Disclaimer: The following will contain homosexual individuals and relationships and will involve interpretations of deities from various religions. No offense is intended. This is copyrighted to me (mewjen(at)ymail.com), so no using it without my permission.  This is a work of fiction.

"Bis, wake up!" I shouted, before I slammed the door.

I was starting to get annoyed. Three times. I started with a polite knock and notification. The next time, I poked my head in and waited for a grumble. Then again, waiting for a coherent sentence. Now was my fourth attempt to rouse him, and before all this was an hour of him turning off the alarm I provided every five minutes.

And this is how it has been every day for the past two months.

"Really?" he grumbled, almost incoherently, as he dried his fur with a towel. "I'm still going to take a shower."

I kept silent, not trusting any comment I could make, as he turned back and shut the door to my guest bedroom.

He yawned, as he entered my kitchen.

"How can you still be tired?" I sighed, standing up, as he sat down.

He laid his head in his arms on the table, and speaking into his hands, he was barely coherent in his response. "I watch the sun set. The sun setting is the definition of when night begins. Morning is when the night ends. I do not need to be awake at the end to watch the beginning."

I started preparing a bowl for Bis. "Except you lived in a trans-dimension when it was always the equivalent of sunset-"

"-and I had to sleep extra-long in this dimension to compensate." He shifted, trying to find a comfortable position.

"Except sleep is not shared across multiple bodies," I offered, keeping him talking and venting my frustration, "so your other half still had to sleep-"

"-but not as long as necessary," he shifted a few more times. "Therefore the me that existed here felt the wariness through my connected existence."

"Except you asked me to wake you two hours ago," I said pointedly.

He sat up, giving up on sleeping at the table. "Horus," he said darkly, "it's too early. Back off."

"Itss-ss-ugh-ss-ugh." I sighed. "I do not feel guilty anymore."

"Why would you feel guilty?" he asked blurrily.

"Because you are only a half-hour late," I stated.

"You?" he started menacingly, before muttering, "…bastard."

"Maybe," I shrugged, setting the bowl in front of him. "Eat up. I want to be in position early."

"I'm not hungry," he said, pushing the bowl away.

"Nervous?"

He shrugged. "Didn't sleep very well."

"Investigate and extract. That is our goal. We do not need to stop Osiris. Jaller and Set are our priority. Once they are safe, we can figure out Osiris' plan and device a countermeasure. Simple." I offered halfheartedly. "You should still eat."

"Come on. This is boring," he whined into my earpiece. "Just a quick sweep to make sure nothing's changed."

We were staked out on opposite sides of the tower's courtyard, waiting for Osiris' move. I had what police officers I could searching inside the city and along the wall. So far not a word back, and I did not like it. Three hours of nothing and I was getting antsy. As much as Bis was vocal, I was barely able to contain myself.

"No," I answered, telling myself more than him.

An hour later…

"I'm heading down," he announced.

"No, you are not."

"At this rate, we screwed up, and we're too late. I'm going to look around."

"Wait. Let me- Damn it!" He portaled down, before I could finish. I immediately sped up my scanning pattern, focusing on the area nearest him, glancing back to him constantly. "Bis, you prick!"

He kept low, moving from vantage point to vantage point quickly. He covered the entire perimeter, before he moved into the open. "Clear," he stated.

"Bis," I hissed.

"I'm just going to check the logs." He brushed aside my concerns.

I saw the flashes of the opening portals, and I tried to warn him, but it was too late. "Get out of there!"

He was surrounded, with more streaming in by the second. He had no chance to escape, and I wasn't in position to make him an exit.

I ran down three floors, jumping out a window, forgoing stealth in my hurry. I dodged arrow after arrow, as I descended, watching Osiris exit the central portal, followed closely by Set, his light armor gleaming brilliantly in the sun, as handsome as he ever was.

His kiss was painful. I wanted so badly to react, to respond to him. I missed him, needed him, craved him. He was right there in front of me after so long, with nothing to stop us. He felt so right, but I could not let myself give in. He was Set in body, but in mind, he was a twisted image of my love. A doppelgänger that killed his own brother, without remorse, mere seconds ago.

He pulled away, taking my hands.

I tried to speak. I needed to speak, but it was hard. I wanted to hold him until everything was right again, until he was back. "Set," I wondered if he could even hear me. "Let us help you," I forced my voice to be heard.

His declaration of love was even worse. It was a knife to my heart. A cruelty from the man I trusted most. I tried to be strong. I had to believe that he could come back from this. That we could come back. But it was hard.

Listening to him defend himself was an exercise in frustration. He was so arrogantly confident in himself. He was everything I wanted him to be, except for that dark flare in his eyes, that utter willingness to cross the line that I had only seen in his brother before now.

"You're a bastard, you know that?"

I felt my knees give out, as I realized, too late, what Set had planned. My darkest secret. The remnant of my darkest days. I had let myself forget. Never told anyone, save my mentor. Set should not have known. How could he have known?

I had been so proud of myself when I finished it. Osiris had praised me, convinced me that my mother would be delighted by my ingenuity. Maybe even enough to have come home. He played me like he always did, trying to turn me into his weapon, his monster.

Ra stole the world's magic, so I figured out how to steal his by using his son as a conduit. I wanted revenge against Anubis. I wanted both of them to suffer, to feel my lost and pain. I was a fool, an idiot, striking out against the closest target. I was reckless and stupid, willing to hurt the one who would become my closest friend, who would now know what I did, who might not understand, or forgive.

"Stop this," I pleaded of him, wanting this memory gone. "If you love me, do not use it against him."

Set chose to ignore me.

"That's not…" I tried to interrupt Set, to stop him from telling. He was poisoning my past, my actions, robbing me of the changes I have made, the man I fought to become, tainting Anubis with doubt.

I was stuck, unable to act. It was impossible to accept what was happening. It could not be real. My love, my friend, what could I do? How could I protect them?

Jaller made it simple for himself. Protect the trapped. Attack the aggressor. He was strong, while I coward, helpless.

Well, no more.

I stood up, and immediately Set's clone pushed me back down. My knees bruised from the impact, but even so I kicked out, tripping him. I held him to the ground, readying myself, but his glare caused me to falter. Set's clones were perfect replicas that required lethal or injurious force to dispel.  That meant if I failed to keep track of the real one, I could do some serious damage to him.

A second clone tackled me away from the first, forcing me to decide, as a third approached. A single tear fell, as I snapped the clone's neck, causing it to disappear. I drew back, readied to draw my sabers, but the flash of red energy distracted me, and in the moment I turned to watch Bis collapsed, they grabbed me. Hands at the back of my neck and arms, I was forced to the ground, but all that captured my attention was Bis and the pain that was being inflicted on him because of my mistake.

I fought. I struggled. But Set did not give me enough time. I used my wings to throw the clones through the dome of monitors and ran, diving after Jaller. I watched the clones disintegrate as they fell into the beam. It took a full minute for the bursts of color that covered my vision to weaken enough for me to begin my search, and I spent another terrified minute thinking he was also destroyed.

 I found him tumbling a fair distance below, and I dive, with all possible speed, but even then, the ground was gaining on me. I used my magic to accelerate faster, ignoring the pain of my feathers ripping out. When I was close enough, I stabilized his fall and drew him in, as I approached. We had seconds left before the point of no return, so I used a burst of speed to reach out and grab his hand, but I lost my hold.

I screamed, as my wings struggled to maintain control. I flew just under him and, with a small push, his arms wrapped around my neck, as I caught him on my back. But his added weight, threw me off balance, and we spiraled downward, until I regained control.

I arced as tightly as I could, while dodging the projectiles and explosions from Osiris' army. We ended up getting so close to the ground that I was barely able to keep my foot out of one metallic soldier's grasp.

Once we were out of range, on a trajectory back up, I let myself slow to a natural speed, while trying not to shake from the pain, endorphins, and adrenaline coursing through my body. "Welcome to Air Horus," I offered halfheartedly.

Jaller's grip was overly tight, but given the fall and his lack of wings, I bore it. He was shaking and his heart racing.

The city around us was in chaos. Surprise was Osiris' ally. The outer wall had fallen, and hundreds, if not thousands of troops were pouring in. They were moving inwards, while the forces that arrived with Osiris moved outwards. If there was resistance, its effect was nonexistent. If we did not stop this at its source, then Old Tem would fall within the day.

We landed, and Jaller quickly dismounted, though he had to grab my arm to steady himself. He ran to Anubis' prison, while I surveyed everything else. I found Osiris battling in a throng of Set's clones. Sobek had moved off to the side, patiently waiting for a victor to emerge. No one was paying attention to Jaller's fireballs colliding with Bis' cage.

I walked over to them. I could feel Bis' gaze against my forehead, but I kept my eyes lowered, until I had no other choice. I could see the hurt, the anger, and the distrust that was just beginning in his eyes.

"I am sorry," I mouthed. It was the only thing I could say, but it was nowhere near enough nor could it convene the shame and remorse I was feeling.

He jerked his head, agreeing to put off what was to come between us in favor of pressing needs.

"Horus, you built this thing. How do you turn it off?" Jaller's voice was raised but not enough to attract unwanted attention.

I moved over to the console. It was a mess of flashing lights and switches to me. I realized quickly that I had no memory of its workings.

"Well?" Jaller demanded.

"I don't know," I answered, as I started reading through the labels.

There was a flash of orange light, and my head jerked up to catch the fireball dissipating against the electric field.

"Stop that!" I hissed. "You could get him electrocuted or worse."

"What's worse than being used like a battery for your death ray?" he retorted.

"Look, I was young, an idiot, and under Osiris' influence. Can we not do this now?" I asked, ripping the panel off the controls, exposing the innards that combined electroweak and magical circuits.

"I had to put up with his sermons. They weren't that hard to ignore," Jaller retorted angrily.

I wanted to cry out my frustration. None of it was making sense. I could not even remember the principal of its design, let alone how to disable it safely. "I was groomed from birth for a throne I did not want or deserve and for a war that would topple Ra's reign. Anubis was my enemy." I knew it had to be simple, because I had designed it, but one out of forty was not the best odds, considering the price of a mistake.

Suddenly, there was a cloud of ash pouring into the chamber. I grabbed Jaller, pulling him down and into my wings, suspecting the return of my darkness. I expected to be attacked instantly, but when nothing came, I peeked an eye open and found Bis' shield surrounding us. I pulled my wings back and I twisted around. Everything was black, outside the soft blue shimmer. Though, every once in a while, I thought I saw a red eye hovering in the mist or the form of a clawed hand attacking our defense.

We were also protected from Set's counterattack, which blew the ash cloud away like a gust of wind.

"You know what. Bugger it," Jaller growled, as the shield came down, and before I could act, he pushed his hand forward, but instead of a fireball, the entire machine liquefied and was forced away, sending high-speed, molten metal straight at Bis, who raised his shield in time, but was knocked out by the force that sent him backwards.

I collapsed, as my heart stopped. My mind could not process what was happening to me. All I could hear was ringing. All I could see was Bis lying there. I could feel nothing else. I was just waiting there, as the world faded.

I saw Bis stumble to his feet. His golden fur was glowing, and as he walked forward, out of my vision, his hands seemed to be pulling red energy in from somewhere.

I blacked out for an unknown amount of time, before I gasped for breath and felt sweet cool air filling my lungs. I twisted around, finding Set's eyes immediately on me. He turned to Anubis, as I struggled to my feet.

I heard Set yell out, and I turned to find Osiris tackling him. His hands had just reached around Set's neck, when everything seemed to stop, just before a tornado of sand broke through the ceiling and surrounded Set.

Osiris screamed before he was thrown back, as a gust of sand pushed away from Set, destroying the remaining monitors and unsettling all of us. Sobek and Osiris had to grab onto the metal framework to keep from being blown off the platform. Anubis jumped in front of Jaller and raised shields in front of both of us to break through the wind.

"We will not let you harm our son again." The voice was unnaturally deep. It reverberated in our bodies and seemed to come from the very air around us.

Osiris yelled, drawing our attention to the tentacle of sand that was dragging him towards the column of sand surrounding Set.

"How dare you attempt to mark our skin again." Set emerged from the sand, his mouth following the words of the voice. "How dare you attempt to control our child." A burst of sand emanated from Set, destroying the collar around his neck and the ring on his finger, while extending his armor, as Osiris was placed in front of him.

I felt the link between us sever in my heart. It felt wrong. In the months since, I had grown used to having a part of him with me.

"I will wipe you and your kind from my flesh," Set spoke to Osiris.

"My kind, Brother?" Osiris spat. "How arrogant of you."

"You gave us our son, when you sought his murder. We defied your will and chose to protect and anoint him instead. He is ours."

Osiris responded with confusion. "Who or what are you?"

"We are the sands at the edge of all worlds. We are the memories etched into our grains throughout history.  We are the souls left to wander endlessly within our mist. We are the pain that scars our flesh. We are the anger you wrought, the rage you made."

"Pretty titles," Osiris spoke with heavy contempt, "and flares, but what are you compared to me? Your mistake was opening the door first."

Osiris opened a ring of portals, and from them marched a wave of metal soldiers followed by soldiers of glass and stone.

Set remained impassive, but the sands around him reacted quickly. They spun up a wall of fast moving sand, surrounding Osiris' fighters, and, as if to prove themselves, one of the tentacles grabbed a metal soldier and threw it into the wall.

No one moved as it shrieked. Its end was quick, as it was shredded by the grains of sand. Pierced and chiseled away, it vanished, as it crossed into the current. Then Osiris and his fighters struck, attacking Set from all sides.

Set was slow to react himself, instead relying on the sand to form shields around him and to strike out. Osiris used his crook for range attacks, slipping between his soldiers, testing Set's defenses.

"You really aren't my brother," he teased. "He was trained better." He twisted his crook and hooked Set's wrist, pulling him forward, out of his protective shell, which reacted too slowly to stop the blows to his sides.

Set fell back, as Osiris sliced at his face. Set raised his hand to his cheek and pulled away, staring at his fingers. He reacted to the blood with confusion and then anger. "Watch, as we destroy your playthings!"

The platform shook, knocking us off our feet, redirecting our attention to the city. Tentacles of sand were growing from the desert surrounding us. They split and branched out, molding together to form a huge dome that encompassed the whole city. And with Set's words, thin tentacles fell from the lattice, attacking the soldiers that had entered the city, tossing some of them into the air for the small feelers to finished.

The army reacted quickly, retreating back out of the city.

"No!" Osiris cried out, as parts of his army were crushed to dust. He raised his crook, but a gust of sand left only the stub in his hand. His shriek of rage sounded unnatural coming from him. It was more like a sound from Set than a human.

"Now, as I clear my flesh." Set raised his hand and the platform quivered and dropped several feet, as the energy field supporting us was disrupted by the shaking ground, as a huge wall of sand formed in the distance, encircling the city. Set let his hand fall, and with it, the wall fell into a tidal wave of sand that rushed inward.

"Set!" both Anubis and I shouted.

Bis ran towards the edge and, after a short nervous pace, stopped. "This is going to hurt," he muttered. He looked up at me. "Stop him." His power glowed its natural blue, as it flowed into the platform.

I had never seen him create a shield large enough to encompass a city, but I knew he was trying. The sand was moving quickly, even as the lattice continued to destroy Osiris' army. I had little time and few ideas to stop Set from doing the unforgivable without drawing a blade.

The barrier of sand and wind remained, even as Set and Osiris' battle devolved into hand-to-hand combat. One of Jaller's attacks managed to pierce it, releasing a torrent of air that sent me flying off the edge of the platform.

I plummeted, losing consciousness for some amount of time, before I found myself at rest. I opened my eyes to the sight of the tower's energy column shining with Bis' blue glow. I twisted to find myself laying on one of his shields that extended from the column. I shook my head and took off, watching it being drawn back in. I took a moment to take in the sight of Bis' energy flowing through the city, following the paths hidden in plain sight, racing to the rubble that was once its wall. His shield formed just as the tsunami of sand hit. It rose with the sand, molding into a shallower dome than the lattice of sand that fell into its brethren.

Reaching the platform once more, I found only Set and Anubis standing. Set in the center, eyes closed, stonewalled off from the world. Bis was exactly where he had been, unmoved by Set, Jaller unconscious at his feet.

Set's defenses reacted to my presence the moment my foot grazed the platform. The wind burned, as I was pushed back into another of Bis' barriers.

"Set!" I shouted, but he failed to hear me. I dug my talons into the stone as I stepped forward. Each step hurt, as I forced myself closer to him, the wind always against me, until I stood before him. I said his name again, waiting for him to answer.

His eyes opened, and for a moment, I saw a flash of recognition, before I was cast backwards.

"The desert does not understand love." I heard Ra's voice, as I climbed back to my feet. "It sees pain, but not the reasons why."

I tried again to reach Set, but again I was left feeling my back crunch as I was slammed into Bis' barrier. "Help me," I groaned.

"I cannot be the one to stop him," Ra answered somberly.

"I'm not asking you to. Just help me," I pleaded, after another failure.

"Horus," he whispered, "you have the strength and the will to do this on your own."

I tried twice more, almost able to touch him before being forced away.

"You owe us!" I shouted.

He was silent, but as I ran forward, time seemed to slow. I was able to see the sands coming together to push me away and moved out of their path. I grabbed Set and held him tight.

He shifted against me, trying to pull away, those cold eyes showing fear.

"I love you," I whispered, before leaning forward and kissing him.

All sound stopped, as he melted into me. The sand on and around him fell, as he started to sob, pulling himself close to me. "I'm sorry," he whimpered, breaking the kiss, as he trembled and shook.

I wrapped my arm behind his head and hugged him, letting him cry.

I do not know for how long we stood there, before Jaller's shout brought us back.

"An!" Jaller's voice was laden with panic, turning, we found him standing with Bis collapsed against his chest. The joining of their hands sparked with an orange fire that faded to a light blue, as it rose up Bis' forearms and glowed from the fissures that were forming under his fur. An was using Jaller's energy, as well as his own, to maintain his shield around the city. But surrounding us was a sea of sand. The bulge of An's protective dome was barely visible.

Bis' head was resting on Jaller's shoulder. His eyelids flickered as they opened. "Nice to see you back again, Set," he spoke softly, grunts of pain interspersing his speech. "If you could lend some assistance that would be great." He groaned in pain and the entire platform shook, as the sands shifted against his shield.

I felt pressure on my hand, and looking down, I realized that Set and I had interlaced our fingers at some point. I looked up at his face and saw his pain.

"I did this?" he questioned meekly.

"Yes," Jaller answered first. "Now fix it."

Set turned, facing Jaller. "I don't know how."

"Set, you are a child of the desert," Bis countered. "You have the ability within you. You always have, since you were a child."

"An." Set let go of my hand and moved closer to the weakening jackal. "I've never had control over a desert."

The platform shook, despite Bis fighting to hide his suffering. "-a part of you. It's always been a part of you. You have never been alone. Remember what it felt like when you were afraid." He cried out, as his shield weakened and collapsed slightly against the weight of the sand. "Hurry. Please."

My attention was split, as Set walked towards the ledge of the platform, and Bis forced himself to look into Jaller's face. I walked away to give them space.

"...whatever happens hold on," Anubis whispered. "…they come first…"

I quickly blocked out his words, not wanting to intrude or know.

"Horus!"

I turned back and felt Bis return my eye. I turned away, as a tear fell.

Set had his eyes closed in concentration. He had a stream of sand dancing between his outstretched hands. His eyes opened when I stopped in front of him. He smiled grimly.

"What can I do?" I asked.

"Love me," he answered, turning to face the sea of sand. "And believe I can do this."

His string of sand flew down, joining its brethren. The surface began to stir, growing in motion with every moment. Then it began crawling back, slowly letting Bis' shield shine out from under it.

The ring of light grew outwards from us. I could see the city again, as the intensity shifted. Until Bis screamed out.

Both Set and I turned, his concentration lost, as we ran to them.

Jaller was on his knees, struggling to hold Bis' unconscious body, without breaking his gripped on Bis' hands. The cracks on the jackal's arms had expanded and were brighter, with a trace of Jaller's orange energy mixing in.

"Don't let go!" I shouted, as Jaller panicked.

I quickly shifted Anubis' body, so that he was cradled in Jaller's lap. I tapped Bis' head and inspected their joined hands.

"You have to maintain his shield," I said calmly. "Keep the energy flowing and his body will do the rest."

Jaller nodded, despite his shaking.

I stood up and pulled Set close.

He knew what I did not want to say aloud. He nodded and intertwined our fingers, closing his eyes.

I moved closer, wrapping my wings around him, protecting him from everything.

"Please. Please," he muttered. "I can't bear hurting him again. Please, help me."

I did not know what to do, so I started humming.

He reacted slowly, but he calmed regardless, remembering without realizing it.

I could hear the roar from below, as the sand receded, so I started to gently rock him, continuing my tune. I closed my eyes and fought back tears, when he started to sing the lyrics with me. His voice was meek and shaky. We were both out of tune and rhythm at times. We would embarrass an audience, but still I was happy in that moment, despite not having the right to be happy yet.

The damage done was significant. Osiris' troops breached Tem without warning. People were hurt. The desert attacked and engulfed the city. Anubis was severely injured. Osiris was gone.

All I had was Set.

Once the world quieted down, I opened my eyes to find the city uncovered and surrounded by flat sands.

"Jaller, you can stop," I stated, as I drew back my wings.

Set was resting his head against my chest, his eyes shut.

I stroked my hand along his cheek and he stirred slowly, lifting his head to blurrily look at me. "You did it," I said.

He smiled. "Good."

He then fell into me, completely exhausted, murmuring, as I guided us down, so that I sat behind Jaller, our backs resting against each other, each holding our unconscious loves.

Though mine would wake up.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

I grunted and groaned, as I drug Osiris' body, his guards flickering around me in their gaseous state, but not helping.

"Wake up, you bastard," I muttered.

A moment later, his arm shot up and grabbed my throat. "You should be more careful about that lip of yours," he snarled. "It could get you in to trouble."

I felt something wrap around my neck, as he forced me down to stand up.

"But still, loyalty should be rewarded." He released me and turned his attention to the Surveyor's Tower, now miles away in the distance, slowly lowering itself back to the ground. "So Set, you were always lost to me. And Isis, you will need to learn to forgive me for our son and what happens next."

"You still have a plan?" I asked in disbelief.

"Of course," he answered, turning to me. "The only question is, what do I do with you? You failed."

"I told you Set still loved Horus," I retorted. "You didn't listen."

"The army you built-"

"-was exactly what you requested," I countered. "You wanted to recreate a failed battle."

"Again, such lip." He moved slowly. "What would your family say?"

"I did everything you asked of me," I said, fighting the involuntary tremble.

"Why did you save me?" he asked.

"Because I'm bound to your will."

"Why did you not help Set?"

"Because he freed me."

"You have no loyalty, and I have no need for you."

I stood there, realizing my only choice. I wanted to be brave, but I was scared. "Kill me," I offered.

"Gladly."

I felt the pain of the dagger and the world fading.

He guided me to the ground, so I was left to look up at his face. "You will have two choices. Stay gone, and I will not seek out your family. Come back, and you will never stop running."

I saw cracks in his face, and from them, tiny grains of green, almost black sand slowly began falling, until a large chunk fell away, revealing his true face. He was the chaos-beast's brother indeed, but far more diseased.

He grabbed at the half of his face that showed the monster within, screaming, "No!"

He lifted his dagger once more, preparing another strike at me, but he convulsed, dropping the blade, as he fell to his side, grabbing at his chest, crying out in pain.

And the world faded.

……

…………

……………………

…………………………………………

Until I was left in a maze of infinite choices, each moving past me with incalculable speed, threads splintering away, and a single voice with a single question.

"Since my son is a little incapable of helping you right now, partially because of your actions…. It is your choice and yours alone. To live. To die. Your future. Your end. What do you want, Sobek?" Ra asked of me.

Author's Note: Well more time passed than I had hoped. External situations prevented me from writing and when I came back to this, it was more intimidating than before. Even though it may not end up as the midpoint, I have always thought of this moment as the midseason finale, per say. I wanted it to be good and earned. Maybe it is not, but I hope it is enjoyable.

I do apologize for the sudden format change.

The next chapter or two, maybe, will be a series of smaller vignettes covering the earlier periods of Horus, Set, and Anubis lives. Just to fill in some backstory that has been rattling around in my head.

Thank you for reading. Please, let me know what you think by rating, favoriting, and commenting. They are very much appreciated, and they help encourage me to write more often.