A/N Ok, I was asked if my health is good or not. For those concerned ones, I should say thank you. I am totally fine. I just didn't write an update last week because I thought that maybe I am writing and updating too fast. Please tell me if you are unable to follow me through.
As if you can follow please provide your ideas and reviews on the chapter. I love them all and they provide me with new ideas. There was a person Thunderwolf7226 who gave me some of the ideas I will use in future chapters. I think you guys will like it. So I want more reviews and more of your thought. Please send them.
Chapter 15: Breakfast with a Crocodile Part 1
Drew's pov.
I have to say these bonding reading sessions are so boring. I mean seriously, had it not been the handsome brother of Sadie, I would have left this place last night. And had it not that cough bitchy cough Zia, Carter would have already been mine. And these stupid reading sessions would have come to an end. After all who wishes for a bad relationship with his girlfriend's family?
Heck, even Percy acts as an obedient one in front of Lady Athena. Not that he and Annabeth are having a good relationship. What with Annabeth's- am-the-smartest attitude. Like mother, Like Daughter. And I think the wars have taken troll on them. Being a daughter of Aphrodite, I can guess that this relationship is more Percy than Annabeth. And truthfully, unlike Mom, I am no fan of Percabeth.
Ok back to the topic, sorry I kind of got lost with all the sad feelings coming from Percy, Lord Osiris read.
Chapter 6. Breakfast with a Crocodile
"You have a Crocodile?" " Yep, Albino , Philip of Macadonia." "Cool !"
HOW TO DESCRIBE IT? Not a nightmare. It was much more real and frightening.
As I slept, I felt myself go weightless. I drifted up, turned, and saw my own sleeping form below.
" Did you just die? How is that possible ?" Annabeth looked astonished. " Well, I think it is given in the book."
I'm dying, I thought. But that wasn't it, either. I wasn't a ghost. I had a new shimmering golden form with wings instead of arms. I was some kind of bird. [No, Sadie, not a chicken. Will you let me tell the story, please?]
" That's weird. I never heard of someone becoming a chicken in his sleep. Maybe in his dreams but never in his sleep." Thalia looked amused.
I knew I wasn't dreaming, because I don't dream in color. I certainly don't dream in all five senses. The room smelled faintly of jasmine.
" You smelled Jazz," Sadie asked Carter amusement dancing in her eyes. Carter blushed while Zia looked annoyed. I also couldn't help but feel jealous of this Jazz. " No Sadie, Jasmine is a flower. Mom's perfume smelled like Jasmine." Carter responded, smiling at Ruby.
Ruby looked tearful. " Hah! That wimp is a mommy's boy. Who even remembers his mother's scent? Bah!" Lord Ares snorted. Percy blushed. " Holy Hera! Percy Jackson likes to memorialize his mother's scent. " The seven looked astonished. Even Annabeth looked a bit sad and exchanged looks with Zia.
I could hear the carbonation bubbles pinging in the can of ginger ale I'd opened on my nightstand. I could feel a cold wind ruffling through my feathers, and I realized the windows were open. I didn't want to leave, but a strong current pulled me out of the room like a leaf in a storm.
The lights of the mansion faded below me. The skyline of New York blurred and disappeared. I shot through the mist and darkness, strange voices whispering all around me. My stomach tingled as it had earlier that night on Amos's barge. Then the mist cleared, and I was in a different place.
"That sounds suspiciously like the boat ride," Reyna commented.
I floated above a barren mountain. Far below, a grid of city lights stretched across the valley floor. Definitely not New York. It was nighttime, but I could tell I was in the desert. The wind was so dry, the skin on my face was like paper.
" Is the place somewhere in the Sonoran desert? " Annabeth asked but no one answered as everyone was too busy with the story.
And I know that doesn't make sense, but my face felt like my normal face, as if that part of me hadn't transformed into a bird. [Fine, Sadie. Call me the Carter-headed chicken. Happy?]
That made everyone smile. " Leave it to Sadie to crack a joke even in the most serious situations," Nico said with a smile. Yeah, Sadie is a clown!
Below me on a ridge stood two figures. They didn't seem to notice me, and I realized I wasn't glowing anymore. In fact, I was pretty much invisible, floating in the darkness. I couldn't make out the two figures clearly, except to recognize that they weren't human. Staring harder, I could see that one was short, squat, and hairless, with slimy skin that glistened in the starlight—like an amphibian standing on its hind legs.
"Ewww." Mother wrinkled her nose. Which seemed right as that did sound ugly. " Demons." Carter shrugged his powerful shoulders. " Well, at least we have one thing in common. Ugly monsters and demons." Percy replied with a laugh. Dammit, their bromance is so hot.
The other was tall and scarecrow skinny, with rooster claws instead of feet. I couldn't see his face very well, but it looked red and moist and...well, let's just say I was glad I couldn't see it better.
" You got kidnapped by demons in your sleep. " Lacy asked worried. Zia sends her a keep-your-hands-away-from-my-boyfriend-or-else look her way. Not so long, sweety.
"Where is he?" the Toadie-looking one croaked nervously.
"Hasn't taken a permanent host yet," the rooster-footed guy chided. "He can only appear for a short time."
"You're sure this is the place?"
"Yes, fool! He'll be here as soon—"
A fiery form appeared on the ridge. The two creatures fell to the ground, groveling in the dirt, and I prayed like crazy that I really was invisible.
Everyone shifted forward to know more about this newcomer.
"My lord!" the toad said.
Even in the dark, the newcomer was hard to see—just the silhouette of a man outlined in flames.
"What do they call this place?" the man asked. And as soon as he spoke, I knew for sure he was the guy who'd attacked my dad at the British Museum.
"Of course, Lord Set is the god of chaos so demons would be his minions!" Annabeth threw her hands in the air with a look that said why didn't I think about that?
All the fear I'd felt at the museum came rushing back, paralyzing me. I remembered trying to pick up that stupid rock to throw, but I hadn't been able to do even that. I'd completely failed my dad.
" No, you didn't, son." Julius looked fondly at his son.
"My lord," Rooster Foot said. "The mountain is called Camelback. The city is called Phoenix."
" Told you! Hah, Phoenix is a city in the Sonoran desert." " No one contradicted you, Annabeth."I rolled my eyes at her. She huffed and turned away
The fiery man laughed—a booming sound like thunder. "Phoenix. How appropriate! And the desert so much like home. All it needs now is to be scoured of life. The desert should be a sterile place, don't you think?"
" That sounds appalling," Hazel commented.
"Oh yes, my lord," the Toadie agreed. "But what of the other four?"
"One is already entombed," the fiery man said. "The second is weak. She will be easily manipulated. That leaves only two. And they will be dealt with soon enough."
" Whom are you talking about?" " My idiotic family!" Lord Set rolled his eyes. We looked confused.
"Er...how?" the Toadie asked.
The fiery man glowed brighter. "You are an inquisitive little tadpole, aren't you?" He pointed at the toad and the poor creature's skin began to steam.
"No!" the Toadie begged. "No-o-o-o!"
I could hardly watch. I don't want to describe it. But if you've heard what happens when cruel kids pour salt on snails, you'll have a pretty good idea of what happened to the toadie. Soon there was nothing left.
" This will be the first time I am saying this but I pity that monster." Grover said then he turned towards Lord Set and stated " And you require to control your temper. Seriously, it is worst than Lord Ares. But it comes third after Lord Poseidon and Percy."
Rooster Foot took a nervous step back. I couldn't blame him.
"We will build my temple here," the fiery man said, as if nothing had happened. "This mountain shall serve as my place of worship. When it is complete, I will summon the greatest storm ever known. I will cleanse everything. Everything."
"Uughh. Last time he did that. Sahara was formed." Lady Isis told us. My eyes widened.
"Yes, my lord," Rooster Foot agreed quickly. "And, ah, if I may suggest, my lord, to increase your power..." The creature bowed and scraped and moved forward, as if he wanted to whisper in the fiery man's ear.
Just when I thought Rooster Foot was going to become fried chicken for sure,
"Which type of fried chicken would he be crispy, hot and crunchy, Golden one or my favourite the Indian style with hot sauce? Yummy! " That was Travis." I doubt you would want to eat a fried chicken that has devoured several humans. Or that he would taste anything the ones you listed, Travis. " Zia had a weird-out look on her face. Poor Travis's smile fell off. Conner patted his brother and reassured him that after this he will take him to an Indian restaurant. Travis's mood lifted and we went back to the reading.
he said something to the fiery dude that I couldn't make out, and the fiery dude burned brighter.
" I have heard that a person's face glows when he or she is extremely happy but never heard that the person 's entire body starts glowing for the same reason." " That is our gods for ya," Sadie responded to Jason's comment. Roman!
"Excellent! If you can do this, you will be rewarded. If not..."
"I understand, my lord."
"Go then," the fiery man said. "Unleash our forces. Start with the longnecks. That should soften them up. Collect the younglings and bring them to me. I want them alive, before they have time to learn their powers. Do not fail me."
"No, lord."
"Phoenix," the fiery man mused. "I like that very much." He swept his hand across the horizon, as if he were imagining the city in flames. "Soon I will rise from your ashes. It will be a lovely birthday present."
" What just happened? Will someone explain?" Frank sighed. "You will find out about that in this chapter itself." "Finally!"
I woke with my heart pounding, back in my own body. I felt hot, as if the fiery guy were starting to burn me. Then I realized that there was a cat on my chest.
Muffin stared at me, her eyes half closed. "Mrow."
"How did you get in?" I muttered.
I sat up, and for a second I wasn't sure where I was. Some hotel in another city? I almost called for my dad...and then I remembered.
Julius's voice wavered at I almost called for my dad... part. Poor Julius.
Yesterday. The museum. The sarcophagus.
It all crashed down on me so hard I could barely breathe.
Stop, I told myself. You don't have time for grief. And this is going to sound weird, but the voice in my head almost sounded like a different person—older, stronger. Either that was a good sign, or I was going crazy.
" It is the first one." Lord Horus nodded. " Unfortunately, it is none of them, Horus." Carter rubbed his forehead. Lord Horus huffed. I could see that none of the Greek gods liked Carter's casual way of speaking to Lord Horus.
Remember what you saw, the voice said. He's after you. You have to be ready.
I shivered. I wanted to believe I'd just had a bad dream, but I knew better.
" Most of the demigod dreams are also that bad." Percy gulped, unblinking as if remembering something.
I'd been through too much in the last day to doubt what I'd seen. Somehow, I'd actually left my body while I slept. I'd been to Phoenix—thousands of miles away. The fiery dude was there.
" My. Name. Is. Set. S-e-t. I am not some fiery dude." " Yeah and did you tell us that coming out of that stupid stone? No! How do you think we will know who are you and what you want? We didn't born with that knowledge from our mother's womb! " Sadie retorted throwing her hands in the air.
I hadn't understood much of what he'd said, but he'd talked about sending his forces to capture the younglings. Gee, wonder who that could be.
Muffin jumped off the bed and sniffed at the ivory headrest, looking up at me as if she were trying to tell me something.
"You can have it," I told her. "It's uncomfortable."
She butted her head against it and stared at me accusingly. "Mrow."
"Whatever, cat."
"The cat has a name!" Bast huffed.
I got up and showered. When I tried to get dressed, I found that my old clothes had disappeared in the night. Everything in the closet was my size, but way different than what I was used to—baggy drawstring pants and loose shirts, all plain white linen, and robes for cold weather, kind of what the fellahin, the peasants in Egypt, wear. It wasn't exactly my style.
" You have a style, dear brother? " Sadie asked innocently. Zia laughed at her comment " Yes he does! His style is of a Harvard professor. Quite handsome at that." She said the last part silently so only the people around her heard. Sadie snorted, Carter blushed and Will looked amused. I could help feel read hot Jealousy oozing out of me.
Sadie likes to tell me that I don't have a style. She complains that I dress like I'm an old man—button-down shirt, slacks, dress shoes. Okay, maybe. But here's the thing. My dad had always drilled into my head that I had to dress my best.
I remember the first time he explained it to me. I was ten. We were on our way to the airport in Athens, and it was like 112 degrees outside, and I was complaining that I wanted to wear shorts and a T-shirt. Why couldn't I be comfortable? We weren't going anywhere important that day—just traveling.
My dad put his hand on my shoulder. "Carter, you're getting older. You're an African American man. People will judge you more harshly, and so you must always look impeccable."
"What does that mean, Julius Kane? " Ruby said in a calm voice which sounded more like Percy's calm before storm one. Julius gulped and then laughed uneasily. " You know sweetheart that that..." " That? " " That I am an African American and..." he waved between him and Carter as if that will calm his wife.
Carter and Sadie were having a hard time controlling their snicker. "Dr Julius Kane, you are so in trouble for teaching my poor baby these things. And that too at the mere age of ten. How could you do that to our son ." " Sweetheart..." " Don't sweetheart me, I will discuss this in the lunch break. Be happy that I am not drawing and quartering you right now."Julius gulped again and sagged in his seat.
"That isn't fair!" I insisted.
"Fairness does not mean everyone gets the same," Dad said. "Fairness means everyone gets what they need. And the only way to get what you need is to make it happen yourself. Do you understand?"
" I do now, Dad, I do now. " " Well at least one good thing came out of this."
I told him I didn't. But still, I did what he asked—like caring about Egypt, and basketball, and music. Like traveling with only one suitcase. I dressed the way Dad wanted me to, because Dad was usually right. In fact, I'd never known him to be wrong...until the night at the British Museum.
Anyway, I put on the linen clothes from the closet. The slipper shoes were comfortable, though I doubted they'd be much good to run in.
The door to Sadie's room was open, but she wasn't there.
Thankfully my bedroom door wasn't locked anymore. Muffin joined me and we walked downstairs, passing a lot of unoccupied bedrooms on the way. The mansion could've easily slept a hundred people, but instead, it felt empty and sad.
"You said you have initiates living in the twenty-first nome, then why are the rooms empty." " The initiates came after the first book. Even Walt came in the second one. Zia is in this but... you find out. I don't know how to phrase that, without angering Zia that is." Sadie informed us.
Down in the Great Room, Khufu, the baboon sat on the sofa with a basketball between his legs and a chunk of strange-looking meat in his hands. It was covered in pink feathers. ESPN was on the television, and Khufu was watching highlights from the games the night before.
"Hey," I said, though I felt a little weird talking to him. "Lakers win?"
" Nope, New York Knicks win, always." " In your dreams." And that was the beginning of a very boring chat between Percy, Will, Carter and Walt about basketball. Even Lord Apollo, Lord Hermes and Julius gave their two cents on the discussion from time to time.
" You know what, we should have a match! " " Yep sure, Even our Carter has gone from Cory Brewer to LeBron James. He is that good!" Carter tried to hide the blush snuffing in his cheek as Sadie and Zia looked amused. " Now that All basketball talk is finished, shall we start the reading again." Julius nodded.
Khufu looked at me and patted his basketball like he wanted a game. "Agh, agh."
He had a pink feather hanging from his chin, and the sight made my stomach do a slow roll.
Even mine did. My mother looked close to fainting while Lacy was no better. Piper and others were taking it as if they see this every day. Yuck.
"Um, yeah," I said. "We'll play later, okay?"
I could see Sadie and Amos out on the terrace, eating breakfast by the pool. It should've been freezing out there, but the fire pit was blazing, and neither Amos nor Sadie looked cold. I headed their way, then hesitated in front of the statue of Thoth. In the daylight, the bird-headed god didn't look quite so scary. Still, I could swear those beady eyes were watching me expectantly.
What had the fiery guy said last night? Something about catching us before we learned our powers. It sounded ridiculous, but for a moment I felt a surge of strength—like the night before when I'd opened the front door just by raising my hand. I felt like I could lift anything, even this thirty-foot-tall statue if I wanted to. In a kind of trance, I stepped forward.
" He did. Once. When he was showing Julian how to train with the powers of Horus." Walt stated. Damn, Carter is handsome and strong. Killer combination! I thought dreamily.
Muffin meowed impatiently and butted my foot. The feeling dissolved.
"You're right," I told the cat. "Stupid idea."
Besides, I could smell breakfast now—French toast, bacon, hot chocolate—and I couldn't blame Muffin for being in a hurry. I followed her out to the terrace.
"Ah, Carter," Amos said. "Merry Christmas, my boy. Join us."
"About time," Sadie grumbled. "I've been up for ages."
But she held my eyes for a moment, like she was thinking the same thing I was: Christmas. We hadn't spent a Christmas morning together since Mom died. I wondered if Sadie remembered how we used to make god's-eye decorations out of yarn and Popsicle sticks.
Julius hid his face in the book while Ruby's eyes softened. " We still do those things on Christmas in the twenty-first nome," Sadie told them happily and they smiled back.
Amos poured himself a cup of coffee. His clothes were similar to those he'd worn the day before, and I had to admit the guy had style.
" Of course, Amos has a style. He is a jazz musician. " " I knew it. That was where I have seen him. I was constantly thinking about where I had seen Amos. He is a very famous Jazz musician. I love his songs. " It was the nerdy Will.
His tailored suit was made of blue wool, he wore a matching fedora, and his hair was freshly braided with dark blue lapis lazuli, one of the stones the Egyptians often used for jewelry. Even his glasses matched. The round lenses were tinted blue. A tenor sax rested on a stand near the fire pit, and I could totally picture him playing out here, serenading the East River.
As for Sadie, she was dressed in a white linen pajama outfit like me, but somehow she'd managed to keep her combat boots. She'd probably slept with them on.
"Yep, I slept in my boots," Sadie replied to the unasked question. Carter rolled his eyes at her antics.
She looked pretty comical with the red-streaked hair and the outfit, but since I wasn't dressed any better, I could hardly make fun of her.
"Um...Amos?" I asked. "You didn't have any pet birds, did you? Khufu's eating something with pink feathers."
"Mmm." Amos sipped his coffee. "Sorry if that disturbed you. Khufu's very picky. He only eats foods that end in -o. Doritos, burritos, flamingos."
"Did he just say Flamingos?" With that mother fainted.
I blinked. "Did you say—"
"Carter," Sadie warned. She looked a little queasy, like she'd already had this conversation. "Don't ask."
" If you asked that question, I most probably would have thrown up. " Sadie shrugged.
"Okay," I said. "Not asking."
"Please, Carter, help yourself." Amos waved toward a buffet table piled high with food. "Then we can get started with the explanations."
"Yummy! The first thing I am going to look for when we visit the twenty-first nome." The sons of Hermes cheered.
I didn't see any flamingo on the buffet table, which was fine by me, but there was just about everything else. I snagged some pancakes with butter and syrup, some bacon, and a glass of OJ.
Many mouths watered.
Then I noticed movement in the corner of my eye. I glanced at the swimming pool. Something long and pale was gliding just under the surface of the water.
I almost dropped my plate. "Is that—"
"A crocodile," Amos confirmed. "For good luck. He's albino, but please don't mention that. He's sensitive."
"I have heard people keeping Amulets, and pendants as a good luck charm but don't you think that is one step too far? " Jason furrowed his brows. " Say the guy who throws his victims in a bag filled with hungry weasels in water."I retorted him back remembering what I heard through the daughters of Venus. The Romans narrowed their gaze at me but I stood my ground.
"You know that is a pretty good idea for punishing the souls. "Julius started. Catching up Nico nodded. " So true, I always wanted to talk to them for ideas to use in the field of punishment."
I groaned mentally at their change of topic and the smug smile that came on Roman's face. " You know in that case you should also consult Poseidon. He has some wicked ideas that can make Hitler look like a baby." Lord Hades suggested.
" Lord of the Sea is a sadist. Who would have thought." Ruby teased. Sea god groaned. " It was just one time. And that was for Sally's ex-husband. Sally is Percy's mother. His stepfather was downright awful. When he died I gave Hades a list of tortures for the guy which, unfortunately, made me a place in his excellent idea givers books. Now he comes down every week for something or the other." He threw his hands in the air to show his annoyance while everyone else laughed.
" In that case, even I have some torture ideas which won't inflict much pain but will surely drive the point across to the guy. I am keeping it for my newborn sister's future boyfriend. " I could feel several demigods deflating at that. I know most of them bar Annabeth thinks of Percy as their leader and elder brother. So him talking about his half-sister is like sticking fingers in their wound.
"You know what, you can try these ideas first-hand on someone. " Carter proposed looking at Walt. Percy laughed while Walt gulped hard.
"His name is Philip of Macedonia," Sadie informed me.
I wasn't sure how Sadie was taking this all so calmly, but I figured if she wasn't freaking out, I shouldn't either.
" If I freak out the croc would have eaten me alive! And also he is kind of cute." " Yeah, only Sadie can think of Croc as cute."
"That's a long name," I said.
"He's a long crocodile," Sadie said. "Oh, and he likes bacon."
To prove her point, she tossed a piece of bacon over her shoulder. Philip lunged out of the water and snapped up the treat. His hide was pure white and his eyes were pink. His mouth was so big, he could've snapped up an entire pig.
"Wow! I love your croc." Leo cheered.
"He's quite harmless to my friends," Amos assured me. "In the old days, no temple would be complete without a lake full of crocodiles. They are powerful magic creatures."
"Right," I said. "So the baboon, the crocodile...any other pets I should know about?"
Amos thought for a moment. "Visible ones? No, I think that's it."
"You have imaginary pets too!" " No, he was trying to be intriguing but ended up being a nerd."
I took a seat as far from the pool as possible. Muffin circled my legs and purred. I hoped she had enough sense to stay away from magic crocodiles named Philip.
"So, Amos," I said between bites of pancake. "Explanations."
"Yes," he agreed. "Where to start..."
"Our dad," Sadie suggested. "What happened to him?"
Amos took a deep breath. "Julius was attempting to summon a god. Unfortunately, it worked."
"You summon a god? " Lady Athena asked bewildered.
It was kind of hard to take Amos seriously, talking about summoning gods while he spread butter on a bagel.
"Any god in particular?" I asked casually. "Or did he just order a generic god?"
Sadie kicked me under the table. She was scowling, as if she actually believed what Amos was saying.
" I wasn't. I was just waiting for time to hit him on his head with a saucer so that when he will come conscious he would tell us some scientific reasons for all that crap and we will move on. " Sadie nodded seriously. " Thank Horus, I thought Amos did some serious magic on you to make you obedient." Carter got a hard punch on his shoulder.
Amos took a bite of bagel. "There are many Egyptian gods, Carter. But your dad was after one in particular."
He looked at me meaningfully.
"Osiris," I remembered. "When Dad was standing in front of the Rosetta Stone, he said, 'Osiris, come.' But Osiris is a legend. He's make-believe."
" I wish that was true." Carter shook his head.
"I wish that were true." Amos stared across the East River at the Manhattan skyline, gleaming in the morning sun. "The Ancient Egyptians were not fools, Carter. They built the pyramids. They created the first great nation-state. Their civilization lasted thousands of years."
"Yeah," I said. "And now they're gone."
" Nope, we are still alive and kicking," Bes replied with a smug look on his dismantled face.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Firstly, Don't worry, Percabrth is forever in this story. Just so you know that Drew is a bit jealous of Annabeth and is seeing a lot when there is not much. Percy and Annabeth do fight but it is because they both worry about each the Percabeth drama is my gift to all their fans. Happy Pecabeth!
Third, I am adding more bromance between Percy and Carter in future chapters. Hopefully, you will like it. There will also be some more bonding between the magicians and reading to find out more. And please tell me whom you want to bond with whom. Like Annabeth-Sadie, Sadie-Reyna-Piper-
Annabeth-Thalia-Zia. Or in short all the girls present except Drew and Lacy. Do you like the bromance between the boys too or some boy girl frienimity between the demigoddess and Carter and Walt? Tell me please!
I don't remember exactly whether Amos plays Jazz or Saxophone. But If I am right it should be Jazz. Hmm...
Lastly sorry. I was not able to fit the entire chapter into one page. But good news, I will update part 2 on Monday or Tuesday. Happy reading!