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Adrian walked through the ruins of Heliopolis in the twilight, away from any humans wandering around or camped nearby. Few noticed him: looters were common enough, but most went to other places that potentially had more to steal, and the rest were hiding from one thing or another.Adrian had spent nearly two weeks in Cairo, tracking down old scholars, traders, and rumors for what he sought: the alleged temple and tomb of Sekhmet, purportedly connected to the cult of a European vampire noble. But there was little he could find giving him actual direction anywhere. Anyone who allegedly had hints clearly wanted any knowledge Adrian had, because an undiscovered tomb meant treasure.Frustrated, Adrian walked Heliopolis at night to cool off, wondering if he should do as some bid him: walk into the desert until he found something. He could survive for quite some time, and he had spells to take him home if he wished.He stopped by a crumbled column wider than he could wrap his arms around. The stone was covered with faded murals of ancient stories, and while, in another time, he would appreciate exploring the ruins, and better appreciating the local culture, he knew there was little time to dither while Erzsebet’s forces grew in strength in Europe. But he had no ideas on where to go next, and he hated returning home empty-handed.He wondered if this whole trip was a mistake, and if he should, despite his desires, reach out to the living Belmonts for help. The books he’d been referencing hadn’t been helpful, and he could still just go after Erzsebet’s cult directly, hoping to take her down in battle, even if he had little hope she’d fall, let alone permanently, with the power of a god on her side.Wind blew sand by his feet. He’d traveled in many different climes over the years, many far worse than this, but he was never more aware of how isolated he was.He missed Trevor and Sypha more than ever. Trevor would have a joke to drive him to distraction, and Sypha would solve the problem for them.“What are you doing here?” an unfamiliar male voice demanded in Arabic.Adrian looked up to see a tall, pale-skinned, muscular man wearing a black animal headdress and a black shendyt around his hips, sitting atop the column, gazing down at Adrian. His eyes glowed red in the starlight. The multi-layered, thick golden usekh around his neck glittered.Adrian was a bit alarmed that he hadn’t detected the man’s presence at all. He cast about for any other allies – vampires often traveled in packs – but didn’t sense anything. There weren’t any nests here that he’d found.The stranger tilted his head and a black khopesh appeared in his right hand. Adrian could tell it was sharp. “I asked you a question, vampire.” There was disgust in his voice.Adrian’s golden eyes widened. “You know what I am? But you’re not human… or a vampire.” He could tell that much.The strange man grinned, showing white teeth, some of which were sharp, but not like a vampire’s fangs. “No. But you’re still not answering the question.”“He doesn’t mean harm, Seth,” another male voice said from behind Adrian, who looked back to see a taller man standing nearby. The newcomer’s skin was dark brown, and he wore a bright blue falcon headdress with a gold beak over his head. He wore a white shendyt around his hips, and carried no weapons. Gold glittered on his arms, neck, and ankles, similar to Seth on the column.“Then why doesn’t he answer questions, Horus?” Seth asked as he leapt to the ground to stand nearby. He glared at Adrian and hefted the khopesh up to lean on his right shoulder. The white khat of his headdress tilted back as he watched Adrian. “He can at least understand basic language.”“Seth and Horus…” Adrian murmured, thinking over all the research he’d done to figure out some weakness in Erzsebet’s power. “Are you gods?” It would explain why he hadn’t noticed either of them appearing. And why he could sense great power in both of them, but they weren’t vampires or human magicians.“He’s relatively smart, too,” Seth said, gazing at Adrian still, clearly ready to fight.Adrian hadn’t met many gods or demigods in his travels, but those he was familiar with had a particular aura to them, regardless of denomination. Adrian’s time with Olrox in the Americas had particularly shown him that. Olrox had said to be careful of gods, as they were fickle, and demanded obeisance.“But you can trick them,” Olrox had said with a smile as he and Adrian lay in bed together, so many years ago in an inn in the American colonies. During Adrian's time there, they'd chatted magic, history, lost loved ones, and secrets, and Adrian had struggled to move on when it was time, always getting pulled back to explore something new, in or out of bed. “You’re good with that. Just figure out what it is they want, and how best to get around it without dying.”“If only everyone were as amenable as you,” Adrian had said as he rubbed his thumb over Olrox’s shoulder. “Gods, or vampires who think they’re gods, can be so exasperating.” “Comes with the title,” Olrox said, shutting his eyes as he leaned against Adrian’s side. “Just don’t let your exasperation rule you, and you’ll be fine.”“I’m not here to fight,” Adrian said, focusing on Seth, and praying the calmer Horus wasn’t as hostile as the god of war and chaos standing before him. He actually felt he could use this: surely other Egyptian gods would be aware of each other’s goings on? Or at least where to locate temples? “There’s an increasingly powerful vampire in Europe named Erzsebet Bathory with a cult supported headed by a priestess of Sekhmet. I came here to deal with one of their power sources before things get worse.”Seth didn’t say anything to that.“A group of vampires took over Sekhmet’s main temple centuries ago,” Horus said, making Adrian look back at him. “They mostly keep to themselves, though, and claim to be Sekhmet’s true followers.”“They don’t keep to themselves anymore,” Adrian said. “They’ve gathered behind Erzsebet and have their eye on taking more power there, and then… farther abroad.” He’d already sent word to some of his allies all over the world, advising them to keep their eyes open. But Erzsebet and Drolta were powerful, and their cult grew in strength every day.“Sekhmet isn’t interested in other countries,” Seth said, clearly doubtful. “She has too much to play with here, with the political scene being what it is.”“Perhaps it’s not Sekhmet at play, then,” Adrian said, looking back at Seth. “If her followers are vampires, then they were human, and are given to mortal desires. Erzsebet is European, not Egyptian. If this cult is getting behind her, maybe it’s her wishes guiding things, but using the power the cult can provide.”“What do you think her power source is?” Seth asked, still sounding skeptical. “Surely they’d take whatever it is with them to Europe?”“Supposedly,” Adrian said, “it’s Sekhmet’s mummy. And it wouldn’t last long in certain parts of Europe.”Seth laughed at that. “Her mummy? Sekhmet isn’t dead. She doesn’t have a corpse to mummify.”“It’s what the reports I’ve found said,” Adrian replied, hoping this wasn’t just another dead end. He’d come so far and now run across two more gods who weren’t planning to immediately kill him: he needed a breakthrough of some kind. “Her mummy is what keeps her followers going. Unless there’s some sort of copycat.”“She could have a fake of some kind,” Horus suggested. “Perhaps one of her more powerful followers?”“Or she just made up a body to fool people,” Seth said, sounding irritated. “She would do that kind of thing…”“Whatever it is,” Adrian said, “it’s leading to increased discord in Europe. Would you help me locate the temple and find the truth, whatever it is?”“I’m not sure why someone causing trouble in Europe is our problem,” Seth said. “If more forces are focused there, we should have an easier time here.” Sand whisked by them. “Horus’ and my domain is here, not in Europe.”“A powerful vampire who thinks she’s a goddess looking to take over the world can do a lot more damage than a human empire,” Adrian said. “You’ll have more issues to deal with soon, even out here, especially if she returns to her old stomping grounds.”“Then she’ll have to cut her way through the Ottomans,” Seth replied, somewhat dismissively. “You’ll forgive my not being all that sympathetic.”“You don’t know what damage she’ll do,” Adrian insisted. “I’ve seen the way she’s rallied vampires in Europe. You don’t want her to cut through the Ottomans.” He tried to keep control of frustration, drawing on the restraint he’d developed over the centuries when dealing with people who disliked dealing with him.“It does no harm to check on the temple,” Horus suggested, stepping between them. He rested a hand on Seth’s left shoulder, in a way that Adrian felt was a little more than platonic. “If one European comes looking into this, others might as well. Best to deal with this before there are more.” There was some note in his voice that Adrian couldn't interpret as Horus gazed down at Seth. Almost something like fondness.“Messing in Sekhmet’s affairs is dangerous,” Seth said, mildly, not moving away from the touch. “I know from personal experience.”“Are you afraid, then?” Adrian asked, knowing he couldn’t let the god back off, and a god of war would be interesting in a challenge…The khopesh was at Adrian’s neck in barely a breath. Red eyes glared at him, bright and stormy in the dark. “Sekhmet’s machinations helped take everything I cared about. Perhaps I am afraid. Because I am realistic. Because of experience.”Adrian simply blinked in acknowledgement. “I understand. But many will die if you don’t help me. And like Horus said, this may deal with a problem of your own. If Sekhmet is not dead and this is one of her decoys, surely she would understand?”Seth kept the khopesh in place for a while before pulling it back. He breathed deeply. “Very well. Let’s go see your little cult.”Horus squeezed Seth’s shoulder and looked back at Adrian with a kind smile.Adrian smiled back, wondering what he was getting into and if he should have begged Olrox to come with him after all.At least I’ll have a story to tell if we survive, Adrian thought as he followed the two gods out of the ruins.