Chapter One

Set was annoyed. As the god of violence, he should have enjoyed the mess Apophis was making, but he didn't. There was such a thing as too much violence, and they'd reached that point a while back.

It wasn't just violence and chaos anymore. It was death and pain, a struggle for power, and an annoyance. Why hadn't Apophis stayed in the underworld? Set didn't understand why he wanted to take over the human world so badly.

Humans could be ingenious, and some of them had an eye for art, but most humans were annoying. They always bothered Set when they found out who he was, and they kept bowing at him and currying for favors. That was why he spent most of his time either in his suite at the palace shared by the gods of his pantheon or in the apartments he had all over the world.

Well, the ones he had left.

Set scowled at the TV. He didn't enjoy watching it and thought it was stupid, but it was the best way to stay informed about what Apophis was up to. At last count, he'd already destroyed two of Set's apartments, and Set didn't like that. He'd selected the places he'd purchased carefully, and he was losing them one by one because Apophis was throwing a temper tantrum.

The human realm was a bother, but it was a bother Set didn't want to lose. As annoying as humans could be, it would be inconvenient to lose the ability to buy their designer suits and delicious alcohol. That meant he'd need to save humanity from Apophis.

Which was why he was expected at a meeting in half an hour. He sighed and got to his feet. He could stay here, but Ra would look for him, so he might as well go. Set's grandfather could be as annoying as the humans he was trying to save, especially since he'd met his partner.

Set found it hilarious that Ra, of all gods, had chosen to be with a god who belonged to another pantheon, but he loved watching how the others reacted to that. None of them would ever say anything to Ra, considering he was the main god in their pantheon, but Set found the deep disappointment and scorn they visibly felt amusing. It was one of the main reasons he liked Frey.

His presence bothered people that Set didn't like.

Set kept the TV on as he went to his bedroom to change. He enjoyed black suits, so he selected one before heading to the bathroom to shower quickly. He wasn't happy about being stuck in the palace with all the other gods. He enjoyed his apartments in the human realm because there, he was alone and didn't have to deal with everyone else. Unfortunately, it wasn't safe to leave the palace until they got rid of Apophis.

Which meant Set had to do so as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, Apophis was powerful. Set wouldn't be able to take him on his own, no matter how much he wished he could. Ra hadn't been able to do so the first time around, either. As annoying as it was, they would have to fight Apophis together.

It didn't take Set long to get ready, and once he was, he turned the TV off and headed out. They were meeting in Ra's rooms, and Set wondered who would be there. They still didn't know who the spy was, which made having meetings to talk about their next steps inconvenient. If the spy was one of them, they would go to Apophis and tell him everything that had been said. That was why they kept their meetings as small as possible, but they'd need all the help they could get to defeat Apophis, which meant involving everyone available.

Set had never trusted anyone but himself, and he had no intention of starting anytime soon. He'd work with Ra and the others because he had to if he wanted to get rid of Apophis, but that was where it ended. He wanted nothing else to do with them.

Most of the people had already arrived when he reached Ra's room. He sat on one of the chairs, leaning back as he looked around. This meeting seemed to be among the gods Ra trusted the most, but there were a few humans present, too. Not all of them were alive, which wasn't a surprise since Osiris was here. He and Thoth had fallen in love with two dead humans, and both of them were here today.

"Have you seen what Apophis has done?" Ra asked as he looked around the room.

Set sighed. He'd hoped something new would come out of this meeting, but he could already tell that wouldn't happen. It made him wonder why they were even meeting. There was nothing new to talk about except what Apophis was doing, and they didn't need to talk about that. They all knew he was destroying the human realm. He wanted full power over humans, and if they refused to bow down to him, he killed them. To him, it was as simple as that.

"Do we really have to make a list of everything Apophis has destroyed since the last time we met?" he drawled.

The conversation stopped, and everyone turned to look at him.

He wasn't bothered by the attention. He'd come all the way here to find a solution to the Apophis problem, not to wail about the people Apophis was killing.

"Don't you want to know what he's been up to?" Sekhmet asked.

"Not particularly. I want to know where he is so we can get rid of him permanently, but I don't need to know what he's been up to."

Sekhmet snorted. "Why are you even here? It's clear you don't care about any of this."

"I do care. I don't want the human realm to be destroyed. It would be annoying."

"Annoying?" Tefnut asked. "How can you talk about human beings like that?"

"None of you cared about human beings until Apophis got free. You stayed up here in your palace, watching the humans under you, not caring about them one bit. It changed because you're afraid that Apophis is going to turn to you after he's done killing them, not because you care."

Sekhmet got to her feet. "How dare you?"

She'd always had an easily triggered temper. Usually it ended in blood, which would be more entertaining than what was happening now.

Ra put a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Enough, both of you," he said.

She obeyed and settled back on her chair, but Set wouldn't be so easily pushed down. "I understand the need to get rid of Apophis, and I want that as much as you do," he said. "But having all these meetings is useless. We are still no closer to finding a way to kill Apophis permanently. We don't even know if it's possible. We only know what happened in the past and that it worked once, and maybe we should stop talking about it and try to do something. We need to stop hiding and attack him head-on."

Ra was already shaking his head. "We're not strong enough to do that. If we attack him, he'll kill us."

Set sighed. Ra could be right. There was no way to know how powerful Apophis had become while he'd been trapped in the darkness. He was quickly recuperating his power and magic, and he didn't hesitate to use them against the humans. With so many of them now agreeing to serve him, he was getting more powerful every day, which meant that every meeting they had was time wasted.

But no matter how many times Set pointed that out, people didn't listen to him. Ra was the guy in charge because he'd been the one who trapped Apophis the first time around, and everyone seemed okay following him. Set wouldn't have a problem with that—not much of a problem, anyway—if Ra was actually doing something, but they were wasting precious time.

And time was the only thing they didn't have enough of.

* * * *

Every pantheon was messy. Apollo just had to think about his to be sure of that. He'd stopped finding Zeus's antics amusing a while ago, and he was glad to have a distraction provided by the Egyptian pantheon.

He just wished that massive serpent wasn't trying to eradicate human life from the earth.

Apollo liked humans. He was the god of music and poetry, and humans could be extremely creative. They created art dedicated to him, and it pleased him. He didn't want it to stop, which meant that Apophis needed to go.

The problem was that Apollo wasn't a god in the Egyptian pantheon. He wanted to think he'd be able to defeat Apophis, but what did he know? He had no experience when it came to this kind of thing. When a god from his pantheon misbehaved, Zeus took charge. It never ended well for the troublemaker, and Apollo was tempted to ask Zeus to take care of Apophis.

But Zeus would say no. He would say it was none of their business, and he might even be right, but couldn't he see what was happening? Who would create art dedicated to Apollo and the other gods if there weren't any humans left?

Which was why Apollo was on Mount Olympus. He didn't spend a lot of time here, feeling better when he was as far away as possible from his pantheon, but he wanted to talk to his father. He was sure he already knew what his father's answer would be, but it was worth a try. At the very least, it would enable Apollo to say I told you so once this mess was over.

He walked into the throne room. It was large, with a ceiling so high it was hard to see, and two arches opposite each other that let people in and out. Zeus's throne was set in the center, with all the others placed around it in a circle. Zeus's was the biggest, which always made Apollo smile, because he wondered if Zeus was trying to compensate for something.

Hera was the first to notice Apollo. She sniffed and looked away, but Apollo made sure to beam at her as he always did when he saw her. He knew how much his existence annoyed her. He and his twin sister were proof that Zeus had cheated on Hera, and if she had her way, they would never darken the throne room with their presence again.

Knowing how much he annoyed Hera made Apollo's smile widen. He was still smiling when he stopped in front of his father's throne. Zeus was sitting there, doing something on his phone.

"Humans invented that," Apollo said.

Zeus looked up. "What?"

"Your phone. Humans created that and the suit you're wearing."

Zeus looked puzzled. "I'm aware of that."

"And you're also aware that they're dying. It doesn't have anything to do with our pantheon for once, but it's going to impact us anyway."

Zeus's expression turned to suspicion. "I know what's happening in the human realm. You don't have to tell me."

"Don't I? Because Apophis is wreaking havoc, and no one is doing anything about it. Do you want the people who created your phone and your suit to die? What will you wear if they do?"

Zeus's eyes narrowed. "Why don't you get to the point? What do you want from me?"

"For you to intervene. The Egyptian pantheon is working to stop Apophis, but they're having little success. There's a spy in their group, and Apophis has allies. He's also quite powerful, but I'm sure you wouldn't have any trouble with him."

Usually, telling Zeus how powerful he was worked. He was like a peacock. He wanted everyone to see how handsome and powerful he was, and he never missed a chance to do so.

Hera touched Zeus's knee. He turned to look at her, and Apollo knew he'd been defeated before he'd even had a chance to fight. Zeus was going to say no.

Apollo had known this would happen, but that didn't mean he wasn't disappointed. The Egyptian pantheon needed their help, and while usually the different pantheons kept to themselves, things had been changing lately. Apollo had seen how the Egyptian god of the sun, Ra, had taken a god belonging to the Norse pantheon as his partner. Loki, who belonged to the Norse, too, spent more time with the Egyptians than he did with his own family.

Apollo could see the advantage of that. Some days he wished he wasn't related to any of the people in his pantheon. He was pretty sure they felt the same way about him.

"Stay out of it," Zeus said in a booming voice that echoed around the room.

"Isn't it to our best advantage to keep humans alive?" Apollo tried. "What will happen if they're not there anymore?"

"We'll create new ones," Hera said with a huff. "What happens to other pantheons isn't our business. Your father has spoken. Stay out of it."

Zeus looked like he wanted to tell her to stop speaking for him, but he didn't. Instead, he nodded. "This has nothing to do with us, and you'd better remember that."

Apollo didn't push, because it wouldn't change anything except make Zeus angrier. Apollo would do this on his own like he'd planned from the beginning. He'd wanted to give Zeus the chance to do the right thing for once, but his father wasn't one for that. If anything, he tended to avoid doing so.

He grinned. "Well, I suppose that means I'm moving out."

Zeus frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"I like humans, and I have no intention of staying out of it. If I have to ally with the Egyptians to help them, I will. I just thought you'd want to be on the right side for once, but I should have known better."

Zeus got to his feet. "How dare you? You are my son, and you will obey my orders."

Apollo raised a hand and wiggled his fingers at his father. "Sure. I'll see you when I see you."

He'd never been happier to be able to teleport wherever he wanted in the blink of an eye. It meant he didn't have to listen to his father rant at him for being a disobedient son as if he were a child.

Apollo had never really been a child. He was a god, and he'd had to deal with his father for too long. It was time to step away from the Greek pantheon and do what was right.

Since he'd already known this would happen, his things were packed. He didn't spend a lot of time in his palace on Mount Olympus, so there wasn't much to take. Besides, if he needed anything, he could always buy it.

Provided that the human realm still existed.

He grabbed his bag and teleported away, pulling all his things along. He knew where he was going, thankfully. He reappeared in the middle of what appeared to be a meeting. Everyone stopped talking as they took him in, but Apollo had never minded being the center of attention.

He dropped his bag and beamed around the room. "Is this a meeting? Were you waiting for me? Well, you don't have to anymore. I have arrived, and I'm pledging my help to you. Whatever you need to defeat Apophis, I'll give it to you."

For some reason, everyone was still staring. They probably couldn't believe he was on their side and ready to help, which was understandable. After all, not only did Apollo belong to another pantheon, but he was also the god of the sun and a bunch of other things that could come in handy against Apophis.

He left his bags where they'd landed and went to sit down. Luckily for him, there was a free spot next to Set.

Apollo flopped down and beamed at the other god. "You don't have to worry about anything. I'm here to help now."

For some reason, Set stared at Apollo as if he were an interesting insect that he was planning on squashing with his designer shoes.

That didn't bother Apollo. He had plans when it came to the handsome god of storms and violence.

But first, he needed to focus on the meeting.

* * * *

Set knew he'd regret asking, but he couldn't help it. "What are you doing here?"

For some reason, Apollo smiled at him. Smiling was something Apollo seemed to do often. His face might be stuck that way, now that Set thought about it.

"Well, I came to help," Apollo explained as if Set hadn't understood his words the first time around.

"I think we'd all like to know what that means exactly," Frey said carefully from his spot next to Ra.

Set nodded at Ra to let him know he was grateful he was taking the lead on this. He never knew how to deal with Apollo, and he didn't want to have to learn. The Greek god was annoying and shouldn't be here, but this wasn't Set's palace, and these weren't his rooms. If Ra wanted Apollo here, Apollo would stay.

"I talked to my father and pointed out that if we wanted some humans to survive, we'd need to help you defeat Apophis. He didn't take it well, but I never expected him to. I decided I'd come and help on my own."

"What kind of help do you think you can give us?" Set drawled. "Aren't you the god of music and dance?"

The scorn in Set's voice wasn't enough to dim Apollo's smile. If anything, it widened. "Amongst other things. I'm also the god of archery, healing, and the sun. I'm sure I can be useful."

"Why would you want to help us? You don't belong to our pantheon."

"Neither do Frey and Loki, yet they're here."

He had Set there. The two Norse gods were here, and they weren't going anywhere. They would help in the fight against Apophis, which was a good thing because it meant they had an advantage they hadn't had the first time around.

Back then, they'd only been able to rely on themselves. Set and Ra had worked together, along with other Egyptian gods, and they'd managed to defeat Apophis. It hadn't been enough to kill him, but then that wasn't what they'd been trying to do. The world needed balance, and that was what Ra and Apophis were.

But not anymore. Apophis was taking over, and they had to get rid of the darkness. This time, it would have to be permanent. It wasn't something they would have managed the first time around, but maybe this time, considering they were more powerful and had outside help, they could ensure Apophis never returned.

That would have heavy consequences for Set, but he was ready to shoulder them. Ra would need a new god to step in and create balance, and Set was the god of violence. He could provide that balance.

Set got to his feet, startling a few people. He turned to his brother, not wanting Ra to worry.

Not too much, anyway.

"Let me know when you decide it's time to strike. I have no need for useless meetings, so don't bother inviting me if you're not going to start planning the way to defeat Apophis."

Thankfully, Ra was used to Set's moods. He nodded and thanked him for coming, but he didn't try to convince him to stay.

Set wouldn't have.

He walked out of the room, relieved not to feel the heavy stares on him anymore. The problem was that the main reason he'd left the meeting had followed him.

He turned to Apollo. "What do you want?"

Apollo grinned.

Set didn't understand why he was always smiling. There was nothing to smile about. The world was a mess, and if they weren't careful, they would lose this fight.

"I missed most of the meeting, so I decided I might as well miss the rest of it and spend time with you," Apollo offered.

"Why would you want to spend time with me?"

"That's a good question. You're quite abrasive, so I suppose not many people want to spend time with you. What about your family? Do you spend time with them? If your family's anything like mine, I guess you don't, and that's a good thing."

Set turned around and strode down the hallway. He didn't bother answering Apollo's questions. Paying attention to him would only cause him to stick around longer, which was something Set was trying to avoid.

He continued walking until he reached his rooms. Unfortunately, Apollo did the same, and when Set walked into his suite, Apollo was right behind him.

"What are you doing?" Set asked, gritting his teeth and telling himself he had to resist the urge to punch Apollo. The last thing they needed was a fight between pantheons.

"Is this where I'll be staying?" Apollo asked, ignoring Set's question.

"Absolutely not. You're not staying with me."

But Apollo had already vanished down the hallway. Set heard doors opening and closing and Apollo talking to himself.

"This guest room is perfect for me," Apollo called out. "I'll just get my things."

Set had several options. He could tell Apollo to fuck off and never return, but something told him that Apollo wouldn't take no for an answer. The god was awfully pushy—as pushy as he was handsome. He'd ignore Set's request and settle in as if he belonged here, and Set suspected that nothing he could do or say would change that.

So what was the point in trying?

Set could avoid a lot of headaches if he just let Apollo be. He'd be annoying to have around, but Set was used to having annoying people around. His family fell into that group, and he only felt the need to strangle them a few times a day when he spent time with them.

There was no way Apollo was worse than them.

Right?

Apollo reappeared. "So, what's the plan?"

"That would be to get you out of my suite."

Apollo rolled his eyes. "I meant with Apophis. I'm pretty sure my father's pissed and won't allow me to come back home until this is over. I'm tempted not to go back at all, but I'm pretty sure he'll eventually try to drag me back to Mount Olympus."

Maybe Set should call Zeus. He wasn't sure the god would take his call, but he could tell him where Apollo was and maybe even help him by tying Apollo up or something.

Not that he was thinking about Apollo being tied up. Set didn't want to see that in any way, shape, or form.

But he couldn't deny Apollo was handsome. Of course, he was a god, and all gods were beautiful. They made themselves so. It was more than Apollo's beauty, though. He almost shone from the inside, which would make sense, since he was the god of the sun, but so was Ra, and Set had never felt like he should kiss him.

The thought of kissing Ra made him shiver in horror. They were family, and he'd never look at Ra like that. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't stop looking at Apollo in precisely that way.

Set wanted to slide his fingers through Apollo's blond curls and pull him closer to kiss him. He wanted to shut him up with his mouth and ensure he was so distracted he couldn't start rambling about Apophis again. He couldn't help but wonder how Apollo would look in his bed.

Set shook his head. He had no doubt that Apollo would look beautiful there, just like he looked beautiful everywhere else, but that probably wouldn't be enough to shut him up, which was what Set needed from him right now.

"If you're going to stay with me, there are rules," he said as he took off his suit jacket.

Apollo looked Set up and down in a way that made Set want to grab him, although he wasn't sure if it was to punch him or kiss him.

"What rules?" Apollo asked.

"You don't bother me. You can go and talk with everyone else in the palace, but leave me alone. I like space and privacy, and I won't have enough with you here."

Apollo pouted. "I thought you wanted me here."

"There's nothing I've ever wanted less. I'm tolerating you because we need you, but that's where it ends. If you annoy me, I'll kick you out. I don't care where your father drags you after that."

"You'd come and rescue me from Mount Olympus like a knight in shining armor."

Set snorted and walked away, but he couldn't help but wonder if maybe Apollo was right. As annoying as he was, if he needed to be rescued, Set wouldn't hesitate to help, even though he didn't understand why he felt that way.

What did that say about him and how he felt about Apollo?