8 “Snap out of It!!!”

Ílios POV

"I, huff, hate, huff, you." I wheezed out to Set, having just swum my way back to the boat.

"Now that's no way to talk to your teacher, is it? And after I graciously accepted my lord's request to train you, this breaks my heart, I thought I'd finally found a student, but all I got was a whining little bitch." He said with fake tears falling from his eyes. "I guess I should just leave and let the lord Ra find someone else to train you, though they probably won't be as good as me as I am Egypt's greatest fighter."

"Fine, I get it, I'm sorry, I'll stop complaining and fully accept your teachings you annoying overgrown Aardvark," I say to him my voice laced with faux remorse.

"Perfect since you've failed the first lesson we'll have to start with the second lesson, jump!" He says and sweeps his leg under me making me fall hard on my back.

"Uugh, shouldn't we have completed the first lesson before moving on to the second?" I ask groaning in pain.

"The first rule of combat, expect the unexpected, your opponent will not throw the same move at you over and over again and neither will I, now get up let's keep going." He says.

I get up from the ground just in time to hear him yell "Block!!" And fall back down from a headbutt to the chin.

'Yep, I definitely hate this guy.'

Sekhmet POV, 30 minutes later

"I have to say watching the 2 of you might just be the most entertaining thing I've seen in a while." I say to Set as he comes to stand by my side at the front of the boat.

He and Ílios had been training for over 30 minutes before the young God finally tired himself out. Set sent him to rest inside the cabin but not before giving him the task of figuring out the true purpose of the training.

"Do you think he'll be able to figure out what you were trying to teach him?" I ask him.

"I don't know, he's smart, but also very stubborn, and he has some arrogance in him, but then again what good doesn't. It all depends on him, now enough of that we've just passed the first House of the Night, I can sense one of the Serpents splinters approaching. Remember this isn't like the last few times you accompanied us, Apophis is at his strongest tonight, we need to get rid of the splinters swiftly and effectively while preserving our strength to aid lord Khnum in battling the main body later tonight." he said.

I nodded in understanding looking back unto the river preparing myself for the long night ahead.

Ílios POV

BOOM!! the sounds of explosions are the first things I hear upon waking. I get up from the mattress I was laying on and quickly make my way out of the cabin. What I see can only be described as a scene of horror, Sekhmet's body mutilated her entrails strewn across the boat, Set's body cut in half his upper buddy on the deck and his lower one sticking out from a hole in the boat, and finally, Khnum's head resting in the mouth of a great and terrifying beast, it's a long black leather-like body covered in red spots akin to molten lava, razor-sharp fins across it's back, fangs dripping with the blood of my teachers jutting out of its mouth, and then there were its eyes. Pure white eyes that shouldn't at all be terrifying, but when I looked at them I could no longer move I was stuck there paralyzed, living my worst fears.

"Sna...ou...o...I..!"

'What was that? It sounded so familiar.'

"It's no...eal!!"

'There it is again, that voice, I swear I know that voice, but from where?'

"You....ha....to....fig....him..stee....you....mind"

"I can't understand you what are you saying!!" I scream out.

"This isn't real, you have to fight him, steel your mind!!"

'That voice. It can't be.' "Mother?" I ask out loud.

"Yes my son, I am here, I am always with you, now fight this monster, this is your mind, you are king here, do not worry I will support you, Now fight!!!"

I didn't know what was real or not, if my mother was really there or it was just another of Apophis' tricks but I know one thing for sure I had to break free.

I start to build up all of my divine energy before releasing it with a scream.

"AAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" BOOM. An explosion of divine energy rocks. Everything around me and tears away at what I thought was reality.

I look around trying to understand what was going on, 'Apophis isn't here, where'd he go? And where are the others?' I ask myself frantically before noticing a shadow behind me, I turn around a see a beaming Khnum. 'They're alive!! So it was an illusion after all, but does that mean my mother actually spoke to me or was that also a trick.'

"I'm impressed you were able to break out of Apophis' spell my young apprentice, even though we defeated the Serpent, those caught in his paralyzing and hypnotic gaze can spend hours stuck in their own mind, you have once again proven yourself." He says proudly. "Though next time could you figure out another way to do it than bringing out your divine form? I understand you were in distress but because of it every wandering mortal soul that was in the vicinity has been destroyed, I should really teach you how to control your divine form."

I look down at myself trying to figure out what he was talking about, and I'm shocked to see glowing white hands starting at me. I rush to the side of the can't and look at myself in the water's reflection and see a man completely made of a divine white aura with wings at his back. 'Is that me?'

"Return to the cabin quickly we are about to pass through the Gates of the East and back into the mortal world, I don't want you destroying every human that might look up into the sky and see my sun boat." Says Khnum.

I quickly make my way into the cabin and sit down, I close my eyes and start to meditate. 'I should be able to regain control of my divine form.'

'Think of water flowing backwards into a container.' a voice says to me in my head.

"Mother is that you or am I just going crazy?" I ask.

Giggle. "No, you're not crazy my son, this is just one of my many abilities as Titaness of Motherhood, I can sense the emotions of this birthed by me and communicate with them, though it's harder given how you are being cloaked somehow, I have been trying to communicate with you since yesterday evening, your state of distress was strong enough for me to finally reach you, this is how I communicate with your older brother Zeus, though I can't do the same with your other siblings as Kronos' mental defences constantly get in the way. But enough about that I think it's about time we spoke my son. I wish to know how it is exactly you found your way in Egypt not only battling the Chaos Serpent but also being trained by Ra, I'm worried my son, Pantheons intermixing is never a good thing." she said to me mentally.

I didn't know how much I should tell her, but something about her voice just makes me want to relieve her of her worries. 'I'll just tell her that I got stranded here and that lord Khnum found me interesting enough to train, I don't want to worry her, but I also don't think I can tell her Khaos sent me here, plus after I tell her she might be able to fill me in on the situation in Greece and we can start formulating our war plans before my siblings get out of Kronos' stomach.' I think to myself.

Sigh "Well it all started when I crashed onto lord Ra's sun boat and almost got killed by a sexy cat." I start retelling my story.

A.N : This chapter was one of my favourites to write, I enjoyed writing Set's training methods and Rhea's interference, I'm going to make her a lot more relevant than in the myths and Percy Jackson stories where she just retreats from the mythological world. It never made sense to me I always felt like she could have been extremely helpful during the second Titanomachy, what better person for mercy to learn about his enemy Kronos from than his wife, so in my story, she'll be a lot more useful.

And as always tell me your thoughts on this chapter and on what parts you liked and didn't like.