-49-

Mystic Falls

Emeric

Emeric collapsed onto Isolde's couch, elbows resting on his knees and head hung low. They'd all rushed back to Virginia when rebuilding efforts had reached a more stable condition, shifting priority from the mortals to Missy and the growing demonic horde in South America.

Eztli had returned on Emeric's behest to do what he could to keep the horde contained for the moment. It helped that they were yet to be on the march. As of yet they were unable to determine the reason for their presence in South America and for Dahlia's involvment. Unless it was some kind of fucked up poetic statement. Stemming from Dahlia's curse on her sister's bloodline and Apophis' contempt for the Egyptians. Specifically, Ra's chosen vessel.

Emeric scoffed at his own thoughts, rubbing his hands over his face.

If Apophis began directing his legions, and Dahlia towards Belize it would stand to reason that he intended for their confrontation to take place at Lamanai.

Isolde's former prison.

"You and I need to speak." Emeric heard Paul say quietly from over by the stairs. He looked up to see the man staring him down with his arms folded across his chest. "Privately."

That went without saying.

At least with the twins distracted trying to develop an antidote to something that couldn't be cured he could slip away and escape their notice. Vera wouldn't be bringing Isolde and her bonds home for another twenty four hours yet, and the Mikaelson sisters had returned to their own home for the time being.

If they were to speak candidly, now was the most opportune time.

He nodded for Paul to follow him and sped out into the center of the forest, stopping only when he'd judged them to be free of prying ears.

"Artemis wasn't supposed to be caught into your schemes." Paul began without preamble, reaching up to pluck leaves off a branch by his head as if searching for something to do with his hands. Likely to keep himself from trying to kill Emeric. "My father will be angry. Never mind our mother's reaction to this news."

"I've never wished conflict with the Olympians, least of all Leto." Emeric told him, his tone even through his pseudo lie. He'd prefer not to have conflict, but he'd love to tangle once more on an even playing field one day. "It is no excuse for what has happened, but I had no intentions of sanctioning the use of the toxin. I have been betrayed."

At least that was the truth. He had been betrayed.

The extent of said betrayal was yet to be seen. He'd have to return to Cairo to find out and there were things to be done with his family before he could see to it.

His hesitation would allow for Marcus to gain further support but that was something he had to let be for now. Besides, the more support Marcus had, the more corruption Emeric could root out of his halls. The same went for his siblings and their kingdoms.

(To himself, he wondered if even Aris was against him at this point. One of his oldest advisors, since the time of Alexander the Great. He hated to think such things but then, he'd never thought it of Gaius either.)

Paul's jaw twitched as he leaned back against a tree. "That will mean little when this word reaches Olympus. Missy is now mortal. She will live and die a mortal life. I find it my duty to warn you, you may face a full scale war with my pantheon over this."

Emeric controlled the twitch at the corner of his mouth that threatened a smirk. Paul thought he knew more than he actually knew.

"Oh I doubt that." Emeric said, folding his hands behind his back. "Just who do you think came up with the idea of something that would make a god mortal in the first place, Apollo?"

Paul hesitated, brows knit in confusion that slowly gave way to understanding.

"That's right." Emeric nodded, a patronizing smile dancing across his face. "Zeus."

"To what end?" Paul asked, throwing his arms wide, incredulous. "Something like that would end the reincarnation cycle - a deity becoming mortal is the end of that deity for all eternity!"

Emeric fought the eye roll. "Think about our shared history long enough and you may come to that conclusion on your own."

Emeric knew Zeus' reasons, and agreed with them. The other Pantheons often bucked under the might of the Olympian and the Egyptian rule. Sometimes that created strife and turmoil. Zeus wanted that to end, Emeric agreed that it would be for the best if they could keep everyone else in line and so they'd come up with a plan to do just that.

A war of the gods for control of the planet.

Phanes, the Greek Creator, was in agreement to turn a blind eye as the two world powers took the planet. He had told them he would not interfere, but had warned that he could not stop the rest of the Creators from doing so.

Particularly, Amun Ra, should Isolde finally merge. His sister would put an end to this plan in an instant.

That was just who Isolde was.

He didn't know what she would become under Ra's influence, how much the merge would change her or if it would at all.

Which was part of the reason he'd sanctioned the development of the toxin, though it had been the barest of scratches at the back of his mind at the time.

The thought that, one day, he might have to put Isolde down for good.

When he'd realized the thought, he'd spent a decade rationalizing it.

Isolde had wanted to die anyway. Despite the family reaction to her admitting it, they'd all known. She was barely a shell of her former self for thousands of years… constantly depressed and while he was at fault, a small part of him still believed that he'd had no choice if he wished to protect his people from her… instability. He'd watched these last three thousand years as she'd clung to life - miserable through it all.

Emeric had rationalized that the toxin would be a viable option to grant his sister one last mortal lifespan. To say goodbye gradually and be reunited with Anubis in the Underworld. Something she'd once admitted she wanted.

Or at least, that's what he'd told himself to justify it.

But it wasn't something that could be justified, and if he were being honest with himself he was unsure he'd be able to sentence Isolde to a mortal death even should it come to that.

He'd rearranged his plan right away when he learned of the Mikaelson bonds. When Theon had called him to let him know life had returned to their sister as if it had never left. This was solidified when he'd seen her with the vampire progenitors.

Amunet had begun to return.

There was nothing in him that could continue to justify the potential course that would lead to ending her now that she had returned to them. Returned to loving life again.

But he'd failed to notice Gaius had his own agenda. Never even considered Marcus would betray Isolde.

The Romans had been so deeply entrenched in their family for millennia that Emeric had gotten lazy. Turned a blind eye to what, in retrospect, might've clued him in centuries ago had he not been manipulated into thinking of the Romans as a part of his family.

"Perhaps you'll escape my father's ire, but you won't escape Leto's." Paul said, a dark look in his eye. "You should tell Theon and Vera what you've been up to. They're working in vain to restore Missy." Emeric bit his tongue. He wasn't going to explain that Vera knew she was working in vain. It was Theo who was out of the loop in terms of the toxin. He never would have agreed to Emeric's plan.

Paul turned back towards Isolde's home, then glanced back over his shoulder at the older god. "That's if there's anything left of you when your sister finds out what you've been up to."

Emeric hung back, Paul's last warning unsettling him to his core.

Alexandria, Egypt

Isolde

"Oh my god. Can we leave now?" Kai was bouncing on his heels, fingers thrumming against the doorway of the house, head poking inside. They'd opted to go outside for the Push, it would be more accommodating for all of them to be within range to be taken through. "Are you sure you can direct me?"

Isolde tossed a scowl over her shoulder at the young siphoner, she was in the kitchen, hurriedly finishing the last few bites of a sandwich Elijah had made for her.

"Who do you think you're talking to?"

That caused an amused laugh to come from Kol, beside her, as he wrapped an arm around her waist and tucked her into his side. She briefly hugged him back with one arm.

"You've only acquired enough power for the magic in the first place because you've been siphoning off of Isolde. Have some respect." Elijah warned, taking Isolde's plate and washing it in the soapy water he'd filled the sink with.

Isolde chalked it up to Elijah's neurosis that he insisted on washing the dishes, despite the futility of it. No one would ever happen upon this place again, not unless they were imprisoned here.

"Hey I'm the one that has to keep the magic stable, I'm just making sure we're not going to get dropped in the middle of the Atlantic or something." Kai raised his hands in mock surrender. "Let's goooo." He whined, throwing his body away from the door like a toddler.

Isolde snorted inelegantly, rolling her eyes to hide her amusement.

She really did enjoy Kai's antics.

"As someone who was imprisoned for quite some time, I can understand his attitude." Isolde said, slipping out from Kol's hold and narrowly avoiding Klaus, who she hadn't realized was so close behind her. "Let's get moving. I'm not kidding when I say there's a lot to get through to get to Anubis' sarcophagus. Where's Finn?"

"Here." She turned to see Finn striding through the living room, something interesting strapped to his back.

"You've got to be joking." Kol burst out laughing as soon as he saw the eldest brother, followed almost immediately by Klaus. Elijah's brow shot into his hairline.

"Where could you have possibly found a Ulfberth?" Elijah asked, blinking as though this was some mirage he could dispel.

"It is merely a replica." Finn said, pulling the sword from its scabbard to allow his brother's to look at it. All the men stepped forward, still amused but intrigued. Isolde almost rolled her eyes again. Boys. "I had to sharpen it myself. Malachai Parker directed me to the shops where I could acquire this and the whetstones. A place he called a 'comic book nerd shop' and a 'sporting equipment store.'"

"I have some real Ulfberth swords stored in my vaults in Empathia you can choose from, if you like. Later, of course." Isolde offered, heading toward the door. "That one looks like it's one real swing away from shattering into pieces."

"You haven't told us much about Empathia." Finn said, taking his sword back from Kol and sheathing it.

"My city is better experienced than it is described." Isolde told him, with no inflection in her tone as they all walked outside, heading towards where an impatient Kai was bouncing on the balls of his feet in a huff.

Truth be told she was still suffering through her anxiety about the state of her city and her people. Had things not gotten so out of hand in the last week she might have non-stop talked about the Underground City and the Shade that lived there to the Mikaelsons. That she'd had to put such things on the back burner grated, just a bit, and she didn't want to lash out at them for New Orleans when it wasn't their fault.

Her family had known about New Orleans and had sat by and allowed it to get worse.

Her family had traitors in high stations with loads of power to wield, and those traitors plotted against them.

And myriad other things that she'd been haughty about when it had been the Mikaelsons who had the problem.

Honestly, she was feeling quite guilty. Guilty for dragging the Mikaelsons into Alexander bullshit. And guilty for having such a superior attitude about things back when they first met and it was the Mikaelsons who seemed like they didn't have their shit together and were drowning in a sea of their own drama.

Now, she'd come to realize, that entire time it had been like the pot calling the kettle black. She knew that when this was over she'd have to find a way to apologize to them for it. They deserved fairer treatment than she'd given them right from the start. More compassion and understanding.

"Alright, Kai, let's get to it." Isolde said when they reached him, laying a hand flat on his chest and gesturing to everyone else with her free hand. "Get in close. He might not have much range."

"Copping a feel?" Kai's grin was salacious, both of his hands coming up to lay over hers on his chest, ignoring Klaus' warning growl. "At least buy a guy a drink first."

"I'm connecting to your magic so I can help direct it." Isolde rolled her eyes. "Which is far more difficult for me than it is for my younger siblings so don't distract me, please."

"So serious. Alright, I'll shut up." Kai laughed and mimed zipping his lips.

"Doubtful." Klaus quipped from right behind her.

He'd been sticking to her back like glue since they'd consummated their bond that morning. The bite healed right away but, to Isolde's shock, the impressions of Klaus' teeth had left a prominent scar. At his request, she'd put her hair up once they made it back to the house with bags full of clothes for everyone. (Since Klaus had ruined hers during their coupling.)

Isolde couldn't find it in her to be annoyed with his proximity. She thought it might be a wolf thing and expected that he'd likely be crowding her for some time. Her experience with werewolves as limited so she couldn't say for sure.

"Not to rush you, darling, but the time is wiling away." Kol mentioned as she saddled up to Isolde's side, wrapping an arm around her back just as Elijah did the same from the other side.

Finn pressed in between Kai and Elijah, and Klaus seemed reluctant to step away from Isolde's back but he circled around to stand between Kol and Kai to finish the tight circle they'd formed.

Isolde tuned them out, Elijah's sharp reprimand toward Kol sounded more like it was shouted underwater as Isolde sent a small part of herself directly into Kai's magical core - easing right into his central flow like adding an extra ingredient to something in a mixing bowl while it was being stirred.

A part of Isolde merged with Malachai and the world around them fell away. Nothing outside of the ebb and flow of Kai's magic and his connection to the Consciousness was left.

Isolde pushed against Kai's magic and began to form it, setting her intentions and willing it to move the way she wanted it to. Kai bucked against the intrusion and she sent him as much calm as she could spare. It seemed to soothe him and he settled down enough for the magic to balloon outward as she'd intended.

It took only seconds from there.

Careening through the planes of the Earth was simple.

Slowing down and being exactly where you wanted to be when you stop is the difficult part.

Isolde pushed through trillions of little planes in the spatial rifts of the planet as they moved in a fraction of a second. It was almost overwhelming, and that was why she usually just let the twins handle the Push.

When she found what she was looking for, she grasped it with Kai's magic and every bit of her own that she'd placed inside of him and ceased their movement so abruptly that everyone but Isolde hit the ground in a heap of limbs when they stopped.

Isolde disconnected from Kai as gently as she could, she opened her eyes just in time to see him flinch and grimace nevertheless.

"I don't think I wanna do that again." Kai groaned, wiping blood from his nose, banging his head back on Finn's torso because the elder vampire had somehow landed underneath Kai.

"I shouldn't need you the next time." Isolde told him with a reassuring smile. "Rest a moment."

He gave her a thumbs up. "Can do."

She had only a moment to realize that the boys were all sprawled out on a shining marble floor that shouldn't exist in the ruins she'd deposited them in before angry shouts rang out from all sides.

Her head snapped up. The Mikaelsons still needed a minute to bounce back from her unstable Push and her instinct to protect hit her with brute force. Isolde sprung into action as men with guns bared down on them all around.

The Mikaelsons would be fine should they be shot. Kai, not so much.

Isolde melted into the shadows in a split second, shifting through the dozen people who surrounded them. Half with guns and armor, aggressively shouting in Arabic for her to get down on her knees with her hands up.

The other half of the people in the room, taking shelter under tables and behind racks of medical equipment and tubes of unidentified things and covering their heads as if that would save them from her, wore matching lab coats.

Looking around as she jumped from each individual threat and knocked them out, she noticed they seemed to be in some kind of underground laboratory. Complete with sci fi-esque computers outputting data and…

Isolde stopped abruptly with her hand around the throat of the last man standing with a gun in his hand, staring up at a large glass cylinder filled with water that housed a larger than natural sized (but significantly smaller than she should be) Egyptian cobra.

A snake that Isolde would recognize anywhere.

"Renenutet."

The snake's golden eyes opened languidly, as if fighting slumber. She heard a sharp hiss of the old tongue echo through the vast room. "Amunet, it has been centuries."

Isolde pressed her free hand to the glass and stepped closer, answering in the old tongue. "What has happened to you, my friend?"

Elijah

This Push had been wildly different from the one he'd experienced with Theon back in Virginia and Elijah was having trouble with the churning in his stomach. He was vaguely aware that something was happening around him, so he fought through the wave of nausea and dizziness and got to his feet.

He reached a hand down to help Niklaus, who was also struggling to stand. Kol and Finn were on their knees, both with their hands braced on their thighs as they breathed through their own temporary illnesses. Malachai was off a few feet away from them, emptying his stomach.

Elijah could only imagine how bad the after effects were for the human. They were bad enough for him.

"This is certainly not a ruin." Niklaus huffed, before something drew his attention to his left and he was gone. Elijah visually tracked his brother's movement and saw the hybrid snapping the neck of a human woman in a white lab coat who had a pistol pointed at Isolde.

Isolde, who was choking the life out of some armored gentleman while speaking in a raspy language that Elijah couldn't identify to a snake that was held in a giant glass cylinder. The man slumped over and Isolde dropped him to the ground without bothering to look at him.

"Where the bloody hell are we?" Kol asked, coming to stand beside him.

"Did we land somewhere we should not have?" Finn asked, kneeling beside Malachai with a hand on his back.

Elijah looked around, brushing some of the dust from having been on the floor off the suit Isolde had acquired for him that morning.

"I couldn't say." He responded, stepping over a body to close the distance between himself and Isolde. Niklaus was already right beside her, staring menacingly around the room at the humans who cowered. Elijah stepped up to Isolde's other side. He would feel more comfortable if she were flanked on both sides in this unsure situation. Isolde had yet to acknowledge them, still speaking with the snake. "A laboratory of some sort. Kol, find out."

"With pleasure." Kol's quick grin could be described as downright exuberant. "Who's in charge?" Kol asked, rising to his full height, eyes narrowed as he observed the room, looking for the one who would come forward.

No one did.

"I see we want to play games." Kol laughed, the sound was harsh even to Elijah's ears. "I'm good at games. How about this? The one in charge steps forward in the next five seconds or I begin sanguinating each and every last one of you. And in the interest of making this fun for me, I'll compel each of you to drink yourselves until you die from either choking or the blood loss."

At this, Isolde tisked and turned her head to look at them behind her. Elijah was stricken with the thought that this was the first time Isolde was seeing them in their own element, and worried Kol's excitement for foul blood play would create a schism in their bonds.

"Kol. Must you be so crude?" Elijah huffed, just as Isolde spoke.

"The one with the green lanyard is the supervisor. According to Ren most of these people are working on a project they don't know anything about. The security is protecting the asset, but they don't know what the asset truly is. The scientists only know they're developing a biological weapon to give Egypt an edge in whatever war they seem to believe is on the horizon."

"Ren? As in Renenutet?" Finn asked, getting to his feet and adopting a stance to guard the young siphoner. He seemed to decide Malachai was a lost cause at the moment and it would be best to simply shield him.

"Yes." Isolde answered distractedly as Kol sauntered up to the man with the green lanyard. "Klaus, you didn't have to kill that woman."

"Of course I did." Niklaus told her with a wolfish grin that was entirely unapologetic. "She pointed a gun at my mate."

"It wouldn't have done anything to me."

"Semantics." Klaus flicked his fingers as if flicking away the thought.

"I'll tell you anything you want to know. Please don't kill me." The supervisor spoke in broken English and backed himself into a table at the far wall of the lab with his hands up in surrender. Kol persisted towards him.

"Shh." Kol hushed him, caressing the man's jawline with the tips of his fingers. Such a lovely gesture, turned threatening and the stench of human urine filled the air. The man whimpered. "I know, darling. You'll tell me anything I wish to know." Kol said in his friendly tone, the one that he used even when he ripped out the innards of his enemies. Elijah watched Kol wrap his hand around the man's throat. "You have no choice, I'm afraid."

"Wait a moment, Kol." Finn addressed the youngest before looking around the room. "This is where they produce the toxin. I recognize the vials on that counter over there." Finn surmised, folding his arms over his chest and nodding toward the far left of the room.

Right in Emeric's back yard?

How bold.

Unless…

A shadow of a thought in the back of his mind gripped him and he couldn't let it go.

"This is indeed where the northern part of my library used to stand, and yes, this is where they've been developing the toxin. The bio weapon. It's in vials in a storage room just beyond this wall back here." Isolde turned her back to the snake to address them all after another few hissed whispers. "This is my old friend, Renenutet, Egyptian goddess of the harvest."

"Indeed." Niklaus folded his hands behind his back, examining the imprisoned goddess. "But is she a victim or a co-conspirator?"

Isolde flashed the hybrid a look and Niklaus raised a brow as if to say 'you and I both know it's not only possible but probable at this juncture.'

Interestingly, Isolde lowered her head in acknowledgement at Niklaus and her expression adopted a harder edge. Niklaus, for his part, flashed her a proud half smile and turned back to the imprisoned goddess.

"I'm curious, love. Should a lesser deity be capable of breaking out of such a relatively weak prison?"

"To add to Niklaus' question, and apologies if this offends you, but…" Elijah began, making eye contact with Niklaus to gauge his reaction. "What are the chances that something like the development of what could essentially be classified as a biological weapon was sanctioned by the one who governs this region? Someone who relishes warfare as not only a sport but a way of life?"

Even Finn's brow raised at that.

"Don't bother beating around the bush." Isolde grumbled, brows snapped together. Her lips pursed. "I wouldn't put it past my brother to have sanctioned the development of such a thing."

She whirled around and addressed the snake goddess in the same raspy unidentified language as before.

The brothers all made eye contact with each other while Isolde spoke to the other goddess in the room, each seeming to come to the same conclusion.

Elijah was concerned about the amount of tension that was beginning to settle in Isolde's body language.

Isolde

"Tell me everything, Ren." Isolde asked, laying a hand on the glass that held the snake goddess. "What is this weapon?"

Isolde, of course, knew what the weapon was. She needed to know what Ren knew about it, since it was created using her venom.

She was troubled by what Elijah had insinuated, crossing that with what Ren had said about the scientists in the room believing they're creating a bio weapon to be used in an upcoming war…

It sounded like something Horus would do. But to what end? She hadn't seen any indication that there was a war on the horizon. Besides a conflict with Apophis, and the toxin would never work on him. So what kind of war would require a means to stop deities from using their power?

It was quite possible that this supposed war was something Emeric intended to start.

And should that be the case… harm no Greek.

Isolde's head was swimming. Dozens of theories sprung to mind. Most of them detailing the Greeks working with her brother to subjugate the rest of the pantheons. Emeric had always wanted control. Wanted the return of a strong Egyptian pantheon to keep the rest in line. The Greeks would never allow it… unless they'd finally put aside their differences and decided they'd work together.

A merger, if you will.

She only hoped she was wrong. That there was a better explanation for it, that Emeric sanctioned the development of this toxin as a failsafe to protect Egyptian interests and the family itself.

'Still, he should know better… something like this could be stolen and used against us at any point. He can't trust the Greeks for eternity. Eventually, Zeus would make a grab for power.' Isolde's mind was spinning. 'That imbecile!'

Ren's tongue flicked out before she spoke. "In layman's terms, it attacks the part of the brain that is connected to the consciousness. After a short time, that part of the brain dies and connection can no longer be achieved for the duration of that body's lifespan."

That explained, perhaps, how Elijah was alright despite being injected. As a vampire, he'd already died. The part of his brain that had been connected to the consciousness as a human was severed a thousand years ago.

Isolde controlled the relief that flooded through her at the thought. All but Klaus would be fine if injected. She was unsure how the toxin would affect his wolf side.

She didn't plan to find out, either.

"That would mean that any deity injected would…."

"... no longer connect to the higher power and therefore live a final mortal life." Ren told her, her tail end now able to twitch.

That was… fuck.

Anyone who died with their attachment to the consciousness severed would never return to the life cycle. A final mortal life meant they wouldn't reincarnate. This life would be it for their soul, it would perish into nothing when their body died. To the depths of the Underworld.

Missy. Isolde's heart hurt for her friend and she tried to quell the sudden sweep of sorrow that clutched at her.

After a moment, Isolde continued questioning Ren, vaguely aware that Kol had begun quietly questioning the lead scientist.

"What led to your imprisonment?"

At this, Ren chuckled. It was a warm sound but it set Isolde on edge and she schooled her look to be as impassive as she could make it.

"When Horace proposed the idea I volunteered."

"Why?" Isolde withdrew as if stung by the glass, not only because of Ren's admission but because she now had confirmation that Emeric was indeed behind the development of the toxin.

Emeric was indirectly responsible for what happened to Missy.

'There's his war against the pantheons, if that's his goal.' Isolde thought as she waited for Ren to continue. "But he'll have made his strongest ally his worst enemy. Or, rather, Gaius has done so.'

"Can you not think of a reason to have a simple and available means to end this inordinately long existence, Amunet? To leave this world with the knowledge that you will not return. A final life, a final death. It is something I have wanted for thousands of years longer than you have lived. I have reabsorbed hundreds of times. Only to return again each time. A new body, yes. Yet I'd retained all the memories of the last one. The brief reprieve of being reattached to the consciousness has never been enough." There was a brief pause, then Ren sighed, her small body sagging. "I tire of existence. Not even my love for Sobek is enough to keep me here."

Isolde knew that often, when the universe had decided that a deity's purpose had not been fulfilled, it would send that deity back even if they'd reabsorbed themselves.

That had not been the case for Nephthys. At least not as of yet. For someone like Ren, who had been around for tens of thousands of years… Isolde could understand where she was coming from.

"I can relate. I've not returned to the consciousness myself but I'd thought about it, planned on it even." Isolde confided, pressing her hand once more to the glass.

"Your purpose is not yet fulfilled, child." Ren told her, now able to move most of her body. She coiled up into a tight rope, tongue flicking out as she spoke. "It would be useless to leave when you would be forced to return. These men, they are bonded to you, yes? Keep them close. I fear the next few hours will be daunting and much life will be lost."

Isolde, immediately concerned, opened her mouth to ask for further elaboration but was cut off when Elijah's hand lightly grasped her bicep.

"Apologies for the interruption, my dear, but interrogation of Dr. Saad has revealed that he pushed a panic button upon our sudden arrival. Evidently, this means that the military has been notified of our presence here and will descend upon us soon."

Isolde grit her teeth.

If anything Emeric was known for, it was a prompt and strategic response to any kind of threat. She believed it when Elijah said the military would descend upon them soon.

"We still have to get to Jack." Kai reminded them, leaning against the wall as he struggled to get back to his feet, still looking uneasy. "And you said that was going to take a while."

Isolde was grinding her teeth, now. Her fingers taped against her thighs unconsciously and she bit at her lip. She turned to Ren.

"Do you still wish to die, Ren?"

The snake blinked slowly at her, as if sizing her up.

"I do."

Isolde nodded at her. "Hold off the military for a while and I will grant you your wish." The snake tilted its head and Isolde decided to elaborate. "The being inside of me… the one that has been there since my imprisonment…. I have recently discovered that it is Anubis. I am going to return his soul to his own body and merge with Ra."

"Finally." Ren said, her tone warm and maternal. The pride in her voice was evident. "Then I shall do my best to aid you until you are merged, so long as you do for me what you promise."

"I swear it." Without warning, Isolde whipped back around with a raised fist and smashed it into the cylinder holding the other goddess. Whatever liquid was inside spilled out onto the floor and soaked everyone's shoes.

Isolde turned to acknowledge the men. "Ren's going to hold them off for as long as she can, and I'm going to get an old friend to create a staircase leading to the chamber below instead of clearing the rubble. Loathe as I am to involve one of them."

Usually, for situations where she needed the aid of a Creator, she would call upon Eztli or Phanes. But Eztli had little of his power available anymore. And Phanes….

Harm no Greek.

She was unsure if she could trust him at the moment.

So she'd have to go to one she was less comfortable with, but could still had enough of a good relationship with to trust with this simple task.

She watched Klaus' eyebrows raise and he opened his mouth as if to protest but Isolde was not going to hear him.

She raised a ball of vibrating energy and plunged her hand to the floor. The shockwave of her action caused everyone to fall to their asses.

Note: Up next… we meet a creator, we finally get Bis, AND we get what I've affectionately referred to as the Battle of Alexandria.