Chapter 5

Zeus emerged from the sarcophagus several hours later.

Sam had begun dozing when the sound of the sarcophagus opening startled her to wakefulness. She quickly stood up, anxious to see if Zeus was alright.

He staggered when he finally managed to stand. Sam rushed to his side to stabilize him. Other than being pale in the milky white glow of the sarcophagus, he looked unharmed.

"Maia," he said weakly, "why was I in the sarcophagus? What…happened to me?"

"Y-you were killed," Sam responded hesitantly. "The one responsible had a symbiote, so I'd guess it was one of the Tok'ra." She noticed a dark and strange emotion flicker through Zeus's eyes before they returned to their usual mocking mask.

"Tok'ra scum," he hissed under his breath. The part of Jolinar in the back of Sam's brain winced. Brief anger flared in the pit of her stomach, but she quickly quelled the feeling.

"They have reason to want all Goa'uld dead," she murmured, brushing a strand of soft brown hair out of his face.

His emerald eyes flashed gold as he ruthlessly grabbed her wrist. Sam's expression hardened to match his suddenly furious mood. "The Tok'ra have succeeded in killing me. Nothing will stop me from taking revenge." His grip loosened slightly. "I can understand why you would find sympathy with them. Your only real view on our war was through the eyes of one of their own. Unlike others, I can understand how you may be conflicted. I ask you, though, to never show any empathy to a Tok'ra in my presence. Next time, I will not be so understanding."

"Yes, my lord," said Sam, giving him a look of venom. He roughly released her hand and walked out of the room.

"What do the people of Thebes think? They do not doubt me as their god?" called Zeus over his shoulder.

Still seething, Sam replied, "I spoke with them and told them that you had, in fact, died." Zeus turned sharply, almost losing his balance, his expression one of vengeful anger. "I also told them that like any powerful god, you possessed enough power to rise from the dead."

His expression changed to thoughtfulness. He seemed to struggle for words before simply saying, "Thank you. Your choice was wise. I am sorry for my brief moment of doubt."

Sam's eyes grew wide with shock as he turned and left the room. A Goa'uld had actually admitted he was wrong and apologized. Wasn't there a major universal rule that stated all Goa'uld were not supposed to do that? Then again.... and definitely not for the first time, Sam wondered at the...almost human…actions of Zeus.

One, he let her live and go unpunished after she tried to destroy his ship. That in itself was a shock. Two, he actually seemed to care for her, unlike what another Goa'uld would probably have felt. If anything, she was surprised lust hadn't driven him to rape. Not that she was complaining. Three, he tried to understand people. That, if anything, was exactly why she'd gotten away with almost blowing up his ship. Four, he had never used a sarcophagus before this. The fact that Acamas, the first prime, had no clue what a sarcophagus was, was a pretty good indicator of the sarcophagus receiving little use. Zeus's bewilderment upon waking was also cause for suspicion.

She stopped listing details before she could get too carried away. She was sure that she could think of dozens of ways he was so unlike the Goa'uld. Yet, she thought, he is enough like them that no one can get suspicious unless you live with him for awhile.

Shaking her head, she left the room and went the direction she guessed Zeus would have gone.

She paused outside of their room before hesitantly entering. Her guess was right.

He was sitting on the bed, the top of his toga off. A different one was lying next to him, as if he had just flung it there and sat down, which he probably had.

She went over and sat one his other side, running her hand soothingly along his back. He flinched away from her touch.

"What?" she asked softly, withdrawing her hand, more out of surprise than anything.

"Leave," he said, his voice harsh. What the hell? Sam was torn between hurt and anger. What had she done wrong? Why was he pushing her away?

"What?" she repeated stiffly. She laced her fingers together and rested her hands on her lap.

"You should leave Thebes and return to your Tau'ri people."

"Why?" Sam demanded.

"It is too dangerous for you to remain. I fear that if you do, a Tok'ra spy shall attempt to kill you as well." He pinched the bridge of his nose, reminding Sam painfully of Daniel. "It does not matter if you leave. My demise will be met as a result of weakness."

She shook her head. "No. If I do die, then you can use the sarcophagus like you did today."

"We both know what it has done to the others. Corrupted them and made them deranged. Soulless vessels that wander the galaxy with nothing but death and destruction to think about. I do not want that. I do not want to become the monsters that they are. I don't want you to meet that fate either."

Sam peered closely at him. Even if she bothered to see if there was any emotion in his eyes, she knew it would be pointless. His eyes never showed emotion. Yet, being with him long enough, she could pick up on the feelings he never could show. "There's something else. What is it?"

"I will not say. Maia, you should go back to your people."

Well at least he doesn't dance around with the cannots versus the will nots, thought Sam sardonically. Unfortunately, he's good at changing the subject, too.

"I don't want to," she retorted, humoring him. "They left me behind. The only one I can forgive is the one that died."

Zeus's lips twitched into a slightly mocking smirk. "Doctor Jackson." It was a statement.

She nodded. "It's not that I envy him, but…I guess what I don't understand is why they left me but not him. The firefight couldn't have been so bad that they'd just get up and leave. They've been through worse for far less a reason to stay behind."

"You cannot always see why people do the things they do in the heat of the moment."

"That's not an excuse," snarled Sam. "I thought I had proved myself to them repeatedly. Was I really such a hindrance to them that they would do that? Was it because I was The Girl?"

Zeus looked away, his expression unreadable. "Perhaps, we had best get back to the planet's surface."

"What?" asked Sam at the abrupt change in subject.

Zeus raised his eyebrows at her. Sighing, Sam went to find her own change of clothes. There was probably going to be a celebratory feast at Zeus's rebirth and she was hungry. She smirked; Zeus wasn't off the hook quite yet. There was definitely more that she wanted to say to him. He'd raised too many questions.

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Zeus watched Maia. She had as good as sworn her loyalty to him, willingly. The incident on Thebes showed him that attending the upcoming summit probably wasn't a good idea for him. He would be shamed in front of the others; something he would not stand for.

On the spur of the moment, for some reason he could not fathom, even later, he asked, "Maia, I wish you to attend the summit in my place."

She spun around. "Attend the summit? Why?" The astonishment on her face was comical. He didn't laugh.

"Yes. As to why, it would be experience, since you are my queen," Zeus replied calmly.

The expression on her face was unreadable as she turned back around, seeming to accept his order and explanation.

Zeus and Maia went back to their mutual silence and he continued watching her change.

- oOoOoOo -

Though he didn't know why, Daniel's mind went back to the firefight that had killed Sam and nearly killed him.

He had woken up, knowing that he had nearly died. Again. The stitches in his abdomen only proved it. Then Jack came in looking worse than Daniel had seen him in years. Not since they had first met. Then Jack told him about the failed mission.

He felt like he had almost died once more when the news of Sam's death came to him. After he had been released from the infirmary, something inside him still refused to let her go. At times, soon after, it felt like she could have been right behind him, but when he'd turn, no one was there. Finally, he had to admit to himself that she really was dead. His gut argued, but the truth was right in front of his face.

"Doctor Jackson?" General Hammond's voice shook Daniel out of his memories. Daniel blinked in confusion until he remembered that he was in the middle on a briefing.

"Wha-Oh, sorry, sir. I didn't get much sleep last night," he said sheepishly.

"Do you ever?" Jack retorted.

"Yeah, but last night I actually tried to sleep," Daniel shot back with a glare.

"I guess your body's just not used to getting sleep in a bed, then," Jack muttered under Hammond's stern scrutiny.

Funny, Jack. Real funny, Daniel thought bitterly. He hated how Jack and Teal'c had been so impassive about Sam. Was he the only one that ever thought about her now? He knew that Teal'c wasn't likely to show emotion but Jack seemed to recover after Daniel got released from the infirmary. He wondered if they'd been so stoic after Nem or that time two years ago on Apophis's ship.

"I just received news from the Tok'ra," Hammond announced, pulling Daniel out of his reverie.

Daniel perked up at that. Not by much, but it would hold his attention long enough to stop him from concentrating on Sam.

"In five months from now, the system lords will be holding a summit. The council believes now would be an excellent opportunity for us and them to gain important access to the Goa'uld."

"I take we need to do their dirty work again?" Jack grumbled.

"Think about it, Jack," Daniel put in. "The Goa'uld would sense if any Tok'ra were there."

"So what? They have Jaffa. Won't their symbiote sensing ability be messed up?"

"When the Goa'uld go to a summit, Colonel O'Neill," Teal'c explained, "it is on neutral ground. The Goa'uld have only their most trusted human go into the meeting room with them."

"So…human? Not anyone with a symbiote?" Jack clarified, almost sounding disappointed. General Hammond frowned at him.

"Yes, Jack. That's what Teal'c was trying to say," Daniel smirked. "And I'm supposed to be the one who can't think." Jack scowled across the table at him.

"Jacob didn't clarify what the council wanted us to do," Hammond said before Jack could retort. "Until then, we'll just have to wait."

"That's it then?" Jack asked.

"Yes, Colonel. You're free to have the rest of the day off. That means, Doctor Jackson, that none of you are to be on this base or take any work home with you."

"Yes, sir," Daniel mumbled unhappily. There went the two things that could distract him from his depression.

"C'mon, Daniel. T, what do you say about a team night?" Jack asked eagerly. They all stood up and prepared to leave.

His thoughts drifting to Sam again, Daniel replied, "I don't really feel like it tonight."

"Anything to do with your lack of sleep?" Daniel saw sympathy and understanding in the older man's gaze.

"Kind of." The three members of SG-1 walked down the halls in companionable silence.

Ten minutes later, Daniel picked up some stuff from his lab and headed home, still half expecting Sam to stop him so they could work onsome longovernight project.