Sorry guys I'm totally evil.

Aria

I can't remember the fall. All I remember was the darkness. I realized it wasn't just around me. I was lost in the dark. So alone, home, that's where I wished to be, home. I heard the wind and smelled the ocean. Home. That's what my home was like.

I opened my eyes and immediately wished I hadn't. Standing over me were at least a dozen assorted monsters. An oddly familiar figure came forth, the figure (Who I still couldn't recognize) raised a sword over my chest. I registered that in an instant and shrieked, rolling out of the way as the blade struck the ground. I winced as pain went up my spine. That small movement had caused that an eruption of pain. Lamia. I jumped back as the monster struck again. Falling over and rolling backwards onto the dark sand bank of the river of fire. The monsters cheered and snarled as Lamia slowly walked towards me.

I knew that this crowd would soon realize that I was weak and injured. Then they would strike, and I would die.

Lamia snarled. "I prefer younger meat, but, I am hungry demigod, you will do fine."

My bracelet suddenly felt warm, the bracelet that had the charm of the ankh.

Lamia raised her sword. "Tonight! I will feast!"

I closed my eyes and she brought her sword down in a deadly arc.

...

Sadie

I was a little shocked when Aria suddenly disappeared. Carter just stared at the place she'd been in shock.

"What just happened?' He asked.

I shook my head helplessly. "I don't know." I said. "Come on. Let's ask our goddess."

...

Carter

Long story short: It took forever and was totally boring, unless your idea of fun is watching cows graze.

We left New Orleans about 1 a.m. on December twenty-eighth, the day before Set planned to destroy the world. Bast had "borrowed" an RV—a FEMA leftover from Hurricane Katrina. At first Bast suggested taking a plane, but after I told her about my dream of the magicians on the exploding flight, we agreed planes might not be a good idea. The sky goddess Nut had promised us safe air travel as far as Memphis, but I didn't want to press our luck the closer we got to Set. I hadn't really wanted to leave without Aria but we had to get to Phoenix.

"Set is not our only problem," Bast said. "If your vision is correct, the magicians are closing in on us. And not just any magicians—Desjardins himself."

"And Zia," Sadie put in, just to annoy me.

In the end, we decided it was safer to drive, even though it was slower. With luck, we'd make Phoenix just in time to challenge Set. As for the House of Life, all we could do was hope to avoid them while we did our job. Maybe once we dealt with Set, the magicians would decide we were cool. Maybe...

Sadie on the other hand seemed so distant you might think she'd been turned to stone.

I kept thinking about Desjardins, wondering if he really could be a host for Set. A day ago, it had made perfect sense. Desjardins wanted to crush the Kane family. He'd hated our dad, and he hated us. He'd probably been waiting for decades, even centuries, for Iskandar to die, so he could become Chief Lector. Power, anger, arrogance, ambition: Desjardins had it all. If Set was looking for a soulmate, literally, he couldn't do much better. And if Set could start a war between the gods and magicians by controlling the Chief Lector, the only winner would be the forces of chaos. Besides, Desjardins was an easy guy to hate. Somebody had sabotaged Amos's house and alerted Set that Amos was coming.

But the way Desjardins saved all those people on the plane—that just didn't seem like something the Lord of Evil would do.

Bast and Khufu took turns driving while Sadie and I dozed off and on. I didn't know baboons could drive recreational vehicles, but Khufu did okay. When I woke up around dawn, he was navigating through early morning rush hour in Houston, baring his fangs and barking a lot, and none of the other drivers seemed to notice anything out of the ordinary.

For breakfast, Sadie, Bast, and I sat in the RV's kitchen while the cabinets banged open and the dishes clinked and miles and miles of nothing went by outside. Bast had snagged us some snacks and drinks (and Friskies, of course) from a New Orleans all-night convenience store before we left, but nobody seemed very hungry. I could tell Bast was anxious. She'd already shredded most of the RV's upholstery, and was now using the kitchen table as a scratching post.

As for Sadie, she kept opening and closing her hand, staring at the feather of truth as if it were a phone she wished would ring. Ever since her disappearance in the Hall of Judgment, she'd been acting all distant and quiet. Not that I'm complaining, but it wasn't like her.

"What happened with Anubis?" I asked her for the millionth time.

She glared at me, ready to bite my head off. Then she apparently decided I wasn't worth the effort. She fixed her eyes on the glowing feather that hovered over her palm.

"We talked," she said carefully. "He asked me some questions."

"What kind of questions?"

"Carter, don't ask. Please."

Please? Okay, that really wasn't like Sadie.

I looked at Bast, but she wasn't any help. She was slowly gouging the Formica to bits with her claws.

"What's wrong?" I asked her.

She kept her eyes on the table. "In the Land of the Dead, I abandoned you. Again."

"Anubis startled you," I said. "It's no big deal."

I gave up and shook my head then turned to Bast. "You know what happened to Aria don't you?"

She nodded. "Aria is not of our world she was needed somewhere else."

Aria: I'm really tired of dying.

Me: Sorry

Aria: Whatever

So guys for those of you that don't know Lamia is a woman from Greek mythology. She had seven kids "I think" But I think Hera killed all but one. But any way not important. Once her children had been slain she went insane and devoured their bodies, becoming a demon, She spread like a plague across Greece Devouring the children of everyone she could find. Tada! Enjoy your next meal.