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Chapter Text

A collection of smoke and fire billowed across the horizon, the grand sight having caught the attention of nearly everyone in Cairo as the flames rose and fell in a fantastic display of destruction. If it hadn’t been the massive inferno itself, it would have been the target of such an outlandish attack. After all, no one in their right mind would have ever thought to step foot in Ennead’s private territory, much less initiate such a bold strike against the infamous family in front of everyone’s eyes like this.

For one, the warehouse now set ablaze was probably the most heavily guarded region throughout all the country. Anyone going in and out of the area had to be scanned head-to-toe for weapons and spyware, identified through eye scan and a specialized facial recognition system (approved only by their leader, Osiris himself), and escorted by the nation’s most elite guard throughout the entirety of their stay. That is, if they were even allowed within a five-mile radius of the warehouse to begin with. Whether risking an in-person fraudulent attempt or hacking the tech systems spread throughout the designated area, no one had ever been successful enough to make it back alive. Even living family members were silenced alongside them, whether they were aware of their relative’s criminal activity or not.

As if that wasn’t reason enough to avoid the area just outside of Cairo’s borders, simply mentioning the family’s name was enough to strike fear into the hearts of many. Ennead was notorious for their hand in Egypt’s highest earning facets, including both weapons-trading and oil production. Osiris had been approached about drug trafficking and smuggling as well. However, it was Isis who was solid on her refusal to deal in anything of the sort, claiming their involvement in the weapons trade was her firm limit on the internal disputes within the country, so in order to appease his wife, Osiris denied the offer.

Although the decision hardly put a damper on the business end of things, considering that even government leaders adhered to their demands. Egypt’s longest standing alliances were formed single-handedly by the Ennead. Say the word, and those necessary allies would pull their support from the president and reinstate a new “reasonable” leader who was much more inclined to follow the whim of their most influential partners.

So, to say Horus was shocked to be contacted in the middle of the night with a surprise attack on their primary oil production and trading center was quite an understatement. Being the first-born son to its leader, Horus was training to take over as family head in the years to come. This attack wasn’t just a smear on his father’s name, but his up and coming reputation as well.

Watching as the whole of their company scrambled around headquarters in complete disarray was, as a lack of better words, displeasing. In one wave, he had settled the distressed flock of men and gathered a sizable group to come with him and investigate the scene. He could already feel his headache starting to worsen from the numerous calls and texts lighting up his phone screen relentlessly as he made his way on over. The only notification he even bothered to respond to was his father, but aside from that, he figured the rest could wait until after he got to the root cause.

Upon his arrival, Horus’ eyes grew comically wide from the sheer amount of destruction that was now laid out in front of him. He was here not even two days ago, and in the span of a few seconds, the heart of his family’s success had been rendered unrecognizable. Scraps of their men’s hard work and expensive labor laid scattered across the scorched lawn in pathetic arrangement of what it used to be.

The picture was made even more chaotic by the hordes of ambulances and firetrucks continuing their advance onto the scene. Workers were running themselves rampant trying to put out sparse fires left and right while emergency medical teams searched for the limited number of survivors.

Making his way out of the limousine without so much as a word, Horus shoved his way across the lawn, ignoring the shouts and warnings about possible hazards in his way as he made his way over to his Captain of the guard. There were supposed to be 50 men in total stationed here, grouped into five teams of 10 to cover each and every corner of the warehouse. He really only knew the lead man in charge, but glancing over at the building having been completely razed to the ground, it seemed things were bound to stay that way.

The lead guard, known by Horus as Amon, immediately rushed over to give his report, but without so much as a ‘hello,’ Horus immediately interrupted the poor excuses he knew were headed his way and asked, "How much did we lose?”

“We are still taking stock, but it appears nearly everything has been destroyed or lost, sir.” Amon lamented, trying to stay strong in the face of his leader. “In terms of the culprit, we checked the entire area including the five-mile radius outside the oil trading center. A few possible suspects were taken into custody, but they were only milling around the territory. None were found directly on the grounds.”

The man’s jaw clenched in an effort to hide the overwhelming humiliation in respect to his failure, but Horus had figured just as much. An attack of this scale had to have an incredibly clever and conniving strategist behind it. If they were able to break in without a single warning relayed back to headquarters until now, they were bound to have a solid escape plan that would go over the heads of the men stationed here.

“Are there any survivors?”

“Just myself and one other man. Although, his burns are quite extensive.” Amon gestured to the one ambulance within Horus’ field of vision. “He wanted to see you before he left for the hospital. I can escort you on over there if you would like." 

Gracing him with a nod, Horus quickly set off in the direction of where his injured subordinate laid. He may exude a rather standoffish attitude, but Horus truly cared for the safety of those who worked under him. That being said, his parents would have him boiled alive for letting their one key witness leave before offering his own personal account, so questioning would need to come first before anything else.

Stepping into the emergency vehicle, Horus realized Amon’s warnings on the state of his guard were no joke. Half of the man’s face had been rendered unrecognizable in pattern of ugly, blistering burns creeping down his face and into the thin skin of his neck. Their uniform, made to withstand even the most extreme of temperatures, had gaps shredded into it that revealed skin just as mangled as his face. A lasting disfiguration this poor soul would have to carry with him for the rest of his life. 

Forcing himself to look past the gruesome image of what was laid out before him, Horus asked the guard plain and simple, “What happened here?”

The man winced, trying and failing to ignore the fresh wave of agony he endured in the presence of his boss. "I failed you, sir. Forgive me."

“Never mind that. Just tell me what happened?” Horus demanded. He was really hoping to get this over with so he could report all the details back his father as soon as possible but more importantly, leave this man to get the treatment he most desperately needed right about now.

“It started with a few sparse power outages around the warehouse," he began. "They happen around this time of year due to turbulent weather. Following protocol, I first checked for any signs of forced entry, but there were no reports of a break-in or any communications from the main gate about a new arrival, so I sent three men to investigate the main generator instead and report back to me. I stayed behind with another guard to search for possible systemic errors that could have led to the outages. I also contacted the other group leaders to keep a lookout for any suspicious activity.” The man weakly coughed in the middle of his explanation, taking a few more breaths to calm himself before he continued. “The next time my men radioed us, they reported no evidence of tampering with the generator. They tried explaining the scene further, but all communications had been suddenly cut.”

“By that point, I ordered another group of reinforcements to check on my men while I reset the comms. It didn’t take long at all, probably just a few minutes, but it had already been too late.” He stopped, as if the memory itself held greater pain than anything he could possibly be burdened with right now.

“I can still hear the panicked voices. Over the radio they just kept saying it over and over…”

“Saying what?” Horus implored him to continue, just as intrigued in the story as he was getting to the root of all of this.

“I was told the men who had originally contacted us had been,” he cringed, “dismembered and hung from the ceiling.”

Horus’ couldn’t help but let his own morbid curiosity run free. For someone to have managed a silent attack of three full-grown men while simultaneously interfering with the communication systems was unthinkable, if not an impossible task to undertake.

“I demanded they retreat and alert headquarters, but all the doors had been closed off and the explosives set to detonate.”

“I see.” Horus nodded. “And did you see any evidence of how they could have possibly broken in?”

“That I don’t know, sir.”

The lead guard approached Horus quietly from behind, “I received word that entrance to the hidden corridors had been accessed, sir.”

“That explains why he hadn’t seen the attack coming.” He reasoned between himself and Amon. “The use of our warehouse’s corridors proves this couldn’t have been an outsider’s attack. No one knows the details of that entrance other than yourself and my family.”

“That also means those in custody are probably all innocent.”

Horus couldn’t help but agree. “Keep them anyway. They may have information related to the attack. Check the area and send word to every police station in the capital. Lock down borders if you must.”

Horus then gave the injured guard a nod of appreciation before standing up to make his way out of the ambulance. “I’m going to investigate myself.”

Amon clamped a hand on his shoulder, stopping Horus for a minute to give a fair warning. “Sir, there could be miscellaneous explosives around the area and unstable ground. I suggest you leave the searching to us.”

“And end up empty-handed again?” Horus shot back at him with an accusatory tone. “There may be evidence that’s been overlooked. I know this center like the back of my hand. Any sign of forced entry or escape won’t evade my eyes. After all, my father would not be pleased if we found nothing, now would he?”

The guard deflated at that response, leaving Horus to take off and assess the full extent of their damage himself. Particularly in the area in which the attack had first taken place.

As he crossed over the scorched rubble, keeping an eye out for any stray hazards along the way, Horus headed for the area where the generator used to be housed. He figured the room itself was probably levelled to the ground, but the generator had a slight chance of making it. After all, it was configured from some of the most substantial materials known to man. If parts of it were still standing, he could search it for signs of tampering and gain a small insight into the exact expertise of their attacker.

Maneuvering around one of the last standing columns of concrete he could see, Horus’ glimmer of hope had been instantly shattered within that moment. Along with the remnants of the generator he could now see buried underneath the rest of the debris in front of him. 

“This attack," Horus mumbled to himself, studying the brilliant way in which the explosives must have been placed for a near total demolition. There truly was nowhere else for the evidence to hide. Well, aside from the pathetic mounds of rubble he currently ground beneath his feet as if it was there just to mock him.

Those remains were all he had left, which may not seem like much to the naked eye, but more times than not, the scorched patterns actually allowed Horus to figure out just what kind of explosives had been utilized in this attack. If these were military-grade weapons, there was no way his father wouldn’t have known about their whereabouts or at least be able to track down the buyer within a few measly seconds.

Unfortunately, it seemed the ashes left behind were linked to chemical explosives rather than the mechanical equipment he was particularly used to. That, plus the acidic aroma and remnants of deep, oily fumes left behind, seemed to solidify his conclusion.

Horus had to admit, it required a particular finesse to create one’s own chemical explosive and configure the exact combinations needed, but it came with a pretty substantial benefit. That being, the attacker couldn’t be tracked easily due to their commonality amongst everyday markets.

Horus scanned the area once again for evidence, slightly cringing as he spotted a tousle of limbs thrown about after the explosion. The grotesque remnants of this caliber were to be expected, but they were usually left behind in a mangled and torn appearance. Instead, these limbs had clean margins across the skin, suggesting a previous attack that occurred before the sequence of explosions. Scanning the rest of the bodies, Horus identified the two other men with the same exact wounds—the three that had been mutilated beforehand.

Everything, from the bombs to the untraceable entry and ambush patterns were deceptively intelligent and swift, characteristic of only one man Horus had ever known. He could still remember his words clear as day, “Remember Horus, wars are meant to be fought using your head, not your heart.”

However, that voice happened to die along with the owner nearly ten years ago, his death having forced a rift between the family unlike any other. After all, the members of Ennead were believed to be untouchable. Doubts surrounding their abilities to protect even the innermost members were practically nonexistent up until that moment, and even then, that unrest hadn’t even breached the surface of what had begun brewing between the family members themselves.

Years later, and who could have guessed that rift would continue haunting their family to this day. Unless, of course, a mistake had been made. One that severely miscalculated the possibility of this one individual’s survival.

If his death hadn’t caused an avalanche of emotions before, a resurgence of such person would be nothing less than catastrophic in its wake.

Chapter Text

Horus had spent countless more hours trying fix everything that had fallen into disarray at the newly demolished warehouse site. While he and Amon put their heads together and formed concrete plan to rebuild the trading center, Horus led the interrogations of their captured suspects to gauge their whether they were involved or not. Even though no one came out to be a promising candidate, more reinforcements eventually arrived to relieve Horus of his duties and assist Amon in collecting all the rest of their lost data. That gave him the opportunity to report back to his parents and figure out their options moving forward.  

By the time Horus reached home, it was already dawn. All he really wanted to do was collapse and take a long deserved break before seeing anyone else. Unfortunately, he already knew what to expect before he had even walked in the door. His mother, in all her fury, would be spitting insult after insult about the unknown perpetrator while his father continued rubbing his brow out of frustration, not having the patience to both calm his hysterical wife and command a full-fledged investigation on their most recent ambush.

“Why have we still not received word about the attack?! No one could have possibly gotten away with this!” Isis cried, her words carrying with them equal parts rage and disbelief.

“I talked with the President about its impact on production, and we are still stable with our other assets for now. Horus had the borders cut-off as well.” Osiris clarified, stepping in the way of Isis’ flaming trail. “We will find them, my dear.”

Before Isis could stomp her foot down and say anything more to her husband, Horus had already cleared his throat. Both his parents promptly turned in the direction of the sound, with Isis crying out a relieved, “Horus!” and rushing towards her son. 

The young man accepted his mother’s embrace immediately, reassuring her of his safety. “I’m all right, mother.”

“Your father told me he went you to observe the site.” She said, a slight tone of disapproval laced her voice before curiosity eventually took ahold. “Did you manage to find anything?”

“Unfortunately, the culprit must have escaped before my arrival. There was just too much shrapnel left behind.” Looking past her shoulder, Horus gave a slight nod to Osiris as well. “Father.”

The man nodded back, showing neither acceptance nor displeasure in response to Horus’s report. Instead, he had already busied himself with contacting another one of their partners over the phone as he told the other two, “We will discuss your findings immediately. Bring Anubis, and we will debrief at headquarters before moving forward with any further plans.”

Horus agreed, but not without internally bristling at the mention of Anubis. Every day he was left wondering why anything had been entrusted to his incompetent cousin, but he knew not to question the words of his father.

Supporting Isis as she trembled in anger next to him, Horus moved to call Anubis with a matter-of-fact attitude, always trying to keep their conversation short as he gave a quick rundown of the situation and told Anubis to meet with the family right away.

Inside the meeting room, everyone else was anxiously awaiting Osiris’s arrival. The atmosphere was tense as Horus shot sidelong glances in Anubis’s direction while Isis would occasionally grumble about the tardiness of her husband after he was the one to demand that they all meet as soon as possible. Horus tried distracting her (and partly himself as well) with casual conversation, but Isis was having none of it. Huffing venomous words such as, "you don’t have to keep on making up for your father’s shortcomings."

Horus was well aware the relationship between his parents had never the same after his uncle suddenly passed away, but it still never made the situation any easier to talk about.

Luckily, he wouldn't have to as the man of the hour finally strode his way on in. 

“I have contacted both Maat and Thoth about legality issues moving forward. Geb and Nut have also been notified and told to investigate old partners they dealt with as well.”

Maat and Thoth served to be Ennead's most important asset when it came to abiding by (and occasionally evading) Egyptian law. Meanwhile, Osiris' parents, Geb and Nut, held onto various underground relationships for the family that could be used to follow the words of those working within the black market and trying to sneak new deals and partnerships out from under Osiris' nose. 

Hearing about their prompt involvement calmed a shred of Isis' apprehension and allowed her attention to shift back onto the subject at hand. Her fingers curled around the arm of her chair like it was the perpetrator’s neck she held within her grasp and not a measly plank of wood.

“Do we know the source of the attack, Uncle?” Anubis spoke up, trying to gain some sort of knowledge on the issue considering Horus gave him nothing over the phone.

“That is what we are hoping to find out.” Osiris clarified. “Horus, what did you find in your investigation?”

“It doesn’t seem to be a terrorist attack.” He revealed, catching the attention of both Isis and Anubis as they stared back at him with widened eyes.

“Are you sure?” Isis questioned.

“Amon told me the private entrance had been accessed before the attack, and one of his only surviving guards had given information on the attack, suggesting the culprit knew of our guards’ posts and the current protocols we set in place.”

Osiris leaned back in interest while Isis’ face darkened an even deeper shade of red (if that was at all possible).

“The destruction showed no evidence of being caused by any high-grade explosives either. They seemed to have been created by an expert, not bought off our black market.”

“I was afraid of this.”

Isis swiveled her head towards her husband. The movement having jarred her body so quickly Horus had almost reached out to support his mother should she go toppling from her chair. However, Isis’ firm grip kept her in place to stare down her husband. 

"What do you mean? Did you know someone was targeting us?" 

“Please, my dear," Osiris began. "I’m merely suggesting that no one has been able to strike at any of our territories for decades without discovery, much less our top earning trading center. There has to be some sort of informant amongst our ranks for this ambush to have been successful. A very knowledgeable mole at that.” 

"Do you think this has to do with our expanse towards the Western desert?" Horus pried after discussing the possibility with Amon earlier in the day. 

"Possibly. For now, all information stays between the four of us. Horus and Anubis," Osiris pointed in the direction of the two boys, "you two are in charge of attending any future meetings I have scheduled with our regular partners while Isis and I meet with the rest of Ennead to figure out who is behind all of this.” 

"Yes, sir.” 

“We cannot have anyone taking this as an advantage to strike at our family again. We must show that an attack like this is mere child’s play in comparison to the ultimate power we hold over Egypt.” 

"I agree." Horus firmly stated, hoping his mom would give up her pride as well and eventually yield to his father's plans. There was no question Anubis would agree, so they were merely waiting on Isis. 

With a hesitant nod, Isis finally conceded and the meeting was adjourned. Horus had offered his hand for Isis, waiting for his mother to take it and escort her away from both Osiris and Anubis so that he could finally get down to business. Specifically related to the possible resurgence of a certain estranged relative. But before the two of them could leave, Osiris' voice broke through the tense silence. 

“Horus, wait here.”

While it was Horus whose name was called, Isis is the one who reacted almost immediately. She sent a worried glance her husband’s way, desiring to know why, out of all of them, he had requested only his son’s service, but Osiris dissolved any further objections with a wave of his hand.

Faced with his cold dismissal, Isis then moved her eyes onto Horus, nodding in reassurance that her son would do as his father had asked but report back to her all of the following conversation as soon as he got back.

“Do you really think this mysterious threat has the power to dismantle our organization?” Horus asked, voicing his concerns aloud. While it was a hefty blow, Osiris was renowned for his solid composure and sensible leadership skills. In fact, he was the only member powerful enough to assume control of Ennead after Ra. He shouldn’t have been taken by surprise so easily, and yet, he allowed this one chance occurrence to plague his mind.

There was only one person Horus knew of who was truly capable of such a feat.

“Yes,” his father answered with finality. Horus knew from the tone of voice he was emphasizing that the man would not appreciate any more questions. “There is a very real possibility that they know our family personally rather than this being an isolated attack. You are to find the man responsible and deliver him to me alive.” Osiris emphasized, his face showing more emotion than Horus pulled out of him in his entire lifetime.

“Is that understood?”

Horus nodded. “I will exercise every tool at my disposal to ensure our goal is met.”

“Good.” His father clasped a calloused hand into his shoulder, a gesture feigning warmth that Horus knew was all just an act. “I knew I could count on you, son.”

Had Horus owned a pair of looser lips, he might have snickered at his father. Very little did Osiris ever call him by, ‘son’ or anything of the sort. He only used it when there was something else for the older man to gain by garnering his family’s sympathy.

Having grown accustomed to those tricks, Horus already prepared his answer in advance, “Of course, father.”

He had already known, before that moment, his admittance was what earned his father’s love, not himself. Still, it was good to be reminded.

Leaving behind the familiar chill of his father's quarters, Horus was immediately flocked by Isis and all her anxious energy overwhelming him.

“Horus!” She called, although a bit more quietly than her normal tone of voice. “What did your father say? Does he know who did this?”

“No, he didn’t tell me who he suspected. He does think it was an attack targeting the inner circle rather than the company itself.”

Isis grumbled, seemingly believing the same thing. It seems Osiris and Horus were not the only ones with their own suspicions.

“Why, do you have any idea?”

“It’s nothing for you to worry about!" Isis tried reassuring, even if her facial expressions had ultimately betrayed her. "Just…reminded me of something.”

Or rather, someone.

It seemed all of them were considering the same possible culprit, but voicing it would bring the life the same doubts they had been keeping buried for over ten years. Horus was sure his parents hadn’t brought it up to him since they believed he had very little memories left of his uncle. When, in fact, his reality was the exact opposite. Horus could recall every detail of his uncle like he was messing around with both him and Anubis just yesterday.  

Throughout the history of Ennead, there had been no greater influence than his uncle. The man didn’t need the muscles or taller than life stature, Seth’s aura was enough to capture the attention of any room he walked into.

It came as a shock, considering he was the only one not blood-related to the family. Geb and Nut first found the fiery redhead going through their trash at six years-old, already configuring weapons of mass destruction with old sheets of metal and used toothpicks he had accidentally dug up. He was just an orphan back then, traveling through varying neighborhoods for food and a suitable shelter for his little body.

The parents were debating when to take him to the nearest orphanage or foster home, but after a few hours with the young spitfire, they were starting to become quite smitten with the adorable six year-old. They had struggled conceiving after Osiris and secretly desired another child to call their own. It was practically a sign from the gods for Seth to have crawled his way into their hearts. Their only concern was Osiris.

They were expecting their only child to be jealous or at least wary of the new addition to their family, but after a few days of getting to know one another, Osiris had suddenly become fiercely protective of the younger boy. He would often pick out the lettuce from his sandwiches for Seth to snack on after finding out it was his favorite food and even made it his job to stand in for the boy when the other rich kids picked on his poor manners and questionable background. Whenever Seth came crying to him on those days, he would tell the tearful redhead, “One day, we will show them. Together.”

From that moment on, Seth became completely and utterly loyal to his older brother, idolizing him from such a young age that it was almost concerning. Years later and he became a key component in Osiris’ overthrow of Ra’s reign over the Ennead. His high intelligence and ease with which he practiced combat were nothing short of impressive, but what surprised others were his budding good looks.

From a young age, he possessed a strikingly beautiful eye color. One that seemed to be light brown in the dark but switched over to a crimson red when exposed to the bright rays of Egypt’s sun. His hair was no different either. When he was just a child, he would incessantly scream at his parents whenever they tried cut off the bright red strands, leaving him to eventually grow out the crimson locks that could not go ignored. Once he reached adulthood, his beauty was thought to have surpassed even that of Hathor, their most gorgeous relative.

It was no different for Horus once he had been born either. For as long as he can remember, Horus did everything to get his uncle’s attention. Purposefully messing up his combat stances so Seth would angrily march over to correct the horribly placed footing and nod in approval once Horus caught on. He would even miss the targets during shooting practice just to feel his uncle’s voice caressing his ear as he taught him the way to never miss a target again.

Thanks to the guidance of his uncle, Horus grew quickly in his talents. Osiris recognized it as well, and once he hit the age of eight, his father was ready to bring him along for some light meetings or a tour around one of their various warehouses spread throughout Egypt. It was really just to get the exposure and not actually endanger himself, but for some reason, whenever Horus asked when they were leaving, Osiris would deny him the opportunity and mutter something along the lines of, "plans have changed.”

For a while, Horus was left wondering why his father kept making excuses, telling him one thing only to do the other without an explanation as to why. Sneaking into his father’s study to get to the bottom of all this, he came up on a conversation between his father and his uncle. It turns out that Seth was the one who was insistent on him staying home. All for the sake of his nephew’s safety.

“He’s the future of the family, Osiris! Don’t push your son too hard, okay? Let him be a kid for just a little while longer."

Horus assumed he had been growing angry with his father for his indecisiveness, but all that upset morphed into something else entirely. His heart leapt with joy when he heard the concern laced within Seth’s soft tone. His uncle cared about him, and boy, was Horus going to do his best to make sure that feeling never disappeared. A promise he intended to keep even now. 

It may sound strange, considering this ambush would probably go down as one of the darkest moments of his family’s history, but a part of himself had come back to life last night. One Horus had thought he lost after years of training underneath the bleak, distant eyes of his father. It was passion. A feeling only his uncle had ever brought out of him in the past.

In fact, Horus used to sneak into Seth’s own office with a little toy flashlight hooked onto his belt to go through his uncle’s tactical journals and memorize it by morning, thinking he would stand a greater chance of impressing the older man if he practiced Seth’s own masterful plans himself.  

His little beady eyes would drool over every stroke and chaotic drawing spewed about the pages. Seth truly was a genius strategist. Coming up with his own chemical equations and engineered weapons of destruction on Osiris’ behalf that Horus couldn’t even begin to understand. With the amount that was written on there, his uncle must have been pushed to his limits. His mind moving a mile a minute with all the scribbles overlapping each other on the thick stationary just for one singular idea to come out on top. 

He may have gotten the chance to spy on some of Seth’s blueprints (something he later "apologized" for when Seth came across him the third night in a row with a horrified gasp), but other tactics like ambush strategies never saw the light of day outside Seth’s chaotic mind. In fact, mutilating their enemies as a distraction technique was just one of many he had actually put to use. Seth really only went to the extreme when it was necessary to do so. He said it would throw enemies off their game, utilizing the element of surprise to increase their chances of success. Eventually, it became a calling card of sorts.

Which is what made this most recent attack so curious. Sure, someone could just be using it again in this instance to revive the memory of his uncle, but Horus knew this “person" also had access to the secret corridors only shared between the inner members of Ennead (an elite group Seth used to be a part of as well). None of this would be enough evidence to prove Seth’s unlikely escape in the face of his own death, but it was enough to make Horus’ heart beat heavily with hope.

That maybe, just maybe, his uncle was still out there watching him. Testing him.

And Horus was nothing if not ready to live up to that task.

Chapter Text

Days had passed since the trading center attack, and they were still no closer to finding the culprit. Well, at least Horus wasn’t. While he certainly had his suspicions surrounding the assailant, there was absolutely no time for him to actually look into any of the specifics without Osiris knowing. His father had kept him plenty busy with the rest of their family’s business while he stayed locked away in his office to do as he wanted. It seemed Osiris was determined to live up to his promise of finding their attacker, but he was going to do it alone.

However, his father also knew not to let this rather significant setback interfere with regularly scheduled meetings between both old and new clients. Today, Osiris was supposed to meet with a group of upcoming weapon specialists who managed to smuggle manufacturing blueprints from competing countries and deliver them to the Ennead as a possible partnership, but with his father having completely submerged himself in the new investigation, Horus was told to take his place instead.

He was fine with the task at hand. Well, all except for the fact that he was instructed to take his good-for-nothing cousin with him as well. If there was any one criticism Horus held towards his uncle, it would be his love for Anubis. Yes, a man should probably love his own child, but Horus just didn’t understand his undying devotion for the pathetic excuse of a son. He was the one who excelled in combat and academics, not Anubis, and even then all Horus ever received was a small nod of approval for all his efforts.

What he wanted instead was that sweet, light kiss Seth would plant upon Anubis’ dark hair just for existing. Every time he found Seth doting on Anubis, Horus had felt himself practically boiling over with rage. If it were him, he would have handed over the world just for Seth to praise him the way he did Anubis. Whenever he watched as the young boy landed a weak punch against his father’s chest, Horus would have killed to be the one Seth gathered in his arms with a rambunctious, proud laugh.

And yet Anubis completely turned his back on his father. Never even tried clearing his name after it had been dragged through the mud for his supposed “betrayal” of Ennead following his death. Since then, he always kept the younger at a distance, never honoring him with any conversation outside that of their family business. He was asked to take Anubis with him for this meeting, and while internally, he couldn’t help but grumble about it, Horus still accepted.

The club they were set to meet at was called ‘Heliopolis’ named after the famous Ancient city. It was the highest earning club in the nation, and Osiris owned the complete lot of it. Meeting anywhere outside the main earners was simply inviting more trouble. The strike against them became national news, and while the specifics were kept confidential, none of that could ensure that loose lips wouldn’t leave the rest of those rumors running rampant. They needed the reassurance of a reliable base for now.

“These investors need to know of our stance.” Horus emphasized. “The attack on our center came in bad timing, but we cannot let them know we are shaken in the least.”

Both him and Anubis were already on their way over to the club, and his cousin was much less familiar with the situation than he was. In order not to embarrass themselves in front of any new partners, he needed Anubis to know the basics before they went into the meeting. Horus would do most of the talking anyway, but it was better they be safe than sorry.

“I understand.” Anubis said with a nod, busying himself by looking over the various files related to their upcoming partners before the meeting. "But why has uncle decided to accept their partnership? They seem to be new to the underground trading. Plus, they are international traders.”

For once, Horus could understand where he was coming from.

"They deal especially in international weapons coming from the West. The Egyptian President has been meeting with other Middle Eastern countries recently, and should he decide they are politically unfit to align with the country, having international dealings will at least give us the advantage over existing nuclear powers to format a proper defense. At the very least it would create a stand-still.”

“I see.” Anubis muttered, putting on a mask of understanding in the face of Horus who continued to challenge him in the assumption that Anubis would mess this up somehow.

A rather uncomfortable silence followed their short and sweet conversation until Anubis suddenly asked, “So, who do you think led the attack against the trading center?”

Horus could feel a sudden hiccup in his breathing. Mentioning the ambush brought forth certain thoughts he would rather keep to himself. Especially considering it was a rather topic sensitive topic when it came to both him and Anubis. If he were to entertain any of Anubis’ suspicions, there would be no telling the curiosity it could unleash within the other boy, potentially foiling all of Horus’ plans to keep it all to himself. 

Anubis on the other hand, continued prying without a clue as to the irritation brewing underneath Horus’ crumbling demeanor. “Could they be related to all—”

“We don’t know yet.” Horus interrupted him. “Father and I are still investigating.”

Horus had hoped he put an end to their conversation, but it seemed Anubis was still trying to pick at his brain. “It still seems suspicious though, doesn’t it?”

“We are not supposed to be discussing this." Horus admitted, running a hand down his face in exhaustion. "I don’t want to hear any more talk of it. Let's just focus on the task at hand, okay?"

Anubis may have deflated at the response, but he didn’t seem all too surprised. Whether the subject was confidential or not, he had as much right to any information concerning the ambush as Horus did. After all, they both came from the inner family. But he also knew their relationship had always been a rather complex one. Anubis could tell by the way Horus’ nose flared in an attempt to control his annoyance while his rough hands curled up where they laid splayed across his lap should Anubis push him any further. At this point, it was hard to tell whether his reaction was in response to the subject at hand or Anubis himself.

Deciding that a fight wasn’t going to be worth it, he finally dropped it. After all, Horus never seemed to entertain any conversation with him on a good day. Not since his father had passed away.

Back then, Anubis was taught to believe his father had betrayed the family (as was everyone else), but he couldn’t help recalling his caring eyes and sweet voice whenever he needed comfort. The pressure of their family brought out the worst in both his parents, and Anubis truly wished he hadn’t chosen sides when things got tough. It was one of his biggest life regrets.

What happened in the past…

"We're here!"

Anubis’ stirring thoughts immediately came to a halt once the driver announced their arrival and instantly broke the unbearable tension building between the two young men at the back of the limo.

Horus wasted no time in climbing out of vehicle, not even bothering to wait and see if Anubis had followed from behind, and the two were immediately intercepted by a wall of private guards who escorted them inside. Neither spared a single glance over towards the line of people adorned in expensive jewelry and tight club outfits as they wrapped around to the next block, hoping to sneak in for the night.

Walking onto the scene, Horus was graced with a familiar sight. Columns of traditional Egyptian architecture supported the club’s high ceilings while modern furniture and light fixtures doused the room in a soft, dim lighting that successfully blended the two eras together. His father had stuck to traditional soothing crimsons and intricate golds for the interior design, whereas most of their competitors had chosen a dark ebony theme at the time. Although it was probably more Isis and Nephthys who had the final say in the layout rather than his father who shrugged off any aesthetic decision that had nothing to do with direct profits.

Looking out across the room, the walls were covered in a series of semicircle couches that customers could sit and mingle as they pleased while a smaller section, a few steps down from the main floor, erupted with an explosion of strobe lights and rambunctious laughter as those few customers who didn’t seem to care for their reputation twirled around with high class prostitutes and exotic dancers whom they hoped to spend the rest of the night with.

Horus wasn’t familiar with either area as he and Anubis made their way towards the VIP section where he spent the majority of his time, completely guarded off and only accessible to those with approved clearance determined before the doors even opened for the night.

Ascending up the grand staircase, there were three rooms located right next to each other on the highest level of the building. One could not see into the rooms from the outside, but those occupants could watch the crowds comfortably from where they sat behind the bulletproof glass fortifying the walls. From there, they could overlook the rest of the club the same way a parent might watch their children run around a playground. With an air of authority and condescension. The one-way glass made sure they kept an eye on the rowdy crowd without being watched themselves, but Horus didn’t seem to care as they were mainly composed of inebriated couples grinding against one another without a care as to who was observing them in the first place.

Making their way into the first room on the right, Horus came upon the sight of their potential partners sprawled over the couch facing the door. The two of them were currently surveying the club-goers with animated fascination. The closest one of them wore all black with his beefy arms crossed over his chest and a jagged scar running across his right eye. While he appeared somewhat intimidating at first, Horus could tell he was far from being the brains of their little partnership. Instead, that position was most likely reserved for the lanky man sitting to his left, decked out in an absurd amount of tight leather that loudly rubbed against his skin any time he moved. Just scanning over his thin features, Horus would have guessed his diet consisted of purely cigarettes paired with an occasional sip of whiskey just like the glass that was placed in front of him.

“Welcome to Heliopolis," Horus spoke aloud, announcing both his and Anubis’ arrival as they sat themselves directly across from the other two occupants. "I hope our amenities have been accommodating you well.”

Both heads turned in their direction before "skinny" broke out into casual conversation. "It’s about time you boys showed up!" He cheered, immediately reaching out to shake the both of their hands.

"Pleasure to meet you...?" The man purposely trailed off, waiting for Horus to begin introductions.

"Horus, and this is my partner, Anubis." 

The dark-haired boy shook his hand in a reserved fashion, only nodding slightly towards the other man's partner who had yet to offer his own in an official greeting. 

"Name's Oli." The talkative man offered. He then gestured towards his silent colleague who only spat out two syllables, "Aaron." 

Horus examined the tight-lipped man, trying to get a sense as to whether this "tough guy" persona was even legitimate when Oli piped up again. 

"In terms of your amenities, it's been more than we can say.” The man admitted. His gaze then turned over to a pretty, young woman as she swayed her hips across the dance floor in a seductive manner. 

“I’m glad to hear it." Horus bit out, wanting to get all the small talk out of the way so they could finally get down to business. "Were you able to bring the blueprints we discussed?"

“So suddenly?” Oli questioned, his smile appearing much too friendly for first impressions. “I guess it’s to be expected. After all, different leaders bring different qualities to the table.”

Horus simply narrowed his eyes, not letting the man pull any sort of reaction out of him until their was a sort of understanding established between them. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I remember touring one of your facilities a long while ago. I believe it was your father who entertained us last time. There was also another very interesting man there." Oli tilted his head, his eyes shining with fascination that went beyond mere curiosity. "That little red head. What was his name?" 

Anubis fought to hold back a gasp at the mention of his father while Horus curled his hands into fists underneath the table. These men had no idea what kind of thin ice they were standing on between the two of them, but should they go any further, this meeting was about to turn into something else entirely.

“He’s not important right now." Horus growled, still trying to keep the relationship between them cordial. "You are dealing with the two of us.”

Oli studied his expression suspiciously, smirking to himself at Horus' rather amusing reaction before he settled back into the cushions comfortably. “Right, right. The newer generation as one might say.”

After listening to the man's persistent bullshit, Horus was now completely done with formalities. His father may have entertained such behavior when they first met, but he wasn’t about to afford them the same luxury. 

"Where’s the product?”

The man snorted to himself, almost as if he found Horus’ impatience entertaining before he gestured to a lone henchman standing next to the couch. The man reached into a briefcase held tightly under his veiny hands to dig out the much anticipated prize.  

Aaron was actually the one to transfer their plans into Horus' grasp with a gruff, “here you are," leaving his lips.

Horus sent them an appreciative node before unfurling the intricate plans. While the blueprints seemed legitimate enough on the surface, he quickly noticed a rather large mistake in the course of their trade.

“This is only one design?" He noted. 

Rather than catch the man in his rather ignorant blunder, Horus was surprised to find that he didn’t seem moved in the slightest.

“In light of more…recent events, this seems to be a more than generous offer. If you want all the original designs, you’ll have to offer a bit more.” Oli then tilted his head knowingly, as if he were expecting more.

As a matter of fact, Horus knew exactly what he was getting at.

“Recent events have no influence on quality of trade. My father won’t accept anything less.” Horus clarified as he neatly folded the blueprints back onto the table separating them.

“Really? And how can we be so sure our product won’t be blown to bits if handed over to you?" Aaron finally added his own two cents as well. "Sure, money is part of it, but—”

“But you won’t find better influence than our name written on your product.” Horus had finally put his foot down, no longer playing anymore games with these two. "You forget, we still determine what goes in and out of Egypt. I’m sure you wouldn’t want this new weapon of yours to have a, how should I put it? A rather critical mistake in manufacturing.”

While Horus' words sounded rather ambiguous to anyone outside the underground market, it was clear what exactly he was trying to hint at. Whether it was true or not, Ennead could spread all the hearsay they pleased when it came to a new product. If an influential buyer such as themselves were to label their weapons as "faulty," they would lose all credibility throughout the underground market of Egypt, not to mention their other allied countries as well. It was a risk not many were willing to take. 

“No one would even look in your direction should our family turn down the offer. Think carefully,” Horus emphasized. Behind him, even more of Ennead's guard closed in on the room, outnumbering Oli's men nearly five to one, “do you really want to serve as an example for the rest of the nation?”

Oli and Aaron had stalled for a moment, waring against their own sense of pride and the much more sensible decision to heed Horus' words and do as he said. Even the most talented of blacksmiths couldn’t have forged a knife capable of cutting through the tension between them.

Having sensed the losing battle they had ultimately landed themselves in, Oli eventually raised his hands in a showy display of surrender. 

“Fine.” He caved in. “Next meeting we’ll bring the rest of the agreed upon amount.”

Believing he had snuck in the final word, Horus stopped everyone in the room when he suddenly rejected the offer.

“No. You deliver it to our main headquarters first thing tomorrow. We aren’t going out of our way for you to fail us again.”

Standing up as both Oli and Aaron sent him twin glares burning from humiliation, Horus rubbed out the careless folds having accidentally decorated the blueprints they received tonight. “And make sure it’s in better condition than this shit.”

The man grumbled to himself, close to boiling over with the self-control it took not to explode on the young leader.

“I wish I could say it was a pleasure,” Oli muttered, scanning Horus up and down before leaving with Aaron and their group of even more dejected looking men.

Horus didn't even spare him a single glance as they all filed their way out of the room, leaving only him and Anubis left to stew in the aftermath. 

“Now that that’s dealt with,” Horus sighed. “I’m heading over to Bastet to get a report of our earnings this month. She needs to bring in more revenue now that we have to make up for the losses we have coming our way.”

Horus then shoved the plans in Anubis' arms. His cousin received them easily since he was still trying to recover from the suffocating atmosphere.

“Make sure the blueprints are all in order.”

Considering he was Seth’s son, Anubis had become one of their most talented weapons specialists to this day. As much as it pains Horus to admit, he really was the best choice when it came to verifying the quality and authenticity of modern-day weaponry.

Anubis gave him a quaint nod before he crept away, effortlessly blending into the shadows projected against the club walls while the older sat and watched. Horus wanted to ensure his cousin was escorted back to the limo before he readied himself to make his way on over to the bar.

While Bastet ran the entire club herself, Horus knew he wouldn't have any luck finding her in the back rooms. Instead, she spent most of her time conversing with the many patrons at the bar, ready to take another shot with some poor soul who thought they knew their limit before reaching their untimely demise against her.

It seems that memory of her remained unchanged as she stood atop the main bar. The beautiful cocktail dress she wore accentuated her curves in all the right places as pounds of gold jewelry lined both her arms and neck. Her high heels clacked against the glass counter in a pattern that matched the current song playing over the speakers as Bastet’s glass, filled with what was probably borderline toxic amounts of tequila, threatened to splash all over the counter underneath her.

Just as she was about to swoop down and shove another shot into the hands of a middle-aged man, looking like he spent way more than he certainly expected for the night, she froze upon spotting Horus’s familiar face emerging from the crowd.

“Horus! It’s been far too long!”

“Bastet.” He acknowledged her with a nod.

“Oh don’t be so formal! We’re all family here!” She cheered, a few patrons who drank way more than their fill joined in, having no idea what exactly they had just toasted to. 

Horus on the other hand, wasn’t here to entertain any of her shenanigans as he moved in closer. “I’m here to get reports on the earnings from this month. My father has been rather busy with other dealings.”

Bastet’s smile slightly faltered as sat herself along the edge of the counter, her smooth legs dangling over the side as they just barely grazed Horus’ arms propped up next to her. “You mean that mysterious attack?” She pried, having been close enough to that her and Horus could whisper amongst each other.

Horus didn’t entertain her words with a verbal answer, but his eyes showed enough.

“It’s bizarre…I thought Osiris ran a tight ship from your side of the family.” She trailed off before remembering Horus’ initial request. “Anyway, of course! I’ll send them along with you tonight, no problem.”

Horus held his hand up as the bartender behind the counter offered him a glass of their finest alcohol. He didn’t need to stay any longer than a few minutes, and with Bastet’s confirmation, he was determined not to get trapped in another round of drinks he knew would be following the first.

“Thank you.” Horus nodded in appreciation.

Moving out of the way of another line of customers waiting to grab their fill, Horus was surprised to find Bastet’s hand squeezing his shoulder in an iron-like grip.

“Why leave so soon?”

Horus ignored the question as his eyes slid down to the hand clinging onto his arm impatiently, almost like the touch had scorched him through the fine material of his suit jacket.

“I’m needed back at headquarters.” He explained rather monotonously.

“Oh, come on. Live once in a while! Besides,” Bastet’s smiled, her teeth resembling the fangs of a rather devious feline as she moved in closer, “I know someone who’s got their eye on you~.”

With her lips nearing the shell of his ear, Bastet slid a neatly folded piece of paper under his hand sneakily. Horus could hardly hold back the unpleasant scrunch of his nose as a heavy wave of perfume wafted off its surface in a way that was more overwhelming than it was pleasing.

He really couldn’t care in the slightest. At the very least, he entertained Bastet’s teasing remarks for the sake of their family, but to actually take her advice was another thing in itself. He needed to be civil with the rest of his family, but more times than not the task became absolutely draining as time went on. 

Just as he was about to reject her advances, his eye caught onto something suspicious in the background. There was a flash of sudden movement in the distance, almost as if a piece of the crimson material framing the club windows had suddenly jumped off the curtains and maneuvered its way onto the edge of the dance floor.

Most of the time, it was all just a figment of his imagination. Whenever there was a flash of red, whether in the form of a fashionable headscarf or a convertible speeding past him, Horus’s heart sped up at the thought of his uncle. The color calling everyone’s attention towards it the same way his uncle did whenever he was present.

It seemed everyone else was fine with excusing the suspicious presence, too busy taking another shot of alcohol or sniffing up a clean line of drugs to care, but Horus was trained specifically to catch onto those minor details. Besides, he wasn’t even close to the same level of inebriation as everyone else in the club. His sharp eyes were practically begging to catch onto something new and exciting.  

“Excuse me.” He muttered. Bastet nearly toppled to the ground as he snuck out from underneath her grasp to investigate the scene.

“Hey!” She shouted in slight offense before catching herself against the slippery counter. Glancing down at her hand, Bastet found that Horus had left the letter on the bar like it was nothing more than a stein of day-old beer. “You forgot this!”

But her screams fell on deaf ears. Horus’ attention had been completely steered away from the situation at hand to follow the mysterious presence he noticed slip away into the outskirts of the club’s main lounge area.

Right between the main floor and VIP area was a hallway of rooms that patrons could reserve for a rather hefty price every night. Normally, there was a worker stationed near the entrance, but that presence Horus noted at the beginning of the night was missing entirely. Realistically, he should call for reinforcements before hunting down his invisible target, but Horus was much too confident in his own abilities to pursue them himself.

Moving towards the darkened hallway, Horus’ eyes tried focusing on the hidden corners that could possibly house his target rather than the strobe lights shooting in from the dance floor in an attempt to drag his attention away from all the illegal activities going down in each room of the club. Finding the furthest door having creaked open just in the slightest, Horus crept his way on in, his eyes scanning every inch of the room. For just a moment he froze, listening in for the presence of another person, although harder said than done with the incessant rave music pounding against the walls. He almost gave up on the useless chase at that point, having found no sign of the stranger he was searching for.

Almost.

Until a small change in the atmosphere gave them away. It was practically invisible, granting Horus nothing but an uneasy feeling stirring at the bottom of his stomach, but it was enough to tell him someone was definitely here.

Before Horus could even think about summoning some of his guards, the sharp tip of a blade nicked the front of his throat, strategically placed right next to the jugular to completely immobilize him on the spot. Just as Horus sucked in a careful breath, ready to demand the intruder share what he wanted from him, a familiar voice whispered next to the shell of his ear,

“Did a little birdie fly too far away from home?”

Chapter Text

“So, it seems my nephew has grown to stick his nose in places where it doesn’t belong.”

Horus could hardly believe it. Sure, there was always a part of him that refused to entertain the possibility that his uncle was actually gone, but to come face-to-face with the other man after years of him disappearing was nothing short of incredible. Horus slightly tilted his head in the other man’s direction, risking the threat of Seth’s blade just to spare one look at him. 

Other than the dark circles under his eyes and permanent scowl etched onto his face out of disgust, Seth appeared as if he hadn’t aged even a single day. He was exactly the same underneath the flashy club lighting. His crimson hair framed the stark paleness of his face, completely unlike the tan skin characteristic of the rest of their family. Searching for those crimson eyes he had long since dreamed about from his teenage years, Horus lost himself within the hurricane of emotions he knew took residence within the older man. While they were currently narrowed in apprehension right now, studying every one of Horus’ moves diligently, the younger knew he was never a man of one emotion or feeling.

Just like when he got irritated, there was often a hint of sympathy lying dormant on the edge of his colorful rants. Or if he had been carelessly laughing along to one of Isis’ ridiculous comments during one of their past family dinners, Horus could also sense the hesitation following his dying smile, as if he just knew these small bouts of happiness could slip through his fingers at any given moment.

Breathing in the air between them, Horus sighed in bliss from the welcoming scent of his uncle. Almost like the sun’s warmth had materialized onto earth to bless them with a warm, spicy amber. When he was younger, the scent was comforting even on the loneliest of days. Now that he was a man, it was addicting, curling its finger forward to beckon Horus even closer despite the impending threat of Seth’s dominant aura.

Against his better judgment, Horus really did lean in closer.

“Do you really have a death wish?” Seth sneered, sizing Horus up before he takes off to the side. “Such a shame too. My nephew seems to have grown into a fine young man.”

Seth’s hand wrapped around Horus’ neck, switching out with his blade so he could trail the knife’s edge down to the space between Horus’ thighs, staring into the younger’s eyes while he did so.

“Oops,” He teased, having ripped open the inner seam of his slacks, exposing a patch of toned muscle and fine golden skin hiding underneath.

Horus resisted the urge to hiss from the long slash that accompanied the reckless flick of Seth’s wrist, the wound immediately oozing with a trail of blood. Horus was going to have to concentrate on keeping the member between his legs still if he wanted this conversation to go down peacefully.

“Uncle, where have you been?”

The older snuck his blade back to one of the pulsating arteries beating hard underneath Horus’ skin.

"That’s not what’s important right now,” he whispered. “Besides, where do you get off asking me questions?”

Despite the threat woven between the older man’s words, Horus clung onto the opportunity to pry further. “Why did you attack the warehouse? Why show up now?”

Seth’s face moved closer to Horus. His nephew could already imagine the calculated gaze Seth had trained on him from his self-assured confidence. “What makes you think it was me?”

Horus could practically the smooth skin of Seth’s cheek press against his own. Trying to resist the older man was like facing the devil himself.

“The patterns," he wheezed out. "It’s all the same as your previous ambushes when you worked under my father.”

Seth neither confirmed nor denied his accusations, merely pulling back to reward him with a sneer. “I guess I really do have a stalker on my hands?”

Seth may have been joking, but the truth was, he had no idea just how spot on his guess really was. Horus absolutely glorified his uncle. He may be the one tied down, but if Seth knew of his devotion, he would come to realize that Horus wasn’t the one in trouble right now.

“So, it seems Osiris has been teaching you well,” he continued. “Observing my old tactics, sponsoring new partnerships. Tell me, how does it feel training to become the most powerful man in Egypt?”

When Horus stayed silent, Seth pressed the blade in further. A satisfied smirk escaped his lips as he watched Horus’ blood glide down the smooth edge of his knife. The younger tried keeping his breathing swallow to avoid any further trauma.

“I asked you a question.”

“I wouldn’t know.” The younger admitted in all honesty. “You’ve been gone for years.”

Seth couldn’t help but laugh to himself. He really figured Horus would have fought back at this point, and yet here he was, complimenting the very man who had completely ruined his life and very nearly sunk the entire family’s reputation.

It was a noble attempt. Seth could at least give him that, but he could see right through it. After all, Osiris was known for playing the same games as well.

“Tch, flattery’s not going to get you anywhere, kid.”

“I’m only telling the truth.”

“So that’s it?” Seth asked, a bewildered grin crossing over his face. “No fighting, no resistance? Just accepting that I have you trapped here.”

Horus merely sent his uncle a sidelong glance. “Am I really the one who’s trapped right now?” he asked, coercing Seth into one of his more passionate rebuttals.

“The flick of my wrist, and you’ll bleed out on some filthy club floor!” he recklessly shouted. “Not a single one of your guards would be able to save you, so I’d watch your tongue.”

“Then why haven’t you?” He taunted, even though Seth’s silence gave him none of the answers he had been searching for. “Why did you come back?”

This time, Horus was going to wait for Seth to answer him. His uncle wasn't known for having the best of patience. All these questions were bound to drive him up a wall at some point. Once that switch was flipped, Horus could finally bait him into carelessly revealing his true intentions.

Or so he thought.  

Unfortunately for him, it seemed Seth was more focused on studying this older version of his nephew rather than putting an end to Horus’ relentless interrogation. He may have been teasing Horus earlier about his looks, but there was no denying that he probably had a line of women pleading for one glance in their direction. The older man knew better than anyone that sort of attraction was equally dangerous as it was enticing.

“I can help you.” Horus proposed once the silence dragged on for too long, effectively snapping Seth out of his daze.

“Help me?” Seth repeated back, his lips curling up in defiance. “A boy still wet behind the ears wouldn’t even know where to begin. You don’t even know why I’m here.”

“Then tell me.”

He thought Horus was just putting on an act, but his words laid honest, quite the opposite of his father. Seth had been fully convinced his nephew would remain gullible at his young age. God knows Seth was…mistakenly believing in the good of those around him. In those he loved and valued most. Horus certainly hadn’t been exposed to those mistakes yet, and that’s where he couldn’t be trusted.

Horus used his uncle’s hesitance to grab the man’s exposed wrist. If the older had really wanted to kill him, he would have done so by now. Instead, Horus weighed the possibility of Seth smacking him over the head with the hilt of his blade and decided it was a fifty-fifty shot.

“Wha…”

Seth’s offended stare shot over to where Horus’ fingers clenched onto his wrist like an iron shackle. Before he went on to pull his hand away, his eyes drifted back to the intense gaze hidden within his nephew's eyes.

Seth wasn't sure exactly what he was searching for. Perhaps, he foolishly believed there may be some honesty hiding behind his words. After all, Horus was just as much Isis' child as he was Osiris'. There was still some hope left for him.

And yet, what he found within the younger's eyes was something else entirely. A gaze that sent a chill down the older man’s bones from not only its intensity, but a nauseating familiarity.

“Jesus,” the man snarled in absolute disgust. “You’re just like your father aren’t you?”

Just as Horus was preparing himself to ask what exactly his uncle meant by that, a fist caught him right in the center of his chest, taking his breath away almost like the other man had physically reached into his lungs and tied a tourniquet around them.

Horus tried forcing himself to take another breath so he could at least attempt to fight back, but hidden under his uncle’s lean muscles was a strength even Horus himself couldn’t fully comprehend. Horus grunted in pain as Seth twisted one of his arms behind his back, forcing him to the ground. He had been caught too off guard to even notice the moment when his uncle had replaced the knife in his hand with a handkerchief he had pulled out from one of his hidden pockets. Seth then tied the chemical-doused fabric across his nephew’s face, waiting a few seconds for Horus’ resistance to falter before he moved in closer. Stretching the younger man’s neck to his limit, enough so that Horus’ head lay sprawled out across his shoulder, his uncle left him exposed and completely at his mercy.

“Be careful who you trust.”

Seth whispered at last, allowing those few choice words to slink into the mist of Horus’ receding consciousness before he finally released the grip he had around his nephew’s arm and let the younger crash to the ground.

Despite the rather loud thud his body made as it came in contact with the soiled marble floors beneath, Horus hardly even flinched. He was much too busy observing the way Seth’s lips deliciously wrapped around every word, completely entranced even more now that he was entering a drug-induced state.

His vision was nothing but Seth as he adoringly watched the way his uncle tucked those vibrant crimson strands of his underneath a black headscarf and hid his brilliant eyes behind a pair of dark sunglasses. The older man spared one last glance in his direction, one that almost mirrored pity, before deciding against whatever was warring in his mind and finally escaping out into the hallway.

“Sir?"

"Sir!”

Those voices, edged around his consciousness like a faded memory, continued their assault on his senses as Horus struggled to come to. His mind was jumbled, focused instead on warm memories of deep crimson and rich amber rather than the numerous unknown hands now roaming the expanse of his neck in search of what he was guessing, was a pulse.

Aware that he was very much alive, Horus just shoved the offensive limbs away, grumbling to himself as he sat up with the help of the two other guards sighing in relief after finding their missing boss (thankfully, breathing) in the back rooms.

“Our deepest apologies, sir! We had been told you were over at the bar with Bastet.”

“Originally that was the plan, but then…” Horus sighed into his hands, running one down his face as he tried figuring a way out of this hole he somehow dug himself into. “Let’s just say I ran into an old friend.”

“Some kind of friend if they gave you that.” The man gestured towards the opening of Horus’ skin around his neck, a few trickles of dried blood having stretched across his Adam’s apple as he spoke.

“Never mind, I will clarify what happened with my parents.” Horus brushed off the comment, accepting the washcloth the second guard came rushing in to offer him instead. “They need to know the details of our meeting tonight. Make sure Anubis is safe as well.”

While one of the guards radioed to the other team to check on his cousin just as he had ordered, the man still kneeling in front of him continued pestering the Ennead heir with yet another question.

“Should we close down the club?” He suggested. However, Horus was far from considering that as an option with Seth now involved. It was better no one else went looking for his uncle other than himself.

The less they knew, the better.

“No need. He was only here for me.”

The guard just nodded. “Very well. I will alert Ms. Bastet about—”

“This stays between us,” Horus immediately halted the man, anchoring him back down with a tight hand grasping his shoulder and a pointed look. “There’s no point in worrying other members of the family now. Knowing my friend, they’ll be long gone before we even leave this room.”

While the guard appeared somewhat puzzled by the command, he agreed nonetheless. The man was in no position to deny a direct order from the young ringleader, and since there didn’t seem to be any serious harm done to Horus, his best bet was to go ahead and hold his tongue just as the young man said.

“Tell the rest of you guards to do the same.”

Waiting for the guard to leave and do as he had asked, Horus reached for his phone to check for any more damage he needed to control. Fishing around his pockets for the touch screen device, Horus brushed over a much smaller, unfamiliar object nestled in his pantsuit rather than his phone. Pinching the mysterious object between his fingertips, Horus realized it was a flash drive. One he knew for certain he hadn’t brought with him into the meeting.

Considering there had only been one other person that had managed to get close enough to him throughout the entire night, Horus had no doubts about who it was planted by. A smaller, much more insecure, part of Horus had secretly been wishing his uncle had stopped by to see him. It was quite unlikely considering he could have done so for the past ten years he had been deemed “deceased,” but still, Seth was the only one who had managed to bloom a feeling of hope in his chest.

In the grand scheme of things, that wasn’t what mattered. If he was going to find out why Seth had broken his silence, Horus needed to dig into the contents of this flash drive and put his feelings on hold for the rest of the night. And who knows, maybe this discovery could lead to another reunion. One where Seth wasn’t holding him at knife point and the two could actually talk things out for once.

Yes, Horus would very much enjoy that.

Escaping the skeptical eyes of his guards was one thing, but Horus knew when they arrived back home, his mother would be a completely different story. Even Anubis hadn’t been able to crack his solid exterior, settling for Horus to finally spill the truth once they arrived at headquarters. The younger figured it was bound to come out now that Isis was marching up to them for a full report.

“How did the…” Isis’ next few words froze on her tongue, her long, manicured hands brushing across the sensitive skin of Horus' neck. “What the hell happened?! Why is your neck bandaged up? And your leg! Was it the man your father had you meet with?” She cried before turning towards the group of shamefaced guards standing behind them.

“Who was in charge when my son was attacked!”

Despite the urgency laced within Isis' tone, no one stepped up to take responsibility. Only two of the guards had any clue as to what transpired, but they had already sworn over secrecy to Horus. Anubis on the other hand, had stepped back to hide in the shadows. Part of him was already prepared to creep away and escape Isis' wrath while the other was still waiting to see if she would succeed where he had failed to pull a truthful answer out of Horus.

“Mother, it was my fault.”

While Horus was hoping his admittance would calm the tension filling the room, Isis had a much harder time believing him. Her hands planted themselves on top of her hips as she stubbornly waited for a much more logical explanation to come forth rather than current bullshit Horus tried spewing her way.

“The meeting went fine,” he clarified. “I just went for a quick smoke outside the club, and I called off the guards for some alone time. Some drunk mugger tried threatening me in the alley. Nothing more.”

Watching Isis study his every expression left Horus a tad apprehensive. If there was anyone who could sense when he was lying, it would be his mother. If she caught wind of his dishonesty, he would be in much deeper shit than before. Calling off his guard was one thing, but if Isis found out about Seth’s return and resulting attack on her son? Well, everyone better take cover should that day ever come.

“You promise?” She asked, her eyebrows raised in suspicion.

“Yes, mother. I think I just need to rest.”

Everyone in the room held their breath as they awaited Isis’ response to those evasive words. They were all preparing for a lengthy tantrum filled with a slew of colorful cursing to follow, but instead, the female leader did exactly what everyone had least expected.

“Okay.” She sighed.

Horus wasn’t completely convinced he had sated her worries, but with everyone else in the room as well, Isis was bound to be more reserved and not push him further than he was willing to go.

“But at least tell me if the meeting went okay?” Isis asked before taking her son’s arm.

She eventually called off the guards and gestured for Anubis to continue on home as her and Horus discussed minor details for the rest of the evening.

“It did.” Horus admitted, glad to have switched topics successfully. “They were close to pulling out since the attack, but I convinced them otherwise. They eventually agreed before I was preoccupied with that other hindrance.”

“My strong boy. I knew we could count on you.” Isis replied fondly, her gaze taking on both a prideful and slightly solemn expression as she continued, “Your father is proud too.”

Horus resisted the temptation to roll his eyes.

'Then why isn’t he here to tell me himself,’ the boy wanted to ask, but he refrained for the sake of his mother. While he had long ago abandoned the idea of his father being anything close to affectionate with him, Isis was still hopeful that the three of them could eventually live up to this idea of a loving family without the stress of running Egypt’s most influential underground business bearing down their necks. Ennead or not, Horus knew her dreams were just that…dreams.

But still, he just couldn’t get himself to take that away from her. Not as long as Osiris was behaving for the time being, and he could stomach the rest of their family members for now. Isis deserved that much for sacrificing all that she had to raise him in such a world.

Squeezing her hand out of gratitude, the mother-son duo eventually stopped in front of Horus’ bedroom door to finally depart for the night. Normally, Horus would leave her with just a short hug or kiss, but he could tell something more was on Isis’ mind. Something unrelated to what had transpired during his part of the meeting.

“Mother, what troubles you?”

Isis glanced up at him, her wide eyes allowing him a brief glimpse into her vulnerable thoughts before she brushed off his concerns with an uneasy grin. “Oh nothing, my sweet boy. Just a little overwhelmed is all.”

Except Horus knew exactly what was wrong.

Nearly every day this week, Horus had been called in to report back to his father. The man, normally calm and collected, appeared even more frazzled by the second. His gelled back hair appeared tousled and disorderly from running his fingers through it one too many times, and when one cigarette would suffice, he was instead surrounded by empty packs and buds scattered across the desk.

The scene was practically akin to the time Seth had “passed.” It was surprising his uncle’s death had affected his father so deeply. The man had practically isolated himself for years, seeing only his innermost family on occasion and instead giving out the rest of his orders from the shadows. It wasn’t until he started expanding more of Ennead’s assets into the Western desert territory that Horus saw him actually invested in one of their plans.

Taking a well-educated leap of faith, Horus guessed, “Is it about father?”

“W-well…” Isis stumbled over her words, her son having hit the nail right on the head. “I’m just concerned he’s overworking the both of you right now! I know there’s a lot of pressure to get things sorted out, but I hate to see the two of you so…”

“He is just worried for our family, that is all.”

“He told you that?”

Horus could hardly stand the guilt he felt at his mother’s eyes shining with a speck of hope. It was almost as if she knew what the answer was yet still denied it in hope that one day, Osiris' priorities would change.

“Yes,” Horus admitted with a slight tinge of regret. “Just get some rest. Father and I have it from here on out.”

Isis was going to be a part of this investigation, whether they wanted her input or not, but Horus found it better for the spiteful woman not wear herself with worry before shit hit the fan. At least without the threat of her constant, loving yet bothersome, nagging, he wouldn’t have to be too concerned with her well-being, and he could focus on finding his uncle again.

With a kiss planted across the crown of her head, Horus wished his mother a goodnight. Isis returned the favor with a gentle peck settled on Horus’ cheek before she eventually left. Horus listened to the satisfying click of her heels recede back into the distance before he retired to his room for the night as well.

The young heir practically slid down the entrance to his bedroom in relief, wondering just how many situations he managed to dig himself out of for tonight.

Well, almost all of them. He still had one more pressing matter to deal with.

Rushing past everything else in his room, including the very much tempting sight of his bed, Horus made his way on over to the ridiculously lavish desk he had shoved into the corner of his room. He hardly ever used it for work, preferring to keep the space he slept in clear of any additional stress, but today, it was truly a blessing in disguise.

Horus immediately went for the spare computer he kept locked in the middle drawer of his desk, quickly flipping it open to watch as the home screen began to load. Waiting for the device to fully power on, Horus retrieved the mysterious object he found buried within his pocket and assessed the tiny USB now pinched between his fingers.

Despite his computer having been specially encrypted to ensure no one could go in or out of the system without him knowing, this flash drive could still be a trick. A way for Seth to utilize Horus’ blind faith in him so he could gain access to Ennead’s most secretive information without even lifting so much as a finger. Making this decision was certainly gamble, but then Horus was brought back to his uncle’s words:

'Be careful who you trust.'

He couldn’t possibly be talking about himself, right? Why would Seth stick his neck out, reveal his identity for Horus to report back to Ennead, just to warn the younger man not to use the exact device he went out of his way to plant on him in the first place? If that truly were the case then Horus had to hand it to him, his uncle’s intellect was far beyond his own.

Hoping to god this wouldn't eventually backfire on him, Horus plugged it in. It took only a few, measly seconds until a singular file popped up. No title. No description. No nothing. Just one link, and Horus could be handing over his very own future to the man who had promised to ruin their entire family for good.

Not wasting a second more, Horus clicked it, watching as the loading icon covered his screen only for a grainy photo to eventually take over. Or wait, it wasn’t a photo, but a video.

For a second, the footage was blurry, filled with nothing but poorly pixelated shapes and onslaught of non-distinguishable voices filtering in through the speakers. Horus almost tugged the flash drive right out of his computer, his face paling in realization that he was more likely than not wrong about his uncle’s intention, and he had fallen right into the older man’s trap.

That is, until the picture became clearer, focusing in on a group of about five men gathered around an overflowing poker table as they teased each other over what seemed to be a spirited game of “Poker.” Horus immediately stopped reaching for the drive, his hand instead going for the volume button on his laptop to eavesdrop on the conversation this mysterious camera man had captured for him instead.

“Are you sure they'll strike up a deal with us?"

Horus drew back slightly, surprised that he knew that voice. It belonged to none other than Oli, the man whom he and Anubis had met with not even a few hours ago.

Glancing over the footage to see if he could spot him, Horus realized the camera lens used to film wasn't large enough to capture all the faces spread around the table. But it truly didn't matter. Not when he had the memory of him fresh in his mind.

"Osiris is too big headed to care about a few dickheads like you," someone had slurred around the cigar hanging between their lips. "Now go." 

"I don't know, taking on the Ennead?" Oli spoke up again. 

"Jesus Christ. They need the help!" the man from before demanded. "After what had happened with those last two developers," he didn't even finish speaking. Both him and a nameless friend off to the side broke out in a drunken state of rambunctious laughter instead. 

The statement was rather ambiguous, but still, Horus had a inkling as to what they were referring to. This "accident" involving Ennead's last couple of engineers had been quite a hot topic back in the day. A few years ago, his father had invested in a new shipment of guns from overseas. The advanced models had yet to be tested by the Ennead themselves, but their developers had reassured the family that the price was well worth its quality. For the next few days, trade had gone up astronomically, and they were proven to be right. Until their first wave of buyers suddenly returned with heated complaints about faulty manufacturing issues. Horus himself had been assigned to look over the equipment before Osiris decided to fire two of their most trusted developers in a fit of rage. 

His father had been busy extending that new territory into the West and couldn't be bothered dealing with both issues at once. Horus hadn't agreed with his decision at the time, but he was still in his teenage years and unfit to make those calls yet. That left Osiris excusing a few of his men to clean up the mess so word wouldn’t get out about the failed trade. 

"Shit, how'd you pull that one off?" Oli's staticky voice drifted in from the speakers. 

"Damian over here planned a faulty shipment."

Damian. Horus knew that name too. It belonged to a leader of one of the newer gangs in ‘allied’ countries who had been trying to monopolize the underground trading scene within Middle East. These so-called groups had already led a few raids on Ennead’s other allies across the globe, focused on overthrowing old power with newer, more inventive technology. Only a few had managed to become successful in smaller territories, but it didn’t make the threat any less real.

"We heard some good shit coming in from America that Osiris was bound shove his nose into. It cost us a pretty penny to get one of those weapons specialists to fuck with the equipment, but damn was it worth it."

"Shit!" Oli had actually laughed. "And they never got caught?"

"We faked his death during one of the raids a few days later and sent him on over to Australia. Probably living it up now that he's got a small fortune under his belt." 

Another man added from beside him, "just follow the money," before he tossed a handful of chips in the middle of their table.

The rest of the conversation blended into another rowdy hand of Poker until the footage eventually cut out. Horus was left with nothing but the pitiful sight of his own dumbfounded face staring back at him through the black screen.

Given a second to think on it, he had to admit that unfortunately the men were right. Ennead was certainly a force to be reckoned with, but after his uncle had disappeared, it was pretty obvious Osiris' style of leadership changed. His father took a step back from personal involvements with new clients and instead focused on larger powers. While the change was evident to those on the inside of the family, he hadn't known others had caught on as well. 

This was it. This was all the evidence he needed to prove these new clients were planning on completely betraying his family and using their latest weapons to take advantage of them in their moment of weakness. With his father's trust on their side, they would be able to sneak into the higher ranks and grab a hold of vital information to distribute on over to their other partners.

Horus couldn't believe it. Years of planning must have gone into this dastardly scheme, and all of it had just been served to him on a silver platter.

Because of Seth.

But why? The family had betrayed him, staged his own death over ten years ago. No one was ever told exactly why he grew apart from the family. Isis swore up and down that it was jealousy, and that Seth just wanted Osiris’ power so he could take the head position for himself. But his uncle was never there to speak on his own name. Horus hadn’t had the capacity to figure it out either, being only ten when his uncle disappeared before his sudden “death.” He thought maybe the truth would come out with time. That maybe his mother would move past her troubled feelings and tell Horus why she had abandoned Seth, who before then, was her dearest friend, but it never happened.

Keeping everything in mind, Horus simply tucked the flash drive back in his pocket. He wouldn't confront these partners just yet, but he certainly wasn't going to allow those new blueprints anywhere near Ennead's production centers. However, there were far too many questions left to be answered, and only one person who knew the truth.

Well then, just another fantastic excuse for Horus to see his uncle yet again. 

Chapter Text

Horus had spent the better half of his week hunched over that pathetic spare computer of his, typing away until his hands were cramped and sore. Despite the device being practically brand-new, the ‘enter’ key had already become worn down by the continuous motion of him replaying the leaked recording Uncle Seth had delivered to him and analyzing every second. In terms of Horus’ sleep situation…well, there really wasn’t one. Maybe he took reserved a quick two hour time frame to nap each day, but the rest of his efforts were dedicated to thoughts of red hair and empty cans of energy drinks.

He was just lucky Isis wasn’t being her usual helicopter-parent self and bugging him about his sudden, new interest in the case. Or at the very least, trying to correct his atrocious posture as he sat researching—yeah, he would definitely feel that back pain creeping up on him later in life. For right now though, nothing was going to stop him from burying himself head first in the secret dealings of their brand new “partners.” Horus had allowed Anubis to meet with them once again just to receive those blueprints he demanded, but he was going to stay right here himself.

It was probably his decision to stay tucked into the safety of their own home that ultimately kept Isis’ worries at bay. She did stop by to deliver the occasional meal and check up on her son, but Horus has been so short with the poor woman that she didn’t stay for too long. He would find a way to apologize to her later, but right now, he was on a time crunch. Not only for Uncle Seth’s sake, but for himself as well. For once, there was another concern weighing on his mind aside from his estranged uncle.

While his father was technically the head of Ennead, Ra hadn't taken a backseat to his leadership quite as they had hoped. Every year she took it upon herself to host an annual gathering with the family and fellow associates, and as one could have guessed, it just so happened to land on this week, smack dab in the middle of his most important case. Oh, how Horus would much rather continue his research as opposed to putting on fake smiles and reeling with pretentious laughter, but it wasn’t his decision to make. After all, if he was in line to take over the Ennead one day, his presence was all but mandatory.

“Horus."

Said man's head shot up at the sound of his father's deep voice. The younger hardly even noticed the moment he had let himself in the younger's bedroom, doing so without so much as a polite knock.

"I see you’ve been busy.”

Horus was surprised by his presence. In all the times Isis checked up on him, his father interestingly enough, hadn't been weighed down by the same obligation to see Horus as well. This had been the first time since he was back from the meeting that Osiris went out of his way to speak with him. However, now was not the time to dwell on those questions as Horus watched him enter in further.  

“Yes, father.” Horus answered, immediately closing out of each and every tab that could possibly be traced back to his uncle. “I’m currently verifying the legitimacy of those blueprints given to us from our newest partners.”

By the time Osiris brushed a calloused hand against the surface of his cluttered desk, nothing was left on the screen except for a few copies of said blueprints sent over by Anubis and the occasional brief emails shared between the two cousins.

"And?” He questioned casually.

“Everything looks to be in order.” 

“Good.” Osiris nodded, which in his case, was the closest to a compliment Horus would ever get.

“Although, I will say, I’m surprised," the older man continued. "That meeting was a few days ago. I would have assumed your training meant trivial matters such as these would get done in no time.” He raised an eyebrow, sending a sidelong glance towards Horus that held more than just a simple string of curiosity within his gaze. “Could there be something else possibly distracting you?”

Horus just matched his father's stare with an equally controlled expression of his own. While he wasn't exactly sure what his father was trying to get at, he decided to tread carefully until he was certain.

"Well, I have been dedicating additional time towards the Cairo attack. I told Anubis to trace what’s leftover of the security system breach, and I’ve reached out to neighboring territories concerning suspicious activities outside the base, both before and after the attack.” Horus tried reasoning, which in a way, was not far from the actual truth of what he had dedicated a majority of his time to. “There had been some reports, but nothing promising.”

“Is that all?”

“I’m afraid so.” Horus answered him. After all, any more additional details would only allow his father to back him further into a corner. One in which Osiris could quite possibly figure out (or at least suspect) the source behind the Cairo attack, and that was certainly not an option.

“Father, if I had something on the attacker, I assure you that you would be the first to know.”

Osiris stayed still for a moment, analyzing Horus' sharp features deeply until he nodded with a soft smile. “Yes, of course.”

If he hadn’t known any better, Horus would have guessed his father had been purposefully testing him, waiting for Horus to slip up so he could sink his claws into the failure of his son to divulge in those hidden truths. However, Horus just shook his head at that. The notion was ridiculous. Osiris would have to risk throwing everything away just to allow a mishap of such magnitude easily fall into their hands.

“So, these new partners. What was your impression of them?” Osiris tried again, steering the conversation in a more positive direction. 

“I was displeased after they had tried pulling that stunt on us," Horus began, glad to have tamped down the tension for now. "So after we received the rest of their blueprints, I spent a reasonable amount of time researching their credentials, past partners, and overall ensuring they had the proper skill set to deal with us.”

“And what came of your research?”

Horus watched as his father crossed his arms, making himself comfortable against the edge of his desk.

“They may be egotistical, but so far, their record is clean.”

“Well then, we can deal with the rest tomorrow.” Osiris settled. “Now, let’s not waste any more time. As much as I'm dreading this particular obligation, we have a party to attend to.”

Just as Osiris pushed himself up from the desk, uncrossing both his arms and legs as he did so, he glanced down towards his son pointedly. "I hope you haven't forgotten about it in light of your more recent endeavors." 

"No, father." 

Horus held onto his breath as he watched his father pause for a few seconds before retreating back into the hallway, followed by the careful 'click' of his bedroom door at it eventually closed.

He hadn’t expected the conversation to be quite that…tense. Any discussion with his father was often distant, without a speck of emotion to be found. Within this one though, there was an underlying strain woven between their words. A particular feeling that left the hair of Horus’ arms standing on edge no matter how he tried to redirect his thoughts and ready himself for the family dinner.

Horus bit the inside of his cheek, doing all he could to distract himself from the anxious feeling threatening to swallow him whole as he and his parents sat silently in the limo. The only sound being that of the rumbling engine and bursts of cold air trying to filter out the summer heat. Isis sat with her legs crossed and displayed beautifully through the shear fabric of her turquoise, off-the-shoulder gown while Osiris stared off in the opposite direction, adorned in the same ebony suit he wore on special occasions such as these.

Horus himself had been dressed nearly the same, his suit a classic navy instead, but while his father's double breasted suit had been buttoned all the way up and secured with a simple black tie, Horus had actually allowed the white shirt he wore underneath to remain slightly open, exposing part of his toned chest. He had been against the idea at first, believing a family dinner was no place to show off in such a way, but Isis had been persistent before they left. Horus was almost fed up with the controlling woman, fighting against her fidgety hands with his own annoyed complaints, until she finally silenced him with the reason behind her stubbornness. 

Isis had brought with her a small box, opening it to reveal the stunning crest of a bird with its wings spread wide in a glorious display of flight. Well, to the naked eye it may seem like just a bird, but Horus knew this creature well. It was a falcon. The symbol of wisdom and protection for their country, given to him by Nut herself. Horus honestly felt touched in that moment as Isis secured the gold pendant around his neck, her own eyes shining with tears of pride for her grown son. 

"I wanted to wait to give you this until you took over the family, but after the past few weeks we've been through..."

He held onto his mother's hand, knowing she would rather not exhaust her emotions before the celebration even started.

"I love it. Thank you, mother." 

Even Osiris had complimented the sturdy piece of jewelry, his words carrying with them a sense of approval Horus that hardly ever heard from the stone-cold man in front of him. Unfortunately, that compliment had been the last few words spoken between them. The rest of the ride continued with stifling silence.

“This dinner might be a tad more…strained than usual due to the impact of the Cairo attack.” Osiris spoke into the stiff air, finally addressing the elephant in the room. 

Meanwhile, Horus nearly scoffed at the blatant understatement his father made. Well, that was putting it simply. 

“That’s a given, considering Ra is the one hosting it." Isis commented herself. Horus had known she wouldn't be able to hold back her own unrestrained opinion. In the back of his mind, he remembered the time when there used to be two members in their direct family with a mouth like that.

"There’s no way to escape that wicked woman’s judgement.” She hissed. 

Despite coming to his defense, Osiris found her scrutiny entirely unhelpful. 

“Which is why, if asked about updates," he interrupted, "we all agree to say that we don’t know the culprit, but we are still working the case. Any information is to stay confidential between us, Maat, and Thoth, okay?” Osiris settled. 

Their silence was all the agreement he needed. However, it didn't stop the man from rubbing his temples in preparation for the exhausting conversations ahead.

“I know this is going to be a headache.”

Isis tried offering him a gentle pat on the back in support, but it only served to increase Osiris’ stress. Horus chose to simply ignored the disingenuous way his parents attempted to balance out each others' nerves. He was old enough to realize he could no longer be the tie that brought crumbling marriage back together. 

Luckily, it was only a few minutes out from their own home before they arrived. He figured it was all attributed to the fact that Ra used to be the head before Osiris took over after her. It made it not only easier, but much safer for her to travel back and forth between bases. Although, that lack of distance felt troubling now that Osiris led the family. Almost as if she was still out there, watching them.

As the three of them filed out of the luxury vehicle, Osiris helping Isis to smooth out her dress as she fretted over the smallest crease next to her hip, Horus spotted the moment Ra looked over her balcony in pleasant surprise before she had begun descending the grand staircase. Her heels echoed across marble steps that had been effortlessly glossed over as the colossal mansion towered overall each and every one of their figures. Horus may not be a fan of how excessively large the house was, but he could certainly appreciate the way her architects had combined both ancient and modern designs. The multitude of contemporary columns gave the mansion a bright, clean look while various beams arched between the structure in resemblance of the rising sun. Few and far between them were hieroglyphics carved into the surface, telling stories of only the greatest victories of their ancient kingdom. 

There had been a night Horus had read all of them out of pure boredom, having been fed up with his father's business talk while his mother tried being cordial with the rest of the catty women in their family. He had sat right here on the steps, in complete awe of the story of Egypt's own guardian god who had sacrificed his well-being in order to protect their country from foreign invaders. 

In fact, it was exact piece of historical literature that Ra's head had suddenly edged out of his line of vision into once she met them at the bottom of the staircase. 

“Oh my, I had almost thought the three of you weren’t going to make it," she cried. "What, with that horrific attack on our warehouse having occurred so recently? You must be pretty far into solving that case if you all are here tonight.”

Horus observed the way his father's jaw had clenched, perhaps wishing he could have at least make it through the door before dealing with her snide attitude, but Ra had never been known to engage in pleasantries. Her personality was guaranteed to fix on Osiris’ shortcomings rather than welcome her guests inside as a proper host should.

"Don’t get discouraged my dear nephew. Mistakes happen, right?”

All of them turned around to focus on the past matriarch. While she was older than most everyone in the family, her body certainly didn't reflect that age with the way her gown, bathed in a memorizing shade of gold, clung to each and every curve. The deep-V neck laid down her chest offered more skin than what Horus had initially protested against with his own outfit. Even more deep cut-outs surrounded her waist, but where there was a certain "lack of clothing," there was certainly no shortcomings in the gown's embroidery. Horus was surprised the woman was standing up by herself with the amount of heavy jewels weighing the fabric down across each and every corner of the dress.  

Osiris looked upon her teasing smirk with nothing but disdain. He had already prepared for her scheming well ahead of time. It was almost robotic, the way he spoke back. It was as if he were reading from a worker’s manual and not catching up with a "dear" family member.

“Rest assured, Ra. I am not.”

The corner of the woman's lips twitched. For a moment, Horus thought it stemmed from annoyance, but knowing the woman on a deeper level, it could be a strange sense entertainment. One that a predator while the play with their food before the kill.

“Ah, there’s the Osiris I know!” She cheered, praising the man in front of her that sounded more derogatory than genuine. “It would be mighty hard to get one up on you. Do tell me, are there any suspects? I can’t imagine they should have gotten far under your watch.” Her gaze bounced between the three family members as she tried stealing away any of the information she could muster up. 

“We are still working on the case.” Osiris simply put, leaving no room for questions.

Too bad Ra was anything but respectful of those blatant wishes. 

“Oh, you can afford to spare me some of the details, right?” She tilted her head curiously. “After all, I ran the Ennead before you were even born. Perhaps I can be of some assistance.”

“As you can see, things have changed.”

Her eyes narrowed dangerously before the woman hummed to herself. “That they have."

“I heard whispers they used the encrypted entrance you had developed, mother.”

Another voice jumped right on into the conversation, belonging to none other than Sekhmet. “What an intriguing approach. Not even half the crowd here knows of its existence and yet somehow it had been linked to Ennead’s most tragic blow in decades!”

Osiris' patience was wearing thin, especially with both women bearing down on him with their words.

“Are you offering a suggestion, Sekhmet?”

“Me?" She raised a manicured finger towards herself. "Oh no, not at all. Just an observation.”

Her feline eyes danced across each of them curiously, glowing with mischief, until she finally landed upon Horus' stoic face. Her own expression lit up for a fraction of a second before she smoothed it out. 

“Well, since you're finally here. Care to let me introduce you all to the menu for tonight? Hathor poured her heart and soul into creating it all.” Sekhmet thought back on her words as she clicked her tongue. “Well organizing it, but all the same difference, right? I would hate for my sister’s heart to be wounded by the likes of her own family.”

Her eyes ran right back to Horus, giving his normally steady heart a startle. "Perhaps, Horus, you would like to personally thank her?”

Horus internally groaned, having been brought into this mess he wanted nothing to do with. It was clear Sekhmet was already planting the seeds of her newest scheme right about now. He just wished he wasn't its victim this time.

However, when he looked over to his mother for support, she had just nodded along. It was obvious Isis was not too happy with the idea of separating right off the bat either, but she knew that defying Sekhmet’s, and especially Ra’s, demands would just invite more trouble. Their goal was to make an appearance and leave. Simple as that.

With no other way to escape Sekhmet's sharp-toothed smile, Horus gestured with his hand, “show me the way.”

The woman, seductively dangerous in her golden slit dress, pivoted on her heels to led Horus on over to where the rest of the family conversed inside. Horus could hear the discourse continuing between Osiris and Ra fade into the distance, but even then, he wasn't entirely sure which of them got the worse end of the deal.

He was hoping the crowds inside would prolong the walk over a bit more to gather his thoughts, but the second they stepped into the main lobby, nearly every pair of eyes zeroed in on the duo, immediately stepping aside for the former and current heirs of the family. Sekhmet plastered on her prideful smirk, strutting her way through their guests while Horus kept his eyes trained ahead, not wanting to engage in anymore uncomfortable conversation than he was already sworn to at the moment.  

The two of them said nothing as they made their way through the grand lobby and stepped on into the double doors that served as an extension of the dining room. This room housed significantly less noise. Its only notable occupant was Hathor surrounded by dozens of servants as she ordered them to refill and trade out plates with decadent appetizers and tall glasses of what could only be the finest champagne. 

"Hathor! My sweet little sister!" Sekhmet announced, curling an arm around the younger girl who slightly startled before she tried shrugging off the overexaggerated display of affection. 

"I'm busy, Sekhmet." Came the voice, sweet as honey, and yet bitter in its response.

“What? No hug in return for me?" The older pouted playfully. "And I even bothered to bring another guest with me too.”

Hathor sighed in exhaustion of her pestering older sister. She knew better than most how persistent Sekhmet could become and set down the plate she had chastising a newer servant on how to rearrange for a more "aesthetic" display.

Turning around, Hathor stood there in a delicate mauve gown, her chest on full display from where it struggled against the bejeweled corset sewn into the top. Horus took in her impressive figure slowly, and yet, not a single part of him felt moved by her presence.

“O-Oh! Horus!” Her cheeks immediately became saturated with a light dusting pink. Long gone was the weary expression fed up with her sister. Instead, it was replaced with wide eyes and sugary smiles. “When did you arrive? I hadn’t even gotten the chance to say hello, pardon my manners.”

Sekhmet smirked as she stepped back, putting Horus on the spot so that she could observe the rest of their interaction.

“No need, my parents and I arrived only a few minutes ago." He tried comforting her the way a polite stranger would excuse someone running into them on the street. "I’m sure you’ve been far too busy with organizing the party to notice.”

Hathor giggled gracefully in response to his words, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Although seductive to any other man in the room, her voice strangely grated on his nerves.

“Oh, speaking of!” She cut off the obvious grab at his attention to reach behind her for one of the silver platters resting in the hands of one of their servants milling around.  "Here! Try this. I invited Egypt’s finest chef to share his new dishes with us this evening.”

With her eyes trained on each and every one of Horus' facial expressions, he glanced down to examine the food. He had to hand it to her, the spread was chosen well, looking incredibly put together with its appetizing aroma of savory meat topped in an assortment of tangy vegetables and a delicate drizzle of olive oil.

Carefully taking a small taste, Hathor's eyes lit up in equal parts delight and apprehension as she waited for his honest opinion.

"Do you like it?” She practically whispered, folding her hands over her face nervously.

Horus just covered his mouth, finishing the rest of his bite before he nodded in agreement. "It is very nice. Thank you."

The girl practically sighed in relief before she waved off the rest of their servants to continue handing out food and beverages, not caring whether each tray had a piece of her "special touch" anymore. Now, she was much more focused on the man on front of her, swiping two champagne glasses off one of the passing servers and offered one to Horus.

"So Horus, tell me what's been going on in your life recently?" She pried. "I know my mother told us about the Cairo attack. I do hope you're all all right?"

Politely declining anymore food, Horus eventually took the glass from her hand and answered truthfully. "Unfortunately, most of our guards did not make it out. Only about two lived, but neither my parents nor I were at the warehouse during the attack." 

"Well, if we were to make the comparison..." 

Horus narrowed his eyes at her insinuation. To him, a life was a life, no matter the status quo that Hathor was so obviously protecting.

The woman in question quickly realized her mistake and corrected it, not wishing for her honesty to put her attempt at an innocent persona at risk. "Oh, I'm just happy you are okay!"

"Oh please, mother is probably laying into Osiris right now."

Horus turned around to spot Bastet joining them as well.

While he was somewhat glad his conversation with Hathor wouldn't grow as stale as he predicted it might, Bastet's entrance truly made him question whether or not there would be an end to family members simply inviting themselves into his conversations for the rest of the night.

Looking for Sekhmet, the one who had led him over here in the first place, Horus suddenly realized she was nowhere to be found. Maybe she grew bored and sent Bastet over in her place, or perhaps she was planning to distract Horus with Hathor's very obvious attempts at flirting for tonight. Either way, her prompt exit left him with an even more uneasy feeling than when she was watching them from before.  

Feeling Bastet's presence brush against his side, Horus focused back on the other two. 

"Instead, we should talk about other things..."

Horus had never really been the down and depressed type, but at this point, he would take a bullet to the head over having to hear anymore of their ceaseless conversation. The three of them had finally migrated out of the spare dining room and closer to the front entrance of the lobby where most everyone was. Horus considered politely excusing himself from the conversation, but when he peaked his head around, he spotted his father currently mingling with an ambassador from Turkey Horus could briefly recall meeting a few years ago.

At this point, it was either more mind-numbing questions about the Cairo attack and whether repairs would restore trade routes back to normal by autumn, or continue with the useless babbling of Hathor and Bastet. It was almost as if the two had secretly made a bet as to who could spew more words per minute. The only time they actually looked over towards Horus for his opinion on what men “thought” of Egypt’s latest fashion. Which ended up being a record-breaking two times. Horus was just lucky his mother raised him with enough respect to entertain their wishes with a polite smile and not the roll of his eyes like his brain had been begging to do. 

Bastet appeared quite satisfied with herself for the way their conversation had been going (in comparison to her weak attempt at the club a week ago), but Horus truly couldn’t have cared less. Instead, his eyes, along with nearly everyone else in the room, latched onto the new mother-son duo walking in through the front entrance.

All conversation stopped between the two sisters. Hathor's lips curling up in the disgust for the first time that night.

“What is she doing here?”

Horus hated to admit it, but he was on the same page as Hathor. It seemed everyone else was shocked to find his cousin and Nephthys offering their hands in greeting as they made their way through the entrance and further into the packed lobby. Nephthys had been to these parties in the past, that was for sure, but she hadn’t accepted Ra’s invitation for years.

Not since…

“Oh, you know mother invites everyone from the family to these events." Bastet tried reasoning, even though she was struggling to tamp down her disappointment herself. "She’s still Anubis’ mother.” 

“I know that." Hathor rolled her eyes. "I just can’t believe she has the nerve to show her face around here. Especially after that embarrassing break down following Seth’s death. As if she didn’t rat him out herself.”

“I know! And then she has the audacity to cry about it? Pfft, serves her right." Bastet snickered. "I knew she always thought she was better than us.”

Hathor shook her head in agreement. “Pathetic.”

While the two continued whispering between one another, Horus' mind was completely on another topic. That being his mother. While Ra's side of the family would just stare and whisper, there was no telling whether Isis would flip her shit at seeing Nephthys here. Horus still hadn't figured out how or why his mother grew to be so hateful of the other woman she treated like a sister, but just like everything that happened between their family, it was right around the time of Seth's betrayal.

Horus needed to warn Isis about their arrival before she blew up on everyone at the party.

“Excuse me, ladies.”

Not waiting around to here their weak protests and Hathor's disappointed, "will you be back?" Horus pushed his way through the crowd once more. Never mind the amount of representatives parting ways to simultaneously greet and attempt to converse with him, Horus had a one-track mind right now. Isis had last been seen near the entrance glaring daggers at Ra. Had the conversation gone the way Horus guessed it would, he had an idea as to where he could find the older woman. 

Ironically enough, Horus himself wasn't disappointed in Nephthys' presence at the dinner at all. Shocked? Absolutely, but not nearly as furious as the other party-goers around him. If there was only one other person Horus actually wanted to converse with after his run-in with Seth, it was his ex-wife. Horus hardly ever talked with the older woman in the past. After all, what Bastet and Hathor were saying was true. After Seth’s death, Nephthys had completely isolated herself from everyone else, going out into seclusion on some protected farm in Egypt to distance herself from the violent crime life.

Most had assumed she was in recovery from her husband’s betrayal, but she had never truly spoken on the subject, keeping to herself and only keeping in contact with Anubis on a day-to-day basis.

Horus had certainly gotten his fill of what conspired back then from his parents, but as much as he hated to admit it, Nephthys was the one married to him. If there was anyone who knew of any way to communicate with the man or knew of his whereabouts, she would be the one.

Pushing those plans to the back of his mind, Horus sighed in relief once he caught sight of his mother standing at the empty bar in the corner of the room. A worn down glare covered her face as she twirled around what was left of her drink to lounge around in silence. 

“Mother!”

Relieved by the sound of his familiar voice, Isis immediately perked up. “There you are! Here I was thinking I’d never see you again after you got swept up in that crowd.”

Twisting her away from any and all view of the main entrance, Horus grabbed onto his mother's shoulders gently. “Never mind that. I’m curious to hear about how the rest of your conversation with Ra went?”

“Oh, just as you would expect." She sighed, taking half the alcohol in her glass with her. "Ra and Osiris dancing around each other. Talking but not actually talking. If Osiris was pissed about all this now, I can’t imagine what he’ll be like once we get back.”

“Hmm, just as I would have guessed.”

“I know it’s only been an hour, but all I can think about is going back home." The woman groaned. "I was able to talk to your grandparents for a bit, but it seems they feel pretty drained as well. Can you believe it? Dinner hasn’t even been served.”

Horus' brows furrowed in confusion. “Father told me you used to love these parties?”

Isis seemed to deflate at his statement, almost as if her husband had yet again, defended his negligence title when it came to being a caring husband.

“I never did,” she admitted.

“But he told me you would stay till the end?”

“That’s because…” Isis must have realized what she was going to say next, and cut herself off. It seemed her mind must traveled beyond their current conversation, remembering something or other that she would rather not discuss. “Never mind.”

“Does it involve uncle?” Horus guessed. 

The two were known to be extremely close before Seth's betrayal. If there was anyone out there that could stifle Isis' boredom at an event like this, it would be none other than the opinionated redhead himself. Horus could picture it now. The two of them drinking their fill of Ra's refreshments as they made up fake stories behind each visitor that walked in the door, making it a competition as to who could compose the most ridiculous backstory of the night.

And now, Isis was again faced with reality that she would never feel that comfort once more. Osiris had always put himself out there, no matter his attitude going in, and Horus was her son. Such a sweet boy, and yet, he was unable to replace the sort of understanding that had grown between the two of them, having been forced into the limelight during such a vital shift in the family's power dynamic. 

Isis just breathed a heavy sigh, refusing to acknowledge his words as she suddenly plastered on an artificial smile.

“Like I said, it doesn’t matter now." She stared down the empty glass in her hand, not even having realized she had already finished the rest. "I think I'm going to go ahead and freshen this up--"

"Don't worry!" Horus rushed to tell her, being met with a puzzled expression from Isis due to his rather odd behavior. 

“I just mean, you don't need to stress yourself out more. I can grab another for you."

Isis merely smiled, kissing her son on the cheek. "You are too good to me." 

Nodding in appreciation, Horus made Isis promise to stay near the bar so that he wouldn't lose her in the crowd before dinner. Isis, all too finished with mingling in the first place, had agreed without question and left Horus to go off on his own. 

After separating from her, it was surprisingly difficult for him to spot one of those matte, black uniforms worn by the servers weaving in and out of the crowds. Horus had no choice but to dive in. 

As he walked further away from their meeting point, an idea popped in his head. Maybe, while Horus had the excuse, he could find Nephthys. He still wanted to talk with the gentle woman, and an opportunity like this wouldn't arise for a long while. If he could at least walk by and propose a later date to meet and talk somewhere private, that would suit all his needs. He could allow himself a few minutes for a side quest, right? Besides, he would need to keep an eye on the two if his mother were to stay sane tonight, so technically, this could be in defense of her well-being.

Horus cut between rooms to make the walk shorter. Normally this area was barred off from visitors, but he figured family might make the exception. If not, he could just claim ignorance and hope Ra was in a good enough mood to believe it (or simply not give a shit), but just as he made his way halfway across the show room, filled with dozens of Ra's collectibles, Horus' phone suddenly rang aloud with a 'ping.' On it, there was a text.

‘Sunroom.’

- unknown ID

Horus' train of thought completely switched gears as he set Isis' glass down. He began searching around the room for any sign of someone else trying to grab his attention, but just as he had suspected, no one was there. 

Who could it possibly be? 

Horus would have suspected Sekhmet playing another one of her tricks on him tonight had he not saved her phone number to his phone already.

Could it be Uncle Seth again? But why would he come here of all places? Practically everyone who betrayed him was at this party. There couldn't be a worse time to meet than the annual get-together between the ringleaders of Egypt. Could he be hurt then? Forcing him to reach out in a time of complete and utter desperation.

Horus really didn't want to entertain that possibility, so his continued on brainstorming. Perhaps it was someone else entirely. Maybe an assassin? Uncle Seth could have simply used that handy little clip as a ploy for some greater, elaborate scheme that could knock Horus off his game just in time for a revenge plot. Or maybe even Ra planted the note.

Everyone knows that despite her agreeing to secede power down to Osiris, Ra remained bitter by the fact she had finally lost her iron clawed grip over the Ennead. Proving Osiris was an incompetent leader by using the Cairo attack in her defense, and now, sending Horus to his demise would surely do the trick. 

If he were being completely honest, that probably wasn't the case. She may not be their primary leader, but she had enough resources at her expense to take him out in a much more beneficial way to her. Plus, the plan wasn't "exaggerated" enough to be her style. Horus couldn't believe he was actually thankful for her history wicked schemes right now. 

As the future leader, it would be wise to ignore the message. In fact, he should be turning in the evidence over to the nearest guard, forcing them to shut down the party (or at the very least, escort the inner members to safety) for the night. But on the other hand, he was curious, almost to a fault. As he began weaving through the halls, his thoughts dwelled over his other options. He could tell someone and get them to watch out, or at least, be able to send a signal on over should things go south. However, Horus could really only trust his mother, and she would just turn around and report back to Osiris.

And Horus, well, he didn't want this game to end. For years, he had been swept up in a wave of boredom and negotiating business proposals, signing shipping agreements, and other mind-numbing tasks that forced his life drag on. The mystery, along with the tragedy it left behind, made him feel alive for once. 

It soon became useless for him to sweat over this decision any longer. Horus had already known which choice he would inevitably lean towards in the end.

Coming up on two boisterous, drunken groups of partygoers closer to an empty wing of Ra's mansion, Horus put his plan into motion. 

Just barely brushing past the cackling man on his left, Horus kicked his foot out below the corner of his shoe, effectively tripping him into the other group next them. A shower of curses and whiskey poured over the unsuspecting six-foot pillar of muscle right behind him. The two drunkards, having blissfully ignored the fattening appetizers meant to soak up the alcohol in their system, gave each other the same offended glare.

“Hey! You ever watch where you’re going. Or does that fucked up nose of yours ruin the view.”

Horus stuck to the wall like a bug in order to escape the blame. In fact, he could already hear the threats of a physical altercation grow as more and more people rushed in, and he snuck away. He didn’t need for them the breakup the fight. No, he was banking on some of that professional assistance to come in instead.

He knew all entrances and exits were being surveyed by only the highest ranking of Ra's official guard. Unlike the woman herself, they were hardly the type to abandon their sense of duty in turn for messing around. This team kept their eyes peeled at all times for any suspicious activity. Even an officially invited guest had to watch themselves should they not want to be thrown out by her guard (if they hadn't done worse already). 

With most of the attention pulled to those populated area, that left other unoccupied rooms (such as the eloquent yet quaint sunroom) with one guard watching them at a time, and as luck would have it, the scuffle was in the same wing as the sunroom. All he needed to do was grab the guard in charge of monitoring the secure area and ask him for help. Considering it wasn’t one of the most populated areas, the plan should go over smoothly.

Familiar with the mansion's main layout, Horus rushed into the security room within no time.

"Hello? Can anyone help me?"

Just as he suspected, there was one man sitting behind the monitor. The guard slouched lazily in the desk chair before immediately straightening up at the sound of Horus' voice.

“Sir, is there a problem?”

Horus pretended to sigh in relief, rushing over to the other man. “It seems some of the guests have had a bit much to drink.” He mentioned, acting as if he wasn’t the one that goaded those two imbeciles into a full-on brawl. “Do you mind? It seems to be near this wing, and I wasn’t sure who to go to here.”

The guard's brow furrowed before he changed camera angles on the monitor, finally focusing in on the scuffle Horus had instigated with a rather deep frown. Turning back to Horus, he gave the young man a respectful nod of his head. “Of course, sir. Let me just call in someone to take my place…”

“No need.” Horus brushed his shoulder. “I’ve been meaning to take a break from all the socializing. It wouldn’t be an issue for me. I probably watch more footage on a day-to-day basis than you.” He offered with what could barely be considered a grin. 

“I appreciate the offer, sir, but in terms of protocol, we must have official—”

Just then, a crash interrupted their soon-to-be disagreement from the floor below them. The sharp sound was followed by a woman’s shout of horror, no doubt in response to the fight growing much more aggressive. With no time left to discuss the situation, the man glanced at Horus in a panic.

Horus simply rewarded him with a reassuring grin, that being the last assurance Ra’s guard needed to before heading out the door. By the time he reached the frame, Horus had already known what his was going to ask.

“Don’t worry. I won’t tell.”

The guard bowed in appreciation before rushing out the door, leaving Horus to his own devices. The heir shook his head in ridicule of himself for what he was about to do. This may not go down as one of the smartest decisions he's ever made, but in his mind, there was no turning back now. 

Digging through the small pocket he had connected to the inside of his belt, Horus retrieved the device his was looking for, no bigger than a pinky finger. From a young age, he had made a point to carry this on his person at all times along with the same two essential items. That being a hand gun and a compact knife, both of which had been both confiscated at the front gate before any of them even stepped foot on the premises. 

Luckily, this device had managed to sneak its way on through, just as Khnum had planned. Khnum used to be the main computer scientist in charge of Ennead's cybersecurity, having introduced to the family by Isis as her first cousin. The docile man had strayed away from any and all family-related violence, but had a natural talent when it came to hacking and other advanced coding skills. With Isis putting in a good word for him, Khnum began training underneath Osiris' best computer engineers and slowly rose up through the ranks for his inherent brilliance. It was only when an attack on Isis had been foiled that he came to their direct family with this ingenious invention Horus carried on himself to this day.

Protective of his cousin as well, and her close encounter with an attempted kidnapping, Khnum had developed a revolutionary device. It was unassuming to the naked eye and designed to be unrecognizable by most modern-day metal detectors. However, on it, Khnum had downloaded his own program that could temporarily jam any security frequency it was plugged into. It quickly became a necessity from the inner family should they find themselves in another sticky situation in which they needed to bail themselves out of trouble alone. The program could block the current feed for up to 30 minutes to allow for a swift escape. Once the program ran its course, the device would deactivate on its own and essentially become useless.

While 30 minutes was the most ideal time frame, unfortunately, the more complex the system, the quicker the drive would get booted off. In Ra's case, she would definitely have the best at her disposal. He estimated about a 10-15 minutes before the device would implode on itself. Besides, it was only a matter of time before the guard came back anyway.

Never mind the device's own limits, if the flash drive was not retrieved by the time Horus got back, Ra would most certainly be notified about the strange discovery, and Horus would be stuck with a much bigger problem than a mere drunk scuffle.

Locking his eyes onto the sunroom through the screen, Horus grabbed his phone and set a five-minute timer on the screen before he finally plugged in the drive. That should grant him enough time to make it to the sunroom, uncover the mystery behind that peculiar text, and make his way on back to retrieve the single piece of evidence.

Well, if this mysterious presence is willing to cooperate that is. 

Chapter Text

Isis sighed as she tended to her second pour of red wine, having forgotten all about the empty champagne glass she abandoned on the counter. Horus offered to grab her a refill, but her son must have gotten caught up in another conversation along the way. After all, he was a respectable young man, surrounded by flocks of Ra’s vultures. Horus was still too young to have figured out how to navigate himself in and out of conversations, and considering his budding popularity, there was no doubt in Isis’ mind that her son would probably be missing from her side for a while.

Luckily she wouldn’t have to be left alone for too long as she spotted Osiris across the dining room, sitting at the center table reserved only for the family. She would have joined her husband sooner had he not been accompanied by Ra. Nut and Geb were also sitting alongside their son for support.

Isis knew she should have abandoned her self-pity party and joined the rest of them, but a part of her was reluctant to do so. She knew it would be nothing more than insincere compliments and defending Osiris’ honor while he didn’t even lift a finger to return the favor.

Her husband used to be different, more willing to show affection and share those few charming smiles that had captured her heart years ago, but that version of him had slowly faded out of their lives, becoming yet another casualty that accompanied Seth’s betrayal all those years ago.

Isis took another large gulp of wine.

Emotionally, she wished to save face for just a little bit longer, so she chose to nurse the leftover drops of liquid courage for a few more minutes. Her hand slowed as she savored her last sip and eventually gathered enough motivation to join them. Isis annoyingly kicked away the folds of her gown that had pooled around her heels before leaving the isolated area.

Only few steps away, and she could feel her headache worsen alongside the palpable tension surrounding each family member. While it was no longer a battle between the former and current heads, the conversation seemed to be centered around monotonous life updates as Ra tried sneaking her way through more of Osiris’ secrets while he jabbed holes in her sudden pique of interest.

“How about you Ra?” Osiris spoke as Isis took the open chair at his side. “You still have your hands full with those daughters of yours? I’ve seen Sekhmet and Hathor hurrying around the party all night. Although, Maat has yet to greet us.”

“Oh, Maat is my successful little rule-stickler, as always.” Ra brushed off his concern. Never mind these ‘rules’ she referenced were pertaining to negotiations between underground families and certainly not legal activities.

“Still makes wonder how that girl ever came from me. HA HA!” Ra slapped her hand down on the table, nearly toppling over several glasses of alcohol from her reckless mirth.

While Nut and Isis tried salvaging the expensive tablecloth from becoming a fragrant bubbly mess, Ra satisfied the rest of Osiris’ indifferent question. “But Thoth had been feeling under the weather lately, so they couldn’t join us for dinner tonight. And you’ve seen Sekhmet already. She’s just peachy. However, Hathor seems to have found a new interest.” Her eyes traced over Isis’ curious gaze. “I believe she has taken quite a liking to your boy.”

“Oh?” Osiris hardly showed any concern, only acknowledging her comment out of obligation. “This is the first I’m hearing of this.”

“Osiris.” Isis reprimanded his careless response, knowing Ra guarded the pride of her daughters rather cautiously.

Taking the reins on their failing conversation, Isis clarified her husband’s lack of a reaction. “Sorry, we just seem to be a bit shocked. I mean, Horus never mentioned anything.”

“Well, Hathor doesn’t take a liking to just anyone.” Ra emphasized rather casually. “It would be an honor for someone of your family.”

An honor? Isis face lit up in rage. How dare she! Hathor would consider herself lucky if Horus even looked in her direction! Much less offer his hand for that self-absorbed tart Ra calls a daughter. Isis ground her teeth from the sheer audacity of this woman.

“Do you disagree, Isis?” Ra took note of her unpleasant attitude. “After all, you should be one to embrace young love, considering you and Osiris had gotten married around their age as well.”

Isis shot her with a look of complete and utter disbelief. Now, she was proposing marriage! Not directly, but knowing Ra, each and every one of her words were carefully crafted to disguise another motive. Simply mentioning their family’s own past unions was practically an omission of guilt.

Before she could counter the older woman’s manipulative words in defense of her son, Nut suddenly laid a gentle hand over Isis’ own. “Isis dear, would you mind showing me to the bar for a refill?” The gentle woman offered, speaking for what might just be the first time that night.

She then addressed everyone else, “Would you mind excusing us for a moment.”

Nut graciously rose from the table, whispering something or other into her husband’s ear before she gestured for Isis to promptly follow after her.

Reluctantly adhering to her mother-in-law’s wishes, Isis followed her with a grumble. Only once they were out of Ra’s line of sight did she slam a fist down on the bar counter.

"I can’t believe this. How could she think we would trust her? Forcing herself back into a position of power disguised as some star-crossed romance?”

“That’s what I pulled you aside to discuss.” Nut sighed, seeming somewhat conflicted as to what she was going to say next. “Think Isis, this may serve you well.”

Isis, convinced Nut would full-heartedly agree with her as well, was stunned into silence. Osiris’ mother was a typically level-headed woman, defensive only when the topic of her dearest family came into question. How she could even entertain the idea of selling her own grandchild over to that manipulative bitch they hardly  chased out of power all those years ago was completely lost on her.

“How can you say that!” Isis angrily hissed. “How do we know this isn’t just a ploy for them to come back to power over Ennead. Do you really want to play that risk? She’s connected to Ra for gods sake!”

“That’s a gamble we need to consider.” Nut suggested. Her eyes briefly danced over Isis before she occupied herself with refolding a few napkins that had been strewn about the counter. “From what I’ve gathered tonight, Ra is planning something. I can tell. If she doesn’t get her way with Hathor…”

Nut watched a conflicted look across her daughter-in-law’s face and offered her condolences. “Look, I don’t like our options either.”

“And what about Horus!” Isis countered. “To be shackled to someone you don’t even care for, for the sake of a political bet.” The younger woman froze, her chest suddenly heaving with a sharp pain before her eyes clouded back over. “No one should have to go through that, especially my son.”

“I’m not saying you need an answer now.” Nut comforted her. “Just consider it. And the problems that may arise should you deny her.”

Isis was still entirely reluctant to agree to such an arrangement, but Nut’s words did give her something to ponder in the meantime.

“We will face them if we must.” Isis agreed, her eyes glazed over in resignation.

Nut appeared somewhat satisfied with her consideration and merely offered a gentle pat on Isis’ shoulder. The older woman eventually returned back to the table. However, it took Isis a bit more time as she crinkled his fingers in the pile of neatly folded napkins Nut had set down next to her.

Her mother-in-law certainly had a point, Isis would give her that, but was it fair to risk Horus’ own future simply out of a ploy for power? This was her son, not a chess piece that could be easily manipulated for her own gain. She not only had to consider Ra’s ulterior motives, but Hathor as well.

Ra made it sound like her daughter’s fascination was nothing more than an innocent crush, but Isis knew better. More often than not, it was those who lived seemingly peaceful lives that had their own vices to hide. Even if Hathor did abide to her own self-proclaimed innocence, there was her twin sister Sekhmet to keep in mind, and god only knows the issues she would inevitably invite back into their lives.

Nut may be thinking rationally, but for a mother, this was no easy decision. Isis would have to think long and hard before she even considered taking such a risk.

Horus had barely taken one step into the sunroom before he felt a violent ‘smack’ on the side of his head. He rubbed the sore spot pathetically as the door slammed closed, trapping in his uncle’s snarky voice so that they were the only two who could hear.

“Why didn’t you use the evidence you brainless pigeon?”

“Uncle!” Horus shouted, forgetting all about the remaining ache on the side of his head as he was met with the best surprise that could have been awaiting him.

He was over the moon with joy, having been chosen not only once but twice as Seth’s olive branch back over into the family. Well, a rather manipulative and twisted way of communicating with the people who may or may not have orchestrated his death, but an olive branch nonetheless!

Although, the choice of environment was more than concerning to him. Of all places to meet, was Ra’s mansion, filled to the brim with spiteful family members and conniving underground leaders, really the best place to see him? Why would a self-proclaimed strategist like his uncle choose to be here of all places?

“So it was you who planted it? And the note?”

Not willing to satisfy Horus’ questions with an answer, Seth paced around the room just outside of his nephew’s grasp. “Your family is being targeted right now, and you aren’t even trying to find out who it is? This isn’t about you! This is about everyone involved. Isis, Nephthys, Anubis—"

Horus growled at that, dropping his previous concerns almost completely. “Why do you care so much for them? Especially that traitor…”

“Traitor?” Seth repeated curiously before he connected the dots.

“You mean Anubis?!” He asked almost as if the thought alone horrified him. “He’s my son! Don’t you dare talk down on his name like that!”

Horus ignored the weak reprimand and instead reminded his uncle, “Why would you even risk coming here? Where anyone could walk in and find out you survived?!”

Seth seemed taken aback by Horus’ anger. In all their limited conversations, he hadn’t seen much of a reaction from the other man, including the well known Ennead fury. Part of Seth was confused whether that frustration was directed towards him or the idea that he had risked his safety for this moment.

But that wouldn’t make much sense. Why would Horus worry over a man so far removed from their family? It was more likely Horus was upset his involvement with Seth might stain his flawless reputation. It was the only rational explanation. 

Deciding not to dwell on it any longer, the older man remembered Horus’ words and dove straight into a rather devious smirk. Seth slid a small, portable device from his pocket, and with the quick push of a button, the doorway immediately lit up with a snap of electricity. The frame was practically waiting to disintegrate Seth’s next unwilling victim as the ‘ZAP’ disappeared following a second click of Seth’s finger.

Horus was just lucky Seth wanted to meet with him on purpose rather than the much more disturbing alternative that was him accidentally stumbling upon the man himself.

“Oh please, Isis and I used to snoop around this place before you were even a thought to be conceived. This layout is practically second nature to me right after main headquarters.” Tucking away the remote back in his pocket, Seth’s eyes narrowed back in ridicule.

“Besides, this isn’t about me. This is about you and how completely and utterly useless you’ve been!”

Horus leveled him with a rather chastising look. “I’m still looking into your information, Uncle. Like I said, the entire family is focused on the warehouse attack. You think it’s easy to do this research all by myself, knowing my father could discover where my attention has actually been this entire time? I’m doing this for you.”

“What the f—for me?!” Seth sputtered. “Why would you even care? I betrayed your family! If you aren’t here to take my warnings seriously then why haven’t you attacked me instead? At the very least, you could have tried to bring me to Osiris.”

“I—I…” Horus had no answer. At least, none that wouldn’t leave him at the mercy of Seth’s unbridled judgement. Years of pining for this man in front of him should have prepared Horus for some sort of interaction, to slowly introduce his feelings and gradually build Seth's trust in him, but when faced with the real opportunity, he simply froze. 

“I see.” Seth answered for him. A knowing glint broke through his cold demeanor, “you aren’t done with your own game yet. Are you?”

Horus tilted his head curiously, not following whatever Seth had been suggesting. “Uncle—”

“I saw it in your eyes, you know. That first night.”

Shit. He was losing him.

That was the tone of voice Seth used to lure others into a false sense of security. A siren’s song, curling around the mind of its unsuspecting victim until he possessed each and every desire of theirs that was to be had.

“You wanted to fuck me, right?”

Horus was left speechless. He wanted to correct the other man, to demand that his feelings ran deeper than just the appeal of his body, but Seth had already turned around, a sly smile flitted across his lips. His uncle matched his eager gaze with one of his own, awarding him a lip bite that could debauch even the most chaste of saints.

“Have you no shame?” He questioned, his hand brushing over Horus’ frozen figure as he looked the younger man up and down once again. “Coveting your own family member.”

“Not by blood.” Horus breathed out, as if the rationale behind his desires made any difference.

“Oh, so that doesn’t matter to you?” His uncle cackled in disbelief. He seemed split between genuine disgust and awe towards the feelings his nephew suddenly brought to light. “Wow, how morally righteous you are!”

Horus should have known his response would be rather shocked. It would be concerning if it wasn’t, but still, his heart bled in that the idea seemed so ridiculous to his uncle.

Seth, on the other hand, sensed none of Horus’ newfound reservation and continued on with his mocking tone. Even amidst his cruel taunts, the man was undeniably beautiful. The way his rosy lips curled up in a vicious sneer while his vibrant eyes narrowed from their teasing glint. His laugh, loud and boisterous yet pleasing to Horus’ ears, was utterly captivating no matter the ridicule he aimed towards his nephew.

Every part of him satisfied Horus, quelling the desperate yearning he felt deeply coiled around his soul. 

“So why don’t you do it?” Seth asked, wiping away his own tears of amusement before he resumed the previous attempt at seduction.

His breath quickened near Horus’ ear as his hand traveled further down towards the younger’s already hardening manhood. “Please, you know it would be so good.” A crinkle between his brow falsified the idea that Seth desired him as well.

The younger pulled his uncle closer, his hips meeting the other man’s grasp subconsciously. Horus assumed he could keep his thoughts and feelings separate for the time being, but the sight of his uncle laid out in front of him was nothing short of his deepest, most coveted fantasy.

“That’s it.” Seth whispered, using that enchanting voice to distract Horus again from his true intentions.

The younger grit his teeth in order to concentrate. It took every muscle, every fiber of his being, to control the heat coursing through his loins and focus on the task at hand.

Had he followed through with his uncle’s demands, Seth would have all the evidence he needed to go ahead and gut his nephew like a full-bellied Thanksgiving turkey. He felt more than he saw Seth reaching for the knives he had hidden away in his coat, and in that instant, a switch had flipped.

Horus immediately grabbed the older man’s wrist, slamming it into the wall behind them.

“No.” He made sure his uncle finally focused on the eyes of his nephew and not the conquest between his legs. “Uncle, don’t push me away.”

He had been so distracted by the mission at hand, he failed to notice the timer he had set was now silently vibrating in his pocket. Instead, he watched the way Seth’s eyes widened almost comically.

While yes, the older man had picked up on a certain level of attraction, that wasn’t Horus’ end goal. It would certainly be nice perk, but above all, he truly wanted justice to be served for his uncle. He had always known the perceived “fallout” had been smothered in misinformation, but now that the main witness was here, he could help him earn his name back. Horus just needed the older man to place some form of trust in him as well.

Getting close intimately could be saved for later. After all, Horus had already waited his entire life for this moment. What difference would a few more years of pining make?

“I don’t believe you betrayed our family. I am here to help you clear your name for good. There is no other reason.”

For a minute, Seth was the one bathed in shock, unable to comprehend that an obviously aroused man was giving up the opportunity he so rarely granted others. From every conversation they’ve held up to this point, to the very blood running in his veins, Seth had held the belief Horus was here to bend him over the nearest surface and have his way with him before turning him over to Osiris.

Nowhere in his thinking did he hope that Horus would actually care for him.

But, why…

No. Seth tied down the light feeling in his chest, and buried it back inside him with the rest of his abandoned desires. Even if Horus’ feelings ran deeper than a quick fuck, he couldn’t afford to hope. Not in this family. Not when the key to breaking his last sense of self was so entangled with the man in front of him.

Solidifying that very mindset, Seth glanced up at him almost hesitantly. “Really?” he whispered, desperate to hear Horus’ answer.

The younger’s eyes lit up, believing his uncle had genuinely given him the chance to explain himself and maybe, just maybe, earn the smallest sliver of his trust.

“Yes, Uncle.”

“Well then,” he huffed, examining Horus’ rough hands as they laid innocent and trusting in his hold, “I guess there’s nothing more for us to talk about.”

Seth’s vibrant eyes lost all of their liveliness. Horus reached for the older man, but his attempts were effortlessly dodged.

Seth evaded his grasp, twisting a hand behind his back before he pulled out a hidden stun gun and aimed it right in between the space of Horus’ ribs. The younger man’s groan of pain was drowned out by the sharp snap of electricity as Seth watched him collapse. A blank emotion remained plastered over his face before he tucked away the weapon and moved to escape.

“But I do appreciate you interfering with the camera feed for me.”

Horus thought about reaching out to grab an ankle, a sleeve, something, to stop the man from evading him, but it was too late. The very second his abdominal muscles dwindled in their painful spasms, Seth had already climbed out the open window he must have snuck in through and disappeared into the night.

Horus drug himself up from the ground, gazing out his uncle’s escape route for any sign of the older man, but he had no such luck. Instead, what caught his eye happened to lie just across the courtyard. Pile of wires, twisted and expertly mangled apart from each other.

Just because Horus scrambled the camera feed for this section of the mansion didn’t mean the rest of the security system should be down as well. Glancing closer, Horus spotted a small blinking light, hard to make out with all the building’s chandeliers and glass windows reflecting onto the evening landscape outside. Had Horus not run into Seth, searching for any last trace of the man, he would have never noticed.

“Shit!” He cursed, ignoring the ache still dwelling in his side and sprinting out the door to warn whoever was roaming the halls of his discovery, but he was too late.

“And how about that foreign mercenary I sent your way?” Ra asked, her mischievous smirk making itself known over the rim of her cocktail.

Osiris drummed his fingers on the table without a hint of amusement. “Quite the choice he is. He insists on using the ridiculous name, ‘foreign god’ whenever he refers to himself. Although,” the next words seemed as if they physically hurt the man to admit, “he was a beneficial asset in our financial settlement with certain European countries. You two must have been cut from the same cloth.”

“He still goes by that name!” Ra’s voice echoed across the room. “HA! That is just too good.”

While everyone else appeared much less entertained with all the hints of Ra’s influence still coursing through the trades of their family, the woman herself was quite satisfied in her work.

“My, my, it seems business is booming on your end.” If Isis hadn’t known the woman quite like she did, she would have thought her words were genuine. “I mean, even Nephthys crawled out of whatever hole she must have buried herself in to come here. Is she becoming more involved too?”

Osiris’ posture straightened ever so slightly while Isis nearly crushed the stem of her glass in her hand.

“Nephthys!?” She hissed, her voice steeped in venom.

Everyone within the close inner circle of their family was well aware of the tension that remained between the last three in-laws. Nephthys may have chosen to turn over her traitorous husband in order to ensure the protection of their son, but for some unknown reason, neither her nor Isis spoke another word to each other after their combined efforts. Ra herself seemed shocked the woman made an appearance tonight, but in her twisted opinion, the more entertainment, the merrier.

After all, she had yet to completely bury herself under both Osiris and Isis’ skin. The presence of the gentle blond haired woman might just be the key she had been searching for.

“Oh dear, and here I thought she would have told you about her attendance.”

Osiris placed a hand over Isis’ thigh in an attempt to cool her festering anger, but she heeded no such warning from his poor distraction. Her gaze swept over the rest of the remaining visitors, trying to spot the shameless culprit she needed to confirm had accepted Ra’s invitation without entertaining any of the consequences.

Unfortunately, the only sight Isis happened to meet with was the unusual appearance of Ra’s head security officer as he popped out to survey the scene. A sense of urgency trailed behind his quick movements as he maneuvered through the crowds of congested, rambunctious guests to reach the main family.

The rest of their table’s occupants grew attentive upon his arrival whereas Ra seemed to be anything but concerned.

“What is it?” she asked, sounding bored for the first time that evening.

While Geb and Nut started a small conversation on the side out of respect, both Osiris and Isis tried listening in on any of the spare whisperings that may just happen to reach their ears. It was rare to spot one of Ra’s private guards in the flesh, so they were left to assume that something important needed to be addressed.

The couple was fortunate enough that they didn’t have to strain themselves too hard as Ra pulled back from her security guard with a questionable gaze.

“An interference in the feed?” She repeated his words back to him. Even Isis seemed to have a hard time believing such a claim, considering the high level security present at such an influential event.

“Is there an issue?” Osiris asked, not even caring to hide the fact he had been eavesdropping this entire time. 

Ra’s calculated glare gradually melted off her face as she waved off his concern recklessly. “Oh, these things are usually nothing!”

“My team is still searching the premises for a possible security threat.” The guard addressed Ennead’s second head. It seemed that he too was well aware of the Ra’s preference for chaos rather than the family’s own safety. “However, in light of recent events, your safety is our top priority. We need to escort you all to safety.”

Ra looked as if she was more disappointed he let the cat out of the bag rather than the actual threat it posed, but all she had to offer was a fake pout.

“If you must.” She sighed rather dramatically before finally addressing the rest of them. “It seems as if we need to delay dinner until we get to the bottom of this. Poor Hathor. She put so much thought into this.” Ra nodded as if she could shoulder some of her daughter’s own disappointment before she rose from the table.

Ra gestured for everyone to follow as well, her golden eyes scanning over them impassively until she eventually landed upon Osiris. While she too was suspicious of this unexpected threat, Osiris’ unusual response provided more for her to dissect than whatever new threat presented itself tonight.

“Osiris, aren’t you coming along?”

Said man ignored her disingenuous regards. He simply eyed her private guard in suspicion, pleased with the way the man began to shift nervously underneath his hardened gaze before he asked, “who is it?”

Isis and the rest of their guests had enough sense to follow Ra’s decision and leave the dining room as she instructed. After all, they were still in her territory. Despite her spontaneous and uninhibited personality, the woman wasn’t stupid. Staying put would have been a fool’s game.

A game Osiris seemed all too willing to play.

Isis tried knocking some sense into her stubborn husband, that they could figure everything out after they were out of harm’s way, but he refused both her and Nut’s insistence to leave.

The security guard, torn between his allegiance to Ra and the weight of Ennead’s current leader bearing down on him, cleared his throat. “To repeat what we said before, we don’t have any evidence at there is someone responsible—"

“If this is the same individual who is responsible for the attack on the Cairo warehouse, then it has everything to do with me.” Osiris interrupted. “I won’t be leaving.”

“Osiris,” Ra teased, leisurely approaching his side as if dozens of guards weren’t flocking around her in an effort to evacuate the scene. “Don’t fret. We’ve dealt with troubles like this before. Why deny their help? After all, they are just following my orders.”

Her lips curled upwards, studying each and every clench of the man’s sharp jaw. “Unless you want to face this invisible threat head-on, hmm?”

Osiris flinched as Ra’s sharp, manicured nails dug into his shoulder. The woman leaned down to the shell of his ear and lowly whispered, “then, do tell me who you suspect, and I’ll provide my support in any way I can.”

Osiris growled underneath his breath, daring Ra to deal yet another wrench in his plans. It was obvious the two of them were nearing another fight, a completely unnecessary feat if there truly was an active threat they needed to concern themselves with, but before either of them could get another word in, the ground shuddered. Chandeliers and candles wobbled violently as shrieks of horror rose from several guests still gathered within the main lobby. They were given no time to respond. The only sound breaking through masses of panicked screams and heavy footfalls had been a thunderous ‘BOOM’ followed by the crackling of hefty stone as its weight bore down on the barren west wing. The rumbling was nothing more than one final warning before the mansion began collapsing in on itself.

“STOP! My son, Ennead’s heir, is still in there! You need to go back!”

Isis had been relentlessly pleading with Ra’s guards over and over to let her through, her mind derailing with all the horrible scenarios Horus could have gotten himself into. Sure, most of the damage had afflicted empty rooms and vacant hallways, but the ground was still far from stable. There was no telling whether the mansion could fold in on itself further, or worse—be housing another explosion just waiting for more scattered victims to gather. Time was truly of the essence.

She felt it wasn’t too unreasonable to allow herself, Osiris, or one of the many guards back in the mansion to search. She tried tearing through the hectic crowds, begging each and every guard to turn back around and search for her son, but to no avail.

“Isis, dear, I’m sure he’s being escorted over as we speak.” Osiris tried reasoning, but her husband’s assurance offered no consolation for the frazzled woman.

Instead, she spotted a familiar figure standing next to Ra. The reflection of her golden dress taunted her in the evening light, leading Isis to march over in a fit of rage.

“Sekhmet!”

Said woman’s eyes widened in surprise, finding none other than a fuming Isis stomping towards them as if Sekhmet had set off the explosive herself and pushed Horus in the dancing flames.

The younger woman didn’t even flinch as Isis’ accusatory finger was suddenly shoved in her face. “Where did Horus go? You dragged him away earlier, Who’s to say you didn’t mess with him again!”

Sekhmet merely shrugged off the baseless claim. “He was with Hathor last I saw him, but she’s right over there.” Sekhmet’s sharp nail pointed over towards her sister.

Isis immediately followed her direction, watching as Hathor loudly sobbed into Bastet’s shoulder. The deflated girl was mourning all her hard work that had just gone up in flames, but true to Sekhmet’s words, there was no Horus to be found. Rather than offer her assistance, Sekhmet merely taunted Isis further.

“It seems your arsonist friend hasn’t had their fill yet.” She added, and boy, if looks could kill, she would have collapsed to the ground alongside the mansion’s crumbling west wing. Sekhmet merely cackled at her deadly expression and continued to ignore Isis’ furious threats. That is, until her eyes met with something rather odd over the older woman’s shoulder.

“Isis!”

Said woman’s vicious scolding had been immediately cut off. Isis was no longer preoccupied herself with cursing out Ra’s wicked offspring as she turned around to meet the distressed woman calling her name.

“Are you all right?” Nephthys cried. Based off her limited interactions with the family, it seemed as if she hadn’t planned to actually talk with any of them this evening, but with the unexpected threat wavering over their heads, her concern overshadowed any and all bad blood.

Isis on the other hand, had already yanked her arm away from the younger examining her figure without permission.

“Of course this would happen the day you show up.” Isis scoffed, feeling somewhat smug in the way Nephthys shrunk back on herself in shame.

Isis would have said more, demanded to know what convinced Nephthys to ever show face around these events again, why she felt she had any right to worry or her wellbeing, but Anubis was already by his mother’s side, shielding her from any more of Isis’ words slicing into Nephthys like a whip.

No matter. Isis met Anubis’ defiant gaze as well, proving she wasn’t intimidated by him either. She held more power over their family than Anubis could ever even dream of. If he was going to stand by his mother in her presence, he should at least prepare himself to shoulder the burden of Isis’ wrath headed their way as well…well, almost headed their way. Both Anubis and Nephthys should count themselves lucky that Horus had followed them through the crowds, arriving at his mother’s side not even a few seconds to settle the brewing discourse.

Isis immediately shoved past the other two so that she could take her own missing son into the safety of her arms. “Thank goodness you’re all right!” she cried out in relief.

Horus stiffened in surprise before he too returned his mother’s affection. The two of them stayed in that embrace for a while. Isis waited just a few more seconds, simply listening to the strong beat of Horus’ heart as it laid right underneath her cheek before her fingers suddenly latched onto Horus’ ear in a tight, punishing grip.

“Where were you?!” The woman accused angrily, not even feeling a speck of shame as Ennead’s future ruler squirmed under the scrutiny of his mother’s disapproval.

“I-I was just trying to find the nearest restroom when I got caught up in another conversation!” Horus cried, the excuse slipping right off his tongue the way he had practiced during his way on over.

Isis, still looking pissed that her son had not only abandoned her earlier but also aged her about 10 more years due to his sudden disappearance, eventually let go. She knew the answer would be as such, but no amount of age could erase a mother’s worry. Still, Horus technically didn’t do anything wrong, so she let him off with a mild scolding.

Horus was able to finally grab ahold of his own ear now blazing red from the miserable few seconds of abuse it was under and glanced over at everyone else gathered around them. He immediately took note of the spot Nephthys and Anubis had retreated over to, separating themselves from where the rest of the inner circle had huddled themselves together.

While his mother appeared to be purposefully avoiding that specific direction, Horus was intrigued by Nephthys’ surprise appearance. He hadn’t seen his aunt for years, and now, with Seth’s sudden reemergence, his mind was stirring with curiosity. Could it be that the two odd occurrences went hand in hand?

Unfortunately, with everyone else around them and tensions already at a breaking point, he couldn’t just walk up to her and simply asking the other woman. There would be far too many questions surrounding his budding interest. After all, their relationship was practically nonexistent at this point, so his curiosities would need to remain secret for a little while longer.

“Where is father?” Horus asked instead, trying to catch up on everything else he had missed during his time with Seth.

“Over here,” Isis pointed to her left. She then promptly led her son away from the other two estranged members so that they could meet back up with Osiris.

As they made their way on over, Horus studied his father’s stressed figure head-to-toe. From an outside perspective, Osiris appeared just as neutral and put together he had always been. With his hands neatly folded behind his back and that detached look glazed over his eyes. However, Horus knew differently, and perhaps Isis as well. His father had a certain “tell” about him—all located in the clench of his jaw as it cycled between frustrated tension and a relaxed state that he used to try and quell his nerves, albeit unsuccessfully.

“Do you think the attacks are linked?” Isis asked, taking his arm carefully.

Osiris hardly even validated their arrival, much less Horus’ return. He merely patted her hand lightly before sharing his own thoughts. “We won’t know for certain right now,” he explained very matter-of-factly. “But it’s likely.”

Isis nodded along to his words. Horus could tell his mother still had plenty of doubts weighing on her mind but chose to stay silent for his father’s sake. Osiris had just been bested by this mysterious culprit yet again, and this time, it took place at public event. Whispers questioning his competency as Ennead’s head would spread faster than the fires of his unknown enemy.

Even if Isis’ concern came from a genuine heart, Osiris wouldn’t take it as such. It was wiser to remain silent rather than test the man’s patience with several more questions Osiris might not even have the answer to. He could keep a level head around the rest of the family, but the two of them were much more familiar with his temper. If they were the ones to push his boundaries, he wouldn’t feel the need to hold back anymore.

Nothing more was said between the three of them as they all fought an internal battle within themselves. All surrounding to the same exact concerns, but for different reasons. It wasn’t too long before that carefully crafted silence was broken by a playful whistle, Ra appearing right behind Horus who stood a few feet away from his parents.

“Wow,” she hummed, “it appears we may just have a new record on our hands.”

Well, she certainly didn’t carry herself with the attitude of a woman who had lost her home to a blazing inferno, but then again, reconstruction was nothing more than pocket change for her. The trade-off for a juicy story was worth more than any family heirlooms that may or may not have been burned to a crisp as a result of this mysterious attack.

“It seems you need to pick up the pace, Osiris. You practically endangered the entire family.”

The Ennead ruler said nothing, his concentration never breaking from the scene nor the first responders updating each other through muted whispers about details related to the attack.

“And how about your security?” Isis defended her husband instantly. “Had they been watching the cameras like they were supposed to, this never would have happened.”

“I never told them to leave their post.” Ra countered her accusation. Her eyes surprisingly leapt over Horus for a split second.

Isis’ face grew beet red. “W-Well then, someone did! But you should have sent in back-up or at least known about it!”

Ra placed a hand upon her chest, feigning guilt. “You’re right, my apologies. I must have lost my knack for leadership since placing Ennead under new management.”

Isis steamed angrily under Ra’s manipulative wordplay. The woman was prideful. Not in the way a man like Osiris was, stepping over everyone to get his way. More like, as long as she knew she was in the right, it didn’t matter what others believed. She would find a way to make a fool of them all.

“Well, since you apparently don’t need my help, I’ll be off. After all, I should inform the rest of my guests of this event’s cancellation.” She emphasized with a pointed glare. “Don’t bother contacting me as I will be busy rebuilding this mess. I do wish you all the best of luck though.” She offered, as if she meant any of those words that slipped past her lips.

“Oh, and get home safe.”

Ra then waved them three of them off, finally signaling her guards to escort everyone off the premises for the rest of the night. Osiris hesitated to follow her command, but left with nothing to defend his lingering interest, lest he get Ra involved with their investigation, he had no other choice than to wait for the valet alongside both his wife and son.

Horus himself glanced around to see if Nephthys was still where they had left her with Anubis, but just like her elusive ex-husband, the woman was nowhere to be found. If he wished to see her again, he would need to find another time to meet with her.

Besides, Horus had more pressing matters to deal with now that his father’s attention had been turned onto him.

“Where were you?” Osiris was already on top of him, invading his son's personal space just to find out the truth within his unprompted absence.

“I was with mother for a while until I went to refill her drink.” Horus cleared his throat before he walked his parents through the last minute excuse he had prepared one more time. “On the way, I had to use the restroom but got stuck in a conversation with our Russian ambassador before we heard the explosion. We were escorted out the back entrance since it was closer.”

“And how long was that?” Osiris fixed him with a calculated glare. “Because Isis hadn’t spoken to you for over half an hour since she last saw you.”

“The ambassador was rather inebriated at the time. I could hardly get him off me for a few seconds much less half an hour.” Horus defended himself. It wasn’t too far-fetched, considering the number of patrons at such an event and the gallons of alcohol that had been constantly passed around. However, Osiris didn’t seem to care for excuses.

“And what did he discuss with you that he could not bring to my attention?”

This is exactly what Horus had been afraid of. Between tracking down Seth, trying to remain inconspicuous, and finding where the rest of his family had been dispersed after the incident, he only had enough brain power to concoct a flimsy explanation at the last minute. The minor details were still yet to be figured out.

Horus assumed he would have some more time to prepare a more convincing story, but it seemed he had severely underestimated just how seriously his father would interrogate everyone after this event. No one, not even his own child, was the exception.

Osiris looked as if he were about to drill into Horus’ choppy narrative again until Isis had enough of her husband laying into their poor son.

“Osiris, enough! Horus has absolutely no reason to lie to us.” She cried. “I don’t understand what your issue is. Why wouldn’t you believe your own son?”

Osiris sucked in a breath, almost as if he wasn’t prepared to reveal the reasoning behind his own doubts either.

With Isis coming to his defense and breaking up his father’s relentless questioning, Horus offered his own two cents. “I swear it is the truth, father. We should try and return home so we can discuss our options moving forward without prying eyes.”

Osiris’ eyes shifted over to where Ra dismissed another grouping of guests, her fingers cupping each and every one of their hands as she delivered multiple "heartfelt" apologies. Horus could feel beads of sweat collecting at his temples as he waited for his father's answer. He was fairly certain Osiris wouldn’t choose to pick a fight with his own son surrounded by plenty of snooping family members and dozens of family beneficiaries, but waiting for later also meant that Horus would be given more time to build his defense, a factor Osiris seemed much more focused on considering at the moment.

The man simply glanced back over to his son for a few fleeting seconds before he eventually agreed. Osiris said nothing more as he reached into his pocket, lighting a cigarette between his fingers as he turned around to wait for the valet once more.

Horus sighed out in relief. He may have been able to escape his father’s interrogation this time around, but it was obvious the man was growing more and more suspicious as time went on. With Seth showing up more frequently as well, Horus needed to be extra careful with the new information in his possession.