"What do you mean? If Leo couldn't find her, then how can you?" Phoebe bend over, and picked up something that was on the floor. "Yeah, Pheebs, I mean..," Paige didn't get a chance to finish her sentence.
"Leo, do you recognize this?" Phoebe held up the pendant that had fallen off of Hathor. "That's the horns-and-sundisk pendant! It contains the essence of Hathor's power. Where did you get that?"
"Hathor tried to strike me with a gust of air, but I channelled it back at her and when it hit her this fell off of her. If I put this on, I would get Hathor's power, right?" Leo nodded.
"But wouldn't you also become Hathor?" Three pairs of eyes were fixed on Leo. "Well, technically, yes, but she could fight it. It would take her body some time anyway to adjust to all that power, and Hathor can't really take over the body until she's fully integrated."
"So if I fight it, I can slow it down enough to use her powers to find Ma'at and take off the pendant before it's too late. Look you guys, Ma'at is the only one who doesn't want to kill Wyatt who can tell us why Ra hates him so much."
Before Piper could protest further, Phoebe put on the pendant and indeed transformed. Suddenly she was wearing a beautiful full-body corset in gold and red, a short skirt in the same colours and golden sandals. She had a beautiful, golden headdress portraying a sun between two horns. Her Egyptian like make-up made her look like an Ancient Egyptian Princess. Exactly the outfit Hathor wore, only now it was Phoebe's face under all the make up.
"Pheebs?" Phoebe opened her eyes. "I'm fine, Piper. Hathor just doesn't waste any time. I have to go and find Ma'at. Just one thing. If it comes down to freeing her by force, then I don't want to face Bastet and Tefnut while doing it. Stand back."
The others did as they were told, while Phoebe closed her eyes. Suddenly Bastet materialized, only to be struck by the powerful gust of air Phoebe unleashed from her suddenly outstretched arm. In the same moment, Tefnut also appeared but Phoebe reacted lightning quick again and Tefnut was also knocked out.
"Call for their pendants, Paige!" Paige did as she was told. In her palm she held one golden pendant with a cat head drawn on it and one emerald green pendant. Just before she told Phoebe she had them she saw Phoebe unleash two powerful gusts of air again, vanquishing the demons that had taken the place of the two Goddesses.
"I'll be back, with Ma'at," Phoebe said before turning into air and disappearing. "Just hope you'll be fast enough…," Leo murmured.
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Phoebe walked through a tunnel, Hathor's ability to sense her sisters guiding her to Ma'at. It didn't take her long to reach the prison cell. Waving her arms in front of the bars, they dissipated into thin air and Ma'at suddenly hugged Phoebe.
"Sister, you have seen the light. Tell me, where are Bastet and Tefnut?" Phoebe extrapolated herself from the excited Goddess and stepped back. "Sorry, Ma'at, I'm not Hathor, I'm Phoebe Halliwel. I…had to vanquish your sister to save my nephew."
"No, you are my sister! The moment you managed to separate Hathor from her host and took the pendant for yourself you became my sister. I can sense your mind fighting hard, but you become more and more weary every passing second and she gains power. That has always been our way: when the time comes, you will also give the pendant to the next one who is chosen."
"Wait! You mean I was chosen to take this pendant from the demon who used to wear it?" Ma'at nodded. "Yes, you were chosen! You are a true Hathor, alike to her in both body and mind."
"But then how… A demon used to wear this! Was she like Hathor too?" Before Ma'at could answer Phoebe's question, they both heard footsteps and sensed immediately that Phoebe's plan had just been shattered.
"That's Ra! Quick, I'll distract him while you go to the manor. Hurry, tell my sisters I'll be there soon. Go!" In a the blink of an eye Ma'at became surrounded by a whirlwind of feathers and disappeared, just before Ra rounded he corner.
"Hathor? Daughter, is everything all right?" The Sun God was wearing a golden breastplate and skirt, golden sandals, a golden sun disk-pendant and Egyptian make-up, and indeed did look like an Ancient Egyptian God.
"Yes, I'm fine. It's just….Ma'at escaped, somehow the witches managed to get in here and help her…" The noise in Phoebe's hand started to grow stronger, but she fought against it.
"Then they have left me no choice. I know, though you do not say it, that you agree with Ma'at. You too think that I must uphold the ways of those before us, and take what Faith throws at us. But I cannot! I shall not be the Ra who let the Legacy be destroyed."
Ra took Phoebe's hand. "The time has come, my child. We must now unleash the true wrath of Heliopolis, the wrath of my most deadly Eye. Will you do this for me, my child?" And that was it.
"Yes, Father," Hathor answered.
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A sudden whirlwind of feathers made Piper, Leo and Paige jump. Then the feathers turned into the Goddess of Truth, who held up her hands.
"I am Ma'at. It is nice to meet you." Piper and Paige relaxed a bit. Leo, however, seemed to get even more tense. Piper noticed this almost immediately, and guessed why.
"Nice to meet you too, Ma'at. Now where's my sister?" There was a strange expression on Ma'at's face when Piper asked about 'her sister', but the Goddess said nothing and the expression changed into a somewhat worried one.
"She has remained to distract our father, so I could escape. She says she will be here shortly."
Suddenly Leo, who had turned to stare out the window, turned back to them and had a graveyard look on his face. "No, she won't. Piper, Paige…I'm sorry. When Phoebe put on the pendant, I told you she would be fighting a losing battle."
Piper felt her heart turn to stone. "Leo, what are you saying?" Leo turned to Paige. "She lost the battle, Paige. When you see her, it won't be Phoebe you see…
T.B.C