A/N: So here we are. Chapter 25. This is the big one. This is the one that I have dreamed about writing since this entire story was started. I am so excited! Ark!Also, as of the last chapter, this is the longest story I have ever written! I have never broken 98,000 words before! OMG!
Enjoy!
Of Gods and Heroes
Chapter 25
Once Mazel was transformed and battle ready, she caught her balance as the palace continued to shake. "What's going on?" she gasped.
Ammon was just as confused as she was. "I don't know...but I don't think it's a good thing."
The ground stopped shaking long enough for the two to hear a laugh from the next room. It was the unnamed warrior woman. "Well, I guess he didn't wait for the queen to be dead for long. I believe, Hawkmoth just had a visit with the Pharaoh."
Mazel's eyes widened. She turned to look at Ammon. She instant wondered about his ability to fight this battle. Could he fight his own uncle? And his own Pharaoh. Their pharaoh who actually was a living god. She wouldn't blame him if he couldn't. It had been hard enough to have to fight Elisheva when she was possessed by the Akuma. As if he could read her mind, he turned to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"We can free him, together." She wasn't nearly as convinced as he was. In fact, she felt like this was impossible. Ammon headed for the cell door and turned to look at her.
"Come on."
Her feet finally began to move. She hurried after him, and together they ran into a hallway that led to more important parts of the palace. They could hear screams echoing throughout the palace. Ammon ran to a small balcony and looked out over Memphis. She looked around too. She saw nothing. The city looked safe. The screams were all coming from inside the palace.
Ammon turned and headed back inside without a word. Mazel hurried to keep up. She ran with him, passing by several fleeing servants and staff. Even a few guards were fleeing, and not paying them any mind. Ammon made a turn in the center of the hall, Mazel not recognizing this part of the palace at all. Ammon burst into the room and suddenly came to complete stop. Mazel stopped by his side and looked on at the tragic sight. It was the queen's bedroom. She laid upon the bed, still and with her eyes wide and lifeless. She was alone, except for the bassinet by her bedside. The only sound that filled the room was that of a crying baby. Mazel covered her mouth to silence a muddled cry. Ammon was staring. His face was emotionless, and slowly he walked over to her. Kneeling down by her bedside, he took her hand and pressed her hand to his lips.
He drew away. "Ankhesenamum, I am sorry." He carefully placed her hand back down on the bed by her lifeless body. He turned to Mazel.
"We can't leave my cousin. We must find my uncle and get the prince to him."
She agreed. She stepped toward the bassinet and looked down at the crying child. The palace shook again, causing the baby to scream louder. She didn't know how to calm the baby in this moment, but Ammon seemed to have some idea, because he reached in, and picked up the child. Ammon pressed the babe to his warm body. The baby wasn't silenced, but his screaming had quieted down and was now a low whine.
"I never heard what they named the child," Mazel stated. "What did they name him?"
"They didn't," Ammon stated. "Heir's require names to be especially special. Tutankhamun has been rather indecisive about the name. And with my aunt's condition...he hasn't been thinking about it as much."
He began to look around the room. She looked at him questionably, "What are you looking for?"
"I can't carry him like this and protect him or myself. I need to find something to make a sling. You know, the kind I see some mother's carry their children in."
Mazel knew exactly what he was talking about. She removed her yo-yo off her belt and threw it into the air. "Lucky charm!"
An item dropped down into her hands. A long thin piece of red and black polka-dot material. She brought it over to him and helped him wrap the baby. They carefully secured the prince to Ammon's chest. Even though he was safe, Ammon still held his hands around the child tenderly. Though they felt content with what they came up with, Mazel's miraculous beeped. Reminding them that she could only stay transformed for a few minutes longer. As one of her golden choker pieces blackened, she looked at Ammon. "We need to find something for Tikki to eat."
"Follow me," Ammon stated. He hurried from the queen's chambers and moved only a little bit further down the hall. He turned into another room. It was a large room, filled with furniture and an enormous open space that opened to the outside. It was the royal patio. There were tables filled with fruit and drink. He stopped at the table and lifted some fruit to her.
"Hurry before we are seen."
She wasted no time, and untransformed. Tikki and Mazel had barely been separated when Tikki began crying out.
"Mazel! Hurry! I can sense him! He's very powerful, and he's very desperate! He's searching for something!"
"Mazel no doubt," Ammon stated.
Mazel gave the fruit to Tikki, who was trying to gobble down the fruit as quickly as possible. The young slave girl was doing her best to not begin to shake from the pressure. Ammon could only lightly take her hand in his. He squeezed her hand lightly. "I'll protect you with my life. There is nothing to fear."
She wished she could say that it calmed her down. She had hoped that such words would put her at ease, but it did neither. It only succeeded in making her worry even more. She didn't want Ammon to throw down his life to save her. Tikki swallowed the last piece of fruit and with another flash of light, Mazel was transformed. Ammon continued to lead the way, and the two jumped off the balcony and climbed to the roof. The palace was strangely silent now. There was no more shaking. And there were no more screams from within the palace, most of the people inside had fled to the city.
Even as they looked out though, they saw nothing. The city looked to be in one piece. And the palace looked to be barely touched. They didn't understand. Mazel looked in all directions, but she saw nor heard anything.
"Ammon, I don't like this. If the Pharaoh was possessed he should have shown up by now. He would have, wouldn't he? He'd want revenge on the person he blames...wouldn't he?"
Ammon nodded. "I don't like this either. He should have been rampag-" There was another shaking sensation, but it felt further away. Mazel flew around in all directions and searched for the direction of the disturbance. Her eyes fell on a dust cloud across the river. A pile of rubble was there, and it looked like one had been thrown around. Mazel stared, trying to make out an unseen enemy.
She still hadn't seen anything, but she heard Ammon cry out. "Oh, my gods! No!"
"W-What is it!?" she cried out. "What is that plac-...OH NO! Ammon, please tell me that's not where Elisheva was hiding?!"
She turned to him. His eyes wide in horror. "Tell me that isn't where Elisheva is!"
He still couldn't say any words. She grabbed Ammon by his decorative collar. She brought him closer to her level. "That can't be where she is hiding! Tell me she's hiding in the city! Anywhere but there! Tell me!"
"...It is."
She released his collar, and she took a step away. She turned her back to him. Her fist clenched into a tight fist. She watched as the sand cloud began to settle. And there was a figure now seen standing in the dunes below. Like so many Akuma before, it looked half man and half animal. In its arms, it held a limp and unmoving child. Elisheva.
"Ammon, I'm sorry but your uncle just crossed a line," Mazel stated flatly. "No one will ever harm my sister and get away with it."
"Wait!" Ammon cried. He grabbed her, pulling her to him. "Don't rush in just yet."
"Why?"
"Look!" he pointed to the courtyard down below.
Mazel gasped. Down below, wandering aimlessly it seemed, were many dozens of what appeared to be bandaged humans shapes. She studied them carefully, unsure what it was she was looking at. She turned back to Ammon, who had a grim look on his face. "Ammon? What is happening?"
"You remember how your sister was going to make a sacrifice to Atum…to bring back Amir?" She nodded. "That's what your sister is for. I read about this in some scrolls I borrowed from the palace. In order to bring a life back, a life must be given in exchange. And a hundred mummies must be present. Though, I admit I hadn't realized…undead mummies were not something I imagined possible."
"Those…are like the cats?"
"Yes," he answered.
"And…Elisheva is going to be a sacrifice?"
Ammon gave her a saddened look. "No doubt as revenge."
She watched as the Akuma began to float across the Nile, still holding her sister. He was headed in their direction. "How can we stop the ritual? You read the scroll, there must be a way."
"There is a specter," he stated. "That is supposed to open the portal. If we destroy it, then there will be no way for them to give Atum his sacrifice."
"Destroying if your specialty, can you use your cataclysm while I distract him? And can you do it with your cousin with you?" she pointed to his cousin, who was mostly calm now. Ammon glanced down and placed a hand on the back of the baby. He soothed the baby. "I would feel better if he was with me. Perhaps it will keep him from attacking me?"
"That seems like quite the risk," Mazel commented. They had no other choice. They both glanced down to see one mummy that had just come out of the palace. He was carrying the queen's body. They had to act now.
Ammon took out his staff. He reached for Mazel, and grabbed her around her waist, pulling her to him tightly. "I don't want to have to go through that crowd of mummies if I can help it. I'm going to fling us at him."
"Alright!" Mazel stated.
Ammon extended his staff by several hundred yards, and with a fluid motion, he was able to volt them into the air. He released Mazel in mid-air as they began to fall. With her yo-yo, she threw it at him successfully wrapping it around a leg. As she fell, she pulled as hard as was humanly possible for her. The Akuma fell back, releasing Elisheva, dropping her to the ground. The Akuma was on the shore now, and Elisheva fell to the wet sand. Mazel charged in before the Akuma could possibly get back up and get hold of her sister again. She kicked him in the chest, forcing him to the ground. With her yo-yo, still wrapped around his leg, she began to pull, dragging him further away from her sister.
As she did, she took the time to take in the details of the Akuma. It was clearly the body of a man, much like all the others. Its head was a bird. A Falcon as far as Mazel could tell. She had heard about many of the gods, but her knowledge of their appearance was very limited. She pushed this at the back of her mind as he shifted and tried to attack her. She released her yo-yo and jumped back several feet. Yo-yo still in hand, she threw it again, this time aiming to trap his arms and torso. She wasn't quick enough, and the Akuma easily grabbed her yo-yo by its string. She tried to pull onto it to trip him forward, but he didn't move.
It was Ra's turn to attack, and he did so before she could register what was happening. Upon Ra's head was a crown headpiece fashioned to look like a gold cobra that was encircling an orange orb. The snake burst to life, and with lightning speed, using the string of the yo-yo to slither at her in a charging attack. She gasped, freezing in place. Just in time, Ammon cut in. With his staff in hand, he struck the string. It ended up knocking the yo-yo out of her hand, but the snake was knocked aside. With another swing, Ammon struck the snake, knocking it into the river.
"I don't see a specter," Mazel stated.
"I don't either," Ammon explained.
Ra laughed. He was amused by their words. "I don't have it. I left it with another god."
"Another god?!" Mazel gasped.
"Of course. Do didn't think I'd keep everything here with me, did you?" Ra laughed.
Ammon looked back, seeing a small group of the mummies shuffling their way. Though in the distance, he also saw a non-mummified figure. Clad in blacks and purples. He let out a growl. "Hawkmoth is helping him. He has the specter."
Mazel dove down into the sand, retrieving her yo-yo. She jumped back to her feet and ran to her sister's side. Elisheva was still unconscious. There was a trickle of blood running down her face. She reached for her and spoke to her, pleading for her to wake up. She heard a low mumble and felt relieved. She was alright. She turned to look back at the Akumaized Pharaoh. She stood and charged at him.
She threw a punch at him but he caught her fist and tossed her aside. "Pathetic. You fake gods are no match for a real god."
Mazel climbed to her feet. "For the last time! We never claimed to be gods! And there is only one true god! My God!" She leaped into the air, leaping over Ra. She turned in mid jump, twirling, and striking him on the side of the head, knocking him aside. "Chat, go get that specter, destroy it, and protect the prince!"
It was as if Ra hadn't noticed the heir strapped to his chest up until now. Because his eyes began to glow. "You dare try and take the prince away from me! He is mine! You stole my queen, and now you try and steal my son!"
Ammon had already been running, breaking the group of mummies aside with his staff, and making a dash towards Hawkmoth. He had heard his uncle's words, but he hadn't seen a great speed he was charging at him. Mazel used her yo-yo to grab the Pharaoh by both legs and pulled him down once again. "You tackle him, and you will kill your son! We don't want to hurt him!"
He pulled at the yo-yo, and with the mighty strength he held as King of all Gods, he snapped the yo-yo string completely. With her only weapon now broken, Mazel tossed the useless string aside and charged at the Pharaoh and he scrambled to his feet. She tackled him to the ground.
"Pharaoh Tutankhamun, I know you're in pain, but you can't do this, Ankhesnamum wouldn't want this. She knew I couldn't save her. Please hear my words. I am so sorry that you lost your wife."
Mazel couldn't hold him down any longer. He was much too strong. He easily rose to his feet. And even worse, the mummies has reached her. With a dozen now grabbing her and forcing her to the ground, she was pinned in place. She gasped. She knew he could easily kill her in such a position. She struggled in this position, desperate to free herself. "P-please!"
"I am a man of my word. I am going to catch your lover. And I am going to kill him. You will have to watch. I will kill your sister, and bring back my wife. I will make you suffer so much, that you will beg me to kill you," he sneered. With his great speed, he turned and continued after Ammon.
Her eyes were wide, and an undeniable fear filled her. "NOO! DON'T HURT HIM!"
8 8 8
Ammon could hear Mazel's screams, and he wanted nothing more than to turn back and save her. There was no doubt that she was the most important person in his life. Though he knew that she would never forgive him if he did. She had risked her life for the people of Memphis too many times to count. And he had never taken such a risk. She had always been the one making sacrifices. The fact was, his cousin, and future Pharaoh needed his father to guide him. And the only way that could happen was if he freed his uncles from Hawkmoth's curse and then, and only then reunited father and son.
He could see Hawkmoth. He was so close. The slow moving mummies were easy enough to dodge, but even so, Ammon felt fearful every single time that another unnoticed one would reach him. With his speed though, he came to a few yards away from Hawkmoth. He held a scroll in front of him and was reading it aloud. In his hand was a specter. It was glowing, and a soft white light emanated from it.
Hawkmoth turned to look at Ammon. Though he continued to chant the scroll's spell out loud. He smirked. It angered Ammon greatly. He glared and grabbed his staff. He extended it and readied to attack. He swung back, but with a great start, two powerful arms wrapped around him, pinning him back. He cried out and struggled, but he couldn't get free.
Hawkmoth laughed. "Now, his bracelet. It's the source of his false power. Take it, and give it to me."
8 8 8
"Release her!" came Elisheva's voice.
The undead creatures and Mazel looked over. Her eyes widened when she looked over and saw her little sister. She had a small dagger in her hand and she had it pressed to her neck. "Elisheva! What are you doing!?"
Elisheva didn't answer her sister and continued to look at the mummies. "I have to be alive when I reached Atum. If you don't release her, I will kill myself. Ra will punish you all if I die before then! So release her."
Mazel thought that Elisheva was crazy and such a plan was insane. Though, to her surprise, they did release her. Mazel pushed off of them and burst through their group to reach her sister. Mazel snatched the dagger from her sister. "Where did you get this?"
"I bought it after Menhit attacked…," Elisheva explained.
With the dagger now out of Elisheva's hand, the mummies once again began to head towards them. Mazel scooped up her sister, and flipped her up over her shoulder, and just began to run towards Ammon to save him from the vengeful Akuma.
She found there to be fewer mummies spread out, as they all seemed to be around the ritual area. She sensed something bad was happening and ran through the sand as fast as her legs could carry her. She gasped when she saw Ammon was pinned and held against the Pharaoh. He was struggling. She could see him fighting with the Akuma, who was trying to force his Miraculous off of his wrist.
"Elisheva, I'm going to drop you. You need to run and hide in the city. Find the best spot you can find and stay there until you see my Miraculous Cure through the city," Mazel stated.
"What!?" Elisheva cried.
Mazel repositioned her sister in her arms, and with a quick stop placed Elisheva on her feet, and gave her sister back her dagger. Then she continued on. She tried to hurry to reach Ammon. Though the moment she saw the bright white light, Mazel knew that the Akuma had the Miraculous. She reached her hand out. "No!"
The Akuma turned to look at her. Still holding a now untransformed Ammon. Though the Pharaoh seemed unfazed. She realized it was because he hadn't seen Ammon's face as they were facing away from the Akuma. "You drop him right now!" Mazel cried.
Ra didn't answer, he just reached up, and placed his hand to Ammon's neck, choking him. The prince had been fussing throughout the battle thus far, but now he was screaming, much like he had when they found him. "Don't!" Mazel cried. "Don't kill him!"
"Brother! Don't!" There was the sound of another voice nearby. Both Mazel and Ra turned. Looking at a distraught Shen. He was hurrying over, his eyes wide. "Tutankhamun, please don't hurt my son!"
Ra stepped back, a look of surprise on his face. He released Ammon's neck, leaving him to cough and gasp for air. He turned the boy around looking at his face. "A-Ammon!"
He released Ammon, dropping him. Mazel was close enough that she leaped in, and caught him in her arms. She draped her arms around him protectively. She looked up at the stunned Akuma, glaring. "You will not harm him! He is your nephew. Do you really think your Nephew, who loved the queen so much would actually allow her to die? Hawkmoth has been whispering lies to you."
"Ra! Give me that Miraculous!" Hawkmoth shouted. "They stole that from me! It belongs to me!"
"Technically, it belongs to me!"
Now also floating protectively in front of Ammon and Mazel was Plagg. He glared at the Akuma. "The Miraculous belongs to Tikki and me. We granted these two our powers! And that man!" Plagg pointed at Hawkmoth. "Is no god either! You must stop this!"
The Akuma's face was covered with a pink butterfly outside. His hands grabbed either side of his head and he dropped to his knees. "U-uncle," Ammon gasped. He pulled from Mazel's arms and sat up. He pulled at the wrap and took the baby from the safety of the fabric. He held the infant and looked at his possessed uncle. "You're son needs his father. He lost his mother, and now he will need his father more than ever. We need you to come back to us now."
Shen joined his son and looked at his older brother. "I know how easy it is to place the blame on the wrong party for the loss of a loved one, Tutankhamun. I lost my wife in childbirth to my only son. You and Ankhesenamum were with me the entire way, and now Ammon and I will be with you as well. Please, for your son."
Shen took Mazel's place in holding his son in place. Mazel rose to her feet. The mummies were now motionless, their Akuma master having stopped them in their confusion. Mazel glared at Hawkmoth, who was watching in disbelief. She stepped around the Akuma and headed towards the true enemy.
"I have had enough of you," she hissed. He took a step back. Reaching into his belt for a short sword. As he reached for it, she kicked at his arm, forcing him to drop the sword. She reached for him now and grabbed his collar. She pulled him to her and hissed. "You have messed with this city for the last time."
"Y-You're not even Egyptian! You're just a filthy slave girl!"
"I maybe just a slave and I maybe a Hebrew, but this is the only home I have ever known, and I will not have the likes of you, hurting and destroying everything the people of this city have worked towards! They have more important things to worry about than some power hungry priest creating monsters to destroy their families."
Mazel threw him aside. "You're lucky that my God doesn't believe in killing because you are unworthy of the life you've been given. I'll leave your punishing to the Pharaoh."
Mazel picked up the scroll that had been dropped. She clenched it in her fist. Then she picked up the specter in her hand. It was still glowing faintly. She raised it above her head and with as much strength as she could muster, she smashed the crystal of the specter into the ground, shattering it into hundreds of tiny pieces.
She saw the black Akuma butterfly begin to raise from the broken crystal. She reached for her yo-yo, then gasping realizing that it had been broken by the river. Her eyes went wide. She turned to look at Ammon, panic rising up inside her. To her surprise, she saw the Akuma standing by her side. He hand reached out to her. In his hand was her broken yo-yo. She looked at it questionably.
"In my desperate need for revenge, I was going to strangle Chat Noir with what was left of the string," he stated. She sent him a thankful smile. She opened the yo-yo, and held it in between her hands and looked up at the fleeing butterfly.
"Do you mind giving me a lift?" she asked.
The flacon smiled. "It would be my honor, Ladybug."
He knelt down, forming a flat surface with his hands. She placed a foot on his hands and hoisted herself up. With his great strength, he lifted her high into the air.
"Time to purify evil!" she cried out. She positioned the broken yo-yo and with a snap, she closed the yo-yo around the butterfly. With her usual grace, she landed on the sand below. She held the yo-yo in front of her and opened it, a pure white butterfly now fluttering away. "Bye-bye little butterfly."
She looked back at Ammon. He was still holding his cousin, but he used one hand to toss her the now unneeded baby wrap. She tossed it up into the air. "Miraculous cure!"
The fabric broke apart, and now the hundreds of tiny ladybugs moved around the area. Parts of the palace began to form back together, and the specter's broken pieces reformed. The energy zoomed around the mummies, releasing them, to Mazel's surprise, several guards and staff of the palace, freeing them. And finally, it surrounded the Pharaoh. With a final flash of light, Tutankhamun was returned to his normal self. The ladybug's disappeared, and everything was returned to normal.
Tutankhamun returned to Ammon. He looked at him with saddened eyes. "Thank you," he whispered. He held his hands out. Ammon passed his cousin over to his uncle. It took only that moment for the Pharaoh to burst into tears. He held his son. "You two maybe not gods, but you really are guardians of this city. I blamed you both, and yet you still did your job. I can't ever thank you enough."
Mazel heard her miraculous beep, "We need to take care of Hawkmoth."
She turned to look at him, but he was gone. She let out a frustrating growl. "Don't worry," Tutankhamun told her. "He will be hunted down, and he will be put to death for his crimes against my people."
Her Miraculous beeped again. This time, for the final time. With a burst of light, she was returned to her normal self. She glanced around, and saw the servants and guards, staring at her in awe. She felt an embarrassed blush cross her face, but she didn't have time to hide her shyness as Tikki popped back from the Miraculous. The excited Kwami leaped onto Mazel's face. "You did it!"
"She sure did." It was Ammon. He was holding his miraculous bracelet and placed it back on his wrist. Plagg hovered nearby with a smug smile on his face. He was staring right at Mazel, his brown eyes dancing with pride.
Shen stood by his son's side and looked at the two. "So, how did a nobleman of Egypt and a Hebrew slave come by this power?"
Mazel's mouth dropped open. "Oh…um…"
Ammon chuckled. "It's hard to explain, but it found us."
"Ay," Tutankhamun spoke out loud.
The group turned to look at the Pharaoh. "What?" Shen asked.
"That's what Ahkhesenamum wanted to name him. I thought it wasn't grand enough," he quietly laughed to himself. "She always knew best."
Ammon spoke. "It's a fine name, worthy of a Pharaoh of Egypt."
Shen only nodded as he looked down at his son in pride. "He will be."
A/N: Holyyyyy! What a chapter to write. My hands. My hands are so cramped up. I hope it was worth the long months of waiting since I have been so incredibly busy. And no! This is not the end! Nope! I mean there isn't much left, but there is still a few odds and ends to close up. Plus, you know we haven't seen the last of Hawkmoth.
Anyway, I will start the next chapter Tuesday. Cuz I have a date with the husband tomorrow. Have a wonderful day everyone! I care about everyone who takes the time to read my stories and enjoy them. See you all next time!