Uh, I am not sorry. Not even a little bit for what I just did, or what I will do in the next chapter. I am cruel. Also- I have realised that Hades is one of my faves, he deserves better. Also, this Percy is 100% an Underworld kid, and she will fight for that. Also, just imagine her with Cerberus given how she and Sadie are with Ammit. Also, picture Hades reaction lol.
Replies:
Noir Nyan: They're in love, they just don't really touch because they can't. The relationship between Sally, Julius and Ruby isn't exactly normal but they are in love. And you get some more Percy here.
Undeath9087: Yeah, yeah you could say that lol. Should be fun.
Jubby1905: Here's another order of Badass with a side order of 'Oh fuck'.
Drizzle: He is badass, but may I introduce you to the badass queen? Percy Kane.
Guest: Sally is in love with Julius and she's also in love with Ruby at this stage- which actually makes her Poly, but it's also not a very usual relationship given the long distance nature of it.
Guest: I mean, that'd be a hell of a hack. But no I'm afraid that won't be how she does it- for reasons that will be explained. Also, I love how people still seem to think I'm sticking close to the first book! What if I go like, totally off track? What if she doesn't fight the minotaur? Ever think of that?

Percy was tiring and she knew it- she could only keep up the hurricane for so long- and she'd been doing it for what felt like a lifetime already. So when she heard Babi's howl it was like music to her ears.

Admittedly it was horrible grating music which she'd rather do without but still. It was a very good sound in her opinion, if only because it meant that they had back up.

Annoyingly enough though, Apophis decided to make the fight harder- which really, Percy thought that was just rude, thank you very much.

The world almost seemed to fracture around them- Apophis was no longer just coiling in and out of the desert, wrapping himself around the pyramids. He was coiling in and out of the Duat, splintering reality into different layers. Trying to find him was suddenly like running through a fun house full of mirrors, each mirror leading to another fun house filled with more mirrors.

That meant that their back up had to split up instead of working together. Percy felt a rush of frustrated annoyance as all around them gods and magicians became isolated, some sinking deeper into the Duat than others. They all fought a single enemy, but they were each fighting only a fragment of his power.

And all around them Percy recognised magicians and gods that she knew.

At the base of the pyramid, snaky coils encircled Walt. He tried to force his way out, blasting the serpent with gray light that turned his scales to ashes; but the serpent just regenerated, closing tighter and tighter around Walt.

A few hundred feet away, Julian had summoned a full Horus avatar, a giant green hawk-headed warrior with a khopesh in either hand. He sliced away at the serpent's tail—or at least one version of it—while the tail lashed around and tried to impale him.

Deeper in the Duat, the goddess Serqet stood in nearly the same place. She had turned herself into a giant black scorpion and was confronting another image of the serpent's tail, parrying it with her stinger in a bizarre sword fight.

Even Amos had been waylaid. He faced the wrong direction and sliced his staff through the empty air, shouting command words at nothing- or it looked like nothing to Percy.

They'd never be able to beat him like this- and Percy was wavering, she was tiring.

So she did the only thing she could.

"NEPHTHYS! NEPHTHYS I'M READY!"

"I am here." Nephthys' voice was soothing- and Percy gasped loudly- she felt the goddesses mind almost merging with her own- they both had one goal and one goal only.

To stop Apophis.

And she felt the power too.

Percy felt her fears instantly wash away.

She'd been terrified of what might happen if she became the eye of Nephthys- terrified, she could remember that feeling- of powerless that had come with being Apophis' host.

But merging with Nephthys was nothing like that.

She felt fresh strength fill her. She felt her resolve strengthen.

Her vision was almost tinged blue.

"Do you have any ideas now?"

"I am a river goddess, but I am also the goddess of mourning, the Night, Protector of the dead, lamentation and sleep. Shall we try and make this snake sleep as he made you sleep?"

"Oh I like the way you think."

And Percy gave herself one last push, soaring hire in the air, buffeted by the winds of her own personal hurricane- and she could see Carter and Sadie out of the corner of her eye- battling their way towards her- towards Apophis' head- and she could also tell that she was surrounded by a glowing blue avatar, which rippled like water around her- it was at least ten foot tall- Percy was quite pleased with that.

And she focused, pouring as much of her magic as she could into the spell, boosting herself up so that she was eye to eye with the serpent.

He hissed furiously at her.

"So you play host to one of the lesser beings." his voice was mocking, "I shall enjoy killing you as much as I shall enjoy swallowing Ra."

"Awe." Percy made sure her voice was as mocking as it possibly could be. "Is the poor wittle snake jealous? I think you're grumpy. Maybe you should take a nap." and she and Nephthys poured their power into the Divine word as Percy spoke it.

"Subat!" and the hieroglyph flared brightly in front of them, a brilliant shade of blue- and Percy could feel it- feel the battle of wills as the spell hit the serpent.

The problem was it was only one of the many fragments of his power- but she could feel the ripple effect, she could see the way he slowed- even as he fought against the power of the spell- which was urging him to sleep.

Percy pushed more power into the spell- gritting her teeth as she wrestled- the hieroglyph glowing brighter.

She couldn't focus on the rest of the battle around them. This was Apophis' most powerful manifestation- if she could get him to sleep the other manifestations would fade- all it would take was one second- then they could all converge on the true serpent instead of just on fractions of his power.

"You must focus." Nephthys urged, "It is working!" because Apophis' head was drooping slightly- Percy almost sobbed with relief- she'd never poured so much magic, so much focus into a single spell before- she'd stopped with the hurricane and the winds were lowering her- though she was still surrounded by the avatar- which as the serpents head lowered left her still on the level with the snake. But she could feel sweat beading on her brow- by all the gods it was hard.

And then she felt it, felt Apophis losing the battle of wills- Percy could have sobbed with relief but she didn't release the spell- she could see the fragments starting to blink out of existence- it was working- and she spotted Zia rushing towards her- a proud look on her face- and then Percy spotted something that made her blood run cold.

And Percy was sure that if she survived this she'd see that sight in her nightmares for years to come. Whenever she woke up shaking and having to count down backwards from ten it would be because of those images.

The little girl with who had shown Percy the snake drawing- Shelby, who had hugged her and had faith in her- she was laughing happily, clapping. She was celebrating what she probably assumed was the snakes defeat- and one of the fragments- the last one lashed out- and no one else had noticed- the little girl had her back to it.

The snakes fangs were about to close around the four year old- "DROWAH!" it was the only thing she could do- she felt her grip on the sleeping spell slipping, but she almost sobbed with relief as blue circle flared up around Shelby- stopping the snake an instant before he would have killed her, forcing it's head backwards away- and she saw Desjardins whirling around to look in the direction of the spell Percy had cast and rushing towards the girl, snatching her up and away from the snake in a flash.

And gods but Percy could have hugged him for that- she trusted Desjardin's to protect the little girl.

The flood of relief disappeared almost instantly when there was a roar from behind Percy- and she span around- Apophis was suddenly wide awake again- shaking his head from side to side, physically shaking away the power of the spell.

"No!"

"You thought you could put me to sleep!" and the serpents head was shooting towards her, smashing into her hard and sending her flying backwards.

Percy felt her focus weaken- her avatar flickered for a moment as she hit the ground, tumbling head over heels before she managed to push herself up in a smooth motion as Apophis surged towards her-and joy of joys the fragments of his power were back. Just what they wanted. Just what they needed.

Gods where were Sadie and Carter- they couldn't last much longer, they needed Sadie and Carter to do the spell soon.
She spotted them rushing towards her- and Bes was there next to them- and they were moving towards her- Percy swung her focus back to the serpent, diving to the side before he could swallow her whole- he bit a chunk out of the sand that was the size of a damn house- gods she was screwed.

All she'd done was piss him off more.

"YOU DARE!" the words were hissed with such fury that it made Percy want to run and hide- but she couldn't. Gods there was nowhere to go. "YOU WILL DIE FIRST PERCY KANE!"

And yeah, yeah that tracked, she'd definitely just proved herself to be a threat to him hadn't she?

"Percy!" Carter's voice was terrified- she couldn't blame him, she was in some real trouble.

Even with the power of Nephthys it was a struggle, Percy was weakening.

If the Nile was closer she'd have been able to use it to help her against Apophis but it was too far away- she couldn't pull it that far.

She managed to dodge two more times-and she could see Carter and Sadie fighting against the snakes power, desperately trying to reach her.

But she had already exhausted herself even before joining with Nephthys- and she could feel the goddesses concern- Percy was hurling out divine words, throwing as many attacks as she knew at the snake but it was barely scathing him.

She was at serious risk of burning herself out even with Nephthys' support.

She stumbled- it was only a little thing but she stumbled- and Apophis struck down towards her, his huge maw open wide- and oh gods but Percy didn't want to be snake chow!

Something crashed into her side- Percy cried out in pain, avatar flickering and disappearing entirely as once again she skidded and rolled across the sand.

She pushed herself up, letting out a scream so loud that it echoed over the noise of the battle.

Zia was stood in the spot that Percy had been stood in moments before- and she saw the look on the other girls face- saw Zia's lips moving, mouthing the words 'The execration.' Before the serpents jaws closed around her.

Percy felt as if all the air was being sucked out of her lungs- she could taste blood, the world seemed to be spinning.
It was her fault. She'd gotten distracted! She'd had him asleep and she'd let herself be distracted- Apophis had gone for Shelby because she was one of the youngest, he'd been inside of her head he knew that she was a protector. He knew what he was doing when he'd targeted her. He'd needed to stop Percy's spell and he had, because Percy could never let an innocent little kid die.

Percy could feel hot tears pouring down her cheeks, the scream still tearing its way past her lips.

She remember the first time she'd met Zia- in the museum, she'd hated the older girl so much- Zia had been a representation of the House of Life's bad side. Her first instinct had been to kill them. But Zia had changed her mind rather quickly- had joined them despite how she was raised.

Zia had become a friend- become an honorary big sister- not as close as Carter or Sadie but a good friend nevertheless. Percy had trusted her with her life.

And she was gone. She was just... just gone.

And it was all Percy's fault