Eye of Hecate

Ozzy

For once, I wish I could just simply sleep without having any crazy dreams. 

This time, it's not my ba that goes on a little journey. I find myself standing in one of the training halls in the First Nome. It's dark, so no one is out and about. I look around, and see a familiar woman standing nearby, just watching me. 

"Oh, it's you again." I realize. 

The woman has pale skin, black hair, and eyes so black she looks like a demon. She's covered in black robes, and is still holding her two torches. 

"Yes, it's me again." She huffs indignantly. 

I'm not sure whether I should be afraid or not. She doesn't give me hostile vibes, but she also doesn't look super friendly. 

"What's up?" I ask her tentatively. "Do you...have more advice for me? Can you tell me what to do to survive this quest?"

She scowls. "Who do you think I am? Your guardian angel? No, I don't have more quest advice for you."

"Oh." I nod, shifting from foot to foot. "So...why are you here?"

"I'm here to tell you you have to make a choice soon." She tells me. She waves her hand, and suddenly we're standing on a grassy hillside. It's still dark out, and I can see hundreds of stars glittering overhead. A deep fog gives everything a spooky graveyard vibe, and the moisture clings to my clothes, making me shiver. 

Three paths appear in front of me, branching off in seperate directions. 

She points to the path to my right. "You can choose Egypt. Abandon your friends after this prophecy and continue to train with the House. This is your safest option, though should you choose it, no one will live long."

"What?" I demand. "Hold up. If I choose to keep training with the House of Life, you're saying the world will end?"

"Well, nothing is set in stone," she shrugs, "but it's fairly certain."

"Okay, what are my other options?"

The woman gestures to the path on my left. "You can choose to stay with your friend Leo and the rest of the Greeks. Abandon your roots. However, should you choose this, the House of Life will eventually fall."

I wave my arms, signalling for her to stop. "So my options are: end the world, or end this organization that's thousands of years old, that protects order? If the House of Life falls, so will Ma'at. Chaos will reign."

The woman smiles coldly. "So you do understand."

"End the world or end the world." I repeat. "Lady, this is not a message to send someone in a dream when they're already on a dangerous mission. This could've waited at least until I was safe."

"No." She insists. "You need to know."

I look at the paths again. "Okay, fine. What's down the middle path? How does the world end on that one?"

The woman's eyes glimmer. "Oh, that path there, well...should you consider to split your time between the Egyptians and the Greeks, you could save the world, and the House of Life."

I tug at the sides of my hair in frustration. "So...why didn't we start with this one?"

The woman sighs. "That path, frankly, I do not wish for you to take. It leads to nothing but heartbreak, loss, and despair." 

"Goody." I mutter. 

The woman steps right in front of me and puts a hand on my shoulder. "You will make the correct choice, Osiria. But you should know the consequences of each one."

And suddenly, I'm seeing it. If I choose Egypt, I see the earth rolling, upturning and destroying everything, like a kayak capsizing under the wake of a speedboat. However, if I choose Greece, I see the serpent Apophis, the embodiment of Chaos, consuming everything. Then, I see random flashes of images I don't understand. I see Leo, unconscious and falling through clouds. I see Piper, Jason, and some other guy with black hair in an underground cave filling with water. I see myself, screaming and crying. I see my dad, encased in a golden sarcophagus and sucked into the ground. I see a fiery red pyramid under construction by demons.

"Stop." I command, and I return to the field. 

The woman is looking at me with what looks like pity. "There is no easy path for you to choose, my dear. "To be born of two different worlds is always a difficult fate. With your bloodline, you are fated to be important in both of these worlds. Unfortunately, that means twice as much loss, twice as much responsibility, and twice as much work."

I glance at her curiously. "With my bloodline?"

She hesitates, and I know I've asked an important question. 

"You know who my mother is?" I ask her. 

"Do not ask questions when you are not ready for the answer, Osiria."

"I'm ready for the answer." I insist. "I've been ready my entire life. I want to know who my mother is. I need to know. If you're saying my bloodline is so important, I need to know why. My father has the Blood of Pharaohs. What about my mom?"

"All in due time, my dear." The woman says. "For now, you must focus on succeeding in this quest."

"I'm trying." I say. "I really am. But my staff broke. I'm not sure what to do about that."

"Here." The woman pulls an engraved piece of bronze from her robes. "This should do the trick."

She hands it to me, and the bronze elongates in my hand. It looks just like my old staff, with the flames on the top, except this staff is made completely of metal. 

"Metal isn't good for-"

"This one is." The woman says. "Celestial bronze. It's Greek. The perfect weapon for you. Greek metal used for Egyptian magic."

"You're saying I'm Greek?"

She ignores my question. "It's time for you to wake, Osiria. Your friends need to speak with you."