Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Beyond the Sapphire Blue ❯ Long Way from Home ( Chapter 3 )

JG: Just a little note about the Sennen Scales. I'm not including them in this story because they don't really matter, plus the Priest Kasim is ugly XD lol. Anyway, if you have any ideas, questions or comments then I'd be more than happy to hear them!

Long Way from Home
============================

The following day, dawn, Agrabah Palace gardens…

"Where is Pharaoh Atem?" Arkantos asked as Isis bandaged his wounded arm. During the night, the Greeks and the Egyptians had fought to `til the death against the Romans. It was not an easy battle, as thousands of men---Romans, Egyptians and Greeks were killed. Dante managed to escape however, taking the High Priest Set and the five (A/N: Remember the Sennen Eye is still in Akunadin's skull and Isis kept her Sennen Tauk for obvious reasons, don't ask what happened to the Sennen Scales e_e) Sennen Items back to Italia with him.

"He is in his room. He refuses to come down." Priestess Isis said quietly.

"Can you tell us what will happen in the coming future?" Arkantos asked.

"I already know, but I don't know if we can change that future, my lord." Isis replied.

"We must try." Ajax muttered.

"For Pharaoh Atem's sake. For Egypt's sake." Chiron pointed out, pawing the ground out of forced habit as he did.

"For Set's sake also." Mahado said as he came strolling into the garden with the others with Mana at his side.

"Set would be a goner by now, Mahado." Shada said sorrowfully.

"Set is alive, Shada." Isis said. "But without the magic of the rest of our Sennen Items and with our armed forces weakened, we have little hope."

"I may know who can help us." Arkantos said, scratching his bristly chin.

"And who might they be?" Everyone turned to see the young Pharaoh walking timidly down the steps to the main entrance of the palace. He looked very fatigued and worn out. His eyes were puffy and slightly bloodshot and his hair didn't gleam with the usual shine as it always did.

"My Pharaoh…" Isis said as everyone knelt down in his presence.

Arkantos spoke up. "King Atem, we Greeks have allies in the North. It will take a while to reach them, but their armed forces are strong, and there are a lot of them. They are known as the Norse, warriors of the North."

"I don't care what it takes, Arkantos. I will not rest until I get Set and the Sennen Items back in Egypt safely." Atem said sternly.

"We will have to return to Greece then." Ajax said.

"Yes…" Arkantos said, almost as if he were in thought. "We will set sail for Athens as soon as Atem is ready. We will strengthen our armed forces in Athens and then journey to the Norselands. It won't be a fast journey, but we can do it."

"But without anybody here to fend for the country, Egypt will be vulnerable to more attacks!" Isis cried.

"Then I must put someone else in charge while I am gone." Atem commented. "But first we must sort out who of you are going, and who is staying."

Isis finished bandaging Arkantos' arm and stood up. "I must come, your highness. The power of my Sennen Tauk will be essential."

Atem nodded. "Who else?"

"I will come." Akunadin said, stepping forward.

"As will I." Shada replied.

"Very well. Then I put you, Mahado, in charge of Memphis while we are gone on our voyage." Atem said, pointing to the Priest standing next to the young brunette girl.

Mana's face lit up like a flame. "Wow! Teacher, you really get to take place of the Great Pharaoh while he is gone!"

Mahado looked too stunned to say anything, but found his voice after a few moments. "W- bu- oh… great Osiris… thank you my Pharaoh! Thank you!"

"It is my pleasure. Now Mana… how are things at the refuge? What state is the city in?" Atem asked.

"Food is running low at the refuge, and the only buildings that were completely burnt down in the city were two markets and some houses. No temples were destroyed, your highness."

"Good. Send the townsfolk back to the city and have them repair the damaged buildings." Atem said.

"Also," Arkantos spoke up. "Let them know that when we return from our journey, we will bring back plentiful resources for them. Compliments to mainland Greece, and I'm sure the Norse will reward you with their riches too."

Atem nodded. "Alright, people. Man the ships and organize the remaining armies! We set sail for Greece in one hour!"

The hour passed quickly, and before Atem knew it, he was sailing out of Alexandria, the northernmost great city of Egypt, into the great Mediterranean basin. He stood next to Arkantos on the upper deck, who was watching the army row them out into the great body of azure. Atem had never been this far from home before, but he predicted that there was much to come.

"I always wondered what was beyond the great sapphire blue." Atem said smiling.

"Oh? What do you mean by that?" Arkantos asked.

"The ocean." Atem began. "Never before have I seen it. I haven't been out of Memphis before, Arkantos."

Arkantos looked surprised. "You haven't?"

"No… I don't know whether to feel scared or excited." Atem said with a little laugh.

Arkantos grinned. "The mighty ocean has its moods. Or rather, Poseidon does."

"Who is Poseidon?"

"Poseidon is the Greek God of the sea, and horses. He is said to be a man with a fish's tail holding a huge golden trident. He is very much worshipped at home."

"I see. Well, I guess all I can ask for is for Isis to watch over me."

"Don't worry, Pharaoh Atem." Arkantos reassured. "The Gods are on our side, they will all watch over us."

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Three nights later, seasick and delirious, the Greeks and Egyptians finally arrived in port at Athens. Arkantos smiled upon his mighty city. Atem hadn't been so glad to see land in all his life. As soon as they landed in port, Arkantos and the others were escorted off back to his palace.

"You will stay in here, my Pharaoh. Please, if you need anything, just call upon a maiden, she will provide you with your necessities." Arkantos said as he showed Atem his room for the next two nights.

"I cannot thank you enough, Arkantos." Atem said as he climbed into his bed.

"It is no problem, Atem. Now get some rest, we have a big day ahead of us tomorrow." With that said, Arkantos left the room.

The following morning, Ajax woke the sleeping Pharaoh for breakfast. Groggily, Atem put on a silk robe and ran a hand through his tri-coloured mop before heading down to the dining hall. Everyone was sitting around a long mahogany table drinking wine, eating bread and fruit. The young Pharaoh looked in confusion as to why the Greeks were drinking wine at this hour. He brushed it off and took a seat at one end of the table. Arkantos sat at the other end.

"Did you sleep well, my Pharaoh?" Shada greeted him.

Atem nodded. "Very well, thank you." To the side of Arkantos, Atem noticed a young boy, about the same age as him. He looked terribly similar to Arkantos, too. He gave Atem a little smile.

"Atem, I would like you to meet my son, Kastor."

"It is an honour to meet you, King Atem of Egypt." Kastor said shyly.

"Likewise. Where is your wife, Arkantos?" Atem asked.

The room dropped into silence, and by the way Arkantos was looking at Atem, he could tell he had hit a psychological nerve in Arkantos. Arkantos looked away and concentrated on feasting upon his chicken leg.

"My mother is in the heavens now, your highness." Kastor said, speaking for Arkantos and himself.

Atem bit the inside of his cheek. "I'm awfully sorry. May the Gods look after her."

The room fell silent again, and Atem felt like sinking into the floor. I suppose he would have found out sooner or later, though. He just hoped Arkantos wouldn't be angry at him for the rest of the day. A maid came by and offered Atem a goblet of wine, but he quickly refused. The very thought of drinking wine at this time of the day made his stomach churn.

After Atem had washed and dressed, Kastor insisted on taking him to the Acropolis, so he could teach him about the Greek gods. Kastor tacked up the horses at the stable and mounted his horse, Arion. Alongside, Kastor lead the horse that Atem would be riding - Atlas.

"Are horses much like riding camels?" Atem asked.

Kastor grinned. "I wouldn't know," He said. "But I presume that riding horses would be a lot more comfortable. They don't have humps."

Atem grinned and hopped up on to Atlas' broad smoky-grey back. "This is a lot more comfortable… and not nearly as high."

Kastor smiled. "I'm sorry about this morning, King Atem. My father isn't very good about talking about my mother."

Atem tensed. "I really should have known better than to open my mouth like that. I'm sorry, Kastor."

"It matters not. I didn't know my mother well. I was but an infant when she died. My father did his best to raise me on his own, however. I cannot thank him enough."

Atem nodded. "Do… do you mind me asking how she-"

"How she died?" Kastor asked as they began to ride uphill at the foot of the Acropolis.

"Yes…"

Kastor sighed. "Her name was Electra, because of her dazzling electric blue eyes. She was famed in Athens because of them. Her hair was jet black, like mine." Kastor smiled. "When her and my father ventured to Tunisia on yet another one of his voyages, she caught the epidemic plague that was going on over there at the time."

"How dreadful." Atem remarked.

"Yes… she died on the ship back from Tunisia, coming back to Greece. She is buried on the cliff around the back of the castle grounds. I can show you her resting place when we get back, if you like."

"If you insist."

Atem and Kastor rode up to the top of the Acropolis, where giant statues of Gods and Goddesses stood towering metres into the sky. They dismounted their horses and tied them up by a nearby olive tree. Kastor helped Atem down from Atlas and together they walked to a marvelous marble statue of Athene, goddess of war and wisdom.

"This goddess you see here is the most respected goddess of them all. Her name is Athene, goddess of war, wisdom and female arts. Athens was named after her. Athene favours and watches over my father when he is on his journeys. The goddess that watches over me is Hera, goddess of the home." Kastor explained.

"Extraordinary. I hope Isis will be as generous as Athene to favour me while I'm gone." Atem said.

Kastor smiled. "Isis isn't called the Goddess of magic for nothing, my Pharaoh." Kastor moved along to another statue. This one was bigger than the one of Athene, and was of a man sitting in a throne with along beard. "This is Zeus, God of Gods, God of the Sky, Father of Ours. He is the supreme God that all Greeks worship upon."

"The supreme God of Egypt is Ra, God of the sky. I choose Isis over him, though." Atem replied.

"Zeus is good to my father, Arkantos. He helped him greatly when he ventured to the Realm of Hades, the Underworld." Kastor mentioned.

Atem's eyes widened. "Arkantos adventured to the underworld?!"

Kastor nodded. "Yes, but he came out quite alright."

Soon Chiron came galloping up the hill of the Acropolis he slowed to a trot and then to a halt when he got to Kastor and Atem. He picked an olive from the olive tree on his way past. He stopped and bowed before the two young teenagers.

"Kastor, Arkantos has readied the men and horses for the journey north. Brynhild is expecting us in about seven days." Chiron said. "Arkantos has asked for you, Kastor. You must help him prepare the food and other necessities to bring on the journey."

Kastor nodded his head in reply. "Thank you, Chiron. We will return soon. Tell father that I am teaching Atem about our Gods."

Chiron saluted the lord's son. "Yes sir!" and went trotting back down the hill toward the fortress.

"We must get back; we don't want to be left behind in Greece now, do we?" Kastor said as he gestured for Atem to follow him back to their horses.

"No… who is this Brynhild person that Chiron speaks of?" Atem asked as Kastor helped him aboard Atlas.

Kastor jumped up onto Arion's back. "Brynhild is the ruler of Midgun. She is the wife of Sigurd and lives in a fortress in the mountains of Midgun."

"Oh… what is it like there? In Midgun, I mean."

"It is very cold, there are mountains and forests everywhere, and cold white stuff falls from the sky. They call it `snow'."

"Snow?" Atem creased his brow in thought, trying to fathom what this `stuff' falling from the sky would look like. "I've never heard of it."

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Underground dungeon, Vatican Citadel, Roma, Italia…
High Priest Set's POV…

"Welcome to your new home, slave. Hope you enjoy your company." Fabian sneered as he threw me down into a cold, dark, dank cellar. The sound of water sloshing about was heard and a musty, salty smell hung about in the air. As if that wasn't enough, the biggest rats I had ever seen in all my days were crawling about on the beams which held up the roof. They looked hungry, too.

"What are you locked up for?" A voice, a female voice, came from the corner. The place was so dark I couldn't see the other side of the cell no matter how hard I tried.

"I---I was captured and held hostage." I muttered, trying to see further into the darkness which disguised the voice opposite me.

She emerged from the dark, and I swear under the name of Ra I had never been so terrified in my life. "I am Oceania. Please, don't be afraid. I'm harmless, really."

I swallowed back my fear as I eyed her from head to… tail. She was a blue-green colour all over with scales starting halfway down, with the head and fore-body of a horse, but where the horse's rump and hind legs should start was that of a fish's tail. She was sitting on the stone floor next to a small pool of water. Her big black, almond-shaped eyes looked straight through me.

"Who---no, what are you?!" I shrieked, and backed into a corner on the farther side of the room.

She slipped her long slimy tail back into the water and lulled about by the edge. "I'm what they call a hippocampus*. A freak of nature, really. Like a centaur perhaps, or a giant." She explained.

"Wait---giants? Giants do not exist!" I objected. Then again, seeing something like this, anything was possible.

"Oh well of course they do! Giants, Trolls, Nymphs, Mermaids, Minotaurs, you name it."

Now registering that I was sharing a cell with a creature never before had I seen, I asked, "So what are you doing in here? I mean… you live in the ocean, right?"

"I got caught up in a Roman fishing vessel's net. I struggled for hours to free myself, but when sunset came, they hauled in their load for the day. They were horrified at what they had found, so they took me here and, well, I've been sitting here since."

"What do they want with you? Why don't they let you be free again?" I asked.

She flexed her aquatic fans that lined the top of her head and neck. "I can't answer that. I think they want to show me off to the townsfolk of Roma for entertainment." She looked at the stone floor sadly.

"I'm sorry. But you know, I think there is hope yet. Egypt won't be seeing the last of me."

Throne room, Vatican Citadel, Roma…

"What do you mean she's fallen ill?!" Dante roared.

Fabian cowered in fear and nearly fell over from the King's stinking breath at the same time. "Sh-she complains of a stabbing pain in her stomach, your highness. She has a frightful fever. Even the doctors don't know what could be the matter."

Dante grunted. "Damn Egyptians. She probably caught some awful disease from their infested country! Take me to her immediately."

This hadn't been the first mishap after the Romans returned home back to Italia. A great lightening storm waved over the city of Roma and many were struck by lightening. The streets were flooded and many livestock were lost. As if that wasn't bad enough, a lot of soldiers and commoners were struck down with a mysterious illness, more than likely the plague. Dante hoped that Celeste hadn't caught it off one of them.

Fabian sighed as the King rose from his throne. The Sennen Puzzle glinted in the light as it jingled around the Roman King's neck. Together Fabian and Dante made their way up the spiraling stairs to the top tower - the bedroom of Dante and Celeste. They heard an awful groaning sound as they approached.

"My wife… how are you feeling?" Dante asked.

"How do you think I'm feeling Dante?!" Celeste screamed. "First the storm, then the flood, then the mysterious deaths of our people, now this?!"

Dante looked down at the eye symbol on the Sennen Puzzle. He snarled at it. "It's these items. There must be something about them that we do not know about!"

"They are cursed! Cursed I tell you!" Celeste shrieked.

"Don't be absurd, my Queen. The Sennen Items are not cursed. They must just have some more secrets which are yet to be unearthed."

"Then explain all the misfortunes that we've had since we came back to Italia, Dante! Tell me!"

Dante snorted. "I will not give up my power for all the hard work we went through to get these magical items, Celeste! They will serve this empire well, I can be sure of it."

Celeste frowned and leant back against the pillows. "Sometimes I wonder why I married you Dante!" She cussed. But before she could expect an answer, Dante had slammed the door closed and was out of sight.

Raetia (1), Europe, 3 days later…

"We're nearly over the pass! In about an hour or so we'll be back on flat land again!" Arkantos shouted through the howling, biting north wind.

Atem was literally blue in the face, he was so cold. Kastor had to provide him with a few extra rawhides to keep him from getting hypothermia. However, if it meant freezing to death to save Set, Atem would do it. How far away could the Norselands be now, anyway?

"Arkantos! Gaul warriors! They are attacking!" Ajax shouted from the back.

Arkantos (who was leading the group) yanked his horse around to face the oncoming siege. "Men! Into your battle stances now! I will lead the rest of us to safety! We are nearly over the Germania (2) border!" Arkantos nudged his horse's sides and began galloping down the mountainside. All the other horses followed suit.

"Hold on tight, Atem! We could be galloping for a while! Traveling with my father isn't for the faint-hearted!" Kastor shouted through the ruthless wind as he galloped off after Arkantos on Arion. Atem grabbed a chunk of Atlas' black mane and stormed off after them, holding on for dear life.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

*= go here to see a picture of a hippocampus ---> http://www.stormreaver.net/silverglade/hippocampus.jpg

(1) - Raetia: Modern day Austria. Austria is situated above northern Italy.

(2) - Germania: Modern day Germany. (I think you all know where that is)

Updates: Not for a while, this chapter is all I've got so far so I'll have to write another six or so pages before I can post up another one ^_^

Next chapter: Arkantos, Atem and the rest of the Greeks reach Midgun and are welcomed by Brynhild. In this chapter you will learn a bit about the Norse gods and mythological creatures etc. Hope you enjoyed!