In hindsight, setting skull-lycans free to run amok while trying to capture the slipperiest man in perhaps all of history was probably not the best idea I've ever come up with. Of course, it wasn't entirely my fault, but I really should have seen it coming.
Setne's jaw dropped at my declaration and I heard more than one horrified gasp from the demigods and magicians assembled behind me.
A war cry on my lips, I pulled with all my meager strength, somehow finding enough to rip the ice-weakened chains from their bolts. I stumbled back a few steps and quickly steadied myself. Then I flicked the chains, whirling them around and snapping them at Setne like whips. He recovered just in time to dive out of the way. I took the moment of distraction to leap for the ball of my power. Tendrils reached out for me, but then the whole thing shot away from me, darting behind Setne as he stood, lifting the metal object in his hand. Terror descended on me as I recognized it: the football-shaped talisman Kohn had used to attack me so many years ago. Was that what had taken my power away?
"You surprised me, Porter," he chuckled, an evil, excited glint in his dark gaze. "But I won't underestimate you again."
"Too late, Setne!" Carter shouted, leaping out of nowhere, his avatar forming around him in midair. Setne turned and scrambled back just quickly enough to avoid the giant khopesh that slammed into the ground where he'd been standing. "Now, Zia!"
A net shot out of nowhere—this time literally; I watched it form out of nothing—and swept Setne off his feet, shocking him and startling me. I dove out of the way as he tumbled in my direction. Someone caught me and set me upright as stars flitted across my vision. I instantly collapsed again.
"Whoa, there, buddy," Leo said, supporting me. Jason hurried over and helped, slipping my arm across his shoulders. His glasses, which he'd told me he got in Europe before defeating the giants—that was a story I'd enjoyed listening to—were crooked on his nose.
"It's alright, Erasmus," he said, reaching up to adjust them. "We've got you. Orinda! Kohn! Get that power-ball over here, now!" Hearing those names, I pried open my weary eyes and glanced over to see the couple, along with Zia, Jaz, Lindsey, Lore, Kyle, Ranger, and Walt. No wait; it was Anubis. Seeing the jackal-headed god of the dead brought two simultaneous thoughts to the surface: Where'd Heka and Zynesta go, and where was Nico?
"Percy, look out!" someone shouted. A boulder flew overhead and landed right beside the son of Poseidon, scraping his skin and ripping holes in his shirt and jeans. He blinked and quickly checked himself, and then sighed.
"Whew, too close," he said, touching his forehead. "What the hell was that?"
"Incoming!" Sadie bellowed. Man, that girl has got a set of pipes!
"We've got too many people here!" Kohn called. "It's attracting rogue monsters!"
"Skull-lycans!" Jaz warned, pointing toward where Setne was bound, struggling against the glowing net. A dozen or more of the lupine-like monsters bounded up to their master.
"Leo, will it hold against lycan claws?" Carter shouted, diving into a fight against a pack of telkhines with Zia and Grover.
"I don't know!" Leo shouted back, glancing worriedly at the net holding Setne. "I didn't exactly have time to test it, you know!"
"You had two fucking months!" Orinda exclaimed, slicing through a weird demon with a pocket-watch head and turning to shake her sword at the son of Hephaestus.
"Hey, I'd love to see you lead Cabin Nine in gods-know-how-many attacks, repair Festus, build up new defenses for all three camps, make a net to capture ghosts, AND test it against every type of monster attack in the world!" Leo retorted. "If you can do all that, then come talk to me!"
Shouts rang out all across the battlefield as the demigods and magicians began split up and draw the monsters away, leaving Jason, Percy, Leo, Annabeth, Kohn, Orinda, and Coach Hedge. But the moment the satyr realized the monsters were following the others, he waved his bat around with a war bleat and took off after the largest group.
My eyelids dragged with fatigue and I slumped more heavily against Jason. He grunted as he shifted to accommodate my weight.
"Damn, Ras," he muttered. "For someone as skinny as you are, you wouldn't think they'd be so heavy."
"Sorry," I murmured, barely able to get the word past my lips.
"Don't be," Leo said quickly. "I mean, you're a hero among heroes, right? You can stand to be taken care of every once in a while. Unless..."
"Leo," I cut in weakly. He waited expectantly. "Shut up."
"Heh," he chuckled. "Looks like I'm as annoying as usual. And you haven't changed a bit."
"LEO!" Piper screamed from somewhere far off. "Get your butt over here!"
"Oh, Mom's calling," the son of Hephaestus winked. "Jason, you got him?"
"I got him," Jason replied, pulling my weight further onto his shoulders. Annabeth hurried over and took my other arm as Leo left. I dropped my head, wanting to just go to sleep and not wake up for a couple of decades.
The glowing ball of my power hovered uncertainly. Setne bellowed in anger and shouted something unintelligible at the lycans. Some of them went to work freeing him, and the rest lunged toward me. Fear spiked through me, sending adrenaline pumping through my veins, and I threw Jason and Annabeth away from me to keep them safe. They were clear just before the largest lycan tackled me; I hit the ground hard, all the air flying from my lungs. Stars danced across my vision and the back of my head throbbed. I must have knocked it against the ground when I fell.
"Erasmus!" Orinda screamed.
"Percy, watch her back!" Kohn shouted gruffly, making a small cry of pain a moment later.
"Orinda, stop!" Annabeth ordered.
"Stay with Kohn!" Percy added. "I'll get Ras." My vision began to clear, and the lycan above me snarled victoriously, getting ready to rip out my throat. Was I just destined to die by some wolfish means?
Water slammed into the creature's snout, throwing it off me with a sharp yelp of surprise and pain. Percy was there a moment later, hovering over me with his sword in one hand and a bubble of water floating just under the other.
"Annabeth! Are you alright?" he called.
"I'm fine, seaweed-brain," she called back. "Don't let the lycans near him!"
"No offense," he snorted, slashing at a lycan that got too close, "but no duh!"
"Haha! You're totally sleeping outside tonight!" Jason laughed, rolling away from a lycan just as its claws sliced through the ground where he'd been. He snatched up his glasses from the ground between the gouges, sliding them back on as he faced off with a lycan.
My body throbbed in time with my heartbeat as I listened to the battle going on around me and tried to gather strength to join it. I couldn't let my friends die in my stead.
In a few moments, I pushed myself up and stood on elastic legs. Looking around, I saw that everyone was occupied by at least one lycan—not good odds at all—and Setne was untangling himself from the last strands of the net, three more lycans at his side. I spotted the ball of my power and glanced over at Setne just as he glanced at me. We both lunged for the ball. It shot toward Setne, but I adjusted my path to go right between him and it; he saw me change course and made the ball stop.
A single, tiny little stone caused the downfall of the earth.
I tripped and landed face-first in the dirt, completely blacking out for a moment. When I managed to lift my upper body enough to see, I felt my spirit shatter; a clear-gold glow surrounded Setne, green and gray sparks dancing across his arms. He stood no more than two feet away from me, cackling like a bad impression of the Joker from Batman.
A choking cough behind me drew my attention to my comrades and I wanted to weep aloud when I saw all five of them in various stages of unconsciousness; Annabeth clutched at the lycan paw around her neck, her mouth opening and closing as she tried to call for help. Her face was pale and her lips were tinged blue. The terror in her wide gray eyes broke my heart and destroyed any confidence I had left in myself.
"I'm sorry," I whispered, my voice cracking as tears streamed down my cheeks. "I'm sorry, Annabeth; I'm so sorry..." I lowered my head, ashamed of myself, touching my forehead to the ground and silently weeping.
It was over.
Setne had won.
A war cry of pure rage jerked me from my mourning and I looked up just as a second war cry of determination followed. A freezing blast of wind even colder than the air already around washed over me, and my eyes widened as I saw Nico throw his sword as hard as he could. The Stygian iron blade spun like a Frisbee toward Setne, who stopped his gawking long enough to shout an order at his lycans. One of them leapt in front of him; the blade slammed into its chest and it howled in agony as it burst into shadow.
Just then, the owner of the second war cry, Leo, burst into view on the back of a bronze dragon, shouting and lobbing fireballs at Setne and the lycans. Nico raced up perfectly in time to catch the feisty son of Hephaestus when he was thrown from the dragon's back by a lycan that the dragon immediately caught in its jaws and flew off with, the monster howling in rage and pain as it vanished.
"Thanks," Leo panted, glancing after his ride. "Damn, there goes Festus."
"Watch it, Valdez," Nico growled.
"Geez, sorry," the Mexican-American said, standing upright. "Damn, Nico; you're so cold!" He rubbed his arm where the son of Hades had touched him.
"And you're hot," Nico scoffed, shaking his hand like he'd just been burned. "Take that the wrong way, and I'll hurt you."
"Gods, man, chill," Leo said, holding up his hands. Then he paused. "Ok, bad choice of words."
"Well, if it isn't the fire-user and the fiancée," Setne said, recovering.
"That's right!" Leo crowed. "Fire and ice, here to take you down!"
"Valdez!" Nico snapped. "Shut your mouth." I finally recovered as well, and tried to scramble to my feet, collapsing immediately.
"Nico!" I cried, absolute terror ripping through me. "Please..." His dark, icy gaze flicked to me, warming with love and worry.
"Stay down, Ras," he called. "Leave him to us."
"No! No, leave, please," I begged, sobs wracking my body. "Please..."
"Look at that," Setne mused aloud. "The great and mighty Erasmus, a hero among heroes, brought to his knees, pleading for the lives of his lover and his friend."
"Shut the hell up!" Nico shouted. "You don't know him! Quote facts all you like, but do you know his habits, his minor quirks, how often he cries at night for the loss of a child's life, or even where he goes to be alone for a few minutes after every battle to pray? You don't know what he's really like; you don't know anything about his suffering, his pain, his fears! Don't you DARE talk like you know him!"
"Ooh! Sharp tongue," Setne said. Despite his amusement, the ice in his gaze told me just how angry he was at my lover, cold enough to make the freezing waves washing off Nico seem warm. A sinking feeling weighted my gut; I knew he'd use my power the moment he figured out how to. I couldn't let him get that chance. Slowly, painstakingly, I pushed to my feet, my legs wobbling as I met Nico's gaze. Setne faced a bit away from me, so unless he looked in my direction, he wouldn't see me. I tried to ask Nico silently to keep Setne's attention forward. He didn't acknowledge me.
"Sharp?" Nico sneered. There was his acknowledgement. "That wasn't even close to sharp. THIS is sharp!" Lunging forward, he snatched his sword up from the ground, maneuvering to keep Setne's back to me. I moved toward the magician, stumbling. If I could just touch him...
A lycan slammed into my side. I cried out in pain as I crashed to the ground with the lycan pinning me.
"ERASMUS!" Nico screamed, horrified. He pulled up short, staring wide-eyed at me. Setne chuckled cruelly.
"Didn't think I'd notice, Porter?" he asked, turning to glance at me. "I know what kind of person you are, despite what your lover thinks. If you get the chance to do something for others, you always take it. You're predictable, Porter."
"I'll try not to be," I coughed, pressing against the lycan on top of me.
"A bit too late," Setne snorted, rolling his eyes. "You're incredibly smart, but you're way behind."
"So are you!" Leo yelled, tackling Setne from behind. The magician was surprised, and fell immediately. "Down you go, jerk! What, is it only fun to monologue if your opponents are on the verge of death? Dios mío, you're sick." His hands looked like torches and he held them just above and on either side of Setne's head, ready to burn him if he tried to escape. Anger blazed almost as bright in his eyes as on his hands.
"Valdez, be careful!" Nico shouted, gripping his sword.
"I know, I know," Leo said, keeping his fierce gaze on the magician pinned beneath him. Setne smirked.
"I forgot about you, boy," he chuckled. Leo scowled. I could see the pain and humiliation on his face. Whatever powers had been taken away from me, my ability to read people, and possibly understand animals, hadn't been one of them.
A sudden thought occurred to me: if I still retained part of my power, maybe I could draw the rest of it to me. Turning a sharp glare on the lycan above me, I took a breath and focused, imagining my power returning to me, pieces of it coming back a little at a time.
Setne gasped just as I felt something, like a space being filled.
"No way!" he said, looking over at me. A slice of pain hit me for a moment and I winced, but managed a victorious chuckle.
"I guess you forgot about me, too, Setne," I grunted, pushing harder against the lycan holding me down. My arm braced against the creature's neck as it tried to snap at my face. "I'm not who you thought I was..." Shifting, I got my leg under the lycan and kicked it back. Startled by my sudden attack, it stumbled off me and I quickly scrambled to my feet. Roaring, the lycan attacked me.
"Erasmus!" Nico threw a sword in my direction. I ducked under the lycan's claws and caught it, realizing it was my own Heavenly steel. Swinging it around, I hit the monster with the flat of the blade, so hard I knocked it unconscious. Satisfied, I turned to face Setne and Leo.
"You misunderstood who I am," I said, moving to stand just behind Leo's shoulder. Looking down at the magician, I felt a strange lack of emotion. "Allow me to correct that misunderstanding. My name is Erasmus Abraham Porter, and I am the son of Jerome Porter, a magician of the Per Ankh, and Hecate, Greek goddess of magic. I am a child adopted by the God of Israel, a prince of His family. I lead Camp Crossover, and I have more friends than you could ever imagine; by making me your enemy, you've made them your enemies as well. You made a mistake... Khaemwaset. And you're going to pay heavily for it." I felt Nico's cold presence beside me, giving me confidence. Setne stared at me, like I was some strange new animal that no one had ever seen before. He watched me with wide eyes, startled and even a little scared.
"Give him his power back," Leo said, his lips curled in a snarl that suggested he'd many lost things in the past. I rested a hand on his shoulder, making him look up in surprise.
"It's alright, Leo," I said, meeting his gaze evenly, though my body wanted to collapse again. "I'll take care of this."
Nico touched my arm lightly.
"Ras...?" I gently pushed his hand back and lowered myself carefully to one knee.
"You have something of mine, and I intend to take it back," I told Setne. He gritted his teeth.
"Not if I can help it," he scowled, kicking Leo back. The son of Hephaestus grunted as he hit the ground and rolled. I gasped and reached quickly for Setne, but he dodged my hand, jumping to his feet with an insane chuckle. "Close, but not quite."
"Leo! Are you alright?" I called, keeping my gaze on the magician.
"Y-yeah," he replied. "I'm fine. Nico..."
"I know," my lover answered. "We may have to do that." I didn't question them, still staring at Setne, who watched us with a smirk, as though he were already prepared for whatever they might do.
"It seems I once again underestimated you," he mused. "Rest assured it won't happen again."
"Oh?" I noted. "Too bad you already did." Focusing everything I could, I imagined pulling all of my power from him. His eyes widened and pain shot through me again, another piece sliding perfectly into place. Which piece, I didn't know, but I had a small idea.
Well, more of a hope, really. Closing my eyes, I reached for the connection Zynesta had given me to the lycan network. It worked, thankfully, and I bound them all, just as Setne ordered them to attack. They twitched and trembled, wanting to obey their master, but unable to. I felt a momentary pang of regret for taking away their free will, but I had to do it.
"What?" Setne blurted. "No!"
"Skull-lycans!" I shouted, mentally and physically. "He's a liar! He created you only to use you!"
"Then let him use us!" I heard from all of them.
"You're willing to throw away your lives in support of a tyrant who cares nothing for you? A murderer, liar, and all he cares about is becoming immortal, no matter who he has to step on!"
"...Yes!" This time it was hesitant. I was making ground.
"Don't listen!" Setne shouted. "Break his spell, attack!"
"Valdez, now!" Nico called, lunging toward the magician. Leo threw a fireball at Nico's sword, and the Stygian iron was instantly engulfed in flames that turned from red-orange to white-blue.
"I've talked with one of your kind," I told the lycans as Nico swung at Setne, who ducked and scrambled to get away. "She was the first female skull-lycan, and she didn't even have a name!"
"...We don't need names." Only a few spoke this time, and they were quiet, uncertain.
"I named her," I continued, as if they hadn't spoken. "I called her Zynesta. She's happier now, without a body, hiding within me, than she ever was serving Setne. You can be free, too!" I felt them all faltering.
Listen to him! Hearing Zynesta's voice in my head again startled me and I almost fell over. As it was, I did end up crouched on my hands and knees, which actually saved my life; at that moment, something Setne did threw Nico's sword from his hand and the blade swished past close enough to rustle my hair before slamming into the ground and sticking upright.
"Leo!" I shouted.
"Way ahead of you!" he replied, darting over, grabbing the sword, and chucking it toward Nico as the son of Hades dodging a glowing red hieroglyph that Setne had throw at him.
If you don't want to, then listen to me! Zynesta continued, talking to the other lycans. The hieroglyph hit the ground near me and exploded, sending me sprawling backward. Leo was there instantly.
"You okay?" he asked, helping me stand.
"I'm fine," I panted. "Come on!" Rushing forward, I hurried to Nico's aid.
Setne lied to me! Zynesta said viciously. He promised my batch-mates and I that he would bring us back if we died; he told us we were the only skull-lycans he was ever going to create!
"Ras, duck!" Nico shouted. I obeyed and another hieroglyph exploded behind me, leaving a flaming crater behind. Leo ran to it and grabbed chunks of dirt and grass that were on fire, throwing them like grenades at Setne, who cursed in Egyptian and dodged them.
"Don't give him a moment's rest," I called to Leo and Nico. "If he gets it, he'll figure out how to use my power as his own!"
He threw us aside the moment we'd served our purpose! Zynesta was still ranting. I attacked Setne head-on, stumbling as I listened to Zynesta's next words. Erasmus values me in a way Setne never did; he's got a good heart, and he treats me like a real person, not just a pawn to be disposed of!
"Ras, if you touch him, will you get it back?" Leo asked, catching a hieroglyph and chucking it back at Setne. The magician dove to the side, exclaiming in pain as he was pelted with flaming dirt.
"I think so," I answered, panting. "Can you get me closer?"
"We'll try," Nico replied.
"Never!" Setne snarled. His usual calm demeanor was gone, replaced by rage and a touch of panic.
"Valdez, let's do it!" Nico shouted. He raised his sword and let out a long beckoning cry. The ground around him trembled and bony hands broke through the dirt, skeletons clawing their way to the surface. Leo pummeled Setne with fireball after fireball, keeping him well-occupied while Nico raised his army of the dead.
I stared at my lover, amazed. I'd only ever seen him control the dead a few times, and he never summoned more than two or three. Now, standing there with his long black ponytail flicking back and forth like a tail in the breeze, his handsome face a mask of concentration and anger, clothes torn and dirty, I realized just how powerful he really was—at least a hundred undead warriors stood at attention, waiting for his orders. Beside him, I felt like a little kid looking up at his father, wishing he could be so amazing someday.
Brothers and sisters, listen to me! Zynesta said, breaking through my thoughts. Shake free of your bondage, fight Setne's control over you; be truly free for once in your lives! A rallying cry spread through the network, unheard by the others but deafening to me. And Setne.
"NO!" he screamed, furious. "How dare you, Porter!" Leo stumbled and his attack went wide. Nico took over, commanding his army to attack the magician. Setne blasted them back and turned a fierce glare on me. "You alienated my own creations against me!"
"You did that yourself," I countered harshly, returning his glare with at least as much intensity. "All I did was show them the truth." Releasing the lycans from my tas hirup spell, I closed my eyes and sighed. "You're a genius, Setne. You did things no one else ever thought possible, including creating the skull-lycans. But you're greedy. In the end, it's your downfall."
"And you offer too many chances," Setne growled. "In the end, that will be your downfall." I looked up, just in time to see both Nico and Leo go pale, a major accomplishment for the former, who was already so pale anyway.
"Erasmus!" Nico choked. Confused, I frowned at him.
Suddenly, I tensed; a wave of pure evil flowed through my body. I tried to move, but couldn't. My thoughts, emotions, personality, soul... None of that changed, but my body refused to obey me, and it felt like a hand was gripping my physical heart, squeezing it and constricting blood flow.
"You're too naïve and gentle, Porter," Setne sneered, a smirk curling his lips upward. "How does it feel to get a taste of your own medicine?" He'd figured out how to use my powers.
He really had won this time.
Lycans and skeletons rushed him, but he threw them back easily using my magic.
"Finally," he cackled triumphantly. "Finally, I will take my place as king of the gods! With all this power at my disposal, no one will ever be able to challenge me!" Despair overwhelmed me. I'd failed.
"Erasmus!" Nico shouted. "Listen to me! You can still beat him!" I dropped to my knees. Sure, it was as simple as taking away the power of the most powerful man in the world. I'm pretty certain all the vegetarians in the world would eat meat before I'd be able to take back my power from Setne.
"Don't give up, Ras!" Leo called, pumping up his flames to encompass his arms as well as his hands.
"Don't listen to them," Setne snorted. "You're useless now, Porter; you're completely mortal." The despair grew to full depression and I covered my face with my hands. Because I was too weak, the entire world was a slave to him now.
"Stop it, Erasmus!" Nico yelled sternly. "Your primary fatal flaw... You think too little of yourself! You're TOO humble! Erasmus Porter, mortal or not, you are the most powerful man in the world!" I shook my head, tears stinging my eyes. If that were true, Setne would never have been able to take my power from me and use it as his own.
"You defeated Gaea in a battle of wills!" Leo pointed out excitedly. "You created and protected an entire camp full of demigods!"
"No!" Setne snapped sharply. "You lost, Porter; you're nothing!"
"Don't listen to him, Erasmus!" Nico cried. "You brought two cultures together that were never supposed to have touched, and because of you, we solidified the bond between the Greek and Roman demigods when they could easily have destroyed each other! And throughout it all, you stayed a Christian!" I flinched, startled by his assertion. "You refused to accept that everything you'd known for sixteen years was false; you, and you alone, proved to the rest of us that your God exists! You told us that God allows His people to go through trials to refine them; this is just another trial to make you stronger! Are you giving up just like that?" He paused, his argument leaving everyone speechless, including Setne. "If you give up just because this is the biggest fire you've jumped into, then you're not the Erasmus I know and love."
Ouch. I grabbed at my aching chest, feeling his words pierce my heart like a sword. But I couldn't win this battle, could I? It was over; Setne had my power, he'd used my own ka power to bind me, and...
Hold it. If he'd bound me, how could I have moved? I'd fallen to my knees, moved my hands; how could I be bound? I looked up, my surprised confusion evident.
"I... I can move," I breathed. Setne flushed in anger.
"Not possible! I... I let you move," he said, trying to recover. "See? I'll bind you again!" He tried, and I felt a momentary twitch of him controlling me, but it didn't last for more than a second. "No! I will not lose! Tas!" The Ribbons of Hathor, still tied to me, began to expand, trying to bind me up like a mummy. But they moved slowly, sluggishly, as though they were drunk. I tugged at them, trying to get them off, but they were already too tight.
A black sword wrapped in blue-white flames slashed through the pink ribbons at my wrists, cutting through them more easily than a knife through butter. The other ribbons thrashed like living things before vanishing. I gave Nico a grateful but ashamed look, feeling foolish. He held out his hand, the lack of expression on his face made up for by the absolute love in his eyes as I placed my hand in his and let him pull me to my feet.
"You really think I can do this?" I asked, still feeling powerless.
"I know you can," he answered firmly. Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I nodded and turned to Setne.
"Leo, Nico, keep him still," I said. "I just need to get close enough for one touch." Fury cascaded across Setne's expression.
"You will never win!" he bellowed furiously. Who knew such a small man could have such a big voice? He blasted Nico and Leo with magic, throwing them back, and started to do the same to me. I lifted my sword and imagined cutting through the shot of magic, splitting it to either side of me. The magic did split, like water around a rock, and I gasped as I felt it being drawn to me, like a magnet. Pain wracked me and I winced as another piece snapped into place.
A victorious grin touched my lips as I realized that every discharge of magic he made was a thread attached to my power within him. If I could capture one...
"I won't let you win!" he shouted, throwing blast after blast at me. I focused on dodging them, but only just barely, trying to catch them as well.
"You'll try, you mean!" Leo shouted, tossing a couple of fireballs at him. Nico darted in just behind the fireballs, slashing at Setne as the magician swatted the fire away with magic and hieroglyphs. With a roar of pain, Setne threw Nico back. I longed to go help my lover, but I couldn't risk Setne running away with my powers, so I lunged at him, keeping just behind him as Leo hit him again and again. The son of Hephaestus faltered as I moved into his zone of attack, but I gesture for him to keep going. Setne blocked, deflected or dodged each hit, paying absolutely no attention to me. The moment I was close enough, I jumped forward, grabbing Setne around the neck and putting my sword at his throat.
"NO!" he screeched as my power flooded out of him and back into me. "You can't win! You won't win!"
"Just did," I hissed. "Tas hirup." He stiffened, still sneering. Exhausted, I stumbled back, barely maintaining control of him. But I was victorious. That was all that mattered at the moment.