"Isis," Aphrodite called out. She instinctively tried to stand, to separate herself from Nathan and adopt a more defensible posture, but Nathan’s arms tightened around her waist with firm insistence, preventing her from leaving his lap .
She glanced down at Nathan, confusion and concern warring in her expression, but his gaze remained locked upward on Isis—cold, calculating, utterly devoid of the warmth he’d been showing Aphrodite re monts ago . His entire deanor had shifted in an instant, transforming from relaxed affection into coiled alertness.
"Did you finally find a new man to replace the countless others who ca before, Aphrodite?" Isis asked, her tone dripping with false sweetness that barely concealed the barb beneath . The question was designed to wound, to diminish, to reduce Nathan to just another entry in what she was implying was a very long list of the love goddess’s conquests .
"What are you doing here, Isis?" Nathan cut in before Aphrodite could formulate a response, his voice flat and hard as iron . He had no interest in whatever verbal gas Isis wanted to play, no patience for the elaborate social dancing that gods often engaged in before getting to their actual points .
Isis’s silver eyes shifted from Aphrodite to Nathan, her gaze sharpening as she reassessed him with visible calculation . Whatever she saw in his expression made sothing flicker across her own features—perhaps respect, perhaps wariness, perhaps simple recognition that he wasn’t going to be as easy to manipulate as she might have hoped .
"You did an excellent job forcing the Romans to co to peaceful terms with Amun Ra," she said, her tone taking on a quality of formal acknowledgnt . "You fulfilled the duty I assigned you remarkably well, actually. I’m quite impressed with how thoroughly you handled the diplomatic complications ."
"The duty I assigned you" she had said.
As though he had been acting under her orders rather than pursuing his own agenda that happened to align with her interests . Obviously he hadn’t done it for her benefit, had simply made it appear that way while serving his own purposes, but he refused to let himself be provoked into whatever confrontation she was engineering .
"If the task is completed to your satisfaction, then you can leave now in peace," Nathan replied with dismissiveness, his tone making clear he considered this conversation concluded .
"Unfortunately, I cannot simply leave," Isis replied, her expression hardening as her gaze grew noticeably colder when it settled on Nathan . "There remains the matter of consequences and responsibilities that must be addressed ."
The shift in her deanor was subtle but unmistakable—this was no longer polite acknowledgnt of services rendered, but sothing far more serious and potentially threatening .
"You destroyed the Pharos of Alexandria," she continued, her voice taking on the weight of formal accusation . "That lighthouse was ant to protect Alexandria from external threats, to serve as both physical and mystical defense for one of Amun Ra’s most important cities. Its destruction has left a vulnerability that cannot be ignored. You must take responsibility for what you’ve done ."
"Isis, what exactly are you playing at?" Aphrodite demanded, her eyes narrowing dangerously as she began to understand where this was heading . Her body tensed in Nathan’s arms, divine power beginning to gather around her in response to the threat she sensed building .
"I rely want to ensure the safety of my empire," Isis replied with deceptive simplicity, as though her motivations were entirely reasonable and her demands would be equally moderate . "Surely that’s not unreasonable for a goddess responsible for the welfare of millions of mortal subjects ?"
"And what exactly do you expect to do about the Pharos’s destruction?" Nathan asked.
Isis’s smile widened, taking on a quality that made it clear she’d been waiting for precisely this question . "You will have to assu the place and role that the Pharos once held," she declared with absolute authority . "You will stay in Alexandria and serve as protector of Amun Ra, defending it against any threats that might arise. It’s only fair, really—you destroyed our defense, so you must beco that defense ."
"Is that so kind of joke, Isis?" Aphrodite’s voice rose sharply, anger flooding her features as she glared at Isis with unconcealed fury . "You cannot be serious about demanding he beco your permanent guardian !"
"I would never joke about matters of such importance," Isis replied coolly, her expression suggesting she found Aphrodite’s outrage both predictable and irrelevant . "And truly, what does he have to lose in this arrangent? I’m not asking him to stay imprisoned in so hellish dinsion, but in Alexandria—one of the most magnificent cities in existence. You’ve grown quite close with Cleopatra from what I understand, Nathan. Surely it wouldn’t disturb you to remain there... indefinitely ?"
Nathan stared at her. He knew it had been too easy earlier when Isis had seed content to simply use him for diplomatic purposes . He should have anticipated this—should have seen it coming the mont she started trying to give him orders as though he were her subordinate . Now she was attempting to lock him down, to transform him into her personal weapon and puppet, permanently bound to serve her empire’s interests rather than his own.
"What if I refuse your demand?" Nathan asked her nonetheless.
"You won’t refuse," Isis replied with absolute confidence, her smile growing colder and more ruthless as she delivered her ultimatum . "Because the consequences of defying would be... severe. Catastrophic, even. Let’s just say that neither Aphrodite nor Khione could save you from what I would do to you and all those precious won you keep collecting like trophies. Every single one of them would suffer for your pride."
"Isis, you absolute bitch!" Aphrodite exploded, surging to her feet with divine power crackling around her in visible waves of pink and gold energy . She looked ready to physically attack her, consequences be damned, her hands clenching into fists that could shatter mountains .
"Aphrodite, I have nothing personal against you," Isis said with infuriating calmness, not even flinching at the display of power . "But you know perfectly well you cannot defeat in direct combat. Our power levels aren’t comparable, and starting a fight would only end badly for you. I still consider you a friend, so I’m asking you nicely—back away from this. You can visit your lover in my empire whenever you want. You’ll always be welco in Alexandria as my honored guest."
"Don’t make laugh! He is not your slave!" Aphrodite retorted, her voice shaking with barely controlled rage .
Isis rely smiled with maddening serenity and shifted her attention back to Nathan, clearly waiting for his decision with absolute confidence that he would capitulate .
"Give two years," Nathan said suddenly, his voice cutting through the tension with unexpected calmness .
"Two years? For what purpose?" Isis asked, one elegant eyebrow rising in genuine curiosity .
"I want to defeat the Light Empire first," Nathan explained with remarkable composure given the circumstances . "Once that’s accomplished, once I’ve finished what I started there, I will beco whatever guardian you require for Alexandria. But I need those two years to conclude my current obligations."
"Nathan!" Aphrodite whirled to stare at him, her expression caught sowhere between dumbfounded shock and horrified betrayal . She clearly couldn’t believe he was actually agreeing to Isis’s outrageous demands .
But Nathan caught her gaze and held it, giving her a subtle shake of his head—a ssage to trust him, to play along, to understand that whatever he was doing had purpose beyond the surface appearance of capitulation .
Isis studied Nathan intently, her silver eyes searching his face for deception or hidden angles . "I find it hard to believe you’ve accepted this so easily," she admitted with surprising honesty . "Your reputation suggests considerably more stubbornness and defiance than you’re currently displaying. But very well—I shall grant you these two years to handle your war against the Light Empire ."
Her expression hardened then, all traces of satisfaction vanishing beneath sothing far more dangerous .
"But understand this clearly," she continued, her voice dropping into registers of absolute authority that made the air itself seem heavier . "After those two years conclude, whatever sches you may be planning will be irrelevant. I am Isis—supre goddess of my pantheon, wielder of magic that predates most civilizations, keeper of secrets that could unmake reality itself. Do not make the mistake of underestimating simply because I am human in appearance. That error has proven fatal for countless beings far more powerful than you currently are."
With those final words hanging in the air like a death sentence, Isis vanished—not gradually or with dramatic effects, but simply ceasing to exist in that location as though she had never been there at all .
The mont she disappeared, Aphrodite spun toward Nathan with her confusion and anger blazing across her perfect features .
"How dare she!" Aphrodite exploded, her voice rising with each word . "I knew Isis could be arrogant and manipulative, but this goes far beyond her usual political maneuvering! This is outright enslavent she’s proposing! How can you possibly—"
"Leave it," Nathan interrupted calmly, still sitting on his rock with remarkable composure given what had just transpired . He looked utterly unbothered, as though divine ultimatums were rely minor inconveniences rather than existential threats .
"How can you be so calm about this?!" Aphrodite demanded, her frustration only growing at his apparent acceptance . "Or are you actually seriously considering accepting her demands? Nathan, you don’t know Isis the way I do—once she makes a decision, once she commits to a course of action, she never withdraws it. She will hold you to this agreent with absolute ruthlessness !"
"Of course I have no intention of becoming her slave," Nathan replied evenly, finally eting her frantic gaze with steady golden eyes . "I won’t be anyone’s slave, least of all hers ."
Aphrodite sagged slightly with visible relief, tension draining from her shoulders as she processed his words . "Thank the fates," she breathed . "So as I suspected, you only said that to buy yourself ti? To get her off your back temporarily while you figure out how to deal with the actual problem ?"
Nathan nodded confirmation, his expression remaining eerily calm .
"Nathan, you need to understand sothing crucial," Aphrodite said urgently, dropping to her knees beside him and grasping his shoulders with desperate intensity . "Isis isn’t weak, and she’s terrifyingly intelligent. She’s nothing like Hera with her blind rage or Poseidon with his impulsive arrogance. Isis thinks ten steps ahead, plans for every contingency, and strikes preemptively when she detects threats. If she discovers anything suspicious about your intentions, she won’t wait to gather more evidence or give you chances to explain—she’ll simply attack first and sort out the details afterward ."
"It doesn’t matter what she said today or what threats she made," Nathan replied with a smile. "I’ve already made my decision about how to handle this situation, how to handle her."
"What decision?" Aphrodite asked, searching his face desperately for answers . "What are you planning to do?"
Nathan’s golden demonic eyes shifted to stare at the precise spot where Isis had vanished monts before, and the expression that settled across his features made Aphrodite’s breath catch . His gaze had gone cold—not with anger or hatred, but with sothing far more dangerous: absolute ruthlessness.
"I am going to enslave her."
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