War Of Egypt

Chapter 8: Old & New Faces

    Ametis walked calmly beside Amiid as they made their way up the stairs of the same temple they first came to.
    Everyone was dressed in splendor as expected and the temple came alive to the movement of many immortals who were just arriving.
    Ametis enters the hall and smiles at the different deities who wave at her and bow low to show her respect as she was the daughter of Horus. She hears Amiid call out for her further behind so she turns.
    Bam!
    Ametis clashes into someone tall and quite sturdy, she notes as she moved back, not wanting to look the immortal in their eyes. Hands immediately clasp her shoulders. She furiously looked up but just as her anger faded, the tall god screeched her name loudly.
   "Ametis! Oh you're back!"
    Ametis reached out and embraced the familiar god who was also her friend.
   "Meneit! You've hardly changed," she smiled in his embrace. "Where is Atsu?"
    She looked over his shoulders and scanned the crowd for any sign of his twin sister, Atsu.
    Something hit the top of her head from the side and she pulled away from the god with her brows raised.
   "Still cannot manage to find me," smiled Atsu taking a bite of the fruit she smacked Ametis's head with, a grin plastered across her face as she reached in for her hug.
    Ametis laughed and squeezed her in a warm hug, "Atsu. Sister, what is this I hear about you being betrothed to a god?"
   "You must join me sooner than later," she stifles her giggles. "He is somewhere here with father... Oh the bliss of it all!"
    Meneit placed his hands on them and steered them out of the walkway and somewhere calm beside a fountain that they could actually have a decent conversation without having their dresses trampled on.
   "I don't want to seem blunt but have any of you seen Kha...recently?" Ametis asked the two twins.
    They both looked at her as if she had grown two heads. A look of confusion shadowed Atsu's face as she stared back at Ametis.
   "How do you mean?" Replied Meneit in a serious tone.
    Before Ametis could reply, Atsu exploded in a fit of rage, "seen him?!!! Of course we have seen that coward! We were in the battle he took against lower Egypt! He was there...I watched him take thousands of lives."
    Ametis sushed her and held her shaking body down by pulling on her arms. Beside them, Meneit sighed and scratched his head--obviously slightly embarrassed by his raging twin.
   "Hey--hey, calm down," whispered Ametis still holding onto her arms. "I just meant the last time anyone saw him was when he was nothing more than a child--it was the last time I saw him. And now, I'm just supposed to picture him as this big, angry evil god."
   "You cannot be more right," muttered Atsu rolling her eyes at Ametis. She shrugged off the other goddess's hold on her arm and turned away.
   "Atsu..."
   "No, he is an angry evil god," she continued bitterly. "Not even handsome at all like his father or Nephthys. Why he looks like the backside of a camel!"
    Ametis held back laughter as she placed a hand on her mouth and tapped her concealing lips. The sight of Atsu angry was the most hilarious thing ever since she woke up.
   "Oh come on, sister," Meneit shook his
head. "Do not exaggerate." Then he turned to Ametis and shrugged, "Kha is not ugly, despite his evil ways, any goddess would still agree the child of chaos has grown into a handsome immortal indeed."
    Ametis frowned and looked away with a blank look on her face.
    This gave Atsu the much needed time to turn around and glare at her brother. Her hands on her hips, "so convincing brother, you almost sound like you show a love affection to that monster!"
   "Oh yeah that's right, I just love men—especially the twisted son of Set whom I would absolutely and definitely love to kiss and feel his murder—stained hands roam up and down my body," replied Meneit sarcastically as he shook his head and walked away from the two goddess.
    Atsu stared after him with her fist shaking above her head, "you might think that's humorous but it's a scary thing!" She shouted after him.
   "Where is your father Thoth?" Ametis smiled. "You wanted me to meet your betrothed."
   "Ah they are somewhere here, Ametis," she replied and raised her head above to scan the crowd. "You might be lucky if you meet him tonight at all. You know father likes dragging us around on his long intelligent talks with the other gods. When does a pyramid become inverted?"
    Ametis frowned.
   "I'm sorry?"
   "Oh that—that's just one of his riddles."
    Ametis looked at her; her dark hair spilling around her head in curls and her  dark eyes wide as she searched the crowd.
   "What is the answer?"
   "I don't know," scoffed Atsu adjusting her pharoah headdress with her eyes now piercing the ceiling. "But if you do know the answer...don't hesitate to tell me. Father thinks he's so smart."
   "Being the god of wisdom, he is qualified to do so," Ametis corrected thinking of Thoth respectfully.
   "You want to trade our fathers?"
    They both broke out laughing.
   "Let's not speak of this again," smiled Ametis patting Atsu's arm. "I'm glad you are betrothed to someone you love," Ametis added and embraced her friend.
   "Oh I can't wait for your time to come," Atsu breathed peacefully, resting her chin on Ametis's shoulder blade. She closed her eyes.
   "You wish on something very unlikely, Atsu," Ametis chuckled thinly and stared into the distance, something was saddening in the temple. The atmosphere seemed dark and angry suddenly...but she was the only one who noticed it. Her head clouded as she swayed her eyes left and right and saw everyone having a good time, not feeling the same dark pull she was feeling.
   "Ametis!"
    The dim colors faded and her eyes snapped to a group of deities around her age. A girl was smiling and rolling her eyes.
    Ametis pulled away from Atsu's embrace and they both faces the group with smiles.
    These were her friends, her family; the same children whom she was raised up with. Arts, music, war and so on, the lessons they have learned together.
    Nefti and Ay, daughter and son of a god of war—Anhur. They are rarely seen without their armours and if they are—there must at least be a sword or a type of weapon present with them...sometimes disguised. That sure was a fancy belt Nefti was wearing; made entirely of metal and would no doubt morph into a sword if she took it out.
    Behind them stood Ihet, son of Bast the goddess of protection against evil. He was tall and handsome like his mother who before mostly isolated herself and in return became one of the most beautiful goddesses ever, but not enough to beat Hathor.
    Then there was Sanhir, daughter of the  Nubian god Dedun. Her skin was dark and beautiful as the night skies but her long hair was as white as lightning and incredibly striking were her grey golden eyes. Of course Nubia and Egypt were closely loyal to each other despite small but significant differences. Her father Dedun provided Egypt with resources from Nubia and so from an early age Sanhir became welcomed in Egypt. 
    Ha's son Sekpht was also there, even he was rarely seen in Egypt. He lived out in the Western and Libyan deserts as his father was the god of them and the oasises.
  And then there was Nimir, daughter of the moon god Khonsu. She dressed in white always as a symbol of the moon.
    Everyone took turns embracing the goddess and bowing to her in honour, their voices loud and clear bounced off the roofs as they conversed.
    Ametis smiled genuinely; it was going to be one long night.