by Justin Sloan
“Quite the sight, huh?” a voice said. They spun to see a man, nude but for a golden cloth wrapped around his waist and wearing a mask of a dog. He stood in a boat at the side of the river, a long staff stuck in the water to hold the boat in place. “Quick, follow me.”
She noticed the way the mouth moved, and Allie realized that the dog face was no mask.
“Who are you?” she asked, backing away and motioning for her friends to be ready.
“I’m called Set,” the man-dog said, then motioned again. “If you want to avoid being eaten by the serpent Apep, I advise you do as I say.”
Allie looked about and saw something move in the sand. Suddenly, the massive serpent leaped from the ground, cresting over them.
“I say we go with him,” Daniel said, but Allie was already running.
“Smart choice,” Set said as Brenda trailed the other two onto the small boat. He lifted the staff and pushed away from the shore just as the serpent lifted its head from the sand and snapped at them, red eyes burning like the sun. A whap from Set’s staff sent it back, and soon they were out of striking distance.
“I’m getting sick of those things,” Allie said.
“Oh, you’ve not seen one like that before,” Set said, his dog eyes staring at her intently. “No, that is the form of Apep, the god of chaos. If you’d seen him without my presence, I’m sure none of you would be alive at this moment.”
“We’ve dealt with worse,” Daniel said with a cocky frown.
“No, you haven’t.” Set steered the boat to the point in the river with the strongest pull, and then motioned ahead, to the largest pyramid of them all. “It’s only by the grace of Ra that I’ve come to lead you and protect you from that evil.”
“Even here?” Brenda asked. “I mean, there’s another battle of good and evil apart from the one we’re fighting in?”
Set nodded. “There always has been, and always will be. The day this war ends, you’ll either see eternal tears and suffering or eternal peace.”
“So then… this Ra?”
“He means to bring this all to an end, and soon. He is the Bringer of Light, the one true God of the Sun.”
“We weren’t told any of this,” Allie said, frowning.
Set looked at her, staring deep. He seemed to be considering how much he trusted her, then nodded.
“You shall see soon enough.”
With several thrusts of his staff into the water, Set brought them to a spot at the riverbank where reeds grew in lush groupings and flowing silks covered a walkway to the pyramid.
“Um, aren’t the pyramids places of the dead?” Daniel said with a worried glance to Allie. “Maybe we shouldn’t be following this guy?”
Set turned to him with a growl, but then stepped aside for a man all in white approaching, a short curved cane in one hand and what looked like some sort of whip in the other.
“The Bringer of Light?” Allie said, skeptically.
The man in white chuckled and gave them a slight bow. “But a humble servant of his, I’m afraid. Osiris is the name.”
They nodded their heads in turn.
“Quick, the attack will soon begin,” Osiris said to Set. “We must get them to safety.”
“Mind telling us what you’re talking about?” Brenda said. “I’m not going in there unprepared.”
“Of course, my apologies. The gods of the hill,” he motioned toward the hill with the Greek temple, “they mean you harm. But we are here to protect you, you have my word.”
“There’s no such thing as gods,” Daniel said with a scoff.
“No?” Set said. “Then what do you think we are, boy?”
“Some sort of….” He looked to Allie for help, but she just shrugged. “Figments of our imagination in this weird mind-world at best, demons at worst.”
“Not how it works here,” Osiris said with a shake of his head. “You see, I’m the god of the dead, and Set here is the god of the desert, charged with repelling Apep. But he isn’t our only worry. The gods of those temples mean us harm. They’re jealous of Ra’s power, and they mean to use you against us, if possible.”
“And that?” Allie said, pointing to the mountain surrounded by the swirling storm.
“Yes, there is also that….” Osiris and Set shared a nervous glance. “Apep and all others of his ilk … that is where they come from, and where the world would go if we fail.”
“Now, if you would, please,” Set said, motioning toward the pyramid door.
Brenda and Daniel looked at each other, then turned to Allie, waiting.
“You guys believe this?” Allie said. “Think we should trust them?”
“No,” Daniel said, with a look at Set that said he didn’t care if he heard them. “But it’s the path ahead of us.”
“And it seems like we keep ending up where we’re meant to be,” Brenda added.
Allie definitely didn’t like the idea of following these beings that claimed to be gods. It rubbed her all wrong and made her stomach clench up. But if they were going to find Troy, she would probably have to do a lot of things she didn’t like.
“Lead the way,” she said.
Osiris bowed low, spun on the heel of his sandal, and led them into the pyramid.
Walking into the pyramid was like nothing Allie had ever expected. She’d seen pictures of them on TV, but she had never seen one so grand, decorated with spiral staircases, flowing palms and immense, intricately carved vases. Draperies hung from the gold ceiling, and in the center was a raised throne. A man sat on the throne, a single shaft of golden sunlight from the peak of the pyramid shining on him. Other gods and goddesses stood or sat nearby, all turning to see the group as they walked in.
“I give you the Bringer of Light,” Osiris said, bowing and stepping back so that the path to the man in the ray of light was clear. “Advance.”
Allie saw a look of doubt and worry on Daniel’s face, but she tried to hide her own as she stepped forward.
“If you’re the Bringer of Light,” Allie said, challenging, “why aren’t you on Earth, fighting the Strayers and the fallen angels?”
The man stood, and the sunlight moved with him. Allie couldn’t make out his details—the light was too bright.
“My child,” he said, arms outstretched. “Welcome home.”
The pyramid filled with murmurs of interest.
“Answer the question,” Allie said, adjusting her ring, ready for anything.
“You demand so of me, your god?” Ra asked, then laughed. “Don’t worry; I’m not mad at you. The problem, you see, is one of perspective. When you were a child, how often did you believe with all your heart that you were right and your mom was wrong, only to grow older and realize that she was right all along?”
Allie frowned, not liking where this was going.
“You see,” Ra continued, “this is what we’re seeing right now on Earth. These Strayers, they don’t mean ill to begin with, but their confusion corrupts them. Likewise, the men and women you have allied yourself with don’t see the full picture, so they attack when they should ask questions, learn.”
“And the fallen angels?” Allie asked. “The Grigori? The Watchers?”
The beam of light seemed to glow brighter at this.
“Tell me, Allie Strom,” Ra said in his beaming voice. “Have you ever been misjudged? Who told you this is what we are?”
“We?” Allie fumbled at her ring, heart racing.
“Yes, Allie, ‘we.’ We are none of those things. We are the gods you see before you. We always have been, always will be. They call us fallen angels. They worship him, but why? What do they have to show for it? They have nothing! No proof, no power! But look at me, Allie, look at me! I stand before you, me and my fellow gods, and we are real.”
Ra stepped forward and out of the light, and Allie and her friends gasped. Indeed, he looked every bit like an ancient god should, with his muscular body and glimmering gold clothing. But the look in his eyes, a fiery red
, told them everything they needed to know.
“I don’t accept this,” Allie said. She took a deep breath, focusing on calming her nerves. “These claims of yours are nothing but lies.”
“You dare?” Ra said, eyes flaring with red fire.
“You are no god. You’re fallen angels sent to this plane to try and distract us. To tempt us, just like that one back in the Japanese temple. But guess what? We’ve dealt with your kind already. We’ve destroyed your brothers and sisters, and we’ll do the same to you.”
Ra’s breathing filled the pyramid. Then he screamed, and blocks of gold fell from the ceiling.
“Destroy her!” he yelled, pointing at Allie. “Bring me the ring and the armor! You’ll see, petty girl. I am the god of the sun! I am the Bringer of Light, and you shall be devoured by it!”
A god with bull horns and holding a glimmering sun disk charged, her eyes shining like polished steel. Allie sensed the attack, but not for herself, for Daniel. She shoved him aside and tried to shoot the bull goddess with her ring…. Nothing.
“I don’t have the energy!” she shouted. Daniel recovered and struck at the goddess with his sword, and Allie turned to see two more coming at them.
“We’ll have to do it the old-fashioned way, like we were trained,” Daniel said, backing up toward her. “Unless you wanna give that guy your ring.”
“No way.” Allie spotted Set approaching from behind. She dodged his attack and connected with a kick to his stomach, then jumped with a second kick that knocked his staff free and into her own hand. “Okay, let’s do it.”
The next few strikes and blocks came with ease, Allie and Daniel fending the gods off. She wondered why it wasn’t more of a challenge, until she spun and saw Brenda doing her best to form patterns of protection and enhanced speed around them.
A blast of light shot out and whipped past Allie, and she felt the wind like a punch to the face. She tripped, falling backward and barely catching herself, then turned to see Ra had joined the fight.
“You can’t stand against all of us, child.”
She faced him, staff at the ready.
With a heavy sigh, Ra rushed her, this time throwing her so she went flying backwards into a dark passageway. Laughter filled the area behind her and hands clutched at her clothing, but with a sudden burst of light from her ring, she was free. She spun to attack again, but this time conjured nothing more than a glow. She bit her lip, then turned just in time for Ra to appear in a blinding flash of light right in front of her.
With nowhere to go, Allie knelt and propped the staff against the floor. Bracing it tightly, she lifted it just as Ra charged. He slammed into it with a sickening crunch.
Ra stood there, staring at her, his glow fading and the back of the staff sticking out from his ribs.
Allie stared in amazement as the light around him dimmed, leaving behind only a gray pile of dust that soon blew away.
A crash from behind pulled her back to the moment, reminding her that Daniel and Brenda were still out there fighting. She rushed back to see Set fall as Daniel swung his sword at the last of them, changing the horned woman into a pile of dust.
Daniel turned to Allie, and for a moment she felt she barely recognized him. The look in his eyes was so mature, so battle-hardened. But then he smiled, and the same old Daniel returned.
“Now we just have to find Troy,” he said.
“Oh, I wouldn’t worry about that,” a booming voice said. The pyramid began to shake, stones and gold falling all around them as the top opened to reveal the mighty form of Zeus.
Chapter 11: The Greeks
Zeus moved his hands apart, and the entire pyramid split open like a toy. Thunder rolled and clouds surged past his head, lightning crashing in his eyes. With a motion from his hand, the trio was flown into the air and whipped about in a circle before his eyes.
“The time for games is over,” Zeus said. He motioned toward the Greek temple on the far hill. “There you will choose your fate.”
Another gust of wind swept at them, and Zeus shimmered to the form of an eagle. The group found themselves swept along behind him as they sailed toward the temple in the distance.
“Are you one of them?” Allie screamed over the howling wind, trying to get his attention as she focused her energy on recharging the ring. “One of the fallen angels?”
The eagle turned to look at her, then swooped down to the ground and returned to the form of Zeus. Now he stood at human height, albeit a towering human. He motioned around at the statues of different Greek gods carved from pure gold—Poseidon with his trident, Ares with his sword and plumed helm, and there was no mistaking Hades, with his hollowed-out face and chilling eyes.
“Do we look like fallen angels?” Zeus demanded. He paced before the statues, each step thundering through the temple. “We are gods. The gods! We’ve stood the test of time while your supposed God comes and goes, a fashion of the day.”
“Sounds like you’re trying to convince yourself,” Allie said.
Zeus’s eyes were like ice. He held her stare for a moment and then lifted his hand. In the middle of the room, a hole opened up and a stone table rose from the floor. Troy was tied to it in chains so that his limbs formed an X.
“Troy?” Allie said, sounding doubtful.
Troy’s eyelids fluttered, and he managed to send her a terrified look before he passed out again.
“What’ve you done with him?” Brenda demanded.
Daniel aimed his sword at Zeus. “Just say when.”
“You silly children.” Zeus approached the table and looked down at Troy. “This one thought he could fight, too, when we took him…. Even managed to take one of Cerberus’s heads in the battle….”
“A crime that will not go unpunished,” a whisper said.
They spun to find Hades standing behind them. His three-headed dog had only two heads now, a piece of cloth draped over the spot where the other head would have been.
“Zeus will see to it, brother,” another voice said, and they spun to see Poseidon with his mighty trident on the other side.
“The Egyptian gods were old,” Zeus said, arms spread with palms toward Allie as if to show he meant no harm. “They were long-forgotten, powerless in comparison to us.”
“We could still take you,” Daniel said, raising his sword. “Right, Allie?”
She pulled at the power of her ring, feeling its energy, but didn’t answer. In truth, she wasn’t sure if this was a battle they could win. If Zeus spoke the truth, it might be better to avoid the fight and listen.
“What do you want?” she asked Zeus.
Zeus smiled and snapped his fingers. Lightning flashed, and then Ares, the god of war, stood over Troy with sword to the boy’s throat, a vicious smile on the god’s lips.
“You see,” Zeus said. “In an instant, your friend here could be dead. But I’ll give you the choice, Allie Strom. You stay, and your friends may leave. Or they can stay, and you go. But if you try to fight us, he dies first, and then the rest of you.”
“Don’t listen to him!” Daniel shouted.
Brenda looked at Allie with uncertainty.
Allie had a duty: to finish the battle, to protect the world. But she also couldn’t let Troy die. The idea made her want to just lie down and give up.
“Let them go,” she said.
“And you’re ours?” Zeus asked.
“I’ll stay, just let them go.”
“No, Allie!” Daniel said, but already Zeus had motioned and a great wind was pulling them back.
“Him too!” Allie said, pointing to Troy.
“Of course.” With a nod, the chains broke free and Ares backed away. The wind lifted a groggy Troy and set him down beside Brenda and Daniel, where they rushed to support him.
But Zeus had his eyes on Daniel now. “Of course, we’ll be needing the Sword of the Spirit and the Shield of Faith.”
“That wasn’t part of the deal,” Allie said, stepping forward. “I’m here, t
ake me and let them go.”
“Of course, of course. But not without the shield and sword.”
“For what? So you can claim the spot of the Tenth Worthy? You’re no god; you’re just some petty fallen angel, no better than the rest of them, no better than Samyaza was!”
“And you’re a fool!” Zeus turned on her and swung. A massive spear appeared in his hands, crackling with lightning. He gestured with his hands, and the winds sent Brenda and Troy flying, but Daniel braced with the shield and stood his ground.
Zeus frowned, nostrils flaring and chest heaving, but then he smiled. “This is how you want it? The two of you? Then let it be done.”
“What do you mean…?” Allie said. But then she felt the sting of the marks on her skin.
Zeus was gesturing again with his free hand, as if coaxing the dark powers in her arm to do his bidding. The shadows returned, twisting around her arm like black snakes.
Allie turned to Daniel with a terrible feeling—she had to kill him.
“No!” she shouted, fighting the urge. “You won’t control me!”
Again Zeus motioned, and the urge grew stronger. She took a step toward Daniel, who was backing up, shield raised and eyes wild.
“What are you doing, Allie?” Daniel said. “It’s me, it’s Daniel.”
“I know!” she said, resisting the next step.
This time Zeus dropped his spear and pushed with both hands, surging dark energy into her blood. She felt it, boiling beneath the surface. She closed her eyes, trying to ignore the pain, trying to push back, but it was taking over. Her mind swam… darkness… pain….
A laugh came, somewhere from deep within. Her childhood, swinging in mom’s arms. An image of her dad looking down at her with love. A brief memory of her and Daniel in the grass outside their apartments, that time when she’d yelled at the top of her lungs that he was her best friend.
With a burst of energy, she jumped into the air and threw back the forces Zeus was sending her way. The weaving black light became a bright yellow, then white, twisting around her until it entered her body and shot out through her ring, throwing Zeus to the floor.
Recovering, he propped himself up and looked at her with interest.