Despacito (Slowly)

“What kind of trickery is this?” Horus demanded, as Marc glared at every god in the Ennead. Steven and Jake may want to be polite, but Marc was itching for a fight. While he was happy that he now remembered his childhood with his Alters, that he now remembered exactly when he had fell in love with Steven and why he and Jake butted heads so much despite also loving each other, that he remembered that despite the Spectors being so terrible as parents, he had had someone who raised him lovingly as much as he could, he still hated how this all had come to be. 

“Are you brothers? Triplets?” Isis asked, curious, making Tawaret perk up.

“That is exactly what I asked the first time!” The Hippo goddess clapped. “Well, there were only two that time, the third one is new… You don’t multiply, do you?”

“No, Tawaret,” Steven pointed out, politely as he waved at her too. “Jake was only a bit pre-occupied when we met.”

“Puedes decirle así, sí,” Jake shook his head. “Pero no venimos a eso, ¿Recuerdas?”

“Why are you here? Why do you look like Marc Spector, if you are not his twins?” Osiris asked, motioning for everyone to settle down. Marc found it strange, that he and Isis were the only ones in the group with human heads. “And how did you manage to enter the Other Void, and this chamber? Human souls are not made to travel through the Void…”

“We like to be unpredictable,” Marc replied before Steven or Jake could. “And we’re here because as I said… I am tired of people speaking about me as if couldn’t speak for myself, trying to decide what’s best for me or what I want without asking.”

“If you are truly Marc Spector,” Horus glared back, and Marc found it easy to glare back. The Falcon head’s stare was heavy, but Marc had a lot of experience standing the weight of a god’s stare. Horus had nothing on Khonshu, both past and present. Even now, the eyes of his god were heavier on his back. Marc knew the old bird had a lot of questions but was holding them for when they were alone. “You admitted to this court that you were broken, that you needed help.”

“You also said that you were under duress from Khonshu,” Hathor, the cow headed goddess, said gently. She was sitting next to Horus, and Marc belatedly remembered Steven saying they were husband and wife. Which was weird, considering how Hathor had been somewhat of an ally to them, when Horus seemed as if he wanted to wipe the floor with their dead body.

“I said I was unwell because I believed that then. Now I know better,” Marc replied, looking at them all. “But I never said Khonshu was abusing me or anything similar. Those were Harrow’s words… the ones you believed just because you and your Avatars couldn’t see through his lies.”

“Arthur Harrow never lied to this court,” Horus defended Ammit’s old avatar, making Marc and Steven exchange glances. Something was rotten in the Ennead, if they asked them.

*          *          *

“Lies by omission are still lies,” Steven stepped forward, noticing Marc’s look. It was true. Back at the original trial, Horus had been mostly silent, except to give Harrow more credence. Steven hadn’t noticed it back them because he was more focused on how Khonshu had completely ruined their case. While he knew the Old Bird had been a bit under duress, truth was he could’ve been calmer then.  “When Khonshu accused him, granted, a bit too loudly, he never said that he wasn’t looking to free Ammit. He only said he was in the desert.”

“Y la libero, por eso ustedes no tienen Avatares en estos momentos,” Jake helpfully piped in, making Steven smile. It wasn’t usual they could speak to others like this, separate but still in tandem. And Steven realized how much he had missed his soulmates without knowing they were what was missing.

“Arthur Harrow is not in trial now, he has already been judged by the scales,” Osiris pointed out. “The accused now is Khonshu, the god who took Marc Spector as his Avatar abusing his mental state.”

“Khonshu didn’t do that!” Marc yelled, making everyone stare. “You only say that because it was what Harrow said! So yeah, he’s still pretty much in this trial, and I can’t believe that you are willing to listen to the man who almost killed you all! Because if Khonshu hadn’t beaten Ammit, if he and Tawaret hadn’t been able to lock her up inside Harrow so they both could be killed? Do you think Ammit wouldn’t have turned her judgment on you all? She would have destroyed you all and sat upon your bodies as the new ruler of the Ennead!”

Had Steven thought that Khonshu was overdramatic? Well, apparently Marc had gotten that from him as that was a bit too much. True, yes, Harrow and Ammit had no love for the Ennead, but he didn’t think they would make a throne out of their bones. Ammit would have probably just eaten them once she had enough power.

“Ammit was freed, yes,” Osiris said, carefully. “And Harrow was with her. And yet, Horus speaks the truth. In the Enead Chamber, Harrow spoke no lies. That is why we are here, Marc Spector. Because regardless of what Harrow did, regardless of Ammit’s crimes, we can’t let a human be abused in our name.”

“And I keep telling you, I am not being abused! I said that before and you didn’t listen then either!” Marc insisted, as Steven looked at the gods surrounding them. The first time he had been on the gods’ presence, he had been preoccupied with looking around, trying to maintain some consciousness, and not being pushed around by Marc. They had lost so much time, so many opportunities to stop Harrow just because they had been fighting each other, instead of the real enemy. But now he was noticing things that were eerily similar.

The gods were looking at Marc with pity. Confusion too, as they obviously didn’t expect them there, but the pity towards Marc was obvious. As if they thought Marc didn’t know what he was saying.  They didn’t know what to make of Jake and himself, but all the gods present had already made up their minds about Marc.

Just like before. And now that he thought about it, Hathor and Horus hadn’t started looking at Marc with pity when Harrow called them a “makeshift” avatar. They were already pitying Marc from the moment they saw them…

As if they already knew what Harrow was going to say.

*          *          *

“Enough of this masquerade! This is obviously a trick created by Khonshu to hide his crimes!” Khonshu saw how Horus’s anger grew, probably due to his fledgling’s insolence. It was still a bit confusing, as Steven and Marc had only spoke the truth and Horus, as the Golden Child, should be able to recognize that.  And yet, the other god seemed to be determined to not listen any proof, in a way that went further his usual hate for Khonshu.  “Are we to believe that these three souls look identical, even though we know Khonshu has just an avatar, who hates him? That mere humans could travel to the Other void without protection? This is a mockery, and I will end it right now!”

Horus rose from his place, raising his hand that created a bright fire ball, and that was the final straw for Khonshu, as he knew that the other god would aim it straight to the human souls that had just regained their normal brightness.  So Khonshu didn’t really think much before he rose, covering his fledgings with his cape as he would’ve done if he still had his feathers and wings, calling to all his power and might, ready to remind Horus that he may be the son of the Ennead’s King, but Khonshu was older, and thus, far more powerful even in exile.

YOU WILL NOT TOUCH MY CHILDREN!

Everything fell silent at his declaration, Horus’s fireball disappearing at the other god’s confusion. But Khonshu didn’t move. He wouldn’t relax until he was sure his fledglings were safe from the other gods. He had just gotten them back, and he’d fight the whole Ennead before he lost them again.

“Your children, Khonshu?” Isis asked, curious. She had been silent during the whole trial, and even before, when Khonshu had tried to warn them about Harrow, and yet, now she was turning her knowing eyes towards him in a way that made Khonshu believe that he had said too much. “Are you that close to your Avatar and his twins?”

“Not twins,” Tawaret piped in, trying to be of help. “My avatar says they share a body… not something really common… I don’t think I have any cards for that situation.”

“That’s absurd! It would mean that Khonshu broke a human soul into three pieces!” Horus bellowed, and Khonshu was, for the first time in millennia, very glad that he didn’t have eyeballs anymore, or they would be rolling over his skull. “That is heresy, and for that he should be destroyed!”

“Can we not start talking about destroying anyone before you actually listen to the real evidence?” Once again, Khonshu felt his scapular feathers rise as he saw his Little Scholar come out from behind the linen of his cape, hands held high in a placating movement. It was just like that moment in front of Senfu’s sarcophagus, when Steven had tried to de-escalate a fight when people were throwing blades at him and Marc. “Khonshu had nothing to do with us being, well, us. And we keep telling you, we are not broken. We never were broken, not in the way you all keep implying. How is it that we humans can comprehend you gods’ existence, but you can’t deal with a little mental condition?”

“What you claim is impossible to prove in this realm,” Osiris said as he motioned to Horus to sit down. The golden child glared at Khonshu one last time but obeyed his father. And so, Khonshu also sat down, letting Marc and Jake out of his protective cape. As he expected, his children immediately ran to their nest mate side, ready to fight anyone who dared to try and hurt him. Even if the only ones around were gods. “Even if we can see you are three souls, the other claim, the one about your body, would require us to see said body again.”

“That’s a problem, ain’t it?” Steven nodded, as if he was carefully considering Osiris’s words. “Because it’d be terrible if you were trying to condemn Khonshu for allegedly hurting a human soul, and then Horus here threatened us even if you know we are three souls, never mind our origin. Even if his claim about Khonshu “breaking” one soul to create us was true, and I must assure you, it isn’t… he’d still be doing something even worse, wouldn’t he? If breaking a human soul is worth stoning, what is the punishment for destroying three?”

Khonshu beamed with pride.  His little Scholar had maneuvered everything so that even if Khonshu had done the unspeakable by threatening Horus, a god in higher standing than him, everyone in the Court knew that the Falcon god had been about to commit a higher crime. An unforgivable one. And all he had done was to use Osiris’s own words.

Marc and Jake were, undoubtably, the better physical fighters. But when it came to use words as weapons? Steven was the unbeaten champion.

*          *          *

“Horus’s outburst was not a real threat,” Hathor hastily said, and once again Steven wondered which side she was on. “Our emotions are very high, as we just lost our dear Avatars. They had been with us for decades… You would not understand.”

“Te sorprendería, nena,” Jake replied darkly under his breath, but Steven didn’t turn to look at his alter or Marc. They knew what it was to lose someone, but this time, at least, they also knew how it felt to get them back.

“How long would it take for you to find new ones, that is, properly?” Steven asked, honestly curious. Harrow had called them a “makeshift” avatar, and now, with his memories mostly restored, he wondered exactly what it meant. He highly doubted the avatars they had met in Giza had been dying at the feet of every god’s statue… Horus’ previous avatar had looked as if he had never stepped out of a beach in Hawaii. So, how did the Ennead choose their Avatars, and why Khonshu’s way was wrong?

Horus seemed to want to answer, but Osiris quieted him with a movement of his arm.

“A month, more or less. Our avatar’s successors have already been chosen, but certain rituals must be met,” Osiris said. “Are you suggesting a… pause on the trial? So you can prove that indeed, your three souls inhabit one body and it is not due to Khonshu’s influence?”

“Yes,” Steven replied. “I mean, we could prove it right now, but I don’t know if you’d believe Tawaret’s avatar given that she is… well, involved with two of us.”

“This is obviously a trick!” Horus grumbled but none of the other gods seemed to pay attention to him. In fact, Steven felt their eyes heavy on him and his soulmates. Tefnut’s lioness eyes and Isis, in specific, seemed the most interested. It felt as if they could see more than just their Astral shape, and it was starting to make Steven uncomfortable. As if they could see them in their underwear or less. “Khonshu is only trying to make time!”

“The human just said they could prove to us their words right now, that is the opposite of asking for time,” Tefnut purred. To Steven, it sounded as if she was amused. “Steven Grant… that’s what you said your name was, yes, little Soul?”

“Yes, I’m Steven, with a V,” Steven nodded, then pointed at Marc. “The reasonably angry one is  Marc, and the one with the cool hat is Jake.”

“Harrow said that Khonshu’s avatar worked as Steven Grant, and had a marriage license as Marc Spector,” Isis said, nodding. “At least the names check. And we know some humans use more than one name, without that meaning they have two souls in their bodies.”

Horus mumbled something, but he was ignored again. Steven took that as a win, but he was not going to forget what he had seen. The god’s animosity towards Khonshu and Marc was pretty palpable.

“A month is a good time, we can prepare our case too, because you wouldn’t want to just convict someone with all the proof, right?” Steven soldiered on. “Justice can’t be just hurried up, and you can also review what you already know from the man who claimed to be your ally and yet killed your previous Avatars. You review that, we prepare our evidence that we are not being abused, and we meet at Giza? What do you think about that?”

Osiris looked at him, tilting his head lightly to the left. Isis whispered something in his ear, making the god frown, and look at Steven, Marc and Jake with more focus. It even made Khonshu nervous, as Steven could feel the Old Bird’s cape moving, as if he was getting ready to protect them again.

“You are an intriguing soul, Steven Grant,” The god finally said. “Not many would speak to the Ennead with the casual tone you’ve been using. But your points are fair. We will give you the month you ask for.”

“Father!” Horus complained, but once again, Osiris waved him down.

“If this is a trick, Khonshu will still pay for eternity. A month won’t make much of a difference,” Osiris said. “After all, we are not humans.”

With that, he rose, and left, being followed by all the others. Horus and Hathor were the last ones to leave shooting one last glance at them, Horus’ full of hate, Hathor’s more compassionate. But in a short time, they were all alone except for Tawaret, who was the one who broke the silence.

“Well, that was intense!” The Hippo goddess said, in her usual cheerful tone. “But can anyone explain to me what just happened?”

*          *          *

“Estebancito les pateo el trasero a esa bola de pinches cobardes hijos de puta, eso fue lo que paso,” Jake sonrió al contestarle a Tawaret, su orgullo y cariño hacia Steven obvio en su tono. El hecho de que ahora todos los presentes lo entendían perfectamente no cruzó su mente hasta que sintió el toque fantasmal de Khonshu sobre su cabeza.

Language, Little Explorer. Those are my cousins you’re talking about.

“Siguen siendo unos pinches cobardes,” Jake shrugged. “Y mi querido Corazón los hizo pedazos en su propio juego.”

“It’s too soon to call victory, Jake,” Steven smiled at the same that he blushed at the compliment. “I just got us more time to… well… get to know each other again. See what we missed and get our defense from that.”

“Why? I thought between the three of us know everything in our life,” Marc frowned. “And Khonshu sure as hell didn’t abuse us, even if now I want to know what the hell, old bird! You acted as if we weren’t fit to clean your statue, much less be your avatars!”

“I’m still very, very lost,” Tawaret interrupted again. “Perhaps Layla can explain things to me? She has been calling for me to tell her what’s going on.”

“Deberíamos regresar con nuestra Morenita, antes de que se preocupe más,” Jake told the others. Of course, part of it was that he wanted to be a bit farther away from Marc when Marc realized that he was the reason why Khonshu had acted so detached at first. That was not going to be a fun conversation, and he really needed Steven on his side. Only that Steven probably wouldn’t be on his side either this time.

Jake was going to be in deep shit forever once that conversation started again, and he wasn’t sure he was forgiven for the money thing either.

And you’ve been away from your body for too long, as I keep telling Steven…

“The Other Void is not a place for human minds, I know,” Steven said with such familiarity it brought a special warmth to Jake’s heart. It was just like before now, whenever Khonshu gently scolded them for something that they all knew they would do again.

“You really care for them,” Tawaret said, awed. She looked at each of them, then at Khonshu again. “Oh, Khonshu… I think I understand. And I’ll stand by your side on this, not just for what you did against Ammit, but also…”

Thank you, Tawaret. Khonshu interrupted, as he led them outside the court room. Your support, and that of your Avatar, made our triumph against Ammit possible. I am sure you will also be helpful here.

Jake exchanged a glance with his alters, and they all shook their heads. Before, the old Bird may have been able to get away with that obvious distraction. Now, they all remembered how the god acted when he wanted to change the subject because he didn’t want to explain them something important.

The question was: Was Khonshu changing the subject because he didn’t want them to hear what Tawaret wanted to say? Or because he wanted to tell them about what had happened without Tarwaret around to hear?

If it was that last one, they would have a problem. Jake knew that once they were back in the body, the first thing Marc and Steven would want to do would be to fill Layla in with everything that had happened. After grabbing something to eat, depending on how hungry the body was. But right now, out of the three, he was the one who still worked as Khonshu’s avatar, so he figured he was the one who would give him an out.

“Bueno, no quiero ser grosero pero no estoy seguro de que todos entremos en mi Bebé,” Jake said as their reached the White Buick Riviera that had gotten them home. He knew Khonshu could shrink himself to human size, of course, but he was pretty sure the old bird wouldn’t do it. “Y no sé exactamente dónde podría dejarla, señorita Tawaret.

“Oh! It’s ok!” Tawaret smiled and waved past him, so they could see Anubis ship reaching them. “As you can see, my Ride is here! Khonshu? Do you want to come with me? Or do they know where you have been hiding your old bones all this time in the Other void?”

Steven knows.

And wasn’t that an anticlimactic revelation? Of course Estebancito knew, because he had followed the Old Bird there more than once. However, now that he thought about it, Jake also knew where it was. He had been there, once, when Khonshu had brought the body back to life. The white empty void.

And looking at the star roads before him, he suddenly knew exactly what turns he’d need to take to get there.

Was Marc the only one who didn’t know? Jake wondered and risked a glance at his Cielo. But instead of the confused anger he expected to see, the one that always make an appearance when Marquitos felt left out of a loop, he saw a quiet calculation. As if Marquitos was doing the same mental calculations that Jake had, realized why Khonshu knew Steven knew where he lived, and… figured out that he also knew the place.

Just how deep was their connection to the old Bird?

“But you probably don’t want us there right now, do you?” His Corazón answered, apparently oblivious to what was going on in Jake and Marc’s minds. But Jake wasn’t fooled. Estebancito saw far more than what people gave him credit for.

They had recovered their past, yes. But it seemed that now, with hindsight and the years of distance, they were noticing there was a big mystery there too.

I will meet you at your apartment if that is all right with you all?

*          *          *

Layla El-Falouly was a patient woman. Or so she liked to think.

She had taken the news that the man he had fell in love with was a former mercenary quite well, even when she knew it meant that he probably had blood in his hands, because he had sworn to her that that life was in his past. Knowing that he was also the Avatar of a real Egyptian god had been a bit of a shock, but even when she had been willing to call him out on a lie at first, the magical ceremonial armor that came with the job made it impossible for her to doubt Marc’s words. She had accepted him, and all his depression issues, and married the man because she loved him.

When Marc disappeared for two months with no other contact than sending her divorce papers? Oh, she had been mad. But rather than letting him do as he wanted, rather than letting him prove that he broke everything good in his life? She had tried to contact him through 147 calls, and her patience had been rewarded somehow at the 148^th one.

Then she had met Steven. And she knew that a less patient woman, a less understanding one, would’ve dumped both men and their problems immediately. But she wasn’t that woman. She instead listened to both men, came to understand that yes, Steven was not Marc doing a very funny accent, that Marc still loved her and she still loved him despite everything, and that even when she didn’t had to? She was also falling a bit for Steven.

The two men were completely different in many ways, but very similar in others -not just because they shared the same body. And so, Layla decided in Cairo, seeing them fight as one, a flurry of fists, movements and changing ancient mystic armor, that she would do her best to save her relationship to Marc while exploring one with Steven… as long as both men were fine with that.

She was very lucky in that they were, even as she knew that it would require work, and nights like this one, when they both would be locked up in their mind, leaving her outside.

Well, no, not like this one. She had not expected a third man sharing her husband and her boyfriend’s body. Jake Lockley was intriguing, yes, and very seductive… but he had been a surprise. And Layla still didn’t know what to make of him, or if it was a good idea to add him to her growing list of relationships.

(The fact that, to outsiders, she still was only involved with her husband and thus no one except herself and the men in question would judge her if she did the wrong thing didn’t matter to her. She loved Marc and Steven, and knew they cared for Jake. She wanted to do the right thing and take each relationship, and the collective relationship, very seriously)

So when her boys needed her to wait? She waited. It wasn’t as if she could do more than just ask Tawaret through her mind link every so often what was going on. As long as the fight was in a plane she couldn’t reach? All she could do was pray to a group of gods that now she knew were real. She wasn’t sure which ones were on their side, and even as she had told Marc to keep an open mind about Khonshu? She still had her doubts about the Moon god.

Everything she had learned about the god before meeting Marc? Pointed to a benevolent, if strict, God. A god of Justice, protection and yes, vengeance, but only to those who deserved it. While in the most ancient texts he was also mentioned as a cruel god? Everything past Seti II called him fair and good. He was even called to protect the children of ancient Egyptians, to protect their dreams and night travels.

Marc hadn’t agreed at all. Had even laughed when she told her that.

But she still knew that there was more to the story. And she wished she knew it.

“LAYLA!!!”

Tawaret’s voice rang in her head, startling her out of her thoughts just as the teapot started whistling. Her goddess was one of the better ones, she knew, but she was obviously not used to deal with humans or realized that it was possible to lower her voice volume in mental conversations.

“Hi Tawaret,” she smiled as she answered, while pouring the hot water in her mug. “I’m glad to hear from you! What happened? Is everything all right?”

“Oh, yes! Yes! Did you know that Steven and Marc have another one like them? It was a very strange surprise, and he speaks Spanish! It sounds lovely, even if he is a bit too much. Have you met him?”

“Yes, I’ve met Jake,” Layla let her goddess ramble and smiled. In that way, she reminded her a bit of Steven. Both had a lot to say, and always sounded as they felt they would be interrupted before they got to the important part. Steven usually was, and Layla really wanted to strangle his boss at the Museum sometimes. She wasn’t sure how the other gods treated her goddess, but she was determined to always listen to everything Tawaret had to say. “Are they ok?”

“Oh, yes, yes! They’re on their way to you now. The trial is still ongoing, but Steven was very smart and won time for everyone. Khonshu is also on his way, the old bird has softened a lot!”

Layla blinked at that. That night had been quite surprising, with Jake and then Steven going out of their way to defend Khonshu from Marc’s accusations. But to hear even Tawaret, who had been quite vocal on her thoughts on Khonshu’s manners -that was the problem for her goddess, that Khonshu was rude, not anything else- sound as if she was now completely on Khonshu’s corner? That was new.

“Has he? What was the trial for?”

“Well, it was a… complex thing. We’re not supposed to just grab the first human we met as our Avatar, you know? There are… steps to take. And Khonshu was accused of skipping them all, and in doing that, abusing of Marc… and I guess Steven and Jake’s innocence.” Tawaret explained, her voice growing softer as she spoke. Layla frowned, as she realized that there was something the hippo wasn’t telling her.

“Tawaret? You also picked me because I was the first human you met. We didn’t do much ceremony before I accepted to be your Avatar,” Layla pointed out, carefully. She hated the idea that the gentle goddess could also be in trouble with the Ennead.

“Oh! Yes! But that’s different! First, you said it yourself, our contract is temporary!” Tawaret perked up immediately, even as they both knew that temporary was starting to lose any real meaning. “And besides, you knew about the Ennead before! Since you were a child, because your father told you all about us! So in a way, you were prepared almost as much as a proper Avatar. So Osiris, the big softie, let it slide in our case.”

“Well, I’m glad,” Layla chuckled as her tea simmered. “But what about Marc, Steven, Jake and Khonshu?”

“Oh! See, that is what I really wanted to tell you! Because…”

“Layla?” Marc’s confused voice -because that was Marc, Layla had gotten very good at distinguishing them both even when Steven was half waking up and his voice sounded a bit lower than usual- interrupted them, so Layla didn’t quite catch what Tawaret said.

“Hold the thought, Tawaret,” She said in her mind, before coming out of Steven’s small kitchen, to greet her waking husband. “I’m here Marc, I just needed a cup of tea…”

Marc interrupted her again, kissing her softly and lovingly, holding her face in his hands tenderly.

“What brought that up?” She asked, smiling as Marc hugged her, as joyful as he had been when they met again in Cairo after what she knew was his resurrection.

“Just the fact that we love you, and you saved us so many times, without even knowing it,” Marc said, grinning. “You were right. I had to had an open mind.”

“We’re very lucky that Marc met you,” Steven came to front, blushing slightly at how close they were, and kissed her lightly in the cheek. Then, he moved back a bit, getting some space between them both, and Layla realized that he was getting ready for Jake to come forward, as the body language changed and he took her hand on his, to give her a quick kiss on the back of her fingers.

“Morenita querida, eres una bendición para nosotros,” he muttered, winking at her before straightening up to let Marc control the body again.

It was seamless now, she realized, as Marc took a deep breath. No mirrors needed, no pauses for conversation. Whatever had happened with Khonshu? It had also had a side effect of helping the boys communicate better, to find where Jake fit with them.

“So… what did I miss?” She laughed a bit, still blushing from all the attention.

“Steven says we should put a fresh pot of tea for us too, and coffee for me and Jake… because we have a lot to talk about now,” Marc told her. “And Khonshu should be here soon too.”

And wasn’t that a surprise, Layla thought. Because it was the first time she had ever heard her husband said the god’s name without derision. In fact, she thought, he sounded strangely fond of the idea of the god coming to their place.