Okay, okay there is pain in this chapter- and Carter and Sadie will not lose their baby sister- no matter what the cost, which Percy may be a teensy bit annoyed about but hey, it's done 'cause of love.
Replies:
Ryan Fowler: Who wins a fight, the living embodiment of Chaos or the nine year old girl who wants her body back thank you very much? I know who I'd bet on.
Unknownloser097: I mean I can and I will! Mwhahahahah. Yeah though, it was rough, and so is this chapter.
Undeath9087: I love that you love it. And yeah, with the Luke thing Percy's just there like 'So you had an evil voice whispering in your head that wants to possess you?' Hmmmmmm... well fuck it I'm gonna have to help you aren't I? Stop you from making the single worst mistake of your life you fucking dumbass. Because let's face it, Percy is also aware that she is insanely lucky to have the support network she has, whereas Luke didn't have that good a support network. But he will still get hell from all of them if I do redeem him.
rage2091: I mean, there's definitely stuff that's gonna linger.
Guest: I do have an idea of how it would work, you'll have to wait and see what I do lol.
Deborah: I don't have any plans currently for bringing him into this one.
batmanuchiha: Heheheheheh. Nah, I just love torturing you guys.
Percy knew that any victories she had over Apophis would be temporary- she wasn't stupid- but still she was screaming in her mind-and really she didn't she'd really stopped much, when the Lord of Chaos managed to seize control of her body again.
She rose to her feet, the Chaos magic swirling around her, red mist surrounding her- not healing- she was fighting and Apophis focus was split so he didn't want to waste any of his attention on healing until he knew it was safe to do so- and Percy's gaze landed on Desjardins, who had staggered off the sun boat and was holding- if Percy could control her body her eyes would have widened.
Desjardins was holding a shabti, a shabti of Apophis.
And there was only one reason he would have that, only one thing he could be trying to do- and he was changing.
Hieroglyphs glowed in the air around him, swirling into a cone of protective power.
She felt Apophis' rage. "Are you insane!" and it was strange, hearing her own voice like that, hearing that terrifying fury- it pressed her down, crushing her, hurting her very soul. "Michel you can execrate me! That is not possible! There is no way- you cannot contain me! You would kill yourself even trying-if you succeeded this body would die!"
"Apophis," Desjardins chanted, "I name you Lord of Chaos, Serpent in the Dark, Fear of the Twelve Houses, the Hated One—"
A blast of fire shot from Percy's hands, straight towards Desjardins, but the energy simply joined the swirling cloud around the Chief Lector, turning into the hieroglyph for "heat." Desjardins stumbled forward, aging before Percy's eyes, becoming more stooped and frail, but his voice remained strong. "I speak for the gods. I speak for the House of Life. I am a servant of Ma'at. I cast you underfoot."
Desjardins threw down the red snake, Percy screamed alongside Apophis, legs giving out at the rush of pain- she'd never felt anything like it before- and she could feel the magic as Apophis desperately hurled everything he had at Desjardins —ice, poison, lightning, boulders—but nothing connected. They all simply turned into hieroglyphs in the Chief Lector's shield, Chaos forced into patterns of words—into the divine language of creation.
"He's doing it!" Percy's thoughts were triumphant, "I knew he'd do it I knew he'd do it! He's saving me!"
"He's killing you! At best he buys them time from me-"
"Better than being your host." Percy's thoughts were vitriolic.
And then, Percy watched in horror as she saw Carter managing to rise to his feet- and she knew what her brother would do but there was nothing she could do to stop it- even as Desjardins raised his foot, ready to bring it down onto the statue Carter was smashing into him, sending them both rolling into a mound of sand, interrupting the spell mid flow- and Percy rose, kicking and screaming in her mind as her body defied her orders and surged forward, red mist shooting towards the shabti.
But Sadie was on her feet too- and Sadie reached the shabti at the same time as Percy, her hand coming down an instant before Percy's could- and their gazes met.
"I'm sorry." Sadie's face was streaked with tears, "If you're in there I'm sorry I don't care- I don't care that he's doing the smart thing we can't lose you Percy. If Desjardins execrates him it kills you."
"Nonononononono. Dead would be better Sadie please please!" Percy was screaming in her mind as she heard Apophis laughing triumphantly.
"Such a perfect choice in every way my little one. They will protect me to save you."
"Thank you." Percy's voice was almost a purr, and far more sinister than it ever had been before, "Thank you Sadie Kane- you've been most useful- perhaps this is what shall break my hosts spirit. After all, Desjardins was simply keeping his promise. And you have condemned her. I knew that if I chose her you would never stand against me-" and she could see the way Sadie's heart was breaking at the snakes words as Percy's hand reached out, gripping Sadie's chin tightly.
Then she was rising, pulling Sadie with her- and Sadie's expression turned to run of terror as she tried to pull free but found the red mist of Chaos magic twining around her arms and legs.
"Now, you will give me the shabti and my scarab."
"No- no-" Sadie shook her head, "No- Carter! CARTER!"
"SADIE!" Carter screamed Sadie's name- and Percy's head turned- Carter and Desjardins had rolled some distance away- the spell had dissolved, Desjardins looked to weak to do more than lift his head to look towards them, and Carter started to rise to his knees but with a wave of Percy's hand the sand suddenly started sucking him down- Carter screamed, almost instantly waist deep in sucking sand, unable to pull himself free.
"Well isn't this fun." Percy's voice was singsong again, "Tell you what Sadie Kane- give me what I want and I'll release your brother before he's taken completely by the sand- it's a good offer."
"I-" Sadie was crying, her expression was devastated as her gaze flicked between Percy and Carter.
The red mist tightened around her and she let out a pained scream, and Percy was breaking-she was shattering because it was her body, her body doing all this her body controlling the magic it was her. Apophis was in control but it was her body being used to hurt two of the people she loved most in the entire world. And Carter was up to his neck in it now- he was going to be under completely soon.
And then Sadie's eyes met hers again- there was a desperate pleading light in her eyes. "Please." Her voice was a strained whisper, "Don't take my home."
"What are you talking about?" Percy's voice was incredulous and her eyes blinked.
"Home is where Percy, Carter and mum are. Please Percy. Don't let him take you away-" and that- that hit Percy like a bucket of water over the head- and Apophis couldn't stop her as she managed to seize control, hand releasing Sadie's chin, the mist receding instantly- and the sand stopped sucking Carter down as Percy stumbled backwards.
"P-Percy?" Sadie's voice cracked, her eyes wide, "Percy?"
"R-" Percy's voice was strained- it was a struggle, Apophis was fighting back, trying to regain control "Run- g-get away-"
And Sadie hesitated for just a second before scrambling to her feet and sprinting towards Carter, falling and picking herself up twice before she managed to reach him and she started trying to pull him out of the sand- and Percy dropped to her knees, red mist swirling around her violently.
It wasn't a physical battle- Percy had always been good at those, she'd have much preferred that.
No, it was a mental battle, a battle of wills.
She chanted three words like a mantra as she wrestled Apophis for control, mentally grappling with him as Desjardins had grappled with her earlier.
Strength. Defiance. Perseverance. Strength. Defiance. Perseverance. Strength. Defiance. Perseverance.
She would not give up. She would not give in, not let Apophis make her his host.
And she could feel his shock- he'd never had anything like this happen before, never had anyone truly defy him like this, so personally.
"You cannot defeat me! I am the Lord of Chaos!"
"You chose the wrong Demimagician to possess!" Percy screamed the words back at him, "You might be the Lord of Chaos but this is my body! My mind my soul my family!" and she seized control- not just of her body, but of her magic- of his magic too- and just the touch of it burned, it burned so painfully that it was nothing like Percy had ever imagined, and she knew, she knew that she could never hope to control it- not for more than a second.
But the second was all she needed.
Out of the corner of her eye she could see that Sadie had managed to free Carter, that together, as weak as they were they were dragging Desjardins towards the sun boat.
And then Percy pushed outwards, using Apophis' knowledge of his own magic-screaming as she forced the snake out and struck all at once- it was pure chaos magic- there was nothing ordered about this- it was as forbidden as any magic could be- and Apophis roared in pain, and Percy didn't stop, pushing and pushing- and then she felt it- she felt the moment it shifted, the moment she somehow managed to force the snake back- not just out of her, but deep into the duat, she would never know how she did it. She knew that much instinctively.
And she'd never be able to do it again.
The force of the magic, exploded around her- she was at the centre of it-and if the explosion of Menshikov's glass grave had been powerful it was nothing compared to the force of this one. The world seemed to shake, and the last thing Percy knew was white hot pain before the darkness swallowed her.
…
Carter couldn't see- the light from the explosion had been bright enough to blind him-and the force of it had sent the sun boat rocking so violently that they'd all nearly spilled into the river, and he was deafened too- he felt dazed and dizzy as his vision slowly cleared- though the ringing in his ears didn't go away as he slowly pushed himself onto his elbows- he turned his head towards Sadie- who's mouth was moving-she was talking but-but he couldn't hear.
He slammed his hand against his ear uselessly- and Sadie- he was pretty sure she was yelling based on the look on her face- she was grabbing his arm, pointing towards the shore- and Carter turned his head- he felt slow, stunned. It was hard to focus, to process.
And the shoreline was a mess- sand had been blasted everywhere- there were heaps on it piled in the river, on the sun boat, everywhere.
And there was a crater- Carter couldn't see inside it but he could see the crater- and- no matter how weak he was as soon as he managed to realise what Sadie was trying to tell him he was scrambling to his feet- and together they managed to get out of the boat- skidding down the sides of the crater- and Carter's gaze focused on the small form at the centre- covered in a thick later of sand but visible.
He reached her first- though Sadie was close behind him.
He dropped to his knees, brushing the sand away from Percy's face and hair- and he sucked in a sharp, stunned breath.
He had never seen his sister so badly hurt.
Her skin was red- hot to the touch too, worryingly hot, blistered, probably from where Desjardins had slammed her against the throne of fire he realised, she was probably bruised too but as Carter pulled her into his arms he realised that any bruises wouldn't be visible amongst the burns- he felt sick at the sight, he'd never seen anyone so badly hurt before- sure he could feel her chest slowly rising and falling but- it was hard to believe that anyone so hurt could be alive.
And yet somehow that wasn't the most disturbing thing- the only patch of Percy's skin that wasn't red and blistered was on her neck. It was a patch of skin, maybe around two inches big either way, and inside of it-it looked almost like a brand, a familiar hieroglyph, one that made Carter want to throw up.
Isfet.
His baby sister had somehow overcome Apophis- though he had no doubt that it was only a temporary situation, and in vengeance the snake had left his marks on her. Left his symbol.
And- there was one other thing that caught Carters gaze- something he couldn't process or understand.
His sister's hair had always been a beautiful dark shiny black, and more recently black with blue and green dye on it, he knew she was proud of it.
But it wasn't that any longer.
Her hair had changed- and Carter had heard stories- of peoples hair changing overnight after traumatic events but- he'd never believed it.
But then again maybe magical trauma was different- because while Percy's hair was still long, thick and curly, it was now pure white.