I'm still sore from giving birth. Imagine that." Joxer's bright smile wasn't as convincing as it typically was.
"Hmmm, maybe I can help that." Ares laid a gentle hand on Joxer's tummy.
A fiery hot spike of pain stabbed through Joxer's stomach. Ares gasped and jumped off the bed when his husband cried out in pain. Joxer's half scream, half yell, startled Tempra, who began to cry in a tiny, wavering noise.
Ares yelled for Apollo and Asclepius with his mind.
*****
Strife was feeling bad, more than bad, he was feeling horrible. Early this morning he had been awakened with the lovely feeling of not being able to breathe.
'Everyone should try it, at least once.' Strife thought to himself sarcastically. 'It gives ya a whole new appreciation fah just bein able ta breathe on a regular basis.'
Cupid had recognized the symptoms and helped him to sit up before hastily calling Ace, who had put the oxygen mask back on Strife's face as soon as he arrived. It hadn't helped very much. So, now Strife was leaning against Cupid, being upright helped his straining lungs but wasn't very comfortable. Cupid's buff body just wasn't padded enough.
Panting slightly, in spite of the oxygen, Strife closed his eyes and listened to the other gods talking. Cupid's hand was rubbing up and down his spine and it felt so sweet that Strife was finally able to relax. Cupid's hand slid down a little farther and rubbed over one butt cheek slowly. Strife giggled.
"Stop that you two!" Ace pretended to scold them. "Save it. For pity's sake, don't start another one until we get this baby out."
"Ace!"
Asclepius snorted at Cupid's scandalized tone. "Oh please. Don't give me that attitude young man. I've been around dad long enough to recognize a quick grope when I see one."
Cupid huffed, apparently not very happy at being compared to Apollo. Who could blame him? Apollo wasn't exactly the most discrete lover around. Sailors in a whorehouse were subtler.
So now, Strife had the image of Apollo, dressed as a rough and tumble sailor, leaning against the wall of a whorehouse, trying to get a lady for the night. Strife snickered at that and desperately hoped that portrait wouldn't stay permanently etched in his mind.
"Okay, let's try this."
Strife opened his eyes and saw another pile of pillows that were leaning against the wall at the top of the bed. Cupid eased him over on to the pillows and Strife tried to get comfy. It still wasn't very comfortable though and the other two gods tried to help.
Cupid pulled out some pillows at Strife's waist and stuck them in at a different angle. Asclepius was busy fluffing the pillows under Strife's head and adjusting the oxygen mask.
The pregnant man closed his eyes and endured the *helping*. He hadn't been *that* uncomfortable before and now he just wanted them to leave him alone.
Flash.
Strife saw the bright light through his closed eye lids and looked to see who had appeared. It was Aphrodite. She frowned at the two gods and rolled her eyes.
"What are you doing, Cupie?"
Cupid flinched. He really, really hated that nickname. "We're trying to get Strife comfortable. He needs to sit up to breathe better."
"Oh. Hey! I've got an idea. Sit him back up." Dite gestured extravagantly with both hands.
Strife took a breath to brace himself. With a flash the pillows were gone and in their place was a...
"What is that?" Asclepius managed to sound curious, instead of horrified.
"It's a headboard, a padded one that Strifey can lay against."
"Good...grief..." Cupid did sound horrified.
Strife was the only one who could hear what Cupid said though. He prepared himself and looked over. Strife decided that he should have kept his eyes closed.
The new headboard went halfway up the wall and was thickly padded. It sloped down onto the bed at an angle, so Strife could lay against it with ease. That was great and would have been really nice. The only problem was...it was covered with downy feathers, *pink* downy feathers.
Just looking at it made Strife nauseous.
He exchanged a quick look with Cupid, who grimaced. They couldn't refuse the gift, Aphrodite would be very hurt. Strife hadn't been married very long, but he knew better than to upset his mother-in-law. Especially one who could curse you with impotence!
"Uh, it's real nice, Dite." Strife finally said, when it was evident that no one else was going to comment.
"Try it out." Dite bounced happily.
"Okay." Cupid leaned him over and Strife sank into the soft covering. Then he kept on sinking. Strife opened his eyes and all he could see was fluffy pink. It was really fortunate that Strife was wearing an oxygen mask, otherwise he would have been smothered by the stuffing.
"Oh darn, that won't do at all." Aphrodite put her hands on her hips and tapped one sandaled foot. "I know, lean him forward again."
Strife almost threw up when he was moved again. 'I feel like I'm on a boat.' He thought bemusedly.
This time when he leaned against the support, Strife didn't sink in nearly as much. He moaned happily and snuggled into the fuzz, as everywhere that needed support, got it.
"Thanks mom." Strife nodded in agreement.
"No problem boys. Later." She waved airily before disappearing in a cloud of rosy fragrance.
*****
A little while later.
Strife was dozing while Cupid and Ace fussed around him. He would have been asleep already if they would just calm down. Sighing, Strife looked over in time to see Asclepius stumble.
"Are ya alright theah, Ace?" Strife asked the God of Healing.
Cupid grabbed Ace's arm to keep him from falling on Strife. "What's wrong?"
"I felt somebody...uhm..." It looked like Asclepius was trying to protect Strife again. The mischief maker knew he wasn't supposed to get excited, but this was ridiculous.
"If somebody needs ya, go on. I'm okay."
Ace and Cupid rolled their eyes and looked at each other. Strife's utterances of 'I'm okay' were truly frightening because they usually preceded an horrific amount of pain for the young god.
Cupid frowned and concentrated. Strife could see that he was doing a summoning search. If a god listened hard enough to the vibrations in the air, they could tell who was or had been calling another god. Most gods didn't because it wasn't considered polite, but it was easy to tell that Asclepius was worried about saying anything in front of a very ill Strife.
The horrified look on Cupid's face worried Strife more than anything else. "What's tha matttah?" Cupid tried to put on a mask of indifference but Strife could see right through it. The young god tried to sit up.
"Is it Bliss?" Strife's voice had a semi-hysterical ring to it. Across Strife's mind, images of Bliss falling while flying or getting crushed under a collapsing temple or...just all sorts of pictures, each worse than the last, flashed one after another.
"Baby!"
Strife jumped and looked over at Cupid. "Bliss is fine."
"I'm...that was silly ah me. Ya wouldn't be standin theah, mostly calm if Little Feathahs was hurt." Strife took a deep breath and calmed himself. "Sa, it's eithah Joxah or tha baby."
Ace bit his lip and looked from Strife to where another scene was playing out inside his mind.
"Go!" Strife urged, frowning at the other god. "Neithah Unc nor Joxah would be callin if it wasn't urgent."
Asclepius nodded once and flashed out. Cupid sat down facing his husband. Both gods were scared for Joxer, the baby and Ares. Because Ares would go insane if anything were to happen to the other two.
*****
Ace flashed into Ares and Joxer's bedroom. The scene was utter chaos. Apollo was examining Joxer who was curled up in a ball and rocking back and forth. Ares was pacing worriedly at the foot of the bed and the new baby was crying her little heart out.
The scene with Strife and Cupid had only taken a minute. There was no way that Ace would neglect a cry for help for longer than that. It just seemed longer to the gods and goddess in the room.
"What's wrong?" Ace hurried forward to stand on the opposite side of the bed from his father.
"I'm not sure yet." Apollo was frowning, little frown lines marred his forehead. A sure sign of how disturbed he was, because the vain god took great pains not to let himself show age.
Apollo took hold of Joxer, putting one hand on his hip and the other on his shoulder. No, it's not what you think. Apollo was being completely professional.
(Alright, you can get up off the floor now, it wasn't *that* funny. Apollo has been known to be professional, and no, not *that* kind of profession, on occasion. Errr...sometimes...oh, alright, once in a blue moon. Satisfied now? Sheesh, try to help a guy's reputation...)
Apollo was being completely professional, mostly because Ares was glowering and growling behind him. Ares wasn't exactly sane where his loved ones were concerned.
And then there was Aphrodite! The things she could and would do in retaliation for her favorite ex-mortal were frightening to contemplate.
Asclepius patted Joxer on the leg and pushed Joxer's sweaty hair out of his eyes. "Shhhhh, we'll make it better. Come on, Joxer, you need to calm down. Being this upset will only make it worse." Ace was a voice of calm in among the chaos.
Joxer stopped thrashing around. He took a deep breath and consciously made himself relax. "The baby..." He twisted his head, trying to look behind himself where his daughter was crying.
Ares raced over and picked up the little godling. Her father's soothing presence reduced the wailing to soft snuffles. Ares rocked her back and forth in his arms as he paced at the foot of the bed.
"I've got her Angel." Ares reassured Joxer.
Joxer relaxed and the pain lessened even more. "Let-let me see her a minute."
Asclepius moved to one side so that Ares could lay the baby on the bed beside Joxer. "I'm sorry sweetheart. Did daddy scare you?" Joxer cuddled his daughter. The bright green eyes of the baby blinked up at her father.
"Now you know how your poppy and I feel when you start crying in the middle of the night." Joxer kissed the baby, who cooed happily. "It's okay now."
Ares took his daughter back from Joxer and smiled tremulously. Joxer tried to reassure him. "It's really better, I'm not hurting so much now."
"We need you to roll over on your back. Okay?" Apollo and Asclepius carefully maneuvered Joxer onto his back. Luckily moving him around didn't appear to cause any additional pain.
Ares opened the door and called for a helper. One appeared almost immediately. The war god handed the baby off to the person who appeared, one of Joxer's priestesses. The young woman was wearing a traditional floor length, off the shoulder, white toga that represented the purity of her spirit. The trustworthy priestess took the baby into another room until the healers were finished with Joxer.
Apollo eased down on the bed, careful not to jostle his patient. "I'm going to examine you now..." He extended his left hand over Joxer's abdomen.
"Don't touch!" Joxer tensed up and his faced scrunched up in pain.
"Relax! Relax. I'm not going to touch you. See..."
Apollo's hand hovered a couple of inches over Joxer's tummy. He wasn't close to touching him, not even when Joxer exhaled. Joxer nodded his assent. Apollo closed his eyes and concentrated.
"You have a bad urinary tract infection." Apollo moved his hand up and down, still not touching Joxer. "It goes from your kidneys all the way down to your urethra." Apollo opened his eyes and smiled. "Nasty and hurts like Tartarus, but we can fix it. It's just going to take time."
"Are you sure?" Ares was squatting beside the bed, absently rubbing Joxer's blanket covered foot.
"Yes, brother, I'm sure. It's really rare for a god to get an infection, but when they do it's always a whopper."
Asclepius smiled and nodded. He knew all about nasty infections, having cured Strife of them for decades.
"So, what do we do?"
Apollo frowned for a minute, trying to decide on the best medicine to give the former mortal. Asclepius waved his hand and a small stoppered bottle appeared in his hand.
"Add 5 drops of this to a goblet of water, four times a day. That should clear the infection up, eventually."
"Okay." Ares took the bottle and magicked up some water. He tilted the bottle and watched as the thick substance slowly trickled out. He added the drops of bright red liquid to the water and swirled it around until the medicine was dissolved.
"Eventually?" Ares looked up sharply. "What do you mean, eventually?"
Ace sighed unhappily. "As dad said, godly infections are hard to get rid of. It will take at least several weeks, possibly more."
Ares helped Joxer up and watched as he drank the liquid. Joxer licked his lips and smiled. "At least it doesn't taste bad. Not like some of the medicine I took when I was a kid." He flinched and hunched over a moment.
"What about the pain? Can't you do something for that?" Ares rubbed Joxer's back sympathetically.
"As a matter of fact..." Another bottle appeared, this time in Apollo's hand. He handed it, along with a small spoon, to Ares. "Give him one spoonful whenever he's in pain, but not more than 3 spoonfuls a day."
Joxer put up a shaking hand to stop Ares from giving the drug. "Will I still be able to breast feed the baby?"
Apollo patted Joxer on the shoulder. He hastily removed his hand when Ares stared pointedly at it. "Uhm, yes, it won't affect the baby."
"Okay." Joxer gladly took the syrupy liquid.
Almost immediately, the God of Peace felt, well, peaceful. Ares helped him lay back down and it was easy to see that Joxer wasn't hurting as much any more.
"Great. I'll be going now." Apollo waved a hand, cleaning up the mess he had made. Of course, the mess consisted of two or three drops of spilt water, but where Ares was concerned it was better to be safe than sorry.
"I need to go as well. I have to get back to...uhm, where I was when Ares called." Ace's eyes shifted around the room, not looking at Joxer's enquiring gaze.
"Were you with Strife?" Joxer grabbed Asclepius' arm when it seemed like Ace wasn't going to answer him. "Well, were you?"
"Yes, but..."
"But nothing! Get back there and let Strife know everything's okay."
Ares, Apollo and Asclepius looked incredulously at Joxer's 'okay'. Joxer blushed. "You know what I mean. If he gets too upset he could lose the baby."
Ace smiled and patted Joxer's hand where it rested on his arm. He shook his head over the two gods, each more worried about their friend than themselves.
"Don't worry. I'll make sure that Strife is okay." With that Ace flashed away. Apollo quickly followed suit, leaving Ares watching over an already sleeping Joxer.