Chapter 11

House of Explanations

"Nina?" Elizabeth questioned when she saw me. "You okay? Eddie said you'd passed out. Does that happen a lot?"

"Surprisingly often," I told her with a 'what can you do' eye roll. "But I'm fine now, just a bit tired."

"Being in the Du'at does that to a person," Elena stated plainly. Seven sets of eyes swiveled and stared incredulously.

"How the Hell do you know about that?" Elizabeth growled. "You think it's funny?"

"Chill Elizabeth," Nile told her flashing a disapproving glance towards his godly counterpart. "She's not making fun of you. She's serious."

"Eddie, what the hell is going on?" a frustrated Patricia cried from the couch where she sat. Feeling bad that I hadn't much attention to my friend who I hadn't seen in months, I gave her a quick once-over to make sure she was okay. Though I hadn't noticed it before, I could see now the slightest baby bump that was beginning to appear on my friend. I was thrilled for her, honest, but I also worried about what the future would hold for this kid who, genetically, passed on the needed gene to make an Osirian. Even if this kid was safe, his or her grandkids wouldn't be.

Eddie went to respond to his wife's question, but Elena, being Elena, pushed him on to the coach and waited for us all to sit. Once we were settled in (most everyone with questioning faces) the god began dramatically, "Our lovely friend Elizabeth here was expelled after a parent found out she worshiped the Egyptian gods…"

"I don't worship them!" the girl told us popping up. "I mean you don't worship them."

"Yes, honey," Elena said sweetly as she placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "You do. Honestly! You'd think because we don't bring storms down on those who don't worship us that that means we don't want it anymore! I'd love a few cattle sacrifices."

Nile raised his hand to his head before shaking it causing Eddie to sigh and lean back in his chair ready to enjoy the show. Patricia looked between Eddie and me like 'did you do this', while Fabian, who knew what was going on but had expected something a bit more subtle, gawked.

It was definitely the reaction of the housemates I didn't know, however, that really stuck out. Elizabeth looked ready to pass out as she realized that Elena wasn't kidding. The gods she'd believed in if not worshiped were real, and she was now rooming with two of them. If Nile and Elena's identities were hard for me, the Chosen One, to swallow, it must be impossible for someone perfectly normal like Elizabeth. Justin on the other hand didn't react at all to the words being said. I didn't know what it meant, but in the Du'at the gods had repeatedly called Justin a 'scale.' I'd assumed that, whatever it was, he didn't know, but the chill look on his face said he did.

Elizabeth must have noticed our reactions, because she stood up and started pacing, "Wait? Am I the only one in this ridiculous house who didn't have proof that the gods existed? I mean… this is absurd! Sure, I used to believe, but that was just… just a phase! They can't possibly exist, but they do, don't they. I mean how did I not know!" The girl was rambling, but we were all too sympathetic to stop her. Finally, Nile broke the ice with an explanation.

"Well I knew because I am a god… Khumun at your service. The annoying one, " he pointed to Elena. "Is Khepri, but the last person to call her that was turned into a beetle so I wouldn't suggest bringing it up."

"Shut up," the god yelled at her (well, actually, I'm not sure what to call him. I mean they're friends, but enemies, but technically the same person so…. Let's just not bring this up again, okay?)

"I mean I know about it because I had my soul stolen by a goddess last year… and there have been other instances besides that," Patricia told the startled girl sympathetically. Somehow it had been decided that we'd go around explaining how we got drawn into this mess, because Fabian went next.

"Same thing happened to me as Patricia," he admitted with a shrug. "Ammut is not a friendly person." Fabian didn't need to say that twice. Sure, it had been a dream, but the goddess' depiction in my final trial came from what Sibuna had told me in stories. Basically-she was a horrible person.

"I mean I know about it because I'm the Osirian… kind of a long story."

"Like the descendant of Asim who's destined to protect the Chosen One, Osirian?" Elizabeth sure did know her facts, didn't she?

This seemed like a good place to step in, so I raised my hand. "You say something about the Chosen One?"

Apparently, Justin hadn't known about Eddie and me, because even he had a look of surprise growing on his face. "I didn't realize…"he muttered before realizing he'd spoken aloud. "Um, sorry. I just meant that I'd heard you were dead."

"Um well I died twice, but someone keeps bring me back," Eddie said with a roll of the eyes. "To be honest, I think Osiris just doesn't want to keep me around; I tend to get on people's nerves after a while."

Justin opened his mouth, almost as if Eddie's deaths weren't what he meant, but he soon shook his head and smiled, "Guess I was wrong."

"So what exactly are you then?" Patricia asked the guy pointedly. "I mean we've all said how we got involved, so what about you?"

"Um… well…" Justin began nervously. "I'm this thing called a scale, I guess. I mean that's what Ma'at called me the one time we met. We're people who have a natural sense of order, justice, and balance. It's kind of complicated."

"Scales are the ones who Ma'at decided could keep us forgotten gods from causing too much trouble," Nile teased making Justin flush red. "There aren't many, but I guess it's appropriate for there to be one here. I mean two gods, the Chosen One, a newly reinstated Osirian, the ones who the aforementioned Chosen One and Osirian love most, oh and don't forget the unborn baby who fulfills all the requirements of being an Osirian except for the demand of one."

"Patricia," Fabian asked spinning around to face our flustered friend. "Did he just imply that you're pregnant?"

"It's a girl," Elena pointed out before Patricia or Eddie's minds could formulate an answer. "And as long as Nina doesn't die within the next 5 months she'll be perfectly normal."

"A girl," Patricia repeated with a small smile. "I was going to tell you guys but… well I haven't exactly gotten a chance. Yes I'm having a baby… and apparently it's a girl."

"Congratulations," we all told the couple in a flurry of hugs that even the gods got included in. Now that all the awkwardness and secrets were out, we went our own separate ways to process all the new information.

Despite having said I wasn't tired, apparently whatever seeing my Ren did to me had lasting side effects. Feeling slightly nauseous, I moved to go upstairs and to bed, but not before I over-heard a secret conversation between Eddie and Fabian with the topic of, you guessed it, me.

"Whatever it is that you're not telling Nina about the name thing and the box, she deserves to know," I heard Fabian growl through the door. Upon hearing the words aloud, I knew that my gut feeling was right; Eddie was keeping secrets.

"Look, Fabian," my exhausted Osirian told him with a failing attempt at cockiness. "It's better if she doesn't know. It's better if you don't know! It's my job to protect Nina not only because I'm her Osirian again, but because she's my friend. I swear on everything I hold dear, which, at the moment, is quite a lot, that I will never withhold information that could keep Nina safe."

"But you can't tell me anything? Please Eddie, I want to help. I love her."

"I know you do Fabian, I know you do but… let's put it this way. Nina knowing won't help the situation. But Nina not knowing… it will greatly reduce the number of mental breakdowns that occur within the confines of this house."

Sneaking away so they didn't see me I went to bed but found sleep unattainable. I had known Eddie was keeping secrets but whatever it was that he wouldn't tell me… it was serious. Something was seriously wrong, so wrong that Eddie, who knows me better than anyone, felt that I'd break if I knew the truth. And if Eddie believed I would break that was because I would.

So maybe it really was better if I didn't know everything this time around.

Sorry I know it's a bad chapter, but I'm just struggling to get words on the page at this moment because I have a headache. So hopefully it made sense... Don't forget to review with theories... think of the title and it will help you get started.