The Red Pyramid Chapter 6 Summary

Breakfast with a Crocodile

• Carter is unsure how to describe this strange thing that happens to him: it's like a nightmare, but it's realistic.
• As Carter falls asleep, he feels as if he's hovering over his body. Then he sees that his form is golden, and he has wings instead of arms (Sadie interjects to say that he looked like a chicken).
• Suddenly Carter rises up through darkness and mist and realizes that he's come to a different place.
• It's a desert. This is also when Carter realizes that his head and face are still his own, though his body has changed, since he can feel the dry wind on his skin.
• Carter sees two figures that are demonically ugly: one like a toad, and the other with rooster feet.
• A fiery form appears and the two figures grovel. Carter freaks out, because it's fiery dude from the British Museum.
• Rooster-footed-guy IDs the location to fiery dude as Phoenix.
• Toad-guy gives fiery dude some lip about how he'll manage to find and eliminate the "other four," so fiery dude melts him to death. Ick.
• Fiery dude says that he'll build his temple right here, and then summon the greatest storm ever known in order to destroy all life on earth.
• Rooster-guy whispers a suggestion to fiery dude, which apparently he likes, since he tells Rooster-guy to unleash the forces and bring the younglings to him.
• Fiery guy says that he likes the name Phoenix. He'll rise from its ashes, which will be a fabulous birthday present.
• Carter wakes up, his heart pounding. Muffin is on his chest (however she got in).
• The events from yesterday—especially his dad disappearing—make Carter feel grief all over again, but an inner voice tells him to keep it together, since he has to be ready: someone's after him.
• Carter doesn't understand what he saw in the vision, or how he saw it, but it's pretty clear that the younglings are probably he and Sadie. That means they're in trouble.
• The only clothes at hand are plain white linen pajama-style pants and shirts. This isn't really Carter's style—not that he has much of a style, according to Sadie, since their dad made him dress like a grown-up.
• Carter remembers complaining to his dad about having to wear a long-sleeved shirt one time when it was really hot, and his dad told him that since he's an African American man, people will judge him more harshly, so it's up to him to make a good impression.
• So Carter dons the pajama-like clothes and goes to look for everyone.
• Sadie and Amos are eating breakfast out on the terrace. There's a feast set out, and Amos wishes Carter a Merry Christmas. This causes Carter to reflect on how he and Sadie haven't spent a Christmas morning together since their mom died.
• Sadie's dressed in the same white PJs as Carter, and Amos is impeccably dressed (again).
• On the topic of food, Amos says that Khufu only eats things that end in –o, such as Doritos, burritos, and flamingos. Ew.
• While Carter gets his own food, he notices a giant albino crocodile in the pool. His name is Philip of Macedonia, and he likes bacon.
• Amos begins with the explanations, saying that Julius was trying to summon a god. Unfortunately, it worked.
• Carter says yeah, he's heard his dad saying, "Osiris, come." But Osiris is just a legend, right?
• Amos says nope: Egypt was one of the most ancient and greatest civilizations, and her influence lives on. So do her gods.
• In fact, the gods were the origin of magic, since priests would channel their power back in the day. Then the House of Life was established, where magicians train and study. And guess what? Amos and Julius are both magicians.
• Carter argues that his dad's an archaeologist, but Amos says that was just his cover story. In fact, the Kane family's interest in Egyptian magic goes waaaaay back. Their mom's family, the Fausts, also have old ties to magic
• Amos drops it on them: Sadie and Carter are two of the most powerful Kane children to be born in centuries.
• Another thing? By the end of ancient times, magicians had learned (with Thoth's help) that gods are not to be worshiped. In fact, magicians strive to control the gods.
• So Julius releasing gods was not exactly a good thing to do, from most magicians' point of view.
• Sadie, Carter, and Amos talk about why Julius broke the Rosetta Stone. Amos breaks a saucer by throwing it on the ground and says he could've done that with magic, using the word ha-di. And to fix it with magic, he says hi-nehm, and the saucer reassembles itself.
• Amos goes on to explain that Julius had probably realized that the Rosetta Stone could act as a focus for a really powerful spell. Carter asks why he'd wanted to summon Osiris.
• Sadie answers: their dad had been talking about making things right. He'd been referring to their mother, who's dead. And Osiris being the lord of death… yep.
• According to Amos, Julius did successfully release Osiris, and he probably joined with him in the process. He also released four other gods at the same time.
• Amos says that the gods of Egypt are dangerous, and magicians have made every effort to banish and bind them.
• On top of that, according to a decree from Chief Lector Iskandar in Roman times, magicians are forbidden from contacting the gods. Guess what Carter's parents were doing?
• Sadie connects the dots and asks if that's what their parents had been doing at Cleopatra's Needle in London.
• Amos confirms this, saying that it was risky, and that it cost their mom her life. Julius was exiled and monitored by the House of Life, since they suspected he would keep trying to release gods.
• Sadie asks if the girl and the man with the beard at the museum the previous night were also magicians. Amos says yep, and that it's fortunate they let the kids go.
• Amos answers by saying that Sadie and Carter were raised apart for a reason, and it's not because of the court battle after their mother's death.
• When Amos says Julius had wanted to keep both kids, Sadie's startled. Amos goes on to say that they could become very powerful together.
• At the mention of powers, Carter thinks of Sadie's sixth birthday party.
• Time for a trip down memory lane: that was the last celebration where they'd been together as a whole family, and Sadie and Carter had a huge argument, possibly over who would blow out the candles. After the two started yelling, the cake exploded.
• Carter remembers specks of cake on everyone there, including an adult visitor who was wearing glasses…
• Yep, Amos says he was there, and it was clear from then on that it'd be tough to raise the two powerful (but argumentative) siblings together.
• Carter asks what happens now, and Amos says he's going train the kids, whether or not the House approves, because the world is in danger. If only they knew where the fiery dude was.
• Carter blurts out, "Phoenix." Then he has to relate his vision to Amos, who concludes that this is bad, bad news.
• Amos warns Carter to use his headrest in the future, since sleep is a doorway into the Duat.
• What's the Duat? Amos is so glad you asked. He explains: the Duat is the spirit world, with many layers of memories and magic. Mortals can pass through it, like they did on the boat last night, but it can also be super dangerous.
• The Red Lord is the fiery dude, but Amos doesn't say more before excusing himself to go find out more. They should be safe alone, and Muffin will guard them.
• Before Amos leaves, he tells Carter and Sadie to be careful and not to let anyone in. And definitely do not explore the library.
• So the first thing Sadie suggests when Amos is gone, of course, is that she and Carter explore the library.