Taweret was silent for a very long time. She sat completely still, like a statue, not even her ears moving.
Finally she exhaled loudly and Steven almost jumped.
"That… is… wow," she muttered. "To enter the ushabti chamber… and to steal?"
Another loud exhalation. She looked almost angry. No, scratch that, she was angry.
"Taweret?" he asked carefully.
"I'll help," she said, face set and eyes burning with the decision.
"Thank you!"
"There's just one problem…"
Steven stilled. "There… is?"
"I can't just hop over to the pocket realm and walk into the Chamber to check if all ushabti are accounted for."
"But you're a goddess!"
"That I am. And that's the problem. You, my lovely little avatar, or your other, you would be the perfect candidates. But I understand that being Khonshu's soul-bound avatar makes it very difficult to get in unnoticed. They probably recognize you the moment you set a single toe into that dimension. For me, there I only one way to enter and that would need… assistance."
What, Marc just muttered, not even making it a question.
"Only an avatar can walk into the chamber?" Steven deduced, mind working lightning fast.
"Yes. It's a pocket dimension that no god can enter in their true form."
Fuck! Of course! Marc slapped a hand against his forehead. It's part of the dimension where the Council Chamber is, too! And Khonshu could never enter it either. Damn, we're idiots!
"No, he couldn't," Steven murmured. "Until he could. Because we gave him the anchor."
Taweret tilted her head a fraction. "You truly are special then," she commented. "It is a massive advantage, really. A massive, massive advantage. No god or goddess can do that. Our avatars are only our vessels. We're not really there, but we possess and empower the chosen humans with part of us."
"And you don't have one. The avatars we know wouldn't be inclined to help us. Well, not with something so very illegal as breaking and entering…"
Her ears drooped. "I'm sorry, Steven. I would love to help…"
And Anubis doesn't have one either, Marc snarled. Fuck!
"Could… could we stand in as your avatar?" Steven suddenly asked.
Marc froze and he heard something deep inside screech in outrage. Steven felt the miniature storm whip up within the root core where Khonshu was directly connected to his avatar's body.
Steven, you can't be serious!
Taweret echoed that sentiment.
"Yes… I know… please, just…" He gestured weakly. "Just… would it be possible? Could we serve as your vessel? Temporarily?"
There was a crack of thunder. The emotional surge that accompanied the sound was hot and unrestrained. Khonshu was suddenly there, looking like the personification of vengeance.
"No!" he roared. "You will not!"
"Oh, shush!" Taweret chastised. "Don't be such a drama queen!"
The moon god reared back, bristling.
"As to answer your question, Steven: no. No avatar can bear two gods. It's pretty crowded inside you anyway." She winked. "And it's absolutely impossible for me to take up any room within your soul with what Khonshu is to you."
"No human can bear the essence of two gods!" Khonshu declared.
"You said the same about anchoring you," Steven muttered. "Giving you an in into the pocket realm of the Council Chamber. Or channeling your essence through Marc's body and soul to break the Unholy bracelet."
Khonshu's presence along their connection was seething with anger, mixed in with hot bursts of jealousy and some sprinkle of denial.
"And it worked!" Steven continued firmly. "We are two souls. We probably could."
"You couldn't!" he exploded. There was a shiver going through Stevens body as the connection tightened. "No human can bear two oaths! It would tear you apart before it could even settle!"
"But…"
"You are soul-bound, love," Taweret told him gently, interrupting. "There is no room for anyone else. I couldn't get a foot in. Khonshu has staked a claim. His territory." She shot a grin at the moon god. "One I won't poach. You can't be separated and you can't be overthrown."
Steven blinked. "Oh."
"Not to mention that your soul-bound is a possessive idiot with the emotional growth of a rock," she stage-whispered.
Khonshu's glare was fierce and terrifying.
Taweret smiled brightly and ignored him.
Marc and Steven felt the essence of the timeless entity curl and wind around their souls, embracing them, shielding them. Just the idea of temporarily being the avatar of another god had Khonshu so defensive and so jealous, it drove home the fact that they were irrevocably connected to this being.
And Marc was hellbent on keeping him. As was Steven. They had both fought tooth and nail not to lose Khonshu, on several occasions, and Marc didn't want to imagine the sudden emptiness should this bond be disconnected.
"Impossible," Khonshu told him sharply. "I cannot."
Stop reading my mind.
"You think loudly, Marc Spector." There was a roughness to the dark voice, an unevenness, that clearly reflected just how upset the eternal entity was.
Yeah, we want you, too, you nightmare, Marc grumbled good-naturedly. 'Cause you're our nightmare and we love you.
The moon god stumbled a little, clearly stunned by the easy words that held such deep meaning. Steven's smile was both loving and wistful.
Tawaret was watching the strange argument, smiling to herself, nodding with satisfaction. Then an apologetic expression settled in again.
"I am so sorry. I wish there was another way."
"Layla!" Steven suddenly exclaimed, eyes going wide. "Of course! Layla!"
What?!
"We… we could ask Layla! Is there even something like a temporary avatar?" Steven looked at the hippo goddess.
"Well, yes…"
"We ask Layla then!"
Are you crazy? Are you absolutely out of your mind, Steven? No! We won't ask my wife!
He turned to look inward, meeting the wide eyes in the suddenly rather pale face. "It's our only chance, Marc! We need to know if more ushabtis were replaced with fakes. We can't request another audience with Osiris, because we both know he won't hear us. Even if we make it to the Council Chamber, he wouldn't believe a single word."
No!
"Taweret wouldn't hurt her."
"Of course not!" the goddess in question immediately exclaimed. "I would never hurt such a precious being! I would be delighted to accept her as my avatar!" She clapped her hands. "It would be such an epically sneaky mission! Go in under Osiris' radar and do some recon!"
Khonshu gave a good impression of rolling non-existent eyes.
"Layla would be absolutely safe, Marc, I promise! I would never, on my essence, harm or endanger my avatar!"
Marc still looked doubtful. His past had shown him differently, but it was the past. Filled with misunderstandings, and confrontations mixed with pain and fear because of these misunderstandings. Oh, and Khonshu had the social skills of a potato.
Steven smiled a little. "Yeah," he murmured. "He does."
Khonshu's knee-jerk reaction was one of a barely restrained tantrum, followed by a gruff little snarl. He was staring hard as his avatar, but all posturing aside, both felt the still possessive hold the entity had on them.
"Oh. Khonshu." Taweret nodded and shot the deity in question an understanding look. "I forgot. He is… was… an acquired taste?" There was a light note to her words, but Khonshu bristled sharply. "Please," she continued, waving a hand at him. "We both know you're all vengeance and truth and fight, but you lack the finer skills. But you worked it out. Finally and well enough for both sides. Just look at how balanced you are in this partnership!"
The moon god huffed, head turning away. It didn't stop his avatar from smiling with the warmth he felt deep inside. Steven wondered when their god would stop being so insecure.
"I am not!" the entity in question hissed.
He expelled a breath and scrubbed a hand over his face. Right, Marc muttered.
The goddess smiled widely, then grew serious again. "As for your Layla, I would never hurt her or abuse her trust in me. If she is willing to be my avatar for this little adventure, I promise she would not bind herself indefinitely. It will be her choice." She placed a hand on her chest. "My word to her."
Marc still felt unwell involving Layla, but both he and Steven knew it was probably the only way. Having more ushabti out there was a catastrophe in the making.
"We'll ask," Steven said calmly. "It's up to her." He gave the other an imploring look. "Marc?"
Marc gritted his teeth. He looked far from happy. Finally, he nodded.
XXX
Layla stared at them with an expression that was hard to read. There was disbelief, mixed with surprise, but also wariness and even apprehension.
"Are you serious?" she asked.
"Very," Marc answered, voice calm and level. Inside he was strung tight enough to break.
Her eyes strayed to the looming figure of Khonshu behind her husband. The very god who had made Marc's life into a waking nightmare, a terror out of the depth of darkness. Marc knew she was remembering what she had seen, how Khonshu had treated him, how Marc Spector had suffered and fought against the moon god. She knew what an avatar's oath meant, how it wasn't just a walk in the park, no matter the deity involved.
"How can you ask that of me?" she demanded. "After what he did to you?" She gestured sharply at the entity.
Khonshu just looked at her, not a rumble or growl to hear.
"Taweret isn't Khonshu," Steven told her, the switch seamless. "Not at all! She's a nice and kind goddess!"
The winds picked up and Khonshu's wrappings moved sharply.
Steven shot him an apologetic look. "You know you were a nightmare when I first met you. You scared the bejeezus out of me!"
"You were an interfering idiot!"
"I thought you wanted to kill me!"
"You were in the way!"
"And you were a relentless, forever unsatisfied arse who stalked me, who didn't listen and didn't care!"
"I always cared!" Khonshu snapped.
"You had a really bad way of showing it!"
"Insolent little worm!"
"Bloody pigeon!"
Layla burst out laughing.
Khonshu drew up to his full height, looking dark and imposing. There was a gust of wind and something toppled off the shelf. She rolled her eyes at the antics.
"My point," she added pointedly.
"There has been change," Steven said calmly. "So much."
Marc felt the intimate connection deep inside him grow, the soul mark that pulsed with warmth and the emotions Khonshu could never voice and which could never be translated into human words.
Layla slumped a little. "I know, I know. It's different now. But it wasn't right from the start! How do I know it's not the same?"
"I won't!" Steven cajoled. "And it's temporary, Layla. Just for this one thing. It's not forever!"
Marc's first oath had been out of desperation and the need to live, to avenge those who had died at the hands of his so-called business partner. The second one… it hadn't been an oath at all. It hadn't been Marc Spector pledging himself to the service and into servitude of Khonshu. It had been a promise, a bond, that had been reflected by the ancient entity.
Fully
And completely.
And they had only ever grown from there.
Khonshu flowed closer, all of him everywhere, so close to a possession and yet not. Marc closed his eyes, let himself feel the cool, silvery moon energy that wove like an invisible net through his body.
Steven's smile was suddenly softer. "Marc and Khonshu got off on the very wrong foot and it only grew worse because of so much miscommunication and a complete lack of empathic connection. We talked. We worked it out. And Taweret isn't Khonshu. No god is like another. Just for this one thing, Layla. Nothing more!"
"Is that even possible?" Layla asked, eyes on Khonshu again. "Sign up for one single job and then it's over?"
The tall entity shifted. "Yes," he answered slowly, after a minute of silence. "It is. It has… happened before."
News to me, Marc told him with a good-natured jab, smirking.
It got him a snort. Khonshu's presence twined around his soul, like an embrace and not like a possessive strangle-hold. He leaned into the contact, felt the emotions swirl everywhere.
"I do not offer an oath lightly," the moon god stated, voice gravelly.
"And Taweret would?" Layla pointed out.
"She already agreed to help us out. If she has an avatar."
Layla was silent, clearly working through the many issues running through her head, and Marc understood. She had seen the good, the bad and the extremely ugly side of an oath-bond to a god. Marc had gone through all of them; backwards. She had met other avatars, including the bond-mate of a demon-god.
"How can I trust this goddess?" she finally asked. "How do I know it's not some attempt to enslave me into her service?"
Steven's outrage was clear to feel, but Marc refused to surrender the body for now. His alter was a little enamored with Taweret; he liked her a lot. Marc himself had never seen a single reason not to trust the goddess and he was always the more wary and distrustful of the two of them.
"Gods do not enslave humans to be their avatars," Khonshu answered before his soul-bound could.
"And I can just take your word for it?" she challenged.
The god leaned a little closer. "Yes."
Layla chewed her lower lip.
"I do not lie, little bug."
"No, you never did," she muttered. "You just twisted things your way."
"I also have nothing to gain from deceiving my soul-bound's mate."
"If… if I do this… I want to meet the goddess I'm going to… bind myself to. Temporarily!"
Steven's explosion of happiness almost gave Marc vertigo. It was counter-balanced by Khonshu's whirl of energy as he straightened, pleased with the outcome.
"But I'm only doing this one time," Layla added quickly. "And because there's no other choice. If there are more ushabti with imprisoned gods out there, we need to know. Unholies are bad enough, but released inmates with a grudge against whoever are worse. I don't want another Ammit."
"No one wants that," Steven agreed, a steep line between his brows.
"So I get to meet her?"
"Of course you do, Layla! I'm so, so happy to meet you!"
She whirled around at the enthusiastic exclamation.
And gaped.
There, behind her, stood the tall, massive representation of an anthropomorphized hippopotamus. Decked out in colorful Egyptian garb and jewelry. A goddess. An actual goddess who looked nothing like the mummy-wrapped, bird-skulled moon god her husband was bonded to.
A goddess who was beaming brightly and happily at her.
With way too many teeth in a huge snout.
"May I introduce? Taweret, goddess of women and childbirth, currently in charge of the Duat," Steven said helpfully.
Taweret waved at him, beaming. "Hello, Steven Grant!" She was almost bouncing on her feet.
He waved back, grinning widely. "Hello, Taweret!"
Khonshu had straightened to his full height and was radiating barely concealed exasperation at the display.
"And you are Layla," Taweret stated chirpily. "I'm thrilled to finally meet you! I heard soooo much about you!" She clapped her hands. "We're going to have so much fun together!"
Layla still looked stunned, a little run over by the goddess.
"I would be delighted to accept you as my avatar!"
"Temporary avatar," she said immediately, raising her hands. "Only temporary! This is a one-time thing!"
"Yes! Of course! Oh, your father is going to be over the moon when he hears about that!"
Layla's features shifted through several emotions and Marc felt his own tension spike. Fuck! He hadn't included that particular little tidbit into their considerations!
"You… you know my father…?" she breathed.
Marc pushed forward, but he didn't take over. Steven was radiating his own worry.
"Layla…" he started, reaching for her.
"I met him when I took him to the Field of Reeds," Taweret interrupted, though not rudely. "Such a wonderful man. He spoke about his daughter. You. And now I get to meet you, too! Under much happier circumstances!" She smiled.
Layla swallowed. "And he… he's…"
"Happy," Taweret said, voice suddenly softening. "Oh, my sweet, he is very happy." She knelt down and was now at eye-level. "His soul was perfectly balanced. There was never any doubt he would enjoy the peace and calm of the Field of Reeds. His love for you… it was powerful and true." She reached out and one gray-skinned finger brushed over Layla's cheek. "As is his pride of who you are, what you have grown into. Such a strong, young woman."
Steven hesitantly brushed gentle fingers over one hand and she grabbed them without any hesitation on her part.
"He's… he's…." she stuttered. "He's okay…"
"Yes, honey, he is. Very much."
"Could I…?"
Taweret shook her head with an apologetic expression. "No. It is a place no living soul, not even an avatar, can visit. The Aaru does not permit it. Just know that he is at peace."
Layla met Steven's eyes and Marc saw her strength, her resolve, and something else. Something that had always been there that was now unknotting, freeing her, giving her peace.
Taweret smiled, still so warm and soft, the goddess understanding more than what had been put into words.
"It can only ever be temporary," Layla whispered, meeting the dark eyes. "I'm not going to enslave myself."
"Taking an avatar isn't enslavement," she replied gently. "It is a partnership, a cooperation."
Layla grimaced and shot a look at Khonshu. Taweret's smile was more a smirk now.
"Some of us need to work on what that means because some of us are a little emotionally retarded and full of unresolved anger issues."
Khonshu's rumble was accompanied by a gust of wind that ruffled the braided hair. Taweret grinned.
"My point," she said cheerfully. "But believe me, precious Layla, that despite what the emotionally challenged moon god did and didn't do, he cherished his avatars and he loves his soul-bound. Your partnership with me will be on a temporary basis if you wish so. You will decide when to end it. It is your choice alone."
"No tricks."
"Never." Taweret placed a hand over her heart. Or where a heart would be if she was human. "I will release you should you wish to end this partnership."
Layla studied her silently for a long time, then finally nodded.
The goddess clapped her hands. "You will not regret it! I already have a fabulous costume in mind for you!"
"Costume?!" she exclaimed.
"Of course!"
"If this is some skin-tight, short skirt thing, forget it!"
Taweret chuckled. "Not at all! Let me show you!"
And she did.
XXX
Marc was openly staring at his wife. Layla was decked out in the ceremonial armor of Taweret. And she had no mask. Steven easily gave him control, almost laughing at his reaction.
She looks amazing! Look at what she's wearing! Absolutely amazing!
"Wow," he managed in an almost-stutter.
Layla looked herself up and down, then reached for her back and suddenly pulled out a pair of metal wings.
"Wow," she echoed.
Taweret beamed. "It's cool! Isn't it?"
Layla laughed a little breathlessly. "It is."
Marc pulled her into a kiss. "It is. You are," he whispered against her lips.
The goddess just giggled.