Chapter 23: I Summon the Phoney Magician!

Jordan was a fun guy to hang out with. As we walked he told me stories about the things he's done here in Egypt. He was very animated, waving his arms in wide hand gestures. He nearly hit a passerby at one point and stopped to apologize profusely. From his stories I could tell he was someone that finds trouble easily. It made his stories funny and engaging, but I hoped he wouldn't cause that kind of trouble with me.

We ate at a small restaurant down the road. There was no interior. The food was prepared and served right there on a sidewalk. There wasn't a place to sit so we sat at the edge of the sidewalk while we ate.

"Oh, did you get any napkins?" I asked.

"No. Wait, there's something in your hair." He reached behind my ear and pulled out… a napkin. "There you go," he said with a sideways grin.

"Are you going to pull a rabbit from your hat next?"

"Maybe if I had a hat. I can show you my card tricks though."

Paws interrupted us with his loud growls and barking. There were two people standing by us that quickly backed off. They yelled at me to put him on a muzzle before storming off.

"Paws, cut that out! You're normally so good with strangers."

"Your dogs pretty good at sniffing out the scam artists."

"Scam artists?"

Jordan briefly pointed to the two that left. "Yeah, there's a lot of them here. You stay here long enough you can get a feel for who's genuine and who's out to get your money. They were lingering around us for a while. Glad your dog scared them off."

"I didn't know that. I don't think everyone he's barked at is a con artist, though."

"Yeah, like me," Jordan thumbed to himself.

I cocked an eyebrow. "Didn't you steal that jerky from your uncle? Little thief."

He shrugged. "We're family. It doesn't count."

We threw away our food and made our way to the museum. As we walked Jordan pulled out a deck of cards from his pocket. He shuffled and fanned out his cards in front of me. "Pick a card."

I took one and expected it to be a regular card set. Instead it was a monster card called 'Red Archery Girl'. I asked, "Are these Yugioh cards?"

"Yeah," Jordan said with a laugh. "My uncle can't stand them. He's like, 'Why is Obelisk a god? An obelisk is a stone pillar. There is a pantheon of interesting gods and they choose a rock? These cards are rubbish.'" I put my card back into the middle of the deck and Jordan started shuffling them again. "They drive him crazy so naturally I keep my cards on me at all times."

The cards made a crisp snap as he shuffled them together. With a fluid wave of his hand he drew the top card of the deck revealing the 'Red Archery Girl'. "Is this your card?" He asked with bravado.

I did a slow golf clap. "Wow. Best magic I've ever seen, and I've seen some impressive magic before, let me tell you."

"It's not magic. I simply believe in the heart of the cards."

I laughed. He continued to do some simple card tricks the rest of the way there. We were moving away from the busier parts of the city to some business districts. There were nicely dressed people in suits giving us stares as we walked. We must stand out, but Jordan seemed to be used to it. He was so invested in entertaining me I started to wonder how long it's been since he's had someone our age to talk to.

We arrived at the museum and just as Jordan said there was a big sign with the words "The Nile" written over the top. Below was a description in arabic along with before-and-after pictures of the Nile.

"Do they have anything for English speakers?" I asked. Normally I would be okay outside of not being able to read the signs. But Jordan wouldn't know that. I had to act like I had as much of a language barrier as he does.

"They usually have headsets that give descriptions of each exhibit. Some of the staff will speak English too, so no worries. Do we need to tie your dog outside?"

"He comes with. He's a registered service dog," I lied. Technically I had some papers that said he was, but they were counterfeits Anubis helped me make for when I wasn't with him.

"Oh, alright," Jordan gave me a curious glance, but didn't press the subject. We went inside together, Paws staying close to me. I was nervous that he would act aggressive to the people here, but luckily he stayed quiet and obedient. I couldn't say the same for Jordan.

"Do you have any specialists here we can talk to?" Jordan pressed the receptionists at the front desk.

"No, um, we have this audio guide and… this app. Download it here," she informed us giving us a brochure. She was a bit timid. I wondered if her English wasn't that good.

"That's great, but we could use a little more than that. We have a really important assignment and could use someone to talk to."

"We don't have that, I'm sorry."

"Come on, Jordan," I grabbed his shoulder. "Let's try the tour first. We might find out something inside."

"I'm just trying to get you more help," he said as I dragged him along.

"It's my project. We'll do it my way."

"Whatever you say."

I went to the start of the exhibit but Jordan looped around to the end. I supposed it was more efficient for us to meet in the middle. I did occasionally hear people grumble around him. He walked against the flow, irritating those his path blocked.

Going through the museum I did learn a lot about the Nile. It was the silt in the water that helped fertilize the land. Because of this it had been a crucial lifeline for many civilizations. Now the water was controlled by the dam and an artificial lake called Lake Nasser worked as a reservoir. When the water was low, they would feed water from the lake into the Nile to maintain the water level.

"Why don't they open the reservoir then?" I asked.

"They talk about that on the news," Jordan replied. "They've been pouring water into the river but the levels have stayed the same. The water is either disappearing, being directed somewhere else, or, everyone's favorite, the Sudan government is conspiring against Egypt."

"Why would they care?"

"Lake Nasser is on the border between Egypt and Sudan so they both fight over the water. The Nile goes through a lot of countries so there's always people bickering over it."

"Lets just ignore that and think about where the water could be going. Are there any rivers the water could be channeling to?"

"There's some satellite pictures over there," Jordan directed me to the end of the exhibit.

The audio device in my ear described the current situation with the Nile in more detail. I wasn't the only one to think that the water was flowing to a different river. They've already used satellite images to check for any redirections but they didn't show anything.

I couldn't say I was surprised. If the gods were wrapped up in this then there probably wasn't a human explanation for it. I could only hope this information could help us narrow down the possibilities.

"Any ideas, geology girl," Jordan asked.

In defeat I said, "The gods are making the water disappear. That's the most logical explanation I can think of."

"Oh no, the global warming gods are gonna kill us with their wrath," he lamented in mock horror.

"Pff, global warming gods? I don't think anyone believes in that."

"How cruel. You deny their existence. No wonder they're punishing us. I'll have to erect a shrine and perform a human sacrifice for forgiveness."

"You're such a dork," I goaded, nudging him in the arm.

"Can't deny that. I thought your re-navigation theory was pretty good. Did you give up on it?"

"There's nothing in the satellite picture to show where the water would be going."

"What about under the river?"

"Hm?"

"Yeah, like erosion, or…" he clapped, "an underground cave that the water broke through. That would explain the sudden change and…" Jordan continued talking but I tuned him out. Has anyone checked underwater to see if there was anything there? It seemed like the gods had asked everyone around the river but haven't checked in the river itself. And Osiris did say a water diety was most likely involved. Maybe there was something in the river…

"This may work," a said below my voice but raised in volume. "This could be a lead. I can work with this! Jordan, you're a genius!"

"What? I am? It's not a stupid idea?"

"No! Well, maybe, but who cares? It's a lead! We can investigate the bottom of the Nile! We might find something there!"

I got a bit too excited and in my frenzy Paws started barking in excitement too. I came to a gridlock and quickly shushed him. Other people in the museum stole glances at us. I looked to Jordan. "We don't need to stay here longer, do we?"

"Nope. If you're ready to leave we can go."

We dropped off our headsets and left. It felt hotter outside after being in the air conditioned building. I checked my watch. It was getting close to three. We should be heading back now.

"Where to now?" Jordan asked walking backwards as we strode down the sidewalk.

"We can go back to the place we first met. I'm meeting with my friends soon and our rendezvous is close to there."

"Oh, I can't come too?" He smiled but he looked disappointed.

"I wish you could, but I can't bring anyone outside our group. Thanks to you, though, I may be able to figure out what's going on with the Nile. I have to run it across my friends, but this will give us something to look into. If we do solve it then it will help all the sailors and the farmers, and… just so many people!" I wanted to say Osiris too but this was the best way I could put it.

"You're so awesome."

"Huh?" Jordan abruptly stopped his backward pace and I walked past him by mistake. I turned around. He had been beaming at me when he said that but now he looked very flustered. He reached for the hood of his shirt, probably to try and hide his face, but he thought better of it and let it drop.

He caught up with me, walking forward this time. "Sorry, that... slipped out. I didn't mean anything by it."

"You didn't mean I'm awesome?" I prodded him.

"No! I just- I'm not flirting with you or anything. You're just kind of impressive, sometimes."

"Nah, you haven't met my friends. They're leagues above me. Chances are they probably figured everything out without me."

"But you're passionate and striving to do something in the world. You remind me of my uncle. God, I probably sound daft…"

"You're archeologist uncle?" I asked.

He heaved a sigh before explaining, "Yeah, him. He's- I don't know. He can be weird at times but he's pretty cool. Cooler than anyone else in my family. He loves his career and gets excited over every little thing he finds. It's why I came here with him. He saw that I was driving my parents crazy and offered to bring me along with him as an assistant for the summer. Heh, I didn't even have much time to decide. My parents practically packed my bags and threw me into the car the moment he offered."

I chuckled. "You must be an angel at home."

"Oh, they love me," he said, his voice dripping in sarcasm. "I was pretty excited to come here. I was kind of hoping I would love archeology like my uncle does. Turns out there's a lot more going on behind the scenes I didn't know about. Bureaucracy stuff, you know? I don't think I could stand dealing with it all. I just want something like what my uncle has. Something to make me feel whole."

His shoulders sagged before he turned to his bag to dig out a water bottle. "Sorry to get deep on you there. I have friends at home I message but they're busy with their summer exams. I haven't had anyone to talk to for a while."

"It's uncle seems cool. I'd love to meet an archaeologist who works in Egypt."

"I can introduce you if you like. He's working at Cairo University. He may know someone that can help you with the Nile thing."

"Sure, we should do that. Oh, do you have a contact? I don't have a cell phone right now with all the traveling, but I have an email."

"Yeah, hold on. I have a notepad in here."

I stowed away his email in my pocket while he saved mine to his phone. It was a bit exhilarating, actually. It's been a long time since I've had another human I could talk to. I had started to notice it in Las Vegas, but I've grown a bit lonely. Sure I'm with Anubis and now Horus all the time but they're so different from me. I couldn't talk to them the same way as I could with other humans. And I think Jordan was a bit lonely too. This was a good chance for the both of us.

"I'll be here for another week before going back to London. How long will you be here?"

"I'm not sure. We're kind of off course right now. But we plan on going to London in probably a few weeks."

"Sweet. We can hang then too."

As we were walking back we passed by a small park. I let Paws off his leash so he could make laps around the palm trees while we stuck to the sidewalk. The day was still hot but a breeze was pushing in from the east. I had to pull my hair into a ponytail to keep it from smacking in my face. When we reached the end of the park I called Paws over and put the leash back on him.

The whole way back Jordan was ecstatically planning things for us to do. He explained some of the better parts of Cairo we could visit while also naming some of the places we couldn't visit. Jordan had gotten himself kicked out of a number of places. He wasn't specific about how he managed to pull that off.

My mind was fluttering with excitement to visit these places with Jordan. I had expected to see them with Anubis, but this was his old home. It couldn't measure up to how he remembered it. Seeing everything through human eyes would make the visit more enjoyable.

As we turned onto the street that would lead us to our meeting spot, Jordan asked, "So how do you plan on know what's going on at the bottom of the river? It sounds like you would need some impressive tech to find out anything."

"My friends will know how. We've actually had to check a river for something before. We went out on a boat and… oh no."

"Is something the matter?"

"Amun, that ass, ugh…"

"I'm sorry. I didn't catch that…"

I sank my head into the palms of my hands. So this was what he was talking about back at the hospital in China. He wants me to throw myself into the next river I happen to be in. And here it turns out there's something in the Nile for us to find. What does he expect me to do? Swim to the bottom of the Nile without drowning so I can find it myself?

"Umm, are you going to be okay?" Jordan asked with concern.

"I'm fine, I just remembered something I wish I hadn't."

"Care to enlighten me?"

"It's just," I stumbled with my words. I held out my hands like I could hold in them the absurdity that is Amun in my grasp. "It's this guy I know. He's so irritating. He likes to show up, leave me vague and bizarre messages and disappear again. But then his messages end up making sense or coming true later like he can predict the future or something. I wish he could just be clear the first time, but no. I have to figure things out his way."

Jordan gave an unconvincing smile. "I wouldn't put too much stock in those kinds of people. Sounds like a phony fortune teller to me."

"No, I think he knows what he's doing."

"I'm certain he does, but it's just a facade. He's vague 'cause he doesn't know any details but knows you'll fill those in for him. He ends up seeming more mystical than he actually is."

I thought about it, but it didn't seem probable. He did give specific details at times, like directing me to the hard drives in Khonsu's casino.

Jordan continued, "It's really not hard to learn how to fool people. Anyone can do it. For instance," he pulled out his cards again and held one up for me to see. "I can do so with these cards." He put the card back into the middle like he did before. "If I want to hide something, I just have to make you look somewhere else. So I shuffle the cards in the most distracting way possible."

He shuffled the cards with precision like he had before, watching me from the corner of his eye. He seemed to be waiting for a response.

"So what are you hiding?" I asked.

"That," he exclaimed while pointing to me, "is exactly what you should be asking." He flipped over the hand he pointed to me with and revealed the card he had pulled before. I hadn't noticed until now that he was wearing a ring. The corner of the card was tucked under the ring holding it securely in his palm.

"I thought magicians aren't supposed to reveal their secrets?"

"It's not a secret. You can look it up on youtube like I did. I don't claim to be a magician anyway. I just do it for fun." He stacked the cards back in place and put them away. "It's handy though. I'm pretty good at spotting when someone's trying to use distractions to con me. Like those con artists in the tourist districts. They're nothing but thieves. That guy you know sounds like a con too. Unless he's just having fun messing with you."

"He does seem to enjoy himself. I'll keep that in mind." Jordan meant well, but he had no way of knowing I was dealing with gods. And I already knew Amun was hiding something from me. That's how he works. The hard part was figuring out what it was, and Amun has made it clear he wouldn't hand me the answers himself.

We were close to the roundabout. The traffic had died down some, not that it made the prospect of crossing the street any better. Just that people were driving faster without any regard for pedestrians.

We were just about to play frogger with the street cars when we saw a giant jet of water shoot up from the river. The water splashed onto the bridge nearby. Cars honked, some swerved while others came to a stop. It was enough to bring everything to a halt.

"Blimey, what was that?" Jordan exclaimed in surprise.

"A boat maybe?"

Some policemen started to weave through the traffic toward the bridge. The whole street was filled with honks and some people shouting out their car windows. Even Paws was adding to the noise, barking at the cars while pulling on the leash.

"I'll email you later, Jordan. I'm gonna go see what's going on."

I started to leave but Jordan caught my hand, holding me back.

"Hey, you don't know if it's dangerous over there. Just let the fuzz handle it."

"My friends might be over there." As I said it, the leash slipped through my fingers. Paws bolted out into traffic, but since everything was at a stand still he was able to easily weave between the cars. "I have to go! Thanks for your help! See ya!" I quickly dashed out after Paws.

"Cheers then," I faintly heard Jordan behind me.

I zigzagged between the narrow gaps between each vehicle. I ran through the roundabout almost trampling the flowers in my hurry. Once I reached the sidewalk again I jumped up the steps. The police were trying to redirect traffic. One car had stopped in the road diagonally stopping traffic on both sides. The cars around it had gridlocked him in place. The police were trying to get the other vehicles to back up so they could free the stuck car.

At least there was no emergency, unless you count a soaking wet Horus cursing as he rung out his shirt. He was on the side where the jet of water had shot up from, so he must have taken the full brunt when the water dropped. Paws was with him as well, sticking his head through the railing looking down at the river.

"You okay, Horus?" I asked as I approached.

"I'm not used to him getting pissed off! If he could just shut up for two seconds…!"

It was pretty easy to guess who he was referring to. "Where is Anubis anyway?"

"In the river."

I stared at him, baffled. "What's he doing in the river?"

"I pushed him into it," he stated matter of factly.

I slapped a hand to my forehead. "Horus, you can't throw someone over a bridge and expect them to not get angry."

Horus pulled his shirt back on, though it was still damp and clung to his body. It didn't look comfortable. "Oh, he was angry before I threw them in. I figured it was the best way to break up the fight."

"What fight? Was it with a human? Please don't tell me you threw a human into the river with him."

"Please, I'm not Hapi! No, it was our cousin. He was being a pest and then Anubis started arguing with him. They looked like they were about to bite each other's throats so I intervened. Now they're swimming with the crocodiles."

"Horus, really…" I looked over the guardrail. To my left there was a small island dividing the river in two. I could see someone with long black hair climbing up one of the makeshift ladders with Anubis below him. The person then planted a foot on Anubis' head and kicked him back into the water.

"I'm sure they'll get along now," I dribbled in sarcasm.

"I see the plan was a success then," Horus responded not picking up the hint. Paws started running across the bridge to the island.

"Come on, Horus. You started it," I said grabbing his arm.

"Me? Those two are the ones who started it!"

I dragged Horus along the bridge. We took some stairs that led to the side of the island. I could see one of them in the distance darkening the path from the water dripping off of them. Without warning a strong gust of wind blew again and nearly knocked me off my feet. Horus steadied me from behind.

"Jeez, the wind is terrible here."

"You should complain to him about it," Horus replied pointing to the person ahead.

As Anubis finally pulled himself onto land, the other god stood upright combing his now dry hair through his fingers. He had a sharp look, wearing a glimmering silver button up shirt over a black tank and a gold chain necklace. He wore a lot of gold jewelry, in fact, including many bracelets and a nose earring. His black hair covered most of his back, but from the front you could tell that the hair underneath was golden blonde.

Anubis didn't bother trying to dry himself. He saw Horus and yelled, "Why did you do that?!"

"Hey, you got me wet too. Now we're even."

"Not with me," the stranger pitched in. "Neither of you have any business being here."

"This is my country," Horus proclaimed.

"That hasn't been true for many millennia. Go! Don't bother with this place."

Anubis snarled, "Stop obstructing us! You have been blocking my way for years for no reason!"

"I don't want to hear that from you," the stranger shouted sternly. He straightened himself and said with calm authority, "You sullied my artifacts. This is fair punishment."

"You are being reckless! You could have gotten my companions killed with your-"

"Anubis," I butted in, pulling at his shoulder. He jumped and sharply pulled away but luckily Horus stepped in and pulled him back with more force.

"Come now, Anubis," Horus consoled. "Lets not shout."

"Do not side with-"

"Anubis!" I cut him off pressing a finger to his lips. "Shush!" My gesture seemed to surprise him. His eyes were wide but he didn't try and start a fight again.

"Who is this girl? Is there a reason you have mortals with you?" The other man regarded me with his arms crossed.

I faced him, suddenly feeling butterflies in my stomach. "I'm Nakia. I'm friends of theirs. I was wondering, are you the lead guitarist of Flightrisk?"

He raised an eyebrow with a satisfied smile stretching across his face. "You know my music. Are you a fan of mine?"

"Well, my friend is a bigger fan than me, but we've both been to your concerts and I have all your albums. I listen to them all the time and they're really my favorite and-"

"What are you two talking about?" Anubis watched us in confusion as Mister I-push-people-off-bridges was rolling his eyes at me.

"He's Donovan Sab! He's in a really famous band called Flightrisk! He writes most of their music and is super talented and… is a god apparently."

"At least someone here appreciates what I do," Donovan said.

Horus laughed. "The humans call you Dinosaur Sab?"

"It's pronounced Donovan. You could start calling me that if you wish."

"Nah, that's way too hard to pronounce. Duamutef is easier."

"Wait, this is Duamutef?" I was shocked. Duamutef is the God of the East that has been forcing us to never travel in his direction. When I had to fly Anubis east to save his life, we were punished. He starved our stomachs. There is a special kind of pain that comes from having a depleted stomach and it's not one I will forget for a long time.

In all honesty, I had a hard time remembering his name. That was until Anubis regained his anger. Before Anubis spoke of him with apathy, but his true feelings showed through. He complained about him. A lot. He had probably been angry with him all along but could only now express it. So at times he would have one of his outbursts and curse Duamutef's name. I became familiar with it but it was overwhelming. So at times I would escape, drown out the noise with headphones and my favorite music. I had no idea the band I was blocking Anubis with was made by the same god he was outraged with.

"Yes, he is Duamutef," Anubis answered me. "He is the one who put your life at risk out of sheer pettiness."

"I have done no such thing," Duamutef retorted.

"You starved her and my dog! They are mortal! They can't survive without sustenance!"

"If they died it would be because of your poor decisions."

"I was unconscious!"

"Do I need to throw you two in the Nile again," Horus intervened breaking them apart. They were really going at it, leaning towards each other as they shouted. It felt like they would attack each other at any moment.

"There is really no need for you to stay anyhow, former pharaoh. I will not allow any of you to cross east of the river. You should leave." At this Horus laughed at Duamutef. He looked offended at Horus' raucous. "Why do you laugh?"

Horus outstretched his arms. "Look at where we are. We've already crossed the bridge, thanks to you. You can always trust Duamutef to swim east to the shore."

Duatmutef looked furious, though more collected than with his rage towards Anubis. Horus didn't seem to mind. As usual he was always proud of himself when he got his way.

"Why did you two want to cross the bridge anyway?" I asked.

"We're following rumors Horus heard," Anubis said.

"Yeah, hear this, Nakia," Horus said throwing an arm around my shoulder. His wet shirt was icy cold against my arm. "There have been sightings near the Nile of a beastly god. No one can get close to the river without having him snarl and chase them away."

"Hey," Duamutef interjected.

Horus ignored him. "They say he has the head of a deathly monster and eats the carcasses of the fallen."

"That's discrimination."

"I agree...," Anubis added reluctantly.

"He is known for starting sandstorms, creating famine, starvation, and has huge mommy issues."

"That is enough," Duamutef said sternly. He looked like he was ready to hit Horus.

"I can't help what people say about you. They're angry that you're blocking their passage. But I can help. Many of the gods take favor to me. I can give a good word for you if you tell us what's happening with the Nile."

"There isn't much to tell. The humans have blocked the river and refuse to fill it. If you want to restore the river start with them."

"That's a lie," I protested.

"I have been in human society for a long time. I know the situation better than anyone. It's your species that caused this."

I felt a flare of anger, but I didn't want to elevate the already high emotions. I firmly stated, "I have already talked with the humans in this area. When they noticed the Nile's water level decreasing, they opened the water reserves to fill the river. But it didn't do anything. They checked satellite imaging but there was no where the water could be spilling out from. The water is vanishing, and humans aren't responsible for it."

There was a tense silence that followed and I suddenly felt self-conscious. Horus broke the silence with a revering whistle. "You just got stood up by a human, Duamutef."

Duamutef silently stared down at me with a piercing glare. I squirmed in place. "I still like your music though. Just… yeah."

"Why do you still flatter him?" Anubis asked accusingly.

"I can still like his music even if I disagree with him."

"So what's making the water disappear, hmm?" Horus challenged.

Duamutef still looked furious but he kept his voice level. "I stand by what I said. The humans merely haven't discovered their own mistake."

"So say if we go into the river and investigate ourselves we won't find anything, right?"

"It would be a waste of time," Duamutef said, his voice dropping an octave.

"It's our time to waste," Horus countered.

"I won't allow it."

"Oh, please. How many times have I overpowered you? I'll just tie you up and drag you along with us? How about that?"

Duamutef's firm stance dissolved. He looked… scared. Terrified even. He took a step back. He was trying to keep his composure but it looked difficult. Was he really that terrified of Horus?

Beside me I felt a weight against my shoulder and a hand grab my arm. I looked over at Anubis who was now leaning against me. His earlier anger was gone. He had the blank stare I hadn't seen in awhile. While his face was lax without emotion his body was tense. He held a strong grip on me so I knew he wasn't completely gone. I was suddenly worried he might end up collapsing.

"What are you so afraid of, Duamutef?" Horus asked. His voice was no longer jeering. His tone was gentle and he seemed genuinely concerned.

"If I tell you… If I tell you will you promise to leave?" Duamutef pleaded.

"No, but you should tell us anyway."

"Shit…" Duamutef turned his back on us, pacing away. He seemed to be under a lot of pressure as he compulsively ran his fingers through his hair. It was worrisome to watch, but I was also distracted by Anubis still holding on to me. I was debating if I should take him and go before he got any worse.

Duamutef turned back to us, but he didn't seem to have decided on anything. Instead he jabbed a finger towards Anubis snarling, "You put me in this mess, you know that? This is all. Your. Fault."

Anubis looked up at him, dazed. "What did I do?"

"You know what you did."

"Stop changing the subject, cousin," Horus raised his voice. "Are you going to tell us what you know or do we have to go for a swim instead?" He kept his eyes on him but whispered to me, "Is he alright?"

"I think he might fall over."

"I am fine," Anubis said. He let go of me. He seemed steady but still looked unwell. He walked behind us and sat on a bench nearby, Paws following after him. Duamutef watched him go but didn't say anything.

"Well, Duamutef," Horus goaded.

Horus had backed him into a corner he couldn't get out. Grudgingly, he finally gave in. "It's Nun. The old man is sulking at the bottom of the river and won't let anyone near."

"Oh." Horus' demeanor changed. He was much more serious, almost grave. "Why is he upset?"

Duamutef shrugged. "I don't know. He refuses to talk to anyone. He told me he wanted to be left alone and that was all. Some other gods thought they could get through to him... He swept them into his waters."

"And that's why you're scaring everyone away?"

"It's all I can do. But if you want to go into the river and get swept away too, be my guest.," Duamutef said with a sinister tone.

"Who is Nun?" I asked. Osiris seemed to be right about a water deity being involved. Other than that, I knew nothing about this god.

"He is the God of the Primordial Waters," Horus answered.

"Primordial waters?"

"The water that existed before anything existed. The waters from which everything came into existence," he looked at me with severe eyes. "All of us were made from those waters. And we can all return to them if Nun so wishes."

"So the gods that tried to help him…?"

"They no longer exist."

I heavy sinking feeling fell into my gut. I looked into the river. The surface was smooth and calm, but it was more dangerous than I could have imagined. And Horus had knocked both Anubis and Duamutef in there. He could have accidentally erased them both from this world. And if I fell into the river…

"What will you do, Horus?" Duamutef asked.

"We'll have to talk to Nun. What else?"

"Do you wish for a fate worse than death? Crazy…"

"If Nun has the gall to wipe both the sons of Osiris from the world, there isn't much hope for any of us." Horus looked over at the river with a forlorn expression. "Besides, without the floods my father cannot be reborn. He'll stay trapped in the duat until we resolve this."

Duamutef sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose in irritation. "I can't stop you from going to Nun, but don't expect me to come with. I don't have a death wish."

"If I brought you with I would have to get a muzzle for you," Horus teased returning to his lighthearted self.

They continued to bicker, but seeing how we got what we needed from Duamutef, I broke away to check on Anubis. His face was hidden behind his hand as he leaned on the armrest seemingly spent. Paws was liberally licking the side of his face but Anubis didn't care at all. When I came to sit down, Paws moved over so I could take a seat next to Anubis. Paws stretched out on my lap. I scratched his ears as I asked, "How are you feeling, Anubis?"

"I will live."

"What happened?"

Anubis slightly shook his head. He didn't want to talk about it.

"Did you hear what Duamutef said?"

Nod.

"Will you be going with Horus then?"

Pause. Another nod.

"Thought so."

"You smell bad."

"Huh?" I whipped my head over, my eyes burning into him. He tilted his head to look at me. He wasn't emotionless but he had an aura of melancholy.

"I had not noticed until now, but you have a foul odor."

"I've been walking around all day in the heat! I can't help it if I smell bad! Paws, do you think I smell bad?"

Paws gave a strangled whimper. He carefully slinked off my lap and trotted away from me.

"Oh, come on!"

"It is not your fault. This place has always smelled like death. We shouldn't linger here." As Anubis said this, Horus came running by. Far behind I could see Duamutef leaving.

"I'm gonna get us a boat," Horus shouted.

"Take Paws with you," Anubis yelled back.

"Ugh, fine! Don't you dare snap at my ankles, dog!" Horus ran off with Paws following close behind.

"You should go back as well," Anubis said as he stood.

"I'm coming with you."

"It's dangerous. I would rather you wait where it's safe."

I put a hand on his shoulder. "I can't follow you in the water without drowning, but I can keep watch on the boat. I'm your eyes, Anubis. Let me look out for you."

"...Alright." He didn't look convinced, but he didn't fight me over it.

I felt… guilty. I already knew that Anubis was having issues with putting me close to harms way, especially after I had run off on him in the duat. But I needed to follow this to the end and see where it leads me. If anything, if the situation went south I would rather have Horus and Anubis nearby.

Horus had haggled with a local for their boat. While Horus said he had boats of his own he didn't want to hassle with bringing them here and figuring out how to lower them into the river. And our usual ride… apparently it was too precious to ride in the water. At least the boat we were using had a motor so we could cover a lot of ground… water.

"How will we know when we find him?" I asked over the roar of the boat.

"We'll be able to sense him," Anubis said.

"Oh, we sure will. As soon as a sense of doom hangs over us, we'll know," Horus said with a shiver. "Why did it have to be Nun? Why couldn't it be Set? I owe the guy a good beating. I'd even take Apep over getting disappeared."

"Apep isn't someone to joke about," Anubis scolded.

"I'm not joking. I have goosebumps. Look!"

I rolled my eyes and tuned out their banter. I looked over the boat's edge at the ripples of water fleeting by. I didn't want to do this. Why did Amun have to put me up to this? What would he do if I just ignored his request? Somehow, knowing how unpredictable he acted, the unknown was a much more terrifying prospect.

"We should be there in a few minutes," Anubis said translating whatever Paws had barked.

I couldn't put it off much longer. I had to go into the water before we reached Nun or it would be more dangerous for me. Behind my back I grabbed the anchor attached to the rope I was sitting on. Even if I had to fall in the water, I could at least make it look like an accident.

At the right moment, Paws hit a rift in the water large enough to shake the boat. I quickly let the anchor drop off the side of the boat. Turns out I didn't have to pretend to fall overboard. As the rope chased after the anchor a loop caught my ankle. My body was suddenly slammed into the boats rim before I was drug into the waters.

Shit! Shit! Shit!

I clawed at my ankle trying to get a grip on the rope. The water was so cold it stabbed at all my senses. Panic was the only feeling that stayed with me as I sank deeper and deeper into darkness.

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