CHAPTER NINE

Now Zane was pacing along with Julian. Dean watched them in annoyance. Some head of pantheon! He wasn't even doing anything to save his daughter. What good was he if all he could do was pace and talk? They needed action. They needed a plan. They needed to do something.

     "Damnit!" Dean said aloud. Everyone stared at him. "I can't keep sitting here doing nothing. We're getting nowhere. They could be dying for all we know and we haven't made any progress."

     "What do you suggest we do?" Janna asked him. From anyone else, he would have assumed it was a condescending question, but Janna never talked down to him like he was stupid.

     "We need to regroup. We've got to search for them, physically, psychically, and by any other means we have."

     "Where do we begin?"

     He wished he knew. "We improvise. Let's go to places that the three of them connected to strongly and see if any of us pick up anything."

     "That's actually not a bad idea," Shannon said with approval. Dean was fairly certain she hadn't made up her mind as to whether or not she liked him, but for the most part she seemed to lean toward strongly disliking him. He was pleased to have finally earned her respect on something.

     "The Met," Mark said. "They all had really strong reactions to it, especially the Temple of Dendur."

     "Good idea," Dean replied. "Some of us can go there. I want to take a team to Central Park."

     "I'll go with you," Janna said automatically.

     "Me too," Richie volunteered. "I like the park."

     Dean looked expectantly at Zane. He remained silent and looked back at him. Dean had started this and Zane was going to let him see it through. "Okay, two teams. Keisha, are you sure you're up for this?"

     "Pregnancy isn't a disability, you know," Keisha said. "You all need to stop treating me like a porcelain doll. I'm still Hathor. I can hold my own in battle."

     "Right. You're coming with me. Everyone else..." Dean paused. They were all looking to him for leadership. He had to think clearly and do this the right way. There was no room to screw up.

     "Alright, here's how we're doing this," he decided. "Janna, Keisha, Richie, Shannon, Olivia, Adara, and Josie, come with me. Mark will lead the other team to the Met, since he knows the place better than any of us. So that's Zane, Angie... If you're coming with us?"

     "This is my aunt we're talking about. Of course I'm coming," Angie replied.

     "Right. So Mark, Zane, Angie, Tommy, Julian, Marie, Trish, and Ryan will go to the Met."

     The teams split up. Dean was feeling pretty good about his choices. His team got to Central Park relatively quickly. "What now?" Adara asked.

     "Feel out for them. See if anything happens."

     Dean wasn't even fully sure how to do what he was asking them to do. He still had little control over his soul. Still, he had to try.

     Come on, Man. You're Horus. You're the big guy here. You can totally do this, he told himself. If only he believed himself.

     "Dean?" Janna called. She put a hand gently on his shoulder. "Are you alright?"

     "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." He hesitated. "Do you think this was a good idea?"

     Pathetic, his inner voice mocked him. The big bad Sun God needs his mommy's approval.

     His inner voice was starting to sound an awful lot like Ryan. He shook his thoughts away and regained his composure. He had to focus. Panya, Alyxx, and Jonathan were counting on them. He didn't really have any feelings about Alyxx one way or the other but he knew they needed Neith. Panya was his consort. Jonathan had definitely become his friend. He was probably the only one who really understood him. They needed him. He had to stay strong.

     Suddenly, Dean felt as if his entire body was on fire. He knew the sensation. Horus was taking control again. This time, he allowed it. If anyone could track Ta-Bitjet, it was her consort.

     It stunned Dean when he actually had a vision. He'd never had one before. Sure, he had feelings and instincts, but never actual visions. Now he saw Panya being restrained with a knife to her throat and he knew with every ounce of his being that he was seeing exactly what was happening wherever she was.

     "Put down your arms," Djer said. "I assure you, I will not hesitate to kill her."

     "You're bluffing," Alyxx replied. No, that wasn't Alyxx, he realized. It was Neith.

     "Why would I bluff?"

     "Why would you kill her? You enjoy torturing her too much."

     "That, I do. Still, I can always follow her into the Afterlife as she was meant to follow me."

     "Take me," Jonathan said. He disarmed himself and put his hands up in surrender. "Kill me, use me as bait, I do not care, but do not hurt that girl."

     "Jonathan, no," Neith said. "He will never stop. We have to end this here and now."

     Djer was clearly growing annoyed. He pressed the blade tighter against Panya's throat. A thin line of blood appeared.

     The connection broke as rage overwhelmed Dean. He began cursing and a ring of fire surrounded his body.

     "Uh-oh," Adara commented. "Hey, Horus. Tone it down before someone calls the fire department." She tried to put his fire out but the flames shot higher. If Sekhmet wasn't fire proof, he might have killed her.

     "Do you mind?" Adara asked in agitation. "I look good on fire and all but I prefer to create my own."

     "Dean," Janna called. "Dean, come back to us. Horus, you need to let him go."

     "No," Horus practically spat at her. "They hurt her. They hurt all of them. She's bleeding..."

     "You are of no help to her in this state. Horus, my son, please..." Janna was fully in Isis mode now. There was actually little difference between the two, but the subtle change in energy reached Horus.

     "Mother..."

     "They need you, Horus. You have to focus. They're in danger. We have little time. Please calm yourself."

     Horus allowed the flames to extinguish. He released his hold. Dean collapsed against Janna. She barely caught him in time to steady him.

     "Janna..." He said. "It's bad."

     "I know. What's your plan?"

     "I don't have one."

     "Then we'll make one together."

     Shannon came over and proceeded to slap the back of his head. "Ouch!" Dean cried out. "You've been incarnated for, like, a week. How the hell have you already picked up the Gibbs Slap?"

     "Zane enjoys NCIS and I find this slap to be quite effective. Now calm yourself down and think like a warrior. We need a plan," Shannon reminded him. "You're the leader here... Unless you want out."

     "No. This is my mission. I'll see it through." He rubbed the back of his head unconsciously.

     Shannon nodded approvingly. "Then lead the way."