Back to the Dunes
Hiccups POV:
It has been six weeks since I got back from my dragon expedition and since then not much has happened. The only thing that's happened is my new dragons have made themselves at home and taken well to their new jobs. Champ now helps me practice my wrestling skills and helps Rubble crush large boulders faster, which has come in handy. For Furnace his flame has come in handy in the forge after I altered the forge a bit so it could withstand the heat of his flames. Marina spent her time in the waters playing with Kal when she wasn't helping me fill up jars of her saliva. I spoke to Gothi about it and now I supplied six jars of the saliva to her every month. With Stone Tooths help I was able to make a large marble circular room with stone pillars holding up the roof. Freya and the fireworms had turned this room into their own nest, which thanks to vents I set up in the room that lead around the house the heat they gave off warmed the entire building on the cold nights. I mostly had it all pumping into my Mayan jungle since things got pretty hot there and my jungle plants needed the heat. Speaking of my jungle it has come in completely so with the added heat when I walked in it felt as if I was back in the jungle especially after I released my poison dart frogs. The jungle was absolutely great for flying practice since we had to keep changing directions to avoid hitting things.
These days I mostly spent my time drawing up designs for some home improvements like new buildings and possibly expanding my ship shed to store a few more ships. I was kept busy with other things of course like how my crops have finally come in so my dragons, animals and me were kept busy for a week with collecting all the fresh food for storage. I had so much food now there was no chance I would ever run out of food for at least year unless I was robbed or my dragons got into the food storage. It's for that very reason that I replaced the wooden door to the food storage room with a reinforced gronkle iron one. There was no possible way my dragons were getting through it.
I was now reloading my long expedition ship for my trip back to Egypt to use the amulet I got from Hermes to set up a door so I could easily come and go from Egypt whenever I wanted but I first have to see if I have the blessing of the Egyptian gods. Even if it didn't work however at least I would be able to enjoy a trip to Egypt. I wasn't going to visit the Mayans now since presently it was the rain season and the waters could be dangerous at this time. On this trip I was just bringing Toothless since he comes on all my trips, Scaulder since he pulls the ship and Dune since I knew he would love the desert. I had already sent Gobber three wagonloads of Gronkle iron and Gothi got a barrel of Marina's saliva. I figured it would hold them over till I got back from Egypt.
I looked over the railing of my ship as we left the dock as I waved to my dragons and animals that had come to see us off. When they were out of sight I closed my eyes and enjoyed the feel of the ocean air in my face. I knew it would still take a while before we reached the Egyptian waters so I figured I might as well just enjoy the wave of calmness that travelling or flying always brought me. I closed my eyes and let my mind wonder away.
Three weeks later
I could finally see the lighthouse of Alexandria signaling that I have finally arrived at my destination but it was pretty late since it was sundown. As we pulled into the dock where I saw a small group of guards coming up to what I assume was to greet me since Asim was at the front of them with a smile on his face. When we docked I let my gangplank down and as I walked down Asim walked up and said.
"Hiccup! It is so good to see you my friend." I smiled at him.
"It's good to see you to Asim but may I ask what the group of guards is for?"
"Queen Cleopatra requested us to bring you to her throne room as soon as you had docked."
"Not that I'm questioning the queens authority but why?"
"I don't know and it was not my place to ask."
"I understand Asim. Let's get going." He nodded before he led us away from the dock.
It didn't take us long to arrive at the palace and when we arrived there was a row of guards at either side of the staircase. We made our way up the stairs towards the large while I wondered what Cleopatra wanted but then again she probably just wants to welcome me back. I just hope she wasn't going to try and convince me to sell Nimla to her again because that was beginning to get annoying. We made our way through the long halls only to end up in a large room with a large group of who I assume were servants playing instruments as some danced against the right wall. In the center was a large table covered in plates which were full of different types of food and at the end of the table Queen Cleopatra herself smiling at me. She held her arms open and gestured me forward as she said.
"Hiccup Haddock! It is wonderful to see you and your dragons again." I bowed to her.
" Thank you your majesty. It is wonderful to see you again to."
"Please sit and join me for dinner. We have much to talk about since a lot has happened since we last saw each other." I nodded before I took a seat at the table.
2 hours later
We had finished dinner an hour ago but we were now in the palace sitting room talking. I was resting on a couch with Toothless to my right and Dune to my left. In front of us was a stone table with a gold chalice of wine I was served and on the other side of the table lying on a lounger was Cleopatra with a gold chalice of wine in her hand. I had just told her about my 'vacation' in Greece and she was looking at me with a look of admiration before she said.
"I see Hiccup Haddock. You had quite a few adventures in Greece but I was told you also kidnapped Cerberus from the underworld."
"Who in the world told you that?"
"A Greek trader whom I do business with from time to time came and told me of the twelve labors of Heracles and how he was forced to do these labors in service of his cousin King Eurytheus."
"I didn't do those things because of any cousin or king I've never met before in my life. I did it because I wanted to help the people the beasts terrorized or in the nemean lions case just wanted to survive."
"You are as noble as you are humble Hiccup but I must ask how you got to the underworld to bring back Cerberus?"
"I didn't go after Cerberus since I don't know how to get to the underworld, that beast would have killed me since it is said that even Hades has a hard time controlling him and finally if I did take him not only would that leave the gates of hell unguarded so who knows what could escape from hell plus there's no telling what Hades would do to me for taking his dog." Cleopatra giggled at this.
"True but do you have any idea why people assumed you took Cerberus?"
"People often saw me walking around with Maelstrom being led on a chain leash so they probably got confused at the sight of a multi-headed dog at my side and I guess rumors just spread."
"It's amazing how stories change as they are passed around isn't it."
"Agreed but seriously after everything in Greece I doubt anything will faze me in the future." She giggled at this.
"That is truly understandable with all those beasts you've faced." She took a sip of her wine. "Now if I may ask what brings you back to the land of the Nile?"
"I wanted to come and see if the gods of Egypt gave me their blessing and if not then to see if I can receive it." She giggled.
"I would say you have their blessing after all you've done for Egypt."
"But what have I truly done for Egypt?"
"Are you serious Hiccup Haddock? You saved my life and brought down the man who was responsible for the attempts on my life, you captured raiders, who my guards have been after for months, you supplied my guards with weapons that are made of a material far superior to our own and you sealed the tomb of a long deceased man which is a great sign of respect to Anubis. If that's not enough you dedicated yourself to learning how to read hieroglyphics, speak our language, learn our customs and our culture all out of respect. If this does not please our gods I don't know what will."
"I guess you're right but only time will tell."
"Indeed but now I must retire for the night and I believe it would be best if you did the same in your own house."
"I agree your majesty. Goodnight." She gave me a nod before we parted ways.
Five days later
It has been five days since we arrived and not much has happened. The only things that have happened is I was able to sell some of the gronkle iron weapons I brought with me, I've trained with some of the guards and avoided some of the daughters of noblemen who wanted to 'talk' with me but other than that nothing much has happened. There was one thing that was bothering me however. My pendant wasn't working on opening up a new portal, which means I had yet to receive the gods blessing but I didn't mind since it wasn't that big, a deal for me since I needed to get my ship back home anyway. The only problem was when I looked out to the desert I saw a shining in the distance and hear a strange voice calling out to me. It was due to this I was where I was now.
I was with Toothless and Dune in my desert armor, stocking up on supplies for a trip into the desert. I was hoping I would find the answer to why my pendant was acting so strangely. I had Toothless and Dune with me to help in the desert and more than enough water for all of us with food. I turned back to my house one last time before we took off towards the desert. I smiled as I felt the hot desert sun on my face as I looked down at the sand dunes as we flew over them. I admit this was pretty beautiful in its own way but I was hoping to find what that voice that kept calling me was. All I really knew was there was definitely something out here in the desert for me to find.
5 hours later
We were taking a break at an oasis we found and I have to say it was nice after flying in the desert heat for so long. Toothless and Dune were swimming in the water of the small lake of the oasis enjoying the feeling of the water against their scales while I sat down on the waters edge watching them as I enjoyed the shade of a tree. I laid back with my arms behind my head while I looked up at the sky through the leaves of the tree as the sun came down on me. I closed my eyes and let my mind wonder to my time here in Egypt. I was however brought out of my thoughts by the sound of a cough coming from behind me in the distance. I got up and looked behind me to see someone in the distance but it was too far for me to properly see. I pulled out my spyglass to get a better look but when I saw what it was I dropped my spyglass and ran towards it. The thing in the distance looked to be an elderly man who was on his hands and knees right now and when I got closer my suspicions were confirmed. It was an elderly man who was bald and dressed in old yellow robes. I kneeled down in front of him as he looked up at me before holding his hand out and begging.
"Water! Water!"
I pulled out my water flask and held it out to him. He took the flask and held it to his mouth before he began gulping it down as if his life depended on it. When he pulled the flask away it was completely empty as the old man licked his lips and smiled at me.
"Thank you young man. I haven't had a drink of water in hours."
"It's my pleasure sir but may I ask what you're doing out here all alone?"
"I was on my way to a small village to visit my children and their families but my camel was killed by some wild jackals on the way here. I was lucky to get away with my life and a small flask of water which ran out."
"Well there's an oasis close by if you want to refill it and if you like I'd be more than happy to take you to the village to see your family."
"I would like that but I'm still too weak to walk to the oasis."
"Don't worry! I'll carry you there if that's what you need."
"I'd appreciate it."
Without hesitation I picked him up and carried him to the oasis where my dragons were waiting. The elderly man leaned back into me before in fear before I assured him they wouldn't hurt him and that they were with me. He seemed to calm down a bit but kept his eyes on them as I put him down in front of the water. He took his own flask out and began to refill it as I watched the water. As I looked at the water I noticed something coming towards us but the elderly man didn't seem to notice. When it was near the elderly man I saw it was a crocodile that was about to attack the elderly man so I ran up to him and pulled him away from the water just as the crocodile came out to bite him. The elderly man quickly crawled back from the water as the crocodile began to leave the water as I hopped in between it and the elderly man. The crocodile looked up at me before snapping its jaw and advancing towards me before I took out a hand full of dried meat from my satchel and tossed it into the crocodiles open mouth. The crocodile closed its maw and backed up into the water before swimming away. I turned back to the elderly man and asked.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine thank you and thank you for saving me again."
"It was my pleasure but if your water flask is full then we should get going before our friend in the water decides to come back."
"Agreed! My family is most likely wondering where I am now but it is still a long walk to their home and I am still to weak to make it there on foot."
"Don't worry. Me and my dragons can fly you there if you like."
"I would appreciate it."
After that I helped him onto to Toothless and we were off with the elderly man acting as a navigator.
Half an hour later
We were still flying above the desert as the elderly man told me about his life. Apparently he's a sailor who only sailed during the day but found a place to rest at night. He always began travelling again at dawn but he has fought many enemies on his travels but he was always victorious. A venomous snake once bit him who's venom inflicted so much pain until one of his sons wife was able to take out the venom and bring an end to his pain. It was as I thought about the story that the elderly man said.
"This is far enough. I should be able to make it from here if you could just ask your dragon to land us."
I nodded before we came in for a landing. Once we landed I helped the elderly man off Toothless as he smiled at me but as we dismounted the ground began to shake slightly before we turned around. The sand was beginning to shift and lift before what looked like a large cats paw rose from it which looked to be made of hardened mud. It was then another paw rose from the ground and with it came a creature that was half the size of the red death had the body of a lion and the head of a man wearing a nemes which seemed to be part of the body which was completely made of dried mud. (AN: Picture the sphinx from the film Gods of Egypt with a gold and black snake at the front of the nemes) I recognized the creature as a sphinx from the books I've read about Egyptian creatures. I turned to the old man who said.
"I never knew a sphinx to be in the area."
"What do we do?"
"We must answer its riddle or perish." The sphinx looked down at us before it growled.
"Trespassers in the land of the sphinx! Answer my riddle or seize to be!" My dragons growled at it before the old man walked forward and asked.
"What is your riddle oh Sphinx?"
" I never was. Am always to be. No one ever saw me, nor ever will. And yet I am the confidence of all who live and breathe. What am I?" The elderly man rubbed his chin before looking up at the sphinx.
"You are order."
The sphinx roared before it lifted its paw to strike the elderly man who was backing up. As the paw came down I ran up and grabbed the back of the old mans robe before I pulled him back barely avoiding the paw of the beast. I pulled the elderly man towards my dragons that were running towards us to help. They blasted the beast in the face with a plasma blast and hardened ball of sand but that only enraged the beast. The elderly man looked at me and said.
"The only way to stop the sphinx is to answer the riddle correctly."
We barely dodged another paw as I repeated the riddle in my head before the sphinx took another swing at us. I ducked under the paw and rolled out of the way before the old man said.
"Just run away. I am the one who answered the riddle wrong so I shall be the one to pass."
"That's not happening! I will never allow someone to die if I can do anything to stop it." I jumped over another paw as it tried to swat me before Toothless hit it with another plasma blast making it roar in anger.
"I've lived a long life and will die happy. You on the other hand still have many years to look forward to."
"I'm sure you've also got a few more years left in you which is why I'm not going to let you die here."
"If that is how you feel then we must answer the riddle." I went over the riddle as I dodged the paw again before I realized the answer as I looked up to the angered face the sphinx and yelled.
"YOU ARE TOMORROW!"
The sphinx looked down at me with a frown and raised eyebrows before growling before it crumbled to dust. I walked up to the crumbled dust before I noticed something shining in the dirt. I walked over to it before dusting the sand off it to find a black and gold uraeus that was on the top of the sphinx's nemes. I picked it up and saw it to be the size of a large stone like the ones I normally launch from small catapults when training. I turned it around in my hands as I studied the snake before deciding it would make a good souvenir from this battle before I turned to face the elderly man who was smiling at me and chuckling as he gently clapped his hands together.
"Most impressive Hiccup Haddock."
"Thanks."
"You could have just left me to die but instead you stood and fought the sphinx before answering its question."
"Well I can't say the same for the riddle but I'm sure anyone else would have done the same when it came to protecting you."
"No they wouldn't have. You are humble, intelligent, brave and kind hearted where others who were in your position would have fled in fear. As for the fortune you posses and your achievements most would consider themselves better than others but you never let it define you."
"I haven't done that many great things." I began walking to my dragons to stow the uraeus in the saddlebag.
"Oh really now? Then what do you call killing the red death, training creatures which were long thought to be mindless beasts, raising a Bewilderbeast, slaying a man eating anaconda along with all your labors in Greece under the name Heracles?" I turned to face the elderly man with a raised eyebrow.
"How do you know so much about me?"
"I've been keeping an eye on you ever since you arrived in Egypt for the first time."
"Who are you?" He smiled at me.
"You already know who I am but like all other mortals you will never know my true name."
It was it was at that moment out of nowhere a blinding sandstorm appeared as my dragons ran to shield me with their wings. Strangely enough as quickly as it came it vanished just as quickly but now the elderly man was gone. I looked around and saw no trace of him whatsoever but there was only a basalt tablet on the ground. I dusted off the sand to see what it said. I looked down at the slab, which read.
'Dear Hiccup
Today was your final test from the gods of Egypt to see if you were a mortal worthy of our time. Should you be curious of the things you did which drew our attention to you then simply look back to all you have done for our people in Egypt. You saved the pharaoh, unmasked the mastermind behind the attacks, supplied the guards with weapons made of a material superior to their own, helped develop inventions to aid the mortals, captured bandits who had slain many an innocent life, you sealed up a tomb giving the soul who inhabited it peace and the ability to pass on, you returned an ancient treasure to its rightful place and you never accepted to bed any girl knowing you could not commit to them. Today you faced a test of the heart by helping an elderly man without a moment's hesitation and expected nothing in return. Then came the true test when the sphinx rose from the sands and it attempted to kill me you did not hesitate to raise your sword in my defense. Even after I told you to flee and leave me to die you stayed to protect me even though I gave the appearance of an old man with few years left while you still had many to look forward to. It is for these reasons we give you these gifts. You have many challenges ahead of you and through each of them may all the gods watch over you young dragon rider and may you ride like the sun rises from the east.
That was where it ended with only the symbol of Ra as a signature before I looked up as the wind began to blow the sand away revealing a stone stand with a basalt tablet. Before I could reach it however I felt my arm begin to hurt as if the sands of the desert were tearing off my skin. When it stopped I looked at my upper right arm and saw a tattoo circling around my arm like the one I got from the Greek gods but this one was a different pattern and had an Egyptian ankh in the center. Toothless and Dune walked up to me in concern but I just rubbed their heads telling them I was fine before turning my attention back to the table.
On this table was what looked like another basalt tablet, two golden falcons' necklaces around their necks with one falcon possessing a turquoise gem for its left eye and the other a sun stone for its right eye and next to them were two chests. I walked over to the table and opened up the first chest with writing on the lid. It read 'Here is a small piece of Egypt for your island' I opened it up and found what looked to be a piece of something made of clear blue crystal. I put it back into the chest before turning to the other and reading the inscription on its lid that read 'When these two are brought together and the light of Sekhmet shines through Horus the power of the suns light shall be brought forth'. I lifted the lid and found two jewel statues looking up at me. They were resting on Egyptian cotton in indents shaped like them most likely to avoid damaging them. One was made out of blue gemstone and shaped to look like the head of the Egyptian goddess Sekhmet the lion headed warrior goddess of healing while the other was made out of green gemstone and looked like the head of the Egyptian god of the sun Ra. I took them out of the case and examined each one carefully but from what I could tell they were perfectly normal. I carefully put them back in the case before I turned to the falcon statues. I examined each of them but from what I could tell they were just normal gold statues until I noticed the hieroglyphics on their necklaces. I examined the inscription on the falcon with the sunstone and read.
"Take flight my eyes of Horus and fly to…" The inscription stopped there but I figured I needed to set a destination so I finished with. "The great hall on the island of Berk."
After that I jumped back in fright as the statue literally came to life and flew upwards before flying away so fast that I couldn't even see it other than a small gold glimmer in the distance which lasted only a few seconds. I then turned to the remaining falcon hoping his inscription could answer what just happened. I looked at the hieroglyphics on the necklace and read.
"Show me what your brother sees!"
It was then the turquoise gem glowed brightly before projecting a light out like the dragon eye did against a nearby rock and much to my surprise it showed me an image of the inside of the great hall from the rafters. I looked closely at the screen and saw my dad at a table talking with Gobber. When I saw him I couldn't help but mutter.
"Dad!"
It was as I finished the image seemed to close in on him allowing me a better view of my father and Gobber before I could here my dad say.
"I just don't know what to do Gobber. I've been trying to get closer to him but he's always either on that island of his or out exploring the world."
"Just give him time Stoick. The lads been stuck on Berk for most of his life since you never took him to any of those big chieftain meetings out of embarrassment so you can't really blame the lad for wanting to get out a bit more."
"I know Gobber but I'm beginning to think he was right about us holding him back. Do you think he really has all that stuff on his island that he claims he has?"
"You mean the riches, artifacts, books, inventions, animals, live stock and all that other stuff?"
"Yes Gobber I mean all that."
"Well it's hard to say since he doesn't allow anyone onto his island and he always makes it vanish before he leaves and even if he didn't his dragons wouldn't let us near it."
"That's true but I just want to know if he's lying to us."
"Listen Stoick I'll try to convince the lad to let at least me and you onto the island for a quick tour when he gets home."
"I hope you can Gobber."
"Trust me Stoick I know the lad well enough."
I admit I felt a little guilty for listening in on this conversation of theirs but this did explain what the falcons did and I admit it would definitely come in handy for spying on my enemies and keeping an eye on things at home when I wasn't there. I rubbed my chin in thought before asking myself.
"Now how do I call it back. Not like I can just say 'Return to me my falcon!'"
It was at that moment the projection stopped before I heard a brief flap of wings and felt a small breeze. I turned and saw the falcon had returned and had taken its place next to the other. I stared at the falcon for a moment before I shrugged and said.
"Well I guess that answers my question as to what I say to make them work."
I then turned to the tablet and picked it up examining it before looking at the front of it with the inscription noticing the golden eye of Ra with a sun stone center was on the bottom. I shrugged and decided I'd read it when I returned to back to Alexandria since I could see Dune was getting a little edgy which if past experiences on this trip have shown me it means a sand storm is approaching. I packed away the stuff in the saddlebags and we took off back to Alexandria.
2 hours later
We were now about five minutes from Alexandria when I spotted a large group of men surrounding an oasis, which had something colorful resting on its shores. I had Toothless take us in a little closer before I noticed one of the men waving his arms to call me down. I pulled out my spyglass to see who it was and saw it was Asim waving at me and gesturing with his hands for me to come down. As we came in for a landing one of the men whom I now recognized as guards ran off but the thing that caught my attention was that not all of them were Egyptian guards. Some wore armor I recognized as Roman guard armor that I once saw a merchant selling in Greece. I'm guessing this meant a high up nobleman of Rome was visiting Egypt to possibly discuss something with Cleopatra and I figured the reason they were out here was because at times Cleopatra does like to get out of the palace at times to enjoy the desert Oasis's. When we had landed Asim ran up to me smiling and said.
"Hiccup it is good to see you out here. Have you had any excitement out here in the desert."
"Asim my friend you have no idea how crazy this trip has been."
"You must tell me about it sometime when we have returned to Alexandria."
"I will but that brings up the question as to what you're all doing out here and who are the other guards."
"We are here to guard the queen along with visiting emperor Julius Caesar who has come from Rome to discuss business with the queen. They decided to do business here at this Oasis to enjoy some of Egypt's true beauty."
"I can understand that Asim." It was then the guard who ran off came back and whispered something in Asims ear before Asim turned back to me.
"Queen Cleopatra and Julius Caesar wish for you to join them at their table Hiccup." I was slightly shocked at this before I shrugged.
"Well I can't disobey the queen of Egypt or a visiting ruler." He nodded before he began to escort me to where they were.
When we arrived I saw a large red material canopy set up with a carpet under it, a large table which had many delicacies served on it. This was all set up in front of the blue waters of the oasis, which sparkled under the desert sun. Sitting at the right side of the table was Cleopatra in a white silk dress with gold lining, a gold necklace with a green emerald that resembled a cats eye around her neck and a gold bracelet. On the left side of the table sat a man with short hair wearing a white Tunic made from what I could tell was Egyptian linen with a purple Toga draped over it, a sword at his side and a laurel wreath upon his head like a crown. I had once read about how some Romans wear them as a sign of honor and accomplishment or as a crown to rulers and how the wreaths themselves were called corona. Cleopatra turned to face me and smiled before she stood up, opened up her hands and said.
"Welcome Hiccup Haddock! It is good to see you again so soon." I smiled at her and bowed.
"It's wonderful to see you to your majesty." She then turned to face Caesar.
"This is Julius Caesar! The emperor of Rome who is hear on a political visit." I bowed to him in greeting but his eyes were focused on my dragons before he turned to me.
"So you are the Hiccup Haddock Cleopatra has mentioned so much about and from what I've heard you also go by the name Heracles. It is a pleasure to meet you." I smiled at him.
"The pleasure is all mine lord Caesar."
"I have to say I am quite impressed with what you did in Greece under the name Heracles as tales of your exploits have even reached Rome."
"They have?"
"Indeed but I fear they may have been altered as they have been passed around. I was hoping you could tell me the true stories of what happened."
"I'd be happy to." It was then Cleopatra stepped in.
"Before you do please tell me Hiccup Haddock. How has your trip into the desert been?"
"Well it has definitely been one of my more interesting trips."
"How so?"
"Long story you majesty."
"Then please join us in our meal and tell us over lunch."
"I'd be happy to if it is alright with Lord Caesar." He just gave a nod but his gaze kept turning towards my dragons in a way that made me feel uncomfortable.
1 hour later
I had just finished informing them of my trip into the desert and by the looks on their faces I could tell they were both shocked and impressed by what happened, especially after I showed the gifts the gods had bestowed upon me. I already showed them what my two falcons could do by sending one back to the palace and per Caesars request also had it do a trip to his throne room in Rome. We also learned that they would only obey me since when both Caesar and Cleopatra tried the falcons didn't move an inch. As for the piece of crystal I informed them how I wasn't sure what it was for but I felt I could figure it out when I returned to my island to which they both just nodded. Presently Caesar was busy examining the two jewel statues I received while Cleopatra examined the tablet. Caesar turned the statue representing Ra in his hands and asked.
"What is it exactly they are meant to do to become a supposed weapon?"
"I don't really know yet since I've yet to have a chance to figure it out." It was then Cleopatra who was holding the tablet asked.
"Why did the gods give you a blank tablet?" I cocked an eyebrow at her in confusion since I saw writing on the tablet when I put it away.
"What are you talking about there is writing on it."
"No, there really isn't." She handed it back to me. "See it's blank!" I looked down at the tablet and saw plenty of writing on it ending with a gold eye of Ra that had a sunstone in the center.
"I can see words inscribed on it your majesty."
"Can you now? Then what do they say?" I looked down at the tablet and read.
"With the blessing of the gods of this land I summon the beast of the sky born from the Egyptian desert. Awaken from the sands under the watchful eye of Horus with the power of Ra I command you to come forth from these sands to strike terror into my enemies and protection for my allies, bring forth the winds of Egypt and the raging desert sands of war. I command you to bring forth the Sand Phantom!"
It was as I finished reading the final line the eye began to glow orange along with all the words as the tablet began to shake in my hands. My dragons walked in front of me and turned away from me and began to growl at a small sand island floating in the middle of the Oasis as if there was something there. I looked up at what they were growling at and saw the sand beginning to spinning in a small sand tornado on the island but I saw a bright orange glow coming from the inside of the tornado. It then began to look like something was beginning to take form. We all watched as the tornado seemed to shrink in on itself before forming into a ball of blowing sand then explode. I covered my eyes to block out the sand that came flying out at us before looking towards where the sand formed and standing there now was a what looked to be a sand statue of a species of dragon I had never seen before in my life. After recalling what the tablet said I assumed this dragon was a Sand Phantom. I then noticed that it had the eye of Ra glowing on its forehead before it slowly faded away.
It was then at that moment that its eyes opened before it raised its head to the sky and let out a roar that I'm sure could be heard by everyone in the area. I felt the tablet heat up again before I looked down at it and much to my surprise it turned into sand right in my hands leaving only the eye of Ra. Once it was completely gone I looked back up at the dragon who seemed to be shaking some sand off. I walked towards the dragon through the water hoping to get a better look but stopped when its eyes landed on me. I took note that its eyes looked as if they were made of glass, which kept changing color as the sunlight, hit them. (AN: Like a glass prism.) I admit that I felt a little uneasy with those eyes staring at me as if it were looking into my very soul. It walked up to me as I held completely still while Toothless and Dune kept their eyes on me ready to attack. Cleopatra and Caesar just watched in what I assume was fascination. It was at that moment that the dragon reached me and circled me and sniffed my body. When it came back to my front I held out my hand and turned my head before I felt smooth sand against it. I turned back and found the dragon with his nose against my hand as I smiled before it nuzzled my chest. I smiled and rubbed its head while taking note how its scales felt like warm sand before it pulled away and began to sniff before it sneezed releasing a burst of burning hot air at a small bush which quickly caught fire. After that I took him back to the shore where Cleopatra and Caesar were waiting for us alongside my dragons. When we reached the shore Caesar asked.
"What is that creature?"
"Well judging from what I read on the tablet I believe this dragons species is called a sand phantom but I think I'll name this one Heatwave because he was born in the desert heat." Cleopatra then walked up.
"An understandable name but I think it best you leave before the guards come to investigate the roar and may see your new dragon as a threat." I nodded before I put my stuff back into my dragon's saddlebags including the eye that was left from the tablet.
As we were up in the air I took a better look at Heatwave so I could get a more accurate image of him for the dragon eye. He was roughly the same size of a dragon I've heard of called a Rumblehorn, seems to have the wingspan of thirty-two feet in length, the scales were so small that they look like thin sand that sparkles in the sunlight, a large tail with an end shaped like a battle axe, four legs to walk on, eyes that resemble glass which change color as he turns them making the light shine through them, two horns on the side of his face and one horn on the very tip of his nose as well as one on his forehead. I was looking forward to unlocking his secrets in the future but I'm definitely going to be doing it here out in the desert to avoid hurting anyone by accident.
3 days later
Not much has happened with me since we got back from the desert. I've mostly been studying Heatwaves abilities in the desert and to say I was impressed would be an understatement. He didn't breath fire like most dragons but instead was able to blow hot wind like the desert and when combined with his large wings strength he is literally able to form desert twisters. The thing that surprised me the most about him however was the ability Ra bestowed upon him, which I knew, would come in handy. Heatwave could literally take his body apart and turn into nothing but sand and then move around in that form before returning back to his dragon form even going so far as being able to turn himself into a small sandstorm which he could reform his limbs in like his claws or head. He was also able to start sandstorms even when there wasn't any sand since he did this when we tested it on top of a large boulder which I had Toothless and Dune clear all the sand off of. I set up some training dummies and told Heat wave to show me what he could do before he flew up a bit and started flapping his wings towards them blowing tons of sand and when he stopped the dummies were buried under sand dunes. I did however notice a small risk in this tactic when I noticed his wings seemed to have thinned a bit but healed when he hopped into the desert sand and seem to absorb it into his body to heal himself. It just proved my beliefs that the sand phantom dragon was truly made of sand.
This was definitely going to help in the future since he would be able to merge with the sands on beaches to surprise my enemies. I knew this was an ability given to him by Ra because whenever he used it the symbol of Ra appears in the middle of his head. On another note the only other thing that was happening was I had opened a portal door in my houses basement and was successful. I wasn't planning to use it yet however since I still needed to return with my ship since I didn't want to leave it here but it was refreshing to know I could come and go to Egypt in an instant.
Another thing that has happened is I finished clearing things up about my labors in Greece for Caesar after he told me how they had changed before reaching Rome. Apparently the story now goes that I was the son of Zeus and as a baby strangles two snakes with my strength along with me doing twelve labors in service to my cousin as punishment for killing my wife and children. There is also the problem I was facing with the nobles of Alexandria since my tails of what happened to me in the desert and my meeting with the gods had spread through the nobles of Egypt like wild fire. This is a problem because when I first came to Egypt I had a little trouble with the nobles and their daughters. A few just tried to get in good with me because of Cleopatra but now that I have the blessing of their gods it was a nightmare. Everyday it was invitations to big parties, servants coming to invite me to dinner at the request of their master or mistress, parents were coming to talk either about how wealthy their families were or how wonderful their daughters were. There was even on guy who tried to hook me up with his ten-year-old daughter. I couldn't get a moments peace.
Finally, when I arrived back in Alexandria and entered my house I found one last gift from the Gods waiting for me. It was a female serpopard wearing a dark green nemes, a green and red Egyptian necklace with gold lining at the bottom of its neck while higher up on its long neck was a wide green necklace and on its tail was two gold rings and at the end dangled a green ankh. (AN: Look up Serpopard DnD 5e for an image of it but change the fur color to dark gold and take away the spots.) Her fur was dark gold and covered her legs, upper neck, head, tail and lower body while her back and upper legs were covered in smooth dark gold scales, which matched her fur and a large tuft of fur at the end of her tail. From a tablet I found with her I discovered she was a gift from the cat goddess Bastet. She saw how gentle I was with my jaguar cubs and how I always fed any stray cats I came across in the city so she rewarded my kindness by giving me a serpopard who would always be loyal to me. I admired the beauty she possessed and how her neck moved and flowed so gently like a river which is why I gave her the name Nylene after the Nile river which she took to quite well. She came in handy when it came to scaring off annoyances like noblemen since her roar was quite fierce as was her growl but most of the time she was an overgrown house cat even going so far as to rest her head in my lap and lay her body on the floor when I was reading in front of the fire.
Presently I was in my bedroom looking at my reflection in a mirror to make sure I looked good in my formal armor. The reason I was wearing my formal armor is because Cleopatra had invited me to a big banquet in the palace with all the nobles of Alexandria and Caesar so I wanted to look my best. I needed to look my best since I was going to a big ball tonight where every noble in Egypt was going to be. Normally I wouldn't bother going to these types of thing but this one was different since this one was being hosted by Cleopatra as a way of saying goodbye to Caesar who was returning to Rome soon and I couldn't say no to the queen. I turned to Nylene who was lying on my bed behind me and asked.
"Well what do you think?" She raised her head slightly but left most of her neck down as she tilted her head before extending her neck towards me and rubbed it against my chest. "I'll take that as a yes it looks good." I rubbed her head and muttered. "I just hope the nobles think so."
1 hour later
I was standing against the wall of the palace ballroom with a goblet of wine in one hand and Henite holding onto my other talking away to me. I tuned out most of what she was saying since I wasn't really that interested and I really wasn't into these big parties but it would've been rude to leave the party early so I just stuck to the wall while sipping my wine. More than a few nobles came up to me wanting to talk or socialize with me but I politely declined their offers. Then there was the problem I was facing with some of the girls here. They had used this big event as a way to flirt with me and try to get me into a marriage agreement with them so they could most likely get the same blessing as the gods. I did my best to turn them down politely and I admit most of them took it well but I could see in their eyes that they weren't done with me yet. It's not that they weren't attractive since they were each incredibly beautiful it was just that I wasn't interested in dating and some of these girls were up to five years older than me.
Then there was Henite who when she saw me immediately hooked her arm around mine before greeting me and began talking while doing her best to show off both her riches by showing off the jewelry she was wearing and her feminine allure by pressing her body up against my arm. I tried to shake her off more than once but she didn't leave since she seemed to possess the stubbornness of any Viking. It was then at that moment I saw something on the roof I moved forward towards it to get a better look at it before I saw it was a person who was pulling out what was unmistakably a bow. I quickly turned to a nearby guard and said.
"Guard there's a man with a bow on the roof!"
The guard turned to me as I pointed to the roof where the guy had prepared his bow and was getting ready to let it fly. I saw he was aiming for the thrones where Caesar and Cleopatra were sitting. I shook Henite off my arm and dropped my goblet before running towards them as the arrow was let loose. I barely made it in front of them as the arrow got close to them so without hesitation I jumped in front of them and took the hit from the arrow, which shattered against the gronkle iron plating of my armor. I fell to the ground I saw the guards restrain the guy on the roof Cleopatra and Caesar stood up in what I assume was shock and confusion. I got off the floor before I turned to them and asked.
"Are you both alright?" Cleopatra answered.
"We are Hiccup."
"Good and it looks like the guards have caught the assassin." It was then that Asim walked into the room and made his way towards us before bowing to Cleopatra and Caesar and said.
"The assassin has been captured your majesty." Cleopatra turned to him.
"Very good Asim. Has he given you any information as to who the arrow was meant for?"
"Yes my Queen! The arrow was meant for Julius Caesar so that some Roman nobles would be able to take over." Caesar stepped forward.
"Has he given the names of these nobles?"
"Not yet but we should have their names soon." Caesar nodded before turning to me.
"Hiccup Haddock you have saved my life at the risk of your own and as such I cannot allow such a deed to go unrewarded."
"That's not necessary Oh Caesar."
"I insist Hiccup Haddock. I wish to extend an invitation to both you and your dragons to join me back in Rome as honored guests with a room in my palace and a personal escort to show you the city that is Rome."
I rubbed my chin in thought since I knew this would be an incredible opportunity for me since I've been wanting to study the things Romans had created and I already had the blessing of their gods since they worshipped the same gods just with different names. Still though I heard Romans could be a bit snobbish but if I'm an honored guest of the emperor I doubt they would cause me any trouble. I also knew Latin and Greek, which was the main languages spoke in Rome and besides I'd rather not be rude to the emperor of one of the largest empires so I said.
"Thank you Oh Caesar for your offer Oh Caesar. I have been wanting to see the great city of Rome so I accept your invitation Oh Caesar." He smiled at me but I could see in his eyes he had an alternative motive as he said.
"We leave in two days Hiccup Haddock and I will see you then." I nodded before I walked away to try and enjoy the rest of the party.
2 days later
I was on my ship once again but this time I was following a large Roman ship, which carried Julius Caesar as we travelled to Rome. I had to admit I was curious and a little worried about his alternative motives but I admit that my curiosity of the inventions the Romans had won over my worries. Before we left Caesar told me that while in Rome I should do my best to avoid fights. I agreed with him and I was able to convince him to not assign me an escort since I wished to explore Rome myself along with the fact that I wouldn't be able to enjoy Rome with someone looking over my shoulder every minute. He seemed hesitant but agreed however he did request that I not allow people to see my dragons or Serpopard until word spread about them and I agreed since I didn't want to cause a panic. I was just looking forward to unlocking the secrets and marvel that was Rome.
AN: Hey guys and happy New Year to you all. A special thank you to Red dragon 112293 for creating the Sand Phantom and allowing me to use it. If any of you have anything you want to happen in Rome than either Review it or PM me because I could use some extra ideas. Until next time Porcupain out.