A/N: I'm so sorry for the two day delay in posting this. I worked all day and partied most of the night on Halloween. My college town seriously knows how to celebrate Halloween right. And then Saturday, I kidnapped my roommates and made on, a foreign exchange student from France, carve her second pumpkin ever and roast/eat her first s'mores ever.

It was awesome. But because of that, I am posting this late. Forgive me? Would it make y'all feel better know I'm working on chapter one of the Ancient Egypt prequel already

Seth's Side of Things

Arrow was thrilled to finally be back on solid ground. It was an intense relief partially because his shoulders and arms ached from where the harpie held him with her talons. He rolled his aching muscles experimentally trying to get the kinks out. The long haired harpie chirped at him before flying off to join her sisters who were all dismissed by Mai.

The three dragons Jounouchi, Seth, and Mai had summoned also disappeared, the Blue Eyes White Dragon slower than the rest. The white dragon remained long enough to nuzzle Seth adoringly. Seth looked torn between weeping and remaining stoic. Oliver could tell there was a story there but decided not to ask.

The statuesque winged beast with a snake as its lower body vanished next leaving Ryou and Bakura standing side by side on the mountainside with the group. That led to the next point: the group was still in the Field Spell.

"However much I love mountains," Oliver said, "I'd like to get back to the real world if I'm gonna lead you to my base."

"We're already there," Seth said softly.

Diggle almost laughed, looking around him incredulously. "We are?"

Seth closed his eyes and held out a hand as if waiting for something. It took a moment for anyone to notice a difference. Then Oliver felt a tug on his Shadows and focused on his Shadow senses. It looked like Seth was pulling something up and towards him like a person pulls up a rug up from the floor. Oliver blinked back to his normal sight and his mouth dropped open in awe as the huge mountains surrounding them literally shrank down to the earth. The brilliant, sunless blue sky faded away to reveal a dark ceiling and walls. Seconds later, the awesome scenery was completely gone and a card flew up into Seth's hand. He flipped the card between his fingers and held it up for Oliver and his companions to see.

"This is what we were in," Seth said. "The Field Spell Mountain. It's the home of most of the dragons in the Shadow Realm and thus can take quite a bit of damage with little problem."

"So we were...inside that card?" Hawkgirl asked.

"More like inside a part of the Shadow Realm that's safe to exist in," Ryou said while Seth slipped the card back into his Deck.

Oliver watched Seth closely. The person inside Kaiba's body was obviously still tired but was fighting against the urge to sleep. If Seth was anything like Kaiba, Oliver figured Seth's pride would refuse to let him sleep until he felt safe and unwatched. Oliver deliberately looked away and took in his surroundings, blinking when he realized he was in his hideout in the basement of the Verdant.

"How...?" Diggle asked, then he shook his head. "You know what, I'm just gonna say magic and leave it at that."

"Well," Jounouchi said, "since that is the answer, I guess we're good. By the way, dude," he added to Oliver, "You look more intimidating with the hood and arrows."

Oliver blinked and looked down at himself to see he was back in the civilian clothes he had been wearing this morning. "Where did my Arrow stuff go?"

"you were never actually wearing them," Shaadi said. "They were left over remnants of the way you wished to be in Kaiba's mind retained by your continued existsnce within the Shadow Realm."

"O...kay," Oliver said, not quite sure he understood completely.

"Yeah, it's confusin'. But, uh, that aside, there a place I can put Yuugi?" Jounouchi asked. "Squirt's heavier 'n he looks."

Oliver gestured to a small storage room. "I keep several sleeping bags and blankets in here. We've been known to pull more than a few all-nighters here. He can sleep on the couch over there."

"I know the feeling," Jounouchi said gratefully. "And thanks."

Oliver grabbed a blanket and Diggle guided Jounouchi over to the couch. Shaadi joined them and lay Yami down first, surprising Diggle. Jounouchi did not pause, he simply lay Yuugi next to Yami so the young King was nestled between the Pharaoh and the back of the couch.

"The same soul, huh?" Diggle muttered, shaking his head.

Jounouchi chuckled. "Yeah," he said. "Imagine how we felt when we foun' out. Not to mention Yug'. He and Yami didn' exactly get along at first. It took some serious shit to get 'em to work together."

"I'm surprised," Oliver said, laying a blanket over the sleeping monarchy. "They-"

He stopped when Yuugi mumbled something in his sleep and rolled over so he was pressed up against Yami's side, tucking his head under the Pharaoh's chin. Yami tilted his body towards the King's and sighed.

"Good," Seth whispered, joining them. The one inhabiting Kaiba's body knelt and placed a hand on both Yuugi's and Yami's foreheads, closed his eyes for a moment, then withdrew. "They are beginning to feel the balance take affect."

"You need to sleep, Seth," Mai said, coming up behind the the Regent.

Seth shook his head. "Not yet."

"I understand what you are doing," Shaadi said, "but you will only succeed in hurting both yourself and Kaiba if you continue to push yourself like this."

"Doing?" Walter asked. "What do you mean?"

"Yes. You also don't sound as quiet as you did before," Hawkgirl added, speaking to Seth.

Seth sighed and sat down heavily on the ground pulling his legs halfway up and wrapping his arms loosely around them. "I'm not splitting my concentration between nine different things, seven of which require my Shadow magic, anymore."

"Oh," Bakura said sarcastically. "How many things require your concentration now?"

"Four," Seth said. "And I suggest you change your attitude before I cut out your tongue."

"Excuse me?" Walter gasped.

Bakura cackled obnoxiously. "There's the Seth I remember," he howled. "You were being so polite and submissive I was beginning to wonder if you were really the great Seth of old after all."

"I may be beyond tired but I still have enough energy and presence of mind to bury you, Tomb Robber," Seth hissed, leaning back against the couch.

"Tomb robber?" Diggle said incredulously.

"That was my occupation of choice back then," Bakura said casually.

"You're a dirty no-good locust I will take immense pleasure in crushing beneath my sandal," Seth grumbled.

"I take it you two have a history?" Oliver said, backing out of range of Seth's hateful glare directed at an unrepentant Bakura.

"I indirectly caused his Pharaoh's death," Bakura said. "Well, I say indirectly."

"You plundered the tomb of the former pharaoh, dragged the body of Akhnamkanen out of the tomb and used his own ka in battle, attacked-"

"Yes, yes, I'm well aware of what I did," Bakura groaned, waving his hand dismissively. "And we both know I had a very legitimate reason for doing so. And if I had known the full truth, maybe things wouldn't have ended up the way they did." He leveled Seth with a glare of his own. The two personalities glared at each other for several tense moments

"Alright boys," Mai said grabbing Bakura by the ear and mussing Seth's hair like a teasing older sister, "there's enough testosterone in this room already. Don't add more."

"I'll agree with that," Hawkgirl said, fluffing her wings.

Bakura squawked in indignation, smacking Mai's hand away while Seth just sat and took it, shoulders drooping. Oliver could not shake the feeling that had Seth not been so tired, he probably would have fought off the affectionate tousle.

"If I could ask," Walter said, breaking into the conversation. "You said you were doing nine things at once," he said to Seth. "I don't remember seeing you do much at all."

"That is because you have no Shadow magic," Shaadi said from his spot on the couch by Yuugi's and Yami's feet. "I myself could feel him working several things at once."

"Working? On what?" Diggle asked.

"Attempting to track down Marik," Seth said, closing his eyes and sinking against the couch, "helping Kaiba fight the Traitor's psychological Shadow Game, helping heal Kaiba's damaged soul room, helping maintain the Field Spell, protecting Kaiba from and fighting against the Shadows' and Ares's control, summoning and maintaining the Blue Eyes White Dragon, tracking down the Verdant in the real world through the Field Spell, staying awake, and keeping up a coherent conversation."

"Oh," Diggle said. "And now?"

Seth sighed through his nose. "Just staying awake, keeping a coherent conversation, trying to track down Marik, and helping heal Kaiba's soul room."

"I thought you couldn't find Marik because he doesn't have his Shadows," Oliver said.

"I'm not looking for his Shadows," Seth said. "I'm looking for the lack of Shadows."

"The lack of... You mean like how Kaiba felt when he cut himself off from the Shadows?"

Seth grinned at the vigilante. "It seems every time you open your mouth, we feel insanely glad you're ours and not theirs."

"By 'ours' you mean you and Kaiba," Oliver said.

Seth nodded. "Off topic, but you should probably tell your Justice League where we are so they stop heading towards your home," he said. "Superman is blinding my senses every time I look in his direction."

"My ho-?" Oliver quickly ran to his computer sitting on the desk and grabbed his communicator. "This is Arrow," Oliver said. "Anyone read me?"

"Loud and clear, Arrow," Supermn called. "What's do you need?"

"We're at my club, the Verdant," Arrow said. "I'll relay the coordinates. Do not go to my home. Let me know when you're here and I'll let you in the back way. I don't want my cover blown if I can avoid it."

"Understood," Superman replied.

Oliver relayed the coordinates and then returned to the group standing by the couch taking the communicator with him. Mai and Mokuba had joined Seth on the ground, Bakura was nowhere to be seen and Ryou was playing a Duel Monsters game with Jounouchi on the floor by Shaadi's feet. Hawkgirl was busy talking to Walter and Diggle.

"They'll be here in a few minutes at most," he said walking up to Seth and Mai, glancing at Walter and Hawkgirl.

Seth nodded. "You should keep one of them on lookout duty outside just in case," he said. "I can't keep up this vigil forever and relying on the Shadow Court's powers alone is hardly fair to us." Sharp blue eyes met Hawkgirl's emerald. "Besides, I find the presence of a false descendant of Ra hardly company."

"Isn't that racist?" she countered.

"Funny, I could ask you the same thing, lady," Jounouchi chimed in. "Hatin' on us just 'cause we got a cooler power than you i'n' exactly what I call open-minded."

Before Hawkgirl could reply, a beeping filled the room. Seth reached into Kaiba's pants pocket and pulled out his cell phone. After checking the caller ID he answered. "Isis," he said.

Oliver and Hawkgirl started. Isis? As in Isis the Egyptian goddess of marriage and motherhood? There were more gods out there?

"He's fine," Seth said to whoever was on the other end of the phone, Isis supposedly. "He's resting right now. It will take time to heal but not too long." He hummed in response to some unheard question, sinking into the couch in exhaustion. "I've been worse." A few moments of silence and a small, heartfelt smile tugged at his lips. "I'll keep that in mind."

Oliver jolted when he heard his communicator beep. He pulled it out and answered. "You here?"

"On the roof," he heard Flash say.

"Come to the back alley. I'm headed up to let you in," Oliver said, walking towards the stairs.

"Gotcha," Flash said. "Is...is Seth still there?"

Oliver closed the door to the stairwell and continued talking as he made his way up to the alleyway door. "Yeah. Kaiba's busy so Seth's still in control. He's tired though, however much he wants to hide it."

"I get it," Flash said. "We got news I think would be best to spill with everyone together."

"Is Wonder Woman back yet?" Oliver asked grabbing his keys.

"Not yet, but I don't think she'll be much longer."

Oliver swung the alleyway door open to reveal Flash who waved somewhat less cheerfully than normal and the others behind him. Oliver groaned. "Well don't all be serious," he said. "Come on in. Everyone's in the basement."

"Seth?" Batman asked.

"He's there too," Oliver said. "He's tired but got quite a nasty mouth. Don't step on his toes if you can avoid it."

"Too late for that," Green Lantern said.

Oliver guided the eclectic group down to the basement where everyone was gathered. Seth had apparently hung up the phone and decided napping on Mai's should was more productive than talking at the moment. Mai did not seem to mind, choosing to scratch Seth's, or rather Kaiba's hair like a protective big sister while talking quietly with Shaadi. Shaadi was using his hands to explain something to Mai when he noticed Oliver and the people behind him come in. He stilled then, falling silent.

"How'd it go?" Hawkgirl asked.

"Guy's slippery," Flash grumbled. "Kept dodging and melting into the shadows. Talk about massively annoying."

"You're telling me," Seth said, eyes open and watching the group warily.

The Justice League stared at Seth suspiciously before J'onn walked over and sat comfortably in front of him on the floor. "I believe we did not, as you say, get off on the correct foot," the Martian said. "Perhaps we could try again."

Seth met solid gold eyes with his own old blue and nodded. "I suppose. Would you like to start, or should I?"

"I will," the Martian said gravely. "I am unfamiliar with Earthling mythos and therefore believe only what I see and know to be fact."

Seth nodded. "You are wise."

"When we fought Shadow Thief, we talked."

"Did you?"

J'onn nodded. "He said things I am not sure I believe but offered to meet with us tomorrow in the park." He tilted his head. "He wishes to trade Marik and any information we desire for you."

Seth tensed. "Does he," he said.

It was not a question but J'onn nodded nonetheless. "He does. Ahkenadin will be there."

This time Seth flinched, pulling himself away from J'onn and pushing himself into the couch, eyes wide. Mai wrapped her arm around Seth's shoulders and pulled him to her, glaring viciously at the Justice League. Shaadi stood, eyes wide with shock and even Ryou and Jounouchi stopped playing Duel Monsters to listen in on the conversation.

"You wouldn't dare," Shaadi whispered. "You cannot do such a thing."

"We do not intend to," J'onn said calmly.

"We never agreed to the trade," Batman said. "Just the meet."

"We talked it over later and it does make sense," Green Lantern said. "You get Marik and Ahkenadin in one place while we keep them talking. Kill two birds with one stone."

Seth's eyes narrowed as he went over the possibilities in his mind, slowly relaxing once more. "I believe we can do that."

"Although I'm guessing you want us to come clean first," Jounouchi said.

"That would be preferable, yes," J'onn said.

Seth took a deep breath and slumped against the couch wearily. "I'll tell you what I can, but I am tired and if Kaiba wakes up, I will return control to him."

J'onn nodded. "I understand."

"Then what do you want to know?" Seth asked.

"We should wait for Wonder Woman," Hawkgirl said. "She should hear this too."

Seth nodded thoughtfully. "I agree since it was you two who helped create this huge mess."

"About that," a new voice said heralding Wonder Woman's arrival. "I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions. I knew chances were it wasn't true but I goaded you anyway."

"Apology accepted," Seth said after a moment of surprise.

"How'd you get in here?" Diggle asked, unnerved by the heroine's silent arrival.

"My question exactly," Oliver said, crossing his arms and staring the Amazon down.

Wonder Woman shrugged and placed her hands comfortably on her hips. "My shoes were a gift from Hermes. I can travel between Themiscyra and Man's- Earth whenever I please. They take me directly to the place of my choosing but only when I travel between Themiscyra and here."

"But how did you know we were here?" Walter asked.

She shrugged. "I didn't. I commanded them to take me to my comrades-at-arms. They were here so I came here."

"Nice," Jounouchi said.

"I agree," Ryou said. "I would enjoy a gift like that."

Well," Walter said, taking control, "now that we're all here, how 'bout we start."

He promptly sat down crosslegged on the ground by J'onn. Oliver sat down between Seth and Walter just as Diggle sat down between Walter and J'onn. The rest of the League sat down as well with various looks of awkwardness. Hawkgirl dragged the chair from the desk over and sat in it.

"My wings," she said when Jounouchi gave her an odd look. The blond nodded in understanding and gathered up his cards to watch what would happen.

"No Games," Oliver said.

"No Games," Seth agreed.

"Then explain away," Oliver replied.

Seth sighed and shifted to a more comfortable position. "What do you want to know specifically?"

"The myths," Wonder Woman said. "What's true and what isn't?"

Seth tilted his head in thought. "Kaiba did his best to avoid delving too deeply into modern Egyptian mythology because he knew how we were treated in them. The further back in history you go, you will find we were not always cast in the role of villain. There was a time we were revered as an ally and friend of Ra. It was not until later that we became relegated to the status of villain and despised by the majority of the populace."

"Humans have short memories," Shaadi said.

Seth nodded gravely. "I was a High Priest under the Pharaoh. Isis was as well," he said nodding to Oliver. "She was like a big sister to me, but I never loved her or saw her as anything more than that."

"Because you loved Kisara," Wonder Woman said, earning surprised looks from everyone.

"How do you know that name?" Seth demanded, half standing, held back only by Mai's grip on his arm.

The Amazon princess remained unmoved. "I spoke to Helios the Titan. He was sent by Zeus to inform Artemis of Ares's disappearance. I met him then and explained what happened to put Ares in such a state." She glanced at Ryou who smiled shyly, rubbing his neck awkwardly. "Kisara was one of his worshippers. He knew of you due to her continued prayers to him. He wanted me to tell you that should you ever require assistance, he would readily offer it."

"Why?" Seth demanded, eyes narrowed with distrust.

"To make up for not helping you when Kisara prayed for him to," Wonder Woman said.

Seth sat back and closed his eyes. He rubbed his eyes staving off a headache. He was so very tired. "I accept. I will take all the help I can get at the moment."

Wonder Woman nodded and Seth continued his explanation.

"It's true, Ki-sa-ra was my lover, but I did not meet her until later," he said.

"Kisara you mean?" Wonder Woman asked.

Seth shrugged. "I was never able to say her name correctly due to my accent, but yes." he took a deep breath and continued. "I had no siblings and Isis only had one brother, Karim, who was also a High Priest. Isis wielded the Millennium Tauk which allowed her to predict the future if events continued as they were. Karim wielded the Millennium Scales which allowed him to measure the evil within a person's heart and judge them fairly using the feather of Ma'at." He waved away questions. "It's too long and complicated to explain. Ask the Pharaoh or the King about it later. I only have so much time before Kaiba wakes."

He stretched out his right leg and leaned forward on his bent left leg, resting his chin on his knee. He was careful not to disturb Mokuba who had fallen asleep curled against his side. "Horus was the Pharaoh's favorite falcon. I hated that bird. I swear the thing was possessed. It attacked me whenever I was in the vicinity no matter how hard or vigorously the Pharaoh trained him to do otherwise." He shrugged. "So you see how I could not have raped Horus. I am not interested in animals..." a faint blush colored his cheeks, "like that. I was not interested in anyone in that way." The blush darkened.

"Not until Kisara," Wonder Woman said softly.

Seth's cheeks burned. "Not at first, as I said. She was actually the one who made the first move." He shook himself. "But that aside, Ak-" He froze as his froze caught in his throat, choking him. He had forgotten himself and begun to say the Traitor's name. He coughed and stopped trying the say the word; instantly the choking sensation ceased. "The Traitor was my father."

He glanced around and did not see surprise in most of the Justice League's eyes. "I assume Shadow Thief informed you of this," he said.

J'onn nodded. "He did. He also said you went insane and murdered your lover as well as your best friend and relative."

Seth visibly withdrew. "In a way I did, yes." Blue eyes darkened. "The Traitor wanted me to rule as the Pharaoh and I refused. The Pharaoh and I were close friends. I would have done anything for him. The Traitor told me he was my father and that he was former Pharaoh Akhnamkanen's brother, making me the current reigning Pharaoh's first cousin with a legitimate claim to the throne." Seth's closed his eyes. "But I did not want the throne. I had no desire to rule, just to continue as I was. The Traitor took advantage of my shock and took over my mind, using me as a puppet to battle the Pharaoh, my own cousin and best friend, in a Shadow Duel. That very nearly drove me insane."

Seth opened his eyes and lifted his head. "But I fought his control and was able to keep my full power from coming through. The Pharaoh was able to see something was not right and tried to free me. He was unsuccessful but... Ki-sa-ra was able to free me, if only for a moment. When she, Ki-sa-ra, freed me, the Traitor sensed his hold over me crumble and tried to kill me. Ki-sa-ra took the blow meant for me and died in my arms. It was the first thing I saw after I wrested control of my body back." He winced and turned his head away.

"I killed the Traitor, but..." He shook his head. "After that, I left. I could not bear living in close quarters with my closest friend and cousin knowing I had tried to kill him, controlled or otherwise." He lifted his eyes to J'onn's soothing gold. "Once a mind has been controlled, it remains open and vulnerable to such manipulation in the future."

"I can attest to that," Ryou said. "It's like a tunnel in a mountainside. When someone takes control, the basically blast a hole through the rock to create the tunnel. When the person is freed, they can seal the tunnel by burying it under rocks but its not a terribly difficult matter to removed the rubble and reveal the open pathway again. That's why many people who are controlled in this way are often subjected to the same experience again later."

Seth and J'onn nodded. "That does make sense," the Martian said. "Do these weaknesses translate into the new incarnation?" he asked Seth.

Seth shook his head. "No, they do not. However, the moment a person discovers the soul room of their previous incarnation, oftentimes many of the previous incarnation's weaknesses can merge with the current person's. Unfortunately," he added with a not so subtle eye roll, "the Pharaoh's Mind Crush helped that along as did other things."

"Mind Crush?" Hawkgirl asked.

"The Penalty Game the Pharaoh cast on Kaiba after his and Kaiba's first serious Duel," Seth said. "Kaiba had...begun to loose himself to the Shadows due to many things which I will not speak of without his knowledge or permission. I will say he was unaware of his link to the Shadows but could unknowingly access them on occasion. He did so when he dueled Yuugi's grandfather the first time, hospitalizing him. When the Pharaoh dueled him in revenge, Kaiba lost and the Pharaoh cast the Mind Crush curse on him as a Penalty Game."

"What did it do?" Hawkgirl asked.

"Exactly as it sounds," Seth said, matter-of-factly. "It crushed Kaiba's mind, destroying the Shadows' influence over him and forcing him to rebuild his mind and soul room from scratch."

"The soul room, too?" Oliver asked.

Seth nodded. "The soul room itself is the manifestation of the mind and body which houses the soul. By destroying Kaiba's mind, the Pharaoh's curse destroyed his soul room forcing him to rebuild it."

"And that's how he found your room," Oliver said. "I'm assuming your room was left untouched allowing him to free you and use your help and influence to rebuild."

"To an extent, yes," Seth said. "But my influence was minimal. I mostly helped offer him an anchor to hold onto to keep his soul from getting lost and wandering away. I kept his memories of Mokuba present and recurring so he would not give up rebuilding. Kaiba is absolutely driven when it comes to his brother." Seth glanced fondly at Mokuba resting curled up against Seth's other side.

"Wait," Walter said. "I've been hearing the words 'soul room' quite often but I'm still not exactly sure what that is."

"It's exactly what it sounds like," Oliver said. "It's a physical manifestation that literally houses the soul. It's kinda hard to explain but think of it as a one room apartment in which everything in it decoration-wise is a memory or thought or personality trait or something like that. The only occupant is the soul. There's usually only one door in or out and it can only be unlocked by a select few." He glanced at Shaadi for confirmation, who nodded.

"Some people who've been reborn," Oliver continued, "or are reincarnations, have two doors. One door which is used to first enter the room and another door that is typically locked with the key hidden somewhere in the current room. The second door is also usually hidden and leads to the soul room of the person they were previously."

"And everyone has a soul room?" Diggle asked.

"Yes," Shaadi answered. "And every soul room is unique to the soul which currently inhabits it. No matter how many times that soul may be reborn, the soul room is always different, defined by the current person the soul is. The current room may be similar to the old one but never the same."

"Because no one person is ever the same," Superman said.

"Correct," Shaadi said.

"I've been meaning to ask," Green Lantern said to Shaadi, "since when did you get here?"

"You finally noticed?" the Egyptian said casually. "I merely thought you were blind or did not recognize me."

Green Lantern's eyebrow twitched when Seth snorted, quickly covering his smirk with a hand. "I did recognize you," Lantern said in annoyance. "I just never got the chance to ask."

"Well, considering Seth's time is limited, I suggest you wait a little longer," Shaadi said dismissively, to Lantern's growing frustration.

Seth grinned. "He's right."

"Back to the past," Wonder Woman encouraged gently.

"Isis," Seth said, "as I mentioned before, was a High Priest with me."

"She was also reborn," Walter said.

"She was, yes. And no, I won't say who she currently is in this life until she gives me or Kaiba her permission which she has not," Seth said. "However, in the past, Isis never married though she did fall in love. Her lover died not long after they confessed to each other, however, so not much could come of it."

"Osiris?" Hawkgirl asked.

Seth shook his head. "Osiris is the Divine Beast who serves as the divine head of the Pharaoh's Dark Triad in the Shadow Court just as Obelisk serves as the divine head of Kaiba's Triad of the Balance."

"Then who was Isis involved with?"

Seth glanced at Shaadi who deliberately looked away. "A fellow High Priest named Shada, the wielder of the Millennium Ankh."

Oliver nodded, understanding now why Shaadi had looked away. "And the other things?" he asked, turning the subject away from Shaadi. "The serpent Ap-something you mention back in the Game?"

"Apep?"

"Yeah."

"Apep did exist," Seth said. "I fought him, though I could not kill him. I was not strong enough nor did I have the motivation to do so. After...after my Pharaoh's death, I hardly had the motivation to do anything anymore. I ruled as the new Pharaoh because I was the next surviving member of the bloodline. I did not enjoy it and could barely find the desire to live let alone rule or fight a beast."

"You were the third Pharaoh then," J'onn said. "When the King told us of the first Pharaoh who had the Millennium Items created, the second Pharaoh who was the son of the first, and a third Pharaoh who was the cousin of the second."

"I was, yes," Seth said. "My cousin was a great man and an even greater friend. With his death, he begged me to rule Egypt. I could not refuse such a request. But at the end of my reign, I sealed the Shadow Games away entirely. I had no desire to see such destruction come about again."

"You never say your cousin's name," Flash said. "Why not?"

"I am sworn to silence unless he chooses to free me of my oath," Seth replied.

"And Apep?" Batman pressed.

"I sealed him, but Dartz, the king of Atlantis of old, who served the beast, managed to capture both the King's and Kaiba's souls and us them to revive Apep not too long ago. He used the power of the Seal of Orichalcos and the souls of other innocents he gathered over the years."

"But," Superman said trying to understand, "I thought the King and the Pharaoh were-"

"The same soul, yes," Seth said. "But as you can see, they are also individuals. Dartz wanted the darker half of the Pharaoh's soul, but Yuugi surrendered his half in place of Yami's. It very nearly drove Yami insane. Near the end, Dartz stole Kaiba's soul as well, but he never got Yami's. Yami had to summon all three of the Egyptian gods to thoroughly destroy Apep."

"The Egyptian gods?" J'onn asked.

"Osiris, the divine head of the Dark Triad, Obelisk, the divine head of the Triad of the Balance, and Ra, the divine head of the...Light...Tri..." Seth stiffened, eyes glazing over.

No one said anything but Oliver opened himself to his Shadow senses and felt Seth reaching out with his own Shadows, vibrating them like taunt threads of a web. He could not reach as far as Seth could but he could tell something had captured Seth's attention.

Oliver narrowed his senses and saw the horizon of power surrounding Seth and caught a glimpse of Kaiba standing there as well. Seth said something to Kaiba who jolted and followed Seth's Shadows with his own. Again, Oliver could not follow because it was too far to reach. But it did not matter because a moment later, Seth was speaking aloud.

"Thief!" he commanded.

Ryou stiffened. "What?"

"Follow me," Seth commanded.

Ryou blinked then his eyes glazed over too. Oliver watched both Ryou's and Bakura's Shadows trace down the same path as Kaiba's had and yank back in surprise.

"It that..." Ryou whispered.

Seth turned to Ryou and Bakura who appeared beside his Yadonoushi with a stunned expression on his face. Seth's blue eyes flashed. "I may not be the direct head of your Triad or a true member of the Shadow Court but this is an order from both me and Kaiba, your Regent: Find him and bring him back here now."

Bakura grinned with barely contained glee while Ryou's eyes sparkled with dark pleasure. "But of course," they said together and vanished.

"Wa- where did they go?" Superman demanded, surprised by the sudden change in the mood of the room.

"They're after Marik," Kaiba said.

Oliver blinked and turned back to the Regent and looked at him with both is eyes and his Shadows. It was Kaiba, Seth was gone; or perhaps not gone, but dormant at least.

"Regent," Shaadi said. "Are you well?"

Kaiba snorted and made to stretch when he noticed Mokuba leaning against him asleep and froze mid-stretch. He reluctantly relaxed back against the couch and extended his legs. "As well as can be expected. I hope Seth didn't talk to much," he said.

Mai shook her head. "Don't worry. He didn't."

"Wait, wait, hold up!" Jounouchi said. "What's this about Marik? I still can't feel him so how did you find him?"

"Seth found him," Kaiba said. "And the reason a mutt like you-"

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

"-couldn't find him was because you were looking for Shadows which Marik doesn't have at the moment. Did it never occur to you to look for a place the Shadows avoided or could not penetrate?"

Jounouchi opened his mouth to argue, then froze. "Damn."

Kaiba snorted. "That's why I'm the Regent and you're the Knight."

"Wait a sec," Flash called. "What happened to Seth?"

"Why?" Kaiba asked. "Don't like talking to me?"

"Well..." Flash muttered. "We were in the middle of talking to him."

"Hippos are fat, crocodiles are annoying, I hate spinach, and Geb was my sha and that's why shas are associated with Set," Kaiba said quickly. "Any more questions?"

"Actua-"

"Good. Shaadi," Kaiba said, looking up at his Advisor and completely ignoring Flash. "Can you tell when Yuugi and Yami will wake up?"

Shaadi tilted his head thoughtfully. "They are just sleeping now and are mostly recovered. They should wake up within a few hours or so." Strange pale brown eyes met electric blue. "I suggest you take your chance and rest as well. If you intend to conduct a full Court, then you must have the strength to do so." He raised a finger, cutting Kaiba off. "Both of you."

Kaiba glared at the unmoved Egyptian before sulking. "Fine."

Mai stood up, startling Kaiba who had to grab the couch to catch himself when her support suddenly vanished. "Alright," she said. "Bedtime, all of you. Ah!" she said, waving a finger and cutting of Batman's protest. "No arguments. Bed. Either that or keep your voices down or leave. Pick any of the above. Except you," she said pointing to Kaiba. "You will sleep."

Kaiba growled but grudgingly slid down so he lay on the floor with Mokuba curled up close to him. He pulled off his trench coat and wrapped it around Mokuba's sleeping form before relaxing. He stiffened when Mai dropped a blanket and an extra pillow from the couch on him. He glowered at his Sorceress as he grabbed the pillow and stuffed it under his head. He made sure the blanket covered both himself and Mokuba before closing his eyes.

"What are you looking at?" Mai demanded. "Off with you! Shoo! Shoo! You heard me. Bed, quiet, or leave."

"But, Shaadi," Green Lantern asked, stumbling over the Egyptian name, "how did you-"

"Later," Mai insisted.

Oliver opted to take a nap, as did Flash and Hawkgirl. Wonder Woman eventually joined them. J'onn kept watch with Batman and Superman while Green Lantern sat up to learn Duel Monsters with Jounouchi who was ecstatic someone else could play. Mai eventually took a nap as well to recharge after the so much summoning. Shaadi remained in his spot on the couch close to the three monarchs and waiting for the Thief and the Scribe to return.

He also kept an eye on the Regent. He could feel Kaiba talking to Seth through his Shadows and hoped things would not get to complicated. Or at least not any more complicated than they already were. He wanted to know what Ares, a Greek god, was doing controlling his Regent, not to mention how the Greek had managed to sneak into a Field Spell without his Regent realizing it.