Nico felt his heart leap into his throat. His mouth went dry and words failed him. All he could do was stare, dumbstruck, at his nemesis, held fast in the grip of his own fear.

Steady, said Anubis in his mind. You are not alone.

"Where's your cousin, pet? I owe him for that incident with the tiger fish," said Aziza, her tone nasty and biting.

There was a moment of silence. The others were probably waiting for Nico to say something. When he stayed silent, Nico felt their gazes turn toward him, but still, he couldn't find any words, or the strength to break free from his fear. He felt Anubis poised to take control of his body.

"If you're talking to Nico, he's not your pet," said Alyssa, before the silence could stretch on too long. "As you can see, he's not a flying, fire-breathing freak, or a Tragic Toys For Girls and Boys reject. We'll thank you to take your real pets and get the hell off our roof!"

Julian and Walt moved directly in front of Nico. They didn't speak, but their message was clear: If you want him, you'll have to go through us.

Then Zia stepped to the front, and Nico would have sworn he saw a distortion in the air around her, like heat glare, or the glow around a smoldering fire. "You will leave that boy alone, Aziza," said Zia, her voice as cold as ice.

"Zia, Zia, Zia." Aziza looked at her like something she'd found on the bottom of her shoe. "How the mighty have fallen."

"You really think you can defeat me?" asked Zia.

"Well," said Aziza, as she raised her staff, preparing to toss it, "I've always wanted to try."

Then she threw her staff, but not at Zia. It morphed into a giant cobra in midair, arcing over Julian's and Walt's heads, straight at Nico.

Nico reacted on instinct. His sword flashed through the darkness, and the snake's head was suddenly detached from its body.

You're petrified by a short woman, but you have absolutely no problem at all with giant mutant freak snakes? Anubis's voice was amused in his head.

Yeah, well -

"AZIZA! You are DEAD!" The roof lit up like an inferno as Zia sent a wave of flames crashing toward their enemies.

Several demons were immediately incinerated. Others managed to get clear, and all the magicians managed to shield themselves with their magic. Mostly. One woman's hair caught on fire and she started screaming and running around in circles. A man's robes caught aflame as well, and he tackled the torch-headed woman and began rolling with her to smother the fire. All the rest just got off a little singed.

"What, are you shacking up with the demigod, Zia?" asked Aziza. "Is that where you've been all this time? He's a little young for you, isn't he?"

This time Zia sent a concentrated stream of flame at Aziza. Aziza responded with one of her own. The two streams of fire collided midway across the roof, each one trying to force the other back, neither managing to gain much ground. The temperature on the roof sky rocketed from that of a cool spring evening, to the temperature you'd expect to find in an oven. Everyone stared as the two fire magicians clashed. No one dared step forward, lest they be caught in the inferno.

Is that your mom's influence? That protective rage? Nico wanted to know. Because if it is, I don't ever want to meet your mother.

My mother is protective... but not like that. Anubis watched Zia uncertainly through Nico's eyes. That furious rage is all Zia's.

Good to know. Nico frowned, as Zia began to lose ground. The stream of fire started getting pushed back toward her by Aziza's power. Zia was sweating, and not just from the sweltering temperature. I think she needs help. Open my Duat locker for me?

Anubis obliged, and Nico reached into the space in the Duat where he kept all manner of useful things stored, and pulled out a firecracker. He drew back his arm, then threw it as hard as he could, over Zia's head, over her fire, right toward Aziza. His aim was perfect. It dropped down right in front of her. Right in her stream of flames.

It exploded on contact, as firecrackers are wont to do. The proximity of the minor explosion was close enough to Aziza that it knocked her off her feet, breaking her concentration. Her own stream of fire died and she was engulfed by Zia's power, but she must have managed to get her shields up, just in time.

"Nice throw," Walt told Nico.

"Thank you." Nico grinned. There truly was no better way to get past your fear of someone than to see them get blown on their butt by a firecracker.

"Stay back, Nico," ordered Zia. "Let me handle her."

"Don't tell me what to do."

"Hey . . . have you two met before?" asked Julian. "Are you guys like relatives or something?"

Nico shook his head.

"Huh." Julian looked at Zia and shrugged. "Well, she's acting like a mother bear, but whatever. I'm just glad she's on our side."

"Yeah, me too."

That was all the time they had for chit chat. Aziza leapt back to her feet, ready for battle again, even though she was a sorry sight. Her skin was all red, like she had a really bad sunburn, but her eyes were furious. They locked onto Nico's, silently promising retribution, and despite his resolve not to be afraid of her, Nico felt his mouth go dry again.

Then the battle erupted in full force.

---------------------------------------------

"Percy, have I ever told you how much I love you?" asked Bast.

Percy didn't even stop to look at her. He was too busy cutting down enemy shabtis and demons. The invaders had sent their fodder in first, soldiers that were expendable, to soften up the defenses before they joined in. Percy appreciated it. These dolls and weaker demons made for a nice warm up.

"No, Bast. You never told me," he said without breaking stride.

"Well I do love you. If someone had told me a couple thousand years ago that I'd be buddy-buddy with a Greek I'd have slit their throat and lapped up their blood like cream. But you, young demigod, are awesome to have around."

"Thanks . . . I think."

It was just Percy and Bast on the deck. The trainees were waiting just inside, in case something made it past them. They had decided that the best course of action would be to let them reserve their magic. The invaders were counting on them getting tired out before the enemy magicians even stepped in. Percy smiled, thinking of the shock they'd be in when they found the young magicians were completely fresh and ready to kick their butts.

As for Percy and Bast getting tired out . . . well that wasn't going to happen any time soon. Percy could do this all night.

Firelight from the roof was casting an eerie glow over everything. If Percy had to guess what was going on, he'd say Zia and Aziza had probably gotten into a flaming match. It seemed like they were having it harder up there than he and Bast were down here, and he thought about shouting to a few of the trainees to go help them out. But he held off on that. Amos knew the trainees better than Percy, and deemed that the team up there was a good match for anything the House of Life sent against them.

"If there's one area that Egyptians are lacking in, it's endurance. Magic saps our magicians' strength and wears them down too fast. You demigods . . . you can use your powers all day long, because they're a natural part of you, or whatever."

"Some powers," Percy corrected Bast. "Don't tell me you've forgotten what happens every time Nico shadow travels with extra people."

"Hmm, true. But still, he can fight all night if it's just him and his sword. And when you guys need to be recharged, all you have to do is chug some nectar or chomp down on some ambrosia -"

"And if we use too much of it we burn up," Percy reminded her.

"Kid, I'm trying to pay you a compliment here," said Bast. "All I'm saying is, I'm glad you're on our side."

"Oh. Thanks." Most of the first wave had been dispatched. It was getting easier to breathe now that most of their enemies had been reduced to clay crumbs and dust.

"You may now pay your compliments to me," said Bast. Well, it was more like she ordered it.

"Uh, right. You're a better fighter than Ares," said Percy. "I know this for a fact. I beat him once."

When he got a chance to look toward Bast, he would have sworn she was preening, even as she was slicing up shabtis. "There's a reason I was Ra's champion."

Then, suddenly, there were no more shabtis or demons to kill. Percy glanced toward the roof and saw that the fight was still going on up there. Flashes of light and bursts of fire continued to light up the night, and Percy thought he saw places where the shadows seemed thicker, and wondered if that was Nico's doing somehow. But he didn't have much time to dwell on that. The second wave arrived, quite literally, in the form of one magician atop a wall of water he'd pulled from the river.

Percy walked quickly to the edge of the terrace to face this new challenger, not quite able to believe what the magician was doing. "Let me guess," he hazarded. "You're Kwai?"

"I am. They call me Kwai of the Watery Death! Water heeds my every command. Twenty long years it took to master this power, to learn how to bend currents and streams to my whims, and this before you is the result. Surrender now, or you will be the first to drown!"

Percy and Bast exchanged glances. "He must not know who you are," said Bast.

"Yeah. I'm not sure whether I should point and laugh, or just let him have it," said Percy.

"You dare to mock me?" shouted Kwai. "I was responsible for the great tsunami in the Indian Ocean which claimed many lives, as I will now claim yours, you fool! Behold my power, foolish challenger -"

"Percy, please, just shut him up already," said Bast.

Percy grinned and raised one hand. "With pleasure."