Bring it on, Crabby!

"Tell me, how often do monsters give you the luxury of Googling them before they attack?"

"The Hidden Oracle", the first book in "The Trials of Apollo" series, will be out on May 2. Rick Riordan released "Demigods and Magicians: Percy and Annabeth Meet the Kanes" not long ago, a compilation of short stories published during the last few years. Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase finally met Carter and Sadie Kane, and it wasn't an accident. New York turned out to be a small world. And it had something to do with Cleopatra.

In "The Serpent's Shadow", the final book in "The Kane Chronicles" series, Carter and Sadie needed Setne's assistance in fighting Apophis. (He's the main antagonist in Ancient Egypt.) Setne, the son of Ramses the Great, was on trial for many crimes. He tricked Carter, and almost succeeded in exterminating him. The young man was fortunate that his sister fell into Setne before his doom. (Long story.) The evil magician managed to escape amid the chaos, wanting to become a deity himself. Sadie shuddered at the thought of bowing to a scrawny old codger with a loincloth and Elvis hair.

There was a malicious old bird who loved to watch mortals squabble

Alexander the Great was talking incoherently in his death bed, as his followers were unable to find out who would succeed him. The strongest, the son of Philip II said. A war of Alexander's generals followed, all wanting a piece of the vast empire. Ptolemy (Egypt), Seleucus (Babylon), and Lysimachus (Asia Minor and Thrace) ended up with the largest territories.

Ptolemy established the Ptolemaic Dynasty, with Cleopatra as its last ruler. Everyone would be familiar with the next chain of events, but not the ones when the Macedonian general was around. He made Alexandria the capital of his empire. The Pharos of Alexandria, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was believed to lure the (ancient) Greek and Egyptian deities. This would be the part where Percy and Annabeth and Carter and Sadie entered the scene.

Those who enjoyed "The Kane Chronicles" knew there was unfinished business between the Kane siblings and Setne. They had no idea about their foe's wicked plan until Sadie's first encounter with Annabeth. The daughter of Athena figured out that Serapis, a hybrid god whom Ptolemy likened to Zeus, would rise from the rubble and travel to Governor's Island. And his scepter could make him invincible. It was a hybrid of the Cerberus, a monster with a lion head, a wolf head, and a labrador head. They struggled under a conical shell. (They looked like a deformed hermit crab.) It would be terrifying until readers were reminded of Sadie.

Sadie grew up in London. There was no doubt about the British humor, which made “The Staff of Serapis” fun to read. (“The Staff of Serapis” was the second short story in the compilation.) Riordan knows it too well, as he's a huge fan of the Monty Python. Critics didn't appreciate it, but it didn't misfire on the author. After all, his fans weren't born (when Terry Gilliam and John Cleese achieved fame).

"Demigods and Magicians" won't disappoint readers who became attached to Percy and Annabeth. They have been through many adventures, so it might be the right time to give way to another character. (And he used to be a god.) But not Carter and Sadie. They were siblings, but they were liked water and oil. They have charisma. Readers would love their banter, and Riordan might be thinking of them sooner or later. (He can consider Babylonia for another series, and another crossover with Ancient Egypt.) As for Setne, let's just say that he would be punished by watching Carter doing his research. It might be kinder if Ammit, a female demon that was part lion, hippopotamus, and crocodile, devour his soul right away.