Disclaimer: I don't own anything that doesn't belong to me.


The Egyptian underworld, much like the overworld, superficially appeared to be a vast desert. However, this desert seemed practically like an ocean, the sands constantly shifting about, rising and falling, briefly exposing pyramids and monumental statues of Pharaohs and Gods before covering them up again. Vast creatures resembling fishes, hippopotami, and crocodiles occasionally swam through the sand sea, far larger than their counterparts on the surface, their stone bodies covered in gold with hieroglyphics etched into their flesh. The sky was a vast canvas covered in alien constellations and nebulae, golden birds with human heads whirling aimlessly about under the iridescent starlight, flying through shimmering auroral curtains which dyed their bodies in multicolored hues as they passed through, rainbow droplets raining down on the sandy plains below, many of the passengers of Ra's solar vessel happily catching them in their mouths.

The divine boat sailed through the sand as easily as if it were water, steered expertly by Taweret, a massive voluptuous goddess with the head of a hippopotamus and, strangely, the voice of a Valley girl who was just, like, absolutely the sweetest thing, you have no idea. As the ship continued on its journey, pillars erupted from the sand on either side, lifting up statues of Ra in his countless forms, the only sure similarity between all of them the sun discs on their heads. As the boat passed between each pair of statues, the sun discs lit up, sinking back into the sand once the ship was past.

"So this is the Egyptian underworld," Goro murmured, looking up at the stars in wonder. "I have to say, it's a bit less dark and creepy than Infershia. Er, no offense, Ariel."

"None taken, it is pretty creepy," Ariel confessed, practically vibrating with excitement as she was constantly dashing back and forth, trying to take everything in.

"It's certainly much less dreary than my underworld is supposed to be," Mark couldn't help grumbling enviously.

"Hey Cart, how's it going back there?" Shin asked his gynoid servant, currently maintaining the ShinLiner, which was being towed in the divine ship's wake.

"Sand is getting everywhere!" She cried indignantly.

"We drive through the sands of time all the time and crashed in the desert earlier, how is this different?" He asked.

"It's not magical afterlife sand!" Cart complained.

"We'll have to figure out how to proof the train for that in the future," Shin decided.

"Please do, though I hope this doesn't become a recurring occurrence!"

"And what are you doing up there, mortal?" A curious Sobek asked Mibojin, who was perched on top of the pavilion and had once again produced an easel from nowhere.

"I consider myself something of an artist," Mibojin explained, dabbing her brush on her pallet and applying it to the canvas. "A mystical realm like this is a prime source of inspiration. It would be a shame for me not to capture its beauty for posterity."

The crocodile headed God managed to catch a glimpse of her unfinished landscape, then scoffed and shook his head. "It's too three-dimensional. It'll never catch on!"

Mibojin smirked. "Ah, but you forget. I'm from the future, and I can assure you it does catch on."

Sobek and several of the other gods gasped in horror, while a fascinated Thoth wrote it all down.

"If this is the afterlife, where all the dead people?" Nushi asked Cleopatra, leaning on the railing and staring out at the seemingly endless sands.

"The Duat is vast and divided into several regions, and we are traveling through one of the least populated areas at the moment," Cleopatra explained. "Just as in the world above, there are cities, towns, and villages, though most of the deceased live in the Field of Reeds, which is the final destination of the solar vessel before returning to the surface world to bring the dawn. It is very beautiful."

"Do you think we'll see it?" Ariel asked hopefully.

"It is unlikely," Thotep said apologetically. "According to the map, the tomb of Alexander is nowhere near the Field of Reeds."

"Which is understandable, it's not like they'd want him anywhere near that place," Nefer sniffed with distaste.

Goro frowned. "Wait. Is he still alive? Er, wait, no, that's not the right term, is it…"

Thotep shook his head. "No, we won't have to worry about him."

"I ate his soul," Ammit said smugly, licking her lips. "It was quite delectable."

Mark gasped. "You… You ate… And Pluto allowed this?!"

Ammit huffed. "Alexander chose to be buried in an Egyptian-styled tomb on Egyptian soil using Egyptian funerary rites. Pluto no longer had claim to his soul. I, on the other hand…"

"Why would he choose to do that?" Ariel asked, mystified.

"The judges of the Roman underworld can be fairly harsh," Horus explained, with Mark nodding in agreement. "Most of their dead wind up in the meadows of Asphodel, a land of neutrality where their memories and identities are washed away by the waters of the river Lethe. Like many mighty warriors and conquerors who live their life seeking glory, he may have feared he hadn't done enough to earn his place in Elysium, so chose to take his chances with us."

"More the fool him," Ammit chuckled. "We may be less stringent when it comes to judging souls… But unlike the Romans, we don't have a hell. Just me. So if the soul is found wanting…" She licked her lips again.

Mark swallowed, and the Bugrangers couldn't help feeling slightly unnerved. "If… If, um, if I were to… Convert…" He murmured, trying very hard not to look at Cleopatra, who was giving him a hopeful expression. "What, um, what would you say my chances of getting into the Field of Reeds would be?"

Ammit narrowed her eyes, examining him. "It is not my place to judge the souls of the living," she said after a moment. "Although Khonsu, that prick, has accused me of such more than once."

"I'm right here," complained a God who looked like a mummy with a bird skull for a head.

"I know," she snapped at him. "Anyway, your true worth can only be determined upon your death. However… You're still young, yet, and whatever path you may be on, there is still time to change it. Especially with someone willing to help you along the way?"

Mark glanced at Cleopatra, and they both blushed. Nefer squealed in delight.

"And what sort of afterlife do you provide for your followers, Divine Insects?" A curious Horus asked.

"Well, I wouldn't say we provide it, we aren't the ones who created it, and whether or not it actually counts as an afterlife depends on who you ask," Coccinella confessed. "But…"

"All members of the Hive are connected through a species wide collective consciousness we call the Buzzing," Formic explained. "When they die, all of their memories are preserved forever in the Buzzing. Whether or not that counts as their soul depends on what definition you use, and not even everyone in the Hive can quite agree on it."

"Everything that is lost, everything that is loved, remains in the Buzzing forever," Manti narrated, Mibojin pausing from her painting to give her her full attention. "Everyone we have ever loved is always with us, in a very literal sense rather than whatever metaphorical meaning other species use to console themselves in their grief."

"That… Actually sounds kind of nice," Nefer said softly. "For all your loved ones to be there with you, whenever you need them, always willing to lend a hand or lift you up when times are hard."

"It has its downsides," Caelifer said with a hint of bitterness. "They're with you, yeah, but they're not… with you. You'll never be able to feel their touch, smell their pheromones, hear their voice or see them again with your own eyes. And the pain of death, especially mass death, is felt by everyone. Everywhere."

"Back in our own time, our people are dying in droves all across the universe thanks to the Swarm," Lepidoptera said solemnly. "Over a billion insects on at least 100 worlds died while we were having this conversation."

All of the gods quieted at this, the festive mood immediately dying down. "Over a billion… I can't even begin to comprehend that number," Thoth confessed, troubled. "I'm not certain that many humans are even alive at this time."

"So many dead… Too many," Anubis snarled.

"How can you possibly bear the weight of so many deaths?" A shocked Bast asked.

"The pain is shared, but so is our love," Coccinella explained. "We are all able to support each other and draw strength from our solidarity. But in many ways the real tragedy is that so many are dying so soon. While it's wonderful that everything they are will be preserved on the Buzzing forever… Too many of their lives were cut short. Whatever promise they might have had, whatever they might have been able to do with their lives had they lived… That potential is lost forever."

"That is a tragedy," Anubis agreed.

"I'm sorry there's nothing we can do to help," Horus said apologetically. "This is… It's too big, and too far away, in space and time."

"It's humbling, and terrifying, to be reminded that we gods are not all-powerful," Sobek said soberly.

"We wish all of you the best in your struggles back in your own time, for whatever it's worth," Bast said.

"Thank you. We appreciate it," Coccinella said gratefully.

"And with our partners at our sides, we will do whatever it takes to stop the Swarm," Lepidoptera promised.

Mibojin frowned. "Yes… Whatever it takes."

Manti glanced at her warily.

The conversation was dropped when another immense crocodile briefly surfaced next to the boat. It swam beside them for a short while, regarding them with brief curiosity, before sinking back beneath the sand.

Nushi sighed, melancholy. "Bet Antares would love to tussle with something like that."

"Yeah, he's really missing out," Shin agreed.

"And so is Aranea," Nushi said softly, clutching the railing. "I wish she could be here. I wish we could've waited. I wish…"

She sighed, head sagging. "If only the Buzzing and the Web were compatible. If we could just speak to each other, mind to mind, maybe… Maybe I could help her."

"While it's nice to be connected to so many people through the Buzzing, it's important not to forget how to communicate the old-fashioned way," Goro said gently. "I need to remind myself of that all the time. A part of me still wishes Kari would join the Buzzing, but…" He shrugged. "It's her choice and I have to respect it. And it doesn't mean we love each other any less."

"It's hard to imagine, all of you being in each other's minds all the time," Nefer remarked. "It sounds… Scary."

"It can be, at times," Shin admitted. "Overwhelming, even."

"But," Ariel said, squeezing Nushi's hand and making her smile. "The rewards are well worth it."

Suddenly, off in the distance, there was an explosion, plumes of sand rising into the air, the strange human headed birds flying away, squawking in fright.

"What was that?!" Mark cried.

"I sense… Death," Gozim said gravely.

Akilah rolled her eyes. "Gozim, we're in the underworld, death is literally everywhere."

Gozim sulked.

"That is in the direction of the tomb of Alexander," Thotep realized, checking the map.

"Guess things are heating up over there, huh? How's about we head on over and knock in some skulls?" Shin suggested.

"I like the way you think!" Sobek exclaimed.

"I am getting a little hungry," Ammit hissed.

"We cannot."

Everyone turned to glance at Ra. Ever since they entered the Duat, he gradually seemed to be growing younger with each set of pillars they passed through. He was still an old man, but most of his wrinkles were gone, his hair had not only grown back but was regaining its luster, he was sitting up straighter, and his limbs looked stronger and more toned.

"Why not?" Anubis asked, disappointed.

Ra pointed wordlessly into the distance.

Everyone turned to look at where he was pointing, and saw a mountain on the horizon.

It seemed to be moving.

And then a pair of absolutely massive golden eyes opened on the sides of the mountain, and it became very clear to everyone it was no mountain.

"Apep draws near," Ra said.

"…Um. How big is that?" Goro asked nervously.

"His head is the size of Mount Olympus," Thotep said, pale.

"Or at least, as big as it was until Nushi blew it up," Thoth added.

"And, um, Olympus is how big?" Ariel asked anxiously.

"Almost 3000 m," Nushi said weakly. "Smaller than Mount Fuji, but… Still pretty big."

"… Dare I even ask how long it is?" An appalled Mibojin asked.

"You know, I don't think we've ever actually seen his tail," Nefer remarked.

"He's probably big enough to wrap around the entire planet at the equator," Thoth said. "Though he might get into a fight with Jormungandr if he tried that…which I doubt any of us want, though I do wonder who would win."

"My money's on Apep," Sobek remarked.

"Is this really a thing for us to gamble over?" Anubis complained.

"Of course not! The outcome is so obvious there's no point in betting on it. Unless the Aesir wanted to, in which case I would totally be down with making a wager," the crocodile headed God replied.

Horus facepalmed.

While externally the Bugrangers said nothing, internally they, the Divine Insects, and pretty much the entire Buzzing were screaming.

"You know what," Shin said a little shrilly. "I think we should probably go on over to check out the tomb of Alexander."

"I'll second that," Mark said loudly.

Goro nodded a little too quickly. "Y-yeah, you guys have this, right? I mean, you defeat him every night, don't you?"

"So far," Anubis commented, earning a punch from Bast.

"We'll just get out of your hair," Ariel said frantically. "Don't want to get in your way."

"There is wisdom in not fighting an enemy you are completely unprepared for," Mibojin agreed, feeling uncharacteristically terrified.

"And you guys have fought that before?" A horrified Nushi whispered to the Egyptrangers.

"It was… An experience," Cleopatra murmured, face ashen.

"I forgot how big he was," Nefer whimpered. "Must've blocked out the memory."

"I would honestly prefer to fight Set any day," Akilah agreed.

"Antares would probably still try to fight him," Caelifer commented.

Everyone considered this. "Yeah, he probably would," Ariel agreed.

"From what I've heard, fighting giant monsters is a common way for warriors to prove themselves back on his planet," Nushi agreed.

"A point could be made that many warriors in our time do the same," Mibojin pointed out. "But I rather think we can skip this one."

"That would be for the best," Ra agreed. "Go forth with our blessing, and I mean that literally. Stop the Romans. Prevent the power of the Eyes from being unleashed."

"We will," Nushi promised.

"Or, more accurately, we'll try to only to be just too late and we'll have to fight a powered up Caesar in an epic final battle, probably back in Alexandria," Ariel spoke up.

Shin nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that's usually how it goes."

Everyone else glared at them.

"Anyway… Come, ShinLiner!" Shin declared.

"I'm already here!" Cart reminded him.

"Yes, but not right here," Shin reminded her.

Cart sighed in exasperation.

The ShinLiner's "eyes" lit up, it sounded its horn, and it started moving, snapping the towline attaching it to the stern of the solar vessel, picking up speed as it moved alongside the ship, Taweret whooping in excitement as it passed by her, many of the other gods gasping and looking on in amazement as the machine from the future easily kept pace with them.

"Everyone, transform!" Nushi commanded.

Ariel opened her mouth.

"And no, no transformation sequence, we don't have time!"

Ariel pouted.

"Coccinella!"

"Formic!"

"Manti!"

"Caelifer!"

"Lepidoptera!"

THE DIVINE CHANGE!

"Horus!"

"Sobek!"

"Thoth!"

"Bast!"

"Anubis!"

"BUZZ ON!"

"HENSHIN!

In flashes of colored light, the Bugrangers and Egyptrangers were assembled.

Mark strapped a buckle with a slot in the middle around his waist, producing a silver coin. "Gloria Romae, sanctificabo super hoc victoria!" He declared, inserting the coin.

ARGENTUM CENTURIO!

"Reformabit!"

Mark was suddenly standing on a battlefield, surrounded by the armor of Roman soldiers. He punched the air a few times, took a half step forward, turned at the waist, and crossed his arms over his chest briefly before thrusting one arm out to the side. The piles of armor rattled, and suddenly pieces of the discarded metal flew to him, slamming onto his body in flashes of silver light, transforming into new and shiny armor which combined to form his Silver Centurion suit. The helmet landed on his head, faceplate locking into place and eyes flashing, his cape materializing and billowing in the wind behind him.

Suddenly standing in the middle of a Roman encampment, surrounded by cheering soldiers, Mark lifted the Roman standard into the air. "Splendens fortissimus, Silver Centurion!"

"ROMA! ROMA! ROMA!" The soldiers cried.

As Mark struck a dramatic pose, the starlight gleaming off his shining armor, cape flowing behind him, Nushi gave Ariel an exasperated look. "I told you, we don't have time for transformation sequences!"

"What? This is the first time we've seen him transform! We had to squeeze it in somehow!" Ariel insisted.

"Why was that in Latin? Shouldn't we have heard that as Japanese or something?" Goro wondered.

"Everything sounds cooler in Latin," Shin replied. "All right, all aboard!"

The 11 heroes leapt off the side of the boat and landed inside the ShinLiner, Shin landing in the seat of the Neo-ShinBird in the cockpit. "Everyone, strap in!" He announced, revving the engines and sounding the train's horn. "This might get bumpy!"

"Hopefully not as bumpy as the last ride," Mibojin commented.

"That was Aso's fault and you know it! The ShinLiner is not liable for accidents caused by third parties and stowaways!" Shin snapped.

Cart appeared in the passenger car where the rest of the heroes were, wheeling out refreshments. "Would anyone like snacks?"

"No thanks, we ate on the boat," Nushi told her, Mark and the Egyptrangers too busy being amazed by the plush high-tech interior of the train to comment.

"Hey, Cart, how are you taking all the historical inaccuracies now?" Goro asked in concern.

"Quite well!" The gynoid said cheerfully. "I've been self-medicating with Enetron. Lots of Enetron. The hard stuff."

"Yes, I know that feeling," Apista remarked sympathetically.

Ra gestured, and two rows of pillars burst out of the sand, racing off into the distance towards where the explosion had happened. "This path will lead you straight to the tomb," he informed them. "What happens there, however, is up to you."

"Noted," Shin said, revving his engine. "All right… Next stop, the tomb of Alexander!"

He sounded the ShinLiner's horn again and steered the train into the column lined path, quickly leaving the solar vessel behind.

Taweret huffed. "Why can't we be that fast?"

"If we were, the night would last for a much shorter period of time, which would have an adverse effect on the surface world," Ra replied. "Also I would be constantly exhausted because I wouldn't get enough time here in the Duat to recover my strength."

Thoth sighed in disappointment. "Such a pity they had to leave so soon… I would've loved to study that machine of theirs!"

"You can satisfy your curiosity another time," Horus told him, clapping his fellow bird headed God on the shoulder. "Right now, we have a snake to fight."

Ra nodded. "Indeed. Our champions and their friends from another time have their own battle ahead of them… And we have our own. Onwards! Apep awaits! Full speed ahead!"

"Bet we'd get there a lot faster if we had a ride as sweet as that train," Taweret grumbled, doing as her Lord commanded.


Antares said nothing as Aranea had her breakdown in his arms, his calm, steady presence and compassion in the Web welcome balm for the torment of her soul. She told him everything, her doubts, her fears, her uncertainties, her worry that she wouldn't measure up, the dread that she would fail everyone, the terror that if her destiny was no longer set, what did that make her now? Who was she? What was she supposed to do next?

Antares knew all of this, of course. He had experienced it alongside her thanks to their closeness in the Web. He still sat and listened and commiserated until finally she ran out of tears and just hung limply to his chest. "What do I do now?" She asked finally, eyes red and voice raw from all her tears.

Antares contemplated this for a moment. "What do you want to do?"

"… I don't know," she whispered.

Antares regarded her. "How odd. You have always been the most driven person I have ever known. You always knew what you wanted and did everything in your power to obtain it. It is one of the many things I've admired about you, my lady."

"That's because all my life I've known my destiny," Aranea rasped. "To reassemble the Loom of Fate. To patch up the hole in the universe. To govern the fate of all living things. But now… If destiny is not immutable, as I have always believed… Then…"

"You can still choose to do those things," Antares pointed out. "There are many throughout the universe who do great deeds without ever dealing with prophecy."

"I know that!" She snapped, her face immediately crumpling in on itself afterwards. "So why… Why am I still so afraid?"

"Because for the first time, you realize that you actually have a choice," Antares intuited. "A real choice. And that freedom, that uncertainty… It's terrifying, isn't it?"

"Absolutely," she gasped.

"The obvious choice would be to simply go on as you already have been," Antares thought out loud. "There is still a hole in the universe which needs to be filled, and the Loom is the only thing that can do so, and you are the only one who can restore the Loom."

"I know that," Aranea said mournfully. "So why does the thought no longer fill me with excitement and satisfaction? Why can I not even glance at the gift the Parcae left me without feeling like I'm going to throw up? This is what I've always wanted. This is what I'm supposed to do. So why… Why do I hesitate?"

"My lady. Do you even want to rule the universe?" Antares asked.

Aranea opened her mouth, then hesitated. She said nothing for a long, long time, mind whirling. Antares waited patiently.

"I don't know," she said finally, horrified at this realization. "I thought I did. It's what destiny says I'm supposed to do. But if destiny can be wrong, then…"

"Then maybe you don't have to," Antares said gently.

"But… My vision, in the spider temple in Tartarus," Aranea stammered. "Me, Nushi, Ariel… Us, together, perfect, Almighty… I… I want that. At least, I think I do. I want to be with them."

"As Gods? Or as mortals?" Antares inquired.

"I don't care!" Aranea said with such vehemence it surprised herself. "I don't care what form we take, what state we are… So long as I can be with them, I… I want that. I want that so very badly."

She did not sound happy by this realization.

"It is all right to want things, my lady," Antares told her.

"Is it?" She whispered, sending so lost it broke his heart. "Everyone, your people and mine, have been waiting for me for millions of years. For the great Queen who will set everything right and fix what both our ancestors tore asunder. I have a duty. A responsibility. A des-" She flinched, cutting herself off before she could finish that last word.

"Maybe so," Antares acknowledged. "But that doesn't mean you can't have a life of your own. Dreams. Loves. A future of your own choosing."

"Doesn't it?" She asked brokenly.

"My people have served yours for eons," Antares said steadfastly. "And we didn't do it because destiny said we had to. Not at first, anyway. We served you because of Lesath's Folly, because of his promise. Because of our honor. We have never regretted that choice. One of your ancestors long ago decided that we had done enough, that we no longer needed to suffer for the actions of our predecessors, and attempted to release us from our oath of servitude… And we refused. Just like our ancestors, we chose to intertwine our destinies with yours. Do you understand, my lady? We chose. And now, so too must you."

"But Antares, the Scorpioni chose to keep things as they were," Aranea protested.

"We did, because that's what we wanted. Now, you must decide what you want," Antares said firmly. "You've already said you wish to be with Nushi and Ariel no matter what. What else? Do you wish to fulfill your duty, the path laid out for you over countless generations? Or will you try to forge your own path? There is strength in choosing your own destiny, but if the path that has already been set out for you is already a good one, one that you want to follow, one that you truly wish for, there is no shame in sticking to it. Sometimes the knowledge that you can do things differently if you want to, even if you don't, can make your destiny seem less like a prison."

"… I don't know what I want," Aranea whispered, looking smaller and frailer than he'd ever seen her. "I just… Don't."

"Then I shall help you decide," Antares promised, hugging her tighter. "I shall follow you to the end, my lady. No matter what."

"As will we," her consorts said.

Aranea leaned into her bodyguard's embrace, crying again. "I wish mother were here. She would know what to do."

"She would," Antares agreed, for the Queen was widely regarded as being among the wisest of her entire line, who always seemed to know just the right action to take, with or without using her incredible foresight. "But she is not here, so the rest of us will have to suffice."

She smiled at him through her tears. "You will. You always will."

Unnoticed by either of them, the green jewel pulsed once.

Aranea stiffened, gasping as she felt her mind being drawn away, seeing…

Alexandria in flames, the pyramid broken, a dismembered mecha lying in pieces around the city. A towering colossus in Roman armor raised a sword, preparing to bring it down on the Royal Palace, everyone left inside – including her mother and sister and the other passengers – looking up in terror at their doom.

The giant brought its blade down-

"NO!" She cried, returning to the present.

Antares grimaced. "Two dread prophecies in one day… This does not bode well."

"The city is about to be attacked," Aranea stammered, mind racing. "Nushi and Ariel and the others… They're going to fail, and Caesar will obtain the power of the Eyes."

"What can we do?" Antares asked, face grave.

Aranea froze, the question striking her to the core. What could they do?

"… Every story and legend my people possess, backed up by millennia of scientific observation, emphasizes that trying to change destiny never works," she said slowly. "Once a seer has a vision, it's set in stone."

"Except now we know that's not necessarily the case," Antares pointed out.

"That's right," Aranea agreed, hope slowly dawning. "It's not."

She turned her head in the direction of the Royal Palace. "I don't know if what happened before was a fluke or not. But… If the future really can be changed, then… Then we have to try, don't we?"

"Even if doing so only causes that future to come to pass?" Antares questioned.

"I cannot conceive of any action we could perform which could possibly lead to that outcome. Can you?" Aranea asked.

"I cannot," he admitted. "However, you are the expert at prophecy, not I."

Aranea considered this. "Pythia?"

"Aranea, you have always said it is your destiny to restore the Loom of Fate and use its power to oversee the fate of all living things," the other Oracle pointed out. "Even if you are no longer certain that is the future you desire… If you have the potential to oversee the fate of all living things, that means you can change them as well.

"You have always lived your life by the credo that everything is predetermined. Now you begin to see that fate may be more flexible than that. So, my lady, what do you want to do?"

How odd. That question just kept cropping up now, didn't it?

Well. She still didn't know what to do long term, but in this one instance… Her choice was clear.

"… I can't let this stand. Maybe the reason our prophecies always come true is because we believe they will. I know, it's more complicated than that, but…" Aranea shook her head. "It doesn't matter. If this is the future, I reject it. So…"

She nodded, determined. "Let's go, Antares. Let's see if it really is possible for us to change fate."

He smiled proudly. "As you wish, my lady."

Aranea tried to stand up, only to discover her legs didn't seem to want to respond to her, and she would have fallen if Antares hadn't immediately caught her. "Oh… Okay, looks like having an existential breakdown and crying nonstop for the last hour or two took a lot more out of me than I expected."

"Worry not, my lady," Antares said, slowly standing up, gently cradling her to his chest. "I will carry you, as I always have."

Aranea smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Antares. You've always had my back when I needed it most, and I'm sorry if I've ever taken you for granted."

"Princess, before we go… Aren't we forgetting something?" Arachne prompted.

It took Aranea a minute to realize what she was referring to. "Oh. Yes. That."

She glanced at the green jewel, discomfort emanating from her through the Web.

"We can leave it here if you like," Antares offered. "Come back for it later."

Aranea shook her head. "No, that would be unwise. No matter what the future holds, I'm going to need that. But…" She faltered. "I'm… I'm not sure I feel comfortable touching it right now. Could you… Hold onto it for me? Until I am ready?"

"But of course." Antares' tail lashed out, swiping the piece of the Loom off the ground and retracting back to its master, carefully placing it in a pouch on his armor. "Where to?"

"The palace," Aranea said at once. "We can't contact the others in the underworld, so we'll need to do what we can to prepare for the attack up here."

"The palace it is," Antares agreed, bounding out of the temple and heading towards the palace.

Neither of them were aware that the green jewel was glowing brighter now.