Hey guys, I hope you enjoy this chapter, in which Percy does really want to kick some butt, but also- what if she hurts Sadie's grandparents? She might not like them but Sadie still loves them- so yeah, while Percy could probably do a lot better, she's just like 'FUCK! I can't hurt the old people!'
Replies:
Guest: Well she was younger when she thought he was scary, now she's just like 'eh, I fought Set himself' and by the time Kronos comes along, well, Apophis is, I believe, more powerful than him, so I mean, consider that.
"I don't think I want to leave." the hag's voice was mocking, "After all dear, she is the blood of the pharaohs, after all—perfect hosts for the gods. Don't make me strain myself, though. Your grandmother's heart isn't what it used to be Sadie Kane."
"Percy-" Sadie's voice was horrified, "Percy you can't hurt her-" and Percy felt like she'd been slapped because Sadie wasn't wrong. Percy would have to be careful or her sisters grandmother would possibly end up dead.
"Oh this sucks." Percy grumbled the words, gritting her teeth, "What do I do then Sadie?"
"I-" Sadie swallowed hard, "Leave her alone. We won't tell you again get out of her!" And Sadie's voice wasn't as confident as it usually was- it was shaking.
"Oh I can't do that Sadie Kane. You see, some of us doubt your strength."
"Some of who—the gods?"
Her face rippled, momentarily changing into a horrible bird's head, bald and scaly pink with a long sharp beak. Then she morphed back into the grinning hag.
"I don't bother the strong, Sadie Kane. In the old days, I even protected the pharaoh if he proved himself worthy. But the weak… Ah, once they fall under the shadow of my wings, I never let them go. I wait for them to die. I wait to feed. And I think, my dear, that you two will be my next meal."
"Good luck." Percy gritted her teeth, "'Cause I'm not letting you hurt my big sister." Her eyes narrowed, "Who even are you." she felt like she should know- it was just hard to focus on that while she was trying to figure out a way to save Sadie's grandmother. Usually she was good at remembering the stuff she'd been taught by their dad but it wasn't always easy- and then Sadie gasped, a victorious noise.
"I know you!" she said quickly, "You're the vulture goddess. Oh what was it- Neckbutt?" and Percy let out a choked laugh despite herself- though at least she now knew the identity of the goddess too. Though she doubted that she'd like being called Neckbutt- though she deserved it as far as Percy was concerned, coming here and laying a trap for them like this. It was just plain rude.
"Nekhbet!" The goddess snarled the name, her eyes narrowing, "It's Nekhbet!"
"But you're supposed to be a good goddess!" Sadie blurted out, "Why are you doing this?"
The goddess spread her arms. They turned into wings—black, matted plumage buzzing with flies and smelling of death. "Vultures are very good, Sadie Kane.
We remove the sickly and weak. We circle them until they die, then feed on their carcasses, cleaning the world of their stench. You, on the other hand, would bring back Ra, that wizened old carcass of a sun god. You would place a weak pharaoh on the throne of the gods. It goes against nature! Only the strong should live. The dead should be eaten."
Her breath smelled like roadkill, and Percy pulled a face, scrunching her nose up. "What makes you so sure he can't be brought back to his whole glory?"
"You'll never do it." Nekhbet sneered. "I will kill you two first. I will start with you little Percy Kane, the abominat-"
"Okay." Suddenly Sadie's voice was sharp and Percy almost yelped when Sadie yanked her backwards, forcing her behind her. "That's going too far. You're going to get out of my gran now. And then if you're a good vulture I'll buy you some breath mints."
And Sadie probably shouldn't have said that because the goddess looked beyond angry at that and she lunged towards the two girls.
Sadie dove towards the couch and Percy dropped and rolled in the other direction, thrusting her hand into the duat again to retrieve her staff as her sister scrambled over the couch, tipping it in the process as Nekhbet swept a bunch of china off the sideboard.
"You will both die!" Nekhbet shrieked the words, "I will pick clean your bones and then the other gods will see that you Kanes were not worthy!"
As Percy lurched to her feet, Staff in one hand and blade in the other she saw that Sadie was sprawled on the ground, Nekhbet looming over her, wings spread wide- and was it just Percy or were the shadows much thicker and more intimidating than they should be?
"Sadie!" and whatever brief trance Sadie had been in it couldn't have been that strong because Sadie snapped out of it, pushing herself up on her elbows.
"Nice try." Sadie's voice was sharp, "But I'm not going to lay down and die. Especially not in front of Percy. She'd never let me live it down."
"I wouldn't." Percy said quickly- she wanted to toss Sadie her staff- she knew that the other girl would struggle to use her magic without a staff, but if she threw it the chances were that Nekhbet would catch it which was the last thing that Percy wanted.
"Your sister's present changes nothing, once I'm done with you I'll eat her too. Neither of you can hurt me without hurting your dear old grandmother."
And that really was the crux of the issue wasn't it? Because if it wasn't Sadie's grandmother Percy would already be attacking the vulture goddess- but- no matter what happened between them Sadie loved her grandparents and she wasn't willing to risk killing them and hurting Sadie like that. No way. So she was kind of stuck- she was amazing at the fighting, always had been always wood be. But she had no clue how to fix this.
"What are you going to do? Just stay there watching us?" Sadie demanded, slowly crawling back towards Percy- and Percy was inching her way towards Sadie too- they'd stand a better chance sticking together after all. "Like I said. I'm not going to lay down and die and the only thing stopping Percy from whooping your ass is the fact that she doesn't want to hurt my grandparents because that'd hurt me. But what do you think will happen if you actually try and hurt me? You think she'll keep holding back then?"
"Perhaps it might take some time dear- but as I told you I am patient." the goddess glanced between Sadie and Percy, "I don't fear some Greekling-"
"Maybe you should." Percy focused- and she could sense the water in the house- running through the pipes, in the ground, in the walls- she didn't want to destroy the house but if it came down to it then she'd be willing to do whatever it took.
"You don't have the nerve little halfling." the goddess scoffed, "You won't hurt the old woman. And in any case, she's not the only one in danger. What about Sadie's little mortal friends, they'll be here soon. What are their names, Liz and Emma?"
"Leave them out of this!" Sadie scrambled to her feet quickly, fingers curling into fists.
"They'll make lovely appetizers. And you haven't even said hello to dear old Gramps yet?"
"Where is he?" Sadie was almost shaking with fury as Nekhbet glanced at the ceiling.
"Oh, he'll be along shortly. We vultures like to follow a nice big predator around, you know, and wait for it to do the killing."
From upstairs came a muffled crash—as if a large piece of furniture had been thrown out a window. "No! No-o-o-o!" Then the voice changed into the roar of a mad animal. "NOOOOOOAHHH!"
Percy felt her face lose color at that. That was the last thing they needed, another person trying to kill them who Percy couldn't fight properly.
"W-what-" Sadie looked like she was going to be sick."
"Yes," Nekhbet said. "Babi is waking." and oh but that was bad, so very very very bad.
"B-bobby? You've got a god named Bobby?"
"B-A-B-I," the vulture goddess snarled. "You really are quite dense, aren't you, dear?"
"Babi's the god of baboons." Percy's mouth suddenly felt very dry, "And no he's not nice like Khufu."
"Oh." Sadie grimaced "Not good then." and it really wasn't, the ceiling plaster above them was cracking under the weight of heavy footsteps. Something was tromping toward the stairwell
"Babi will take good care of you," Nehkbet promised. "And there will be plenty left over for me."
Percy met Sadie's eyes, and while neither of them spoke their thoughts out loud they both knew what each other were thinking. If they couldn't fight without hurting Sadie's grandparents then they had to get away- without their targets hopefully their enemies would return to the Duat. It was the best chance- especially since Percy wasn't great at any bindings more powerful than Tas- Zia had tried to teach her the Seven Ribbons of Hathor but Percy couldn't get the hang of it- and Sadie was good but she hadn't quite perfected that one either- besides the chances of catching them both with the spell were slim- and even if they caught one of them they'd still have to deal with the other one.
"TAS!" Percy screamed the word, pointing the staff at Nekhbet, who let out a shriek of fury, ropes suddenly wrapping tightly around her, binding her arms to her side as Sadie bolted towards Percy, catching the staff as the younger girl tossed it towards her.
And then Sadie was grabbing Percy's hand and they were rushing towards the door, and Percy didn't even falter. "W'peh!" and the door shot open as the girls burst outside into the cool air, Percy almost tripping down the steps, though she stopped herself and turned it into a sort of skipping jump, and all the time Sadie's grip on Percy's hand as they reached the bottom of the path, and they sprinted across the street, Percy's heart pounding as they was a loud noise from behind them.
Percy knew she shouldn't look back-it would just slow them down- but hey, she'd never claimed not to be curious- and when she glanced backwards she saw that the door- which Sadie must have kicked shut behind them had been forced open again- utterly destroyed- and a figure was emerging from the ruins and dust that was far too big to be Sadie's grandfather.
"Oh no."
"Run!" Sadie's grip tightened even more if that was possible as they fled down the street and swung around the corner- they ploughed straight into two girls who Percy didn't recognise- but Sadie clearly did because her eyes widened in surprise.
The first girl was around the same height as Sadie, she was wearing oversized glittery glasses, she had spikey hair, darker skin and she was wearing a black leather miniskirt, a fuzzy pink jumper, and ridiculous platform shoes that she could barely walk in. Percy was willing to admit that it looked both ridiculous and awesome at the same time.
The other girl was pale, with long red hair and freckles-and she was dressed much more sensibly, in jeans and trainers, with a white top and a denim jacket.
So they had to be Sadie's friends- Liz and Emma- the more practically dressed girl let out a startled yelp, dropping a wrapped package in her surprise, "Sadie! What's wrong and who-"
"No time!" Sadie yelped, "Come on!"
"Nice to see you too- that was the one with the cooler outfit "Where are you rushing off-" and Percy could hear Babi bellowing from behind them- he was gaining on them.
"Explain later." Sadie gasped, "Unless you'd like to be ripped apart by a god named Bobby come with us!"
"It's Babi-"
"You say that as if I care!" And Percy let herself be dragged along by Sadie- and the other girls followed them, clearly they were smart enough to realise that whatever was going on it wasn't good. Even if crazy glasses girl gasped;
"Sadie is this one of your jokes?"
"It's not joke Emma- keep running- and for the gods sake lose those shoes!"
"Do you know how much these cost?" Emma looked appalled at the suggestion.
"Honestly Sadie-" the girl who had to be Liz spoke up, "Where are you dragging us- and who's the kid-"
"Introductions can wait!" Sadie gasped the words- and Percy heard the god roaring and she glanced back again- and she felt a rush of fear.
Babi was the size of a grizzly bear. He had glittering silver fur, fangs like scimitars, and a look of bloodlust in his eyes. The baboon ravaging Canary Wharf looked like he would eat anything, not just foods ending with an -o like Khufu did, and would have no difficulty ripping them limb from limb.
And while usually Percy would be more than willing to turn around and attack the god she really, really couldn't risk hurting Sadie's gramps.
She scowled, glancing at Sadie again even as they ran- and she hated the pain in her sisters eyes.
One thing was sure, if Percy ever got the chance she'd make Babi and Nekhbet pay for hurting her sister.