Note: I'm going to be introducing a new character(briefly). Just picture James Callis in full Giaus Baltar mode (that's Battlestar Galactica-2004 reboot for those who haven't seen it). Please, review and comment. I own nothing relating to Percy Jackson or any affiliated characters.

Who Am I?

Chapter 37

I slowly sat up. My head was pounding, my throat was dry, and I felt like I only had one lung, but other than that, I was fine.

"Easy." Anna said.

"What was Uriel trying to do to him?" Percy asked.

"It's called smiting. It's…well the actual explanation of it is really long and complicated, so let's just say it's an angelic kung-fu touch-of-death."

"Does it work on everything?"

Anna shook her head. "Just demons and monsters."

I looked over at Cas, who was just watching Anna.

"Thanks for stepping in." I said. "It felt like I was about to re-enact the Ark-opening scene in Raiders."

"What?"

"Raiders of the Lost Ark. Harrison Ford, George Lucas?"

Cas shook his head.

I sighed. "You sampled modern language, and you didn't pick up Raiders? Alright, Nazi's open up the Ark of the Covenant, and they get their souls stolen and faces melted."

"That's completely ridiculous." Cas said.

"What? The face-melting?"

"No. The fact that the Ark is still on Earth at the time of World War Two. It hasn't been on this world for at least five-hundred years. I happen to personally know that the face-melting isn't as far-fetched as it sounds, though."

"Whatever. Point is, smiting hurts, and thanks for stopping it."

"So, you two have a plan of some sort, or are you just making it up as you go along?" Ann asked.

"Bit of both, at the same time." I replied.

"So, that plan that will be discounted with something on-the-fly?"

"No discounting this time. We need a place to hide out and figure out how we get our heads in the game."

"I'm assuming you already have a place picked?" Cas asked.

"Yeah. Balthazar." I said.

A few seconds of angel teleportation later, we were standing in front of a door to a small villa.

"Where are we, exactly?" Leo asked.

"That's actually an excellent question." I looked inquisitively at Cas.

"One of his old safe-houses." Cas said.

" 'Old' safe-houses? As in 'not-in-use-anymore' safe-houses?" I asked.

"That's exactly why we're here. Go knock on the door, say hello."

"But you just said that…" I sighed. "Fine. I'll go… knock on the door."

"Whose place are we at, again?" Annabeth asked.

"His name is Balthazar. A rogue angel, living a life of ease and inequity here on Earth." Cas said, his tone becoming slightly acidic as he mentioned Balthazar.

"So, this is the guy you come to in case of emergencies?"

"Not exactly. But he's the only being on the planet who might be able to hide us until we can figure out some sort of plan."

"Hide us?"

"Yes. We are now sort of wanted fugitives. We attacked an angel and defy the plan of Creation."

"Whoopee." Leo chimed in.

I banged my palm against the door.

"Balthazar, open up. I know you're in there." I called through the door.

There was no response.

I stepped back, and took a look at the place.

It was an old-school villa. The kind of places rich businessmen or celebrities have as a vacation home.

I walked back up to the door.

"You've got ten seconds before I let myself in, Balthazar." I threatened.

"What should that-" Percy began to ask.

"Balthazar's a bit materialistic." Anna said.

I waited an extra five seconds.

I summoned Fenris and shoved the blade straight through the door, all the way to the sword's hilt.

"For the love of… Alright, I'm coming! I'm coming." A voice yelled from inside.

I pulled Fenris out of the door, smirking.

"Guess he hasn't grown much of a spine in the last three-hundred years?" Cas asked.

"Not even a little." I replied.

The door opened, and an unshaven man with shoulder-length dark hair gazed at me reproachfully.

"You know how old that door is?" Balthazar asked me.

"I neither know, nor do I care. At all, Balthazar." I gestured to everyone else. "We need a place to crash, four days tops. Got world-saving plans that don't need to be interrupted by any outside parties." I walked towards him, still smirking.

"But-"

"Thanks for putting us all up. Your generosity will not be forgotten." I brushed past him.

"But-"

Cas followed me.

"B-"

Anna and the rest of the gang followed Cas.

"You know, I put up with a lot, to help you guys out. But I seem to recall that the last time you stopped in for a visit," Balthazar pointed at me, "You said you would not take advantage of my non-existent hospitality-"

"Balthazar, I'm sorry to interrupt that well-prepared and rehearsed rant, but if we had any other problem, I swear, I wouldn't be here." I said, truthfully. Balthazar might have been the equivalent of an angelic deadbeat, lounging around and having high times on Earth, ignoring any sort of responsibility, but I couldn't really blame him for his choice of defying the life he'd been told to live. What were Cas and I, if not the same thing? Besides the fact that we were actually noble.

"Oh, so what is it this time? Piss off a General in the Dark Army? Sleep with the wrong angel? Accidentally kill another diplomat?" Balthazar asked angrily.

"It's the Endwar, smart-ass. Though I did kind of decapitate Nazarra, but that's not the point." I said hurriedly.

"Wait. You said 'Endwar'?" Balthazar asked, voice almost shuddering.

"Yeah. The Endwar. And everyone who could stop it is sitting back, twiddling their thumbs and letting it happen. We're here to figure out how to do what everyone else won't."

"Everyone else? So, you two aren't here at the behest of the Agents?"

"All the Agents who wouldn't agree with Heaven to let the Endwar happen have been killed. Except me and Cas."

"So, if they find you here… I'll have been harboring fugitives."

I stepped closer to him, and held my face right up in his.

"We both know you've harbored a lot worse than us, Balthazar."

His eyes shifted from side-to-side a few times.

"Fours days tops?" he asked quietly.

"That's all we'll need." I said.

He nodded.

"Alright then."