Chapter 9: Anubis Suffers from a Lost Bet

I hate him. I hate every single thing about him. I hate the look of him, those eyes that look at me with indifference and his hair the color of those beastly jackals. I hate the way he walks, never looking at anyone like he's better than them. And now I despise him because he won't fight back.

Ra is traveling high above us, but I don't care what he sees. The desert is sweltering, but this does not bother me. The heat from the sun only strengthens me. But the humid air is quickly drying the blood covering me. I can hear the dried blood crinkling in my hair as the wind gusts. I clutch my scimitar closer to me as I glare at the figure crippled on the ground.

The robes he's wearing were once white, but they are now black with blood. A wound to the head obscures half his face. In his deeper wounds the sun reflects light on the gold bones that are now exposed. A dark puddle is growing under him, a small sea within the sand. He will not move, not even to stand. I know he isn't dead; he should have plenty of strength left. He has given up on showing any dignity. He will only sit there like a rag doll with no life.

"FIGHT ME!" I shout raising my dirtied blade at him. He does not move, as though he does not hear me. I run at him, slashing my scimitar at his chest. A new cut joins the others, his ribs glittering in the sun. He falls to the ground. He watches me, detached, uncaring, yet determined. I hate him!

"Get up!" I yell. "Get up, you dog!" I kick him. He rolls a couple of times before coming to a stop. Sand now coats his wounds, but still he won't move. He lies on the ground watching me. Furious, I shout, "You will have to fight me sooner or later!"

"No." He answers simple, no trace of anger or suffering in him. Fire starts to spit of me. I want him to suffer, to roar in rage and feel twice the anguish I feel. But he does not react, nor does he even defend himself. No matter how much of his blood I spill, it does not affect him.

My rage mounting, I plead, "Why? Why won't you fight me?"

"I, promised her…" he says gasping from the blood in his lungs. "I promised Isis… I would, protect Osiris… I will not, fight his son…"

"Shut up!" I blast him with fire and sand explodes around him. "Don't you dare speak of him like you care! I don't want to hear it!" I walk through the blood and smoldered sand to his crumpled and smoking body. I press my foot firmly to his face. "It's your fault! He's dead because of you!"

I lift my scimitar above my head as I bellow at him, "If you hadn't been born, none of this would have happened!"

"NOOOOO!"

My rage vanished in an instant to be replaced with horror and fear. I desperately threw the scimitar in my hand. When I didn't hear it hit the ground, I realized I didn't have it anymore. In my anguish I thought, 'I already stabbed him.' But I didn't see Anubis on the ground before me, or my scimitar. The floor wasn't even sand but white tile. I couldn't figure out how I got to this place. This place doesn't belong in Egypt. Even my clothes were completely different and no longer covered in sand and blood. What just happened?

"Hey, Nakia! You still here?" shouted a familiar voice behind me. When I turned around, I thought for a moment that I was looking into a mirror. However, the reflection wasn't standing still as I was. He was coming in through the door. Leaning on the wall be the door was Amun, smirking, his eyes alight with amusement. With a jolt I realized I wasn't Horus. Amun had tricked me again.

"Are you okay?" Horus asked his brows furrowed with concern. I violently jumped when he placed a hand on my shoulder. I saw blood spilling onto the sand. There was so much that the sand didn't absorb it making a black lake around Anubis. Without realizing it, I had moved away from Horus. He watched me bewildered, his hand still extended to me. Amun was laughing behind him, his eyes still trained on me. My heart was pounding, but I didn't know if it was from the burning rage from before or my own panic. Half of my mind was still in Egypt in the identity of the boy standing in front of me. He said even more anxiously, "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"Give me a sec…" I mumbled. As I turned my back to them, I remembered a lifetime ago Amun had said, "He can't protect you from what he can't see." I probably shouldn't turn my back to him, but I was in such a confused panic that I was beyond caring. I closed my eyes and started a familiar mantra in my head. My name is Nakia. I'm a teenage girl. I'm traveling with Anubis who gave me my name. I'm in Japan, not Egypt. Horus the Child isn't me. He's standing behind me. We were… what? But I couldn't remember why we came here. I vaguely remembered Amun stopping me. The only words that stuck to me were '… I wanted a chance to talk to you. Well, warn you really.' I wasn't sure who had said it. At the very least, I knew who I was now. I turned back around to face the baffled Horus and asked, "What were we doing again?"

Taken aback, he replied, "We were going to eat, remember? Anubis already has a table for us."

"Right. That's right. We should get going then," I said, not meeting his eyes. I walked past him to the door. Amun chuckled as I passed.

"Don't forget to watch your temper," he said. I glared at him but did nothing. Hurrying out of the store, I thought I heard him say, "Good girl," but I wasn't sure. Horus quickly caught up but he kept a bit of distance from me.

"Hey! What's up? You look like you've looked death in the eyes." At my shocked expression he quickly added, "It's just an expression! I didn't mean you have."

"No, it's nothing. I was just spacing out." I looked over my shoulder and saw Amun still watching me from a distance. I quickly turned back. "So, what kind of restaurant is this place?"

He looked at me uncertainly, probably finding my subject change very unconvincing. "It's this sushi place I want to with Wadjet once. You'll see in a second. Look, are you sure you're okay? I don't want Anubis to think I did anything to you."

"I'm fine. Really. I'm just hungry." I quickened my pace horribly away of how little of an appetite I had.

A single Japanese character glowed on the door. Inside, a hostess greeted us. "Welcome! Will that be a table for two?"

With a glowing smile, Horus replied, "We already have a table. It should be under the name 'Andrew Darnell'."

My heart stopped a beat at the name. I had forgotten that once upon a time ago Anubis had used Andy's name before. It surprised me to hear it again so suddenly from a person I had just met. The hostess gaped for a moment then blushed furiously.

"O-o-of course! Anoru… I mean, Andoruu Daneru! This way…"

She let us through the restaurant, her shoulders slumped forward. I saw the back of Anubis' messy hair as we approached. I took the seat across from him next to Paws who was sitting in his seat in a very human-like manner. Paws glared at Horus as he sat next to Anubis. The hostess stammered, "Y-y-your waiter will b-be with you in a moment," and slumped away.

I started scratching behind Paws ears. Form the corner of my eye I saw Anubis glance at me and then do a double take. I didn't look his way but continued petting Paws. "What happened to you?"

"That's what I've been askin'," Horus said.

"Nothing," I replied keeping my eyes down.

"I've seen corpses with more color than you."

With a clip in my voice, I retorted, "You sure know how to flatter a girl."

Horus snorted. The grin quickly vanished at the sight of Anubis staring him down. "What did you do?" he asked.

"I'm insulted!" said Horus. "I didn't do anything at all! She was out of my sight for two minutes. When I found her she already looked as pale as you."

"Just drop it," I said irritably. They both looked at me but said nothing. A waitress came to our table, a shy smile on her face. "Welcome to Eien! My name is Naganishi Tsuyu and I'll be your… Ma'am! We don't allow pets here!"

"Huh?" I was so used to Paws being ignored that I was surprised to see her staring directly at him. I looked to Anubis, but he seemed as confused as me. Understanding dawned on him and he stood up.

"Sorry, I forgot. Come here, Paws." Paws leaped over my lap and followed him out the door. I heard Horus murmur, "Oops," under his breath. He looked like he understood too. The waitress overcame her shock quickly and turned her back to me, her eyes for only Horus.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" she asked.

"Three teas, I think. Is that fine with you, Nakia?"

"Sure." Without Paws to occupy me, I was now playing with my napkin. The waitress eyes darted between Horus and me with a suspicious look. My napkin suddenly became very fascinating.

"I'll bring your drinks in a moment."

Her departure left us in an uneasy silence. I didn't take my eyes way from my napkin. I didn't want to think about what Amun forced me to live through, but I couldn't rid the image of Anubis' mutilated body from my mind. I had, I mean, Horus had thought Anubis was to blame for Osiris' death, but how would that be true? I remembered the legend by heart, having it told to me so much as a child.

There was a party for Osiris. As a gift for his brother, Set made him a lavish box that only his brother could fit into perfectly. Many other gods tried, but the box was not the right size for them. Osiris was impressed and wanted to see if it would only fit him. Once inside the box, it encased him in chains and he was killed. It had all been a trap created by Set.

As far as I knew, Anubis was never mentioned in that story. I didn't even know if he had been there that day. So why had Horus said that Anubis' very existence caused Osiris' death? What was Anubis' crime to deserve such brutality? And how was it that Horus came to treat Anubis with such adoration?

"Why do you care about Anubis so much, Horus?" The words came out of me before I was aware I was saying them, but it was too late to take it back. I glanced up and found Horus' looking a bit stunned but settled into a look of amused contemplation.

"Hmm… well, it's the least I can do. He forgives me for all the stupid stuff I do. I owe him that much." He grinned looking over my shoulder. "Welcome back! I was just telling Nakia how amazing you are!" Anubis had taken a hold of the chair next to Horus, but upon hearing this declaration he settled into a seat next to me. "Now that wasn't very nice. I was being honest, or have you also forgotten how to react to a compliment?"

"Maybe I have," Anubis said indifferently. "My neck still feels rather sore."

Horus rolled his eyes. I asked Anubis, "Where's Paws?"

"He's waiting outside. I think by the time we're done he'll have a good plan on how to get his teeth into Horus."

"I can take the pup," Horus said with a smirk.

"Here are your drinks," the waitress said with a sweet voice shoving my drink to me more forcefully than the others. "Are you ready to order?"

"Allow me to order for us." Horus went on to give a long list of food for us. The waitress seemed quite pleased to have Horus' full attention. I was also watching Horus. I didn't like what Horus had done to Anubis and I didn't understand his reasons for it. It made me angry to think of it, but Horus had never shown anything to prove he still harbored those feelings towards Anubis. Anubis seemed to have forgiven Horus for whatever happened between them. If Anubis could forgive him, I should as well. I didn't want to hold a grudge over something that didn't have to do with me. There was even the possibility that it was all made up. I wouldn't put it past Amun and his twisted way of 'helping'.

The waitress bowed and left. Horus was chuckling to himself. His face wore the same mischievous look he had at the convenience store. Anubis looked over appearing as suspicious as I was. "What are you laughing about?" he asked.

"Hmm?" Horus raised his eyebrows looking sweetly innocent. "You'll see. It's not a big deal. So, Nakia, I can't help but notice that you're Caucasian."

"And I can't help but notice you're Egyptian, but I don't see why that's so important."

"I just want to get to know you. So what country are ya from?"

I looked at him suspiciously, but slowly replied, "America…"

Horus broke into a triumphant grin. "Excellent! Just what I was hoping for." He straightened his back and folded his fingers in front of him. He gave the appearance of a man in a powerful position about to make a vital proclamation. "I would like your assistance in a very important matter."

"No," I answered immediately.

Horus' stately façade disappeared in an instant. "I haven't even told ya what it is."

"Don't get me involved. I've heard enough about the pranks you pull. I don't want anything to do with it."

"Oh, please. The library thing was just a joke. I'm tryin' to help Thoth get a sense of humor."

"Good luck with that," Anubis said through his tea.

"You'll be next," Horus replied eyeing him. He resumed his regal demeanor and addressed me. "Actually, what I need help with is strictly work related. You see, I've been thinking in a couple of decades I would like to become the president of your country."

"You can't be serious."

"Of course I am. My position as a god is a ruler of men and that requires me to –"

"You can't," I interrupted. "You have to be a U.S. born citizen to run for president."

He waved this away. "Not a problem. I'll try and convince Seshat or someone to forge some docu–"

"She won't help you," Anubis interrupted this time. "You need to stop trying to get her to help you all the time. Sooner or later she's going to feed you to Apep."

"Oh please," Horus snorted. "She wouldn't go that far, maybe. She'll probably throw me out of the one of her libraries again."

"Who's Apep?" I asked.

"He's a scary snake that lives in the duat," he said in a voice like a boy telling a spooky story over a campfire. "He nearly destroyed the Earth at one time. Anyway, there's always Thoth. They're pratically the same–"

"Thoth won't help you either –"

"I never said I'd ask Thoth," Horus said over Anubis. "I'll figure it out, but I can't do anything till I have an alias. Now, Nakia," he turned back to me looking a bit frustrated but otherwise professional, "this is where you come in. I need a good name to use and, being from America, I'm sure you could come up with one that will one day be spoken of in great reverence. I'll even do a favor for you in return."

"Horus, don't pressure her into something she –"

"I'll do it."

Okay, I know I said I would forgive him, but that didn't mean a tiny part of me didn't want some revenge for what he did. If he likes to play pranks, then I would play his game and pull one on him. And I also couldn't imagine what it would be like to turn on a TV and see Horus on it, speaking at a podium with the presidential seal on it. One bogus name for him to run under didn't seem like that bad of an idea.

I quickly added, "You'll have to wait till I come up with one, though. I can't think of a good one on the spot."

"Of course!" he exclaimed with zeal. "It should be a name that's given much consideration. I can wait. If there is anything I have plenty of it's time. Now, is there anything I can do in return?"

"Umm…" I sipped at my tea. It may have been the topic over names that brought it to mind; a question I've wanted answered for a while. My own face revealed a mischievous smile to rival Horus. "Actually, there is something you could do for me."

I beckoned him with a finger. Curious, he leaned forward and I whispered my request in his ear. As soon as I finished, he burst out laughing, pounding his fist on the table. Everyone at the tables around us was staring. "What?" Anubis asked looking between Horus and me.

Thankfully, Horus ignored him. "Sure, I can do that. You're bound to find out eventually, anyway. Let's see, who first? I guess I'll tell you his so he won't try and stop me." Horus stole a glance at Anubis as he said 'his'. Anubis' confusion deepened.

"What are you talking about?"

Horus once again ignored him and leaned over to me. He whispered in my ear. It was my turn to draw the restaurant's attention on me. The corners of my eyes burned as I laughed.

"Are you going to tell me what you're talking about?"

Through my laughing I said, "Anpu! Your lesser name's Anpu! That's hilarious!" I covered my face knowing how red I must be.

"Horus…" It was hard to tell how he was feeling, but Horus understood better than me.

"Don't start complaining. Look how happy I've made her." Horus was chuckling at me. Anubis just shook his head and stared away from us. "Are you ready for Thoth's?"

"Thoth's lesser name isn't even that strange," Anubis said without looking back.

"It isn't?" I asked regaining my composure.

Horus replied, "Not in Egyptian. But that know-it-all speaks way too many languages. He was bound to find a language his name sounds funny in. So, ya ready to hear it?" I nodded sitting up straighter. "His lesser name's Djehuti."

Once again I was overcome with laughter. I heard Horus say to Anubis, "I guess his name sounds strange in her language."

Our food came as I recovered myself. Horus had ordered enough food for twice our number. The majority of it, however, was…

"Sushi?"

"Yeah, I told ya earlier this was a sushi restaurant," Horus said while piling his plate. "Ever had it before, Nakia?"

"No. I don't even know how to eat with these things," I said holding up my chopsticks.

"Here." Anubis reached over and started positioning my hand to fit the two sticks. "Hold this one here."

"When did you learn to eat with chopsticks?"

"We learned this centuries ago," Horus answered with an air of unimportance. "Here, Anubis." There was a glint in his eyes as he pulled over a large plate. "I got you raw meat, your favorite." He stacked the plate up with thinly sliced fish. I couldn't manage to pick anything up so I watched what Horus was up to. He saw my watching them, help up a finger to be quiet and winked at me.

I waited while Anubis, completely unaware, ate a piece of raw fish. Horus scooted to the edge of his seat. I didn't know what I should be looking for, but nothing happened. Horus face sunk when Anubis ate a second piece.

"Anubis, you know that's fish, right?" Anubis nodded to him, eating another piece with a blank expression.

"I thought you had a prank set up for Anubis." I picked up my chopsticks and tried to get them positioned right.

"I did! Anubis hates fish! I can't believe you're eating' that." Horus watched Anubis in disgust. Anubis paid him no attention and kept eating.

"You know, Horus, I don't think Anubis can hate yet," I told him while one of my chopsticks fell out of my hand.

Horus contemplated this. He quickly turned on Anubis snapping his fingers in front of him. "Hey, come back to Earth, zombie boy. You like me, right?"

"Yeah," he replied.

Horus smirked but continued. "You like Thoth?"

"Yeah…"

"How about Ptah?"

"Pita? Like the bread?" I asked.

"Don't interrupt! Do you like Ptah, Anubis?"

He shrugged. "A bit, yeah."

"And do you like Bastet?"

"I…," He faltered and his eyes went glassy. "I don't know."

Horus slumped back in his seat nodding. "Well, that settles it. Man, it's no fun to tease you if you don't react right!" He slouched over his food very put out.

I managed to get a piece of sushi in my mouth without dropping it. One bite into it and I was gagging. I spit it out quickly and grabbed my tea to wash out the taste. Horus sniggered and said triumphantly, "Now there's the reaction I was looking for!"

Paws bounded to me the moment we stepped out of the restaurant. "Hey, boy. I got some grilled meat for you." Paws sniffed the bag and started whining in hunger. Behind me, Horus and Anubis were discussing our traveling arrangements. The sky became dark while we ate. The city glowed with the light of colorful store signs and street lamps. Despite the change of hour, many people were still walking the sidewalks. Business men dashed in a hurry, a motorcycle roared by and someone's phone started ringing nearby. Does it ever get quiet here?

As though answering my question, Horus laughter boomed behind me. "You really need a sense of humor. Its fine, I was kidding. Just lay off my stuff in the cargo and you can use it all you like. Hey, is that you're phone that's ringing, Nakia?"

The ringing I heard earlier had grown louder as we walked. I looked around but I didn't see anyone who was searching for a cell phone. "I don't have a phone. Where's it coming from?"

"Over there!" Horus said. He pointed at a sign that read '電話' but it meant nothing to me. He ran to the small stand that glowed fluorescent blue in the night. I ran over and realized it was a public telephone. It continued to ring. "I think it's for me," and without any pause, Horus took the phone off the receiver.

"How could you possibly know that?" I asked.

He put a finger to his lips and answered, "Hello? Horus speaking." He paused for a long moment. I jumped when he exclaimed, "You found him? You're amazing, Wadjet! Have I ever told you how much I love you?"

He continued to give the phone many praises. I asked Anubis, "Who's Wadjet, anyway?"

"She's the Eye of Horus," he said looking rather bored. "Horus is pretty close to her, but it's mostly for her knack at finding Set's hiding spots."

"Yeah, I'm coming' right now. Don't start without me, alright? See ya soon!" He hung up looking giddy with excitement. He swept to us and gave us both a one armed hug. Once again images of Anubis lying tattered and broken on the desert floor flashed in my eyes. I concentrated on resisting the urge to push him away. He finally let go and beamed at us. "Well, I have to get goin'. I've gotta date with our dear Uncle Set. Don't disappear for another decade, 'kay big brother?"

"I suppose," he said airily looking glad Horus let go. Horus ran off, shouting as he did, "Good luck with your search guys! I'll see ya around! And don't forget our promise, Nakia!" He rounded a corner out of sight. Several seconds and a large bird flew out of the alley and into the dark night.

"Let's get to the boat. I need some rest," Anubis said. I took one last glance behind me and followed.

The train ride back was very quiet, but we finally arrived. Once on board the boat, the solar panel Horus had helped me choose looked glaringly out of place against all the polished wood. I wanted to get in bed, but I decided I should figure out how this thing works so I could get it started for sunrise.

"Are you not going to bed?" Anubis asked as I walked past him.

"I'll be there in a bit." The door creaked slightly and I heard the jingle of Paws collar before the door snapped shut. The single panel was thin and about as tall as me. It had already been mounted to the rooftop, a cord trailing to a large box by my feet. On it was a sticky note with a message written in Egyptian hieroglyphs. I frowned at it and stuffed it in my pocket.

The generator didn't have much to it. The only thing I couldn't get was why it said it was already full to capacity. The person we bought from said it would take a week of good weather to completely charge it. I wondered if the display was glitched when I heard Paws barking behind me. He was running to me as I turned to him. "Hey, I thought you went to bed with Anubis." He continued to bark at me. "What's wrong?"

"Young lady!" said a voice beside me. I looked around not sure where the voice came from. Then, over the ledge, I saw a small boy floating on a white cloud outside the boat. It was as though someone had spilled a truck full of white-out on the kid. His skin was pale, but still looked dark against his white curly hair. He had the same silver eyes as Osiris, but they looked much colder on him. His robes were white but decorated liberally with silver stitching. Moisture was clinging to him in droplets reminding me of grass covered in dew. "I need to speak with Anubis," he called out. "Is he here?"

"Of course. I'll get him."

"Would you invite me in." It wasn't a question, but his sudden appearance had caught me off guard so I wasn't about to argue with him.

"Sure, come in. You can dry off inside."

He landed gracefully in the boat. What I had mistaken as a cloud was actually a thick mist that was pouring off him. It followed him as he walked behind me into our living room. "You can have a seat while I get him," I said gesturing to the couch. He didn't move but only stood in place watching me. After a long, awkward silence, I said, "Right. I'll… I'll get Anubis. One sec…" I crossed the room glad to be away from the boy.

"Anubis!" I shouted down the stairs. I stomped down them and saw his head poke out of his room. "Hey. Someone's here to see you."

"Who is it?"

"No idea, but he looks like a ghost."

He shook his head but followed me up the stairs. When I saw the boy standing and staring from the same spot I left him, I stepped to the side and let Anubis pass me. I glanced at Anubis' face as we entered the room and I did a double take. There for a second I thought Osiris was standing next to me, but I realized it was still Anubis. His eyes were silver again like the night in Brazil he had looked into the moon. If all his hair was black, he would look exactly like his father. When Anubis saw the boy, he tilted his head looking confused.

"Khonsu, why are you here?"

Khonsu rummaged in his pockets as he replied, "I lost a bet." He pulled out a parchment scroll and held it in front of him. The Egyptian writing on it began to glow. "Sorry about this, Anubis."

Several things happened at once. I was pushed to the side. When I hit the ground, I heard a crack and my hand seared in pain. The room went dark but was quickly filled with red light. A sound like a thousand animals crying out filled the room followed by a thud where the stairs were. Gravity suddenly pushed down on me and I felt much heavier than I had before. The lights returned to normal and it was still.

I lifted my head expecting the room to be damaged after what had happened but everything looked untouched. My vision was a bit more blurred than before, but I could still make out everything. I felt my heart plunge into my gut when I saw Anubis was gone. The only ones in the room were me and the boy.

"What did you do to Anubis?" I shouted.

Khonsu looked down at me with distaste. "Isis is in Sydney. She can lift the seal. Tell him that for me." He turned and left the room, the white mist following in his wake.

I stood up, dazed. A slow panic started to creep in, but his last words still rang in my ears. If I was supposed to deliver a message to Anubis, he must still be here. I felt the night's breeze blow in from the open door and with it Paws rushed past me. He started barking frantically at the bottom of the stairs. I followed him.

Anubis was at the bottom, but he was thankfully awake. At first glance, I thought he had black burn marks on him. When I was closer, I saw the black marks were Egyptian writing that looked like they had tattooed on him. The symbols were moving in a spiral over his skin like a black snake slithering in sand. It made me dizzy to look at him too long. Paws was urging him to sit up. He did so reluctantly. He held his hand and saw the words snaking across his skin. "Crap."

"Is it a seal?" I asked him.

"Yeah…"

"That boy said that Isis could lift it. He said she's in Sydney."

He sighed and replied, "I guess there's no other choice. Paws, you know what to do."

Paws whined and prodded him with his muzzle. Anubis gave him a rare smile. He scratched behind his ears as he said, "I'm fine. Go on." Paws ran up the stairs out of sight. When he left, Anubis started pulling off his shirt.

"Is that really necessary?" I exclaimed.

He pulled the shirt over his head and said, "I want to know who did this. Their name should be in the spell."

"I thought you knew who that boy was?"

"That wasn't Khonsu's spell. Gods don't need to write out spells. I think the magician who wrote it was also the one who won a bet with Khonsu." His whole body had the swirling characters blackening his skin. He ran a finger through them whispering as he read.

"Would the magician be human like me?"

"Yes."

"Why would they want to seal your magic?" He didn't answer but continued reading the words on his skin. His fingers stopped on a group of characters inside an oval. He sighed again and abandoned his reading.

"His name's protected, but the phrasing is familiar. Isis may know more when we see her." He passed me up the stairs and I followed. He went to the living room but I slid into the kitchen. Two of my fingers on my right hand were red and swollen. I put them on ice, hissing through my teeth at their tenderness. One handed, I pulled out two popsicles and went back downstairs. I grabbed Anubis' shirt and went off to find him.

He was in the bridge with Paws huddled around the map. I threw his shirt at him. "Please put that back on."

He raised an eyebrow but did what I asked. A trace of a smile pulled at his lips. "You know, back in Egypt I hardly ever wore a shirt."

"I don't care if you ran around naked. It's not modest to undress in front of a girl."

He grimaced slightly. With a sideways glance he asked, "What happened to your hand?"

"I broke some fingers earlier. Wanna help?"

"My magic is sealed, and I can't do healing spells anyway."

"Lucky for you it doesn't take magic to eat a Popsicle." When he stared at me confused I added, "I need the stick inside for a tourniquet."

He took the Popsicle, but instead of eating it, he held it upside-down for Paws to lick at. "If we push it, we can make it to Sydney in a day and a half. Hopefully, Isis will be sticking around for a while."

"What do we do if she's left already?"

"Then we'll go to the duat and see if Thoth can lift it. His knowledge in magic is second only to Isis."

"Wouldn't it be simpler to go and ask him before heading to Australia?"

He paused staring unfocused at the map below him. "I think Khonsu pointed me to Isis for a reason."

"Then it's a trap," I stated crossing my arms.

He shrugged. "Possibly, but we won't know until we find her."

"Wonderful! I was starting to get bored. Walking into a trap sounds like a great time."

With a bit of monotone, Anubis retorted, "Whether you agree or not, we're still going."

"Aye aye, Captain," I said dull taking the drool covered Popsicle as I headed for the door. As I was leaving, I paused and poked my head in the room. "I just worry about walking into something when you can't use magic. Even gods can die."

"I have not forgotten," he said and I left it at that.

Sydney was colder than I had expected, but Anubis reminded me that it was autumn in this hemisphere of the world. When I wanted to see if the toilet flushed the other way, Anubis gave me a look that made me quickly abandon the idea. Now that we were here, we realized that finding one goddess in this huge city would need a miracle. We had been wondering around for hours not really sure how to go about searching for her. It was oddly nostalgic to be in a city with signs in English. Even names of streets and shops sounded American, but every so often a strange name like 'Woolloomooloo' would pop up.

For the past hour we walked along the many stretches of land along the canal. The boats blew their horns and seagulls cawed as we followed the blue of the ocean. We were walking down a sidewalk lined with hotels and restaurants, but across the street was a park area. Anubis had to call Paws out of trying to escape to the trees. He continued to gaze at the park from Anubis' side. As we reached a curve near the water's edge, a large white building loomed in the distance. The building was so distinct with its many pointed arcs that curved out from the structure there was no mistaking it.

"What happened here?" I exclaimed in astonishment. The Sydney Opera House's usual white appearance was scorched and obscured by the smoke billowing from it. The smoke came from a gaping hole that could have only been caused by an explosion. In the large paved area around the building were fire trucks, police cars, and media buses. Police men stood inside the taped off area. A small crowd huddled around the edges to see the damage and maybe get themselves on TV.

"We should go back," Anubis said. "There's nothing to see here."

"Right…" I was curious but I left with Anubis nonetheless. I gave one last look at the opera house when a glimmer of gold caught my eye. I froze but in seconds I was running toward the crowd.

"Nakia!" I heard Anubis shout but I didn't stop. I weaved through the people, ignoring the pain of my broken fingers as my hand bumped into them. I saw the gold hair again walking from just in front of the police line.

"Horus?" I called and he stopped long enough for me to catch up. "Horus? Oh!" I was stunned when turning around the person was not Horus, yet looked just like him. His skin was dark and he had shining blond hair that contrasted with it. Unlike Horus' hair, it was cut short to the scalp. He looked older as well, and wore a loose tank top with arm holes that ran down the sides showing his chest from behind it. Otherwise, he was the spitting image of Horus. He even had a silver and gold eye. He stared at me just as taken aback as I was. His face was confounded as though he had never seen a teenage girl before.

"Nakia?" I heard Anubis call. He was running to us but, as usual, Paws was the first to catch up. He instantly started growling at the Horus-look-alike. The man smirked at Paws and said, "Think I smell tasty, mutt? Go ahead and take a bite. I dare you."

"Oh. It's you, Uncle Horus," Anubis said among arriving.

"Hey, Anubis," he said in pleasant surprise. "What brings– Jeez! What happened to you?" He looked at the black words scrawling across Anubis' skin with a scowl.

"Khonsu's been gambling again. I got mixed up in it somehow."

"That's a shame," he turned his attention to me, eyeing me with speculation. "I don't believe we've met. How did you know who I am?"

"Oh, I didn't…"

"She mistook you for Little Horus. We met with him a couple of days ago," Anubis answered for me.

He gave me one last look before dismissing my existence and turned to Anubis. His mood rapidly changed from contemplation to delight. "So, what brings you to Australia, Anubis?"

"I need this seal lifted. Khonsu said Isis is in the city."

"You're right there. I was just on my way to meet with her. I got her a present." At this, Horus the Elder shook a plastic bag filled with blackened bits of ripped paper in front of us. "Want to come with me?"

"Thanks," Anubis replied.

Before turning to leave, Horus gave Paws and me a quick glance and added, "You can leave the dog and human behind."

"Why can't I come?" I asked in indignation. Paws barked showing he shared the same question.

Horus looked me down with a look of disgust. "This is a matter between the gods and doesn't involve you. Anubis may keep you as a pet, but that doesn't give you a higher status."

I was about to retort but Anubis held out his arm stopping me. "They both come with me," he commanded.

Horus gritted his teeth looking annoyed. He finally muttered, "Whatever," and walked on. Anubis followed him and I took a spot behind his back.

I was silently fuming as we followed Horus. It was my first time being dismissed by a god for being human. It probably wouldn't be the last time, either. A part of me couldn't help but think he had a point. If Anubis hadn't brought me into this world, I would never have anything to do with the Egyptian gods. But still, it was bad enough that I would have to die some day. He could at least be a little sympathetic about it.

"It's actually a good thing you came," Horus told Anubis as we walked. "Isis was in the duat looking for you."

"Was she?"

"Yeah. We've got a bit of a situation. She seems to think you know something that will help us out. Here." He entered into the Opera Bar and followed a waiter as he escorted us to the dining area sitting against the river. There weren't many people here at this hour. One woman in particular drew my attention. Her black hair was long and curly framing her golden tan skin. One sight of her bright blue eyes and I instantly recognized her. She stood when she saw Horus. "That was quicker than I expected," she said to him.

He smirked to himself. "I got lucky. I brought company, too." He stood back to allow us in her view. At the sight of Anubis', she quickly went to him full of concern.

"Anubis, what happened to you?" she asked as she took his face in her hands.

"Hi, Aunt Isis," was all he said. Isis continued to fuss over him, feeling his forehead and checking his arms. I was taken back to a moment when I had come home covered in bruises and scratched after getting into a fight at school. My mother couldn't seem to stop touching my wounds as she worried over me.

"Who did this to you?" She asked in a more serious tone.

"Khonsu lost a bet and I must have been his wager. Can you lift it?"

She studied the marking swirling on his arm. Her eyes stopped at one of the words and she scowled. "This is a magician's spell."

"I know. It was handwritten."

"I can't lift this myself. You will have to track down the magician that created the spell. Luckily, I may have a clue to who this magician is. Come sit down." She gestured to the table she had been sitting at with a welcoming smile. The others took a seat, but when Isis pulled a chair for me I paused. "I've seen you before in the duat," I said. "Your hair was straight then."

"Yes, I remember passing by you that day. Please sit, Nakia."

She used my name despite having never been introduced, but I sat down without saying anything. Big Horus was glowering at Isis as she sat. "What?" she asked when she saw his face.

"Nothing. I was just thinking you're too nice all the time."

She rolled her eyes. "Did you find anything?"

"Sure did." Horus took out the bag filled with burned paper and held it to her. Isis wasted no time emptying its contents onto the table. Her face took an odd look of concentration. Her hand hovered over the pile and she spoke words I couldn't hear. There was no glowing or strange sound. The scraps of paper merely reassembled themselves into a single sheet. The soot and scorch marks faded revealing Egyptian hieroglyphs written in black ink. I couldn't read a single word of it, but I knew enough that I recognized it as a spell.

"So a magician was behind this after all," Isis said to herself.

"Where did this come from?" Anubis asked.

Horus answered, "I found this in the basement of the Opera House. There was so much debris I had to dig around to find this."

"We've been investigating the explosion that happened there." Isis rummaged through her bag and pulled out a small stack of photographs. They were pictures of the explosion as it happened from different angles. There was something odd about them. Amongst the explosion it looked as though flames took the shape of the same hieroglyphs as those in the spell. "Do you see it?"

Anubis nodded. "Magical remnants."

"Precisely. This tragedy was caused by magic. However, other than me, the only other goddess in the city was Kebechet."

"But you don't suspect her." Anubis gave Isis a hard glare. Isis didn't falter under his gaze, though Horus began to chuckle.

"No. I knew she was only there to collect the dead."

Anubis set down the photo and pulled the spell to himself. It didn't take long for him to read it. "… I know this phrasing."

Isis smiled. "I have a theory about the culprit, but you're the only one who can confirm my suspicion." Anubis looked confused by her statement. Isis leaned forward and fixed him with an intense stare.

"Tell me, Anubis. When was the last time you've seen the immortal magician?"