CARTER

Amos insisted we return to Brooklyn House and get Percy settled in. He'd need to recuperate, but Amos said the healers at the First Nome were too busy healing other people. I think he just wanted Percy and Annabeth out of Egypt. I didn't disagree. It was too dangerous. Two Greek demigods on Egypt, the heart of another culture? That's not going to end well.

We took a portal back to Brooklyn House, leaving Zia behind to discuss this with Amos. He looked so troubled I think he began to lose his grip on Set, who I guess hadn't really left the mortal world so much - he was the god of chaos, after all.

After we landed in Brooklyn House, Percy collapsed. Literally, right there on my balcony. I told Annabeth he could have my bed and she hauled him into my room, leaving me with Sadie.

"What do you think?" I asked.

Sadie looked at the Manhattan skyline thoughtfully. "I think his gods are over there."

"What?"

She pointed over at Manhattan, where the Empire State Building was pointing at an odd angle. "You think whoever that guy was shot lightning at the Empire State Building for no reason? I think he's perched on top of it. He lost control of his magic and shot it right down the building."

"Right," I said, laughing, "I'm supposed to believe there's an all-powerful immortal on top of the Empire State Building, and he's been there all the time we've been living here?"

"Yes," Sadie said, looking at me harshly, "just like you're supposed to believe there's a complex of ancient Egyptian magic chambers where the House of Life is based under Cairo."

"Point taken," I grumbled, staring at the building. "But why couldn't I figure it out? I'm so used to magic now, I should be able to pick up an immortal of all things…"

Sadie shook her head. "This isn't an Egyptian immortal, it's a Greek one. He shoots lightning and makes storms. Any Greek gods locked up in your head that fit the description?"

"Zeus," I said. "God of the sky."

"Well, then," she said smoothly, "he's on top of the Empire State Building, and he's been there a long time."

I turned around and trudged into my room, feeling like a complete failure.

"If it makes you feel better," Sadie said from behind me, "I never sensed it either, and I've hosted the goddess of magic."

We walked back inside to see Annabeth sitting in the bed next to Percy, looking at him with her unnerving gray eyes. She faced us as we walked in, studying us in turn. I was sure her eyes shifted and moved like stormclouds.

"So," she said, "you're leading this nome?"

"That's right," Sadie said, her eyes becoming slits.

Annabeth nodded stiffly. "So, my boyfriend is dying."

Girls are one of the most dangerous things in the world, just before buzzsaw wings and golden scarabs, and I don't pretend to understand them, but it was pretty obvious these two were not going to be friends too soon.

I rolled my eyes. "You two try to not kill each other for the next few minutes, alright?" I said. "I'm going to get Jaz. Hopefully she can help."

I left the room swiftly, hoping to make them both guilty, but I wasn't too sure if I had any effect. I walked down the hall in the dark, estimating my steps until I got to what I hoped was Jaz's room. I knocked quietly, not keen to enter a girl's room in the middle of the night. Immediately, the door opened and Jaz was there, dreary-eyed, wearing casual clothes from the day before. A lamp was on in her room and a number of scrolls piled on her bed.

"What are you doing?" I blurted.

"Studying healing spells," she said. "I need to keep up to date, don't I?"

I raised an eyebrow skeptically. "You don't normally stay up all night to study scrolls, of all things."

She sighed and rubbed her eyes. "I saw the huge storm in Manhattan. What's going on? Surely you know."

I looked down. "Yeah, I do."

She began to usher him into her room, but I shook my head. "We need to go to my room. I'll explain there."

She looked disappointed but intrigued at the same time. I wasn't sure what was going on in her head, but I hoped she knew I was with Zia, and not available.

She rubbed her eyes, left her room, closing the door behind her, and followed me back down the corridor. A faint stream of light was coming out of my room, making it easy to locate as long as you knew I was awake. I entered the room, Jaz trailing behind, to find Annabeth sitting stiffly on the bed beside Percy, quite deliberately faced away from Sadie, who was on the balcony, staring at the Empire State Building in the distance.

Jaz looked around for a few moments before demanding answers.

"Look," I said, "for now, please just help Percy - the guy on the bed - he's dying. I promise I'll explain what's going on after."

She glared at me but I knew Jaz well enough to know she couldn't refuse to help someone who was injured.