I'm back! The last HOA story I wrote had my most reviews yet and flowed so well I wrote over 20,000 in 3 days! This won't be written as fast because I'm starting school again *tear* but I'm going to write and finish this because then there will be at least one finished season 4 fic on here! So many abandoned I just want to honor them with this one of my own.
On another note go check out my other HOA story Children of the Obelisk. This takes place in the same Universe but about 25 years earlier. And no, you don't have to read the other one to understand this, but it's a fun read I think. (Well obviously. I wrote it.) Sorry for the rambling but whatever. Enjoy!
Chapter 1
House of Bastet
Miss Martin,
As I did you a favor in alerting you to the dangers of the Osirian and Chosen One being together I do hope you will likewise help me in the time of my need. I am out of elixir and have stolen the real Mask of Anubis. All I need are your tears to save me. A man who has done what I have done does not go to the afterlife peacefully. Please Miss Martin I need your help.
-Victor Rodenmaar Jr.
Dear Victor,
It's true that I am in debt to you considering you kept me from killing Eddie by returning. I however can not grant your request. Return the mask to its rightful home, live out your life, and die like the rest of us. You've saved Joy, you saved Eddie, you saved me- surely those will be taken in account upon your death. I am sorry I can't help you, but it is time you let this eternal dream go.
-Nina Martin
Miss Martin,
I do not need your assistance with the elixir, that was a lie to make sure it was in fact you. There is something strange going on here at Anubis house and considering your track record is better than the Osirian's I beg your help in dispatching of the new evil.
-Victor Rodenmaar Jr.
Victor,
I'd love to help, but you know as well as I do that I can't return to Anubis house. Any meeting with Eddie would doom us both. I'm sure Eddie and the others can help.
-Nina
Miss Martin,
Currently the students are on winter break and Mr Miller is in America with his mother. You two both live in New York City I believe. He'd be safer if you were here than the same city as him.
-Victor Rodenmaar
Victor,
You're right. I've seen Eddie a couple of times even if he hasn't seen me. It would be better if we were far enough apart that him touching me accidentally was impossible. I shall be at the house as soon as possible.
-Nina
So here I was, the one place I'd sworn I could never return to. Victor needed my help and even if I had to stay away for Eddie's sake with was my duty as Chosen One to deal with things like this. And I owed much to Victor. My life. My friend's lives. Even Eddie would be dead if Victor hadn't forwarded his translation from the Book of Isis to me. All Victor needed was one favor and then I would leave again.
Despite everything, it was good to be home.
I found it strange how quiet the house was without eight plus teenagers wandering its hallways. Trudy was probably around, but I knew it would be best to avoid her and questions. I just needed to get in, help Victor, and go. No pleasantries.
"Miss Martin. I'm glad you came," Victor's voice, while he was trying to be kind, clearly preferred its mean setting.
I wanted to tell the truth of how much I missed this place, but speaking the words aloud would only make it harder to leave once my duties were over. Instead I got right down to business, "So what's the problem?"
"Cats," Victor replied leading me into the cellar with his key. (How odd it was not to be using the secret passage, but Eddie had my necklace and it was better Victor didn't know that the oven passage existed.)
"Cats?" I repeated. I'd flown across an entire ocean because Victor had a cat problem.
"Cats," he repeated firmly. We wandered down into the cellar and I knew what he meant. There were no cats to be seen, but between the ceaseless meowing and the smell there were plenty around. "I'm sure you know the Egyptians regarded cats as gods. That mainly comes down to Bastet the cat goddess."
"Bastet?" I repeated trying to remember what Fabian had once told me about her. "Didn't she get locked in with Apophis and have to fight him when Ra disappeared?"
"Something like that. I haven't been down here much because last term was... interesting to say the least. When I came down here the other day and heard it I knew you were the person to call." Eddie had told me all about last semester s and the dangerous foe they faced in Ammut in his endless stream of letters. Sinner Victor would have no need to come down here and scheme, so the idea of a goddess moving in at that time wasn't too ridiculous.
"So you think Anubis house is haunted by a cat goddess?" I repeated a smile broadening on my face. Silly, silly, Victor. Clearly being duped and turned into a soulless puppet scrambled his brains.
"What is so funny Miss Martin?" Victor asked scowling. "Bastet is a formidable foe and not to be laughed at."
"Victor," I told him going into the corner where the meows were coming from. "You don't have a goddess problem, just a kitten one."
Behind a series of flasks an stuffed animals a mother cat lie feeding seven meowing kittens. There was no goddess hear, just a couple cute cats and a jumpy caretaker. "This little girl must have snuck down here to have her kittens. It's animal control you need. Not a Chosen One."
Victor's face grew red with embarrassment before he profusely apologized about dragging me into this country for nothing. Holding up my hand in the universal sign for stop I spoke, "Don't worry about it. It's nice to see this place even if I can't stay. With Gran gone I spent Christmas alone."
"I am sorry for drawing you back here," Victor repeated. "I've just been on edge after everything that has happened."
"It's understandable," I assured him. "I'd better go and book a plane home. It was nice seeing you Victor."
Back upstairs I pulled out my Android to start booking plane reservations. As much as I loved being here this was a huge waste of money I didn't have. Gran didn't have much to leave me and living on your own, even at 18, is hard.
I was so engrossed in my phone I didn't see the door open before I reached it or the man who stepped in. It wasn't until our bodies collided that either of us realized what had happened.
Victor had lied. Eddie was here and now we were both in big, big trouble.
