Here's a little taste of Carter for you guys- he's a protective big brother and we love him.
Replies:
Undeath9087: Honestly, memories are always tricky.
Ryan Fowler: You flatter me! Thank you and please do keep reading.
Weirdhead: You are not wrong and Bast is proof of that.
Depth Walker: We won't get much Greek stuff for a while I'm afraid, and yes I am female.
The Official Clarisse: Nope, not for a little while yet I'm afraid.
seaweedbrain760: Protective big brother Carter is amazing and we all love him.
Guest: You'll have to wait and see for a lot of the stuff you asked about- and possibly, I could do it all as one super long fic- but it will be super long if I do that- like, well over 100 chapters.
Carter was terrified- even if he didn't want to have to admit that fact, and he clutched Percy close, gripping the seat in front of him tightly with one hand, the other arm keeping Percy pressed as close as he could. He needed to protect her- and he needed to protect Sadie too.
If he was honest- he didn't understand most of this. It was terrifying.
But the most important thing was the fact that he was angry. Percy was nine. She was nine years old and their dad had told her to protect him and Sadie- as if that was her responsibility. He wasn't jealous of her- not even a little, but he was so so angry for her. He doubted that their mom knew that their dad had told Percy that she was responsible for protecting him and Sadie- Sally Kane would never have allowed that if she'd known about it.
Maybe it was just him being too protective of her- he always had been kind of protective- he could remember the day they met painfully well- memories like that never faded, and he'd never really stopped feeling that desperate urge to shield the tiny brave little girl from anything that could hurt her- and it stung knowing just how badly he'd failed.
And seeing her fighting a monster- it had come so naturally to her- like it was what she was born to do. Carter did not like it one bit. He didn't like any of what had happened over the past few days.
He forced himself to breath, catching Sadie's eye when she glanced back at him- she looked about as scared as he felt- which was weird. He didn't really know her that well. She was his sister yes but- he was closer to Percy than he was to Sadie, sure he loved Sadie but- there was that distance between them.
Still, he'd do everything he could to protect them both, and he gave her a tight smile before her gaze shifted to behind them- and he turned his head, looking back behind them.
He had though with how Bast was driving that they'd surely have lost their pursuers- if it was any normal human trying to drive he was pretty sure they'd have had a dozen wrecks, but she managed to get them safely onto the Williamsburg Bridge in what had to be record time.
Clearly though, that wasn't enough because Carter quickly spotted the four copper men with the black box. They were weaving in and out of traffic. They appeared to be jogging at a normal pace, but they passed cars that were doing fifty.
Their bodies blurred like choppy images in an old movie, as if they were out of sync with the regular stream of time.
"Who are they?" Carter swallowed hard, "Shabati?"
"No, carriers." Bast glanced in the rear-view mirror. "Summoned straight from the Duat. They'll stop at nothing to find their victims, throw them in the sedan-"
"That what?" Sadie interrupted, her face pale.
"The large box." Bast said, "It's a kind of carriage. The carriers capture you, beat you senseless. They throw you in and carry you back to their master. They never lose their prey, and they never give up."
"But what do they want us for?"
"Trust me." Bast growled, "You don't want to know." she paused, glancing back at them, "Is Percy okay?"
"Uh huh." Percy's voice was muffled, "Don't like crazy driving, be fine."
That made Carter wince. He could remember listening in when Percy had told their mother about why Gabe had hurt her. He tightened his arm around her, as if that could protect her from the bumpy car ride.
Then he paused, a thought striking him. "Bast, if you're a goddess, can't you just snap your fingers and disintegrate those guys? Or wave your hand and teleport us away?"
"Wouldn't that be nice? But my power in this host is limited."
"You mean Muffin?" Sadie asked. "But you're not a cat anymore."
"She's still my host, Sadie, my anchor on this side of the Duat—and a very imperfect one. Percy's order for me to protect you two allowed me to assume human shape, but that alone takes a great deal of power. Besides, even when I'm in a powerful host, Set's magic is stronger than mine."
"Could you please say something I actually understand?" Carter pleaded.
"Carter, we don't have time for a full discussion on gods and hosts and the limits of magic! We have to get you to safety."
Bast floored the accelerator and shot up the middle of the bridge, Carter heard Percy groan and she pressed her face into his chest. The four carriers with the sedan raced after them, blurring the air as they moved, but no cars swerved to avoid them. No one panicked or even looked at them.
"How can people not see them?" Carter asked desperately, "How do they not notice four copper men in skirts running up the bridge with a weird black box?"
Bast shrugged. "Cats can hear many sounds you can't. Some animals see things in the ultraviolet spectrum that are invisible to humans. Magic is similar. Did you notice the mansion when you first arrived?"
"Well...no."
"And you are born to magic," Bast said. "Imagine how hard it would be for a regular mortal."
"Born to- because of our bloodline." Carter asked, "Because we're Blood of the Pharaohs right?"
"Yes, very good. It's good to see that you're starting to understand-"
"Well I'm not!" Sadie blurted out, "I still can't believe you're a goddess. All these years, you've been eating crunchy treats, sleeping on my head—"
"I made a deal with your father," Bast said. "He let me remain in the world as long as I assumed a minor form, a normal housecat, so I could protect and watch over you. It was the least I could do after—" She stopped abruptly.
A horrible thought occurred to Carter when she said that. His stomach fluttered, and it had nothing to do with how fast they were going. "After our mom's death?" he guessed.
Bast stared straight ahead out the windshield.
"That-" Carter hesitated, "That's it, isn't it?" he asked, "Dad and mom did some kind of magic ritual at Cleopatra's Needle. Something went wrong. Our mom died and...and they released you?"
"That's not important right now," Bast said. "The point is I agreed to look after Sadie. And I will."
She was hiding something. That much was painfully obvious but her tone made it clear that the subject was closed.
"If the gods are so powerful and helpful," Carter asked, "Why does the House of Life forbid magicians from summoning you?"
And Percy lifted her head at that- Carter did not like that look on her face, she was still pale, still clinging to him- it wasn't like her- Percy was usually bright and bubbly, brave as anything. "They think the gods are partially responsible for the downfall of Egypt."
Bast swerved into the fast lane. "Magicians are paranoid. It wasn't our fault. Your best hope is to stay with me. We'll get as far away as possible from New York. Then we'll get help and challenge Set."
"What help?" Sadie asked.
Bast raised an eyebrow. "Why, we'll summon more gods, of course."
"We'll what?" Carter yelped, "Are you forgetting that when dad tried to summon Osiris he summoned Set too? This is crazy-"
"Can't be as bad as Set." Percy muttered the words, "And dad thought we needed the gods." she pointed out, "I think Bast is right-"
"Oh this is insane." Sadie breathed out, "We are all certifiably insane, you know that right?"
"I definitely feel like I'm losing my mind." Carter muttered the words- and Percy managed a weak laugh.
"You'll get used to it."
"Or maybe you're just already insane." Sadie twisted in her seat to look back at Carter and Percy, but she went pale, looking behind them instead. "They're still following us-" which made Carter glance back again- sure enough the carriers were only a block behind them weaving around cars and trampling over sidewalk displays of tourist junk.
"We'll buy some time." Bast growled deep in her throat—a sound so low and powerful it made Carter's teeth buzz. She yanked the wheel and swerved right onto East Houston.
He winced as Percy shifted in her seat to look behind them as well.
Just as the carriers turned the corner a horde of cats materialized all around them. Some jumped from windows. Some ran from the sidewalks and alleys. Some crawled from the storm drains. All of them converged on the carriers in a wave of fur and claws- climbing up their copper legs, scratching their backs, clinging to their faces, and weighing down the sedan box. The carriers stumbled, dropping the box. They began blindly swatting at the cats. Two cars swerved to avoid the animals and collided, blocking the entire street, and the carriers went down under the mass of angry felines. We turned onto the FDR Drive, and the scene disappeared from view.
"Nice." Carter breathed the word- before yelping when Percy elbowed him in the stomach as she scrambled to try and get a better view.
"Nice? Nice? That's all you have to say?" She demanded, her mouth dropping open, "That is so cool! Bast I love you so much-"
"It won't hold them for long-" and was it just Carter or did the goddess sound slightly smug at Percy's declaration. "Now, Central Park!"
They ended up ditching the Lexus at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and she ushered them all out of the car, "We'll leave it here children. We'll have to run to the obelisk- it's just behind the museum."
And Bast wasn't kidding when she told them they'd have to run.
Carter had grabbed Percy's hand almost instantly when they'd started running, gripping it so tightly that he was probably kind of hurting her- but there was no way he'd ever let go. Not when they were being hunted down.
Sure Percy had faster reflexes than him- she reacted faster usually and she was very quick- but he was taller, he had longer legs. Over any distance he was well aware that he could outrun her any day. So could Sadie too- they had the natural advantage. And the idea of Percy falling behind on her own wasn't one he'd be willing to
consider. No way.
In any case, even he and Sadie struggled to keep up, which was annoying because Bast wasn't even breaking a sweat. She didn't stop for little things like hot dog stands or parked cars. Anything under ten feet tall she leaped over with ease, leaving them to scramble around the obstacles as best we could.
They ran into the park on the East Drive. As soon as they turned north, the obelisk loomed above them. A little over seventy feet tall, it looked like an exact copy of the needle in London. It was tucked away on a grassy hill, so it actually felt isolated, which is hard to achieve in the centre of New York. There was no one around except a couple of joggers farther down the path. Carter could hear the traffic behind them on Fifth Avenue, but even that seemed far away over the pounding of his heart in his ears.
They skidded to a halt at the obelisk's base. Bast sniffed the air as if smelling for trouble as Carter steadied Percy, who's face was flushed and she was panting,
gripping his arm tightly.
And god but it wasn't until they stopped that Carter realised how cold he was- and Percy and Sadie were probably just as cold as he was. The sun was directly overhead, but the wind ripped right through his borrowed linen clothes.
"I wish I'd grabbed something warmer," he muttered "A wool coat would be nice."
"No, it wouldn't," Bast said, scanning the horizon. "You're dressed for magic."
Sadie shivered. "We have to freeze to be magical?"
"Magicians avoid animal products," Bast said absently. "Fur, leather, wool, any of that. The residual life aura can interfere with spells."
"My boots seem all right," Sadie noted.
"Leather," Bast said with distaste. "You may have a higher tolerance, so a bit of leather won't bother your magic. I don't know. But linen clothing is always best, or cotton—plant material. At any rate, Sadie, I think we're clear for the moment. There's a window of auspicious time starting right now, at eleven thirty, but it won't last long. Get started."
Sadie blinked. "Me? Why me? You're the goddess!"
"I'm not good at portals," Bast said. "Cats are protectors. Just control your emotions. Panic or fear will kill a spell. We have to get out of here before Set summons the other gods to his cause."
"You mean Set's got, like, other evil gods on speed dial?" Carter asked incredulously.
Bast glanced nervously toward the trees. "Evil and good may not be the best way to think of it, Carter. As a magician, you must think about chaos and order. Those
are the two forces that control the universe. Set is all about chaos."
"But what about the other gods Dad released?" He persisted. "Aren't they good guys? Isis, Osiris, Horus, Nephthys—where are they?"
"Oh I might have an idea." that came from Percy, who was eyeing him strangely- but Carter decided against questioning that, for now at least.
"That is a good question Carter- I may have an idea too- but it is one that must wait until we're safe."