Hello, new story here. And yeah, I know there's another story with like, essentially the same name on here, but this is a totally different premise. Anyways, enjoy.
Chapter One: Of Gods and Magic
"Percy! Carter's here!" Sadie yelled from downstairs.
"Coming!" I replied, closing my math notebook. Who was I kidding anyway, I hadn't done a problem in an hour anyways. Why the hell did they have to add letters to math? Shit was confusing enough with just the numbers. I grabbed my jacket and raced downstairs.
"Don't let them in!" Gran yelled. I just rolled my eyes. Ever since mom died, Gran and Gramps had harbored a stupid grudge against dad and Carter.
"Hey Carter," I greeted, stepping in to hug him. I could practically feel Sadie rolling her eyes behind me, but I didn't care. She might be mad at Dad and Carter, but I wasn't. It's not their fault everything went to shit after mom died.
At first, or second, or even third glance, someone might not realize the three of us were siblings. Carter took after Dad, with his dark brown skin complemented by his brown hair and brown eyes. He was a few inches shorter than me, standing at 5' 6". Sadie took after our mom, with pale skin and light blue eyes and long caramel hair. She was the same height as Carter, despite being two years younger than him, something she found infinitely hilarious. As for me…well, I'm not sure where my features come from. I didn't really look like mom or Dad. I was tan, like some kind of surfer, and had sea green eyes and raven black hair. My teachers are usually surprised when they see Sadie's last name on their roster. And they're never pleased. After dealing with me, they're not anxious to have another Kane student. See, I kind of have a reputation. And not the kind you want. I've had so many incidents at school, it's a miracle I'm still allowed within 2 miles of the grounds. I mean, how could I have possibly known the Triton Fountain in Regent Park would burst at the exact moment I pushed Cassie? Or that sharks like tuna salad so much that they'd jump out of the tank to eat it? And what did they expect me to do, just leave it there? If I hadn't gotten it back in its tank it would've died!
Sadie sighed, brushing past us. "Come on then, let's get on with it."
"Play nice Sadie," I chastised, but Sadie ignored me. Suddenly, she stopped.
"Who's that?" Sadie asked. Across the street was Dad and some other dude wearing a trenchcoat and fedora.
"Dunno," Carter replied. "He was there when we pulled up."
"He looks familiar," Sadie said, and I was inclined to agree with her. Something about the man seemed familial, almost. "Come on."
Curiosity piqued, I wasted no time following Sadie as she snuck her way towards Dad and the other man. Carter looked like he was about to protest, but stopped when I grabbed his arm and pulled him along. Sadie was always the adventurous one, sneaking out to hang out with her friends. Gran and Gramps had long since learned to stop yelling at her. Carter muttered something under his breath and Sadie swatted him. I didn't hear him, too busy focusing on Dad and the other man.
"—have to, Amos," Dad was saying. "You know it's the right thing to do."
"No," the other man, Amos, said. "If I don't stop you, Julius, they will. The Per Ankh is shadowing you."
Sadie turned to us, mouthing "Per Ankh?" I just shrugged and Carter shook his head. "Let's get out of here," he insisted. Sadie and I ignored him.
"They don't know my plan," Dad insisted. "By the time they figure it out—"
"And the children?" Amos demanded. "What about them?"
"I've made arrangements to protect them. Besides, if I don't do this, we're all in danger. Now, back off," Dad threatened.
"I can't Julius," Amos said, sounding sad almost.
"Then it's a duel you want?" Dad's tone was serious. "You could never beat me Amos."
I hadn't seen much of Dad since Gran and Gramps took custody of Sadie and I. But I don't remember him being this violent, besides the Great Spatula Incident, and I wasn't anxious to see a repeat of that, but it looked like my Dad and the other guy were gearing up for a fight.
Before I could react, Sadie popped up and shouted, Dad!"
He looked surprised when she tackle-hugged him, but Amos was even more surprised, tripping over his own trench coat. His glasses fell off, and I swear I could see him in my mind's eye. He glanced at Carter then me, his gaze lingering on me as he got up and brushed himself off. He started off, muttering, "I must be going."
Dad watched him go, a hand still inside the workbag he always kept with him. When Amos turned the corner he finally relaxed, he smiled at Sadie. "Hello sweetheart."
"Oh so now it's sweetheart," Sadie grumbled, pushing off him and crossing her arms. "You're late. Again! Visitation Day's nearly over. Who was that, and what the heck is a Per Ankh?"
"It's nothing," Dad said, stiffening. He glanced over at Carter and then me. He smiled when he saw me. "Percy, my boy."
"Hi Dad," I said, hugging him. He ruffled my hair affectionately.
"You've grown," he said.
"You've got white in your goatee," I replied.
Dad laughed as he hailed a taxi. "Funny. Now, I have a wonderful evening planned. Who wants a private tour of the British museum?"
Instantly, the smile died on my face. I climbed into the back seat of the taxi behind Carter so he couldn't see my disappointment. Not that I wasn't excited to hang out with my Dad and brother, but was the British museum the best he could do? What about dinner?
"Really? You get to see us for one day, and you want to go to a musty old museum?" Sadie grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. I elbowed her, but she wouldn't look up. I agreed with her, but did she really have to phrase it like that?
"I know it's not your idea of a good time, but I promise. I will make this right," Dad said, a strange fire in his eye.
"What right? Dad, what are you talking about?" I asked. When he didn't respond, Carter, Sadie and I looked at each other nervously.
"Driver, can you pull over here?" Dad asked, stepping out of the taxi. I looked at Carter for an explanation, but he seemed just as confused as Sadie and I. We climbed out and joined Dad standing on the curb, staring up at Cleopatra's Needle.
"This was it," Dad mumbled. "The last place I saw her."
"Wait, hit the pause," I said. "This is where mom died?"
Mom's death was a touchy subject. Dad didn't talk about it, Gran and Gramps didn't talk about it, pretty much everyone I knew didn't talk about it. Judging by Carter's reaction, Dad hadn't talked to him about it either.
"Dad, you're telling us she died here? What the hell happened?" Sadie protested. Dad lowered his head, clenching his fists. "Dad! I go past here every day, and you're telling me–mom died here? All this time–I didn't know?"
Dad turned to Sadie, a grim smile on his face, brushing her hand behind her ear with a hand. She was so shocked she didn't even push him away.
"You still have your cat?" Dad asked. Sadie nodded mutely. "And your amulet?"
Sadie nodded again, then scowled. "What's a cat or a stupid necklace got to do with this? Gran is always going on about how you caused Mom's death. That's not true…is it?"
Dad sighed and raised his head, releasing a shaky breath. After all this time, were we finally going to learn what really happened to our Mom?
"The night your mother died, here at the Needle," Dad began. "We were on a mission. Your mother, she had–"
Suddenly, a flash of light illuminated two figures standing not twenty feet away. Dad paled, and pushed us into the taxi, clamming up again. I wanted to push for more answers, and by the looks of it so did Sadie and Carter, but Dad's expression was fearful and anxious, not one I was used to seeing on him. Dad was a big guy, and he exuded this aura of confidence about him. When he walked into a room, he demanded attention.
Finally, after a tense ride that felt way too long, we arrived at the museum. We jumped out of the taxi, and Dad tossed a couple stones in the backseat before slamming the door shut and marching up the steps. A man stood at the top by the doors.
"Ah, Dr. Kane, you've arrived! You must be Carter, I've heard much about you. And who are these young ones?" the man asked.
"These are my other children. My oldest, Percy, and youngest, Sadie," Dad said.
The man looked surprised. "Of course. My apologies. Your father is a very intelligent man. He practically revolutionized the world of archaeology."
"We know," Sadie grumbled. Carter shot her a glare, but Sadie ignored him. The man led the four of us into the museum.
"Wow," Dad gasped when we arrived. "This is the real thing?"
"Yes. Most of the time we keep a replica on display, but for you Dr. Kane, this is the real Rosetta Stone," the curator replied.
"Would it be possible for me to see it without the glass?" Dad asked.
The man frowned. "Of course Dr. Kane. Normally I would hesitate to unlock such a precious artifact, but for a man such as yourself I see no issue. I trust you will be careful."
I didn't like the look he was giving to Sadie and I, but Dad nodded. "Of course. This is an ancient relic, a key that could unite ancient Egypt and the modern world. I was foolish to not realize its potential sooner."
The curator looked just as confused as the rest of us. Dad cleared his throat. "Apologies, I just got a little excited. Would you mind grabbing the documents I asked for?"
"Of course, it will only be a moment," the man said, turning towards a door other than the one we entered from.
As soon as the curator left, Dad turned to us. "Kids, I need you to do something for me. Take this and make sure he doesn't leave his office."
Dad was holding a bike chain and padlock.
Sadie perked up. "You want us to lock him in? That's brilliant!"
"Dad, what is going on? We can't just kidnap someone," I protested.
"Percy my boy, please. Trust me on this. I am going to set things right," Dad said.
"What things? What are you talking about?" Carter asked.
"Son, I swear, everything I'm doing is for you, and for the good of us all. I'm sorry for keeping this a secret for so long, but I didn't have a choice. This is what has to be done. I love you. Percy, look after your siblings for me. If this works, I'll explain everything when this is all over. But for now, you have to trust me. Please just do as I say," Dad said.
Sadie, Carter and I shared a look, silently agreeing. "Ok Dad," I said. "We trust you."
Dad smiled relieved at them. "Thank you. And no matter what you see or hear, don't come into this room until I come get you. Understand?"
"Ok Dad," Sadie said, taking the chain.
"I love you guys. Now go!" Dad yelled. We rushed off in the direction of the curator. A minute later, the chains were bound around the door handles, trapping him inside. We waited outside nervously, unsure what to do. Just then, bright lights exploded from the hall where we left Dad.
"Dad!" Sadie yelled. "Come on, we have to go help him."
"No. Dad told us to stay here. We have to trust him," Carter argued.
I was torn. On one hand, I wanted to go help my Dad. Whatever was going on in that room, it didn't sound good. But on the other hand, I didn't want Sadie and Carter to get hurt either. It was my job to watch over them and protect them.
Unfortunately, Sadie didn't give me the chance to decide. She took off down the hall towards the lights. "Sadie!" I called, immediately sprinting after her. Carter hesitated for a moment, but quickly followed as well. When we got to the main exhibit room, a strange sight greeted us. Dad stood in the center of a vortex of glowing hieroglyphs, the wind whipping his hair back and ruffling his clothes. He held a strange, boomerang-looking thing in his hand. When he touched it to the Rosetta Stone, blue lines appeared upon it. Was he writing on it? Dad, the scholar who was fussy about all things old was carving things onto a super old, super important relic? This didn't seem like him.
"What are those symbols?" I whispered. I was referencing the strange blue lights floating in the air around him. There was a glowing blue circle on the floor around Dad too.
Carter frowned. "They look like hieroglyphs."
"Open," Sadie murmured. Carter and I stared at her. Had she just translated the glowing blue markings Dad was writing? Was she secretly some kind of Egypt-to-English translator? I had trouble reading regular English, but she had no issues reading ancient Egyptian? Unfair.
Suddenly, Dad shouted something that sounded like "Woah-seer!" I had no idea what that meant, but Carter seemed to recognize it. "Wo-seer. Osiris."
"Osiris, come," Sadie said, as if in a trance. Suddenly her eyes widened in realization. "Dad! No!"
Dad whirled around and saw us, his eyes widening in fear. "Children, no!"
It was too late. The floor rumbled, and the blue lights turned a searing white. And just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, the Rosetta Stone exploded.
I was flung back against the wall. I groaned, sitting up as I tried to stop the room from spinning. Carter and Sadie were laid out on the floor, unmoving. I crawled over to where they laid and checked to see if they were still alive. They were both unconscious, but breathing. I grabbed them and started dragging them towards one of the statues that had been blown apart. The Rosetta Stone must have exploded so hard it smashed into them and shattered them. I could see fragments of them embedded in the wall. After double checking to make sure neither of them were bleeding, I stood up. "Dad!" I yelled.
I heard a groan from the far side of the room. I saw him on the other side of the room, past waves of creeping fire. He rose shakily to his feet. There was a cut on his head, dripping blood down the side of his face. He locked eyes with me. "Go! Take Carter and Sadie and get out of here!"
I shook my head. "I'm not leaving you!"
A terrible, grating laugh boomed throughout the room. Dad's face paled even further, if that was even possible. "Percy, get out of here! Now!"
"Not without you!" I shouted back, looking around the room to find a way over to my Dad. But it was no use. The flames carved a line in the floor, cutting me off from my Dad. I frowned, wondering why the sprinklers hadn't activated. I looked for them, calling to the water. It responded, bursting forth from the ceiling, raining down on the flames.
"What have we here?" A deep, melodic voice asked. "Julius Kane, you never told me about this boy."
"Begone!" Dad yelled, his voice trembling. "You were not summoned!"
"Tsk, tsk, Julius," the voice responded. It sounded more grounded, less ethereal, more central than before. But unfortunately, it also sounded stronger. "I am never invited. But you opened the door. You must be prepared for guests to walk through."
Vaguely, I saw the outline of a man through the flames. At first I thought it was my imagination, but as I focused on it, it solidified, becoming more real. Dad was facing the strange fiery man, holding his boomerang menacingly.
"Back to the Duat!" Dad commanded. "I have the power of the Great King!"
The fiery man waved his hand, tossing the boomerang aside, causing my Dad to stumble. I called out, but the fiery man ignored me. "Oh, scary. Please, don't embarrass yourself. Even if you knew how to wield his power, which you don't, he was never my equal. I am the strongest. Now, you will share his fate. But first…"
The shadowy fire man turned to me. Dad cried, grabbing his bag and pulling a rod out that immediately grew as tall as he was, and threw it at the man's feet. It transformed into a serpent that lunged at the fiery man. But the man simply caught the snake with one hand, motioning at Dad with the same hand. Dad went flying, slamming against the wall. I cried out stepping forward, but my body suddenly froze. Suddenly, flames shot out of the snake the man was holding's mouth, and the snake turned to ash.
"Percy Kane, was it?" the man asked conversationally. I struggled against the invisible bonds as he walked towards me, water droplets sizzling off his form. I snarled, wanting to pound his burning face in. He laughed. "Feisty one, aren't you?"
"You are interesting," the man said, coming to step in front of me. "My siblings were quick," he continued, glancing at where Carter and Sadie lay. It seemed Carter was slowly regaining consciousness. "Commendable choices. They will make powerful hosts. But they missed the true prize. You."
"What are you talking about?" I snarled, managing to raise my right arm half an inch.
The fiery man laughed. "Yes! Look at that. Untrained and unaware you are still able to resist me. Some fully trained magicians would struggle to replicate what you did. Once we are one, there will be none that could stand against us."
"You will not touch him!" Dad shouted. The fiery man turned to see my Dad lunge at his toolbag, but with a flick of his hand the bag skittered away. Red chains erupted from the ground next to him, wrapping around his arms and legs. Dad struggled, but couldn't break free.
The fiery man laughed again, and I was getting tired of hearing that sound. I took a step forward and pulled my hand back to punch him. It felt like I was walking through molten lead, every movement searing my skin, tearing at my muscles and rattling my bones, but the pain only served to fuel my rage. As the fiery man turned back to me, I punched him in the face with everything I had.
He didn't even flinch. He blinked in surprise, then threw his head back and laughed. "Oh, are you sure today isn't my birthday? Because this is just too good!"
With a flick of his finger, I was thrown back, the invisible bonds tightening around me even harder. It was hard to breathe, it felt like I was breathing sand. My vision faded in and out, black spots dancing in my eyesight. But in the darkness, I could see my Dad. There was some kind of transparent box surrounding him. The chains were gone, and he was pounding on the invisible box. I tried to go to him, but I couldn't even twitch my pinky finger.
The fiery man laughed again. "Goodbye Osiris."
The transparent box took form, blue and golden with jewels embedded in it. An Egyptian sarcophagus. Then the coffin sank into the ground. And Dad was gone.
"NO!" I screamed. I don't know how I got to my feet, but suddenly I was standing with my hands outstretched. The water responded to my rage, smashing into the fiery man and pushing him back a few steps. It exploded against him, toppling whatever statues remained standing and shattering the glass cases. The fire was gone, leaving behind steam and molten granite.
The fiery man grinned at me. "A marvelous display. We're going to have so much fun together."
He advanced on me, easily sidestepping the waves I threw at him. He smacked my hands aside and grabbed me by the chin, lifting me in the air. I grabbed at his arm, but his skin was burning. Like, literally burning. My throat was fine somehow, but my hands were scorched. "Now, where were we?"
A rock smashed into his head and bounced to the floor. "Let go of him!" Carter yelled, his voice shaky. I couldn't see him, but I silently prayed that they'd run.
The fiery man just sighed. "This is growing absurd."
He waved a hand and I heard Carter and Sadie cry out. Fury rose once again and I opened my mouth to yell, but he turned into a cloud of ash and flew down my throat. I gasped, choking. I knelt over, gasping for breath, trying to expel the darkness. My vision faded to black and I fell into a deep sleep.