In which Percy is in fact the most reckless person ever and somehow it all works for her. Also, after you've read this chapter just imagine the Greek gods reactions when they meet her and find out more about her. Also, I may not be able to update as usual tomorrow, sorry in advance for that.
Replies:
Undeath9087: I couldn't kill Shelby! Honestly in this chapter Percy's just like 'Nope. You're not eating Zia, nope.'
Rage2091: The chaos comment is very apt.
Ryan Fowler: We get pure fury Percy in this chapter. Also, I love your description because it's so accurate. And Hades reaction to it all amuses me.
AarBeaz: I have no plans for Paul at this stage- Sally still very much considers herself to be married to Julius and they still see each other, just not as often as before.
k1213llyhsu: thank you so much I hope you keep enjoying!
Guest: There's definitely a certain level of trauma that they've all suffered- but I do think that the House of Life probably has a lot more support than the Greeks do with that sort of thing. And yes Pipercabeth will be reciprocated on all sides when it officially happens. And your pokemon references made me laugh.
Drizzle: Percy is wondering the same thing as you lol.
Guest: No all of Brooklyn House joined the battle even the ankle biters. They didn't have much of a choice in the matter they were desperate.

The shock disappeared almost as quickly as it had come. And the next scream that slipped past Percy's lips was one of pure rage. She no longer cared if she burned out. "MAW!" She screamed the spell- and out of the corner of her eye she could see Sadie grabbing Carter even as he tried to throw himself towards Apophis- that was good because Percy was moving- and the water that burst out around her- enough to fill several Olympic size swimming pools was half summoned by magic and half by her own powers as a demigod.

It shot towards Apophis- thick bands of it wrapping around his head, pinning it in place- and four more bands clamped around his upper and lower jaws, forcing them open and more than that, thick bands of glowing red joined them, prying his mouth open even farther- because Percy could see, she could see a lump sliding down the snakes throat, glowing as it travelled downwards, and Apophis struggled but Percy didn't falter- Nephthys and her worked together and separately all at once, Nephthys focused on the watery restraints, and Percy used the water to leap up and up and up- and when she reached Apophis' head his mouth was wide open-and she could hear Carter and Sadie screaming her name but she didn't care, she was throwing herself forward, into the snakes maw and down his throat, turning her head to look back at Carter and Sadie as she did. "DO THE SPELL!"

If she was in her right mind Percy would have probably had any number of sarcastic comments ready to go- but all she could feel was rage- sliding down that dark slimy throat- and the light from above disappearing as Apophis managed to break free from the restraint and snap his mouth shut- which should probably worry Percy more than it was but all she cared about was reaching Zia, and she could see that light in the distance below her. "ZIA!"

"Percy?!" Zia's voice was faint- stunned- and then Percy could see her, still glowing- and she summoned up yet more water- it shot out from her hand, almost like a rope- shooting downwards and and wrapping around Zia's waist, stopping her descent- and Zia was gaping up at Percy with wide stunned eyes which were filled with fear. And her face was deathly pale, she looked like her life was draining away, the chaos around them tearing into her.

"How-"

"I am not letting you die." Percy snarled the words- and the symbol on her neck was itching like crazy- and she focused as she yanked Zia up towards her, arms wrapping around the older girl- and Zia latched onto Percy's shoulders tightly, the water disappearing once Zia was securely in Percy's arms.

And okay, so there was a small chance that Percy hadn't thought this through. She'd used all the water up above to bind the snake so that she could jump down his throat and the restraints around his mouth were gone so she couldn't do the water rope trick again to haul herself out- she'd end up in his mouth without an exit even if she could.

And then-

"Child- my powers will not help you now. I am sorry. But that does not mean that you cannot escape- you did not choose Chaos- but it chose you. If you are still inside of the snake the execration may kill you- and I must leave you for this. No god other than perhaps Set would be able to stay for what you can do. For what you must do."

"Wait-"

But Nephthys was gone. And why, why would she abandon her like that- Percy let out a despairing sob as Zia's arms tightened around her.

She was ten years old, she didn't want to die- and what had Nephthys meant no god- Percy's breath caught.
Chaos. Even to gods the power of Chaos was toxic. Set was the only one who might be an exception. Was Nephthys implying what Percy thought she was?

Percy closed her eyes as they sunk deeper- and that was a problem. How was she supposed to use magic which she'd never tried before?

Well, it was do or die.

Percy focused, closing her eyes tightly. She focused on her fear, her desperation- she thought about how she'd wrestled control of Apophis' own power- she thought about the bands of red that had joined the water to pry open Apophis' jaws.

She thought about her time in the sea of Chaos.

And then Percy just felt- and the power was like nothing she'd imagined before- an explosion of power bursting out of her- red magic, raw and chaotic- this magic wasn't like the magic her dad had spent so much time teaching her, it wasn't controllable, the magic itself seemed to tell her that, snarling and writhing as she grasped at it- grating against her very soul, it was corrosive, burning and painful in a way Percy could never put into words.

And she knew- she knew that anyone else trying what she was trying would die- it felt like her very soul would be ground into nothingness if she did this but she had to- she knew that with every fibre of her being. She had to save Zia.

She had to get them both out.

And the sheer power of the chaos magic threatened to overwhelm her. But she forced herself to fight through it.

She had to control it. She would make the power of Chaos her own. So she fought it, wrestled with the magic of chaos as Zia screamed in her arms, she compressed it, pushed it down, forcing it in- and then she released it, directing it so that it would explode against the snakes insides behind Zia- and the force of it was so intense that they were thrown backwards- Percy felt kind of like a rocket, and she gripped Zia tighter- terrified that if she let go the power of Chaos would kill the other girl, even if she did still have Ra inside of her.

And they burst through the snakes chaos matter flesh, which tore at Percy frantically, and then they were outside of the snake again- and Percy noticed that the sky had gone dark, lit only by stars and streaks of red lightning, cracks had spread across the desert and the world around them had gone cold.

Then they landed smashing into the sand so hard that they ended up half buried- Percy lost her grip on the powers. She heard Apophis roaring in a mixture of pain and fury, and Zia, still clinging onto Percy like a lifeline managed to choke out.

"R-Ra's too weak now. He can't- he can't fix the damage unless Apophis-"

"Right-" Percy managed to squirm herself free enough that she could turn her head and see what was happening.
Apophis looked furious- Percy noticed that he had three gashes on his neck that weren't closing, and she saw that Bast and Bes were trying to keep his attention from Carter and Sadie- who had the statue out- but Percy could see that they were only at the start of the spell- and after the moment of pure shock from Percy and Zia's escape the serpents fury only seemed to increase- was it just Percy or was he growing in size?

And she watched in horror as Bast and Bes were knocked down in one fell swoop- not good, very very much not good, the serpents head turned towards Carter and Sadie- and Percy could see the way he reared back- she'd seen enough snakes rearing back to strike and she could not- would not, allow it.

She could distantly hear Zia screaming for Carter and Sadie- but Percy couldn't focus on that- for the second time she grasped the power of chaos- and her neck truly was burning now- she wondered if the symbol was glowing as it had in the Sea of Chaos- and she struck out, the red magic surrounding her almost like an avatar- it surged out of her hands, hitting Apophis hard- knocking his attempted strike to the side, maybe twenty foot away from Carter and Sadie- and Percy was moving, sprinting towards him.

"You!" The serpent hissed at her, filled with fury as his head snapped around to stare at her, "I will deal with you shortly-"

"You will deal with me now!" Percy screamed the words, sending tendrils of chaos magic out, they were thick as tree trunks, coiling around the serpents body.

And Percy found herself remembering how she'd grappled with the serpent in the Duat, when he'd been in her mind.

In a lot of ways this felt much the same- except she'd had a small advantage when it had been in her mind.

Percy felt as if she was burning up and being shredded all at once- she could feel her skin burning from the chaos magic- no mortal should be able to survive it. But she was. She was pinning him in place with all of her strength- she could taste blood in her mouth- and she could feel it dripping down from her nose- she was aware that she wouldn't be able to keep it up for long, not against Apophis.

"You think to challenge me with the powers of Chaos?" the snake roared the words as he writhed, "You can never be on the level of me girl! You will die if you try-"

"Then I die buying Carter and Sadie enough time to kill your ass." and Percy was half convinced that she was starting to black out- the power was killing her- and then she heard it- the last lines of the execration.

"We exile you beyond the void! You are no more!" Carter and Sadie's voices almost seemed to blend together.

"NO!" Apophis' roar had enough physical force that Percy found herself flying backwards, smashing into the sand again- and then there was an explosive wave of darkness- again Percy kind of wondered if she'd blacked out- but a moment later Percy could see Apophis again- who was writhing as he began to shrink.

"Shortsighted mortals! You haven't just killed me. You've exiled the gods!"

The Duat collapsed, layer upon layer, until the plains of Giza were one reality again. The other magicians stood in a daze around them- though Percy realised the gods really were nowhere to be seen. The serpent hissed, his scales falling away in smoking pieces.

"Ma'at and Chaos are linked, you fools! You cannot push me away without pushing away the gods-"

"You are wrong." the voice came from over by Zia- and Ra was no longer using her as his host- he moved towards them, shimmering like a mirage- towering over them as a muscular old man with golden skin, kingly robes, and the pharaoh's crown. He stepped forward and daylight returned to the sky. The temperature warmed. The cracks in the ground sealed themselves. "You are no longer the only manifestation of Chaos!" and then Apophis was crumbling into sand and steaming goo, and Percy's mouth was hanging open in shock as the sun god turned to smile at the three Kanes. "Well done, you three. Now I must withdraw as the other gods have done. But I owe you my life?"

"Withdraw?" Carter's voice was hoarse, "You mean- forever-"

"No-" Ra chuckled, "Only for a brief time- Chaos has been truly weakened today- but my old enemy was not wrong. When Chaos is pushed away the gods of order- of Ma'at must also distance themselves, such is the balance of the universe. But-" his gaze swung to Percy, and there was a twinkle in his eye, "I believe that Chaos has found a new anchor- one with a heart that is pure and not evil."

Percy blinked rapidly before she pointed at herself. "Me?" her voice was a squeak, "I'm not- I-"

"No mortal has ever wielded the true power of Chaos before-"

"Yeah and it nearly killed me!"

"But it did not. It is a part of you now child, even if you never use it again-"

"But I'm mortal!"

"Perhaps." Ra looked faintly amused. "It shall make things very interesting when you pass I am sure- after all your body may be mortal, but the soul is eternal."

"I'm really-"

"Yes child-"

"Huh." Percy blinked slowly. "That's... weird. Does that make us enemies or somethin'?" and Ra laughed again, tossing his head back.

"No child. No it does not. We are opposites yes, but not enemies."

"You really have to leave?"

"Yes- I do. But it will not be forever-"

"If you have to leave you should take these." Carter held out the crook and flail but Ra shook his head.

"Keep them for me. You are the rightful pharaoh. And take care of my favored one…" He nodded toward Zia, who was passed out in the sand where she and Percy had landed "She will recover, but she will need support."

Light blazed around the sun god. When it faded, he was gone. Two dozen weary magicians stood around a smoking, serpent-shaped mark in the desert as the sun rose over the pyramids of Giza.

Percy turned slowly- even moving that much kinda hurt- and then Carter and Sadie were both there, hugging her tightly.

And Percy felt herself smile slowly despite everything.

They had saved the world.