In which we don't like Vlad.
Replies:
Guest: I mean, it's gonna be fun, I have rough plans in place for stuff like their first meeting and their friendship. They'll undoubtedly be there like 'Oh, you breathed let's have a fight' and everyone would be so confused.
Drizzle: Well there'll be at least one more full KC fic, then probably a minific before it'll go to PJO, and Percy will be twelve when everything really kicks off with the PJO stuff.
Guest: She really is- and I like to picture what they'd be thinking, staring with, why the fuck is this tiny kid the one getting out- and the way it'd slowly devolve into terror.

It didn't take them long to get inside of the Hermitage, that was easy enough. After all, state-of-the-art security didn't protect against magic, and it was easy enough for them to slip into the Duat to get past the security.

Soon enough they were inside- and back in the mortal world and Percy looked around- they'd travelled all the way to the Egyptian room- and Percy looked around with wide eyes. There were sarcophagi in glass cases, hieroglyphic scrolls, statues of gods and pharaohs. It wasn't much different from a hundred other Egyptian collections Percy seen- and truthfully she'd probably seen most of them, but the setting was pretty impressive. A vaulted ceiling soared overhead. The polished marble floor was done in a white-and-gray diamond pattern, which made walking on it kind of like walking on an optical illusion.

Percy looked around, eyes flicking upwards and she pointed, "Sadie." and Sadie nodded, summoning her staff and pointing it at the nearest security camera- the lens cracked and made a sound like a bug zapper- it was easy to make technology fry itself with magic, and Sadie enjoyed doing it just to cause trouble- generally that was when the two girls went out on their own of course, just to avoid the lectures.

Of course the security cameras wouldn't be the only form of surveillance-and a moment later Carter was getting to work, Percy grinned slightly when she saw what he was doing- he'd pulled out a piece of black linen and a set of four crude wax shabati out of his bag. He wrapped the shabti in the cloth and spoke, "I'mun." and a moment later a mass of darkness bloomed from the package, like a squid's ink cloud. It expanded until it covered the four of them in a gauzy bubble of shadows. We could see through it, but hopefully nothing could see in. The cloud would be invisible to anyone outside.

Zia was beaming at Carter, "Very good." she looked impressed- and proud too as she leaned in and pressed her lips to Carter's cheek.

"It's not as good as yours." Carter looked bashful, "But I have a pretty good teacher-"

"Blegh." Sadie's voice was almost teasing, "Can you guys stop with the flirting? Really get a room you two."

"I hate you." Carter poked his tongue out at Sadie- who was about to respond before she paused, her gaze focusing on something across the room, and she drifted towards it, almost as if she was in a trance.

Percy darted after her sister quickly, peering at the item that had caught the older girls attention.

It was a limestone grave marker—a stele—about two feet by three feet. The description next to it was in Russian and English. And honestly, couldn't they all put nice helpful ancient Greek translations as well? Those would be very helpful.

Thankfully she didn't have to spent ten minutes trying to read the annoyingly jumbled letters because a second later Carter and Zia were by her side. "'From the tomb of the scribe Ipi, Worked in the court of King Tut.' Why are you interested…oh." Because the picture on the gravestone showed the deceased scribe honoring Anubis. After talking with Anubis in person, Sadie must've found it strange to see him in a three-thousand-year-old tomb painting, especially when he was pictured with the head of a jackal, wearing a skirt.

There was a moment of awkward quiet before Carter suddenly blurted out, "Walt likes you."

Percy winced, and even Zia pulled a face- honestly even Percy didn't have that bad timing.

Sadie just rolled her eyes, "Carter, you have no idea what you're talking about-"

"Hey!" Carter protested, "I do have a girlfriend I know some things-"

"Yes yes, and we're all very impressed with Zia for putting up with you." Sadie shot back- which earned a laugh from Zia.

"Don't be too mean to your brother Sadie. He does mean well."

"Hey!" Carter protested, "What did I do wrong-"

"You're a boy." Sadie huffed, "Even Percy understands better than you do and she's nine."

"I know you have a crush on Anubis and on Walt and they're both crushing on you back." Percy stated innocently, "I dunno why it's
such a big deal though. They both like you-"

"I've said it before, I'll say it again." Sadie shook her head, "You'll understand when you're older Percy. And Carter, you'll understand never."

"But- I mean Walt's clearly trying and you're not giving him a chance- you're annoyed with him but whatever's going on it's got nothing to do with you."

"Very reassuring, but that's not—"

"Besides, Anubis is a god. You don't honestly think—"

"Carter!" she snapped- and a gold spark whistled and popped out from the cloud that was supposed to be concealing the four magicians-not a good sign.

"Guys!" Percy shook her head, "Stop arguing before you mess up the spell."

"Percy is right." Zia nodded, "Carter, you mean well but you are not helping. Sadie, your brother is an idiot but it's because he cares."

"If Carter would just give me a chance to speak you'd all know that I'm not interested in the stupid stone because of Anubis!"

"...What?" Carter looked stunned at that- even Zia looked slightly surprised.

"Good." Percy said loudly, "C'mon then what's so interesting about it."

"I just want to state- before I say anything else that I'm not going to have an argument with you abot Walt. And contrary to what
you might think, I don't spend every waking hour thinking about boys."

"Just most waking hours?"

She rolled her eyes. "Look at the gravestone, birdbrain. It's got a border around it, like a window frame or—"

"A door," Carter shrugged. "It's a false door. Lots of tombs had those. It was like a symbolic gateway for the dead person's ba, so it
could go back and forth from the Duat. It's nothing special-"

"No-" Zia said quickly, leaning in to look closer, "No, no I believe Sadie may be right.

"This Ipi guy was a scribe- that means magician right? He could have been one of us."

Percy blinked, "Did you just find our doorway in?"

"Oh come on-" Carter shook his head, "There's no way it's going to be this easy the Russians have to have better security and defences than that right?"

"Well, why don't we see." a moment later Sadie had her wand in her hand, and she pressed it to the center of the stele, and she spoke loudly, firmly. "W'peh."

Open. A golden hieroglyph burned on the stone:

The grave marker shot out a beam of light like a movie projector. Suddenly, a full-size doorway shimmered in front of them—a rectangular portal showing the hazy image of another room.

Carter looked at Sadie in amazement. "How did you do that?" he asked. "You've never been able to do that before."

She shrugged as if it were no big deal. "I wasn't thirteen before. Maybe that's it."

"But I'm fourteen!" he protested. "And I still can't do that."

"You each have different strengths Carter, we've been through it. You are a combat specialist, Sadie has a gift for more complex spells and Divine words, and Percy-"

"I'm good at most spells that can help me fight and also at anything and everything to do with water." Percy piped up.

"Okay." Carter nodded slightly, clearly conceding the point, "We all have our own strengths."

"Yeah." Sadie gave Carter a look, "I can't summon up a giant chicken headed warrior-"

"And suddenly I want to stab you."

"Hey! If there's any stabbing I want to be involved." Percy giggled- and the three Kanes were all smiling slightly as the tension eased and Sadie let out a breath.

"Right then." she turned her head to look at Carter, "Well then oh darling brother of ours, after you. You are the one with the sparkly invisibility cloud."

And Carter gave a small nod and stepped through the portal. Zia was right behind him and Percy and Sadie exchanged shrugs before they stepped through too- and Carter had to grab Sadie while Zia caught Percy's elbow to stop them from falling- the The other side of the portal was a mirror hanging five feet off the floor. They'd stepped out onto a fireplace mantel- and both Percy and Sadie had nearly gone off the edge."

"Ta." that came from Sadie, "Someone's been reading way too much Alice Through the Looking Glass."

Percy would have said something, but she was too busy staring in awe at the room they were in- it was a ballroom. It was huge. Coppery geometric designs glittered on the ceiling. The walls were lined with dark green columns and gilded doors. White and gold inlaid marble made a huge octagonal pattern on the floor. With a blazing chandelier above, the golden filigree and green and white polished stone gleamed so brightly, they hurt Percy's eyes.

And then Percy's gaze focused on where the light was coming from. Her breath caught in her throat when she realised it came from a magician casting a spell at the end of the room. His back was turned but it was easy to tell that it was Vlad Menshikov, the man Sadie had told them about. He was a pudgy little man with curly gray hair and a white soon. He stood in a protective circle that pulsed with emerald light. He raised his staff, and the tip burned like a welding torch. To his right, just outside the circle, stood a green vase the size of a grown man. To his left, writhing in glowing chains, was a creature Percy recognized as a demon. It had a hairy humanoid body with purplish skin, but instead of a head, a giant corkscrew sprouted between its shoulders.

"Mercy!" it screamed in a watery, metallic voice that somehow resonated up the screw like it was a massive tuning fork.

Vlad Menshikov kept chanting. The green vase throbbed with light.

Sadie nudged Carter, drawing all of their attention and whispered, "Look."

"Yeah," Carter whispered back. "Some kind of summoning ritual."

"No," she hissed. "Look there."

She pointed to their right. In the corner of the room, twenty feet from the fireplace mantel, was an old-fashioned mahogany desk.
Sadie had told them about Anubis's instructions: They were supposed to find Menshikov's desk. The next section of the Book of Ra would be in the middle drawer. Could that really be the desk? It seemed too easy. As quietly as they could, the four magicians climbed off the mantel and crept along the wall.

They were about halfway to the desk when Vlad Menshikov finished his chant. He slammed his staff against the floor, and it stuck there straight up, the tip still burning at a million degrees. He turned his head slightly, and I caught the glint of his white sunglasses.
He rummaged in his coat pockets while the big green vase glowed and the demon screamed in his chains.

"Don't fuss, Death-to-Corks," Menshikov chided. His voice was even rougher than Sadie had described—like a heavy smoker talking through the blades of a fan. "You know I need a sacrifice to summon such a major god. It's nothing personal."

Sadie frowned at them and mouthed, Major god? And Zia's eyes were narrowed- she looked furious.

She'd come to terms with working with the gods- but Percy knew that she still felt torn at times- and it had hurt her to have to
betray everything she'd believed in. So knowing that Menshikov was doing this in secret with no punishment- it had to sting- and Carter seemed to sense that because he silently reached out and squeezed her hand tightly, which earned him a grateful look from her.

And Percy had to admit, it was disturbing to watch anyway.

"Hurts!" the poor demon wailed. "Served you for fifty years, master. Please!"

"Now, now," Menshikov said without a trace of sympathy. "I have to use execration. Only the most painful form of banishment will generate enough energy."

From his suit coat pocket, Menshikov pulled a regular corkscrew and a shard of pottery covered with red hieroglyphics.

He held up both items and began to chant again: "I name you Death-to-Corks, Servant of Vladimir, He Who Turns in the Night."

As the demon's names were spoken, the magical chains steamed and tightened around his body. Menshikov held the corkscrew over the flame of his staff. The demon thrashed and wailed. As the smaller corkscrew turned red hot, the demon's body began to smoke.

And Percy felt sick watching it- she knew all about sympathetic magic. Her dad had taught her a long time ago.

The idea was to make something small affect something large by binding them together. The more alike the items were—like the corkscrew and the demon—the easier they were to bind. Voodoo dolls worked on the same theory.

But execration was serious stuff. It meant destroying a creature utterly—erasing its physical form and even its name from existence.
It took some serious magic to pull off that kind of spell. If done wrong, it could destroy the caster. But if done right, most victims didn't stand a chance. Regular mortals, magicians, ghosts, even demons could be wiped off the face of the earth. Execration might not destroy major powers like gods, but it would still be like detonating a nuclear bomb in their face. They'd be blasted so deep into the Duat, they might never come back.

The very idea of it was terrifying.

And Percy felt Sadie's hand slipping into her own and she shot Sadie a tight, shaky smile, not for the first time incredibly grateful for her big sister.