Astarte, Gilgamesh, and Trace looked like any other tourists gazing at the Egyptian pyramids. To those who knew them, however, they were far from it--an ancient Phoenician goddess of war and life, a once-immortal king who now wore the Sentinel Armor of War, and his reincarnated friend who wore the Sentinel Armor of Gaea. The three of them had been touring various areas of the Middle East and the Mediterranean, revisiting places they had all walked millenia ago.

Trace looked the most haggard of the three. "Man! This place is too hot! Tell me again why we’re here. I keep forgetting. I think it’s the heatstroke." He took off his hat for a moment to wipe his forehead, then gulped the last of his water.

Gilgamesh laughed at his discomfort. "The great Warrior of Gaea, wilting in the sun? I would think you’d welcome the life the sun’s rays bring."

"Right now, I’d welcome a nice oasis with lots of shade and cool drinking water."

"You’re attuned to the Earth, aren’t you? Why don’t you lead us to water?"

"I would, smart guy, if there was some nearby."

Astarte smiled, always amused at their banter. She was especially glad to see Gilgamesh’s spirit lighten. During their thousand-year exile, he had become very melancholy indeed. Perhaps she had as well. She handed Trace her canteen. "Here. Let it not be said that the Goddess of Life let a friend die of thirst. I would be the laughing stock of all the pantheons." Trace took a swig and tried to give it back, but she refused. "It seems that although I am no longer immortal, I do not need to eat, drink, or sleep as often as other mortals." She looked around, getting her bearings. "The two of you may rest…over there." She pointed to the shade cast by one of the pyramids. "I’m sure the hidden entrance to the chamber of the Chaos Lords is nearby. I will go on ahead. Feel free to nap if you desire. I do not know when I will be back."

Trace and Gilgamesh went off into the shade while Astarte walked in the opposite direction. She knew that she would be able to sense the location as she neared it. After walking the area for a while, her skin began to tingle--mystic senses alerting her to the presence of magic. She gave herself over to instinct and let it lead her to a strange patch of sand. The grains were slowly moving round and round, making odd whorls on the ground. This was the spot. Astarte knelt down in the swirling sand. "Great Lord and Lady of Chaos. I, Astarte, Goddess of Life, Goddess of War, request an audience. Your wisdom and powers are needed by this humble supplicant." The ground rumbled beneath her. Before Astarte could react, she had been pulled under the sand.

Darkness surrounded her, but she could tell she was in a room or corridor of some kind beneath the desert. Astarte held up her hand, light emanating from it like a beacon. Before her stretched a long tunnel. The only route available, she took it. She walked for what seemed like hours, deeper and deeper into the earth until the tunnel felt like it was finally leveling off. A sound in the distance drew her attention—like the rushing of a great waterfall. Louder and louder it became as she walked on until she could feel the noise vibrating in her bones. At the end of the tunnel, Astarte stepped into a large room. A dead end. There were no other exits or corridors. In the middle of the room a great mass of darkness swirled like a hurricane. The noise of the rushing wind was deafening. What should she do? Where was she to go next?

A voice, soft like cool shadows, seeped into her brain, more over-powering somehow than even the shadow storm. "Your whole life has been fraught with chaos. You have endured and grown stronger. Do not fear it now, child. Face the uncertainty of chaos again. We await you on the other side."

Astarte took a deep breath and stepped into the shadowy maelstrom. She felt like she was being ripped apart, then suddenly, everything was still. She stood in a dimly-lit chamber, two masses of darkness seethed before her. One of them floated towards her, speaking in a voice that was masculine, but soothing as cool twilight after a hot day. This must be Kuk, Lord of Chaos.

"Be welcome, young one. You are known to us. You have come about the Jewel of Life, have you not?"

Astarte felt no sarcasm or malice in his address, as she often had when Hecate had called her "young one" or "child". His tone was almost paternal.

"Of course she has come about the Jewel! These young fools make war on each other and then expect us primordials to help them. What right do you have to come here, Astarte, disturbing our meditations? Why should we help you?"

Astarte was startled by Kauket’s voice, so different from her husband’s. Her words raged like black fire. Astarte found her own voice not as strong as she would have liked. "I seek to use the Jewel of Life’s power to augment my own in future battles against evil, but it is useless as it is now. I can’t access its power while it imprisons Hecate, goddess of dark magic. She…"

"Kauket interrupted. "Yes, yes. We know all that. But why should we care? Why should the concerns of you, an insignificant mortal, trouble us?"

"The suffering of others should matter to you--if not through concern for them, then for yourselves. Their plight will affect you sooner or later in some way. I have walked the earth as a goddess, seen more of order and chaos, light and darkness than most creatures have ever dreamed of. It is that warring duality that drives the universe. Even lords of chaos must accept order’s influence in their lives."

Kuk spoke. "Then why should it matter, whether evil reigns or good? It all balances out in the great scheme of things."

"Perhaps it does not matter to the universe. But it matters to me and to my friends. We choose to fight evil in this world, to save lives instead of taking them. We refuse to let things happen as they may. It is about choice. I choose to fight for humanity."

Kauket’s voice was quieter, but still kept its hot edge. "Then you have joined the human race in spirit as well? Not just because you are no longer an immortal? Interesting. But you are still insignificant. What weight does your existence carry in the universe?"

"As much weight as my actions give it. My life can be as important as the great Nile that brings life to many nations, Mighty Kauket, or as worthless as one grain of sand among the countless above us. It is what I do with the abilities I have, and those I can acquire, that is important."

Kuk spoke ponderously to himself. "And the power of the Jewel of Life is one of those abilities you wish to acquire."

There was silence in the chamber for some time. Astarte guessed they were considering her request, so she dared not interrupt.

Suddenly Kauket broke the quiet. "We are bored now. Leave us."

"But what about Hecate? Aren’t you going to...?"

"It is done," Kuk said. "We cannot destroy her. She is a primordial force as are we. But we have dispersed her back into the great Universal Chaos. Hecate is not dead, yet she exists no more. The Jewel is purged and may be used again. Go now, but you will soon return to seek our aid once more. We will be waiting."

"I don’t understand."

"Of course not, but you will."

Astarte blinked and found herself above ground once more, gazing up at the clear night sky. The Jewel of Life glowed bright in her hand, no sign of the tumorous shadow of Hecate’s imprisoned spirit. The Jewel was whole and strong again.