CHAPTER 201

"It would be immensely helpful if you could drop that car off somewhere else," she told him as she walked him toward the back door. "You do know how to drive, right?"

"I do," he replied. "But I'm sure that--"

"Oh, and you know how to remove fingerprints," Amymone added. "That means you can remove the evidence!"

"Yes, but--"

"Cyrus." Mike stared at the man. "Do this for me and I'll be happy to sit down with you sometime and we can just talk. I'm sure you have questions, and maybe I have answers to give."

Cyrus paused, conflict in his eyes. Finally, he nodded and held up the keys.

"It's a deal," he said. He turned to Yuki and gave her a small bow. "I know my way out, thank you."

With that, he disappeared into the house. Mike waited until he heard the car being started before letting out a sigh of relief. He half expected screams of fright followed by lightning or fire. Even in grieving, Eulalie had made sure to hide herself away.

"Didn't want him around?" asked Ratu. "He seems friendly enough."

"He's not family." Mike looked at the others. "He's an ally, but he's not one of us. I know it sounds strange to say it like that, but I feel it in my gut."

His feelings about Cyrus were severely mixed, as if his own senses were ambivalent on what he should do. The last thing he needed right now was another complication, so had erred on the side of caution.

They spoke at length, comparing notes on what they knew. Naia seemed to think that Mike would be able to use his connection with the house to open the gate to the Underworld. Sofia eventually returned, then sat and listened as Mike detailed what they would be facing if they could get back to the house.

"Apophis, really?" Sofia shook her head in disgust at the mention of the priestess. "Doomsday cults are a dime a dozen, but this one was backed by an actual deity."

Ratu nodded. "The Great Serpent was infamous among my people, for obvious reasons. His fights with Ra were the stuff of legend, but his followers were the absolute worst. Their desire for chaos was largely what led to their own demise as a religion. Pretty much self-destructed right after Apophis was killed, but it sounds like one of them actually had long term plans."

"And a magic cock, apparently." Mike shifted his arm and winced. It was throbbing now.

"Ah, yes. The phallus of Osiris. I won't bore you with the details, but it was lost a long time ago. If Isis was still around, she would probably grant you a huge boon if you could return it to her."

Mike lifted an eyebrow. "Why would Isis care?"

"Osiris was her husband. He was the god of fertility, agriculture, the underworld..." Ratu waved her hand dismissively. "So not just any magic cock. Divine magical cock. And right now, with them being in the Underworld, that thing has what you would call the home court advantage. It would also explain how this priestess was able to subjugate an angel. By combining her soul with Murray, it allowed her a direct connection to the angel. The cock of Osiris would give her the strength to control it. However, if you take away the artifact, you may weaken or break that connection."

As they continued to discuss options, the skies up above darkened. Looking up at the sky, he was filled with an inexplicable dread.

"Naia? Can I get that key?" He held out his hand and Naia handed it over. Everyone stopped talking as he walked over to the wrought-iron gate at the back of the property.

When he slipped the key in and turned it, the gate opened, only revealing the forest behind his house. There was no sign of Cerberus or the Underworld.

"Figured it wouldn't be so easy," he muttered, then closed the gate again. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, summoning the magic. It manifested weakly at first, as if reluctant.

He put his hand on the gate and closed his eyes. The world around him went quiet as he spread his consciousness wide, hoping to grab onto a thread of magic. There were whispers of it shifting around beneath the soil, and it took a few tries before he was able to latch onto one.

A jolt of power raced through him, and he opened his eyes to gaze upon a beautiful garden. His hand was wrapped around an iron pole with an unlit lamp up above.

"This...is not what I expected." He looked down at his feet and realized that he was in his own body. A quick survey of the place revealed that this was definitely the magical gardens where he often met the house. He had only ever been there in her body, and he was all alone.

"Hello?" He walked around, curious if his body was still in the real world. If he had teleported here, it had probably scared the shit out of everyone. The most likely idea was that it was just his consciousness that had made the trip.

I see you've met my sister. The voice was coy and carried by the breeze. You carry her scent.

"I have," he replied, recognizing the house's voice. "I'm trying to open up the Underworld so I can come find you. Well, your Earth body. My house. Any advice on that?"

The voice laughed, and he felt a soft breeze caress his body.

I'm never more than a thought away, Caretaker. The presence tickled the back of his neck and tousled his hair. They say that home is where your heart is. So come find me.

"That's very cryptic, thanks for your..." he was suddenly back in his yard. "Help," he finished.

It was frustrating never being given a direct answer, but he knew that the house, in her own way, had somehow given him the answer without violating whatever rules had been set forth. Now he just needed to dissect the words and figure out how much was metaphor and how much was literal.

"Mike? Is everything okay?" Naia's voice was filled with concern. "It looked like you passed out for a second there."

"Might have," he replied, then turned to look at her.