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''I'll say it before and i'll say it again. This is madness!''Carter yelled,sitting on the sofa and crossing his arms. At least he isn't eroding the floor now.
''Before,you said that this is crazy.''Sadie commented. She was sitting next to me,looking as beautiful as ever. Annabeth was next to Carter silently watching all of us. Her stormy grey eyes used to unnerve me,even after so many years of fighting side by side with her. Now,they just looked scared and confused,darting around the room like she was looking for a way to escape.
''Before,that was everyday Kane life. This...this plan,is pure madness!''Carter exclaimed,twirling his finger around his head.
''We have no choice.''I said.''Do you not realize the seriousness of the situation? Set has become the god of chaos and time! And the only way to fight an evil god...is with another evil god.''
Annabeth raised her hand.''Annabeth,this is free speech. You don't need to raise your hand.''. She blushed and lowered it.''When you say 'evil god',do you mean someone like Ares?''
''It would be tempting to throw Ares at Set and watch,but we need a more powerful god,a more older god...the god of chaos itself. Apophis.''I narrowed my eyes. The statue of Thoth seemed cold and regal now,like a commander that knows he has only one option left...to fight.
The air in the room seemed to lower by ten degrees. Carter glanced around the room nervously and Sadie was looking at the ground. Annabeth merely stared at them.''You guys okay?''She asked. Nobody seemed to notice her.
''Percy,this plan...it's crazy! How are you going to convince the god of chaos to fight for us?''Carter challenged. ''Simple,''I retorted. ''Apophis is the god of chaos,right? So we trick it into fighting Set. The amount of chaos caused by that battle will be too much for that snake to resist.''
''That sounds as probable as Sadie successfully creating a shabti.''Carter muttered. Sadie blushed.''My shabti are excellent!''She protested.
''Remember that shabti you made that looked like a flower pot?''Carter asked. Sadie sighed and nodded slightly.
''Can you make me one?''Annabeth asked excitedly. We all looked at her.''Sorry,continue please.''
''Besides,how are we going to even summon Apophis? You know we execrated his shadow!''Carter said.
''What does execration do to a shadow and it's owner exactly?''My mind was whirring,thinking of a crazy,mad,genius plan. Annabeth approved.
''Execration is a kind of magic that uses a small representation of a target to completely erase the target. But it can only banish gods to the Duat for a period of time. Last week, Setne told us how to perform a shadow execration,which basically means destroying the sheut of an entity. The sheut stands for our influence on earth,and if it's destroyed,the being it belongs to should be destroyed.''Carter glanced at me,as if to say 'So how can you do it?' .
''And you said you execrated Apophis's shadow?''I asked. Sadie nodded grimly. ''Can't we like,reboot the sheut or something?''I was running out of ideas.
''Percy,the sheut is considered to be a back-up of an entity. I don't think there is a back-up for a back-up.''Annabeth said. Carter glanced at her with renewed admiration.''I just happened to pick up a book on Egyptian souls,and i took a peek.''She blushed.
Wonderful,Percy. You've been here for 2 weeks and Annabeth already knows more than you in a day. I forced myself to focus. ''Carter...you said the sheut was part of the Egyptian soul,right?''Carter nodded.
''Annabeth...the Fields of Punishment is the final resting place for souls who have done evil,right?''She nodded,but quickly realized what i was thinking.''Percy,that's a long shot! You know how hard it is to reach it!''
Carter and Sadie looked confused.''Hold on! I need a recap!''Carter said,making a time out sign with his hands.
''The Fields of Punishment are exactly what they are named. That place is a final stop for souls who have done evil! And judging by how evil Apophis is,he is sure to be there...if he is there.''Annabeth explained.
''He has to be there!''I exclaimed.''I just know it!''.Carted scratched his chin thoughtfully.''Alright,let's say he is there. How do we get there?''He asked.
''We have to reach the Underworld.'' Annabeth said,as if it was just a stroll in the park.
''And how do you propose we do that?''Carter challenged. Annabeth just winked at him.''I read your archives,and i found out that you can create portals to other locations. Am i right?''
Carter looked shocked.''Are you sure you're Percy's girlfriend?''He demanded. Annabeth just looked away.''I don't know what to think anymore.''
Sadie was now lying on my shoulder. I gently nudged her. She yawned and woke up,mumbling ''I'm awake! I'm awake!''.
''Sadie,you can create portals to anywhere right?''I asked. She nodded and said ''Well,yeah...''
''Great! Could you create a portal to the Underworld?''I asked.''Well,i've never tried,but I think I can do it!''She stood up. So did I,and Annabeth. Carter was still sitting down.
''It's a crazy idea...but a brilliant one.''Carter mumbled.''Let's go with brilliant. Sadie,if you would please.''I said.
Sadie shook her head.''I need an object that represents Ancient Egypt.''. I pointed to Carter and asked ''We have a living example of one.''
''Hey!''Carter protested,but Sadie just giggled.''Hey,how about the statue?''I pointed to Thoth.
''Worth a shot.''Sadie stood in front of the statue and began to chant. A swirling vortex of sand began to appear in front of the statue. It grew until it was as wide as me,then stopped. Sadie turned around with beads of sweat on her face.''Let's go!''She said,before diving into the portal. Annabeth jumped in after her,then Carter,then me lastly.
We were standing in a giant field. All around me,spirits were walking around aimlessly. Some were chatting with each other,but most of them just stared blankly at us.''Sadie,we're in the fields of Asphodel!''I complained.''Sorry!''
''Doesn't matter.''We all turned to Carter. He raised a finger and pointed in front of him.''He's here.''
When they said Apophis was big,i thought he was the size of a 3-story house,max. He was bigger than that by a mile.
His head was the size of a bulldozer. The purple scales running along its body made it look like it could repel a nuclear explosion. The thing snaked along the ground,carving it out as it continued to devour the spirits. They didn't seem to mind or care that they were going to be eaten.
I pulled out Riptide,feeling more relieved that i had something to defend myself. The thing radiated pure evil,and i felt like my life was being rewinded before my eyes.
''Well,we got it. How do we capture it?''Annabeth asked,pulling out her dagger. The snake was still destroying the field,swallowing more spirits,all the while growing bigger and bigger. It stopped and sniffed the air,as if it has sensed an intrusion to its new domain. The snake turned round on us,settling its eyes on me.
''Guys? Plan of action? Idea? Contingency plan? Anything?''I was trembling now. Not even Kronos was as terrifying as this. Then again,Kronos did only possess Luke.
The snake hissed,and rushed towards us.''Percy!Distract it!''Carter commanded. I rolled over to the side as the snake opened its gaping jaws and swallowed the ground whole where i just stood. I raised Riptide and threw it at the snake. The blade bounced of it's hide,and it only seemed to annoy the beast.
''Well,i got it's attention.''I mumbled. The serpent hissed and tried to swallow me. I dodged it and jumped onto its head.
''Guys,i can't hold on much longer!''I yelled,trying to find a foothold as the giant serpent tossed and turned. In the corner of my eyes,i spotted Carter and Sadie placing down a small clay figure of a snake.
Annabeth raised her dagger. As the snaked writhed in fury,Annabeth jumped on its tail,grabbing on for dear life.
''Annabeth! The dagger!''I yelled to her. She nodded and threw the dagger at me. I caught it and pierced it in between the serpent's eyes.
It roared and jerked its head up,throwing me off. I landed on the ground,on my back. The snake turned around and opened its gaping maw,ready to swallow me whole. But before it could do so,a ring of hieroglyphs began to circle around the snake's head. The hieroglyphs began to circle the snake,and created a blue forcefield around it. Try as it might,the snake couldn't break through the shield. Even so,the ground shook with every attempt.
Carter rushed forward,brandishing the statue. The snake started squirming and writhing,as if it knew that it was in trouble. Carter stretched his arm back and threw it at the snake. It passed through the forcefield,and hit the serpent's head.
Suddenly,the statue glowed,and started to suck in the snake. It literally looked like the serpent was being squeezed into a small bottle. It tried to escape,but the statue consumed the serpent quickly. The miniature snake fell to the ground,with a faint red glow now surrounding it.
''That was close.''I breathed out. Annabeth nodded,breathless. Sadie took out a glove and picked up the statue with it. She placed it in her bag.
''Percy,you saw the destructive power of Apophis just now.''Carter said. He didn't need to. The whole field was upturned and flat,as if a giant worm had made the field its playground. The spirits walked around aimlessly,tripping over the dirt piles left by the serpent's wake. Some of them fell into the giant hole,frowning slightly like they missed their daily cup of tea.
''How can we possibly control it?''Carter demanded.''Having one major god of evil is enough as it is.I don't want to face another one,let alone use it!''
''Would you be satisfied if we used it as a last resort only?''Annabeth asked. Carter studied that notion.''Very well. If,and only if,we are out of options...we will wake Apophis.''Carter seemed happy with that decision.
Sadie unslung her bag and dropped it on the floor.''So how do we get back now?''She asked. Oh no...
''I knew we forgot something!''Sadie exclaimed. ''Well done Sherlock,''Annabeth said,folding her arms.''How do we get back?''
''What is this atrocity standing before my eyes?!''We all turned around,and saw a tall muscular man. He was wearing a black cloak and hood,and every now and then i noticed spirits trying to escape from the cloak,as if they were used as fabric. He was wielding a sword of stygian iron that radiated pure energy. I knew at once that was the sword of Hades,and there was only one owner.
''Well?''Hades boomed. Annabeth quickly bowed to him,and the others followed pursuit.''My lord,we have volunteered to capture the giant snake that has been destroying the fields of Asphodel.''She quickly nudged me.
''Um,yes! We have successfully caught it! We hope it didn't cause too much of a disturbance.''I lowered my head more.
Hades stared at us with his cold,intense eyes.''About time,''He muttered.''That thing has been destroying my Fields of Punishment to the point that i had to send it to the fields of Asphodel.''He grabbed my shoulder.''You did well. Now choose your reward!''He exclaimed,extending his hand,and diamonds started flying from the ground,landing on his palm.
''Um...we would like to go back to Brooklyn House please.''I began,but he silenced me.''Not to worry about that! Travel costs are inclusive! I was talking about your girl problem.''He whispered,gesturing to Sadie and Annabeth.
''You kidnapped your wife.''I said,before I quickly lowered my head. Saying such things to gods could turn you into a daisy,or worse. Luckily,Hades didn't seem to mind. He started to scratch his chin.
''Percy,i've loved Persephone ever since i remember. Even when Zeus demanded that I return her,I pleaded her to eat 6 pomegranate seeds so she could visit me for 6 months. I guess what i'm trying to say is,don't give up on your one true love.''
''...Thanks?''. I didn't see how that advice could help in my situation,but i preferred to be completely human after our trip to the underworld.
Hades nodded thoughtfully.''One more word of advice,Percy.''He beckoned me closer. I leaned forward slightly,and he whispered ''Watch out for Carter Kane. That boy is destined to either kill you...or save you.''
''That reminds me way too much about the prophecy of the big three.''I said. Hades gave me a hearty laugh.''You continue to amuse me more and more,Percy Jackson. Begone now!''He took some seeds from his cloak and threw it on the ground. Suddenly,vines started to sprout from the seeds,engulfing us whole. The last thing i saw was the wave of Hades as he watched us being swallowed alive by vines.
We burst through the ground of the 1st floor,cutting through the snake skin rug and landed on the ground. I landed on the sofa.
''No fair Percy,you landed on the sofa!''Sadie complained,grabbing her bag from the floor. The initiates all burst through the library,battle ready.
''What's going on!''Walt demanded,stepping forward. He took one look at Annabeth and stared at her,wide eyed. It was funny,watching Annabeth ask Walt if he was okay and Walt trying to back off,muttering ''It's okay! I'm fine!''.
''Alright,everyone gather round.''Carter said. All the initiates circled around him,with Walt and Annabeth standing together. They didn't seem to mind or notice. ''We just came back from the Underworld,collecting what we need for our plan B.''
''Wait a minute,plan B?''I asked. Carter smiled.''Of course. That was just a plan B. I thought that it was a last-resort idea,so i came up with a plan A.''He looked at me pitifully,as if his plan was a million times better than mine. He's starting to get on my nerves.
''If it's so great,why didn't you tell us this before we went to the underworld?''Annabeth challenged. Carter sprung away from her.''I...thought of it during the battle! Yeah,that's right!''He said,wiping some sweat away from his brows. Annabeth smiled,like she had succeeded in her goal.
''Alright,listen up everyone.''Everyone huddled closer to Carter. I noticed that Walt and Annabeth were huddling closer to each other.
''Here's what we do...''