I was going to wait until tomorrow to post this but I decided to be nice because I finished the story so you can get the last chapter tomorrow. Cheers! Oh and bonus points to Violinrocker12 who called something in this chapter months ago.

Chapter 35

House of Sacrifice

Two things crossed my mind at once: gods can't steal that which belongs to another god, and Shaba just threw that rule out the window.

The goddess held the objects in her hands, and I noticed the legit flames burning up her arms. She must have been in extreme agony, but she stood smiling at Nebthet. "I couldn't let you get them. I'd die for mankind; you'd destroy them."

Oh my gods. Shaba really was telling the truth. She'd stolen the Instruments, and they would kill her, but now Nebthet couldn't take them. The only traitor was Nebthet herself. "It's over Nebthet. I'd suggest you run before Anubis comes now that he knows of your treachery."

Nebthet yowled into the air before turning to me an insane smile on her face. "Why don't I give him a little present then? Two dead Chosen Ones should do the trick, don't you think?"

Before I could even fathom what had happened, Eddie was standing in front of me arms crossed before his face as a deadly bolt of darkness hovered before him. The boy didn't even look to be breathing…actually no one did.

I looked around, and quickly realized what had happened. Time…time was stopped. Someone had frozen everyone but me…and that someone could only be one person.

"I'm an idiot," I sighed looking at the woman before me. "Mrs. R, Renpet."

Mrs. R, Renpet, whoever she was, smiled, "It wasn't your brightest moment, but then it's better you didn't know. I'm not sure I could have denied you a path home before your work was done."

Work? "Oh," I whispered looking between the frozen goddesses. "You sent us back to stop Nebthet."

Renpet, much to my surprise, shook her head. "I sent you back to stop Renpet and Eddie to protect you. The rest of your friends came along by accident…so I was glad to give Henet a spell for you to bring them out of the line of fire."

So she had this all planned out from the beginning? Was I supposed to be grateful to this goddess who allowed us to be tortured and killed? Because I sure as Hell wasn't.

"I don't need your gratitude," Renpet chuckled. "I need your obedience. Soon I will have to unfreeze time, and you will have to eliminate Nebthet."

Eliminate? As in kill. "In case you didn't realize it she's a goddess, which means she's immortal. I can't kill her."

Renpet raised an eyebrow and looked over to where Shaba stood burning. "Is that so? Even we gods were created out of Ma'at, and Ma'at can destroy even an immortal. Henet knew that would be the case when she touched the Instruments, but she still did so. Still, you don't have to kill Nebthet to punish her. You are the Chosen One of Anubis. A word from you and Nebthet will be sent back to your Master's domain."

I understood what she meant…and remembered one of the spells Shaba had taught me. "W'pen," I called and the ground split open hurtling Nebthet back into the Afterlife the hard way. She was Anubis and Osiris' problem now. Renpet nodded in approval and moved Eddie out of harm's way before snapping her finger and disappearing.

"What the heck just happened?" Eddie mumbled, but I was already by Shaba's side. I pulled the Instruments from her hands, but it was too late. The flames went out, but that didn't make me think for one second she wasn't still dying.

"You're such an idiot," I told the girl a tear dripping down my cheek. "I wasn't even going to give her them."

Shaba chuckled, but it came out as a dying cough. "Don't tell me that. I thought I was being a hero."

"You are a hero," I told her laying the small goddess back on the soft grass. "You saved the whole world."

Shaba shook her head, "You saved the world Nina. I just pushed you along the right path…besides. What kind of hero can't even save themselves?"

"The stupid kind," I joked trying to keep the goddess smiling.

Shaba did smile, "I told you that you were the best. Goodbye Nina, I'm glad to die for you. Look at me, first immortal to die. I should get a statue or something. Henet, goddess of idiots."

I was crying too hard for my laughter not to come out as a choke, which only made Shaba smile as she faded away and crumbled to dust. All that remained was a little egg…like that of a pelican.

"Nina, what just happened?" Eddie asked coming up behind me. Choking back my tears, I stuffed the egg in my pocket and turned to him.

"Nebthet was trying to steal the Instruments, but Shaba made sure she couldn't. I… I sent Nebthet back to the Afterlife to receive her punishment."

Sarah came forward shaking her head, "But she was a goddess..how could she…die?"

I looked at the egg in my hand, "She didn't. Matter can't be created or destroyed, only changed."

Eddie covered my hands with his and smiled, "Only changed."