"What do you mean you didn't find him!" Seto demanded. Karim sighed, "Exactly what we said. We searched practically the entire surrounding desert and cliffs, but there was no sign of him."

Seto gritted his teeth, "Where the heck is he! Where could the gods have taken him!"

"Your question is rhetorical, and the answer is that he could be anywhere. We might only be able to find him when the gods allow us to," Isis said, taking off her headdress to brush the sand and dust off. All four of the guardians that had gone to search where covered in dirt, making them much paler in comparison with their normal skin tone.

Sakhmet joined them within the throne room and asked, "Is the Pharaoh...?" upon seeing the other priests. They shook their heads and Sakhmet sighed, rubbing her right arm, which was now wrapped in bandages along with her left arm.

"You certainly look like you have been through a great deal," she said, indicating their haggard appearances.

"There was a sandstorm during the middle of the night," Akhenaden said with a slight sigh. Sakhmet nodded, "I see... wait, does that mean that the Pharaoh could have possibly been caught in that same storm?"

"Indeed, it is a possibility."

"Well, is that not just lovely?" She said irritably. She was in a bad enough mood already. Her arm was in agony, she had not slept in over twenty-four hours, it was around three in the morning, and there was no sign of the Pharaoh.

"We must keep our spirits up. Without the Pharaoh here, we must serve as the public's morale. We must not let the gods stir unrest," Mahad said.

"What I want to know is why the gods suddenly decided to deal with human affairs. I mean, they have never interfered with the other dynasties. If a new dynasty was supposed to rule, then they would just sit back until the present dynasty ended," Sakhmet said, shaking her sleeve farther over her wrapped arm to hide it.

"Well, there are a lot about the gods that we don't know."

"We could always ask."

"Sure, like they're going to tell us everything about them. They're not stupid," Seto said flatly. Sakhmet sighed, "Okay, then well, we have another problem. What about the Hyksos? What if they find the Pharaoh? Then what will we do? They will want to invade Egypt again if we allow them the chance."

"The Hyksos? But... weren't they wiped out by King Aknamkanon? That's what we were told," Seto said, gesturing to Akhenaden.

"Yes, well, Bakura was the last one, and he is now dead. The Hyksos should be extinct."

"Then we should have no problem," Seto said, then he turned to Sakhmet and sneered, "How come you didn't know about the Hyksos, Sakhmet?"

She grimaced, "I did not get the news. I was most likely guarding Atem at the time."

"Which I'm surprised that he's made it this far. It's a miracle he isn't dead."

"You want to go at this again! You are impossible! You just cannot let go of one of my mistakes, can you!" She raised her voice, feeling her blood boil at his remark.

"It was the gravest mistake of your life! Our king could die and it's your fault!" Seto yelled.

"I understand that, but as I have said before several times, you need to let it go and move on! We need to think about our next move! I am sick of your attitude toward me and I am sick of you! So just shut up and back off, Seto!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, making her head hurt. She spun around to leave when Mahad placed a hand on her shoulder, "Wait, where are you going?"

She shrugged his hand off and said bitterly, "I am going to the Temple of Ma'at. You guys can come up with a plan. After all, as you guys have said before, you are better at coming up with plans than me and I am usually never included in the process anyway since I am not an official guardian."

She disappeared around the corner near the huge doorway of the grand hall. Mahad sighed and then glanced back at Seto, his eyes shooting daggers; however, the other priest merely folded his arms and said, "She was asking for it."

Mahad suddenly grabbed Seto by the neck of his shirt and said icily, "Leave Sakhmet alone."

"Tell her to leave me alone."

"What are you, five! Go and fix this yourself! Why do you have to be such a jerk to her? I'm not even part of your fight and yet I'm just as sick of your attitude as Sakhmet is! Sure she messed up, but you don't have to keep going on about it! I'm surprised she hasn't done anything to you yet! She's been dealing with this attitude of yours for three years!"

"She's the one with the problem! If you haven't noticed, she fights back too!"

"Please you two, sto-" Isis tried to intervene, but Mahad interrupted her, "She might actually like you if you apologize about the first thing you ever said to her! Have you forgotten that you've been rotten toward her since the first time you two met!"

He released Seto and spun around, heading for the hallway Sakhmet met had gone down. Shada asked, "Mahad, where are you going? We need to think of a plan!"

"I'm going to go find Sakhmet."

"But-"

"Shada, I'm going."

The rest of the priests sighed and Isis took off her headdress, shaking the rest of the dust off as much as she could, "Things are falling apart, slowly but surely."

"Who knew that our kingdom could be so shaken just because the Pharaoh is missing for a day?"

"Hmph, well maybe we wouldn't have this problem if we had a single person in charge," Seto suggested, "We should vote on one. I vote myself of course."

Karim shook his head, "I vote Mahad."

Isis nodded, "As do I."

"Same here," Shada said. Akhenaden spoke up, "Well, I suppose I vote for Seto."

Shada smirked, "We know who's going to win."

Seto frowned, "Oh really? And who's that?"

"Mahad of course. There's no way Sakhmet is going to vote for you, and it's already three against two. We might as well appoint Mahad as the leader right now."

"This vote isn't over."

"It is, so you should just let it go. Now, let us continue. What are we going to do? We must come up with a plan."

"Agreed."

"Sakhmet? Sakhmet?" Mahad called out, hoping he wasn't too far behind her; however, the priestess had already mounted her horse, Nedjem, and was riding off to the temple located farther out in the city. The priest ran hopelessly after her, but didn't give it much effort. He quickly called up one of the servants and demanded his horse, Panhsj, before Sakhmet could get too far.

"Pyrh, pyrh*!" He spurred Panhsj on and chased after Sakhmet, trying to catch her before she disappeared through the streets of the city. But it was too late. The only way to find her was to go straight to the temple.

He caught some strange looks on the citizens' faces when he dashed by on his grey Arabian horse, as horses weren't common for the actual residents, but he didn't take it to mind. It wasn't unusual to have people look at him or the rest of the guardians a strange way. The public didn't really know what they did, so there was a lot of mystery surrounding them.

He reached the temple in almost no time at all, though the streets were a bit crowded here and there. Nedjem was being held by a servant, so there was no doubt that Sakhmet had gone inside. Mahad handed the servant Panhsj as well and entered the relatively large stone structure that served as the temple.

"Sakhmet? Sakhmet?" He called again, his voice echoing down the chambers that were etched with hieroglyphs. The main hall wasn't crowded at all; there were little more than three people. One of them was Sakhmet, lying prostrate in front of the great altar of Ma'at.

"Sakhmet, there you are. Come on, we ought to get back. Seto's going to be much nicer to you now," Mahad said, kneeling next to her and placing a hand on her shoulder. He could hear her whispering words underneath her breath. He tried again, "Sakhmet, let's go."

She sat up to kneel and glared at him, "You are breaking my concentration. You of all people should understand the feelings we have for the gods. You would think you would let me talk with Ma'at properly."

"I know you're mad with Seto, but you have to come back. What if we decide we were going to send you off to go find the Pharaoh? Then what? You wouldn't be there and you would have lost your chance. You would have been stuck in the palace again, and I know you hate that."

"I am already in pain. Maybe staying in the palace is good for me."

Mahad raised an eyebrow, "Have I found the wrong person? I'm sorry, I must have thought you were someone else."

Sakhmet flicked his headdress up with a quick snap of her hand, "Mahad, do me a favor, and shut up. All I am saying is that maybe Seto is right. Maybe it is my fault. I screwed up. I should have been watching him more. That should be me out there, not him."

"It still doesn't sound like you. I'm talking to the same person who had enough self-esteem to call the Pharaoh a royal brat when you first got here. You didn't care what anyone thought of you then."

"I have grown soft since I got here. The whole palace, the whole idea of living in the city and not in the rugged backcountry towns like I used to has made me soft. I no longer face danger with every moment of my job. I no longer have to use my skills to stay alive. Even my way of speaking is different. Everything is so different here, so much more, uh... what is the word? Plush? That would probably best describe it."

"Are you saying you would rather go back to being a tomb raider? When you are the Pharaoh's personal guardian, your transgressions against the kingdom are forgiven. If you went back and were caught, we would have no choice but to put you to death."

"Danger was my life. I have been doing these things since I was very young. I have very many allies. If I go back, they will help me."

"You would rather spend your life doing awful things than helping the very kingdom you are a part of?"

"..." Sakhmet clamped her mouth shut and stared up at the altar for a little while before saying, "I do not know anymore. I cannot tell what I feel for more, whether I am happier tomb raiding or happier protecting the Pharaoh."

"You'll figure it out with a little more time."

"Sure. Well, let's go. I cannot have you missing the meeting as well."

"Thank you, Sakhmet."

"No, Mahad, thank you."

How many days had it been? He had lost track. He was surprised he even had the energy to stay conscious, let alone move. He was going to die out here; he knew it, he had swallowed the fact days ago.

A soft thud caught his attention, and he stretched his head back, his vision upside down. Horus was back, and this time, he brought friends. Giant black dogs, seven in all, stood obediently behind him. Atem flipped over and got to his knees growing dizzy from hunger and dehydration.

The god opened his beak, and a deep masculine voice came out saying, "Pharaoh Atem, son of Aknamkanon, you have been called for judgment. It is time for a new dynasty to take the throne."

"J-Judgment? But I have done nothing to upset the gods, have I?" His voice was weak and hoarse.

The dogs growled, but Horus held up his hand to silence them. He then held out his hand, and his palm filled with water. It dripped down to the sand below, but when Atem tried to touch the water, it passed through his palm.

"If you want water, no, if you want to go home, then you will promise to decline your right to the throne and step down when you return."

"What?" Atem was appalled. Step down? Then who would take the throne? But if he didn't agree, then he would die, and if he did, whoever Horus had planned to take the throne will take it anyway. It was between living or dying.

"Well Pharaoh? What is your answer?"

"I... I pr-"

"Pharaoh!" Voices cried out to him from behind. He spun around and saw two figures on horses charging toward them: Sakhmet and Mahad.

Atem glanced back at Horus before sprinting toward the two priests. Horus yelled a command, but it was lost in the sound of the dogs barking madly and chasing after the Pharaoh. Sakhmet sped her horse up, and cut many of the dogs off, the horse rearing and pawing the air, stamping the ground in front of the dogs' faces. They backed down, scared of the huge beast and its rider.

Mahad stopped and helped the Pharaoh onto the horse, where he collapsed, leaning on the priest. Sakhmet was still trying to scare the dogs off, so they would keep from attacking Mahad and Atem. She stared intently at Horus, her eyes filled with rage.

"You are not Horus! You are just a cheap copy! Whoever is commanding you to act like him has his heart in the wrong place. Stop listening to him!"

"Silence mortal! You do not understand the wishes of Amun!" The god screamed, ordering the dogs once again to attack. They refused, scared that the horses would kill them. Horus grimaced, wanting to attack them, but with his dogs terrified and the Pharaoh out of his grasp, he simply left, still furious. He vanished in a flash of light, while his dogs faded away, leaving Sakhmet, Mahad, and Atem alone in the blazing desert.

"Atem! Atem! Are you okay?" Sakhmet trotted her horse over to Mahad, but she didn't receive a response from the king.

"He is unconscious, Sakhmet. He's been out here for three days already with no food or water. It's a miracle he's still alive."

"It's my fault. If I had been there to keep Horus from taking Atem, then this wouldn't have happened."

"Like you said yourself, that's asking you to fight a god. Something that is nearly impossible. We've seen what they can do. They are gods and we are humans. It is not your fault. Now, we need to head back. I'm not sure the Pharaoh can take much more of this heat."

"Agreed, but first..." She pulled at the canteen she had around her neck, unstopping it and gently pressing it to Atem's mouth, "Atem, please drink. You need to get some water in your system. Wake up," Sakhmet urged, and she tipped the canteen so the water would pour out. It trickled down his chin and onto the ground.

"Pharaoh, please, you must drink something," Mahad said, shaking his king's shoulder. He still didn't stir, so Sakhmet stopped the canteen and hung it around her neck again.

"I guess we should just head back."

"I'm sure he'll wake up when we reach home."

Sakhmet nodded and spurred her horse, Mahad following her lead. They crossed the desert, and after an hour or so, they neared the gates of the city.

As they entered, a loud cry erupted through the streets. Anger was mixed in with the joy of many of the citizens.

"The Pharaoh!"

"They found him!"

"Who cares? Where was he when our homes were attacked!"

"Be quiet! Didn't you know that he was taken away by the attackers? The fact that he's alive is a good thing!"

Conversations like these were shouted all over the city as Sakhmet and Mahad passed through the debris. The other priests rushed to their side as they reached the torn down gates of the palace.

"Pharaoh!" They all shouted, helping him down off the horse while Sakhmet and Mahad dismounted.

"He needs food and water. Now!" Mahad commanded, grabbing the reins of Sakhmet's horse, "Sakhmet, you go with them. I'll take care of our horses."

"Understood," she nodded, joining the rest of the priests. They carried Atem into the palace and took him to his room, ordering the servants to bring them water and a cold rag. When they were brought to the priests, Mahad arrived as well.

"How is he?" He asked, closing the door behind him. The servants gave Sakhmet the rag, pitcher of water, and cup and then left, not wanting to intrude in the matter between all of the priests.

"Well, we don't quite know," Seto responded irritably, "We haven't even checked him over yet."

"He doesn't need this many people around him. That is certain. Only a few of us should take care of him at a time," Isis said. Akhenaden nodded, "Who should take care of him then?"

"Sakhmet will," Seto answered for her, while the priestess looked back at him before placing the cold wet rag on the Pharaoh's forehead.

"Excuse me? Do I even get a say in this?"

"It's your fault he's like this. You should be the one to take care of him."

"I told you, there was nothing I could do! Stop blaming me!" Even though she had already admitted it to Mahad, there was no way she was going to simply back down in front of Seto.

"It's your fault and you know it! Just take the blame and get over it!"

"Cut it out you two!" Karim shouted, smacking his forehead with the palm of his hand and groaning, "Why is it that you two get in fights whenever it's the most inconvenient? Now, Sakhmet, just stay here and take care of Pharaoh. We have other things to worry about."

"More important than taking care of your king?" She asked icily. Mahad shook his head, "No, we mean that we have to take care of the invasion. And... you're not the most experienced in warfare..."

"Because I am younger than all of you, blah, blah, blah. I have heard this speech before, but have you forgotten that I was the best tomb raider in all of Egypt? If it is tactics that you need, then you are talking to the right person. But if you really say that you do not need me then I will take care of the Pharaoh."

"Thank you, Sakhmet, for your cooperation. Let's go," He motioned for the rest of the priests to follow him, and they all left the room, Seto being the last one. Before he left, Sakhmet called out to him, "Oh, Seto."

He glanced behind to see Sakhmet pulling her right eyelid down with her finger and sticking her tongue out. He sneered, "Very mature."

"Like I care."

He left, slamming the door behind him. She turned back to Atem, who was breathing heavily, and it seemed that the rag wasn't quite helping. She sat him up as best she could with her throbbing right arm and poured him a glass of water, trying once again to get him to drink. She faced the same problem: he wouldn't take it; so, she opened his mouth as much as she could and tried again.

"Come now, Atem... if you do not drink more, you will never get better. You must be dying of thirst, so why must I force it down your throat?" Sakhmet sighed, setting down the cup and pouring another glass, doing the same thing over again. It went down easier this time, and so she repeated the process until he wouldn't drink anymore. The priestess laid him back again and dampened the cloth, once more placing it on his forehead.

She pulled up a chair from the corner of the room to his bedside and relaxed for a bit. How she wished he would wake up. Everything seemed so much harder without him. Without their king, they had no real sense of order. Though it always seemed like Mahad or Seto were the head guardians, they were all equal in stature, no matter how hard they tried to please the Pharaoh. So without someone to lead them, it was sure to be their downfall.

A slight groan caught her attention, and she immediately stood up, hoping that Atem was finally waking up. But he didn't open his eyes, nor did he show any other signs of consciousness. Sakhmet sighed and picked up the cup and filled it with water again, leaning the Pharaoh forward and tipping the water down his throat. Once again, she fed him the water until he wouldn't drink.

Hours passed slowly, until there was a knock at the door, and a servant walked in, carrying a two plates of food. She bowed slightly before joining Sakhmet at the bedside.

"Please, ma'am, here is His Majesty's food as well as yours. Master Mahad informed us that you had not eaten before the two of you left, so we made you a plate as well," she handed her the plates and glanced at Atem, "Um... has His Majesty gained consciousness?"

"Not yet."

"I see... well, it's probably best that he eats something. If he did that, then maybe he would wake up," she suggested. Sakhmet nodded and set her plate on the floor. The servant moved to help prop Atem up, when he groaned again and opened his eyes just a little.

His vision was blurred, and all he could see were two figures next to him, so he tried to make out who they were. A sudden gasp came from the figure on the left, and he could hear her squeal, "The Pharaoh's awake! I must tell Master Mahad!" She began to turn around, but the other figure grabbed her before she could leave, "Wait. If you tell him, then the other guardians are sure to rush in here. He cannot have that many people in here at a time."

"B-But... what if they ask me how he's doing?"

"Then lie."

"W-What? I can't lie to the guardians!"

"You cannot do this for the Pharaoh?"

"I... I want to do whatever necessary for him, but... I can't! I can't lie to Master Mahad or Master Seto!"

"Just do not bring it up then. Here," the figure handed the other a blurry object, "I am not hungry. I am sorry you had to make it for me and then watch me not eat it. I have more important things to take care of."

The smaller figure nodded, "...okay. I'll take this back then."

"Thank you."

He watched the figure leave and heard the door close, but his attention was then requested by the one still next to him.

"Atem? How are you feeling?"

He answered, his voice hoarse, "S-Sakhmet? Where am I?"

"You are in your room back at the palace. Mahad and I brought you back."

The events from a few hours ago came in a flurry of memories: Horus, the dogs, Mahad and Sakhmet coming to rescue him. Sakhmet helped him sit up and she took the wet rag off his head.

"We're... back home? This isn't a dream?" He hesitated, wary that it might be an illusion created by the gods.

"That is what I said. You are back home, safe and sound. The guardians are coming up with a strategy to defeat the gods back in the main hall."

"I see. So you were taking care of-" He suddenly began coughing violently, so Sakhmet grabbed the cup of water and handed it to him, "Please, you must drink more. You are extremely dehydrated."

He motioned for the pitcher and when she handed it to him, he completely forgot about the cup and drank nearly half the jug. She grabbed it from him and set it down, "I did not mean for you to drink it all at once!"

"I'm just so thirsty."

She laughed, "Well, that is to be expected since you were stuck in the desert for three days."

"So... it was three days?"

"Did you lose count while you were there?"

"Well... it was hard to tell... it felt longer than three."

"I see."

"So, tell me, Sakhmet, what has happened while I was away?" He asked, motioning for the plate of food as he did so.

"Well..."

"We can't go after them! Are you insane? We don't even know where they are and yet you are suggesting we send our army out to attack them?"

"What I am saying is that once we learn where they are hiding then we can go and ambush them. Pay attention Seto, and stop listening to every other word." Akhenaden snapped.

"This meeting isn't going very well..." Shada sighed, leaning back in his chair. Mahad pressed his fingers into his temples, "They're never like this... okay, everyone, we're dealing with an enemy that has powers beyond our imaginations. They can disappear and reappear, they can be anywhere, and they hold the power to summon as many monsters as they want. How are we supposed to beat this kind of enemy?"

"You make it sound like we have no hope..." Karim said sullenly. Shada nodded, "He does, but he makes a good point. This is an enemy no one has ever faced before. Fighting the gods themselves? We should be thankful that there are only three of them and not all of them."

"You're forgetting which gods we are fighting though," Seto said, "Hathor, Horus, and Sekhmet. Hathor and Horus might not be as much as a problem, but Sekhmet... she's a different story."

"I agree... with her fighting, who knows what kind of damage will ensue?"

"So, we should strengthen our forces and keep them here, not send them elsewhere," Seto contradicted Akhenaden's theory, "Or else she's surely going to attack us here when we're vulnerable."

"I have to agree with Seto," Karim said, "Gathering our army and preparing them now is our best bet. It just might be the only thing we can do."

"Everyone agreed?" Seto asked, and no one argued. He nodded his head, "Good. Master Akhenaden, you and I shall take care of the troops. Isis, please, try to see what will happen in our future with your Millennium Necklace. Mahad, go and speak with the security and make sure there is no way that the gods can get through. Shada and Karim, go and see if the Pharaoh has awakened. This meeting is now adjourned."

"Right," they all responded, splitting up into different directions.

"So... we're facing Sekhmet, Hathor, and Horus?" Atem asked, setting down his plate. Sakhmet picked it up gingerly with her right hand, trying to ignore the pain. She nodded, "Yes. I cannot believe it... I actually talked to my namesake... no... threatened my namesake. A goddess... I do not understand why they are doing this..." As she shook her head in disbelief, the plate slipped from her fingers as the pain worsened, and it crashed to the floor, breaking into several pieces.

"Oh, I am so sorry!" She apologized, immediately beginning to pick the mess up and still trying to ignore the agony in her arm. But Atem realized that there was something wrong with her right hand when she avoided using it to pick up the pieces.

"Sakhmet."

"Yes?" She didn't turn around.

"Stop picking that up. Let someone else get it later. It's fine," He said sternly. She sighed and sat down in the chair again, absentmindedly rubbing her hand. Atem grabbed it and saw her cringe and suck in her breath.

"What's wrong with it?"

"Wrong with what?" She asked innocently. He squeezed her hand a little and she immediately bit her lip.

"Your hand."

"There is nothing wrong with it."

"It's bandaged."

"So is the other one."

"You don't usually wear bandages."

"Well, I was burned a little... so those are just to let them heal. But it is no big deal, honest."

He squeezed it a little harder, and Sakhmet couldn't help but mutter to herself, "Ow, ow, ow... ow."

"It is a big deal."

"No, it is not."

He unwrapped the bandage and saw the raw and bruised skin. He narrowed his eyes, "This certainly looks like a big deal to me. You said you burned it? Explain how."

"Um... well, the city was on fire, so Seto asked me to look for anyone that was trapped. I found a woman and a child and got them out, but some of the flaming rubble fell on my hand."

"And crushed and severely burned it. You forgot to mention that," His expression didn't lighten up one bit. Sakhmet looked off to the side, feeling like he was staring straight into her soul. She ducked her head a little, "It is not that bad."

He put a little pressure on her hand, and she cringed again, "I'm assuming it's broken, and you're saying it's not that bad?"

"I can handle it. I have had worse injuries before."

"That doesn't mean it isn't pleasant. I will make sure it's taken care of."

"Well, no injury is, but so what? Like I said, I can handle it. Please, stop worrying about me and worry about your people, your kingdom. I am trivial compared the them. Now, what do you propose we do?"

"Right, go ahead and change the subject. Would you just listen to me for once?"

"Who, me?"

Atem glared while Sakhmet gave a sheepish grin back, "Then what? We solved my hand issue, now let us focus on the more important things. So, what are you going to do?"