Chapter Seven

Set stared at Ra. Ra looked heartbroken but steady, and Set had no doubt that he was telling himself that they were doing the right thing. They were doing the right thing.

But it couldn't be easy to do the right thing against one of his daughters.

Set had no idea what Tefnut was thinking or what she'd been thinking when she decided to turn to Apophis's aside. Maybe she'd felt like Maahes had—wanting someone to see him and recognize that even though he was a minor god, he had value. Maybe she was just selfish and cruel like Apophis, although Set had never seen her like that. Maybe Apophis had forced her into it, threatening her family and Ra.

Whatever the reason, she'd made the wrong choice. She'd chosen Apophis, and she was about to pay for it.

Ra shook his head. "I still don't understand why."

Frey leaned against him, and Ra wrapped an arm around his shoulders. They supported each other in a way that made Set wonder if he and Apollo could have the same. They'd kissed a few times, and they were closer than Set had ever been to anyone else, but it still felt fragile. They hadn't talked about it, and while Set knew what Apollo wanted since Apollo wasn't shy about his needs and wants, that didn't mean it would work.

He wasn't even sure what he wanted beyond being with Apollo. It was odd to feel that way, though. It didn't feel like him, and he couldn't help but wonder if it was him. What had happened to him that he suddenly wanted a relationship with a golden god like Apollo? Was it because with Apophis attacking them, there was a risk he wouldn't make it? Was this second fight reminding him that even though he was a god, he could die, and if he did, he'd lose everything?

"I don't think you can understand," Frey murmured. "She was probably scared that Apophis would kill her and everyone else. She might have wanted to protect herself and you. You could ask her, but I don't know if it's the best thing to do."

Ra rubbed a hand over his face. "The why doesn't matter. She knew she was doing the wrong thing, but she still did it."

Set agreed, but it was much easier for him. He and Tefnut were related—she was Set's grandmother—but he couldn't even remember the last time he'd talked to her. He wasn't sure he ever had.

But she was Ra's daughter. That meant something to Ra, more than it meant to Set. Set couldn't say he'd be happy with what they would do, but he wouldn't be heartbroken like Ra.

Family was complicated, especially when it was a godly family. They were messy, to say the least.

"We should feed her false information," Set said.

Both Ra and Frey looked up at him. Frey nodded, but Ra just stared.

Set leaned forward on the couch and tapped his fingertips on the coffee table. "We can make sure she finds out where you'll be on a given date. If she knows you'll be alone, she might try to attack you. She might also tell Apophis where you'll be, and he'll come for you."

"Then he can't go alone," Frey said.

"I wasn't planning on letting him go alone. I'll be there with him, of course." Family hadn't mattered much to Set before, but things had changed. Ra was his great-grandfather. Beyond that, he was a good person, and he was trying to do the right thing. He wanted to save humanity, which was the same thing Set wanted.

Hopefully, they'd manage to do so.

"We have to be careful how we feed her that information," Ra said. "We can't just go up to her and tell her. If we're not careful, she'll know something's wrong."

"We need someone close to us who could've easily been told about this but who wouldn't think much about talking in front of others even though it's supposed to be a secret. Someone who talks a lot, maybe."

Frey arched a brow. "Apollo sounds perfect."

He was right. Apollo was close to Set, and through him, to Ra. He was a known charmer, and he talked a lot. He would never spread important secrets, but only the people who knew him best were aware of that. A lot of others, like Set had in the beginning, believed he was airheaded and that he only thought about himself. That couldn't be further from the truth, but Tefnut didn't know that. If Apollo babbled about Ra needing time alone and where he'd be, she'd probably think he was an idiot and run to Apophis with the info.

It was a good plan. Set disliked the thought of putting Apollo in danger, but as long as he limited himself to playing such a small part in the trap, things would be fine.

The problem was that Apollo was stubborn and was planning to be involved. He was strong and powerful, and he could make the difference they needed, but he might get hurt, and that wasn't something Set was willing to consider.

Unfortunately, he would have to. Apollo wouldn't stay back just because Set asked him to.

Set sighed. "I'll talk to him. I don't think it'll be a problem, though. He'll be happy to be involved."

" You don't look happy," Frey said.

Set snorted. "Are any of us? I want this to be over. I want Apophis destroyed once and for all so we can all forget about him and focus on living our lives."

Before, it wouldn't have been very different from the life Set had for the past hundreds of years. Now, though, he had a chance at something important with Apollo, and he wouldn't allow anyone to ruin that.

Not himself, and definitely not Apophis.

* * * *

Apollo was bored. That happened often, but usually he could find things to distract himself. He could go to the human realm, have fun with someone, or maybe do something like surfing. He missed the ocean, dammit, and it was all Apophis's fault.

He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling of his bedroom. He was comfortable here, although he'd be even more comfortable in Set's bed. He was tempted to go there and deal with whatever Set had to say about it afterward, but he didn't want to push things too hard. Set had finally broken down the other day when he'd kissed Apollo, but they'd barely seen each other since then, and Apollo still didn't know what it had meant.

Had Set kissed Apollo to convince him to leave? Maybe he'd just wanted to distract him and had decided that would be the best way to do so. He wouldn't have been wrong. The kiss had effectively distracted Apollo, and he'd been thinking of nothing else since it had happened.

But maybe Set had wanted to kiss Apollo. Maybe he was finally over whatever crap he'd been telling himself as an excuse to stay away and had decided to give their relationship a chance. It was what Apollo had wanted from the beginning, and he hated that he didn't know what was going on. The best way to find out would be to ask Set, but how was he supposed to do that when his man spent all of his time torturing Maahes and talking to Ra?

The sound of a door opening in the distance made Apollo jump. For a moment, he listened, wondering who it was. It was early for Set to be home. He was the only one who would dare walk into these rooms, though, apart from Apollo. All the other gods seemed terrified of Set and of what he might do if he found them in his home, and they weren't wrong to feel that way. Set loved his privacy, and Apollo couldn't blame him for that.

He sat up as the sound of footsteps came closer. His bedroom door was open, but Set still knocked as he peeked in.

Apollo beamed at him, suddenly pleased the only thing he'd put on this morning was his tiny pair of shorts. Set had already been gone when Apollo had woken up, so he hadn't seen them.

Apollo wiggled to the edge of the mattress, his smile widening when Set's gaze caught on his body.

Apollo looked good. He was a god, so he could decide what aspect he had. He'd always gone with blond curls and kept his body trim and lightly muscled.

From the appreciation in Set's gaze, it looked like it was the right decision.

Set cleared his throat. "Can I come in?"

"Always. You don't have to ask."

"I have to talk to you."

Apollo frowned. That didn't sound good. When someone in a relationship said they needed to talk to the other, it usually ended in a breakup. "Are you going to break up with me?" he asked.

Set stepped into the room. "We'd have to be together for me to break up with you," he pointed out.

Apollo pressed a hand over his heart as he sat up. "Are you saying we're not together?"

Set rolled his eyes. "We haven't talked about it, so I don't know what we are. That's not why I'm here, though. I wanted to talk to you about the spy and a plan that Ra, Frey, and I have come up with. It involves you, and while you're allowed to say no, we think you're the best god for the job."

Apollo hadn't expected that. It wasn't as good as Set declaring his undying love for him, but it was close. These people finally needed him, and he couldn't wait to help.

He bounced on the mattress. "Tell me."

Set looked around the room. Apollo wondered what he was looking for, but he didn't have to wonder for long. Set dragged a chair closer to the bed, and after dumping the clothes that had been draped on it onto the mattress, he sat down and leaned forward. "We want to feed the spy false information. We want her to think that Ra will be in a certain place at a certain time on his own. He'll be vulnerable, and hopefully, she'll take the chance to confront him or tell Apophis about it."

"What am I supposed to do in this scenario?"

"We think she won't believe what we say if we're the ones to tell her. We wouldn't announce something like that during a meeting because we know there's a spy, and we know better than to talk about it where others can hear us."

"But I'm an idiot who talks too much."

To Apollo's surprise, Set leaned forward and squeezed his knee. He didn't remove his hand, and Apollo stared at it for a moment. Set was touching him willingly. He was touching Apollo's bare skin with his, and he wasn't snarling or telling Apollo this meant nothing.

"You're not an idiot," Set said. "No one who matters thinks that you are, and while I don't like that people see you that way, it would come in handy in this case. I don't know why Tefnut is doing this, but she doesn't know you, so she would probably believe that you could spill that kind of information without worrying too much about it. She probably thinks that you don't really care about us, anyway. You belong to another pantheon, and while you're helping us now, it doesn't mean you care about us. You want to save humanity, but probably not our pantheon."

"Of course I want to save your pantheon."

Set smiled. "I know you do, but she doesn't. Most gods barely care about the gods in their own pantheon, let alone other pantheons."

Apollo didn't care that people thought he was an idiot. He knew that sometimes he behaved like one, but he didn't understand why gods were supposed to be stuffy and snobbish. He loved humans. They were creative and intelligent, and he didn't want humanity to be destroyed just because a god was pitching a fit.

He pressed his hand on top of Set's. "I'll help you. You don't have to try to convince me. I do have one condition, though."

Set frowned and leaned back. "Maybe I should ask someone else, then."

He wasn't going to get out of this that easily. "Or maybe you should listen to me." Apollo surged forward and kissed Set. It was quick, but it was their third kiss, and Apollo enjoyed it thoroughly.

"What do you want?" Set asked as he looked away.

If Apollo was right, he could see a slight pink color on his cheeks. It was adorable. "I want another kiss."

"You just had one."

"I want a real kiss, like the one you gave me before torturing Maahes, but I want it to be longer."

Set stared at Apollo. "That's it? You want a kiss from me?"

"That's all I want," Apollo promised.

In reality, he wanted so much more, but he didn't want Set to feel forced to give it to him. If things were going to work between them, they'd have to move slowly. Set was pricklier than a porcupine, and while Apollo felt he was making good progress, one wrong step would be enough to ruin everything.

Set squared his jaw and nodded. "All right. I'll kiss you."

Apollo beamed. He felt so light that he might start to float. He puckered his lips, and Set once again rolled his eyes—something he tended to do a lot when he was with Apollo. To be fair, everyone seemed to do that a lot around him.

Set leaned forward and pressed their lips together. Apollo was pretty sure he'd intended to keep it as short as possible, but that wasn't what Apollo wanted.

He hooked his arms around Set's shoulders and pulled him close as he opened his mouth. Set made a surprised sound, but he came easily. He wrapped his arms around Apollo's waist and slipped his tongue into Apollo's mouth, making him groan.

This was what Apollo wanted. He needed to feel close to Set, and he was sure Set felt the same. It didn't matter how prickly he was. His insides were soft and squishy, and he had more feelings than he'd ever admit to.

Apollo tilted back, taking Set with him. He wasn't sure why Set didn't resist, but he took it as a win. He stroked his tongue against Set's, swallowing Set's whimper and feeling like Set had just handed him the world.

He made to wrap his legs around Set, but the movement must have startled Set. He jerked away and stared at Apollo with wide eyes as if he couldn't believe what they'd just done.

"You had your kiss," he said.

Apollo pouted. "I want another one."

"You only wanted one."

"I only asked for one, but I want every kiss you're willing to give me and so much more."

Set stared for a moment. "Do your job, and I'll give you more."

Apollo beamed and watched as Set scrambled off the bed and out the door. He was acting like a spooked animal, and in a way, he was. This had been a lot for him but not enough for Apollo.

Apollo flopped down onto his back and looked at the ceiling. He was beaming like an idiot, and he didn't care. This was going to work.

He was sure of it.

* * * *

Set wasn't proud to say that he ran away from Apollo. He didn't know what else to do.

Apollo overwhelmed him in a way no one else ever had. Set didn't know what to do with him or how to react to what he did. Apollo demanded things no one else would have dared demand from Set, and he wasn't afraid of him.

Everyone was afraid of Set.

But not Apollo. Instead of being afraid, he looked at Set like he wanted to devour him. From his behavior and what he said, Set could see that he wanted a long-term relationship, and he didn't understand that. He didn't think he ever would, but he was done resisting.

That didn't mean that giving in was easy.

It was anything but. Set didn't have relationships. He fucked anyone he wanted, but that was where it ended. He rarely even saw the same person twice, and most of the time, people had sex with him because they thought it was exciting to be with the god of violence. Set didn't like that, but he also didn't care much what people thought of him.

But he cared what Apollo thought of him so very much.

Only Apollo had ever managed to make him feel unsteady and like he had no idea what he was doing. It was why he was running from his suite, not knowing where to go. He could go to the human realm, but that would be dangerous. On the other hand, he only ever stayed in his rooms when he was in the palace, and right now, he couldn't be there.

What did that leave him?

His feet took him in the direction of Nu's suite. Maybe it was because he'd spent a lot of time there lately, or maybe because his grandparent had never looked at him with fear or disgust like a lot of the other gods had. They knew what Set was and that he was needed just as much as Ra or any other god. He and Ra were part of the same balance—a balance Apophis was trying to break.

But Nu didn't care. They loved Set, even though they'd been there when Set had tortured Maahes the first time. They knew exactly who he was.

They still loved him.

He didn't even have to knock. The door swung open as soon as he reached it, and Nu looked up at him with a smile. "I got a call from Thoth. He said he saw you rushing down the hallway toward my rooms and thought I should be aware of it."

Set glared. "Since when do people care where I'm going?"

They stepped aside to let him in. "People always care about where you're going."

"Because they're afraid I'm going to attack them."

"Some of them." Nu closed the door. "But a lot of us just care about you. I can see that Thoth was right. You do look out of sorts."

Set sucked in a breath, and to his horror, when he opened his mouth, everything came out. "It's Apollo. We kissed several times, and I have no idea what to do with that or how to behave. I don't understand why, but he seems to want a relationship with me, and I have no idea how those work, especially not with a god like Apollo. Why does he want this with me? He's so good and sweet, and I'm the exact opposite. He shouldn't even look at me twice, yet he's been trying to worm his way into my life since we first met, and I don't think anything I can say will stop him. He knows what he wants, and for some reason, what he wants is me ."

Set snapped his mouth shut and groaned. What the fuck was happening to him?

Nu chuckled. "That's a lot."

"I was fine before meeting him," Set said as he started pacing. "Everyone left me alone, and I loved it. I don't know anything about relationships. People don't usually care about me that way."

"Apollo doesn't care what kind of god you are, though."

"He doesn't seem to. He knows what I did to Maahes, but he's still here. He still wants me."

Set didn't understand why, but he was starting to realize that maybe he didn't have to. Apollo wanted him, even knowing who Set was and what he did. He might be a little messy and airheaded sometimes, but he was an intelligent person. If Set was so horrible, Apollo wouldn't want him, right?

Set had spent so much time keeping other people away because they were scared of him and he hated the way they looked at him that he hadn't thought that maybe not everyone was afraid of him. Most of his family didn't seem to be, and Apollo definitely wasn't. Hell, even Barnaby and Lance were comfortable with Set, and they were human.

Maybe Set wasn't so unlovable after all.

"That's good," Nu said as they patted Set's arm. "I've been watching you for a while now, and I disliked how lonely you were."

"I'm not lonely," Set said with a scoff.

Nu didn't look like they believed him. "Fine. I hated how alone you were and how far away you kept people, and I'm glad Apollo managed to break through that. You don't have to be with him if he's not the kind of person you want, but I think it would do you good. He might not belong to our pantheon, but he balances you, and that's what you need. It's what we all need."

Maybe Nu was right. Set hoped they were, because he couldn't see himself without Apollo anymore. As annoying as the other god was, he'd pushed his way into Set's life and into his heart, and with how stubborn he was, there was no way Set would ever be able to kick him out. He was pretty sure that Apollo had fully moved into his suite by now, and if he hadn't, it wouldn't be long.

Apollo had found a home with Set, even though Set had been resisting and pushing him away. Maybe Set could do the same. Maybe he could find a home with Apollo.