Page 71 of Gambling with Time

It made him laugh even more. “No worries, little princess, I have a vendetta against my brother too.”

Lex and Bellamy surged forward, ready to intervene as the spirits danced in the air waiting for my command. Raiden let loose a warning huff of smoke, scales appearing for a moment and then retreating. A God. That wasn’t in the plans.

“Easy, heroes, Osiris needs to be stopped. I’ve done it before. Cut him into pieces and spread him around. But our sister, his wife, Isis, put him back together again. She wouldn’t if she knew what he did, that he’d been unfaithful.”

“Your sister?” Samantha asked.

“It is the way of the Gods, little princess, you should know that entering into the Greek pantheon as a Queen. I’m Seth by the way.”

“How do you know so much about us?” Lex demanded. His shadows slipped off of him, ready to defend him in an instant.

“Since my brother's last failed attempt at deposing Hades, all we’ve heard about was the prophecy. The five from different worlds joining as one to stop him for good.” He flicked his gaze over us. “I assume that is the five of you. A dragon, Demi-god, demon, God, and hunter. I have to say, the fates that put this in place really played the long game.”

Lex bristled, and Bellamy ran his palm over his back in a comforting gesture. “If it is the five of us, where do you come into the equation, Seth?” Raiden asked, a roar seemingly barely contained in his tone.

He grinned, flashing white teeth. “I know the way to the palace. I’ll be your guide.”

“Our guide to the dungeons,” Bellamy replied.

“You think my brother has dungeons?” He laughed. “No, he has the pit of souls, he has no need for dungeons.”

Loud voices traveled toward us, the rally must be done. I glanced up and down the stone road we were on. There was nowhere to hide. Seth pushed on a large brick, and a hidden door swung open into a passageway.

“This way.”

Sharing a look with the others, we each paused for a moment before following the God into the torch lit hall. It wasn’t very tall and appeared to be created for shorter beings, so each of us crouched as we walked. It opened up into a large stone room that looked carved from a mountain.

A stone slab in the middle and the way there were circular tracks on the ground with the remnants of what looked like dried blood told me everything I needed to know about what this chamber was used for.

He didn’t pause as he crossed the room, ignoring the sacrificial platform as he freed another hidden passageway. He snagged a torch off the wall and led the way inside.

“These will lead to the palace. Osiris will be still basking in the loyalty of his hybrids, he won’t expect you.”

“You're not coming?” I asked.

The flickering light played with the lines of his face, making his smile almost sinister. “You five have been a nighttime story for years, if not centuries. The monster under the bed. No, I’m not coming, but I will watch from the shadows as my brother's fears are realized.”

Bellamy grinned as he glanced around at us. “We are legends.”

“He just said we were the monsters under the bed,” Rai replied, giving him a droll look.

“I’ve been a monster my whole life,” he replied.

Rai nodded and lifted his shoulders as if to say, fair point.

“Isis, our sister is innocent in this.” Seth pressed another hidden panel that released a door. “Try not to harm her.”

When he stepped back, keeping in the passageway, I knew it was the palace. The secret route opened into a room that looked like it was never used. Sheets covered the furniture, and a fine layer of dusty sand coated the floor.

“I’ll be close. If it looks like you might fail, I will assist you,” Seth added before the door shut between us.

“What if we just let him lead us into a trap?” Lex asked.

Cer whined as he sniffed at the ground, and I searched my memory for any legends about Seth and the Egyptian Pantheon. There was always a fraction of truth in them. But focusing on Osiris didn’t help with knowing anything about Seth.

“No, I think there is some kind of divide between him and his brother. It has something to do with Osiris sleeping with his wife,” I said. Patting Cerberus on his middle head, I moved past everyone to the door.

“That is random information you have in your head,” Samantha replied with a laugh.

---