Hey guys, no replying to reviews 'cause I'm in a rush. Anyway, in this chapter they realise something troubling.
To make things worse there were the demons. And Percy had seen a lot of demons before, back when Set had been building his stupid pyramid, but here in their native environment, they were even larger and more horrible. Some looked like torture victims, with gaping wounds and twisted limbs. Others had insect wings, or multiple arms, or tentacles made from darkness.
As for their heads, pretty much every zoo animal and Swiss Army knife attachment was well represented.
The demons roamed in hordes across the dark landscape. Some built fortresses. Others tore them down. They saw at least a dozen large-scale battles. Winged demons circled through the smoky air, occasionally snatching up unsuspecting smaller monsters and carrying them off.
But none of them bothered the three magicians and their ghostly companion as they stumbled along.
And as they moved Percy could feel the presence of Chaos- it was a strange feeling. Percy glanced at Carter and she could see that he looked slightly sick- but- the air around Zia shimmered like vapor off a hot road, and it extended to Carter. Protecting them both Percy realised- it was protecting them both from Chaos.
Percy shifted uncomfortably- because- she didn't think that Zia was protecting her too.
It was hard to describe how the presence of Chaos felt to Percy- her chest felt slightly tight, uncomfortable but- it wasn't as bad as she had been led to expect. Maybe they weren't close enough yet?
And Percy looked around as they moved- she could see that everything in the Land of Demons was being pulled in the direction they were travelling. The whole landscape was bending and crumbling, the fabric of matter unweaving.
And the further they got the more uncomfortable Percy felt- but- it wasn't unbearable, just annoying, it made her breathing slightly labored, nothing too bad- which honestly kind of scared her. Because she should be being torn apart by the chaos- but it just wasn't happening.
She did feel kind of smug at the fact that Setne kept glancing back as if he thought they'd die and was vaguely disappointed to see that they were alive- and he looked nervous whenever his gaze focused on Percy. Clearly he'd noticed her resistance to Chaos.
Still, as they moved the demons became fewer and farther between. The landscape got even more twisted. Rock formations, sand dunes, dead trees, even pillars of fire all leaned toward the horizon.
They came to a cratered field, peppered with what looked like huge black lotus blossoms. They rose up quickly, spread their petals, and burst. Only when they got closer did Percy realize they were knots of shadowy tendrils, like Sadie had described at the Brooklyn Academy dance. Each time one burst, it spit out a spirit that had been dragged from the upper world. The ghosts, no more than pale bits of mist, clawed desperately for something to anchor them, but they were quickly dispersed and sucked away in the same direction they were travelling.
Percy glanced at Carter, who swallowed hard- and she couldn't help but imagine Ruby Kane- Percy had only met her once but... gods it must be hard for her big brother- he'd mentioned his vision- seeing Ruby Kane huddled beneath a cliff, hiding from the shadowy tendrils.
Percy reached out silently, grabbing her big brothers hand tightly and squeezing it as he looked away.
"You're not affected?" Zia's question cut over the unpleasant atmosphere of fear, and it was clearly directed at Setne, who turned his head to look back at them.
For once his expression was grim. His color was paler, his clothes and jewellery bleached out. "Let's just keep moving, huh? I hate this place."
Then Carter froze, his eyes focused on a cliff ahead of them, and his grip on Percy's hand grew almost painfully tight. "She was there-"
"Who was?" Zia frowned before her eyes widened in realisation when she saw the look on Carter's face, which was filled with grief.
"My mother."
"Maybe it's a different cliff?" Percy suggested weakly- though she doubted it. Apophis would have probably taken pleasure in targeting Ruby Kane for her part in all of this.
"I don't think so." Carter muttered the words, shaking his head, "No, it was here."
And Setne looked troubled at that, twisting his pinky rings- and maybe he was thinking about how it could just as easily have been him. "The serpent's shadow feeds on spirits, pal. None of them last long. If your mom was here—"
"She was strong," Carter insisted. "A magician, like you. If you can fight it, she could too."
Setne hesitated. Then he shrugged. "Sure, pal. We're close now. Better keep going."
And soon there was a sound in the distance- a roar. And Percy realised that the horizon ahead of them was glowing red. They were moving faster too- as if they'd stepped on an automated walkway. Then they came over the crest of a hill and Percy's breath caught in her throat as Setne spoke again.
"There you go. The Sea of Chaos."
Before them spread an ocean of mist, fire, or water—it was impossible to tell which. Grayish-red matter churned, boiling and smoking, surging just like Percy's stomach. It stretched as far as she could see—and something told her that it had no end.
The ocean's edge wasn't so much a beach as a reverse waterfall. Solid ground poured into the sea and disappeared. A house-sized boulder trundled over the hill to our right, slid down the beach, and dissolved in the surf. Chunks of solid ground, trees, buildings, and statues constantly flew over their heads and sailed into the ocean, vaporizing as they touched the waves. Even the demons weren't immune. A few winged ones strayed over the beach, realized too late that they'd flown too close, and disappeared screaming into the swirling misty soup.
It was pulling at them too Percy realised- when she glanced at Carter, he was walking backwards, just so that they'd stay in one place-and so was Zia.
Percy looked down at her own feet and blinked slowly. She wasn't. That was a teensy bit terrifying but she wasn't going to bring it to the attention of the others.
Carter hadn't mentioned the fact that the protection extending from Zia didn't reach Percy- Percy was half convinced that he hadn't realised. Maybe it was because she'd hosted the snake, maybe it had left behind a sort of natural resistance to the forces of Chaos- it certainly seemed to frighten Setne given the occasional glance that he shot towards her.
There was only one thing that could give anyone hope in the sight of the Sea of Chaos. A few hundred yards to the north, jutting into the waves, was a single solid strip of land like a jetty. At the far end rose a white obelisk like the Washington Monument. The spire glowed with light. Percy knew instinctively that it was far older than even the gods. And Percy swallowed hard, her eyes wide- she couldn't seem to drag them away- it was like she was being drawn there.
"We can't go down there." Carter whispered the words.
"We don't have a choice." Percy whispered back.
Setne laughed. "The Sea of Chaos? That's where we all came from, pal. Haven't you heard how Egypt was formed?"
"It rose from this sea," Zia said, almost in a trance. "Ma'at appeared from Chaos—the first land, creation from destruction."
"Yep," Setne said. "The two great forces of the universe. And there they are."
"That obelisk is…the first land?" Carter's voice was almost awed.
"Dunno," Setne said. "I wasn't there. But it's the symbol of Ma'at, for sure. Everything else, that's Apophis's power, always chewing away at creation, always eating and destroying. You tell me, which force is more powerful?"
"The obelisk's been standing for years." Percy spoke quietly, "It might be small but it's strong. It can withstand."
"Where's the shadow?" Carter's voice was small- Percy could hear his fear.
"It's there." Percy pointed towards the Obelisk. She felt like she was in a trance herself, she could feel it drawing her in. And she wasn't sure if it was the shadow itself or if it was the Sea of Chaos pulling her, but either way she could feel it.
"Percy-" Carter looked like she'd been struck. "We-"
"She's right." Setne eyed her carefully, "But we won't be able to see it or catch it from here- knowing where it is won't help. We need to be closer. You'll have to cast the spell from out there. At the edge of the jetty."
"We'll never make it." Zia looked almost frightened, "One false step-"
"Sure, for you and the big man anyway." Setne's voice was cheerful, "Or have you not noticed that little Percy seems to be rather resistant to the power of chaos?"
And that made Carter's gaze snap to Percy- and his eyes widened in shock and horror. "But- I thought the power of Ra was-"
"Nope." Setne snorted, "I half expected this but- I admit I didn't really believe it until I saw it. Looks like chaos left it's mark on her." and Percy's hand flew up, pressing against the bandages on her neck.
She hesitated before ripping it away- and she heard Carter suck in a sharp breath. "I-it's... it's almost glowing." there was
fear in his voice- and Percy flinched, biting her lip hard.
"It's the power of Isfet."
"Oh you really are a fascinating one." Setne was staring. "You didn't just force him out you kept some of the snakes power too- not just fragments of his thoughts but some of his power, even without realising you did it. And it's been lingering inside of you. Changing you-"
"I-I'm not evil-" Percy shook her head, and she couldn't hide the undercurrent of fear in her voice as her gaze snapped
towards Carter, "I'm not- Carter I-"
"Of course you're not." Carter's voice was quick, slightly unsteady but confident enough. "You're not evil. And- whatever you kept isn't evil too it's just... it just is. It's going to be okay Percy."
"No mortal has ever been able to withstand the power of chaos." Zia's voice was stunned, "This- is it effecting you at all?"
"It doesn't feel nice." Percy ducked her head, "It- feels uncomfortable, like- I dunno how to explain it. But I know it doesn't feel as bad as it probably should."
"You really are a child of chaos." Setne declared, "A child of the sea, a Greek demigod. A magician, Apophis' chosen host. You're mere existence is... the chances of you having ever been born would be so slim- and yet you were. You exist, you live and thrive. Chaos is in your soul now- and it is a Sea after all, that might have helped you given your heritage. It's a part of you." Setne's expression was almost nervous again. "It's no wonder Apophis chose you. I wonder how much of his power lingers in you."
"You're afraid of me." Percy blinked. "You. Of me?"
"Hah. Only a fool wouldn't be. And me, I'm no fool." Setne gestured ahead of them, "Lead the way Percy Kane."
And Percy blinked, hesitating as she glanced towards Carter, who was staring at her with a look that was pure concern- and that, that was comforting to say the least.
Even if she did have some remnants of Chaos in her that somehow, her brother wasn't looking at her any different, and neither was Zia. She was still herself and that was what mattered wasn't it?
So Percy turned to stare back at the obelisk in the distance, her heart pounding in her chest. "Let's go then." and with that she plunged forward.
If there was one thing in the world that she was certain of, it was that she would not let the Sea of Chaos drown her.