Mu sighed, looking around at the gathering of Gold Saint in Aries Temple.  He hadn’t wanted to have a big party to celebrate his birthday, but some of the other Gold Saints had all insisted on it.  The Aries Saint didn’t know whether to be touch by the gesture or be slightly annoyed with the noise.   In the end he had decided that having his friends enjoy themselves was a good thing.  After all they had been through he could hardly blame them for latching onto any reason to celebrate.   Normally he would have tried to enjoy himself as well, but today seemed to be plagued with misfortune.  Shortly after the party happened he had start to suffer a series of almost accidents that begun to grate on his nerves.      Like the bowl that had just nearly fallen of a top shelf and would have hit him had he not jumped out of the way just in time.   

All the other Saints had stopped to look over at him as the sound of it hitting the floor echoed though the temple.  

“Are you sure this place isn’t haunted?”  Milo asked, bending over to pick up the bowl.  “Because it sure seems like something has it out for you Mu.”

“I doubt a ghost would be brave enough to risk Athena’s wrath just to bother me,” Mu answered as he took the bowl from the Scorpio Saint and returned in to it’s place.  “I haven’t have any trouble from here before.  It is a ghost, perhaps it’s only disturbed by so many people being here.”

“Awww, come on Mu, you deserve a party.  Even you have to have fun once a while!” Milo slung an arm around him.  

“I have fun in my own way,” the Aries Saint responded, ducking away from Milo as he laughed.

After a few minuets, Mu exited the building, intent on gaining at least a few minuets of fresh air.  The stars out tonight were very beautiful and took a minuet to admire the sight, thankful that he had managed to survive another year.     

But there was something off here.  Mu frown, detecting a presence he wasn’t familiar with.  “Who is there?” he said evenly, looking around.  He half expected to see a trainee or one of the lower ranked Saints.   But the white haired stranger that stepped out of the shadows wasn’t someone he was familiar with, and his cosmo was far to powerful to be a trainee.

“Don’t you look happy, Aries,” the stranger said, leaning against one of the columns of the temple.   

The use of his title instead of his name set Mu on edge.  He wondered if he should alert one of the others or try to deal with the intruder himself.  A swift decision and he decided that he wouldn’t interrupt the fun the others were having.   “Who are you?” he asked the stranger.

“No one that  important,  just Griffon Minos,” he answered.   Mu tensed, recognizing the name.

“You’re a Specter,” he whispered, wishing he had bothered to bring his Cloth.  “I will not let you pass.  I don’t know what Hades is after but I will not let you harm…!”

“Relax,” Minos said, waving his hand in a dismissive gesture.  “I’m not here to cause any trouble.  I was just curious about the Gold Saint who’s birthsign I share.  Besides I am not suicidal.  I know there’s more than one Gold Saint in your temple.  It just be nice to be popular,”  the judge looked slightly annoyed.  

“You’re an Aries?” Mu asked, still wary and wondering what possible reason the Specter could really have for being here.  He found it hard to believe that coming to see him was the only reason.

“Yes. Apparently our birthdays are very close.  Although in my case it’s hard to tell.  No one seems to have remembered when mine was.  It must be nice to be a Saint and have people willing to throw parties at the drop of a hat.  I bet you didn’t even have to ask for one.”   

It took Mu a minuet to find something to say.  “…You’re behind all my accidents tonight, aren’t you?”  

“Maaaybe..”

“Your friends forgot your birthday so now you’re going to ruin mine?” Mu asked in disbelief.

“That was the idea,” Minos said airily.  The Aries said could just shake his head.

“You do realize how childish and petty that sounds,” he asked.  Minos just smirked.

“Perhaps.  But I am very bored and this has entertained me.”

Mu looked at him, shook his head once more, then retreated inside, leaving the smirking Specter behind.   

Minos looked very surprised when he returned, carrying a plate.   

“What are you up to?”  the Specter asked.  Mu held the plate out.  

“It’s cake.  Think of it as a late birthday present if you will.”

“I don’t need pity,” Minos said but took the plate anyway.

“Now will you cease bothering me?”  Mu asked.  Minos smirked.

“Why should I?  Teasing you is  fun!”

“…I’m beginning to see why no one bothered to remember your birthday.”


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

Meanwhile, down in the underworld, Balrog Rune was scowling at the door that lead into Minos’ quarter.  He knocked on the door again.  At first he though that Minos was simply sulking in his room, but now he was wondering if his cousin truly wasn’t there.   

“Rune?”  a surprised voice said.  Rune glanced over toward the source.

“Hello Lord Aiacos,” he said formally.

“What are you doing here?”  Aiacos asked, walked over to him, “and why do you have a present?”

“It’s for Lord Minos,” Rune explained, “I would have given it to him earlier, but our duties conflicted and I couldn’t see him until today.  Do you know if he’s here?”

“I saw him leave earlier,” the Garuda specters said, “I don’t think he’s back yet.”

“I see,” Rune muttered, sighing in annoyance.  “Do you know where he went?”

“I’m not his keeper,” Aiacos answered, “I’ll ask some of the servants if he’s been bothering them again but I’m afraid your own your own for this.”   

“Very well,” Rune grumbled, “if you do see him, tell him to stop by my rooms.”

“All right,” Aiacos said, looking amused as Rune headed off grumbling.  The Balrog specter why he had to be related to someone like Minos.