That afternoon, Walt and Anubis booked flights to Cairo International Airport. It was costly, even when they looked at the couple's deal. The whole flight took 14 hours, and will probably waste them another day, but the most pressing thing had been Anubis' identity.
Traveling overseas would require verification and strict border measures, especially going through the customs and border protections. Well, crap.
"Anubis, do you have any teleportation spell that you can use to get us to Cairo's Egyptian Museum?"
"I would think so, yes." Anubis nodded, and Walt mentally cursed himself for not thinking of that alternative in the first place.
"Let me go get my belongings, and we'll head to the Museum."
"However, my way is to go through the Duat, and time warps differently there. We would waste up to two days while traveling there while in the Duat we'll only spend two hours." Anubis warned.
Well, Walt's reasoning was that buying air tickets would require another few days of forging fake identification documents for Anubis, and gods help Walt if the American system is as slow and inefficient as a snail, which is usually is. There might not even be a guarantee that Anubis would get his documents in time. Al in all, that amount of time would either surpass or be equivalent to going through the Duat. Plus, it costs less.
"No worries. Going through the Duat it is."
"Wouldn't you want to spend two of your remaining four days on Earth actually on Earth?" Anubis asked, puzzled.
"Well, helping humanity is more important than that. Besides, I still have another two days, no?"
"How are humans so selfless?" Anubis muttered under his breath, but Walt caught it.
"Then it seems that you still have a lot to learn, Lord Anubis."
After some mild packing and throwing on his white fur jacket, Walt followed Anubis into the living room. He took one last, long look at his home, and followed Anubis through a black portal.
Trekking through the Duat was a very strange sensation. The place was sometimes cold and sometimes hot, the sludgy material sometimes clinging onto him and sometimes bouncing off Walt. The two-hour walk felt like an eternity and a blink of an eye at the same time. As he saw beings of all shapes and sizes bound about the space, he felt so small.
He was a mere mortal, and all these things that resided here were immortal gods and monsters.
Walt looked at Anubis, and...
He jumped back by a few feet at seeing the god, quickly wrestling his hand out of the god's hands.
The god was back into the form Walt had originally encountered when he had first met him in his dreams. The large jackal head extended from a golden Egyptian collar, looking at him with golden-brown eyes. Its eyes were slightly widened in shock, and Walt felt a voice quickly trickling into his mind.
Please do not be afraid, it is still I, Lord Anubis said in his brain, his voice bouncing across the walls of his body and reverberating with his soul.
Walt studied the god. The large golden collar had been studded with rubies and jewels, making it glint slightly as Lord Anubis shifted his body. The god's torso was bare and uncovered, showing firm pectorals and rock-hard abs that looked firm enough to grate cheese. Trailing his eyes further down, the abs tapered into a tantalizing V-shape that disappeared into the pristine-white and long loin skirt, hiding the rest of the view from sight.
Walt was thankful. He wasn't sure he could digest any more of that.
It was probably the Duat messing with his brain.
He looked down at himself, and found his hands were wrapped in bandages. His left hand was wrapped in mummy linens, and it was starting to peel off. Walt fought back a wave of nausea.
Before he could register it, Anubis was by his side, rewrapping the linen and making sure it was secure of his hands. Closing his eyes, Anubis smoothed over the linens and made them disappear. His hands were resting in Anubis', and even with his hands being slightly larger than the god's, he felt safe and warm in the god's hands, protected and sheltered from the world's horrors.
He felt like nothing could touch him now, with Anubis by his side.
Your scent of death is growing stronger and stronger by the minute, he said in Walt's mind. We need to get you out of here.
Opening a portal, they walked out into the bustling streets of Cairo. It was extremely hot here, near boiling temperatures as the sun continued cooking the sand and the tar roads into boiling muck.
Anubis had turned back fully into a human-looking person, and carrying Walt on his back, ground his teeth together and ran a solid five minutes until they reached the museum.
The cool air conditioning of the museum hit Walt like a breath of fresh air. Every single crack and pore of his body hurt. His throat was parched and dry, his face was sweating and his eyes were hazy.
Anubis clamped down the panic at seeing the human so close to death. The mortal's curse was kicking in, and he was writhing in pain. Anubis winced as he put a hand onto Walt's forehead and tried to still the ravaging curse, stopping it from ravenously feasting on the mortal's soul.
The curse seemed to dampen a little, but Walt still let out a soft groan of pain as he opened his eyes, a few beads of sweat trickling down his face. Anubis' mother-hen instinct kicked in and quickly materialized some water to hand to Walt.
Walt muttered a thanks and gulped down the water appreciatively and blinked a few times before he adjusted himself to the surroundings. He gripped Anubis and stood, but even Anubis can tell that the mortal was very weak and frail now.
He had two more days to live, Anubis realized, and yet here he was, dead set on saving humanity before time ran out for him.
Such a selfless act from a tiny mortal like him. Anubis looked at Walt with newfound respect and admiration. How many gods would do the same for another of their kind? Would he himself even do it?
He searched deep inside for the answer. To his demise, the answer was no.
None of the gods would do that.
He wouldn't do that for others either.
"Let's go," Walt said, his voice still strong but laced with exhaustion. "This is taking a toll on me, isn't it?"
Walt chuckled, and then immediately wheezed in pain. Anubis quickly sent a jolt of cooling magic into the human, and the human muttered a thanks.
"Do not thank me, Walt. It is I who should be thanking you, on behalf of the gods. You could have been doing anything else now to enjoy your days on Earth, yet you chose to sacrifice it for us."
"I think it's meaningful," is all Walt said as they entered the museum, studying closely at the artifacts and scripts left behind by the Ancient Egyptian civilisation. "Activate your Old Kingdom godly radar and let me know when you find anything."
"Of course, Walt." Anubis said gently, holding Walt's hands like he has done so a million times.
"Do you know anything about your past?" Walt whispered quietly enough for only the two of them to hear.
"Not much. In the New Kingdom, I was depicted as the son of Set and Nephthys, which is my current identity, but something tells me I am not. I have more power and a higher capacity for magic than just someone for a son of Set and Nephthys. And as you already know, I used to be the King of the Underworld before Osiris took that job, and I was demoted to just a fraction of that duty: the usherer of the dead."
"I see. So the magic is carried from the Old Kingdom to the New Kingdom, but your identities aren't?"
"That would be correct."
Walt recalled the demonstration of power Anubis had shown him the first time they met face to face in the temple. The magic outburst from Anubis had not been dark, nor death. It had been a bright light, sending him spinning and reeling from the after effects of the firework-like explosion.
Walt had a hunch about who Anubis' real parents may be.
For a god of death, his magic was really bright and white.
"Keep looking," Walt urged Anubis, and the god nodded.
Their hands linked, Anubis envelopes Walt's slightly larger hand in his, and they explore the museum together.
They walked across many different statues, coming across King Tutankhamun on his throne, the young king's feet barely touching the ground, the crown too heavy to be a weight set on his head. Walt could relate to that.
Walt doubled over in pain, holding onto one of the pillars.
"Walt!" Anubis cried out in alarm. "Are you okay?"
"'M fine, just peachy," Walt grunted, flashing Anubis a pained smile.
Anubis' brows furrowed. "Please don't strain yourself in front of me. It is okay to let me know that you're hurting. That way I can help you ease the pain.
"Okay," Walt said weakly. Anubis sent another stronger flood of magic into his body, propping him up and energizing him.
"Aww," someone cooed from behind. "How sweet! So it is true. Anubis, the God of Death, warming up to a human, and a good-looking boy no less! Alas, the tension and suspense is killing me," the woman's voice turns into a deadpan. "You need to speed up."
Anubis whirled around and came face to face with the Egyptian Goddess of Love.
"Hathor," Anubis growled loudly, and it sent tremors up Walt's head. "If you—"
"Oh, I know, Anubis. Don't bother you and your human, yada yada yada. Alright." Hathor raised her hands and backed away from the furious God of Death. "I have heard of what brings you and your human here. Ancient texts and scriptures that may depict our original stories from the Old Kingdom, hmm? I've heard there are some reserves of those in the library areas of the museum, but it is under high surveillance. Unless you are stealthy about it, you might get caught."
"Do you know where the library areas are? And what surveillance equipment they may have in place?" Walt asked.
"Oh, on the second floor, dearie. There are security codes that you can override, and laser beams that detect human activity, but nothing that Anubis cannot handle, right?" Hathor smiled at Anubis, who was sporting a frown at the flirtatious looks Hathor was giving Walt.
"I'll be right back," Anubis grumbled grumpily. "Walt, wait here."
Anubis disappeared in a puff of black smoke and Walt was left all alone with the Goddess of Love.
"How are you here? And why do you know so many things about the museum?"
"Oh, well, they dedicated a shrine to me, you see. My statue stands right there, so naturally I have a fragment of my consciousness in this temple. Anubis does too, just that he rarely visits his old friends above ground. He is much too busy brooding in the darkest folds of the Underworld to even spare the Overworld a glance, even in all his omnipotent glory." Hathor sniffed.
"I see," Walt said. "So gods have consciousness in places they are worshiped? Does that mean you have more power here?"
"By power, I would go ahead and assume you mean our influence over the mortal world and our abilities to carry out our duties. Yes, statues help us with that when we are worshiped. The statues can only serve such a limited purpose, however, and as many fellow gods are starting to lose themselves, no matter the amount of human worship, they will ultimately fade. This is why we are crumbling."
"Are you losing yourself, too, Hathor?"
"You may not be able to see it, dearie, but yes. Cracks are forming in my consciousness, and sometimes I drift in and out of a trance a few centuries or so. When I am idle and no one calls my name, I lose my purpose. I lost the will to extend my influence over the people in the human world. This is happening to all the gods of the Egyptian pantheon."
"You have forgotten who you are," Walt said. "That's why Anubis wanted to bring back the knowledge from the Old Kingdom."
"...That is actually a smart move," Hathor said, impressed. "I didn't know the jackal had brains in that furry head of his."
"He's pretty smart when he wants to be," Walt said, laughing a little.
"Well, not with us gods. He was always a snarling, drooling canine with a bad temper." Hathor said, shuddering. "Oooh, is it because you have softened him?"
Walt blushed. "No way."
"Yes way," Hathor said eagerly. "Are you two a thing yet?"
"No," Walt said, and he felt his face going hot. "I don't think it works like that, Hathor."
"Well, as the Goddess of Love, let me just say, love is blind, okay sweetie? You are down bad for him, absolutely whipped for him, are you not?" Upon seeing no reaction from Walt, Hathor grinned. "What makes you think your jackal baby patootie doesn't feel the same?"
"Well," Walt spluttered. "He's a god, first of all! He's like, 5000 years old and counting, and I'm seventeen. Plus, he's immortal, and I'm... well, I'm going to die in two days. He's literally the god that is going to reap my soul when I die! I'm merely a blip in his vast lifespan, so I'm not even gonna consider the possibility of the guy being attracted to me, okay? It's impossible."
Hathor's gaze turns sad. "Walt Stone, descendant of the pharaohs, reeking of a curse of death. You smell like you belong in his domain. You may not have seen Anubis before, but as a fellow goddess, I can tell you that Anubis has never looked at another god or goddess or mortal like that before. He is absolutely enamored with you. Have you seen the way he looks at you? He was making puppy eyes at you and hovering over you, worried that his precious mortal might be in pain. I can sense overwhelming mutual attraction from both sides, yet both of you are complete idiots and none of you want to make the first move."
Hathor took a deep breath from her long spiel and continued.
"When I first saw both of you walk in, Anubis had been carrying you. He carried you and ran as fast as he could for five minutes straight with that godly strength of his to get you somewhere to rest. He cradled you like a mother would to a baby and cared for you. Also, it was against the rules to directly supply magic to a mortal like that, yet he broke those rules for you when he saw that you were in pain. He stayed by your side and cared for you. And when I talked to you, he growled at me like a jackal would when its mate is threatened.
"And you probably couldn't see this, but," Hathor reached for Walt's arms, but golden chains materialized into a holograph-like structure that prevented Hathor from touching Walt. "He had given you his protection and blessing the first time both of you had met. This is a very powerful protection spell, and an ancient spell that is only given to High Priests that has earned the gods' favor. It is the highest form of blessing a god could ever give to a mortal."
"But he'd only known me for two days!" Walt said.
"Ah, ah," Hathor said, wagging her fingers and tutting disapprovingly. "You're wrong about that. He's known you since you were born."
"What of me knowing Walt since he was born?" A voice growled from behind, and the hair on Walt's skin stood up. Anubis approached him from behind, and as if sensing the human was spooked by his voice, the god slowly stood close to Walt's back and shoulders.
"Nothing," Hathor trilled happily at seeing that little display of affection. "Just chatting."
"Here," Anubis nodded to the pile of books in his arms. "I'm sure these would help. I've seen some information about the Old Kingdom and the long-lost tales of some of the forgotten pharaohs. We'll be taking our leave now, Hathor, before you instill some weird thoughts in Walt's head."
It has already been successfully instilled, Anubis, Walt thought to himself. And I think I am in deep trouble.
"Let's head to a nearby cafe. We can flip through the books there." Walt said, looking at Anubis. Anubis smiled at Walt, and he paid attention to the tiny crinkle at the edges of his eyes. The god of death was so gorgeous.
Walt felt like he was flying with the gentle look Anubis had thrown his way. It was fleeting, as Anubis turned back to Hathor to excuse themselves, Walt's heart pounded.
Hathor looked between the two of them. At this rate, these two idiots wouldn't be able to get together before time pulls them apart. She needed to give a more powerful nudge, in a setting where both of them were present.
Ah, yes. That should do the trick.
"Some advice from the Goddess of Love," Hathor began, but Anubis cut her off.
"Whatever nonsense you have to spew, save it. We have no time for your antics." Anubis snapped at her, his fangs showing, the bright golden light shining from his chocolate-brown irises.
"Alas, you wouldn't have time to act on your yearning for the human, now would you, mm?" Hathor winked at Anubis. "Tragic."
Anubis stepped out of the museum with an annoyed huff, Walt following closely behind.