Title: Blame the Paranoia

Rating: K+

Summary: If she wasn't the immortal Eye of Isis, Sadie would have died of boredom by now. She gets everything she wants, whenever she wants, in anyway she wants nowadays. It's driving her mad. Naturally, she has to go seek out something dangerous to cure her boredom. And what's more dangerous than wandering across the river?

Background: AU - Sadie and Carter decide to take Isis and Horus up on their offer to unite completely and become king and queen of the gods. They get to see their parents daily in the court of the gods

Disclaimer: The Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Kane Chronicles series, and all included characters belong to Rick Riordan.

- Quotes from The Red Pyramidaddressing the PJO series -

"So you can't live in Manhattan?" She asked.

Amos's brow furrowed as he looked across at the Empire State Building. "Manhattan has other problems. Other gods. It's best we stay separate."

"Other what?" Sadie demanded.

"Nothing."

Thoth looked offended. "In Ancient Egyptian, it's a perfectly fine name. The Greeks called me Thoth. Then later they confused me with their god Hermes. Even had the nerve to rename my sacred city Hermopolis, though we're nothing alike. Believe me, if you've ever met Hermes—"

"Agh!" Khufu yelled through a mouthful of Cheerios.

"You're right," Thoth agreed. "I'm getting off track."

- Chapter 1 -

"What is our latest status with the First Nome?"

A fire demon steps in front of the throne and kneels. "Your Majesty, they are ready to arrange a meeting when ever you find it convenient."

"Arrange a banquet for next week. We will house their leaders for the night and show them the utmost kindness."

I hear Bes snickering from the crowd gathered on the sides of the thrown room. There aren't as many gods and demons here as there were for the coronation, but that is to be expected. It felt much too crowded during the coronation. Only major gods and servants are allowed in the throne room on a daily basis now.

As it should be.

We've changed the decor, too. It still has the polished marble floors, the tall columns, the firey braziers, and the King's throne in the middle of the room. However, we have built a smaller throne next to The King's throne which I sit on. We also added red and gold tapestries and thrones for all of the major gods to sit on. The King thinks it makes them feel more important and loyal.

"Is there something you would like to say, Bes?" The King asks, a smile quirking at his lips.

The dwarf-looking protector of households and bringer of good luck stands up from his throne with a large grin splitting his face. He bows slightly and says, "Simply, Your Majesty, the recommendation that I might paint my nose brown for the occasion. It would save us a fair amount of trouble."

Paint our noses ... ah, brown nosers. I get it.

Bes's humor tends towards the crude ... and unfunny.

Nevertheless, his recommendation causes a few, muffled laughs to sprout in the throne room. Bes is one of the few who can get away with cracking jokes in the middle of court, mostly because he is known among the gods to be the "class clown." And it eases tension, so The King allows it.

Leaning his chin onto his head, The King says with bemusement. "Mm. Well, if this effort to make peace with the Per Ankh fails, would you like to offer your services to our army for the war instead? I am sure Monthu could put you good use."

"As fire kindling!" The god of war bellows between chuckles.

The throne room bursts out into full, loud laughter. The King even laughs a little bit himself. It's nice to see him smiling; he hardly ever does it when court is in session, even if we don't have any hearings going on right now.

He notices me staring at him and frowns. "Sister, must you sit so improperly?"

"Yes, brother, I'm afraid I must." I roll my eyes. He may like sitting up straight in his throne like a "proper king," but I prefer what ever position is comfortable. And if that position happens to be my back lying against one armrest with my legs hanging over the other, then so be it.

Will you not let me take over? You are making us look unbearably immature and unprofessional.

No. I take over in court when we don't have any hearings, remember?

You act as though that agreement is fair, yet I am only allowed to take over during court or at important events.

I believe you words were, 'Fine, take the leisure moments. I only wish to be The Queen once more.'

I never said that.

I was paraphrasing, but you understand my point. You wanted to be The Queen; I wanted to be anything but.

"The sun is setting over the Nile, Your Majesty," Seshat announces.

"So it is. If there is any oppositition to court adjourning, speak now." The King looks around the silent room. Hearing no objections, he nods and says, "Then this meeting is hereby adjourned until next week."

The gods and goddess all stand up together and bow to The King and I. After the bid of goodbye is completed, most of the gods vanish in bright bursts of light to return to the places they have claimed as their homes, such as Thoth's residence at the University of Memphis or Set's condo in Las Vegas. Others merely walk out of the throne room, because they have rooms in the palace (Bast, for example, who the other gods revived as a coronation gift for us).

I look over when The King groans and places his head in his hands. When he looks up at me, his eyes are younger and filled with more light. Carter is back in control of his body. I almost feel bad for him: he has to let Horus take over when we're in the palace to maintain a "kingly" image. I can afford to act my age, but Carter is not as lucky.

"God humor is the worst," I say.

An unbidden smile comes to Carter's face and he groans, again. "Don't make me smile, Sadie. I have a headache."

Waving my hand, a golden cup appears in it and fills with herbal tea. I take a sip and sigh contently. When I look back at Carter, he is staring at my tea intently, an unspoken message of, 'Can I have some?' in his eyes that nearly makes me laugh out loud.

"You might try making some tea, Carter. It does wonders for a headache," I say apathetically and take another long sip.

Carter glares at me heatedly and I do actually laugh as I hand the cup over to him. We both know that Carter is still not quite used to his godly powers. The last time he tried to conjure gingerale for himself, it turned to mud before he could even have the first taste. He's used to combat magic, and so using magic like this is something he's still adjusting to.

He takes two large swallows and then hands the cup back to me. "Do you want to go visit Mom and Dad?"

"I'd rather go home."

To us, "home" is the Twenty First Nome. Uncle Amos still treats and houses us as his niece and nephew, even though he could easily get in trouble with the remaining leaders of the Per Ankh. Carter and I were able to restore the mansion with a blink of our eyes, including Philip of Macedonia. Philip, Khufu, and Uncle Amos all stay at the Twenty First Nome, which is why it is and always will be our home.

"We haven't seen them for a week," he responds, a frown tugging at his lips.

"I know, but today was excessively stressful. I just want to go home and sleep."

"You're a goddess. You don't need to sleep."

"That doesn't mean that I don't enjoy sleeping."

"They look forward to our weekly visits. You know they can't leave the Duat." Carter's fists clench. Ooh, he's getting angry, is he?

"You visit them then. Give them my regards."

Carter flies to his feet quickly and whirls back to face me, his expression twisted in anger that tells me I might have gone a bit too far. "You are unbelievable, Sadie!"

"Losing your cool already?"

His eyes flicker darkly like malicious fire that promises punishment. It's a trait he has acquired from Horus, I've noticed. And while it makes some of the minor gods cower, I am not and never will be afraid of my own brother. King of the gods or no.

He says firmly (in a voice somewhere between his own and Horus's), "You're coming with me to see Mom and Dad."

"Oh, am I?"

"Yeah, you are."

The earth under our feet shakes, and the walls tremor with it. Things would always explode, fall over, shatter, or turn to sand whenever Carter and I argued, even before we became King and Queen. It seems that adding godly powers to the mix has made our arguments very nearly fatal. Fortunately, we haven't argued very often since joining with Isis and Horus. Except for now, of course.

I get to my feet now and fix him with my best, challenging stare. "You have no right to tell me where I should go, brother dear."

"I'm the king of the gods! Your older brother! I have every right!"

This isn't about our parents anymore, I can tell. This is about a power struggle. Carter was always upset by the fact that he could never charm or control me; could never pull Dad's attention away from me whenever they visited. Even with the highest position of power in the universe, he still can't control me. It infuriates him. Good.

Is it truly good, Sadie?

Of course it is. He needs to know that he can't control me.

Carter is The King. His duty is to lead and, if necessary, control others.

He knows who to lead and who not to lead, Isis.

Does he? It was my understanding that as king of the gods, his duty was to lead everyone.

Well, yes, but not me.

You may have one or the other, Sadie: a king or a brother. Never both.

I willhave both.

... Then I wish you luck in trying, and hope that you are not disappointed in the end.

"No, Carter."

He glares at me, probably suspicious of why my anger is gone. "Why not?"

"Because I'm the queen of the gods. Your sister." I snap my fingers and a portal to the mortal world opens ahead of me. "We support each other no matter what our responsibilities are or who is trying to kill us." I step up and kiss his cheek like a good sister should. The earthquake has stopped, which is a good sign, I guess.

Carter's furious gaze softens, but he doesn't say a word.

Horus's pride is keeping him from doing so, no doubt.

"Tell Mum and Dad that I love them, and that I'm sorry I didn't come this time around." I give him the smallest of smiles and then walk through my portal.

The ground under my feet shifts as white light consumes my sight. I feel myself briefly lift into the air before I'm set gently back down. When I open my eyes again, I'm in my room at home, but I don't feel that sensation of relief at coming home like I normally do.

Falling back onto my bed, I shut my eyes. Five minutes tick by, and I'm still wide awake. Wonderful. I argued with Carter for nothing.

You feel guilty.

I feel paranoid.

Paranoid.

Carter could be watching me right now. Anyof those gods could be watching me right now. They could have eavesdropped over that argument for all I know. How can I sleep knowing someone is watching me?

You do not normally feel paranoid.

I don't normally make the palace rock on its supporters either, do I?

Point made.

My head tilts to the side as my gaze locks outside of my window. We have a decent view of Manhattan from here. Manhattan. The one city that none of us are allowed to go to. Why? Apparently, another set of gods have their headquarters in Manhattan.

The Greeks.

From your tone, I'm guessing you aren't a fan?

Hmph, no, I am not. The Greeks ... how to phrase it? They ... have trouble keeping their hands to themselves.

God, did you really just say that?

It is true! They will have children with anyone! Even mortals!

Mortals? How can they have children with mortals without hosts?

The Greeks do not use hosts. They are strong enough to appear in the mortal world where ever they desire.

Why can't you, then?

Do pay attention, Sadie. We, Egyptian gods, have battled and been sealed for centuries; our power reservoirs are only so large. However, this period of peace we are entering into promises us recovery. By a year's time, I might be able to leave your body whenever I desire to.

Does that mean we won't have to share the same head?

Oh, I would still share your body. I do so love to pick your brain.

Ha ha ha.

... Why do I feel as though this conversation is not over?

Do the Greek gods know about us? Carter and I, I mean?

We hide ourselves from them just as they hide themselves from us. Even their strongest prophet has no knowledge of our people. It is the way we agreed the universe should operate those many centuries ago.

So, if I were to wander into Manhattan, would they know that I'm a goddess?

No, I imagine not. They would have reason to be suspicious of you, though. You would appear as a "blank spot" in their vast knowledge of the universe. How do the mortals put it? Sticking like a sore thumb?

Sticking out like a sore thumb.

Yes, well, you know my point.

Would the gods here be able to watch me if I went there?

Manhattan in its whole is a blind spot for us. It reeks of Greek magic.

I get to my feet and walk towards the window. The sun has set by now and the city is lit up in a break-taking sight. Even if we know that the Greeks have their headquarters there, it's anyone's guess where the entrance physically is. As long as I lay low and don't go looking for it ...

You are not honestly thinking of going to Manhattan, are you?

Well, I don't see why not. Court isn't in session for another week. And I can sleep if I know for sure that no god or goddess is watching me.

You can never know for sure, Sadie. They might notice you the second you walk into their borders. Furthermore, they would have cause to declare war if they discovered you tresspassing. This world would not survive a war between two parties of gods.

They won't discover me.

Sadie-

I'm doing this, Isis.

... Use some common sense in this, then.

What do you have in mind?

Bring Bast with you.

You're insane.

Far from it. There is no doubt in my mind that she would soon track you down even if you did not take her with you. She would then report your location to your brother.

And if I ask her to go with me, she'll just tell Carter immediately. Oh joy, so it's a lose-lose situation?

Not necessarily. If you took her with you and made her promise not to report it to your brother, we could avoid being caught and have protection with us at the same time.

Somehow, I don't think a promise will cut it.

Have her swear on the Eye of Ra.

You think she'll really swear?

I see no reason why not.

Alright, then we'll do that. Though I have to say, I never imagined you would help me sneak out.

She sniffs indignantly. If we are going to do this, I would rather not get caught. Any punishment for you is, after all, a punishment for myself.

True.

Clapping my hands, a bag appears on my bed filled with clothes, toiletries, and really anything else I'll need for a week-long trip. I wish I could pack more magical items, but I run the risk attracting the attention of the Greek gods if I use too much Egyptian magic, like charming too many inanimate objects or having excessive amounts of shabti waiting on me. God knows we'll attract enough attention having two goddesses together in one place.

Are you positive this is the only way, Sadie?

Positive.

- Two Hours Later -

Muffin croons in my arms unhappily as we step off of the bus. I roll my eyes and say, "It wasn't that bad."

"Why couldn't we take a portal here?" Bast (Muffin) asks, though it comes out as meows.

"Oh yes. And while we're at it, why don't we wear giant neon signs that say, 'Two Egyptian goddesses over here! Come get us!'?" I ask as I look around us. A hotel would be nice. Preferably one worthy of the queen of the gods.

The power has already gone to your head.

I rule the universe by all intents and purposes. I deserve a spot of pampering every so often.

"Careful with that thought, Sadie; you'll be spoiled rotten before you know it," Bast says slyly.

Tapping her nose lightly, I say, "Stay out of my head, you. One goddess in here is bad enough."

I take offense to that!

That was my intention.

We walk into a posh-looking hotel that you just know is the place-to-be for businessmen and people with more money than they know what to do with. The lobby is grand and decorated with contemporary-looking sculptures and furniture, and it has floors so polished that you can see your reflection in them. The most impressive part is the giant, well-lit fountain in the middle of the lobby made of several, brass rings inside themselves rotating and churning the pool of water underneath it. High class living at its finest.

There aren't many people at the front desk due to what I assume as residents being out and about in the city right now, but it just makes this that much easier for me. The receptionist watches me approach the front desk with a somewhat pitying expression. He doesn't believe I can stay here.

I place my left hand on the desk as the atmosphere around us becomes somewhat blurry. The receptionist's eyes cloud over a bit as he watches me in a daze. My ability at using glamor charms has improved with becoming a goddess. This should even be able to trick the security cameras.

"I would like a single room on the top floor and full access to all hotel facilities. Put it all under the name of Sadie ... Faust. A background check on my name isn't necessary, nor is my providing any personal identification." It wouldn't do to have a background check done of me when he wakes up from this.

He nods and types something into his computer. "Do you know how long you will be staying, Miss Faust?"

"A week."

"Your total is $7645.24. Will that be cash or credit?"

"Credit." I reach into the pocket of my jeans and pull out a golden credit card, which I hand to him. He scans it, types in something else on his computer, and then gives it back to me.

Did you know gods get credit cards with unlimited quotas? Renenet, the goddess of wealth, gives them to any god who is living in the mortal world. They aren't registered under any name, but money is transferred seemingly out of nowhere when ever you use it. I could have taken the room for free, but there's always that feeling of guilt you get from tricking mortals. Just compensation is due, after all.

How benevolent of you.

"Would you like a bellhop to take your bag up to your room?"

"No, thank you."

He nods and hands me an envelope of key cards. "Your room is number KS4 on the 77th floor. Enjoy your stay, Miss Faust."

I slip the envelope and the credit card into the same pocket as I walk to the elevators. Just before the doors close, I see receptionist blink owlishly at his computer in slight confusion.

Seventy seven stories up, the doors open for me, again. The hallway only has four doors that are generously spread out amongst each other. My room, KS4, is the very last one in the hallway on the left. I unlock the door and set Bast down as we walk inside.

The first thing I notice is that this room is very white. White ceilings, white, circular columns lining the side of the room, a white marble kitchen open to a dining area of a white table and white chairs around that. Past the dining area is a set of white couches that make an 'L' shape around a white table and face a set of white cabinets that support a flat-screen TV. The carpet is a dark shade of grey, and there aren't any outside-facing walls; it's all tall windows that give an amazing view of the city. Next to the TV, there's a door that leads out onto a private balcony of white marble and concrete railings.

"Can I change back into my human form now?" Bast asks as she kneads the carpet with her paws.

"No, we had a deal. You could come if you stayed in cat form and didn't tell Carter where I am." I walk towards the door leading to what I assume to be the bedroom.

It doesn't look much different from the living room: spacious, grey carpet, a white bed in the very center of the room, a white dresser, a white chair against one the walls, and a flat-screen TV mounted on the wall across from the bed. The biggest difference apparent is that the walls of windows have tall, white drapes. There is a door leading to the loo, but there's nothing I need in there right now.

Sitting down on my bed, I clap my hands, and my bag begins to unload itself.

"What do you want to do first?" I ask Bast as she trots into the room.

Bast jumps onto the bed and stretches lazily. "Shopping?"

"Something more creative, Bast! I didn't come here to do something I could do back in Brooklyn!"

It was my understanding that you came here to sleep.

Bast yawns. "Sleeping sounds good, come to think of it."

"I don't want to sleep yet! I want to do something entertaining."

"Well then, go walk around. You'll probably find something eye-catching eventually," Bast says.

And walk around aimlessly in the dark streets of Manhattan by ourselves? I think not!

"Live a little, Isis," Bast mumbles as her lips stretch out in a smirk that would put the Chesire Cat to shame.

I am living plenty! That does not mean I am willing to walk out into the streets of this - this death city without proper protection! There are Greek monsters slithering all over this town!

One of Bast's eyebrows quirks upwards in a disbelieving expression. "If the thought bothers you so much, call up some of your warrior shabti and have them follow you around."

The monsters are attracted to power. If we had shabti walking behind us, it would only increase our chances of being attacked and possibly overwhelmed!

"I don't think anything will be more power-attractive for a monster than queen of the gods, Isis," I say.

Bast snickers. "They would just be appetizers for the main course."

Bast!

Standing to my feet, I turn back to Bast and ask, "Shall we go take a look around this death city?"

"But, of course!" Bast hops off of the bed and dashes for the door.

I hear Isis sigh in my head, but I can tell that she's smiling.

- An Hour Later -

That was the worst service I have ever had! The only thing they brought on time was our check!

Rolling her eyes softly, Bast says, "You've only be serviced as a queen up until this point, Isis. There will always be certain things that won't meet your expectations."

"There are several things will never meet her expectations," I correct.

Quiet, both of you!

Bast and I both start to laugh quietly. Fortunately, the street back to our hotel isn't too crowded, so there is really no one around to experience what would surely seem like a moment of mental instability on my part.

Is it not strange that this street is deserted? I recall it having much more people when we came through here this evening.

They're probably back in their apartments or hotel rooms sleeping.

"No, Isis is right. This is the city; half of the people here are most active at night. There should be more-" Bast stops walking. Her fur poofs up, and I hear the softest of hisses come from the back of her throat. "I smell blood."

I told you. Did I not tell you? This city is filled with Greek abominations.

"I smell monster blood, but there is mortal blood in the mix." Bast takes off running and I dash after her.

We're both running faster than any mortal could, but she doesn't stop running until we are almost half a mile away from where we started. Bast takes a sharp turn into an alley, but I slow down to let her enter first and scout around. This could be a trap, and, to be honest, Bast can fight better than I can.

"Sadie! Come here! Hurry!" Bast calls out in urgency.

I step into the alley and blink as my eyes instantly switch to a sort of "night-vision" look. Bast is sitting on her haunches and softly pawing the arm of ... is that a person? My god, he's bleeding! I drop to my knees next to him and begin to look him over. He has a bleeding slash across his chest, a black left eye, two broken fingers, and several bruises and lacerations scattered throughout his body. Thankfully, he's unconscious right now, or those would probably hurt.

"Should I call an ambulance?" I ask Bast.

She shakes her head and looks further down the alley. "Look there."

I look down the alley and my sight automatically zooms in. There is a nearly-dead monster lying (breathing roughly from a wound on its chest) on the ground about twenty feet from us. Judging by the fact that the breed name doesn't jump into my head when I look at it, I guess it's a Greek monster. Did it attack this bloke?

Slamming my open palm to the ground, a burst of multicolored energy erupts from my hand and travels to the monster. The light grows to completely cover the monster, and when it fades, the monster is now just a large pile of sand.

"He probably has supernatural injuries that normal doctors would question," Bast says.

Not to mention the fact that we are the goddess of healing magic.

"Too true," I say as I move the boy so that he is riding piggyback on me. Without the strength of a goddess, this would be unquestionably impossible for me. I'll say it, because I just have to: I love being a goddess sometimes.

Cast an invisibility spell on yourself! No amount of glamor charms will be able to excuse you carrying a bleeding young boy on your back through the hotel lobby.

I focus on the sensation of water: clear, cool, sheltering, invisible. Invisible. My legs turn see-through under me. I glance to Bast and find that she is turning invisible, as well. Once I'm sure that I am invisible from head to toe, I start running even faster than before. The hotel isn't too horribly far, but I wish it was closer.

Why do I care about this so much? It isn't as though any of his injuries are fatal. I could have just healed him in the alley and left him to wake up.

You want to assure yourself that he will remain uninjured after you heal him. It is in our instinct to act caring such as this. We are the goddess of motherhood.

Good to know.

We run through the doors of the hotel and don't stop until we reach the elevators. Seventy seven floors go by very slowly, if you don't know. It gives you time to think about things you would rather not think about, like how your shirt is being soaked by blood that doesn't belong to you or how the boy on your back smells like the ocean.

"Sadie? Sadie, the doors are open!" Bast exclaims as she runs through.

I follow after her, appearing in front of my door in the time it takes a mortal to blink. My hands are shaking as I try (and fail) to put the key into the slot. I grunt and slam my hands onto the door as it begins to glow. It unlocks instantly and swings open. I run inside as the lights shut on above where ever I step. This really is a bad time for my powers to go out of control.

The bed is my first thought. I lay the bloke down onto the bed in the bedroom and step back to think of what wound to address first.

Would you like me to take over?

No ... no, we're merging for this one.

Sadie, are you sure?

Yes, now come on.

How to describe merging with Isis? I guess I should start by saying that gods and goddesses are quite choosy their hosts. Isis selected me because we had an astonishingly strong compatibility. That basically means that we can merge more easily than she could merge with another host.

For generations, the Faust and Kane families (containing the Blood of the Pharaohs) hosted the ancient Egyptian gods. Some of them had good compatibility with the gods they hosted, but some did not. Whenever the latter tried to merge with their god, they could be hurt or even driven insane. Sometimes the gods would even absorb their host's soul and take over the body completely. It takes perfect balance between host and god to merge together. Because we're children of both families (Kanes and Fausts), Carter and I can achieve merging more easily than most of our ancestors.

Carter always describes it as a coin landing on its side when you flip it: neither heads nor tails. I always thought of it as trying to land on a tightrope in stiletto heels. If you don't land perfectly on the wire, you fall to one side or the other. In the merged state, my thoughts are Isis's and her thoughts are mine. Our powers combine and grow past what we could normally achieve by ourselves.

The merge is complete in a single instant. The room around us becomes hot and dry like the desert; our skin shimmers with bright light as we see our clothes change to a white, cotton dress with golden jewelry that glitters brightly. Behind us, wings of multicolored light unfurl as we place our hands over the young boy's chest.

Time to set to work.