The Sacrilege of Papyrus

**The Sacrilege of Papyrus** (French titled *Le sacrilège de Papyrus*) is the first episode of the second season, and the twenty-seventh episode overall.

## Plot

As they do every year when the Nile is in flood, the people of Thebes are preparing twenty-four days of celebration in honor of the god Amon. The sacred statue will be carried from its home to Thebes. A priest, Loremkopf, enters a room and honors the statue of Amon.

At the market place, Théti is purchasing a variety of fine clothes, while Papyrus carries the load for her. Papyrus jokes that he will be needing some for his garment, but Théti is carried away and views it as disrespectful. Papyrus, however, deems that she is carried away, and she apologizes. Ratoufer agrees to.

A cat being chased by a dog and seeks refuge in a linen Papyrus is holding. The dog runs by and knocks him over along with the load of garments. Théti shoos the dog away, which it does, and consoles the cat. Papyrus is irritated by the fact that she worries for the cat and not for him.

Ratoufer settles things down and insists on holding the cat, reminding them that cats are sacred animals. He suddenly receives a premonition, while the cat slips out of his hands, having a bad feeling about the Opet festival ending up in a catastrophe.

Ratoufer informs Pharaoh Merenre about the foreboding. Merenre demands Mesimonptu to inform Nekhet to keep a safe guard on the statue of Amon. Papyrus, however, suggests that they hide the statue in a fisherman hut, so it would be safe that way. While the others agree, but Loremkopf, High Preist of Amon, deems it risky but soon comes to realize it is not a bad idea. Papyrus's suggestion is carried out.

Aker yet again, looks down on them and gloats Seth's impending trap.

At nighttime, the statue of Amon is being hoisted by the royal guards and on its way to the respective location. Loremkopf, out of concern, questions its condition, whereas Nekhet reassures it will be untouched.

At Tiya's place, the friends are also concerned for the Papyrus's plan, Papyrus himself hopes all will be well. However, Tiya shrugs it off and is confident that the statue is safe. Bebo suggests that Papyrus forgets about it and tries to soothe Papyrus with a bowl of special spicy duck soup. Papyrus is delighted for a moment and tries the soup, oblivious to the strange cat on his shoulder. He suddenly yelps due to the temperature and spiciness of the soup. However, the cat was unable to keep balance and falls off Papyrus's shoulder, plummeting from Tiya's home and falls on Kamelot, with its claws grabbing on him.

While Bebo offers Papyrus water to calm him down, Théti is greatly upset, believing that the cat might be hurt and shames Papyrus for the accident. Papyrus deems it ridiculous, as once again, no one cared what happened to him. But Papyrus insists on looking for the cat anyway.

Nekhet is at a fisherman cabin, guarding the statue, and Loremkopf appears to him for updates. Nekhet again reassures that the statue is safe and guarded, with anyone else bounding to know what is hidden in the said hut. Loremkopf and the royal guards exit the scene.

Papyrus is roaming around the streets, pursuing after the cat. But once he finds it, it keeps running off. The two are then lead to the fisherman cabin, and the cat proceeds to lure him up a tree. Papyrus, unaware, climbs up the tree and follows after it. Unfortunately, the branch could no longer support his weight, causing him to fall through the roof of the shed. The commotion is heard by Nekhet.

Papyrus continues to look for the cat. The cat then alternates the statue of Amon for a statue of Seth, deceiving Papyrus. Papyrus unhesitantly "destroys" the statue, however, his sword had landed on the platform of it. He is caught by Nekthet and the royal guards, much to their surprise.

The next day, Papyrus is brought to Merenre in the royal palace for interrogation. Théti and Ratoufer try to prove his innocence, with Ratoufer's corroboration being appearances are not always true. Loremkopf and Nekhet, however, claim otherwise, led to conclusion that Papyrus is held accountable. Merenre is then brought to a decision that Papyrus is sent to the gravest sentence: death.

Upon hearing this, Théti is deeply hurt and runs outside to cry. Tiya and Ratoufer are also in disbelief of Papyrus being found guilty and disagree with this decision, insisting to disobey Pharaoh on behalf of Papyrus.

Meanwhile, Papyrus is shoved into a room, expected for execution. Nekhet orders a guard to keep watch and allow no visitors. Papyrus is hopeless, realizing he has fallen into a trap and Merenre’s trust for him is dissolved. The cat appears before him, much to Papyrus's dismay. He lightly scolds the cat for getting him into this situation, but the cat utilizes its 'cuteness' to soften Papyrus. The only thing Papyrus can do is to pet the cat and accept his fate.

Théti comes before the guard and demands to see Papyrus. The guard, however, denies her request that no one is allowed to see him. Shepsi and Tiya then sets an attack on the guard and Tiya urges Théti to go on. He suddenly grabs her ankle and he alerts the other guards. Tiya urges Shepsi to help Théti, and he starts to nibble on the guard's hand, unleashing a scream from him.

They are chased by the guards, allowing Bebo to release Papyrus. He follows him out, but the cat follows to. Théti and Tiya are still pursued and find a hiding spot. Tiya is impressed with Théti's profound familiarity around the palace and asks what they can do to get away from the guards. Théti silently shows Tiya a secret door, telling her it is why she loved playing around the palace when she was little. They both hide in there for some time.

Outside Thebes, Bebo leads Papyrus to Ratoufer, who is expecting him. Papyrus wonders how he can prove his innocence to Pharaoh, but Ratoufer informs that the statue of Amon is hidden in one of the most terrifying cities; the Basalt City. He must seek the key, the eye of Ra, and find the Three Portals.

Nekhet is in search of the get-aways, and a guard informs to him that Papyrus has escaped, causing Nekhet to realize that the chase was a diversion. He orders one of the men to guard the fisherman cabin in case Papyrus tries to retrieve his sword, while they will scour the city. Théti and Tiya come out of the passage, with Tiya rejoicing over Papyrus's escape, but Théti worrying that without his sword, he is in danger.

Papyrus is riding a chariot in the middle of the desert and stops for a drink of water. He takes a drink, interrupted by the cat's meow. Papyrus is in surprise and dismayed about its presence but soon allows it to join. Papyrus continues to maneuver the chariot, unaware of the cat causing the water container to leak out.

Sooner or later, Papyrus is stopped in the middle of the desert, lacking water. He hears a falcon and proceeds to follows it. Papyrus is delighted at the sight of a well and quickly takes a drink from a bucket. The cat approaches behind him, but a bigger form than itself, unseen, pushes him into the well.

Papyrus tries to find his way out and notices a glowing light. It turns out it is the key to the three portals, the Eye of Ra, and sends him to its designated location. Papyrus calls for the key to open one of the portals into the Basalt city, which it does. He walks into the portal and is brought into the city.

At the fisherman cabin, a royal guard is serving his order, that is until he hears a whistle. He walks to the source of the sound, rummaging through papyri. He is greeted by Shepsi playing around his spear and questions how the monkey is able to whistle until he is ambushed by Tiya, who pushes him into the water. Another guard chases after Tiya, also allowing Théti to sneak into the hut and retrieve Papyrus's sword. Isis encourages Théti to go after Papyrus and help him, and lets her transit.

Papyrus is at the Basalt city on his way to find the statue, followed by the cat. He finds himself in the alter where the statue is, with no obstacle whatsoever, leading him to believe his retrieval will be easy. Aker deters him to further by having fire engulf around the statue. Papyrus makes a move to tempt Seth into subsiding the fire by pretending to worship and give in. Aker's victory is ephemeral when Papyrus suddenly makes his move and grabs the statue, protesting that he will never worship a god like Seth. He prepares to leave when the cat transforms into a ten-foot beast, Papyrus realizes that the cat is a demon of Seth.

Papyrus is forced to have an unequal face-off with the creature. He manages to dodge its slashes but could not keep up much longer. Théti is brought to the scene by a light just in time and lends Papyrus his sword, Papyrus then confronts the creature with it. The beast backs off at the sight of the sword, oblivious to the fire behind that consumes it. It roars and a demon is seen flying out of the spot of its demise. The building starts to collapse.

Papyrus and Théti make their way out of the alter, taking the Amon statue with them, and are met with rocks crumbling on one side, and lava on the other. Théti asks what they should do, fortunately, Papyrus pulls out the Eye of Horus, claiming he is the Lord of the Three Portals. The light sends them back to Thebes before they were touched.

The ceremony is saved just in time and held. Loremkopf apologizes to Papyrus for doubting him, and Merenre thanks him for thwarting Seth's plots once again. Papyrus later thanks Théti for saving his life, but Théti insists on apologizing, being the first to be taken in by the demon cat. Bebo and Tiya also come to the ceremony to offer a party with the friends, with Bebo bringing one of his special recipes with him. Papyrus playfully asks to take pity on his throat, causing a laugh among them.

## Characters

**Main**

* Papyrus
* Théti
* Demon cat
* Tiya
* Ratoufer
* Seth
* Aker
* Amun (hypothetically)

**Major**

* Loremkopf
* Pharaoh Merenre
* Nekhet
* Royal guards
* Shepsi
* Bebo

**Minor**

* Isis
* Kamelot
* Mesimonptu

## Trivia

* This is one of the episodes where Pharaoh Merenre and Nekhet serve as tertiary antagonists.