Chapter 1 - A New Beginning

Gaia

Egypt. Thousand of years of history and that still continues. Amazing how a name can preserve everything. I wonder if someone would use that to destroy it? Well, all I know is that I got arrested for sitting on top of the sphinx, which is totally unfair. Come on, the head looks like it was made to be sat on! Humans don't get that things have to be used to stay alive otherwise they just decay. I shake my head and some officer glares at me. I know that I wasn't drawn here to sit on the sphinx. Something called me and I need to find them. But first I need to bust out of here…

Sadie

I think I am officially out of ideas. Ra is insane still and we have about a week until Apophis rises. Lovely, we're all going to die. Carter refuses to record anything vocally so we have to rely on what we already have. I sit in the first Nome. We have a lot of talking to do if we want to convince everyone we're not evil…

Carter

I am just walking along. Nothing special. Some random girl walks out of a police station and walks up to me.

"Turn around, keep walking." She says. I don't want to argue, she sounds dangerous.

"What brings you to Cairo?" I say as casually as I can manage.

"I don't quite know yet."

"Why were you in the police station?"

"I'll tell you once we get in some building."

"How about that one?" I point to the ruins of Heliopolis. She looks at me like I'm mad. I drag her to them. Sadie and I are living there at the moment. We already convince them that we're on their side.

"Why the hell are we going into the ruins?" She asks.

"You'll see." I have a feeling that she got our message. I drag her through the entrance and I run straight into Zia…

Gaia

I laugh at Carter as he runs into some girl.

"Sorry Zia."

"Who's this?"

"I don't know but I think she got our message."

"What's your name?" She is so up herself. If she knew who I am… lets just say she would be a lot more respectful.

"Gaia. Spelled G-A-I-A." I say. She narrows her eyes at me. Who does she think I am? A terrorist? A Greek? I roll my eyes at her.

"Lets see what your sister thinks."

"Is she as rude as you are? 'Cause if she is I think I'll pass." I say. Zia glares at me. I smile at her.

"Lets go." Carter says, obviously trying to break her dislike or something. He walks on and I follow. Zia follows me. I look around at the people staring at me. There are to many of them to see what they are thinking but I imagine it's all similar. I sigh. We walk into a chamber and there is a girl who is like thirteen there.

"You're kidding right?" I ask him. Carter grins at me. I already know what's going on. Carter a mind that's really easy to search, like a certain sea god I know.

"Who's this?" Sadie asks Zia.

"Gaia. Spelled G-A-I-A." She is mocking me.

"Apparently my name isn't good enough for her highness." I murmur. Carter snorts. I wasn't kidding. Though I am actually direct royalty. Everyone here is a descendent from a pharaoh or has some Egyptian blood running through them. I am a princess, which is really bad for my reputation as a bad-ass. It's also depressing because my parents took my bitch-cousin as their heir and pretend I don't exist. I'm happy though. I don't have to put up with their stupid expectations. Sadie examines me.

"Why are you here?" She asks.

"Well, it's not for the sight-seeing." I say, reminding myself that the police here have no sense of humour.

"See what path she wants to take Carter."

"Path?" This is getting weirder by the second. I let Carter lead me out of the room. "Ok, I am officially confused and that is a god-damn hard thing to do." He laughs. Apparently, I have a sense of humour. I read Sadie's mind while I still have the chance. Now, I get it. What have I gotten myself into?

"Are you ok?" Carter asks.

"Yeah." There's a silence, the awkward kind.

"So why were you in the police station?"

"I was arrested for sitting on the Sphinx, which is totally unfair. It's not my fault it has a chair-shaped grove at the top of its head." I reply and he laughs, again.

"They want to stop people from hurting themselves."

"Ha. Like I need protection. I think I can take care of myself. I personally think Egyptians always just want to find a way to make me feel unwelcome." I say. He looks confused. I sigh. "I didn't think I would be giving my life story to someone so quickly." I stop walking and so does he. I take a deep breath and tell him everything…

Carter

"Are you serious?"

"Deadly."

"Ok then."

"Look, Carter. I can help you but you can't tell anyone about me."

"Why?"

"They probably won't believe you and then you'll loose their trust and if they do believe you then I'm screwed and so are you. I have enough trouble with being in the country. I don't need a bunch of Egyptian magicians trying to kill… as well as my cousin and several organisations. I don't even know what I did to piss them off!"

"Ok. I won't tell them." This is unbelievable. Well, I finally know why we stay out of Manhattan. I should've guessed it though. "So, what now?" I ask. She shrugs.

"I pretend to be a magician, you play along. We save the world with your sister and your up-herself friend." I can't think of anything else so I guess we will work on specific detail later. Though she does strike me as a "do now, think later" person but I like her.

"Sounds good." I reply, flashing her a smile. She grins.

"No one ever likes my ideas, not even when I plan them out"

"Really?"

"No, I think it's a Greek thing." She says. I laugh. She has a sense of humour that most people wouldn't get. Seeing as there isn't much humour here I can't help but laughing.

"Shall we go and find me a wand and staff?" She says elegantly.

"Yes we shall." I say trying to mimic her English accent. She laughs and follows me, which no one else wants to do…