Lord of the forest
Many think that the first to try and create the humankind was Prometheus. It was actually Kronos, long before the birth of the Olympians, who attempted to make the first human being to worship him. But that human was too intelligent, and Kronos, full of pride and ego, had created an army of those humans, in the goal to control the world. But the first of those humans he created, a queen with enough power to rival any of the titans, defected.
Enraged with that treason, Kronos unleashed on them the 'God's tree', the strongest and the worst monster created by Ouranos, an abomination born by the blood of Ouranos being absorbed by the oldest tree in the world.
But the great monster was defeated. Only to be reborn centuries and centuries later, and then defeated again. However not before wiping out all the treacherous humans.
Only one survived. His name was Naruto, the queen's last direct descendant.
Kronos, in his vanity, granted the dying man immortality and a new body created by Rhea, changing him into a titan, and then tried to use him in his war against the gods…
"You traitor!" The deafening roar could be heard throughout the palace.
Kronos, the lord of the time, clutched his arm, in which three arrows were embedded. Golden blood flowed freely from the wound. The Titan lord fixed with rage the figure emerging from the shadows. A man, an extremely tall and athletic man with a bow in his left hand appeared.
The man had golden blond hair with two horn-like locks, tanned skin, strange whiskers-like marks on his cheeks and ice blue cat-like eyes. The man wore a full body black clothe under a thick coat, which seemed to be made of furs. Two antlers were hanging on the hood of the mantle. His right arm was armoured, and he wore black boots wrapped in white bandage. His locks were restrained from falling on his face thanks to a black headband.
This man was the one once knew as Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze. This man was the titan of the forests and the wilderness, the one now known as Arsylvos, the youngest titan.
Arsylvos eyed his 'father' coldly. "Traitor, you say? That's rich, coming from the one who betrayed his own father. I guess it runs in the family." He sneered, his glance as cold as ice.
"You filthy ungrateful trash!" Bellowed Kronos, ripping the arrows of his arm. "How dare you! How dare you betraying the ones you owe your life to! Your parents!"
Arsylvos' cold eyes steeled "Parents? The only one I'll ever see as a parent is mother Rhea. Certainly not you." He then made his bow disappear and began to walk away.
"Your reign is over. Zeus and his brothers are coming for you as we are talking. I'll let them get the victory they want, you're not in the position to do anything anyway. You may be powerful, but you're a tyrant. You think you don't need the help of others and that's what is going to doom you. Enjoy your fall, father."
Kronos gripped his scythe. "You will pay Arsylvos! I curse you! Never a woman will grant you an heir! No titan, no goddess will bear an offspring of you! No mortal will ever have an infant of you! Your lineage will end with you!"
The youngest titan stopped dead in tracks. For the tiniest moment, Kronos allowed himself a smirk. But it ended when his 'son' turned his head, glaring at him with eyes cold enough to freeze the mount Etna.
"You curse me? You think your curse will affect me? Fool. No curse, no prophecy ever stopped me. I will break yours, just wait."
And with a flash, he was gone, leaving the lord of time to face his incoming defeat.
Xx Olympus, shortly after Kronos and the titan's final defeatxX
In the brand new throne room, Zeus, newly appointed king of the sky, finished to announce the various punishments awaiting the defeated titans.
"… and finally, Atlas, Kronos' General, you are condemned to hold the sky on your shoulders. You will never be free until someone takes your place. Which of course, we will not allow. Have the convict some last words to share?"
Atlas struggled against his chains, foam literally dripping out of his mouth.
"I will be back! You cannot imprison the great Atlas so easily ! My vengeance will be terrible! BewaBlergh!"
Atlas could have continued his rant if a providential rotten fruit hasn't find his way to his mouth.
"Oh, just shut up Atlas. My ears are bleeding." Grunted Arsylvos. And with that, Briareos and his brothers took his fellow titan away.
Several persons entered the throne room. Prometheus, Epimetheus, Hecate, Thanatos, Hypnos, Oceanus, Eris and Thetis. Arsylvos and his brethren awaited Zeus judgement.
The new king of the gods eyed each of the titans, thought he glared slightly when his stare landed on the titan of the wilderness.
"Because of your different actions in the war, we, the gods of Olympus, made decisions about the fate of each of you." Began Zeus. "Oceanus, Thetis, because of your neutrality during the war, the council granted you with full amnesty. you will be able to reach your palace in peace."
Thetis seemed relieved, Oceanus was perfectly neutral in expression.
"Prometheus and Epimetheus, because of your active help during the war, you will be granted the responsibility to recreate the human race. Hypnos, Hecate, Thanatos, Eris, you will be able to conserve your domains, as gods."
Each of them nodded.
Finally, only Arsylvos remained in the middle of the room.
Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hestia, Hera and Demeter, the six godly children of Kronos and Rhea, eyed their titan brother carefully.
Zeus stood in his full giant form, thought he was still smaller than Arsylvos by a good head.
"Brother Arsylvos…" he said, the tone a tad hesitant. " your case is much complicated. While your role was decisive in the defeat of Kronos, we yet have to determine where your loyalty truly belongs to." He announced.
Arsylvos pinched the bridge of his nose. He had see it coming miles away.
"I was born of Rhea and Kronos, yes. But that's not entirely true. My soul used to be mortal. Mother Rhea, on order of Kronos, gave birth to me as a titan, a kind of reincarnation, if you want."
"I am the titan of the wilderness and the lord of the forests. I am free, and wish to remain as such. Like Oceanus, I have strictly no interest into such trivial things as world domination and this kind of matters. I only wish to take care of my domain and stay away from the world. I am no threat to you, and I will never be."
Arsylvos let his ice blue eyes fall on each of his godly siblings. "My brothers and sisters… I swear, on the river Styx and my honour, that I never had any ill intentions towards you."
The ground shook, thunder boomed.
Zeus sighed.
"Very well. Arsylvos, titan of the wilderness and the forest you are free of any suspicions and free to go."
The titan nodded, and in flash of light, transformed into a raven and flew out of Olympus.
Xx Centuries later, in the depth of the Macedonian forests. xX
Arsylvos grunted. He was sculpting a piece of wood when he accidentally cut himself. His golden blood dripped, one drop finding his way on a flower.
The cut steamed, and disappeared in the following second. Arsylvos scowled. He really hated his solitude. Curse those Olympians brats. You help hem, you fight alongside them, and you ask them the minimum recognition, but nooooo.
Bloody airhead and his paranoia, he was worst than Kronos. During all his mortal life, he desired a family. And now that he had one, they rejected him out of fear, just because he was a titan child of Kronos. At least not all of them treated him like an outcast. Namely Hades, Hestia and Demeter. The others were wary of him.
Demeter though was the only one to talk to him and being actually friendly. She always was a nice girl.
He sighed. He missed his friends. All his comrades who fought the god's tree. The ones he called family.
Kakashi sensei, Tsunade baa-chan, Shizune nee-chan, Sakura, the Konoha 11, Hinata…
The last name, especially, caused him to swallow hard. Hinata and him had begun dating a few weeks before the war, and their bond strengthened on the battlefield. He didn't blamed himself for her death or others', because he perfectly knew that he couldn't do anything more. What could a mere mortal do against the reincarnation of Ouranos himself? Ever since Kurama wasn't there anymore to guide him, Arsylvos forced himself to keep cool more often than he would to admit. And the lack of gratitude from his 'siblings' didn't help either. he missed the company. he missed the pleasant warmth of Hinata. he missed them. He was alone.
An unfamiliar light draws his attention. He turned, and to his surprise, the flower on which his blood dropped earlier was glowing and growing. Moments later, the flower ceased glowing. Now, it looked like a giant fruit of sort.
Curious, he picked up the fruit, examining it. It was a little heavy. Of course, that was nothing for him, but the weight was certainly abnormal for a fruit.
Using his heightened senses, he tried to sense what was into it.
And there was the shock of his immortal life: There was a life developing in the fruit!
The surprise was such that he almost dropped the fruit. What was the meaning of this?
Not sure what to do, he sat and just waited. The life inside the fruit was still growing, and fast. Patiently, he waited till the life stopped expanding. And then, the fruit shuddered.
Arsylvos frowned. It felt like the life was struggling to escape, it felt…wrong.
He had to help that little life. He had to.
Slowly, he used his dagger to open the fruit. Gently, he spread it open and picked what was inside.
In a wail, a nude baby girl came to his view. She was beautiful: white skin, a tuff of green hair on her head. The baby was crying her blue eyes out.
Arsylvos immediately took her in his tent. He gave her bath in a little wooden recipient and then wrapped her in fur pelt. And then fed her some milk that he luckily collected the last time he 'visited' Helios' cattle's. The little one drank quietly, her tiny hand finding their way to Arsylvos' big hand… well; compared to a baby's hands they were big.
The lord of forests smiled widely, still stunned by what was happening to him. In his hands was a child born by his blood. His child. His daughter.
Kronos had cursed him. No woman could bear his children. But nothing stopped him to conceive them by others means, his blood being one of them, it seems.
The baby stopped drinking the milk. She eyed her father with her big round eyes.
"Hey there little one." Laughed the titan softly. "Who's a cute baby?" The little girl squirmed and giggled.
Arsylvos smiled. It felt…nice. Really nice. A pleasant warmth
And then came the hard part.
"Now… How am I going to call you? Surely, you want to have a name of your own, huh?"
Taking the baby's giggling as a yes, the titan thought a moment.
"How about Naruko?"
The little girl's face twisted in a kind of disgust.
"Guess not." Laughed Arsylvos. "…Ramen?"
The baby gave her father a blank face.
"Okay, okay, I get it." laughed her father. "…How about Drycha? You like it, Drycha?"
His answer came in the form of an happy giggling. The titan of the wilderness smiled.
"So, it's decided. Welcome to the world Drycha, daughter of the forests!"
Happy baby's laughter could be heard throughout the forest.
Xx Six years laterxX
"Daddy, daddy, look what I did!"
A little girl with unruly green hair and bright blue eyes was running in a clearing towards her father, her little hands clutched on a seed.
Her father, a tall man with equally unruly blond hair, smiled at her and let his training sword rest on a tree. "What is it, sweety?" he asked
"Look!" Said the little dryad excitably. She focused, and suddenly, a magnificent flower emerged from the seed.
"That's incredible, my little flower!" Laughed Arsylvos, ruffling his daughter's hair, making her laugh. "You really have a talent for that, Drycha. I'm proud of you.
The young dryad smiled widely. The titan loved his daughter's smile, it looked so much like his own.
"Daddy, daddy, when do you think I would be able to do like you?" Asked the green head.
"You mean, this?" Said Arsylvos, touching the soil with his hand. Instantaneously, tendrils of wood emerged from it, merged together, and formed an impressive looking horse, entirely made of wood.
"Yes, that!" Exclaimed the girl who had now stars in her eyes.
The titan chuckled. "Sorry my little leaf, but that will wait a few years, I'm afraid."
The dryad pouted. "That sucks."
"Language, young lady, language." He playfully chastised. "Why don't you go looking for some berries? It's almost lunchtime. "
Drycha nodded, and left to some bushes nearby. Arsylvos picked up his sword and resumed his training. It lasted several minutes before an strong amount of energy appeared in his range of sense. He turned to his daughter, who had obviously sensed it too, if her anxious face was anything to point.
"Drycha, hide in a tree, quick!"
The dryad quickly did as told, and melted into a nearby tree. Arsylvos summoned his bow and arrows, ready to fire on the intruder to protect his child. He waited, until he/her entered his field of vision. He wasn't expecting who walked in the clearing.
"Demeter?" he said, almost shocked. It had been several decades since he has seen his sister.
Demeter smiled sadly. Something seemed to be wrong about the goddess of harvest.
"Hello brother. It had been a long time…" Her voice was slightly broken, as if she cried a lot lately.
Arsylvos dropped his bow. "You can come out Drycha, there's nothing to fear."
The little dryad merged out of the tree, and immediately hides behind her father.
"Aw, don't be shy little flower, say hello to your aunt." Laughed the titan.
"Hello." Muttered the girl shyly. She didn't came out of hiding.
"Don't mind her Demeter, she doesn't see many visitors." chuckled the lord of forests.
"It's fine." Came the quiet reply. "You have a beautiful daughter, Arsylvos." She said. The titan frowned as tears threatened to fall out of the goddess' eyes.
"Demeter…is something the matter?" He asked, concerned.
Demeter nodded numbly. "Can we… talk a bit, brother?"
"…Of course." Said Arsylvos. "Drycha, go walk a little, I have important matters to discuss with your aunt, okay?" Asked the titan. Drycha nodded, and ran in the bushes.
Arsylvos smiled a little and then noted the distant look on Demeter's eyes while she eyed Drycha running.
"Demeter what is the matter? Had something happened?"
Demeter sniffed. And then broke into tears.
A pair of warm arms pulled her in a hug as Arsylvos tried comfort his crying sister.
"Persephone… My Persephone…She's gone, Arsylvos. She disappeared…"
Arsylvos frowned. Why did he had the feeling to be involved in a bad headache induced situation?
And… cut. Next time, we will see different myths with Arsylvos' perspective and hopefully reach the pre-canon point. Please review.