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The Son of Sobek

GETTING EATEN BY A GIANT CROCODILE was bad enough.

The kid with the glowing sword onl !ade ! da worse.

"abe I should introdu#e !sel$.

I%! Carter &ane ' (art)ti!e high)s#hool $resh!an* (art)ti!e !agi#ian* $ull)ti!e worrier

about all the Eg(tian gods and !onsters who are #onstantl tring to kill !e.

Oka* that last (art is an e+aggeration. Not allthe gods want !e dead. ,ust a lot o$ the!

' but that kind o$ goes with the territor* sin#e I%! a !agi#ian in the -ouse o$ Li$e.

e%re like the (oli#e $or An#ient Eg(tian su(ernatural $or#es* !aking sure the don%t

#ause too !u#h ha/o# in the !odern world.

Anwa* on this (arti#ular da I was tra#king down a rogue !onster on Long Island.

Our s#rers had been sensing !agi#al disturban#es in the area $or se/eral weeks. Then

the lo#al news started re(orting that a large #reature had been sighted in the (onds and

!arshes near the "ontauk -ighwa ' a #reature that was eating the wildli$e and s#aring

the lo#als. One re(orter e/en #alled it the Long Island 0wa!( "onster. hen !ortals

start raising the alar!* ou know it%s ti!e to #he#k things out.

Nor!all ! sister* 0adie* or so!e o$ our other initiates $ro! Brookln -ouse

would%/e #o!e with !e. But the were all at the 1irst No!e in Eg(t $or a week)long

training session on #ontrolling #heese de!ons 2es* the%re a real thing ' belie/e !e*

ou don%t want to know3* so I was on ! own.

I hit#hed our $ling reed boat to 1reak* ! (et gri$$in* and we s(ent the !orning

bu44ing around the south shore* looking $or signs o$ trouble. I$ ou%re wondering wh I

didn%t 5ust ride on 1reak%s ba#k* i!agine two hu!!ingbird)like wings beating $aster

and !ore (ower$ull than heli#o(ter blades. 6nless ou want to get shredded* it%s reall

better to ride in the boat.

1reak had a (rett good nose $or !agi#. A$ter a #ou(le o$ hours on (atrol* he shrieked*

71REEEEEE&8% and banked hard to the le$t* #ir#ling o/er a green !arsh inlet between

two neighbourhoods.

7Down there9% I asked.

1reak shi/ered and s:uawked* whi((ing his barbed tail ner/ousl.

I #ouldn%t see !u#h below us ' 5ust a brown ri/er glittering in the hot su!!er air*

winding through swa!( grass and #lu!(s o$ gnarled trees until it e!(tied into

"ori#hes Ba. The area looked a bit like the Nile Delta ba#k in Eg(t* e+#e(t here the

wetlands were surrounded on both sides b residential neighbourhoods with row a$ter

row o$ gre)roo$ed houses. ,ust to the north* a line o$ #ars in#hed along the "ontauk

-ighwa ' /a#ationers es#a(ing the #rowds in the #it to en5o the #rowds in the

-a!(tons.

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bu!(s. Instantl it sub!erged again* but I knew what I was dealing with now. I%d seen

#ro#odiles be$ore* and this was a $reakishl big one.

I re!e!bered El =aso* the winter be$ore last* when ! sister and I had been atta#ked b

the #ro#odile god 0obek. That wasnta good !e!or.

0weat tri#kled down ! ne#k.

70obek*% I !ur!ured* 7i$ that%s ou* !essing with !e again* I swear to Ra ;%

The #ro# god had (ro!ised to lea/e us alone now that we were tight with his boss* the

sun god. 0till ; #ro#odiles get hungr. Then the tend to $orget their (ro!ises.

No answer $ro! the water. The ri((les subsided.

hen it #a!e to sensing !onsters* ! !agi# instin#ts weren%t /er shar(* but the water

in $ront o$ !e see!ed !u#h darker. That !eant either it was dee(* or so!ething largewas lurking under the sur$a#e.

I al!ost ho(ed it was0obek. At least then I stood a #han#e o$ talking to hi! be$ore he

killed !e. 0obek lo/ed to boast.

6n$ortunatel* it wasn%t hi!.

The ne+t !i#rose#ond* as the water eru(ted around !e* I reali4ed too late that I

should%/e brought the entire Twent)$irst No!e to hel( !e. I registered glowing ellow

ees as big as ! head* the glint o$ gold 5eweller round a !assi/e ne#k. Then

!onstrous 5aws o(ened ' ridges o$ #rooked teeth and an e+(anse o$ (ink !aw wide

enough to gul( down a garbage tru#k.

And the #reature swallowed !e whole.

I!agine being shrink)wra((ed u(side down inside a giganti# sli! garbage bag with no

air. Being in the !onster%s bell was like that* onl hotter and s!ellier.

1or a !o!ent I was too stunned to do anthing. I #ouldn%t belie/e I was still ali/e. I$

the #ro#odile%s !outh had been s!aller* he !ight ha/e sna((ed !e in hal$. As it was* he

had gul(ed !e down in a single Carter)si4e ser/ing* so I #ould look $orward to beingslowl digested.

Lu#k* right9

The !onster started thrashing around* whi#h !ade it hard to think. I held ! breath*

knowing that it !ight be ! last. I still had ! sword and wand* but I #ouldn%t use the!

with ! ar!s (inned to ! side. I #ouldn%t rea#h an o$ the stu$$ in ! bag.

hi#h le$t onl one answer< a word o$ (ower. I$ I #ould think o$ the right hierogl(hi#

s!bol and s(eak it aloud* I #ould su!!on so!e industrial)strength wrath)o$)the)gods)

t(e !agi# to bust ! wa out o$ this re(tile.

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In theor< a great solution.

In (ra#ti#e< I%! not so good at words o$ (ower e/en in the best o$ situations.

0u$$o#ating inside a dark* s!ell re(tile gullet wasn%t hel(ing !e $o#us.

You can do this* I told !sel$.

A$ter all the dangerous ad/entures I%d had* I #ouldn%t die like this. 0adie would be

de/astated. Then* on#e she got o/er her grie$* she%d tra#k down ! soul in the Eg(tian

a$terli$e and tease !e !er#ilessl $or how stu(id I%d been.

" lungs burned. I was bla#king out. I (i#ked a word o$ (ower* su!!oned all !

#on#entration and (re(ared to s(eak.

0uddenl the !onster lur#hed u(wards. -e roared* whi#h sounded reall weird $ro! the

inside* and his throat #ontra#ted round !e like I was being s:uee4ed $ro! a tooth(aste

tube. I shot out o$ the #reature%s !outh and tu!bled into the !arsh grass.

0o!ehow I got to ! $eet. I staggered around* hal$ blind* gas(ing and #o/ered with

#ro#odile goo* whi#h s!elled like a s#u!! $ish tank.

The sur$a#e o$ the ri/er #hurned with bubbles. The #ro#odile was gone* but standing in

the !arsh about twent $eet awa was a teenage gu in 5eans and a $aded orange T)shirt

that said CA"= so!ething. I #ouldn%t read the rest. -e looked a little older than !e '

!abe se/enteen ' with tousled bla#k hair and sea)green ees. hat reall #aught !

attention was his sword ' a straight double)edged blade glowing with $aint bron4e light.

I%! not sure whi#h o$ us was !ore sur(rised.

1or a se#ond* Ca!(er Bo 5ust stared at !e. -e noted ! khopeshand wand* and I got

the $eeling that he a#tuallsawthese things as the were. Nor!al !ortals ha/e trouble

seeing !agi#. Their brains #an%t inter(ret it* so the !ight look at ! sword* $or

instan#e* and see a baseball bat or a walking sti#k.

But this kid ; he was di$$erent. I $igured he !ust be a !agi#ian. The onl (roble! was

I%d !et !ost o$ the !agi#ians in the North A!eri#an no!es* and I%d ne/er seen this gu

be$ore. I%d also ne/er seen a sword like that. E/erthing about hi! see!ed ; un-

Egyptian.

7The #ro#odile*% I said* tring to kee( ! /oi#e #al! and e/en. 7here did it go9%

Ca!(er Bo $rowned. 7You%re wel#o!e.%

7hat9%

7I stu#k that #ro# in the ru!(.% -e !i!i#ked the a#tion with his sword. 7That%s wh it

/o!ited ou u(. 0o* ou%re wel#o!e. hat were ou doing in there9%

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I%ll ad!it I wasn%t in the best !ood. I s!elled. I hurt. And* eah* I was a little

e!barrassed< the !ight Carter &ane* head o$ Brookln -ouse* had been disgorged

$ro! a #ro#%s !outh like a giant hairball.

7I was resting*% I sna((ed. 7hat do ou thinkI was doing9 Now* who are ou* and wh

are ou $ighting ! !onster9%

7Your!onster9% The gu trudged towards !e through the water. -e didn%t see! to ha/e

an trouble with the !ud. 7Look* !an* I don%t know who ou are* but that #ro#odile has

been terrori4ing Long Island $or weeks. I take that kind o$ (ersonall* as this is !

ho!e tur$. A $ew das ago* it ate one o$ our (egasi.%

A 5olt went u( ! s(ine like I%d ba#ked into an ele#tri# $en#e. 7Did ou sa pegasi9%

-e wa/ed the :uestion aside. 7Is it our !onster or not9%

7I don%t own it8% I growled. 7I%! tring tostopit8 Now* where '%

7The #ro# headed that wa.% -e (ointed his sword to the south. 7I would alread be

#hasing it* but ou sur(rised !e.%

-e si4ed !e u(* whi#h was dis#on#erting sin#e he was hal$ a $oot taller. I still #ouldn%t

read his T)shirt e+#e(t $or the word CA"=. Round his ne#k hung a leather stra( with

so!e #olour$ul #la beads* like a kid%s arts)and)#ra$ts (ro5e#t. -e wasn%t #arring a

!agi#ian%s (a#k or a wand. "abe he ke(t the! in the Duat9 Or !abe he was 5ust a

delusional !ortal who%d a##identall $ound a !agi# sword and thought he was a

su(erhero. An#ient reli#s #an reall !ess with our !ind.

1inall he shook his head. 7I gi/e u(. 0on o$ Ares9 You%/e got to be a hal$)blood* but

what ha((ened to our sword9 It%s all bent.%

7It%s a khopesh.% " sho#k was ra(idl turning to anger. 7It%s su((osed to be #ur/ed.%

But I wasn%t thinking about the sword.

Ca!(er Bo had 5ust #alled !e a half-blood9 "abe I hadn%t heard hi! right. "abe

he !eant so!ething else. But ! dad was A$ri#an)A!eri#an. " !o! was white.

Half-bloodwasn%t a word I liked.

7,ust get out o$ here*% I said* gritting ! teeth. 7I%/e got a #ro#odile to #at#h.%

7Dude*Iha/e to #at#h the #ro#odile*% he insisted. 7Last ti!e ou tried* it ate ou.

Re!e!ber9%

" $ingers tightened round ! sword hilt. 7I had e/erthing under #ontrol. I was about

to su!!on a $ist '%

1or what ha((ened ne+t* I take $ull res(onsibilit.

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I didn%t !ean it. -onestl. But I was angr. And* as I !a ha/e !entioned* I%! not

alwas good at #hannelling words o$ (ower. hile I was in the #ro#odile%s bell* I%d

been (re(aring to su!!on the 1ist o$ -orus< a giant glowing blue hand that #an

(ul/eri4e doors* walls and (rett !u#h anthing else that gets in our wa. " (lan had

been to (un#h ! wa out o$ the !onster. Gross* es* but ho(e$ull e$$e#ti/e.

I guess that s(ell was still in ! head* read to be triggered like a loaded gun. 1a#ing

Ca!(er Bo* I was $urious* not to !entioned da4ed and #on$used> so when I !eant to

sa the English wordfistit #a!e out in An#ient Eg(tian instead< khefa.

0u#h a si!(le hierogl(h