T. A. Chase

Anubis

Anubis copyright c. 2015 T.A. Chase

Part Four-

“Hey, asshole. I was eating that,” Amun complained but let Anubis take it. “And no, I didn’t throw a load in the washer. You were right. It was Kellan.”

“Then why did you act insulted when I thought it was him in the first place?” He shook his head. “Why do we always have chocolate? Why can’t we get some other flavor like Moose Tracks or Rocky Road?”

Amun lifted his eyebrows at Anubis’s rather bitchy tone. “I do believe there is a grocery list taped to the refrigerator that we can write on. If you want something other than chocolate, put it down and whoever goes shopping will get it for you. Gods, you’re in a mood tonight.”

Sighing, he took a spoonful of ice cream then shoved it back toward Amun. “I know and I’m sorry. It’s just going back to Petra is making me crazy.”

His brother nodded. “I get that, but you had to have known that at some point, you would go back there. The gods want us to face our past and learn from it. Anubis doesn’t want his warrior to hide his head in the sand. He needs you to be unhampered by the memories. As do all of our patrons.”

“Whatever. Our patrons got what they wanted when we were killed, and they were able to work their magic to give us the powers we have. I don’t think they really care—one way or the other—about us getting closure.” He turned to toss his spoon at the sink, grinning like an idiot when it sailed right in. “Where are you and the others going?”

“Isis hasn’t told us yet. I’m assuming he’ll wait until after you leave in the morning to spring it on us.” Anum stared in the ice cream as though it held the secrets to the universe. “I must admit I’m getting tired of all this. It never seems to end. There is always an emergency somewhere in the world that needs our help. Not just when artifacts appear that should remain hidden, but the things humans do to each other. It weighs my heart down.”

He leaned back in his chair and studied Amun. It was the first time he’d heard the man confess to being tired of their lives and the mission the gods set for them. They hadn’t taken Sekhmet seriously at first when he complained as well, then slowly disappeared from their company. Now the oldest of the Earth Warriors spent most of his time alone, wandering the world—or Anubis assumed he wandered. If he didn’t, no one, except maybe Isis, knew where he went

“Sekhmet was here,” he spoke aloud.

Amun looked up. “Really? I don’t think anyone saw him.”

“I don’t know if he actually came inside or not. He was in his lion form and tried to make me feel better about going back to Petra.”

“Did it work?”

He shook his head. “Not really. I appreciate that he tried. Means he cares about us, even if he can’t bring himself to spend any time with us.”

“Now come on, Anubis. You know some of us aren’t meant for this.” Amun waved his hand in a vague motion to encompass the kitchen, or more than likely, their entire world in general. “After a while, living forever takes a toll on your emotions and ability to even cope with all the shit that goes on day after day. Especially when it never seems to get better.”

::I think you need to talk to Amun. He’s not sounding rational.:: Anubis sent a quick thought to Isis, who had become their de-facto leader when Sekhmet disappeared on them. He was also their priest to hear their confessions and sometimes their psychologist when they needed to deal with trauma or loss.

::I’ll sit with him after you leave. Don’t worry about him. He’s just feeling his age.::

::Who listens to you when you need to vent about us? I know we drive you crazy at times.:: He couldn’t help wondering. Who supported Isis when he needed it? It wasn’t like he talked to any of the rest of them.

::Don’t worry about me. I’m fine.::

Rolling his eyes, Anubis didn’t respond, considering he thought Isis was full of shit. He turned his attention back to Amun. Of the seven Earth Warriors, he and Amun were the closest in age and personality, though he wasn’t as depressed about the world as Amun seemed to be. Anubis just didn’t like being around people except for the men he considered his brothers.

He accepted the fact he was slowly closing himself off from interaction with other people, and that his family was worried about him, but it didn’t change how he felt about things. It was easier not to trust because his death was an example of how people would betray you in a heartbeat if it suited them.

::It wasn’t like that, Anubis. You know that. The prince thought he could save his people by giving you to them. I’m sure it broke his heart as much as it did yours.::

::I’m not rehashing this with you, Sekhmet. Go bother Isis.::

“I should probably go pack and brush up on my UNESCO catch phrases to make the archaeologist believe I know what I’m talking about.” Anubis pushed to his feet. “Thanks for the ice cream. Try not to eat that whole carton though.”

Amun wiggled his spoon at him, but didn’t say anything as Anubis strolled out of the kitchen, making his way to his room upstairs. He packed his luggage then pulled up the information he needed on the World Heritage Sites, making sure he hadn’t missed any new regulations.

He typed in Petra and images of his old home appeared. Anubis took a deep breath. It was going to be hard. Whoever said ‘You can’t go home again’ might have been right. But he really thought the saying should be, ‘Don’t go home again.’

“Nothing good is going to come from me returning there,” he muttered as he shut his laptop, then got ready for bed. He’d have to leave early in the morning to get to the closest airport.

Thursday, February 19th, 2015, by and is filed under "Anubis, Earth Warriors, Free story ". You can leave a response here, or send a Trackback from your own site.