the weakest of the gods and therefore the easiest to destroy. He knew Amun-Ra was much too powerful to come after him directly, so his plan was to siphon off the energy of the lesser gods first, starting with me. I also represented his defeat, for I was the product of the union he failed to extinguish. He declared my birth an illegal act willfully realized by my corrupted parents, and one that deserved the ultimate punishment. I was the embodiment of the very thing he despised the most, and he was determined to kill me until Amun-Ra intervened.”
“Isis became naturally distraught after Seth made several attempts to kill Horus,” Amun-Ra added. “She poisoned me in an effort to learn Seth’s true name so that she might destroy him before he killed her son.”
“Hold on. Amon told me that Isis poisoned you so that she could find out your true name so that you would help Horus. He said she wanted Horus to be your heir.”
“Either one would have served her purpose,” Amun-Ra went on. “If she obtained Seth’s true name, she could put an end to him, and if she had mine, then she could control me and make me destroy him for her. I am the only one powerful enough to do it, not having given birth to any children of my own. And being the first god to come forth from the Waters of Chaos afforded me the opportunity to learn the true names of all the members in my family. Isis wanted to stop Seth once and for all. If any of us survived the unmaking Seth was attempting, she wanted it to be Horus. When I refused to give up either of our names, she asked me to take Horus under my protection instead, and I did.”
“So you made him your heir?”
“I don’t see my relationships with my family members in that way. We are all equal in my mind. Even those gods who have more limited powers have duties that are vitally important in the creation and maintenance of the universe.”
“I disagree, Uncle.”
“I know you do. But I cannot help loving Seth as much as I love you or your mother.” He turned to me. “To soothe her, I told Isis that Horus would receive the opportunity to win a special gift, one that would make him powerful enough to ensure that Seth could not destroy him, but that Horus would need to pass a series of challenges before winning it. It was not a gift I gave away lightly.”
“You’re talking about the Eye of Horus, aren’t you?” I asked.
“Yes. When I presented Horus with the three trials to test his worthiness, Seth appeared and demanded that he be included. I thought a supervised competition between the two gods might go a long way toward helping Seth return to the fold, to give Seth a chance to prove himself and show the others that he was not the man they thought he was. But Seth used his powers to unmake Horus’s eyes. In losing his vision, Horus saw clearly for the first time. His suffering helped him to understand the needs of others. And I knew then that he was truly worthy of the prize.”
“I found Nebu,” he said. “Even blind I was able to defeat Seth, thanks to the falcon who kept me alive.”
“Wait,” I interrupted. “Amon told me you never found Nebu, that the one who did would become the heir of the sun god.”
“Nebu and I disagree on the matter of who found who,” Horus answered with a cocky smile. “Even so, Seth didn’t like what happened next.”
Amun-Ra grunted. “Seth was angry, but even he could not find fault with my decision. Horus was given new eyes, including my most powerful gift, currently in use by your young man, Amon. Despite outward appearances, Horus does make sacrifices for the greater good from time to time.”
“Amon is currently in possession of my golden falcon and the Eye,” Horus groused. “That’s why I’ve been grounded here for so long. Without the Eye, I’m vulnerable. Perhaps the company of a beautiful woman—women,” he corrected with a wave of his hand to indicate both me and Tia, “will help me forget my troubles.”
I completely ignored him while Amun-Ra twitched, clearly at his wits’ end with Horus’s lovesickness. “Insufferable as your manners are, you have earned the right to live under my protection for as long as I have the power to keep Seth at bay.