A House with Many Doors

He didn't want to use his magic unless he was forced to. It was wildly unpredictable, and was never meant to be used on beings that weren't his kind. Even though he didn't know where the separation between this thing and Auryon lied, he couldn't risk harming her in the process.

"What's your name?" he asked. He needed to know more, and it would keep her distracted.

"I'll give you a hint, daemon-boy," she says. "My name is of a snake, and one of Egypt. Three guesses until my dagger breaks that pretty skull of yours."

"Stuck in this mansion same as you. Though whether we're stuck in this particular hall has still yet to be discovered," James replied.

"How long have you been here?" Laurel asked, looking curiously at the phone in Raiden's hands. She had no idea what it was.

Even before she had finished speaking, Maahes had already stumbled away from her. His head pounded with the implications of what she had said. She couldn't be telling the truth, right? If she was, then he had to be misinterpreting it! There was no way that he could be standing only feet away from Ra's sworn enemy.

"Apophis," he managed to get out. "You're Apophis."

"Ding ding ding! Now, let's have at it, shall we?" Her eyes flicker, dimming for a mere moment before going luminescent once more.

He rushed to the back of the room. He had just put himself in a corner, but that was alright. Apophis had never been the smartest. While battle strategies may have been a talent of the Goa'uld, Apophis had been convinced that Maahes was Ra's son. It would be impossible for his opponent to predict the scope of his abilities now.

He eyed the mark on Auryon's arm. That didn't make any sense whatsoever in the current situation, but he had time to worry about that later. He needed to deal with Apophis now if he was going to find a way out of this place.

"I thought the Tau'ri got to you," he taunted with a smirk. He wasn't sure of that, but the SGC was always a weak spot for the Goa'uld. Mentioning former failures was bound to make Apophis slip up. "I guess you're not as weak as I thought you were."

"The who now? I ain't who you think I am, kid," she chuckles, seeming amused.

He had been tense the entire conversation, but now his posture relaxed. This Apophis was still a threat. That much was certain. But, at the very least, he wasn't dealing with a Goa'uld who had terrified him for centuries. "My world has an Apophis, too," he admitted. His eyes lingered on the marking on her arm. "Though there's some major differences between the two of you. I'm guessing that's how you remain in Auryon's body?"

"Guess again."

He met her gaze. "Then why were you getting so irritated? Auryon could have just claimed it was a tattoo." He was curious, but he also needed more time to understand exactly what he was up against.

"A tattoo that does that, yes, quite," she replies dryly.

"No idea. I woke up about ten minutes ago though," he answered, noticing Laurel's curious eyes on his phone
"You're not thinking of stealing my phone, are you?" he asked, holding it protectively to his chest as he looked Laurel in the eye.

Laurel's brows shot up. "Oh! Is that what it's called? I've never seen one of those before. What is it, exactly? What is it for? What does it do?"

"Poison's always an option," he pointed out. "And seeing that we all seem to come from different worlds, I doubt anyone would have questioned what the magic of your reality does."

He glanced at the pentacle he was standing behind. The candles cast their eerie light onto the circle around them. Couldn't he, theoretically, not use his magic and just knock one of them down so the room caught on fire? Apophis would be eager to leave.

"By the way, why exactly are you and Auryon in the same body?" he asked. He had to keep her distracted while he tried to figure out what he should do next.

"It's in my advantage," she answers simply, advancing.