Hello to all who are bored enough to read this. Unfortunately, for the last few months, I have been mercilessly plagued by none other than the writers worst enemy, writers block. Then the plot bunny happens to stumble upon me, and give me an idea that I'm not sure I even like. Still, the unrelenting evil of the vicious plot bunny has forced me to write this, so I shall, with all apology if you regret reading it.

A/N: Naruto, Greek deities, and Rome do not belong to me

A/N 2: Incorrect use of Greek mythology (hey it's my story, but blame it on the plot bunny)

A/N 3: All flames will be used to sacrifice to Jashin thankyouverymuch


The Value of a Soul

Chapter 1: Athena's Son

Athena groaned in despair as she watched the earth below her.

"No..." she moaned. She ran off in the direction of the olive gardens, the one place where she could find even a moments solace. She sat down in the grass next to a blossoming olive tree, which granted her shade from the late noon sun.

Unfortunately for her, the olive garden was set right by the vineyard. She heard steps towards her, and a young man with a jovial expression on his face walked up to her. His eyes and hair were the same shade of moderately light brown.

"What ails you on this fine day?" he asked, slurring ever so slightly. Athena rolled her eyes. Somebody really needed to get this guy out of the vineyard.

"It's my son," she replied, in a matter-of-factly voice. Of course she didn't mean her blood son which she did not have, but her earthly son, whom she had the privilege of creating.

The man, Dionysus by name, blinked owlishly and chuckled as he pulled a glass of wine from his cloak.

"Your son, huh," he said, as he placed the wine in her hand. "Don't let such things, deprive you from enjoyment! Just drown your sorrows and be happy!" he slurred. He didn't see the vein throbbing at Athena's head.

"It surprises me that your brain still functions when you're this wasted!" she said angrily. Dionysus blinked as wine and glass smashed into his face. When he had wiped it out of his vision, Athena was gone.

Running off, she made her was to one who she thought might be able to help. Tripping over her long skirt, she would have collided with the ground, had not a strong pair of pale arms caught her, raising her back to her feet. Her amber eyes met with midnight blue ones.

"Hades!" she gasped. "I need to ask a favour of you." The god of the underworld raised a pitch black eyebrow questioningly.

"And what, may I ask, brings the goddess of wisdom to me in such a state?" She swept the dust off her skirt and sighed uncertainly.

"It's my son," she finally replied. "He has dishonoured us all and is on a path directly into the darkest parts of Tartarus. Nobody has been able to change his path," she said. "Please, just this once, can you do anything?" Hades sighed.

"We have only the power to help those that want help," he answered. "And from the sound of it, your son does not even believe in us." He honestly pitied Athena. She had never before asked a boon, and he knew this must be serious if she was pleading like this.

"I may not be able to do anything, but I might be able to contact someone who can," he finally consented. "But I cannot guarantee this will help the boy," he warned. She nodded understandingly.

They parted ways, and Hades headed for the house of his cousin, the one who was most responsible for mass deaths, Ares. However, he was not looking for Ares, but for his cousin's wife, Aphrodite.

He entered the abode of the god of war, and was immediately greeted by the very goddess he was looking for.

"Ah, Hades. Sit yourself down. May I get you anything?" Aphrodite asked. He shook his head.

"Aphrodite, I need you to do me a favour. Actually, do Athena a favour." The long-haired blonde tilted her head in curiosity.

"Yes, what can I do for my good friend?" she questioned.

"There is a certain youth on earth who has dishonoured us with unbelief. Accordingly, his deeds are not pleasing to the sight of us or his own people. He is setting himself on a path for Tartarus, and nothing is able to stop him. I need your help to reach him in the most painless way possible," he explained.

"And how may I do that? We both no very well we cannot reach those who have no want to be reached," she countered.

"We must somehow influence him through love," Hades said, having a hard time believing he just said that. Aphrodite sighed.

"As much as I approve of that idea, I cannot force two together," she explained. A spark hit her eyes. "I might not be able...but my son might." Hades looked genuinely surprised.

"He's far too young. He could die." Aphrodite nodded knowingly.

"I know that full well, but I also know that he would want to try with all his heart to set this boy on the right path," she told him decisively.

"All right, I suppose. It's your decision after all," he said, standing up and leaving abruptly. She blinked.


Naruto walked through a sunlit forest of blossoming trees. He enjoyed the cool breeze that swept across his shirtless body as he trailed through the foilage.

A small bird fluttered down and rested on his finger. He smiled and gently stroked it. It rested comfortably under his touch, just as any other creature did. He laughed softly as he gently launched the bird back into flight.

He stopped by a small pool and knelt by the crystal clear water, watching the fish swim contentedly around the liquid body. He closed his eyes contentedly.

He sighed as he thought about his family. He had a strange one to be sure. His mother was the goddess of beauty and love, whilst his father the god of war. An odd pairing as they were pretty much opposites, but opposites attract don't they?

He himself was a rather odd combination, but he didn't mind in the slightest. From his mother, he had inherited beauty and the ability to create relationships with most that crossed paths with him. From his father, he received his feisty spirit, and something he didn't want, but was forced to have.

He sighed as he gazed at his reflection in the pool. He could almost see his tan skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes turn into the image of a snarling orange fox. As quickly as it came, it disappeared.

A hand rested on his shoulder, and he saw another reflection appear next to his in the small pool.

"Mother," he acknowledged, smiling cheerfully. Aphrodite had to smile back. That was just the thing with her son. His sunshine attitude was contagious.

"Naruto," she began. "I have a mission to entrust you with." Naruto's head raised and his blue eyes stared straight ahead.

"Yes Mother?" he asked.

"Athena's created son is disgracing us, and paving himself to the worst parts of Tartarus. I want you to save him." Naruto stared into space, unblinking.

"Why me of all people?" he inquired. Aphrodite smiled.

"Because you believe there is good in every heart, am I not right?" she asked. Naruto nodded in confirmation. "You are also willing to exploit that good are you not?" The blonde boy nodded yet again. She smiled. "Will you do it?" He stood up and turned to face her.

"I will do my best, mother," he answered. Aphrodite kissed his cheek.

"I know you will. Go make your father and I proud, and remember, if you need anything, just call out." Naruto nodded understandingly as his mother disappeared.

Walking down, he made his way to earth.

A path cleared through the streets as an elaborate looking lectica with the translucent curtains drawn, so one could see the silhouette of the figure within it, but not see the person.

The mode of transport was made of cedar wood and inlaid with gold in a pattern of flora. The curtains were a shade of red that looked just a little lighter than blood.

Everyone knew who was in this particular lectica, therefore no one dared stand in it's way. Naruto watched in curiosity as it passed. He could sense that the one sitting in it was the very one he was assigned to save.

As he watched, a ball rolled up to the transportation 'vehicle' and a boy, who looked about seven years old, ran to get it, therefore accidentally causing the servants who were carrying it to lose balance and as the crowd watched in horror, the servant in the front was forced to drop his hold.

"Who dares disrupt my journey back to my father's palace?" a voice said from inside the means of transport. Automatically, the other servant lowered the lectica firmly onto the ground as a youth who looked about seventeen stepped out.

Naruto could see the young boy tremble in fear as the youth stared coldly at him.

The blonde studied the youth, examining him carefully. His slender body was clad in a pale fawn tunic held at the waist with a sash derived from white fabric that looked suspiciously like silk. A length of cloth in th same shade of white was held at his left shoulder with a silver brooch, leaving his right arm to handle the rest of the material. A simple band of silver was wrapped around his forehead. His hair, which was a brown so dark it could be mistaken as black, fell just to his thighs, and was held four inches above the tips with a silver hair clasp.

The part that Naruto found the most appealing, yet the most fearsome, was the youth's eyes. His eyes were a lavender so pale, it almost looked like white. The only thing Naruto could find in them, was an endless abyss of coldness. Otherwise, his face would be deemed expressionless.

"I demand a reason to not kill you," the youth said, practically paralysing the boy with his unblinking glacier stare. The boy was trembling uncontrollably now, and a word would not -could not- pass his lips.

The icy eyes scanned the crowd around them expressionlessly.

"Does anyone here have anything to say in this boys defence?" No one spoke a word. Naruto was outraged at the injustice of the whole scene. It was an accident! He couldn't just kill the innocent child because of a insignificant mistake!

He stepped forward and walked to the youth, pushing the child gently back into the crowd, murmuring comforting words into his ear. Once the boy was out of sight, Naruto turned to the brunet and glared at him.

"You have no right to take the life of an innocent child because of a mere mistake," he hissed, his eyes flashing. Said brunet met his gaze, the coldness in his eyes seemingly making the temperature drop.

"Why not? If people are left with the knowledge of one not apprehended for a wrong no matter how inconsequential, they are bound to do it again. If they are to learn, they must obey." Naruto felt his blood boil at the cool tone of voice used to pass this on to him. It was as if this was a perfectly normal thing to talk about.

"Humans are not animals to be trained for ones personal enjoyment or gain. They have voices, hearts, and lives of their own! You have no right to take any of the three from them!" The youth stared his unsettling stare at the blonde, who met it steel-eyed.

"And pray tell, what gives you the boldness to confront me?"

Naruto couldn't stand the uptight jerk any longer. Balling his hand into a fist, he struck the older youth. There were a few gasps of shock from the ground before all fell deathly silent.

The brunet whom he had struck, reeled back, but didn't fall. He straightened up, and looked at the blonde, his yes colder than ever as Naruto, numb with shock, wondered what he had just done. This, if anything, drove him further away from the youth than he already was.

"You're coming with me," the brunet said, his voice ominously quiet. "I'll decide your fate at a later note. All I can tell you, whoever you are, was that insolence has become the death of you."

Naruto followed half-consciously as the youth stepped back into the lectica. He trailed alongside it all the way to the palace. Then it struck him. This youth...this youth must be some sort of power if not royalty.

All he could wonder, as he was forced along the marble halls of the palace, was how many lives the...prince maybe? had taken.

They stopped abruptly and the brunet turned to face the two guards who were guiding the blonde.

"Lock him in a dungeon cell. I have no need for him until the morrow..." the cold voice drifted off forebodingly.

"Yes ,Prince Neji," they said, dipping into bows before herding the blonde away. Naruto blinked. So the brunet's name was Neji, and he was indeed a prince.

As the guards left, he saw a girl step out from behind a pillar.

"What happened this time, brother?" she asked. Neji looked away and answered.

"The youth had the insolence to confront me and strike me," he replied, his voice betraying nothing in the least, and radiating subzero temperatures.

The princess was about to reply, opened her mouth to reply, but he beat her to it.

"Hinata. He will be fed to the lions at noontide on the morrow."


There. I don't know if I like it or not. I don't know if you like it or not. I'm just obeying the whim of the dastardly plot bunny who has the genius to take over my mind, willing me to do naught else but it's ideas.

I chose Neji because I'm not the hugest fan of Sasunaru. I can only ever see them as brothers. So yeah. Oh and Hinata is Neji's sister in this one. Suck it up. And she doesn't stammer...much... And if you want to complain, go right ahead. I'd rather take it than nothing.

Oh and I know I'm addressing the deities by Greek names even though we're in the Roman empire. I did it purposefully.

Signing off,

-Jeya-