Percy in this chapter: Ugh, romance is gross- especially when it's Carter and Sadie.
Also Percy in this chapter: FIGHT TIME? PLEASE? :D
Replies:
Undeath9087: When does it ever not? And Percy's kinda ansty at this point- she's been deprived of the chance to fight! For shame.
Ryan Fowler: Yeah that tracks, nothing is ever easy.
Guest: Yeah, but to be fair it's natural for Sadie to feel bad- Percy is her baby sister and even knowing that she's a demigod doesn't make it any less hard to accept that she doesn't need protecting or that she should be the one being looked after- and a part of Percy does love the fact that they care so much.
Percy had wondered where they'd go- they'd need to use a portal to get to Russia- which meant that they needed some kind of artefact, something that they could use to draw on the power to open a portal. The problem was that the British Museum was the obvious place after after the chaos with Babi and Nekhbet the House of Life was sure to know that they were in town- which for obvious reasons wouldn't be good.
And honestly, Percy was kind of glad that they couldn't go there. Just thinking of the British Museum brought back painful memories of Christmas eve- of how scared and lost she'd felt, how much pressure she'd been under to try and protect Carter and Sadie.
So yeah, she didn't want to go back there anyway, and she was glad that they were driving in the wrong direction- though she was curious as they drove through unfamiliar neighbourhoods until they reached a big park on their left; misty green fields, tree-lined paths, and a few ruined walls like aqueducts, covered in vines. The land sloped upward to a hilltop with a radio tower.
Bes jumped the curb and drove straight over the grass, knocking down a sign that said keep to the path. The evening was gray and rainy, so there weren't many people around. A couple of joggers on the nearby path didn't even look at them, as if they saw Mercedes limos four-wheeling across the park every day.
"Where are we going?" Carter leaned forward slightly
"Watch and learn, kid," Bes said, and he drove up the hill. Close to the top was stone staircase maybe thirty feet wide, built into the hillside. It seemed to lead nowhere. Bes slammed on the brakes and we swerved to a stop. The hill was higher than Percy had realized. Spread out below them was the whole of London.
Then Percy shifted her gaze to focus on the staircase. Two sphinxes made of weathered stone lay on either side of the stairs, watching over the city. Each was about ten feet long with the typical lion's body and pharaoh's head, but they seemed totally out of place in a London park.
"Those aren't real." Carter said slowly, "They can't be."
"The fact that they're not from Egypt does not matter." Zia spoke up, "Bes was smart to bring us here- they're still links to Egypt. They will work Carter."
"Really." Carter blinked, "I didn't- I thought it was only actual artifacts."
"Picky, picky," Bes said. "These are the stairs to the Crystal Palace. Big glass-and-steel exhibit hall the size of a cathedral used to sit right here on this hill."
Sadie frowned. "I read about that in school. Queen Victoria had a party there or something."
"A party or something?" Bes grunted. "It was the Grand Exhibition in 1851. Showcase of British Imperial might, et cetera. They had good candied apples."
"Oooh. Percy grinned, "That sounds kinda nice."
Bes nodded. "They were. Anyway the palace burned down in the 1930s, thanks to some stupid magicians—but that's another story. All that's left now are a few relics, like these stairs and the sphinxes."
"But-" Walt leaned forward- and that was a surprise- he'd been silent during the journey and he'd been casting mournful looks at Sadie through most of the drive, "How does that work? If they're not really Egyptian how can they open a portal."
Bes gave him a toothy grin. "Depends on what you mean by really Egyptian, kid. Every great empire is a wannabe Egypt. Having Egyptian stuff around makes them feel important. That's why you've got 'new' Egyptian artefacts in Rome, Paris, London—you name it. That obelisk in Washington—"
"Don't mention that one, please," Sadie pulled a face, and Percy did too- that had not been a good memory.
"Anyway," Bes continued, "these are still Egyptian sphinxes. They were built to play up the connection between the British Empire and the Egyptian Empire. So yeah, they can channel magic. Especially if I'm driving. And now…" He looked at Walt. "It's probably time for you to get out."
"What?" Percy blinked, "Why does Walt have to get out?"
"Yeah?" Sadie straightened up slightly, "Why can't Walt come with us? He's a magician, he can help."
Bes's expression turned serious. "Walt, you haven't told them?"
"Told us what?" Sadie demanded.
Walt clutched his amulets, as if there might be one that would help him avoid this conversation. "It's nothing. Really. It's just…I should help out at Brooklyn House. And Jaz thought—"
He faltered, probably realizing that he shouldn't have brought up her name.
"Yes?" Sadie's tone was dangerously calm. "What did Jaz think?"
And Percy elbowed Sadie at that- Jaz was really nice.
"I- Sadie-" Walt looked torn, "Please don't be mad it's just- she's been helping me with something"
"Wonderful." Sadie glared at him, "So you should go back to her, go on. Anubis said we should hurry."
"Sadie-" Percy hissed, "Don't be mean." because Walt looked like Sadie had just kicked him in the chest. Which sucked because Walt was really nice. He'd let Percy pester him with questions when he'd been making one of his amulets- it wasn't a field of magic which she was good in so she'd had a lot of questions but he'd be nothing but patient with her.
"Shut up." Sadie gave Percy a dirty look as Walt shook his head.
"It's not that I want to go back." his voice was almost pleading, and he was clearly struggling, trying to find a way to explain without giving away whatever it was that he'd been hiding.
"But you can't go with us," Bes said firmly. I thought I heard concern in his voice, even pity. "Go on, kid. It's fine."
Walt fished something out of his pocket. "Sadie, about your birthday…you, um, probably don't want any more presents. It's not a magic knife, but I made this for you." He poured a gold necklace into her hand. It had a small Egyptian symbol:
"That's the basketball hoop on Ra's head," Carter blurted out.
Walt and Sadie both frowned at Carter, and Zia groaned, holding her head in her hands- but Carter just couldn't stop himself. "I mean it's the symbol that surrounds Ra's sun crown," I said. "A never-ending loop, the symbol of eternity, right?"
Sadie looked stunned, her eyes flicking down to the necklace in her hand, "Eternity?" her voice was very soft, and Percy shifted quickly, reaching up and pressing a hand over Carter's mouth- which made his eyes narrow as he glared at her- and Zia pressed a hand over her own mouth to stop herself from laughing as Walt took a deep breath.
"Yeah," he said, "um, it's called shen. I just thought, you know, you're looking for Ra. And good things, important things, should be eternal. So maybe it'll bring you luck. I meant to give it to you this morning, but…I kind of lost my nerve."
Sadie stared the talisman glittering in her palm. "Walt, I don't—I mean, thank you, but—"
"Just remember I didn't want to leave," he said. "If you need help, I'll be there for you." He glanced at me and corrected himself: "I mean all of you, of course."
"But now," Bes said, "you need to go."
"Happy birthday, Sadie," Walt said. "And good luck."
He got out of the car and trudged down the hill. They watched until he was just a tiny figure in the gloom. Then he vanished into the woods.
"Two farewell gifts," Sadie muttered, "from two gorgeous guys. I hate my life."
"Two guys who both have crushes on you." Percy rolled her eyes, "Must be so bad. I'm nine and I know that it's meant to be a good thing when the guys you like like you back. Though- you're my sister and it's gross." she lowered her hand from Carter's mouth as Zia gave a wry smile.
"It can be more complicated than that Percy. You may understand when you get older."
"Hmph." Percy crossed her arms, "Well if I'm ever like that then feel free to turn me into a donkey for the day so I stop being an ass when I turn back." that earned a laugh from Carter, who shook his head.
"I promise Percy." he focused on Sadie then, "Are you okay?"
"I- yes." Sadie took a deep breath and nodded as she carefully latched the gold necklace around her throat, fingers pressing softly against the shen symbol.
"Poor kid." Bes was gazing towards the trees where Walt had disappeared "Poor kid. Born unusual, it's not fair."
"What do you mean?" Carter asked, a frown on his lips, "Why were you so anxious for Walt to leave? You know what's going on with him don't you?"
The dwarf rubbed his scraggly beard. "Not my place to explain. Right now we've got work to do. The more time we give Menshikov to prepare his defenses, the harder this is going to get."
And something about the tone of his voice made it clear that he wasn't going to say anything else on the subject. And Zia nodded.
"I am sure that Walt will tell you what is wrong with him when he's ready." she gave Sadie a small smile, "Boys can be most foolish at times-"
"Hey that's not fair I'm not foolish-"
"You're cute when you're in denial Carter." Zia gave him an almost teasing smile.
"Ugh." Percy pulled a face, leaning forward, "Bes, can we go to Russia now. Before they start-" she shuddered, "Kissing. It's gross."
"I can't believe we're going to Russia by driving up an empty staircase." Sadie shook her head.
"That's exactly what we're doing. Bes floored the accelerator. The Mercedes churned grass and mud and barreled up the stairs, and for a moment Percy was scared they'd go nowhere, but at the last second, a portal of swirling sand opened in front of them. The wheels left the ground, and the black limousine flew headlong into the vortex.
They slammed into pavement on the other side, scattering a group of surprised teenagers. Sadie groaned and pried her head off the headrest.
"Can't we go anywhere gently?" she asked.
Bes hit the wipers and scraped the sand off our windshield. Outside it was dark and snowy. Eighteenth-century stone buildings lined a frozen river lit with streetlamps. Beyond the river glowed more fairy-tale buildings: golden church domes, white palaces, and ornate mansions painted Easter-egg green and blue. Percy might have believed we'd traveled back in time three hundred years—except for the cars, the electric lights, and of course the teenagers with body
piercings, dyed hair, and black leather clothes screaming at them in Russian and pounding on the hood of the Mercedes because we'd almost run them over.
"They can see us?" Sadie asked.
"Russians," Bes said with a kind of grudging admiration. "Very superstitious people. They tend to see magic for what it is. We'll have to be careful here."
"You've been here before?" Carter asked.
Bes gave them a 'duh' look, then pointed to either side of the car. They'd landed between two stone sphinxes standing on pedestals. They looked like a lot of sphinxes Percy had seen—with crowned human heads on lion bodies—but she'd never seen sphinxes covered in snow.
"Are those authentic?" Carter asked.
"Farthest-north Egyptian artifacts in the world," Bes said. "Pillaged from Thebes and brought up here to decorate Russia's new imperial city, St. Petersburg.
Like I said, every new empire wants a piece of Egypt."
The kids outside were still shouting and banging on the car. One smashed a bottle against the windshield.
"Um," Sadie said, "should we move?"
"Nah," Bes said. "Russian kids always hang out by the sphinxes. Been doing it for hundreds of years."
"But it's like midnight here," Carter said. "And it's snowing."
"Well they're probably used to it." Percy pointed out logically, and she ducked under Zia's lunge for her- the older girl really did know her well- and she pushed the car door open, knocking one of the teens over and scrambling out, kicking the door shut again behind her. After all, she'd been itching for a good butt kicking since Nekhbet had shown up.