In which Sadie is very depressed right now, and she's upset about her baby sister and angry at the world, Carter is desperately clinging to hope and Desjardins wants to help her.
Replies:
Ryan Fowler: Percy is very much a badass, like, can you imagine how terrifying what she's done would be to literally everyone, including the gods?
Undeath9087: Yep, very much marked, you can't do something like that without some kind of price. And a new dawn is not going to fix this.
Unknownloser097: Yep, I did it. Percy is awesome and powerful. Also, the lone person that Apophis actually fears slightly from this point on.
Georgia: Thank you so much!
Guest: Maybe, maybe not, we shall see.
Batmanuchiha: I mean, You may be speaking too soon, Percy isn't exactly in peak condition right now.
Drizzle: I mean, eventually maybe, and yep, Percy forced him out.
Brendiboi633: Thank you! I'm glad you like them, and honestly no, Zia's still Ra's chosen one. Giving it to Percy right after she hosted Apophis would feel weird.
Guest: I mean, she's not been the eye of anyone at this stage, you'll have to wait and see.
Guest1234: There are some things even the dawn can't just fix. Desjardins and Percy are a lot more damaged, so to speak, than Carter and Sadie.
Sadie had never felt so broken before- not even after realising that they had to let their dad stay dead.
She was probably in shock, sat in the sun boat with Carter, Desjardins and Ra- and Percy, Percy who looked so very small and broken.
Carter still couldn't hear properly, when she talked he could hear something because he'd turn his head to look at her- but she could see the confusion in his eyes- and he could barely pry his attention from their sister, who was led in the sun boat, her head in his lap, Carter's fingers combing through tangled white curls.
And Sadie was pretty sure it would take a while for what had happened to sink in.
Sadie had always known Percy was strong- it was easy to forget- she was so small, a bubbly little kid, but she was strong, a fierce fighter and as brave as they came. But even knowing how powerful Percy could be, she'd never felt afraid of her before.
It had been terrifyingly jarring, seeing something other than her little sister behind those sea green eyes- Sadie wished she could block out the memories but she knew she'd never be able to, the way Percy had blown up Menshikov's coffin, and Menshikov himself- Sadie shuddered at that thought. Had he been alive when it had happened? Maybe it would be better never to know.
And she knew she'd never forget that feeling when Percy had picked her up as if she weighed nothing, when pure Chaos magic had bound her, tightening until she felt as if she was being crushed to death, the poison of that power tearing her apart.
And she knew it wasn't Percy- it wasn't her sister, not really but- those images were going to take a long time to disappear from her mind.
As was the image of the look on Percy's face when she'd dropped Sadie, the terror in her eyes when she'd told her to run. Which was smart- if they'd been caught in the blast then they'd be dead, Sadie had no doubt about that.
As it was they were all at least alive, but- none of them were in good condition. Sadie wasn't sure that they'd make it if she was honest.
Desjardins was sat a short distance away from Carter, his eyes glued to Percy, and Ra was sat watching them from his spot by the railings.
The sun boat was moving at least- as soon as they'd gotten Percy on board the servant lights had gotten to work.
It was Desjardins who spoke, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "She is alive-"
"No thanks to you." Sadie muttered the words- which made Desjardins stiffen.
"I understand your anger, but I did what I believed right. I did what she asked me to before we even ventured out here." he turned his gaze towards Sadie and she felt guilty- he looked weak- even if he hadn't finished the spell- he'd been weak as it was, now he looked even worse. She doubted he'd be able to do much more than stand now. And something in his eyes- there was pure grief there.
"You didn't want to." Sadie realised. "You didn't want to do it did you? You- you only tried to do it because you promised her you would."
"That and the fact that it was the only way I could think of to at least buy you all some time-"
"If you'd done it-"
"I would have died." there was no hesitation in Desjardins tone. "And it would have been worth it." his eyes flicked to Percy, "What she did today- I would not have believed it possible."
"Well. Percy always does seem to do the impossible." Sadie focused her gaze on Percy too- and Carter hadn't even lifted his head, he just kept stroking his fingers through Percy's hair, and Sadie could see from the way his body was shaking that he was crying. Sadie couldn't blame him for that. "I-is- do you think-"
"After we have stopped Menshikov's ordered attack upon your home I would suggest bringing her to the First Nome." he shook his head, a pained look on his face, "The time has come for me to accept the need to change." he shifted, reaching up to his leopard-skin cape. "I am sure you have reasonable healers but ours are the best in the world. If anyone can help the child it will be there- we assisted your uncle after all."
"You did." Sadie bit her lip, "But-"
"You will no longer be an enemy Sadie Kane." Desjardins shook his head, "You will be free to visit the First Nome and your sister as often as you wish- though- if you do wish to keep her in Brooklyn I'm sure some of our most killed healers can be sent to help the child. I do not know if she will wake- or how well she will recover- your uncle was possessed by Set for a week and it took him near three months to recover- Percy was possessed for a much shorter time but-"
"Set's not on the same level." Sadie spoke quietly. "It's like comparing an ant to a lion."
"Very much so." Desjardins nodded, "And Apophis did not exit her form willingly. She forced him out. I don't know what that will do- if it will help her recovery or hider it."
"S-she's going to be fine." Carter's voice was startling-it was hoarse, almost deeper than normal- but that was from all the screaming. "She has to be." he lifted his head, swallowing hard, "I- I'm starting to be able to hear again- not fully but- she's going to be fine."
"I am sure her stubbornness will pull the child through." Desjardins spoke.
"We-" Carter took a deep breath, and Sadie wished she could hug him-but right now she doubted he'd welcome it- he was sat so still, as if he was afraid moving would somehow worsen Percy's condition- as if that was even remotely possible. "We need to keep going." every word sounded like it caused him physical pain to say. "Percy would want us to keep going-she did this for us. Do you still- did you manage to keep the scarab?"
"Yes." Sadie's voice was small, "I- I nearly gave it to her." she whispered the words. "I- It was so hard I-"
"I know." Carter's voice cracked, "But you did the right thing. You- you need-"
"To give it to Ra." Sadie finished, dragging herself to her feet and turning towards Ra as she slipped her hand into the pocket and pulled the wriggling golden scarab out.
Then she approached him, holding it out, "Take it!"
Ra wrinkled his already wrinkled nose. "Don't want a bug."
"It's your soul!" Sadie snapped, unable to stop herself- she knew it wasn't really his fault but- but right now she didn't care. After what had just happened she was no letting it all be for nothing. "You'll take it, and you'll like it!"
Ra looked cowed. He took the beetle, and to my horror, popped it in his mouth.
Sadie's eyes widened in shock, and she lunged forward, "No!" But it was too late. Ra had swallowed, and Sadie blinked rapidly, staring at him. "W-was he supposed to do that?" her voice was higher than usual, "Maybe he was supposed to do that."
"Don't like bugs," Ra muttered.
And Sadie watched desperately, waiting for him to change into a powerful youthful king. Instead, he burped. He stayed old, and weird, and disgusting.
"You cannot lose hope." Desjardins spoke up as Sadie staggered back to join him and Carter at the front of the ship, dropping down so that she was sat next to Carter. What little energy she had seemed to dissipate in the disappointment despite Desjardins words. She felt sick, like her insides were melting, and as she sat she shifted, resting her head on Carter's shoulder.
"Why not?" her voice was small. "It's the Chaos sickness right? We've- it's toxic to us. We're not going to make it out."
"He's right." Carter shifted, one hand was still smoothing through Percy's hair but his other hand wrapped around her shoulder- Sadie felt the urge to cry. "We have to hold on. At least until dawn."
"All that." Sadie closed her eyes, "And what happened? We retrieved a senile god. We lost Bes and- and Percy's- we don't know what'll happen to her- if she's ever even going to wake up. And after all that we're dying."
"If I have learned one thing recently." Desjardins spoke up, "It is that you Kanes often seem to do the impossible. If there is a way to survive then you shall survive."
"He's right." Carter shifted slightly, "Look ahead of us Sadie."
And sure enough when Sadie did look the tunnel was getting brighter. The cavern walls dissolved, and the river widened.
Two pillars rose from the water—two giant golden scarab statues. Beyond them gleamed the morning skyline of Manhattan. The River of Night was emptying out into New York Harbor.
"Each new dawn is a new world," Carter's voice was soft, "Maybe we'll all be healed?"
"Ra and Percy too?" Sadie's voice was quiet- she couldn't bare to feel hopeful- but- she could feel herself starting to get
better, the pain easing, she was feeling stronger too. It was almost as if she'd had a good nights sleep- and she saw on Carter's and Desjardins faces- though Sadie wasn't sure how much strength it would give Desjardins who had already been weak before.
She glanced down, biting her lip. Percy's condition didn't seem to change, even as they passed between the golden scarab statues- or- did it maybe? Was it just Sadie or did Percy's breathing change slightly- become more steady. It was hard to tell.
It didn't do anything to Ra, that was... disappointing, but Sadie didn't have much time to think about it because her attention turned quickly to their right. Across the water, smoke was rising from Brooklyn—flashes of multicolored light and streaks of fire as winged creatures engaged in aerial combat.
It seemed the battle for Brooklyn House was still raging.
"They're still alive." Sadie breathed the words, "They need help" and Sadie helped Carter move, gently lifting her head from his lap and laying it down on the floor of the boat as the two of them moved quickly.
And with that they turned the sun boat towards their home and sailed straight into the battle- and it must have been a shocking sight to observers, like a second son rising from the Duat, out of New York Harbor and into the sky, the sun boat dimmed as they moved towards Brooklyn House, presumably because the mansion's antimortal camouflage shielding enveloped it, and made it seem to disappear to mortals.
The shielding was already working overtime, as a full-fledged war was in progress. Freak the Griffin was diving through the air, engaging the winged flaming snakes, the uraei, in aerial combat.
Freak yelled, "Freaaaak!" and gobbled up a uraeus, but he was sorely outnumbered. His fur was singed, and his buzzing wings must've been damaged, as he kept spinning in circles like a broken helicopter.
His rooftop nest was on fire. The portal sphinx was broken, and the chimney was stained with a massive black star-burst where something or someone had exploded. A squad of enemy magicians and demons had taken cover behind the air conditioning unit and were pinned in combat against Zia and Walt, who were guarding the stairwell. Both sides threw fire, shabti, and glowing hieroglyphic bombs across the no-man's land of the roof.
And Sadie was willing to admit that her heart skipped when she saw Walt and Zia, alive and well- well as well as they could be, all things considered.
As they descended over the enemy Ra leaned over the side and waved at everyone with his crook- which made Sadie want to groan and hide her face from second hand embarrassment. "Hel-lo-o-o-o! Zebras!" And that was- slightly odd, it sounded like he'd finally found his desperately sought for zebra at least.
In any case both sides looked up in amazement. "Ra!" one demon screamed. Then everyone took up the cry: "Ra?" "Ra!" "Ra!"