Title: Across the River
Rating: K+
Summary: She can't help it, really. She can travel the whole world to her heart's content, but there's just one city that she isn't allowed to go to. Which, of course, means that she has to go there. Most people would call her stupid for going directly against the warnings, but Sadie Kane is far from stupid. No, she's revolutionary. She's the former host of the goddess Isis. She's one of the most powerful magicians to be born in centuries. And you better believe that she's going to cross that bloody river if she has to build a bridge herself.
Disclaimer: The Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Kane Chronicles series, and all included characters belong to Rick Riordan.
- Quotes from The Red Pyramidaddressing the PJO series -
"So you can't live in Manhattan?" She asked.
Amos's brow furrowed as he looked across at the Empire State Building. "Manhattan has other problems. Other gods. It's best we stay separate."
"Other what?" Sadie demanded.
"Nothing."
Thoth looked offended. "In Ancient Egyptian, it's a perfectly fine name. The Greeks called me Thoth. Then later they confused me with their god Hermes. Even had the nerve to rename my sacred city Hermopolis, though we're nothing alike. Believe me, if you've ever met Hermes—"
"Agh!" Khufu yelled through a mouthful of Cheerios.
"You're right," Thoth agreed. "I'm getting off track."
- Chapter 1 -
I shut the flap of the magical kit and grab for my check list. Alright:
- Clothes Plenty.
- Toiletries Check.
- Money More than enough.
- Wand Always.
- Staff In rod form, yes.
- Twine Just in case.
- Water In here.
- iPod Yeah.
- Anti-ba-travel pillow A mouthful, but yes.
- Snickers In all his glory.
I fold the list into quarters and tuck it into the pockets of my blue jeans. Aside from the jeans, today's outfit is a loose, white, angel sleeve blouse (made of cotton, of course) and a pair of black and white converse. I would have preferred my boots and something in a darker color, but these are clothes that won't hinder my magic. I can't be sure of what I'll find on the other side of the river, but if it's a battle, then I'm ready for it.
Picking my amulet up off of my bed, I tie it around my neck and slip it down the front of my shirt. I don't normally wear it considering it still has a bit of Isis in it, but wearing this will reassure that my family won't be able to magically track me down.
With everything ready, I sling my magical kit over my shoulder and give my room one last look over. I might not see it again for a while. We finished repairing the mansion only a month ago, but I've already become attached to this room.
Focus, Sadie. If you get caught up in nostalgia, you'll miss your window of opportunity.
I walk out of my room and turn into Carter's. I have been in his room before, but it feels strange to be in here without Carter being home. He's looking for clues with Uncle Amos about where Zia is. I told him that I was going to take a nap, and so he and Uncle left me with Khufu, who's sleeping right now. God only knows where Bast is and what she's up to right now. I've lost track of her completely nowadays.
His bed is so neatly made that I put my note on it in hopes that he'll notice it as soon as he comes in. It essentially tells him that I am going to Paris to look for clues for Zia and that he shouldn't come after me or worry about me.
That done, I leave Carter's room, climb down the stairs to the main level, and quietly sneak out of the front door. Uncle Amos put a locking spell on it, but it's nothing too complicated for me to undo. I can proudly say that my skill in magic has gotten much stronger. Repairing the mansion gave me plenty of practice.
I descend the many stairs of the warehouse our mansion is on top of and come out onto the streets, where I merge with the crowd. I'm taking the subway. Yes, yes, I know there are about a thousand better, fasterways that I could get to Manhattan, but any form of teleportation would leave a magical trace. And turning into a kite always has the unfavorable chance that I might not be able to turn back. And I would rather throw myself into the East River right now than face Carter's smug smile if he found out I was stuck as a kite again.
The station is slightly crowded, but it's nothing I can't stand. I took The Tube regularly back in England too, so plotting out all of my stops and exchanges isn't really that challenging. The trip should be thirty minutes.
Taking the least crowded cart, I sit down on the bench and pull out my iPod and headphones. The Artic Monkeys come on just as the doors to the cart close. We take off a few seconds later.
It's only during my second exchange that I realize someone is following me. No, I'm not exaggerating. They've stayed within a twenty foot radius of me for the past twenty minutes. I would normally just consider it as them having the same destination I do, but suspicious signs are too obvious to ignore: they get in the same cart (whether or not it is crowded) as me every time, they are wearing heaving winter clothes and a hat that hides their face, I can constantly feel their eyes watching me, and they always stand on the opposite side of the cart from me.
By my third (and final) exchange, I'm starting to feel paranoid. I take off in a dash as soon as the doors open and the person is right behind me. I hop onto my next train and switch carts twice before I finally let myself settle down onto the bench, panting and sweaty.
Something burns into the side of my face, so I carefully turn to look with dread. Naturally, they're walking into this cart. Who are they? An enemy? A rapist? A mugger?
Instead of walking to the opposite end of the cart though, the person walks straight towards me.
"I haven't got much money. Nothing worth your time or worth being taken out by this station's security," I tell them as they come closer. It's against the rules of a magician to attack mortals, but I will if this person doesn't back off.
They stop in front of me just as the doors to the cart close. I wonder what I should turn them into. A caterpillar? A sunflower, maybe? A rat would be more appropriate for this location, though.
Just before my hand can slip into my magical kit, I hear a bloke say from my other side, "Hey, I'm Percy."
I look over at him. Had he been there a minute ago? Regardless, he's a teenager (probably around Carter's age) with black hair and sea green eyes. The expression on his face makes it seem like he can't even believe what he just said, but there is something hidden underneath the disbelief. I've seen concealed panic enough times from enough people to be able to identify it on this boy.
"Sadie," I mumble softly as I turn to back to the person. They're standing on the other side of the cart again, looking out the window as if nothing had even happened.
"Are you from the UK?" he asks.
"What was your first clue?"
He gains a slight smile, like rudeness is something he is used to. "The accent was a good give-away."
"Believe me when I say that I'm working on it. I've only been in the States for two months." Seeing his smile, I feel myself blurt out, "I used to live here."
The subway turns a curve and our shoulders bump together. He asks, "Why'd you move?"
Now why did I mention that I used to live here? What am I supposed to say? 'Oh, my mum died, so my dad went to court with my grandparents over custody of me and he lost.' Somehow, I don't quite think that would go over very-
"Oh ... I'm, uh, sorry to hear that," Percy says.
"Sorry to hear what?"
He shoots me a confused look. "About your mom. And your dad losing custody."
Did I say that out loud? No, I am pretty sure I didn't. Scooting away from him, I say, "I don't know who you are or what you want, but I don't appreciate mind readers."
"What are you talking about?" He looks even more confused than before.
"Just cut the act, alright? I was thinking about my mum and dad; I never said anything out loud."
"Yeah you did."
"No I didn't."
"You did."
"I didn't."
"Yeah-"
"I should know what I did or didn't say!" I snap. Are the people in this cart deaf? They haven't looked over here once.
He holds his hands up in a harmless gesture. "So why are you going to Manhattan?"
I cross my arms and lean back in the bench. "Just want to sight see." Watching him from my peripheral, I can't help but ask, "What about you?"
Percy scratches the back of his neck nervously. "Visiting my dad."
"Divorce?" I ask, feeling a twinge of sympathy.
"Something like that, yeah."
Wait, something like that, he says? "Don't tell me your mum is ..."
His gazes snaps up to me and he quickly shakes his head. "No, she's still ... still, uh, alive."
"Why isn't she going with you then?"
He shifts on the bench, practically radiating discomfort. "It's kind of a long story."
Bad divorce, more than likely. Poor kid. Emma cried for weeks when her parents told her they were going to have a divorce, and their split was pretty clean by divorce standards. It must have been really bad for his mum to not even take him to his dad's house.
"So, your dad ... where does he live?" Percy asks.
What to say? Well, there is always the direct approach: "He's dead."
Percy's eyes fly open so quickly I almost laugh. He stutters out, "Oh man, I'm ... I keep saying the dumbest things. I'm not an idiot, I promise."
A laugh escapes and I feel a smile tugging at my lips. "My judgement is good enough to pick out idiots. You're not one of them."
"Uh, thanks?" He smiles back. It really lights up his face; he should do it more often. He'll have the girls kissing his seat in no time ... God, what I am thinking? Hathor must be playing with my mind.
Our cart slowly pulls to a stop and the doors slide opens. This is my stop. Manhattan, here I am. I stand up and walk out, but Percy catches up to me and walks at my side. I shoot him a curious look, but he is looking ahead, his hands stuffed in his pockets. The perfect picture of casualness.
Alright, I can play along. "Do you want to have lunch together, Percy?"
"Sure," he says with a grin.
"What about your dad? Isn't he expecting you?"
Percy's grin melts. "No, he doesn't know that I'm even here. Well, he might know, but I'm not really sure." He trails off and shrugs. "So no, I have time for lunch."
We climb the steps of the subway station and emerge out on a busy street. The second I step off of the stairs, I feel something like nervousness gather in the pit of my stomach. It makes me feel nauseous, like when I convinced Carter that we should follow Dad even when he told us to run. Or when I had to read that poem in front of my English class back in fifth grade. I can't help the feeling that I shouldn't be here. Especially with some strange bloke I met just minutes ago.
"Are you ok?" Percy asks.
I nod and start walking down the streets. "What do you want to eat?"
He looks around us and suggests, "How about ... Burger King?"
"Sure, why not."
We walk towards the sign together, but I realize about halfway there that Percy isn't next to me anymore. I look back and see him standing at the entrance to an alley. He's staring at a puddle that is against the side of the alley with sunlight reflecting off of it to make a misty sort of rainbow.
"Yes, yes, it's beautiful. Can we eat now?" I ask him, putting my hands on my hips.
He turns back to me and smiles as we start back towards Burger King, but that slight panic undertone has returned to it.
It's slightly crowded, but to the point that I can't find us a table. He orders a cheeseburger, but I have to take a large set of chips and a soda. If I'm going to run into more people like that one on the subway, I'll have to keep animal products far away from me. It's a shame, because I could really use a hamburger right now. He stares at my almost empty plate as we sit down at the table. Please don't ask.
"You're just getting fries and a drink?" he asks.
I sigh and think up a quick excuse. "I'm ... giving veganism a try."
"Veganism?"
"Yeah. You know, don't eat or wear anything animal? Animal rights and all that." I can't blame him; I had never heard of veganism until Liz's sister suddenly announced that she was going to be vegan. The idea sounds ridiculous to me, but it makes for a good excuse in this case.
Percy's forehead wrinkles as he shoots me a skeptical look. "You don't look like you really believe in that kind of stuff."
"Would you rather me rant and rave about how animals are exploited in today's society?" I ask sarcastically.
"No, I'm good."
I look up from my tray at Percy. When he isn't twitching in his seat, his foot is tapping against the bar supporting our table. "My turn to ask: are you alright?"
He looks back at me and then his gaze drops to his tapping foot, which immediately freezes. "I have ADHD."
"We could have gotten take away if you'd mentioned that."
"No, it's ok." He shakes his head and stands up. "I'm going to the bathroom."
"Alright."
He walks away so briskly that I reckon he must have to go pretty bad. Either that or his ADHD is bad enough that he is just desperate to go somewhere. I feel bad for keeping the bloke in one place. Well, he should have just told me instead of keeping it a big secret. Is he ashamed of it? Why would he be?
Five minutes tick by, but Percy doesn't return. I toss my trash in the waste bin and walk to the loos to see if he is coming out right now. He isn't, but another man is.
"Excuse me, sir?" I ask the man. "Is there a teenage boy in there?"
He shakes his head. "No, I was the only one."
Lying twerp! He left me! If I ever see his face again, he'll be on the other end of my wand! I'll turn him into a snake - no, a cockroach! And then I'll stomp on him! How dare he follow me around and then take advantage of my kindness! I should have left him at the station, but no, I had to do the nice thing! Shows what being nice does for you!
I storm out of the Buger King and start down the street in the opposite direction of the subway station.
If he was having such a bad time with me, he could have just said so! Worst yet, I can't think of anything I might've done to make him upset or uncomfortable enough to run. Does he hate vegans? Is he thatsensitive about his ADHD?
... What if his dad called him? That could be it: he was in the bathroom, his cell phone rang, his dad (who must have heard from Percy's mom that Percy is in Manhattan) demanded where he was, and so Percy told him he'd be right there and left. He could have bothered to at least say goodbye, but I can understand the urgency.
Get it together, Sadie. You sound like a lovesick school girl trying to think up excuses for why she got stood up. The bottom line is that Percy left you without saying goodbye.
The person from the subway chooses that moment to come out of their hiding place the alley ahead of me.
I glare at them. "Bugger off! I'm not in a good mood."
They crook their finger at me in a 'follow me' gesture and then walk back into the alley. Obviously not a trap. Obviously. Ah, I'm feeling a bit fumed right now. Maybe turning someone into something amusing will make me feel better. I walk into the alley and see the person standing across from me.
Not a person. A serpent ... thing. Tall, thick scales, and devious-looking. I've never seen anything like it before, but I bet Carter would be able to tell what it is if he was here. A big wad of acid lands between my feet, making the pavement sizzle and crack. Now is not the time to be thinking about Carter.
Pulling my magical kit open, I grab my wand and my staff. As soon as I get them out, I have to dodge another shot of venom.
First spell up is my personal favorite: "Ha-di!"
The orange light comes straight at the serpent, but it bounces off of the thing's scales. It hits the wall to the right of the creature and makes the brick explode. The serpent backs away from the wall, but is otherwise unhurt. Leave it to me to find a magic-proof monster in an alley of a town I'm not supposed to be in in the first place, without Carter or Uncle Amos around.
Three spells later and the monster isn't even scratched. Just probably a lot more angry than when we started. There isn't an inch of brick in this alley that hasn't either been hit by my rebounding spell or melted off with that acid venom. I shoot a striking spell at him with as much power as I can muster. It sends the snake crashing into the wall on the opposite side of the alley. No damage, again, but the monster finally snaps.
I feel (more than see) the giant burst of flames coming from the other side of the alley. The wave of flames rushes past me just as I step to the side.
Oh, come on! It can breathe fire now?
If Carter were here, he would tell me to run. He would say that I'm outmatched and that I should leave before I become roasted-Sadie-jerky. But, then again, Carter has always been the run first, fight later type. That is just one of the many things that makes us so different from each other. Besides, I've put too much effort into this fight to run now.
Plunging my staff into the ground, I create a protective force field around me. It's strong enough to keep the acid away, but it's probably not enough for another round of fire. Alright, plan. I need a plan. Preferably one that doesn't end with me dying. Sadly, most of the plans I can think of don't end favorably on my part. Oh ... oh wait ... that could work.
Straining to keep my staff in place, I reach over to the floor against one of the walls where a large piece of brick has broken off. Acid hits my shield and I realize how depleted my power reservoir is. Anymore of this and I'll be taking from my life source. Which is something I refuse to do. Which, in turn, means that it's time to end the fight for good.
Right before the serpent breathes a wave of fire, I drop my force field, whisper into the chunk of brick, aim, throw it, and duck as scorching flames go over my head and burn my back.
The flames cut off within seconds. I look up and see the snake choking and wheezing on the chunk of brick thrown into its throat. My power climaxes as the orange-glowing rock (and, consequently, the serpent) explodes. Battle over.
My adrenaline cuts off and my sense comes rushing back to me: the sizzling of the fresh fire, the sound of the serpent's body dropping to the ground, the smell of burnt brick and blood, the scorching sensation on my back from where the fire got me, and my utter exhaustion. I drop to all fours as my muscles scream in pain and overexertion. Just barely having the presence of mind to do it, I drop onto my back and roll a bit until I feel the flames on the back of my shirt extinguish.
And as my eyes are shutting and I'm fading into unconsciousness, I can't help but think that Manhattan was probably not worth coming to.