Fic!
Title: Things You See In A Graveyard
Series: The Kane Chronicles
Character/Pairing: Sadie and Anubis
Rating: PG, for some British swearing
Warnings: Mild spoilers for The Red Pyramid
A/N: Percy Jackson fans need to READ THIS FASTER! They take place in the same universe! Thinks of the possibilities!
The night air was chill as Sadie waited among the graves. She checked her watch for what felt like the millionth time since she’d arrived. Where is he? Her teeth chattered and her breath plumed in front of her. He really should learn to be more prompt.
She hoped he’d show up soon, as she really had better things to do than stand freezing in a graveyard outside Manhattan all night. Bast had been…rather against going out, though she’d refused to tell Sadie exactly why, only mumbling something about Manhattan and being on the west side. Sadie knew all about the whole east-west thing, of course, the west being the bank of the dead and so on. The Manhattan part had been a little odd, though.
Sadie was just about to give up and head back when a soft voice called her name. She turned and saw him striding smoothly up between gravestones, dressed as he always was in combat boots, black jeans, and a leather jacket. “Anubis!” she said, a little more excitedly than she’d intended. Okay, so she hadn’t seen him in a few weeks, and yes, he was just as heart-stoppingly gorgeous as ever-Sadie clamped down hard on that train of thought before it could go any further.
“How are you tonight?” Anubis asked.
“Cold!” Sadie said angrily, glad to have something to berate him for; it made it easier. “Took you bloody long enough!”
Anubis smiled meekly. “My apologies. It is not lightly that Lord Osiris gives me leave to come here. But you are right, I should not keep a lady waiting, especially one so fierce as you.” His smile turned warm then. “By the way, your father and mother send their regards.”
“Oh, well…thank you.” Sadie thought of her father, presiding over the judgment of the dead as Osiris. It had been this way for a while, but she still had trouble reconciling the two images.
“Shall we walk?” Anubis prompted, and Sadie nodded, the two setting off through the graveyard. It was spacious and well-kempt, and a thin layer of snow crunched over their boots as they passed rows of polished marble and granite.
Silence descended, and Sadie cast about in her head for something to say. It was infuriating; she never had this problem with anyone but Anubis, and for such a stupid reason. Finally she said, “So…how’s judging the souls of the dead, then?”
Anubis chuckled. “Quite well. Now that Lord Osiris has returned, things are rather…business as usual. And what about you?” He fixed her with a searching gaze, and Sadie felt her stomach do a flip. “I suppose you’re having all kinds of adventures with your brother and guardian.”
Sadie shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. “Oh you know, traveling around, trying to recruit new magicians, pretty typical stuff, I guess. Actually, it’s been kind of boring lately.”
“Well, I am glad you are doing well. Osiris speaks of you often, both of you.” Sadie found this both touching and a little strange.
Another long silence descended, until Anubis peered up at the sky, which was clear and full of stars. “Beautiful,” he whispered. “I must thank you, Sadie, for inviting me out here. I do not often get to enjoy the simple things that mortals take for granted. Though you could’ve picked a better graveyard, honestly.”
Sadie frowned. “What? How? I figured, since we were passing through, west side of the river, and all that.”
Anubis shook his head. “It’s not that. Just some…people…who like to hang out here that I would rather not run into.”
Sadie’s brow furrowed. “You? Worried about stuff in a graveyard? What’s so scary?”
Anubis opened his mouth to speak, but his eyes caught something off to their left. “Speaking of which…”
Sadie followed his gaze and caught sight of a black-clothed figure moving among the graves nearby. She tensed, prepared to use her staff and wand, which were tucked into her coat, but then she realized it was just a boy, around Carter’s age. He suddenly froze, noticing them, and Sadie couldn’t help but laugh at his deer-in-the-headlights expression.
“I’m…sorry,” the boy said hesitantly. Sadie noticed he was dressed a lot like Anubis, but his clothes were more ill fitting and his face was somewhat gaunter. “I didn’t realize anyone else was here.”
“Well, there is,” Anubis said, and Sadie was surprised at the ice in his voice. “We were having a private conversation, so if you don’t mind…”Sadie thought it a bit of a stretch to call their previous interaction a conversation.
The boy scowled, clearly put off by Anubis’s hostility. “Well, sorry,” he snapped. His eyes suddenly narrowed, as if he had recognized something. “Do I know you?”
“No,” Anubis bit off, and Sadie almost flinched. “You don’t.”
“Whatever,” the boy snorted. “Later.” He jogged off through the graveyard, disappearing in the gloom.
When he had gone, Anubis immediately turned and smiled at Sadie. “I’m sorry, Sadie. Where were we?”
They continued walking. “Why were you so angry at that kid?” Sadie asked. She was surprised at how Anubis had reacted; she'd never seen him like that before.
“Would that you were not quite so blunt,” Anubis sighed. “I would not trouble myself with this line of questioning, Sadie. He is no one, quite literally. Just a young man where he should not be.”
Sadie wanted to keep asking questions, and she would have, if Anubis hadn’t finished his explanation with a look that said it really was better if she left well enough alone. Somehow it had a little more impact than when her brother gave her that look, so Sadie acquiesced.
A short while later, Sadie checked her watch again. “I should probably be getting back. Bast wasn’t too crazy about me being out here by myself, not that I was going to let her follow me around all night.”
“I understand,” Anubis smiled. He laid a hand on her shoulder. “It was good to talk to you, Sadie. I hope we can do this again soon, without any interruptions.”
Sadie nodded calmly. Somehow, after witnessing the exchange between him and the boy, it was a little easier to control her feelings for Anubis. “That would be great.”
“Until next time, then.” Anubis turned and strode away, disappearing at the edge of Sadie’s vision.
“Goodnight, Sadie Kane.”
Series: The Kane Chronicles
Character/Pairing: Sadie and Anubis
Rating: PG, for some British swearing
Warnings: Mild spoilers for The Red Pyramid
A/N: Percy Jackson fans need to READ THIS FASTER! They take place in the same universe! Thinks of the possibilities!
The night air was chill as Sadie waited among the graves. She checked her watch for what felt like the millionth time since she’d arrived. Where is he? Her teeth chattered and her breath plumed in front of her. He really should learn to be more prompt.
She hoped he’d show up soon, as she really had better things to do than stand freezing in a graveyard outside Manhattan all night. Bast had been…rather against going out, though she’d refused to tell Sadie exactly why, only mumbling something about Manhattan and being on the west side. Sadie knew all about the whole east-west thing, of course, the west being the bank of the dead and so on. The Manhattan part had been a little odd, though.
Sadie was just about to give up and head back when a soft voice called her name. She turned and saw him striding smoothly up between gravestones, dressed as he always was in combat boots, black jeans, and a leather jacket. “Anubis!” she said, a little more excitedly than she’d intended. Okay, so she hadn’t seen him in a few weeks, and yes, he was just as heart-stoppingly gorgeous as ever-Sadie clamped down hard on that train of thought before it could go any further.
“How are you tonight?” Anubis asked.
“Cold!” Sadie said angrily, glad to have something to berate him for; it made it easier. “Took you bloody long enough!”
Anubis smiled meekly. “My apologies. It is not lightly that Lord Osiris gives me leave to come here. But you are right, I should not keep a lady waiting, especially one so fierce as you.” His smile turned warm then. “By the way, your father and mother send their regards.”
“Oh, well…thank you.” Sadie thought of her father, presiding over the judgment of the dead as Osiris. It had been this way for a while, but she still had trouble reconciling the two images.
“Shall we walk?” Anubis prompted, and Sadie nodded, the two setting off through the graveyard. It was spacious and well-kempt, and a thin layer of snow crunched over their boots as they passed rows of polished marble and granite.
Silence descended, and Sadie cast about in her head for something to say. It was infuriating; she never had this problem with anyone but Anubis, and for such a stupid reason. Finally she said, “So…how’s judging the souls of the dead, then?”
Anubis chuckled. “Quite well. Now that Lord Osiris has returned, things are rather…business as usual. And what about you?” He fixed her with a searching gaze, and Sadie felt her stomach do a flip. “I suppose you’re having all kinds of adventures with your brother and guardian.”
Sadie shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. “Oh you know, traveling around, trying to recruit new magicians, pretty typical stuff, I guess. Actually, it’s been kind of boring lately.”
“Well, I am glad you are doing well. Osiris speaks of you often, both of you.” Sadie found this both touching and a little strange.
Another long silence descended, until Anubis peered up at the sky, which was clear and full of stars. “Beautiful,” he whispered. “I must thank you, Sadie, for inviting me out here. I do not often get to enjoy the simple things that mortals take for granted. Though you could’ve picked a better graveyard, honestly.”
Sadie frowned. “What? How? I figured, since we were passing through, west side of the river, and all that.”
Anubis shook his head. “It’s not that. Just some…people…who like to hang out here that I would rather not run into.”
Sadie’s brow furrowed. “You? Worried about stuff in a graveyard? What’s so scary?”
Anubis opened his mouth to speak, but his eyes caught something off to their left. “Speaking of which…”
Sadie followed his gaze and caught sight of a black-clothed figure moving among the graves nearby. She tensed, prepared to use her staff and wand, which were tucked into her coat, but then she realized it was just a boy, around Carter’s age. He suddenly froze, noticing them, and Sadie couldn’t help but laugh at his deer-in-the-headlights expression.
“I’m…sorry,” the boy said hesitantly. Sadie noticed he was dressed a lot like Anubis, but his clothes were more ill fitting and his face was somewhat gaunter. “I didn’t realize anyone else was here.”
“Well, there is,” Anubis said, and Sadie was surprised at the ice in his voice. “We were having a private conversation, so if you don’t mind…”Sadie thought it a bit of a stretch to call their previous interaction a conversation.
The boy scowled, clearly put off by Anubis’s hostility. “Well, sorry,” he snapped. His eyes suddenly narrowed, as if he had recognized something. “Do I know you?”
“No,” Anubis bit off, and Sadie almost flinched. “You don’t.”
“Whatever,” the boy snorted. “Later.” He jogged off through the graveyard, disappearing in the gloom.
When he had gone, Anubis immediately turned and smiled at Sadie. “I’m sorry, Sadie. Where were we?”
They continued walking. “Why were you so angry at that kid?” Sadie asked. She was surprised at how Anubis had reacted; she'd never seen him like that before.
“Would that you were not quite so blunt,” Anubis sighed. “I would not trouble myself with this line of questioning, Sadie. He is no one, quite literally. Just a young man where he should not be.”
Sadie wanted to keep asking questions, and she would have, if Anubis hadn’t finished his explanation with a look that said it really was better if she left well enough alone. Somehow it had a little more impact than when her brother gave her that look, so Sadie acquiesced.
A short while later, Sadie checked her watch again. “I should probably be getting back. Bast wasn’t too crazy about me being out here by myself, not that I was going to let her follow me around all night.”
“I understand,” Anubis smiled. He laid a hand on her shoulder. “It was good to talk to you, Sadie. I hope we can do this again soon, without any interruptions.”
Sadie nodded calmly. Somehow, after witnessing the exchange between him and the boy, it was a little easier to control her feelings for Anubis. “That would be great.”
“Until next time, then.” Anubis turned and strode away, disappearing at the edge of Sadie’s vision.
“Goodnight, Sadie Kane.”