4,000 Years Ago

Thebes, City of the Living, crown jewel of Seti 1. A city that had been blessed to have the gods walk amongst the people once more. The Pharaoh and his future wife hosting the spirits of Osiris and Isis and the people rejoiced to be ruled once more by their gods.

However there was one that cursed the return of the gods; the Pharaoh's High Priest Imhotep.

He was forced to watch the woman he loved to be controlled by the gods that he had devoted his life to. The gods did not care that they were breaking Seti's word to Imhotep. Once the Pharaoh had learned that his future's wife heart had chosen another and had swore that he would release Anck-Su-Namun. But then the gods had come, and Isis had selfishly chosen Anck-Su-Namun for her beauty. She had not even been amongst the women who had volunteered to host the goddess. Imhotep was forced to watch during the ceremony as Isis had forced herself onto his love, even as she struggled to reject the goddess.

But she had been overwhelmed and the goddess had taken full control over his love.

Anger filled his every waking moment and cursed the gods with every breath.

Little did he know that his anger allowed his mind to become weak, unguarded, and eventually allowing for a presence to take over during his prayers in the temple.

Imhotep gripped the table he had been standing at as something foreign entered his mind. His vision filled with red, and suddenly he had no control of his body. He began to panic as he struggled to move his hand. He stopped when he heard a chuckle ring through his mind.

*I wouldn't struggle Priest, your body and mind are now mine.*

*Who are you* demanded Imhotep as he struggled again.

*The God of Chaos himself little priest. Your anger at my brother has made your mind chaotic, and it called so sweetly to me. I can see your desires, you wish to kill my brother and cast my Isis out of your love. I can make all these come true, just allow me to guide you*

Imhotep fought against Set, but he ultimately lost against the invasion. The state of Imhotep's mind made Set powerful and he easily locked Imhotep deep inside his own mind until he was just a shadow unable to see or hear anything that was going on around him. Set controlled every move and he used Imhoteps body to lie in wait for his brother in Seti's private bedchamber.

His godly nature came through his host eyes as they glowed red. It wasn't long for Osiris and Isis to enter the chamber. He waited until they had dismissed their guards and locked the doors before he stepped out of the shadows.

"Imhotep, my High Priest, what are you doing here?!" demanded Osiris as Set moved his body to stand right in front of Seti

Set smiled and leaned in close so only Osiris could hear him. "I'm here to kill you brother."

Before Seti/Osiris could react Set/Imhotep grabbed the sword from around his waist and used it to stab Seti through the heart, killing him instantly. Isis looked at horror at the body of her beloved. Set smiled at Isis. Isis barred her teeth and turned towards the door.

"Medjai! Medjai!" she screamed alerting the royal guard before turning back to Imhotep with a smile.

"You will not win Imhotep, I will not give up this host."

Set watched in amusement as Isis forced her host to grab the dagger from Seti's waist and stab the human in the stomach. She laughed as she left her host to die. Set let out his own laugh as he to let lose of his control over the human to return back to the Duat.

Imhotep collapsed like a puppet whose strings had been cut. His mind came bursting out from his prison where he had been locked away for so many days. His eyes opened to a horrific scene, Seti lying in a pool of blood obviously dead. But then he saw the his love and his heart stopped. Anck-Su-Namun lay in a growing pool of blood.

Like a vision what had happened played before his eyes. With all his strength Imhotep crawled to his love, whose breath were becoming shallower and shallower.

"Anck-Su-Namun" he whispered pulling her head to rest in his lap. "I'm so sorry my love, I never meant for this to happen."

"Imhotep" she gasped, reaching up to touch his face. "I know that this wasn't your fault we were both just play things for the gods. I want you to know that I love you."

Imhotep cupped her face, "I love you to, Anck. Please stay with me" he whispered caressing her face. Ignoring the sounds of the Medjai trying to break into the room.

Anck tried to smile but grimaced in pain. "I will be waiting for you in the Hall of Judgment. I will not let Anubis weigh my heart until you are by my side to start the next life."

Imhotep tried to hold back his tears as determination grew inside of him, "No, we will have another chance in this one. I will resurrect you."

Anck eyes widened for a moment before her body went still, the breath leaving her body. Imhotep leaned down and touched his lips to hers, the sound of the Medjai grew louder. Imhotep was gathering the strength to run, when his faithful priests came through the secret passage. At first Imhotep resisted, not wanting to leave his love but also not wanting to give up control after being an unwilling host. The strain was too much for him and he soon passed out. His loyal priests were able to spirit him away. They knew what had happened, they had seen the evil eyes of Set looking out of their Master's face.

They hid Imhotep deep in the city, away from the wrath of the gods and the Medjai where few dared to venture. They stood guard over his body, offering prayers to Ra, the true King of the Gods. For three days they prayed and burned sacred plants hoping their master would awaken.

At the end of the third day, their prayers were answered and Imhotep opened his eyes. Imhotep immediately got to work, with the help of his priest he stole Anck-Su-Namun 's body from her crypt and took her far into the desert to Hamunaptra, the City of the Dead.

There he took the Black Book from its holy resting place and went deep into the city to the vault of souls. There he began the spell on bringing his love back, but moments before he succeeded the Medjai came rushing in, stopping him from completing the spell.

The Medjai beat him to an inch of his life for killing the Pharaoh before being transported back to Thebes for judgment by the gods. He was dragged into the court where he was forced to listen to them condemn him to the worst fate. He was unable to defend himself as his tongue had been removed and his lips sealed. He couldn't yell to the sky that he had been controlled by Set.

He was forced to watch his loyal Priests mummified alive, forced to listen to their screams as their organs were removed before they blessedly went silent as death claimed them. Imhotep prayed to Anubis for their souls, and that their hearts were weighed and allowed passage into the afterlife for they had done no wrong.

After the last were mummified it was then Imhoteps turn. He struggled as he was strapped to the table and the Medjai began to wrap his body in linen ignoring his muffled screams to stop.

The linen was wrapped so tightly he couldn't even move his toes. He was further tormented as once they were done binding his arms to his chest and covering his face; they laid him in the coffin and left to eat their mid-day meal. Imhotep felt tears escape his eyes as he lay there, struggling to breath. He didn't know how long he lay their until he heard the chant begin and the curse was laid upon him.

Imhotep began to curse the Gods that condemned him to this fate, until the scarabs were thrown into his coffin, after that he knew nothing but pain. Pain as his flesh was eaten from his bones and yet he still lived, then his organs, until there was nothing left but yet the pain remained and would continue through the thousands of years.

In those first terrible days he managed to break through his bindings after the scarabs had eaten enough of them. Using his finger nails he wrote a message to the gods. He knew that when he was awoken, for he would someday be awoken that nothing could stop him. Because Death is only the beginning.

Present Day

After all the excitement of the past few weeks the Kane's finally got to ask the question that had been bugging them.

Desjardins had said that their Dad should have died long ago when he was in the City of the Dead. So when Amos finally returned to Brooklyn house, Sadie and Carter cornered him in the library.

"So Uncle Amos, do you know why Desjardins told us that Dad should have died in the City of the Dead?" asked Carter.

Amos sighed as he sunk into his arm chair "So Desjardins decided to dig up the past. I'm to assume that you will not give this up unless I tell you."

Both of them nodded, Amos motioned for them to take a seat. Farid wandered into the room with a book under his arm and smirked as he saw the trio.

"So they managed to corner you."

"To save a retelling you better sit down as well," Amos said. Farid quickly set the book aside and took the last open seat next to Carter. He was as curious as the Kanes as to what Desjardins had meant.

Amos settled down in his seat and looked at the three before him. "This story take place about twenty years ago, only a few years after your father had graduated college. He was also considered a full member of the House of Life," Amos explained to give the children a little back story of Julius during that time in his life. "Now the City of the Dead was the city of Hamunaptra the ancient treasure trove of Egypt. All the wealth of Egypt was held there and for years it was searched for by treasure hunters but no evidence of the city was ever discovered. About 4,000 years ago the city was also the site of where the worst curse that can be cast was placed on a magician and High Priest to the Pharaoh Seti I. It is known as the Hum-Dai. An ancient curse that kept the victim in magical suspended animation, you are never truly dead but experience more pain that you can imagine."

Amos paused to allow the information to sink in before continuing. "The curse like all things has a drawback, as the victim is in suspension their powers grow until they are nearly unlimited. They have the power of the plagues that are described in the Bible to herald their awakening. Julius played a part in accidently releasing this magician from this curse and almost causing the apocalypse."

"You got to be joking mate," exclaimed Sadie, she couldn't imagine what this magician could have done to be cursed like that. "What did this dude do to deserve such a fate?"

Farid had heard rumors about this curse but he had never heard of it being performed.

"This magician, Imhotep had the curse cast on him because he was found guilty of killing the King Seti and his future wife who at the time were the hosts for Osiris and Isis. The gods punished him by making him suffer the Hum-Dai."

"So Dad released a mummy in other words," summarized Carter.

Amos smiled slightly "Yes indeed."

"As a priest wouldn't he welcome the gods being back?" asked Farid looking thoughtful.

"Imhotep loved Anck-Su-Namun who would become Isis host. Julius told me that before becoming a host to the gods, Seti had promised to release Anck from her vows and allow her to be with Imhotep."

"So Isis host and the mummy were involved before they received the gods?" Farid asked beginning to understand better than the younger Kanes what could cause the priest to snap.

Amos nodded, "Yes Anck Su Namun was to be his fourth wife. She was the most beautiful, which is why she was chosen. So when Isis chose her out of the wives, they didn't even care that she loved someone else," said Amos.

"Why did she consent to being a host?" said Carter.

"Because it was custom for the Pharaohs and one of their wives to host the gods" explained Amos. "It was the greatest of honor to host the gods. And from your own experiences, the gods are not easily refused. They are not afraid to take control."

Sadie nodded, she remembered how Isis had tried to pull the same stunt. "So how did Dad get mixed in with all of this?" asked Sadie getting comfortable.

"Your Dad had received a letter from a college class mate named Evy Carnahan, she and Julius had been the best of friends in college and she wanted you dad to help her with this discovery. Her brother had discovered a map that would lead them to Hamunaptra. To enter Hamunaptra, even today is dangerous it is heavily warded against intruders. Now Evy is a very determined woman, and Julius knew even without his help she would try to find it. What Evy wanted to find was also dangerous for any non-magician who tampers with it" said Amos. "But I'm getting ahead of myself, let me start off at the beginning."

Egypt 20 years ago

Julius hoped that he would be able to talk Evy out of taking this journey. What he had been taught at the First Nome about Hamunaptra was that the city was almost impossible to enter. It was heavily warded by spells thousands of years old that were powerful.

Osiris knows how she had found a map, all maps were supposed to be destroyed over four thousand years ago and almost every trace of it had been wiped from the history books. Only the legend of the treasure kept the memory of the city alive out of the First Nome. He prayed that the map she found was a fake and he hoped to get it all straightened out when he met her at the Cairo jail.

Like usually Jonathan apparently hadn't gotten the map by honest means. He just wished that for once Jonathan would have just kept his hands out of other people pockets!