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Let me tell you: if you actually see someone puking rainbows … there’s nothing cute about it.
Annabeth and Sadie shouted magic commands in unison. The funnel cloud of magic intensified around the circle, hemming in Setne, who was shrivelling rapidly. The crown of Ptolemy rolled off his head. Carter stepped forward and threw his glowing rope.
As soon as the rope touched Setne, a flash of light blinded me.
When my vision returned, Setne and the rope were gone. No magic lights swirled. The vulture goddess had left my mind. My mouth no longer tasted like dead hyena.
Annabeth, the Kanes and I stood in a loose ring, staring at the crown of Ptolemy, which lay sideways in the dirt. Next to it sat a plastic bauble the size of a goose egg.
I picked it up.
Inside the snow globe, a miniature model of Governors Island was permanently submerged. Alternately running and swimming around the landscape, trying to avoid flurries of fake snow, was a termite-size man in a purple trench coat.
Setne had made Governors Island his eternal headquarters, after all.
He’d been imprisoned in a cheap plastic souvenir.
An hour later, we sat on the parapets of the old fort, watching the sun go down over the New Jersey coastline. I’d had a cheese sandwich and an ice-cold Ribena from Sadie’s extra-dimensional stash of junk food (along with two extra-strength painkillers), so I was feeling brave enough to hear explanations.
‘Would someone explain what happened back there?’ I asked.
Annabeth slipped her hand into mine. ‘We won, Seaweed Brain.’
‘Yeah, but …’ I gestured at the snow globe, which Carter was now admiring. ‘How?’
Carter shook the globe. Fake snow swirled inside. Maybe it was my imagination, but I swear I could hear Setne shrieking underwater as he was given the blender tour of his tiny prison.
‘I guess the snow-globe idea got stuck in my head,’ Carter said. ‘When I threw the rope and sprung the trap, the magic conformed to what I was thinking. Anyway, Setne will make a great paperweight.’
Sadie snorted, almost nostril-spewing her Ribena. ‘Poor little Setne – stuck on Carter’s desk for eternity, forced to watch him do hours and hours of boring research. It would’ve been kinder to let Ammit devour his soul.’
I didn’t know who Ammit was, but I didn’t need any more soul-devouring monsters in my life.
‘So the trap worked,’ I said, which I guess was kind of obvious. ‘I don’t need to understand all the details –’
‘That’s good,’ Annabeth said. ‘Since I don’t think any of us do.’
‘– but one thing I’ve gotta know.’ I pointed at Sadie. ‘What did you whisper to Annabeth that turned her into a magician?’
The girls exchanged a smile.
‘I told Annabeth my secret name,’ Sadie said.
‘Your what, now?’ I asked.
‘It’s called the ren,’ Sadie explained. ‘Everyone has one, even if you don’t know it. The ren is … well, the definition of who you are. Once I shared it, Annabeth had access to my experiences, my abilities, all my general amazingness.’
‘That was risky.’ Carter gave me a grim look. ‘Anyone who knows your ren can control you. You never share that information unless you really have to, and only with people you absolutely trust. Sadie found out my secret name last year. My life has sucked ever since.’
‘Oh, please,’ Sadie said. ‘I only use my knowledge for good.’
Carter suddenly slapped himself in the face.
‘Hey!’ he complained.
‘Oops, sorry,’ Sadie said. ‘At any rate, I do trust Annabeth. I knew it would take both of us to create that containment circle. Besides, a Greek demigod casting Egyptian magic – did you see the look on Setne’s face? Priceless.’
My mouth went dry. I imagined Annabeth invoking hieroglyphs at Camp Half-Blood, blowing up chariots on the racetrack, hurling giant blue fists during capture the flag.
