Khonshu woke up to the sound of traffic,

Ughh...

He groaned as he lazily turned around on the bed, trying to escape from the sun that is coming in through the window. But the sounds of the morning rush, car honks and engine are loud enough to wake even the deepest of sleepers.

Ugh... Khonshu said again. A minute later, a really loud car horn is heard, then a crash of metal. Expectedly, the sound of a siren followed. The long and annoying noise going on non-stop.

That siren is finally enough for Khonshu. He forcibly pulled himself up on the bed, to a sitting position and glared at the window like it is the source of all his problems. Outside he can see the vehicular accident, a car crashed into the back of another car. No one died, but Khonshu can see the drivers are fist fighting now. Thankfully the police are breaking it up before someone starts pulling out a gun.

The now awake, and annoyed child god dragged himself to the open kitchen, his long pants rubbing against the floor on each step. When he reached the refrigerator, he thought about what to eat for breakfast.

There's still the noodles, He thought. Remembering the packet of instant noodles he saw yesterday. As he opened the designated cupboard, he tried to remember if he knows how to even cook it, but he does spend a good amount of years watching Marc. He has clear memories of seeing his Avatar cooking it on some nights.

Let me see, Marc prepares a pan with water, and puts the dry noodles on it.

Khonshu looked around to find a saucepan. It took a while, but he did after a little searching. Finding the plates, utilities, a chopping board and a frying pan on his way. Once he took the pan, he then proceeds to follow what Marc did. Filling it with water and placing it on the gas stove.

He then tried to open the noodle packet, but it was a lot tougher than expected. He pulled, and pulled harder each time. The plastic stretched after each pull, until it finally broke after one hard pull. But it was way too strong and caused the dried noodles to fly up and land on the ground.

Khonshu had to pick it up, and put it on the pan. Then added the seasoning after tearing it with his teeth. A technique he saw Marc do a couple of times.

After a minute of watching, Khonshu is still waiting for it to cook.

Why is taking it so long, he thought. And when he touched the water with his finger, he realized it's not hot. He forgot to turn on the stove.

I believe Marc twist this part, He said to himself as he stared at the knobs in the front of the stove. And he was about to touch it when he thought of something.

Khonshu instead closed his eyes, rubbed the side of his head, and slowly focus on the still cold pan in front of him. The boy god is fixating his senses on what is infront of him. He then touched the side of the pan, feeling the metal of the pan, and the water being held inside it. Then he pushed his heka to the water, agitating it to make it hotter.

Soon bubbles are starting to appear in the water. Signs that it is now boiling.

There you go, keep on going.

The god keep watching, pushing his heka even more to make it boil faster. Until the number of bubbles suddenly spiked. Khonshu realized what was happening and quickly jumped back.

Just in time for him to see the water explode upward like a miniature geyser, spraying boiling hot water in the air. The noodles are now cooked through.

The child god just looks sadly at his breakfast, now on the floor again. He also realizes that he will need to clean it up. He heard his stomach grumble at that moment, reminding him that he is still hungry. He rubbed his forehead to calm the growing headache and settled to buy breakfast outside.

He went to the same convenient store he went to last night and bought a cheap breakfast burrito. Giving the money to the more polite lady cashier, "Here you go little guy," she said cheerfully as she handed the burrito. This only annoyed Khonshu even more, yet the lady cashier wasn't fazed by his glare. Once he finished eating, he returned to the apartment to clean up. Though he is actually dreading it as he have no idea how to clean it.

Ugh. Now, what does Marc do in situations like these? He asked himself.

Khonshu observed his avatar, ex-avatar (He reminded himself) for a good decade, and the god noticed that Marc has this habit of cleaning his space at a nearly obsessive degree. That small square room Marc usually sleeps in impeccable and organized so that Marc knows where everything is. Khonshu also observed Marc clean up the floor of Steven's flat in London multiple times.

Let's see, Marc uses a rug to soak up the water on the floor. Pick up whatever is on the floor and throw it in a can. He also spray it with some liquid and rub the floor.

Khonshu looked around to find cloth of some sorts. A rug, if he remembers from what Marc and Steven called it. Unfortunately, it wasn't around. He also can't find a can, or a bin to throw his trash, or any other cleaning supplies.

"I'll have to buy them then." he decided after searching most of the apartment. He went out again to the convenience store. The cashier lady waved hello, recognizing the boy but Khonshu didn't waved back, only glanced at her. He walked around the store, looking for some cleaning supplies. He passed by the food section but stayed a little too longer, looking at the many varieties of biscuits, cookies and chocolates. He passed by the drinks section and also spend way too much time looking at all the soft drinks.

He managed to shake off his own distracting curiosity and continued to look around. But after a while, he still didn't reach the cleaning supplies.

Nearby, the cashier lady is now looking at the boy who is just walking back and forth. She saw him this morning and was a bit surprised to see him again. The boy was clearly annoyed by her, but so was everyone else. She learned to ignore them a long time ago. Currently she thinks that the boy is a bit lost and felt a bit sorry for him. She looked at the empty space infront of her, since she don't have any customers for now, she decided she can leave for a while.

"Hello again, may I help you?" She said after she approached the boy. Khonshu is a bit taken by the woman. "I'm fine, I don't need any help", the boy said. But the Lady once again ignored it. "Are you sure, It's a slow day and it is my job to help customers."

Khonshu pondered about asking for help, he has already walked the same aisle and the food section twice already. Not because he is lost, but because he keeps getting distracted by the food.

Fuck it , He thought and said, "Do you have any cleaning supplies, maybe a mop?". The lady just smiled as she led the boy to the cleaning supply area.

The boy looked down at the floor once they arrived there, then said "Thank you." in a serious and neutral tone. She finds it a bit odd, but it was obvious from the beginning that he is not exactly the overly friendly type. Still, she didn't let it bring her down and replied in her usual cheery and practiced tone. She ends up laughing internally at the boy's pout at her attitude and returned to the cashier. There was a customer waiting for her so she walked faster.

Khonshu watches as the lady walks away quickly. He made it obvious that he does not want her help, but she still assisted regardless.

A stubborn soul, He thought. Khonshu also sensed that it is one hardened by fate. The god can see a torrent of scars underneath, that the lady went through a lot of pain to develop her stubbornness and to not care what others think of her.

Like a steel sword hardened by the heat of fire and blows of the hammer. A weak soul would break from the pressure, but the lady didn't. Even though it is not obvious how deceivingly happy her smile is.

Everyone has their own masks, Khonshu said to himself as he turned back to look at the shelves in front of him. There are a lot of items to pick, so it is confusing for him. But he decided to settle for the first thing he saw, and what Marc would usually do.

Let me see, Marc would usually pick this, and this. Or was it this one. No, that's too colorful. Marc never picks these. He thought as he touched what looked like a colorful set of tablecloths. But he decided against it and picked a plain white table rug instead.

He paid for them at the cashier, who once again smiled as she hands over his change. Khonshu didn't smile back but settled for a polite reply. "Thank you for your assistance, Mam." He said.

"No problem, and please call me Julie. You make me feel like my grandmother." Julie replied back.

"Very well…Julie." Khonshu said. Julie just smiled even more when the boy said her name.

Khonshu returned to the apartment after that. He had a bit of a struggle to open the door, since he has plastic bags on both hands. Once inside, he placed all of them on the table in the kitchen and took out the table rugs. Intending to mop up the water on the floor and the stove, rinsing them from time to time in the sink. He even rubbed some disinfectant on them, recalling that Marc did the same thing.

Khonsu ended up scrunching his nose from the smell, finding it to be way too strong for his nose once he opened the bottle. The instructions said to dilute it with water first, so he took out the spray bottle he bought and mixed it with water. But it did not change his opinion of the scent. Now the kitchen smells like artificial lemon and pine.

At least it's clean now, the god thought to himself.

He put everything in an empty cupboard, making sure all the bottles were tightly closed, and left the apartment. On the street, he makes sure that his baseball cap is covering his face. Walking and avoiding too much eye-contact. Regardless, some people are willing to ignore a young kid walking down fast.

He quickly to step sideways to avoid bumping into a skateboarder who is practically flying down the side walk, without even looking up. His senses are wide enough for him to feel most conscious soul within a 5-meter radius and detect them without the use of his eyes.

The god walked around the neighborhood for a while, turning left here and there. In case he might be followed. Before he went straight to the Abandoned Theater he stayed during his first few nights in the city. Khonshu found what looked like the main entrance of the building but stood there for a while debating to himself if he really wants to do this.

The other 2 might have forgotten about him , he thought.

He can see a group of men crowding the dilapidated entrance.

They must be the thugs Zeke mentioned before , Khonshu thought. The boy god then walked to the side, looking for that hidden back alley that leads to the back entrance. As he climbed the broken fence to the back entrance, he could see the same homeless people sitting on the side, he can also see some new faces. A few of them stared daggers at him though, as if they didn't recognize him. And they probably don't since Khonshu have a new set of clothes and isn't covered with dust.

He quickly walked up the stairs, avoiding the hostile air he can sense from some people watching him. But once he reached the third floor and headed to the attic stairs, he saw the same elderly who helped him find the bathroom. The man didn't seem angry, or hostile like the others, and just waved a little when he caught Khonshu staring for too long.

Khonshu remembered that the old man helped give him directions, so the god waved a little back. The man smiled at this, and watched as Khonshu walked up the stairs. Once he reached the Attic, he looked around at the space. It is more cleaner that what he remembered, parts of the ceiling is patched, but not all of it. More boxes are cleared and there are some furniture now like a dusty table in the middle. He can also see a viking helmet on the table, and a cut-out of the Statue of Liberty on the side.

Must be an old prop, Khonshu thought. But he couldn't find the 2 inhabitants of the place so he wondered if they left earlier.

He decided to go back down and approached the elderly man he met before.

"Excuse me, Sir." He asked. The elder in question looked up, and squinted at the boy who is now standing close to him. "Say, have I seen you here before?" He said after a few seconds. "I think I have, you usually with the other 2 who live upstairs. And you got some new threads. Cool hat kid." He said.

"Yes, thank you I did. I was wondering if you know where are the other 2 are. If you remember I have 2 friends who live up there." He asked, pointing to the attic entrance.

"You missed them already kid, They left earlier. Where were you anyway? Didn't see you for a while." The elder asked.

Khonshu replied accordingly, trying to be polite. "Sort-of, I...got occupied and couldn't come here before." He said.

"Well, your friends will come back, usually at the end of the day. You'll have to explain what happened to you." The man said, assuring the now clean boy in front on him.

Khonshu decided that he can't stay here the whole day and wait. He can come back later. But just before he turned around, he can feel that the old man is looking at his baseball cap.

The man did help him find the bathroom, and is one of the more friendly souls here. Khonshu thought to himself.

Khonshu have only stayed in the theater for 2 months, but he can sense some of the folks here have a red aura of hostility. Those are the people he avoids as much as possible, but the man infront of him is more calmer and chill. Like touching a chilled glass of water after walking in the summer's heat for hours.

Khonshu removed the cap from his hat, looked at it for a second and extended his arm. The elder just stared at the item infront of him, and then to Khonshu.

"Here, take this." Khonshu said, pushing the hat closer.

"You're kidding right?" The elder said. Unsure and now a bit suspicious. Khonshu can sense it, but he is not offended.

"I'm not trying to gain your favor, if anything I'm repaying you from when you pointed out where that bathroom is, and the fact that you talked to me without saying anything insulting." Khonshu said.

"I was just being nice kid." The man tried to explain.

"Yes, that too. Not everyone is nice here." He said.

"You should probably smile more kid. Don't' take this the wrong way but you have a real mean eye for someone so young. It makes other people think you're a jerk and invites trouble" The man said, he then took the baseball hat from the boy. "Sure, you won't need it?"

"I can buy another one." Khonshu assured the elder, who then tried it on.

"It fits just right, and the names Jonathan. But my friends call me Jones." Jones said.

Khonshu let himself smile a bit while watching Jones happy for his new hat. The elder noticed this little slip though.

"Well what do you know, you can smile after all." Jones said cheerfully.

Khonshu quickly put his face to a frown after hearing that.

Jones saw this and wondered if the kid has intense trust issues.

Too bad, it's a pleasant smile to be honest. Jones thought. "I'm just teasing, but thanks a lot for this. You plan on waiting here?" He says.

Khonshu looked at the entrance to the Attic and replied "I don't think so, they might be gone for the whole day and it's annoying to wait for them for 8 hours. I'll just be back." he said.

"Whatever works for you kid. I'll tell them when I see them. I didn't get your name though." Jones asked. He overhead the other kids call him something but it's not very clear to him.

"...It's K. Just K." Khonshu replied. Zeke and Fran already knows about his real name, unless there's other boys named K.

"K huh? Thanks K." Jones said. Khonshu left after that, even letting himself smile a bit as he waved goodbye. To which Jones just smiled back, happy to see the kid look a bit less constipated now.

Though as Khonshu walk down the main Theater stairs, he can feel some eyes looking at him. He can also feel an undertone of hostility and jealousy in the air that wasn't there earlier. Khonshu suspects that they saw him give his hat to that elderly man.

He walked faster, trying to get away as fast as he can. But once he reached the ground floor, he felt a shift on the jealous eyes, it's now directed to a man sitting close to the Attic entrance.

Khonshu quickly turned around and headed back. He ran straight back up, and breathed in relief when he saw that Jones is still there.

"Hey kid, you forgot something?" Jones asked, a bit surprised to see Khonshu again.

The god carefully looked around, trying to keep it as low-key as he can. On the corner of his eye, he can see some folks looking at him in the back, and he knows that some of them are slowly growing malicious thoughts. Thoughts that he knows will be enacted.

The god can also feel a dark weight on their chest. Some of these folks have killed before with no remorse, and can do it again. The god is now wondering if they did and hid the body in the walls, that could explain the horrible smell near the bathroom.

Khonshu quickly tried to think of something and remembered the Attic. "You can't stay here Jones" He said lowly to the elderly man, low enough that no one can hear him. The man in question looked confused, "What? Why?" he said. Khonshu tried to pull the older man up, beaconing him to stand. "Some people here wish to bring you harm, it's not safe for you to stay in the open." Khonshu said.

Jones let the boy tug his shoulder, but he eventually pushed himself up. Still confused.

"Why? Is it because this place is full of hobo's?" He asked. Khonshu is now happy that Jones is cooperating and said"Some of the people here saw me giving you the hat, and now they are jealous. Jealous enough to want to harm you for it." the boy explained. "You can come with me to the Attic, you'll be safer there." he said and started leading Jones to the base of the stairs.

"This is going to take some time son, my knee isn't what they used to be." Jones joked as they started climbing. Khonshu helped the older man slowly climb up the stairs. Once they reached the top, Khonshu led him to one of the sofa closest to the stairs.

"Will your friends be fine with me crashing at your place?" Jones asked once he is seated, looking a bit tired from climbing.

"Tell them I brought you here." Khonshu said, "You have anything you need from downstairs?" he asked.

"Can you bring my sandwich and thermos in here? Maybe even my water bottle." Jones said. Khonshu went back down and looked inside the makeshift tent that is Jone's quarters. He found a paper bag and looked inside. There was a packed sandwich, and a thermos inside, so the boy picked it up. Khonshu looked around to see if there are any water bottles. He did found what looked like one, but it contains a yellowish liquid inside. The god realized it is a pee bottle. Regardless, Khonshu took that too and went back upstairs.

"Thanks K. Sorry about the bottle, but it beats walking to the bathroom every time and I'm not as young as I was anymore." Jones said, but Khonshu waved it off. The boy god said his goodbyes and was about to go down the stair again when he heard footsteps coming from the bottom of the stairs

Zeke and Fran is seen ascending the stairs, busy talking until there reached the top. It was then that they noticed Khonshu standing there.

"K?" Zeke said. Khonshu just replied with a short hello.

"Hey yourself. What are you doing here? I'm actually happy to see you, but we thought you ditched us months ago." Zeke said, moving to the sofa. Then he noticed the old man sitting on his spot.

"Who are you?" He asked. The man introduced himself, "I'm from downstairs, I don't know if you remember me, but I stay on the hallway."

"I know him, he sometimes gives me directions." Fran said, recognizing the old man. "But what are you doing here?" he asked. Jones just pointed to Khonshu, "He brought me here, saying that I'm in danger if I stay downstairs."

"Really?" Fran asked. Khonshu had to explain about his suspicions.

"Aren't you getting a bit paranoid K? And cool hat Mr. Jones" Fran asked. Jones just salutes with his new hat.

"We don't know any of the people here, and I can feel their glare when I walked here with new clothes.. I'm not taking any chances with Jones. He can stay here for a while until their jealousy dies down enough that they will not do anything drastic to him" Khonshu said.

The other 2 boys just stares at Khonshu, Fran is unsure but Zeke looks a bit more understanding. "I get what you mean K." Fran just looks at Zeke when he said this, "You do?" the former said.

"Yeah," Zeke said, he continued, "Some of these people are homeless but not all of them are nice like Jones. I'm sure there are a few who have murdered someone. Anyone can come here, even those with a shady past" he said. "Anyway, where the hell where you K? Suddenly you're here and with new clothes. I didn't recognize you for a second." he said to Khonshu.

Khonshu stayed quiet for a second then said "I was injured and had to be admitted."

"What? Injured? You were away for 2 months". Fran said from where he is sitting. It's another chair they found.

"3 actually" Khonshu corrected, but no one listened.

"Your telling us that you were in the hospital the whole time? K what happened?" Zeke asked.

"It's nothing, what matters is that I'm fine here now."

Zeke is not taking it, he just glares at Khonshu's obvious lie. "Yes, it does. We were waiting for you for days and thought that you left, or died. What the hell happened to you? Were you shot or something?"

Khonshu only remain silent, but it is enough for Zeke to piece it together.

"You were really shot, where you?" Zeke pretty much demanded

Khonshu look a closed-mouth breath and said calmy, "I got involved in some rough activity, by rough I mean a lady tried to kidnap me. I had to stay low after that since she could have followed me back here and to you guys. She even tried to hunt me down when I got away." he said. The god is aware that he is bending the truth a little but he is not keen on telling about his powers.

"Thats..It's still stupid of you to just hide without any warning for 3 months." Fran said. "but I didn't know you cared about us that much. Are you sure you're not just making that up? You might have just been taken in by some rich dude."

Khonshu sneared at that, "If I was, then that dude would kick me out after a day." He said.

"I don't know, you have the attitude of those upper-class pricks. They might see you as one of their own." Zeke commented.

"Well, I don't. There's a reason I left. Anyway, things have calm down and It's safe for me to come back now." Khonshus said.

"Are you sure K? That lady that grabbed you, she might have friends in high places, or part of something bigger." Zeke said. Fran just looked at Zeke, "How would you know that?"

"I'm not part of a ring or anything. But I hear plenty from the streets. Drugs, prostitutes, kidnapping, you name it there is bound to be an underground trade somewhere, especially here in New York or any big city. And they learned to be very smart, like getting the backing of big names and even bigger money so they can hide whenever one of their men are arrested. I hear enough to know who to avoid and when to back out."

This is a bit of a shock to Khonshu and anyone. Jones though piped in with his own thoughts.

"The boy here is right about the underground. I know a few people who are deep into this, and they need to be both ruthless and smart. If they are caught by the police or anyone and got away. They are hunted by their own gang. Dead man tell no tales after all." Jones chimed in, he then directed his eyes at Khonshu. "Whatever happened to get you involved, I hope you managed to get out kid. That's dangerous turf you're stepping into." he said.

"Well, technically, they think I'm dead." Khonshu explained.

"You...faked your own death? That's pretty hardcore. But how did you pull that off?" Zeke asked.

Khonshu is now internally debating on how he will explain, he really does not want to explain everything. Especially the whole ghost and zombie's thing.

"It's a bit complicated, but they were really dumb enough to be fooled." He said.

Fran looked at Khonshu for a second before saying, "Either that or you are just way too pretention and smart. Like you have a way of making people feel dumb just by standing there."

"Heh, like some brain vampire. But instead of blood, it sucks your smarts." Zeke said, joining in.

"Glad to know that you two haven't changed." Khonshu said, but there is a very small hint of fondness there. One that the god will keep denying.

"We're just glad to know your alive." Fran said, he had his doubt when Khonshu didn't come back after a week. He took another look at the younger boy and noticed something new.

"Hey K, what happened to your eyes? It looks more, paler now." he said, now seeing the more whitish hue on Khonshu's irises and pupils, making it look more like round grey balls now.

"Oh this, my eyes were badly irritated from being exposed to toxic gas. Now it looks like this." Khonshu said casually.

"Toxic gas?" Now Fran is the one sounding alarmed. He is even more disturbed that Khonshu is not taking this seriously.

"That lady who tried to kidnap me, she threw it when I was trying to escape. It's another reason why I stayed in the hospital for some time. My eyes needed to recover but it's pretty much completely fine now." Khonshu said,

Zeke didn't believe it, "How many fingers am I holding up." he said. This only annoyed Khonshu, "I can see you lifting 3 fingers Zeke, and I can see that your being ridiculous right now. I also saw that there are more furnitures now. Including that Viking helmet on the table." He said. Zeke directed his attention to the viking helmet now, ignoring Khonshu's annoyance.

"Oh this? I found it while searching those boxes." Zeke said as he picked up the helmet and put it on. "Look, I'm Thor, God of thunder!" He said, even striking a pose.

Khonshu though is anything but impressed, "You look even more ridiculous now Z." This made Fran laugh, "Told you look stupid, Even K there agrees with me." He said.

"You two are no fun." Zeke pouted as he took off the helmet and put it back on the table. "So. You ate lunch yet?" He asked

Khonshu replied with "No, not since I got here". Zeke even invited Jones to come. "Since you're here anyway, you can come with us".

Unfortunately the older man declines. "As much as I want to, My knees are killing me. You kids just go ahead."

"Oh," Zeke looked a bit down, but got over it, "No problem, I'll bring you something to eat." He said. Jones saluted them as the 3 left.

"So, how was your first time in the hospital?" Fran asked as they walked down the street.

"It's not the first time. Just here in New York, but it cleaner than where I was staying, a bit too sterile but not unpleasant. It just gets way to stagnant and boring after 3 months of nothing to do there." Khonshu said, giving a short brief of what he experienced. Honest enough that Fran will stop asking.

Fran agreed with the clean bed, "yeah, they had to since it's a hospital and all. Health reasons. I bet they even gave you a sponge bath too." He said. Now realizing that Khonshu smells like pine.

"If they did then I was sleeping, or blind due to my eye surgery." Khonshu commented. "Oh yeah, your eyes. I'll have to get used to it. It makes your glare less intense, but the pale color makes it a bit more, how can I describe it. Surreal? A bit ghosty and creepy now." Fran said.

Khonshu raises an eyebrow at this. "I'll keep that in mind Fran. But I feel like nothing has changed." He said.

"Well, now that your out now. You still plan to keep taking gigs now? Not that I don't want you to, it's just that you were shot before. And by the way, where were you shot?" Fran asked now, he knows that bullet wounds have scars so there should be one on Khonshu's body.

Khonshu quickly debated on what to say and settled for saying his hip only. "My hip" he answered.

Fran eye's widened at this. "Your hip? You don't have any problem walking now?" he asked.

"I did before, I had to do weeks of the required physical therapy so I can walk without any trouble or pain." Khonshu replied.

"If you say so." Fran said, he can see that his friend is walking normally, as if he doesn't have any injuries. But Fran is doubtful and would want to see proof, he just want to make sure Khonshu isn't lying. Fran only know the boy for 2 months, but he already knows about the Khonshu's closed off personality on some parts of his life, like his family and past in general.

"Hey K, which hip is it anyway? Can you show the scar?" Fran said.

Khonshu looked at Fran for a while, but the god decided to play along so Fran will finally stop asking. The boy god lifted his shirt and showed what looks like a pink spot on his hip. Both scars from the bullet wounds remain, the other one is on his forehead but Khonshu adjusted his bangs to cover it.

"Shit, you weren't kidding about that. Does it hurt?" Fran asked. Khonshu shook his head as he pulled down his shirt, "Not anymore. Physical therapy took longer since according to the medical experts, I broke my hip bone from the injury. It's a bit sore if I put too much effort on my hip though but overall tolerable" he explained.

Fran looked satisfied that Khonshu was telling the truth. Zeke suddenly turned around, "Hey guys, I have a quick stop to make. You can go without me if your still hungry." he said. Khonshu looked at Fran, waiting for the other boy's input before saying, "I'm not that hungry Zeke, I don't mind accompanying you." He said.

Fran also agreed that he is not in a hurry and can wait. Zeke didn't expect them to want to go with him but went along with it. "Okay then, let's take a turn here. He's a little late so we will have to wait a bit." He said and lead them a little distance away.

The three then waited in a shaded alley. The type of place where secret transactions and meetings are most likely to happen.

"So, who's your friend?" Fran asked. He is not one to pry on Zeke's questionable contacts, but now that he is here, Fran would want to know.

"He's an old client of mine. He usually asked me for some favors, usually updates on this part of town. Gossip and other news that don't make it in public." Zeke said.

"So, you're an his informant?" Khonshu asked.

"Yeah. Something like that." Zeke said. Then he looked down for a while, like he is debating on what to say. Then he looked up. "K, when you didn't come back after a month. I kinda asked my contact if he can find you. Or at least, get any news of a street kid that was captured." he said.

"You... asked him to look for me?" Khonshu asked, a bit taken.

Zeke just looked a bit embarrassed, but he continued. "I was worried that you might be kidnapped and experimented by Hydra or something. Anything can happen here, so I had to do something. And my contact is known to have friends in many places, even knows some of the heroes."

Fran is also surprised that Zeke did this behind his back, "When did you do this? I didn't even know that you got help." he said.

"I wanted to keep this low, not get much attention. I don't know what exactly is happening so any news is good" Zeke explained. Fran just looked annoyed, "Still, you could just tell me about this last month."

"Sorry 'bout that but I don't want to scare you, and I wasn't sure about his myself. K isn't the first kid to have just disappeared without any trace and I know that it is out of my league." Zeke said. But Fran is still annoyed and a bit mad.

"I'll buy you ice cream, and a burger to make up to you. My treat." Zeke said, hoping that it would bribe Fran to stop being mad.

Khonshu thought, doesn't know how to feel about this fact. Zeke was actually worried about him and wanted to find him.

It's usually the opposite, they would want to get rid of the god any chance they got. The only reason they didn't is because Khonshu would find a way to make sure they don't just back-out immediately. Not that it helps, it would only fuel the growing resentment towards the god, one that Khonshu is very much aware of from the beginning.

"You shouldn't have done that Zeke." Khonshu said.

"Why?" Zeke said, confused. But then he said "If you going to do that whole, I don't deserve this, reason. Then don't. I'm doing this because I want to."

Khonshu is not affected, he chuckled a bit like it is a big joke. "Trust me when I say that finding me is never worth it. Not that I'm complaining, but you have a good life, don't waste it.."

This only made Zeke mad. "Now who says that huh? I care about you and want to make sure that my friend is still alive. If you think that you're not worth saving, then that's your problem. Not mine. I'm doing my own thing so don't go telling me what to do or feel." He said.

Fran also pitched in, "I care about you too K, even if you can be a prick sometimes. But I don't know what to do. As much as I find it annoying and dangerous, Zeke is... more experienced and capable than me."

"Now you're just putting yourself down Fran. Your great." Zeke tried to reason. It's bad enough that Khonshu is being a massive edge lord, Zeke does not want another negative nancy around. He went on, "Compared to Khonshu here.."

"Zeke...Don't say my name in public!." Khonshu quickly whisper yelled, shocking the other two.

"What? Oh yeah, forgot about your beef with that. Sorry K" Zeke said. Khonshu took a light breath, knowing that he is overreacting "You can just call me Constantine if anyone asked, I used that name when I was hospitalized." he said.

"Constantine huh? A bit of a mouthful, but sure. It matches your dramatic personality. Is that with a C or K? I'm used to calling you K so maybe it can be Konstantine." Zeke said.

"I'm not that dramatic." Khonshu said back, "But that can work, Konstantine". Zeke then teased him again for picking a long name.

After a minute, the 2 are now bored and are talking about mundane things. Khonshu though is still tense from when Zeke said his real name. The boy god knows that his other self is now around, and he is not taking any chances.

Khonshu sees that the other's are occupied, so he decided to scout the vicinity to try and see if his other self is around. The god leaned back and closed his eyes to expand his senses. But instead of seeing the whole city, he is focusing something smaller and dampening his own powers so he will only sense the souls, not get a high definition image in his head. This is so that he won't be detected by most supernatural or divine beings nearby. On the outside it looks like he is just taking a quick nap.

After a second, Khonshu can sense the souls of his companions. Then he scouted the surrounding block. The god can also sense the souls of the inhabitants in the nearby buildings, and the pedestrians passing by. But nothing divine or like his own.

So far so good, but just to be sure...

Khonshu did one more sweep of around block and went a bit beyond his limit. Just to the next 2 block.

Wait a minute...

He suddenly felt something familiar, he quickly retreated a bit in case it might detect him. But nothing happened Khonshu so he looked again. The soul is coming closer. Khonshu feels that he should know it, but it just doesn't ring a bell for some reason. He looked again, closer this time and adding more energy so he could get a silhouette of it. Picking it apart to see the features, and get the overall shape of it. He can now see that the soul is wearing a jacket, a hat, and in a fast-moving vehicle.

A truck maybe? No This vehicle is smaller...

Then it hit him like a truck.

Khonshu instinctively opened his eyes when he realized who this soul was. There are still differences, but the rest matches perfectly. He can still feel the soul stop a short distance away and walk casually on the sidewalk.

"K? Are you okay? You look like you saw a ghost." Zeke said. Fran is also looking at him now.

"It's nothing." he said but he is trying to calm his now frantic breathing. Then he thought of something. Khonshu quickly put his hand on his hip, the spot where the bullet hit to make it look like he is nursing his bullet wound.

Fran came closer and put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, your safe now K. No one's going to get you here. It's going to be fine" he said, trying to comfort his panicking friend.

"Thanks." Khonshu said, "That's most grateful." Slowly, he is calming down. The god is taking low but consistent breaths, and schooled his features to be more of his neutral and stoic look.

At the entrance of the alley, a sillouette of a man appeared and made a turn to enter the alley. His newsboy hat and jacket are now more obvious as he comes closer. Zeke waves a casual hello at the new guy. "Hi Jake, long time no see"

Jake greeted back. "Hey Z. Who are your friends?" he said, noticed one kid is leaning on the wall, while the other is patting his back. "Is he okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine." Khonshu managed to say. Behind his bangs, he is watching this universe's Jake. The hat and the jacket are a constant thing with the man, he decided. But Khonshu also noticed that this Jake is taller, and his nose is someone of European descent. Khonshu knows that the Marc Spector of his world have family origins mixed with the indigenous people of South America, with a little European in there. But the Jake in front of him though, have far more Caucasian features than indigenous. Though Khonshu is now focused on what is on the man's face.

What is that...thing on his mouth? It looks so fake.

Khonshu thought as he stared at the abomination plastered above the man's mouth. He knew that Jake wanted a moustache, but his world Jake prefers to grow one naturally than use a fake one. The god remembers the arguments Jake and Marc has over growing one.

Khonshu looked down before the man can't tell that he was being looked at. Fran is also staring at Jake, trying to get a read on him but Khonshu knows that Jake is not that easy to read. At least, you can't tell what exactly is in he is truly thinking since there are other factors inside his head.

Still, the god don't know how much this Jake is similar or different to the Jake he knows in his home. It is taking a lot of his non-existent self-control to not just approach Jake and say something, anything. The god also realized that technically, Marc Spector and Steven Grant are also infront of him.

He does not know if it is making it better or worst.

Fran is still holding his shoulder. The god found it to be really grounding and helps keep his emotions in check.

"So these are my friends..." he heard Zeke say. The god looked up and saw Jake looking at him. There is no recognition, or acknowledgement. Not even a small hint of resentment, anything. Just nothing.

It should not have hurt as much as it should.

Jake waved hello, looking way more carefree and relaxed than what Khonshu is more used to. Fran waved and said hi, but Khonshu choose to not say a word. The Khonshu if this world might use the same verbal habits and mannerism that the Jake infront of him might detect.

"He's a shy one, not one to just trust strangers." Zeke said, seeing that Khonshu is guarded for some reason. Zeke just went back to Jake, "Anyway, remember that one favor I asked?"

"You mean a possible kidnapping group? Sorry but no news for now. Beside that raid just 2 months ago. It turns out it was going on for months before it was uncovered. There was even magic involved, that's how it managed to stay underground for so long, but the cops got lucky and found a loose end to exploit. A ton of folks got arrested, even the State Attorney" Jake explained.

"Oh. Well, thanks anyway. No one is going to miss them." Zeke said. Jake agreed but warned that not all the suspects were arrested.

"Word is that their organization goes even deeper. What the cops caught was just the tip of the iceberg, and the other members are just hiding in plain sight." Jake said, that last part is told in a more serious tone.

"So. Basically, it's still dangerous here. Nothing new then." Zeke said casually.

"It wouldn't be the New York we know and love if it didn't have it's own set of dangers." Jake agreed. After that the man made his leave, saying that he has a job to do.

"Hope to see you again Z. And take care of yourself and your buddies over there." He said, but Jake glanced at the two other kids in the back. One with brown hair and the other have black with bangs covering his forehead. Jake can feel that the bangs kid is looking at him intensely. Even if the kid is trying to be discreet about it, Jake can feel judgmental eyes on him.

That feels familiar in a way, He thought as he left the alley.

Khonshu just listen to Jake's footsteps as the man walked away. Then the god let his own senses expand for a short while so he could sense Jake's soul. Then the soul stopped. Khonshu knows that the man is boarding his cab car. Now it is moving again, faster this time. The god kept his senses up until Jake is no longer within Khonshu's range.

"You didn't tell him that I was missing, or that you were looking for me." Khonshu said after a minute.

Zeke just lifted his shoulders and said, "I'm not one to just tell everything. It might be used against me. Jake is a nice guy, but I'm uncomfortable to just pour out all that I know."

"That's...a bit crazy and paranoid of you. Is there anyone you truly trust here?" Fran asked.

Zeke just looks at them, "I trust you guy." he said. Fran though is not really convinced, "Right" he said sarcastically, "You didn't trust to tell me about Jake, and K here probably have more secrets than you do."

"Okay, so maybe I have my own set of secrets. But how about you Fran. I didn't bug you about your family." Zeke said.

Fran is not happy about that being brought up, but he stayed quiet when his own hypocrisy was mentioned.

"Let's just get lunch. I'm starving now." Khonshu said, wanting to change the subject. The 3 left feeling more down than normal.

Once they finished eating at a local diner, Khonshu had to ask Zeke, "So, how did you meet Jake?"

"Him? By accident, actually. I bumped into him one day and knocked over his coffee. I offered to buy him another one, but he waved it off, saying it's not a problem. He end up buying a burger for me." Zeke explained, Khonshu listened to this, and nodded.

Jake always had a soft spot around children. He thought.

The god remembers how aggressive his Jake got when they went after a pedophile, who was selling underage girls to rich men. It would make sense that this fondness towards the youth is a trait of this world's Jake Lockley.

Still, the god wished to never see run into this taller, more carefree Jake again. There is a sense of hollowness when the god is infront of the man. The last time the Khonshu felt that unpleasant was after his banishment, when his own family stopped listening to him no matter how many time he called. When he truly felt alone.

Khonshu decided to stay with the other two for a while, now including Jones. But now he is reminded that the theater doesn't have running hot water. After 4 days, the god is starting to miss a good hot shower, and he remembered that he didn't tell them of the apartment yet.

"Hey guys, I have somewhere to go and may be gone for a few days." he said.

Fran just looks at him, "You'll come back in one piece, right?" he asked, "Remember what happened last time you went out on your own."

"I know I disappeared for 3 months, but I'll be fine." Khonshu insisted.

Zeke is also not sure about this. "Everyone always says that, but I can't stop you from going K. Just be careful out there." He said. Fran though, looks at Zeke in confusion, "You are okay with K here going out again? He just got out of the hospital." he said.

"As much as I do get worried. K here knows a lot of the New York layout. Like how you memorized all the streets more than I do?" Zeke asked.

Khonshu just said that he has a photographic memory. "I had to memorize a number of items that is practically outdated, or useless by today's standards. Anyway, I should get going." He spoke.

"Just, be careful K. And We need to get a phone next time so we can update on where we are." Zeke commented as the god child waved goodbye.

Once Khonshu have disappeared from the stairs, Fran looked at his friend and said, "You really think that K will be back?"

"He may try to hide it, but K likes us too much to not ditch. But if he doesn't show up after a week or two. Jake says that he knows a guy who can help find K for free." Zeke said. Fran just raised an eyebrow, "If he does, then why didn't Jake just call him 2 months ago." he said.

"Jake mentioned that the guy was too busy, but maybe he's free now." Zeke explained.