Title: Happy Birthday Joxie
Author: Caliadragon
Fandom: Xena/Herc
Catagory: AU Mpreg
Pairing: Ares/Joxer/Apollo
Sequel to Truth and Celebration
Warnings: Mpreg, Fluff baby
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the pretty people others do.
Dedication: To Mpreg List. Happy Birthday and thanks for a place to post. To Johnathon Ryan Nathaniel Brown. My nephew born on March 4th. He's gorgeous.
Summary: Its Joxer's birthday and everyone gets together to celebrate.
Happy Birthday Joxie
by Caliadragon
Joxer sighed and shifted onto his side trying to get comfortable. Now seven months pregnant, he was having more difficulty getting around and getting comfortable. The fact that he was extremely bored didn't help things any. He sighed again and wished for the hundreth time that day that he hadn't tried to go see Xena and Gabby earlier in the week.
A flash and sparkle of reg and gold brought him out of his thoughts and he turned to see his bestfriend appear. Dite took one look at Joxer and growled. "Joxie, why are you chained up?" She asked shocked.
Joxer sighed and blushed. "I tried to go see the girls a few days ago. Ares and Apollo didn't like it so they chained me up. Heph gave them the chains." Joxer told her pouting slightly. "I'm bored Dite! i just wanted to spend sometime with them before my birthday."
Dite growled. Her nephews were idiots! Possessive idiots at that. Of course Joxie was bored. No one was allowing him or strife to do anything. Since they were the first male pregnancy's in over two millinea everyone hd gone into overprotective mode. Even Zeus, now that they had broken the spell that Hectate had placed on him in one of her bad moments. Zeus was the man he was when he saved them all from the Titans so long agao.
Dite sighed again. She really should have suspected this would happen. After all Cupid had done the samething to Strife not a month ago. And wasn't it just frightening to think that Ares was following his sons example, not the other way around.
Turning her attention back to Joxer she shook her head over the image he made. Ares and Apollo had a thing for leather and long hair. Joxie couldn't wear leather comfortably, so they got the long hair. It fell in a light pool around his shoulders. It was held off his face with a gold circlet that bore the emblems of both his husbands houses. In the middle was the symbol of his godhood. His dark eyes shone with an inner light and he looked so cute with his lip stuck out in a pout. Deciding that enough was enough she summoned Heph to her.
At that moment Heph was actually with Ares and Apollo. "Dite's calling me. I think she found Joxer." The three gods shifted nervously and looked away. "She sounds pissed." Heph told them when another call cae through their link.
"We'd better go face her together. Maybe Joxer will keep her from hurting us to bad." Apollo said hopefully. Both of his brothers snorted at that. Joxer was more likely to help her inflict pain after the chains were removed.
When they appeared, both Joxer and Dite grinned evilly. While the three men were debating facing Dite, Dite had called in reinfocments. All three men gulped when they were faced with not only Dite and Joxer but Hestia, Hectate, Eris and Hera as well.
The three wondered if it would be to late to disapppear. From the looks on their mates, mother and aunts faces it seemed highly unlikly. "Boys what exaclty were you thinking?" Hestia asked sternly.
The three gods had to resist the urge to squirm like naughty boys. Aunt Hestia was so good at being stern. "He was going to go to Xena." Ares growled. He was war damnit. He wasn't supose to be scared of a pregnant god and a buch of goddesses. On the other hand as War he knew when he was out numbered and in deep shit. Like right now.
Hestia raised an eyebrow. "So you decided that the your husband the one you promised to cherish and protect should be chained up instead of visiting your daughter?" she asked sternly.
"If I didn't cherish him I wouldn't have chained him up!" Ares bellowed suddenly. "Its to dangerous. Xena was in the middle of a war zone. Do you know what could have happened? I wasn't going to take a chance of him being hurt. I don't care if it does make everyone angry. He's mine and no one hurts whats mine!" Fire flickered in the volitile gods eyes.
Apollo stood beside his brother in support. "He could have been injured or been taken by someone. We're not going to let that happen." Apollo's voice was cold and calm. Heph decided to continue to throw his lot in with his brothers and stepped between them to indicate his support.
"I just wanted to spend some time with them before my birthday. I do know how to do a time buble spell you know." He told his husbands, then looked away. They were never going to treat him like an equal. He sighed and looked down at his stomach sadly. Was he only a bed warmer and a baby factory to them?
"Perhaps you did only wish to protect him, but in the end you showed him no respect. That was not only foolish, but an on going theme with the two of you recently. I think we should take Joxer away from you the way we had to take Strife away from Cupid." Hera said quietly.
It was definalty the wrong thing to say. the next thing the goddesses knew they were expelled from the temple and a barrier had been erected that none of them could get through. "Mommy!" Harmony cried as she suddenly appeared beside them. On the other side of her was Ate and several other female goddesses.
"All the guys just disappeared and we can't get back into the temple." Ate growled. She had to figure that the women had found out about Joxer and had threatened to take him away. "You threatened to take Joxer away didn't you?" Ate asked them.
When Hera nodded Ate crossed her arms and scowled. "Great now how are we going to finish getting Joxie's party finished? Daddy and Uncle Apollo won't let a female within a hundred yards of that the temple now." Harmony pouted.
"Party?" Eris asked confussed.
"Yeah Daddy and Uncle Pol are planning a sirprise party for Joxie to make up for him not getting to go spend time with Xena and Gabby." Harmony giggled. "Daddy said Joxie was a little upset with him cause they used the chains to keep him in the temple."
Eris groaned. "Man did we blow it." she groused.
Joxer stared in shock as Hera said she was going to take him away from Ares and Apollo. Before he even realized it he had expelled every woman in the temple and erected a barrier. The male gods in the temple all suddenly appeared in the main room.
Phobos looked over at his dad with a raised eyebrow. "Pop was that you?" he asked. When Ares shook his head everyone looked over at Cupid. The Love god was holding his largly pregnant husband against his left side and his son against his right.
"It wasn't me, but it was a good idea. I felt the hags arrive." Cupid growled. He still hadn't forgiven them for taking Strife from him. He wasn't even speaking to his Mother or Eris.
The gods all winced at the anger in Cupid's voice. Strife snuggled deeper into his husbands arms and grinned up at him. If he had ever doubted Cupid's feelings for him, his doubts were quelled by Cupid's full out asault on the goddesses that got between the pair.
Apollo was watching his young spouse. Joxer looked extremely upset and exhausted suddenly. He stepped away from his brothers and walked to his husband. He was pleased and surprised when Joxer burrowed into his arms. "I only wanted them to get you to take the chains off. I didn't think they'd try to take me away after what Cupid did to their temples." Joxer said in a small, weak voice.
Apollo just kissed him gently and removed the chains. Joxer sighed in relief and snuggled closer to Apollo. He hated being chained up it always made him feel helpless. Now though all he could think of was how nice it was to be held by his love. "Joxer?"
"Hmm?"
"Did you throw them out of the temple?" Apollo's words froze everyone. As did Joxer's response.
"Yes, not going. They can't make me. Sick Gabby and Auto on them." Joxer murmured before falling asleep. Ares' laughter filled the temple. Afew minutes later the barrier fell. Ate and Harmony immediately came back to them.
"Ah Joxie's all worn out. You should put him to bed Daddy." Harmony said laughter in her voice. The gods all grinned. The Goddess of Innocent Pleasures always managed to lighten the mood around her.
Ares agreed with his daughter. He also shared a look with his Apollo, the pair had heard Joxer's thoughts and realized just how badly they had messed up. Neither god had wanted Joxer to think he was only an incubator and a bed warmer. They hoped that the birthday party made up for the way they had panicked.
Cupid growled and stepped in front of his husband when the elder goddesses arrived again. Hestia sighed and wondered again why she ever allowed Hera and the others to go along with the separation. She was glad that Joxer expelled them from the temple before the other women could try to act on her suggestion. Hestia did not pause; she stepped away from the others and walked over to position herself in front of Apollo and Joxer. "I allowed you to sway me once into making a cruel separation. I won't do it again Hera. The child doesn't want to leave his husbands."
The room went quiet with shock as Hestia's words filled the temple. Cupid looked at his great-aunt in surprise. Then Dite and Eris were in front of the pair as well. "We've lost our boys by following your orders, we won't lose Joxie too," Dite told her sister.
Hera had the grace to blush and nod. "Joxer won't be going anywhere," she soothed.
Apollo and Ares smiled in response. They were startled by a sudden mental call from Xena and Gabby. "Dads! Help!" With a flex of power the two women appeared in the temple. They were laden down with gifts, and hurriedly dumped them into their cousins' arms. Phobos and Demios snorted out their amusement.
Xena saw Joxer first. She scowled when she saw the circles under his eyes and growled at the pain lines bracketing his mouth. Gabby was going to go ballistic. "What's wrong with Joxer? He looks sick. Why didn't you call us? What the hell is going on? Auto, get your ass over here!" Gabby growled as she stalked over to her father and Joxer. Auto flashed in a few seconds later and followed her over.
All around them gods and goddesses alike were shifting nervously. Gabby and Auto were going to go on a rampage. "Well?" Gabby growled at Cupid who was closest to the pair.
Cupid gulped and blurted out, "Joxie's uncomfortable cause of his pregnancy. He was going to go see you a few days ago, so the Dads chained him up, then Mom and the elder goddesses said they were going to take Joxie away and he spit us out of the temple, then he fell asleep and dropped the shield." It may have been pathetic to fear her, him being a senior god, but well she was vindictive, especially when it came to Joxer.
Auto, Gabby and Xena all looked at Apollo and Ares in silence. Then Xena shook her head. "Dads, you shouldn't have chained him up. It brings up bad memories. The guys that killed him, chained him up. His Dad used to do it too right before he beat him. If you didn't want him to go, all you had to do was ask him. He would do anything for the two of you."
Ares and Apollo groaned. "We panicked. If we lost him it would kill us. I mean we know he's a god, but he's vulnerable right now and it scared us when he was headed down to see you in Thrace," Apollo answered for them.
"You did the right thing," Gabrielle said and turned back to her cousins. Not noticing the shocked looks on the faces of those around them. "Alright you two, don't just stand there, we've got a party to finish preparing." She then goosed Demios, making him hurry down the corridor. The minute she started talking Phobos started walking. He was well acquainted with his cousin's form of motivation and really didn't want to get goosed.
Once Gabby was on her way down the hall, the others let out a sigh of relief. Auto grinned evilly and thought it was funny that most of the gods in the room were intimidated by a demigod. Not that he would ever admit to fearing the blonde himself.
Xena beamed at her fathers and went over to Joxer. They all watched as she brushed a gentle kiss over his brow and went towards the meeting hall that they were preparing for Joxer's birthday.
With a few hours of sleep he would be ready to enjoy his party the next day. As she passed Cupid and Strife she glared at her brother and smiled at Strife. "Make sure he rests Cupid," Was all she said. Cupid sighed and rolled his eyes.
None of the gods had been prepared for the fanatical guarding that Joxer and Strife had received from the four demigods and Auto. The only one not to incur their wrath was Hades, but that was because he gave Joxer back his life, and was himself a new father.
Pep, Joxer and Strife were the first gods to become pregnant since the whole Psyche incident, and Apollo thought the reason she had become pregnant was because she was outside the pantheon. Now that Zeus' madness had been cured, more gods and goddesses were trying to have godly children.
It all boiled down to Joxer facinating Hectate, and her answering his request for help. It was still stunning. Especially since he was the only one in the entire pantheon that didn't fear her.
END PART 2