"EEEEEEK!"
Danny spun around to find the source of the noise. The scream came from somewhere close by, and whoever it belonged to was terrified. His heart shot to his throat at the same time he realized he had lost his group. Wasting no time, he sprinted across the exhibit, not caring if someone noticed the small ectoblast growing in his hand. Danny rounded the corner with urgency, ready to fight whatever ghost waited there.
"DASH BAXTER YOU ARE SO ANNOYING!" The ectoblast fizzled out as Danny watched Dash cackle with mirth at Paulina's expense. Covering his head was a giant plastic dinosaur skull that visitors could interact with.
"Why I bother with you I don't know," she seethed.
"Come on, Pauly, it was only a joke." The look she gave Dash told him she did not agree.
Danny grabbed a railing and caught his breath. It was too early to be dealing with this. He had stayed up all night stargazing (or as Jazz would put it, ignoring his problems) that he slept through his alarm. It wasn't until Jazz barged in that he jumped out of bed, and frantically pulled on the nearest pieces of clothing. He was pretty sure he was wearing the same pants he wore yesterday.
Danny looked around for the unfortunate parent who had unwittingly agreed to chaperone this field trip, but he was not in sight. Typical.
Dash had all but coerced the group to come into the Fossil Exhibit instead of the Mummy Exhibit. He stated that it was 'way cooler than dusty old dead guys,' and proceeded to rush the group there with or without their consent. Mikey's dad, the chaperone, had sputtered after them in an attempt to corale them, but it was useless.
And how did Danny end up in this sorry excuse for a group? He, Tucker and Sam were not on the best of terms right now. According to Tucker, Danny wasn't helping enough with his campaign while Sam was helping too much. All things considered, Tucker was probably right, but it still stung when he asked to switch groups. Instant karma, though– he had been assigned to Sam's group.
So that was how Danny ended up with four of the "A-listers" and Mikey. The others were off to the side watching the scene unfold as Dash and Paulina bickered.
Danny didn't want to rejoin the group, but he also didn't want to get detention for leaving them behind. Instead, he chose to keep the group in sight and look around the exhibit. Despite Dash's forceful methods, Danny was inwardly glad he had been taken to the Fossil Exhibit. He and his siblings used to come here during the lazy summer days to walk amongst the skeletal giants that spoke of a time lost.
"Can you believe something that large used to roam the land?" Harry asked in wonder.
Danny frowned and forced his thoughts on something else. The towering brachiosaurus was cool. It looked a bit like Dora with a longer neck. He mentally noted that should visit her kingdom in the Realms soon. It had been too long since he had last seen her. It just added to the feeling that he'd been sucking in all his relationships lately.
Danny glanced over at the group and noticed that Mikey's dad had returned. Releasing a sigh, he begrudgingly walked back when he saw his chaperone frantically counting the students.
From the sound of things, Mikey's dad had finally grown a spine. "Okay, you've had your fun. We have to return to the main group," he insisted urgently. He ignored Dash's complaints and herded the group out of the exhibit.
"OOOOOOOH! Let's go there!" Paulina squealed, pointing in the distance. Danny turned and saw a giant cardboard cut-out of his face. Ugh, he had known they had added a new exhibit, dubbed the 'Amity's Ghosts' exhibit, but seeing it in person made him inwardly cringe.
On the other hand, it was about time the museum created something in that abandoned spot. The previous exhibit, 'Cursed Gemstones of The World,' had left a few years prior due to patrons being spooked. Talk about irony. The old exhibit before was much more interesting in Danny's opinion. There was an old opal necklace whose bloody history was so dark that no one would touch it without a sturdy pair of gloves. Rumor said it was from two star crossed lovers with a tragic backstory.
"Please, Mr. Dombroski, we have to go in there!" Paulina pleaded.
"We cannot make another detour. We are already late as it is!" Danny was impressed by the man's ability to stand firm in the face of Paulina's puppy eyes. Stronger men had fallen prey to it.
The A-listers were not as impressed. Their glares went from their chaperone to his son, Mikey, who cowered in fear.
Sighing in resignation, Danny pointed at the mummy exhibit. "Hey, what's that?" he asked cryptically. Why he still bothered with heroics, he wasn't sure.
There he was, thinking about Harry again…
Though Danny's comment to the group was a poor attempt to take the attention away from the trembling nerd and try to get the group moving, it looked like his plan was working when everyone turned their heads in the direction he was pointing.
"It's just sand," Star pointed out, looking at the exhibit entrance.
"How can you not know that?" Kwan laughed.
"He clearly doesn't go to the beach very often. Just look at his sickly complexion," Paulina smirked, looking down at her nails. Okay, maybe his plan was not working as well as he thought.
"I go to the beach," Danny defended with strained patience. "And you used the same line the last time I was there." He pointed back at the exhibit. "What I meant was why is there sand covering the ground and blowing out of the doors?"
A valid question, though no one gave it a second thought. Instead, Danny's upper arm was aggressively grabbed. "Sounds like Fentonio here needs a face full of the stuff to fully grasp the meaning," Dash sneered.
Dale snickered, the girls smirked, and Kwan grabbed Danny's other arm. Danny sighed with resignation as they started dragging him across the museum. Mr. Dombroski and Mikey followed behind, silent but wary. It was clear the latter was just glad the group was finally moving in the right direction. He was probably hoping that there'd be a teacher near the entrance that would rein the boys in before the situation got out of hand.
Dash quickened his pace as their destination got closer. He rounded the corner ready to drop Danny to the ground, but at the sight of the exhibit, his jaw dropped instead. The place was a desert. It was as if they were transported to ancient Egypt. He turned around to make sure they were still in fact inside the museum, but the entryway was gone. He looked at his peers and gasped. "What are you guys wearing?!"
Kwan pointed at Dash. "Same for you, man!" Dash looked down and squealed. They were all wearing ancient Egyptian garb. Hazing forgotten, the boys dropped Danny in favor of clutching their clothing.
"Why didn't you change?" Dale asked Danny, taking in his faded jeans and t-shirt.
"How am I supposed to know?" Danny frowned back.
"Just another way he's Freaky Fenton," Kwan commented.
"Hey!"
"I didn't bring any lotion," Paulina complained, ignoring the boys in favor of glaring at the blazing sun.
"Dry skin is the least of our problems," Danny retorted, dusting sand off his pants.
"We must've fallen into one of those natural ghost portals," Mikey stated with fear.
Several thoughts went through Danny's head as he faced what used to be the exit. Was Mikey right? He looked up at the sky, relieved to see its azure hue. No, they were not in the Zone and only portals out of the Realms went to different time periods. That was a relief. He looked around at his surroundings. There was a palace-looking structure on his right and what looked like a sphinx version of Tucker(?) on his left. Maybe he was seeing things.
"Why does that look like that one nerd with bad pick up lines?" Star asked, pointing at the statue. Okay, maybe it wasn't just Danny.
Regardless, he needed to take action if they had any hope of getting out of this. Ugh, why was it always his job? He reluctantly clapped his hands together and got the group's attention. "We should find out what is going on here. There must be someone in the-"
"There they are!" an Egyptian guard shouted. The group was quickly surrounded by a crowd of angry guards. A weak puff of cold air clogged in Danny's throat, and he gave the guards a curious look.
The guards pointed their spears threateningly. Mr. Dombroski held his hands up in a placating manner.
"Hey now, w-what's going on?" he asked nervously.
"Quiet!" the head guard yelled. "The pharaoh will deal with you lot." With that, the group was prodded forward toward the palace-looking building.
"Nice going, Fenton," Dash hissed.
"How is this my fault?" Danny shot back.
"Your freakish unlucky juju got us into this mess."
"How am I unlucky?" Danny argued. Sure he had a hundred reasons why he was unlucky, but Dash didn't know about any of them.
Dash narrowed his eyes. "You had to make a comment about the sand."
He didn't expect that one. "Sand?!"
"Just shut up and get us out of this," Dash ordered threateningly.
Danny rolled his eyes. "I'll get right on it," he replied sarcastically. "'Cause my sand observation definitely caused this."
One of the guards cuffed Danny's head. "Silence!" he yelled.
The group was led into the throne room where Danny spotted the pharaoh, his back turned. He was talking to an advisor who looked more mummy than human. The clog in Danny's throat grew, and Danny suspected it had something to do with the man.
The head guard walked up to the pharaoh and knelt. "Sire, we've located the missing slaves," he said, gesturing to the motly crew. The pharaoh finally turned and revealed himself.
"You've got to be kidding me," Star stated bluntly.
"Nope," came the surly voice of Sam from the left. She stood next to the throne with a jug of water as if she was waiting on the pharaoh. An irritated expression was etched across her face until she spotted Danny. She gave him a meaningful look before pointedly staring at the scepter in the pharaoh's hand. He followed her gaze but, despite the scarab on top of the scepter giving off an ominous glow and odd stirring in his core, Danny couldn't figure out what she was trying to tell him. Confused, Danny's eyes were drawn to the advisor and a sense of familiarity went through him. He knew this guy from somewhere, but couldn't place it. The feeling in his throat wasn't something new either. If only he could place it…
Danny finally met the eyes of the pharaoh and let his heart sink at the sight of him. "Tucker…"
"Silence, slave!" Tucker cried angrily.
"You dare address your master without a title?!" the advisor scolded.
Danny didn't back down. "This isn't you," he reasoned. "Tucker, whatever is going on, we can help."
"Like you or Sam did with my campaign?" Tucker shot back.
Danny winced. "Okay, we might've deserved that, but this," he gestured to the throne room, "is not the answer."
Tucker wouldn't listen. "After all the things I've done for you, I thought you'd be there for me when I needed you, but when I needed you most, you weren't there. All I wanted was your support. Well now I will take it by force. Guards!" The guards filed in line at attention. "Send the women to be handmaidens and the men can work on my monument."
"Yes, sir!" they replied in unison, and began shoving the group out when the advisor held up a hand.
"Just a moment," he told the guards. "Leave the boy." He gestured at Danny before turning to Tucker. As the guards left with the others, he said, "Sire, I'm aware of the boy's capabilities. Perhaps he would better serve you elsewhere."
Tucker scratched his chin in thought. Coming to a decision he waved the scepter. It glowed brightly and in a flash of light, something heavy was placed around Danny's waist.
"Is the specter deflector really necessary?" Danny half asked and half complained. He felt a zap as the device took effect.
Tucker ignored him and turned to his advisor. "That should keep him contained," he explained. "But make sure to keep him away from the others. He has a tendency to instigate coups."
Danny looked up from giving the belt a loathsome look. "It's one of my better qualities," he snarked.
Tucker narrowed his eyes before turning back to his advisor. "Hotep, do with him what you wish," he said flippantly. He sat back on his throne and glared at Danny. "It's time you learn your place under my reign."
"You know, if this is anything like how you'd be as school president, then I'm glad I didn't help," Danny shot back with annoyance. Sure it was petty, but Tucker was being a jerk. Before anything else could be said, Hotep shoved Danny out of the room. Hearing the large doors slam shut behind them, Danny fixed his rumpled shirt and gave the advisor a once over. It was clear the man had a larger part to play in all of this. Was he controlling Tucker? And why couldn't he shake the feeling that he knew the guy?
"It's strange," Danny began, "You're not a ghost, but you almost feel like one." He gave the man a scrutinizing look. "What are you?"
In lieu of a response, the advisor simply prodded Danny forward. After a moment, the man muttered, "As if a muggle would know the difference between a rat and a phoenix."
"You're a wizard," Danny said with surprise. The feeling in his throat suddenly made sense. The advisor felt like Harry.
Hotep paused in his step. "So you are aware," he replied before continuing on. "Not that it matters. Soon the throne will be mine and you'll be dead."
"Tucker and I may be fighting, but I don't think he would be happy if I died," Danny pointed out. He winced as the device sent a particularly nasty jolt through him. He really needed to get rid of this cursed contraption.
"Are you sure?" Danny frowned at the question and a smirk grew on Hotep's face. "He told me to do what I like. If he didn't want you dead he would have said so. Besides, who would want a friend who never listens?"
Danny tried to shrug off the jab. "Why do you think Tucker's just going to hand you the throne?" he asked in an attempt to redirect the conversation. The advisor's penetrating gaze fell on him, and Danny couldn't shake the eerie feeling it gave him. It was like the man could see right through to his core. All his feelings and insecurities were openly displayed and Danny didn't like it. "He seemed pretty happy having everyone at his beck and call," he reasoned with unease.
Hotep chuckled. "A muggle in power? Once they are drunk with power, it isn't hard to snatch it from them. Duul Aman was the same."
"Aman?" Danny asked.
Hotep's face soured. "The fool who dressed like a pharaoh. His arrogance challenged things far beyond his depth. In the end, he got what he deserved." At Danny's confused look he added, "The man was obsessed with extending his life force," he smirked. "Never thought that I would be the one to take it from him."
"What do you mean?" Danny asked suspiciously.
The advisor laughed. "You're in the know, but know nothing."
"Hey! I'm only on year three books," Danny replied defensively. Not that he was still reading them anymore. They were currently collecting dust on his bookshelf.
"Then let me enlighten you, boy," Hotep leaned closer as Danny withheld another wince. "Duul heard of my powers. I was what you muggles nowadays call an alchemist," he boasted. "My focus was on human manipulation. I created the first animagus, medicine for both muggles and wizard kind - my techniques were incomparable! People from all over came to see my creations." his expression darkened. "That is, until Aman barged in spouting ridiculous demands to cure death. He destroyed my home and forced me into servitude."
"How'd he do that?" Danny asked.
"Aman may have been a fool, but even fools can get lucky," Hotep replied angrily. "The bastard stole my most prized possession, my wand." He was angry, but in voice held a note of longing. Danny knew how much a wand meant to magic folk. Last year, Harry was ready to spend the rest of his life running away from the government in order to keep his wand intact.
"It was when he threatened my head that my revenge came to me," a sinister look began to grow on the man's face. "In the form of canopic jars."
Danny wished he wasn't a C student. He was positive that Jazz and Sam would know exactly what he was talking about. He furrowed his brow. "I'm not following you. Did you create a Sorcerer's stone or something? Where is Duul now?"
The advisor burst with renewed laughter. "Duul is dead, fool. While the pharaoh was dawdling in mindless antics, I was planning his demise.
"While his demands were unsavory, the pharaoh's challenge intrigued me. Could there be a cure to death? Despite my circumstances, I began to investigate. After many trials and errors, I was confident I'd found the solution. The process was relayed to Duul and he made sure everything I needed was prepared. We would need a large place to work in and years before, Duul had his slaves build a large pyramid for his final resting place. He chose that to be our location since he would no longer need it for the afterlife. He thought it was a fitting spot since he would be 'born again.' I thought it was perfect since he would never come out of it alive."
"Next on the list was a sacrifice. I suggested a servant, but the king thought his life was worth more than that. He made sure there were at least a hundred servants present on the day of his reckoning. It didn't matter either way to me. What were a few muggle lives in the long run?" he said without a hint of care. Danny frowned, but Hotep was too absorbed in his past to notice. "but I suppose it was a pity his successors followed in his ridiculous footsteps. They all thought they would achieve immortality," he mused before continuing.
"The canopic jars were created though they were all for show. The scepter, however, would need to be present in order for the ritual to work. Ensuring its presence wasn't hard since the pharaoh liked to parade it around to assert his authority over me.
"When the day came for the pharaoh to achieve immortality, I made sure that I would benefit instead. He thought I was doing him a service when I ripped out his intestines out of his gluttonous belly and shoved them into a jar. Even thanked me with his dying breath," Hotep laughed sadistically. Danny looked at him with disgust, but the specter deflector decided to act up again. Through his pain, Danny waited for the laughter to die down. Finally, Hotep continued, "With the pharaoh dead, I grabbed my wand and completed the correct ritual. I killed the extras for good measure and it worked just as I thought. Immortality was mine, and with my power I would never again bend to anyone's order."
"So you killed Aman and used the spell on yourself instead, killing everyone else just because," Danny summarized flatly. "So why are you in a dusty old museum now if you are so powerful? And why are you following Tucker's orders?"
Hotep's expression soured. "A misstep."
The man was so consumed with his monologue, he hadn't noticed that Danny was gaining pertinent information. None of this crossed his mind as he explained, "The spell worked flawlessly, but my body could not withstand its power. Simply put, my body was destroyed beyond repair, leaving me like this," he gestured to his glowing mummified self. "A shadow of what I once was."
Hotep paused. Danny thought he was done giving out free information, but the advisor's eyes rekindled. "Though I was trapped and more injured than I'd like to admit, I was still alive, and through the ritual, I made sure that I would never again be departed from my wand. All was not lost. I could still return to my former glory, and all I needed to do was trap other souls within my power. Hence where the boy comes in."
"Tucker?" Danny asked.
Hotep gave Danny a cruel look. "Abandoned by his friends, he was so desperate to be heard. He's practically making it easy for me," he mused. "With each new order, my strength grows. Soon he will succumb to my power and I will be giving the orders. His body will be mine to control." They stopped in front of a large door.
"I won't let you," Danny claimed firmly, balling his fists threateningly.
Hotep smirked. "You'll be too busy trying to survive to do anything about it."
"What do you-" Before he could stop him, Danny was thrust through the doors into a large oval pit. He quickly looked around and spotted a glowing chariot racing toward him. "Seriously?!" He barely dodged by rolling out of the way, its spikey wheel grazing his shoe. "This isn't even Egyptian!" he cried out.
Hotep shrugged. "When you've spent a century stuck in museums, you pick up a thing or two." With that, he closed the doors of the colosseum and left Danny alone with the chariot racer.
Danny didn't waste any time. He quickly dodged the next attack and watched the vehicle expertly spin around to charge again. Danny winced as another surge from the belt went through him while he scoured the arena for a weapon. He came to the morbid conclusion that besides the murderous chariot, there was nothing.
The horses were almost on him now, and in a last ditch effort, Danny dug into his pockets to see if there was anything that could save him. Seizing the only thing he had, Danny prayed that his free trial at the martial arts center during his and Tucker's Naruto phase gave him some skill as he wedged the material between his fingers.
Once coveted, then discarded, the weather-worn trading card was his only hope. Danny squinted his eyes and took aim. Praying that his aim was true, Danny watched as the card sailed through the air. It turned and spun as it curved through the wind, finally finding its mark in the centurion's eye.
Danny watched in slow motion as the chariot swung out of control, flipping through the air as it smashed into the giant walls of the colosseum. The horses disappeared in a puff of smoke leaving behind the broken chariot and centurion.
Adrenaline was still rushing through him, but Danny found that he could breathe again. He walked through the wreckage toward the fallen warrior. Though he appeared dead, Danny knew he was never alive. Like the guards and Hotep himself, they all exuded the same strange energy. Like they were all created from a stronger force. One he had already felt. Knowing this, didn't stop the shiver from running down his spine at the sight of the poor soldier.
Unsure of what to do next, Danny looked around. The arena was empty, a sign that Hotep didn't think he would survive the endeavor. He winced and looked down at his sparking waist. If Tucker had conjured the specter deflector, then he must have the key for it. But Danny couldn't just walk into the palace. He'd be discovered right away and sent to another historical death. He looked back at the centurion, and, giving the man a final pitying glance, Danny plucked the card out of his eye. He wound his hand up to toss the card, when the name of the wizard caught his eye.
Hotep-Ra, an ancient wizard who lived from 3170BC to 3122BC. While working as a loyal advisor to the muggle ruler, Duul Aman, Hotep is also known for his efforts in helping build the largest civilization of its time, developing both muggle and magical remedies against ailments, and advancing magical practices still used today such as animagus. While his accomplishments are numerous, historians have questioned his methods. Evidence has shown that Hotep forcibly used human experimentation on unwilling parties, especially muggles. These unusual methods and his strong anti-muggle sentiments have caused a great debate amongst historians on whether the man was an ambitious genius or a power hungry dark wizard-'
"Well I think we can end that debate now…" Dannny muttered.
"With a desire for the finer things in life, Hotep encased his wand in a golden scepter, and, though his body was never located, the scepter was found amongst the riches in Duul Aman's tomb."
That's it! Sam had all but pointed at the object when Danny was in the throne room. It had to be the source of Hotep's power. Not only that, but Danny's ghost sense was strongest with the scepter. Hotep's body was never found, but Danny had the feeling he knew where his soul rested. If he could get his hands on the scepter, then he'd be able to stop Hotep. But how could Danny move without being noticed? Danny furrowed his brow and glared in thought at the warrior.
A smirk grew on his face as a plan started to form in his head.
A/N - In my quick google search of all things Egypt, I found that there was an ancient Egyptian, Amun, that could turn into a snake. Thus my animagus inspiration.
The 'scepter-is-actually-a-horcrux' idea has been living rent free in my head since the beginning of the Reign Storm arc. It's nice to see it finally come to fruition.