The vultures were having a party. Past a line of trees, a muddy field stretched to the edge of the island. At the base of a small lighthouse, a few picnic tables huddled as if for shelter. Across the harbour, the Statue of Liberty glowed white in the storm, rain clouds pushing around her like waves off the prow of a ship. In the middle of the picnic grounds, six large black buzzards whirled in the rain, orbiting our buddy Setne.
The magician was rocking a new outfit. He'd changed into a red quilted smoking jacket that matched his stupid crown. His silk pants shimmered in red and black paisley. Just to make sure his look wasn't too understated, his loafers were entirely covered in rhinestones.
He really made Mr D's leopard print tracksuits look like a Chanel pantsuit.
"He's summoning Nekhbet," Sadie murmured. "I'd really rather not see her again."
"What kind of name is Neck Butt, anyway?" Percy asked as Cressida coughed a laugh.
Sadie snickered. "That's what I called her the first time I saw her. But really, she's not very nice. Possessed my gran, chased me across London..."
"So what's the plan?" Carter asked. "Maybe a flanking manoeuvre? Or a diversionary -"
"Charge!" Sadie barrelled into the clearing, her staff in one hand and her Greek scroll in the other.
Percy and Cressida glanced at each other.
"We are amazing at picking friends," Percy grinned.
"Hell yeah, we are."
"Together?"
And Cressida grinned even brighter. "Together," she agreed as they charged after Sadie.
Percy's planning involved running at Setne and killing him, and he was on track with the fact that he outpaced Sadie even with his new heavy sword. But Cressida outdid both of them. She had grapevines boosting her into the air and catching her as she fell as she wielded Carter's khopesh as if she'd used it all her life.
He really hated how she was naturally good at everything.
She took out the two vultures that dived at Percy before Percy even knew he was being attacked.
But when he reached Setne, the magician vanished, and Percy's blade cut through empty air.
He stumbled, off-balance and angry before he glanced at his friends. Sadie smacked a vulture with her staff. The bird exploded into white sand, Carter was covered in Mist and nowhere to be seen and Cressida had managed to set Carter's khopesh on fire and threw it like a boomerang as it sliced the arm of a vulture before returning to her hand and the vulture screeched before flying after its brethren.
With a bolt of white fire, Sadie blasted another vulture out of the sky.
"Hey!" Cressida called as she slid down a vine. "Don't hit my soldier."
"Oh, relax!" Sadie waved off as she began scanning the field for Setne. "Where is the skinny old git?" The skinny old git appeared right behind her. He spoke a single word from his scroll of nasty surprises, and the ground exploded.
When Percy regained his senses, he was surprised to still be on his feet, but the force of the spell had pushed him away from Setne, his shoes making trenches in the mud. Cressida was cursing like a sailor because she hadn't been as lucky and had been knocked down into the mud.
Around Setne, the earth had ruptured in a ten-foot-diameter ring, splitting open like a seedpod. Plumes of dirt had sprayed outward and were frozen in mid-air.
Tendrils of red sand coiled around them as they snaked in all directions.
Sadie was flat on the ground, buried under a blanket of mud. She struggled but couldn't seem to get free. Her staff was knocked out of reach. Her scroll was a muddy rag in her hand.
Percy stepped towards her, but the coils of sand pushed him back. There was still no sign of Carter and whatever the explosion was Cressida seemed a lot more sluggish as she tried to haul herself to her feet.
"Setne!" Percy yelled, trying to keep the attention on him.
The magician brushed the lapels of his smoking jacket. "You really should stop interrupting me, demigod. The deshret crown was originally a gift to the pharaohs from the earth god Geb, you know. It can defend itself with some cool earth magic!"
Percy gritted his teeth at the mention of the earth. After everything with Gaia, the last thing they needed was more dirt sorcery.
Sadie struggled, her legs still encased in mud. "Clean up all this dirt right now, young man. Then give us that crown and go to your room."
The magician's eyes glittered. "Ah, Sadie. Delightful as always. Where's your brother? Did I accidentally blow him up? You can thank me for that later. Right now, I must get on with business." He turned his back on us and resumed chanting. The wind picked up. Rain whipped around him. The floating lines of sand began to stir and shift.
Percy managed a few steps forward as Cressida managed to crawl a little ways towards him, but she wasn't having much luck. Sadie managed to pull one of her legs free, minus her combat boot. She cursed almost as badly as Cressida as she retrieved the boot. Setne's weird earth spell was loosening, but not fast enough.
In front of him, a wisp of darkness grew into the form of a queenly woman. Rubies embroidered the collar of her black dress. Gold bands circled her upper arms. Perched atop her braided black hair was a white conical crown. And Percy inwardly laughed at the bowling pin she chose to wear when she was a powerful immortal.
"You!" she snarled at Setne.
"Me!" he agreed. "Wonderful to see you again, Nekhbet. Sorry we don't have longer to chat, but I can't keep these mortals pinned down forever. We'll have to make this brief. The hedjet, please."
The vulture goddess spread her arms, which grew into huge black wings. Around her, the air turned dark as smoke. "I do not yield to upstarts like you. I am the protector of the crown, the shield of the pharaoh, the—"
"Yes, yes," Setne said. "But you've yielded to upstarts plenty of times. The history of Egypt is basically a list of which upstarts you've yielded to. So let's have the crown."
More smoke billowed from her wings.
All around the clearing, Setne's earth magic shattered. The tendrils of red sand fell to the ground with a loud slosh.
Sadie struggled to her feet as Cressida did the same and Percy ran to her side.
Setne didn't even seem to care about them. He gave Nekhbet a mock bow. "Very impressive. But watch this!" He didn't need to read from the scroll this time. He shouted a combination of Greek and Egyptian."
Sadie raised her muddy piece of papyrus. "Cress! You and Percy get Nekhbet out of here. GO!"
Cressida and Percy ploughed into the goddess like linebackers and pushed her across the field, away from Setne. Behind them, Sadie yelled, "Ke-rau-noh!"
And while Cressida would have loved to praise Sadie for her perfect pronunciation, her explosion was so impressive that neither she nor Percy saw it.
Both of them were thrown forward and landed on top of Nekhbet who let out an indignant squawk.
Percy had tried to take the brunt of it and cushion Cressida on top of him, but both of them were still groaning in pain as they managed to get up.
Where Setne had been standing was a smoking crater. Sadie's hair was singed at the tips. Her scroll was gone. Her eyes were wide with surprise. "That was brilliant. Did I get him?
"Nope!" Setne appeared a few feet away, stumbling a little. His clothes were smoldering, but he looked more dazed than hurt. He knelt and picked up something conical and white...Nekhbet's crown, which must've rolled off when they tackled her.
"Thanks for this." Setne spread his arms triumphantly—the white crown in one hand, the Book of Thoth in the other. "Now, where was I? Oh, right! Consuming all of you!"
Across the field, Carter's voice yelled: "STAHP!"
And Setne's hand was cut from the wrist.
Setne shrieked in pain. The Book of Thoth dropped into the grass before he screamed again as Cressida's thyrsus left a hole in his shoulder as it went through it. Another hieroglyph blazed as the Mist melted away and Carter stood, actually surprised that it worked.
Setne glanced down at the Book of Thoth, still in his severed hand, but Percy lunged forward, thrusting the point of his new sword under Setne's nose. "I don't think so."
The magician snarled. "Take the book, then! I don't need it anymore!" He vanished in a whirl of darkness.
Behind Percy, Nekhbet thrashed as she pushed Cressida aside. "Get off me!" the goddess cawed as Cressida got to her feet.
And as the vulture goddess started to rise, Cressida summoned every bit of her strength as she pictured Hera lying before her, and she slugged Nekhbet right in the face.
And she huffed heavily as she pushed the muddy hair from her face to face her friends, her purple eyes stormy, and she'd never looked more amazing.
"I am so sick of ungrateful gods from every culture we've come across, but gods of Olympus did that feel good!"
"Ok," Percy exhaled. "That was hot."
"Agreed," Sadie said and Percy gave her a weird look.
Cressida apparently didn't hear them as she continued glaring at Nekhbet who was glaring back at her and then Percy decided that moving would be a good idea. Specifically moving his girlfriend away from a goddess before she slugged her again or before the goddess decided to vaporise his girlfriend and Percy was definitely sure that he couldn't find another one as amazing as her.
"You miserable children," she grumbled. "I could have destroyed that magician!"
"Not so much," Percy said, his arms securely around Cressida. "A few minutes ago, we watched Setne inhale a cobra goddess. She was a lot more impressive than you."
Nekhbet's eyes narrowed. "Wadjet? He inhaled Wadjet? Tell me everything."
Carter, Sadie and Percy joined them as they briefed the goddess on what had happened so far.
And when they were done, Nekhbet wailed in outrage. "This is unacceptable! Wadjet and I were the symbols of unity in Ancient Egypt. We were revered as the Two Ladies! That upstart Setne has stolen my other Lady!"
"Well, he didn't get you," Sadie said. "Which I suppose is a good thing."
Nekhbet bared her teeth, which were pointy and red like a row of little vulture beaks. "You Kanes. I should've known you'd be involved. Always mucking about in godly affairs."
"Oh, so now it's our fault?" Sadie hefted her staff. "Listen here, buzzard breath—"
"Let's stay focused," Carter interrupted.
"But Cressida got to hit her!" she whined.
"At least we got the Book of Thoth," Carter continued. "We stopped Setne from devouring Nekhbet. So what's Setne's next move, and how do we stop him?"
"He has both parts of the pschent!" said the vulture goddess. "Without my essence, the white crown is not as powerful as it would be, true, but it's still enough for Setne's purposes. He needs only to complete the deification ceremony while wearing the crown of Ptolemy. Then he will become a god. I hate it when mortals become gods! They always want thrones. They build garish McPalaces. They don't respect the rules in the gods' lounge."
"The gods' lounge?" Percy asked.
"That's what you retained?!" Cressida exclaimed.
"We must stop him!" Nekhbet yelled.
The four of them exchanged nervous looks.
Nekhbet seemed serious about joining their team, which was different for gods, but it definitely didn't bring them any comfort either.
Carter knelt. He pulled the Book of Thoth from Setne's severed hand. "Can we use the scroll? It has powerful magic."
"If that's true, it doesn't make sense why Setne would leave it behind. Why would he ditch the key to his immortality?" Cressida wondered.
"He said he was done with it," Percy recalled. "I guess he, like, passed the test, so he threw away his notes."
Cressida's shoulders slumped. "Annabeth is going to murder you and you are never going to pass senior year."
Percy looked a little hurt. "But I thought everybody threw away their notes after a test?"
"Guys!" Sadie interrupted. "It's terribly cute watching you two snipe at each other, but we have business." She turned to Nekhbet. "Now, your Scavenging Highness, is there a way to stop Setne?"
Nekhbet curled her talon fingernails. "Possibly. He's not a full god yet. But without my crown, my own powers are greatly diminished."
"What about the Book of Thoth?" Sadie asked. "It may be no further use to Setne, but it did help us defeat Apophis."
At the mention of that name, Nekhbet's face blanched. Three feathers fell from her dress. "Please don't remind me of that battle. But you're correct. The Book of Thoth contains a spell for imprisoning gods. It would take a great deal of concentration and preparation...."
Carter coughed. "I'm guessing Setne won't stand around quietly while we get ready."
"No," Nekhbet agreed. "At least three of you would be required to set a proper trap. A circle must be drawn. A rope must be enchanted. The earth must be consecrated. Other parts of the spell would have to be improvised. I hate Ptolemaic magic. Mixing Greek and Egyptian power is an abomination. However—"
"You're late to the party," Cressida cut in. "It already works. Carter was invisible because of Greek magic. And Sadie's explosion scroll dazed Setne. Hey, I bet I can make an explosion at least three times as powerful if I give you my power, Sadie," Cressida said.
"Oh, that would be epic," Sadie grinned, neither girl caring about the consequences right now.
The vulture goddess fixed her eyes on Percy like she was wondering how he might taste and that instantly turned Cressida's intense eyes on the vulture, a clear warning in her eyes as if she was daring the goddess to make a move on either of the demigods.
"One of you will have to fight Setne and keep him unbalanced while the others prepare the trap. We need a very potent hybrid attack, an abomination even Ptolemy would approve of," Nekhbet said.
"Why are you looking at me?" Percy asked. "I'm not abominable."
"That's debatable, honey," Cressida said.
"Baby-"
"You are a son of Poseidon," the goddess interrupted. "That would be a most unexpected combination."
"Combination? What—"
"Oh, no, no, no." Sadie raised her hands. She looked horrified, and anything that could scare that girl I did not want to know about. "Nekhbet, you can't be serious. You want a demigod to host you? He's not even a magician. He doesn't have the blood of the pharaohs!"
Cressida's heart sank in her chest. "Hang on, you want my boyfriend to host that old hag?!" she exclaimed, and Percy was even more lost than that whole Upper, Lower Egypt, capture the flag thing.
Carter grimaced. "That's her point, Sadie. Percy isn't the usual kind of host. If the pairing worked, he could be very powerful."
"IF?!" Cressida screamed.
"If it doesn't melt his brain!" Sadie said.
Cressida's grip on Percy was iron tight. "I don't care what kind of goddess you are, nothing can possess him or penetrate his mind unless I let it and trust me when I say that you don't want to go up against my magic when it comes to Percy. This. Is. Not. Happening!"
And only then did it dawn on Percy what they were talking about, and his stomach jack-knifed as he appreciated Cressida's tight grip on him.
"You want her...to inhabit me?! That sounds..."
"Well, I can't very well make a host of her," Nekhbet sneered as she pointed a talon at Cressida. "Her mind is impenetrable because of Dionysus's blood. And she is too stubborn and unpredictable to steer."
"Steer? You want to steer me?" Percy protested. "Hey, lady, I'm not a Toyota."
"My host needs a certain level of simplicity," the goddess continued. "Percy Jackson is perfect. He is powerful, yet his mind is not overly crowded with plans and ideas."
"Wow," Percy said. "Really feeling the love here."
Cressida was still glaring at Nekhbet as if she was waiting for the goddess to pounce.
The vulture snarled. "There is no time to argue! Without a physical anchor, I cannot remain in the mortal world much longer. If you want to stop Setne from becoming immortal, you need the power of a god. We must act now. Together, we will triumph! We will feast upon that upstart magician's carcass!"
Percy swallowed nervously. "I'm actually trying to cut back on carcass feasting."
Cressida hadn't let go of Percy's wrist as she stood in front of him, and Carter had a feeling that it wasn't Percy who needed the most convincing. "Unfortunately, Nekhbet is right. Percy, you're our best shot. Our only shot. Sadie and I couldn't host Nekhbet even if she wanted us to. We already have patron gods. And if Cressida can't be a host..."
"Not that she would want to since our patron gods have conveniently gone silent," Sadie added. "Scared of getting their essences sucked up, I suppose."
Nekhbet fixed her glittery black eyes on Percy. "Do you consent to hosting me, demigod?"
Percy was still silent before the rainstorm fizzled out. In the eerie muggy quiet, a red glow lit the middle of the island, as if somebody had started a bonfire on the soccer fields.
"That would be Setne," Nekhbet said. "He has begun his ascension to godhood. What is your answer, Percy Jackson? This will only work properly if you consent."
"You are not getting anywhere near HIM!" Cressida warned and Percy spun her around to face him, her entire body tense.
"If you let her in, can you get her out?" he asked, and she blinked.
"Yeah, but -"
"I trust you to get her out, trust me to let her in so we can end this."
"But Percy -"
"Do you trust me?" he asked, and he knew that this was over because that question always made her smile nostalgically at how far they'd come from the first time he'd asked it when they danced together in the Labyrinth.
"Do you ask stupid questions?" she returned, and Percy kissed her once before their hands joined together and they both faced Nekhbet,
"Alright," Percy said. "Vulture me up."
And their conjoined hands began to glow as Cressida allowed an opening for Nekhbet into Percy's mind despite how much every fibre of her being told her not to do it.
Cressida was forced to let go as a vulture goddess dissolved into black smoke and swirled around Percy before he seemed to inhale it.
And Cressida seemed like she was in actual pain as she watched Percy's eyes dart back and forth as he acclimated to the vulture goddess hosting herself inside him.
"I don't think so," he suddenly said aloud, and Cressida flinched, startled. "We do this together or not at all."
"Percy?" Cressida called, her hands shaking. "Are you ok?"
Looking at Cressida was even more disorienting than normal. The 'Percy' part of him saw his usual awesome girlfriend. The 'Nekhbet' part of him saw a young woman surrounded by a powerful ultraviolet aura—the mark of a Greek demigod, of a child of Dionysus.
The sight filled him with disdain and fear. (For the record: Percy had his own healthy fear of Cressida. She kicked his ass on more than one occasion and she was more of a badass in general than he could ever be. But disdain? Not so much. That was all Nekhbet.) But it was the hints of purple light that surrounded her that made him even more disoriented as they made her look even more regal and ethereal. He'd once described her stepmother like that. And now he saw that she'd long since grown into the word herself.
"I'm fine," he assured her. "I was talking to the vulture in my head."
That didn't seem to ease Cressida's worries as Sadie placed a hand on her arm.
"Say the word," Cressida blurted. "Say the word and I'll get her out."
Percy frowned as Carter began circling him and observing him as if he was an abstract statue. "Just, uh, just don't kiss me until you get her out and I feel like just myself again."
She gave him a pained and conflicted smile. "No promises. You're pretty cute and I told you I'm only with you for your looks."
Percy gave her a weak smile back before Carter began explaining how hosting worked.
"Percy, try to strike a balance. Don't let her take over, but don't fight her, either. It's kind of like running a three-legged race. You have to get in a rhythm with your partner."
"But if you have to choose," Sadie said, "smack her down and stay in control."
He snarled. "Stupid girl! Do not tell me—" And his lips smacked shut as if he got a really bad taste in his mouth. "Sorry, Sadie," he managed. "That was Nekhbet talking, not me."
"I know." Sadie's expression tightened. "I wish we had more time for you to get used to hosting a goddess. However—"
"I have an idea," Cressida spoke and they all turned to her.
"No magic," Percy said. "Yes, magic," Percy said before he scowled at himself. "I mean no magic!"
"Hey, hey, look at me," she said softly as she cupped his face and forced his eyes on her. "I'm talking to my Percy, I'm talking to whatever part of my Fish Face is in there. Think of this like the River Styx. What was your lifeline?"
"You," he answered.
"And when Hera took your memories, what did you remember?"
"You."
"Exactly. Just focus on me, keep the Percy side of you in control if you can't find a balance. Focus on me. Stay with me."
"Stay with you," he repeated. "Together."
"Together."
And Percy seemed a little more stable in himself when Cressida let go and both Sadie and Carter were in awe of them. So far, they'd really only seen the jokey, bickering side and the battle side of the couple. This moment, this was deep. It was deep and it was full of meaning and time and a million thoughts, spoken and unspoken. It was something that came with how long they had been together, with how long they'd known each other and everything they'd endured together. It was something that both Carter and Sadie could only hope to one day have in their own respective relationships.
Another red flash illuminated the treetops.
"The sooner I get this goddess out of my head, the better," Percy said. "Let's go smash Setne's face."
Cressida gave him a small smile. "First one to smash his face gets 10 points."
Their eyes met.
"Deal."
******************************************************************
Setne really could not decide on his wardrobe. He strutted around the soccer field in black bell-bottomed slacks, a frilly white shirt, and a glittery purple trench coat—all of which clashed with his newly combined red and white crown.
Having only one hand didn't seem to bother him. He waved his stump conductor-style, chanting in Greek and Egyptian while fog rose at his feet. Bursts of light danced and bobbed around him, as if a thousand kids were writing their names with sparklers.
Percy was thinking about how Cressida had told him how beautiful and a little unnerving seeing through the Daut and how she was going to ask Annabeth if she could see if it was related to the Mist. She wouldn't have to now. Because with Nekhbet in his head, he knew that the Mist was simply the Greek name for the uppermost layer between the worlds - the layer that Setne was now shredding.
He wasn't just manipulating it. Magicians did that all the time. Setne was strip-mining the Duat. Wherever he stepped, fractures radiated outward, cleaving through the layers of the magic realm. His body sucked in energy from every direction, destroying the boundaries between the Duat and the mortal world, between Greek magic and Egyptian magic—slowly transforming him into an immortal. In the process, he was ripping a hole in the cosmic order that might never close.
His magic pulled at them, urging them to give up and be absorbed into his glorious new form.
Percy marched across the field and Cressida was instantly at his side, Sadie by hers while Carter was somewhere on his other side. He was also aware of Cressida's flaming eyes, but only because she was pulling at the very magic that Setne was trying to shred and using it to cover Carter who Percy, even with his vulture senses, couldn't sense him. And even Nekhbet had to admit that she was a formidable force of power. Especially when they realised that she kept glancing at Sadie, glancing at Sadie's knowledge of the Daut so she could have a better understanding of how to shield Carter.
Setne stopped chanting when he spotted them. "Awesome!" He grinned. "You brought the vulture with you. Thanks!"
And Cressida grew nervous at the fact that Setne didn't seem nervous about the fact that a Greek demigod was hosting an Egyptian goddess.
"Setne, drop the crown," Percy ordered as he raised his kopis.
"Surrender, and you might get out of this alive. Otherwise—"
"Oh, very good! Very threatening! And your friends here...Let me guess. You keep me occupied while they set some amazing trap to contain the newly made god?"
"You're not a god yet."
He waved off the comment. "I suppose Carter is lurking around here too, all stealthy and invisible? Hi, Carter!"
If Carter was nearby, he didn't respond. Smart guy.
Setne raised his stump of a wrist. "Wherever you are, Carter, I was impressed with the hand-cutting-off spell. Your father would be proud. That's what matters to you, isn't it? Making your father proud? But think what would be possible if you joined me. I intend to change the rules of the game. We could bring your father back to life—I mean real life, not that horrible half-life he's got in the Underworld. Anything is possible, once I'm a god!"
Around Setne's wrist, the Mist curled, solidifying into a new hand. "What do you say, Carter?"
Above the magician, the air shimmered. A giant blue fist the size of a refrigerator appeared over Setne's head and pounded him into the ground like a nail into soft wood.
"I say no," Carter commented as he appeared across the field, Cressida's attempts at hiding him now pointless as she tried to tear at the magic that regrew Setne's hand before Sadie stopped her.
"You were supposed to wait!" Percy snapped at Carter. "Set the trap. Let me deal with Setne."
Carter shrugged. "He shouldn't have brought up my father."
"You're both pretty boys, now get the damn crown!" Cressida snapped as she bolted.
Percy would've been right behind her, but Nekhbet and him had a moment of paralysis. She wanted her crown back and Percy didn't want to touch it after watching the cobra goddess get devoured.
But before they could resolve their disagreement and before his friends could get to the crown, the earth rumbled and Setne rose from the ground as if on an elevator platform and glared at Carter. "I make you a perfectly fair offer, and you hit me with a giant fist? Perhaps your father wouldn't be proud, after all."
Carter's face contorted. His whole body glowed with blue light. He levitated off the ground as the avatar of Horus took shape around him.
Setne didn't look worried. He curled his newly regrown fingers in a come here gesture, and Carter's avatar shattered. The blue light swirled toward Setne and was engulfed in his growing aura. Carter collapsed, motionless, on the wet ground.
"SETNE!" Sadie shouted, raising her staff. "Over here, you little weasel!"
She blasted the magician with a jet of white fire. Setne caught it on his chest and absorbed the energy. "Sadie, hon," he chided. "Don't be mad. Carter has always been the boring one. I didn't really want to grant him eternal life. But you—why don't you work with me, eh? We can have tons of fun! Tearing up the universe, destroying things as we see fit!"
"That's—that's not fair," Sadie said, her voice trembling. "Tempting me with destruction." She tried for her usual sassy tone, but her eyes stayed fixed on Carter, who still wasn't moving.
"Wake up!" Cressida ordered, her eyes alight once more as she stared at Carter's unmoving body and forced his eyes open as he gasped again. And Sadie looked as if she was going to kiss the ground Cressida walked on for making sure that her brother was ok.
"You know," Setne continued, as if we were planning a party together, "I think this island will be perfect. My palace will go right here, in the new centre of the universe!"
"Yeah, because a muddy soccer field is a great place to take over the universe from."
"Oh, come now, daughter of Dionysus," Setne said. "You can see the possibilities. The fool Serapis had the right idea but advertised it in the completely wrong way. Forget gathering all the wisdom of Greece and Egypt together in one place, and use that power to rule the world, think about this. Getting rid of all the gods that have caused you pain. And how about we start with Hera?"
Percy's stomach dropped as he saw the conflict in her indigo eyes. If there was one way to get Cressida to agree to anything it was playing on her hatred of the marriage goddess.
"Perhaps I'll even make you a god as well. Your boy toy can even join us too. I know how attached you are to him. Humans will come here from all over the world to make offerings and buy souvenirs."
"Souvenirs?!" Percy exclaimed, even more worried about the fact that he couldn't tell if Cressida was acting or not as she debated Setne's words. "You want immortality so you can sell T-shirts?"
"And snow globes!" Setne got a dreamy look in his eyes. "I love snow globes. Anyway, there's room for more than one new god. Sadie Kane— you'd be perfect. I know you love breaking rules. Let's break all of them! Your friends can come along too!"
Carter had begun to groan as he began to push himself to his feet, his whole body weak.
Setne sighed. "I suppose we could include your brother in our plans. Although, if you'd prefer, Sadie, I can certainly finish him off."
Sadie let loose a guttural cry, but Cressida reached out a hand as she held her back.
And Percy was going to be right there next to Sadie, kissing the ground Cressida walked on, he'd be there kissing her beautiful face and her beautiful stubbornness as she faced Setne with a look of complete rage and loathing.
"We will never join you," she proclaimed before she glanced at Sadie. "Don't make decisions when in anger. More people get hurt."
"Point taken," Sadie agreed, reluctantly. "But I can make decisions that use my anger."
She unfurled the Book of Thoth.
Setne just laughed. "Sadie, dear, I know how to defeat every spell in that book."
"You won't win," Sadie insisted. "You won't take anything else from anyone! And you don't just face my anger. You face ours."
And Cressida took Sadie's hand as it glowed, and Sadie began to chant as she was filled with power.
"Ah, well." Setne sighed. "I suppose you'll want this back, then."
His body began to glow.
And only because of Nekhbet, did Percy realise what was about to happen.
Carter was struggling to his feet when Percy shouted, "GET DOWN!"
He dropped like a sack of rocks.
A ring of fire exploded outward from Setne.
Percy threw down his sword as he lunged in front of the girls, spreading his arms out. A shell of purple light surrounded him, and the flames rolled harmlessly over translucent wings that now extended on either side of him. He was able to shield Sadie and Cressida from the worst of the blast.
Percy lowered his arms as the giant wings retracted. His feet were floating off the ground, now encased in large ghostly legs with three long toes and the talons of a bird.
He was glowing in the centre of a giant glowing purple vulture.
His first thought was that Carter will never stop teasing him about this.
His second thought was: Oh gods. Carter.
Sadie saw him at the same time Percy did. She screamed.
The fire had blackened the entire field, instantly turning wet mud into cracked clay. The Mist and magic lights had burned away. Percy's sword had melted into nothing.
Carter lay right where he'd dropped, wreathed in smoke, his hair charred, his face red with blisters.
But what Sadie forgot was that Cressida's power was currently coursing through her. And her power was incredibly unpredictable when it came to loved ones getting hurt.
Purple fire raced for Carter as it seemed to force the life back into him as his fingers twitched and he crocked out a sound as his eyes fluttered.
Cressida was swaying on her feet as Setne brushed some ash off his purple trench coat.
"Another few minutes, and the magic I've started will be irreversible. Now, Percy, please drop that silly avatar before I take it away from you. And Sadie, I suggest you give me the Book of Thoth before you hurt yourself. There's no spell you could read that would harm me."
"No spell I could read," Sadie agreed. "But I have friends."
And Sadie turned to a weak Cressida. "Ready to put on a killer show?"
Cressida grinned wickedly, despite the exhaustion that ate away at her. "Always," she said as she reached for a vile from her boot and downed it, shaking off her shakiness.
Setne chuckled. "What is she going to do? Cressida Lynn is nothing but a power source and even with your sad and pathetic attempt at mixing Greek and Egyptian magic, she can't even read Ancient Egyptian."
"That is where you would be wrong," Sadie grinned and Cressida stepped forward with a viciously wicked smile on her lips.
Sadie turned to Percy. "Percy...Cressida has work to do. I need to tend to my brother. Why don't you keep our friend Setne entertained?"
Cressida opened the scroll, and she began to read aloud in Ancient Egyptian, taking on the knowledge of the language she's seen in Sadie's head. Glowing hieroglyphs floated off the papyrus. They swirled in the air around her, but she didn't stop there. It wasn't just hieroglyphs that floated around her, but Ancient Greek and even Latin. She was combining the power from three different cultures, three different types of gods, and the symbols glowed a violent shade of indigo, her shade of purple as her eyes flamed.
And Setne finally realised how dangerous and how powerful the daughter of Dionysus was and how he'd been underestimating her this entire time.
He made a strangled noise in the back of his throat. "That's not...Hold on, now. No!" He raised his arms to cast some counterspell. His crown began to glow.
Percy needed to move but Nekhbet wasn't helping because she was a little too focused on Carter, who smelled charbroiled and yummy. That one is weak, she murmured in his mind. Dead soon. The weak must die.
And Cressida's words floated into his brain from before.
Focus on her.
And he did. She never left a friend behind. Carter was his friend. And he was not going to leave him behind, he was not going to sit around while his friend died.
And he took control of his vulture avatar and grabbed Setne in his spectral claws and took to the sky.
******************************************************************
Cressida could feel her entire body heating up as she chanted, and she felt like she was floating inside her own body. She remembered what Sadie had told her about using too much magic would cause you to burn up, but she kept going.
Her heart was pounding in her chest as she worried about where Percy was and if he was still alive. She spent over a year dating the stupid man that made her feel some stupid kind of way and she wasn't losing him or letting it be for nothing.
And Sadie thrust a piece of chalk into Cressida's hand and they began drawing. The chalk circle was about five feet in diameter, and elaborately bordered with words of power in Greek and hieroglyphics and a few Latin symbols thrown in. It was like a bandage, a physical representation of the seal and the spell that Cressida had cast to patch the hole Setne had made.
The girls stood on opposite sides of the circle. Sadie crossed her arms and planted her combat boots defiantly. Cressida was still holding the Book of Thoth.
And it was like everything was ok again when she saw Percy who held Setne on his knees, his body dripping wet which meant that he clearly had taken a swim. Her switchblade was also in his hand, blood dripping from the blade as the cut on Setne's cheek dripped.
"You're alive," she said, and he frowned.
"Why are you surprised? I've literally said that the only way I die is if you kill me."
She shrugged. "You have the tendency to throw me for a loop sometimes."
"Well, this is not one of those times. No thanks to Elvis." And Percy lifted Setne up by his neck. "He was pretty tough until I figured out his system."
Percy threw him into the centre of the circle and the four of them surrounded the magician.
The hieroglyphs and Greek letters burned and swirled, rising in a funnel cloud to contain their prisoner.
"Dude is a scavenger," Percy said. "Not too different from a vulture. He picks through our minds, finds whatever he can relate to, and he uses that to get through our defences. Cress's love for me and hatred of Hera. Carter's desire to make his dad proud. Sadie's—"
"My incredible modesty," Sadie guessed. "And obvious good looks."
Carter snorted.
"Anyway," Percy said, "Setne tried to offer me immortality. He tried to get a handle on my motives for turning it down once before, but—"
"Pardon," Sadie interrupted. "Did you say you've turned down immortality before?"
"Sadie, I literally told you that," Cressida piped in.
"I'd like to be clued in on the situation," Carter added.
"You can still be a god!" Setne croaked. "All of you! Together we can —"
"I don't want to be a god," Percy said. "You don't get that, do you? You couldn't find anything about me you could relate to, which I take as a big compliment. And anyway," Percy said, ignoring Nekhbet's orders to kill Setne and moving over a couple of steps to link his hand with Cressida's, the heat of her skin not harming him but worrying him. "I have so much more than immortality could ever give me."
Her whole body was weak. Damn Percy and his smooth words. It always made her love him more (something she didn't think was possible). The fact that they weren't even officially together, and he did such a grand gesture to prove how much he cared about her.
"That's why you couldn't tempt me," Percy continued. "Because I turned down power for love, and you don't understand what love is. You have no friends, and you have no family. And that is why you will never win."
Carter's jaw seemed to drop even more at the realisation that Percy had given up immortality for the woman he loved, for Cressida.
There was no way in hell that anyone would be able to follow that act.
"Cress, Carter, Sadie...you ready to put this guy away?" Percy asked.
"Any time." Carter hefted his rope.
Percy let go of Cressida's hand as he crouched to be face-to-face with Setne.
His kohl-lined eyes were wide and unfocused. On his head, the crown of Ptolemy tilted sideways like an observatory telescope.
"You were right about one thing," Percy said. "There's a lot of power in mixing Greek and Egyptian. I'm glad you introduced me to my new friends. We're going to keep mixing it up."
"Percy Jackson, listen—"
"But there's a difference between sharing and stealing," he continued. "You have something that belongs to me."
And Percy shoved his hand into Setne's mouth as Cressida gagged a little before he pulled his pen out and it was like a plug in a tire.
Magic spewed from Setne's mouth: a multi-coloured stream of hieroglyphic light.
And Nekhbet screamed in his head as Cressida shouted, "MOVE!" and she leapt forward to yank him back away from the circle.
Setne writhed and spun as all the magic he'd tried to absorb now came gushing out in a disgusting torrent.
Cressida and Sadie were shouting commands in unison as the funnel cloud of magic intensified around the circle, hemming in Setne, who was shrivelling rapidly. The crown of Ptolemy rolled off his head. Carter stepped forward and threw his glowing rope.
And they were blinded by a flash of like that faded along with Setne and the rope.
Not only that, but Percy felt the vulture goddess leave his mind.
The four of them stared down at the crown of Ptolemy that lay sideways on the dirt and next to it sat a plastic bauble the size of a goose egg.
Inside the snow globe, a miniature model of Governors Island was permanently submerged. Alternately running and swimming around the landscape, trying to avoid flurries of fake snow, was a termite-size man in a purple trench coat. Setne had made Governors Island his eternal headquarters, after all. He'd been imprisoned in a cheap plastic souvenir.
"Well," Cressida said, her knees giving out and her energy spent as she sat down on the ground. "He did say he loved snow globes."
******************************************************************
An hour later, the four friends, sat on the parapets of the old fort as they watched the sun go down over the New Jersey coastline. Sadie and Carter had provided them with food and drinks from their secret stashes in the Daut.
And after some healing potions, nectar/Solace Solution and Advil, the silence became comfortable as Cressida leaned on her boyfriend and just took in the moment and enjoyed soaking in the sun before it disappeared beyond the horizon.
"Would someone explain to me what happened back there?" Percy asked after a time and Cressida simply laced their fingers together.
"We won, Fish Face."
"Yeah, but..." he gestured at the snow globe, which Carter was now admiring. "How?"
Carter shook the globe. "I guess the snow globe idea got stuck in my head," Carter said. "When I threw the rope and sprung the trap, the magic conformed to what I was thinking. Anyway, Setne will make a great paperweight."
Sadie snorted, almost nostril-spewing her Ribena. "Poor little Setne— stuck on Carter's desk for eternity, forced to watch him do hours and hours of boring research. It would've been kinder to let Ammit devour his soul."
Cressida laughed, Percy grinning behind her. "You and Books would get along great," she said as she raised her can to him.
"So the trap worked," Percy stated dumbly. "I don't need to understand all the details-"
"And even if we understood enough to tell you, I still don't think you'd understand," Cressida commented and Percy glared at her before he looked at Sadie. "But one thing I've gotta know is how the hell you turned Cress into a magician? Well, more of a magician than she is anyway."
"Well, I would've had to tell her my secret name to give her all my experiences, abilities and general amazingness -"
"Which is risky considering that anyone who knows it can control you," Carter cut in as he gave Percy a grim look. "You never share that information unless you really have to, and only with people you absolutely trust. Sadie found out my secret name last year. My life has sucked ever since."
"Oh, please," Sadie said. "I only use my knowledge for good."
Carter suddenly slapped himself in the face. "Hey!" he complained.
"Oops, sorry," Sadie said. "But anyways, your girlfriend had her own amazing qualities, which are basically the same as giving her my secret name. I let her look inside my head, not that I think that could've kept her out, and she took it from there. And a Greek demigod casting Egyptian magic - did you see the look on Setne's face? Priceless."
Percy's mouth went dry.
"So my girlfriend is a magician now, like, permanently? Because she was scary enough before."
Cressida laughed a musical sound. "Relax, Captain Nemo. Egyptian magic is cool and all, but I came way too close to combusting than I ever had before. I think I'll stick to what I've got."
Percy was a little nervous still, but he still breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay. So, um...last question." He nodded at the crown of Ptolemy which sat next to Sadie. "What do we do with that?"
"Well," Sadie said, "I could put it on and see what happens."
"NO!" Carter and Cressida yelled.
"Kidding," Sadie said. "Honestly, you two, calm down. I must admit, though, I don't see why Wadjet and Nekhbet didn't reclaim their crowns. The goddesses were freed, weren't they?"
"Yeah," Percy said. "I sensed that cobra lady Wadjet get expelled when Setne was puking rainbows. Then Nekhbet went back to...wherever goddesses go when they're not annoying mortals."
Carter scratched his bandaged head. "So...they just forgot their crowns?"
Traces of Nekhbet's personality still lingered in the corners of Percy's mind (he'd have to get Cressida to get rid of it later) but it was enough to make him uncomfortably sure that the crown of Ptolemy had been left here on purpose.
"It's a test," he said. "The Two Ladies want to see what we'll do with it. When Nekhbet learned that I'd turned down immortality once before, she was kind of offended. I think she's curious to find out if any of us will go for it."
"Why am I not surprised that a god would do this out of curiosity? Even if it causes a world-shattering event," Cressida sighed. "Sounds like Ares."
"Gods, don't get me started on Ares," Percy said.
"Sounds like Nekhbet," Sadie said. "She's a malicious old bird. Loves to watch us mortals squabble and kill each other."
Carter stared at the crown. "But...we know better than to use that thing. Don't we?" His voice sounded a little wistful.
"For once you're right, brother, dear," Sadie said. "As much as I'd love to be a literal goddess, I suppose I'll have to remain a figurative one."
"I'm going to puke rainbows now," Carter said.
"I've never been into the whole immortality thing. And I'm cool with the goddess I've got," Percy said as he squeezed Cressida's shoulders and she shook her head at him, but she was smiling.
"What are you angling for?" she asked.
"Absolutely nothing," he grinned. "Just appreciating what I've got and reminding you why I locked that lock in Paris and threw away the key."
The look she gave Percy as she turned to him could be described as nothing but loving as she reached for his free hand. "You are too good for me."
"I have never disagreed with anything more in my life."
"Just kiss me."
"Gladly."
"Gods of Egypt, you too are so nauseatingly cute, how can anyone else measure up?" Sadie asked as the two of them pulled away.
"Well, we love one-upping each other, so, it's only fair that we one-up everyone else as well," Cressida said as she rested her head on Percy's shoulder.
"And it's fun...well, when we're not almost dying," Percy added.
"So, getting back on track," Cressida said with a smile that she seemed to not be able to get rid of, "what should we do with the crown? We can't exactly leave it at the Governors Island Lost and Found."
"Hey, Carter," Percy said, "after we defeated that crocodile monster on Long Island, you said you had a safe place to keep its necklace. Could you store the crown, too?"
The Kanes had a silent conversation with each other.
"I suppose we could bring the crown to the First Nome in Egypt," Carter said. "Our Uncle Amos is in charge there. He has the most secure magic vaults in the world. But nothing is one-hundred-percent safe. Setne's experiments with Greek and Egyptian magic sent tremors through the Duat. Gods and magicians felt them. I'm sure demigods felt them, too. That kind of power is tempting. Even if we lock the crown of Ptolemy away—"
"Others might try hybrid magic," Cressida said.
"And the more it's tried," Sadie said, "the more damage could be done to the Duat, and the mortal world, and our sanity."
"Tell me about it," Cressida sighed. "I'm the daughter of the god in insanity and it's a wonder how I'm still sane sometimes."
"I wouldn't exactly call you sane, Crazy Girl," Percy said.
"Watch it, Water Boy. I will wipe the floor with you. And you're not the pinnacle of sanity either."
And the two just laughed at each other before the idea sank in.
If the Hecate cabin heard about Egyptian magic in Brooklyn or if Clarisse learned how to summon a giant wild boar combat avatar. And unlike the Romans, this seemed like two worlds that needed to stay separate.
"We'll have to keep our worlds separate as much as possible. The info is too dangerous," Percy said and his girlfriend nodded.
"You're right. I mean, I hate lying to people, but it's best that our two worlds say separate. We have to be careful who we talk to. Annie already knows, and even if she didn't, she would've figured it out. And she'll probably want to tell Chiron but -"
"I bet Chiron already knows about the Egyptians," Percy interrupted. "He's a wily old centaur. But, yeah. We'll have to keep our little task force here on the down-low."
"'Our little task force.'" Carter grinned. "I like the sound of that. The four of us can keep in touch. We'll have to stand ready in case something like this happens again."
"I also think that we need a much better way to communicate than magic rainbows and writing invisible hieroglyphs on friend's hands," Sadie said.
"Oh," Cressida said. "I think I can take care of that."
And she reached down into her boot for something.
"Ok, how many things do you actually keep in your shoes?" Sadie wondered.
"Well not all of us have magical places in the Daut to keep things in," she smirked before pulling out a walkie-talkie and tossing it to Sadie. "Channel three. That's the line to Percy and I'll be on channel nine once I get a new one made."
"Ok, this is cool," Sadie said.
"What did you have a walkie-talkie for?" Carter wondered.
"Most demigods don't carry cell phones because the cellular signals attract monsters," Percy explained. "But Cress, here, figured out that the radio signals that walkie-talkies operate on, aren't as strong as the cellular ones. So we use walkies to keep in touch with all our friends."
"They've got unlimited range too, so don't worry about going too far...unless it's to the Underworld. I don't think it works underground," Cressida added.
"Got it," Sadie said before she stored it in the Daut.
They began to clean up their little picnic as they prepared to go their separate ways.
Carter carefully wrapped the crown of Ptolemy in linen cloth. Sadie gave the Governors Island snow globe a good shake, then stuffed it in her pack.
Cressida hugged Sadie as Percy shook Carter's hand.
"Take care of yourself, Carter," Percy said. "No more getting roasted in explosions."
He smirked. "I can't promise. But call us if you need us, okay? And, uh, thanks."
"Hey, it was a team effort."
"I guess. But, Percy...it came down to you being a good person. Setne couldn't get a handle on you. Honestly, if I'd been tempted with godhood the way you were tempted—"
"You would've done the same thing," Percy said with absolute conviction.
"Maybe." He smiled, but he didn't look convinced. "Okay, Sadie. Time to fly. The initiates at Brooklyn House are going to be worried."
"And Khufu is making Jell-O fruit salad for dinner," she said. "Should be delicious. Toodle-oo, demigods!"
Cressida then hugged Carter and she surprised him with a kiss on the cheek as a thank you for saving her boyfriend with that whole crocodile thing.
Carter's eyes widened as his cheek tingled when she pulled away and Percy laughed as he let go of Sadie who had hugged him.
"She's the daughter of the god of pleasure," Percy chuckled. "Her kisses are magic. I'm still not used to them."
And then to prove his point, Cressida kissed his cheek that instantly turned red.
Sadie let out a belly-aching laugh. "As if I needed more of a reason to love you," she heaved, and Cressida shot her a wink.
"Love you too, Sadie."
"From your favourite Egyptian magicians," Sadie smirked as she threw up two fingers. "Peace out."
And the Kanes turned into birds of prey and launched themselves into the sunset.
"This has been a weird day," Percy said as they watched the birds become spots in the distance. "Like the weirdest of weird days."
Cressida just took his hand. "Would it be weird if I told you how much I'm craving a burger from our diner?"
His eyes lit up. "Oh, one with bacon. And extra cheese. We have definitely earned it."
"Hell yeah we have," she agreed before she let her hand run up his arm and she twined her hands around his neck. "And have I ever told you how glad I am that you're not a god?"
He gave her that troublemaker grin that made her knees weak as he held her hips.
"Yeah," he said. "Yeah, you have. With every kiss, every hug, every insult and every time you tell me you love me."
And he was definitely holding her up as she took a shaky breath, her heart racing.
"Well, for the record, I am very glad that you're not a god. And I love you, Fish Face. So much."
His smile was content. "I love you, Grape Girl."
And Percy just became even more sure of his decision to turn down immortality as he dipped the woman he loved and kissed her. Because in that moment, where he was kissing a beautiful girl in the sunset with the promise of a good bacon cheeseburger looming on the horizon - with that kind of payoff, who needed immortality?
Because it certainly wasn't him.