A/N: I threw something in to prove to you that Stryker is not me. Nor are any of the other characters me.

Chapter Six

Channing's grin widened as I got really cold. I shivered and closed my eyes. Suddenly I felt like I was being stretched very thin.

I didn't dare open my eyes, so when Channing squeezed my arm I jumped. His smile was bright and I looked around. Our group stood huddled around him in the middle of a cove. Houses surrounded us and I heard laughter. I turned and saw two girls walking down the little street. One was short and had curly brown hair and the other was tall and had golden blonde hair. They gave us curious looks, but said nothing. The two girls walked into a driveway and disapeared.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"In the suburbs of Memphis, Tennessee. Germantown to be exact. I grew up here," Channing said.

Hayden growled. "Leave it to Channing to take us somewhere that we don't need to go," she said, throwing her hands up.

Tanner patted her shoulder and she seemed to calm down. "Channing, why are we here?" he asked slowly.

Channing blushed. "My, er, dad wanted to see me before I go off on a quest," he admitted.

We took about five minutes to stop laughing and the look on Channing's face set us off again.

"Well where does your dad live?" I asked through giggles.

Channing thought for a minute. "About eight miles from here," he said cheerfully and I groaned. The humidity here was already getting to me, it felt like I was choking on the thick air.

"Maybe we can find a ride," Dakota suggested.

Just then the two girls walked out of the driveway. The short one held a set of car keys and they walked toward a little white car. I didn't see how we could all fit, but it was worth a shot.

I ran to them. The tall one gave me a curious look and smiled, and the short one gave a quick smile. "Can we have a ride?" I asked nervously.

The girl with the keys looked at our large group. "I don't think you'll all fit. And I've got a restricted liseance, so it'd be totally illegal." Her face brightened. "But then again, you can double buckle if it's not too far."

"Only eight or so miles," Channing said. "Do you know where Houston High is?" he asked.

Both girls nodded. "We were just going there for a band meeting," the tall one said.

"I'm Camille, by the way," the short one said and smiled at us.

"I'm Elise," the tall one said and we piled in the tiny car.

"I know a girl named Elise," Channing said and gave his signature smile.

"Yeah, well it's not the rarest name ever," Elise said and offered to let me double buckle with her in the front. Camille nervously started the car as the other six demigods piled in.

There was barely enough room and Dakota had to sit in Hayden's lap.

Camille backed out of the driveway and waved to a little girl in the front yard. Her eyes widened and she ran up to the car. Camille rolled her window down.

"Mom's gonna kill you if she finds out!" the little girl cried.

"What she doesn't know won't hurt her," Camille said quickly and the little girl shrugged. "Caroline, please don't tell her," she begged. "They just need a ride to the school."

Caroline waved a hand. "As long as Michael doesn't find out, you're good."

Camille smiled. "Thanks, Tub."

"Whatever, Chub. Now go before Mom gets home!" The little girl waved and Camille rolled up her window.

She pulled swiftly out of the driveway and drove out of the cove. We sat in awkward silence as Elise plugged an iPod in and bad European pop came on.

After a minute of silence, Camille spoke up. "So why are you guys needing to get to the school so bad?" she asked. She looked over at me and gave me a curious look. Her eyes were a shade of green, and they almost looked like Chase's.

I coughed nervously and Channing leaned forward. "Oh we, uh, need to get to my dad's place," he said.

"I'd take you all the way there, but we're already running late for the meeting, so I don't wanna risk it," Camille explained.

She didn't ask any more questions, and I was grateful for that. I studied Elise. She had golden hair and stormy blue eyes. Chase winked at her and she raised an eyebrow. Within five minutes, we pulled into a school. It looked somehow more like a prison than most prisons do. She pulled around the back and parked. We piled out and she waved goodbye. Camille and Elise walked into the side doors just as a fat man with a graying beard walked out.

"Ladies, you're late," he said.

"Sorry Mr. Smith," Elise said and Camille flashed an smile.

Channing led us down a road for a minute in the dark. We soon came to a white house with an ancient oak tree in the frontyard. Channing sucked in a breath and tried the door. It was locked and he cursed. We walked around the back and he silently lifted a window. We climbed in after him and he motioned for us to stay where we were.

Channing left the room and I heard him call, "Dad?"

I heard loud footsteps and suddenly Channing cried out. "Dad, dad! It's me!"

A man's voice said, "Channing?"

"Dad," Channing said quietly. "I brought guests."

Channing walked back into the dark room and flipped on the light. He walked in and a tall man followed him. The man looked somewhat like Channing. He had the same dark hair, but his eyes were a deep chocolate brown.

"You brought lots of guests," the man said. He had a Southern accent, like Channing, but his was more obvious.

"Sorry," Channing muttered. "You told me that if I ever left camp, I needed to let you know."

The man nodded. He turned to us and smiled warmly. "I'm Channing's father. It's a pleasure to meet you, all of you," he said.

Channing's father offered us all something to drink and eat, and we accepted.

We sat around a big wooden table and Channing cleared his throat. "Dad, uh, can I have, you know, the book?" he asked.

The Mr. Tenebre smiled. "Still hooked, huh? I'll go get it for you," he said and Channing handed him his backpack.

"Oh Dad!" Channing said, jumping up. "Do you happen to have a satchel?" he asked and winked at me.

The man looked confused for a minute then shook his head. "I thought you were done with your Indiana Jones phase and on to―"

"Yeah, yeah Dad, just wondering. I'll, uh, just go sit now…" Channing put his head against the table as his father strode out of the room.

"I didn't know you could read," Hayden snapped.

"Oh I can read," he said warily. "I'm better than the Athena kids."

Hayden rolled her eyes and Dakota raised an eyebrow. Just as Hayden was about to retort, Channing's father walked back into the room.

"Well Channing, it's all packed up. I even slipped some clean underwear in there for you," he said, patting his son's shoulder. Channing turned bright red and banged his head against the table.

"Thanks, Dad. That, uh, means a lot to me?" His voice sounded unusually high and he was talking in questions.

Mr. Tenebre beamed and then grabbed his car keys. "Where to now?" he asked.

Channing shook his head and said, "We don't need a ride. I can um, travel us from here."

Mr. Tenebre shook his head. "Nope. At least let me get you to the river!"

Channing argued for a minute, but it was obvious that he had lost. We piled into the man's SUV and took off. He wound through the streets of Germantown like it was nothing, swerving to avoid other drivers. I suddenly felt a bit motion sick. Tanner had called shotgun and had earned it by tackling Channing as he tried to get in. I sat in between Channing and Chase in the very back, a very bad place to be.

"Hey Stryker," Chase began.

I dramatically swept my head to look at him, smacking Channing with my hair in the process. "Yes?"

"What's funnier than a dead baby?" Channing asked. Chase was struggling to keep a straight face.

"You two being dead?" I suggested, but Chase shook his head.

"Two dead babies!" they both yelled at the same time.

I rolled my eyes and their grins widened. Tanner turned around from the front seat. "You guys are immature. Death isn't funny," Tanner said. The look on his face told me not to talk back.

Soon we were on the freeway, zipping through traffic. I started to listen to what Channing's father had to say.

"And when Channing was born, he was just the cutest baby. Born a month early, too. He was tiny. Such an adorable little boy. And then when he was seven, he decided I wasn't allowed to cut his hair. He looked like a girl for three months. But when he turned nine, I knew he was something special. He finally got rid of that stupid nightlight." Channing groaned and put his head in his hands.

I turned to Channing. "I thought you were the child of darkness, son of Nyx. You're afraid of the dark?" I said sarcastically.

Channing blushed bright red. "That was when I was nine," he mumbled. "I bet you were afraid of the dark back then too."

"Yeah, but I'm the kid of Iris. I'm more of a rainbow type," I said and smirked. Aidan turned around.

"I for one think that Stryker is right. Only losers are afraid of the dark." Aidan was getting revenge for the Gaelic comment, and Channing wasn't taking it too well.

Channing smiled again when we reached his "favorite" part of town. It was seedy and scary as we drove past East High School.

"The ghetto!" Channing proclaimed and waved to a man who was handing someone a suspicious package.

We zipped through downtown Memphis and stopped in front of a pyramid of all things. I felt weird being next it, like I shouldn't be there. We stepped out of the car and a collective shudder rippled through the group.

"You guys feel it too?" I asked.

Aidan nodded. "I don't belong here. It's hard to decsribe," he said.

Suddenly two kids and a woman sprinted around the street corner. The girl bumped into me and managed to yell, "Sorry!" She had a British accent and I smiled a bit. It felt good to hear the accent again.

The woman gave us a weird look and hissed like a cat. I took a step back and she glared at me before running after the two kids.

Dakota and I shared a mischievous smile before turning and running after them. They had run into an alley, but when we got there, they were gone. The alley was a dead end, and I shuddered. Aidan and Tanner caught up to us and Tanner grabbed my arm roughly. "What in Hades were you thinking?" he yelled.

"I just wanted to see what they were doing," I said softly. Tanner growled and flung my arm down.

"You're so impulsive," he muttered.

"Whatever. Let's just go," Dakota said, trying to keep the peace.

We ran back, and I did my best to ignore Tanner's bad attitude. Aidan and Dakota walked beside each other, talking softly.

When we reached the others, Channing was arguing with his father. "Dad we're wasting time! I need to get us as far west as possible! We have three days!" Channing stomped his foot in frustration.

Mr. Tenebre shook his head. "No. You are thirteen years old, there's no way the I'm letting you go to California by yourself without any adult supervision."

I thought occured to me. "My sister is in college in California. She can meet us there and make sure we're safe!" I knew it was a long shot, and Abby wouldn't want to, but the letter had given me a spot of hope.

Channing's face lit up. "Dad, please? It's already nine here, we have to get going!"

Mr. Tenebre looked around at our pleading faces but his expression didn't change. "No."

Channing suddenly growled. The night got a little darker and Channing's blue eyes turned so dark they looked black. "I'm not a child anymore," he said in a low voice.

His father sighed a little. "I know," he said and his shoulders sagged in defeat. "Go. Just go before I change my mind again."

Mr. Tenebre turned away and wiped a tear from his cheek. He got back in his car and rolled the window down. "Be safe, please," he begged.

Channing's face set strongly. "I will." His expression softened and he took a deep breath. "Dad, I love you."

Mr. Tenebre smiled and said, "I love you too." He put the car in gear and drove off.

Channing closed his eyes and breathed deeply for a minute. "If you tell a soul," he whispered.

Even Hayden didn't say a thing. We stood in front of the pyramid and Tanner shifted his weight. "I don't like this place. Let's just get to the river," he said nervously.

We walked a ways when I heard hissing. I first I thought the crazy lady was back, but this didn't sound feline. I turned around and reached into my pocket to grasp my knife. Aidan and Chase whirled around. Dakota and Hayden yanked out their knives and stood ready. The hissing got louder and Channing pulled out a tiny pocket knife and opened it. A three foot shining black sword grew in his hands. Chase pulled a leather necklace off and it became a bow. Aidan pulled out his flashlight and it became a spear. Tanner touched a black iPod and it grew until he also held a spear.

The hissing suddenly stopped, but huge footsteps echoed off the walls city. People were walking around us, ignoring our weapons. Music blared from clubs and resturaunts and couples walked down the sidewalks. The mortals seemed oblivious to the footsteps.

"The monsters are in the ghetto," Dakota whispered.

Channing raised an eyebrow. "This isn't the ghetto, Dakota. This is downtown."

The hissing started again from behind us and I tensed. We slowly turned around and I saw a huge monster twenty yards away. It had seven heads and scaly green skin. All seven heads were looking in different directions. It was sniffing the air, but didn't see us. Channing motioned for us to stay still. He raised his sword slowly and began walking toward the thing. Aidan and Chase followed him, forming a triangle, with Tanner taking up the rear, making the full shape a diamond.

Hayden shifted close to me. "We need fire," she muttered.

My head snapped up and I reached into my purse. I thought of my lighter and pulled it out. I flicked the lighter and a little flame appeared. Big mistake.

The monster saw the faint glow and hissed loudly, turning all its heads toward me. I almost dropped the lighter but I tossed it to Dakota. I threw my knife just as Chase yelled, "No!"

The knife sailed through the air and cut one of the heads clean off. It fell to the ground with a sickening thud and the green blood dissolved the asphalt. The knife suddenly appeared back in my hand and I gripped it tighter. I was feeling pretty proud until two heads sprouted from the severed neck and screeched at me.

"Bloody hell! What is that?" I cried.

Channing ran back, away from the now furious monster. "That's a Hydra, and you've just pissed it off! You need to burn the stubs before they can grow back!" he yelled over screeching monster.

I snatched the lighter from Dakota. "Channing, cut the heads off and keep it distracted. Give me thirty seconds then attack! Got it?" I yelled over the hissing.

Channing nodded. I ran for the river bank and found a pretty big peice of dry wood. I ran back and saw my friends charging the Hydra. I quickly lit the wood and ran toward them.

"Now!" I yelled. Channing swiftly brought his sword down on one of the heads. I lept into the air, using Chase's back as a spring board. He grunted but otherwise didn't say anything. I hopped onto the Hydra's scaly back and burnt the stub of it's former head. The skin bubbled grotesquely and the smell of burning flesh filled my nose. The Hydra flailed, but I managed to keep a grip on it. Chase shot an arrow at one of the heads and it stuck in the neck. I sawed the head off with my knife. I burnt the stub again, but this time I didn't watch the skin smolder.

Within minutes, however, the wood was burning out. I frantically burnt a neck while the flames lapped at my fingertips. Hayden and Dakota were battling the last head, while Tanner Channing attacked from behind. Chase and Aidan were tormenting the sides.

I knew I had seconds left before the flames consumed my hand, and I could already feel the heat on my fingers. I made a desperate kick at the monster's neck and it turned its head to face me. The yellow eyes were glowing with anger and I screamed as it snapped at my arm. The teeth sunk into my flesh and I saw spots, the pain was so bad. I felt myself slipping and hit the concrete. Dakota grabbed the lighter as Hayden sliced the head off. Tanner held the writhing body down as they burnt the last neck.

Channing and Aidan rushed to my side and Chase poured something over my arm. It was begining to lose feeling and I whimpered as the golden liquid brought the pain back. Tanner wrapped a bandage around it and searing pain shot up my arm. I cried out and felt my mind slipping. I forced myself to stay consious, but it was a struggle.

Hayden knelt beside my head and poured the golden liquid into my mouth. It filled me with warmth and pushed the pain back, but not enough. I saw Dakota out of the corner of my eye. She was pacing next to me, wringing her hands.

"Is she okay?" she asked. Hayden shook her head softly.

"Hydra poison is bad," Hayden said.

I forced my eyes to remain open, but I couldn't feel my arm. I saw Channing leaning over me and I tried to smile but pain shot through me again and I cried out.

"We need help!" Chase said. Channing's face was blank, his blue eyes just staring at me.

"Stryker," Channing said firmly. "You are not going to die on me! You're going to be okay," he said, but his voice wavered as I slowly saw my vision leaving me. Channing grabbed my hand. "Stryker! Stryker listen to me! You're not going to leave me!" His voice softened and a tear fell from his cheek and hit me. "Please don't leave me," he whispered.

But I could feel myself fading. The last thing I saw was a faint golden glow to the left of me and a woman's voice say, "Stand back."

I let my eyes close and my mind faded.

A/N: Hmmmm...what could Camille Elisabeth do with this?

Told you I'd prove Stryker isn't me. Remember those two girls? That's me and my best friend Elise. Pretty awesome, huh? I just couldn't resist. Chub and Tub are nicknames my little sister and I gave each other. She's nine and adorable, yet evil.

Did you catch my Red Pyramid reference? I couldn't resist that either.

What do you think of Stryker and Channing's relationship? Tell me.

Review please. If you haven't already, check out my other stories. Especially "From the Foam of the Sea" and tell me what you think about it.

Thanks, darlings.

I'm going to sign off a bit differently. I've been listening to waaaay too much Ke$ha, so I'm doing this in honor of her. Don't worry, the psi(ψ) will be back.

¢amille eli$abeth

ah...that is so weird.