"Oh, come on, you can just erase it from your memory," she replied sarcastically.

"Anubis? I brought a fine vintage for your departure!" a masculine voice suddenly exclaimed from inside the villa.

The interruption snapped Anubis out of his daze, and he sighed, turning towards the white bricks of his residence. However, he didn’t move, leaving the guest the liberty to join them.

"Outside, Sobek," he responded, glancing at Anaïs who was watching the scene intently.

Sobek? If I’m not mistaken... that’s the crocodile-headed god? she thought before the divine being made his way over to them.

"What are you doing outside at this...," he began, cutting off his sentence when his gaze fell upon Anaïs, an amused smile suddenly appearing on his lips. "I see."

The young human returned a sly smile, understanding that the first thing crossing the crocodile god’s mind regarding her presence here was that she must be Anubis’s lover. It was obvious from his gaze shifting between her and the dejected god. She winked at Sobek to confirm his theory, which particularly irritated the jackal god.

"It’s not what you think," he cut in sharply before his friend shrugged and approached the human to take her hand and place a chaste kiss on it.

"Good evening, dear stranger," the divine being sang. "Sobek, god of water and fertility, at your service."

Anaïs straightened to appear more dignified and let him continue, a mocking smile still plastered on her face. The crocodile god was a handsome man, tall with a slender build, almost androgynous features, and long brown hair that fell well below his shoulders. He had a playful, deep gaze, and an aura that was charming and almost clownish, which immediately appealed to Anaïs. His outfit consisted of white linen pants and a sort of long, open blue shirt through which one could easily glimpse his lean chest and flat stomach. He wore various necklaces and gold rings, and everything about him screamed: "confirmed seducer and bon vivant."

God of fertility, huh... It’s clear why, just by looking at him... she thought, eyeing him curiously.

"Anaïs, living human who has no business being here," she responded lightly before sitting down on one of the divans.

The surprise was evident on Sobek’s face as his questioning gaze fell on Anubis. Before he could respond, the crocodile god set the bottle of wine on the wicker chest and headed back inside the villa.

"Don’t tell me anything yet, I’d better get some glasses first," he explained, disappearing for a moment.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Anubis sighed again – it was almost a tic at this point – and eventually sat down on the divan next to the young woman, burying his face in his palms. He rubbed his temples for a few seconds, completely ignoring the human who watched his actions and patiently waited for him to speak. Finally, her patience wore thin and she cleared her throat to get his attention. Anubis turned to her, visibly annoyed.

"What?" she inquired in a neutral tone.

"There was no need to shout it from the rooftops," he commented irritably.

"Isn’t he your friend or something? What does it matter if he knows I’m here if I’m leaving in a few hours?"

The situation was temporary, everything would return to normal by morning. At least for them, as Anaïs would have to learn to live in ancient Egypt with a rustic comfort compared to her modern times. In their eyes, she would be a small detail quickly forgotten in a few days.

"He doesn’t need to know everything."

A flash of understanding struck Anaïs. A mischievous smile appeared on her lips.

"You mean he doesn’t need to know you messed up, right?" she chuckled, covering her mouth with her hand to emphasize her mockery.

Anubis clicked his tongue against his palate to show his disapproval of the young human’s teasing, but he didn’t respond as he noticed the crocodile god returning with his hands full. Sobek hadn’t heard their conversation, but judging by his sly expression and the wink he gave Anaïs, he quickly understood that she had been bickering with the jackal god and that he was annoyed.

The crocodile man set down a large platter containing bread, several bunches of grapes, dried meat, and honey on the unusual table. He also brought, nestled between his elbows, three golden wine glasses that resembled chalices more than simple glasses. The next minute, as everything was placed on the furniture, he waved his hand over the bottle, without even touching it, as if caressing the air around the object. Anaïs heard a small pop, and the cork jumped out by itself. Impressed, she didn’t hide her surprise, delighted to see his magic in action.

He thanked her by pouring the first glass of what she guessed was red wine, then filled the other two before sitting down.

"So, Anubis," he exclaimed, gesturing casually towards Anaïs. "What is such a charming human doing in our marvelous city? Does it have something to do with the quest you and your mother have undertaken?"

His mother? If I remember correctly, the Egyptian pantheon is extremely interconnected... Ah... I can’t quite recall the story of Osiris in detail...

Anaïs’s mind raced while Anubis, ashamed, explained what had happened a few hours earlier and the reason for the young human’s presence here. There was no point in hiding the information now that Sobek knew she didn’t belong in the afterlife.

"Now that I think about it," Anubis began, addressing Anaïs. "You told me you’d heard of the story of Osiris and Seth. Do you know how it ends?"

"Um..." she hesitated, embarrassed. "Even if I remembered, I’m not sure it’s a good idea to reveal it just like that?"

Maybe she had watched too many sci-fi movies, assuming that the space-time continuum was at risk if she divulged information about the future. Anyway, she couldn’t remember. Logically, good always triumphed in these stories, but... polytheistic mythology was sometimes complex and far less black-and-white than many myths and legends.

"I don’t know," she continued after a few seconds of reflection. "Really, I can’t remember. I merely remember anything about Osiris's body pieces, except that Seth cut him up and I don’t remember who goes looking for the parts of his body. I think he was put back together in the end... I don’t know how."

I feel like I’m talking about a vase when it concerns one of the most famous Egyptian gods. My life has really taken an unexpected turn in just a few hours.