Hey, everybody! So, this is Chapter 9, in all it's glory. Hope you like it! School starts tomorrow(Monday), and I'm really excited, so my next chap. might be a few days; I don't really know. Also, I've updated on my profile, so if you haven't found that yet, please to check it out! As usual, if you like my stories, pleeeeaaaase tell me! Reviews prompt me to work harder! So anyway, on with the show!

Ch. 9

Ol' Zeus must not have liked that Alice the demigod didn't make it to Camp Half-Blood, because it rained for almost a week straight. For the next six days, violent thunderstorms filled in the gaps between dark, heavy showers and dreary drizzling.

Despite the questionable weather though, I'll be the first to admit that my days on portal duty were among the most pleasant I've ever wasted on a mission. My companions, although still total psychos, turned out to be quite good at passing the time without making me bored out of my mind.

Now, I know what you're thinking: I'm a monster. I've shamelessly murdered countless innocent demigods in cold blood. I don't deserve to have fun while stuck in a tent on a rooftop in the middle of a week-long rainstorm with a cannibal, a very disagreeable snake woman, a two-ton dog, and a mutant bat kid.

Yeah, well, too bad.

Kodiak and I are both professional pickpockets and shoplifters, so it didn't take us long to acquire a brand new heavy duty weather-resistant tent after our little episode with Alice. We decided to set up camp on a rooftop several buildings away from the alley that the portal was in. That way, we were close enough to get to the scene quick but also far enough away that we couldn't be seen or smelled, especially in this rain. We took shifts being on guard; Someone always watching the portal, and someone else standing watch outside the tent while the other three went to get supplies or hide from the rain.

We had some pretty good action too. We had eight different demigods during those first six days, each with a satyr guide, that fell into our web. Most of them were easy pickings, but we had some fun ones too. For instance, the first kid we got had learned to carry a small pistol around with him every time he left the house. He outlasted his satyr, but then lost his head at all the blood and let his guard down. We gave him to Fiona.

Another kid we got closely resembled my idea of a Bigfoot, standing probably six and a half feet tall and weighing close to four hundred pounds. I mean this kid was like Godzilla in mini, and was probably King of the high school wrestling squad or whatever it's called. He was older (and uglier) than most of the new godlings you see these days, around sixteen years old, and looked like he could crack cement with his forehead. We probably did Camp Half-Blood a favor by getting rid of that one.

There was also a Japanese American girl who must have been taking karate lessons for at least half her life. She reminded me a bit of a spastic fox, with her narrow face and beady eyes, her hair mostly black except for the ends, which she had dyed a flashy red. This girl also managed to outlive her satyr, and almost got to the portal too. She gave me a bruise about the size of a dinner plate on my stomach, and knocked Katrina out cold for almost twelve hours.

As Zane had promised, a messenger from the Rebel Camp--called a runner--would show up every other day or so in the form of a traitor demigod or mutant. Usually they had nothing important to say to us, and were only interested in who we had killed lately. One runner though, Charlie, always stopped to chat whenever he was passing by.

Charlie X was a mutant of some sort, and resembled something similar to what you would get if you crossed a cat and an underfed gorilla, shaved it, and taught it how to talk. He had a feline face and head, and a large but skinny monkey-like body. His arms were longer than his legs, and his front paws/hands had long spidery fingers tipped with wicked inch-long claws. His back paws were like those of a cat, as was his tail other than the fact that it was about twice the length of his body. He was black from ears to tail tip, with huge, bulging gold eyes with no pupils, that really popped against his dark face. He moved like a monkey, using his arms, legs, and tail, and had amazing agility. He stood about three feet at the shoulder, but looked shrunken, like somebody who had lost a lot of weight really fast. Creepy, yes, but he was really pretty cool.

On the last day of the rain, out sixth day on the job, Charlie is Zane's runner. "Heads!" is all Xelta has time to call from her post outside the tent before he bursts in, sopping wet and grinning from ear to ear.

"Mornin' you lazy bums," he chirps at us in his raspy, hissing voice. "Sittin' 'round playin' cards on a beauty of a day like this?"

Kodiak and I had been teaching Fiona how to cheat at double solitaire. Or trying to anyway. She can't count.

I snort. "Are you kidding? It's pouring outside again. What do you do outside in the rain all day?"

Charlie grins and sits down beside me, dripping all over our card game. "Ah, there's all kinds 'o stuff to be doin' on a day like this, Chrissy," he says, plucking an ace of hearts out of my hand and popping it in his mouth, chewing it up.

"Like what? And don't eat our cards. I had somewhere to put that one, too."

Charlie laughs. "When it rains this hard, I don't 'ave to worry 'bout people seein' me, Chrissy. Ya can get away with murder in this 'ere weather. Jus' figuratively speakin' o' course. I can be king o' Manhattan if nobody is out there to call the cops on all that illegal animal testin' when they sees me. If high and mighty Zeus really wanted to make us un'appy, he'd give us gud weather." He gives my a toothy grin. "See wha' I mean?"

I shrug. "I guess. Still don't get why you'd want to get all wet unless you had to, though. Fiona, stop eating our cards!" I snatch away a four of clubs that she had been nibbling on after seeing Charlie eat my card.

Charlie smiles. "Yer such a girlie, Chrissy, for bein' a professional skull crusher. Ah well. Anyways, I got better things to tell ya. Ya know yer friends, the ol' ones from my Lord Kronos's army, an' yer roommate? Io Grates, Damian Vasquez, and yer telekhine?"

"Predak? Yeah, they're out by Central Park on Portal One with Mokkan and Estella. What about them?"

"Well, they ain't out there no mores, Chrissy. Got pulled out before they's shift was over."

"What? Why? Are they hurt?" I splutter, whirling to look at Charlie.

He holds up his hands and explains. "They'll live the medics say, jus' 'ad to be pulled out. Took a beatin' from Nico Di Angelo 'imself, I hear."

"What was Di Angelo doing bringing demigods into camp?" Kodiak asks as he tries to tug a card from Fiona's teeth, speaking for the first time.

"I'm explainin' to ya," Charlie says patiently. "Now, ya see, a couple days ago, another kid o' Hades was found, a lil' girl they call Gracie Thorson, no ol'er than eight. She was scheduled to get into Camp Half-Blood yesterday, but yer friends held 'er up. O' course, Di Angelo knew exactly what was 'appenin' and showed up on the scene 'fore anyone could stop him. An' 'course, nobody sane can fight off half an army o' skeletons. The Hades girl and 'er satyr got away with Di Angelo, and yer friends were left to battle it out with them skeletons. They called for backup in time, luckl'y, and we managed to get there 'fore the skeletons overwhelmed 'em. All five of 'em took a major beatin', but they'll live Chrissy. Zane brought 'em back to the Rebel Camp and sent out a replacement crew to Portal One."

"Oh, thank the Titans," I breathe, slumping back.

Charlie grins at my obvious relief. "They's gonna be gud as new in a week 'er two, Chrissy. Yer 'Awkeye is doin' well too. Bin up 'an walkin' 'round camp the last couple o' days."

I raise my eyebrows. "Hawkeye? So he'll be around for a while longer too, huh?"

Charlie nods. "Yep. They got 'is ribs back in and 'is lung workin' gud, and he's got s'more blood in 'im now. He should be fine in a while, considerin' he don't rip 'imself up again."

"Huh," I say. "I don't think I'd mind if that moron stayed out of the way for a couple more weeks, actually. I kind of enjoy being away from him."

Kodiak looks at me. "You wouldn't miss him if he died?"

"Of course I would, but that doesn't mean I like him. Who would I annoy on all those days when there's nothing to do? I've got nobody else to yell at when I get bored."

Charlie shakes his head, his tail swishing from side to side. "Yer weird, Chrissy."

I grin. "You're one to talk."

We chat for a while more, telling Charlie about our most recent kill so he can pass it on to Zane, and listening to his gossip as he munches on our playing cards like a satyr. He tells us that three more portals have been found around New York City, two in the suburbs and one up in the Bronx. Guards had been distributed to those portals too, but of all six groups, we were the only one that still had all five original members. We were also the only group that had yet to miss a demigod.

"Zane's delighted with you alls," Charlie tells us. "He don't outright say it, but whenever Portal Two comes up in conversation, ya can always tell. 'E gets all 'appy and smug lookin'."

"He always looks smug," Kodiak points out.

"Well, more smug than usual," Charlie corrects himself. "An' 'e never looks both 'appy 'an smug at the same time, ya know."

I snort in disbelief, but secretly I'm pleased. Compliments are hard to come by with our type, and when you get them, you know you've got some supporters in the ranks. That means authority, and authority means respect and a fear factor, both of which are even more rare than compliments.

Xelta sticks her head through the tent flap, looking very mad and very wet. "Guard change," she says loudly over the pounding of the rain. "I've been out here for three hours!"

"Alright. . ." I sigh. "Who's turn is it to guard the portal?"

"Yours," Kodiak says, before I can get any ideas. "Fiona's up for tent duty. And you know, I might go raid the grocery store down the street. We're getting kind of low on supplies, apparently, if we're eating playing cards." He gives Fiona a look, and she gives him a Cheshire cat smile and makes an odd humming sound, shreds of playing cards caught between her filed teeth. But I get the feeling he just doesn't want to be stuck in a tent with Xelta while she's in her present mood.

Charlie has the same idea. "Ah, yer right. I gots myself some business to attend to also," he says. "Sorry I missed Katrina, though. Tell 'er I say 'ello, Chrissy."

Xelta pushes her way into the tent, shaking like a dog and drenching us all before we even step out the door. "And you're leaving?" she demands Charlie. "What's going on at the camp? I couldn't hear anything over that damn rain."

Charlie fidgets. "Well, ma'am, ya see, I gots myself some personal business to attend to, so, maybe Kodiak could fill ya in, if ya don't mind. . ."

"Not if Xelta wants hot coffee, I'm not," Kodiak says hurriedly, standing up.

"Eh, but ma'am, I really gotta go 'ere pretty soon, so, ya know, I really would like to, but that just can't 'appen today. . ." he edges towards the door as Xelta, suspecting that she's being snubbed, growls venomously. I grin and leave the tent before anyone can drag me into the conversation, stepping out into the heavy drizzle and splashing across the rooftops.

The portal is only four buildings away from our camp, so it's not too long of a trudge through the rain. I don't see Katrina until I'm about three feet away, due to the fact that she's used her powers to blend in perfectly with her dreary grey background. She turns and blinks her beetle-black eyes at me, looking wet, tired, and bored. I wink at her.

"How you doing, Katrina?"

She shrugs and gives me an I'm hanging in there, thanks look, blowing rainwater off her nose.

I morph into wolf form and sit down beside her on the edge of the roof, right above the portal. "Charlie's here," I tell her. "He says hi."

Katrina shakes herself off and stretches luxuriously before poking me playfully in the side with her nose, then bounding gratefully off towards the tent to get some rest. I slump down on the rooftop, trying to ignore the raindrops as they come down, soon rendering me soggy and chilled.

I hate this weather. I really do. Maybe it did help us stay inconspicuous, but it didn't do much else besides that. My ideal weather is lukewarm, middle of the night, and windy. I liked the darkness, for obvious reasons, and wind so that I could smell things better. But six days of rain? That was total crap, and Zeus knew it, too.

He has some pathetic excuse, I'm sure, but why New York? If he has to vent his feelings, why not make it rain in, like, Nigeria or something? I mean, they probably need the water more than we do. We have indoor plumbing here in Manhattan, which is more than enough water for me, thank you. I guess he just doesn't like us. Or Nigeria.

A long hour passes. Nothing stirs below me except for the occasional car and a lone alley cat, zigzagging erratically left and right to avoid the heavy raindrops as he goes about his business. I sigh as I watch the cat disappear around a corner. I used to eat guys like him.

Off in the distance, a sound catches my attention. I can barely hear it over the rain, but it's definitely there. Standing up, I perk my ears and raise my head, trying to pick it up better. They're footsteps, which isn't really all that interesting, but there are two pairs, and one of them sounds like. . . Hooves. A satyr.

I inhale deeply, trying to identify them, but it's no use. The rain is way to heavy, and they're still pretty far away, even though they seem to be moving fast. I bite my lip and glance back in the direction of our tent. I might not need any help, but it's always good to have backup, just in case. The problem is, if I call for it now, the satyr might hear me and I'll blow our cover.

I poise myself on the edge of the roof, preparing for the jarring leap to the cement. The footsteps come closer, now accompanied by indistinguishable voices that I don't recognize. One is a satyr, I'm sure now, and the other sounds like a boy to me. I briefly think I know his voice, but quickly dismiss the thought.

"Come on!" The satyr appears at the mouth of the alley, a boy running at his side. The boy has black hair and sea-green eyes, and a very distinctive face. I do a double take before I can stop myself, but quickly forget about him as I leap from the rooftop, throwing back my head to howl a warning to my comrades back at the tent as I do so. I land fifteen feet in front of the demigod, between him and the portal.

The demigod's eyes narrow as he studies me, and he stands beside the satyr instead of cowering behind him, like most of the demigods we get. I meet his sea-green eyes through the rain and don't look away, drawing back my lips in a snarl. The satyr draws his reed pipes, and I bound threateningly forward several steps, making them back away.

The demigod glances sideways at the satyr through the rain. "Well?" he asks, not the slightest bit of panic in his voice. In fact, he looks even more calm than the satyr.

The satyr watches me wordlessly. He knows I'm the underdog here. I don't want either of them to get through the portal, but if I try to take out the demigod, the satyr will cover his back with those freaking pipes, so they'll both get away and I'll be turned into a stinkweed or something pleasant like that. If I go for the satyr, the demigod is sure to get away, considering he doesn't jump into the fight and help the satyr kick my butt. What I really need right now is. . .

WHAP!! The satyr's eyes roll back in his head, and he falls on his face.

. . . A nice mutant bat kid.

"You know, that was perfectly timed," I tell Kodiak as the demigod leaps back from his winged form. Kodiak just shrugs.

Fiona and Xelta leap from the rooftop, landing beside me. Katrina comes in from the street behind Kodiak, looking pissed at being put back in action after only an hour of sleep, and really, really mean.

Without hesitation, I leap onto the demigod. The two of us crash to the pavement as Xelta and Kodiak post themselves in front of the portal. The demigod and I roll sideways, knocking over garbage cans and littering the alley with filth, leaving droplets of blood on the pavement. He's really strong for a new demigod, and I soon find myself aching from his numerous blows. He slams me up against a trash can, digging his foot into my stomach and scrambling to his feet. Before he can go far though, Katrina lashes out with her paws and he hits the ground again. I pounce on him wrestle him up against the alley wall, pinning him securely there. I sink my teeth deep into his neck, blood flooding my mouth and the smell of sea spray drifting across my nose. The demigod twitches around beneath me, reluctant to die, but eventually he goes limp.

"Another one down," Kodiak says as I step away from the body, spitting out gobs of blood onto the wet concrete.

"Wait a sec," I say, dragging the carcass to a spot behind a dumpster, where the rain doesn't reach us quite as easily. I peer down at the boys face, really studying it for the first time. I put my nose down by his mangled neck and inhale deeply. Sure enough, the smell of the sea comes to my attention. "Come here," I call to Kodiak, and he and the other gather around me.

"Is it just me, or does this kid look like someone we know?" I ask them.

Katrina sniffs the body's hand, looks confused, and does it again, frowning.

Kodiak stares down at the demigod's glassy eyes. "He looks like, like, Percy Jackson Jr. or something!"

I nod. "Smells like him too," I say, and Katrina growls agreement.

Xelta scowls, but not at us, for once. "Looks like the god of the sea isn't quite as truthful as we think," is all she says.