Chapter Two: New Developments
(A/N) Well, y'all still didn't review, but I'm posting chapter two anyway because I'm cool. And I got bored waiting… but maybe I'm just impatient.
PS I still don't own anything :\
~Carter~
"Carter! Down here, now! We've got visitors!" (A/N For simplicity's sake, I set this around the time of the first book, so no Walt, Jaz, etc.)
"Coming, Sadie. No need to flip." I pulled myself away from the book I was reading and headed down the stairs. She stood with her arms crossed next to the open door. Standing in the doorway was a girl who looked a little older than I did. She was tall and very pretty in an intimidating way.
"Well, hi," I said. "Are you a magician?" The girl smiled evasively.
"Well, not exactly. Can I come in? I have a lot of explaining to do." I noticed she had a smooth accent that I couldn't quite place.
"Um, sure. Come on in," I said. Sadie gave me a sharp look. The girl stepped over the doorstep without even thanking me. I decided that I didn't like her very much. I made to follow her, but Sadie pulled me back.
"Carter! What are you thinking, letting a random stranger into the house? Nutcase!"
"Well, if she attacks us then it'll be good practice, won't it?" Sadie just sighed and shook her head, but I think my logic makes sense.
Sadie opened her mouth to say more, but I turned my back on her. I walked into the room, ignoring her whispered warnings. The mystery girl was already seated on the couch.
"Thank you for letting me in. I've had a lot of trouble finding places to stay these days. My name is Abigail Protingas, and my father is Thoth. You've heard of him, I suppose." Sadie and I stared.
"But – they don't have kids, do they?" Sadie said. Abigail winced.
"Well, they do sometimes. And it wasn't exactly… conventional. You see, my mother is a Greek goddess."
"Greek?" said Sadie, as if it was a foreign word she just learned.
"Well, yes. You know how the Egyptian gods are still around. Well, the Greeks are too. And that's the short version."
"Is this some sort of joke?" Sadie demanded.
"Well… no," said Abigail.
"I think I may need to sit down," Sadie said faintly.
"You are sitting down," I reminded her. She ignored me.
"Well – will you let me stay here? For just a little time, at least?" I decided that 'desperate' was the only word to describe her expression, and I felt sorry for her.
"We should ask…" said Sadie.
"No," I interrupted firmly. Sadie's sentence faded off. "You can stay in the extra bedroom." Abigail's face split into a wide smile. She thanked us profusely. From haughty to timid to pleasant in less than ten minutes, I thought. Not quite sure how much I like her.
"I'll show you to your room," I told her, ignoring Sadie's look of outrage.
Now, please don't hold me responsible for my actions. I have been cooped up in Brooklyn since some time last winter. I am feeling very bored and therefore very reckless. She was probably lying. She's probably a spy for Chaos. I doubt the Greek gods even exist. But hey, a little bit of fighting is more interesting than just sitting here, isn't it?
**LATER** (still Carter)
"And then," said Sadie. "He's all like, 'Yeah, sure, random stranger lady that I just met! You can stay!" Amos nodded seriously.
"I see. Well, this is going to take some explaining on my part." He sighed and settled down in his chair.
We were sitting at the sofas in the middle of the night, discussing the new addition to our household.
"Well, I guess I'll just put this bluntly: there are Greek gods."
"So she wasn't lying?" said Sadie. She looked scared.
"No. She was completely serious. The Greek gods sometimes have children with mortals. Their children are called demigods, or sometimes half-bloods. And sometimes they do get involved with the Egyptian gods, usually when their spheres of power overlap."
"Spheres of power?" echoed Sadie.
"Yes, the area that they have control over. Now who did she say her Egyptian parent was?"
"Thoth," I supplied numbly.
"Yes. So her Olympian mother is probably Athena, goddess of wisdom and battle."
"She is."
All of us jumped. We hadn't heard Abigail come into the room.
"It's quite a romantic story, actually. I would tell it to you but we have more urgent problems."
"More urgent, madam?" said Amos. (A/N I know Amos probably wouldn't say this, I think, but it's a line from 1776, which is an epic musical and deserves a shout-out. You see? I have an explanation for EVERY awkward line! For I am TAPE MONKEY!)
"Yes. You see, I just took a ba trip. We have a very pressing matter on our hands. I'm afraid the world may be in mortal danger from this."
"Spit it out!" said Sadie rudely. She gets rude when she's tense.
"There are… more of me out there. More half-and-halves. Three, in fact. My… um, my father showed me. There's a son of Poseidon and Nephthys living in London, and a daughter of Zeus and Isis in Baltimore. Both are my age."
"And the third?" I prompted gently. She swallowed hard.
"That's the problem. The third is a daughter of Odyne, the goddess of pain, and none other than Set."
Sadie and I gaped at her.
"What can we do?" I asked softly. Amos swallowed.
"I'm afraid there's only one option."
"Which is?"
"We're going to Camp Half-Blood."
(A/N) I know, epic ending. I'll post ch. 3 sometime later. Please review!
Love,
Tape Monkey
