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‘Yep!’ From his jacket, he pulled the Book of Thoth and wagged it at us. ‘Amazing what kind of knowledge is in here. Ptolemy the First had the right idea, making himself a god, but by the time he became king of Alexandria Egyptian magic was diluted and weak. He definitely didn’t have access to prime source material like the Book of Thoth. With this baby, I’m cooking with spice! Now that I’ve got the crown of Lower Egypt –’
‘Let me guess,’ Annabeth said. ‘You’ll go for the crown of Upper Egypt. Then you’ll put them together and rule the world.’
He grinned. ‘Smart girl. But first I have to destroy you two. Nothing personal. It’s just that when you’re doing hybrid Greek–Egyptian magic, I’ve found that a little demigod blood is a great catalyst. Now, if you’ll just hold still –’
I lunged forward and jabbed him with my sword.
Amazingly, Riptide went straight into his gut.
I so rarely succeed that I just crouched there, stunned, my hand trembling on the hilt.
‘Wow.’ Setne looked down at the blood on his powder-blue shirt. ‘Nice job.’
‘Thanks.’ I tried to yank out Riptide, but it seemed to be stuck. ‘So … you can die now, if it’s not too much trouble.’
Setne smiled apologetically. ‘About that … I’m beyond dying now. At this point –’ He tapped the blade. ‘Get it? This point? I’m afraid all you can do is make me stronger!’
His red crown began to glow.
For once, my instincts saved my life. Despite the klutz spell Setne had hexed me with, I somehow managed to get to my feet, grab Annabeth and haul her as far from the magician as possible.
I dropped to the ground at the archway as a massive roar shook the courtyard. Trees were uprooted. Windows shattered. Bricks peeled off the wall, and everything in sight hurtled towards Setne as if he’d become the new centre of gravity. Even Annabeth’s magical bonds were stripped away. It took all my strength to hold her with one arm while gripping the corner of the building with my other hand.
Clouds of debris spun around the magician. Wood, stone and glass vaporized as they were absorbed into Setne’s body.
Once gravity returned to normal, I realized I’d left something important behind.
Riptide was gone. The wound in Setne’s gut had closed.
‘HEY!’ I got up, my legs shaking. ‘You ate my sword!’
My voice sounded shrill – like a little kid who’s just had his lunch money stolen. The thing is, Riptide was my most important possession. I’d had it a long time. It had seen me through a lot of scrapes.
I’d lost my sword before on a few occasions, but it always reappeared in pen form back in my pocket. I had a feeling that wasn’t going to happen this time. Riptide had been consumed – sucked into Setne’s body along with the bricks, the broken glass and several cubic feet of sod.
Setne turned up his palms. ‘Sorry about that. I’m a growing deity. I need my nutrition …’ He tilted his head as if listening to something in the storm. ‘Percy Jackson. Interesting. And your friend, Annabeth Chase. You two have had some interesting adventures. You’ll give me lots of nourishment!’
Annabeth struggled to her feet. ‘How do you know our names?’
‘Oh, you can learn a lot about someone from devouring their prized possession.’ Setne patted his stomach. ‘Now, if you don’t mind, I really need to consume you both. Not to worry, though! Your essence will live forever right here … next to my, uh, pancreas, I think.’
I slipped my hand into Annabeth’s. After all we’d been through, I was not going to let our lives end this way – devoured by a wannabe Elvis god with a pillbox hat.
I weighed my options: direct attack or strategic retreat. I wanted to punch Setne in his heavily mascaraed eyes, but if I could get Annabeth to the shore we could jump into the harbour. Being the son of Poseidon, I’d have the upper hand underwater. We could regroup, maybe come back with a few dozen demigod friends and some heavy artillery.
Before I could decide, something completely random changed the equation.
A full-sized camel dropped out of the sky and crushed Setne flat.
‘Sadie!’ Annabeth cried.
For a split second, I thought she was calling the camel Sadie. Then I realized Annabeth was looking up into the storm, where two falcons spiralled above the courtyard.
The camel bellowed and farted, which made me appreciate it even more.
Unfortunately we didn’t have time to become friends. The camel widened its eyes, bleated in alarm and dissolved into sand.
Setne rose from the dust pile. His crown was tilted. His black jacket was covered in camel fuzz, but he looked unhurt.
