---

Dru lay in the middle of 'her' bed staring at the ceiling. ~I can't believe this is all really happening. I'm really laying in a bed on Olympus. This is all happening. I'm not having a freaky dream or passed out in the middle of the forest at home.~

She tried to sleep but she was just too freaked out. She sat up and grabbed her bag from where she'd thrown it at the foot of the bed. She pulled out her book at started to read.

A little while later she heard a knock at the door. "Dru? Time to wake up!" Cupid called.

Dru stuck her bookmark in the book and put the book back in her bag then hoped up and walked to the door. "I'm up." She told him as she opened the door.

Cupid looked surprised. "Wow you wake up fast!"

"Umm yeah...So what now?"

"Well I already got Bliss up he's in the dining room waiting for us."

Dru frowned. "Uh How old is he? You left him alone there?"

"He's two and no he's not alone. Strife dropped by and he's watching Bliss while I come get you."

"Strife? God of Mischief? Black leather with safety pins, like to torment mortals, is said to be very insane, Strife?" Dru asked squeaking slightly.

Cupid laughed. "Oh he's really not that bad. It's his job to make mischief on mortals. And yeah he's sorta insane but he's cool once you get to know him and he's great with kids."

Dru nodded and prayed he was right. ~Yeah I love him on TV and in fanfic but how the heck do I know if he's like in the fics and if he is which ones?!? Everyone writes him different. One person makes him a sweet fluffy bunny who only acts scary around mortals who annoy him others make him an evil psycho out to make everyone miserable. Or any of a thousand others ways!~ Her mind babbled at her.

They finely got to the dining room and saw Strife sitting at the table with Bliss. Strife was nearly falling out of his seat laughing at something Bliss had said.

Cupid grinned as he saw Strife and Bliss. "Having fun I see. What's so funny?"

Strife grinned at Cupid still giggling. "Teh kid here was tellin' me 'bout how he was playin' with his Grandma Dite's make up and switched the labels around so Dite turned her skin purple and her hair pink yesterday!" Strife cackled.

Cupid laughed. "Yeah it's funny now but you weren't the one with bleeding ears from her screaming."

Dru tried to keep from giggling. Some how she thought laughing at the Goddess of Love wouldn't be good for her love life. Well not that she HAD one but she wanted one someday!

Strife finely managed to calm him self down then noticed Dru. "So you must be teh future girl. Nice ta meet ya!"

Dru gave a small smile and a wave. ~Ok. Ok He seems nice so far. Bliss likes him. He hasn't given me any terror inducing looks so maybe in this world where ever it is Strife is nice.~

Cupid saw the look on her face and put a hand on her arm gently tugging her to the table. "Bliss, Strife this is Dru. Dru this is Bliss and Strife." He then pushed her into a chair.

Bliss grinned at her. "Hiya! I'm Bliss! You's pretty. Where ya from?"

Dru smiled at the sweet young god. "Thank you. I'm from...umm well somewhere very far from here."

"'Kay. So you's gonna be living with me 'n daddy?"

"Yep. At least until Zeus finds out how and why I got here and how he can send me home."

"Kewl! You can be my friend and we can play and you can tell me stories!" Bliss happily gushed.

Dru nodded keeping a smile glued on. ~Ok gods only know how long with a two year old. Oh yippy. sigh. Why couldn't I be one of those girls who are just mushy over kids? But noooo I have be me Miss No Maternal Instincts what so ever.~

Cupid flicked his wrist making plates appear on the table in front of him self, Strife, and Bliss. "What would you like to eat?" He asks turning to Dru.

Dru chews her lip and thinks. Most of the food she eats doesn't exist yet. Hell she's a teenager she eats almost nothing that's not made by man. "Umm fruit? Gods you never really realise how little natural food you eat till there's no junk food... Oh gods! No Junk food! Oh man!"

Cupid and Strife looked at each other and shrugged neither of them having a clue of what she was talking about. Cupid made a plate of apples(A/N the regular human kind not golden), grapes, and other fruits.

Dru smiled. "Thanks." Then nibbled in a apple piece.

She sat back in her chair watching while Cupid, Strife and Bliss ate what looked like Jello, fruits, toast, eggs, and what looked like some kind of juice.

~Huh...who eats jello for breakfast? Wait a minute...pinkish jello...Ambrosha! Ok note to self stay far away from pinkish jello stuff.~

"So ya from teh future huh? What's it like there? Any cool junk?" Strife asked her with a grin.

"Umm well there's a lot of cool stuff. TV, Computers, the internet, fanfic, amusement parks, radio, CDs, tapes, fast food, junk food, chocolate, breakfast cereals, really there's thousands no billions of wonderful things from my time."

The three gods looked at each other then back at her. "Uhh....what's well any of that?" Cupid asked.

Dru bit her lip trying to think of how you can describe things that won't be invented for thousands of years. "Umm well...ok a computer is a...box that you can put info into or take info out of. Umm it's made of metal and plastic and wires and umm this isn't making any sense is it? Ok the internet. It's this...thing that you get on via a computer and there's thousands upon thousands of web pages and sites and you can find just ANYTHING online and it's also where people post fanfic."

They give her more confused looks.

"Oh god. Ok Umm fanfic. Ok this should be easier to understand. Fanfiction is stories written by fans of...plays where we either want more of...show..err..plays where there isn't any or we want to fix what we see as an error. We may not like a couple together or we may want a couple together when their not. So we write our own stories with the ending we want or just to keep a play we love going when it's over and we want more."

"Ohh I get it! Cool! So like you're one of these fanfiction writers?"

Dru grinned and nodded, happy that she'd finely been able to describe something. "Yeah I love writing fanfic. I write for a bunch of show...um...plays. Lets see at the moments I write in about four fandoms. Writing is so fun. You get to make things happen the way you want. it's almost like us mortals getting to play god in a way."

Strife grinned. "Oooh playin' god? Naughty, Naughty. Don't ya know ya can get in trouble fer that?"

Dru laughed. "Oh we can? Oooh then I'm in sooooo much trouble!" She grinned and giggled. "I just love playing with the characters lives. Making the ones I hate miserable, making the ones I love happy and with the characters I think they'd be good with. It's so fun!"

Strife turned to Cupid. "I think I love this girl! Ya just gotta love someone with a evil streak!"

Dru laughed. "Oh I'm far from the evilest person. Heck I'm not even as evil as some of my friends! I'm really quite nice. Umm unless I'm PMSing then you should be running for your life."

Strife giggled. "Teh last part sounds like Ma."

~Hmm...I wonder if I should be worried that I'm being compared to Discord...~

Bliss was peering at her from the other side of the table while he slowly shoveled fruit and Ambrosia into his mouth.

Dru noticed him staring at her and stared back.

Bliss stared back at her. This went on for a few minutes before Bliss asked, "Do you's know any stories?"

"I know a few...." Thinks for a moment then mutters under her breath. "And one or two might actually be ok for kids."

Strife heard her and giggled his head off.

Bliss tilted her head studying her. "Do you's know any songs or games?"

"Umm Yeah I know some songs and games."

Bliss grinned and bounced in his chair. "Oooh tell me tell me!"

Dru quickly scanned though all the song she knew trying to think of a kid friendly one. "Ok umm Boom Boom ain't it great to be crazy. Boom boom ain't it great to be crazy. Giddy and foolish all day long boom boom ain't it great to be crazy. Way down south where bananas grow. A flea stepped on a elephants toe. The elephant cried with tears in his eyes. 'Why don't you pick on someone your own size?' Boom boom ain't it great to be crazy. Boom boom ain't great to be crazy. Giddy and foolish all day long boom boom ain't it great to be crazy. Late last night I had a real strange dream ate 9 lb marshmallow mama gave me. When I woke up I knew something was wrong. I looked around and saw my pillow was gone. Boom boom ain't it great to be crazy. Boom boom ain't it great to be crazy. Giddy and foolish all day long boom boom ain't it great to be crazy."

Dru took a deep breath and marveled over the fact she still remembered a song she learned as a baby.

Bliss clapped and laughed. Strife was rolling on the floor in hysterics and Cupid was rolling his eyes and laughing as he watched Strife.

Dru looked back and fourth between the three of them. "I take it you liked the song?"

Bliss nodded and smiled brightly at her. "Oh yah! Was pretty! And Funny!"

Strife wheezed still in hysterics on the floor.

Cupid tore himself away from watching Strife long enough to smile at Dru. "It was a cool song. Did you write it?"

Dru laughed. "Oh gods no! I learned it as a little kid! It was one of tons of songs I listened to when I was little."

Strife suddenly cringed and nearly flew to his feet from the floor. "Gotta jet. Unk's screaming fah me again. Nice ta meet ya Dru see ya Blissy. Bye Cupe." And Flashed out.

Cupid looked disappointed but quickly hid it and turned to Dru. "So uh are you enjoying your stay here so far?"

"Yeah it's really very nice. Umm well I still miss home and hope Zeus can send me back soon but it's nice here."

Cupid nodded. "I'm sure he'll find something soon. Don't worry. Till then just relax and think of this as a vacation."

"Umm yeah...er ok I guess I can do that..." Dru really didn't see how she could have much fun without sugar, caffeine, tv, the net, or even so much as a note book and a pen to write with but she would try to enjoy her self somehow.

Cupid suddenly got a wide eyed look of horror as he looked at the sun dial. (A/N ok so kill me I don't know if the gods would use sun dials or what but for the sake of this fic they all of Apollo given magic sun dials that even work in doors.) "Oh gods! I forgot I have a meeting with my worshipers today! Oh man! Umm I can leave Bliss with Hestia but uh...would you be ok on your own or should I send you with Bliss to Hestia's?"

~Ex-squeeze me?! He thinks I need to be baby sat?!? How rude!~ "I'll be fine on my own. No need for me to go with Bliss to Hestia's."

Cupid looked a little worried but was too busy getting Bliss to eat faster to say anything.

When Bliss had finished eating Cupid cleared the table with a wave of his hand. "Ok I'm taking Bliss over to Hestia and telling her about you. If you need anything just pray to her or mom ok? That door over there leads tot he garden if you want to go out there and pretty much just don't touch any bottles of arrows or anything ok? Ok I'll be back in a few hours see you then bye." Cupid and Bliss disappeared in a bright red flash small hearts floating to the ground in his wake.

********************

Dru aimlessly wandered though halls and rooms bored out of her mind and to scared of cursing her self to touch anything other then her own bag which she still lugged everywhere with her.

She finely ended up back in the dining room staring out the door at the sunny garden. She hated the sun. If she was outside she liked to stay in the shade. She burned in no time flat when put in direct sun light. She sighed. "Oh well. At least sun burn will keep me from being bored with I'm picking peeling skin and moaning in pain..." She muttered as she pushed the door open and stepped out in to the light.

She blinked painfully at the brightness and dug in her bag for her sunglasses then slipped them on. She looked around the garden then started looking to see if there was any kinds of plants that she knew.

She made sure to keep from touching or smelling anything in-case it was dangerous in any way.

She saw roses, lots and lots of roses, lavender, what looked like mint and rosemary, other flowers she couldn't I.D., and lots of herbs and different trees. It seemed to have everything.

She finely sat under a large shady tree and pulled out her book to read for a while. She pulled out a bottle of water and sipped it as she read.

Dru sighed sticking the bookmark back in the book and laying it aside after only a few minutes. She's never had the longest attention span and now she didn't even have a tv to flip though the channels or billions of web pages to look at.

She ran her fingers though her hair trying to think of SOMETHING to keep herself from going insane from boredom.

She looked though everything in her bag, put on the lip balm, put in the perfume, ate some snacks, drank some water, and even tried reading again.

"UGH! Ok this is so sucking! Why couldn't I be a person who's entertained by anything?! Oh no I have to be the girl with NO attention span!" Dru whacked her head against the tree she was sitting under then rubbed the back on her head in pain. "Great. Now I've concussed my self!"

She got up off the group and started pacing. "Ok desperate times call for desperate measures. Ok Umm...Well I've always wanted to try Yoga and I have lots of time now...But I don't know HOW to do yoga. Umm I could medatate...but look at what happened last time I tried that...I ended up here. UGH! Ok Um...singing? Yeah ok..I'll just try to sing every song I know. That'll take forever! Yeah ok..." She sat back down and started singing starting with the first song that popped into her head and just kept going.

********************

She's sung for about an hour before she got tired and took a break to drink some water and rest and think of more songs she knew.

She looked at her watch and saw Cupid had been gone for an hour and a half now. He just HAD to be home soon right?

Being that her legs were going numb from sitting still so long she got up and started to walk around while she started to sing Harder To Breathe.

She flopped down on the ground throwing a arm across her eyes and sighing. She's been though every song she knew twice and She was bored out of her mind. She'd even done the Disney songs!

"Hello. Are you alright?" She shrieked and jumped almost a foot in the air when someone spoke to her.

She spun to face who ever had scared 5 years off her life and her mouth dropped open. There stood a tall, very blond, VERY tan hansom man in white leather pants and a gold vest smirking at her. Apollo. This could only be Apollo. No one else could look like this.

Apollo raised an eye brow at Dru. "Miss? I asked if you're alright. You were laying in the ground and well you're like totally pale."

Dru quickly went from vampire pale to beet red. "Uh yeah. Yes. I'm fine. I was just...bored. And paleness is normal for me."

Apollo slowly looked at her from head to foot then back up again. "You could use some sun but all in all not bad." He slowly walked around her still eying her up. "Not bad at all. So I hear a rumor that you're from the future. Is it true?"

Dru swallowed hard and tried to stop blushing before she passed out from all the blood in her body rushing her her face. "Um yeah it is. I'm from 2003. Well closer to 2004 really."

Apollo paused and looked at her closely. "Really. How interesting. So. What's your name little girl?" (A/N Yes blatant stealing of lines from Cupid in For Whom The Bell Tolls. !)

"Um...Dru. You? You're Apollo right?"

Apollo's smirk turned into a grin as he shifted his weight and crossed her arms once again eying her up. "Got it one princess."

Dru didn't think it was possible to blush harder but her did.

"So what's your time like? Is it very different from here?"

"Well you could say that..." Dru trailed off dreading another round of trying to describe things that won't be invented for ages.

"How so?" Apollo asked.

"Umm well there's really no way to put it that won't make me want to cry and confuse you." Dru just blurted out then closed her eyes expecting to be hit by a fire ball from a cranky Sun, and a bunch of other stuff god.

Her eyes flew open when Apollo laughed. "You don't have to look so freaked. I'm not gonna kill you or anything."

Dru licked her lips nervously. "You're uhh not going to do anything to me?"

Apollo slowly walked closer to her and leaned in. "Well not kill. I didn't say I wouldn't do ANYTHING. Where would the fun be in that?"

Dru was having visions of horrible torture and pain without death flash though her mind.

Then to her shock instead of flashing her away to some torture chamber he leaned in and kissed her.

His hands wound though her hair pulling her close. His body pressed up against hers. His mouth made her feel things she never thought a simple kiss could make her feel. All this happened in under 30 seconds. Then he pulled back.

She stood there gaping for several seconds before she dropped to the ground in a dead faint.

********************

The first thing she became aware of was yelling.

"What did you do to her?! I'm supposed to be taking care of her then I come home to find you've done something to her!" One voice yelled.

"I didn't do a thing to her! She just fainted! And She's Fine! I checked her over and there's not illness or injuries. So will you just chill?!" A second voice yelled.

"How can you say nothings wrong when she unconscious?! You MUST have done something to her for this to happen!" The first voice was yelling again.

"Look I'll check her out again while you watch. No illness what so ever. No injuries. Her vital signs are normal. She's FINE!"

Dru slowly opened an eyes and saw she was laying on the bed in the room Cupid had given her while Apollo and Cupid glared at each other next to the bed.

She pushed her self up to a sitting position and pushed her hair out of her eyes and looked over at Cupid and Apollo. "Uhh guys? I'm fine. Really. Umm...how'd I get in here?"

Both guys spun around when she spoke. "Dru! You're awake! Oh thank Zeus! Mom and Grand Dad Zeus wouldn't have skinned me if anything happened to you! And We bought you in here. You apparently fainted in the garden. I showed up right after you did and we bought you inside."

Dru suddenly remembered WHY she'd fainted and turned red.

"Dru?!? Dru what's wrong? Apollo! Somethings wrong! Fix her dammit!" Cupid yelled when he saw her turn red.

"Cupid chill it's called blushing! It's what pale people do. With the amount of time you spend with Strife you should know that." Apollo said rolling his eyes.

Dru covered her face for a moment then quickly slid off the bed. "Uh um I'm fine. Everything's fine. Has anyone heard for Zeus yet?!"

Cupid shook his head. "Nope. Sorry Gramps hasn't summoned me or sent any word about having found anything. If it's gonna happen it'll happen."

Dru pushed down a urge to scream and chewed on one of her nails.

Cupid pulled her hand out of her mouth. "Stop that! You'll ruin your nails!"

Dru glared at Cupid. "Ok MOM. I just wanna know when you became the boss of me? Even my own mother doesn't tell me not to bite my nails anymore!"

Cupid looked a little embarrassed. "Uh sorry. I was Raised by Aphrodite. And I'm a dad..."

Dru shot him another glare and went back to chewing on her nails.

Apollo was grinning at her again. She tried to avoid looking at him but it was like a car wreck. You just can't look away.

Cupid looked from Apollo to Dru and back again. "Ok what's going on? What did I miss?"

"Nuh-nothing! Nothing's going on! Nothing at all!" Dru said quickly.

Apollo's grin got wider.

Cupid looked at them again looked confused. "Ok something is going on here and I want to know what it is!"

Apollo straightened up and shook his head. "Nothing is going on Cupid. You should relax more dude. You'll kill your self with stress." He said before flashing out in a blindingly bright gold light.

Cupid frowned then sighed. "I'm sorry I was gone so long the meeting ran long. Were you ok by your self? Are you sure Apollo didn't do anything to you?!"

"It's fine. I mean you shouldn't have to rush home just for me. No Apollo didn't...hurt me. So uh where's Bliss? Is he still at Hestia's?" She asked quickly changing the subject hoping he'd forget about Apollo.

"Hmm Bliss? No he's in his room. He's painting. Umm which means I'm gonna have to clean the walls again...he never quite seems to get the paint on the scroll..."

"Oh that's nice...Umm I used to paint as a kid too. So umm uhh why aren't you with him? I'd think you'd want to spend time with your son when you're not working.."

"Oh yeah I love spending time with him but well when we got home you were passed out in the garden." Cupid told her.

Dru cringed. "Oh sorry. You should go play with him. I'm fine. Nothing wrong with me. So go on have fun."

Cupid frowned. "I don't want to just leave you alone again...It's not right for you to be on your own all the time..."

Dru shook her head. "I'll be fine." ~No I won't. I'll go insane!~ "You just go spend time with your son. He needs you."

Cupid bit his lip looking like he was thinking about it and getting a headache from the thinking. "Oooh! I know! You can hang out with Strife while I'm playing with Bliss!"

Dru blinked. "Umm didn't your dad call him to work or something?"

"Hmm yeah but he's probably done by now and if he's not then dad can watch you. Err I mean hang out with you."

Dru pinched the bridge of her nose. "Cupid. I. Do. Not. Need. A. Baby. Sitter! I maybe young compared to you. In god years I may even be a baby. But in Mortal years I'm an adult."

Cupid looked doubtful. "Umm yeah but you shouldn't have to spend hours on end alone...You should be with SOMEONE."

Dru knew he was right on the one. She'd nearly gone mad from boredom before. "Umm well yeah I guess so. But as long as we're clear that I don't need to be baby sat?!"

Cupid grinned and nodded. "Sure no prob. No Baby sitting."

Suddenly she disappeared in a flash on light and appeared in a black room batting hearts out of her eyes.

********************

"Heya Cutie. So Cupe wants me ta hang wit ya?" Dru jumped nearly a foot in the air and spun around as Strife spoke. He was sprawled across Ares thrown one foot on the ground and one over the arm and his body was leaning over to the side. The whole look presented like he had to have no bones in his body to sit that way comfortably.

"Umm hey. Uh yeah Cupid's playing with Bliss and didn't want me just wandering around on my own bored out of my mind."

Strife giggled and sat up. "So whatcha wanna do? Wanna meet Mania? She's fun. Ya'll love her. Come on." He bounced off the thrown and grabbed Dru's arm and flashed out of the temple.

They re-appeared in a bright white and gold temple. And Strife started dragging Dru down the halls.

Dru's mouth opened but she didn't know what to say. She'd read TONS of fics about Strife. And She'd even read one or two about Mania. Mania Goddess of Insanity. In the fics she'd read Mania was completely insane and either kept in a padded room or just had her powers severely decreased so she couldn't hurt her self of anyone else.

Dru chewed on her lip as Strife dragged her though the halls seeming to know exactly where he's going.

They reached a door and Strife banged loudly. "MANIA! Yo! Mania! Open up!"

The door opened to show a tall, blond, tan, thin but shapely woman who looked to be in her late teens maybe early twenties and was wearing a pure white long dress and gold jewelery. "What?! Oh. Hi Strife. What's up? And who's your friend?"

Dru's mouth dropped open. She was completely sane!

"Mania meet Dru. Dru meet Mania. Dru here is from teh future. Mania here is teh Goddess of wackos."

Mania rolled her eyes at Strife then looked at Dru. "The Future? Is that true? How did you get here? Isn't Grandfather Zeus freaking out about you being here? Couldn't it mess with the time line?"

Dru was still shocked by Mania being sane. "I-I. Uh... Y-Yeah. Yes. I am from the future. Zeus is looking for how I got here, why, and how to get me home. I-I Umm yeah I guess it could..."

Mania blinked then shook her head. "Why don't we all get out of the hall. Come in." She stepped back so Dru and Strife could enter.

Dru looked around a brightly lit office type room. It was pale, pale pink and white with comfortable looking chairs and a desk. The desk was covered in scrolls rolled and unrolled with a ink pot and a quill.

Mania walked behind the desk and gestured to the scrolls. "I was just going over the list of people who I need to curse with insanity that the Furies sent me. A lot of people getting cursed this week it seems. Meh. And a fair amount of cursing requests from other gods who've been annoyed by certain mortals. It's really quite good timing you showing up now. I could use a break."

Strife giggled and flopped into a chair. "Anyone I'd know goin' nuts soon?"

Mania raised an eye brown and glanced at the names on one of the scrolls. "I don't believe so. You know I'd have to inform you if anyone was one of yours and Ares would be screaming so loud that you'd know if it was any of his."

Dru sat down feeling lost and deeply confused. When Strife said Mania she'd been expecting someone like Drusilla on Buffy. Not a bright, cheerful, sane woman like this.

Mania smiled at Dru. "Is something wrong? You seem...upset about something."

"I Umm well aren't you supposed to be completely insane?" Dru asked hesitantly.

Mania laughed. "Oh I get that all the time. Just because I'm the Goddess Of Insanity don't mean I'm insane. I'm quite sane as you can see. I mean Hera is the Goddess of Marriage and Childbirth but she's got a crappy marriage and hates having kids and is not the best mother. Ares is the God Of War but he's not all war he loves his children, he loves his family, heck his son IS love! Hermes is the God of Thieves and Liars. Does that mean he never tells the truth and he steals anything he gets his hands on? No! Strife...well uhh he CAN be normal sometimes.... And it works the other way as well. Aphrodite is the Goddess of Love. But she can be a grade A Bitch at times. She can be hurtful and mean and use and throw away people if it suits her. Then she can also be sweet and caring and loving. The point is our godhoods don't make us exactly like our jobs. We are who we are. We CAN be exactly like out job or we can be the poler opposite."

"Oh." Was all Dru could manage to say.

Strife snorted. "Ignore Manie. She just loves ta go off in teh lecture on what eva she happens to be talkin' 'bout. Comes from spending centuries in teh House Of Brains I think."

Mania sighed painfully. "It is House Of Intellect Strife as you very well know. And I do not lecture. I was simply stating the facts to clear up long heard misconceptions about me and the other gods."

Strife raised an eyebrow at her then snickered. "Sure. Whateva ya say."

Mania seemed to push down an urge to beat Strife and smiled. "Was there a particular reason for your visit today?"

Strife grinned. "Well ya see I'm mortal sittin' and thought buggin' you would be a fun aftanoon fah Dru here."

Mania shook her head with a look of amusement. "You area a very strange young god you know that Strife?"

"Well duh." Was all Strife had to say while he grinned.

Mania laughed lightly. "Well if you've annoyed me enough I really must be getting back to my work before it piles up too high. I already have a incredibly long list of people that I have to find and make insane. And I just know if I don't leave now someone else will show up with even more people for me!"

"Then we'll get outta ya hair and let ya get back ta work." Strife said just as there was a know at the door.

Mania moaned and banged her head on her desk. "Come in!"

The door swung open and Apollo walked in. "Hey Mania I need a fav....Dru. And Strife. What are you doing here?"

"Oh hi...uhh Apollo. Umm Strife was introducing me to Mania." Dru said using every ounce of self control to keep her self from blushing.

Apollo smirked. "Don't you mean Strife is driving Mania as crazy as she drives mortals?"

"Umm well yeah I guess..." Dru trailed off still trying to keep from showing how embarrassed she was being near Apollo after what had happened in the garden earlier.

Apollo seemed to be endlessly amused by Dru's discomfort but turned his attention to Mania. "Mania. I need to make this guy crazy. He like totally insulted me! And he slept with one of my priestesses! Dieing is like just too good for him. Make him as crazy as crazy can get. And not the happy kind of crazy. No the kind where they see a bunch of scary bad stuff."

Mania nodded sighing and handed Apollo a scroll. "Give me his name and I'll get to it."

Apollo quickly wrote something down then handed the scroll back. His gaze once again returned to Dru. "So Dru. Are you feeling better after that little...fainting spell you had earlier?" He asked with a smirk.

Strife shoot Dru a razor sharp look. "Ya fainted? What happened? What's wrong wit her 'Pol?!"

Apollo looked slightly startled at Strife's reaction. "Nothing's wrong with her. She's fine. She just...fainted."

Dru pinched the bridge of her nose losing the battle against blushing. "I'm fine Strife. It...it was the heat. I was in the garden and umm I'm just not used to being outside I'm more of an indoors person. And uhh this whole things isn't the most normal things to be happening to me..."

Mania choked down a giggle. "Uh Strife I'm sure she's fine. Now if everyone can be leaving my office I have work to do."

They all stood up and trailed out. Dru glanced back and did a double take when Mania winked at her. ~What the heck did that mean?! Oh no...could she some how know?! She is a mind type goddess....she might have read mine of Apollos minds and know what happened in the garden!~

"So what ta do now...what ta do now...Oooh! I know! We'll go bug Cuz Xeen and Blondie! Ya can watch Xeen get cranky at me!" Strife said starting to bounce on his feet looking excited at the idea.

"Xeen? Xena? The Warrior Princess? The Woman with the sharp metal circle thing she throws at people who annoy her?" Dru asked slowly.

Strife waved a hand. "No biggy. I'm a god. She can't kill me."

"Yeah but she can kill me!"

"Nah. Not really. It'd make her look bad and put a dent in teh whole 'I'm a hero. I help people now.' deal she's got going if she killed a innocent chick." Strife said with still bouncing slightly.

"Umm yeah well then I guess ok...if I'm gonna live though it I'll go." Dru said slowly hoping she wouldn't regret this.

Apollo leaned against a wall and watched the two of them. "You shouldn't make the poor thing to down and force her to be around all thoses...mortals. It's awfully cruel even for a war god."

Dru blinked then slowly waved her hand while Strife snorted and rolled his eyes. "Umm hey. Uh Mortal here. Umm and until I got here everyone I ever knew happened to be a mortal."

Apollo laughed and slowly walked closer invading Dru's personal space. "I'm going to assume most mortals are somewhat like you correct? Have you spent much. No make that ANY time with mortals in our time?"

"Uhh well I guess mortals are like me..umm Joxer. He's the only mortal I've really been around...I saw other people but didn't really get up close and friendly or anything." Dru said slowly while she tried to back up without letting Apollo and Strife know quiet how freaked out she was.

"Uh-huh. Then you know nothing about mortals. Like do you have ANY idea how dirty they are?! They never take baths unless they fall in a lake. I think maybe one of two mortals I've met have an idea of bathing but most of them are just filthy! And they're violent. Always killing each other. It's just not a place for a little girl like you." Apollo said leaning in even closer to Dru.

Strife's hand shot out and grabbed Dru by the arm pulling her away from Apollo. "Ya don't hafta worry 'bout her I'll be watchin' her and Xeen and Teh Bard tend ta be pretty good with teh bathin' thing. So ya got no reason ta worry 'Pol. Well we gotta go. See ya!" And with that he flashed them out leaving Apollo looking annoyed and batting away the black sparkles.

********************

Click Here to go back to the Fanfiction Page or to any other part of the site.