“But we’ve met now,” Percy said. “You know I’m out here on Long Island. I know you live in Brooklyn. If we went searching for each other—”
“I wouldn’t recommend it,” I said. “Not until we know more. I need to look into some things on, uh, my side—try to figure out who was behind this crocodile incident. ”
“All right,” Percy agreed. “I’ll do the same on my side. ”
He pointed at the petsuchos necklace, which was glinting just inside my backpack. “What do we do about that?”
“I can send it somewhere safe,” I promised. “It won’t cause trouble again. We deal with relics like this a lot. ”
“We,” Percy said. “Meaning, there’s a lot of…you guys?”
I didn’t answer.
Percy put up his hands. “Fine. I didn’t ask. I have some friends back at Ca—uh, back on my side who would love tinkering with a magic necklace like that; but I’m going to trust you here. Take it. ”
I didn’t realize I’d been holding my breath until I exhaled. “Thanks. Good. ”
“And the baby crocodile?” he asked.
I managed a nervous laugh. “You want it?”
“Gods, no. ”
“I can take it, give it a good home. ” I thought about our big pool at Brooklyn House. I wondered how our giant magic crocodile, Philip of Macedonia, would feel about having a little friend. “Yeah, it’ll fit right in. ”
Percy didn’t seem to know what to think of that. “Okay, well…” He held out his hand. “Good working with you, Carter. ”
We shook. No sparks flew. No thunder boomed. But I still couldn’t escape the feeling that we’d opened a door, meeting like this—a door that we might not be able to close.
“You too, Percy. ”
He stood to go. “One more thing,” he said. “If this somebody, whoever threw us together…if he’s an enemy to both of us—what if we need each other to fight him? How do I contact you?”
I considered that. Then I made a snap decision. “Can I write something on your hand?”
He frowned. “Like your phone number?”
“Uh…well, not exactly. ” I took out my stylus and a vial of magic ink. Percy held out his palm. I drew a hieroglyph there—the Eye of Horus. As soon as the symbol was complete it flared blue, then vanished.
“Just say my name,” I told him, “and I’ll hear you. I’ll know where you are, and I’ll come meet you. But it will only work once, so make it count. ”
Percy considered his empty palm. “So I’m trusting you that this isn’t some type of magical tracking device. ”
“Yeah,” I said. “And I’m trusting that when you call me, you won’t be luring me into some kind of ambush. ”
He stared at me. Those stormy green eyes really were kind of scary. Then he smiled, and he looked like a regular teenager, without a care in the world.
“Fair enough,” he said. “See you when I see you, C—”
“Don’t say my name!”
“Just teasing. ” He pointed at me and winked. “Stay strange, my friend. ”
And then he was gone.
An hour later, I was back aboard my airborne boat with the baby crocodile and the magic necklace as Freak flew me home to Brooklyn House.
Now, looking back on it, the whole thing with Percy seems so unreal, I can hardly believe it actually happened.