I dedicate this to CuzImBatman, since it was chapter 8 of her story Mortal God that inspired this along with our talking. This is kind of a "What If?" scenario- that will not actually happen but I wondered. Apparently it amuses her that I am not a big fan of Octavian (which is perfectly fine by me) but like I told her, he seems like a power-hungry manipulator and user and I have a grudge against people who abuse their authority that way. I could grow to like him if he's written in a different way but for now- he's something I eye warily. So for this story he's going to be "the bad guy."

Keep in mind that this is inspired by Batman's story and is not actually a part of it in anyway- unless she decides otherwise.

~*8*~

Carter watched in amusement as Anubis handed over a bag of oversized chocolate-chocolate chip cookies that he had bought for Nico, far enough away that he couldn't hear what they were saying though he could see their lips moving. He really was happy that Anubis had found the one he was looking for and he couldn't help but smile when he watched the two of them together. The jackal seemed to wrap around his friend, much the same why his magic had when he'd claimed him. That thought took some of his joy away. Nico had lost his sister only a couple days ago so the two Egyptians had decided it would be better to let him get to know Anubis before telling him about the magic and everything that came with it. While Carter could understand their reasoning, he still hated keeping the truth of what was happening from Nico- especially since he knew his friend wasn't entirely normal on his own. And he wasn't just thinking of the "family business" either.

"Carter?" Horus' voice drew his thoughts back to the nature park they were at the entrance of. Light brown eyes turned to face his boyfriend curiously in the afternoon sunlight. "What were you thinking about?" The curator's feelings over the bond hadn't been upset but they had been shifting towards uneasy which bothered Horus.

"Nico. And Anubis." He tossed a brief glance over to the raven haired males who were walking their way. "I don't like keeping things from Nico. He'll be more accepting of this whole thing than you're giving him credit for." Carter meet Horus' mis-matched eyes evenly.

Horus tipped his head in that bird-like way he so often did. Anubis did it as well, although it seemed more canine when he did it. Had to be part of their spirit animals. "What the fuck are you trying to say Carter?" Because he was certain his little mortal was trying to tell him something.

"What's up?" Nico asked, biting down on one of the cookies he'd pulled from the bag. Anubis stood a step behind him and a little to his right, watching him eat the cookie like he'd never seen one before. Nico either didn't notice or was choosing not to.

"Carter was insinuating something but wasn't actually telling me anything." Horus grumped, giving his younger cousin an amused look. He knew it was Nico and not the cookie the jackal was fascinated with but it was still hard not to laugh when the pale Egyptian was so entranced.

Anubis gave Horus a sharp look, knowing full well the older man was silently mocking him. "I wasn't aware you knew what that word meant." He drawled, instinctively shifting as his bonded moved a few steps.

"Hey!" Horus reached out a hand and whapped the other on the side of the head. Carter laughed, smothering the sound in Horus' side, and Nico chuckled, the sound slightly muffled by his snack. "I'll have you know-"

Horus stopped mid-sentence as a horror filled "Scream Queen" style shriek broke into his speech. All eyes turned to look at Nico, who paused in the process of biting another cookie. Horus leaned to the side to look down at Nico's backside as another scream rent the air- ignoring the warning growl from his cousin when he did so.

"Did your ass just scream?" Mis-matched eyes rose to meet onyx eyes as the blinked innocently at him.

Nico finished his cookie quickly and reached into his back pocket. "Why? Jealous?" He arched a brow, flipping open his cell and hitting the reject option without even looking down at the screen. The phone was shoved back into hiding and not once did Nico break eye contact.

Horus grinned wickedly. "Incredibly so. I want that ring tone."

"How's it feel to want?" Nico asked, leaning into Anubis' side while he bantered with Horus. Carter shook his head in wonder at the two, sharing a look with Anubis over Nico's head.

Horus was interrupted again when Nico's phone started screaming once more. The little raven sighed and reached again to silence it. Curiosity prompted Carter to speak up. "Who's calling?"

"Octavian." Nico's expression suggested that even the name was distasteful to him. "He's been..." He paused, searching for the right word for a few moments before finally settling on what he deemed the right one. "Hunting. He's be hunting me for a couple years now. The fact that I'm not interested is irrelevant to him. I am what he wants and he always gets what he wants." Neither of the mortals noticed the hostility the two Egyptians where giving off at the information. Carter was dumbfounded.

"And your family hasn't gotten involved yet?" Carter was sure that they wouldn't have stood by while one of their own was harassed. Nico was one of the younger members of the family and as a result he tended to be over-protected. Something that frequently annoyed him.

"Well, Octavian is Italian and has connections that we nearly lost when my mother was killed. So he has his uses. So long as he behaves himself and doesn't cross the line, he's safe." Nico shrugged and pushed off from Anubis to continue walking along the walking/biking trail through the trees.

Carter nodded, noticing that Horus kept an arm around his waist while they walked and Anubis stayed close enough to Nico that they seemed to brush their arms together every so often. "Right, your father's family is Greek. Your mother's was Italian. But 'hunting' you doesn't count as misbehaving?"

"All he's done- that we can prove- is call far too often and show up frequently at the most inconvenient times." Nico bit into another cookie, scowling down at the ground. Anubis wrapped an arm around him to offer comfort that Nico willingly accepted.

Horus, being the one who was looked to for protection and upholding the laws in his own family, picked up on one part of that statement that definitely needed pursuing. "That you can prove?"

"Well, there was this incident a few years ago, where I had been drugged at a party. I can't actually remember who gave me the tainted drink but I do remember being carried off to another room and someone pulling at my clothes. A couple of my cousins found me before anything had happened, but whoever it was managed to go out the window before they saw who it was. It wasn't any typical street drug- or any other one that we could identify, so it had to have been custom made for the situation. It took nearly a day for that shit to get out of my system." Nico viciously kicked a rock that was in the path, taking a deep breath before continuing. Leaning more into Anubis' side he rested his head on the other's shoulder while walking. "Anyways. Because of some circumstantial evidence and deductions we- meaning me and my cousins- are positive that Octavian was behind it but we don't have any solid proof."

"And solid proof is what you would need so long as he's an asset to your family." Carter finished for him, getting a nod in confirmation. He'd spent enough time around the Greeks to understand how some things working in their world. Noticing how tense Nico- and now that he was looking Anubis- was he decided it was time to steer the conversation to another subject. Later he would have to investigate the rage brewing on the other side of his bond with Horus. "So how did you get the ring tone?"

"That I want." Horus injected, giving a "what?" look to the slap Carter landed on his chest.

Nico smiled and tossed a look over at the tallest of them. "If I told, then he'd get it. Then what would I do to amuse myself?"

"I can think of a few things." Anubis got a blush and a grin from Nico for that comment, though Horus rolled his eyes and Carter was blushing horribly.

"Please spare us the details." Horus drawled, playing into the conversation for the same reasons Carter had changed subjects. He and Anubis could deal with this new problem once they'd made sure the two mortals where safely at home. And he knew his cousin would indeed take out this Octavian fellow- they tended to be fiercely possessive once they bonded and nothing- no one- threatened that bond and walked away unscathed.

"I don't know. Details might convince me to send you the ring tone." Nico gave Horus a wicked smile as Carter sputtered indignantly.

Horus put on the most horrified look he could muster. "You mean I have to listen to that to get the ring tone?" He put on a contemplative look. "I'm not entirely sure it's worth it."

Carter finally got himself under control again. "Alright! Enough!" He shook his head, lifting a hand to massage his temple. "Jeeze you guys are awful sometimes."

"C'mon Carter. Maybe we can give you and Horus some ideas." Anubis held in his laughter, knowing it was unlikely but enjoying the conversation all the same. It wasn't often he and Horus could go long without pissing each other off or trying to rile each other up in some way. He found it oddly nice to just banter with his older cousin. Something that he would not have really considered possible before Carter and Nico had been found by them.

Horus snorted at the look Carter gave the two, just before they both froze. Anubis, he wasn't all that confused about. He'd seen his cousin do this whenever there was a ghost or improper burial near by. It was just part of what he'd been before their godhood had been stripped from them. Nico he was worried about though, unless the bond had strengthened to the point that Anubis' abilities where being transferred... Could that even happen?

"There's a spirit near by isn't there Nico?" Carter asked, stepping forward to put his hand on the nineteen year old's shoulder. Nico nodded, getting a curious look from both Egyptians. Horus glanced at Anubis, who nodded to indicate that there was indeed a spirit near them. But why had Carter asked Nico about it?

"Female. Maybe a year or two younger than me. This death is a couple years old now." Nico took a few steps away from the three of them. The temperature began to drop, their breathes fogging when it left them, something that had Horus looking to Anubis again. This time his cousin didn't have an answer for him and shrugged. "She was being chased. Her wrists were bound but she was conscious, her feet free." He shook his head, trying to get a clearer understanding of what had happened to the girl, shifting again to find a stronger connection. The cold raised bumps on their arms but Nico seemed not to notice. Carter stepped closer to Horus for warmth, his boyfriend wrapped both arms around him to provide it.

"No, she was brought out here at night. He chased her because she managed to escape him. She tripped, sprained her ankle and was nearly caught again but she kept running." Nico took a few more steps, moving off the trail by a foot or so. Anubis trailed after him by a couple steps, watching intently as he connected with the girl's ghost. "Angela. Her name was Angela Keetan. She came here to visit her friend. They had gone to high school together but her friend had moved here. She didn't know the area. And it was too dark to see the ravine. She fell in, hit her head on the way down and drowned. Shallow water but she landed face first in it. He threw some rock on her body to hide it." Nico shook his whole body and moved back over the group, reaching for the hand Anubis held out to him. The temperature slowly began to rise back to normal, though Anubis could feel that Nico's skin was still chilled. "She's not the only out here Carter. I think you need to call Sadie. There's a serial killer in her city and she's not gonna be happy about it."

"Maybe you should do it." Carter held out his cell, watching his friend for any ill effects from the contact. "I won't be able to answer all her questions the way you can. I have a couple questions myself when you're done."

"You're a medium." Anubis realized, looking down at teen. Nico gave him a wane smile and nodded, taking the phone from Carter and moving over to sit on a rock to recover while he made the call.

"Well, fuck!" Horus exclaimed. "That explains everything."

"Huh?" Carter looked at Horus, waiting for him to explain just what had been explained.

"Me being able to bond with Nico so quickly, Carter." Anubis stepped up to give the answer the curator was looking for though he kept glancing over at the teen who was talking quickly to Sadie. "It's unusual for a bond to form so quickly and at first it could have been explained that it only happened that fast because I was there for him when he mourned his sister but the truth is the bond began forming before that. Him being attuned to the dead explains why we bonded so fast."

"Oh." Carter's head was spinning but he managed to catch the gist of what was being said. But he still didn't know why Horus had been able to bond with him so easily, and he wasn't psychic like Nico so it couldn't be that...

"Alright." Nico walked back over handing Carter his cell. "Sadie is going to make a few calls, come up with some story for why she thinks there are bodies in this area, but we need to clear out so we don't become suspects." The psychic rubbed his arms, trying to warm up some. Anubis pulled him into his side to help.

"Sure thing." Hours said, wrapping an arm around Carter's waist and leading him back along the trail. "How about we all go see a movie?"

"Not horror or suspense or anything else like it!" Carter exclaimed, glowering at Nico, who gave him an innocent look- like he didn't know what the curator was talking about.

"Fine by me." Anubis answered, slinging his arm around Nico's shoulders. Nico sighed, but didn't argue so the others took it as consent.

"So Carter, what did you want to know?" Nico asked on the way back.

"Well, first, why didn't you bring a jacket like you usually do? And how did you connect so strongly when she was so far away?" Carter leaned a little around Horus to look at his friend.

"Didn't expect to need it. And she had some psychic ability of her own- that's how she found and connected to me." Nico heard Carter sigh at the first answer, but he nodded to the second and the rest of the trip was made in silence.

As they were getting back into the car Horus thought he finally understood what Carter had been trying to tell him before they'd entered the park and decided that he'd talk to Anubis about explaining everything to Nico tomorrow. For tonight they were just going to relax and have fun.

~*8*~

Okay. I will honestly say that I want that ring tone because I am almost positive that at least one of my friends would ask the same question Horus did if it went off in my back pocket. And I have wanted to write that scene for ages but just haven't found the right place to use it. I can not tell you how many stories and fandoms that thing has been tried out in before finding a home in this one.