Shadow Justice

54: Deities and Plans

Helios turned to where Eous stood still watching him and waiting for a command. The solar Titan waved the stallion over and brushed his hands down the sides of Eous's strong neck, combing through the fiery mane. "Thank you for taking me here, my friend," he whispered in Ancient Greek. "Run free. I'll call you if I need you."

Eous shook his head in dissatisfaction but obeyed all the same. Helios watched his closest friend gallop away, vanishing in a ray of sunlight. Then the Titan shifted his form slightly so he appeared in clothes more acceptable for the era. He now wore a white button down shirt and white lacks with white shoes. Satisfied with his appearance, he lifted his head and was startled to find Set and Mokuba walking steadily further away from him forcing Helios to run to catch up with them.

Set did not even glance back in the Titan's direction. He simply kept his right hand buried in his pocket while his left clasped Mokuba's smaller hand. They walked through the grass and pine straw to the walkway which looped through the park. They eventually passed a ring of men and women in blue and black uniforms whom Helios determined to be the authorities mentioned earlier.

Helios saw Set nod respectfully to them before moving on. One man, dressed differently from the rest, stepped forward. He man wore a black button up shirt, a black coat, and dark blue jeans with a badge clipped to his belt loop. The faintest hint of a shaved beard and mustache outlined his mouth and his eyes were dark and serious.

"How'd it go?" he asked.

Set paused and stared at the man with a measuring gaze. After a moment his shoulders relaxed a fraction. "The guilty party has been dealt with. If you want more information, I suggest you contact your vigilante. He was a great help." Set's sharp blue eyes glanced back over his shoulder in the direction they just came from. "On second thought," he said, "it looks like Arrow's coming here to talk to you in person. Be glad you have him on your side. He's a loyal ally."

The man nodded contemplatively. "I can't agree with his methods completely but... I'll give him this, he gets the job done." He held out his hand. "Detective Quentin Lance," he said. "Thanks for helping us."

Set eyed the hand before hesitantly removing his right hand from his pocket to grasp it. Mokuba gasped and the detective's eyes grew large. The man grabbed Set's hand and turned it palm up in surprise.

"What happened?" he demanded, staring at the burn marks covering Set's palm.

Set rolled his shoulders and drew his hand back, stuffing it into his pocket self-consciously. "Nothing that concerns you," he said. There was no edge to the voice but it was a clear dismissal of the subject nonetheless.

The detective nodded slowly. "I won't press then, but I highly suggest you get that looked at. The last thing you need is for it to get infected."

Set nodded and turned to leave, Mokuba hurrying along by his side still clinging to Set's uninjured hand. Helios hesitated before following after the Egyptian god and his sibling. He had seen the injury clearly but could not think of an instance when Set had favored that hand or had a chance to injure it in the first place. That meant he likely injured it before Helios arrived. But that still left the question of what had done the damage in the first place up in the air.

"Set," Helios called softly.

"Don't call me that," Set snapped. "Set died 5,000 years ago. I said that before."

Helios nodded. "Then what would you like me to call you?"

"My name, Kaiba Seto."

"Seto?" Helios asked.

Set shook his head negatively. "Kaiba."

"Kaiba then." The tension in Kaiba's shoulders eased. "How did you injure your hand?"