━━ CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR / angered gods

Marc was already dressed when Ronny stepped out of the ensuite. Her head hurt from the lack of sleep but the shower had woken her up significantly. A towel was wrapped around her waist as she trudged over to her suitcase, pulled it up onto the bed and began to search for an appropriate outfit for the day.

While she searched, Marc sat on the chair in the corner of the room. He seemed zoned out, quiet but he had a good night's sleep for once in his life. Ronny didn't say much as she pulled the towel off, brushing any water off herself before she began to change. They had already seen each other naked, changing in front of him didn't really matter.

"Do you have any leads to find Harrow?" Ronny asked as she pulled on her t-shirt. Marc snapped back to reality and looked at her. She grabbed her pants and put them on.

"Senfu's sarcophagus has the directions to Ammit's tomb," Marc said as he got up from the chair. He grabbed his jacket from the back and looked at himself in the mirror. He looked better than he usually did and he had Ronny to thank for that.

"Oh," Ronny's face twisted in annoyance at the mention. He turned to look at her, raising an eyebrow. She grabbed her own jacket from the side and slipped it over her shoulders, "Thoth got me involved in an operation to liberate it. We failed." Marc nodded his head. Ronny grabbed her shoes and slipped them on before she grabbed a hair tie and threw it up into a ponytail.

"Do you know who has it?" He asked. Ronny shook her head and slammed her suitcase shut, zipping it up before she turned to face him completely.

"We tried to intercept the sale but it got everyone else killed. I never found out who ended up with it. Thoth had more pressing issues," Ronny explained as she grabbed a cap from her bag and put it on, feeding the ponytail through the back, "International human trafficking rings take priority and at least I was successful with them." Marc nodded and adjusted his own jacket.

"I'm meeting someone at the market downtown. Are you coming?" He asked. Ronny nodded and glanced at herself in the mirror before she felt satisfied.

"I'll keep an eye out while you talk to them. Harrow might still be after us." Marc nodded and the two left the hotel room together.

-

The Cairo sun was blazing and after Marc had taken her hat, Ronny knew the sun was getting to her. She was exhausted from her lack of sleep and despite the suncream she had put on, she was sure that her skin was burning on the back of her neck. Her hair had at least dried as she patrolled the market. Ronny had one eye on Marc the entire time and Thoth had appeared at some point. He was walking beside her but silent for the most part.

"Do you have any more information?" Ronny asked and Thoth looked down at her before he looked up. He dodged around the people who came towards them as Ronny traversed expertly. People were shouting, trying to get her attention but she didn't even bother looking in their direction. There were plenty of people packed in the little square, a vendor was of no significance to her.

"Only what Marc has already told you." Ronny nodded. She wasn't even sure how Marc knew about that. Khonshu had been banished before Thoth so anything he knew would have been useless. Marc must have had help from one of the other Avatars but who? Ronny only had one solid guess and that was Yatzil.

"Any updates on Harrow? Or the Gods?" Ronny slipped through a gap in the stalls, keeping Marc in eyesight. He had approached a man now, a juice-vendor. Obnoxious and loud. Ronny wouldn't have looked at him twice.

"The Gods are angered. Every move we make must be cautious." Ronny hummed in response. An unsurprising turn of events considering what Khonshu had done and how Thoth and Ronny had approached the accusations against Harrow. They wouldn't listen and Khonshu had risked exposing them - again. She just hoped Thoth didn't suffer for Khonshu's actions.

Ronny glanced over at Marc and saw that Layla was standing there, a bag of juice with a straw in her hand. The man had stepped away now. Ronny furrowed her eyebrows as she watched them talk. She couldn't hear what they were saying but she waited until Marc looked around to find her before she came over to them.

"We have a way to find Senfu's sarcophagus," Marc said rather bluntly. Layla glanced at Ronny before she looked at Marc and the trio walked off. Their walk was quiet until they came across a cafe. Layla informed them that they had time to kill until they could see the sarcophagus so they sat down. Marc went inside to order for the women while they sat across from each other. Layla had a look of almost annoyance on her face.

"I thought you didn't work with him."

"I don't."

"You don't have to lie. I don't care,"

"He is Khonshu's avatar. I am Thoth's. They don't like each other, Layla. This is a one-off, a fluke because for once, they are after the same thing." Ronny was lying and she didn't even know why. There was no reason to lie but her relationship with Marc was too complicated to even begin to explain now.

"Why do you feel the need to lie?" Layla had switched to French and Ronny took a minute to even notice the change. She sighed and glanced over at the door.

"Our relationship is complicated," Ronny responded, staying in French. It was a language that Marc couldn't understand, Steven could but he didn't seem to be fronting so they were safe from him overhearing.

"He's complicated." Ronny chuckled, nodding her head. Layla leant forward in her chair and looked around. Ronny could tell that she was paranoid. There were plenty of people in Cairo that disliked Layla but Ronny would protect her if anything went wrong.

"That's an understatement." Ronny mumbled, glancing around. Thoth had disappeared after they left the market, "Do you care if he moves on?" She stuck to speaking in French, knowing that Marc could come back out any moment. The café was relatively quiet for mid-day.

"It would hurt but I filed for the divorce. It was my choice. Who am I to stop him?" That was far from the response that Ronny had expected but she was glad of it. Part of her felt weird for sleeping with Marc when Layla was still in love with him still but there was nothing she could do to change that now.

"Do you know who has the sarcophagus?" Ronny switched back to English now. If Marc overheard, it was probably a good thing. They needed to know at least where they were going. Ronny really wished she had her hat back, the sun blazing above their heads and she could feel the heat on the back of her head.

"A guy named Mogart. We used to be close. I know him. It shouldn't be too hard to see it." Layla still spoke in French but Ronny didn't think much of it. She nodded - hiding the dread she felt at even the mention of his name - and glanced up to see Marc walk back out with scowl on his face. Ronny sent him a smile and he sat down. She then pulled the hat off his head and placed it back on her own, feeding her ponytail through the back again. The relief she felt was instantaneous and the paranoia over getting heatstroke disappeared.

"Where are we going?" Marc asked as he pulled his chair into the table. Layla looked to Ronny and then back at him before she sighed. Then, she explained.

-

The trio had spent most of the day together but Layla had kept Marc almost entirely in the dark over what they were walking into. Layla made it clear that she knew what she was doing and she knew who they were going to see but had stayed quiet on the details. Ronny understood why. If Marc knew too much, he'd go on his own but it was frustrating that even she didn't know what she was walking into. She knew who Mogart was and had even tried to get him convicted of a few drug-related charges but she'd failed and their relationship had been less than amicable.

Not that she bothered to tell either of them that small fact. It was easier if she kept it to herself for now, Marc and Layla had been bickering all day and so when it was time to go, the silence was a reprieve. She had no intention of starting another argument over her problems with Anton Mogart. The trio stepped onto the boat and Ronny sat beside Marc, staring off onto the lake as the pair sat across from each other.

There was quiet for a few moments before Marc finally spoke up. He'd been antsy for the past few minutes and Ronny could tell he was anxious. His face was twisted in annoyance and he kept flickering his gaze across the lake, to Ronny and then back to Layla before he looked away again. Marc expected one of the women to start talking but they didn't.

"So what exactly are we gonna do here?" He asked before adding, "What's the plan?" Ronny was just as in the dark as he was but there was an edge of annoyance to his tone. Ronny was beginning to regret going with the divorced couple. They clearly had unresolved issues.

"It's not pleasant being left in the dark, is it?" Layla responded, not bothering to elaborate any further. Ronny sighed and leant forward, moving her gaze to Layla's face.

"Layla, don't sta-" Ronny began, switching to French in hopes of bickering in a language Marc didn't understand to diffuse the situation. But Marc spoke over Ronny, "Okay. I get that you're not happy about me leaving so quickly and coming to Cairo. I understand." Layla looked incredulous and Ronny couldn't blame her.

"I don't care that you came here alone, Marc. I'm just sick of you acting like you can do this all on your own," She responded, bitterness seeping into her tone. Ronny sighed and glanced over at the group of people on the other side of the boat. They were dancing to the music, having fun while Ronny stared aimlessly across the water.

"Can we just give our shit a rest for a moment and just try to strategize before we get to-to..." Marc stumbled, not even knowing where they were going. Layla had still yet to tell him.

"Mogart's."

"Mogart."

"I'm not here to help you. I'm here for me and for everyone else who would die if Harrow succeeds." Layla said before she glanced over at Ronny who seemed disinterested in the entire discussion. Marc nodded and went silent for a few beats before he spoke up again.

"I am sorry. For whatever that's worth." He said as he looked into Layla's eyes. The brunette proceeded to turn away and look ahead to where the boat was going towards. Mogart's place was getting closer and Ronny was no closer to a solution.

"I can't help either of you in there," Ronny spoke up after a few more beats of silence. Layla's head snapped to the brunette, cocking an eyebrow and Ronny leant forward, resting her elbows on her knees, "Mogart knows who I am. I tried to steal Senfu's sarcophagus from him and we had some trouble in Madripoor a few years ago. He knows my face, he's wanted my head on a pike since." Marc looked at her for a moment before he shook his head and turned away.

"Why didn't you tell me this before?" Layla asked and Ronny leant back again.

"I couldn't remember if it was the same guy. But I did bring these so I can at least be of some help," She reached into the backpack she brought with you and it was communicator earpieces. There were three for each of them. It had been a stroke of luck that she'd packed them, it was a complete accident but it worked out.

"It's too dangerous to use them," Marc argued, "They'll be visible." Ronny shook her head and picked one up, watching as it shifted to match her skin exactly.

"I stole them from a Stark Shipment years ago. I can patrol the perimeter, warn you if Harrow comes our way." Marc seemed hesitant but picked up the earpiece and pushed it into his ear. It fit snugly and Layla reluctantly did the same. She seemed annoyed but Ronny brushed it off. Being stuck with your stubborn ex-husband wasn't the most pleasing way to spend an evening so Ronny took her annoyance with a pinch of salt.

-

NOTE
i'm not in love with this chapter but i feel like there's nowhere to improve so i'm just gonna stop stressing and give it to you!