Later that night the rain had become heavy enough to fill the gutters along the streets and even overfill some of the fountains lower down the hill. It was an exceptionally dark night due to the rain.

"I knew it was going to be a night like this. Hey Gong, you still have any of that brandy?" One of the guards stationed at the inner wall's gatehouse decided it would be a fine time to warm himself up.

"You're going to drink it all on me aren't you? I told you this was a gift from my wife to keep me warm while I'm away."

"Aw come on! She gave you enough to share because she's smart. You're so lucky to have her that you should be able to keep warm just by thinking of her you son of a Spartan. Just another cup isn't too much to ask for is it?"

"You're going to get drunk at this rate! I can't keep my eye on both you and the gate on a night like this."

"Just a little won't hurt. Come on, I'll bring some good stuff next time in return. How about it?"

"Fine d*mmit. I'll go get us some cups."

Just as the second guard turned to leave, the first one noticed a figure approaching out of the gloom.

"Hold on just a moment. Somebody's coming." The first guard told the other.

"Seriously? Why would they be out on a night like this?"

"I'll do the check. You back me up like usual." The first guard said.

"Got it."

The first guard that was going to do the check left his spear and shield leaning against the gate wall but made sure his sword was loose in its scabbard in case he needed it. In contrast, the second guard took up his shield and spear while increasing his vigilance as he scanned the surrounding area and prepared to jump to the first guard's assistance.

The rain-soaked figure didn't slow their approach even after seeing the second guard getting ready. They finally came within the light enough for their facial features to be seen. The first guard recognized him. He was the reddish brown haired young man that was with Persephone and Zeus earlier that day. But this time the atmosphere around him was completely different. Maybe it was due to the weather or maybe because it was late at night. Either way, the guy showed none of his earlier newcomer curiosity. His different behavior could just be because he was wearing more clothes this time.

"Eyyy, that's far enough. Is everything alright? This is a heck of a time to be out on an errand."

Alex showed no emotion in his face as he mechanically looked at the guard.

"Everythings fine. Is there any reason why I shouldn't pass through?" Alex took out the amulet that identified himself as Zeus's attendant and showed it to the guard. His voice was a bit mechanical and slightly higher pitched than normal but the guard didn't know the difference yet and so thought nothing of it.

The guard took a close look at the amulet and could sense Zeus's power from it so he knew it wasn't a fake. That combined with having seen the lad in Zeus's company earlier allayed most of his suspicion.

"Alright, I won't pry into Zeus's private matters. You may pass. I hope you have a pleasant excursion and a safe return."

The first guard escorted Alex to the gate after signaling for the second guard to crack it open enough for Alex to pass through. The first guard felt it odd that Alex didn't say anything else as he stiffly walked to the gate but it's not like he knew the lad well enough to think it out of character. Alex passed through the gate without issue and didn't look back at all.

"So about that brandy?" Once Alex was through the gate and on his way, the first guard turned to the other and asked after that bit of brandy again as he wiped away excess rainwater from his arms.

...

-Earlier that night-

Alex was slumbering deeply as the rain fell heavily against the shutters. Long moments passed by in this cozy atmosphere. Then, Alex sat up with his eyes closed while he was still fast asleep.

["Hmm, let's see... ok, got it."]

Angel was careful to keep Alex in a deep sleep as she moved his body. She silently tossed aside the blankets and crept across the cold floor.

["Oh~ it's been a long time since I've felt a cold floor with bare feet."] Angel stood there motionlessly while she was absorbed in all the sensations of a living body in a cold room.

Before long a low rumble of thunder brought her back to her senses.

["I'd better wait till I'm outside to try using his voice. Don't want to risk waking Zeus up."]

She walked toward the bedroom door and paused before its threshold looking down at Alex's nakedness. It was dark but her eyes were already well adjusted.

["Is that what it looks like from this angle?"] She waisted more time enjoying the sight than she'd meant to.

["I'd better grab some clothes for him"]

Angel looked around and found some loose-fitting garments and a travel cloak in the chest at the foot of the bed.

["These'll have to do. Now, onward to adventure!"]

She still kept careful control over Alex's consciousness so that he wouldn't wake up from outside stimulation without her letting him.

She crept back to the door and cracked it open to listen for any signs of people awake and moving about. Just as she was about to open the door the rest of the way and sneak out, she heard the soft thudding of quiet footsteps approaching from down the hall.

The footsteps slowed as they neared her door and she thought for sure that someone had discovered her activities. So she carefully closed the door back to the slimmest opening and silently hurried back to Alex's bed and pretended to be sleeping. She was very glad the door hinges were well oiled and made no noise.

Though her movements were somewhat mechanical from using another person's body, the skill to slink away before getting caught instinctually brought out the finest motor control in any would be ninja of the night.

Her heart was pounding and her pulse was racing through her eardrums but she was having fun. She perked her ears in an effort to determine the actions of her nemesis. The footsteps were harder to hear but as the person passed the door she could hear a low slurred grumbling as if the speaker were a little drunk and sleepy at the same time.

"Gotta be careful notta wake the brat."

The bedroom door slowly opened and a figure crept in. Angel turned over as if tossing in her sleep to see who it was with one of her eyes cracked open. The figure froze as she did so.

["It's Zeus! Have I really been found out?"] Angel bemoaned silently.

She started to throw a mental tantrum and considered returning control to Alex just in case but realized Alex might wonder why he was fully dressed under the blanket if he woke up. She was mentally debating when Zeus started moving again. He crept to one of the decorative statues of a nude woman, that was reaching up to tickle the foot of an eagle flying above her, and started rotating the base of the statue silently. Angel could just make out that Zeus then slid the statue aside and recovered an object that clinked with the sound of coins before he replaced the statue and started for the door again.

"I'll havta find a better place for my secret wallet now the boys living here." Zeus grumbled in a drunken whisper to himself.

He kept a stash of money secret from his servants so that they wouldn't be able to report back to Hera about all of his spendings. This also explained why this bedroom door, in particular, was so well oiled. It was obvious to Angel that Zeus often snuck out at night once all the servants were either asleep or in their own homes. She had seen this behavior among many of her lovers before.

Angel waited until Zeus was well on his way before stealthily following him out of the house and down the road. She also had errands to run in the dead of night that she didn't want anyone else to know about.

They separated around the same marketplace that Persephone had dragged Alex through earlier during the day. Now there were only a few guards patrolling the area and watching over the mostly empty stalls. Both her and Zeus were careful not to be recognized by any of them, which was much easier to do in the pouring rain. It wasn't too unusual for people to still be out and about in this part of the town. Some of the stalls were still open to cater to clients that wanted services that aren't appropriate to conduct under the light of the day.

Angel stopped at one of the empty stalls and started practicing using Alex's voice. When she was happy enough with her control she made her way to the inner gate.