Dan was surprised, he found himself buried, his face pressed against ample mounds of flesh, a fresh smell leaking into his nostrils, he needn't open his eyes to know who was currently embracing him. It was not the embrace that surprised him, he had many times found his head buried in such delightful twin mounds, it was rather the person doing the embracing. Not Amani, Sara, or even Abyzou, who had all spoken of there love to him, and most certainly not Apate or Nix, instead he found himself buried in the chest of the rather standoffish Bastet, and judging by the way he was currently being pressed into her with all the strength her arms could manage he felt thrown off.

It was not like he was stupid, he knew she loved him, though she found it fun to tell him otherwise or to beat around the bush.

Very much like a cat.

Yes, she felt deeply for him, and he indeed felt likewise for her, even with her naturally standoffish mannerisms. The shock however came from the fact that she was so openly showing affection now. He opened his eyes and looked up at the egyptian goddess who was currently purring and rubbing against him before she froze up entirely, the purr dieing in her throat, her left eye twitched open, slowly followed by the right eye and she looked around in bewilderment.

How had she gotten here? And what was with the smug look Sara and Amani were giving her? Slowly she became aware of the feeling of warmth in her chest, and how it was not her own, looking down while stifling some worry she found the source of this heat was indeed not her but Dan.

She was about to shove him away with some curses at the lout for ambushing her chest like this in front of others when she realised she was no longer in the spot she had been, but was instead inside the magical circle.

And more horrifyingly that it was her arms that held him there, not something of his own device. Had, had she done this?

Oh,oh no.

Making up her mind she pushed him away with a decisive harumph and turned and walked away proudly, spine straight and head up, almost like it was beneath her to even look at Dan let alone hug him as tightly as she had done. She however did not miss the triumphant smile on his lips like he had just won some medal, and she made sure to his at him as she passed.

Dan still smiling sat up, and looked around, he was still surrounded by the court of Lamia, still in the circle, and it looked like it was only an hour or so since he had entered the trials, if he was to judge by the setting sun. or if it was not an hour it could be a week, or a month, he couldn't tell. Whatever it was there was no way it was only an hour right? Everyone in the room was staring at him in shock or horror.

Or rage.

The last one was relegated to a certain demoness, who was at this moment struggling to keep her seductive human form. He stood up and felt a mental tug as Apate wrapped her ghostly form around him. This movement made the woman, demon, goddess whatever she was more visible in the dying light and caught his wives attention and really everyone else who had up to this point not looked at her, or even seen her. Amani opened her mouth to ask, before shaking her head and shutting it, surely she would hear about it when this was all over, but if she knew Dan then she was going to have a new sister.

Dan stood and looked at the seething Lilith, and opened his mouth. “I assume you remember our wager.” he asked.

“I thought there would be one more test?” Aby asked confused by her sudent reappearance at the conclave.

Dan moved his head, pointing it at Lilith and clarified for her, “She was the first test.” he said with a smile, “weren't you?” Lilith ground her teeth at this, but did not speak up. “I ask again, do you remember our wager?”

“Fine what do you wish for?” she spat out, her lips peeled back and her seductive voice leaked out once again, “Money, gold, ” she paused lingering her finger on her lips, pulling the red juicy flesh down slightly, “Me?” she said in her best seductrice voice.

“No, I want you to lift a curse, one that I feel you likely know all too well.” her face went stiff, wooden, no wood was not hard enough, it went stoney. Dan’s hand reached behind him and he pulled forward a confused Abyzou, placing her side by side with himself. “I know you detest gods and goddesses, surely you would never allow someone of your own bloodline rise to such a rank,” he looked over at Aby and continued. “And yet here one is...” his gaze snapped back up at Lilith, she was showing some cracks in that facade, that stony exterior was starting to seeth as rage was leaking through. But it was not just rage at the man before her, no it was a deeper self loathing that brought with it a wide assortment of memories that burned her heart. “I am sure it was you that cursed Abyzou so, made it so she would never have children,” Abyzou’s eyes went wide, in fact every eye but three went wide with this statement.

The only ones not shocked by this were three people.

Dan was one.

Lilith was another.

The third however was a slight surprise to Dan, it was none other than Abyzou’s mother, she simply flinched, and drew in on herself, like some deep cut had been opened in her heart, folding in on herself.

Or perhaps re opened.

Abyzou saw her aswell, and in a strangled voice she spoke to her mother. “Ma, you knew about this?”

“Zouzou please,” her mother said, almost crawling for her, but Abyzou only drew back with a pained hiss, her mother recoiled, once again wrapping in on herself, she started to shake, racked with sobs as she coiled in on herself. “It was either that or she would have killed you, I-”

“You could have told me,” Aby said in a hiss.

“I-”

“Do you know how much pain I went through?” Aby cut off, “All those pregnancies, all that hope, only to have the child die and be still born?” there were tears of rage and sadness running down her face, but she kept her golden eyes fixed on the curled form of her mother. “Do you know how many children I buried mother?” Dan wrapped an arm around Abyzou but didn't speak. “DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY!?!?!” she demanded, her mother simply shook a limp head. “493, mother.” she said softly, the tears suddenly stopping, her sadness retreating back into the container that she held it in, her grip on dan tightened and he could feel the rage in her boil. “Each one I hoped mother, each one I believed this would be the one, and each time part of me died with that child, part of my heart died, part of my soul.” she was shaking, Dan could feel it, but it was not from sadness, not at all. “You are no longer family of mine,” her mother lifted her head up, eyes growing wide. “I no longer want to be part of the clan, part of you people.” she looked around, “I am sorry to have wasted your time with this trial, but I renounce my clan,” she looked over at Dan, and he looked deep into her eyes, if this is what she wanted then he would abide, there was no complaint from him, he simply nodded.

“My side of the wager is done, the thing I wish for is for you to remove the curse you have lain on Abyzou, and to never place another on anyone in my family.” he growled. Lilith raged, her human form falling away, with anger she tore up the seat, throwing it and several other things against the far wall, causing the furniture to shatter into millions of splinters, she even punched a pillar, cracking the white marble and leaving a bloody print on the stone.

Dan stood impassively as she raged.

She turned back toward him, her chest no longer appealing rose and fell in rage, blood dripping from her hand. His golden eyes staring back at her impassively.

“I will kill you, you will die for this...” she hissed in rage, but he simply smiled.

“Your welcome to try,” his lips twisted up in a smile that turned her blood cold, even through her rage, “Though I would advise against it, ” he laughed a black laugh. “The last person that underestimated me and though he could hurt my family , well i'm sure you know what happened to him… Don't repeat that mistake.”

Dan heard a small laugh behind him, it was Bastet, she spoke up almost like she was feeling smug. “Like I said,” she laughed, “Thin ice.”

Lilith’s hands wrung each other, and a new look found its way into her face.

Fear?

Yes, fear.

Without another word she undid the curse she had laid on Abyzou, an invisible thread that poisoned the blood that flowed into her womb. “I- It's done,” she said shakily. Dan narrowed his eyes at her.

“I should hope so, you really don't want me to come back here.” he growled and turned, shepherding his party out the door, leaving behind a confused council, a shaking demoness, and a moaning and weeping mother who reached out her hand for her daughter’s back as she left, crying out her lamentations for all the world to hear.