Nigkala Tales Pt. 32: What's Isis Doing?

"That is a good plan, and we have a few years to refine it. But what now?"

I spoke up, and said, "Come to my home, and be welcome. This desert has power, and I am linked to it, but it is not a place of comfort. My home will be a hidden and comfortable place for you both, until you decide how to present yourself anew."

He looked at his sister, and she nodded, so he said, "Lead us to your home. Is it near?"

"Sort of. The portal is this way." I led us around to the portal, using An's power to close down the Pocket Industry. As I saw Isis was arm in arm with Osiris, I didn't wait for them. Walking over the portal, I stopped and turned, then disappeared. Isis just followed and pulled him along. I was waiting in the maze, and when they appeared, I turned away and led the way out. Apparently, Isis magically hid his green skin with a well-tanned, normal skin.

I led us into the kitchen, and introduced Tammy, and said, "She is our cook, and prepares all the best meals we have here." He nodded at her, and she curtsied back.

I gave him a tour of the house, from the gym to the upstairs rooms. I ended at the room where Isis stayed. "This is where your mate stays. Now that you are here, we will either combine this with an adjacent room, or find a better location for you. Your mate is known here as Celeste Eset, as the name Isis is too well known. I think you may want to have a different name here, as well. I'll let Celeste take things from here. She knows the routine, and can help you settle in. If you need anything, ask, and I'll see what I can do." I then bowed, and left.

Isis took him inside, and closed the door. Based on what I overheard, they had lots of sex.

The first thing Isis did was have me create a number of outfits for him. Then she had me make an amulet that would make him appear tanned like her, rather than his normal green skin. She also had me make a pair of wedding rings for them, and she enchanted his to do the same as the amulet, in case he had to remove it. With that done, it was time for a name. They chose, with my input about such things, that Osiris would become Caesar Usir. I asked Alex to hack in, and generate a birth certificate for him, from parents killed back a ways. Then a record of growing up overseas in Egypt with family. Then there was a record of getting married on a cruise ship on the ocean, before settling here. I gifted him a similar amount of money in a new account. Lastly, the three of us went and got him a state ID.

Meeting the watchers, and his children proved interesting. But Isis had to handle most of that, as I was tapped for another 'John Carter on Mars' film. I was the second leading lady, again, and had less screen time, but I was also one of the fight trainers. Before I invited them to watch me on the set, I showed them the previous John Carter film in my theater. That took a bit of explaining, not only the technology, but also the style of storytelling. Another bit of explaining, mostly handled by Isis, was my household's sexuality. I explained my many allegiances to assorted gods.

He was disappointed that I didn't place Isis first, but he understood a priestess to several gods, as back in Ancient Egypt, that was common. Another annoyance to him was hiding. While he accepted the need, he didn't like it.

Summer turned into fall, and fall to winter. That is when we decided it was time to reveal Isis and Osiris to the children. We were in Death Valley, having gotten a lot of their nervous energy out with the mini dune buggies, when I called them together.

"Children, today, Celeste and Ceaser have a secret for you. One you must also keep secret. It is involved with your divinity."

This got their attention, and Cleopatra said, "I love secrets. But you said we weren't supposed to tell about our divinity."

"I did. I also told you that others have their own secrets. The three of us have been keeping this secret for a while, but now, it is time. Settle down, and concentrate on sensing the powers nearby. Tell me what you feel."

Darius shouted, "Whoa, they're loaded." Then looking at them, he said, "Who are you? And why haven't we noticed before?"

Isis said, "Remember your lessons on hiding your power?"

"Oh! You've been hiding!"

"Yes, we have. You see, the two of us are gods, but we have not been around for a very long time, and want to ease back into things."

Layla asked, "Do you we know of you?"

"Yes. We have been in your history lessons. I made sure of that. Can you recognize us?"

Osiris was wearing a ten-gallon Stetson with a pair of ostrich feathers on the sides. At his belt, he had the crook and flail attached. His beard was thin and pointed. He had no shirt, and wore board shorts and sandals. Isis was wearing her hair in corn rows, and she wore a traditional Egyptian dress with a feathered pattern. She also wore an ankh necklace. The children looked for a while, when Mona raised her hand.

Isis said, "Go ahead, Mona."

"Of the ones we have learned about, you seem to have the symbology of Isis, and he has the symbology of Osiris. But neither of you look anything Egyptian, except for the eye-lining makeup."

"You are observant, and smart. That is indeed who we are. Do you know what this means?"

Darius spoke up, "It means that he is our father."

Osiris spoke, "Yes son, I am. All four of you are my children. I had not planned on it, but it happened. Each of you are precious to me. I have learned a little about you, but I want to know more."

I spoke, "There is more. I am sure you have wondered why Cleopatra and Layla have more divine power than Mona and Darius. That is because at the time I conceived you two, Isis was living within me. It is she, from whom you got you extra power, which makes her a second mother to you two."

There was a lot of excited talk about what all it meant, and how happy they were to meet Osiris and Isis.

I called their attention once more, saying, "Children, remember, this is a secret. There is also the nature of our families for you to understand. Darius, your father is Mark, and your mother is Monica, who we usually refer to as Jewel. Mona, your father is also Mark, and your mother is Briana, who we call Angel. Cleopatra and Layla, I am your mother and Filipe is your father. The five of us are the ones who are raising you as our family. Osiris, who is being called Caesar for now, is your sire. As you all know, most of my children have a sire other than Filipe, yet, he loves them and they love him. I don't know who all have sired my children because I have been with so many. But it doesn't matter to either of us. We are family.

"With the birth of the four of you, however, we knew Osiris was the sire early on. This is part of the reason we have the four of you be with each other a lot, for you truly are siblings. Cleopatra and Layla, Filipe and I won't give up our claim as your parents, but we will share. Mona and Darius, I think your parents feel the same way. I have already told Filipe of Isis, and tonight, I will speak with him of Osiris. Tomorrow, I will speak to Mark, Angel, and Jewel while you are at school. We must all pretend nothing has changed, even though Osiris and Isis will be in your life more. Do you all understand?"

I got a chorus of assent, then Isis spoke, "Osiris and I have a lot to get used to in this modern age. When we lived in ancient Egypt, we knew how everything worked, but here, now, things are so different. I've been about for a decade, and am still learning. My mate has been here only a few months, and is even more out of touch. You can help us by understanding our being far from what we knew, and by explaining to us things we don't understand."

The rest of the time there, Osiris and Isis told the children about themselves. I busied myself be ensuring they had nice snacks and drinks so they wouldn't fidget too much. Eventually, it was time to return.

I waited for a break in the conversation, and said, "Kids, our time is up. Everyone clean up, so we can get back in time for dinner. And remember, don't tell anyone about this."

There was some minor grumbling about having to quit the conversation, and about having to clean up, but they complied. I called their parents as soon as we got back. Angel came over, and I told her I wanted to speak to the three of them after the kids left for school the next day. That night, after the kids went to bed, I spoke to Filipe.

"Filipe, we have a secret to let you in on." I indicated the couple sitting across from us, and said, "Celeste and Caesar are cover names. They are both gods in hiding."

His eyes got big, then said, "Why tell me? Wouldn't it be easier for them not to tell?"

"It would, but they are family, in a way."

"Huh? How is that?"

"You know Cleopatra and Layla are gods. They are the reason. It was he who sired them. And she was hiding within me at the time, and is why they are full gods rather than demigods like Darius and Mona, who he also sired."

"Oh! They are family then."

"Yes, and you know I am protective of my family."

He then looked over to them, and asked, "Who are you, when not Celeste and Caesar?"

"I am Isis, and this is my brother and mate Osiris."

"That's a lot to take in."

I said, "You have time. Our kids will be with us until they are eighteen. Then, like the others, they will decide their future. Their choices are a bit greater, and have more complications, and we can only advise. But we have chosen to let them know now, so they can get used to the idea, and understand their choice when it comes time to make it."

"Um, how should I address you?"

Osiris said, "We are in hiding. Please continue to call us Caesar and Celeste in public. Only with our kids, and your wife should you refer to us by Osiris and Isis. There are too many watching this household to risk it, otherwise."

"But is that the way to address gods?"

"You do not worship us, in fact very few do, these days. My sister has chosen to make Becky Sue her priestess, but she is already that for several other gods. She also is used to speaking with divine beings. For now, as we are in hiding, simple respect will do. Should we ever reveal ourselves, a more formal respect would be better, but as you are aiding us in our hiding, I won't be offended if by simple rather than formal respect."

Isis chimed in, "I, likewise. My mate is right. Referring to us as lord and lady, as you would a monarch, is for when we go about in power. Referring to us as mister and missus, or even by Celeste and Caesar, is best for now."

I chimed in, saying, "Osiris, Isis, in this day and age, being married to a sibling, as you two are, is considered a sin, and having children as such, even worse. Back then, it happened to the gods, and the royal family of Egypt. It is not acceptable in modern society. If you reveal yourselves, people will know the truth. Until then, best not to mention it."

Isis said, "Yes, Becky Sue, we have already spoken of this, and came to the same conclusion."

I asked, "So, have you thought about moving out yet?"

"We have, and have decided not to. The larger space you have provided us is fine, as is the sharing of your home. If we moved out, we would miss so much of the growing up of our children. Now that they know who we are, they have opened up to us about some of their troubles, and we have been able to be their parents, even if only a few moments at a time."

Osiris added, "It is true that we should have a palace and servants and priests and priestesses to serve us, but that doesn't work when we are in hiding. That you have your servants serve us also, is good. Likewise, the pool is wonderful."

I had to smirk at that, as he was in the pool nearly everyday, and up for fun and games if anyone joined him.

Isis added, "Yes, you give us the life of luxury, and as gods, it is normal to live this way. But even greater, is that you share your family with us. This is a strange idea to us, yet it gives us great pleasure. We both thank you for that. Filipe, you are indeed a good father. Do not think your age hinders you. You give them your wisdom, and your love. Your need of a cane is just who you are, not a failing on your part. Likewise, Becky Sue. You are truly Inanna's priestess, with your wanton ways, yet your kids recognize your love and support. In turn, they love you back. That we share in your family is a great gift."

Eventually, talk turned to the children, and deciding the next set of priorities to teach them. In school, they were close to straight 'A's, and it was usually inattention that hurt their grades. It was decided that I would begin to teach them self defense, Osiris would teach then agriculture, and Isis would continue with magic. We set out a large chunk of our property for them to learn.

For the new year, we had more guests. The Maxwells came to visit, and after discussion with Isis and Osiris, we invited them to stay at our place. Jack was staying with Sally's parents, so he wouldn't miss any school, but John and Sally wanted to see us, as well as discuss the cache of artifacts I told them about.

While I introduced them to Celeste and Caesar, I did not tell them who they were. Both enjoyed swimming in winter, as England was cold. John was quite enthusiastic at the completeness of the artifacts at providing a slice of life coverage. It helped fill out a lot of missing detail, and confirmed or disputed a lot of guesswork that had been done for that time period. The coverage of a pharaoh's mummification and entombment was a major highlight, and made some big waves in the field. He'd had to bring in an Egyptologist to handle a lot of it, since his expertise was Sumeria, but even so, it helped his position at the school and brought it accolades.

Sally said there was even a lot for her, since it was a slice of life. It helped her understand them as a culture, and not the historical things like rulers and wars, but rather, the simple things - like family life, the castes, common law, and more.

"Well, John, and Sarah, I have presents for you." I handed each a small box, wrapped in fancy paper and a bow.

Sally said, "Oh? We hadn't thought to bring you a gift beyond our presence."

"This is not exactly a gift to you personally, but rather professionally. Open them."

"Memory sticks? And high capacity, as well?"

"Same here."

"Yes. You see, my life got complicated again, and I took another trip into the past."

John said, "What!?"

Sally said, "Let me guess. Egypt?"

"Yes, I went to Egypt. I collected what John found. But I had some time to prepare. Those sticks contain both the raw information I recorded, and also a lot of commentary. I've also organized it a bit to make access easier, with a summary and index. For John, the highlight is a significant portion of the mummification of a pharaoh. Yes, the same one. You see, I was the lead priestess that did it."

"WHAT!"

"Not so loud, John. Yes, I did it. Like the last time, you cannot use this directly, but it can lead your searches and inquiries. For Sally, I have some less dramatic recordings of life."

Sally asked, "How could you be so obvious about recording these things?"

"You forget, I am a priestess, and I served as one to Isis as it was she who sent me. In that day, they did not know what a cell phone was, and I just said it was a holy artifact to aid me in my duties. It may not have been holy, but it did aid me. Just for duties to our present, and not to the past when I was there."

"Oh my god. You mean you interacted with them as an ordinary priestess and they reacted normally. That is very rare for a cultural researcher. They usually are outsiders, and becoming part of the tribe is hard."

"I know, which is why I did it. I did not get all levels of society, but I did get some in the pharaoh's household."

"WHAT!"

John said, with a smile, "Hush, darling. Don't question how she did it. Just accept that she gets in places and is aware of history."

I nodded, then said, "Because I was there for over a year, I got a good immersion into the culture. I was mostly a scribe, but I did other things. While I have tried to speak to everything I could think of, I'll be happy to explain stuff. Just remember, I'll publicly deny these recordings, but they are the real deal, so can aid your research."

"Becky Sue, for an amateur, you sure seem to be getting more history discovered than the pros."

"Yeah. I was even made a professor for that."

Sally and I continued to talk for a time, while John fiddled on his phone. Suddenly John said, "I found it!"

Sally asked, "What did you find?"

"Since the artifacts included details about the Pharaoh's death, his tomb became a center of interest, also. I remembered there was an unusual image on one of the walls."

"Oh?"

"Yes. You know how they painted women looking to the side, with a single breast in profile?"

"Yes..."

"The odd one had two breasts in profile."

I said, "Huh? Can you show me?"

John handed his phone to me.

"Oh my. These hieroglyphics talk about his grandson, and it indicates I taught him and once saved his life."

"You did?"

"Yeah. We were at the docks for a lesson in economics when we were swarmed by a bunch of people. The guards took down some, but they were overwhelmed. I was the only one between them and the grandson. I knocked out the remaining people, then assisted the guards. They only lost two, but they executed everyone that attacked. Still, the grandson was not hurt. That event brought me into the pharaoh's inner circle, and when he got ill, I was one of those tasked to heal him, or at least ease his suffering."

Sally said, "You sure got lucky."

"I was lucky to attend him, but being there when he died was part of our plan."

"Huh?"

"That's all I'll say on why I was there, as the ramifications are still happening. But as to what I saw and did outside of the plan, I'll be happy to tell you."

"That's gonna bug me no end, trying to figure why you went, specifically then, and sent by Isis."

"I know, but at least you'll have a lot of other things to think about with that data."

"That I will."

"I, too, will have lot of work. Even with all that well-preserved stuff you provided. I'll have to go over it, and see how much I can elaborate to include what you gave us tonight. That's gonna take a lot of research, finding helpful evidence."

"Don't worry dear. I will be doing the same, and I suspect we will both be able to use the same backing materials."

John then asked, "What of you? You were sent by Isis. Are you still dealing with her? I thought she died or left after the movie."

"She did, but something came up. I've added another goddess to my collection, and my time back then as her priestess was true, not faked. But as one of many back then, I didn't come to her notice back then. I thought I might when I mummified the pharaoh, but apparently I did things in a way that didn't catch her attention."

"But wouldn't your arrival or departure cause questions?"

"Apparently not, as that one temple had over a hundred-and-fifty priests and priestesses, including at least twenty to Isis. Nor was it the only temple, just the biggest. It seems sudden departures occur on occasion for various reasons, and they may arrive elsewhere. I think they just assumed that I left for another temple for just such a reason. I remember one priest who got involved in a crooked business venture, and he departed two days before some palace guards came looking for him. No doubt he showed up in another city under another name."

Sally looked like she was thinking for a bit, before she asked, "Didn't they practice celibacy?"

"No. They did not have wanton sex, like the priestesses of Inanna." I smiled. "Nor even casual sex. But marital sex was fine. As was occasional sex. However, it required ritual purification before many other aspects of priestly life could be done. I chose not to have sex, to keep things simple. Besides, a seven-foot-tall woman is rather intimidating. As for purification, just the normal rituals meant I might have up to three or four baths a day. Another aspect I conformed with, was shaving my head, and having several wigs. It felt odd, but I got used to it."