Genesis [malexmale]

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Eight

"No. Absolutely not. Not in a hundred millennia."

I resisted the urge to sigh in frustration, or worse, say something snarky that could result in a worse situation than was already being dealt with. Instead, I was silent for a few moment, watching Nephthys curl her lip in absolute disgust, her arms folded over her chest. She wore a sheer black robe that pooled around her where she sat lounging on a black velvet chaise, and sprawled across her lap was a sleek black dog with a gold collar, her palm stroking it behind the ears.

She was much like her palace; dark and menacing. Upon arriving at the palace, I noted its massive size. A pylon structure that towered high overhead made entirely of white gold. Once entered, however, the brightness of it was swallowed by the black interior designs. Sleek black and white marbled floors with sharp columns that were really more like massive spikes in the ceiling and floor. It had taken some time and asking for directions before I had found Nephthys's throne room, a room that looked more like it was prepared to take a lover given the gorgeous silk drapes around her chaise that was large enough to fit two people in it easily.

"Nephthys," I began again, watching her eyes narrow dangerously, "I respect your decision as the mother to want to protect your children, however, I should also like to remind you that were it not for Set, you would not have your children." Nephthys lifted her chin, nose in the air, a look so haughty, it actually grated on my nerves.

"No, I would have had children with a true male."

"I assure you, Set is a true male."

"You would know, wouldn't you?" Nephthys said snidely. I took a deep breath, held for ten seconds, then continued.

"This is not about you, nor I. This is about Set learning to develop himself, develop control for the beast within him that he never asked for. It was a curse upon his birth that he must bear, a strength for the pantheon certainly, but also a precious gift that must be cared for accordingly," I explained. Nephthys glared at me, then slowly rose to her feet as the dog slinked off to crawl under the chaise, whining softly in concern.

"You speak of Set as if he is nothing more than a gentle creature, but you have not seen him when the beast takes over," she sneered, making me frown, "When he is the beast, he is... Well, let's just say we don't call it the beast because it is sweet and fluffy. He has torn flesh from bones with nothing more than his teeth. Mind you, his method of killing is not quick. It is slow and it is painful and he relishes the kills. He is a cat with a mouse; he torments mercilessly." She swallowed, touching her throat for a moment, and for the first time, I saw fear creep into her eyes as she stared at the floor.

She clenched her fist and looked at me.

"Do you know what he did to our brother?" She asked. I frowned.

"I've heard rumors, but I do best not to base my judgements upon whispers," I answered. Nephthys tsked me, waving her hand dismissively as she swept over to the large round pool in the center of her throne room, staring into the water that appeared black due to its confines.

"Long, long ago, our pantheon was passed down to Osiris. Isis, Set, and I, we accepted this. Not easily, perhaps, we caused quite a bit of mischief back in our youth. Unfortunately, Osiris took his play too far. He hurt Set and the beast was unleashed before any of us could do anything. He literally took Osiris apart into forty-two pieces, completely shredded him, then threw his remains all over the Egyptian mortal realm." She stopped, swallowed hard and covered her mouth for a moment. I waited patiently for her to continue before she shut her eyes and shook her head.

"Set collapsed after the episode. Fearing for our lives and the lives of the pantheon, the people, my sister, Isis, and I imprisoned him in the desert. We took him into the heart of it and left him there. Afterwards, we spent years in search of Osiris's body. Isis, though her heart could hear his blood crying out for her, had difficulties retrieving his pieces, and she wept... Gods, I had never seen Isis cry so much. My heart ached for her, so I helped her put Osiris back together. We used forbidden spells given unto us by Ra to bring Osiris back once more, and when we did, he was no longer the Osiris we knew. He became withdrawn, cold, serious. He lives in the opposite end of Duat, the darkest part."