Chapter 2: Anubis

Sadie shook her head, spitting out sand. She hated portals. But at least this trip had been quick. She sat up and looked around at the trainees. Felix had landed face-down in a pile of sand, and Cleo, who was like his adopted big sister, was pulling him out. Walt and Jaz had landed side by side, and Carter was a few feet away from them. Alyssa had landed on her back in a dune, and was digging herself out. Soon Carter saw her struggles and pulled her out. She smiled gratefully and went to help Cleo.

When all the trainees had been dug up, they set off across the sand towards the sphinx, which was only about a hundred yards away. The entrance that had been blasted in wasn't completely sealed, luckily, so it only took about 5 minutes to get in. They passed the gorge in which the trainees were tested, and walked on. Sadie saw a cobwebby, dirty door pass by, and somehow she knew. This was room 13. "Carter," she called, her voice echoing in the eerie silence. "I've found it." Carter hurried over, followed by the trainees. Sadie pushed on the depilated wooden door, and it swung open. They slowly walked inside.

Sadie was dazzled by the lights. She had expected this room to be dark, empty, and musty, but instead it was almost as bright as the sun. The glow faded after several seconds, and Sadie gasped. They were in a room filled with gods. Bast walked over to them. "What are you doing here?" she asked. But before they could answer, the same voice that they had heard in Brooklyn House filled the room. It said "Hello, children. I came here to show you that your gods are not all they seem. They have secrets that they have kept for millennia, and that they certainly don't want you to know. But I think that you should have an idea about who you're dealing with. So, the secret life of gods. First up, Anubis." Sadie let out an audible gasp that echoed throughout the room. "Oh, Anubis, you've built a pretty little life for yourself. Quite a shame if Sadie were to learn some of your sullen little secrets." "NO!" yelled Anubis. "Please, no!" The voice took no heed of his objections. "Anubis, how do you think Anput would feel if I told her that you no longer cared about her, your wife? How would she feel if you were making out with girls in graveyards?" Sadie looked at Anubis with tears in her eyes. "Anubis, no." she said, the anguish in her voice crushing. "Tell me it's not true." Anubis looked at her and broke down. "It's true," he moaned, sobbing "It's all true." The voice continued smugly. "How about your daughter, Kebechet? What would she feel? Sadness? Betrayal?" "Nothing!" Anubis screamed. "She has been forgotten! She has faded! She wouldn't care!" The voice faltered, but continued. "And what about your name? it's not really Anubis, is it? Anubis, or should I say Anapa, has hidden quite a lot from you, Sadie." Sadie stood, speechless in horror, as she looked at the boy she loved. He wasn't who she thought he was. The voice seemed to take delight in her horror, and continued gleefully. "Who is you father, Anubis? Is it Ra, or Set, or Osiris? Oh dear, you and Sadie might be half-siblings. That might make it hard for your romance." The room was deadly silent except for the voice and Anubis's and Sadie's labored breathing. "And your mother, Anubis. Ah, Nephthys has many charms, but did she really disguise herself as Isis and seduce Osiris? Sad, very sad, and no wonder you turned out the way you did. Let's move on, shall we? Next up, Bast."