Dr. Samson had read countless articles and three entire books about his newest patient's condition after his first session with Steven Grant. He thought he had an idea what he was dealing with now. Without actually meeting Marc or Jake – something Steven admitted was not likely to happen because both of his alters rejected the mere idea of therapy – he could not truly confirm Steven's diagnosis. All he could do for now was listen and believe him. Often that was the most important thing of all – to believe his patients and recognize that their experiences and feelings were valid.
So Dr. Samson prepared himself for helping Steven with his dissociative episodes, possibly with marriage counseling and maybe to start, very very carefully with some questions as to where that disorder came from. If Steven had researched it, he must've read that it was exclusively a consequence of childhood trauma yet he hadn't mentioned any of that. Did he not know? Did his own mind forbid him from knowing it? Would he just relapse and forget he even had a therapist if Samson brought it up? He doubted there was a way around talking about it because he was pretty darn certain it was connected to his episodes.
"Welcome back, Steven", Samson greeted his patient when he came in for his second session. "How are you doing today?"
"Oh, I'm alright. Well… as alright as can be", Steven made. "Work's been fine. But I've been having nightmares again… Marc and Jake aren't talking to me and I… I miss them."
"Did you have an argument?" Samson asked concerned. "You mentioned they did not like you going to therapy."
"No, no, I mean they were upset at first, but they're fine with me going. They just don't want to come here themselves", Steven answered, looking down to his lap and to his hands. "And we didn't really argue. They just… put up barriers." He sighed. "Layla and Khonshu said to give them time. So I'm trying that. They've known them longer than me, they'll know."
"Layla is Marc's wife", Samson said,more to remind himself as he looked back to his notes. "Who is… Konsu? A friend of yours?"
Steven gave a short laugh. "Khonshu. Yeah, well, that's… a whole story. It's only a little bit relevant to the reason I'm coming here, which is crazy in itself but… I figured I couldn't tell the whole story without mentioning him and I… Well, I heard you specialize in superhuman stuff."
Samson leaned back in his chair, allowing himself a moment of quiet reflection. Yes, he had worked with the occasional outlier—people with powers or conditions beyond the ordinary. But the majority of his patients, like most therapists, dealt with more common psychological issues. He'd never expected this conversation to take such a turn.
"Well," Samson began, trying to process the shift, "that's true. I've worked with a number of people in the… unusual cases category." He paused, then decided to share a bit of his own history to ease the conversation. "My wife's ex-boyfriend had a rather unique condition. You might have seen him on the news—big, green, and a lot of anger issues." He allowed a wry smile to touch his lips, but Steven didn't respond with even the faintest hint of humor. Instead, he just nodded, as though he already knew. Samson continued, unbothered by the lack of reaction. "My wife and he reconnected and remain friends to this day. And I've helped Mr. Banner and a few others with… lesser problems to deal with the oddities of their life."
"Yes", Steven said quietly. "I thought, well, out of all the people, you won't think me crazy if I tell you about Khonshu. Because Khonshu is actually the one part in all of this that's not crazy. He's the one part of all this that made everything make sense."
XxX
Chapter 5 - Steven Grant, meet Khonshu
The whole museum break-in didn't even take an hour before Jake was back at the motel with Layla. He took a shower, laughing and talking to an excited Steven, answering all his questions the best he could. Yes, all the major gods of Ancient Egypt were real but most of them were inactive, barely doing more than watch the human world through their avatars. They'd been working as Moon Knight, Khonshu's Fist of Vengeance for a little over five years now. No, Jake had no idea why he chose them of all people, other than the fact that they happened to stumble upon his temple at a time when the job was free. Their super powers included fast healing, increased strength, speed and reflexes and the cape allowed them to glide. The suit also came with special weapons. No, the suit's use was not restricted to the night and their powers didn't weaken depending on the moon phases. Jake had discovered that Khonshu's mood and thus the nature of their jobs definitely was influenced by them. A full moon was coming up, which means jefe was nicer than usual. No, Jake did not pray or worship Khonshu (that question send him into a laughing fit). He did warn Steven not to curse his name though as he was pretty sure Khonshu had a habit of hovering invisibly or listening in on them, especially if his name was mentioned. Steven confessed he'd had Egyptian-themed dreams for the last couple of weeks. Jake confirmed that yes, that was probably Khonshu trying to rise Marc without outright revealing himself. Why had he never revealed himself to Steven? Jake had no idea.
"Here's the part I don't get", Steven mused as Jake left the shower. "Khonshu is the god of the moon and he's always described as a benevolent deity. I mean yes, protecting the travelers of the night is part of that, but so is healing the sick and making sure women can get babies and stuff like that. Why does your work for him require you to... like, go out and beat up criminals or steal back old grave goods?"
Jake shrugged, toweling his hair dry as he looked at Steven in the mirror. "I don't know, I never asked."
Steven gaped. "How could you never ask that!? You have a direct line of communication with a god and you never bothered to ask him why?"
"He's never been a very talkative entity. But hey, maybe he'll answer you if you do say a prayer." Jake cracked up, trying to imagine Khonshu's expression to Steven building him a little family altar. The only thing more funny would probably be Marc's reaction.
"I'm serious, Jake! You were a vigilante even before Khonshu. So do you only benefit from this... partnership, gaining powers to help you in what you would've done anyway? Or are all of Khonshu's avatars vigilantes and that's why you were chosen?" Steven wanted to know.
"Why does it matter?" he asked.
"Because", Steven said as if he was talking to a small child, "if it's the former, then you're not properly representing Khonshu because you're only enacting one of his aspects. Aspects, Jake, ring a bell? I don't think I could ever kill a person but healing folks? Count me in! But if it's the latter, there's a very serious follow up question: What if one day, you don't want to be a vigilante anymore? Or what if in twenty years, we physically can't anymore? We're not getting any younger. Somehow I doubt you can just quit being a divine avatar, like I can quit being a gift-shopist. What if one day you get caught and we end up in prison? Or worse, if another super hero decides we are a threat. Is he just going to abandon us then and pick a new avatar? Where does this end, Jake?"
Jake rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. "I... haven't really thought about that."
"Okay, then I'll ask him", Steven decided.
Jake blinked. "What, like now? You sure about that?"
"Of course I'm sure, this is important, Jake!" Steven exclaimed.
"Err, okay but can you wait until we're not naked anymore?"
Steven's face went red in the mirror, sputtering, and Jake laughed, slinging a towel over his shoulder. Then he left the bathroom.
"OH MY GOD, JAKE, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"
"What?" Jake made, looking around in alarm when he heard his alter scream. There was no danger around, it was just an ordinary hotel room with two narrow beds, one of which had Layla laying on her belly, turning the golden scarab around in her hand. She looked up when Jake came out, raising a brow.
"WE ARE NOT WEARING ANY CLOTHES!"
Jake laughed and grabbed his sleeping shirt. "Relax Steven, she's our wife. I'm sure she's seen it all before." He winked at Layla, whose lips curled up in a smile. She gave him another look, her eyes wandering slowly from his toes all the way up to the tips of his hair. It was much more lascivious this time. "Indeed I have, big guy", she purred.
"See? She's cool", Jake made and pulled his shirt above his head. Before he started looking for his pants, just because. Steven might have died a little. "Besides, you don't get to complain, you wanted to flash Khonshu."
"NO I DIDN'T! DON'T SAY IT LIKE THAT!"
Layla snorted a laugh and Jake winked at her and made a circular motion at his temple.
Steven was panicking more over Jake's teasing than over the revelation that Egyptian gods were real. Actually, Jake was starting to see a trend there. Steven was quick to fall into a panic but pulled himself out of it just as fast. And once he'd swallowed an uncomfortable fact, if it was something he couldn't change he just rolled with it and moved on. Even when told into how many fights Jake got, even when seeing the admittedly ominous form of Khonshu, yes Steven had briefly panicked but he hadn't truly been afraid. But his co-workers or worse, Layla possibly not liking him or thinking him weird was something that obviously bothered him deeply.
"Jake", Layla said thoughtfully once Jake was fully dressed, "do you know what the scarab is for?"
"Don't you?" he asked back.
Layla shook her head. "Marc only said that Khonshu wanted it and that it was important."
"And you helped us steal it with just that?" Jake asked with a raised eyebrow.
"If you remember, stealing Egyptian artifacts is kinda my thing", she reminded him. "I figured it had some kind of significance though, either symbolic, supernatural or heck, even sentimental for him."
"It's supernatural", Jake told her. "It's supposed to help find the prison of some evil goddess that must not be released. Khonshu thinks someone is trying to release her, ergo-"
"He sent you to retrieve the key", Layla finished for him.
Jake nodded. "Given how easy it was to get it, it wasn't exactly safe in that museum."
"Wait, which goddess are we talking about? And what happens if she's released?" Steven asked.
Jake made a dismissive gesture. "Eh, I don't remember. The name started with an A, I think. Something, something, end of the world, bla bla."
"Oh my days, I can't believe this. Give me the body, Jake, I'm talking to Khonshu", Steven decided.
Jake slipped back under and watched as Steven walked over to the balcony attached to their hotel room. The balcony was overlooking a small backyard, walled in by two more building complexes and a small park on the fourth side. Steven raised his head and started looking for the moon but it was hiding behind a cover of clouds.
"Uh, Khonshu? It's Steven, Steven Grant. Err, headmate to Marc and Jake. Geez, I don't know how to do this, is there a proper protocol or something?"
"The proper address", Khonshu's booming voice suddenly rang out from a figure crouched on the roof just above the balcony, "would be 'Lord Khonshu'."
Steven jumped nearly two feet, grasping his heart and stumbling into the corner of the balcony.
"Good grief! You startled me!" Steven exclaimed, staring at the mummified bird skeleton.
"Yeah and he totally did it on purpose, I bet you", Jake complained.
"Right. Hello! Lord Khonshu. Uhm, I was wondering, what's the story of that scarab? I mean, I'm sure you explained it before, to Marc, but it would be real swell if you could, like, maybe repeat it? Marc's kinda not here and Jake has the attention span of a five year old and didn't listen."
"Hey!" Jake protested.
Khonshu sighed but did indeed start to explain the mission. Steven's eyes were practically glowing as he listened. He even ran back inside to get the little stack of notes from the desk next to the phone and started taking notes. He ohed and ahed and gasped when told about Ammit and her penchant of devouring the souls of even those that had not committed any crime. Jake watched first with amusement, then in wonder when Khonshu, first annoyed and only reluctantly talking to Steven, seemed to straighten and... Not kidding, glow under Steven's captivated attention. Even after Khonshu was done, Steven kept asking questions, questions Jake would've never thought to ask. And Khonshu answered him.
"I see", Steven made after nearly half an hour of a history lesson of (relatively) modern Egypt. "So Anubis was banished into stone 2400 years ago for rebelling against Osiris, who was encroaching on his territory in the underworld. Osiris briefly took over the job of weighting the hearts of the deceased. But then the Roman Empire started to invade Egypt. A war broke out between the Ennead and the Roman pantheon. Between Osiris' lack of attention and the ever growing number of people leaving the religion, Ammit didn't get enough souls to satisfy her hunger. She grew hungry and appointed herself as the new weighter of souls but set impossible standards. So she got banished too. Did I get all of that right? "
"That is correct. The streams of time are hard to follow, even for a god", Khonshu said in his deep rumble. "Humans are always free to change their way, though admittedly not many take that chance. It only takes one however to change his course and he may change all lives he touches. That is the greatest duty of the avatars."
"How does... Moon Knight, was it? How does Moon Knight do that?" Steven asked.
"Pain begets pain", Khonshu explained. "Those that have experienced great suffering will often make others suffer. Justice is important but vengeance must stop with the guilty. A soul too drenched in pain will know nothing else and will spread that pain around to everyone around them. I gaze into the souls of mortals and see the harm they've wrought. My avatar must stop that pain from spreading. By removing the source, by delivering justice and by healing those that can still be saved."
Steven's eyes were glowing like a kid's in a candy store. "So Marc and Jake do that too? They heal folks, not just rescue them or take out bad guys?"
But to his immense disappointment, Khonshu shook his beaked head. "As gods we can only demand that of our people, even our avatars, that they are willing and able to give. When you first came to me, you needed me, in more than one way. But even I cannot save those that do not want to be saved. And those that do not want to be saved can never heal another soul."
Steven's face fell and he asked, confused: "What does that mean? Surely anyone who is in pain would want to be saved and healed. I know I would!"
"Perhaps", Khonshu allowed, "but you are not alone. It was Marc who first approached me. He was on the brink of death. He was injured, true, but the deepest wounds he carried in his soul. He was about to end his own life. To keep him alive, it was not enough to merely heal his physical pain."
Steven paled, having never heard that particular story before. He looked around for Jake but there was no reflective surface in sight and Jake kept his silence.
"T-then what... What did you do?" Steven asked, suddenly not sure anymore if he truly wanted to know the answer.
"I took away his free will", Khonshu answered plainly. "Or at least, that is what he believes. It is no more than his word that binds him to me but it binds him strongly. If his body belongs to me, he has no right to harm it. If his soul belongs to me, he cannot lose it to darkness, no matter how tainted it is. If his purpose is to serve me, then there was a point to his journey. If he is forced to obey me, he cannot be blamed for doing what he does in carrying out my orders." Khonshu vanished in a swirl of sand and reappeared right in front of Steven, who flinched back, his nose almost touching Khonshu's beak.
"If he can be the avatar to a god of changing phases, then even his madness suddenly makes sense", the god spoke and it was clear he was no longer talking about Marc.
Steven looked like a deer caught in the headlights.
"Careful, hermanito", Jake whispered to him. "You have to be sure."
But Steven had never been more sure of anything in his life.
"Would you, uh, terribly mind", he said, barely able to get out the words over his dry lips, "if I, uh, joined Marc and Jake? And took care of... of healing folks, in your name?"
Khonshu leaned back a bit.
"That won't be possible."
Steven visibly deflated while Jake became furious.
"WHAT?! Steven, step aside, I'm gonna rip that cabron a new one!"
"A-And why is that?" Steven asked. Jake pushed forward, struggling, but Steven pushed back. Not really forcefully but almost effortlessly, as if Jake was nothing more than a little kitten running against an outstretched arm.
"Marc has requested specifically that you should not be involved in his work for me."
Steven looked positively betrayed at that.
"W-Well, but, Marc's not here. Doesn't even have to know, really", he added with a hint of bitterness. "And besides, his work for you doesn't include that anyway, does it? So arguably, I'd be having my own work."
"Hm", Khonshu made, leaning forward again. Jake shifted uncomfortably. The god looked far too smug for his tastes.
"I suppose if seen like that, I would not truly break my promise to him. I would allow you to use my power and guide you in how and where to apply it most effectively."
"Sounds great to me! Where's the dotted line?" Steven asked, chuckling nervously.
"You are already bound to me. No further contract is required. You merely have to learn to listen to what I tell you. But that will have to wait for another night. Rest now. Tomorrow you will have to journey to destroy the scarab."
"Journey? Journey where?" Steven asked.
"The scarab is a compass pointing towards the tomb of Ammit's last avatar, who was buried with the ushabti that is her prison. It is an artifact that was crafted to survive eons. Only Tefnut's blood in Geb's embrace can destroy it."
"Tefnut's blood in... Oh. Oh my days. You really mean...? Oh gosh", Steven made shocked.
"What? What does he mean?" Jake asked frustrated.
"You understand", Khonshu said, sounding pleased. "Then go and fulfill your duty."
With those words, the god vanished and Steven returned to the bedroom, swaying slightly as if in trance.
"What did he mean?" Jake asked again, growing worried. "Why is he talking in stupid riddles? What do we have to do?"
"Steven? Are you alright?" Layla asked him. She'd stayed behind to give him some privacy as he talked to Khonshu.
"Yeah, yeah, alright, just peachy. Had a great talk actually, communication is key, you should try it sometime, Jake. Khonshu said I could join the group as a party healer. I'd be like a supernatural doctor, that would be great, innit?"
Layla blinked. "That is great, actually. I'm happy for you!"
Steven grinned.
"Did he say what the scarab is for? And what we should do with it?" Layla wanted to know.
Steven cleared his throat. "Yeah. Well. It's like Jake said, actually. Basically it could help a crazy enough person to kill an awful lot of people by sacrificing their souls to an evil crocodile lady. To prevent that, we have to destroy the scarab, which means... We have to go to Italy."
"Italy?" Layla echoed together with Jake. "Why Italy?"
"Because", and Steven cleared his throat again, "that's where we'll find Mount Etna. The closest active volcano."
XxX
AN: Here we go, Steven's joining the Moon Knight party!
The shows portrayal of Khonshu as this manipulative, toxic entity serves the horror trope well. But I've been reading the comics a bit where Khonshu is more of a partner to Marc and that fits better with this interpretation of Jake. To still make it fit with canon I went with Khonshu really only treating Marc like that because Khonshu knows the work itself is good for Marc, even if he himself can't see it or doesn't feel like it.
Also, Khonshu's power set really doesn't make sense for his background so I decided that Moon Knight, as the avatar of a god of healing, totally should have the ability to heal both injuries and diseases of other people. He just doesn't usually do it because a) Marc's the main Knights and he's a merc, not a doctor and b) Khonshu himself has gone a bit mad over the centuries and lost his way. He's too focused on the vengeance part of what he sees as his duty and neglects the rest. But that doesn't mean that he can't still grant that sort of power. He just needs the right avatar to push him in that direction.
Boy will Marc be pissed when he finds out. I wonder what's worse, that Khonshu included Steven against his explicit wish or that Moon Knight could've been a healer all along yet Marc is made to be some sort of divine assassin.