Chapter Text
Seth
Anubis stirred and blinked his eyes open. He was still laying on his cot, and a bit dirty, but Isis’ protection was strong. Seth could feel it.
“Anubis?” Seth asked, leaning over him. “How are you feeling?” He was vibrating with worry and trying to repress it. But if Seth had known earlier that Osiris was doing this…
Anubis blinked up at him for a bit. “Father?”
Seth smiled, feeling warmth in his chest at that. “Yes, it’s me. We rescued you from Osiris.”
Anubis frowned, and then pushed himself up into a sitting position.
Seth reached out to help, but hesitated, and then let his hands drop. Anubis wouldn’t want that.
“You rescued me from him?” Anubis asked with a frown. He looked up at Horus, who merely gazed back at him. Then Anubis looked back at Seth. For a moment, there was a bit of fear. “You… You know…?”
“That he’s using you to appear in the land of the living?” Seth asked, his tony icy. “Yes, I know.”
Anubis winced, but then his expression hardened and he gazed back at Seth with a slight glare. “So what? Are you going to punish me for it?”
Seth blinked in confusion. “Punish you?”
Anubis smiled darkly. “I’m helping your enemy, aren’t I? You kill anyone involved with him.”
That’s why you think…? Seth resisted rolling his eyes. “Anubis, you nearly died helping him.”
Anubis’ expression became confused. “What do you mean?”
“He fought Horus and I,” Seth explained. “And we didn’t know it was you in there initially. We thought it was just Osiris. He can’t die, exactly, so we assumed killing him wouldn’t be an issue. But if we’d managed to actually kill that form… You’d have died.”
Anubis’ lips parted, and Seth could tell he hadn’t considered it at all. “But… he saved me.”
Seth’s eyes widened. “Saved you? From what?”
Anubis lowered his gaze, clearly embarrassed.
“Answer his question,” Horus ordered, making Anubis look up at the falcon god in surprise. “That is an order as your king.”
Anubis grimaced. “And if I refuse?”
Seth recalled Nephthys saying how Anubis had inherited Seth’s stubbornness.
Horus stepped forward and loomed over Seth and Anubis. “Osiris may show you some favor, Anubis, but he doesn’t hold sway here anymore, even were he possessing you right now.” Horus tilted his head slightly. “You are still a little demigod, as well.”
Anubis swallowed and didn’t meet Horus’ gaze. He was clearly aware of how stupid it would be to defy Horus, but he was still considering it.
Seth wanted to tell Horus off, but to what end? He needed the answer anyway. If Anubis was going to be difficult, then—
“He saved my life,” Anubis said, quietly.
Seth felt chilled. “How?”
Anubis was still gazing at his pale, dirty knees. His hands were clasped over them. “There was a time during your reign when I begged you not to go to Khemmis and kill more people in the hunt for Isis.”
Seth frowned. Looking back, he couldn’t recall the event precisely. He’d gone off to go hunt for Isis so many times that they all blurred together.
“You struck me offhandedly and left anyway.”
Seth grimaced. Of course he did.
“I… had been despairing for some time during your reign,” Anubis said. He looked up at Seth in anger. “You turned your back on your brother! You turned your back on Mother! And why? For helping Isis?!”
Seth forced his expression in neutrality. “You wouldn’t understand.” There was too much to explain to him. And it would break him to learn.
Anubis scoffed. “Yes. I didn’t understand. So I left. And I took my life.”
Seth stiffened. No…
“Osiris found me then,” Anubis said. “He wept over me. He told me he’d been watching over me and all I’d gone through. And that it wasn’t my time to die. But that he’d protect me from you. And that if I needed something to live for, I could live for the restoration of Egypt.”
Drivel, Seth thought, angrily. The worst drivel, to inspire a boy who always wanted a grand destiny he could never have. Seth hated that he hadn’t been able to give that to Anubis. All his years of trying to help Anubis ascend, and in the end, Osiris took advantage of the failure and used it for this.
“So he brought me back,” Anubis said. “And I’ve served him since.”
“You let him use you for this?” Seth asked, quietly. “Like a puppet?” It was disgraceful.
“I was helping the rightful ruler of Egypt,” Anubis said, with anger that made Seth recoil slightly. “I have so little power of my own. My body is scrawny and pathetic even compared to the weakest of gods. If it could be put to use like this, why not?”
“You’re not scrawny and pathetic,” Seth insisted. Seth had watched him fight, he was a good fighter.
Anubis scowled. “Then why, in all the time I’ve been your son, have you always told me to be like Mother? Never like you!”
Because I’m a war god. “I trained you to fight, didn’t I?” Seth demanded. “I took you hunting. I—”
“A pittance,” Anubis said. His right hand on his leg was tight. His eyes were wrathful. “You never listened to me after you killed Uncle. Or after you pushed Mother to isolate herself. You hate me. You’ve attacked me. You see me as nothing.” He smiled bitterly. “At least Uncle saw me as someone of value.”
Horus laughed, making both Seth and Anubis look at him in confusion. Horus rubbed his eyes. “I really must give Osiris more credit than I thought he deserved. He is a terrible strategist. And a fool, all the same. But he’s far more cunning than I thought.” Horus smiled at Seth. “You are so furious about my placing Anubis out of your reach. And yet here Osiris is, using him against you a second time. In a way you cannot even touch.”
Seth paled, realizing what Horus was thinking of. “Horus, don’t, please…”
“A second time?” Anubis asked, confused. “What are you talking about?”
“Nothing,” Seth insisted.
“Your… uncle…” Horus said, leaning over Seth, “Has lied about everything he’s ever told you.”
Anubis stared at him in confusion. “What are you saying?”
“I’ll rip this camp apart,” Seth said, quietly. He reached out for the sand, and it was ready for him, always welcoming. “I’ll destroy it.”
“What will that accomplish?” Horus asked, looking down at him with something like pity. “Anubis will just ask you if you escape with him. Assuming I don’t use Maat’s spell to crush you to the floor.”
He’s enjoying this, Seth thought. The unending torment of it all.
Horus looked back at Anubis, who was staring at Seth in confusion. “You are the child of Nephthys and Osiris.”
Seth shut his eyes.
“They’ve been lying to you – and your father – for almost your entire life. Up until the night Osiris died.” Horus’ words were clear and loud.
“…You’re lying.”
“Why would I lie?” Horus asked, smiling at Anubis. “What benefit does that get me?”
“They wouldn’t do that.”
“I don’t admit to knowing my aunt very well,” Horus admitted, “and I’ve learned a great deal more about my father in the last afternoon than I have in all the years I’ve known him. But it is the truth.”
Anubis looked at Seth. “Father…?”
Seth’s hands tightened on his legs. A million times, he’d thought of this moment. Of how he’d explain it all. Of what he’d do. But no response had ever been appropriate. Nothing had made sense. It was all senseless.
“Is it true?” Anubis demanded, louder.
Seth was silent.
“The night he died,” Horus continued, “Osiris used you as a bargaining chip against Seth, to rape Seth and have a child with him.”
“What?” Anubis’ face was horrified.
“He would have killed you, just to take ownership of Seth,” Horus said. “And Seth fought to save your life. So he killed Osiris, to save you both.” Horus chuckled. “In a way, he saved Egypt, too. From what Osiris was. Such a king would have destroyed this land, perhaps more than Seth did.” Horus knelt next to Seth and grinned at them. “You know it’s almost ingenious. You beat him. Soundly. And what did he do? Destroy the thing you held most dear. The thing you sacrificed everything for.”
Seth was sunk within himself. Horus was just mocking him now for the fun of it, that was all.
“I couldn’t do better than that,” Horus said, almost with sadness. “There’s nothing I’ve done that’s worse, is there? Because you already sacrificed it to save this ungrateful brat.” He stood up as Anubis glared at him. “I’m going to go check on Maat and Isis, and see how negotiations are going.” He looked down at Seth. “I can tell wherever you are in this camp, Seth. Flee, and I’ll find you, and make you regret it.” Then he turned and walked out of the tent.
Silence filled the air.
Seth felt chilled in his core. Horus was right, there was nothing that Horus had done that was worse than this. Osiris had his revenge. He claimed everything of Seth’s that mattered: Nephthys, Anubis, Seth’s closest friend, his sense of family… and then Osiris’ son had destroyed what little was left. It was pitiful.
“…Father?” Anubis asked, quietly. “Please tell me that wasn’t true.”
Seth could sense Horus just outside the tent, though. The fucker hadn’t left. He probably wanted to listen to whatever Seth and Anubis had to say to each other while they thought Horus was gone, because Horus was a little spy. Did he think Seth was a complete incompetent? Perhaps Osiris did all this, perhaps Horus was some sadistic mastermind of his own, but Seth was still a god of war.
“Why aren’t you saying anything?”
Anubis was wise, but he was only a demigod, and he was letting his emotions take control of him even more than Seth was letting his take control of him. Seth hadn’t finished training him in the end. Life had gotten in the way of that, and Seth regretted it so much. Perhaps if he’d paid more attention… well. What’s done was done, wasn’t it?
Anubis scoffed and looked away from him. “You sacrificed for me? Against Osiris? Am I supposed to believe that?” Seth was shocked to see his eyes filling with tears. “After all the times you hit me and pushed me away. All the times you ignored me. You expect me to believe that you’d kill your own brother on my behalf?” He laughed, with a hint of insanity. “And what, is that supposed to make me feel better?! Is your madness my fault?!”
“No,” Seth said, his heart wrenching at the pain in Anubis’ voice. He wanted to reach out and comfort Anubis. Let him know it was okay. But Seth had never been good at this. Not really. “It’s not your fault. Osiris was the one who masterminded it all. You’re innocent.”
“…So it’s true, then,” Anubis said, looking at him in horror. “He used me to… to control you?!”
Seth grimaced. “Yes. He did.” A noxious weed until the very end, and not even the end. Osiris was out there, waiting for them, likely planning something worse. And every second that passed gave him more time to prepare.
“Why did you never tell me?”
“It would have hurt you.” And I was afraid. “It is hurting you.” And I’m still afraid. You knowing will make it all so much more real.
“…Was Mother part of it?” Anubis asked.
Seth lowered his head. “Your mother wanted to be with Osiris. But other than that, no, she had nothing to do with it.” Seth didn’t think very highly of Nephthys in many ways anymore, but he didn’t imagine she would have agreed to give the power of creation to Osiris if she’d known that’s what he’d use it for. She was too compassionate, so long as her compassion didn’t interfere with her own desires, anyway.
“And you didn’t know? Or did you lie to me all these years, too, pretending I was your son?”
Seth’s eyes were watering. Would there be anything of him left at the end of this day for Horus to torment more? “You are my son. You…” He swallowed. “If you want to be, of course. And I never lied to you about that. I didn’t know about Nephthys and Osiris until that night. And then I…” His voice grew quieter. “I turned away from you because I couldn’t bear to lie to you directly. For either of them. And I was ashamed. Ashamed of what you would think of a father so pitiful he couldn’t even face you with that little truth. I hoped you’d turn your back on me and find something better for yourself, without ever having to learn the awful truth from me. Because… Because I’m a coward.”
“…You are a coward,” Anubis finally said. His voice was thick. “You should have told me.”
“I know.” I’m sorry, he almost said. But would it change anything? Would it make a difference? In the end, he hadn’t been able to save Anubis, his main role as a father. He’d only been able to partially halt what Osiris had done, and then Osiris had succeeded even worse by recruiting Anubis to this horrible plan. Seth had done so much damage and failed so much, was there any way to heal from it?
“I hate you,” Anubis said, cutting right at Seth’s heart. “For lying to me. For thinking hurting me was the better solution than just talking to me.”
Seth shut his eyes. It was no less than he deserved.
“You can’t even apologize for it,” Anubis said, surprising Seth. “Your pride is always getting in your way. It always got in the way even before the night Osiris died.”
Seth frowned. “That’s… That’s not… What do you mean?”
“You were ashamed I was so weak. You couldn’t accept me as your heir.”
“No, that’s… That’s not why…” That’s not why I kept my distance on matters of my role and yours.
“Then why?!” Anubis yelled at him. “Why did you always turn your back on raising me in your way? Why did you always start, stop, and then go away?”
“I had duties, I… I wanted to protect you.” He gave Anubis tools to survive. But he hoped that Anubis as a god would be someone more like Nephthys. Someone with a better role than the god of war.
“You didn’t respect me enough to teach me properly outside basic martial techniques, and then you didn’t respect me enough to tell me the truth about all this, even though it’s my life, and I have a right to know!” Anubis’ eyes were covered in tears. “And now I can’t even be grateful for what you might have saved me from because you ruined it all! And because of that lack of knowledge, I ruined the rest!” Anubis put his head in his hands to hide his tears.
Seth reached his arms out and froze. Would Anubis reject him? Would Anubis attack him?
He already ran from me. He knows how to get away if he wants to. Seth’s heart hurt too much. So he reached out and wrapped Anubis in his arms, holding him close. He felt Anubis’ shaking, heard his sobs.
Anubis didn’t pull away. He leaned into Seth, in the way he used to, when Seth comforted him.
Seth used his left hand to rub Anubis’ left arm, and squeezed his back. “I’m sorry, Anubis. It’s my fault. I’m sorry.” His own tears were falling. He was making a mess of Anubis’ hair. “I failed you so much. I’m sorry.”
Anubis’ breath hitched, and his legs curled into Seth, just like he had when he was younger, until he was over Seth’s lap. His arms wrapped around Seth’s middle, holding him tightly.
Seth held him tightly in return, wanting to protect Anubis from everything that might hurt him. Even though Seth knew he’d failed, and even worse, become one of the things to protect Anubis from. But he could be there, if Anubis wanted him there. And neither Osiris nor Horus were there to take this from them.
Because inside the tent was Isis’ protection circle. And outside of the tent was empty.