Chapter Text
It looked like it would rain all night.
Seth pulled back the curtain so he could spy on the human outside, trying to light a fire.
Just to fail again.
Seth smiles unconsciously when the young man slumped to the ground in defeat.
All right, he could admit now that spying on this human had been interesting at first, but this had been going on for hours, and he was simply bored now.
The curtain falls, keeping the interior of the house out of the human’s view. Seth turns around and walks to the opposite side of the room, to the wall he had been decorating that morning before going to the cliff, before this human arrived.
Horus.
He looks among the paint cans he has but remained lost in thought. Can a demigod get sick?
Seth couldn’t know for sure, but from the moment his eyes met the human’s, some changes had suddenly appeared in his body—that fluttering sensation in his chest, his sweaty hands or the significant increase in temperature in his ears.
Oh, he was definitely going to get sick.
Isis had always been the one who knew about potions—how would he heal himself on his own? He had never needed medicine before.
A faint light flickers in the window, and Seth’s eyes dart towards it. Had he finally managed to start a fire?
Seth didn’t feel like getting up to check, and he wasn’t really that interested, to be honest with himself. He abandoned the idea of painting for that night and went to sit to one side, leaning against the wall, his gaze fixed on the door.
He pulls his blanket tighter around him. He was inside and was warm and safe.
He grips the blanket more tightly. Yes, above all, he was safe.
This only strengthened his resolve to keep this human away. He didn’t want to take any chances. In the past, Osiris had used charming disguises to get close to him, and Seth had always foolishly fallen for it.
At first, Seth didn’t suspect his intentions, but oh, how foolish he had been to trust him.
Seth closes his eyes. All of that was in the past now, and for some strange reason, Osiris couldn’t bring himself to enter his new home. Everything would be alright.
He sighs and decides it would be best to think about something else.
Seth’s eyes dart back to the window, and now he has no doubt whatsoever: that human has managed to start a fire.
This only made Seth’s fears to grow. What was falling outside was no ordinary rain—everything suggested it must be the work of a god. Now, how could someone as insignificant as a human have accomplished such a feat? Seth himself had had trouble achieving it in the beginning, and he was a former god.
Yet, this human had achieved it the very night he arrived.
Sure, he had claimed to be a sailor, but even that wouldn’t be enough to overcome the tricks of a god.
Seth grits his teeth. Did Osiris really think he was such an idiot, thinking that he wouldn’t notice that this new vessel he’d acquired was too... perfect to be a real human?
He reaches out and grips the poker. He had no weapons here, and to be honest, he had spent the last few months feeling too secure to bother creating any.
He had never forged a weapon before; he had never needed to. In the past, all Seth had to do was think of one, and he could instantly create it from his sand.
He squeezes his eyes shut but tears still welled up. He had lost everything so easily.
And now he was banished for eternity, like a vile criminal on this island in the middle of nowhere, possibly with a human possessed by Osiris on the other side of the door, waiting for him to lower his guard; waiting to get to him again.
This very thought made his blood boil. Seth glares at the door that separated him from that disguised monster, and though the urge to challenge him to a duel was immense, he resisted.
His flesh cried out for war. It was as if the thirst for blood lived within him, oblivious to his divinity.
He was weaker now, sure, but he was immortal still. Besides, Egypt was very far away, and a part of Seth knew that the greater the distance, the weaker Osiris’ vessel would be.
Even though this Horus was an apparently strong human, he still couldn’t defeat him. Seth didn’t spend thousands of years being the god of war without learning a few tricks.
But there was no point in tormenting himself over something he couldn’t change. If his brother wanted to play, well, he would be ready for him.
* * *
Seth’s eyes snap open the next morning. He glances around as he stretches his limbs. He had kicked the blanket in his sleep, and the fire poker was still beside him, within easy reach. Everything seemed to be fine.
He was alone.
Seth looks at the door; closed, untouched. No one had entered during the night; he was safe.
“Safe,” he whispers, leaning against the wall to steady himself. “Just calm down, damn it!”
Seth, who still wore the same clothes he had worn in Egypt, drapes his blanket over his shoulders and quietly walks towards the window. It was a cold morning, and it was still raining, though less heavily than the previous night.
The god’s power was gone, and what fall that morning was nothing but a natural drizzle.
Carefully, he peered out the window and was surprised to see no one outside.
Seth steps back, placing a hand over his fast-beating heart. Horus is gone, he thinks.
The human—he wasn’t out there! Where the hell could he be?!
Seth licked his lips and considered possible reasons: Osiris could have grown tired of his vessel and simply vanished—or worse, he could be out there indeed, waiting for him to let his guard down and come out.
He frowned.
A cynical chuckle escaped his lips. There was no doubt about it now! The young man from the previous afternoon—the handsome sailor with deep blue eyes who had so captivated him—had to be his older brother in disguise!
Seth shuddered again.
Osiris had returned—he had abandoned his wretched kingdom to cross the sea and follow him to his island.
Suddenly he felt as if a lightning bolt had struck his skull—is this a migraine? A demigod could certainly get sick.
Seth couldn’t believe it. To dare such a thing, to go to such lengths, to defy the gods—Maat herself—just to use him as his favourite plaything again?
Seth shakes his head and covers his face with his hands. This wasn’t possible. He... he had to find a way to protect himself.
Osiris might have once been the supreme god of Egypt, but this island was not in Egypt, so there must be some way to set boundaries, even for gods.
He frowns.
Some ancient magic must exist to keep that monster away from his new home, but how? Where?
Ra and Maat had assured him he would lack nothing in this place, hadn’t they? Those two never spoke empty words. There must be something there he could use to—
“My lord Seth, good morning.”
Seth gasps as he heard another voice outside. “What?” he says, peering out the window again.
There he was again, the sailor! Seth’s eyes widened. The human had gone out to... fish?
The human—this Horus fellow—held up the net in his hand and showed it to him. “Look, my lord, I’ve brought you breakfast!”
What the hell?!
Seth drops the blanket and grabs the poker in one hand before daring to approach the door. Carefully, he hides the poker behind his back and turns the knob.
“My lord,” the sailor greets, bowing.
Seth wasn’t buying any of these theatrics, however pleasing they might be to the eye. The human had undoubtedly gone fishing; his body was all wet, and the rain had fluttered through his hair. His feet were full of sand and—ah, why on earth was he scrutinizing him so closely?
Seth clears his throat and says, “Human, you may stand up now.”
Horus obeys and gestures to the small net, full of fish. “My lord, this humble servant has brought you breakfast.”
Seth raised an eyebrow. “And this god thanks you, but I don’t need to eat.”
Horus gasps. “Oh, this servant has been foolish!”
Seth’s eyebrow rose even higher.
“You... you managed to light a fire last night?” Seth asked, glancing at the ashes on the floor. His gaze swept over the surroundings, searching for more evidence of his evil brother’s presence.
The human nodded again. “Uh, yeah?”
“How?!” Seth demanded, closing the distance between them, glaring at him with his cold, red, angry eyes. “How did you manage it—everything was soaked! How? Who the hell are you?!”
Horus averted his gaze and shrugged. “You gave me what I needed, my lord.”
He had, but that answer still wasn’t good enough. Seth was losing patience.
There was something about this human that didn’t fit with the norm.
Horus added, “I am a sailor. I wouldn’t have survived this long if I couldn’t, my lord. It is common for storms to catch us in the middle of the sea and therefore, soak all our supplies.”
Seth let out a snort and pointed the poker at Horus, as he approached.
His blood was boiling. Why did he suddenly feel as if this human was mocking him? Well, Seth would soon give him a real reason to mock.
Seth lunges at him with great speed and swings his poker with the clear intention of striking him—whether Horus was a god in disguise or a skilled sailor, he could surely dodge this blow.
Horus’ eyes widen, and he skilfully dodges the blow. He ends up landing meters to one side; his feet and legs covered in mud.
“Have I offended you in some way, mi lord?!” Horus asks, dodging each blow, for Seth doesn’t stop and has followed him to where he is.
His steps are precise, as are the movements of his poker. Anger, fear, and weariness have made him faster and more accurate. An ordinary person, no matter how skilled in combat, wouldn’t have been able to do any of this.
Seth was enraged, and this made his movements predictable.
Horus leaves the house behind to escape, and he finally stumbles and falls onto the wet ground.
“My lord!” he cries, raising a hand to defend himself.
Seth wasn’t exactly a merciful god in his desert, but they weren’t there anymore, so he could offer this human some mercy. He placed the tip of the poker under Horus’ chin and forced him to raise his head. His eyes met Seth’s.
It was there again, that shudder at the sight of him. Seth clenched his teeth tightly.
The beauty and depth of that blue was abnormal. It was such a sacrilegious thing to have given those beautiful eyes to a mere human—though perhaps it was even more sacrilegious that someone as wicked as Osiris would use them to tempt him.
He had to resist, why was it so difficult for him? It wasn’t as if this was the first time he had seen such an unfairly attractive man.
His hands trembled with rage.
“So, brother, do you intend to keep playing games?” Seth spats angrily. “I admit that I’ve gotten quite bored.”
Horus swallows and replies, “M-my lord, I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
There was a certain tremor in his voice that Seth couldn’t help but notice.
Seth laughs and, with the tip of his poker, cuts Horus’ cheek. He lets out a soft gasp of pain in response. A thin red thread of blood flowed down his neck, until it was washed away by the rain.
“Shut your filthy mouth, or the next cut will be on your throat!”
Horus’ eyes widened.
Seth tilted his head and looked deeply into his eyes. “And, oh, it would be a terrible... waste to dispose a vessel like this.”
“M-my lord—”
Seth silenced him by placing the tip of the poker back on the human’s throat.
“I haven’t given you permission to speak,” Seth stated sternly. He tightened his grip on the poker. “Tell me, brother, doesn’t it bother you, what I just said?”
Osiris would burn in rage at the mere thought of Seth being attracted to someone other than him—and if it was a man, his anger would blaze the brighter. He was a jealous being by nature; the most jealous of all. He certainly couldn’t bear this—if he found out how attracted Seth was to this vessel, he would surely end up destroying it right there, before his eyes.
Perhaps then he could finally stop feeling so overwhelmed by his presence. This was surely testing his patience.
Horus remains silent, but his lips trembled as if he wanted to reply.
Seth sighed, “Come on, don’t play dumb, answer! I’ll allow it!”
Horus looked away, his brow furrowing slightly.
Those were ordinary gestures, but for Seth, they felt as overwhelming as if he had just been punched in the chest. And not only that—the sensation travelled down to his belly and from there, heated his entire body.
He clenched his teeth so hard it hurt. He was fed up. He would have to force him to talk.
Seth’s eyes were wide. “Tell me, Osiris.” Just mentioning his name made him feel nauseous, but it didn’t matter anymore. He was tired of having to hide, of being afraid—tired of always looking over his shoulder, even on his cursed island! He was fed up. “Doesn’t it bother you to know how much I want this new vessel you’ve acquired? It’s certainly the best of all the ones you’ve stolen.”
“Osiris?” Horus says, squinting and ignoring Seth’s last words. “My lord, I am not Osiris.”
Seth slightly loosened his grip on the poker upon hearing the honesty in the human’s voice.
Horus’ eyes seemed to darken, and Seth unconsciously took a step back.
Horus grabbed the poker with one hand and, looking at Seth, repeated, “My name is Horus.”
Seth stared in awe at the force that this mere human was applying to the metallic object. He dropped the poker and continued to back away. The human stood up.
Danger.
Seth raised a hand instinctively, but his sand never materialized. His claws appeared instead, ready to defend himself that way if necessary.
The sailor begins to walk towards him, his cheek still bleeding. “I haven’t lied about anything.” He placed a hand on his broad chest, as if taking an oath. “I swear on my life!”
This surprised Seth—oaths were unbreakable; breaking them was almost equivalent to blasphemy.
“Who the hell are you?!” Seth demands, threatening him with his claws. “If you take one more step, I’ll finish you off!”
Yet, Horus continued walking, unconcerned, even though he wasn’t carrying any weapons. His empty hands had fallen at his sides, proving to him that he had nothing to hide.
“My name is Horus, and I am a sailor.”
Seth stops just as he reaches the porch but remained in a defensive stance.
“I live with my mother, who is waiting for me in Egypt,” the human continues. “I came here fleeing the storm.” When Horus reached within a meter of Seth, he knelt before him. His hand returned to his chest, where his heart was beating rapidly. “And just as I revered you in my homeland, I am ready to do so here and now, my lord.”
Seth utters an incredulous “What? You expect me to believe you?!”
Horus bows his head. “I hope you will, my lord.”
Seth clicks his tongue and lets out a snort.
He had helped his followers in the past, trusted them completely, and this is how it had all ended. None of it had been enough in the end; he was dumped on that deserted island like garbage.
But it was true that things had changed. Before, Seth could duel for days on end, but his new demigod body had its limitations. This little excuse of a combat had left him exhausted. Which was, in a way, ridiculous.
He felt terrified—if something so insignificant had exhausted him, how could he possibly defend himself against an attack? How could he defend himself against the hands of an evil god?
Seth searches for something to hold onto to prevent himself from falling.
But it wasn’t necessary; the human caught him in his arms just as Seth’s legs gave way. His whole body was cold; that damned rain was merciless. Being a demigod was such a nuisance.
“My lord, you must eat first—and you’re cold!” Horus says, seeing his state. “You look pale.”
Seth tries to break free of his grasp, but without success.
“I’ll prepare breakfast for you—”
“Get your filthy hands off me!” Seth growled, still struggling in his arms. “I am a god! I do not need to eat!”
Horus frowns. “True, but you still look weak.” Both his voice and gaze became serious as he added, “Perhaps the roots that were growing around your house have something to do with it.”
Seth stopped upon hearing this. He widened his eyes. “What? What kind of roots are you talking about?”
“Last night I noticed that many roots had suddenly appeared around your house. There was something... how can I put it? Strange about them, and I didn’t stand idly by. I started taking each one and throwing them into the flames.” Horus placed Seth on the steps leading to the porch. “They seemed to be sentient, for as soon as I destroyed a couple of them, the rest started growing around me, as if they wanted to stop me.”
Seth gasps and looks around nervously, searching for any sign of Osiris.
“It took me most of the night, but I managed to get rid of them all.”
“But how are you so sure...?” Seth shook his head. “I... the falcons—no matter how much they destroy them, they keep reappearing! It’s as if—”
Horus tilts his head. “As if they had followed you here, seeking revenge...?”
Seth places a hand on the human’s chest and pushed him aside. He stood up and, averting his gaze, asked, “How could you know? Is what happened to me... common knowledge?”
Horus’ voice came from behind him. “It is common knowledge that Osiris was murdered and sent to Duat, and that you were exiled to an island for that reason.”
Seth felt a wave of nausea.
“Sailors fear to set sail, for fear of finding this island and facing your wrath.”
His world began to spin. He was about to faint.
“Everyone, except me. I went to the sea to fish and by coincidence, managed to get here.”
Seth manages to reach the door. Before entering, he says to the human, “Coincidences do not exist.”
* * *
Seth didn’t leave his home for the next two days, while the rain continued. He didn’t see or hear the human again, though he could somehow sense that he was still on his island. He was growing accustomed to his new element, and with the divine remnants he possessed, he had begun to forge a bond with his new home.
Or perhaps he was exaggerating, and the reason he knew that Horus remained on the island was simply because—vessel or not—going out to sea in perpetual rain would be tantamount to suicide.
On the third day, when the dark clouds finally drifted away with the wind, Seth opened the door, expecting to find the human on his porch.
However, he wasn’t there.
Seth found this suspicious and decided to go out and investigate. He made sure to close the door properly, to cover the windows and even the smallest hole or crack in the roof through which Osiris could access. And as he walked through the forest, he noticed with relief that the falcons had returned—as they always did—after the rain.
A smile formed on his lips.
It was also true that the green roots had disappeared, thanks to Horus. Seth still suspected that young man, for he knew too much—and besides, there was something strangely divine about him.
Lowering his guard would be foolish, but at the same time, Seth was running out of reasons to think that Horus was a vessel used by Osiris. If that were the case, wouldn’t he have tried to enter his home by now?
He frowns.
So, who was he, then? Who could have sent this demigod to protect him? And why?
What bothered Seth most about this was that he knew that, to find those answers, he would need to talk to the boy.
His suspicions turned out to be true. Seth found Horus down on the beach, checking what remained of his raft.
The human was examining the condition of the sail—or rather, what he had used as a sail. And upon hearing his soft footsteps on the sand, he turned to look at him. He smiled.
Seth felt as if he had been punched in the chest, but he hid it quite well.
The human bows to him and greets him, “My lord Seth.”
Seth walked past him and went straight to the raft. “Enough of that; you know very well that you don’t have to act that way here. I was banished and lost most of my powers, have you already forgotten what happened last time?”
Seth was referring to the time when he had failed to summon his sand, as he had done in the past. He had felt so humiliated by failing in that way before a human, that he had spent much of his time in isolation thinking about it.
Horus frowns slightly. “Even so, it would be imprudent and disrespectful if I dared to call you anything else.”
Seth could hardly tear his gaze away from his guest. The wound he had inflicted with his poker was still visible on his cheek.
He let out a chuckle. “Your mother must have taught you well, then,” he teased. “Tell me, is she a poet?”
Horus averted his gaze and shook his head. “My mother... although she’s indeed quite crafty, her skills are somewhat different, my lord.”
Seth turns his back on him and sighs. “What do you intend to do with this trash?” he says, trying to steer the conversation away from the boy’s mother. “You won’t get very far with it.”
Seth had no idea where his island was, but he guessed it must be quite far from Egypt.
Horus waited before answering. He hesitated so long that Seth turned to look at him to see if he had even heard him.
The young man’s attractive face was easy to read. He looked somewhat distressed. “Do you already want me to leave, my lord?”
Seth crossed his arms. “If the situation were different, I would have been a great host, you know?”
This hadn’t answered his question. Horus bit his lower lip in response.
And him... damn it, why was he getting aroused over the simplest things? He was an idiot. Being locked up on that fucking island with no other company than that guy was turning him into a fool.
How could a human cause such feelings in him?
“I will leave if my presence bothers you, my lord.”
Seth sighed and pulled on the raft’s sail, tearing it with just one tug. “Heh, I knew it: this cloth is rotten; you wouldn’t have gotten far with it!”
Horus widened his eyes and averted his gaze so Seth wouldn’t see the blush on his ears.
But the lord of this island wasn’t looking at him; instead, Seth’s scrutinizing gaze was fixed on the makeshift raft the human had used to reach his island.
While it was true that Seth didn’t believe in coincidences, a part of him felt that the only way someone could have arrived at a place like that was by the will of the gods. There was a kind of magical aura about that island; he could feel it.
If only he could speak with one of the all-seeing gods. Maybe that way he could learn the true intentions of his visitor.
Seth turned to look at him after this—the young human hadn’t taken his eyes off him.
Seth raises an eyebrow. “This raft was tied together hastily and carelessly,” he remarked. “It is a miracle you managed to get here in one piece.”
Horus nodded. “It must be the will of some god, that I have come to you, my lord.”
Seth snaps his tongue. That is undoubtedly true, he thinks. “The ship you were on, the one that sank—where is it now?”
Horus stretched out a hand towards the sea. “In that direction, my lord.”
That was quick, Seth thought, surprised. Does this mean he was telling the truth?
Seth glanced in the same direction, but it meant nothing to him. He didn’t even know where the hell that island was, but it was best that his visitor didn’t know that. The longer he could pretend to be in control, the better.
“The storm that pursued you was undoubtedly the work of some god,” Seth said, running a hand over his chin. The question is, which god was capable of such a thing? Isis, perhaps? Seth shook his head. Or maybe... some other god he didn’t know?
That was very likely. What if he had been sent so far away to encroach on someone else’s territory? What was Isis trying to achieve? Sending him to offend someone else so they could use that as an excuse to get rid of him?
Seth turned to the human. “I could trust you, but you know too much about the gods to be an ordinary human.”
Horus places a hand over his heart, just like he did last time. “My mother is wise and taught me well from a young age.”
Seth raises an eyebrow. “You knew that the roots growing around my home were divine, and yet you dared to destroy them... how is it that you didn’t fear the wrath of their creator?”
Horus frowned slightly. “Although I am aware of Osiris’ importance, the god to whom I pay tribute is another.”
“Osiris?! How do you know who I’m talking about?”
The human shrugged. “Who else could have such power if not him?”
“And even knowing that, and you being merely human... you dare to defy him?”
Horus sighs. “I don’t know what happened—none of us are worthy to know—but you must have had a good reason for doing what you did.”
Memories of that fateful night flooded back to Seth, making him shudder from head to toe. And the pain was so intense that this time he couldn’t hide it from the human’s observing eyes.
“And what kind of follower of yours would I be if I didn’t do something to protect you, even with my limited abilities?”
Seth let out a soft chuckle and looked up at the sky. It was a sunny, warm day, but the wind blowing in from the sea and swirling around the island was cool. The sea foam had already lapped up to his ankles, and the sound of the seagulls circling the beach had become quite loud.
“Even if Osiris is powerful, there is... some kind of divine presence on this island trying to protect me, even before you arrived,” Seth says.
Both Ra and Maat had spoken of the advantages he would have on this island, and the latter had even assured him that he would be relatively safe there. Could it be one of them?
In any case, he had no intention of telling this human about it.
Horus looks at him as if he had heard this thought, and their eyes meet.
“All these falcons circling my house... they’re somehow protecting me, keeping me company.” Seth could give him certain hints so that Horus wouldn’t feel so emboldened.
Horus nods slowly and says, “I have certainly seen some myself.”
Seth crossed his arms and walked toward him, leaving a wet trail behind. This human was so tall that Seth—an ancient god—had to stand on tiptoe to get his face close to his. “Falcons usually hide during storms; how could you have seen them?”
Horus spoke with a hoarse but confident voice, “I... the rain stopped this morning, just before the sun came up; I saw them when I was walking down through the forest, on my way to the beach.”
Seth makes a laugh-like sound and moves away from him.
Unbeknownst to Seth, Horus puts a hand over his agitated chest and watches him.
“He has reasons to want to capture me,” Seth says, looking at the sea. “And I suspect he might try something underhanded to find me and take me to Duat.” This simple thought shatters him and makes his skin crawl. “That’s why I’ve been cautious with you.”
Horus takes a few steps forward, and upon hearing him, Seth turns to him, ready to attack.
Horus raises his hands in the air, as if in surrender. “Easy, my lord, I do not serve him, and I have no ill intentions towards you.”
Seth lets out a small laugh. This wouldn’t be the first time he falls for a pretty face. The last time he did, he ended up loving someone who didn’t love him enough to defend him. If his own wife abandoned him, how could he expect anything better from this stranger?
“You are human, and one day, you will die; you will go to Duat and there you will be judged. Don’t you fear its master, don’t you desire his favour?”
Horus’ face was serious as he shook his head. “I do not, my lord.”
Seth was so tempted to believe him. Upon reaching him, Horus knelt before Seth and, lowering his head, assured him, “I am content to be your follower, your servant—”
What nonsense was he talking about? He was no longer a god. Maat stripped him of his divinity and powers as punishment for murdering his own brother in cold blood! He was condemned to this island with no hope of escape and had to defend himself with a fire poker! He was but a shadow of what he once was!
But telling him all that would be risky.
Seth looks up at the sky, letting the cool breeze carry away his fears. He thought, There is no point in being my follower. I cannot hear your prayers or supplications, and even if I could, I have no way of fulfilling them.
“I seek no benefit from you,” Horus said softly. “I only wish to serve you, my lord.”
This human possessed a curious sixth sense, as if he could read his thoughts.
Seth lets out a harsh laugh.
“I boarded my ship with a different intention, and fate sent me to the middle of the sea, placing me in the path of a storm. That same fate brought your island before me, so that I could find shelter—the mere fact that I survived the wrath of a god is proof enough of this! I don’t know if I am worthy, but I want to try, my lord.”
Seth glanced over his shoulder at him. “I cannot have you here all the time; I like my privacy. Besides, you say you have a mother waiting for you at home; do you intend to abandon her so easily?”
Horus stood up and shook his head. “I certainly have unfinished business back home, but for as long as you allow me to stay, I wish to serve you.”
This boy was truly stubborn. Seth pondered the benefits of having such a devoted follower at his disposal.
“The roots of Osiris—why did they disappear? What did you do to cause that?”
Horus clears his throat. “We are far from Egypt. So far, indeed, that even someone of his power has trouble reaching this place. The roots must have come here with you, and they sprouted over the course of the months. He needs a vessel strong enough to withstand him if he is to appear in his full form, and that will be difficult. A mere human won’t be of much use.”
Yes, yes, yes—he already knew that.
Horus places a hand on his chest. “That is precisely why I cannot be his vessel. You can trust me.”
“A human wouldn’t work, true, but how about a demigod? That wouldn’t be such a far-fetched idea.”
“I’m not a demigod either,” Horus assures him with a serious voice. “Put me to the test! I can’t stand up to the wrath of a god, that’s true, but I’m an experienced sailor and I grew up running away with my mother, so I’m an experienced warrior as well. While I’m here, I can protect you, and if I must die for you, so be it.”
Wow, Seth thought. For millennia he had known devoted warriors, but few had such eloquence. Or charms.
“Many swore far less and turned their backs on me without a second thought.”
Horus frowns. “I swear I will never betray you, and if by mistake I ever do, I will kneel before you so that you may send me to Duat by your own hand.”
Seth looks around and sees a great gust of wind that had shaken all the trees on the island. The noise is deafening and makes all the birds fly away in fright.
The presence of a god. They were always listening, it seemed. Seth looks at the human and thinks about how dangerous—and foolish—it is to go around the world making oaths without considering the consequences.
Horus was young, so young that Seth could barely comprehend it. A human’s life would pass before his eyes in a blink. Seth could accept his devotion and benefit from it. He could use him to learn about the world and to get supplies; perhaps he could even take him to his bed over time to enjoy him.
And the best part was that he could always get rid of him when he got bored. As long as he wasn’t stupid enough to fall in love, everything would be fine.
Now, Horus was bound to him by a vow of devotion. What could possibly go wrong?
“You’ll need a ship to return home,” Seth says, looking at the human’s raft. “You can use the trees in my forest.”
Horus nods. “Thank you, my lord.”
“And...” Seth walks past him, away from the sea. “I will be testing you, constantly.” The human nods again. “Besides, you’ll need to find your own food and build yourself some shelter.”
“As you wish, my lord.”
Seth tucked his hair behind his ears, clearing his field of vision. “You’re invited to my home tonight, so you can sample the wines from my cellar.”
“I appreciate it, my lord.”
“That way I shall question you about your life in Egypt and all that.”
“Yes, my—”
“And stop calling me that. It annoys me.” Seth smiled wryly. “You know I’m not lord of anything anymore. That’s over.”
Horus frowns. “How else am I supposed to address you, then?”
Seth turned his back to him and shrugged. He glanced over his shoulder and said, “I suspect you’ll figure it out.”
And then, Seth went back to his home.