The Queen Of Gods

Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

The emptiness of the temple brought an ache to my chest. No wonder no one had heard from Atum in so long, he was suffering from a lack of priests.

We twisted through the corridors, following what seemed like the most likely path to get to the main audience chamber without knowing if it was the right one. I'd never been here before, and I was assuming Khonsu hadn't either from the way he was acting. Which meant that every step of the way was a guess.

"Why aren't there any priests?" Khonsu asked, echoing my thoughts.

"Your guess is as good as mine," I responded. At the moment, my only theory was that Atum must have sent them away for a reason I couldn't work out. Surely he should still want people to attend on him? Even if it was only for the basics like making sure the temple was cleaned.

"Maybe he's so powerful that he doesn't need them any more?"

"I don't think so. He has priests at Karnak, I always see them at the festivals." Which doesn't answer any of the questions I have about this place.

We turn another corner and come into a courtyard with a huge entrance way at the opposite side.

"I guess that's the audience chamber," I said, glancing at Khonsu for confirmation of my theory.

He nodded, which was a good thing. With nothing else to go with, we had to rely on my guess.

The two of us walked forward, neither too fast, or too slow. We didn't want to go in there, but at the same time, we had to. It was a strange feeling, and one I wasn't sure how to process.

The moment we stepped through the stone doorway, I knew we'd made the right decision about what was lying beneath us.

Atum sat on the giant stone throne in the middle of the room, a serious expression on his face. He was larger than life, but it didn't have anything to do with his stature. From what I could tell, he was the same height as any normal god. But his demeanor was something else. There was no doubt in my mind that this man was more powerful than anyone I'd ever met.

"Who are you?" Atum demanded.

I straightened, not having expected that question. I'd been around long enough that most people knew who I was even if they hadn't met me.

"I'm Hathor, Goddess of..."

"I don't care what you're the goddess of," he cut in. "What are you doing here?"

I swallowed down my nerves. This was what I'd come for, and getting straight to the point seemed perfectly reasonable to me, especially when it meant I could get everything over with in one go.

"I've been sent to speak to you about a very important matter."

"Important to who?" His voice boomed and echoed around the room, impossible to ignore, and filled with raw power.

"Ma'at sent me." The words came out shakier than I expected.

Khonsu reached out and placed a comforting hand on the middle of my back. Probably unnoticeable to the god in front of us, but reassuring all the same. I wasn't here alone, and I didn't have to face him without at least some back up.

"She's forming an alliance to combat Seth's growing powers. We believe he means to cause great harm to the world." That was a fair enough explanation. At least, I thought so. Potentially a little simple compared to the true complexities of the situation at hand, but it was easier to approach things that way, and expand once he was already listening.

"That doesn't concern me," Atum said.

"It should." I stepped forward, the desire to do what was right for the humans of the world rising up within me. "If Seth gets his way, then the world will never be the same again."

"You say that as if it's a bad thing." His eyes bored into me, cold and hard.

"Don't you care?" I spat out without meaning to. "You created so much, and you're willing to let it all fall apart because Seth wants chaos?"

"The rise and fall of the world has happened many times over, and will happen many times again. Why should I be concerned about this one?" He barely moved as he spoke, as if he'd been in this one position for so long, that he had no idea how to be in another one.

"You should care because people will die. You should have cared the other times too," I countered. How could someone who deemed himself to be a creator be so callous about the fate of the world? It wasn't right.

Atum rose to his feet and stepped toward me.

Despite myself, I stumbled back, a little intimidated by the way he was moving, even if I tried not to be.

"And why should I care what petty gods and goddesses are doing?" he asked, stalking forward with every word.

I swallowed my fear. Now wasn't the time for it. "We're not petty," I insisted, though now he was saying it, I felt smaller and more insignificant than I had in my entire life, and I had no idea what I could do about it.

"You are to me."

"We have a duty to protect the world," I stammered out, trying to repeat the words I'd said to Horus. If they'd managed to convince him to stop and think, then perhaps they'd work on Atum too.

It was wishful thinking, and I knew it. But I was at a loss for what else I was going to do in this situation.

I cleared my throat, determined to continue. He'd come around to our side, he had to. "What we're doing is for the good of the world. For the gods, demis, and humans that live in it. We want to stop one god from gaining too much power and destroying the beauty that makes up the earth. We want to promote balance and harmony."

"So?" Atum raised an eyebrow.

"As a creator, you should want to protect that more than anyone."

He laughed bitterly. "And who are you to tell me that? The goddess of dance and joy? I remember when you came into being. There was nothing serious about you. And now you're who they send to me? Laughable."

He turned away and headed back to the throne.

Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes, but I ignored them for now. I'd pay the price for that later, but I was determined he wouldn't see me cry because of him.

"You will help us, Atum. Even if it takes me years to convince you. You will come, and you will stop the world from turning into ash and rubble." I wasn't sure where the words came from, but I used up every last part of my energy in saying them.

I turned around and rushed out of the temple, not stopping to check on whether Khonsu was following, or if Atum would respond. I needed to get out of here.

More than that, I needed to get somewhere private. Luckily, there was an oasis I used to visit nearby. I could head there and stay safe away from prying eyes until I'd had some time to compose myself again. That would have to do.

"Hathor?" Khonsu called as we exited the temple and found ourselves back among the trees and plants which graced the mountain.

I ignored him. He might be my friend, but that didn't stop the fact I needed time alone. I was sure he'd understand.

"Go back to Karnak," I called over my shoulder. "I'll meet you there."

I didn't wait for him to respond. Instead, I called on my dancing aspect and used the skills to dodge the small rocks and other tripping hazards which littered the path down the mountain. I wouldn't be harming myself during the journey to the bottom.

About half way down, the tears finally broke free. My vision blurred, swimming and hiding the path from me. That sucked, but I knew it was the only way.

My dress tangled on a branch, and I had to stop to pry it free. I untangled it, but managed to rip the pocket in the process. Amun's ankh fell to the ground in the process.

I bent down to pick it up, smoothing my finger over it to clean off the non-existent dirt. Despite myself, I smiled down at it, before sticking it in my other pocket. The last thing I wanted was to lose the one chance I had at turning him to our side, especially when it looked like my mission today had been a waste of time.

But those were things I could deal with once I'd spent some time alone. Right now, I needed it in order to recharge.