Salutations, my readers! It was so good to hear from so many of you! I know you're all excited for this next chapter, so here it is!

DISCLAIMER: I have not read the Kane Chronicles, therefore I'm sorry for any inaccuracies in describing any characters of Rick Riordan. Also, this chapter is kind of sad, so, fair warning.

Enjoy!

Chapter 27

The goddess lead them further down the black hall, avoiding certain spots and whispering beneath her breath about "reckless treatment" and "now I won't be able to go out for twenty years". Leo chose to ignore this and instead held Eva's hand, who hated the dark, and he lit a small fire in the palm of his free hand. Eva smiled at the bit of light, and Stefano hooted from her shoulder, his metallic wings reflecting the flames. Aurum and Argentum trailed along with the group at a slower pace, following Reyna's body, their tails low and heads bowed.

Finally, they arrived. A large pair of obsidian doors covered with hieroglyphics from top to bottom loomed above the small party, ascending high above their heads and into the shadows from above; There were no door handles, and Kebechet looked expectantly at the humans of the group.

"Well?" she said impatiently, tapping her foot. Leo looked at her with a confused expression, and she gave an annoyed sigh. "You have to give the door a tribute! It's required from any human foolish enough to seek out the god of death." she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Still seeing their bewildered looks, the goddess rolled her eyes and grabbed Leo's wrist. Taking a small knife from her pocket, she slashed into his arm. Eva gave a small cry of fright, and Leo flinched from the blade's cut. The goddess now dragged his bleeding arm over towards the door and wiped it across, the blood leaving a smeared trail behind it. The doors seemed to accept this, as they turned from obsidian to a bright, shining gold and then vanishing into thin air. Kebechet waved them on, and they trudged through the now empty space. Leo quietly removed a small roll of gauze and wrapped it around his arm as he walked inward, slipping the rest into his toolbelt. Eva stared horrified at his now bandaged forearm, not wanting to believe what she had just seen.

They quickly came to halt, and one by one, green torches lit themselves around the room, casting eerie shadows across the long room. In the center, there sat a throne of pure, black granite, framed by shining gold that glowed unnaturally bright. The torch light flickered and shimmered off of the throne, and Leo could just make out multiple symbols and drawings carved into the chair, which bore two jackal heads at the end of each armrest. Finally, there was a pair of tarnished brass scales that hung off of the edge. A feather occupied one side of the scale, and seemed to balance it perfectly. Leo was impressed with what he saw, Eva intimidated. Thoughts of Leo's earlier actions made her worry for her tall friend; If he was going to be killed, she would at least try to save him, rather than just running like he told her. She uneasily shifted the bow on her shoulder, while on the other Stefano affectionately nipped her earlobe.

Kebechet walked forward and kneeled. "Oh father," she called in her arid voice, "I bring these puny mortals to you, my king, for they have requested a favor that falls in your realm."

At first, nothing happened. "Oh well," Leo said without humor, "Guess he's not home."

"Oh, death is always present, Mr. Valdez." came a deep, soft voice that reverberated around the room; Eva clung closer to Leo as an unnatural chill swept through out the hall. "Looming in the shadows, always there, waiting…" the voice spoke on as the torches went out around the room one by one, until the whole hall was thrown into complete darkness. Eva squeezed Leo's hand tighter, and he tried to summon some flames for light, only finding that the instant he lit, it was sucked up by the surrounding night; This unnerved Leo, and he gave a reassuring squeeze to Eva, even though he didn't know what to expect at all. And suddenly, they entire chamber lit again, bathed in the now golden glow of torchlight, with a giant, looming figure sitting on the throne.

"You may approach, demigods," the low voice spoke, and Eva felt it as though it was right in her ear; Leo almost turned around entirely, but then deduced this must be one of his traits: Death is always anywhere and everywhere. Knowing he had to be the brave one, Leo took a step forward, Eva and Stefano in tow, followed by Reyna's body, and her dogs, who refrained from growling at the intimidating god in front of them.

Out of nowhere, Leo felt Kebechet hiss in his ear, "Kneel, you fools!" So he slowly, reluctantly bowed on one knee; Eva followed suit and sank to the ground, her head bowed and eyes lowered. The dogs didn't bow, but even they seemed to get the idea, and sat respectfully near their deceased mistress.

The god seemed to find this adequate, because he called forth, "Rise, demigods, and tell me your request." Leo looked up to face the god, and was in for something of a shock: Where there should have been a man's head, there was the head of a jackal; A living, breathing jackal head on a man's body, coated with glossy black fur that shined like onyx in the flickering light. He wore no shirt, exposing a body that seemed like it was carved out of slab of dark granite, but he did wear a long, sweeping robe that fell over his shoulders and then across his waist, hiding most of his legs from view. The jackal opened his mouth to address his audience: "I am Anubis, god of death. What is it that you seek?"

His voice was so deep, so soft, and incredibly soothing; Eva felt herself relaxing from the cool tone. Leo, however, was rigid with anticipation and he stepped forward. "Lord Anubis, please we need your help."

"I can tell that much," Anubis drawled, his teeth baring slightly in a smirk.

"Yeah, well… Our friend was killed by the goddess Isis, who cursed her, and we were told- " he glanced pointedly at Kebechet, who hissed softly, " - that you might be able to bring her back."

"Bring her back?" the god's soft voice questioned, "Oh no, I don't do those kinds of favors unless I deem it worthy enough of my attention."

Leo felt his anger bubble close to the surface, and took a deep breath. "This is worthy of attention." he said as calmly as he could.

Anubis raised a furry eyebrow. "Mortals do not often deserve my attention, what makes her, or any of you, so special?" he said boredly.

Leo felt the fire burn in his stomach; He wanted nothing more to scream and shout at the maddeningly mellow god for acting like this entire crisis was pointless! But he couldn't… Reyna needed his help, and he had to do whatever it takes, including swallowing his fast-growing rage. He cleared his throat. "Because we have some information you might be interested in, concerning the goddess Isis."

Anubis looked appraisingly at Leo for a moment. "The spoiled goddess is no concern of mine," he said in an attempt to disguise his curiosity.

"But Lord Anubis, wouldn't you want to know about the god Loki?" Leo was baiting the god, waiting for him to become more and more interested; Eva could hardly look up from fear, but took courage from Leo's tone and was able to slow her heart rate.

Kebechet stomped her foot in the background. "I was going to tell him!" she whined, her dry voice cracking with annoyance. Anubis gave his daughter a reproachful look, and she lowered her head, her face screwed up with resentment.

Anubis leaned back in his dark throne, the torches throwing his animalistic face into deep shadows. "Very well, Mr. Valdez, tell me this story."

And tell it he did. He went through their quest, starting with the reason behind seeking out the shards, to their journey into Chile. He told them of the Midgard Serpent, of Loki's defeat, even picking up little Eva, who upon hearing her name, looked up shyly and smiled sweetly; Kebechet couldn't help but smile back at the child, something that did not escape Anubis's notice. Finally, he recalled their encounter with Isis, the things she said, and then everything that led them up to this moment. For a long time, Anubis sat in silence, and the entire throne room held it's breath, waiting for a sign of the god's judgement.

Suddenly, there was a deep, booming laughter; Anubis was laughing! His jackal's head was thrown backwards, barking out laughter that filled the entire room, echoing off the walls and bouncing through their ears. The jackal smiled wickedly once his hilarity had worn off. "Chetty, daughter, do you what this means?" he asked in amusement, his nose twitching.

Kebechet smiled evilly. "Oh, I know what it means, father. Care to explain to our guests?"

Anubis turned toward the group, his sharp teeth bared in a wide grin. "Isis, demigods, is exactly what I said earlier: Spoiled and vain, never having been denied a single thing in her life. Her husband, Osiris was king of the gods, was killed many years ago. A few hundred years ago, he returned to life; Of course, we had all assumed that she had just found extremely powerful magic. Now her proud, handsome husband had returned to the throne, and she was once more the 'beautiful' queen. But maybe, oh three years ago or so, Osiris began to grow weaker, and more frail, less handsome and strong. Mind you, he hasn't died yet, but he's not much to look at. And of course, Isis, being his loving wife, can't stand him now, even as he decays into dust. She has been sneaking out for months at a time, and we all knew she was having an affair. But with this.. this Loki? A slimy little trickster? My my, she must be so desperate for someone else besides her pitiful husband, for some excitement in her dreary life. You said you defeated Gaea, Valdez, and that must have been the cause of Osiris' decline; Isis must have promised to guard this shard that you speak of. Of course, once Gaea was defeated and Osiris was withering away, she must have given it to that Norwegian bastard to guard, promising her love in return, so that she may stay queen but continue her passionate romance. Oh, I bet she regrets that now; It's probably why she cursed you in the first place, and why your friend now lies cold in that sarcophagus."

Leo stood with his mouth open in shock, not even sure what to say; Was that why Isis killed his queen? For a lover's revenge? Well, Leo mused, I can understand that part. That still didn't quench Leo's hatred for the woman; In fact, he hated her even more for being a two-timing, stuck-up little drama queen who needed action in her life. Eva, not completely understanding all the details, simply accepted that this was an alarming moment, and kept politely silent.

"Of course, once Osiris finds out that his lovely wife is cheating on him, he will die of a broken heart, leaving his son to once more claim the throne." said Anubis thoughtfully, running a hand over the fur on his face; His ear twitched like a dog being pet. "And the little queen will once again be lonesome. Poor thing." he said as indifferently as possible; It was obvious he was quite pleased with Isis' fate. "Well, I thank you, demigods, for informing me of this treachery, and I will see to it that this all is put to a stop. Oh don't worry," he said upon seeing their alarmed faces, "Osiris has been wishing he was dead for years, only staying alive for his wife. He'll see this as more of a release than a torture."

"And for Reyna?" Leo questioned hopefully.

Anubis took a deep breath in his black nose, and placed his hands on the armrest of the throne. "Roman death is not like Egyptian," he began, "But I don't know if bringing her back would be the right thing to do." Leo's heart plummeted as he felt himself start to break once more; Eva's beautiful eyes filled with tears, and her tiny heart beat painfully.

"But-" Leo began

"You made it this far, haven't you? I think you can retrieve the remaining pieces on your own; You need to head north next, yes? You know your way around pretty well, Valdez, so I don't see it necessary to bring her back."

Leo stared at him dumbfounded. "Yes, it is very, very necessary." he said clearly, trying to stop his voice from shaking from pain and anger.

"Do you know the price of my help, demigod?" Anubis said quietly, once more sounding like he was right next to Leo. "Do you have a life you're willing to sacrifice, one you consider important to you?" The god glanced at Eva, who looked up fearfully and went wide-eyed.

"She's not the one who will be sacrificed," Leo said coldly, stepping in front of her. Mentally preparing himself, he began to say his last words-

"I am."

Out of the shadows that lingered in the room, stepped Nico Di Angelo. His face bore no emotion, and his dark eyes scanned the room, stopping on Evangeline and Leo, who were both frozen in shock. "My life is a living hell, Anubis," he said flatly, "What better way to go than give it up for someone who still has so much to live for?"

The god was deeply troubled by this. "Nico," he said in a soothing tone, "I don't think that's very-"

"Why the hell not?" Nico snarled, his eyes once more becoming dark and dangerous, "I am a child of death, and I was going to end up there eventually anyway! So why the hell not NOW?" his voice had risen to a yell, but it cracked slightly on the last now.

"Nico-" Leo began.

"You were right, Leo. You were right about me; I'm not a hero. But maybe, through my death, another hero can live." He turned towards Eva. "You remind me of my sister, you know that?" he said gently, his eyes becoming misty. "Both of them, but a lot of Bianca. You deserve to live, and to have someone who cares about you. So this is for you. No one else. Just you Miss-?"

"Evangeline." Eva whispered, her eyes teary. "Please- Nico, don't do this."

"I must."

"No you won't." Anubis' deep, mournful voice countered

The room was dead silent, and nobody moved a muscle. Anubis smiled.

"Another life has been offered, one that was important to Mr. Valdez here. I choose to accept this one in exchange for bringing back your friend, and it shall be done!"

Eva was surprised to feel Stefano hoot softly in her shoulder, gently nipping her ear, and then taking off, flying toward the giant jackal god, his brass wings beating with a determined rhythm. Eva stood paralyzed only for a moment before screaming: "NO! STEFANO NO!"

Leo was helpless to react as he watched his creation soar to his death; His wonderful, brave Stefano that he had made with his own hands, now chose to give up his automatonic life… so his creator and his little girl could be happy... "Stefano," he hoarsely called, completely choked with emotion. The bird stopped his flight and turned to his maker, hovering slightly as he flapped halfway to his demise. "You… You're the best thing I've ever made, you know that?" Stefano tweeted affectionately, and then flew into the outstretched palm of Anubis. The god of death looked down at the brave little bird, before bringing his hand over it. In a flash of golden light, Leo and Eva were temporarily blinded; And when they could see again, Stefano was no longer there.

Well, that's it! I have to admit, this was a little hard for me to write, mostly because I have a bird of my own whom I love dearly, and so I was very sad to have to write this. But on the bright side, next chapter: REYNA!

Also, sorry for the fake out about Nico being the sacrifice; He's got a much more important job ahead, so I think he should live his life.

Until next time, my dears, until next time...