Chapter Six: Raymond. And Here I Thought Zia Was Scary

Here's chapter six of Heroes: The New Level.

And Here I Thought Zia Was Scary
Zia looked at the fissure and spoke some words. A big chunk of wood covered the hole in the ground.

"What's that?" I asked.

"It is a doorway into the Duat. Being a godling, you would have been able to make one with less energy, but I am afraid your significant lack of training means you are, as of yet, unable. Just open the door and go through. It will take you to the Kanes in Brooklyn."

"You sure it'll work?"

"It is how I followed the sphinx here."

I couldn't argue with that, so I opened the door and jumped through. If you're one of those people who hates roller coasters, don't go into a doorway to the Duat. If you like them... you still probably shouldn't. It was the ultimate gut-wrenching moment, only sustained.

I came up in front of a broken down building - or one that was still being built.

"Welcome to the Kane mansion," Zia said.

"This is a mansion?"

"It has a glamour to disguise its appearance, but yes. Look closely and you will see."

I peered closer and suddenly, the building changed before my eyes to become a big mansion. "Whoa," I said inadequately.

"Come, I will show you to the Kanes," Zia said.

"Why do you call them that?"

"It is their name. Carter Kane and Sadie Kane. And we cannot forget Amos Kane, of course."

Zia opened the door and a golden-furred baboon wearing a Lakers jersey came out screeching, "Eek! Eek!"

"Please tell me this isn't who I'm supposed to be meeting."

"Of course not. This is Khufu, Amos's pet."

"Who's at the door, Khufu?" a young male voice asked rhetorically. A guy with dark brown skin and short hair came up in front of us. "Um... hey, Zia. And who's this?"

"Raymond Tarry. I believe he may be Blood of the Pharaohs. He is hosting Ra's spirit. Raymond, this is Carter Kane."

Carter's eyes widened. "Ra? Amazing... you must have a lot of power to sustain Ra."

Two more people showed up. A girl with blue and red streaks right through caramel-colored hair, wearing combat boots and a jacket. Somehow, the look on her face made her seem even more terrifying than Zia and Khufu combined. The other was older, a man who looked a lot like Carter, with long hair and a fedora.

"Nice to see you again, Zia," the man said. "And this would be..."

"Ack!" Khufu said.

"Really? Ra?" he said in astonishment.

"Sadie, Amos, this is Raymond," Carter said. "Raymond, this is my sister Sadie and our uncle Amos."

I tried my best to hide my surprise - Carter and Sadie looked nothing alike.

"So... are sphinx attacks normal for... for godlings?"

"No," Amos said slowly. "They shouldn't be, at least. Did the sphinx say anything unusual?"

"It gave me a riddle about darkness and mentioned something called the Merge."

"Ack! Ack!"

"I agree," Amos told Khufu. "If that's true, though... we may be in far more danger than Apophis ever wrought."

"What? What's the Merge?" Sadie asked.

Amos sighed dramatically. "Remember when I said that the Per Ankh had to stay out of Manhattan because it had other gods... and it's best to keep separate from the Egyptian ones?"

"Yeah," Carter said uneasily.

"It looks like the gods are no longer being kept separate."

Additive Words
Wow! So I guess now we know what the mysterious Merge is: The Greek, Roman, Egyptian, and Aztec gods are coming together. This is what Raymond, Tara, Natalie, and maybe Eddie were chosen for. But are these four heroes the ones causing this Merge that Amos and Chiron both feared? Or are they destined to be the weapons who will destroy it? And, I know countless TKC fans have asked this: How does Amos speak baboon?! It must at the very least take a dozen years to get through the basics of a language that can say the whole of The Red Pyramid in one Ack!

Here are some links.

Chapter Seven: Eddie. I Get My Own Deadly Weapon

Heroes: The New Level

Chapter One: Tara. Some Weird Kid Fights Something