The Lord of Fates; A name Apollo had been given centuries ago. Through time, his name became a legend. Those that prayed to him, worshiped him, feared him, would be in utter disbelief to see him now. His glowing pink hair had faded like a dying leaf. He was so thin, his body was only skin and bone. Without his power, there was barely any color left in his eyes. All you could see was a longing for death. 

He knew that look all too well. Many of his victims had it in their final hours. His name came from the webs he weaved. The eight eyes of a spider could see what two couldn't. He saw into the path a creature would take and he decided whether they should be allowed to travel it or not. He had decided war too many futures he had no right to. With a mind and body barely clinging to an ounce of life, he could finally regret how apathetic he was. 

Apollo tried his best to stay awake. There was no point to anymore, though. He feared what could happen in his sleep, but at least he wouldn't be in pain. Just as he allowed himself to drift into unconsciousness, the chains that he suspended from were broken. Relief met his shoulders and wrists to no longer be hanging from the ceiling. His body collapsed to the stone ground. He looked up through his blurry vision to see Croc standing over him, the broken chains in his hands.

"You're not allowed to die yet." He growled. The chains clattered as he dropped them to the ground. He grabbed Apollo by his neck, lifting him up.

He gasped for air as he held onto his younger brother's arm. "Won't you show your own flesh and blood some mercy? Please, just let me die. I'm begging you." 

"You have yet to truly pay your penance, but," Croc narrowed his eyes, "Though I don't find it the best idea, Jasper has decided the rest of your debt will be paid differently." 

He threw Apollo into the water beneath them. One of his crocodiles came up to the surface and dragged him under, pulling him through the waters. Croc followed behind and swam back towards the sewers. He leaped out of the waters, landing perfectly on the cobblestone walkways of the underground. Then he pulled his oldest brother's feeble body from the water. 

Apollo could barely stay on his hands and knees. He hunched over as he coughed up the swamp water in his lungs. His arms gave out, forcing him to collapse on his sides. Now, all three of his living brothers stood over him. They couldn't blame him for what he did. At least, that's what Jasper had told them. He refused to give a real reason, making them doubtful.

"Please stop staring at me like you're looking at maggots crawling on a dog." He muttered.

"We might as well be." Croc scoffed.

"Cromwell, please," Thursday softly responded, "I think he's had enough." 

He growled, "I don't answer to that name anymore. How can you still take pity on him?"

"He's still our brother! He's our flesh and blood! Why do you always have to be so crude?" He whimpered.

"Stop your bickering. You're both hundreds of years old and you still act like you're four." Covey said. He knelt down beside Apollo, leaning close to his face. "Thursday and I have realized how wrong we were all these years. We've decided to change our paths. Lumi, he never could. He was too far gone to correct himself. Croc thinks you are too, but I don't. Luckily, Jasper doesn't either. He believes you can change."

His glossy eyes looked deep into the raven above him. "I already have. Cromwell- Croc, he broke me from my ignorance. Brother, you may hate me with every bone in your body, but I owe you my gratitude for an eternity."

"If you promise to join us, to atone for the agony you've caused, we will give you your power back. You have to promise, though. Please, don't make fools of Thursday and I again." 

"Yes, I promise." He spoke desperately, "I cannot take back all I've done, but I will give everything in my being to make it right. I want our family to finally be what our mother wanted. Even if it has to come without Lumi. We owe it to her to allow her to finally rest peacefully."

Croc hated himself for believing even one word Apollo said. He still doubted most of it, but he couldn't deny an order from Jasper. As much as he didn't want to allow Apollo to live, to have his strength again, Jasper thought it was needed. Covey stood up and backed away to give him some room. He knelt down beside Apollo, lifting his head enough to reach his lips. 

His power slowly flowed back into his body. A golden undertone laced through his hair, changing it back to it's cosmic pink shade. His pale skin no longer looked to be rotting and his muscles regained mass. Apollo was still looking sickly but he wasn't nearly as bad as he once was. He could see clearly again, his lungs didn't feel ready to collapse, and his voice wasn't straining.

"Thank you." He gently said.

"Don't thank me. I only did this because I was ordered to. If it were my choice, you'd be left to rot." He coldly responded. Croc stood back up, ordering his brothers, "Take him to Jasper. He needs to be put on a leash as soon as possible. Then, I want you to tell Jasper we need access to the vault. He'll know why. I'll meet you there."

As he left, he dropped something on the ground. The metal ring clinked along the stone ground. Covey grabbed it before Apollo could. He may trust Apollo more than Croc, but he didn't trust him completely. For safe keeping, he slid the spider shaped ring onto his staff. It was secured under the iron raven at the top. 

"I'll return this to you once you're on a leash, as Croc so lovingly put it. Don't worry. Being one of Jasper's chess pieces isn't as awful as it sounds. So far, Thursday and I have enjoyed ourselves." Covey explained.

"You don't feel like slaves?" He asked as he got to his feet.

"Not at all." Thursday smiled, "Although he's kind of picky about the way we look in front of him. So, you know, maybe you should clean up a bit."

"Yes, of course." Apollo extended his hands out beside himself. He allowed a pink smoke to swirl around him, transforming him into a more suitable outfit. Once his torn clothes were gone, replaced by his trademark white suit, he was ready to meet his new boss.

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"The vault." Jasper scoffed, "Yes, I know what he wants down there. I have to admit, I'm surprised he's decided to approach the topic so soon. He must trust Apollo more than he's led us to believe."

"Or he's just trying to be considerate. Even if they hated Lumi, he's still their brother." Felix responded.

"I suppose that could be it. Who knows. His marriage to Kuza has changed his ways drastically. I can't predict him as well as I initially could. I have some more important things to attend to here, but Felix can take you there." 

His assistant looked at him with slight concern, "You actually want me to?"

Jasper waved his hand dismissively, "They'll be fine. They all do belong to me, now."

"Unfortunately." Apollo muttered, "But it is what it is." 

"C'mon, we shouldn't keep grumpy waiting." Thursday cheerfully said. He was still a rather curious one. Despite being as old as he was, he was young at heart.

The three brothers followed the specter from the top floor of the manor all the way to one of the bottom levels. It was a long walk, and this place didn't have an elevator. They had no idea exactly what was down there aside from the fact it had to do with Lumi. As they walked down the winding staircase, there was a rather awkward silence.

"Hey, I'm sorry about the whole making my girlfriend mentally torture you thing, by the way." Felix said to Apollo.

"Why are you apologizing?" He questioned, "We were enemies then."

"Yeah, but we're friends now. I'm not really sure what she did to you, but it looked like it fucked you up pretty bad. I really wouldn't wish her on my worst enemy." He laughed.

"Isn't she your girlfriend?" Thursday asked.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I can't be scared of her. She's the most amazing woman I've ever met. She means the world to me, but she does scare the shit out of me." He responded.

Apollo hesitantly spoke up, "She scares me... I am sorry as well, for nearly cutting you into a hundred pieces, and for nearly killing that one girl. Joy, I believe her name was. And for temporarily paralyzing nearly all of you."

"It's alright. We were both trying to do what we thought was right at the time. You know better now, though, and that's the important part." Felix lightheartedly smiled. 

They'd finally reached the vault. Croc had been waiting, rather impatiently of course. He stepped aside to allow Felix to open up the vault. The second the doors were unsealed, they all felt a great rush of magical energy. All the artifacts in there, and the magic used to seal them away, was extremely strong. 

Felix stayed by the door to allow them their privacy. It was a family matter, after all. Croc led them to the back of the massive museum. There, they found a large armoire of sorts. It looked like a coffin, actually, but it had a square shape to it. Croc broke off the metal chain on the front of it. When he pulled open the two black doors, his brothers felt ill looking at what was inside.

"Now, we just have to decide what to do with it. I have an idea, as well, but I wouldn't make the decision without your consent."

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A/N: Predictions?