War Of Egypt II • The Persians

Chapter 9: Words Of A Prince

    When the boat pulled into the shimmering light, Atenosis closed his eyes from the brightness and opened them after a moment. The boatman and the sacred vessel disappeared and he stood at the stairs of the great palace, looking up at it's magnitude. He could see only grey and black deformed figures in his eyes, they formed solid images before blurring out again. Perks of being the god who can sense the dead before they know it, he thought sarcastically to himself and climbed the stairs. He passed a couple of mortal maids who worked in the palace, and could hear their tiny voices whispering and their hazy forms passing him.

    The voices faded behind him as he continued to ascend the stairs, he thought they left but suddenly he felt a presence by his legs. He stopped but did not turn around. What use was that if you could know the person but at the same time, not know them? He put his arm out to the side and placed his staff on the stairs, steadying himself.

   "Who is it?"

   "Err a servant girl, Prince Atenosis," came the sweet respectable voice. He looked down and saw the grey mist beside his legs; the shape of a girl in a simple sheath dress. Perhaps it was because he was not used to the mortals, but Atenosis saw her as more fragile and timid than any mortal he came across in his few suns.

    He peered down, only viewing her head because of the tall height of his second form. If he was in his first form, the sacred godly form, she would be even smaller and would probably be already dead from standing so close to his divine power. And the third form, the human form, was rarely used but the gods used it when they wanted to deal deeper into the lives of their mortal creations without being recognized. The second form was the one every god who dwelled in Egypt amongst the mortal used.

   "But I asked who it is, not what do you do." Atenosis replied down to her.

    He did not need to see it with normal sight to know that the girl was becoming nervous and flustered by his question. Of course, he thought, a god does not ask such a thing. But he was not just a god, he was someone who cared for both mortals and immortals in his appointed role as a god of the Underworld; even if it was in a strange way.

   "Hetsetut, my Prince. My name is Hetsetut."

    He lifted his brows in amusement, "pretty name. What is it you want?"

   "I wanted—wanted to help you to the palace."

   "What?"

   "I have heard your sight is not normal to the gods," she said quietly. "I wanted to help you, my Prince. I live to serve the gods."

    Normally Atenosis would have been blind with fury (no pun intended). But he just stared down at her with pure amusement. It was so unusual that the girl came to help him without him asking her to, because normally that was how it happened.

    He lifted his hand back, pulling the staff out from where it obstructed her path and held it in front of him. "I do not need help, Hetsetut. And you live to serve yourself."

   "My Prince?"

   "Can you look at me?" He asked the girl.

    Slowly she turned her head up an angle to gaze at the god. Atenosis carefully let himself down by her and looked at her with his intense silver black eyes. He clenched his jaws, taking in what he could of her face. She was pretty, he could see that even though he could not see her beauty in the normal way. Hetsetut lowered her head after a while.

   "Pretty girl," he smiled and stood back up tall. "I do not need help but you can come with me."

    There was shock in her voice. "What?"