Crossing the Moon - 17. Anubis and Khonsu's Children

The three men felt a myriad of emotions as they sped-walked away from the entrance of the mansion and teleported back to Pax's garage to get in the car. Though Jany had been able to teleport them to Viktor's mansion, the violet-red-haired vampire had never been to any of Nut's temples before. That meant that they would have to drive there.

"Call me crazy, but I think he really likes him," Pax mused aloud as he took the driver's seat.

"Viktor seems to like anything on legs," Mateo scoffed beside him before walking around to the passenger side.

The other werewolf shook his head. "No, I meant Shael. He must really like Viktor."

January raised an elegant eyebrow as he entered the back of the car so that he could later duck to be unseen as they pulled out. But, Mat nearly tripped on his own feet as he headed towards the passenger side. The three of them didn't even try to peek in on their other mates inside the house for fear of becoming too distracted.

"That can't be possible," Mat dismissed the idea.

Pax opened the garage door. Then, the three of them then looked over the map beneath the automatic 'car door' light as January held it stretched out. After a few minutes, the purple-eyed vampire gave a firm nod and laid down to hide. "I think I know the way now."

Pax then pulled out and drove towards the highway. The men theorized about many things on the way to Nut's temple. They talked about why demigods would want to help them in the first place. Why had they hired Farshael to give them such a brief message? They wondered who the demigods were and why they had to head out to the temple of Nut, of all places. But, in the end, they only came up with more questions than answers.

They arrived at an urban area, which led Pax to park across the street from a graffiti-decorated building. He actually had to parallel-park into one of the few empty spots available. As they exited the car and once again looked at the map, this time beneath the light of a lamp post, their eyes widened.

"This is the place?" Mateo questioned as they began to cross the street towards the graffiti-speckled building. The brown-eyed man's eyes darted from one spray-painted item to the next. "Is that Rainbow Brite?"

"It appears so...right next to Synergy," January pointed out. The aged vampire had been with quite a few lovers from the 60's through the 90's. The pop culture references still managed to linger in his mind from the music and television shows his partners had enjoyed. "This must be it."

"I guess we do what? We go knock and tell them a Sylph who may or may not be hot for a pervy old vamp sent us?" Mat asked skeptically.

"We're not going to find any answers out here," Pax commented as he opened the door and walked through first, just in case he needed to protect his mates at the last minute.

The inside of the building was equally as colorful as the outside, but the difference was that everything was in solid colors. The entranceway was green. The elevator was purple. The doors were blue. As the three of them walked through a reception area, they were greeted by two teenagers that seemed to be even younger than Elias. They wore what appeared to be paint splattered lab coats.

"Welcome to the temple of Nut!" The girl greeted. "My name is Shana, and this is my twin brother Julian."

Julian let out a loud gasp as he lifted a pair of star sunglasses up from his face and then slid them back down, repeating the action a few more times. "Shana! Purple auras! They must be the ones."

"We've been expecting you," Shana added.

Before the three men were able to respond, the sound of loud music drew their attention. They turned their heads to the left to see another of Nut's young followers holding a boom box over his head blasting TKA freestyle songs and leading five other followers that were dancing in a line behind him. When the group danced their way to the other side of the hallway and were finally out of sight, Julian spoke up.

"My bad," the twin explained. "They're practicing for Thursday's dance. Every Thursday, we offer up a group dance to Nut as a prayer...she generally prefers themes from the 70's, 80's and 90's. But, last Halloween, she quite enjoyed our rendition of 'Chillin like a Villain' from Descendants 2."

Pax and January's faces were as composed as ever since they didn't want to pay them any insults. Mateo, however, was more than a bit stunned, which clearly showed in his incredulous expression. Nut seemed to be quite the opposite of their own composed and collected moon goddess.

"We were instructed to come here," January stated. "But, we weren't told the reason."

"We gotcha covered!" Shana replied. "Come follow us. We were told to loan you one of Nut's Memoirs."

"What kind of temple is this?" Mat muttered to himself, still stunned. It was as far from one of Khonsu's temples as the wolf could imagine.

The trio followed the twins to the elevator, which was an explosion of rainbow stars on the inside. Even the elevator buttons were in the shape of stars. Shana pressed the button for the fifth floor, which lit up in pink.

They all stepped off the elevator and walked into a room with double doors. Julian unlocked it and opened it to reveal an altar that was a lot more familiar to the werewolves and the vampire. Though each god was unique in their aesthetics, it appeared as if they all had the same basic altar.

Shana pulled something from one of the low shelves against the wall and quickly rushed over to place the book in January's hands. "Nut's Memoirs, volume 3," she said. "Please return it as soon as possible."

January gave a slight bow of respect. "We thank you."

"Jeez," Mateo grumbled several moments later as they headed out of the building. They had passed the conga-line of followers that were still rehearsing their rather exuberant dance. "I hope we don't have to chase down any more books. It feels like that's all we've been doing lately. Taking notes was one of my least favorite things in school, but I feel like I should be carrying a whole binder around with me to write stuff down in case we need it later."

"I have photographic memory," January pointed out. "I can write it out when we get home if you'd like, mon trésor." (mon trésor= my treasure)

"More like a pornographic memory," Mateo said under his breath, smirking.

"That, too," Jany agreed with a return smirk.

The vampire laid down hidden in the back seat on the drive back home. When they arrived, they found their other mates asleep on the massive bed, buck naked. It was definitely a sight for sore eyes. While the other men got ready for bed, January sat in the living room, browsing the memoir.

Before the vampire could get any further into the memoir, Pax peeked his head out and called to him.

"Why don't you come to bed and read it out loud to us, as you did with Lucian's diary?" Pax suggested.

The vampire frowned slightly. He could read books and documents a lot faster than a human or werewolf could. By that point, a part of him was desperate to obtain the information they needed. They had gone from one shred of information to another, and it was starting to feel like a wild goose chase. January loved them. He could honestly say that he loved each and every one of his mates. The redhead didn't want that happiness to be cut short by the wrath of an intolerant goddess.

As he stood back up and walked back over to their room, clambering into bed, he realized that Pax had a point. Any information he gleaned from the memoirs should be shared with them all, even if it meant having to read through it at a slower pace. They were all in it together.

Elias was idly twirling locks of Nolan's soft ebony hair between his fingers, smiling languidly when January joined them. "I hear you found something, but not at Count Kinky's place," the Omega piped up, making Mateo snort and Nolan look confused.

"Yes, we were given a message to go to the temple of Nut, and we came out with one of her memoirs," January explained.

"The followers of Nut were...colorful," Mateo added as January reclined on the bed.

The redheaded vampire smiled in amusement as he reclined on the pillows, his mates lounging around him.

"Let's see," January murmured, opening the book. He scanned the first few pages rapidly. It appeared to be an introduction, of sorts. If Nut had written it herself, she was certainly as colorful a character as her followers. January decided to summarize as he read. It would allow them to get through the memoir faster. They could look at the fine points, including Nut's extended monologues about the stupid bullheadedness of certain Gods later.

So, January began.

"The Goddess Nut and her grandfather, Ra, had seen the feud between Khonsu and Anubis from the beginning. When it escalated to the point of near madness, the pair had stepped in, nudging a certain elder vampire and alpha werewolf together, in the hopes of bringing the two sides together," the vampire summarized. "Lucian and Henry."

"When it had appeared that Khonsu was near to breaking the laws and going down to the mortal plane to smite Lucian, Nut and Ra had stepped in, helping the pair to escape and granting them demigod-hood," January continued. "They'd been elevated to the godly planes where they still resided."

"Demigod-hood…could they have been the ones to send Farshael?" Pax questioned aloud. "He did say that two demigods had hired him."

"You mean Luke and Hen are okay?" Elias commented with a grin. "That means our goddess never did anything to them!"

"Jany, man, keep reading. What happened then?" Quin prompted.

January nodded and continued, summarizing what he felt were the most important events in the memoirs.

The violence between vampires and wolves had settled, but the original problem hadn't been addressed. That discord ran back to the beginning of the species.

The God Khonsu and the God Anubis were a couple, lovers who felt things keenly and loved each other exuberantly. Anubis doted on Khonsu, who ended up rather spoiled, as Anubis tended to give the moon god anything he desired. Until one day, he didn't.

Many gods were creating races on the mortal plane, their earthly children. It had started with Ra, who ruled over all, and his children of light. With Ra's permission, others followed suit, with Ra granting blessings upon each new race and species. Khonsu and Anubis were no different. Anubis created his vampires, children of the velvet darkness of Anubis's night. Khonsu created the werewolves, children of the god's silvery moon.

Together, they went to Ra to ask for blessings for their children. But there was a problem. Both asked for nocturnal rights, granting their children special powers and abilities linked to that cycle. It began a terrible argument between Khonsu and Anubis. Khonsu assumed Anubis would simply relinquish nocturnal rights to him. For once, though, Anubis stood his ground. It was too important to him, for his children, to let go. Khonsu utterly lost his temper and had to be restrained by Ra. They were sent away, to return in a month when they'd worked it out.

A month passed with no resolution, then another, and another. Finally, Ra had to accept that the couple would be unable to compromise. The Great God conferred with his consorts, at length, and with their wisdom and insight, came up with a compromise. Khonsu and Anubis were called before him.

Anubis looked exhausted and depressed. Khonsu was still full of pride, refusing to even look at his lover. The God of the Moon was certain he would be given nocturnal rights. At which point, he might think of reconciling with his love.

The compromise was announced. The vampires would be given nocturnal rights, giving them many gifts and abilities. All would be immortal. Beyond that, however, each vampire wouldn't have all the possible gifts of the night. A single vampire could have one or many gifts, but none would have all. Also, vampires would be weaker in the day. When the sun rose, they would fall naturally to sleep. They would need to rely on others to sustain them, requiring blood to drink. And their numbers would be kept in check with a low fertility rate.

Khonsu was ready to explode, but Ra quelled the outburst with a single look and continued.

Khonsu's werewolves would have many gifts as well. They were equally powerful at day and night, with extra strength on the full moon. They would have a second form. It would be powerful, fast, and agile. They would be able to sire many children of their own, some with great gifts of leadership or harmony.

Ra looked at Anubis and Khonsu and announced his decision was final, hopeful that they could return to their fiery, but loving relationship.

It didn't work out that way.

Khonsu was enraged. Anubis followed him out of Ra's chambers, trying to speak to the moon god, to reconcile. Anubis hadn't gotten everything he'd wanted either. Their children were equally powerful, just in different ways. Khonsu wouldn't listen. They returned to the home they shared. Anubis seduced Khonsu, hoping it would help them work through the conflict. The moon god was a more than willing participant, but as soon as their passion waned, Khonsu's rage returned. He left. The next time they saw one another, Khonsu had donned a female form.

Things might have been alright, after that, if Anubis and Khonsu had been able to end their relationship cleanly and stay away from each other. But the moon and the night were always intertwined, and the pair seemed continually drawn together. Their arguments became legendary, sometimes heard across all of the God Realm. At times, Khonsu would become overcome and would return to his male form, and he and Anubis would come together, also sometimes heard across the realm. The cycle seemed never-ending. Ra wept at their unhappiness.

"It was then that Nut decided that to bring the lovers back together, their children would need to be brought together…" January recounted as he concluded that memoir segment.

"Am I the only one that thinks Khonsu's one crazy dude?" Quin asked aloud when January paused.

"I kind of second that," Mat added.

"But she's our goddess, er, god...whatever," Eli said with a sigh. "Nut makes her sound like a complete bitch, but...I dunno, she's our bitch?"

Pax reached out to gently squeeze one of Eli's hands. "From what Nut's memoirs pointed out," he said. "It sounds to me that our goddess- our god has been hurting all this time...hiding in the opposite sex, of all things. Consumed by rage and jealousy..."

"Jealousy?" Quin questioned.

"Jealous that Anubis, the love of his life, cared so much about his children that Khonsu was firmly placed in second place," January explained, following Pax's train of thought.

"Yeah, ouch," Mat said. "That had to hurt when he thought he would always come first with him. Why can't he/she get over it, though? It's been a friggin' long time that they've been going 'round and 'round."

"That's the million dollar question," Quin agreed. "Maybe if Jany reads more we can find out?"

Everyone looked at January expectantly.

"Oh good," Elias said with a grin as he stretched out across as many laps as he could. "I like storytime with Jany."

January chuckled as he quickly scanned further into the memoir, his eyebrows lifting.

"It would appear Nut and her grandfather, Ra, decided to meddle in Anubis and Khonsu's domestic squabble," the vampire said, explaining what the book laid out.

Since it had been Anubis and Khonsu's children that seemed to have begun the feud, Ra and Nut decided it was poetic to have the wolves and vampires become instruments in resolving it. If Khonsu and Anubis couldn't come together, then perhaps their children could. The ruler of the gods and his granddaughter began to gather the souls of wolves and vampires before they were reincarnated. They split them into counterpart companions of different species. When they were born, each segment of the soul would be attuned to the other, making a perfectly harmonious union when they were together.

It was easier than the gods had thought it would be. The souls even sorted to be within the various species, seemed to want to blend and coexist. It was like it had been meant to be that way all along. Some souls who had lived lifetimes of sad loneliness, came to vibrant life again when paired with the counterpart soul of the other species. The blending colors and the way the souls sang when they first touched were beautiful beyond measure.

They had to be careful, however, as Khonsu had become increasingly erratic and bitter over the years. Ra and Nut didn't want harm to befall any of the soulmates. They began slowly, carefully. A pair here and a pair there. Some vampire souls were hidden behind a long lineage of interbreeding with humans. When it seemed things were working well and the mates were happy together, Ra and Nut allowed some of Khonsu's precious Omegas to be soulmates of vampires, knowing it would attract her attention.

They built up to a plan that they thought Khonsu and Anubis couldn't ignore. The pair sifted through the split souls, seeking six that attuned perfectly to each other, including one Omega.

When they finally succeeded, they gathered the souls together. The soul segments were nearly impossible to hold when they were near each other, straining to come together. When the six blended, Nut and Ra were overcome with the beauty of their song. Nut sang and danced as the souls wove together seamlessly into one once more. Ra had to press hard to separate them again so they could rejoin the spiral. The spiral would reincarnate them at different times, allowing them to come together when the time was right.

"An Omega and two alpha werewolves," January said aloud. "Two vampires, one born and one eventually made…and a human with an uncertain fate."

"Holy fuckballs," Elias whispered when January stopped speaking. "No fucking way...is that us getting mentioned in an obscure ancient hippy-goddess diary?"

"Uncertain fate? The fuck does that mean?" Quin questioned in another whisper.

Pax felt the anxiety rolling off of their Omega and fellow mates. He was just as shaken by the news, but he was more concerned about his mates. In a moment of clarity, he recalled that it was a full moon out that night. "Eli, love," he called out. "When was the last time you took a moonlit run?"

Elias frowned. Why was Pax thinking about the moon at a time like this? "I dunno, probably a couple of moons ago, maybe three," he responded. "Dad and Mom kept saying it wasn't safe for me to go out, so I had to stay home while the rest of the pack ran. I'd shift and sneak out into the backyard for a while, though. So I wouldn't get too twitchy." Eli stopped, realizing he was rambling.

"Twitchy?" Quin questioned, intrigued.

"Who cares about that, though? We're some kind of crazy experiment by the gods!" The Omega continued as he ran his fingers through his auburn hair, tugging at it. "I feel like I'm one of the kids caught in the middle of the biggest and most fucked-up divorce ever. What are we gonna do? I don't want Khonsu to smite you guys! How the hell do we avoid smiting?"

"Eli, calm down," Mateo said softly, glancing worriedly at Pax. An Omega should never be kept inside on a full moon. Their energies were called upon every day by their pack. They needed to recharge and rebalance their auras. Omegas who couldn't run regularly didn't do well. They got sick or began showing signs of mental stress. It was a testament to Eli's strength and will that he hadn't started having problems. Mateo thought he'd be having a few words with Eli's old pack at some point about how they went about caring for their Omegas.

"Understood, we all feel the same," Pax urged. "However, stressing out won't help us figure out what we need to do next in order to protect our vampire mates." He glanced around at his other mates. "How about it? There are still a good few hours before sunrise. You can bring your protective coverings just in case..."

"I can teleport us into a set of woods where no one can see us," January suggested. "I go there all the time whenever I feel like climbing enormous trees."

"Hear that? Jany wants to go, too," Mat urged.

"What's all this 'running' stuff they're talking about?" Quin whispered the question to Nolan.

"Werewolves don their wolf forms during full moons and run through the woods to feel free and to absorb more power from the moonlight," Nolan whispered back in explanation. "I've never seen it before, but the textbooks describe it as a beautiful tradition."

"But we have so much to do! We don't have time to run!" Elias said desperately. "I...I can't lose any of you! I don't want to go back to being alone while there's a whole pack around me who doesn't even see me!"

January reached out and all but smothered Eli's face to his chest. "My Emerald, we all feel the same," he insisted. "Don't you believe us? Don't you think I haven't felt that way more times than any other man in this room? Feeling alone surrounded by people who wouldn't see me?"

The Omega clung to January, and his tears turned to sobs as the stress and fear that he'd been struggling to contain finally let loose. He'd wanted to be strong for his mates, to never be as weak as his pack always seemed to treat him. He wanted to be better than that. But the young wolf was tired. He'd felt drained for a few months at least, in spite of the strength he drew from every mating. Elias's short escapes to sneak out and run beneath the light of the moon were never enough to fully balance and recharge him.

"I-I don't know what to do..." Elias gasped out hiding his face against January's chest.

What must they think of him? Just another outburst from an overly emotional Omega...It's what his pack had always told him whenever his frustration would boil over and angry tears would escape, no matter how he fought to hold them in. And then, they would never listen to Elias about what had upset him in the first place.

January gently scratched at Eli's auburn locks and continued to hold the Omega. Half his heart ached for the lovely wolf's frustrations. The other half couldn't be happier that Elias had chosen to cry in his arms, that he had so much trust in him. He pressed a gentle kiss to the younger man's temple.

"I think Pax is right, querido (sweetheart)," Jany responded. "We should all take a moment to bask beneath the full moon and run together. I have a few special collars that I can belt around a wolf's neck with a small pouch in front of it. I can transform into my bat form and slip into the pouch as you run so that I am right there with you." He commented. "Would you like that? Pax or Mateo can also hold Nolan in his bat form."

January's gentle hold was joined by the others as they all crowded around their Omega and did their best to comfort him, to remind him they were there and he wasn't alone. Eli would never have to be alone again. His tears finally slowed, then stopped. Eli's breaths occasionally hitched as he sniffled.

"Yeah, don't worry about me," Quin added out of nowhere. "I'll just jog along until you guys are out of sight and flop down in a clearing to roll around in the grass. I love laying down and looking up at the stars in the dark of the woods."

Mateo gave Quinlan a playful shove. "Timing, sheech," He warned.

"If everything's settled, then let's all go," Pax announced. "Jany, if you please."

January gave Eli's lips a kiss that time. "Come," he invited as they all clambered off the bed and he, Nolan, and Quinlan both seemed excited and eager to go. They wanted to see their mates in wolf form, romping under the moon. Mateo looked more relaxed, and Eli had to admit that having a run might be a good idea. His body yearned for it.

"Alright, let's go," the Omega said with one last shuddering breath. "We'll get our heads on straight and recharge. Tomorrow, we get this shit figured out."

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"Anubis!" Khonsu hissed as she stormed through the other god's doorway. In the God Realm, doors only opened to the hand prints of the people that the god wished to register. Since they had been lovers in the past, Khonsu's handprint was already in the god's system. "Anubis, come here right this instance!"

The dark god appeared after several moments, his long gray and white streaked hair swaying where it streamed down his back. Eyes darker than the night took in the goddess before him. Pain flashed in them before he pushed it away.

"Khonsu," Anubis said softly, his deep voice like a caress against her skin. "You called?"

The goddess's cheeks puffed up as she stomped her way over to the other god. "It has happened again! Someone's tampered with my precious Omegas, my sweethearts!" She cried out as she poked his shoulder. "Tell me that you had nothing to do with it...that you had nothing to do with the rumors of one of my Omegas mating a vampire!"

Anubis caught her hands and held them to his heart as he looked into eyes the color of silvery moonbeams.

"I had nothing to do with it, I swear it on the darkness," Anubis vowed. "I may be pleased with the thought of our children being together, but I would never manipulate the hearts of your wolves. I know how you love them and strive to protect them. Just as I do with my vampires." The god's ebony gaze was beseeching. "Please, my love, see into my heart. I wouldn't do this to you. You may despise me, but I love you. And I know you love your children as I love my own. You would protect them and stand for them against anything you think isn't in their best interest. I wouldn't do this to you. If our children were brought together, I'd always hoped it would be an undertaking between both of us...side by side."

The frustrated goddess wanted to rip her hands out of Anubis's grasp, but as the warmth of the other god seeped through them, she found that she couldn't. Her body flickered briefly between a male and female form before settling back on the female form. "Y-you still claim to love me..." Khonsu replied. "...when I know you care much more for your vampire children than you do me."

Anubis sighed softly. It was an old argument. He tried again to make his love see.

"It has never been that I love them more," the dark god said, desperate to make Khonsu understand. "I love you more deeply than anything. But I do love my children, if in a different way, and my love for you doesn't make that lessen or disappear. They need my guidance and protection." He paused for a moment and frowned. The planet they watched over was vast, and their children many. Though he did his best to intervene in the scenarios that affected many of them, he was unable to attend to each and every one of them

"There is no other to look out for their best interests and guide them through the night. We have seen the races of other gods fade or destroy themselves because their god chose poorly and asked for the wrong blessings." Anubis added, lifting a hand to cup Khonsu's cheek as he held her gaze. "Every line of research and every wise god I consulted said that because of who I am, my children could not flourish, would not survive longer than a few millennia, without the gift of nocturnal rights. They would fade and die. No matter how great my love for you, I couldn't doom my own children."

Once again, the goddess began to flicker between sexes; this time lingering on the male form a while longer before settling back to a female form. "Do you truly love me more?" Khonsu's voice fell to a whisper.

"How could I not?" Anubis said gently. "My heart isn't whole without you. My life is empty without you by my side."

In a sudden, final shift that ended up ruffling Khonsu's hair in the process, the silver-eyed goddess finally reverted to her male form, a silver-eyed god. "Anubis," Khonsu keened as he promptly climbed the other god and pressed a firm kiss against his mouth.

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