No real changes in this one- next chapters where the real fun begins, we get to see Percy again and you see what she's been up to while Carter and Sadie have been doing their thing.
Replies:
Guest: Yes Sally is pregnant, but the child isn't a demigod, because Sally got pregnant before everything went down with Set, not long before it actually, so it was before Julius merged with Osiris- which also means that uh, Sally is due in September, which as I think many of us know, is around the time when Apophis is rising so poor Sally really is going to be very, very stressed out.
rage2091: Yeah she's got lots of reason to be stressed- but uh, at least Carter and Sadie will quickly take one concern off the table, though Sally with have other reasons to be stressed and upset. And it really is the worst timing because she got pregnant just before Christmas eve, and the events of the KC series take place over nine months lol. So when things really kick off we have a nine month pregnant lady who's kids are fighting a monster more powerful than all of the gods.
Batmanuchiha: Sorry not sorry- but uh, it's getting worse before it gets better.
Undeath9087: Julius, Ruby, Carter and Sadie would never allow it in a million years lol. And yeah, yeah Apophis is like, a thousand times more dangerous than Alabaster- he's beyond any of the gods or Titans, I believe most comparisons put him closer to Typhon's level or even Tartarus. So yeah, super bad for Percy.
MKDemiGodzilla-Warrior: Me, looking at my fic, she's gonna be real freaking surprised when she next sees her mom again that's for sure.

That ended the- well, it hadn't even had the chance to turn into an argument- but they still had a problem, which Sadie was not very happy about. But Bes solved it for them.

"I'll do it." his face was grim but determined, and Sadie felt a surge of affection for him, and worry.

"Old buddy!" Khonsu cried. "I'm delighted."

"Stuff it, moon god," Bes said. "I don't like it, but I'll do it."

"Bes-" Carter's voice was soft, "You've done enough for us. Bast would never expect you to-"

"I'm not doing it for Bast!" he grumbled. Then he took a deep breath. "Look, you kids are the real deal. Last couple of days—for the first time in ages I've felt wanted again. Important. Not like a sideshow attraction. If things go wrong, just tell Tawaret…" He cleared his throat and gave Sadie a meaningful look. "Tell her I tried to turn back the clock. And make sure you rescue that sister of yours- I like her she's a real spitfire. I'm sorry she got captured-" and Sadie felt her eyes filling with tears as she lurched to her feet and rushed around to hug him and kiss his cheek.

"Oh Bes- it wasn't your fault it was Menshikov."

"Sadie's right." Carter nodded, his expression strained, "But thank you. For everything Bes-"

"All right, all right," he muttered. "Don't go sappy on me. Let's play this game."

"Time is money," Khonsu agreed.

Julius and Ruby stood at that, Julius pulling a teary eyed Sally to her feet, "We cannot stay for this- but children..." he trailed off- and Sadie could see how hurt, how worried and upset her dad was.

"We love you." Ruby spoke up, "You will prevail."

"You-" Sally wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, "Be careful. I don't want to lose any of my babies okay?" her voice was soft. "I love you both so much."

"We know mum." Sadie gave a shaky smile- it felt strange, calling Sally mum, oh there was no doubt that the woman was her mother- she'd taken on the role with no doubt, no hesitation even when Sadie had been awkward and uncertain, she'd never pushed Sadie into calling her mum though, never wanted anything other than for Sadie to be happy and safe- and she loved her. Sally was her mum and that was all that mattered to Sadie. She was done with feeling hesitant and awkward about it all, because it felt right.
She'd spent so long feeling like an outsider in her own family but those days were long gone.

"Oh Sadie-" Sally's smile was shaky but gentle, "I love you both so much-"

"We have to leave Sally." Ruby's hand was resting on Sally's shoulder, even as incorporeal as she was it somehow made Sally's shoulders ease slightly.

With that the three adults turned to mist and almost seemed to vanish- Sadie could only assume that Julius whisked them away somewhere.

Then everything outside of the pavilion darkened like a stage set. The senet game began to glow brighter.

"Shiny," Ra said.

"Three blue pieces for you," Khonsu said. "Three silver pieces for me. Now, who's feeling lucky?"

The game started well enough. Sadie had skill at tossing the sticks. Bes had several thousand years of gaming experience. And Carter got the job of moving the pieces and making sure Ra didn't eat them.

At first it wasn't obvious who was winning. They just rolled and moved, and it was hard to believe they were playing for their souls, or true names, or whatever you wanted to call them.

They managed to bump one of Khonsu's pieces back to start, but he didn't seem upset. He seemed delighted by just about everything. It was very irritating to Sadie.

And while they played they talked, Carter asking, "Doesn't it bother you? Devouring innocent souls?"

"Not really." Khonsu polished his amulet, "Why should it?"

"But we're trying to save the world," Sadie said, "Ma'at, the gods—everything. Don't you care if the world crumbles into Chaos?"

"Oh, it wouldn't be so bad," Khonsu said. "Change comes in phases, Ma'at and Chaos, Chaos and Ma'at. Being the moon god, I appreciate variation. Now, Ra, poor guy—he always stuck to a schedule. Same path every night. So predictable and boring. Retiring was the most interesting thing he ever did. If Apophis takes over and swallows the sun, well—I suppose the moon will still be there."

"You're insane," Sadie scowled at the god.

"Ha! I'll bet you five extra minutes of moonlight that I'm perfectly sane."

"Forget it," Sadie said. "Just roll."

Khonsu tossed the sticks. The bad news: he made alarming progress. He rolled a five and got one of his pieces almost to the end of the board. The good news: the piece got stuck at the House of Three Truths, which meant he could only roll a three to get it out.
Bes studied the board intently. He didn't seem to like what he saw. They had one piece way back at the start and two pieces on the last row of the board.

"Careful now," Khonsu warned. "This is where it gets interesting."

Sadie felt like she was shaking, even though her hands were steady as she spilled the dice onto the table and she rolled a four, which according to Bes gave them two options.

Their lead piece could go out, or the second piece could bump Khonsu's piece from the House of Three truths and send it back to the Start.

"Bump him." Carter urged her, "It's safer."

Bes shook his head. "Then we're stuck in the House of Three Truths. The chances of him rolling a three are slim. Take your first piece out. That way you'll be assured of at least one extra hour."

"But one extra hour won't do it," Sadie pointed out, her heart twisting with the difficulty of the choice. And Khonsu seemed to be enjoying it too, sipping his wine and smiling while Ra entertained himself by trying to pick the spikes off his war flail.

"Ow, ow, ow."

And gods but Sadie had never felt so tense before- the fate of the world was resting on her choice now. "Bes, are you sure?"

"It's your best bet," he said. And Sadie resisted the urge to lash out and punch him.

"Bes best?" Khonsu chuckled. "Nice!" and he grinned as Sadie moved their first piece out of play.

"Congratulations!" Khonsu said. "I owe you one hour of moonlight. Now it's my turn."

He tossed the sticks. They clattered on the dining table- Sadie could have almost sworn that the noise was loud enough to deafen her- the world almost seemed to slow down around her as they finally rolled to a stop. And Sadie felt as if she'd been tossed off a cliff, as if the world was already ended.

Khonsu had rolled a three.

"Whoopsie!" Ra dropped his flail.

Khonsu moved his piece out of play. "Oh, what a shame. Now, whose ren do I collect first?"

"No, please!" Sadie gasped the words, her eyes filling with tears- because no. No she didn't want to lose anyone else she was sure it would break her, and she knew. She wasn't stupid she knew that Carter and Bes wouldn't allow her to do it- she was the only one who could do the spell- which meant it had to be one of them and she could feel her heart breaking, feel it tearing in her chest.

"Please trade back. Take the hour you owe us instead please I'm begging you."

"Those aren't the rules," Khonsu chided.

And Sadie was crying as she focused on her brother- on stupid Carter who she knew, she knew would offer himself up, she knew him, learning his secret name had opened things up in a way they'd never been before and she knew how he thought.

"I-" Carter opened his mouth, clearly about to offer to be the one who gave his ren to Khonsu, then Bes cut him off.

"Me," said Bes. "The move was my idea."

"Bes, no!" Sadie gasped the words, "Please there has to be another way please-" and the dwarf stood, planting his feet and balling his fists, like he was getting ready to let loose with a Boo- but his expression was one of resignation.

"It was part of the strategy kids." and that hit Sadie with the force of a truck as Carter gasped out.

"What? You planned this?" Carter sounded just as stunned as Sadie was.

He slipped off his Hawaiian shirt and folded it carefully, setting it on the table. "Most important thing is getting all three of your pieces off the board, and losing no more than one. This was the only way to do it. You'll beat him easily now. Sometimes you have to lose a piece to win a game."

"So true," Khonsu said. "What a delight! A god's ren. Are you ready, Bes?"

"Bes, don't," Carter pleaded. "This isn't right."

And Bes scowled at Carter, "Hey, kid, you were willing to sacrifice. Are you saying I'm not as brave as some pipsqueak magician? Besides, I'm a god. Who knows? Sometimes we come back. Now, win the game and get out of here. Kick Menshikov in the knee for me, and save that sister of yours too. I'm sorry that- it was my fault-"

And Sadie surged towards him, hugging the god tightly, unwilling to let Bes finish his words, before Carter gently grabbed her arm and pulled her back when Bes took a deep breath. "I'm ready."

Then Khonsu closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, like he was enjoying some fresh mountain air. Bes's form flickered. He dissolved into a montage of lightning-fast images—a troupe of dwarves dancing at a temple in the firelight; a crowd of Egyptians partying at a festival, carrying Bes and Bast on their shoulders; Bes and Tawaret in togas at some Roman villa, eating grapes and laughing together on a sofa; Bes dressed like George Washington in a powdered wig and silk suit, doing cartwheels in front of some British redcoats; Bes in the olive fatigues of a U.S. Marine, scaring away a demon in a World War II Nazi uniform.

As his silhouette melted, more recent images flickered past: Bes in a chauffeur's uniform with a placard that read KANE; Bes, holding them tightly in a bubble of air rising out of the Mediterranean; Bes and Zia shouting at Percy on a beach, in a horrifying looking storm; Bes casting spells on Carter in Alexandria when he was poisoned, trying desperately to heal him; Bes, Zia and Carter in the back of the Bedouins' pickup truck, sharing goat meat and Vaseline-flavored water as we travelled along the bank of the Nile. His last memory: two kids, Sadie and Caryer, looking at him with love and concern. Then the image faded, and Bes was gone. Even his Hawaiian shirt had disappeared.

"You took all of him!" Carter almost screamed the words, "His body, everything! That wasn't the deal-" and Sadie knew, she knew that if she let go of Carter he'd attack Khonsu- who opened his eyes and sighed deeply.

"That was lovely." He smiled at them as if nothing had happened. "I believe it's your turn."

His eyes were silver and luminous- exactly like the moon on a clear night, Sadie had always liked the night sky buy now she wished she could gouge his eyes out.

But Sadie knew she couldn't she didn't have much of a choice, they had to finish the game. And maybe it was their rage somehow fuelling everything, maybe it was pure luck, or maybe it was Bes's strategy but for the rest of the game they destroyed Khonsu- it took them five minutes to beat him, and when they did Khonsu spread his hands. "Well done! Three hours are yours. If you hurry, you can make the gates of the Eighth House."

"I hate you," Sadie said. It was thing she'd been able to bring herself to say since they'd been forced to watch Bes disappear. "You're cold, calculating, horrible—"

"And I'm just what you needed." Khonsu took off his platinum Rolex and wound back the time—one, two, three hours. All around us, the statues of the gods flickered and jumped like the world was being slammed into reverse.

"Now," Khonsu said, "would you like to spend your hard-earned time complaining? Or do you want to save this poor old fool of a king?"

"Zebras?" Ra muttered hopefully.

"Where are our parents?" Carter asked with a shaky voice. "At least let us say good-bye."

Khonsu shook his head. "Time is precious, Carter Kane. You should've learned that lesson. It's best that I send you on your way; but if you ever want to gamble with me again—for seconds, hours, even days—just let me know. Your credit is good."

And only Sadie's grip on Carter stopped him from lunging at the god, who vanished into thin air, along with the whole pavilion.

Suddenly they were on the deck of the sun boat again, sailing down the dark river. The glowing crew lights buzzed around them, manning the oars and trimming the sail. Ra sat on his fiery throne, playing with his crook and flail like they were puppets having an imaginary conversation.