This story takes place after both The Lost Hero and the Serpents' Shadow. My first crack at a PJO/TKC fanfic, so constructive criticism could be nice, but no flames please!

Sadie's POV

'Tis not the perfect time to be a magician.

Remember the last time when I said that we're going to investigate Long Island Sound? About all the suspected unexplainable magic there and all that jazz?

Sadly, we did. Well I did, actually. But it didn't go as expected.

"Come on, Carter, it's not like going out into Manhattan for a shortcut is going to kill us or anything, is it?" I asked. Carter gave me a thoughtful look.

"Probably, you know. Maybe." He said nonchalantly, and went back to reading the paper. I rolled my eyes at his antics. Ever since he became Pharaoh, he had started acting all "I'm-high-and-mighty-and-I-don't-need-my-sister's-attention-anymore."

Well, I'm not going to let that slide.

I ripped the paper right out of his arms, crumpled it into a paper ball, and threw it over my shoulder. Carter glared at me, a sort of annoying look actually, rather than the scary one I think he was aiming for.

"I was reading that!" he protested.

"Well, we have more pressing issues than whose running next for president, you know." I snapped, putting me hands on my hips. Carter had been ignoring us, well mainly me, for the last few days. He was acting more and more like Amos, and that was saying something. He never talks, never teaches, and never gets his bum of the chair. I was starting to think that he didn't like us anymore.

I threw one of Alyssa's reports on the table in front of him. "Right. Well, dear brother, if you ever want to get your butt of that chair of yours and help me, I'll be in Manhattan, looking for clues." I turned my back, and stomped to the doors.

"Wait, Manhattan is forbidden!" Carter called back.

I rolled my eyes, and groaned. We had been discussing this for what, ten minutes now and this is the first time he actually listens? The nerve! I walked out of the doors ignoring Carter's shouts for me to come back, ran down the warehouse's staircase, and joined the multitude of people out on the busy streets of Brooklyn. I wondered how they weren't fazed at all by a thirteen year-old girl walking out of an abandoned warehouse smack in the middle of Brooklyn. Then again, I always did it, and they never even looked at with a second glance, so it's probably the magic.

As I crossed the rivers, I couldn't help but feel that I'm on not on friendly territory anymore. Being the host of Isis, I could feel an enormous amount of magic inhabiting every stone, pebble, building, and every nook and cranny as far as the eye can see. And what's worse is, I don't think it's Egyptian. The magic didn't seem…right.

I ventured out more on the streets, taking in a breathtaking view of the sights. Thankfully, I refused at the chance the merge with Isis again, so it was a blessing to not have her nag me into oblivion for coming out here.

As the Empire State Building loomed into view, I couldn't help but stare in amazement at it. I mean, I had always wanted to go see it, but it was "Manhattan is forbidden" or "You really don't want to do that." Well, sucks for you Carter, but I'm here, I'm still alive, and I'm still sightseeing, so ha!

(Carter had always that it was really stupid of me to even go there. Whatever. I'm still not dead, aren't I?)

I was just about to go inside when a pale boy wearing all black slammed into me. I was thrown out into the street, but luckily I wasn't hurt. Much.

"Sorry! So clumsy of me." The boy said, offering a hand to help me up. I glared at him, before slapping his hand away. I got up, dusted myself off, and did the best thing I could do at the moment: I berated him for knocking me down.

"What did you think you were doing? Didn't your parents ever teach you to look where you're going?" I took a deep breath. The boy only smiled at me wistfully, like he was remembering someone like me.

"I said I was sorry…" he mumbled under his breath. It was easy for me to almost mistake him as Anubis. Same black hair, same chocolate-brown eyes, and even the same clothes: a black leather jacket, black shirt underneath, black skinny jeans, and combat boots.

"Well, apology not accepted." I huffed, crossing my arms.

He mumbled something under his breath. "What was that?" I asked.

Just then, a boy with dazzling blue eyes and blonde hair stumbled out of the Empire State Building, followed by a girl with multicolored eyes, like a kaleidoscope, and brown hair. The boy looked about sixteen, with ripped muscles, tattoos on his arm, and wearing an orange t-shirt. The girl behind him was wearing the same kind of shirt, but on her, she somehow made it look fashionable.

"Hey Nicky! I thought you were going before us!" the boy said, laughing.

"It's not Nicky! It's Nico!" the boy protested. Finally, a name to the face. "I hate you Jason." He glowered at the other boy, who was probably Percy.

"Sure. Whatever floats your boat." Jason said coolly. Then, his gaze drifted to me, and then his head snapped back to Nico. "Hey, you didn't tell me you already had a girlfriend!" The girl behind Jason cooed.

Nico's face flushed. His eyes turned to me for a second, before going back to Percy. "She is not my girlfriend! I don't like her! She's not even pretty!" he said. I was a bit amused at his reaction, but then, it made me look like nobody wanted to go out with me or something.

"What do you mean I'm not pretty? Do you even know how to talk to girls?" I said. He was starting to get on my last nerve. It was just downright rude to call a girl ugly, even if he didn't say that exactly.

"No! I mean…uh-" he hesitated. "You're not pretty." He said firmly. From the corner of my eye, I saw Jason and the other girl snickering behind his back.

It wasn't probably the best thing in the world to do, but I was fuming. First, he knocks me down on the pavement, and then some guy accuses him of being my boyfriend? As if that would ever happen! Besides, I already have a boyfriend who goes by the name of Walt. So I slapped Nico upside the head. Not the best thing to do to a guy you've never even knew, I know, but I was mad. Plus, what could he do about it? One word and he would be blown to smithereens.

"What was that?" I snapped.

"Ow! What was that for!" Nico demanded, rubbing the back of his head. His eyes were glaring daggers at me, but I glared back at him with same intensity. What can I say? I had a lot of practice with Carter.

"That was for knocking me on the ground, death boy." I grumbled. Then, I realized my mistake. I just called him death boy. He's not Anubis! I scolded my mind.

Nico's lips curled into a frown. "Who are you?"

"Then, I noticed that Jason and the girl weren't laughing, either. "How did you know?" Jason asked.

"Know what?" I asked, confused. These people were starting to give me strange looks now. I had half a mind to just run out of there without another word, and never look back. I was even prepared to give Carter the whole "I'm-sorry-I-didn't-mean-to-go-into-Manhattan" speech.

I never got the chance. Jason glowered at me, before drawing out a…was that a sword. Nico took out a ring on his hand, tossed it high into the air, and a black sword appeared in his hand moments later. The girl reached into her shirt, and drew out a dagger.

I was too stunned to even grab my wand. Who were these people, and why did they have swords with them? I doubted that they could be Shakespearean actors just going for a stroll.

Closing my eyes, I reached for my staff in the duat. This time, probably due to the situation, it didn't even take me five seconds before I managed to close my hand around the familiar wooden rod.

"What the Hades!" Jason said as my hand disappeared inside the duat. I pulled out my staff, and slammed the butt down on the pavement. A protective circle appeared around my feet. I pulled out my wand from my pocket.

"Get her!" Jason ordered. He charged forward.

I smiled.

He slammed into my protective circle, skyrocketing him backwards straight into a tree. Nico turned his head around and looked at him for a second, before turning his gaze back on me. HE stabbed his sword into the ground and said, "serve me."

I was about to laugh at his actions, but then, skeletal hands started popping out of the ground. Corpses literally clawed their way to the world of the living, surrounding Nico and training their eye sockets at me.

I started sweating. Just who exactly were these people? First the swords, then the undead soldiers?

Nico pointed his sword at me. "Attack."

The skeletons chattered their teeth in reply, drew out their swords, and attacked. This time, my protective circle did no good as their bony hands penetrated the golden light.

"Ha-di!" I yelled, pointing my staff to the skeletons. The hieroglyph for "destroy" blazed in a golden glow in the air, before the glyph exploded. Bones rained down on the ground. Nico glared at me with a murderous intent. He stomped his foot on the ground, and another wave of skeletons emerged. But this time, instead of swords, these carried guns like you would see in those World War II movies.

Using a spell like that had drained me a little. The protective circle started flickering, and I knew I wasn't going to last very long. I had no choice but to escape.

"Was!" a stream of water shot out of my staff and hit Nico right in the face. He sputtered, and fell to the ground. I took the moment to dispel the circle completely and make a run for it.

My plan? Make it to the Washington Monument, where hopefully I could summon a portal back to Brooklyn House. Behind me, I could hear Nico cursing in English. He bellowed. "Well, shoot you idiots!"

I hadn't even had enough time to turn a corner when pain erupted on my lower back. I tripped, and fell to the pavement, face-first. I clutched my back with one hand, and felt something warm and sticky with my hand.

I withdrew my hand, and saw red. Somehow, seeing my own blood started making me dizzy, or maybe it was just because of the blood loss. My whole hand started shaking. I was shot, I knew it. And I would probably even die here. And all because Carter didn't go with me.

I felt my eyelids fluttering. Sorry Walt. Sorry Carter.

Meanwhile, back in Brooklyn House…

Carter's POV

I paced back and forth around the Great Room, worrying about my sister. It had been three hours since she left, and three hours since she had last contacted me.

"Stop pacing Carter. You're going to wear out the rug." Zia chided. She was sitting in one of the couches that adorned the room.

"I can't believe how you're being all calm about this." I said. "She could be dead for all we know!"

"Stop overreacting." Zia said.

"I'm not! It's just that, Sadie always contacts me whenever she leaves!" I said.

"Look, if you're that worried, we can go to Manhattan and search for her. Would that calm you down?" she suggested.

"Yeah, probably." I smiled at her. Even in her magician's outfit, she looked extremely beautiful. Zia stood up, and stroked my arm from behind. I turned my head back, and smiled gratefully at her.

"Just let me get my things." She said, and hurried up to her room.

AS she went up, my mind went back on Sadie. I wonder where she could be?

How was that? Was it good? Bad? Review this please!