Before you read, I'd like to say thank you. There shall be an epilogue, but for the actual story... well this is it. Also, sorry for the POV change, but Luce... Luce is unavailable to tell the story at the moment and she apologizes for any inconveniences.

Chapter 19

House of Ra

Anubis's POV

It was all gone. The obelisk disappeared in a flash of light Luce... Luce going with it. Doing as Luce would have wanted we pressed ahead into the next room and discovered the scales too were gone.

We'd failed. Apophis had somehow gotten here ahead of us and the scales were just... just gone.

"Is she... is Luce dead?" Sarah asked me grabbing my hand like she used to when we were kids. We had barely talked all year, but now, when we needed each other, were were twins again.

"I don't know," I told her slumping to the floor. "I don't know."

"Anubis," a terrified Lily said sitting besides me. "You were trying to stop Luce from doing something... what, what were you trying to stop."

"I figured it out the same time she did I think. Or maybe she knew all along and was just lying I don't know," I told them taking gulping breaths. Already the pain of loss was just too much. I needed to find Luce and know that she was safe.

"Who is she?" Alice asked softly. "Because I know she's not human and she's not one of us, but I don't know who..."

"Ra," I whispered. "Ra took a human form as Luce, but when she touched the obelisk her power and godly knowledge returned."

"Sorry, but do you mean Luce is like an Egyptian Jesus?" Felix asked of his friend. I just nodded.

"I guess so... I don't really understand either but it makes sense. Ra could control Set... Set helped him fight Apophis every night..."

"But how can LUCE be Ra?" Sarah repeated in disbelief and I couldn't blame her. The idea that Luce, who despite her oddness was so normal, was Ra, the god of the gods... it was ridiculous.

"She's not," my mom told us appearing from around the corner.

"Mom? What are you doing down here?" I asked stepping closer to her. What on earth was she doing down here?

"Luce... Luce knew what was going to happen and asked me to come and explain when it did."

"You knew all along?" Sarah clearly felt betrayed and I was with her. My mom had known I was dating Ra and didn't say anything... yet now she said I wasn't dating Ra. Gods I was confused.

"Yes, and I'm sorry that I couldn't tell you," my mom swore shaking her head. "But I knew there was a reason she's forgotten."

"You said she's not Ra. What do you mean Aunt Nina?" Lily asked fretfully.

"Luce is and isn't Ra. Technically she's Raet-Tawy, the female incarnation of Ra. Gods aren't like us. They can have many forms, many bodies but the same mind with the same memories and powers. Luce was a form of Ra that has now folded back into Raet-Tawy his female version."

"So Luce is gone," I whispered. Just when I'd finally gotten Luce to notice me she was snatched away again. "She's gone for good."

My mom looked into my eyes before speaking with the utmost sincerity. "It is possible Luce could come back, but it is unlikely. The only way that could happen would be if some other god defeated Apophis and made themselves king of the gods. It's been done before... Isis once helped her son Horus snatch power away from Ra. The only way Luce would come back would be fore someone to do it again."

My mom knew that I was the Chosen of Horus and that I'd do anything to get Luce back. That is why she gave us the hope that might prove false- so that we could see it didn't.

"How do we defeat Apophis? If not only to save Luce, but to save the Universe from destruction," Sarah spoke with a force I'd never seen before. At that moment Sarah looked less like a gentle princess and more like a warrior.

"There are two ways Apophis can be beaten on the solstice. Ra, or in this case Raet-Tawy, can fight and banish him until the fight starts again the next night, as it always had been. Or, the five most powerful gods can find a paragon in their Chosen and together destroy Apophis once and for all," my mom explained.

"Great!" Alice cried. "Then why don't they just do that?"

My mom gave us all a sad look before turning and speaking over her shoulder. "Because for that to happen all of you have to let yourselves get possessed."

All of us Chosen shook at my mom's words, but none of us, not even Alice who probably got the worst end of the deal, considered letting Raet/Luce take on Apophis. We could bring Luce back and save the world by doing this and so we would do it.

"So how do we get possessed?" Nick asked quietly. "With Alice it just happened..."

"I have an idea," I told them. A circle of sigils surrounded where the scales should have been and on each sigil was the name of a god. Hoping that I was right I slammed my hand against the sigil.

Immediately I felt a new power inside me. I felt like the air and the sky as a voice inside my head whispered, "There was a reason you were my Chosen."

With Alice, Set had taken complete control, but now as my friends followed in my lead we reached a perfect balance of human and god.

"There is nothing stronger than a true paragon," Horus whispered inside my head. "Now let's make me king again."

The cool thing about kinda-sorta being a god is that you don't have to walk. One minute I was in the tunnels and the next in a clearing by Anubis house. Raet had beaten us there and looking at her I wondered if Luce was too far gone to come back. She looked like Luce, but at the same time she didn't. Luce's chocolate hair had turned sun-red while her orange eyes literally were sunlight. The body and the face were the same, but the girl I saw before me was not my girlfriend, not at all.

"But we can get her back," Horus assured. "That man, with the long greasy black hair has something called the Touchstone of Ra. If Raet-Tawy gets it she will destroy Apophis and we won't be able to get Luce back. We need that stone."

"Victor," Even Raet's voice was different than Luce's sweet one. "There was a time when you put a single child's life ahead of your dreams of eternity;yet, you will now destroy the world for it?"

"Don't listen to him," It appeared Andy was Apophis after all. Considering his cruel nature it wasn't surprising, but seeing the completely black eyes of the housekeeper was still disturbing. "Our deal still stands. I have the cup already on the scales. When we place the stone there the power of Ra will make us forever eternal. It's what you always wanted."

"He's Apophis," I screamed causing the others to notice the Chosen and their gods. "He wants to destroy everything."

"Ra almighty," Victor cried upon realizing he'd been duped. "I will not work for you, never! There is no life without a world to live in!"

As Victor defied Andy!Apophis Raet swung in to claim her touchstone. Sarah!Osiris however saw it coming and swooped down first and grabbed the stone. An enraged Apophis shot a burst of pure chaos at Victor causing the old man to fall on the ground. Lily!Isis went over to heal him, but it was too late. The man who wanted to live forever had died.

"Mother," Horus screamed using my mouth. "Give me the stone so I shall once again be king."

Raet barreled towards Lily!Isis Apophis forgotten. Before Raet could grab the stone Nick!Osiris swooped in to protect his wife. All the while Alice!Set sent flaming balls of red magic at Apophis battling one Chaos with another. Teleporting next to Lily!Isis I grabbed the stone feeling the raw power of Ra in my hands. I could do anything with it, but there was only one thing I wanted. Pointing the stone at Andy!Apophis I felt Horus's magic combine with the stone and my raw need to save Luce. A fire of power exploded from the tip of the stone striking the evil serpent down for the final time.

"My son has killed the serpent Apophis," Sarah!Osiris announced. "He is the rightful king of the gods."

There was no actual power that came with that title. I could feel that, but there was the power of a thousand gods behind me/Horus that was unimaginable. For a brief moment I could see everything.

"And now that you've seen what it is like to be a god it is time I fulfilled my end of the bargain. Without you I would have no power against Apophis and so in your name I will make a request," Horus told me in my mind. Now speaking aloud Horus addressed Raet. "You will respect me as your king or face the power of all gods. Do you offer a full and complete surrender?" I could see the pain on Raet's face as she knew she'd lost, It almost made me feel bad.

And then I remembered that she'd basically killed my girlfriend and all my sympathy disappeared.

"Yes, my lord," Raet answered with the slightest bow possible.

"Then of you I have a request. Relinquish the form Luce from you and return her to her human state," Horus demanded but Raet shook her head.

"That is not possible, for Luce was never human. I can however recreate the apparent human body and mind that your Chosen Anubis seeks."

"So Luce will be normal again?" Lily asked and I hadn't even realized that the rest of the gods had already relinquished their Chosen.

"She will be as you knew her physically but I can't make her forget the memories again," Raet assured and I knew it was the best I would get. Immediately the flaming hair and eyes disappeared and a normal Luce collapsed unconscious.

"A human with the mind of Ra. I do not envy your journey of love," Horus chuckled inside my head before the god disappeared leaving me to go and hold Luce.