"Ohhhh… come on!" Gohan gnashed his teeth in frustration as he floated over the city. Unfortunately, the chopper incident had caused him to lose track of where Carter and Sadie had gone. To be frank, he didn't trust Bast, and to be honest, he felt responsible for Carter and Sadie. After all, he could relate to losing a father. Desperate, he pressed his teeth together and closed and his eyes.
"Look… I'm not sure how this works or who I pray to. I haven't known these guys very long, but just… help me find my friends, okay?" Gohan prayed before he opened his eyes.
Then, Gohan's eyes widened at the sight of a large group of cats running through a street from every direction.
"Well, that was helpful." Gohan smirked before taking off after them.
"They're still following," Sadie warned.
Sure enough, the carriers were only a block behind them, weaving around cars and trampling over sidewalk displays of tourist junk. Even worse, Gohan was nowhere to be seen.
"We'll buy some time." Bast growled deep in her throat. She yanked the wheel and swerved right onto East Houston. Just as the carriers turned the corner, a horde of cats materialized all around them. Some jumped from windows. Some ran from the sidewalks and alleys. Some crawled from the storm drains. All of them converged on the carriers in a wave of fur and claws—climbing up their copper legs, scratching their backs, clinging to their faces, and weighing down the sedan box. The carriers stumbled, dropping the box. They began blindly swatting at the cats. Two cars swerved to avoid the animals and collided, blocking the entire street, and the carriers went down under the mass of angry felines. Bast turned onto the FDR Drive, and the scene disappeared from view.
"Nice," Sadie admitted. "It won't hold them long," Bast said. "Now—Central Park!" Bast ditched the Lexus at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. "We'll run from here," she said. "It's just behind the museum."
When she said run, she meant it. Sadie and Carter had to sprint to keep up, and Bast wasn't even breaking a sweat. She didn't stop for little things like hot dog stands or parked cars. Anything under ten feet tall she leaped over with ease, leaving them to scramble around the obstacles as best we could.
They ran into the park on the East Drive. As soon as they turned north, the obelisk loomed above them. A little over seventy feet tall, it looked like an exact copy of the needle in London. It was tucked away on a grassy hill. There was no one around except a couple of joggers farther down the path. Unfortunately, Gohan was still nowhere to be seen.
They stopped at the obelisk's base. Bast sniffed the air as if smelling for trouble. The sun was directly overhead, but the wind ripped right through their borrowed linen clothes.
"I wish I'd grabbed something warmer," Sadie muttered. "A wool coat would be nice."
"No, it wouldn't," Bast said, scanning the horizon. "You're dressed for magic."
Sadie shivered. "We have to freeze to be magical?"
"Magicians avoid animal products," Bast said absently. "Fur, leather, wool, any of that. The residual life aura can interfere with spells."
"My boots seem all right," Sadie noted.
"Leather," Bast said with distaste. "You may have a higher tolerance, so a bit of leather won't bother your magic. I don't know. But linen clothing is always best, or cotton—plant material. At any rate, Sadie, I think we're clear for the moment. There's a window of auspicious time starting right now, at eleven thirty, but it won't last long. Get started."
Sadie blinked. "Me? Why me? You're the goddess!"
"I'm not good at portals," Bast said. "Cats are protectors. Just control your emotions. Panic or fear will kill a spell. We have to get out of here before Set summons the other gods to his cause."
"Again, we're leaving Gohan behind?" Carter asked. Sadie snorted.
"I didn't know you went for guys, Carter. Then again, I guess I can see it. He does have nice arms." Sadie grinned. Carter sputtered at her.
"What? No, I'm not gay! That's not what I meant! I just have a problem with leaving our friend behind with those psychos!" Sadie laughed.
"First of all, he is not our friend! He is some… crazy weirdo that Amos dragged along with us! He had a tail, Carter!" Sadie snapped back
"This is not the time to argue!" Bast interrupted, causing the two to stare at her.
"As I stated before, they have no interest in the Otherworlder. While you two bicker like children, Set's minions are closing in on us!"
Carter frowned. "You mean Set's got, like, other evil gods on speed dial?"
Bast glanced nervously toward the trees. "Evil and good may not be the best way to think of it, Carter. As a magician, you must think about chaos and order. Those are the two forces that control the universe. Set is all about chaos."
"But what about the other gods Dad released?" Carter persisted. "Aren't they good guys? Isis, Osiris, Horus, Nephthys—where are they?"
Bast fixed her eyes on him. "That's a good question, Carter."
A Siamese cat broke through the bushes and ran up to Bast. They looked at each other for a moment. Then the Siamese dashed away.
"The carriers are close," Bast announced. "And something else...something much stronger, closing in from the east. I think the carriers' master has grown impatient."
His heart did a flip. "Set is coming?"
"No," Bast said. "Perhaps a minion. Or an ally. My cats are having trouble describing what they're seeing, and I don't want to find out. Sadie, now is the time. Just concentrate on opening a gateway to the Duat. I'll keep off the attackers. Combat magic is my specialty."
"I still wish Gohan was here…" Carter sighed. Bast showed her pointed teeth. "I am much more deadlier than that Otherworlder."
The woods rustled, and the carriers emerged. Their sedan chair's shroud had been shredded by cat claws. The carriers themselves were scratched and dented. One walked with a limp, his leg bent backward at the knee. Another had a car fender wrapped around his neck.
The four metal men carefully set down their sedan chair. They looked at the trio and drew golden metal clubs from their belts.
"Sadie, get to work," Bast ordered. "Carter, you're welcome to help me."
The cat goddess unsheathed her knives. Her body began to glow with a green hue. An aura surrounded her, growing larger, like a bubble of energy, and lifting her off the ground. The aura took shape until Bast was encased in a holographic projection about four times her normal size. It was an image of the goddess in her ancient form—a twenty-foot-tall woman with the head of a cat. Floating in midair in the center of the hologram, Bast stepped forward. The giant cat goddess moved with her. It didn't seem possible that a see-through image could have substance, but its foot shook the ground. Bast raised her hand. The glowing green warrior did the same, unsheathing claws as long and sharp as rapiers. Bast swiped the sidewalk in front of her and shredded the pavement to concrete ribbons. She turned and smiled at Carter. The giant cat's head did likewise, baring horrible fangs that could've bitten him in half.
"This," Bast said, "is combat magic." Then, Bast launched her green war machine into the middle of the carriers. She slashed one carrier to pieces with a single swipe, then stepped on another and flattened him into a metal pancake. The other two carriers attacked her holographic legs, but their metal clubs bounced harmlessly off the ghostly light with showers of sparks.
Meanwhile Sadie stood in front of the obelisk with her arms raised, shouting: "Open, you stupid piece of rock!"
Finally Carter drew his sword. His hands were shaking so hard, it was like he had the chills.
"Sadie, I—I'm going to help Bast. Keep trying!" The two remaining carriers backed up several feet and raised their weapons. Bast looked at them and made a loud roar. Carter took a deep breath and let out a very girly scream before charging forward towards the two carriers. Then, a loud crack echoed through the air, causing Carter to stop in confusion. Then, a blur shot out of the sky and smashed into the carriers, blowing up a large cloud of smoke. A minute later, the smoke settled to reveal Gohan, standing over a pile of dust with a goofy grin on his face.
"So, what I'd miss?" Gohan asked with an amused expression. Sadie rolled her eyes.
"About time you showed up." she snapped. Gohan sighed as he strolled forward. Then, Carter's eyes opened.
"Uh-oh." Then all four carriers began to re-form. The flat ones peeled themselves off the pavement. The sliced ones' pieces clicked together like magnets, and the carriers stood up good as new.
"Huh. Most of the creatures I fight stay in pieces." Gohan remarked with surprised look.
"Help me hack them apart!" Bast called. "They need to be in smaller pieces!" Gohan pulled out his pen and uncapped it, causing Ascension to form in his hand. It gleamed in the dim light, with sparks flicking off the blade. The carriers looked surprised, and two even took a step back.
"Whoa." Carter said with wide eyes. Gohan gave Carter a smirk.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Gohan smirked before dashing forward and sliced across the carrier's chest. The carrier roared and swung at Gohan, who ducked and raised his arm. The blade smashed into Gohan's arm and shattered. Gohan looked at the leather on
"Than
Carter tried to stay out of Bast's way as she sliced and stomped. Then as soon as she disabled the second carrier, Carter went to work chopping its remains into smaller pieces. They seemed more like Play-Doh than metal, because his blade mashed them up pretty easily. Gohan slashed the carrier right across the torso, and then plunged his blade right through the carrier's chest. The carrier let out a loud screech as he arched back and glowed blue. Then, he exploded into dust.
"Wow, those lessons really paid off." Gohan made a mental note to thank Chiron and Annabeth next time he saw then. Then, he whirled and hurled Ascension, sending it spinning right into the chest of the third carrier, causing it to screech and explode as well. Another few minutes, and he was surrounded by piles of coppery rubble. Bast made a glowing fist and smashed the sedan into kindling.
"That wasn't so hard," Carter said. "What were we running for?"
Inside her glowing shell, Bast's face was coated with sweat.
"We're not safe yet," she warned. "Sadie, how's it coming?"
"It's not," Sadie complained. "Isn't there another way?"
Before Bast could answer, the bushes rustled with a new sound—like rain, except more slithery.
A chill ran up Gohan's back. "What...what is that?" he asked as he picked up his sword.
"No," Bast murmured. "It can't be. Not her."
Then the bushes exploded. A thousand brown creepy-crawlies poured from the woods in a carpet of grossness—all pincers and stinging tails.
"Scorpions!" Carter squealed with a look of pure terror on his face.
"Ick!" Gohan's face brunched up in disgust.
"Sadie!" Bast called urgently. "Nothing!" Sadie moaned.
The scorpions kept coming—thousands upon thousands. Out of the woods a woman appeared, walking fearlessly through the middle of the arachnids. She wore brown robes with gold jewelry glinting around her neck and arms. Her long black hair was cut Ancient Egyptian–style with a strange crown on top. Then Gohan realized it wasn't a crown—she had a live, supersize scorpion nesting on her head. Millions of the little nasties swirled around her like she was the center of their storm.
"Serqet," Bast growled.
"The scorpion goddess," Carter guessed. Maybe that should've terrified him, but he was already pretty much at his maximum. "Can you take her?"
Bast's expression didn't reassure me. Then, Carter turned towards Gohan.
"Can you?" Gohan looked at Serqet.
"Well… she's certainly a new one. She's certainly a bit tougher, and more spread out. So…" Gohan clenched his fists together and let out a loud roar as the air shimmered around him. Then, a brilliant golden light filled the air as Gohan went Super Saiyan.
"Lets upgrade." Gohan smirked.
"Okay… now that's cool." Sadie said with wide eyes. Bast hissed.
"Carter, Sadie," she said, "this is going to get ugly. Get to the museum. Find the temple. It may protect you. Otherworlder, you're with me." Gohan glared at her.
"I have a name, you know!" Gohan snapped.
"What temple?" Carter asked. "And what about you?" Sadie added.
"We'll be fine. I'll catch up." Gohan gave Sadie and Carter a confident smile as his aura danced around him.
"Go!" he ordered as Bast turned her giant green cat warrior to face the mass of scorpions.
Carter grabbed Sadie's arm and they ran. Gohan chuckled as he turned to look at Serqet. Serqet's pale skin glistened like an insect shell. Her eyes were beady black. Her long, dark hair was unnaturally thick, as if made from a million bristling bug antennae. And when she opened her mouth, sideways mandibles snapped and retracted outside her regular human teeth.
"Otherworlder… this is not your fight. Leave or die." She spoke in a raspy voice. Gohan smiled.
"Sorry, I'm not really good at following orders." Gohan answered as he raised his sword. The goddess crackled with laughter.
"Celestial Bronze… foolish brat! You think that piece of tin will harm me?" she screeched. The scorpions clicked their pincers together, filling the air.
"Well… lets find out." Gohan chuckled. Then, he charged.