Serpent's Vow

6: Ultimatum

Seto was fuming. He knew Setesh would make an ass of himself, but he'd forgotten how much of an ass the snake could be. He felt like he'd just faced off with Kaiba Gozaburo once more and not come out on top. All because of that infernal name.

Nephthys.

It didn't used to bother him so much. The annoyance had grown as the Egyptian mythology changed. Seto could see Setesh's handiwork in the mythology from the other side of the galaxy. What the traitorous Goa'uld hadn't secured in life, he managed to keep in myth. Sister-wife. Disgusting. In so many ways.

Thousands of years ago, incest had hardly been much of an issue. Pharaohs married siblings and close cousins frequently to maintain bloodlines and political power, particularly since the royal line was linked to the females not the males. Incest may not have been the best solution for the people involved, but as long as a viable heir was produced and the royal line secured, all was considered well.

The Goa'uld embraced this philosophy whole-heartedly. After all, there were only so many breeding Goa'uld queens in existence and those few tended to be hesitant about birthing new queens. Birthing common drones was so much easier and ever so useful. The more underlings to cater to the queen's needs and wants, the more Jaffa could be created and the more underlords could be gathered.

Birthing a new queen was a dangerous game. Unless the new queen was immediately separated from their mother, the outcome would often be bloody. Besides, a new queen meant a new potential enemy to deal with. If the new queen chose to breed only, they could be more easily controlled and manipulated. A Goa'uld without a host was surprisingly pliable.

However, should the Goa'uld queen choose to take a host and continue to breed much like Ra's infamous queen Hathor had done, they became a serious threat. They could actively make decisions, gather power, create and destroy alliances, and provide a steady flow of symbiotes for their Jaffa armies.

As the Supreme System Lord, Ra had two queens: Hathor and Egeria. Two queens, double the power. None of the Goa'uld could match Ra's armies in sheer numbers alone with two queens constantly at his beck and call. Egeria may not have been as politically active or influential as Hathor, as far as Seto could remember, but the two queens were both forces to be reckoned with.

Seto did not have such power but, for the moment, he had to act as if he did. As long as Setesh thought this temporary ceasefire was beneficial, Seto had some wiggle room. That didn't mean Seto was going to let his guard down for one second. Setesh was a slimy bastard and Seto refused to be outwitted by such a lowlife.

Now if only the mutt would stop pacing like a caged cat. "You are trying my patience," Seto said, sipping his steaming mug of coffee and staring out the window. "Either stop moving or I will make you stop."

He watched as the blonde's reflection in the window shot him a heated glare before raking fingers through the already messy hair.

"Look, man," Jounouchi said, "you have your ways of dealing with stress, and I have mine. You sit and brood, I pace and fiddle. Get over it."

"Not as long as we have to share a room, I won't," Seto countered.

"And who was the one who insisted we share a room?"

Seto glanced at Jounouchi's frustrated expression, his eyebrow sketching a perfect arch. "Would you prefer I let you be alone so Setesh could brainwash you as easily as he did motorcycle boy?" he asked. The mutt paled considerably at the suggestion and Seto set his mug down on the window sill. "I may not be able to stand your presence, but that doesn't mean I'm heartless enough to leave you to someone as despicable as Setesh. I'd rather just throw you to the wolves and watch the show."