The Throne of Fire

Chapter 17 sets up for the final chapters and offers Carter much-needed context for what he’s up against. In an example of The Difficult of Making Choices in the context of The Different Types of Power, Horus tries to convince Carter to use Ra’s crook and flail himself. Horus has had more power among the gods since Isis put Ra to sleep, and Carter realizes that any advice he gets from Horus may not be accurate because the god doesn’t want to lose his position of power. Still, Horus is a god and knows more about how godly artifacts and powers work. Horus also knows how to scare Carter—by suggesting Sadie might be at risk—which shows that, despite their rough past, Carter will do anything to protect his sister. Carter struggles between listening to Horus, who may be acting in his own self-interests, and sticking with the plan to wake Ra, which has its own risks. Ultimately, he chooses to trust his own judgment and stick with his plan, showing his maturity through his ability to resist the temptations of power. This chapter also shows Desjardins starting to break free of Menshikov’s control, which foreshadows Desjardins’s upcoming assistance.

Chapter 18 speeds up the story’s timeline, expands on Riordan’s worldbuilding, and furthers the themes of choice and family. While Carter slept, Sadie pieced together a wealth of information, allowing the book to move rapidly forward. Zia’s reawakening, and her subsequent conversation with Sadie, is not shown since the chapter is from Carter’s perspective. This adds realism to the story, as no one is around to witness everything that happens at all times; it also allows Sadie and Zia to have a private moment of understanding away from the readers, a less intense version of the way Sadie didn’t reveal Carter’s secret name.

In contrast, Sadie accidentally betrays Walt’s trust when she reveals his curse to Carter. Walt’s insistence that he participate in the fight against Apophis calls to mind how people with terminal diseases are often treated as if they are incapable or fragile. While battling a disease does take a lot of energy, many chronically ill people feel that this treatment is demoralizing and offensive, and Walt feels the same way. He asks Carter and Sadie to respect his decision and allow him to fight on his own terms, without seeking help from their enemy. Carter and Sadie mean well in intending to try anyway, but in doing so, they betray his trust. Their mutual understanding shows that their familial bond has grown and strengthened over the course of the book, and also shows that their values align: They will put caring for their loved ones over everything else, no matter what. Both of them care deeply about Walt and Jaz, who are, in a way, part of their family.

Zia’s gentle rejection of Carter is a continuation of the consequences of choices. Waking for a second time has not given her any memories of him, nor has she formed a bond with him overnight. Despite his heartbreak, Carter can do nothing but respect her wishes; there is nothing he can do to make her share his feelings. Still, Zia has clearly softened toward him, and she says that over time, they may grow closer. This leaves the future of their relationship open. She also asks Carter to stay true to his heart and resist the gods, foreshadowing that he will have further choices to make. The fact that Zia imparts this warning means that Carter is more likely to take it seriously, given his lingering feelings for her.

Carter extracts a promise of support from Nekhbet, who is highly doubtful of their ability to succeed. Ironically, her doubt foreshadows the group’s success in waking Ra: If they had not succeeded, the scene would have had little meaning, as Nekhbet and Babi would have no reason to return. The reaction of the boat to Sadie’s presence in Chapter 19 shows how objects imbued with magic possess memory, furthering Riordan’s worldbuilding. The boat remembers how Isis betrayed Ra, and even though Sadie is not Isis, the boat refuses to move until she promises to help Ra. Still, the boat is wary of her and is less willing to protect her than it is to protect Carter, even though Carter is connected to Horus—a direct beneficiary of Isis’s betrayal. Riordan borrows from Egyptian myth for Carter and Sadie’s journey along the river: The 12 houses each represent an hour of the night, and they are grouped into three sections, one for each of the aspects of Ra. In myth, Khnum is the god of water, among other things, which Riordan recognizes by having him appear in the river.

The assisted living complex in Chapter 20 is Riordan’s godly equivalent of an advanced age home. In the story world, gods fade as they are forgotten, and the sheer number of gods at the assisted living home show how many gods Egypt had that are no longer recognized. Part of Ra is there, suggesting that Ra was partially forgotten after he was betrayed by Isis. Sadie uses the knife Anubis gave her to open Ra’s mouth and allow power to flow into the god, a nod an integral part of the mummification process that allowed the deceased person to breathe in the afterlife. The use of the knife also recalls Anubis’s visit in Chapter 7, tying the story together.

Sadie demonstrates her power in these chapters. Reading from the Book of Ra allows her to wield godlike strength to reunite the aspects of Ra. Even so, Ra is not fully himself by the end of the book, suggesting either that Sadie wasn’t powerful enough to complete the rituals or that Isis’s betrayal ran deeper than anyone knew—meaning that part of Ra is too deeply asleep for a single magician to wake. In Chapter 19, Sadie casts fire protection spells on herself and Carter so they will survive the fiery lake. Ra’s boat is revived by the fire, representing Ra’s journey through the Duat and the Egyptian belief that the sun was reborn each morning.

These chapters end on a note of tension: The group is too late to make it to their next destination, while Menshikov proceeds ahead of them. This implies that Menshikov will triumph if Carter, Sadie, and Bes can’t find a solution quickly.