The Loyal God

A Mother's Terror

Isis stood at the banks of the river anxiously, her arms clutched to her chest.

'He'll be okay! If Horus is protected by Shu, the god of air, he'll manage. I'm sure Horus has the upper hand, but why am I so anxious?' she fretted in her mind, her logic flawed by fear and overwhelming pride.

"Horus... Please stay safe," Hathor murmured, standing near Isis.

'Hathor...'

Hathor stood in a similar position to Isis, hands clutched to her chest worriedly/

"Horus..."

Earlier...

"You're saying Hathor gave you a gift? What did she give you?" Isis questioned.

"... A mirror," Horus admitted.

"She gifted me a mirror as a token of her blessing, because she wants me to become the king. But I have a bad feeling about this for some reason," Horus explained, his face pensive.

"A bad feeling...? Could the mirror perhaps be cursed?" Isis asked.

"No. There's no mistake that the mirror is blessed. However, I can't tell what it's used for," Horus sighed, his head dropping further.

"It's been putting me off, so I didn't bring it with me," Horus revealed.

"Putting you off? What do you mean?" Isis asked.

"I can't help thinking the gift was too extravagant to be given to a man she's only just met. Although it was made as a mirror, I don't think it was ever meant to reflect anything. Not only that, the mirror feels ages old," Horus explained.

His gaze never left the floor.

"Hmm..." Isis let out, her face soured.

"If any other god had given me the gift, I would've just thought they had a good impression of me... But because she's the daughter of the sun god, we can't overlook this.The sun god could be behind all this," Horus spoke skeptically.

"Right."

"That brings up another point. By chance, do you remember Thoth's prophecy?" Horus asked.

Isis seemed confused.

"Thoth?"

Before her face lit up in recognition.

"Could it be?! Are you talking about the prophecy of how the sun god would give you the thing you needed most?" Isis asked.

"At the time, I thought it meant that the sun god would take our side or give us a weapon... But that wasn't the case at all. I was ridiculed like crazy and then kicked out. The humiliation! However, my anger aside, Ra's attitude is somewhat expected. Osiris was the god who reaped the most benefits from the sun god's downfall, so much so that Thoth's advice to us seemed strange. That's why I thought that 'humiliation' was what Thoth meant by 'what you needed most.' Because after the sun god, Ra, ridiculed our circumstances, your growth was no longer stunted, and you grew to look as you do now," Isis detailed.

Horus remained silent at the information.

"My opinion is a little different. I thought the sun god would give me something to hold in my hands. Although it's hard to explain... I didn't think it would be something intangible. That's why... when I received the mirror, I had a feeling that it was 'the thing' from Thoth's prophecy," Horus spoke, his tone somewhat solemn.

He had yet to look up from the ground, either because he was afraid of his mother or because he respected her too much, it was not clear.

"You had a feeling? Are you sure?" Isis asked.

"Yes."

"... Then that mirror must indeed be the thing you need. Keep it sae, but don't get too near it," Isis suggested.

Present...

'That is what I said, but...'

Isis thought, studying the god of love and beauty suspiciously. She clearly did not trust the woman, thinking of her as having an ulterior motive, which she most likely did have.

'The mirror of the sun god's most beloved daughter Hathor...'

"Horus..."

'It very well could be the thing Horus needs, but she's definitely got something up her sleeve.'

'Wait, a mirror?'

'What's this? This feeling of deja vu...'

"How worrisome," the sky god, mother of Isis and her siblings, Nut, spoke up, her hair flowing behind her majestically, as was fitting of the god of the giant sky dome.

"Sorry? What did you say, Mother?" Isis hummed, realizing that she wasn't as alone as she thought she had been.

She seemed sure of herself when she spoke next, answering her mother's words.

"Shu, god of air, is protecting him, so breathing shouldn't be a problem..." Isis reminded her.

"They were only told to hold their breath the longest to win, there were no other rules," Nut pointed out.

Suddenly there was a giant surge of water from the river. Whatever thoughts were going through Isis' head sent her into a panicked frenzy. It was unclear who had caused the explosion of water, just that something very serious had just happened. She grabbed her mother's forearm frantically, peering into the god's pitch black eyes, as dark as the night sky.

From Neith's place, still chained, she smugly thought to herself about how they should have added more rules to the challenge. She knew that it was likely that Seth had picked up on the lack of extra rules and specifications and that was what had fueled his plan. Horus, an inexperienced child when compared to the god who was several times his elder, was no match for Seth's cunning mind and sheer will of heart. When Seth set his eyes on achieving something, it wasn't likely that he would give up. A smirk carved itself upon the huntress' face. Despite all her younger twin had put her through, she just couldn't find it in herself to not be proud of him. After all, he wasn't called the Bringer of Chaos and the Rider on the Storm for nothing.

"B- But Mother, Horus can use your powers!! However strong Seth may be, it won't be easy for him to win under the sky..." Isis tried to reassure herself, to no clear avail.

"...Isis," Nut shook her head morosely, her expression as unchanging as the shift between night and day in the sky.

Isis' expression morphed into one of absolute terror at the sudden realization that came to her. Her son was in great danger.

"There is no sky underwater."

Isis collapsed to the ground shakily.

Meanwhile, under the water, Horus' body floated limply in the body, blood flowing lazily from an unseen wound.