Bast – Goddess of cats, protection, joy, dance, music, family, and love

Sekhmet – Goddess of fire, war, and dance

Hathor – Goddess of the sky, dance, love, beauty, joy, motherhood, foreign lands, mining, music and fertility.

Serket – Goddess of scorpions, medicine, magic, and healing venomous stings and bites

Maat – Goddess of Truth and Justice

Tefnut – Goddess of Rain, Air, Moisture, Weather, Dew, Fertility, and Water

Mut – Queen of the goddesses and lady of heaven

Isis – Goddess of health, marriage, and wisdom (wife of Ra)

Ra – God of the Sun, the major god of Egypt

Epaphus – Greek Mythology demi-god – Son of Zeus and Io and a King of Egypt

Ephus – the man, husband of Bast and all her sisters at present
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Doctor Markov was staring at Ephus as if he was crazy. “Your ancestor was Epaphus. The son of Zeus and Io” Sitting with a thud the Doctor was deep in thought.

“When I asked Bast if I had powers she said, powers yes but different. She said I had the power to save the gods, that it was new to all of them. It is also apparent that Bast has been waiting for me for thousands of years.” Ephus told the doctor.

“Wait,” the doctor started. “You said she was waiting for you?” Ephus nodded and the Doctor gasp. “My god it was true then!” The doctor whispered.

“What was true? What in the hell are you talking about?” Ephus asked.

“Thousands of years ago there was a feud between Bast and her sister Sekhmet. I told you a little about that last time.” The doctor said.

“Yes, I caught a little bit of that when Hathor was admonishing Sekhmet. She told Sekhmet that she was fully here like Sekhmet was. Hathor asked if she wanted another war, something about her and Bast’s little tiff back then started all of this.” Ephus told the Doctor.

“Ok, that confirms quite a lot of things but brings up even more questions. So I noticed that you are a lot calmer now. Has something changed that has put you at ease?” The Doctor asked suddenly very curious.

Ephus smiled then took a deep breath, “you might say I made a deal.”

“A deal? What did you do?” The Doctor said, almost afraid of what the man had to say.

Smiling bigger Ephus said, “first off I am supposed to be protected by the mark of Isis as Bast said, no one but family are allowed to touch me. I just didn’t think most of her sisters would be interested. Also none of them know about my ancestor except Bast and possibly Serket, according to Serket she and Bast are close.”

“Ok,” the Doctor said taking notes. The things she was learning would help her studies immensely. “So as I said, what did you do or ask for?”

Still smiling Ephus continued, “I asked them if they all truly need me to restore the power that all of them lost in the war back then. ALL of them were shocked that I had guessed it. I told them all that I was willing to help; I just had a few requests if not demands. Hathor spoke up for all of them and asked me what I required power, fame, money.”

“That’s the standard thing most humans want,” the Doctor interjected.

“I guess but It seemed to shock them what I wanted.” Ephus said.

“I ask again what in the hell did you do,” the Doctor said her fears starting to rise again.

“I told her and all of them that I didn’t want anything as petty as that. I only asked that I be allowed to live as a man. To enjoy freedom with or without any of them. I had heard of what had happened over the centuries, humans used and discarded, used up then thrown away. I wished to avoid that, with no repercussions by them or any other including Ra.” Ephus told her.

“Pretty bold move if I do say so myself.” The Doctor said.

“Yeah I thought they were going to laugh about it. That was ’til I told Ra I knew he was listening, as knowledge was power and he yielded the most. Anyway there was a rumbling and suddenly Ra was telling me that my point was well put. He then told me that if I provided enough power to them that it would be so.” Ephus pointed out.

“Why am I feeling that this wasn’t all that happened?” The Doctor asked.

“Oh no! Ra then asked ME a favor. He asked if I would accept all of his daughters to enable this.” Ephus said with a smirk.

“Wait accept them? What do you mean?” The Doctor asked a little confused.

“If I took them, as wives and sexually. He said if I took each one of them; provide the energy, then anything I wished would be possible. Hey the man was their father so I asked if he was ok with that, he said of course he’d partaken of each of them. Therefore he saw no problem as they each also wished to have me also. You know now that I think about it I never did give Ra an answer. Sorry for this Doc. RA! I have an answer for you!”

The Doctor looked around as there was a rumbling sound then a booming voice answered. “Good human! The energy you have provided has already freed up much of the dimension already. What say you? Will you take all of them ’til this crisis is over?”

“I won’t stay married to them? They won’t be able to demand that I be their husband after this?” Ephus asked.

Ra gave a sigh then answered, “you ask much for a human even one that is such as you are. It is so if you do not wish to remain their husband then so be it though, each year they will be permitted to ask. You of course may refuse with no punishment.”

There was a momentary shouting then Ephus thought he heard Hathor shout. “That isn’t fair father! You should make…”

“Be quiet daughter or would you also like to be placed in the place that Bast is?” Ra answered.

A soft, “No father,” was heard.

“Good, it is all on you human. We need more energy but at least now this dimension is bearable. You have the blessings of all the gods and goddesses.” There was a pause the Ra said, “well, most of them.”

Just as suddenly as it started everything was quiet. The Doctor sat there her mouth hanging open, shocked at the exchange between the man and the god. “I have to say it again you are one bold shit!”

The man nodded, “I have to be with everything I have heard about them I only trust them a little. Better to make a deal they can’t back out of. Besides they need me, according to Bast I am the only one that can provide this energy for them.”

The Doctor was nodding her head as she started to write at a furious pace.

“By the way, you never finished your story about Bast waiting for me.” Ephus said still curious about why only he could touch Bast.

“Oh!” The Doctor said, then sat back thinking before she continued her story from earlier. “As you heard there was a war between Bast and Sekhmet. They used a hell of a lot of energy to destroy quite a bit of ancient Egypt. They also destroyed a massive number of the followers that many of the gods had. Ra was pissed at both but loved them both fiercely also. He banished Bast to the skies above the night side of earth. Sekhmet he banished to the earth on the day side.”

“Wait being this close to earth, didn’t they have any power from those humans that still believed in them?” Ephus asked.

“You would think so but cut off from the god realm they had very few powers. There are quite a few of their followers still out there. They only started to receive their powers back when Bast, I guessed marked you. My guess is she was trying to bring you out all this time. I guess this year she finally did. If I am right Bast was able to return to the Egyptian god realm for the first time in thousands of years.” The Doctor stopped a moment deep in thought.

“What’s wrong Doctor?” Ephus asked upon seeing a worried look cross the Doctor’s face.

“Though she can go to the god’s realm she still isn’t free. That I am afraid is up to you. Let’s see if I can remember it right. The lover of Bast. The one to us lost. Will also set her free. With a power not before seen.” The Doctor smiled happy that she remembered the rhyme.

Ephus just shook his head, “I thought I was doing that with all the energy I am sending.”

“No,” the Doctor stated, “this is something entirely different, something that you have to reach or touch or whatever it is you have to do.” Suddenly the Doctor’s eyes flew wide. “You are in love with her? Aren’t you?”

Ephus stared at the Doctor as if she were crazy as he thought about it. Then just as suddenly his eyes flew wide, slowly he nodded to the Doctor. “I have been seeing her for years once a year. It actually became a time I looked forward to. The one day each year I was truly happy. Oh my god you’re right I am in love with her!”

The Doctor was about to speak when an opaque vision of a pale woman appeared before Ephus. Tears were falling from her eyes. The Doctor’s mouth hung open Bast! “You l…love Bast? No as goddess? But as woman?”

“How could I not?” Ephus said. “After all this time you have captured my heart as you have finally my love.” Ephus still wore a look of absolute shock on his face. All this time and he’d just realized how special Bast had become to him.

Bast sighed then turned to look at the Doctor. “Please tell husband. Bast cannot. Tell all.” Reaching out Bast touched Doctor Markov’s forehead causing the woman to tremble. As she started to fade the Doctor and Ephus heard a whispered request from Bast. “Remember and be rewarded.”

The Doctor fell back as into a chair as what Bast had done hit her. “I…I…I,” was all the Doctor could seem to get out. Suddenly the Doctor felt something between her legs and lifted her robe to see. Her mouth dropped open as a small ankh symbol appeared on her inner right thigh near her sex. Then suddenly directly across from that a sistrum appeared on her upper inner left thigh. “What in the hell?” The Doctor said.

Ephus could only smirk, “it appears that you have been chosen or singled out by Bast. I guess congratulations are in order. You know that this means you will live a lot longer now and enjoy great health.” Shaking his head Ephus had to admit the Doctor had a damn nice shape.

“I didn’t ask her to do this!” The Doctor shouted.

Ephus smirked, “As if that really matters! You know as well as I do that they almost always do what the hell they want to. Why in the hell do you think I made the deals that I did? Just glad that Bast and the rest of them have infused me with what they did. After Isis came to me I am REALLY glad. I see now why as Sekhmet put it that she had killed quite a few humans with her attentions! I don’t think that female knows the meaning of the word slow and easy. Though I do have to admit,” Here Ephus smirked. “She was smoking hot.”

The Doctor scoffed typical male. “Ok so you seem to be a typical man after all. Always horny, always ready to go and it seems,” the Doctor indicated the growing bulge in Ephus’s pants. “If the wind blows you seem to ‘rise’ to the occasion.”

“Doctor did you forget something?” Ephus said as she shook her head at him.

“No, I don’t think so, what are you on about?” Doctor Markov asked.

“Up to a month and a half ago I was 55. My libido was very low. My sex drive was almost nonexistent, as was my ‘rising’ to the occasion as you put it. I felt I was nearing the end in a lot of things. Like I said I always looked forward to seeing Bast each year. So yes maybe at one time I was, but not now ok?” Ephus said.

“Alright, I am sorry. I guess I should do as she said since I too am marked by her.” Doctor Markov replied. “Like I said before Bast and Sekhmet were both banished but still loved fiercely by their father. I have read several accounts of what actually happened but thanks to Bast I now know the truth. The war between the sisters waged for well over a hundred years. I believe it is was the war that divided the unified Egypt back into just an upper and lower kingdom”

“This is what you meant when you said the gods influence or power seemed to drop off?” Ephus asked.

“Yes, amazing you remembered all that I told you didn’t you?” The Doctor said amazed.

Ephus nodded, “Another, I think, benefit of what they have done to me.”

Nodding the Doctor continued, “I’d say they were at war with each other from about 1177 BC ’til 1077. From what Bast gave me their father had, had enough as had the rest of the god and goddesses. A huge committee of all of them went to Ra and demanded he do something before they were all destroyed as was Egypt. Ra waved his hand and both of the sisters were before him. Outraged they both tried to attack each other ’til Ra froze them both. Kissing them both, he banished them, setting the conditions for their release.”

“Ok now we are getting to me.” Ephus said.

“Yes,” the Doctor said. “It had been set down in an ancient prophecy that there would be a second awakening of the Egyptian gods. It would be marked by the partial release of Bast and Sekhmet, by a human who was more but less. I know I have always wondered about that ’til I met you.” The look of confusion on his face made the Doctor explain. “You are more in that you are part Demigod though as of yet we don’t know how much. You are less cause ’til this crisis is over you are still a pawn no matter how much you hold over them.”

“Ok, but why am I feeling that there is more to all of this?” Ephus asked.

Sighing this was the part the Doctor was afraid was going to make the man bolt. “You have to undergo a trial of power. A trial that Bast’s brothers will administer.”

“Her brothers? Damn it I forgot that she might have brothers. So I take it I am dead meat?” Ephus asked.

“No like almost all of the gods they aren’t jealous. They have just been charged with making sure that you are truly the one that can release Bast. I am afraid that it will include a bit of pain.” The Doctor said expecting the man to go running from her house.

With a smirk Ephus said, “that’s fine bring it on!”

“I’m not sure you understand Ephus,” The Doctor went on. “This isn’t just physical pain we are talking about. There will be quite a bit of metal pain and anguish, also, Bast wanted me to inform you of all of it before you made a decision. Though I feel that she thinks that you will go ahead with it no matter what.”

Ephus nodded, “She’s right I will, like I said I love her. I am just starting to realize it now just how much I do. Is there anything you can suggest that I do?”

The Doctor was deep in thought a few moments, “If there was time I’d say study as much as you can on them and their customs. Remember they can be underhanded and sneaky but I have always seen that they are honorable.”

“Alright Doctor, though I think they will wait ’til I supply a bit more power. I might have a lot more time than you think.” Ephus replied. The Doctor hoped he was right she’d hate to see him die before he accomplished anything.

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