Death watched Maruble flicker from his father's domain, the boy's fury and flame whisked along with him in a shower of sparks. Noctavius snorted quietly, knowing that wherever his father had flickered him, the boy would be fuming. It had been a long time since he had met someone worthy of his attention. Someone powerful, but also interesting. A nice change, indeed.

The party guests wavered, standing around in silence, most staring at the burn marks on the glass floor. Theon waved a hand and said, "How about another round?" Immediately, the chatter started back up, as if nothing had ever happened. Noctavius smiled into his elixir and took a long sip.

He had not expected such a show from Theon's party. At the most, he had hoped to rally a few lesser gods to his cause, and perhaps use his presence to make the God of Balance uncomfortable. Maruble had accomplished all of that and more.

A few guests whispered excitedly amongst themselves over their freshly poured elixirs. No one, no one, talked to the God of Volcanics like that. Regardless of his power, the god was known for his rumbling temper that could melt the entire mountain. Yet here, at his own party, his son had done it.

Death was glad he attended. Watching Theon rub his aching temples, he knew he had witnessed an important moment. One that he would be able to use to his advantage someday.

After a while, the hushed whispering returned to normal chatter and everyone returned to their partying. As Theon relaxed, the heat in the volcano lowered considerably, and the air became more pleasant to breathe. Everyone seemed content-- everyone but two.

Peace and Justice.

He could feel their eyes on his back like thorns in his side. They had been suspicious of him since Balance first hired him into his court, and while most of their worries had been baseless, Noctavius knew they would cause him trouble. The two gods were suspicious of the... like-minded individuals he was gathering in his domain. And considering their open stares at the party, they wanted others to know it as well.

Noctavius watched the comings and goings of guests, sipping his drinks and avoiding small talk the best he could, until gods started filtering out of the building. Most of them were drunk on elixir and stumbling through the doors, some having to be flickered back to their domain by others. It was disgusting. Gods had become so comfortable with mediocrity that they had already forgotten the weight of the young man's words.

Soon, the God of Death would remind them. Soon.

He waited until only Theon and members of the court remained then approached the stand. His black cloak swept the floor behind him as he walked. When he had been forced to live in the deserted wasteland that was Frost Holm, far from The Sea and other gods, the cloak had been his only parting gift. It used to make him angry, a symbol of everything he hated about the court. Now, he wore that symbol like a brand.

Theon cast him a cold look, but Noctavius only stood straighter. He reached the foot of the dais and bowed like a jester. "A shame for such a terrible fight to happen during a wonderful celebration. On the day you wish to bask in your success in the barelands, it gets thrown in your face. And by your own son!" Death shook his head in mock dismay. He tapped the glass floor, where lava bubbled beneath his feet, and continued, "I see your domain has had some improvements."

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"What do you want, Death? Have you come to gloat?" The God of Volcanics pinched the bridge of his nose. There were dark lines under his eyes, his power still drained from his efforts with the humans' volcano. "Surely this is not the first time you've seen a disagreement between father and son."

"You misjudge me, Theon. I simply came to thank you for opening your home to me. As you know, it is not often the God of Death gets invited to parties, and I enjoyed myself greatly." Death smirked. "An eye-opening experience."

Theon's brows knit together and questions clouded his eyes. He waved his hand forward and said, "Come upon the dais, Noctavius. There is something I need to say to you privately." Death stepped closer to Theon's throne, and the god leaned in. His eyes were like magma. "I don't know what you're up to, but there are eyes everywhere, Death." He glanced behind him, where members of the court watched. "It would be in your best interest to stay out of my family matters and worry about yourself. More importantly, stay away from my son."

"Are you suggesting that I'm meddling, Volcanics? Perhaps Athema could enlighten you on the matter." Noctavius leaned away and said louder, for other members of the court to hear, "Ah, wait. I almost forgot. You don't visit that temple of hers in the desert, do you? Not that she needs you with all the barren running around."

The God of Volcanics grabbed his cloak and yanked him back forward. "Don't you dare speak my wife's name. Even your power doesn't cast a shadow over hers, Death. Whatever you are planning, it won't work. Why don't you flicker yourself back to your domain and stay out of matters that don't involve you?"

"Enough," barked Justice. "Both of you get ahold of yourselves. Theon, we apologize on behalf of the court for Death's actions tonight."

Justice hesitated on his next words, but Balance stepped forward. "Noctavius, Theon is our newest member of the court. It's in the best interest of everyone for the both of you to get along."

Death waited until Theon let go of his robes, the god smiling widely on his throne, and said, "Ah, of course. I'm not surprised. It seems we let anyone into the Court of Balance these days."

"Don't be like that, Noctavius." This time, it was Hartley, God of Peace, who stepped closer. "All of us need to work together. Even though we have our differences, surely we can find common ground."

"It is the way of the court," agreed Balance.

"Then perhaps it's time for a change."

Every god in the room blinked at that. Hartley asked slowly, "What are you saying, Noctavius?"

"I'm saying there will be new laws one day," he muttered. Balance's gaze seared into him. Why he chose to wear his age on his face, Death would never understand, but the wrinkles under his eyes seemed unending. "Eventually, those who created the foundation for our lands will fade, and what then? Will you continue to grovel at the old man's grave? Or will you side with change?"

"You speak to him with respect," growled Justice.

The God of Balance laid a hand on Justice's shoulder and shook his head. He turned to face Noctavius and said, "You have spent too long alone in your domain, God of Death. It fans the flames of your bitterness. Will you not speak to us as friends rather than enemies?"

"When have you ever listened to a damned word I say?" Noctavius spat. "And, if you won't forget, it was you who banished me to Frost Holm."

"Banished?" said Hartley incredulously. "Your Death Aura is frightening to most gods, and it spreads far and wide. You can still flicker wherever you need to go. You are not stranded there."

"If you believe that, you are more of an idiot than I thought, Peace." Death shook his head and swung his cloak around himself. "And you are no better than the rest of them."

Death flickered away.

He appeared outside his domain, where the ice-covered points of his castle pierced the sky in greeting. A couple of gods waved from inside and he raised his hand to greet them. "Soon," he said under his breath, snow cascading down around him. "Soon they'll tremble in the face of Death, and I'll show these young gods what it means to be truly free."

Noctavius stepped into his domain.