-Carter Kane-

Emily Dasher had decided to meet up with some old bandmates to officially give the news. I asked if I could come with her. I've never met these people, and Amos never really talked about them.

Emily hesitated a moment at the door. "I suppose you can join me. I'll catch you up on what they've been told as we go."

Amos had no contact with any of them since Dad had unleashed the Demon Days in London. Emily, giving off the impression of being a close friend of Amos' had been the one to pass along information to the rest of their group. They never questioned it, since she was the one to introduce my uncle to them originally.

They were told that Dad had died in an accident in the museum that was work-related. That Amos had to skip out on a gig they had two nights after to travel and get affairs in order. They had to dismiss further events after, telling Emily to send their condolences and that they hoped things would settle enough to hang out at least. And never questioned the fact that Amos hadn't seen them since, only sometimes asking for updates from Emily and to send their hellos through.

I'm processing the fact that these people seem to care enough, and were left out of the fact that their friend was dealing with Egyptian Gods, one making his life hell. A battle that bled into a war. Being put in a leadership position that I'm still unsure he had really wanted in the first place but put a brave face on anyway. I'm uncomfortable with the fact that they will be lied to again in the form of an update that Uncle Amos is no longer with us.

Emily holds the door of the café she had parked at for me gesturing I go in. I sigh and walk in, finding the place busy for a Saturday afternoon. Emily holds the door for a customer to walk out with eight cups of coffee with a grateful thanks in response before she walks in behind me. "I'll order, the guys should be in the far right."

I clear my throat but make my way past the counter towards the back of the building. Immediately feel awkward as I look around at the booths and tables, sometimes receiving a stare in response. I hear my name called out from the very back booth, and a tall man in a suit waving me over.

Cautiously approaching, I take note there are four men enjoying coffee and peering up at me. "Hell, he does look like his father." The oldest voices immediately.

"Dasher ordering?" The one that waved at me asks.

"Yeah," I hesitate to answer while another makes room to gesture me to sit to his left. "Sorry, I don't think we ever met?"

"You were really young kid, like nine or ten? Your dad turned up at the bar we were playing at." The one that had waved me further gestures for me to sit, which I finally cave. "Names Ben, alto. This is Chris, drums. Daniel, trumpet, and Will is trombone."

It takes me a second to recognize the introductions included their instruments. Amos, tenor. The guys offer hands to shake with, and I make sure to shake each one in respect.

"Emily told us that your uncle passed away two weeks ago. Died peacefully in his sleep?" Will, the oldest asks.

Emily had told me the story she had told them as she was driving here. I sigh and nod. "Heart attack is what we were told."

"He was young too, that sucks," Daniel adds.

"It's all that stress catching up," Chris responds. "It's not good for anyone."

"Oh please, kid had a silver spoon in his mouth compared to any of us," Will grumbles.

"That was our silver spooned kid though," Ben defends quickly. "Managing an operation as big as your family's business and becoming a guardian on top of that is rough. I bet it hasn't been very easy on any of you."

I give a grim smile before nodding to the implied question. "I've had to adjust to staying put for longer than a week. Sadie has been missing friends in London since the move."

Ben nods in understanding, his gaze taking me in while Daniel decides to start off by telling me what they do for work outside of their band. Will is employed with a grocery store as their produce manager. Daniel is a bank teller, Chris owns a record shop, and Ben is a firefighter.

"I just saw Amos with one of his employees at the bar downtown," Chris adds. "Dude was not aging well for nearing forty. Pretty sure he had more grey on his head than you do Will."

"Dyed, I'm sure," Will snorts. "And what's this? He had time for an employee but not enough to call any of us?"

"He said they were celebrating record sales since being accused of associating with terrorism."

"People still believe that Julius tried to bomb the museum?" Ben huffs at the thought before drinking some of his coffee. "The police report ended up saying it was a gas leak for Christ's sake."

"Ben, you know people don't read these days," Emily pipes in, handing me a warm coffee before sitting next to him. "You guys introduce yourselves before bringing up his dad?"

"I might be an asshole, Dasher, but we wouldn't do that to a kid that didn't know us yet," Will smirks in her direction after saying as much. "Kid, you continuing the family business or selling it?"

"I intend to keep running it," I answer, hoping that will be the end of that line of questioning because I don't know enough about the fake business just yet.

Daniel nods, "Hey, at least you're two years older than your uncle was. Seventeen is too damn young to be handed that kind of responsibility. And honestly, if you ever feel it's too much, don't let it kill you and sell it, kid. Life is too short to spend it on running yourself into the dirt every day."

That's not going to happen, since the Twenty-First Nome is parked right on top of the warehouse. But I nod anyway without getting into any of it with them. Emily, thankfully, goes about asking them to update what has been going on for them personally.

Will finally paid off his house, apparently having had help from Uncle Amos in the past as he was facing foreclosure years ago and refusing to take any kind of offer from the older man. Chris married last year and he and Daniel found a new band to play with since this group had stopped. Ben's oldest daughter just graduated med school. When they turn the question on Emily, she answers that she's busy with work, apparently her front is one of an insurance agent.

"Do you two still play?" I ask Ben and Will.

"Nah, I retired from the gig scene," Will answers easily. "Don't have the same energy as I used to." The group jokes with him about being sixty now.

Ben finishes his coffee before smiling in my direction. "I was offered to join their new group, but it wasn't going to be the same as it was. What's an Alto without his Tenor anyway?"

"You have any interest in playing?" Chris asks me now. "We're still looking for an alto."

"Oh no," I explain I'm more like my father and more interested in Egypt's history and probably won't have the ability to pick up and play an instrument.

"I read one of your father's books years ago, was an interesting read," Daniel adds. "I have to respect a family dedicated to their ancestry."

We spent two hours in the café before anyone realized the time. "We should do this again, for old times' sake. I don't want to hear about Will being found dead next before we do." Chris teases, earning himself a playful punch to the shoulder from the trombone player.

Chris and Daniel say their goodbyes, shaking hands with me again. Will proceeds to offer me money now that they are gone. "I know you don't need it, but I'd like to still pay your brat of an uncle back."

"Sounds like it was a gift he gave you," I respond, to the older man's disappointment.

He sighs as if annoyed. "You have a good head on your shoulders, kid. Hit me up if that ever changes." He says his goodbyes to the others now.

"He means that," Ben adds. "Amos might have had a silver spoon, but he was very giving to the community. If you need anything, even just an ear to chew on, you should call me." He scribbles his phone number down on a napkin to hand me.

I hesitate to take the napkin from him, knowing I will never call this person although he truly means well. He says his farewell to Emily before leaving. Emily sighs before standing, grabbing both of our empty cups to dispose of. "You okay?" She asks as I finally stand from the booth.

I nod and follow her out to her car. The car ride back to the mansion is quiet between us except for the piano pieces playing over the speakers. "They're nice people," I finally say my opinion of finally meeting them.

"Yeah, they're great," Emily smiles. "It's nice to take a step back from all of the Per Ankh stuff and just pretend to be normal for a night, you know?"

"Despite the lies?" I ask, actually interested in how they could keep lying to these people.

"Yeah," Emily hesitates as she faces me for a second. "You of all people should know how suffocating the Per Ankh is. The level of politics around everything anyone does is a lot. It's just nice to see faces that just want to hang out with you rather than be worried they might stab you in the back."

Fair, I guess. I go to distract myself by watching New York through the side window. I can't help but still think about how there's a group of people who have no concept of the true lives two of their friends have. But how does one even explain everything in a packed coffee shop about the politics between Egypt and Rome still being messy?

"When I first met your uncle, I thought he was all about dedicating himself to the Per Ankh. Was kind of ridiculous to me that someone would be like that." Emily brakes the car at a red light. "Well, up until my studying in Cairo was over and stepped into the Kane Mansion for the first time. I was quick to pick up that it was honestly all he knew."

"He wasn't happy with me about dragging him out to meet the guys. Was kind of the shy kid, considering I threw him into territory he wasn't accustomed to. But the guys welcomed him all the same, and he warmed up rather quickly. I remember him asking me if that's what a normal life was like."

The light switched, and I peered over at the woman continuing to drive. "Is that what he wanted?"

This has been a question that has bothered me for a while now. Considering what Dad told me about their relationship with their father, and how upset he was explaining he never wanted me to feel like I had to have his approval. Dad had walked away from the Per Ankh and started new with Mom to try and live normal lives. Did Uncle Amos ever consider doing the same? Yet, I couldn't bring myself to ask, feeling it might be too invasive.

Emily sighs, sounding as if she's unsure if she should answer or not. "I'm sure he thought about it a time or two. Especially after everything the three of you put up with from the Per Ankh? But I think he was too loyal to Chief Lector Iskandar to get very far with it."

Dad already told me. Amos had always had a plan to try and better the Per Ankh in some way and would have his older brother roll his eyes in response to the matter. Dad of course liked the ideas, but just suspected him to be more of an idealist. Uncle Amos as Chief Lector might have been something they would have celebrated if it wasn't for the chaos overlooking it all.

"Thanks for letting me come with."

Emily takes a second to face me before returning her eyes to the road. "Of course, Carter. I know you're still grieving."

"I'll be fine, I just need answers first."

There's silence until she parks in front of the warehouse. She peers at me, seeming upset now. "I'm looking to leave tonight. I wanted to see the group before I do so because I'm planning to go back to Nome hopping."

"Oh," I take a moment to process this is her telling me she is leaving the Twenty-First Nome. "Any reason for that?"

"I'm not a fighter, Carter. And I know enough about the Per Ankh to know to pack up my things and get as far from the fighting as I can." She hesitates a bit. "I miss Amos too, but I don't think violence is the answer. I know you've decided it is for you, and I understand your stance. I'm not going to try to stop you on the matter."

"I'd love to still attend your wedding if you don't find my decision too offensive."

I'm taken aback by the ask and the hurt in her voice. "Yeah of course you can still attend."

She nods in understanding, "Thank you." She opens the door and closes it before I can respond.

I sigh, processing the thanks is for allowing her to leave. I watch her enter the Nome before I decide to get out of the car. Taking in a breath of fresh air, I make my way into the mansion too.

Immediately, I have Walt pull me into the library, a shaken-up Jaz sitting on a table with Cleo trying to calm her. "What is going on?" I ask, approaching Jaz to see if she's injured.

"Jaz just came back from shopping so she could test some new spells," Walt explains first.

"It happened," Jaz tells me directly after taking a sip of water.

I raise an eyebrow at that. "What?"

"The warning. It happened just like Sadie said it would. Carter, you have to halt this battle on Camp Jupiter. At least until we can find Anat."

I review things from the past month, but Anat is not a name I've heard anyone say recently. "Wait, did Sadie see something else but not tell me? Who is Anat?"

"Oh, I know this! She's a Canaan deity," Cleo starts. "I can go grab the books."

"If you would?" Cleo immediately leaves to search for the information on her. "What was the warning?"

"Anat will kill everyone in her way. Carter, Astarte warns she will destroy everything you've been working towards. We need to find her first, you need to halt your plans to fight Camp Jupiter." Jaz's expression seems desperate as I'm processing what she's saying.

I sigh in annoyance on the matter. "I don't know enough about this Anat person to consider pausing my need for answers, Jaz."

"Carter, she will wreak havoc on everyone, Egyptian and Roman. Her sister says she's never stopped in the past, and she won't now."

I'm not sure how that's a bad thing at this point. Jaz seems slightly defeated as if she could read it on my expression. "I doubt your uncle would have wanted this."

I cross my arms over my chest to that as Jaz hops off the table now. "Are you suggesting I ignore Rome potentially having a hand in my uncle's death?"

"I am," Jaz snaps, anger blazing in her gaze. "How are you any better than Jacobi?"

I open my mouth to try and protest but watch Walt and Jaz leave the library instead. I inhale and shut my mouth, turning on my heels to see Cleo approaching with a scroll for me. Laying it across the table, I find it only mentions Anat and Astarte as daughters of Ra, consorts of Set. I rub my right hand over my face in frustration. Again, why should I stop her?

I roll it up and hand it back to Cleo to put it back where she had it. "I couldn't find the book that talks about them in Canaan, but I could have sworn it was here."

"That's okay Cleo. I'm going to spend some time wrapping things up for now. If you do find it though-"

"I'll make sure it's put in your hands," Cleo finishes the thought for me.

I nod and leave the library. Closing the door to my room, I take a moment to exhale, leaning against the door. "I'm sure it's been a stressful few days."

I jump in alarm but take a moment to process it's Bast sitting cross-legged on my bed, reading through the papers I had set all on the desk before I had left earlier. She lifts her gaze, eyeing me as I sink to the floor now to calm myself. "Sorry, I needed to know what Khufu handed you. Seemed like him passing the stacks of paper tipped you over the edge lately." She sets the papers on the bed.

I roll my eyes at that in annoyance. "You mean the realization that I was just dreaming for a whole month? Having the leopard cape in my hands put me back into reality, Bast."

She sighs and crosses her arms over her chest now as I peer up at her from the floor. "I'm sorry Tom Cat. You know we all support you in your grief, especially concerning your uncle's passing. I know you're hurting. You're the oldest Kane now, and Pharaoh. The support beam that your uncle was for you was torn away, and you're wondering how you're supposed to stay upright without him."

I sigh as the sharp pain in my chest is back again. "How am I supposed to know what I'm doing is the right thing? He's not here to support any more."

It doesn't matter that there are several initiates here that are above supportive. Bast being a goddess doesn't mean as much either. Horus hasn't been around lately, and even then not sure it would be close to the same impact.

Uncle Amos was supportive right when Dad died. He hadn't been able to replace Dad entirely, but he took on a lot of the weight with no complaints aimed at Sadie and me for it. He was backing Sadie and I up the whole way through dealing with the giant chaos snake trying to swallow Ra, despite the many life-threatening fights included.

The option to walk away and side with everyone else was always available to him. He could have been Set's right hand and watched the world get destroyed in the process. He could have stayed with the Per Ankh, could have fought Sadie and I just as much as Desjardins. Could have just handed the Chief Lector cape over to Jacobi rather than carry the weight of it. Could have decided enough was enough, leave the Per Ankh and try to start fresh like Dad had attempted and have a normal life for once.

The stupid leopard cape is probably just a sign of who is in charge of the Per Ankh. But it hanging off the back of my desk chair meant more than that to me. But I know I'm just grasping for anything to help comfort me for him not being here. Help me ignore the fact that he isn't here anymore.

The bed creaks, and not soon after a hand rests on my left shoulder, Bast decides to sit on the floor in front of me to try and comfort me, but I can tell she's not sure how to go about it. Can't say I blame her there. So there's silence between us for a good two minutes. Maybe she thought I would say something. Spill my feelings over the past month to her. Maybe hoped I would finally cry in front of someone. But that didn't happen either.

"Your uncle supported you and your sister; he knew you two would always do what you think is right. He saw for himself, remember?"

I finally face her, and she is doing her best to be uplifting. "You were both thrown into a world you knew nothing about. Yet you still survived Set. Showed mercy to an enemy that wronged you. You both showed the Per Ankh that there was more than one way to deal with a situation. You showed Amos that it wasn't just a silly fantasy anymore."

"You've accomplished more than any living magician has – even me, even Michel Desjardins. Trust your instincts. If I were a betting man, my money would be on you and your sister every time."

Pep talk of a lifetime, which was quickly followed by my asking who the second-most powerful magician of the Per Ankh was out of worry. Sadie still brings it up every so often to be annoying. In my defense, Uncle Amos isn't very forthcoming when it comes to matters he thinks he can handle.

"Am I in the wrong?" I finally ask, and Bast is confused for a second before I continue. "Everyone seems against the idea of threatening war with the Romans. I just want answers, and they're not exactly answering back any time I reach out."

Bast's exhale tells me that's also a tough question to ask. "It's always good to hope the best of people. However, time has shown me multiple times that is not always the case. You are allowed your need for answers, Carter, no matter what you feel is required of you to get them."

She hung out for another five minutes before dismissing herself out the window. I sigh and get up to put the papers back on the desk as they were before, taking note that my uncle's draft of a will was on top of the stack. I quickly turn away from it in fear of getting emotional all over again, eyes landing on the scrying bowl. That's when I remembered what I was going to do before Bast interrupted.

I am not fond of the idea of annoying my sister. She's in London being with family and friends, the last thing I want to do is remind her of things she's hopefully trying to get over. However, Sadie wasn't entirely truthful with her vision and neglected to tell me there was more than just Uncle Amos confronting a possible god.

So yeah, I wasn't impressed when I realized she was not in London at all. And not with Gamps and Gran either, considering I see Vika Menshikov on the boat with her. Three ghosts I've never seen either, I'm over the edge at this point by the time I let Sadie know I see her. "I see you're enjoying your Spring Break, Sadie."

She jumped, facing me with a look on her face as she was processing that I knew she had lied. "Carter, let me-"

"No, I think I know," I snap. "You're off doing something you know I'd be against and lying to my face to cover your tracks. Vika, I see you, you lied about being in Cairo clearly. And what's with the party of dead people on the boat accompanying you?"

The Russian grumbles something about needing a cigar before walking away from the scrying. Sadie is annoyed now. "I did, but I needed to know where Uncle Amos went."

"So, you went to Camp Jupiter?" My eyes narrow as a warning.

"Was going to, yeah. Vika stopped me from actually stepping foot in there," Sadie's voice is rising as she processes my expression.

"Come back to New York, you know it's not safe there. Vika, you should too, we need to talk about your position after this."

"No," Sadie's response was so immediate, that I was slightly stunned by her stance. "We're getting answers, unlike you Carter. I'm not running back to the mansion just because you want to play protective older brother. And Vika shouldn't have her position threatened for this either."

"I don't need you standing for me, Sadie," Menshikov speaks, earning a worried look from my sister now.

"You've been lying to me, Sadie," I bring her attention back to me quickly. "You didn't tell me there was a warning about a goddess in your vision too."

Sadie's eyes widen, "Astarte and Anat?"

My Chief Architect tenses to their names, but I'm more focused on getting my sister to come back home. "You didn't tell me about this vision until two months ago, right before Amos was planning times to visit Camp Jupiter. Why didn't you tell me when it happened a year ago?"

"Because he told me not to," Sadie snaps. "He asked me to keep it between us, that's why. And I regret it, that's why I'm trying to find him, damn it."

"It's been a month, it's pretty obvious what happened." My little sister is still glaring at me, so I go to finish my point. "The Romans killed our uncle. Come back home, it's not safe."

'Sorry Carter, I'm not done out here yet. I'll explain when I come back." Sadie then dismissed the scrying before I could respond.