Part 06.6
"You have to try this cheese bread; it's rather good," Carla urged as she placed a slice of it onto the paper plate she had bought from a little store on their way back to Alex's apartment. Seeing how Alex just smirked at her son as she too enjoyed her pizza while sitting on her couch while she and Anta sat on the floor beside him as they used Alex's coffee table as their dining table.
"Okay, that... I have to say it is pretty good," Andrew admitted as the flavors exploded on his tongue as he cupped his hand while his mouth was full. "Better than the Pizza Hut back in New York."
"Good," Carla said, wiggling her ass into the carpet. So very pleased that there was something Egypt could give him so he wouldn't be too homesick. Slipping her hand beneath his shirt and began to affectionately scratch his back. Seeing how Andrew just relaxed as she did. It wasn't hard, nor was it lost on them of the wall of sex that greeted them once they had returned with their bags and the food. Although, if they were blind as bats to that fact, the fact that both of them were showered upon their return would have told them so. She wondered if Andrew would like to watch just her and her Professor going at it for his benefit, maybe even include Anta in it as well.
"So, Andrew, tell us why you were planning on not telling us that you and Ira were going to the labyrinth," Anta spoke, the sound of the crust tearing as she bit into it played in Andrew's ears.
"Told you, it's dangerous," Andrew repeated.
"So?" Alex retorted. "Has the events up to this day not been dangerous for us?" she asked with a pointed look.
"Plus, I don't know if the paths to the room are even sound," Andrew said, trying to keep them from tagging along.
"You said you were going there for only one thing; what would that be?" Carla inquired as she dipped her bread stick into the sauce.
"The Book of Solomon," Andrew stated factually. Seeing how the three of them stilled when those words left his lips.
"Andrew, how do you even know it exists in the first place?" Alex asked, wiping her lips clean.
"Have the memories of Pharaoh Shoshenq I when he sacked Jerusalem and the Temple of Solomon," Andrew stated, seeing how his mother so wanted to delve into that memory.
"Okay, okay, hold up, you mean to say Solomon was a real person, not someone made up in the Bible?" Carla asked, seeing Andrew holding up a finger as he finished chewing.
"He was real; even your Professor can tell you that, given how Shoshenq boasted about it at the temple complex of Amun-Ra at Karnak," Andrew stated, gesturing to his mother.
"Andy, you know that's conjecture," Alex huffed, feeling her body heat as his blue-green eyes glanced over at her. "Shoshenq could have ordered the men to lie when they created that. I'm not saying I doubt you, son; lord knows after what we went through, doubt isn't in the cards. I'm just saying it's a possibility, is all."
"Can you prove Solomon lived? Like his grave or something?" Anta asked with an arched eyebrow, hearing Andrew sigh beside her.
"You all just want to come along to see the book, don't you?" Andrew grumbled as all three of them nodded very vehemently. "If you get yourselves killed, don't expect me to speak to Anubis or Osiris for you," he said pointedly as he wagged his slice of the cheese bread at them.
"You're saying you won't pray to them to bring us back?" Anta asked in a pouty voice as she batted her eyelashes at him.
"Then you won't travel the Duat to free our souls?" Alex tutted in a teasing voice; she couldn't help herself as she felt herself smiling as her son pressed his lips together.
"Surely you would, right Andrew? We do mean something to you, don't we?" Carla asked in a caring tone as she rested her hand on his left forearm. "We have grown close to one another throughout all of this, haven't we? We are something more to you than the women you fuck, aren't we? I know we haven't talked much about what our relationship is, but I would like to think we're more than just fuck bubbies," she said, slipping her hand into his, interlacing her fingers with his, gently squeezing his hand. "I can't speak for the other two, but I do have feelings for you," Carla stated, noting how the other two were staring at Andrew.
"I already thought you accepted the role as a wife," Andrew said down to his plate as he dipped his cheese stick into the sauce. Trying to ignore the looks he was getting from Anta and Carla as they just stared at him with gaping mouths. Wincing as they squealed in delight as they crushed him in a hug as they pressed their womanly bodies against him.
"Just so you girls know, I am Queen, so don't you two go getting any ideas," Alex stated, sitting regally in her seat.
"Wouldn't dream of it, Professor," Carla said with a wide smile on her lips.
"I'm going to be the best wife you will ever have," Anta purred heatedly into his ear.
"Mmmhmm, and when we're alone, your wife will be on her knees sucking this cock as much as you want," Carla cooed as she rested her hand on his groin.
"Fine, if you're so intent on coming with me tomorrow, then you have to follow my every word, understand?" Andrew uttered in a firm, stern tone as he peered at all three of them.
"Yes, Andy, we understand," Alex said with a nod.
"We promise we won't get in the way," Carla stated as she lightly rubbed his manhood.
"Mmmhmm," Anta hummed as she snuggled up to him as she rested her head on his shoulder.
"Okay, Andy, tell us what you remember about the Great Labyrinth," Alex spoke as she placed her paper plate onto the table.
And so, for the next few hours, Andrew detailed everything he remembered to the three of them. Going over it over and over and over until it felt like he was trapped in a time loop. He noted how Anta was jotting down notes as they talked. Seeing the heat of her cheeks when she would peer up from her notebook. The way she would brush her ebony hair behind her ear when it would slip from behind it. To how Carla would speak to him, not as if she thought he was an idiot or insane, although Andrew had pondered on that a few times. The way her lips would shape her words whenever she would speak. Then his eyes would flicker over to his mother, studying how she would interact between the two. He would have to admit, if only to himself, it did seem she was perfect at being a Professor. Bowing his head when her sky-blue eye would peer out of the corner of it at him. Nibbling on his piece of crust, his eyes darting back and forth as the three of them debated on what he had told them.
The plastic garbage bag rustled as he and Anta cleaned up after their meal as Carla was in the shower. Getting a few peaks down Anta's shirt as they did. Not that he hadn't seen her breasts before, it was just the act itself felt a bit more... naughtier, at least to him, it did. He felt his cock flare to life as Anta lifted up her shirt showing off those tantalizing breasts of hers as she shook them at him. Her brown eyes glinted in hunger; her lower lip slowly trailed along her teeth as they dragged across it as she stared at the forming bulge in Andrew's shorts that his mother had bought for him in case her son ever visited again. Pressing back against Andrew's hand when he palmed her ass.
"I'm going to go dump this into the chute," Andrew stated, peering back at his mother as she sat at her computer as she poured over the findings of the Belgian-Egyptian team's expedition.
"Okay, honey," Alex muttered, not taking her eyes off the screen. However, her eyes did flicker over to her left as she noted how Anta gasped when Andrew reached around her and how his hand was between her legs.
"Andy... don't... start... something... if... you..." Anta didn't finish her broken thought as she lifted herself to her toes, grinding her jean-covered ass against Andrew's groin as she gave into the bliss as he tormented her mound.
"Who says I can't?" Andrew mused as he felt how her orgasm soaked the seat of her jeans.
"You best be taking responsibility for this wet pussy of mine when you get back?!" Anta shouted out as she stuck her head out the door as Andrew walked down the hall to go to the fourth floor, given the chute on the third was out of order the last time he was there.
"Planned on it," Andrew retorted from over his shoulder.
When Andrew was returning, he got some very odd looks from the men that lived on the third floor. Namely, because their wives or their girlfriends were eyeing him like the women he'd passed had done. He wasn't fluent in Arabic, yet he caught most of what the men were saying as they had to drag their significant others away. Seeing the man's mood brighten some when he applied Ra's blessing, telling them he apologized for the distraction he had caused in the best Arabic he could. Always seeing the men nod in understanding. However, their husbands or boyfriends didn't notice how their eyes wouldn't tear away from the bulge Anta had caused. Blowing out a breath once he entered his mother's apartment. Wondering if this would always happen now wherever he went.
Walking over to where his mother sat when she beckoned him to her, nodding when she asked for some specifics about the site. Slyly noting how Carla was standing in his mother's bedroom wearing only a towel as she used another to dry her hair.
"Professor, can I talk to you alone in your bedroom for a moment?" Carla asked as she stood in Alex's open bedroom doorway.
"Okay... you know, since we're all close, you may address me as Alex, in private, of course," Alex stated as she rose from her seat. Seeing how Carla's cheeks heated as she did.
Andrew just stared oddly as the pocket doors closed, leaving him rather alone in his mother's living room. He heard some muffled words through the door yet couldn't make out what they were. He also heard his mother's shower stopping. He felt his cock awakening at the thought of Anta's naked wet body as her towel moved along it. As well as pondering how Carla would look if she opened and dropped her towel and begged him to take her right then and there. Which he would've done in a heartbeat. The purple light of his ankh ring flared as he stroked his chin, pondering on how the other Pharaohs dealt with their Royal harem. His blue-green eyes glanced up, his dark red hair shone in the light of the room as the door slid open, revealing to his eyes Carla's very nude, very taunting body. He noted how her eyes fell on his ankh ring yet said nothing as a coy smile formed on her lips at how his own were savoring her body. Arching an eyebrow when she took hold of the back of the computer chair his mother had just been using, holding out her hand to him. Andrew had no idea what was going on; nonetheless, if it involved Carla, naked, he'd be a fool to pass it up.
"You sit right there," Carla said in a cooing tone as she pushed Andrew into the chair. "And you just enjoy the show," she whispered before her lips lightly tugged on his own.
"What's..." Her finger on his lips stilled his words as her breasts filled his gaze. Then the soap that his mother had in her shower filled his mind as Anta draped herself over his shoulders.
"You just sit here, watch as we put on a little show for you," Anta whispered as she nuzzled his neck. "And baby, you're the only one I'm ever going to do this for," she purred into his ear before her fingertips moved along his chest before she sauntered over to Alex's bed.
"Don't worry, baby, we'll take care of you too, after the show," Carla cooed as she held his chin in her hand before joining Anta and Alex on the bed. "Are you ready, Alex?"
"Mmmhmm," Alex hummed as her eyes never left her son as they began their lesbian threesome.
Chapter Seven
"Oops, sorry," Ira quickly turned around when he appeared in Alex's apartment early the next morning. "I'll wait out here," he said, using his powers to shut the doors. He didn't think they would like him gawking at them while they laid on their bed... naked. Not that he wouldn't mind staring at the three women, yet he wasn't trying to move in on Andrew's ladies. Although he had to hand it to Andrew, they were very alluring. "Sorry, didn't mean to wake you all," Ira stated sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head when he turned as the doors rolled open, and out they stepped from Alex's bedroom fully clothed. "Hope you don't mind. I was studying your artifacts you got around here," he spoke, waving his hand around the room.
"No... you didn't touch any of them?" Alex asked accusingly. "Good," she muttered as Ira shook his head. "Andy, you ready, baby?" Turning towards her son as he shouldered his pack, knowing they would be returning to London once they had retrieved the book that laid in the center of the labyrinth.
"No... but we might as well get this over with," Andrew answered, pondering how the people were doing in their new homes.
"We promise we'll try not to go too overboard in excitement," Alex whispered into her son's ear. "Carla, how does the battery life on the camcorder look?"
"Should be enough for a few hours' worth," Carla replied as she placed it back into her pack.
"You sure you're up for this, Andrew?" Anta asked in a worried tone as she stepped up to his side.
"Yeah," Andrew muttered, looking down at his hand, opening and closing it into a fist. Feeling his strength had returned. Hoping he didn't have to do that ever again, at least not for some time. "I do this, then we're square?" he asked, peering up at Ira.
"I always uphold my deals," Ira nodded.
"And you'll disappear, never bothering us again?" Andrew spoke with a pointed look.
"That... I can't promise," Ira said, scratching his cheek as he looked away.
"Guess that will have to do," Andrew sighed, looking to his mother, Carla, and Anta, seeing them nod, telling him they, too, were ready to go.
"We all set?" Ira asked with an arched eyebrow. Wondering why he felt a rift forming between him and Andrew. Was it because of what he said while fighting Ba'al, or was it because he was Yahweh spawn, as Andrew had called him? Ira didn't know, although he got a feeling this wouldn't be the last time he and Andrew ever saw each other. He just hoped when that time came, they wouldn't be enemies.
"To see something that hasn't been seen since its completion? Hell yeah?!" Anta stated, with Carla nodding along.
"Huh?" Ira uttered in confusion.
"The Great Labyrinth was buried when they finished it, so no one alive has ever seen what it looks like... except for Andrew," Alex said in a teacherly voice.
"Ah, well, if you all would come together, I'm sure this little trip won't take too long, and I'll have you all back in London before this evening is out," Ira said, wondering if he should pay Anabia a visit since he would be in the city. He knew he was going to have to pay Samuel a visit as well, just so he could look over the book and tell him if it was real or not. For all he knew, they could have planted a fake one in its place before Shoshenq had sacked the city of Jerusalem. However, that would all be revealed once they retrieved the book. His thumb brushed along the band on his right ring finger as his wings folded in on the four of them.
Ira pressed his lips together to keep the grit that was in the air out of his mouth as they reappeared fifty yards or so from the base of the pyramid of Amenemhet III. Watching how Anta quickly dug into her bag and pulled out four bandanas and held them out to Andrew, his mother, and Carla as the sand grew as the wind whipped it up into the air. Ira watched on rather curiously as the four of them went over their gear one last time. He started to speak as Andrew moved off from his group. Following after him as Alex was in hot pursuit of her son.
"Here," Andrew said in a commanding tone once he had stopped in his tracks.
"How far down am I to go?" Ira asked, stepping up to Andrew's side. Nodding along when Andrew was telling him how deep it was to reach the labyrinth. Seeing Alex pulling Andrew back once, his powers swirled around his hands. Noting how the sand began to disappear as he dug out a ramp for them to walk down to enter the ancient site. Using his powers to keep the sand where it was and not pouring onto them as Ira finally reached the bottom. Casting out his power to ensure that the monument wouldn't collapse on them, seeing how they would have to break through a wall just to enter the building.
"I don't like this, Andrew," Alex voiced her opinion.
"I know you don't," Andrew said, running his hand over the sand encrusted wall. The years it took to build, the times of walking through it as it was being constructed, to the foremen shouting in ancient Egyptian demanding that they move faster as he watched how they buried it once it was completed.
"Then let me just pop in there real quick, I too would rather not damage something so marvelous," Ira said, earning him a warm smile from Alex as he tried to keep his demon at bay as the images of what he could do to her flashed in his mind. "Be just a sec," he muttered when Andrew gestured for him to do so with a wave of his hand. Noting how they were digging out their flashlights as he shimmered out of existence. "Well... it's stale, but that room is sound," Ira stated once he had rejoined the four of them.
"You three ready?" Andrew asked, tightening the straps of his bag as Carla ensured that the camcorder had enough power and was ready to go.
"Lead on, my Pharaoh," Alex purred in ancient Egyptian. Smirking as her son's eyes glanced up and down her body, trying to distract his mind from whatever was playing out in it.
"We're with you, Andy," Anta cooed in a loving tone as she took his left hand into hers.
"Mmmhmm, we wouldn't dare leave you," Carla spoke in a coy tone, seeing the corner of his lips lifting into a smirk, knowing how it was she that wanted to see the labyrinth in the first place.
"Well, do that thing, and let's get this over with," Andrew stated, not eager to spend that much time within that place. Not because of the dangers that awaited them, but for who it was originally built for. Anubis! He hoped that Anubis wouldn't be too upset about the intrusion into his domain. The moment they appeared in that room, Andrew tensed up, feeling unnatural eyes on him. "Come on, we need to hurry," Andrew said, clicking on his flashlight. "Step where I step and do not leave it," he warned as he started off towards the center of the site.
"Andrew, give us a minute. At least let us survey this room first," Alex pleaded with her son.
"Sorry, but we can't. We're trespassing as we speak," Andrew uttered in a hushed whisper.
"Andrew, what's got you spooked?" Ira asked, curious as to what could have Andrew shaken.
"Anubis." Was the only word he spoke before turning on his heel and heading off.
"Andy, stop for a minute," Alex called out, reaching out, taking hold of her son's arm, bringing Andrew to a stop. "What did you mean by Anubis?" Turning her head when Andrew pointed his flashlight towards the far wall, shining upon the mural of the god and the hieroglyphics that went along with it. "Okay, no dawdling," she muttered low as she quickly read the hieroglyphics. She was not about to get on the god of death's bad side.
Ira silently followed after not voicing that if it came to blows, he would face off against Anubis. Although he didn't know how his new friends, at least Ira thought of them as his friends, would take that, he didn't think that would go over well with Andrew. Listening to the three women as they spoke softly as they tried to detail what they were seeing as quickly as they could. Then Ira felt something. He knew Andrew did, too, as he stopped in his tracks.
"Andy," Alex called softly to him. Her jaw snapped shut when she saw how he raised his hand over his right shoulder. Noticing how he was looking to and fro as if only he could hear it, then again, this was her son. That was likely the case.
"I hope you brought your sword," Andrew said ominously, knowing where they were. He didn't know when they crossed over, yet there was no mistaking that they weren't on Earth any longer.
"Never leave home without it," Ira joked to bring some levity to the situation.
"Good, you might need it," Andrew warned.
"Andy, baby, why do you say that?" Alex asked in a fearful tone.
"Because we've officially crossed over to the Duat," Andrew spoke matter-of-factly. "So stay close," he voiced his warning as he called forth the weapons of Ra.
"What's the Duat?" Ira whispered to Anta.
"The Egyptian underworld," Anta spoke from over her shoulder. Reaching over, taking hold of Carla's hand, pondering if this was what Andrew meant that this place was dangerous. Feeling Carla trembling just as she was as her eyes darted about trying to see everything that the light of her flashlight shone upon. Seeing the alien shapes of plants, the cries of something she didn't want to know, feeling the dirt shifting beneath her feet as she followed after Andrew. Anta didn't know whether what she was seeing was real or fake. Still, that didn't lower her fright one bit as they continued on.
"Andrew, how far do we have left?" Ira asked when it felt like they'd been walking for hours.
"We're getting close," Andrew muttered, flashing his flashlight to the left and right as both plans played before his eyes. He assumed his mother, Carla, and Anta could only see Duat or what Anubis was showing them. He, and he could only guess as well with Ira, could peer through the illusion. While they weren't truly in Duat, yet he knew even an illusion of the place could just be as deadly as the real thing. His body went tense; off in the distance, he heard the thundering of paws, paws that he knew what they belonged to. The Anubis hounds! "Can I count on you to protect them?" Andrew asked, shooting Ira a questioning look.
"Of course," Ira nodded sternly.
"Andrew, what are you going to do?!" Alex asked, fearful that she was going to lose him just how she thought she was going to lose him in Punt.
"Talk to a god," Andrew said factually as he turned towards his mother. "I'll be okay," he uttered reassuringly as the blue ring of his divinity appeared as his skin began to give off a holy glow of his godhood, as weak as it was. Nodding to Ira as he brought his wings around his mother, Carla, and Anta, hearing their pleading voice not to do this. Yet, it had to be done. He knew if they didn't appease Anubis for daring to enter his domain, he wouldn't let them go.
Oh you, who are the Opener of the Ways,
Hear my voice.
Oh you, whose ears pierce the Walls of Noise,
Hear my voice.
Oh you, who walk unheeding through the Winds of Fear
Hear my voice.
You are the Dark Pupil of the Sun,
The Knowledgeable Eclipse in the Iris of Fire;
You are the Seeing Darkness.
Guide me safely through the terrors of my own unseeing;
Preserve me from my unspoken sorrows;
Return me safely through the Gate of Becoming,
And open for me
The door that admits humankind
To the Eternal Garden.
Oh you, who are the Opener of the Ways,
Walk with me.
Feeling Duat rippling as Andrew chanted Anubis's prayer. Hearing the sounds of jackals on the air, knowing the god of death was drawing near. Throwing up his hand as the light of the giant ankh flared into existence. Biting down his fear as he knew Anubis had arrived. Feeling Anubis's displeasure pressing down on him not because he had entered his realm but because he had brought Ira along with him.
"Speak, Pharaoh, before I have my hounds drag you and your cohorts into the depths of Duat," Anubis threatened.
"Forgive the intrusion, Lord Anubis," Andrew spoke rapidly, feeling that Anubis would do just that if he didn't like what he heard. "I warned them this would be dangerous; I just couldn't remember why it was dangerous. If I had remembered that this was your sanctuary, I would've told them to forget about it."
"And why have you transgressed into my domain?" Anubis asked in a hard tone.
"Well, you see, Lord Anubis," rubbing the back of his head, hoping he, along with the others, didn't get dragged off to some far-off corner of the Duat to spend, however long shouldering Anubis's wrath, "there's this book at the center of this place, that guy back there..."
"The Yahweh spawn," Anubis nodded.
"Yeah, him," Andrew continued, "he needs it to fight something called the Sisters of the Underworld, whatever that is..." Arching an eyebrow when Anubis did something very human, he scratched his chin.
"Hmm... yes, there has been a stirring lately, yet that doesn't excuse you from invading my realm," Anubis said sternly.
"I know my Lord Anubis, I promise to..."
"You will offer to me four ding dongs at my shrine," Anubis cut in.
"Sure, whatever you want," Andrew stated, trying not to judge a god on his snack of choice. Without another word, Andrew was thrust back into the mortal world along with everyone else. "Come on, it's close," he said, taking off down the left corridor.
"Andy, Andy, wait?!" Alex called out after him, wanting to know what he and Anubis spoke about and what the god wanted from her son if Anubis wanted anything. "What did you and Anubis talk about?" she asked when Andrew turned back towards her.
"Nothing of import," Andrew retorted, not voicing that he was going to have to find some ding dongs in Cairo once this whole adventure was over with. He wasn't about to have a death god hounding him all because he forgot.
"It has to be something, Andrew; you disappeared!" Anta stated in a worried tone.
"I... what?" Andrew muttered, rightly confused.
"It has to be something, Andy, seeing how whatever that was that surrounded us is gone now," Carla spoke, gesturing to their surroundings. Not wanting to believe that they had been indeed in the Duat. That was something her mind just couldn't fathom at the moment.
"It's nothing; just have to appease a god when this is all over," Andrew said offhandedly as he turned back around and continued on.
"Andrew, I know I can sense some distance between us, especially after what happened in Punt. That's not what I want; I would like to be friends; there's not many like us on Earth that deal with..."
"Metaphysical bullshit," Andrew cut in as he peered past the three of them to peer at Ira.
"Yeah, you won't believe what I've put up with since learning about who I am. But I don't want whatever bad blood that's going on between your gods and my great-grandparents," nodding when Alex, Anta, and Carla glanced back at him with that questioning look that spoke loudly 'Really?!', "to hinder our friendship so whatever this Nu is that they stole, I'll do my damnedest to get it back for you."
"You can't, not with what you are," Andrew said coldly as he turned back around to finish one task and to put this part of his life behind him.
"I've been meaning to ask you, honey, what did you mean they stole Nu? I thought it was just a myth..." Alex knew how stupid that sounded the moment it left her lips.
"I just know what Bast told me before we ever left England," Andrew said from over his shoulder. "That God, or whatever you want to call him, stole into the Heavens with Ba'al at his side and stole Nu that the gods have protected for eons. Then used Nu to fashion the Heavens to their desire, or that's what she has told me. Still, begs to question how much of a hypocrite God is."
Ira pressed his lips together. While he wanted to refute Andrew's words, yet he couldn't. For the simple fact that he knew Andrew was telling the truth or his form of the truth. He was a demon; after all, he could taste a lie on the air. He knew he couldn't ask his aunts about it since they hadn't been created at that point in time. He was just going to have to get it from the horse's mouth. Wondering if he was going to be able to survive that encounter or not. "Best to do it in my realm," Ira muttered to himself. The shriek that Carla produced brought Ira back to the present as she danced around when a scorpion crawled over her foot. Looking behind him, wondering when the wave of flesh-eating scarabs would be pouring down the corridor. The shuffling of feet that came to a halt brought his attention back to the forefront.
"Is something wrong, Andy?" Alex asked in a sweet tone as she laid her hand lightly on her son's back as Andrew stood facing a rather ornate wall.
"No, we're here," Andrew spoke as he cut his flashlight off.
"But I don't see a thing other than this wall," Alex muttered, shining her light down the left and right corridors. Only seeing darkness, paint, and lots of dust that her light showed her.
"Then let me amaze and impress you," Andrew uttered, placing his hands on the wall. Closing his eyes, willing his divinity to the surface, feeling his ankh ring growing hot against his skin as he drew upon his pharaonic power. Hearing their gasps behind him as a red light raced down the seam of the wall as the seal was broken on a place that was never meant to be seen by mortal eyes.
Ira felt the ring of Solomon vibrating on his right ring finger. He knew whatever laid inside that place indeed held the book since the ring had never done that before. Seeing how Andrew straightened up, noticing a change in him since coming back from Punt. When Ira first met Andrew at the grand opening of the exhibition, he thought Andrew was nothing more than a strange mortal. Now, however, he began to feel Andrew's godly essence. While Andrew was still mortal, yet he couldn't deny whatever was inside of him made Andrew more than just a simple mortal. Seeing his female companions parting as Andrew peered back at him.
"Well, you wanted the book; go on," Andrew gestured for him to enter.
"But aren't you going in there?" Ira asked, confused by the action.
"Hell no," Andrew snorted.
"Why not, Andy?" Carla asked curiously.
"Because the whole floor is booby-trapped is why," Andrew stated factually, peering over at her.
"Ah, then I'll just be a second," Ira said as he walked past and into the central chamber. Using his vast powers, lifting himself off the ground, and walking on air to avoid triggering any traps that lay beneath his feet. He'd rather not have the roof caving in on him. He didn't want to add another ancient site to the growing list, he's already been its harbinger. Feeling the power within the book as his fingers ran over the leather binding. The moment he opened the book, he felt his demonic half trying to be ripped from his body as the book tried and failed to consume it. Slamming the book closed, he was definitely going to need Samuel for this. He doubted he could read one page without the damn thing trying to tear him into two.
"So you got what you came for. Can we like go?" Andrew asked, eager to be out of Anubis's domain.
"Right, best we not linger any longer," Ira nodded, holding the book tightly to his chest as he rejoined the four. "If you all just come together, I'll get you all back to London in a blink of an eye."
"Andrew, can we talk before..." Alex's words were cut off as that once silent maze returned to its eerie silence. No one would ever know that five people explored an underground site highly sought after by those in the know and would give their firstborn to see an ounce of what Alex and company had witnessed that day. "He leaves?" Alex continued like nothing ever happened.
"What about?" Ira asked very curiously.
"I was thinking since we don't have digs going during the winter in Egypt that I and if Andy wants to join, we return to Atlantis to really suss out everything there," Alex stated, ignoring how they appeared back in their hotel room like they had never left it. If she discounted the doppelgangers that stood emotionless just blinking at them. Which as you can imagine, she found it rather creepy staring at herself.
"Of course, of course, and I hope you wouldn't mind if I joined in to get the experience I need," Ira clarified.
"As long as you follow my strict orders," Alex stated sternly, seeing the look her son shot her.
"Then you have to take us with you; you're going to need lots of hands to comb through all that," Carla uttered excitedly, with Anta nodding along.
"If I say no, will you leave those copies with me?" Andrew asked, noting how Ira was biting his lip, trying not to laugh as his mother slapped him hard on his chest.
"Andy?! Why have them when you already got us," Anta pouted.
"What? They got all the right curves in all the right places, plus, I'll just be in the way," Andrew said truthfully.
"Baby, you're never in the way," Alex cooed in a loving tone as she snuggled up to him, earning 'Mmmhmms' from Carla and Anta as they joined in.
"Well, I'm heading out before what I think is going to happen, happens," Ira said with a knowing smirk. "Ladies, it was a pleasure getting to know you," he spoke in a warm, friendly tone as he nodded his head to them. "Andrew, I don't know when, but I get the feeling we'll be seeing each other again," Ira uttered ominously before fading from existence as well as the doppelgangers.
"Bast!" Anta squealed in delight as Bast's cat form leapt onto the couch that dotted the common area of the hotel room they were staying in. Rubbing her cheek against Bast's own as she held her in her arms. Cooing down to her as she swayed Bast gently as Carla ran for the bathroom.
"Well, Andrew, what's next for the Great Pharoah Menes II?" Alex asked with a smug smile on her lips.
"Haven't a clue, but I'm sure someone will drag me into trouble any day now," Andrew mumbled as he glanced over to Bast, who had a devious glint in her eyes.
[1] Nut (Ancient Egyptian: Nwt), also known by various other transcriptions, is the goddess of the sky, stars, cosmos, mothers, astronomy, and the universe in the ancient Egyptian religion.
[2] Believed the first pharaoh was Narmer, also called Menes.
[3] Last ruler of the Old Kingdom.
[4] In Ancient Egypt, the god Geb, also known as Seb or Keb, was the great god of the earth.
[5] Is the ancient Egyptian goddess of truth, justice, harmony, and balance.
[6] The Egyptian goddess of protection, pleasure, and the bringer of good health
[7] Is the deification of the primordial watery abyss in the Hermopolitan Ogdoad cosmogony of ancient Egyptian religion.
[8] Is the god of fertility, agriculture, the afterlife, the dead, resurrection, life.
[9] The ancient Egyptian deity of the sun. He was the god of the sun, order, kings and the sky.
[10] Is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the Nile River in the city today known as Luxor (ancient Thebes) and was constructed approximately 1400 BCE.
[11] Comprises a vast mix of decayed temples, chapels, pylons, and other buildings near Luxor, in Egypt. Construction at the complex began during the reign of Senusret I in the Middle Kingdom (around 2000--1700 BC) and continued into the Ptolemaic period (305--30 BC), although most of the extant buildings date from the New Kingdom.
[12] Ammit (devourer of the dead) -- is an Egyptian demoness and goddess with the body of a lion, hippopotamus, and crocodile.
[13] Ra's solar barge, also known as Mandjet.
[14] Egyptian land of the dead.
[15] The ancient Egyptian god of the Nile River.
[16] The obelisk was originally erected in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis on the orders of Thutmose III, around 1450 BC.
[17] Is a small town and former bishopric in Egypt situated on the west bank of the Nile.
[18] Was the capital city of the first dynasties of ancient Egypt.
[19] Is the capital of the modern Asyut Governorate in Egypt.
[20] Is one of the oldest cities of ancient Egypt, and also of the eighth nome in Upper Egypt.
[21] Is a mortuary temple built during the reign of Pharaoh Hatshepsut of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt.
[22] Was a pharaoh of ancient Egypt and the founder of the Twenty-second Dynasty of Egypt. He is presumed to be the Shishak mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, and his exploits are carved on the Bubastite Portal at Karnak.
[23] The legendary temple was said to contain 3000 rooms full of hieroglyphs and paintings.
[24] The last powerful ruler of the Twelfth dynasty, Amenmehet III built two pyramids, one at Dashur, The Black Pyramid, and a second pyramid here at near the town of Hawara el-Makta, deep in the Fayum, not far from Senwosret II's pyramid at Il-Lahun.
[25] The temple found in part one.
[26] Also known as Hor-Den, Dewen and Udimu, is the Horus name of a pharaoh of the Early Dynastic Period who ruled during the First Dynasty of Egypt. He is the best archaeologically-attested ruler of this period. Den is said to have brought prosperity to his realm and numerous innovations are attributed to his reign. He was the first to use the title "King of Upper and Lower Egypt", and the first depicted as wearing the double crown (red and white). The floor of his tomb at Umm El Qa'ab near Abydos is made of red and black granite, the first time in Egypt this hard stone was used as a building material. During his long reign he established many of the customs of court ritual and royalty used by later rulers and he was held in high regard by his immediate successors.
[27] Is an ancient Egyptian hieratic papyrus thought to date from the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses II, now in the Museo Egizio (Egyptian Museum) in Turin.
[28] See PSF 18 for more details on Cora's awakening.
[29] 10th ruler of the 18th dynasty.
[30] Akhenaten's Queen, mother of Tutankhamen, and Pharaoh.
[31] Hierakonpolis - Hierakonpolis, or "City of the Hawk," is the Greek name for the modern city of Kom el-Ahmar, known to its ancient residents as Nekhen. It is a large predynastic and later townsite located 70 miles (113 km) north of Aswan on a 1.5 km (.9 mi) stretch of the west bank of the Nile River in Upper Egypt. It is the largest pre- and proto-dynastic Egyptian site discovered to date; and it is a key location for understanding the emergence of Egyptian civilization.
[32] Is one of the more ancient and commonly found symbols in ancient Egyptian religion. It is a pillar-like symbol in Egyptian hieroglyphs representing stability. It is associated with the creator god Ptah and Osiris, the Egyptian god of the afterlife, the underworld, and the dead. It is commonly understood to represent his spine.
[33] Was the first pharaoh (1189 BC--1186 BC) of the Twentieth Dynasty of the New Kingdom of Egypt and the father of Ramesses III.
[34] Is the name of an ancient Egyptian prince. He is known for his destroyed statuette. He is also the subject of a theory that claims he was pharaoh of Egypt for a very short time. Thus, he might be identical to a scarcely known king named Bikheris. In this story Baka was the last Pharaoh of the 1st intermediate period and not some unknown prince from the fourth dynasty of the Old Kingdom.
[35] Was a pharaoh of ancient Egypt and the founder of the Fifth Dynasty.
[36] Was a simplified form of hieroglyphics used for administrative and business purposes, as well as for literary, scientific and religious texts.
[37] The Land of Punt is described in ancient Egyptian texts as "the land of the gods" and a region rich in resources.
[38] Pharaoh's Curse part four.
[39] Buhen was an ancient Egyptian settlement and fortress, located on the West bank of the Nile in present-day Sudan.
[40] Nemes were pieces of striped headcloth worn by pharaohs in ancient Egypt.
[41] Is the goddess of war, battle, and fire. She is depicted with the head of a lion and in a red dress; her head usually incorporates a sun disk with a serpent, and sometimes she is holding a was-scepter.
[42] Sobek was also associated with pharaonic power, fertility, and military prowess, but served additionally as a protective deity with apotropaic qualities, invoked particularly for protection against the dangers presented by the Nile.
[43] God of the moon, sacred texts, mathematics, the sciences, magic, messenger and recorder of the deities, master of knowledge, and patron of scribes.
[44] Great mother Isis, the goddess of healing and magic, was crucial to ancient Egyptian religious beliefs.
[45] Is known as the god of death and is the oldest and most popular of ancient Egyptian deities. The ancient Egyptians revered Anubis highly because they believed he had tremendous power over both their physical and spiritual selves when they died.
[46] Is the god of fertility, agriculture, the afterlife, the dead, resurrection, life, and vegetation in ancient Egyptian religion.
"Okay, that... I have to say it is pretty good," Andrew admitted as the flavors exploded on his tongue as he cupped his hand while his mouth was full. "Better than the Pizza Hut back in New York."
"Good," Carla said, wiggling her ass into the carpet. So very pleased that there was something Egypt could give him so he wouldn't be too homesick. Slipping her hand beneath his shirt and began to affectionately scratch his back. Seeing how Andrew just relaxed as she did. It wasn't hard, nor was it lost on them of the wall of sex that greeted them once they had returned with their bags and the food. Although, if they were blind as bats to that fact, the fact that both of them were showered upon their return would have told them so. She wondered if Andrew would like to watch just her and her Professor going at it for his benefit, maybe even include Anta in it as well.
"So, Andrew, tell us why you were planning on not telling us that you and Ira were going to the labyrinth," Anta spoke, the sound of the crust tearing as she bit into it played in Andrew's ears.
"Told you, it's dangerous," Andrew repeated.
"So?" Alex retorted. "Has the events up to this day not been dangerous for us?" she asked with a pointed look.
"Plus, I don't know if the paths to the room are even sound," Andrew said, trying to keep them from tagging along.
"You said you were going there for only one thing; what would that be?" Carla inquired as she dipped her bread stick into the sauce.
"The Book of Solomon," Andrew stated factually. Seeing how the three of them stilled when those words left his lips.
"Andrew, how do you even know it exists in the first place?" Alex asked, wiping her lips clean.
"Have the memories of Pharaoh Shoshenq I when he sacked Jerusalem and the Temple of Solomon," Andrew stated, seeing how his mother so wanted to delve into that memory.
"Okay, okay, hold up, you mean to say Solomon was a real person, not someone made up in the Bible?" Carla asked, seeing Andrew holding up a finger as he finished chewing.
"He was real; even your Professor can tell you that, given how Shoshenq boasted about it at the temple complex of Amun-Ra at Karnak," Andrew stated, gesturing to his mother.
"Andy, you know that's conjecture," Alex huffed, feeling her body heat as his blue-green eyes glanced over at her. "Shoshenq could have ordered the men to lie when they created that. I'm not saying I doubt you, son; lord knows after what we went through, doubt isn't in the cards. I'm just saying it's a possibility, is all."
"Can you prove Solomon lived? Like his grave or something?" Anta asked with an arched eyebrow, hearing Andrew sigh beside her.
"You all just want to come along to see the book, don't you?" Andrew grumbled as all three of them nodded very vehemently. "If you get yourselves killed, don't expect me to speak to Anubis or Osiris for you," he said pointedly as he wagged his slice of the cheese bread at them.
"You're saying you won't pray to them to bring us back?" Anta asked in a pouty voice as she batted her eyelashes at him.
"Then you won't travel the Duat to free our souls?" Alex tutted in a teasing voice; she couldn't help herself as she felt herself smiling as her son pressed his lips together.
"Surely you would, right Andrew? We do mean something to you, don't we?" Carla asked in a caring tone as she rested her hand on his left forearm. "We have grown close to one another throughout all of this, haven't we? We are something more to you than the women you fuck, aren't we? I know we haven't talked much about what our relationship is, but I would like to think we're more than just fuck bubbies," she said, slipping her hand into his, interlacing her fingers with his, gently squeezing his hand. "I can't speak for the other two, but I do have feelings for you," Carla stated, noting how the other two were staring at Andrew.
"I already thought you accepted the role as a wife," Andrew said down to his plate as he dipped his cheese stick into the sauce. Trying to ignore the looks he was getting from Anta and Carla as they just stared at him with gaping mouths. Wincing as they squealed in delight as they crushed him in a hug as they pressed their womanly bodies against him.
"Just so you girls know, I am Queen, so don't you two go getting any ideas," Alex stated, sitting regally in her seat.
"Wouldn't dream of it, Professor," Carla said with a wide smile on her lips.
"I'm going to be the best wife you will ever have," Anta purred heatedly into his ear.
"Mmmhmm, and when we're alone, your wife will be on her knees sucking this cock as much as you want," Carla cooed as she rested her hand on his groin.
"Fine, if you're so intent on coming with me tomorrow, then you have to follow my every word, understand?" Andrew uttered in a firm, stern tone as he peered at all three of them.
"Yes, Andy, we understand," Alex said with a nod.
"We promise we won't get in the way," Carla stated as she lightly rubbed his manhood.
"Mmmhmm," Anta hummed as she snuggled up to him as she rested her head on his shoulder.
"Okay, Andy, tell us what you remember about the Great Labyrinth," Alex spoke as she placed her paper plate onto the table.
And so, for the next few hours, Andrew detailed everything he remembered to the three of them. Going over it over and over and over until it felt like he was trapped in a time loop. He noted how Anta was jotting down notes as they talked. Seeing the heat of her cheeks when she would peer up from her notebook. The way she would brush her ebony hair behind her ear when it would slip from behind it. To how Carla would speak to him, not as if she thought he was an idiot or insane, although Andrew had pondered on that a few times. The way her lips would shape her words whenever she would speak. Then his eyes would flicker over to his mother, studying how she would interact between the two. He would have to admit, if only to himself, it did seem she was perfect at being a Professor. Bowing his head when her sky-blue eye would peer out of the corner of it at him. Nibbling on his piece of crust, his eyes darting back and forth as the three of them debated on what he had told them.
The plastic garbage bag rustled as he and Anta cleaned up after their meal as Carla was in the shower. Getting a few peaks down Anta's shirt as they did. Not that he hadn't seen her breasts before, it was just the act itself felt a bit more... naughtier, at least to him, it did. He felt his cock flare to life as Anta lifted up her shirt showing off those tantalizing breasts of hers as she shook them at him. Her brown eyes glinted in hunger; her lower lip slowly trailed along her teeth as they dragged across it as she stared at the forming bulge in Andrew's shorts that his mother had bought for him in case her son ever visited again. Pressing back against Andrew's hand when he palmed her ass.
"I'm going to go dump this into the chute," Andrew stated, peering back at his mother as she sat at her computer as she poured over the findings of the Belgian-Egyptian team's expedition.
"Okay, honey," Alex muttered, not taking her eyes off the screen. However, her eyes did flicker over to her left as she noted how Anta gasped when Andrew reached around her and how his hand was between her legs.
"Andy... don't... start... something... if... you..." Anta didn't finish her broken thought as she lifted herself to her toes, grinding her jean-covered ass against Andrew's groin as she gave into the bliss as he tormented her mound.
"Who says I can't?" Andrew mused as he felt how her orgasm soaked the seat of her jeans.
"You best be taking responsibility for this wet pussy of mine when you get back?!" Anta shouted out as she stuck her head out the door as Andrew walked down the hall to go to the fourth floor, given the chute on the third was out of order the last time he was there.
"Planned on it," Andrew retorted from over his shoulder.
When Andrew was returning, he got some very odd looks from the men that lived on the third floor. Namely, because their wives or their girlfriends were eyeing him like the women he'd passed had done. He wasn't fluent in Arabic, yet he caught most of what the men were saying as they had to drag their significant others away. Seeing the man's mood brighten some when he applied Ra's blessing, telling them he apologized for the distraction he had caused in the best Arabic he could. Always seeing the men nod in understanding. However, their husbands or boyfriends didn't notice how their eyes wouldn't tear away from the bulge Anta had caused. Blowing out a breath once he entered his mother's apartment. Wondering if this would always happen now wherever he went.
Walking over to where his mother sat when she beckoned him to her, nodding when she asked for some specifics about the site. Slyly noting how Carla was standing in his mother's bedroom wearing only a towel as she used another to dry her hair.
"Professor, can I talk to you alone in your bedroom for a moment?" Carla asked as she stood in Alex's open bedroom doorway.
"Okay... you know, since we're all close, you may address me as Alex, in private, of course," Alex stated as she rose from her seat. Seeing how Carla's cheeks heated as she did.
Andrew just stared oddly as the pocket doors closed, leaving him rather alone in his mother's living room. He heard some muffled words through the door yet couldn't make out what they were. He also heard his mother's shower stopping. He felt his cock awakening at the thought of Anta's naked wet body as her towel moved along it. As well as pondering how Carla would look if she opened and dropped her towel and begged him to take her right then and there. Which he would've done in a heartbeat. The purple light of his ankh ring flared as he stroked his chin, pondering on how the other Pharaohs dealt with their Royal harem. His blue-green eyes glanced up, his dark red hair shone in the light of the room as the door slid open, revealing to his eyes Carla's very nude, very taunting body. He noted how her eyes fell on his ankh ring yet said nothing as a coy smile formed on her lips at how his own were savoring her body. Arching an eyebrow when she took hold of the back of the computer chair his mother had just been using, holding out her hand to him. Andrew had no idea what was going on; nonetheless, if it involved Carla, naked, he'd be a fool to pass it up.
"You sit right there," Carla said in a cooing tone as she pushed Andrew into the chair. "And you just enjoy the show," she whispered before her lips lightly tugged on his own.
"What's..." Her finger on his lips stilled his words as her breasts filled his gaze. Then the soap that his mother had in her shower filled his mind as Anta draped herself over his shoulders.
"You just sit here, watch as we put on a little show for you," Anta whispered as she nuzzled his neck. "And baby, you're the only one I'm ever going to do this for," she purred into his ear before her fingertips moved along his chest before she sauntered over to Alex's bed.
"Don't worry, baby, we'll take care of you too, after the show," Carla cooed as she held his chin in her hand before joining Anta and Alex on the bed. "Are you ready, Alex?"
"Mmmhmm," Alex hummed as her eyes never left her son as they began their lesbian threesome.
Chapter Seven
"Oops, sorry," Ira quickly turned around when he appeared in Alex's apartment early the next morning. "I'll wait out here," he said, using his powers to shut the doors. He didn't think they would like him gawking at them while they laid on their bed... naked. Not that he wouldn't mind staring at the three women, yet he wasn't trying to move in on Andrew's ladies. Although he had to hand it to Andrew, they were very alluring. "Sorry, didn't mean to wake you all," Ira stated sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head when he turned as the doors rolled open, and out they stepped from Alex's bedroom fully clothed. "Hope you don't mind. I was studying your artifacts you got around here," he spoke, waving his hand around the room.
"No... you didn't touch any of them?" Alex asked accusingly. "Good," she muttered as Ira shook his head. "Andy, you ready, baby?" Turning towards her son as he shouldered his pack, knowing they would be returning to London once they had retrieved the book that laid in the center of the labyrinth.
"No... but we might as well get this over with," Andrew answered, pondering how the people were doing in their new homes.
"We promise we'll try not to go too overboard in excitement," Alex whispered into her son's ear. "Carla, how does the battery life on the camcorder look?"
"Should be enough for a few hours' worth," Carla replied as she placed it back into her pack.
"You sure you're up for this, Andrew?" Anta asked in a worried tone as she stepped up to his side.
"Yeah," Andrew muttered, looking down at his hand, opening and closing it into a fist. Feeling his strength had returned. Hoping he didn't have to do that ever again, at least not for some time. "I do this, then we're square?" he asked, peering up at Ira.
"I always uphold my deals," Ira nodded.
"And you'll disappear, never bothering us again?" Andrew spoke with a pointed look.
"That... I can't promise," Ira said, scratching his cheek as he looked away.
"Guess that will have to do," Andrew sighed, looking to his mother, Carla, and Anta, seeing them nod, telling him they, too, were ready to go.
"We all set?" Ira asked with an arched eyebrow. Wondering why he felt a rift forming between him and Andrew. Was it because of what he said while fighting Ba'al, or was it because he was Yahweh spawn, as Andrew had called him? Ira didn't know, although he got a feeling this wouldn't be the last time he and Andrew ever saw each other. He just hoped when that time came, they wouldn't be enemies.
"To see something that hasn't been seen since its completion? Hell yeah?!" Anta stated, with Carla nodding along.
"Huh?" Ira uttered in confusion.
"The Great Labyrinth was buried when they finished it, so no one alive has ever seen what it looks like... except for Andrew," Alex said in a teacherly voice.
"Ah, well, if you all would come together, I'm sure this little trip won't take too long, and I'll have you all back in London before this evening is out," Ira said, wondering if he should pay Anabia a visit since he would be in the city. He knew he was going to have to pay Samuel a visit as well, just so he could look over the book and tell him if it was real or not. For all he knew, they could have planted a fake one in its place before Shoshenq had sacked the city of Jerusalem. However, that would all be revealed once they retrieved the book. His thumb brushed along the band on his right ring finger as his wings folded in on the four of them.
Ira pressed his lips together to keep the grit that was in the air out of his mouth as they reappeared fifty yards or so from the base of the pyramid of Amenemhet III. Watching how Anta quickly dug into her bag and pulled out four bandanas and held them out to Andrew, his mother, and Carla as the sand grew as the wind whipped it up into the air. Ira watched on rather curiously as the four of them went over their gear one last time. He started to speak as Andrew moved off from his group. Following after him as Alex was in hot pursuit of her son.
"Here," Andrew said in a commanding tone once he had stopped in his tracks.
"How far down am I to go?" Ira asked, stepping up to Andrew's side. Nodding along when Andrew was telling him how deep it was to reach the labyrinth. Seeing Alex pulling Andrew back once, his powers swirled around his hands. Noting how the sand began to disappear as he dug out a ramp for them to walk down to enter the ancient site. Using his powers to keep the sand where it was and not pouring onto them as Ira finally reached the bottom. Casting out his power to ensure that the monument wouldn't collapse on them, seeing how they would have to break through a wall just to enter the building.
"I don't like this, Andrew," Alex voiced her opinion.
"I know you don't," Andrew said, running his hand over the sand encrusted wall. The years it took to build, the times of walking through it as it was being constructed, to the foremen shouting in ancient Egyptian demanding that they move faster as he watched how they buried it once it was completed.
"Then let me just pop in there real quick, I too would rather not damage something so marvelous," Ira said, earning him a warm smile from Alex as he tried to keep his demon at bay as the images of what he could do to her flashed in his mind. "Be just a sec," he muttered when Andrew gestured for him to do so with a wave of his hand. Noting how they were digging out their flashlights as he shimmered out of existence. "Well... it's stale, but that room is sound," Ira stated once he had rejoined the four of them.
"You three ready?" Andrew asked, tightening the straps of his bag as Carla ensured that the camcorder had enough power and was ready to go.
"Lead on, my Pharaoh," Alex purred in ancient Egyptian. Smirking as her son's eyes glanced up and down her body, trying to distract his mind from whatever was playing out in it.
"We're with you, Andy," Anta cooed in a loving tone as she took his left hand into hers.
"Mmmhmm, we wouldn't dare leave you," Carla spoke in a coy tone, seeing the corner of his lips lifting into a smirk, knowing how it was she that wanted to see the labyrinth in the first place.
"Well, do that thing, and let's get this over with," Andrew stated, not eager to spend that much time within that place. Not because of the dangers that awaited them, but for who it was originally built for. Anubis! He hoped that Anubis wouldn't be too upset about the intrusion into his domain. The moment they appeared in that room, Andrew tensed up, feeling unnatural eyes on him. "Come on, we need to hurry," Andrew said, clicking on his flashlight. "Step where I step and do not leave it," he warned as he started off towards the center of the site.
"Andrew, give us a minute. At least let us survey this room first," Alex pleaded with her son.
"Sorry, but we can't. We're trespassing as we speak," Andrew uttered in a hushed whisper.
"Andrew, what's got you spooked?" Ira asked, curious as to what could have Andrew shaken.
"Anubis." Was the only word he spoke before turning on his heel and heading off.
"Andy, stop for a minute," Alex called out, reaching out, taking hold of her son's arm, bringing Andrew to a stop. "What did you mean by Anubis?" Turning her head when Andrew pointed his flashlight towards the far wall, shining upon the mural of the god and the hieroglyphics that went along with it. "Okay, no dawdling," she muttered low as she quickly read the hieroglyphics. She was not about to get on the god of death's bad side.
Ira silently followed after not voicing that if it came to blows, he would face off against Anubis. Although he didn't know how his new friends, at least Ira thought of them as his friends, would take that, he didn't think that would go over well with Andrew. Listening to the three women as they spoke softly as they tried to detail what they were seeing as quickly as they could. Then Ira felt something. He knew Andrew did, too, as he stopped in his tracks.
"Andy," Alex called softly to him. Her jaw snapped shut when she saw how he raised his hand over his right shoulder. Noticing how he was looking to and fro as if only he could hear it, then again, this was her son. That was likely the case.
"I hope you brought your sword," Andrew said ominously, knowing where they were. He didn't know when they crossed over, yet there was no mistaking that they weren't on Earth any longer.
"Never leave home without it," Ira joked to bring some levity to the situation.
"Good, you might need it," Andrew warned.
"Andy, baby, why do you say that?" Alex asked in a fearful tone.
"Because we've officially crossed over to the Duat," Andrew spoke matter-of-factly. "So stay close," he voiced his warning as he called forth the weapons of Ra.
"What's the Duat?" Ira whispered to Anta.
"The Egyptian underworld," Anta spoke from over her shoulder. Reaching over, taking hold of Carla's hand, pondering if this was what Andrew meant that this place was dangerous. Feeling Carla trembling just as she was as her eyes darted about trying to see everything that the light of her flashlight shone upon. Seeing the alien shapes of plants, the cries of something she didn't want to know, feeling the dirt shifting beneath her feet as she followed after Andrew. Anta didn't know whether what she was seeing was real or fake. Still, that didn't lower her fright one bit as they continued on.
"Andrew, how far do we have left?" Ira asked when it felt like they'd been walking for hours.
"We're getting close," Andrew muttered, flashing his flashlight to the left and right as both plans played before his eyes. He assumed his mother, Carla, and Anta could only see Duat or what Anubis was showing them. He, and he could only guess as well with Ira, could peer through the illusion. While they weren't truly in Duat, yet he knew even an illusion of the place could just be as deadly as the real thing. His body went tense; off in the distance, he heard the thundering of paws, paws that he knew what they belonged to. The Anubis hounds! "Can I count on you to protect them?" Andrew asked, shooting Ira a questioning look.
"Of course," Ira nodded sternly.
"Andrew, what are you going to do?!" Alex asked, fearful that she was going to lose him just how she thought she was going to lose him in Punt.
"Talk to a god," Andrew said factually as he turned towards his mother. "I'll be okay," he uttered reassuringly as the blue ring of his divinity appeared as his skin began to give off a holy glow of his godhood, as weak as it was. Nodding to Ira as he brought his wings around his mother, Carla, and Anta, hearing their pleading voice not to do this. Yet, it had to be done. He knew if they didn't appease Anubis for daring to enter his domain, he wouldn't let them go.
Oh you, who are the Opener of the Ways,
Hear my voice.
Oh you, whose ears pierce the Walls of Noise,
Hear my voice.
Oh you, who walk unheeding through the Winds of Fear
Hear my voice.
You are the Dark Pupil of the Sun,
The Knowledgeable Eclipse in the Iris of Fire;
You are the Seeing Darkness.
Guide me safely through the terrors of my own unseeing;
Preserve me from my unspoken sorrows;
Return me safely through the Gate of Becoming,
And open for me
The door that admits humankind
To the Eternal Garden.
Oh you, who are the Opener of the Ways,
Walk with me.
Feeling Duat rippling as Andrew chanted Anubis's prayer. Hearing the sounds of jackals on the air, knowing the god of death was drawing near. Throwing up his hand as the light of the giant ankh flared into existence. Biting down his fear as he knew Anubis had arrived. Feeling Anubis's displeasure pressing down on him not because he had entered his realm but because he had brought Ira along with him.
"Speak, Pharaoh, before I have my hounds drag you and your cohorts into the depths of Duat," Anubis threatened.
"Forgive the intrusion, Lord Anubis," Andrew spoke rapidly, feeling that Anubis would do just that if he didn't like what he heard. "I warned them this would be dangerous; I just couldn't remember why it was dangerous. If I had remembered that this was your sanctuary, I would've told them to forget about it."
"And why have you transgressed into my domain?" Anubis asked in a hard tone.
"Well, you see, Lord Anubis," rubbing the back of his head, hoping he, along with the others, didn't get dragged off to some far-off corner of the Duat to spend, however long shouldering Anubis's wrath, "there's this book at the center of this place, that guy back there..."
"The Yahweh spawn," Anubis nodded.
"Yeah, him," Andrew continued, "he needs it to fight something called the Sisters of the Underworld, whatever that is..." Arching an eyebrow when Anubis did something very human, he scratched his chin.
"Hmm... yes, there has been a stirring lately, yet that doesn't excuse you from invading my realm," Anubis said sternly.
"I know my Lord Anubis, I promise to..."
"You will offer to me four ding dongs at my shrine," Anubis cut in.
"Sure, whatever you want," Andrew stated, trying not to judge a god on his snack of choice. Without another word, Andrew was thrust back into the mortal world along with everyone else. "Come on, it's close," he said, taking off down the left corridor.
"Andy, Andy, wait?!" Alex called out after him, wanting to know what he and Anubis spoke about and what the god wanted from her son if Anubis wanted anything. "What did you and Anubis talk about?" she asked when Andrew turned back towards her.
"Nothing of import," Andrew retorted, not voicing that he was going to have to find some ding dongs in Cairo once this whole adventure was over with. He wasn't about to have a death god hounding him all because he forgot.
"It has to be something, Andrew; you disappeared!" Anta stated in a worried tone.
"I... what?" Andrew muttered, rightly confused.
"It has to be something, Andy, seeing how whatever that was that surrounded us is gone now," Carla spoke, gesturing to their surroundings. Not wanting to believe that they had been indeed in the Duat. That was something her mind just couldn't fathom at the moment.
"It's nothing; just have to appease a god when this is all over," Andrew said offhandedly as he turned back around and continued on.
"Andrew, I know I can sense some distance between us, especially after what happened in Punt. That's not what I want; I would like to be friends; there's not many like us on Earth that deal with..."
"Metaphysical bullshit," Andrew cut in as he peered past the three of them to peer at Ira.
"Yeah, you won't believe what I've put up with since learning about who I am. But I don't want whatever bad blood that's going on between your gods and my great-grandparents," nodding when Alex, Anta, and Carla glanced back at him with that questioning look that spoke loudly 'Really?!', "to hinder our friendship so whatever this Nu is that they stole, I'll do my damnedest to get it back for you."
"You can't, not with what you are," Andrew said coldly as he turned back around to finish one task and to put this part of his life behind him.
"I've been meaning to ask you, honey, what did you mean they stole Nu? I thought it was just a myth..." Alex knew how stupid that sounded the moment it left her lips.
"I just know what Bast told me before we ever left England," Andrew said from over his shoulder. "That God, or whatever you want to call him, stole into the Heavens with Ba'al at his side and stole Nu that the gods have protected for eons. Then used Nu to fashion the Heavens to their desire, or that's what she has told me. Still, begs to question how much of a hypocrite God is."
Ira pressed his lips together. While he wanted to refute Andrew's words, yet he couldn't. For the simple fact that he knew Andrew was telling the truth or his form of the truth. He was a demon; after all, he could taste a lie on the air. He knew he couldn't ask his aunts about it since they hadn't been created at that point in time. He was just going to have to get it from the horse's mouth. Wondering if he was going to be able to survive that encounter or not. "Best to do it in my realm," Ira muttered to himself. The shriek that Carla produced brought Ira back to the present as she danced around when a scorpion crawled over her foot. Looking behind him, wondering when the wave of flesh-eating scarabs would be pouring down the corridor. The shuffling of feet that came to a halt brought his attention back to the forefront.
"Is something wrong, Andy?" Alex asked in a sweet tone as she laid her hand lightly on her son's back as Andrew stood facing a rather ornate wall.
"No, we're here," Andrew spoke as he cut his flashlight off.
"But I don't see a thing other than this wall," Alex muttered, shining her light down the left and right corridors. Only seeing darkness, paint, and lots of dust that her light showed her.
"Then let me amaze and impress you," Andrew uttered, placing his hands on the wall. Closing his eyes, willing his divinity to the surface, feeling his ankh ring growing hot against his skin as he drew upon his pharaonic power. Hearing their gasps behind him as a red light raced down the seam of the wall as the seal was broken on a place that was never meant to be seen by mortal eyes.
Ira felt the ring of Solomon vibrating on his right ring finger. He knew whatever laid inside that place indeed held the book since the ring had never done that before. Seeing how Andrew straightened up, noticing a change in him since coming back from Punt. When Ira first met Andrew at the grand opening of the exhibition, he thought Andrew was nothing more than a strange mortal. Now, however, he began to feel Andrew's godly essence. While Andrew was still mortal, yet he couldn't deny whatever was inside of him made Andrew more than just a simple mortal. Seeing his female companions parting as Andrew peered back at him.
"Well, you wanted the book; go on," Andrew gestured for him to enter.
"But aren't you going in there?" Ira asked, confused by the action.
"Hell no," Andrew snorted.
"Why not, Andy?" Carla asked curiously.
"Because the whole floor is booby-trapped is why," Andrew stated factually, peering over at her.
"Ah, then I'll just be a second," Ira said as he walked past and into the central chamber. Using his vast powers, lifting himself off the ground, and walking on air to avoid triggering any traps that lay beneath his feet. He'd rather not have the roof caving in on him. He didn't want to add another ancient site to the growing list, he's already been its harbinger. Feeling the power within the book as his fingers ran over the leather binding. The moment he opened the book, he felt his demonic half trying to be ripped from his body as the book tried and failed to consume it. Slamming the book closed, he was definitely going to need Samuel for this. He doubted he could read one page without the damn thing trying to tear him into two.
"So you got what you came for. Can we like go?" Andrew asked, eager to be out of Anubis's domain.
"Right, best we not linger any longer," Ira nodded, holding the book tightly to his chest as he rejoined the four. "If you all just come together, I'll get you all back to London in a blink of an eye."
"Andrew, can we talk before..." Alex's words were cut off as that once silent maze returned to its eerie silence. No one would ever know that five people explored an underground site highly sought after by those in the know and would give their firstborn to see an ounce of what Alex and company had witnessed that day. "He leaves?" Alex continued like nothing ever happened.
"What about?" Ira asked very curiously.
"I was thinking since we don't have digs going during the winter in Egypt that I and if Andy wants to join, we return to Atlantis to really suss out everything there," Alex stated, ignoring how they appeared back in their hotel room like they had never left it. If she discounted the doppelgangers that stood emotionless just blinking at them. Which as you can imagine, she found it rather creepy staring at herself.
"Of course, of course, and I hope you wouldn't mind if I joined in to get the experience I need," Ira clarified.
"As long as you follow my strict orders," Alex stated sternly, seeing the look her son shot her.
"Then you have to take us with you; you're going to need lots of hands to comb through all that," Carla uttered excitedly, with Anta nodding along.
"If I say no, will you leave those copies with me?" Andrew asked, noting how Ira was biting his lip, trying not to laugh as his mother slapped him hard on his chest.
"Andy?! Why have them when you already got us," Anta pouted.
"What? They got all the right curves in all the right places, plus, I'll just be in the way," Andrew said truthfully.
"Baby, you're never in the way," Alex cooed in a loving tone as she snuggled up to him, earning 'Mmmhmms' from Carla and Anta as they joined in.
"Well, I'm heading out before what I think is going to happen, happens," Ira said with a knowing smirk. "Ladies, it was a pleasure getting to know you," he spoke in a warm, friendly tone as he nodded his head to them. "Andrew, I don't know when, but I get the feeling we'll be seeing each other again," Ira uttered ominously before fading from existence as well as the doppelgangers.
"Bast!" Anta squealed in delight as Bast's cat form leapt onto the couch that dotted the common area of the hotel room they were staying in. Rubbing her cheek against Bast's own as she held her in her arms. Cooing down to her as she swayed Bast gently as Carla ran for the bathroom.
"Well, Andrew, what's next for the Great Pharoah Menes II?" Alex asked with a smug smile on her lips.
"Haven't a clue, but I'm sure someone will drag me into trouble any day now," Andrew mumbled as he glanced over to Bast, who had a devious glint in her eyes.
***********
[1] Nut (Ancient Egyptian: Nwt), also known by various other transcriptions, is the goddess of the sky, stars, cosmos, mothers, astronomy, and the universe in the ancient Egyptian religion.
[2] Believed the first pharaoh was Narmer, also called Menes.
[3] Last ruler of the Old Kingdom.
[4] In Ancient Egypt, the god Geb, also known as Seb or Keb, was the great god of the earth.
[5] Is the ancient Egyptian goddess of truth, justice, harmony, and balance.
[6] The Egyptian goddess of protection, pleasure, and the bringer of good health
[7] Is the deification of the primordial watery abyss in the Hermopolitan Ogdoad cosmogony of ancient Egyptian religion.
[8] Is the god of fertility, agriculture, the afterlife, the dead, resurrection, life.
[9] The ancient Egyptian deity of the sun. He was the god of the sun, order, kings and the sky.
[10] Is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the Nile River in the city today known as Luxor (ancient Thebes) and was constructed approximately 1400 BCE.
[11] Comprises a vast mix of decayed temples, chapels, pylons, and other buildings near Luxor, in Egypt. Construction at the complex began during the reign of Senusret I in the Middle Kingdom (around 2000--1700 BC) and continued into the Ptolemaic period (305--30 BC), although most of the extant buildings date from the New Kingdom.
[12] Ammit (devourer of the dead) -- is an Egyptian demoness and goddess with the body of a lion, hippopotamus, and crocodile.
[13] Ra's solar barge, also known as Mandjet.
[14] Egyptian land of the dead.
[15] The ancient Egyptian god of the Nile River.
[16] The obelisk was originally erected in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis on the orders of Thutmose III, around 1450 BC.
[17] Is a small town and former bishopric in Egypt situated on the west bank of the Nile.
[18] Was the capital city of the first dynasties of ancient Egypt.
[19] Is the capital of the modern Asyut Governorate in Egypt.
[20] Is one of the oldest cities of ancient Egypt, and also of the eighth nome in Upper Egypt.
[21] Is a mortuary temple built during the reign of Pharaoh Hatshepsut of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt.
[22] Was a pharaoh of ancient Egypt and the founder of the Twenty-second Dynasty of Egypt. He is presumed to be the Shishak mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, and his exploits are carved on the Bubastite Portal at Karnak.
[23] The legendary temple was said to contain 3000 rooms full of hieroglyphs and paintings.
[24] The last powerful ruler of the Twelfth dynasty, Amenmehet III built two pyramids, one at Dashur, The Black Pyramid, and a second pyramid here at near the town of Hawara el-Makta, deep in the Fayum, not far from Senwosret II's pyramid at Il-Lahun.
[25] The temple found in part one.
[26] Also known as Hor-Den, Dewen and Udimu, is the Horus name of a pharaoh of the Early Dynastic Period who ruled during the First Dynasty of Egypt. He is the best archaeologically-attested ruler of this period. Den is said to have brought prosperity to his realm and numerous innovations are attributed to his reign. He was the first to use the title "King of Upper and Lower Egypt", and the first depicted as wearing the double crown (red and white). The floor of his tomb at Umm El Qa'ab near Abydos is made of red and black granite, the first time in Egypt this hard stone was used as a building material. During his long reign he established many of the customs of court ritual and royalty used by later rulers and he was held in high regard by his immediate successors.
[27] Is an ancient Egyptian hieratic papyrus thought to date from the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses II, now in the Museo Egizio (Egyptian Museum) in Turin.
[28] See PSF 18 for more details on Cora's awakening.
[29] 10th ruler of the 18th dynasty.
[30] Akhenaten's Queen, mother of Tutankhamen, and Pharaoh.
[31] Hierakonpolis - Hierakonpolis, or "City of the Hawk," is the Greek name for the modern city of Kom el-Ahmar, known to its ancient residents as Nekhen. It is a large predynastic and later townsite located 70 miles (113 km) north of Aswan on a 1.5 km (.9 mi) stretch of the west bank of the Nile River in Upper Egypt. It is the largest pre- and proto-dynastic Egyptian site discovered to date; and it is a key location for understanding the emergence of Egyptian civilization.
[32] Is one of the more ancient and commonly found symbols in ancient Egyptian religion. It is a pillar-like symbol in Egyptian hieroglyphs representing stability. It is associated with the creator god Ptah and Osiris, the Egyptian god of the afterlife, the underworld, and the dead. It is commonly understood to represent his spine.
[33] Was the first pharaoh (1189 BC--1186 BC) of the Twentieth Dynasty of the New Kingdom of Egypt and the father of Ramesses III.
[34] Is the name of an ancient Egyptian prince. He is known for his destroyed statuette. He is also the subject of a theory that claims he was pharaoh of Egypt for a very short time. Thus, he might be identical to a scarcely known king named Bikheris. In this story Baka was the last Pharaoh of the 1st intermediate period and not some unknown prince from the fourth dynasty of the Old Kingdom.
[35] Was a pharaoh of ancient Egypt and the founder of the Fifth Dynasty.
[36] Was a simplified form of hieroglyphics used for administrative and business purposes, as well as for literary, scientific and religious texts.
[37] The Land of Punt is described in ancient Egyptian texts as "the land of the gods" and a region rich in resources.
[38] Pharaoh's Curse part four.
[39] Buhen was an ancient Egyptian settlement and fortress, located on the West bank of the Nile in present-day Sudan.
[40] Nemes were pieces of striped headcloth worn by pharaohs in ancient Egypt.
[41] Is the goddess of war, battle, and fire. She is depicted with the head of a lion and in a red dress; her head usually incorporates a sun disk with a serpent, and sometimes she is holding a was-scepter.
[42] Sobek was also associated with pharaonic power, fertility, and military prowess, but served additionally as a protective deity with apotropaic qualities, invoked particularly for protection against the dangers presented by the Nile.
[43] God of the moon, sacred texts, mathematics, the sciences, magic, messenger and recorder of the deities, master of knowledge, and patron of scribes.
[44] Great mother Isis, the goddess of healing and magic, was crucial to ancient Egyptian religious beliefs.
[45] Is known as the god of death and is the oldest and most popular of ancient Egyptian deities. The ancient Egyptians revered Anubis highly because they believed he had tremendous power over both their physical and spiritual selves when they died.
[46] Is the god of fertility, agriculture, the afterlife, the dead, resurrection, life, and vegetation in ancient Egyptian religion.
