The Tales of Magicians and Demigods: The Crown of Ptolemy

by Yugioash

First off, spending the day fighting an evil magician in a middle of a hurricane trying to become a was while trying to contact our Magician friends are not my ideal date with my girlfriend. But when something like his happens, sometimes you have to act. Even if it means I have to merge with a vulture goddess and combining Greek and Egyptian Powers. Told in Percy's POV. Part 3 of 3

A/N (I recommend reading this): I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES or AND THE KANE CHRONICLES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

This is a The Tales of version of the Percy Jackson and Kane Chronicles crossover and takes place after 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures
The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief
The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters
The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse
The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth
The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot
The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades
The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon
The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian
The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The House of Hades
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Blood of Olympus

Also read this before this story if you haven't:

The Tales of Magicians and Demigods: The Son of Sobek
The Tales of Magicians and Demigods: The Staff of Serapis

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed as long as you inform me about it.

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The Tales of Magicians and Demigods: The Crown of Ptolemy

…Percy's POV…

First off, spending the day fighting an evil magician in a middle of a hurricane was while trying to contact our Magician friends are not my ideal date with my girlfriend. But when something like his happens, sometimes you have to act.

"Carter!" I shouted. "Carter Kane!"

Nothing happened.

Next to me, pressed against the wall of the old fort, Annabeth peered into the rain, waiting for magical teenagers to fall out of the sky.

I been trying this for some time. I even tapped the hieroglyph that Carter Kane had drawn on my palm almost two months back with non-walshable ink, but there is still nothing.

Usually I wouldn't panic if the cavalry failed to show. Annabeth and I had been in a lot of bad situations without any backup. But usually we weren't on Governors Island in the middle of a hurricane, surrounded by fire-breathing winged death snakes (which makes them worse than Basilisk. At least those snakes can't fly).

My pet hellhound Mrs. O'Leary who was our ride here was trying to stay dry, which wasn't easy since she was the size of a tank. At least our Sabertooth-Spactus-Tiger Small Bob is nice and dry in Annabeth's backpack in his calico kitten form. If I had the choice, Small Bob would be staying home instead of a middle of a hurricane, but unfortunately our pet Spactus wouldn't let us leave unless we take him.

"What about you?" I asked. "Any luck contacting Sadie?"

Annabeth hook her head. "No, and with this storm I don't think we can send an Iris message."

Iris message was a form of demigod communication where we use a rainbow, a drachma coin, and a little prayer to the goddess of Rainbows herself to contact someone. The only problem is this storm is not letting any of us create a rainbow for this to work, and we don't have any prisms or anything to use instead.

"I guess we have to do this ourselves." Annabeth said.

Small Bob meowed from her backpack as it stretched as if he was moving inside it.

"At least we got Small Bob and Mrs. O'Leary," I said. "I just hope they're enough to help us."

I peeked around the corner. At the far end of an arched entryway, a grass courtyard stretched about a hundred yards square, surrounded by red brick buildings. Annabeth had told me this place was a fort from the Revolutionary War, but right now it seems to be the center of magic ritual with a guy standing in the middle of the lawn.

He looked like a runty Elvis Presley strutting back and forth in skinny black jeans, a powder-blue dress shirt, and a black leather jacket. His greasy pompadour hairdo seemed impervious to the rain and the wind.

In his hands he held an old scroll, like a treasure map. As he paced, he read aloud from it, occasionally throwing back his head and laughing. Basically the dude was in full-on crazy mode.

If that wasn't creepy enough, flying around him were half a dozen winged serpents, blowing flames in the rain.

Overhead, lightning flashed. Thunder shook m molars. If I didn't know better I'd say Zeus or my dad Poseidon (since Hurricanes normally come with the Sea Domain) is being entertained by this guy and is showing their gratitude. But something in my gut told me this storm has nothing to do with Zeus or my dad.

Annabeth pulled me back.

"That's got to be Setne," she said. "The scroll he's reading from is the Book of Throth. Whatever spell he's casting, we have to stop him."

I guess I should explain what was going on. The only problem is there isn't much to explain.

Well, first off, you know all the gods in both Greek/Roman and Egyptian Mythology? Well they're real, both Greek/Roman and Egyptian. The only thing is, up until a couple of months ago, I thought only the Greek and Roman Gods existed.

Then a couple of months ago, I fought this giant crocodile on Long Island. A kid named Carter Kane showed up, said he was a magician, and proceeded to help me by blowing up stuff with hieroglyphs and turning into a giant glowing hawk-headed warrior. Together we defeated the crocodile, which Carter postulated that some strange Egyptian-Greek hybrid stuff was happening. We also came up with the theory that there was a reason we didn't know either side existed. Carter wrote a magical hieroglyph on my hand and told me to call his name if I ever needed help.

Then last month, Annabeth ran into Carter's sister, Sadie Kane, on the A train to Rockaway. They fought the Egyptian/Greek god Serapis, who had a three headed staff, and a hat that looks like a cereal bowl full of grain. From their experience they basically confirmed what Carter and I theorized that there was a reason we weren't aware of each other. Apparently the last time someone tried to combine the Greek and Egyptian beliefs it almost cost all the gods—both Greek and Egyptian alike—their lives, or did. I'm not sure since according to Annabeth, this Serapis guy said he did devour all the gods, and yet they still exist. All Annabeth could guess was that that maybe the Romans brought the Gods back to life with their beliefs when the center of power shifted from Greece to Rome.

If so, maybe it was the same with the Egyptian gods with their whole House of Life being world wide.

Anyways, after the battle, Sadie told Annabeth that an ancient magician name Setne might be behind all the weirdness. Apparently this Setne had come back from the dead, snagged an ultrapowerful sorcery cheat sheet called the Book of Thoth, and was playing around with Egyptian and Greek magic, hoping to find a way to become a god himself. Sadie and Annabeth had exchange numbers and agreed to keep in touch.

Today, four weeks later, Annabeth bang on my bedroom door and announced she had a bad dream—a vision from her mom Athena goddess of wisdom.

Apparently, Athena told her that there was trouble brewing at Governors Island, and we need to get their quickly. Annabeth suggested taking a ferry, but I thought if this is really an emergency then it be quicker to take Mrs. O'Leary. With a bit of convincing, Annabeth agreed we should shadow travel there on Mrs. O'Leary. And as I said before, Small Bob wanted to tag along for the ride for reasons I can only guess is that he senses something was wrong too.

We also dressed in our celestial bronze armored breastplate for extra protection.

As soon as Mrs. O'Leary leaped out of the shadows at Governors island we realized just how bad things were.

A freak hurricane had slammed into the island's New York Harbor. All the mortals must have evacuated the island because the crazy Elvis dude and his flying death snakes were the only ones we found on the island.

I know, none of this makes sense, but that's the Mystical World for you.

"Your invisibility cap," I said. "It's working again, right? How about I distract Setne while you sneak up behind him? You can knock the book out of his hands."

Annabeth knit her eyebrows. Even with her hair plastered to the side of her face, she looked beautiful. Her eyes were the same color as the storm clouds.

"Setne is supposedly the world's greatest magician," she said. "He might be able to see through invisibility. Plus, even with Mrs. O'Leary, if you run out there, he'll probably zap both of you with a spell. Believe me, Egyptian magic is not something you want to get zapped with."

"I know. Carter walloped me with a glowing blue fist once. But unless you have a better idea…?"

Unfortunately, she didn't offer one. She opened her bag to grab her New York Yankees cap when Small Bob jumped out—glowing in an X-ray vision form before taking the form of his calico kitten form. I swear that little guy was ADHD. He never seemed to like traveling in Annabeth's backpack, even if it's for his own protection, and the moment the bag is open he jumped out.

Annabeth sighed. "Make sure nothing happens to Small Bob either."

"I don't planned to," I said which was the honest truth. Small Bob was a pet we inherit from our Titan Friend: Bob—formally known as Ipaetus, who gave his life to get us out of Tartarus and I don't plan to let anything happen to Small Bob because of it.

"I'll give you a minute head start." I said before whistling for Mrs. O'Leary.

The mastiff hellhound bounded toward me barking. I guess she gave up trying to stay dry and enjoy the rain as she gave me one big sloppy kiss with her rough tongue.

"Really, Mrs. O'Leary?" I asked. "Come on, girl! Time to fight!"

Fortunately, Mrs. O'Leary understood as she lowered herself so I can climb on her when ready. I raised my ballpoint pen, which doesn't sound like an impressive weapon; but it turns into a magic sword when I uncapped it.

Small Bog grew into a fully grown zombified Sabertooth Tiger, probably wanting to help.

"You want to help me fight the flying snakes boy?" I asked.

Small Bob roared which I took as a yes.

"You think celestial bronze would work on the snakes?" I asked.

Annabeth frowned. "It should. At least… my bronze dagger worked on the staff of Serapis. Of course, that bronze dagger was made from an Egyptian wand, so…"

"Right, can't be sure," I said.

"Just remember: our main goal is to get that scroll. According to Sadie, Setne can use it to turn himself immortal."

"Understood. We can't let Setne turn immortal." I kissed her. "Be careful."

She put on her Yankees cap and vanished.

I climbed on Mrs. O'Leary's back and we headed into battle with Small Bob following us.

Sadly things didn't go according to plan.

I gave Annabeth a few seconds to sneak into the courtyard.

I uncapped my pen and Riptide sprang to full length—three feet of razor-sharp Celestial Bronze. I also hit the stopbutton on my watch which caused it to spiral out into a full size shield with carvings of images in the front. The shield was a gift made by my Cyclopes brother Tyson.

I normally saved my shield for a battle like I'm about to take part of. The reason is my body is 99% invulnerable from my swim in the River of Styx. And the only vulnerable spot on me is shield arm's armpit which is normally protected by my shield and armor. But I knew first hand that there were monsters out there that can render celestial bronze armor useless, so I have to be quick out there.

Mrs. O'Leary moved in through the courtyard where I sliced the nearest serpent out of the air.

Nothing says Hi neighbor! like killing a guy's flying reptile.

The snake didn't disintegrate like most monster I'd fought before. Its two halves just landed in the wet grass. The half with wings flopped around aimlessly.

Small Bob was just as resourceful as he took down a flying snake and ripped it apart, but the snake didn't disintegrated either.

Crazy Elvis didn't noticed. He kept pacing back and forth, engrossed in his scroll, so I had Mrs. O'Leary move in and take down another snake.

The storm made it hard to see. Normally I can stay dry when submerged in water, but rain is trickier. It needled my skin and got in my eyes.

Lightning flashed. By time my vision cleared, two more snakes were dive-bombing me from either side.

"Small Bob!" I yelled.

Small Bob shrunk down and hid under Mrs. O'Leary.

I quickly uncapped my thermos and summoned a water blast and willed it around Mrs. O'Leary in a watery shield just as the snakes blew fire at us.

I actually came up with this idea after the battle against Gaea, in case I ever have to fight fire breathing snakes again, but I never had the chance to test it out until now. Mostly because this move was still experimental and most of the time I could just create my own personal hurricane to protect me. But considering the enemy was creating his own hurricane right now, I decided to give it a chance and it worked.

The two snakes circled above us like they were too surprised to attack again. I guess they didn't expect me to create my own shield using my thermos and were trying to decide what to do.

Before they could decide what to do, Crazy Elvis called out, "Leave them!"

The snakes darted off to join their brethren, who were orbiting ten feet above the magician.

Well, at least he knows I'm here. Now I just wish I know what to do now.

Normally I think back to something I read in the book I inherit from Halcyon Green, son of Apollo. But the book covers only Greek and Roman Myths, almost none on Egyptian gods or magic alone.

I didn't have time to think about it as Setne rolled up his scroll. He sauntered toward me, the rain parting around him like a bead curtain. His winged snakes followed, their flames making plumes of steam in the storm.

"Hi, there!" Setne sounded so casual and friendly, I knew I was in trouble. "Nice hellhound spactus-sabertooth tiger there. I suppose you're a demigod, right?"

I wondered how Setne knew that. Maybe he could "smell" a demigod's aura the way Greek monsters could. Or maybe he has some kind of ancient magic that lets him know.

Setne's smile made his face look even gaunter. Dark eyeliner rimmed his eyes, giving him a hungry, feral stare. Around his neck glittered a golden chain of interlocking ankhs, and from his left ear dangled an ornament that looked like a human finger bone.

"You must be Setne." I said. "Did you get that outfit at the Halloween Store?"

Setne chuckled. "Look, nothing personal, but I'm a little busy at the moment. I'm going to ask you, your girlfriend, and your monster-pets to wait while I finish my incantation, okay? Once I've summoned the deshret, we can chat."

I put up my best confuse expression. "What girlfriend? I'm alone. Also what on earth is—whatever you just said."

"Deshret." Setne said as if knowing what I was talking about and patted his pompadour. "The red crown of Lower Egypt. As for your girlfriend…"

He wheeled and pointed behind him, shouting something like "Sun-AH!"

Red hieroglyphs burned in the air where Setne pointed and Annabeth turned visible—still wearing her Yankees cap—wide eyed with surprise, caught in her act of sneaking up on Setne.

Before she could react, the red glowing hieroglyphs turned into ropes like licorice whips and lashed out, wrapping around her, pinning her arms and legs with such force she toppled over.

"Hey!" I yelled. "Let her go!"

The magician grinned. "Invisibility magic. Please. I've been using invisibility spells since the pyramids were under warranty. Like I said, this is nothing personal, demigods. I just can't spare the energy to kill you… at least not until the summon is over. I hope you understand."

My heart hammered. I'd seen Egyptian magic before, when Carter helped me fight the giant crocodile on Long Island, but I had no idea how to stop it, and I couldn't stand to see it used against Annabeth.

"Small Bob, go see if you can free Annabeth," I told Small Bob from under Mrs. O'Leary. "Let's go Mrs. O'Leary!"

Mrs. O'Leary charged forward at Setne. He just waved his hand and muttered, "Hu-Ai."

More hieroglyphs flashed in front of us and Mrs. O'Leary and I was send flying.

When Mrs. O'Leary fell on the ground face first and I fell off her back.

"Dang it!"

"That was fall by the way," Setne said. "One of my favorites. Really, don't get up. You'll just hurt yourself more.

Small Bob was at Annabeth's side trying to break the ropes with no prevail.

"Setne!" Annabeth shouted through the storm. "Listen to me. You can't make yourself into a god. It won't work. You'll just destroy—"

The coil of magical ropes expanded, covering Annabeth's mouth.

"I appreciate your concern," said the magician. "Really, I do. But I've got this figured out. That business with Serapis… when you destroy my hybrid god? I learned quite a bit from that. I took excellent notes."

Annabeth struggled uselessly.

Mrs. O'Leary started moving, which I would of took for a good sign if it wasn't for the fact she was the size of a tank and it takes a lot to take her down.

"So you were watching in Rockaway beach?" I asked Setne. "When Annabeth and Sadie took down Serapis, that was all an experiment to you?"

"Of course!" Setne looked very pleased with himself. "I jotted down the incantations Serapis used while he tried to raise his new Alexandrian lighthouse. Then it was just a matter of cross-referencing those with the older magic in the Book of Thoth, and voilà! I found exactly the spell combo I need to make myself into a god. It's going to be great. Watch and see!"

He opened his scroll and started chanting again. His winged serpents spiraled through the rain. Lightning flashed. The ground rumbled.

On Setne's left, about fifteen feet away from me, the grass split open. A geyser of flames spewed upward, and the winged serpents flew straight into a tornado of elements, merging and solidifying into one huge shape: a coiled cobra with a female human head.

Now, I am no expert in Egyptian gods and all that. It's not something they usually teach at Camp Half-Blood. But if I can guess just by looking at this lady, either she was an Egyptian goddess or a very powerful monster I have never seen before.

Her reptilian hood was easily six foot across. Her eyes glittered like rubies. A fork tongue flickered between her lips, and her dark hair was plaited with gold. Resting on her head was a sort of crown—a red pillbox-looking thing with a curlicue ornament on the front.

Setne rolled up his scroll and slipped it in his jacket pocket, and grinned. "Awesome!"

The cobra lady hissed. "Who dares summon me? I am Wadjet, queen of cobras, protector of Lower Egypt, eternal mistress of—"

"I know!" Setne clapped his hands. "I'm a huge fan!"

I turned to see that Small Bob had successfully freed Annabeth only to cause a binding blared like an air horn. Even from here Mrs. O'Leary and I were affected as my vision blurred and my poor hellhound howled in pain.

Setne doesn't seem to pay attention of us though. Or the cobra goddess.

"Oh, this is so great," Setne continued. He fished something out of his pants pocket… a cell phone.

The goddess bared her fangs. She sprayed Setne with a cloud of green mist—poison, I guessed—but he repelled it like the nose cone of a rocket repelled heat.

"Okay, where's the camera icon?" Setne fumbled with his phone. "We have to get a picture together before I destroy you."

"Destro me?" demanded the cobra goddess. She lashed out at Setne, but a sudden gust of rain and wind pushed her back.

"Let's see." Setne tapped his phone. "Sorry, this is new to me. I'm from the Nineteenth Dynasty. Ah, okay. No. Darn it. Where did the screen go? Ah! Right! So what do modern folks call this… a snappie?" He leaned toward the goddess, held out his phone at arm's length, and took a picture. "Got it!"

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?" Wadjet roared. "YOU DARE TO TAKE A SELFIE WITH THE COBRA GODDESS?"

I don't see the point myself. Normally mortal cameras can get proper images of anything godly or mystical as the Mist would interfere and make the image look like something else. Heck Hermes Cabin been trying to get a picture of Chiron in his centaur form with tail curlers on, but every time the camera showed our centaur-teacher in a confined wheel chair or something.

"Selfie!" said the magician. "That's right! Thanks. And now I'll take your crown and consume your essence. Hope you don't mind."

"WHAT?" The cobra goddess reared and bared her fangs again, but the rain and wind restrained her like a seat belt. Setne shouted something in a mixture of Egyptian and Ancient Greek. I didn't understand the Egyptian stuff, but I understood the Ancient Greek, and it wasn't good.

The cobra goddess imploded, with a noise like the world's largest straw finishing the world's largest milk shake. Wadjet was sucked into her own red crown, along with Setne's four winged serpents and five-foot-wide circle lawn where Wadjet had been coiled.

The crown dropped into the smoking, muddy crater.

Setne laughed in delight. "PERFECT!"

I found it more horrifying than perfect.

Setne clambered into the pit to retrieve the crown as another blared air horn sound broke out along with Mrs. O'Leary howling.

I turned to see that Small Bob had freed Annabeth completely, but she was too shock to move.

"What—what did you do to the cobra goddess?" Annabeth asked.

"Hmm? Oh." Setne tapped the curlicue at the front of the crown. "I devoured her essence. Now I have the power of Lower Egypt."

"You… devoured a god?" I said.

"Yep!" From his jacket he pulled the Book of Thoth and wagged it at each of us. "Amazing what kind of knowledge is in here. Ptolemy the First had the right idea, making himself a god, but by the time he became king of Alexandria, Egyptian magic was diluted and weak. He definitely didn't have access to prime source material like the Book of Thoth. With this baby, I'm cooking with spice! Now that I've got the crown of Lower Egypt—"

"Let me guess," Annabeth sad. "You'll go for the crown of Upper Egypt. Then you'll put them together and ruled the world."

He grinned. "Smart girl. But first I have to destroy you two and your pets. Nothing personal. It's just that when you're doing hybrid Greek-Egyptian Magic, I found that a little demigod blood is a great catalyst. Now, if you'll hold still—"

I didn't give him a chance. I prayed that my Mark of Achilles keep me safe as I charged at Setne and jabbed him with my sword through his gut.

"But before I can pull back, Setne's red crown began to glow. I was forced to let go and back away."

"Percy! Get away from there!" Annabeth called.

I tried to get Riptide out of Setne, but it wouldn't budge as if something was keeping Riptide there, and I knew if I didn't get out of there, I'll be caught in something bad. "Mrs. O'Leary! Get out of here! Find help!" I yelled.

Mrs. O'Leary must have understood as she manage to bound to some shadows and melted away. I quickly chased after Annabeth and Small Bob to a archway and returned my shield to wristwatch form as a massive roar shook the courtyard.

Trees uprooted. Windows shattered. Bricks peeled off the walls, and everything hurtled toward Setne as if he'd become the new center of Gravity. Annabeth kept hold of Small Bob, who had shrunk down to kitten form as he tried to hold on for dear life.

Clouds of debris spun around the magician. Wood, stone, and glass vaporied as they were spun.

Once gravity returned to normal, I looked at Setne's gut, hoping my sword was still there. But it wasn't.

Riptide—the sword I had for ten years, the sword Zoë Nightshade late lieutenant of the hunters of Artemis made and trusted to leave with me was gone.

"My sword," I responded. Although normally Riptide returns to my pocket after lost, I got this sinking feeling that it won't return this time.

Setne turned up his palms. "Sorry about that. I'm a growing deity. I need m nutrition…" He tilted his head as if listening to something in the storm. "Percy Jackson. And your girlfriend, Annabeth Chase. You two have had some interesting adventures. You'll give me lots of nourishment! Especially with that Achilles Curse on you Jackson."

Annabeth struggled to her feet. "How do you know our names?"

"Oh, you can learn a lot about someone from devouring their prize possession." Setne patted his stomach. "Now, if you don't mind, I really need to consume you both. Not to worry, though! Your essence will live forever right here… next to my, uh, pancreas, I think."

Before he could try, something completely random changed the equation.

A full-size camel dropped out of the sky and crushed Setne flat.

"Sadie!" Annabeth cried.

I look up to the sky where Annabeth was looking and saw two falcons spiral above the courtyard.

The camel bellowed and farted. Then his eyes widened, bleated in alarm, and dissolved into sand.

Setne rose from the dust pile. His crown was tilted. His black leather jacket was covered in camel fuzz, but he looked unhurt.

"That was rude." He glanced up at the two falcons now diving toward him. "No time for this nonsense."

Just as the birds were about to rip his face off, Setne vanished in a swirl of rain.

….

The falcons landed and morphed into two human teens. One the right side stood my buddy Carter Kane, looking casual this time in linen clothes I can guess were Egyptian Magician style clothing, with a curved ivory wand in one hand and a crescent bladed sword in the other. On the left stood a slightly younger blond girl, who I assumed was his sister, Sadie. She had black linen clothes, orange highlights in her hair, a white wooden staff, and mud-spattered combat boots similar to ones the Roman demigods wear.

Physically the two siblings looked nothing alike. Carter's complexion was coppery, his hair black and curly. His thoughtful scowl radiated seriousness. By contrast, Sadie was fair skinned with blue eyes and a lopsided smile so full of mischief that reminded me of Hermes' kids back at Camp Half-Blood.

I wasn't about to bring it up though, since there are monsters that are my half-siblings and yet look nothing like me.

Annabeth exhaled with relief. "I am so glad to see you."

She gave Sadie a big hug.

I was about to greet Carter with a handshake, as I don't normally hug dudes, and the only male I let hug me is my adopted half-brother Tyson, when Mrs. O'Leary bounded for me and knocked me down to give me one big slobbery kiss.

"Ack! Mrs. O'Leary!" I responded.

"I take it then that is you pet monster-dog?" Carter asked.

"Hellhound actually," I said. "And yes she is mine."

Carter nodded. "We found her slipping and sliding all over the place and thought to check it out. I reversed the spell used on her when I realize why she was doing that and she thanked us with a full body lick before trying to show us something. Good thing we decided to follow her as she led us to you two."

"We would have been here sooner, but the storm was messing up our locator magic," Sadie explained as she was now scratching Small Bob behind the ear. I'm guessing Annabeth told Sadie about Small Bob, because the young magician wasn't freaked out when he went x-ray glow on her. "So, did Setne give you one of his villain monologue? Reveal his evil plans, say where he was going next, that sort of thing?"

"He did," I replied. "I take it that's a usual thing for you guys."

"It is," Carter said. "What about you?"

"Only when the bad guy is a gloating type. Although Ares does seemed love gloating just for the heck of it." I responded. "As for Setne, he used that scroll, the Book of Thoth, to summon a cobra goddess, devoured her essence, and stole red crown."

"Oh dear," Sadie glanced at Carter. "The crown of Upper Egypt will be next.

Carter nodded. "And if he manages to put the two crowns together—"

"He'll become immortal," Annabeth guessed. "A newly made god. Then he'll start vacuuming up all the Greek and Egyptian magic in the world."

"Tell us everything that happened," Carter said. "Details."

While we talked, Sadie muttered some sort of spell, and the rain bent around us like we were under a giant umbrella.

Huh, I wonder if Hecate's kids have a similar trick.

Annabeth did most of the explaining about our fight with Setne… though I wouldn't call it a fight. I felt like I wanted to punch something when we brought up how Setne took my sword.

"What's wrong with you?" Sadie asked noticing my change of behavior.

"Too me, Riptide isn't just a sword, it's a part of me," I explained. "I had that sword since I was seven. It was the very first weapon I actually owned."

"We'll try to get your sword back if we can," Annabeth reassured me. "But first we need to stop Setne."

Leave it to Annabeth to try and make me feel better.

Carter knelt and traced some hieroglyphs in the mud.

"If Setne gets the hedjet, we're finished," he said. "He'll form the crown of Ptolemy—the double crown of Egypt. The bottom half is the red crown, the deshret. It represents the Lower Kingdom. The top half is the hedjet, the white crown of the Upper Kingdom."

"I wear them together," Annabeth said, "and that means you're the pharoh of Egypt."

"Except in this case," Sadie said, "our ugly friend Setne is creating a very special pschent—the crown of Ptolemy."

"Ptolemy—Alexander the Great's second right?" I asked.

"Yes," Carter said. "Ptolemy took over after Alexander died, and he tried to mix Greek and Egyptian religion. He proclaimed himself a god-king, like the old pharohs, but Ptolemy went a step further. He used a combination of Greek and Egyptian magic to try to make himself immortal. It didn't work out, but with The Book of Thoth and the right formula he can make himself a god."

"Where is one of Zeus's lightning bolts when you need it?" I muttered sarcastically. Well, half sarcastically. The big guy does have a history of destroying mortals who tried defy the gods—which includes calling themselves a gods or making themselves stronger than the gods.

Carter and Sadie looked at me like I lost it until Annabeth explained what I meant.

"So…" Annabeth tugged thoughtfully at her ear. "who was that cobra goddess?"

"Wadjet," Carter said. "The guardian of the red crown."

"And there's a guardian of the white crown?" she asked.

"Nekhbet," Carter's expression turned sour. "The vulture goddess. I don't like her much, but I suppose we'll have to stop her from getting devoured. Since Setne needs the Upper Kingdom crown, he'll probably go south for the next ritual? It's like a symbolic thing."

"Why south?" I asked. "Isn't the Upper Egypt in the North?"

"You don't know much about the Nile do you?" Sadie asked.

"Unless it involves Greek and Roman Mythology, or I been there, not so much," I explained.

Sadie smirked. "Well there's only one thing to really know. The Nile runs an opposite direction than most river. So instead of going North to South, it goes south to North. And because of it, the Egyptians declared the southern part of Egypt Upper Egypt and the Northern Egypt the Lower Egypt."

"Okay, I got it!" I responded. "So how far south are we talking about—Brooklyn? Somewhere in Florida—please tell me it's not in the Bermuda Triangle."

Carter frowned. "Why you asked that?"

"That's the new location of what the Greeks called the Sea of Monsters," Annabeth said. "Not so easy to get in, and even more dangerous to get out. Almost every mystical island and sea monster in the Greek stories can be found there."

"Hmm—well don't think he'll go that far." Carter rose to his feet and scanned the horizon. "Our headquarters are in Brooklyn. And I'm guessing Manhattan is like the Greek god central? A long time ago, our Uncle Amos hinted at that."

"Yeah." I said. "But the center of Greek power is in Manhattan since Mount Olympus hovers over the Empire State Building."

"Mount Olympus"—Sadie blinked—"hovers over the… Of course, it does. Why not? I think what my brother's trying to say is that if Setne wants to established a new seat of power, blending Greek and Egyptian—"

"He'd find a place in between Brooklyn and Manhattan," Annabeth said. "Like right here, Governor's Island."

"Exactly," Carter said. "He'll need to conduct the ritual for the second crown south of this point, but it doesn't have to be far south. If I were him I would stay on Governors Island. We're at the north end now, so… what's south of here?"

"A picnic area, I think," I responded.

"Lovely." Sadie raised her staff. The tip flare with white fire. "Anyone fancy a picnic in the rain?"

"Setne's dangerous," Annabeth said. "We can't just go charging in."

"I like charging in," Sadie said.

"I normally prefer thinking on my feet in battle," I said. "But after Annabeth's and my first encounter with Setne, coming up with some kind of strategy wouldn't hurt. But I also think we should also start moving south while we strategize since time is in the essence."

"Good idea," Carter agreed.

We headed down the road from the old fort, past some fancy brick buildings that might have been other quarters back in the day. We made our way across a soggy expanse of soccer fields. The rain kept pouring down, but Sadie's magic traveled with us, keeping the worst of the storm away.

Annabeth and Carter compared notes from the research they'd thdone. They talked about Ptolemy and the mixing of Greek and Egyptian magic.

I done a bit of research myself after the Son of Sobek, and did tried to look up some stuff about Greek/Egyptian hybrid mythology in Halcyon's book after Annabeth had her encounter with Serapis. Sadly the book only gave the same info Annabeth learned from her battle.

I also started wondering if Carter has a girlfriend or something. I never got the chance to ask last time we met, but watching Carter and Annabeth talk to each other, it did seem both kept a good armlength apart as they got to know each other, as if they already have someone in their heart. I know that was the case of Annabeth since we're dating. But it made me curious about Carter even more.

Mrs. O'Leary bounded around, always ahead of us but never out of our site. Small Bob on other hand stayed by Annabeth's side.

As for Sadie, she didn't appear interested in strategy. She leaped from puddle to puddle in her combat boots. She hummed to herself, twirled like a little kid, and occasionally pulled random things out of her backpack: wax animal figurines, some string, a piece of chalk, a bright yellow bag of candy…

As she did, it occurred to me that she was much like Annabeth physically, but personality she was like I was when I was younger than her. She was hyper and fidgeting like I was for so many years—still am although I have better self-control unless I am in battle.

Looking at Sadie, I couldn't help but wonder if Annabeth and I had a daughter, would she be sort of like Sadie—being a mix of both of us.

I shook my head. Having a family with Annabeth wasn't in the plans right now. We both were seventeen and haven't even graduated High School yet. Until we start New Rome University, right now our biggest concerns is getting through this year alive together.

"I think our best approach is to combine our attacks," Annabeth said—which caught my attention.

When she said that, I patted my pocket, hoping there was a chance that Riptide would return, but it still hasn't appeared yet.

"Combine our attacks—as in using Setne's plan against him?" I asked.

"Exactly," Carter said.

Annabeth nodded. "Greek-style attacks won't work. And Carter is pretty sure regular Egyptian spells won't be enough either. But it we can find a way to mix our powers… for example, you teach Carter and Sadie how to manipulate the Mist."

I frowned. "Is that even possible?"

"We're not sure, but from what we can guess, the Duat and the Mist aren't that much different from each other," Carter explained. "Hopefully that means we can at least learn."

"If it's possible, it shouldn't take too long for them to learn since they already can combine their magic with the Duat," Annabeth responded.

"Oh, I got another idea how to combine our powers," Sadie said getting excited. "Carter, give Percy your wand."

"Why?"

"Just do it. Annabeth, do you remember when we fought Serapis?"

"Right!" Annabeth's eyes lit up. "I grabbed Sadie's wand and it turned into a Celestial bronze dagger, just like this one." Annabeth took out Halcyon's knife to show Carter. "It was able to destroy Serapis' staff. Maybe we can create another Greek weapon from an Egyptian wand. Good idea, Sadie."

That was a good idea, but that was what worried me. There is a reason why I mainly use Riptide as my main sword. None of the other swords I had tried to use ever felt right in my hands or too long or too heavy. I could condense water into a weapon (I've done that before), but celestial bronze or at least Imperial gold is the most effective weapon for any demigod.

Carter gave me his wand and the moment I took it, my hand clenched like I'd grabbed electrical cable. Even with the Achilles Curse, spikes of pain shot up my arm. I tried to drop the wand, but I couldn't.

"By the way," Sadie said, "this may hurt a bit."

"Thanks," I gritted my teeth. "Little late on the warning."

The ivory began to smolder. When the smoke cleared and the agony subsided, instead of a wand I was holding a Celestial bronze sword that look nothing like Riptide.

"What is this?" I asked. "It's huge."

Carter whistled under his breath. "I've seen those in museums. That's a kopis. A Greek design adapted from the Egyptian original. It's the kind of sword Ptolemy warriors would've used."

I take his word for it, but unfortunately my worries were confirmed when I tried to hefted it. The hilt was too heavy for my wrist. The single-edge blade was curved like a giant hook knife. I tried a jab and nearly lost my balance. I feel like I might as well be like Otis the Giant when he tried to sword fight with Jason.

Then it occurred to me, use it like you are chopping something off instead of jabbing.

It was a longshot, but I gave it a few basic swings, changing my balance in the process, and sure enough, this time the moves felt right—although it still felt wrong in my hands.

"This will have to do," I responded as a thought occur to me and I turned to the Kane siblings. "Since we're combining Greek and Egyptian powers, maybe one of you can ride on Mrs. O'Leary. She has the ability called Shadow Travel that lets her melt into shadows and melt out somewhere else."

"That could work," Annabeth said. "In fact—"

Annabeth took off her Drakon blade sword as well as her cap of invisibilty and handed it Carter. "These could help you."

"Is that a dragon's bone hilt?" Carter asked looking at it.

"Drakon, actually, a different breed of monsters, and a lot more dangerous," Annabeth said. "Just be careful with it. It was given to me by a late friend of ours."

Carter nodded and took the blade and clipped it to his belt. "What about you?" Carter asked.

Annabeth rubbed the clay beads on her necklace, the way she does when she's thinking. She looked beautiful. But I digress.

"Sadie," she said. "those hieroglyphic spells you used on Rockaway Beach… which one made the explosion?"

"It's called—well, I can't actually say the word without making you blow up. Hold on." Sadie rummaged through her backpack. She brought out a sheet of yellow papyrus, a stylus, and a bottle of ink. She knelt, using her backpack as a makeshift writing desk and scrawled the normal letters: HA-DI.

"That's a good spell," Carter agreed. "We could show you the hieroglyph for it, but unless you know how to speak words of power—"

"No need," Annabeth said. "The phrase means explode?"

"More or less," Sadie said.

"And you can write the hieroglyph on a scroll without triggering the ka-boom?"

"Right. The scroll will store the magic for later. If you read the word from the papyrus… well, that's even better. More ka-boom with less effort."

"Good," Annabeth said. "Do you have another piece of papyrus?"

Sadie gave her a fresh sheet of papyrus.

Annabeth took the stylus and wrote something in Ancient Greek that we can read despite our dyslexia since our brains are hardwired for Ancient Greek:

Κεραυνόω

"Ke-rau-noh," I said. "Strike with lightning bolts."

"Ooh," Sadie said. "I love striking things with lightning bolts."

"It's the closest term I could think of," Annabeth explained.

Carter stared at the papyrus. "You're thinking we could invoke an Ancient Greek word the same way we do with hieroglyphs?"

"It's worth a try," Annabeth said. "I might need your khopesh, just incase."

Carter nodded in agreement and gave her his sword.

"Which one of you is better with illusion magic?" I asked.

"Sadie," Carter said. "I'm more a combat magician."

"Then it might be best Sadie learn how to use the Mist," I said.

"Okay—just how I do that?" Sadie asked.

"It's not that hard—at least it's not once you got the principle," I responded. "You just make yourself or those around you look like something those around you expect to see. Only catch is you can't force them too see what you want them to see."

"Isn't that the same thing?" Sadie asked.

"No it's not."

"Percy, why don't you just demonstrate," Annabeth said. "It might be easier for her too understand that way."

I nodded and focused on the Mist, creating an image I want them to see. I decided to use Mrs. O'Leary as an example since it won't hurt her.

An ocean breeze swept through the area, but when we look Mrs. O'Leary looked the same. In fact Sadie and Carter both were confused as they look around.

"I don't get it. Nothing happened," Sadie said.

"That's because I was trying to make Mrs. O'Leary look like something I want you to see without telling you," I said. "Now I'll do it again—"

And I did so, and sure enough an ocean breeze returned and Mrs. O'Leary now took the shape of a Great Dane running around us.

"Whoa." Sadie said.

"You see. Unless you know what the person expects to see, the Mist won't work with you if you try to force them to see what you want to see," I explained. "But once you are aware what they expect to see, you can create an illusion of just that."

"So if Setne expects us to attack him with our own powers," Carter said, "We can use the Mist or the Duat to make him think just that."

"Exactly!" I responded. "That's how the Mist works. It can make a monster look like something you see everyday because that's what we expect to see everyday."

"If you two can do that, with Mrs. O'Leary and my cap, you might be able to take Setne by surprise, get the crown away from him."

"But what if Setne still able to see through our trick?" Carter asked.

"This all we got," I said. "If this don't work, we're doom as it is."

Suddenly the ground shook under our feet.

Across the soccer field, toward the south end of the island, a white glow lit the horizon.

"That can't be good," Annabeth said.

"No," Sadie agreed. "Perhaps we should charge in a little more quickly."

…

The vultures were having a party.

Past a line of trees, muddy field stretched to the edge of the island. At the base of a small lighthouse, a few picnic tables huddled together as if for shelter. Across the harbor, the Statue of Liberty glowed white in the storm, rainclouds 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—I guess to match his red crown. His silk pants shimmered in red and black paisley and his loafers were entirely covered in rhinestones.

"What is up with Setne and the Elvis Presley look?" I asked.

Carter shrugged. "Elvis Presley's music had an impact on Egyptian Magic, so magicians tend to go with it."

Setne strutted around with the Book of Thoth chanting the same spells he used to summon Wadjet.

"He's summoning Nekhbet," Sadie murmured. "I'd rather not see her again."

"I take it you have bad history with her?" I asked.

"Oh yeah! The first time I saw her, she possessed my gran, chased me across London—"

"Wait, Egyptian gods can possess mortals?" I asked.

"Not exactly. They normally can only possess Descendants of Pharohs—a.k.a. Magicians." Sadie said. "I'm not surprise you didn't know that since Annabeth said your gods don't possess mortals."

Not unless they take a swim in the River of Styx, I thought. But that wasn't why I responded that way. It was the fact that what Sadie just described reminded me of a conversation I had with Chiron once.

After my surrogate brother Luke was possessed by Kronos, I asked Chiron how a Titan could possess a mortal body since such powers normally burn us up, and back then I didn't know Luke had also took a swim in the River of Styx. Chiron didn't know either, but he hinted about there being other cultures where the gods possessed mortals but wouldn't go into details.

"So what's the plan?" Carter asked. "Maybe a flanking maneuver."

"If you include Small Bob and Mrs. O'Leary, there is six of us. We can divide in two teams," I said.

"Yeah," Annabeth agreed—catching on to what I was saying. "One team of four maybe five can charge in from all angles to divert Setne's attention, while in for the final strike."

"I'm in for the charging part," Sadie said.

"Since I have Annabeth's cap of invisibility, I do the sneaking," Carter said.

Carter put on Annabeth's baseball cap, muttering about being a basketball fan, and turned invisible.

Meanwhile the rest of us run at Setne. Sadie had climbed on Mrs. O'Leary's back, to catch Setne off guard with her staff, the Mist, and Greek scrolls.

The two vultures dived at me. I slice them out of the air with my new heavy sword.

I was five feet away from Setne and slashed at her. The Magician vanished and my blade cut through air.

I stumbled and tried to regain my balance. Sadie, Annabeth, and Small Bob (who was in full Sabertooth Spacti-Tiger form) had destroyed some of the vultures as the remaining birds scattered in the storm.

Sadie scanned the field for Setne. "Where is the skinny old git?"

The skinny old git appeared right behind them. He spoke a single word from his scroll of nasty surprises, and the ground exploded.

When I regained my senses, I was still standing which was a minor miracle. The force of the spell had pushed me away from Setne, so my shoes had made trenches in the mud.

I looked up, but I couldn't make sense of what I was seeing. 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 midair. Tendrils of red sand coiled around my legs and brushed against my face as they snaked in all directions. It looked like somebody had stopped time while slinging mud from a giant salad spinner.

I prefer time moving normally too be honest. Whether if it's slow or fast with my ADHD, but not frozen. I had enough with time freeze stuff during the previous Titan War when Kronos toyed with us by freezing time around us, thus stopping us while he does whatever he please.

Sadie lay flat on Mrs. O'Leary who was laying on my left. Somehow the mud covered both of their legs like a blanket as they tried to break free with no prevail.

I stepped toward them, but the coils of sand pushed me back.

Somewhere behind me, Annabeth yelled my name. I turned and saw her just outside the explosion zone with Small Bob. They were trying to charge in, but the earthen tendrils moved to block them, whipping around like octopus arms.

There was no sign of Carter. I just hope he hadn't gotten caught in this stupid web of floating dirt.

"Setne!" I yelled.

The magician brushed the lapels off his smoking jacket. "You really should stop interrupting me, demigod. The deshret crown was originally a gift to the pharohs from the earth god Geb, you know. It can defend itself with some cool earth magic.

Great. That's another thing I rather not deal with: earth magic. I had enough of that with Gaea the Earth Mother.

Sadie struggled. Her legs were encased in mud. "Clean up all this dirt right now, young man. Then give us that crown and go to your room."

It was rather odd hearing a thirteen year old was talking to someone who is older than her like she was his mother, but I decided not to question it since I've met nieces and nephews of mine who were older than me.

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.

I managed to step forward, but it was like wading through wet cement. Behind me Annabeth and Small Bob wasn't having much more luck. Sadie managed to pull one of her legs free, minus her combat boot. She cursed worse more than my immortal-horse-half-brother Arion (which is pretty bad) as she retrieved her boot. Meanwhile Mrs. O'Leary was struggling out of her mud case.

Setne's weird earth spell was loosening, but not fast enough. I'd only managed two more steps when Setne finished his incantation.

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. Her face had an imperious, timeless quality that all the gods have. Perched atop of her braided black hair was a white conical crown, and I couldn't help wondering why a powerful immortal being would choose to wear a headpiece shaped like a bowling pin.

"You!" she snarled at Setne.

You know how you can tell how well two people know each other and how well they can get along by how they behave around each other. Well, I can tell just by that one snarl that these two knew each other and not in a friendly way.

"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. In a way she could almost be pass off as a slim figured Harpie with smoke-for-vulture-wings instead of chicken feathers. "I do not yield to upstarts like you. I am the protector of the crown, the shield of the pharoh, 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."

Nekhbet hissed, which I didn't know vultures could do. 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, and suddenly I could move again. Sadie and Mrs. O'Leary were freed too. Annabeth and Small Bob joined us.

Setne didn't seemed concern about us.

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 words he used to consume Wadjet.

"Mrs. O'Leary, save the vulture lady!" I ordered. "Go on, go save the vulture lady."

Mrs. O'Leary woofed happily. This was a trick I been working on with her. It was like get the Greek when she plays with the practice dummies back in Camp-Half-Blood, but this time she knows to save them not chew on Sadie took this que to get off her before my gigantic hellhound bounded toward Nekhbet talked her before they melted in the shadows.

Sadie opened her Greek papyrus and yelled, "Ke-rau-noh!"

There was a bright explosion that knocked Annabeth and me off our feet.

When we got up, we saw where Setne had been standing was now 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?"

Reminder to self: Never introduce Sadie to Greek Fire.

"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. It must have been thrown off her head when Mrs. O'Leary 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!"

It must have been some kind of slicing spell because a bright blue hieroglyph scythed through the air, cutting off Setne's right hand and wrist.

Setne shrieked in pain as the Book of Thoth dropped into the grass.

Twenty feet away from me, Carter appeared out of thin air holding Annabeth's Yankees cap.

Setne glanced down at the Book of Thoth, still in his severed hand, but Small Bob placed one of his paws on it and growled at him.

"I wouldn't challenge Small Bob," I said. "He's a sabertooth-spactus-tiger. And like any other Spactus, he can take more damage than most monsters without being destroyed."

Although I wouldn't admit it to Setne, I hoped the Magician tempt it.

Setne snarled. "Take the book, then! I don't need it anymore!"

He vanished in a swirl of darkness.

…

Fortunately Mrs. O'Leary didn't go far with Nekhbet, but if we hadn't found her, something tells me she would have had a one way ticket to Tartarus.

They were a good hundred feet from where we were at, safe, although Mrs. O'Leary was still on the Vulture goddess.

"Get this beast off me!" she squawked.

"Mrs. O'Leary, heel!" I ordered.

Mrs. O'Leary got off the goddess and bounded toward me and gave me one big sloppy kiss.

Nekhbet got to her feet, but without her crown, she didn't look nearly as impressive. Her hairdo was a mud and grass salad. Her black dress had turned into a smock of molting feathers. She looked shriveled and hunched over, with her neck sticking out like a vulture.

"I didn't need your help!" Nekhbet grumbled. "Especially against that magician. I could have destroyed him!"

"Not so much," I said. "A few minutes ago, we watched Setne inhaled the cobra goddess, and she looked more impressive than you."

Nekhbet's eyes narrowed. "Wadjet? He inhaled Wadjet? Tell me everything."

Carter and Sadie joined us as we briefed the goddess on what had happened so far.

When we were done, Nekhbet wailed in outrage. "This is unacceptable! Wadjet and I were symbols of unity in Ancient Egypt. We were revered as the Two Ladies! That upstart Setne has stolen my other Lady!"

Wow, that sounded strange coming from her.

"Well, he didn't get you," Sadie said. "Which I suppose is a good thing."

Nekhbet bared her pointed teeth that resembles vulture's beak. "You Kanes. I should've known you' 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 said. "At least we got the Book of Thoth. 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. We must stop him!"

Sadie, Carter, Annabeth and I exchanged uneasy looks. Normally when a god says We must stop him, it means You must stop him while I sit back and enjoy a cold beverage. But Nekhbet seemed serious about joining the gang.

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," Annabeth said, "why would Setne leave it behind? I thought it was the key to his immortality."

"He said he was done with it," I recalled. "I guess he passed the test, so he threw away his notes."

Annabeth looked horrified. She never did like the idea of throwing away notes. I swear it's a child of Athena thing.

Sadie turned to Nekhbet "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 are 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—"

"It works," Annabeth said. "Carter was able to go invisible and undetected using my hat. Sadie's explosion scroll at least dazed Setne."

"But we'll need more," Sadie said.

"Yes…" the vulture goddess fixed her eyes on me like I was a tasty dead possum on the side of a highway. "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."

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked.

"You are a son of Poseidon. That would be a most unexpected combination. Your mind is too full for my taste, but with your invulnerability, it should work."

"Oh, no, no, no." Sadie raised her hands. She looked horrified. "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 pharohs!"

Carter grimaced. "That's her point, Sadie. Percy isn't the usual kind of host. If the pairing worked, he would be very powerful."

"Or it could melt his brain!" Sadie said.

"Hold it," Annabeth said. "I prefer my boyfriend with an unmelted brain. What exactly are we talking about here?"

Carter wagged the Yankees cap at me. "Nekhbet wants Percy to host her. That's one way the Egyptian gods maintain a presence in the mortal world. They can inhabit mortals' bodies."

My stomach jackknifed. "You want her"—I pointed at the frazzle old vulture goddess—"to possess me? No way! Never going to happen."

"It's not exactly a possession unless you let her take over you," Carter said.

"I don't care! I'm not going to go through what Luke went through with Kronos!" I responded.

"You're the only one who can host me!" Nekhbet said. "That curse on your body will be able to hold me. And 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, Nekhbet is right. You're our best shot. Sadie and I couldn't host Nekhbet even if she wanted us to. We already have patron gods."

"Who, conveniently, have gone silent," Sadie noted. "Scared of getting their essences sucked up, I suppose."

Nekhbet fixed her glittery black eyes on me. "Do you consent to hosting me, demigod?"

I can't. I know it's the best way to take down Setne, but just thinking about hosting a god bring me back to the time Kronos possessed Luke. And if something happened to me because I agreed to it, I don't think Annabeth can handle it either.

Suddenly 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."

I took a deep breath coming up with my decision. If I'm going to do this, I'm going to do this right. Something Luke wasn't able to do with Kronos.

"Carter, what is the most dangerous can an Egyptian god make?" I asked.

Carter frowned. "I would guess it's the same as the magicians, on their Ren—the definition of who they are."

"Then Nekhbet, I will only agree to host you if you swear by your ren that once the battle is over and Setne can no longer be immortal and when we get out it alive, you leave my body with me still breathing and living!" I said.

Nekbet smirked. "You drive a hard bargain, demigod. Very well, I swear by my ren as goddess of Vultures and protector of Upper Egypt and the Pharohs."

There was no thunder in the sky as their usually is when someone swear on the river of styx, but I took her word for it. I just hope it won't be the end of my life.

"All right," I said. "As long as you keep your word, vulture me up."

Nekhbet dissolved into black smoke. She swirled around me—filling my nostrils with a smell like boiling tar.

…

What was it like merging with a god?

Painful.

I can't imagine how Luke went through this with Kronos, who was a Titan, after what I went through merging with Nekhbet.

Thousands of years of memories flooded my mind. I saw pyramids rising from the desert, the sun glittering on the Nile River. I heard priests chanting in the cool shadows of a temple, and smelled myrrh incense on the air. I soared over the cities of Ancient Egypt, circling the palace of the pharaoh. I was the vulture goddess Nekhbet—protector of the king, shield of the strong, scourge of the weak and dying.

I also had a burning desire to find a warm hyena carcass stick my face right in there, and—

I shook the thought out of my head. There was no way I was going to do that.

I tried to focus on the present. I stared at my shoes… the same old pair of Brooks, yellow shoelace on the left, black shoelace on the right. I raised my sword arm to make sure I could still control my muscles.

Relax, demigod. The voice of Nekhbet spoke in my mind. Let me take charge.

"No way! There is no way I'm going to let you take over! I told you, I'm not going through what Luke went through. So we either do this together or not at all."

"Percy?" Annabeth asked. "Are you okay?"

Looking at her was disorienting. The 'Percy' part of me saw my usual awesome girlfriend. The "Nekhbet" part of me saw a young woman surrounded by a powerful ultraviolet aura—the mark of a Greek demigod. The sight filled me with disdain, which I think was from Nekhbet.

I wonder if she was this disdained looking at me, I thought

Actually, you were more threatening with your aura, Nekhbet responded. By the way, I can read your thoughts.

Great. Now, now I feel uncomfortable with my own thoughts.

"I'm fine," I said. "I was talking to the vulture in my head."

Carter walked a circle around me, frowning like I was an abstract sculpture. "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 a rhythm with your partner."

"But if you have to choose," Sadie said. "smack her down and stay in control."

I felt the urge to call Sadie a stupid urge and not to tell me what to do. I quickly realized the reason was that Nekhbet was trying to speak through me.

Hey, Sadie is my friend. I won't let you use me to backtalk her, I thought.

I sense that Nekhbet wasn't too happy about that.

"Are you sure you are okay?" Annabeth asked.

"Yeah. She's actually easy to handle than I thought," I responded. Although that probably because Kronos is several times stronger than some Egyptian goddess of vultures.

I heard that. Nekhbet squawked.

Hmm, I wonder—if Nekhbet can read my thoughts, maybe she can see my memories too.

Too experiment I flashed back to the centaur's prom with all the centaurs wearing prom dresses.

GAH! Put that memory away! I do not need to see that! Nekhbet complained.

Then you better work with me, because I got ten years full of awkward demigod stuff like that. I thought.

Nekhbet grumbled something about this turning out to be a stupid idea.

"I think I found my center," I responded with a chuckle.

"How—never mind. I don't want to know," Sadie responded.

Another red flash illuminated the treetops.

"We better go!" I said. "The sooner I get this goddess out of my head the better."

…

What is up with Setne changing his wardrobe? Seriously. He seemed to change clothes almost as much as Aphrodite changes her form.

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 newley combined red and white crown. He looked like Prince from one of my mom's old album covers, and judging from the magic lights swirling around him, Setne was getting ready to party like it was 1999 B.C.E.

Having one hand didn't seem to bother him. He waved his stump conductor-style, chanting in Greek and Egyptian while fog rose from his feet. Burst of light danced and bobbed around him, as if a thousand kids were writing thei names with sparklers.

If it wasn't for Nekhbet's site, I would have no idea what was going on. With it, I recognized the Duat—the magical dimension that existed beneath the mortal realm. I saw layers of reality, like strata of glowing multicolored jelly, plunging down into infinity. On the surface, where the mortal and immortal worlds met, Setne was whipping the Duat in a storm—churning waves of color and frothy white plumes of some.

With Nekhbet in my head, I actually found myself believing that it and the Mist that covers mortal eyes from recognizing the gods and monsters were one of the same—just the Greek name for the upper most layer between worlds—the layer Setne was now shredding.

Nekhbet wasn't impressed. She'd seen just about everything over the millennia. Her mind was as cold and dry as the desert night wind. To her, the mortal world was a constantly changing wasteland, dotted with the carcasses of men and their civilizations. Nothing lasted. It was all roadkill waiting to happen.

But not me. I know if the Mist or Duat or whatever this magical layer really is, it be bad news for most mortals. See, there are few mortals who can't see through the Mist, that can accept it, like my step father Paul, and then there are mortals that literally goes insane and loose their lives if they find out the world they live in isn't what it seems. It happened to some of my best friend's mortal parents, and if Setne truly destroy the Mist, it will happen to most of humanity.

But right now, the only thing Nekhbet and I can agree on was how disturbing it was for Setne to tear through the mist with his spell. He wasn't manipulating it. He 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 Nekhbet and me, urging us to give up and be absorbed into his new glorious form. But that wasn't going to happen. Neither of us wanted it.

I marched across the field. Sadie and Annabeth fanned out on my right. I assumed Carter was somewhere on my left, but he'd gone invisible again, so I couldn't be sure. The fact that I couldn't detect him, even with Nekhbet's super vulture senses, gave me hope that Setne wouldn't see him either. Mrs. O'Leary and Small Bob hanged back like my honorary guards pets.

Setne stopped chanting when he saw me.

"Awesome!" he grinned. "You brought the vulture with you. Thanks!"

"Setne, drop the crown." I raised my kopis, which didn't feel heavy with Nekhbet's power flowing through me. "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 supposed Carter is lurking around here too, all stealthy and invisible? Hi, Carter!"

Being smart as he was, it was no surprise he didn't respond.

Setne raised his stump wrist. "Wherever you are, Carter, I was impressed with the hand-cutting 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 join 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 think that was a no," I responded.

The crow of Ptolemy was the only part of Setne still visible aboveground. Fortunately, Carter stayed invisible.

I reached down for my thermos but my hand froze. For some reason I can't grab my thermos.

Don't waste energy! Go after the crown! Nekhbet said.

I was going to—with my thermos!

Why waste energy with that when you can just grab it.

Gee, I don't know—maybe because I don't want to be consume if something happens. I thought.

Just get the crown. Stop being a coward.

I flashed back to when Jason and I fought Otis the giant dressed in a two piece belly-dancer/pharoh costume.

GAH! Men are supposed to not wear that! What was that Giant thinking! Nekhbet complained.

The earth rumbled as Setne rose from the ground as if on an elevator platform and glared at the air. "I make you a perfectly fair offer, and you hit me with a giant fist? Perhaps your father wouldn't be proud, after all."

"Setne!" I yelled. "Your fight is with me!"

"Oh but you are wrong, Percy Jackson," Setne said as his body started to glow. Fortunately thanks to Nekhbet, I realized what was going to happen a split second before it did, which saved our lives.

"GET DOWN!" Carter yelled from near the girls.

Mrs. O'Leary gently grabbed Small Bob by the scuff of his neck and ran to Annabeth and Sadie

A ring of fire exploded outward from Setne.

I sheathed my sword and lunged in front of the girls, hoping Carter was with them, and spread my arms like a goalie. A shell of purple light surrounded me, and the flames rolled harmlessly over translucent wings that now extended on either side of me. Thanks to the wings, I was able to shield Sadie, Annabeth Small Bob and somehow Mrs. O'Leary from the worst of the last.

I lowered my arms. The giant wings retracted. My feet, floating just off the ground were now encased in large ghostly legs with three long toes and the talons of a bird.

I quickly realized I was a giant glowing purple vulture—sort of like Carter's giant falcon face form.

Annabeth's baseball cap must have blew off his head, because Carter was visible.

Too be honest, we were doing better than the soccer field. The fire had blackened the entire field, instantly turning wet mud into cracked clay. The Mist and magic lights had burned away.

"Well, that was incredible," Setne said, "but in 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. Carter, Sadie, I suggest you two give me the Book of Thoth before either of you hurt yourself. There's no spell neither of you could read that would harm me."

Carter and Sadie looked at each other and nodded, as if both of them had a rare agreeable moment.

"You're right, Setne," Carter said. "We can't read the spells in the Book of Thoth."

"But we have friends," Sadie responded as she handed the scroll to Annabeth, who blinked in surprise. "Um… Sadie?"

Setne chuckled. "What's she going to do? She may be smart, but she can't read Old Egyptian."

Sadie gripped Annabeth's forearm. "Miss Chase," she said formally, "I have one word for you." She leaned in and whispered something in Annabeth's ear.

Annabeth's face transformed. Only once before had I seen her with such an expression of pure wonder: when she beheld the gods' palaces on Mount Olympus.

Carter turned to me. "Percy… Annabeth should have enough power to help you, but you still need to keep Setne entertained."

Annabeth opened the scroll. She began to read aloud in Ancient Egyptian. Glowing hieroglyphs floating off the papyrus. They swirled in the air around her, mixing with Greek words as if Annabeth was adding her own commentary to the spell.

If it wasn't for Nekhbet, I understand what Sadie did. Sadie gave Annaeth her true name and in the process gave Annabeth the powers of the Magician, which was able to mix with Annabeth's Greek demigod powers allowing her to do this.

Setne looked surprised. 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.

No way I was going to let him succeeded.

I remember all the times my distant nephew Frank turned into a bird and decided to try and have the vulture mimic his movements when he grabs something in that form.

Fortunately Nekhbet actually liked the idea and helped me fold my avatar's wings so I could sour down and grab Setne with my spectral claws before he could finish casting his spell, and carried him into the sky.

…

I hope Zeus is in a understanding mood today, because I'm pretty sure I am far into his domain in this Vulture Avatar mode. Nekhbet wasn't too scared of being blasted by lightning, but I summed it up to being because she never came close to being killed by lightning before. That or she just crazy.

I was flying upward inside a giant glowing vulture, flapping my arms to control the wings, holding an almost-immortal magician in my talons while trying to shake the crown of Ptolemy off his head.

That crown must be superglued or something, because the crown would not fall off his head.

He blasted me with fire and flashes of light. My bird exoskeleton deflected the attacks, but each time, the purple avatar dimmed, and my wings felt heavier.

"Percy Jackson!" Setne writhed in my claws. "This is a waste of time!"

Like I was going to listen to him. All I want right now is to end this quickly before I pass out. Apparently the toll of combat magic combine with the Achilles Curse's side effects was wearing me down faster than usual as my head throbbed, my eyesight dimmed, and I drenched with sweat.

I haven't felt this bad since Jason and I combine our powers to create a super storm of both sky and sea to slow down the Romans.

I pray that Annabeth can finish this spell on her own.

We broke through the top of the cloud layer. Setne stopped fighting.

"Percy, Percy." His tone made it sound like we were a couple of bros on a night out. "Don't you see what an incredible opportunity this is? A perfect do-over. You of all people should appreciate that. The Olympians once offered you their most valuable gift. They offered to make you a god, didn't they? And you—you lovable idiot—you turned them down! This is your chance to correct that mistake."

If I had the fatal flaw of power hunger, I might have fallen for that. Fortunately, I'm not. Nekhbet on other hand, turned her attention inward.

You turned down immortality? Her voice was incredulous, offended.

She scanned my memories until I knew she found what she was looking for, the day Zeus offered me a reward of godhood so I could keep my oaths and make sure the gods stop being jerks and to pay attention to their kids and to get them to release the Titans they wrongfully imprisoned after the first Titan War—mainly Calypso.

Nekhbet tried to make me realize how stupid it was for me to turn down the power, but I pushed the thoughts back.

You are a fool, demigod! Nekhbet hissed.

Nope, just loyal to my cause, I thought.

"I have to agree with Nekhbet on this one, pal," Setne said. "How did that work out? Did the gods honor their promises? Did your dad Poseidon payed attention to you? I bet he didn't. I bet he was no different from how my dad Rames the great treated me. He hosted the god Horus, and kept his distance from me. He could care less about me. I bet Poseidon was no different."

Nekhbet didn't try to convince me otherwise. She was the goddess of the pharaohs, but she didn't care about them as individual humans. She cared about maintaining the power of Egypt, which turn kept the worship of the gods alive. She certainly didn't care about noble acts or fairness. To her, only the weak demanded fairness. The weak were carcasses waiting to die—appetizers in the long dinner of Nekhbet's eternal life.

But Poseidon wasn't like that.

My brain automatically went into flashback mode. The time Poseidon claimed me and guided me to Luke and Thalia. The day I first met him at Montauk b my each. All those sand dollars he gave me for Christmas and birthdays that helped me gain help from every water spirit any time I need them. The day Chiron gave me my thermos and told me dad had it especially made just for me for the day I went on my first quest.

More importantly I remember the day dad said that over all his children, I was his favorite son.

That was enough for me to continue on with the plan.

Nekhbet tried to argue but at this point, my will was stronger than her.

"Nice try Setne, but you don't know a thing about my dad," I said. "My dad been watching over me since the day I was born and has done enough for me than I can ever ask for. So you can take your offer and devour it, because I am proud to be the FAVORITE son of Poseidon!"

Setne smiled. "Well, it was worth a try. Especially since I made you lose control of your vulture!"

An explosion of cold from Setne shattered my avatar. Suddenly I was falling, but I wasn't down just yet.

I uncapped my thermos and used all my will to summoned a huge water blast and condensed it into a hand. The water fist grabbed Setne, who was underneath me who was in total shock to respond

Setne slammed into the ground first as the water blast slowed down my fall rate until I was close to the ground enough to end my water blast and landed on the ground safely.

Annabeth Sadie and Carter been busy while I was in the air. They had sketched what looks like a magical bull's-eye on the ground elaborated in Ancient Greek and hieroglyphs that were radiating with white light in the Duat. And Setne landed right in the center.

I quickly decided to take back what is mine.

I shoved my hand in Sente's mouth and used Nekhbet's intuition and my insticts o find a small pointy object in the back of Setne's throat, and I yank it free: my ballpoint pen, Riptide.

When I did, I must have unplugged some magic plug in him, because magic spewed from his mouth in rainbow colors. I quickly whistled for Mrs. O'Leary.

My loyal hellhound bounded toward me and I quickly got on her back and she got me out of the circle faster than I ever could

Meanwhile Sadie and Annabeth stood on opposite sides of the circle. Sadie crossed her arms and planted her combat boots as she and Annabeth shouted commands in unison. The funnel cloud of magic intensified around the circle, hemming in Setne, who was shriveling rapidly. The crown of Ptolemy rolled off his head. Carter stepped forward and threw his glowing rope.

As soon as the rope touched Setne, a flash of light blinded me.

When my vision returned, Setne and the roe was gone. No magic lights swirled. Nekhbet must of kept her word because she left my mind.

Annabeth, the Kanes, and I stood in a loose ring, staring at the crown of Ptolemy, which lay sideways in the dirt. Nest o I sat a plastic bauble the size of goose egg.

I picked it up.

Inside the snow globe, a miniature model of Governor's Island was permanently submerged. Alternately running and swimming around the landscape, trying to avoid flurries of fake snow was Setne the size of a termite.

I guess he wanted to make the island a snow globe because that is the only thing I could make sense of. And now he was imprisoned in it.

…

An hour later, we sat on the parapets of the old for, watching the sun go down over the New Jersey coastline. I'd had a cheese sandwich and an ice cold Ribena from Sadie's extra-dimensional stash of junk food. Carter also gave me some healing potion, which I was glad to take. Winning a battle against an almost-immortal magician, wiped me out to the point I was about to pass out.

Speaking of passing out, after the battle Mrs. O'Leary and Small Bob were out cold cuddling next to each other where we could see them.

"So how on earth did Setne is imprisoned in a snow globe?" I asked.

Carter shrugged. "I guess it was my doing. I was trying to think of something to imprison him in when I threw the rope."

Sadie snorted, almost nostril spewing 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."

I didn't know who Ammit was, but if he devours souls, I don't want to meet him."

"There's something I got to know," Carter said. "Setne was well known for his manipulation, getting into people's and god's minds. So how is it you were able to resist him, Percy?"

"I think it's because I never had the same lack of fatherly love he did," I said gaining strange looks. "While Setne was trying to offer me immortality, he started bad mouthing my dad, saying he was as dead weight as his dad: Rames the Great. And with Nekhbet trying to make me agree to everything he was saying, I remembered back to the good times I have with Poseidon and all the help he gave me over the years."

"In other words it was your own fatal flaw that backfired on Setne." Annabeth said.

I shrugged as I guess so. After hearing so much about how a fatal flaw can ruin a hero, mine did the world some good.

"What's a fatal flaw?" Sadie asked. "Is it something we need to worry about?"

"It's a flaw in our personality that make us susceptible to manipulation," Annabeth said. "Everyone has it, but for us demigods it tends to be even more dangerous. For example, mine is Deadly Pride, I can't help but better myself than those around me."

"And mine is Personal Loyalty," I said. "I can't stop myself from trying to save those I cared about when they're in danger—something Setne apparently didn't think of using against me."

"The question remains, what to do with the crown of Ptolemy," Annabeth said.

"Honestly, I don't know," Sadie said. "I don't see why Wadjet and Nekhbet didn't reclaim their crowns."

Yeah, why did Nekhbet leave it behind. She was pretty content on getting it back up until she found out I turned down immortality.

That's when it hits me.

"It's a test," I said. "The Two Ladies want to see what we'll do with it. During our flight, Nekhbet learned that I'd turned down immortality and was kind of offended."

Sadie frowned. "You turned down immortality? Are you crazy?"

"No! I turned it down to help my friends," I explained. "Anyways, I think Nekhbet is curious to find out if any of us will go for it. Namely me."

Annabeth blinked. "Nekhbet would do that out of curiosity? Even if I caused a world-destroying event?"

"Sounds like Nekhbet," Sadie said. "She's a malicious old bird. Love to watch us mortals squabble and kill each other."

"As long as none of us have the fatal flaw of power hungry, we should be fine," I said.

When I said that, Carter had this wistful look as he looked at the crown.

"Hey Carter!" I snapped my fingers at him.

"What?" Carter asked.

"Are you okay? You look—lost—for a moment there?"

"I'm fine, thanks," Carter said. "So what should we do with the crown?"

He seemed like he just want to change the topic, which normally isn't a good sign. I'd seen Thalia when she is near power she can have to recognize the signs.

"What about that place—where you took the necklace on the Son of Sobek?" I asked.

The Kanes had another 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 magician s 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," Annabeth said.

"And the more it's tried," Sadie said, "the more damage could be done to the Duat, and the mortal world, and our saniy."

That was a lot to take in. I can just imagine Thalia being tempted with such power again.

"This why Athena send Annabeth and me," I realized. "She wanted us to see what happens when the two magics clash. Why our two worlds must not meet? If this happens again—it would make thousands of years of feud between Greeks and Romans seem like nothing."

Annabeth nodded. "I think you're right, Percy. We have to be careful who we talk to about this and keep this a down-low."

"In the Greek stories, normally three is a safe number," I said. "Although there is the four of us, I think we should keep it just between the four of us unless a someone we trust gets caught in this. But we only confirm it to them if we know we know we can trust them to the fact they won't be tempted."

"That sounds like a good idea," Carter grinned. "We can be our own little task force. The four of us can keep in touch. We'll have to stand ready in case something like this happen again."

"Annabeth has my number," Sadie said. "Which, honestly, brother, is a much easier solution than writing invisible hieroglyphs on your friend's hand. What were you thinking?"

"It made sense at the time," Carter protested.

"It's okay. If needed we can Iris-Message each other too," I said. "It's a demigod form of communication and its safer for us. Since your spell worked with me, hopefully it would work for you."

"Sounds good," Carter said.

We cleaned up our picnic stuff and got ready to go our separate ways.

Carter carefully wrapped the crown of Ptolemy in linen cloth. Sadie gave he Governors Island globe a good shake, then stuffed in her pack.

The girls hugged and I shook Carter's hand.

"You want this sword?" I asked taking out the sword ha once was Carter's wand.

"No, you can keep it." Carter said. "It can be your spare sword."

I don't know about using it as a spare sword, but I didn't argue. Besides, it would make a better trophy of war than a sever Minotaur's arm.

We said goodbyes and the Kanes turned into birds of prey and launched themselves into the sunset.

"It's been a weird day," Annabeth said.

"Yeah," I agreed. "How about we send Mrs. O'Leary back to camp get Small Bob home and we go out for cheeseburger dinner at P.J. Clarke's."

"Sounds good." Annabeth said as she kissed me.

---

A/N: That be it until the Trials of Apollo series is done. Remember to keep up with the polls on my bio page. Good luck everyone!