Sorry for not updating. I had exams and then no motivation to write. Anyways, here is an update now.

Chapter 21

Nina had never met her great-great-grandfather. She supposed most people never got the opportunity to. Most people were lucky to ever meet a great grandparent, never mind someone born a hundred and fifteen years before you. But Nina found that her cursed family was granted small graces one of them being a shockingly long natural lifespan should they somehow survive all the Egyptian gods and ghosts trying to kill them.

So Nina called up her 140-something-year-old great-great-grandfather using the number he'd given to Eddie in case of emergency. She wasn't exactly sure what she'd say to him when he answered. She wasn't even sure if he knew she existed. Obviously he had to. He knew Eddie was the Osirian which meant there would have to be some Chosen One, for there to be a Chosen One he'd have to have a descendant Eddie's age. So even if he didn't know anything about Nina he knew she existed. Of course that was presuming that he was still lucid after spending almost a century cursed and then coming back to life as a really, really, really old man. Eddie reassured Nina that he'd always seemed rational, if occasionally murderous, but that had been three years ago. Who knew how his mind hadn't failed since. Nina couldn't expect logic from him. She just had to hope he remembered where he'd hidden the Ram of Mendes, for Eddie's sake.

She was calling for Eddie, not to meet her long-lost relative. She could not think that he'd somehow be able to fill the hole in Nina's life. Yes they were related, but very distantly. Nina didn't have family. She didn't need to.

"Robert Frobisher-Smythe, how may I help you?" A formal voice finally answered after Nina had tried calling twice. He sounded coherent, which was certainly a good sign, and Nina suddenly realized that he was British. Of course she'd known he was British, but that meant she was British as well. Her obsession with England was really just an obsession with her heritage, which really wasn't that abnormal. (The thought made Nina smile. Everything about her was abnormal.)

"Hi," Nina began unsure exactly how to phrase things. Since there really was no tactful way to do things, Nina decided just to go for it. "Hi. My name is Nina Martin. I'm your great-great-granddaughter."

Robert as silent on the other side of the phone, and Nina bit her lip with anxiety. Did he believe her? Was he upset? Did he simply not care? She didn't have a clue what he was thinking; all she could hear was the steady sound of his breathing. He was there, lingering on the other end, but not saying anything.

Nina was about ready to panic and just hang up when he finally answered. "You're the Chosen One, correct? Sarah's great-granddaughter? I heard you look just like her but I was always afraid to track you down and find out for myself."

The locket around Nina's neck suddenly felt very heavy, and she popped it open to stare at Sarah's picture. They really did look similar. "Yes. Yes I look a lot like Sarah did."

"I didn't know her when she was your age," Robert admitted softly, his voice cracking across the line. "I'm sorry. You didn't phone to hear and old man's ramblings… how did you phone?"

"I got your number from Eddie. That… that's why I'm calling you actually." It suddenly crossed Nina's mind that it was actually really horrible to call up your relative for the first time ever to ask a favor. "Eddie needs help and I was told that you hid the Ram of Mendes. I was hoping you could tell me where."

Nina had always been under the impression that posh Victorian gentlemen did not swear like sailors. Apparently that was a lie. "I made many mistakes when I was younger. I was greedy and stole things I should never have messed with. My mother was a Chosen One as well. I knew that curses were very real and very dangerous, but I could not help myself from stealing things. I told myself it was to protect them from people who would seek to abuse their power, but I was greedy. I stole things and I hid them away, sometimes without knowing what they really were… I'm sorry Nina but I cannot tell you where the Ram of Mendes is hidden. It is not a particularly dangerous artifact, but what I hid it with is. I didn't know it at the time, but when I found out I called in every favor I could and hastily put up powerful curses to keep it from ever being discovered. I should have moved the Ram before putting up these curses, but I failed to. You cannot get to the Ram of Mendes. If there is anything else I can do to help you or Eddie please tell me, but you can never go to where the Ram is hidden."

Nina was about to try and convince him to change his mind, but she suddenly realized that she didn't have to. Cassie and the new Sibuna had claimed that the hallway they were investigating had fought against them. It had to be the same hallway Robert was now refusing to tell Nina about.

"It's okay," Nina told the old man hoping he wouldn't have a clue that she wasn't going to heed his warnings one bit. He didn't need that kind of stress at his age. "You've helped. Thank you, I should go."

"Nina," Robert answered and Nina could hear the apprehension in his voice. He was scared. He was scared but he spoke anyways. "Call whenever you want. I never really got a chance to know my family. I… I would like a chance to change that."

"I'll try," Nina promised but she didn't really mean it. She tried not to bring people into her life. The people in her life always ended up hurt. "Bye."

"Goodbye Nina."

Nina hung up the phone and sat silently for a moment. She was in the back seat of the car and the boys were up front. Fabian was calm and relaxed, his hair a little bit tousled, but in a good way that made every cell in Nina ache. He was so… he was so attractive. It wasn't just that he was sexy, though Nina couldn't deny that he was. He was attractive. It was like he radiated a certain gravity that just pulled Nina in. Everything about him made Nina not want to go away.

But she had to go away. Despite all the obstacles being thrown in their path they were going to get Eddie his purpose back. Once they did Nina would have to leave. Nothing changed that.

Not even the little grin on Fabian's face as he looked in the rear view mirror at Nina. "Did he tell you where the Ram of Mendes is?"

"No, but he didn't have to. It's wherever this rod that Cassie was attacked trying to get to is. We can just ask her where she was exploring when she was attacked and just find a way to push past the curses and find both objects."

Fabian nodded, clearly not liking the idea of pushing past curses. Well he wouldn't have to. Nina was not going to let him come. She didn't even like Eddie coming. He would have to now because he'd need to get the Ram of Mendes, but Nina still didn't like the idea. Not that she tended to like any of the ideas and plans she was forced to use, but still.

"Your destination is on the left," the GPS chirped out, and Nina studied the apartment complex they'd just pulled into. It looked like any other Liverpool apartment complex that a college student could afford to live in. It was drab, and a bit disgusting, and the dumpster needed to be empty. Eddie was grinning at it as if it was the sun.

Nina didn't really know why. She hadn't been particularly excited about speaking to Fabian at first, and she hadn't even had to tell him they were soul mates and she needed him to have a purpose in life. Nina would not want to have to convince the guy she'd hurt that they were destined. Eddie seemed thrilled to have the chance though.

But Nina guessed it made some sense. She and Eddie were opposites after all.