Okay, so you probably hate me for keeping you waiting, but I was being lazy because my best friend just moved back to my neighborhood AND school was out so I didn't want to do anything. Thank everyone who reviewed much! I live on what you say! I'm sitting there, flipping through the story stats and I see a new review and I'm like "Oh my gosh! Yay! Somebody come read this!" SO heres a challenge: whoever gives me my 21st review gets an OC appearance somewhere. I'll PM whoever it is :) (BTW I did 21st because everybody does a round number and I was like 'to heck with that, I'm being original!') Oh, and I love you all!

CHAPTER 7:

Sadie- A Musical Instrument Saves Us

So after we played jailbreak with all the Greeks and Romans (and I'm still confused about that) I noticed Bast shooting these looks at all of them, so I decided to pull her aside.

"What's up?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"Bast," I said, "don't lie to me. What is your problem with them?"

"Look. Greeks and Egyptians do not mix. When the Greeks invaded Egypt, it was, at first, a good thing. The Greeks treated the Egyptians well. In fact, they thought Alexander was a son of Amun-Ra. He was good to the people, and the gods blessed him. But after he died, the following leaders abused the Egyptian people. The Gods resented it, but they couldn't do anything about it because the Greek Gods backed their people. Eventually, the Greek empire collapsed, but the Romans took over from there, and they were even worse! I just- I can't stand to see you with them. You can't trust either of them."

"There was a time," I said, "When every single magician in the House of Life thought the same thing about to gods," Bast made a move to cut me off, but I kept talking. "Maybe, that misconception is akin to what you feel about them."

"Sadie..."

"You told me once that cats weren't courageous. I never believed it. don't make me start," I narrowed my eyes.

"Fine." Bast stalked off.

I walked back over to Carter. He was looking at Zia like a lost puppy, and she was trying her hardest to avoid his gaze. I almost felt bad for them.

"SADIE!"

"Holy-" I almost fell over when I realized I was in a completely different place than I had been two minutes ago.

"Sadie..." A tall dark and handsome- oh, god, it was Anubis. My heart did this flippy thing in my chest. I almost shot myself for that.

"You- you- you have the nerve to talk to me after- after- what you did!" I was furious at him, even though my stupid teenaged hormones felt otherwise.

"Sadie-"

"Sadie nothing!" I shouted. "Don't talk to me! Ever!"

His face looked so sad, like he'd seen more than I could even bear, but at that moment, it was worse. It was just a flash, but pain shot through his eyes, more than I'd seen before. "Listen. You don't have to lo- like me, but you do need to listen. You need to get those things away from Egypt as fast as possible. They are not safe."

"How could you stand there and pretend to care? After..." and then something really unexpected happened. I started crying. Sobbing really. It wasn't like me, but I'd been putting on a brave face so long that when it started to crack, I couldn't hold back the tears. I plopped to the ground in his graveyard and sat there, sniveling like an idiot.

"Sadie," he said, dropping to his knees beside me, "I always cared. I still do. I tried, but there was nothing I could do. Please, don't blame me. I can't-" his voice broke. Tentatively, he put his arm around my shoulders.

"Don't." I shrugged his arm off and turned away. "You just expect me to forgive you. You could've saved him, or at least made it easier for him. But you didn't."

"I couldn't!" He yelled, his face contorting with rage, a fury that scared me.

"Why not!" now I was mad. "You could've-"

"NO! I was forbidden! If I had, you would be dead!" He looked angry, sad, and surprised all at the same time.

I sat there numbly, feeling the time pass but not comprehending what I'd just heard. "A-A-Anubis..."

"I shouldn't have told you. I'm sorry, but I couldn't let you die, even if it meant- well, it doesn't matter. Just, beware those who call you friend." He looked away and I was back in the corridor with Carter like I'd never left.

"-leave through the third entrance and go back to Brooklyn. Maybe then we could..." I stopped listening then. I tried to figure out what Anubis had meant, but I just couldn't focus on anything. I felt... empty.

"Sadie, are you okay?" One of the Greeks was looking at me with concern, his brow slightly bent.

"I'm... fine."

"Look, I'm no good with people, but you're clearly not fine."

"Is it that obvious?" I sighed.

"I realize you don't know me, well, at all," I noticed he was fiddling with some nuts and bolts, "but you can talk to me."

"I'm, sorry, you are?" I said, a bit of spunk returning to my voice.

"Leo," he grinned, straightening up, "at your service," he gave a small bow.

I rolled my eyes. Then the wall exploded.

Leo was sent toppling right into me (figures). I looked in surprise at what must've been thirty magicians all holding staffs pointing at (unfortunately) our heads. I still haven't figured out how, but Percy and Jason were both on their feet, apparently not getting knocked over by the blast.

"Not cool," said Percy.

Wow, great one-liner, I thought sarcastically.

"Very not cool," agreed Jason. Man, they were fail at that. What they did next, however, completely made up for it.

A bolt of lightning sizzled in the group of magicians, setting several of them on fire. Staffs were dropped and the spells that were already in the works fizzled out as everyone lost concentration. And just when I didn't think anything else would surprise me, Percy got this constipated look on his face and a small trickle of water in the corner turned into a torrential flood, washing the magicians down the corridor.

Two of the staff wielding men stood, albeit a bit wobbly. The scrawny kid with, well with horns, started playing a set of pipes. I was wondering why he thought that would help matters when vines started attacking the men's feet.

"Agh, wha-" one of them shouted as he fell to the ground. The scrawny kid changed the tune to something that sounded Mozart- y. Both the men fell asleep. It occurred to me that me and Carter-

(Shut up! I don't care about grammar. Me and Carter, Carter and I, same thing!)

hadn't done anything to help fight off the magicians. I wondered how they'd gotten captured in the first place. I guess they weren't really prepared before. They took the magicians by surprise this time. Huh, go figure.

I noticed the blonde girl sitting by Percy, speaking in hushed tones. Before I could wonder what they were talking about, Jason turned to us.

"We need to go now. They know where we are. We were lucky this time, but who knows what they'll send next." I noticed his usage of the word 'what'. not 'who'. That worried me a bit.