How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
I'd known what was coming ever since Anubis asked me that impossible question: "To save the world, would you sacrifice your father?" (39.80)
Spoiler alert: Sadie and Carter must honor their father's choice to sacrifice his life in order to fully merge with Osiris. This gets at the deeper issue of how sacrifice may be one person's choice, but it impacts lots of other people.
Quote #2
"Your mother foresaw a great imbalance… I knew in my heart she was right, but I refused to believe… and your parents took it upon themselves to act. They sacrificed themselves trying to put things right, because I was too stubborn to change." (28.26)
Iskandar realizes that his rigid policies cost Julius and Ruby Kane their lives, which stinks. But with their sacrifice comes the hope for change, for a better way of preventing chaos from taking over, so at least their sacrifice brings optimism for the future. Is it worth it?
Quote #3
"And, Sadie Kane, you are right. You have lost too much. Your family has suffered. I know what that is like… I gave up my happiness, my wife—I took on the curse of Ra so that my children could be born." (31.60)
Geb reminds Sadie that she's not the only one who's experienced sacrifice and loss. To him, though, it's worth it. He loves his children. So even though his and Nut's sacrifice didn't exactly end happily, he has no regrets.
Quote #4
My mom had sacrificed herself to save Dad's life. She'd used so much magic, she literally burned up. How could I ever be that brave? Yet I had to try to save Dad. Otherwise I'd feel Mom's sacrifice had been for nothing. (18.102)
Yes, Carter, welcome to survivor's guilt. The person who sacrifices her life doesn't have to stick around and deal with the mess afterward or with the sorrow of grieving. The struggle to find meaning in someone's death is perhaps the hardest part of reconciling your feelings about a sacrifice.
Quote #5
"It seems she sacrificed herself to defeat Sobek. Bast forced him back to the Duat at the expense of her own life force." (31.32)
Bast keeps her promise to Julius Kane to protect his children, and even though she identifies herself as a coward in an earlier conversation, she doesn't hold back anything of herself. We definitely busted out the Kleenex during this part.
Quote #6
Such a spell has depleted her energy, Isis said. She will not be able to work any magic until the pillar is gone. In order to help you, she has left herself completely helpless. (32.153)
Zia's choice to sacrifice her magic abilities for up to half a day shows that she's put her trust in Sadie and Carter. Because while she's got one fierce temper, she's not nearly as dangerous without magic as she is with magic.
Quote #7
I guessed I'd always felt like my parents loved me, but willing to die for me? Believing it was necessary so Sadie and I could do some amazing world-saving stuff? I didn't ask for that. (29.26)
Here's another tough run-in with the logic of sacrifice: people make sacrifices for a reason, and in this book, the reason is usually a darned good one. What if you find out that you're the reason for the sacrifice? What then? How do you make sure the sacrifice was worth it? What are the penalties if you don't?
Quote #8
He pressed his staff against the capstone… but before Desjardins could destroy it, Set rose up behind him and swung his rod like a baseball bat. Desjardins tumbled, broken and unconscious, all the way down the pyramid, disappearing into the mob of demons. (38.27-28)
Desjardins is the guy we love to hate, but that doesn't mean his willingness to sacrifice himself to defeat Set isn't noteworthy.
Quote #9
Over the last few days, I'd lost everything—my home, my ordinary life, my father. I'd been almost killed half a dozen times… When Anubis had questioned me in the Underworld, he'd wanted to know what I would sacrifice to save the world. What haven't I sacrificed already? I wanted to scream. What have I got left? (31.27-29)
As Sadie so eloquently puts it, sacrifice can stink. It takes things away from you: a sense of security and safety, and also the people you love. Once you start making sacrifices for your cause, how do you know when to stop? How much can you give before you've given everything you've got?
Quote #10
I told her some pretty embarrassing stories that I'd never shared with anyone, because who could I share them with? And it seemed to me that Sadie listened. At least she stopped flapping her wings. Her breathing slowed. She became very still, and her eyes didn't look so panicked. (21.60)
Some sacrifices are relatively small but no less heartfelt or important. By taking a risk and opening up to Sadie about his past (even the awkward parts), Carter is essentially inviting her into his life. He's also giving her tons of mockery fodder for the next time she's back in human form—but that's a risk he's willing to take in order to help his sister transform back from a bird. Again, sharing compromising information may be a small sacrifice, but it shows the development of trust between Sadie and Carter.