The Goddess and the Priest

Kebechet watched as the men filtered into her temple. Her father really treasured her and as such told his followers to build a temple for his daughter for without her, their souls would sully the Land of the Two Fields of the afterlife if they managed to live a life that was worthy of entering paradise. Now she had a huge temple to walk through and conversations to listen upon. She found the mortals to be quite interesting. They talked of politics and literature and she understood much more now that she could see and interact with humans. She could only interact with them when there was a major issue but it was fun nonetheless. The High priests of her temple were very kind and had no problems worshiping a female Goddess. They would even give her scrolls to read during her free time. Then one day a new high priest came. She had just sent off the former priest giving him his glass of water that was mixed with her magic. The water would then further cleanse his soul and elevate him so he could enter the afterlife. This new high Priest was not at all like his predecessors.

He spoke to her only when needed and that was that, she didn't like that. With only the Gods and Goddesses of the afterlife as well as any souls they deal with, Kebechet made friends with all of the high priests of her temple. They were her only true link to the outside world. Her father indulged her and allowed her free roam of all of Egypt so long as it was night and she had a high priest with her for added security. Kebechet spent a whole year sneaking scrolls out of his library before he finally gave in and spoke to her.

" Beloved Goddess, please return the scroll you took from my library." He asked after one day when he caught her throwing rocks at him.

"You aren't any fun." She replied " Why should I return them to you? All you do is read and talk politics with other priests and ignore me. I can talk politics, I can read and write. I want you to tell me things too."

The High Priest Djedi looked at the young woman before him and crossed his arms in frustration. His skin was looked smooth and was dark like chocolate. His face even while being serious was handsome. His black ink eyes, full lips and strong build could make any womans heart flutter.

" Goddess Kebechet, I am only trying to do my job." He pleaded

" Well I want to have people to talk to and only the high priests can see me. You're the only high priest Djedi. You can't be that busy that you can't indulge me for a few hours a day. You are the only high priests to have come here and pay me, your goddess no mind." With that she lightly flicked a rock at his head.

Djedi held the side of his head and glared at her.

" I have more rocks and I have more than enough time to steal from your library. One day you might come in and find it completely barren not even your furniture would be left." She said but her face held sadness and loneliness filler here eyes.

Djedi sighed and looked at the young female before him. Her hair was twisted into locs that were left loose at the bottom and with how she styled her hair she often looked like she had a hundred hair-colored snakes slithering over her scalp. Her face was beautiful she only ever wore eyeliner, and brow paint and kept a slight red tint to her lips. Her skin was a golden brown that seemed to actually shimmer and her eyes were an ocean blue color. Of course, to any mortal man, she was beautiful. Djedi found her so beautiful he opted to try to avoid her as long as possible. A woman so beautiful could never belong to a mortal man. He fell in love with her beauty and was uncomfortable being in her presence. Because he knew what he was and was not allowed to do. But today she won. She looked so sad and dejected and he didn't have it in his heart to reject her again.

" Okay, fine, what would you like to do today?" He asked finally

From that day on they spent large quantities of time together. Slowly Kebechet began falling for Djedi and then one day she confessed. There was a celebration for the new year and they were watching some late-night festivities from the veranda of the Kings palace. She knew what she was doing and it wasn't often for members of the Egyptian pantheon to copulate with humans or have any sort of romantic relationship with a mortal. But here she was ready to give this man her heart. As they watched the festivities below, Kebechet wrapped her arm around his waist and smoothly slid into his view. Djedi gave her a surprised look and then she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his. She stayed there for a moment before pulling away slightly.

" I can't accept your confession, Kebi." He said softly.

"Why not? I can see how you look at me. You can not fool me into thinking you don't love me."

" I- I fell for your beauty."

Kebechet gave him a knowing smile " And then?"

" I fell for your smarts, your humor, and your passion for what you care about."

"You serve me, if I give you permission to love me, romantically, then isn't that enough?" She asked.

They still hadn't moved from their positions only a hairs width apart from the lips of the other. For a while, it was quiet as they stared into each other's eyes.

"Okay, then allow me to serve you, my beloved Goddess," Djedi said finally and kissed her deeply.

Kebechet held onto his robes and without a sound, they disappeared into her realm space. They landed unceremoniously on her bed and she pulled his accessories and his robes off of his body. He grabbed her hands and gave her a gentle smile. "It's okay to move slowly." He said with a laugh

They spent the rest of the night exploring each other's bodies as they made love. This was the beginning of the end of their relationship. After being together in secret for many years, Kebechet felt something was off, especially when she tried to use her powers. After contemplating it for a while she went to her great-great grand aunt Hathor who was very sweet and motherly but also helped her get away with mischievous things when she was a child. "Who is your lover, child?" Hathor asked her

Kebechet was afraid to say " What does having a lover or not have to do with anything?"

Hathor looked at her with watery eyes " Because you are going to have a child of your own soon. Does your father know you've kept a lover? Is it Thoth? I know you two often went for walks and studied together. "

Kebechet shook her head. As much as she had a crush on the God of wisdom she distanced herself once she began her relationship with Djedi. The Egyptian Gods loved humans and looked out for their well-being they would actually take one as a lover and always scoffed at the Greeks who would wage wars and fight with one another over human lovers. Kebechet felt like crying and looked at her relative with pleading eyes.

"What should I do? He's a mortal. I didn't even think a mortal could even-It's been so many years and I never. Hathor what about my father?"

Hathor bit her lip. Anubis was extremely upfront about how demeaning it was to take a human lover, granted he wasn't too fond of all of the incestuous relationships within their realm either. Having an affair or marrying a deity from another pantheon was ideal for him.

" You stupid girl. I don't know how to protect you if it's a mortal. I- um- Okay, the first thing is for both of us to calm down, yes?" She said after wrapping the young deity in her arms.

Kebechet held on to her tightly. " Should I tell Djedi?"

Hathor stroked Kebechets' hair " Yes, you should tell him. Prepare him. Kebe, you both need to understand that this is extremely serious and it could be considered an offense on both of your parts."

Kebechet frowned " Why should he get in trouble? It's all my fault. I'm the one that confessed first. I'm the one that brought him to my bed."

"But he went willingly, perhaps he refused at first but in the end, he went and kept going. You two should have just stayed friends. You tell Djeni that dumbo about the trouble you two have brought out and then come back. I'll go with you to tell your father."

Kebechet hiccuped looking at her close relative. " I'm sorry for bringing you extra stress Hathor."

Hathor just gave her a motherly smile and helped Kebechet wipe away her tears. " Come, no matter what happens I will be by your side. Now let's fix your makeup."

After fixing her appearance Kebechet went back to her temple and looked for Djedi. As he always was, he was in his study. She walked into the room and closed the door and then set up a shield of silence. Djedi gave her a curious look. He hadn't aged much over the years, indeed Egyptians were a vain people, and like all other Egyptians, he took care of his face and body. " What's going on?" he asked setting down the scroll he was reading.

Kebechet gave him a weak smile. " We've caused a lot of trouble." She said softly.

Djedi felt his heart drop. " W-what do you mean?"

Kebechet sucked in a breath through her clenched teeth. " Um, it's more like we did something that will now cause us to reveal things ourselves."

Djedi looked at her completely lost. " What? Kebi make some sense please."

Kebechet opened her mouth to speak but couldn't get the words out. Suddenly she started thinking about what if he had wanted her to terminate the pregnancy so that they didn't have to reveal their relationship. Djedi stood up and walked around the desk to take her hands into his. " Kebi, what's wrong?"

Kebechet looked at him and then shut her eyes " I am with child." She said so softly he almost missed it.

Djedi tightened his grip on her hands " So what do we need to do? Run away??" He asked

Kebechet shook her head " No we need to confess, say that I seduced you and that you were just following orders from your goddess but then you grew to love me beyond just being devoted as a high priest."

Djedi gave her a serious look " I'm not going to put everything on you."

Kebechet rolled her eyes " My punishment wouldn't be as harsh. You just do as I say. I'm going to tell my father later today and then we'll go tell the pharaoh. I'll say something like I want to keep you as a consort."

Djedi frowned " I had sex with you willingly, we knew what we were doing and maybe every once in a while we didn't take preventive measures and this time it really got us. I'll go speak to the pharaoh myself and you and Hathor go to your father. I'll take my punishment from the Pharaoh and maybe your father will be easy on you."

Kebechet pursed her lips but nodded, " Okay fine."

Djedi gave her a huge smile and moved to hug her close. He kissed her temple.

" Everything will be fine."

Kebechet smiled and kissed his cheek then vanished from his hold. She went back to Hathor who held her hand as they approached her father.

He was a big muscular man, with dark skin, a bald head, and a stoic face. He looked up when the two women walked into the room and gave a wide smile at his only child. His teeth shown bright and he stood to greet them. He enveloped Kebechet in his strong hug. Hathor smiled at him pleasantly and Kebechet gave him a nervous grin. Sensing something was off he let her go and took a step back.

"What has you looking so frightful my dear?" He asked

Kebechet felt her mouth go dry. " Um." She looked at Hathor for guidance.

" Anpu" She started, " You know how much we respect and love you right?"

Anubis gave her a suspicious look " Yes I do, and what does that have to do with your strange behavior?"

Hathor scratched her head " Well, with as much as you respect and love you I hope you think the same of us."

Anubis blinked " Have you been around that burning bush again Hathor?"

Hathor coughed at the mention of a former pastime and blushed " No, I am just telling you what I hope."

He rolled his eyes " That's such a foolish thing to ponder, of course, I love her and respect her."

Hathor grinned and slowly led him back to his seat as she spoke " Wonderful haha, great that's what I like to hear." Once he sat down she chuckled nervously " Because we have something to say."

Anubis motioned for them to continue.

Hathor put her hands on Kebechets shoulders " Kebe has someone she loves."

Anubis smiled widely " Aha, this is why you were so nervous? I am happy for my daughter. What pantheon is he from? How did you meet?"

Kebechet froze and turned to look at Hathor who nervously laughed again. "About that, he's not from an outside pantheon."

Anubis' eyes widened "Damn, she fell for the trap. So then, is it Thoth?" He asked with a resigned sigh.

"Ah no. He's not part of our pantheon either." Hathor said slowly

Anubis' eyes narrowed " Hathor if he's not from an outside pantheon but also isn't part of ours then that only leaves the...No." Realization dawned on him and he crossed his arms resolute in his decision.

"Listen to me Anpu, they love each other. Why can't we let them be?"

"Because it's foolish, to love a simple thing like a mortal. They are so feeble and their lives are like little specks of dust. It doesn't make sense to love a mortal."

" But can you tell someone to control their heart?" Hathor asked

" No, but I can make it so they don't have one. That boy especially." He said seriously

" Well it's too late." Kebechet chimed in.

Anubis looked at her " What do you mean by that Kebechet?"

Hathor looked between the two and was about to cover for Kebechet when the younger goddess spoke her voice sounding much calmer than she probably felt.

" I am carrying his child."

Suddenly the room felt ice cold and everything looked devoid of color. Anubis stood and walked over to his daughter. She gave him a stubborn look as she met his stern eyes.

"How could you be so foolish?"

Kebechet didn't look away from his hard gaze " Because no matter how fleeting it is, I love him."

Anubis took a deep breath. " You need to get rid of it."

Kebechet and Hathor gasped " How could you say that? If she wants to keep the child then let her." Hathor argued

" She can't keep that thing inside of her."

"It's a baby." She pleaded.

"Get rid of it, that boy too. You must stay in this realm for 90 days and 90 nights." He sentenced

"Anubis, he's already gone to the pharaoh. It's too late to keep them apart. Just let them go. I'm sure Anput would agree with me."

" Well let's ask my wife what she thinks." He stood up and screamed his wife's name loudly.

A few moments later a figure showed up in the doorway. " Was it absolutely necessary to scream so loudly?"

Anubis pointed to Kebechet " You-you speak to your daughter."

Anput looked at the room confused, her teasing manner gone. " What happened baby?" She asked immediately going to hold her daughter.

"Mama." Kebechet cried.

"What did you do to make her cry?" Anput asked glaring at her husband.

"Me? She brought this upon herself. I spoil her, I give her as much as I can and this is what she does." He huffed in anger.

Anput looked at her daughter who had tears running down her face. She looked at Hathor confused " What happened?"

" She fell for a human."

"Okay, they can just be separated for a while and their feelings will go away." Anput rolled her eyes and spoke matter-of-factly.

"Anput. She's carrying his seed." Hathor nearly whispered.

Anput pulled herself away from Kebechet to scold her. "You silly girl. You know how your father is, how could you be so foolish?" Kebechet bawled harder and Anput held her once more tightly.

"He said I have to get rid of the baby." Kebechet managed to gasp out as she sobbed

" Who said that?"

"Yt." She said referring to her father.

Anput looked at Anubis who held a stubborn face then she looked at Kebechet. " Let me speak to him we might find a way. In the meantime, just listen to what he says. I might be able to make it so the only punishment you have to serve is just staying in the realm for a couple of weeks."

" She has to stay in the realm for 90 day and 90 nights." Anubis repeated.

Anput sighed " Okay fine. For now, it's 90 days and 90 nights. Hathor can you go with her?"

Hathor nodded, took Kebechet's hand, then disappeared.

When they got to Kebechets' home, Kebechet crumbled to the floor.

"Kebe please, try not to cry. It's not good for the baby for you to be like this. Let's try to calm down."

Kebechet hiccupped and looked like such a sorry sight.

"Come, let's go wash your face and we'll talk and keep planning. Your mother is speaking to your father and I'm sure that things will work out."

Hathor helped Kebechet stand and then brought her to the bathroom and a servant brought her a basin of water to wash her face. After a while, Kebechet was able to calm down but felt very tired. Hathor spent the night by her side. The next day Anput came to see her. The three goddesses sat in the sitting room and discussed the news of the day prior.

" So after speaking to your father, he's still not calm and being stubborn. He's very upset since he's made it known how he feels about mortals but he also knows that you can not stop the heart. After all, his want for love and need for an equal partner is what created me in the first place. The mortal went to the pharaoh, didn't he? He's probably confined in his home as well, or in jail if the pharaoh thinks it's a lie. But once your father eases up then you can go and speak to the pharaoh."

Kebechet spoke in a clear manner and Kebech understood there wasn't much left that she could do but soon she and her love would be reunited and they'll have a happy family together. They both just needed to hold on for a little bit.

The days passed and Kebechet continued her duty of helping her father in the afterworld. She was only allowed to oversee those who had passed and purify them. One day the last person she expected to see came into the room she occupied. Her eyes immediately swelled with tears as the man slowly and silently sat in front of her.

"No no no." She sobbed repeatedly and grasped the man's hands.

" Not you."

Djedi just looked at her with tears in his eyes and a sad smile. He gently wiped her tears away.

"Hey, it's okay. I'll be fine I just have to follow the steps and I'll be in The Land of Two Fields. When I'm there, it could be possible for you and the baby to visit me sometimes, no?" He tried to comfort the weeping Goddess.

" But this wasn't supposed to happen Djedi, how-how did this happen?" Kebechet asked with shaky breaths.

" I am a priest who thought so highly of himself that he'd sully the body of the goddess who refreshes the pharaoh and brings water to souls waiting for their mummification process to finish, with my seed." Djedi shrugged.

Kebechet choked back a sob " B-but I wanted you to."

He gave her a sad smile " That doesn't matter to him. To think I'd do such a thing, in a way was a threat to him, especially since our Gods don't ever take a human lover and the first time they do, it's with some priest not even the pharaoh. I understand that."

" But why did you die?"

" Because the Pharaoh declared that sleeping with a God is subject to treason. I went even further and impregnated you. So I had no other option of punishment but to die."

Kebechet cried for a while refusing to let him go. Slowly he managed to console her enough so the flow of her tears was infrequent and she could breathe without sobbing. She then stood up and left the room. When she returned she held a small bowl filled with water.

" This water is from my private lake. Drink and let it refresh your soul."

Djedi took the bowl of water and drank it all in one go. Right after, a wall shifted and slid to reveal a long hallway. Kebechet stood stiffly, she felt numb all over. After a slow breath, she spoke once more.

" Continue to the end of the corridor then knock three times slowly, in that room, you will be judged. Confess all of your sins and proclaim why you deserve to move on to the afterlife."

Djedi nodded and kissed her temple " I love you Kebi."

Kebechet gave him a worried look and hugged him quickly before pushing him into the corridor. " I love you too."

The wall slid back into place and then she waited. She waited and waited until she couldn't anymore. She peeked into the room of judgment to find that the room was empty. She went into the adjoining room to see her father hanging a scale on the arm of a woman. The Goddess of Judgment plucked a feather from her hair and handed it to Anubis. He placed it on the scale and then hung another scale on the opposite arm of the woman. On this scale, he placed a heart. He then adjusted the scales so they were both equal. Kebechet saw Djedi standing tall and proud. She was sure he'd make it to paradise. Her father stepped away from Ma'at and then let the Goddess do her work. As soon as he let go Ma'at hands shifted up and down before finally sticking to a position. There was a heavy pause and even her father looked upset but not surprised. Djedi's heart was heavier than the feather of Ma'at. Before Kebechet could say anything Ammit snatched Djedis heart from the scale and devoured it. Kebechet gasped loudly and Djedi turned to her, he made to run towards her but his body began to fade and right when he reached her, he completely vanished. Their fingers just slightly touched before he was just gone. He was really gone.

Kebechet screamed in horror. She screamed at the loss of her lover.

"No, he was good. He was so good."She shrieked

Anubis moved to hold her but she slapped his hands away and pointed at him. " You did this. This is all your fault!"

She wasn't wrong. Her father had told the Gods that Djedi went against his principles and took his daughter without permission. Even when Djedi confessed his sins they didn't care much for what he had to say, they had heard that the pharaoh had ruled it to be treason to sleep with a God. In the end, his heart worked against him. In the following weeks Kebechet found herself in such stressful conditions or made to do such strenuous tasks she knew her father was trying to make her lose the baby. She called upon her mother and Hathor to think of a way for her baby to be born. Hathor came up with a brilliant plan. " Divine birth" she called it. Her father removed all of the priests from her temple and had the pharaoh appoint females in the vacant positions. Hathor suggested they place the fetus in the womb of her newly appointed high priestess. Kebechet went to the woman in a dream and told her of what was to come. The High Priestess readily agreed and the transfer proceeded. The Goddesses told Anubis the baby was lost and Kebechet needed to rest her body. A few months later her baby was born. She named her Na'eemah, meaning benevolent. As she hoped for her child to be just as sweet and kind as her father.

Na'eemah looked at her mother and felt a bit remorseful after hearing the story of her parents' fate. She had never heard her mother sound so down.

" Mother, it's been over a hundred years that I've been with him, if anyone was going to do anything to keep us apart it would have happened already." She tried to sound reassuring. Surely her fate would be different.

Kebechet scoffed. " Do you think the Gods don't know patience? We have all the time in the world dear."

Na'eemah pursed her lips " Why do you hate him so much?"

Kebechet scrunched up her face " Because he's no good. I can tell. He's been sullied by the wars in Hell and is not a match for you. Do I believe he is good? No. Do I believe he used to be? Yes. He may be good to you but that shouldn't be the only factor you go on. "

Na'eemah sat up at her mothers' words.

"But Mama, how they do things are different, he has to spill blood and it's not like he's harming innocent people. He's just doing his job."

Kebechet pursed her lips.

"I want you to think about him carefully. This demon that has killed for you, and throws away his duties for you. Do you think he has always been truthful to you? Do you think he'll stay by your side forever?"

Na'eemah pouted.

"It's because he does all those things for me that I want him by my side forever. He helped me get revenge and when I call for him he shows up no matter what. The fact that he did what he did knowing it would set him back from going to Heaven, I know that he loves me and I love him."

Kebechet stared at her daughter silently as if she just realized something, then spoke after a while. " Do you really love him?"

Na'eemah looked at her as if she were an idiot. " Of course I do mother, how is that even a question?"

" I'm serious 'Eemah. Do you really love him or are you so blinded by his supposed infatuation that you think you love him too? Especially when you add in his attractiveness and your feelings of gratitude into the mix add the sex, well you could be fooling yourself and him as well."

Na'eemah crossed her legs and her arms. " So we're going from 'he's a bad guy and if he really loves me' to ' do you really love him' tactics? Now I'm the bad guy that's been fooling us both into thinking we're madly in love? Sorry but matters of the heart aren't part of my domain."

Kebechet shrugged. " I just noticed how you speak of him is all. Attractiveness isn't all there is to it nor is it okay to feel that things are okay because the monster you're with isn't a monster to you. Are you really okay with what he does? Don't you really wish for someone who not only fights for good but is actually on the side of the good?"

Na'eemah shifted. It was something she thought about. " Well yes but he's going back to Heaven soon so he'll be on the side of good again."

" What if he's so far gone this time that God doesn't want him to come back?"

Na'eemah shook her head. " No no, I'm sure his God knows his heart is still good and will accept him despite what he had to do in Hell."

" What if he is given the chance to go back and doesn't accept it? He did so once before." Kebechet inquired sipping her wine once more.

" No, he wouldn't do that. He loves me but he loves his God more."

" Oh.What if his God says that he wants the demon to drop you?"

Na'eemah clasped her hands together. Such a thought made her nervous. " Then...Then I'll just have to deal with the heartbreak. Because He deserves to be allowed to serve his God. I wouldn't hold him back."

Kebechet sighed " I tried to keep you from trouble. Just so you know, I've been keeping his involvement in your life a secret for many decades and I can continue doing so until things work as you think you have planned. But the moment he does anything, anything at all, that truly makes me question his integrity and ethics, I will speak to Anubis."

Na'eemah sucked in her breath in shock. " You stopped speaking to grandfather before I was even born."

Kebechets' jaw ticked " I would do anything in my power for your well-being. If I have to speak to Anubis to break you two apart I will. But I hope you two will have ended things on your own before then."

Na'eemah huffed " You'd wish ill will upon us Mother?"

"No, I just want you to see what I see. I don't want you to go through the heartbreak I went through and end things now, if not then I'll do what I must."

Kebechet leveled her gaze to peer into her daughter's eyes then chuckled. " This must have been how my father felt. At least you aren't with child." She paused and looked at Na'eemah. " Are you?"

Na'eemah smirked. " And if I was?"

Kebechet smiled, " I'd smack that wine out of your hand." She said lightly.

Na'eemah chuckled and sipped her wine "Good thing then, that I am not."

She eyed Kebechet and then downed the contents of her glass.

" I think that our discussion is over, Mother."

Kebechet swayed her hand. " You are free to leave whenever. I just need you to seriously think not only of his intentions for you but yours for him. I could be wrong about him, or right. However, you are my daughter and I know that his place in your heart is all due to circumstance. Have a good day love."

She said with a light tone as if she were commenting on the weather.

Na'eemah gave her mother a quick glare before leaving Kebechets' space and appearing in her own home.