Needless to say, Bast didn't give them much time to talk about it. She ordered Carter to the library to grab his dad's magic kit, and when he came back she was arguing with Sadie about Khufu and Philip. Gohan was silent.
"We have to search for them!" Sadie insisted.
"They'll be fine," said Bast. "However, we will not be, unless we leave now." Carter raised his hand. "Um, excuse me, Miss Goddess Lady? Amos told us the house was—"
"Safe?" Bast snorted.
"Carter, the defenses were too easily breached. Someone sabotaged them." Gohan stated.
"What do you mean? Who—" Sadie asked
"Only a magician of the House could've done it." Bast answered
"Another magician?" Carter asked. "Why would another magician want to sabotage Amos's house?" Gohan sighed.
"A power play, maybe? Take out a rival to get ahead?" Gohan suggested. Bast looked at him, and let out a loud purr.
"Well well well… what a clever little monkey you are. He's quite right, of course. Magicians are devious creatures. Could be a million reasons why one would backstab another, but we don't have time to discuss it. Now, come on!"
She grabbed their arms and led them out the front door. Well, she didn't grab Gohan, but he still followed them. She'd sheathed her knives, but she still had some wicked sharp claws for fingernails that hurt as they dug into Sadie's skin. As soon as they stepped outside, the cold wind stung her eyes. The three of them climbed down a long flight of metal stairs into the industrial yard that surrounded the factory, while Gohan floated down the side. He held Carter's bag, which, to be honest, had been a bit difficult to get away from Carter, finally convincing him to keep the bag from tripping him up.
Gohan looked around as he landed on the ground. Old construction equipment lay in rusting heaps—a bulldozer, a crane with a wrecking ball, a couple of cement mixers. Piles of sheet metal and stacks of crates made a maze of obstacles between the house and the street a few hundred yards away. Gohan stayed wary. If his adventure with his demigod friends had taught him anything, not to mention his experiences in his own world, it was that quiet was never quiet.
They were about halfway across the yard when an old gray tomcat stepped in their path. One of his ears was torn. His left eye was swollen shut. Judging from his scars, he'd spent most of his life fighting. Bast crouched and stared at the cat. He looked up at her calmly.
"Thank you," Bast said.
The old tomcat trotted off toward the river.
"What was that about?" Sadie asked.
"One of my subjects, offering help. He'll spread the news about our predicament. Soon every cat in New York will be on alert."
"He was so battered," Sadie said. "If he's your subject, couldn't you heal him?"
"And take away his marks of honor? A cat's battle scars are part of his identity. I couldn't—" Suddenly Bast tensed. She dragged them behind a stack of crates.
"What is it?" Sadie whispered. Gohan slowly knelt down and clenched his fist.
"See something?" Gohan asked.
Bast flexed her wrists and her knives slid into her hands. She peeped over the top of the crates, every muscle in her body trembling. Bast's mouth twitched with excitement. Her eyes were fixed on the huge metal ball. Gohan had seen kittens look like that when they stalked catnip toy mice, or pieces of string, or rubber balls...Balls? No. Bast was an ancient goddess. Surely she wouldn't—
"This could be it." She shifted her weight. "Stay very very still." "There's no one there," Sadie hissed.
Bast lunged over the crates. She flew thirty feet through the air, knives flashing, and landed on the wrecking ball with such force that she broke the chain. The cat goddess and the huge metal sphere smashed into the dirt and went rolling across the yard. Gohan looked baffled.
"Rowww!" Bast wailed. The wrecking ball rolled straight over her, but she didn't appear hurt. She leaped off and pounced again. Her knives sliced through the metal like wet clay. Within seconds, the wrecking ball was reduced to a mound of scraps.
Bast sheathed her blades. "Safe now!" Gohan's jaw dropped.
"WHAT? You were playing with a ball!" he sputtered in disbelief.
Sadie and Carter looked at each other. "I hate to say it, but Gohan has a point." Sadie said.
"You never know," Bast said. "It could've been hostile." Gohan let out a loud snarl of frustration as he covered his face.
"Are you serious? Aren't you a little more mature than that?" Bast simply glared at him. Gohan sighed.
"What is with you gods? Why are you all so crazy?" Bast glared at Gohan.
"You thought the Greeks were crazy? You know nothing, Gohan Son." she purred with a smile. Gohan's eyes widened.
"Wait, how did you know my…"
Just then a deep boom shook the ground. Sadie looked back at the mansion. Tendrils of blue fire curled from the top windows. "Come on," Bast said. "Our time is up!"
Then, Bast borrowed a silver Lexus convertible.
"Oh, yes," she purred. "I like this one! Come along, children."
"But this isn't yours," Sadie pointed out.
"Just go with it, Sadie." Carter stated
"My dear, I'm a cat. Everything I see is mine." She touched the ignition and the keyhole sparked. The engine began to purr.
"What in Olympus does that have to do with you being a cat?" Gohan sputtered. Carter jumped in.
"Bast," Carter said, "you can't just—"
Sadie elbowed him. "We'll work out how to return it later, Carter. Right now we've got an emergency."
She pointed back toward the mansion. Blue flames and smoke now billowed from every window. But that wasn't the scary part—coming down the stairs were four men carrying a large box, like an oversize coffin with long handles sticking out at both ends. The box was covered with a black shroud and looked big enough for at least two bodies. The four men wore only kilts and sandals. Their coppery skin glinted in the sun as if made of metal.
"Oh, that's bad," Bast said. "In the car, please."
"Wait! Gohan!" Carter yelled.
"GO! I'll cover you!" Gohan roared as a golden disk formed in his hand. Sadie and Carter quickly got into the car. The four metallic guys with the box were racing across the yard, coming straight for us at an unbelievable speed. Gohan hurled the disk towards the crane. It sliced the crane in half, sending the metal frame spiraling down. It smashed in front of the four men, blowing up a large plume of dust. A second later, they charged out of the desk, completely unfazed.
"Oh come on!" Gohan snapped. Then, Bast hit the gas, tearing off into the streets.
"Come on!" Gohan roared as his fists glowed, more than ready for a fight. He hurled a blue ki blast in front of him, smashing into the men with a massive ecplosion. The men, however, didn't even seem fazed. They leapt over his head right into traffic. Gohan swore as he lowered his hands and took off into the air.
They tore through the streets of Brooklyn, weaving insanely through traffic, riding over sidewalks, narrowly missing pedestrians. Gohan wove through the sky, keeping his distance. He couldn't get an angle on the four men. He had to admit, they were fast. The four copper men with the black box were weaving in and out of traffic. They appeared to be jogging at a normal pace, but they passed cars that were doing fifty. Their bodies blurred like choppy images in an old movie, as if they were out of sync with the regular stream of time. He probably could have fired off a ki blast if he wanted to, but there was no guarantee it would work, not to mention, he'd cause a lot of damage and accidentally kill innocent people would have been caught in the blast if he tried.
Bast drove with reflexes that were...well, catlike. Any human trying to drive so fast would've had a dozen wrecks, but she got Carter and Sadie safely onto the Williamsburg Bridge.
"They're not fighting Gohan?!" Sadie said with wide eyes. Bast snorted.
"Of course not. He's not their target. He's an insignificant speck for all they're concerned."
"What are they?" Carter asked. "Shabti?"
"No, carriers." Bast glanced in the rearview mirror. "Summoned straight from the Duat. They'll stop at nothing to find their victims, throw them in the sedan—"
"The what?" Sadie interrupted.
"The large box," Bast said. "It's a kind of carriage. The carriers capture you, beat you senseless, throw you in, and carry you back to their master. They never lose their prey, and they never give up."
"But what do they want us for?" she aasked
"Trust me," Bast growled, "you don't want to know."
"Bast," I said, "if you're a goddess, can't you just snap your fingers and disintegrate those guys? Or wave your hand and teleport us away?"
"Wouldn't that be nice? But my power in this host is limited."
"You mean Muffin?" Sadie asked. "But you're not a cat anymore."
"She's still my host, Sadie, my anchor on this side of the Duat—and a very imperfect one. Your call for help allowed me to assume human shape, but that alone takes a great deal of power. Besides, even when I'm in a powerful host, Set's magic is stronger than mine."
"Could you please say something I actually understand?" Carter pleaded.
"Carter, we don't have time for a full discussion on gods and hosts and the limits of magic! We have to get you to safety."
Bast floored the accelerator and shot up the middle of the bridge. The four carriers with the sedan raced after them, blurring the air as they moved, but no cars swerved to avoid them. No one panicked or even looked at them or Gohan. Gohan was grateful to the Mist for that. He wove through the air, keeping pace with the car,
"How can people not see them?" Sadie asked. "Don't they notice four copper men in skirts running up the bridge with a weird black box? Or Gohan flying over us like a bright blue comet?"
Bast shrugged. "Cats can hear many sounds you can't. Some animals see things in the ultraviolet spectrum that are invisible to humans. Magic is similar. Did you notice the mansion when you first arrived?"
"Well...no."
"And you are born to magic," Bast said. "Imagine how hard it would be for a regular mortal."
"What about Gohan? That rule work on weirdos?" Sadie added. Bast sighed.
"Magic doesn't work on Otherworlders the way it does on us or mortals."
"What do you mean?" Carter asked.
"They're not of this world. They weren't born here or born of magic, so the same laws don't apply. There's a reason gods fear Otherworlders." Bast stated.
"Born to magic? If magic, like, runs in the family, why haven't I ever been able to do it before?" Carter asked.
Bast smiled in the mirror. "Your sister understands."
Sadie's ears turned red. "No, I don't! I still can't believe you're a goddess. All these years, you've been eating crunchy treats, sleeping on my head—"
"I made a deal with your father," Bast said. "He let me remain in the world as long as I assumed a minor form, a normal housecat, so I could protect and watch over you. It was the least I could do after —" She stopped abruptly.
A horrible thought occurred to Carter. His stomach fluttered, and it had nothing to do with how fast they were going. "After our mom's death?" Carter guessed.
Bast stared straight ahead out the windshield. Meanwhile, Gohan continued to keep up with them, waving over the bridge as the car zoomed through.
"Come on…" Gohan grunted trying to keep his eyes focused. Unfortunately, he was a bit… too focused on the car, and didn't hear the helicopter until it was too late. He looked up just in time to see the tail of a weather chopper right in front of him.
"SON OF A!" Gohan veered off, but he wasn't able to stop fast enough, and smashed into the tail of the helicopter, snapping it off and sending it spiraling down into the water with a loud splash. The helicopter spiraled out of control. Gohan gritted his teeth, but took off after the helicopter. He flew under it and pressed his hands against the underbelly, pressing up. He grunted as they slowed down, and finally managed to set the copter down on the end of the bridge. Gohan quickly took off back into the air, but to his horror, he couldn't see the car or the men.
"Crud!" Gohan swore before shooting into the city. Meanwhile, Bast continued to drive like a maniac, while Carter conrinued to converse with her.
"That's it, isn't it?" Carter said. "Dad and Mom did some kind of magic ritual at Cleopatra's Needle. Something went wrong. Our mom died and...and they released you?"
"That's not important right now," Bast said. "The point is I agreed to look after Sadie. And I will." She was hiding something, but her tone made it clear that the subject was closed.
"If you gods are so powerful and helpful," Carter said, "why does the House of Life forbid magicians from summoning you?"
Bast swerved into the fast lane. "Magicians are paranoid. Your best hope is to stay with me. We'll get as far away as possible from New York. Then we'll get help and challenge Set."
"Wait, we're not waiting for Gohan?" Carter asked.
"What help?" Sadie asked. Bast raised an eyebrow. "Why, we'll summon more gods, of course."