He had been on his own for millennia. His companions had been his avatars. Khonshu knew it had been a lonely existence, which was another kind of punishment he had had to endure after his banishment from the Overvoid.

The moment he had left the dimension of his kin, he had never looked back.

He had never mourned the loss of the others.

Except maybe Hathor, who had been a friend, but nothing else. He had enjoyed her company, her music, her pure joy of life. Yes, he would confess to relaxing as she danced, as she teased him to dance with her, and he had appreciated her music, her laugh, her loving nature. She had cared.

That had disappeared when Osiris had cast him out.

Everyone had turned away. He was a banished, shamed god. No one was to associate with him.

In his time in the realm of humankind, Khonshu had always chosen avatars. Many of them. Mere vessels for the mantle of his power, for the moon, to be the vengeance; the Fist of Khonshu. Sometimes there had been years between one to another. Sometimes he had only briefly granted a candidate the mantle of the Moon Knight.

They had been tools.

They had been his outlet, his power, his voice, and his pain.

Until Marc Spector. Until that one perfect human being who had crawled into his temple, bleeding, dying, his mind fractured, and his soul… the resonance had been so fascinating. So powerful.

He hadn't truly investigated into that resonance.

Khonshu had reacted to something he had never felt before, offering the ceremonial armor and the title to the dying man.

It had been a rocky road, with so many ups and downs, and he had nearly driven his perfect avatar away because, let's face it, he was incapable of emotional bonds. He had a load of baggage that would need time and more time, and then some more time, to be unpacked and handled.

Or as Marc had put it: he was a mess. And absolutely crap at partnerships of any kind.

But Khonshu had learned. Not quickly, and it hadn't been easy to change his approach to the one human he couldn't bear to lose, but he had made an effort. A humongous effort, actually.

They had grown together. Marc, Steven, and Khonshu himself. It had been a glacially slow process in some ways, while other aspects of the bond had happened with such speed, it had surprised even the ancient deity.

Now they were here, in this moment, in Egypt, and he was facing one of his kin outside a hearing, a fight, a ruling against himself, or any other kind of confrontation.

Which was new.

And it left Khonshu slightly untethered because the last time he had had a civil conversation with any of the other gods had been… millennia ago.

There was a barely perceptible sound, of scales sliding over sand and stone, so low, a human ear wouldn't pick it up.

Khonshu looked at the massive representation of the shadow beast, the demon-god of chaos, Apophis.

There had been a time when they hadn't been at odds.

Actually, there had been a time when Apophis hadn't been the persona non grata of the Overvoid. He had never been part of the Ennead, but he hadn't been an enemy either.

Apophis had been seen as the greatest evil by the ancient Egyptians, which was mainly because of how the other gods relayed stories through their avatars. He and Re had been scuffling a lot, there had been angry words, angry gestures, some really loud arguments, but it had never been with the intent to hurt the other physically.

There had also never been any threat of death and murder, of devouring the other, of devouring the whole world. No, it had been just arguments that had resulted in wild tales and growing myths. Different cults had risen throughout the times the gods had walked among the mortals; some had disappeared, some had flourished; some had lingered in the shadows.

Over time the arguments had changed gradually from mere disagreements to bitterness, then outright animosity and finally something akin to hatred. Disillusioned with the Ennead, Apophis had removed himself from the Overvoid, had chosen the human realm as his home, and it had coincided with the Ennead claiming that humankind had abandoned the gods.

In his time in the humans' realm, Apophis had found his avatar. They had slowly grown closer and finally had forged the soul bond. It had been the start of a more emotionally balanced existence, of a new life, of a new world.

"It took me five hundred years," the coiled-up entity said conversationally, almost as if reading his mind; which was impossible. "I didn't woo her. I didn't entice her. It was my avatar's free choice to take the next step. After that, she slowly grew accustomed to the changes, growing with them. Our bond settled with her acceptance and that was centuries after the initial oath."

Khonshu refused to comment. He knew how much his own soul bond had started in the reverse. There was so much still to learn, especially for Marc and Steven, but also for himself.

It was new. It was actually frightening him sometimes.

"I rely on her as she relies on me. You do that with your Knight. Already, I have to say. You trust in a soul you haven't even known for a human lifetime. You can feel how he evens out the surges, how he is a calming influence on your essence, how he shields you. You are also no longer alone. Like I."

The tall figure almost snapped to attention. Khonshu's fingers clenched around the moon staff.

"You chose an avatar and you made her your bond-mate," he stated coldly.

"As did you."

The winds flared and magic snapped around them. Khonshu pointed the moon staff at the larger deity. "Marc is not my mate!" he stated, voice loud, anger clear. "He is my soul-bound!"

Apophis chuckled. "Touchy. For an old god, you are easy to engage. You blow up at the smallest provocation. Of course I know he is different for you than my avatar is for me. He isn't your mate, but he is closer to you than anyone could ever be. I never gave mine a definition or a term either. She simply is everything to me."

The obsidian eyes swirled with a lighter color, the expression as far from a smirk or a taunt as could be. It was something else. Something deeply loving and warm.

"As yours is to you. It is a love unlike anything humans could ever experience amongst themselves, but we can share it with our chosen. She was devoted to me as my avatar. She had sworn her oath and she served me faithfully. Over time I realized just why her soul had called out to me, why she was so special that I had to have her as my avatar. It changed so slowly."

Unlike his own bond, Khonshu knew.

The moon god was silent.

For a very long time.

Apophis gave him that time to consider the words, to think, to feel. He was curled up, smaller than in his battle form, but still as black as night and still a very large snake in the middle of the desert.

They were removed from the reality of Saqqara. No one could see them or their avatars.

"I nearly lost him before," the god finally said, voice quiet, refusing to meet the knowing eyes of the other god.

"So your fudged your way through the second oath, initiating the soul bond, and thought it might never pop up. Typical," Apophis sighed. "Trust in your human partner. Trust in your soul-bound, Khonshu. He has accepted you."

"I know."

And he did know. Still, he feared rejection, loss, being alone… Marc had yelled and shouted at him before, driving home the point that he, that they, him and Steven, would never abandon him. And Khonshu trusted them. With everything he was.

"Let him test the waters. You threw him into the bottomless deep end." Apophis gave a good impression of raised brows. "Backwards, old friend. Everything was done in reverse and you have to work out the kinks."

"I'm aware of the complications," he muttered.

Apophis chuckled. "Complications my scaly ass. You are the epitome of complications."

Khonshu glared at him.

"You were always a unique case, moon god. Now you're even more so. You gods do not soul-bond to your human avatars. Not just because it means a life-long bond. They lack that emotion that is needed to be so close, to trust so absolutely. Like I said: you are different, Khonshu. You gave him everything, marked him, bound yourself to his souls and claimed them as your anchor. That is real power; also absolute insanity." He grinned widely. "Two souls! You should be a basket case, but here you are. Balanced. Still a fledgling, but in time, when you, all of you, grow together, you will be a force to be reckoned with. My knight and I will offer what we can, but our powers differ."

"Why are you doing this, Apophis?" the other asked, voice a little rougher.

"Because you have something very special," was the soft, almost reverent reply. "Because I know what it is, how good it feels, how it completes you, how it can fulfill you. I know how it balances your very core, how it lets you grow, how you evolve and learn to be more than what you have always been."

The rags whipped up around him and Khonshu evaded the knowing gaze.

"It's not about superior power; conquering a throne or overthrowing the Council. It's about emotions. The emotions you hold for him… I know them. They mirror mine."

"Marc is not …!" He stopped abruptly and the anger died down. Khonshu grunted an acknowledgement. "You are truly evil, Apophis."

It got him an amused laugh. "Only if you let me. You let me do this, Khonshu. You fly off the handle the moment anyone implies you share a deeply affectionate, intimately emotional bond with your chosen. Which is absolutely what you do. Accept what you are to each other. Completely." Apophis' expression was almost soft now. "We are both soul-bound, both in a different way, but the emotions are similar. You protect this sensation, this special emotion, and I understand it. None of the Ennead or any of the other gods can grasp the meaning of it all, but I can."

"So you attacked us."

Apophis hummed a little. "You violated my territory, Khonshu," he reminded him. "You tried to take what is mine. You know I could have killed you when you interfered to save your avatar. Right in that moment, I knew something had changed." The pearlescent glow in the obsidian eyes intensified. "You had cut your ties with what you were. You bonded. You loved, Khonshu."

"Which led you to offer your alliance," he asked sarcastically.

"Yes."

"Hard to believe."

"But the truth," the other deity replied.

"I can't trust the harbinger of chaos to not stab me in the back the moment you see an opportunity."

Apophis chuckled. "You are still so very much set in your old ways, I'm surprised you bonded so hard and fast. I am not death and destruction. Chaos, the sun, the moon, love, justice, truth… all of that harbors magic and we each connect our essence to our sources. Chaos is no more than order, the moon is no more than the sun. It is the wielder that changes what they can be." He smiled. "You changed already, moon god. As did I. I am grounded in my avatar, as you are grounded in yours. Both of them. The triad. You are stronger than you think."

Khonshu's fingers tightened around his staff, invisible magic whirling around him and lighting up the inscriptions within the ancient material.

Apophis watched him curiously. "I will not betray you," he finally said. "This is not an alliance for political reasons. Nor is it about balancing chaos within the moon, the moon within the chaos. We don't need it. We are balanced within our soul-bound." He uncoiled a little.

Khonshu met the black eyes, so serious, almost serene, and the energy around the demon-god smooth and relaxed. There was no threat.

"A partnership," he murmured.

It sounded strange. He had never accepted any form of partnerships among his own kind and his connection to Marc was so much more.

"No strings, no conditions, no payback. No debts," Apophis stated.

The words resonated deep inside the moon god, reminding him of a similar situation not too many years ago.

Their agreement; Marc's and his. Marc, Steven and he, actually. The first step in their new relationship.

And Apophis had unconsciously echoed it.

"No debts," he repeated. "No strings, no conditions, no payback. A partnership."

Apophis nodded. "A partnership." His lipless snout turned into a nasty grin again. "Osiris is going to have a conniption. I like it."

Khonshu mirrored the smile, even if it was impossible to see on his skull, but it was there.

Marc had felt the ups and downs along the soul bond. It was a mixture of emotions and vague thoughts he couldn't pin down in words, just sensations. The spikes had been briefly alarming, but since the momentary surge had quieted down right away, he hadn't acted in any way.

Khonshu was reacting quite heatedly to whatever he and Apophis were talking about, but that wasn't really new. Their god was an emotional creature and even though Marc grounded him, even though he had gotten better and the surges were briefer, he was still hovering on the edge of volatile when it came to certain topics.

Or memories.

Steven was currently fronting, pouring over the list the lady knight had given them. Marc was simply in the back, keeping an eye on the soul bond and through it, Khonshu.

Layla had pinned down the names of the artifacts that were most likely Unholies, then had compared them to the ones they already knew about, thanks to the restricted list from Isis.

"Some are the same," she announced. "Some are new. We even have three that aren't on this one."

Apophis avatar nodded once. "Very likely. Our list is incomplete and searching for these items is difficult. Not all resemble what they had once been created as."

"The magic doesn't protect an amulet or any kind of jewelry and weapons from being disassembled and melted down into new creations," Steven agreed. "We hit a dead end with a very beautiful usekh that was last seen when it was removed from its respective tomb. Rumors, which look more and more like the truth, tell that this marvelous and priceless piece of art was sold to a collector, then stolen and melted down."

"The magic will not disappear. It still resides within the new shape and form of the Forbidden."

"I was afraid of that," Layla murmured. "We're looking for something that we don't even know what it was turned into now. Unless an avatar or a god gets hit with it, it won't be on our radar."

"Very likely," the lady knight agreed. "And unfortunate."

"We can find the others first," Steven stated with a smile.

"If we can find them," Layla cautioned him.

"I know, I know. But this compiled list is quite helpful." He looked delighted. "Thank you kindly."

The fully masked woman gave him an unreadable look, but Steven imagined she was a little bemused by his words.

Marc was momentarily distracted as Khonshu's presence peaked again. It was hard to miss the wave of resentment, that absolute mistrust, that hit them along the soul bond. Even Steven momentarily stopped what he was doing, a mild frown on his features, and he cast a look at Marc.

Whatever they're talking about, it's not happy memories of long-gone pasts, Marc muttered.

The wave disappeared, followed by just a background echo for a while.

Until the moment the moon god was suddenly there.

Steven looked up, eyes widening a little as he met the thin sickle of a waxing moon inside the usually deep, black sockets.

Someone's suddenly in a good mood, Marc commented wryly.

No, it wasn't his imagination that there was a rather self-satisfied grin reflected on the skull.

Steven met those gleaming sockets, studying the deity with a slightly puzzled look.

"Is something wrong?" he asked carefully.

"Everything is as it should be, Steven Grant."

Sure, Marc shot back. You look like you got the cream and the fucking bird on top!

Steven blinked, then glanced at the lady knight, who was silently studying them. She just nodded once, then turned and walked away.

Layla was just looking at all of them, a frown on her forehead, arms crossed in front of her chest.

"Anyone want to bring me up to speed?" she demanded.

"Apophis and I have reached… an agreement."

Last thing I would have bet my money on, Marc snarked.

"Ohhh!" she laughed. "You and the shadow beast? And agreement? The black sheep of the Ennead and the very black sheep of the whole pantheon of Egyptian deities? Osiris will be frothing at the mouth."

Steven looked stunned, then started to chuckle. "Oh, indeed. That's… quite… ground-breaking. And probably fearsome for anyone else to hear."

The glint intensified.

Marc shook his head, but he couldn't stop his own, rather dark smile from forming.

"How much backlash?" he asked, fronting smoothly.

"None," Khonshu declared, slightly aloof. "They turned their backs on me. I'm not liable to the Ennead, nor beholden in any way."

"Aside from giving Osiris a heart-attack."

"He has no heart," was the wry comment.

Marc chuckled. "Yeah. He's all ass."

Layla rolled her eyes, but there was a smile on her face that showed that she took great satisfaction out of this, too.

"So you and Apophis buried the hatchet?"

"There was no hatchet," Khonshu replied darkly. "We have an arrangement. No debts will remain, whatever happens."

"Alright. We can work with that. It's more than a truce then."

"Yes."

"It's a…?"

Khonshu harrumphed. "A partnership. Unconditional."

Finally!

Marc chuckled at Steven's comment. "Finally," he echoed it out loud.