Chapter Eleven

It wasn't the first time Set and Ra had fought side-by-side, but it had been a while. Set wasn't surprised to feel like no time had passed, though. The two of them still moved seamlessly, cutting down demons who tried to crawl onto the barge while looking for Apophis at the same time.

He wouldn't be hiding, but he also wasn't in plain sight. It made Set wonder what he was up to. He was probably watching from afar and waiting for the right moment to attack Ra, taking pleasure in what his demons were doing. Set had to resist the urge to look down many times. Being up high meant he'd have a perfect view of what was happening at the palace, but he was afraid of what he'd see.

What if they'd lost people who were part of their family? There were gods whom Set wouldn't care if they died or lived, but he cared very much about Apollo, Lance, Barnaby, and the others.

He cut down a demon and pushed it off the barge, then leaned down to look. They weren't very high, but it still took him a moment to realize what he was looking at.

Where had Barnaby found a sword?

The human was gleefully hacking at a demon, which Set hadn't expected. Barnaby and Lance were supposed to be hiding in the palace, so why were they out there, cutting demons to pieces? They had to work together because they weren't strong enough to take down a demon on their own, but they were doing a good job, which was surprising.

Set squinted and looked at the swords they were using. They were so bright that he didn't have to wonder where they'd gotten them for long.

Apollo.

Osiris and Thoth were going to be pissed, but the sight made Set smile. Of course Apollo had wanted to be sure that his friends could defend themselves. It was the kind of person he was. He loved his people, and he did what he could for them.

A sword appeared in Set's vision, and he twirled around, pressing his back against the railing of the barge. The sword landed against the railing with a thwack, and when the demon tried to pull it out, it couldn't because it was stuck. Set grinned and raised his swords. He killed the demon quickly before pushing it away and turning. Ra was finishing off another demon, and they looked at each other when it fell to the ground. More were crawling up on the sides of the barge.

"We have to find him," Ra called out.

Set nodded and leaned over the railing to check the garden and the palace. Where was Apophis hiding?

He followed the direction from which the demons were coming to try to find the source. He'd noticed only one black barge earlier, but there were more now. The demons had needed a way to get to the palace, and there were too many of them for Apophis to teleport them. He'd used barges, but he'd be alone on his. It would also probably be the biggest one.

Set grinned when he found it. It wasn't close to the palace, but there was no mistaking it for the other ones. It was massive, made of glistening black wood and decorated with gold.

"There," he said, pointing his finger toward the barge.

Ra nodded, and their barge started moving in that direction. Set sucked in a breath. The hardest fight was about to start.

He had a few seconds before they reached Apophis, so he quickly took off his suit jacket. He rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, then readied his swords again.

He was as ready as he would ever be.

"Apophis," Ra called out when they were close enough.

Apophis looked up. He was standing on his barge, watching his demons wreak havoc on the palace. He and Set looked alike. They both had long black hair and dark eyes and wore black suits. Thankfully, his heart wasn't as dark as Apophis's. He might be the god of violence, but he'd never wanted destruction like Apophis did. He'd only ever wanted to be left in peace, and Apophis had made that impossible.

He would pay for that.

Apophis smiled. He was a handsome man, but his eyes were cold like a snake's. The smile didn't make him any more handsome. It made him look like a cobra ready to strike.

Set called on his power and manifested spears that he threw toward Apophis. Apophis's eyes widened for just a second, and he raised his hand, deflecting several of them.

But not all of them.

One of the spears hit Apophis's thigh. Set couldn't see blood because the clothes Apophis was wearing were black, but he knew he'd hit him.

He grinned. He'd wounded Apophis, making him weaker. He'd still have a lot of strength, but this would make it easier for them to defeat him.

Apophis pulled the spear out of his thigh and threw it to the side. Set had known that defeating him wouldn't be easy, so he wasn't surprised. He was ready to fight.

As soon as the barges were close enough, Set jumped off theirs and onto Apophis's. Demons rushed him, but he cut them down even as he worked on making new spears. He threw all of them toward Apophis, hoping to distract him while Ra attacked him.

Once more gods arrived to help with the demons, Set turned his attention to Apophis. He and Ra were locked in a fight, their swords moving quickly. Set didn't want to distract Ra, but he might have to help. He had last time, and while Ra might be able to take on Apophis by himself this time around, why should he have to? Set was there, ready to help.

Apophis took a step back and stumbled onto an arm. He quickly got his feet under him, but Set took advantage of that moment to create another spear and throw it at Apophis's back. Apophis twisted his upper body just in time and met the spear with his sword, pushing it away, which gave Ra the opportunity to swing forward.

Apophis hissed when Ra's sword penetrated his stomach. It wouldn't be enough to kill him, but if he couldn't focus on healing himself, he would have a hard time winning this fight. If they could keep him distracted long enough, they'd be able to subdue him.

Apophis surged forward with his sword, pushing Ra away. Just then, three demons attacked Ra from behind. Set rushed forward to help him, and while it didn't take them more than a few minutes, by the time they turned back to Apophis, he was on the other side of the barge. He was running away, probably to give himself time to heal, but they couldn't allow that to happen. The fight needed to end today.

A flash of gold made Set look up. His eyes widened when he saw that Apollo had appeared out of nowhere and was cutting off Apophis's path to safety. He raised his sword and grinned like the idiot he was, even winking at Set when he saw him watching.

"Where do you think you're going?" Apollo asked Apophis.

Apophis snarled and raised his sword, but Apollo caught it with his. There was a clash of darkness and light so bright that Set had to close his eyes.

When he opened them again, it was to find Apollo and Apophis fighting. Apophis was bleeding heavily, but that didn't seem to slow him down. Apollo was still smiling, looking like he was having the time of his life.

Set sucked in a breath when Apophis's sword came too close to Apollo's neck. Apollo danced out of the way, but Set's heart raced.

That idiot was going to get himself killed. How could he do that when he'd made Set fall in love with him?

Apollo was the most infuriating god—the most infuriating person —Set had ever met, but he'd fallen for him with all his heart, and he wouldn't allow anyone to hurt him, not even Apollo himself. He was doing what he felt was right, not thinking about his own safety, and Set would make sure to yell at him for that once they were alone.

He twirled his swords in his hands and looked at Ra, who nodded grimly.

Before Set could yell at Apollo, they needed to defeat Apophis.

* * * *

Apollo knew he wouldn't win this fight, but he'd never intended to. He was attacking Apophis to slow him down and give Set and Ra the opportunity to reach them. They couldn't allow Apophis to escape, which meant someone had to stop him.

Clearly, that someone was Apollo.

His sword clashed with Apophis's, and Apollo stumbled back. He pushed forward again without hesitation, knowing that if Apophis killed him, Set would avenge him. He'd rather not allow Apophis to kill him, but he wasn't sure he'd have a choice if he continued the fight.

"What the fuck are you thinking?" Set bellowed as he rushed toward Apollo and Apophis.

Apollo kept his gaze on Apophis. He was dangerous, with his body coiled like a snake waiting to strike. When Apollo swung his sword sideways, Apophis raised his, stopping it. Apollo launched forward, hitting Apophis from the left, then from the right before jumping back. Apophis managed to counter all the attacks, but it wouldn't stop Apollo, especially when help was coming so quickly.

He noticed movement behind Apophis and grinned. Set had arrived, with Ra right behind him, which meant that Apollo was safe. He'd managed to survive a third fight with Apophis, and he was pretty sure it was a record.

But his smile betrayed that something was happening. As Set raised his swords to attack Apophis, Apophis turned and slashed at him with his sword. Ra grabbed Set's shirt and pulled him back, but not quickly enough. Blood bloomed on Set's white shirt, and Apollo almost dropped his sword from shock. For a second, he could have sworn that time stopped moving.

Set's expression didn't falter, even though he had to be in pain. Apollo expected him to attack Apophis with his swords, and it looked like Apophis felt the same. He shifted forward, ready to stop Set's attack.

A spear appeared behind Apophis. Apollo sucked in a breath, getting Apophis's attention, but it was too late. The spear went through him, aimed at his heart. He stumbled back and reached for the spear with his free hand. He wrapped bloody fingers around it and pulled, and Apollo wondered if he could survive this. He wouldn't have been surprised if it took more than that to kill Apophis, but thankfully, he wouldn't have to worry about Apophis surviving. Set raised both of his swords and slashed them down.

Apophis's eyes widened in shock. His mouth opened, and blood gurgled out, which made Apollo wrinkle his nose. He really could have done without the gore. It would take a while to clean up. Thankfully, they were on Apophis's barge, so maybe they could just set everything on fire and call it a day.

Apophis's head slid forward. His body stayed upright for a few more seconds before following it to the floor of the barge. It crumpled like a marionette with cut ropes, and Apollo stared at the powerful god who'd tried to erase humanity.

"That's it?" he asked.

Set snorted. "Of course you're not even a little bit impressed. I just killed Apophis, but it's not enough for you."

"I remember how hard it was to fight with him, but I expected this to be harder. We've been talking about it for weeks."

Set rolled his eyes and lowered his swords. "Only because Ra wanted to plan this to the second."

He vanished one of the swords and reached for his chest, where more blood was seeping from his wound. Apollo rushed forward, wanting to check on him, almost stabbing him with his sword when he reached him.

"Don't put it away," Set ordered as Apollo was about to do just that. "Apophis might be gone, but his demons are still here, and we need to get rid of every last one of them."

Apollo looked at Ra, who was shaking his head. He was glad to see he and the other sun god had the same opinion on Set going back to fighting when he was hurt.

"You're wounded," Ra said as he squeezed Set's shoulder. "Let Apollo take care of you."

Set shook away Ra's hand. "I'm fine, and I have no problems killing more demons."

"You just killed Apophis. You saved us all, and you avoided an outright war during which most of the human realm and our pantheon would have died. Take a few minutes to rest, Set. No one expects you to go after demons in your state."

"Besides, our friends are doing a pretty good job of it," Apollo pointed out.

Set's eyes narrowed. "Are you talking about Barnaby and Lance? I thought they were supposed to stay inside the palace and hide?"

Apollo grinned and shrugged. "I couldn't lock them up in a room against their will, could I? They were fighting the demons with stones, Set. Stones . What should I have done? I gave them swords because it would keep them safer. Were they using them?"

Set shoulders slumped. "They were. Barnaby especially seemed to be having the time of his life."

Apollo wished he could have seen that, but he supposed he would see the result later. He'd have to congratulate Barnaby on a job well done.

That was, if he and Lance were still alive.

Maybe it was time for Apollo to leave the barge and go help their friends. He couldn't do so without taking care of Set first, though.

"I'll check in on everyone," Ra said as he stepped toward the edge of the barge. He glanced one last time at Apophis's body before jumping down without looking back.

Apollo pushed Apophis's head away with his toes. The god was as beautiful in death as he'd been in life, but the sight of him made Apollo shudder in horror, especially because Apophis was looking up at him. Well, his dead eyes were.

He used his foot to turn Apophis's head around so it wouldn't be staring at him. When he looked up, it was to find Set's gaze on him. Apollo gave him a winning smile, but Set's expression stayed dire.

"You killed the bad guy," Apollo said. "That's cause for celebration, but you don't look like you want to celebrate."

"That's because I'm tempted to strangle you instead."

Apollo snorted and gently poked at the wound on Set's chest. Set hissed, but he didn't pull away when Apollo lifted one side of his shirt to check the wound.

"What the fuck were you thinking?" Set asked. "He could have killed you. You put yourself in danger needlessly, even after you promised you'd be careful."

Apollo wasn't a god of medicine, but one of his sons was. Apollo had learned a few things over the years, and while he couldn't fully heal Set's wound, he could at least make sure it didn't continue bleeding.

He pressed his palm against Set's chest and focused on his power. Set was still glaring at him by the time he was done, so Apollo leaned forward and kissed his cheek.

"I won't apologize for doing what I had to do. I saw Apophis running, and I knew I had to stop him. I also knew that you would get to us before he could hurt me."

Set caught Apollo's wrist and pulled him close to kiss him on the lips. "It was still too dangerous," he muttered.

"Probably, but I'm not the one who got stabbed."

"Not this time, anyway," Set grumbled. "Besides, I didn't get stabbed. He just slashed me."

"Saying it differently doesn't change what happened."

"It's not the same. Stabbing means that your blade penetrates the body. His never did."

Apollo was aware of that, but he liked distracting Set. He smiled as Set continued to ramble, and while he wished that the fight was over, they weren't done yet. The demons wouldn't take care of themselves, unfortunately, which meant Apollo and Set needed to get back to work.

He kissed Set to shut him up, then grinned at Set's scandalized expression. "You can talk my ears off as much as you want once this is over, but let's take care of the demons first, all right?"

"Yeah, all right," Set said with pink cheeks.

Apollo looked down at Apophis's body. "What are we supposed to do with him? He can't come back from that, can he?"

"Not even gods can come back from having their head cut off," Set confirmed. "But I'll take care of the body. I have a plan."

Apollo grabbed Set's hand and pulled him toward the edge of the barge. "Can it wait? I have demons to skewer."

"You make it sound like fun."

"That's because it is. Besides, think about it. Once we're done killing all these demons, we won't have to think about fighting for a while."

Set groaned. "Please don't say it out loud. I don't want to give anyone weird ideas."

Apollo winked at him and turned to jump off the barge, but Set stopped him and pulled him back. For a moment, he just stared at Apollo, and even though Apollo wanted to ask him what was up, he found what little patience he had and waited. He didn't want to make Set uncomfortable, and it was clear that Set had something to tell him.

For once in his life, Apollo kept his mouth shut.

* * * *

They'd done it. Set and Apollo had faced Apophis and had survived the fight.

Set hadn't wanted to tell Apollo that he loved him just because he was afraid he wouldn't get another chance to do so, but he didn't have to worry about that anymore. Besides, his feelings wouldn't change, no matter what situation they were in. He'd fallen in love, and even though it made him uncomfortable, he'd come to realize there was no getting rid of the feeling.

There was no getting rid of Apollo , and while that might have annoyed Set before, it didn't now. Instead, it made his chest feel tight and his cheeks flush.

Set disliked feeling vulnerable and showing his emotions, but he and Apollo were alone on the barge. They could still hear screeches and the sound of people running around under them, but here on Apophis's black barge, it felt like they were alone in the world. They might as well have been. They were having a peaceful moment in the middle of a fight that could have taken out the entire palace—and maybe the entire human world.

"I wanted to tell you something," Set finally managed to say.

Apollo's smile was gentle. "You can tell me whatever you want." He paused and cocked his head. It was as if he could read Set's thoughts and knew what Set wanted to tell him. "And you don't have to tell me anything now. You can take your time. In fact, you should take your time."

But Set was already shaking his head. He was done waiting and finding excuses. "You told me that you love me, and I want you to know that I feel the same. I love you, too."

Apollo's smile was brighter than the sun.

It bewildered Set to realize that he'd made the sun god smile like that. It didn't feel like anything he could do or say could make someone so happy, but the proof was right in front of him.

Apollo hooked his arms around Set's neck and pulled him close to kiss him. The wound on Set's chest burned, but Set didn't make a sound. He didn't want Apollo to realize that he was in pain, and he didn't want the kiss to end.

Something slammed against the bottom of the barge, rocking it. Set swore and clung to Apollo, but Apollo kissed his cheek and gently pulled away.

"We'll have all the time in the world to do that later. We should go and see what happened. I wouldn't want the barge to be shot down with us on it."

"I don't think that's what happened," Set said as he leaned over the railing to look down at the barge.

A demon was pinned there with two spears, one in each shoulder. The thing was trying to get free while Nu watched it from the ground, smiling gleefully. They noticed Set and waved at him, and to his own surprise, he waved back.

He didn't think he'd waved at anyone in his entire life, and he wasn't sure what had pushed him to do it. It felt ridiculous, but at the same time, it was clear he'd made his grandparent happy.

"Nu is having fun," Apollo commented.

For a few moments, he and Set both stared at the demon as it wiggled. It had to hurt, since the only thing holding it up was the spears, but it didn't seem to care.

"You should go down there," Set said.

"What about you? What are you going to do?"

Set looked down at Apophis's body. It wasn't a pleasant sight, but Apophis looked human now that he was dead. There were no traces of the power he'd used to kill so many. There were also no signs of the darkness that had seeped through his every pore.

"He can't come back from this, but I want to make sure, just in case."

"What are you thinking of?"

"I'm going to cut him into pieces and have gods take them all over the world to burn them and bury the ashes. They won't tell anyone where they did so."

"That feels a bit overkill, but you know better than me. Let's do it."

Apollo hadn't said anything when Set had tortured Maahes, but he hadn't been there to see it. What would he think of Set when he saw him hack a body to pieces?

It wasn't like Set was looking forward to it, but he felt it was necessary. He wasn't taking any chances. He'd heard about stupid humans trying to revive dead gods and sometimes succeeding. He wasn't willing to risk it, and this felt like the safest way to get rid of Apophis. His body would be in pieces, and each piece would be burned. There would be no coming back from that.

Hopefully.

Set shouldn't have worried about Apollo's reaction to his plan. Set had barely managed to call back his two swords when Apollo was already hacking at Apophis's body. He seemed to be particularly gleeful, reminding Set of what he'd seen Barnaby do earlier. There was a reason these two were friends, and Set shuddered in horror at the thought of what they'd be up to now that their world would be peaceful again. With no Apophis around, they would be able to focus on their friendship, and Set could already imagine the kind of trouble they'd get into.

He didn't mind. He wanted Apollo to be happy. That was the only way he'd get to keep the sun god, and he planned to do precisely that. Apollo wasn't going anywhere. He was Set's, just like Set was his.

Apollo looked up. "Well, are you going to make me do all the hard work on my own?"

Set almost said yes because it would mean he could watch Apollo, but instead he stepped forward. "Let's do this quickly. The sooner it's over, the better I'll feel."

It was a grim job, but they did it together. It made Set feel a little bit better. He didn't feel guilty about killing Apophis or cutting him into pieces, but he hated that Apollo had seen him in this kind of situation. Luckily, it didn't seem like Apollo cared.

By the time they were done, both of them were bloody and panting slightly. Set was done with the day, but it wasn't over yet.

He looked down over the railing of the barge, relieved to see that most of the demons were dead or on the run. They wouldn't be going far, because the gods seemed to have decided that not even one of them should survive.

Set agreed with that. He supposed he could have asked Osiris to take them back to the underworld, but what would be the point? The underworld would spawn new demons anyway.

The demon that had been speared to the barge was missing its head now. Set didn't know what to do with the black barge, but he thought that burning it to ashes would be a good idea, especially with all the blood. They wouldn't even have to take down the demon if they chose that option.

"What now?" Apollo asked as he leaned next to Set. "It looks like this is pretty much over."

The fight was over, anyway. The cleanup would take time, and there would be some rebuilding to do, but at the moment, Set couldn't care less. He wrapped an arm around Apollo's waist and pulled him close. They leaned their heads together and looked down as the last of demons were caught and killed.

Set sucked in a breath. They'd done it. They had defeated Apophis, even though they hadn't believed they could do so. His chest burned, but he'd be all right, and it looked like Apollo was pretty much intact. He was sweaty and bloody, but none of the blood was his.

Set would still check every inch of his body, just in case.

"You're still up there?" Ra called out from under the barge.

Set and Apollo looked at each other. When Apollo nodded, Set took his hand and pulled him off the barge. They fell, but thankfully, it wasn't far, and Set teleported them just before they hit the ground. When they reappeared, Apollo rolled his eyes. "Show off. That fall wouldn't have killed us."

"You have to remember that I'm wounded."

"Oh, now you remember that you're wounded? I thought you were fine?"

"What did you do up there?" Ra asked as he looked at the barge. "Is that your work?"

Set looked at the headless demon and shook his head. "That would be Nu."

Ra chuckled. "I can imagine that. Well? What happened to you? Are you more hurt than I realized?"

"No. Apollo and I cut the body into pieces. I want every piece to be taken away by a different god who won't ever tell anyone where they went. Then they'll burn their pieces and bury the ashes."

Ra nodded, his expression serious now. "We'll make sure he doesn't return."

They'd better because Set wasn't doing this a third time.