All hail sharkie, the coolest demon!
Replies:
Rage2091: Of course!
Guest: They will be in the PJO plotlines- not as central players at this stage- I'm part way through the first one, but they have their parts to play. And don't worry Percy will cause chaos and confusion I promise you guys.
Jubby1905: Sorry! Time to be sad- but hey it's not so bad.
Undeath9087: I do get your point lol- and you'll have to wait and see- but don't worry too much lol.
Once Percy and Carter separated- mostly because Zia threatened to fry them both if they didn't stop, the conversation turned more serious when Zia picked the crook and flail up from the sand. "How did you get these?"
"I don't know." Carter stared at them in a way that made Percy want to hug him. "They just sort of appeared- I was fighting off Bloodstained Blade and I was trying to summon my sword and.." he trailed off before, "I got those instead. I think they must have showed up for a reason." he focused his gaze on Zia, "You're Ra's chosen, you should take them."
But Percy couldn't help but think back to their first time in the First Nome. To the ghost that had spoken to Carter- Go forth good king.
It was strange to think of it- Carter was her big brother, and yet- she bit her lip- as Zia pressed them into his hands and curled his fingers around them. Because Percy was sure that she was thinking along the same lines as Percy.
"Keep them," she said. "You're right: they didn't appear by accident, but they appeared in your hands. They may be Ra's, but Horus must be pharaoh."
Carter's hands were shaking but Zia didn't loosen her own grip on them as he asked, "How can you be sure. How could these be for me?"
Zia smiled. "Maybe I'm getting better at understanding Ra. He needs Horus's support. I need you."
"I think you'd make a pretty good Pharaoh." Percy piped up softly, "You're a good leader. You care Carter."
"I'm not-" Carter swallowed hard, "what if I fail?"
"You won't." Zia kissed his cheek again-at which point there was a bonking sort of noise- the sound of someone's head hitting a thick piece of wood. Setne let out a muffled curse. He'd managed to inchworm himself right into a broken section of keel. Dazed and off-balance, he rolled into the water and started to sink.
"We'd better fish him out," Carter said reluctantly.
"Yes." Zia nodded, "We don't want the Book of Thoth to get damaged. Percy would you-"
"With pleasure." Percy waved a hand and a tentacle of water wrapped around Setne, lifting him up and tossing him towards them.
The ghost let out a pained grunt when he hit the sand, rolling to their feet- and if Percy took that as a chance to accidentally kick him in the back of the head, well, Carter and Zia sure weren't complaining.
In any case Zia made short work of dispelling the ribbons around his chest- and only those ribbons, so that she could pull the book of Thoth out from under his arm, and thankfully the papyrus was still intact.
Setne said, "Mmm-hmmpfh!"
"Sorry, not interested." Carter snapped the words, "We've got the book, so we'll be leaving you now. I don't feel like being stabbed in the back anymore or listening to your lies."
Setne rolled his eyes. He shook his head vigorously, mumbling what was probably a very good explanation of why he'd been within his rights to turn the demon servant against them.
Zia opened the scroll and studied the writing. After a few lines, she began to frown. "You two, this is…really dangerous stuff. I'm only skimming, but I see descriptions of the gods' secret palaces, spells to make them reveal their true names, information on how to recognize all the gods no matter what form they try to take…"
She looked up fearfully. "With knowledge like this, Setne could have caused a lot of damage. The only good thing…as far as I can tell, most of these spells can only be used by a living magician. A ghost wouldn't be able to cast them."
"That's probably the only thing that's kept us alive this long." Carter glared down at Setne, "He needed our help to get the book. Then he planned on tricking us into casting the spells he wanted."
Setne mumbled in protest.
"Can we find Apophis's shadow without him?"
"Mm-mm!" Setne was clearly trying to get them to listen to him.
Zia studied a few more lines. "Apophis…the sheut of Apophis. Yes, here it is. It lies in the Land of Demons. So we're in the right place. But this map…" She showed the siblings part of the scroll, which was so dense with hieroglyphs and pictures, that Percy couldn't even tell it was a map. "I have no idea how to read it. The Land of Demons is huge. From what I've read, it's constantly shifting, breaking apart, and reforming. And it's full of demons."
"So not a place we want to get caught in." Percy muttered the words, "I mean, we can fight the demons but there's gonna be a lot more of them than there are us."
"So we'll be as out of place ere as demons are in the mortal world. We won't be able to go anywhere unseen, and everything that meets us will want to kill us."
"And we're running out of time." Zia piped up. "We can't afford to waste time. Percy can you-" she looked hesitant and Percy swallowed hard.
"You want me to try and locate the shadow?" Her voice was slightly shaky, and Zia gave an apologetic smile.
"I know it's a lot to ask."
"It really is." Percy muttered the words, but she closed her eyes, focusing- reaching out with her mind and searching- searching for something- even if she wasn't sure exactly what she was searching for.
After a moment she shook her head, opening her eyes. "I can feel something." she said after a moment. "I dunno- it's hard. I can't pinpoint it."
"Maybe we're too far away." Carter's hand was on her shoulder, squeezing very slightly before his gaze moved and his eyes narrowed as he focused on Setne, his expression was a glare. "I'm guessing you can guide us to the shadow?" his voice was sharp, he wasn't exactly hiding the fact that the last thing he wanted was to trust the ghost, who nodded frantically.
"Okay then." Carter pulled Percy into his side, "Zia. If he does or says anything you don't like, feel free to incinerate him."
"Awe." Percy pouted, "Zia, before you do can you warn me so I can kick him in the face again."
"Of course." Zia gave Percy a warm smile, "It shall be a pleasure to allow you the first kick." which earned her a dirty look from Setne as Carter commanded the ribbons to release just his mouth.
"Holy Horus, pal!" he complained. "Why did you tie me up?"
"Well, let's see…maybe because you tried to get me and my little sister killed?" "Aw, that?" Setne sighed. "Look, pal, if you're going to overreact every time I try to kill you—"
"Overreact?" Zia summoned a white-hot fireball into her hand. "Percy would you like-"
"Okay, okay!" Setne said. "Look, that demon captain was going to turn on you anyway. I just helped things along. And I did it for a reason! We needed to get here, to the Land of Demons, right? Your captain would never have agreed to set that course unless he thought he could kill you. This is his homeland! Demons don't ever bring mortals here unless they're for snacks."
"So you were going to let Bloodstained Blade kill us?" Carter demanded, "But it was for a good cause?"
"Aw, I knew you could take him," Setne said.
Zia held up the scroll. "And that's why you were running away with the Book of Thoth?"
"Running? I was going to scout ahead! I wanted to find the shadow so I could lead you there! But that's not important. If you let me go, I can still bring you to the shadow of Apophis, and I can get you there unseen."
"How?" Zia asked.
Setne sniffed indignantly. "I've been practicing magic since your ancestors were in diapers, doll. And while it's true I can't do all the mortal spells I'd like…" He glanced wistfully at the Book of Thoth. "I have picked up some tricks only ghosts can do. Untie me and I'll show you."
"You tried to have us killed!" Percy snapped, "I got all sliced up!"
"I didn't expect you to come up when you did, didn't know he'd catch you by surprise kid, really I didn't, one of your lot, I figured you'd be on guard."
And Percy flinched at that-because she should have been. She'd been stupid- she felt Zia's hand gently brushing against her elbow.
"Percy you've done well. Ignore the fool. He's trying to manipulate you." Zia's voice was firm, "You're the best warrior I've ever met. But you're ten. You can't be expected to catch everything." and that made Percy relax slightly, and she managed to cast Zia a grateful smile.
"I hate to say it-" Carter spoke up, "But, uh, I don't think we have very much choice." he muttered the words, a scowl on his lips
"I can't believe we're seriously considering this." Zia muttered.
"We need him-at least until we're close enough for Percy to sense the shadow."
"Ugh," Percy groaned, "This is gonna be fun."
Setne grinned. "Hey, you're being smart. This is your best shot. Besides, I want you to succeed! Like I said, I don't want Apophis destroying me. You won't regret it."
"I'm pretty sure I will." Carter snapped his fingers and the Ribbons of Hathor unravelled.
And- Percy hated to admit it but Setne's plan wasn't actually a bad one. And she was willing to admit that the ghost clearly had a flare for glamor magic because the glamor he cast over the three magicians was very good- it looked real- and Percy couldn't help the cackle that slipped past her lips when she saw what Carter and Zia looked like as demons.
Carter's skin had turned fuchsia with hair all over- and his legs were bowed like a chimpanzee's... and his head was a bottle opener- Percy was willing to admit that she found that hilarious.
And Zia looked just as bad, she was a big muscular girl demon with bright green skin, a zebra-hide dress, and the head of a piranha.
A glance down at her own arms and legs and Percy saw that her skin was grayish blue- and she noticed gills on her arms.
When she asked Carter grumbled that it wasn't fair that she at least looked somewhat cool as a shark headed demon- to which she'd declared that while they were there she would henceforth be known as Sharkie.
In any case, Setne was very pleased with himself.
"Perfect, you'll blend right in."
"What about you?" Carter raised an eyebrow and Setne spread his hands.
He was still wearing his jeans, white sneakers, and black jacket. His diamond pinky rings and gold ankh chain flashed in the volcanic firelight. The only difference was that his red T-shirt now read: GO, DEMONS!
"You can't improve on perfection, pal. This outfit works anywhere. The demons won't even bat an eye—assuming they have eyes. Now, come on!"
Then he drifted inland, he didn't bother waiting to see if they would follow. What choice did they have?
Every once in a while, Setne checked the Book of Thoth for directions. He explained that the shadow would be impossible to find in this moving landscape without consulting the book, which served as a combination compass, tourist's guide, and Farmer's Almanac timetable.
He promised them it would be a short journey but it dragged on, and Percy had to admit that it wore thin very quickly. The landscape was like an optical illusion. They spotted a vast mountain range in the distance, then walked fifty feet and discovered the mountains were so tiny, they could jump over them.
Carter stepped into a small puddle and suddenly found himself drowning in a flooded sinkhole fifty feet wide, and Percy had to fish him out of it.
Huge Egyptian temples crumbled and rearranged themselves as if some invisible giant were playing with blocks. Limestone cliffs erupted out of nowhere, already carved with monumental statues of grotesque monsters. The stone faces turned and watched them as they passed.
It was enough to drive someone insane- and Percy was pretty sure that was the whole point.