Gohan didn't realize he had fallen asleep until he was woken up by a massive roar, causing him to yelp and slip back, landing on his back with a loud crunch.

"OW!" Sadie and Carter raced over him to the small window and peered down. Gohan groaned as he sat up and joined them, looking down. He was met with a very disturbing sight.

"What… is that?"

"The Set animal," Bast answered.

Far below, the creature prowled the base of the monument, leaving tracks in the new-fallen snow. Gohan had trouble judging its size, but it must've been at least as big as a horse, with legs just as long. It had an unnaturally lean, muscled body with shiny reddish gray fur. You could almost mistake it for a huge greyhound—except for the tail and the head. The tail was reptilian, forked at the end with triangular points, like squid tentacles. It lashed around as if it had a mind of its own. The creature's head was the strangest part. Its oversize ears stuck straight up like rabbit ears, but they were shaped more like ice cream cones, curled inward and wider on the top than the bottom. They could rotate almost three hundred and sixty degrees, so they could hear anything. The creature's snout was long and curved like an anteater's—only anteaters don't have razor-sharp teeth.

"I really can't catch a break, can I?"

"No." Sadie answered, getting an annoyed glare from Gohan.

"I was being sarcastic."

"And I was shutting up your stupid statement."

"Guys? Argue later, focus on monster now." Carter interrupted.

"Its eyes are glowing," Gohan said. "That can't be good."

"Amen to that." Carter added.

"How can you see that far?" Sadie demanded.

She stood next to them, squinting at the tiny figure in the snow.

"That's the benefit of having an alien dad with heightened senses. Genetics rule."

"You still have the sight of the falcon, Carter." Bast guessed. "And you're right, Carter. The glowing eyes mean the creature has caught our scent."

Carter looked at her and almost jumped out of his skin. Her hair was sticking straight up all over her head, like she'd stuck her finger in a light socket.

"Given that you're clearly scared of that Set animal down there, I'm going to assume that this thing is extremely dangerous." Bast glared at him, but didn't answer.

"How do we get out of here?" Sadie asked.

"You don't understand," Bast said. "The Set animal is the perfect hunter. If it has our scent, there is no stopping it."

"Why is it called the 'Set animal'?" she asked nervously. "Doesn't it have a name?"

"If it did," Bast said, "you would not want to speak it. It is merely known as the Set animal—the Red Lord's symbolic creature. It shares his strength, cunning...and his evil nature."

"Lovely," Sadie said.

The animal sniffed at the monument and recoiled, snarling.

"It doesn't seem to like the obelisk," Gohan noticed.

"No," Bast said. "Too much Ma'at energy. But that won't hold it back for long."

As if on cue, the Set animal leaped onto the side of the monument. It began climbing like a lion scaling a tree, digging its claws into the stone.

"That's messed up," Carter said. "Elevator or stairs?" "Both are too slow," Bast said. "Back away from the window."

She unsheathed her knives and sliced through the glass. She punched out the window, setting off alarm bells. Freezing air blasted into the observation room. Gohan flinched as he covered his eyes,

"You all need to fly," Bast yelled over the wind. "It's the only way." "No!" Sadie's face went pale. "Not the kite again." "Sadie, it's okay," I said. She shook her head, terrified.

Carter grabbed her hand. "I'll stay with you. I'll make sure you turn back."

"The Set animal is halfway up," Bast warned. "We're running out of time."

"Hang on, I'll cover us!" Then, without any warning, Gohan grabbed the top of the window and pulled himself out, gripping the stone wall for support. The Set monster screeched as it saw Gohan and tore up the side of the monument. Gohan smirked as he raised his hand, forming a bright yellow ball in his hand.

"Batter up!" He hurled the ball, which slammed into the creature and burst into a large orange explosion, which sent the Set animal tumbling off the side. But then, it managed to drive its claws into the side, managing to stop itself from slamming into the ground. It looked up at Gohan and let out another massive roar as it resumed climbing up. Gohan sighed.

"Okay then…" He let go of his hand-made perch and raced down the side of the monument, slamming his feet into the monster's face, which sent them both flying into the ground with a massive crash. The creature burst into smoke, covering Gohan in a thick cloud.

"Seriously?" Sadie yelped as the room shook.

"A brave boy… foolish, but brave." Bast admitted.

"He must really want to die." Sadie added as she peeped out the side of the window. A second later, she yelped as Gohan swung in, a grin on his face as he landed on his feet. Sadie blushed as she turned away, though she did snicker.

"What happened to your shirt?" Gohan blinked as he patted his chest, realizing that his robes were shredded.

"Hey, at least I took care of it." Bast hissed as she shook her head.

"No. You has only delayed it. The Set animal is immortal. It will regain its form. Soon." Gohan frowned.

"Seriously? I was hoping for centuries. Or a thousand years. Isn't that how it usually goes?" she shook her head.

"Oh."

"You all must go. Now. I'll distract the animal."

Sadie glanced at Bast. "What about you? You can't fly."

"I'll jump," she said. "Cats always land on their feet."

"It's over a hundred meters!" Sadie cried.

"A hundred and seventy," Bast said. "I'll distract the Set animal, buy you some time."

"You'll be killed." Sadie's voice sounded close to breaking. "Please, I can't lose you too."

Bast looked a little surprised. Then she smiled and put her hand on Sadie's shoulder. "I'll be fine, dear. Meet me at Reagan National, terminal A. Be ready to run. Keep them safe, boy."

Before anyone could argue, Bast jumped past Gohan out the window. She plummeted straight toward the pavement but as she fell she spread her arms and legs and seemed to relax.

Bast hit the ground with both feet and took off running. She must've been doing sixty miles an hour, easy. She took off down the street, quickly fading into the distance.

"She won't make it," Sadie fretted.

"Never bet against a cat," Carter said. "We've got to do our part." Gohan butted in at that point.

"Come on. Sadie, I'll help you." Gohan held his hand out. Sadie snorted in annoyance.

"Seriously? You gonna wisk me up like a cheesy Disney Princess?"

"It's me or becoming a bird again."

She took a deep breath. "All right. Before I change my mind." She took his hand, and yelped as Gohan wrapped his hands around her. Sadie yelped as her face turned red.

"Dude! A few inches lower?" Carter groaned. Gohan blinked in confusion.

"Huh? Oh, sorry." Carter groaned in exasperation.

"You gonna change or not?" Carter grumbled, but willed himself to become a falcon. It was even easier than before.

A moment later, they soared into the cold morning air over Washington, D.C. Sadie yelped as she clutched onto Gohan for dear life and clenched her eyes shut.

"You okay?" Gohan laughed.

"Tell me when we land! How do you do this all the time?" she screamed over the sound of rushing wind.

"You get used to it."

"Nope! Never! Not as this or a bird!" Gohan simply chuckled.

Finding the airport was easy. Reagan National was so close, Gohan could see the planes landing across the Potomac. Carter kept close, making screeching noises every now and then. He almost drifted off a few times, but always seemed to snap himself back.

Finally, they reached the airport, and started hunting for a place to land. After all, Gohan couldn't simply float down to the main gate, not to mention Carter transforming back to human. Thus, they landed at the top of a parking garage. Gohan had to admit, it was kinda hilarious to look at Sadie clutching his chest like a teddy bear.

"Sadie, we're on the ground. You can let go now." Sadie slowly opened her eyes and glanced around. Once she was sure she was on solid ground, she let go of Gohan and landed on her two shaky feet.

"You okay?" Gohan asked. Sadie was a bit green in the face.

"Y-yeah. Just a little airsick…"

A loud popping echoed through the air as Carter reappeared next to Gohan.

"You okay? It took you a little while there." Carter nodded.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Sadie?"

"I'm fine. I just spent the last fifteen minutes clutched onto this perv." Gohan groaned in exasperation.

"Why do you hate me?"

"Come on," Carter said. "Let's find Bast."

They walked to the elevator. A businessman with a rolling suitcase was waiting by the doors. His eyes widened when he saw them. To be fair, they did look like a bit of a sight: a tall black kid, a British punk girl and a musclebound boy with a fur belt, dressed in dirty, ragged Egyptian clothes. Not to mention the weird box tucked under Carter's arm.

"How's it going?" Carter said.

"Hi." Gohan waved.

"I'll take the stairs." He hurried off.

The elevator took them to the ground level, and crossed to the departures curb. Carter looked around desperately, hoping to see Bast, but instead caught the attention of a curbside policeman. The guy frowned and started lumbering in their direction.

"Oh brilliant. Cops."

"Last thing we need right now."

"Stay calm, you two." Carter ordered. Resisting the urge to run, they turned and walked through the revolving doors. To be fair, they all had had bad run-ins with the police before. Gohan still remembered how cumbersome cops had been during his first quest with Percy and Annabeth. The problems was always the same: obviously, a group of kids with no parents around were obviously up to no good. They had to disappear, but that was easier said than done.

It was Christmas vacation, so the airport was pretty full—mostly families standing in line at the ticket counters, kids arguing and parents labeling luggage. Gohan was actually in awe, to be honest. He had never seen an airport before in his life. No need for an airplane when you could fly. He wondered what that would be like: a normal family trip, no magic problems or monsters chasing you.

Stop it, Gohan told himself. You've got work to do. Stay on focus. They had to get to Thoth. Stop Set. Frankly, if Gohan had been by himself, he would have simply flown straight to Nashville. But Carter and Sadie complicated things. Not to mention the House of Life and their new psycho leader. The last thing he needed was the House of Life storming the camp. It would turn into a bloodbath.

"You there." They turned. It was the police officer from outside. Sadie squeaked nervously. The cop looked at them warily, resting his hand on his nightstick.

"Where are your parents, kids? And where's his shirt?" he asked.

"In the bathroom. Mom and dad asked us all to get in line." Sadie lied.

"I have tickets..." Carter reached into his pockets, then remembered that Bast had their tickets.

"You're all related?" The cop asked, his face clearly indicating he didn't believe that. Carter and Sadie were both annoyed by that. While it was plausible that Sadie and Gohan could claim to be related, no one ever believed Carter and Sadie were related, which had been something bothering them their entire lives.

The cop scowled. "You'd better come with me."

Suddenly a woman's voice called: "There you all are!"

Bast was hurrying over, pushing her way through the crowd.

Somehow she'd managed to change clothes. She wore a rose-colored pantsuit, lots of gold jewelry, and a cashmere coat, so she looked like a wealthy businesswoman. Ignoring the cop, she sized up Carter's appearance and wrinkled her nose. "Carter, I told you not to wear those horrible clothes. Sadie, what happened to your hair? And Gohan, where's your shirt?" Gohan blinked. "Honestly! You look like you've been sleeping in the wild!"

She took out a handkerchief and made a big production of wiping Carter's face, while the policeman stared.

"Uh, ma'am," he finally managed. "Are your—"

"Niece and nephew, and their best friend." Bast lied. "I'm so sorry, officer. We're heading to Memphis for a… weightlifting competition. I hope they hasn't caused any problems. We're going to miss our flight!"

The officer shuffled nervously.

"Miss, they just said that they're all related…"

"Of course! Carter hangs out with them so much that everyone thinks they're family!" The officer looked conflicted.

"Well, if you'll excuse us, officer. That's a very handsome uniform, by the way. Do you work out?" Before he could respond, Bast grabbed my arm and hurried me toward the security checkpoint. "Don't look back," she said under her breath.

As soon as they turned the corner, Bast pulled them aside by the vending machines.

"The Set animal is close," she said. "We've got a few minutes at best." Gohan sighed in exasperation.

"That was fast. We can't exactly fight it here, surrounded by all these people."

"Well, we'll have to figure it out on the plane."

"How did you change clothes?" Carter asked.

She waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, mortal minds are weak. My clothes haven't really changed. It's just a glamour."

Gohan looked at her more closely, and he saw she was right. Her new clothes flickered like a mirage over her usual leopard-skin bodysuit. As soon as she pointed it out, the magic seemed flimsy and obvious. Or maybe that was just due to the fact that since Gohan was an Otherworlder, magic, like the Mist, didn't work on him like normal people in the world, or even demigods like Percy.

"We'll try to make it to the gate before the Set animal," she said. "It will be easier if you stow your things in the Duat."

"What?"

"You don't really want to tote that box around under your arm, do you? Use the Duat as a storage bin."

"How?" Bast rolled her eyes. "Honestly, what do they teach magicians these days?"

"We had about twenty seconds of training!" "Just imagine a space in the air, like a shelf or a treasure chest—" "A locker?" Carter asked. "I've never had a school locker."

"Fine. Give it a combination lock—anything you want. Imagine opening the locker with your combination. Then shove the box inside. When you need it again, just call it to mind, and it will appear."

Carter looked baffled, but held out his dad's magic box and let it go, sure it would smash to the floor. Instead, the box disappeared. Gohan let out a whistle of surprise.

"Cool," Sadie said. "Are you sure I can get it back?" "No," Bast said. "Now, come on!"