Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
Reading: Son of the Earthshaker
III
"I want to read next," Thalia said. She plucked the book right from Jason's hands, too eager to see more of his childish antics to ask. The son of Jupiter gave his sister a dry look.
"...Here, Thalia. Let me hand you the book."
"Jay, shut up so I can read."
A year has passed since Naruto's first victory in the War Games. His redesign of Neptune's temple had gotten a few ruffled feathers in the senate, but most senators conceded to Abigail's defense of not angering the god of the sea by tearing it down.
"Suck it, losers!" Poseidon laughed along with Percy. Zeus and Hades rolled their eyes at their brother's antics and the Romans agreed with Abigail's way of thinking.
Jason's support also seemed to keep Naruto off the radar of bullies on the senate and in the Legion, but during the following war game – Deathball – Jason emerged the MVP and outlasted Naruto because of the green-eyed boy taking a poisoned ball to the back that would've hit Jason in the head.
"He literally took a bullet for you." Leo whistled. "Dude's got balls."
"I know." Jason grimaced as he rubbed a phantom pain on his arm. "Those hurt a lot."
"At least he can heal with water," Annabeth said. Percy gave her a dry stare.
"We still feel pain."
"I know."
Strangely enough, a warm bath seemed to clear away the abrasion that afflicted Naruto. It was attributed to his sire's domain's purifying attributes.
"See?"
"Annabeth, it still hurts like hell!" Percy protested.
"Well if you tried to think things through once and a while, you would be able to avoid them," Annabeth said with a small smirk.
"...She really is the brains of the operation," Jason said.
"Shut up, Grace."
The two developed a friendly rivalry during the games they were involved in, seeing who could get the title of MVP or closest to it.
"Note the word 'friendly'." Hestia pointed out. She looked at her youngest brothers with a frown. "Why can't you two be like that?"
Zeus and Poseidon remained silent, preferring to look in other directions and avoid her questioning gaze.
Another change over the year was the acceptance of Misaki as a friend. While Jason still kept her at arm's length and was wary of the obviously scheming daughter of Venus of the Second Cohort,
"Smart boy." Artemis smirked as Aphrodite pouted.
"She's perfectly fine!" The goddess of love protested.
"Yes, because scheming is always a good thing."
"It is a good thing! It makes things more fun!"
Naruto told her everything that was on his mind and would often seek her out while Jason studied nobly and trained under the watchful gaze of their Cohort's centurion. Today was no different.
Naruto was struggling with the structure of the Legion and some history lessons that he didn't find all that invigorating. So this guy did this and became Emperor, or he killed this person and became infamous, so what? Why would that affect him now?
"Bro, I feel you." Percy whispered. Finally, he found a kindred spirit! Studying sucked the biggest of ones.
"It really doesn't matter who did what." Misaki said, flipping through a history book. "The saying 'history repeats itself' isn't far from the truth, Naruto. People overthrow the cruel leaders. Armies fight and Mars becomes stronger with every war, ranging from civil to world."
"…That is very true." Athena begrudgingly conceded to the logic.
"She seems rather intelligent for an eight year old." Artemis muttered, Aphrodite still heard her and beamed smugly. This made the goddess of the hunt scowl.
"Oh...Why doesn't the history book just say that?" Naruto asked.
"I know, right?!"
"Percy." Annabeth frowned at her boyfriend. "That doesn't apply to you."
"...Naruto's so lucky..." mumbled a pouting Percy.
He crossed his arms as he looked towards Temple Hill. "I mean, I can understand the need for stories on the gods, they're kind of important here."
"No, duh." The Olympians snorted.
"That's an understatement, sweetie." Misaki said, smiling as Naruto gained a cringe. He wasn't keen on the cutie names yet.
"Staking her claims, I'm sure. Smart girl." Aphrodite nodded.
"More liking sinking her claws into the poor boy." Artemis corrected.
"Oh, do you care about the boy?"
"No, I'm just afraid that your daughter will become far too alike to you."
"How is that a bad thing?"
"...We only need one goddess of lust and love," Hephaestus grunted out firmly. Aphrodite gave him a disapproving glower while Artemis nodded.
"My point exactly," the Huntress said.
Misaki was still a little weird at times and it was during those times he wished she was a bit like Abby, who was probably the only cool girl in the Legion.
Aphrodite pouted and crossed her arms while Apollo beamed.
"Oh yeah! You go Abby!" The sun god cheered.
"...You do remember that he's crushing on her, right?" Aphrodite asked.
"Oh yeah..." Apollo dimmed. He pursed his lips. "I don't know how to feel about this."
"Pray he's not like Dite's version," Ares said with a smirk.
"Piss off."
"Please don't call me that, Misaki." He said.
"I promise nothing." She said with a giggle. "Now back to the history, if you can see the patterns you can use it to your advantage."
"Really?" Naruto asked.
"Yes. For instance, you could prevent some serious bad things from happening or turn the tide in your favor."
"Again, strategically sound." Athena pointed out.
"She's good." Annabeth complimented. She couldn't argue with that.
Misaki said, gaining Naruto's attention through clever wordplay. She learned very quickly that sea-related idioms and terms would always make him perk up his ears.
Annabeth rubbed her chin thoughtfully. Maybe she should try that on Percy.
Poseidon and Percy meanwhile wondered if they did the same.
"Cool!" Naruto said, now very eager to learn a bit more. Misaki smiled and set the book down, inviting him to sit next to her. Her smile grew a bit more as he sat next to her and looked over the book, listening to her intently until their lesson came to an end and it was time for him to go help the Fifth Cohort do some labor work in New Rome. While Naruto raced off to his cohort, Misaki calmly picked up the history book and carried it with her back towards her own. She nearly walked into a skinny boy with sunny blond hair, similar to Naruto's, but a detached look in his sky blue eyes and a scowl locked on his face as he watched Naruto leave.
"Oh yeah," Jason said dryly. He gained a grimace "He just arrived around this time."
"I say you kill him." Hazel admitted without hesitation. Percy and Frank nodded in agreement.
"Hazel, you cannot just kill a legionary…even if it is Octavian." Reyna grumbled and rubbed her temples.
"Watch me."
"Excuse me. Were you eavesdropping on a private conversation?" Misaki asked, a bit annoyed with how he standing there.
"Yeah, Bitch-avian, were you?" Leo asked mockingly. He shivered when Hestia sent him a mild glare.
"Uh, Leo, don't use that word again." Jason warned.
"Why?" Leo asked.
"Ahem." Zeus cleared his throat.
"...Right..."
"If I were, it was only by chance." The boy said. He glanced back to the direction Naruto raced off to and snorted. "Teaching him strategy, probably not the best idea for our Legion. We'd be better off without him, wouldn't you say?"
"Little bastard," Poseidon said with a scowl.
"So true." Apollo grimaced painfully.
Misaki's eyes narrowed slightly, but her smile remained wide and open. "And why would I care for the opinion of a freshly deflowered probatio?"
"Do you guys smell that?" Leo sniffed the air. "I-I, I think Octy just got burned."
"Third degree." Frank grinned.
"Watch your tongue!" The boy said with a hiss. "I am the legacy of the prophetic Apollo, next Augur of the Roman Legion and member of the First Cohort. My name is Octavian."
"So he was so full of himself from the very start, huh?" Percy said dryly. Jason grimly nodded in agreement.
"The pleasure is mine, Octavian." Misaki said with a false smile on her face, her charmspeak protecting her from the legacy's ability to see through lies.
"Seriously?" Piper asked her mother who nodded and Apollo pouted.
"I hate that, so much."
"Deal with it, Apollo."
"But once again, why should I care for someone who is 'soon to be' rather than current?"
"This girl is my new hero," Hazel said. Anyone who could insult that slime ball so smoothly was A-Okay in her books.
"I will not be mocked by one who seeks out bad luck." Octavian said, sneering at her. "Sleeping with the devil, you certainly are a lot like Venus."
"…That little shit." Aphrodite said, eyes narrowed dangerously along with mostly with everyone else. Even Artemis as Misaki was eight and she was the protector of maidens. Even if it was the love goddess's child.
"...You do know how...pedophiliac that was, oui?" Misaki asked, smiling devilishly as Octavian's face turned red.
"Does she have a fan club?" Hazel asked. Everyone laughed and she blinked. "I was being serious."
"I don't believe she does. I think I would start one." Reyna openly admitted. That was a wonderful insult.
"I am only eight years old, after all. Should I tell the Praetors of your true colors in accordance to a young girl? I fear for my virtue."
"I highly agree." Artemis said with a scrunch of her nose. "I think I faded a little just now."
"Nah, you're fine." Apollo waved off her concern while Aphrodite glared at her.
"You dare mock me?" Octavian asked, glaring daggers at her. "When the Centurion hears of this...!"
"Whine, whine, whine...Kid's a pathetic little bitch." Ares rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "That's his big threat? Run to a superior, what a wimp!"
"Hey, Misaki! Guess what? The job was moved to tomorrow on account of the upcoming festival tonight to celebrate the last Praetors' firstborn son." Naruto said as he ran back up to the girl. He was oblivious of the angered glare he got from Octavian.
"That's great Naruto!" Misaki said as she turned a one eighty and beamed at him.
"She can certainly act well." Apollo mused. The love goddess gave him a sly look.
"Does she have a chance at a career?"
"Oh, for sure. Could always use more intelligent child actors. Nowadays, they just grow up to be the same damn thing as the other child actors. Really sad to be honest."
She looked back to the boy whose name she already forgot. "Naruto, meet, hm, what was it again?" She tapped her chin with a laced finger in mock thought before her eyes lit up and she snapped her fingers. "Octy! Naruto, meet Octy."
"Hail Misaki!" The Romans (and Percy) cheered.
"What?! No it's-!"
"Like an octopus?" Naruto asked with a tilt of his head, wow, sucks for this guy. He must have been picked on all his life.
Everyone laughed once more.
"That was awesome!" Percy snickered as he held his sides. "Nice follow up, bro."
"Bingo~!" Misaki winked at him with a hand on her hip as it was jutted to the side while her other arm hung lazily at the other side.
"Striking poses?"
"I think it's cute!" The mother told her daughter. "It was very adorable and fit her personality very well. ...Maybe-"
"No." Piper denied her flatly.
"Oh, come on, Piper. At least let me finish my suggestion!"
"Wow, sorry for the bad name, Octy." Naruto said genuinely.
"My name isn't Octy, you buffoon!" Octavian said, losing his cool. "I am Octavian, legacy of Apollo and member of the First Cohort!"
"No need to yell, dude," Leo said with a small smirk. "He should chill out."
"...Oh, you're the guy that took Richie's spot after he...died." Naruto said, wincing at the memory of the last Augur-to-be's corpse's return from a quest done alongside Misaki's friend Samantha. He wasn't too keen on meeting the monster that did that to him.
"Poor little Roman," Athena said without any sincerity whatsoever.
"However, he wasn't so...twiggy." Misaki said with a thoughtful hum as she looked Octavian over. "Seriously, you shouldn't throw up everything you eat. It does explain the bad breath, though." She popped open her purse and began rummaging through it, pulling out a small roll of mints and offered them to him. None to quietly, she whispered "You need it."
Apollo started a slow clap that everyone followed until the chamber was booming with applause.
"Why can't she be real?" Aphrodite pouted. "My little girl is so witty!"
"Well, she could be, theoretically-"
"Hermes, shut up. Now." Hera, Hephaestus, Athena and Artemis glared at the god.
"...Right, yeah, never mind."
"I will not stand for this a second longer!" Octavian said. He was so mad, his face turning an interesting shade of purple.
"We sure he ain't D's legacy?"
"Fuck you, Ares." The god of wine glared at the smirking war god.
"Dionysus!"
"You've made an enemy, Legionnaire Shokuhou. And you, son of the sea god!" A finger was thrust in Naruto's face. "You keep your distance, earth shaker. Nothing good comes from your kind."
"Asshole." Percy grit his teeth.
"I think that Octy bite off more than he can chew." Apollo mused.
"True, Naruto is Naruto…he's screwed." Hermes nodded.
"What's that supposed to mean!?" Naruto asked, his eyes narrowing. Octavian said nothing, turning on his heel and walking back towards the First cohort barracks. Naruto huffed and crossed his arms. "What a grade-A jerk."
"You said it, Naruto." Hazel nodded to his statement.
"You said it." Misaki said. Unseen by the son of Neptune, her eyes narrowed and you could see beyond her bubbly princess persona. A dark, cold and calculating look appeared within her normally bright starry eyes and Misaki made a small hum.
"Holy sh-crap..." Leo whispered, correcting himself when Hestia sent him a glare. "I was right."
"About what?" Jason asked, hearing him.
"Well…"
An enemy, hm? How very interesting...A new toy to play with. Misaki smirked a bit. I hope he doesn't break too easily, because when I play, I play rough.
"She's an evil version of Annabeth!" Leo cried out. His declaration got him some odd looks, particularly one of offense from Annabeth.
"What?" Piper asked.
"Princess-like blonde hair, scarily smart as a young age, uses a dagger, really pretty–" Percy frowned at that last comparison, but Leo continued. "She is like an evil Roman Annabeth."
"Leo." Reyna deadpanned. "We aren't evil."
"But she is! Did you not hear her thoughts of breaking Octy? Even if the dude deserves it…That's a bit much for an eight-year-old."
"...Oh god, you're right." Percy mumbled. He could see Misaki in a whole new light and it scared him. The similarities were...terrifying.
Annabeth glared at the image of the girl, so she had an evil Roman counterpart, huh?
"...I believe it." Artemis nodded. She smirked. "Anything from Aphrodite or Venus is definitely evil."
"How dare you!"
"Ladies..." Hestia warned and looked at the Hunter. "Thalia, please continue."
Two years passed again, and with time, Jason and Naruto have made sufficient names for themselves in the Legion. Jason was quickly becoming known as Rome's Javelin, for his quick and efficient plans in battle, gaining a lot of attention from Tim and being asked to accompany meetings of strategic war plans.
"The 'Javelin'?" Thalia looked at Jason with a quirked lip. She, unlike the other demigods, was able to barely withstand from laughing at Jason's red face and twitching eye.
Even Reyna was letting out small laughs.
"Shut up. Now." The son of Jupiter grit out.
"Whatever you say ...Javelin."
Jason groaned into his hands. He hated this story. So much.
Naruto, along with being known as the living Earthshaker and having to deal with a huge amount of bias because of it.
Poseidon frowned. It was both a good and bad nickname for his Roman son. Seriously, his kids were to the Romans like Hades' were to the Greeks.
Misaki's title of Second Cohort's Princess stuck firmly after her own MVP awarding in a game of Siege, where she captured several prisoners by just asking them to throw their weapons down. Her use of Charmspeak had been called into question by the Senate, but Abby had come to her defense by saying it was a natural gift and shouldn't be forbidden from use.
"Exactly!" Aphrodite nodded sternly. "Honestly, a gift was a gift. Use it to the limit, reach for the stars, Misaki!"
Currently, the two pack-brothers were being led by their favorite Praetor through the camp. She had asked for them during one of their training drills, definitely sending some red alerts through their heads.
"Why are we going to Temple Hill, Rachel?" Jason asked, raising a brow in question.
"Let me answer that question by going over the Legion's forces. Most of our forces are made of legacies, a few direct descendants being rare, especially among the Olympians." Rachel said, looking over her shoulder at him with a smile on her face. "As such, most families are in New Rome and easily visited. But for direct descendants like you two and myself, we have the option of leave every few months."
"Like real soldiers?"
"Yes, Leo, like real soldiers…because we are soldiers." Jason frowned and looked at Thalia, who gave her own sad look to him.
"Leave?" Naruto asked, frowning in confusion. "Leave to where?"
"Yeah, its not like the kid is going to remember his address." Apollo said.
"Well, he could. They had some pretty good dialogue when they were four," Hermes said.
"...So did you."
"My point exactly."
"That's the question isn't it?" Rachel asked. "You two have been here for over five years straight, which is common, but you're in your seventh year, both of you have earned at least a month away from the Legion."
"Only a month?" Thalia asked Reyna, who shrugged.
"Both are sired from the Big Three. They are the Legion's future heavy hitters. The Praetors would most likely want to keep them close and train them properly."
"That is what happened…only I didn't really take a leave other then maybe seeing Lupa every once in a while." Jason admitted.
"This isn't negotiable is it?" Jason asked, frowning.
"What a stiff."
"Shut up, Leo."
"No. Consider it an order." Rachel said.
"I like her." Thalia smiled, it was nice her little brother had someone like that watching over him.
Even if it still made her feel like she missed everything.
"Now, back to your original question, we're going to seek help from Lord Mercury, god of travelers, merchants and messengers to see if we can find where you can go."
"So we get to meet the boring Hermes?"
"Apollo, bro, Phoebus was the dick, remember?"
"I said boring, not an asshole."
"Boys!" Hestia said sternly. Honestly, all the foul language was ruining her good mood!
"Sorry Aunt Hestia." The two choired.
"I like this order." Naruto said, reaching into his camp shirt and pulling out his mom's dog tags. Jason watched his friend rub his thumb over the name as he often did to calm his nerves. He could understand, Naruto still wanted to find his mom.
"I'd do it." Percy nodded, fully supportive of his brother.
It was better than waiting to get a quest to leave to find her. Jason wondered if he could find that nice girl that took care of him.
"Not so soon, sadly." Thalia sighed out. Jason rubbed her arm soothingly.
"I figured one of you would." Rachel said. Jason understood what she meant. Naruto was not a fan of being restricted to camp
"Whoo!" Poseidon cheered and Zeus rolled his eyes.
and would constantly deflate for a day or two when he wasn't picked for a quest, whereas Jason was more than happy to stay in the camp. What could he say? Jason was a fan of order.
"Gets it from his stiff of a father."
"Be silent, Hades." Zeus grunted at his brother.
They walked into Mercury's temple and Jason immediately felt welcomed. Must be due to their forced leave and their preparation to go on a trip. Mercury must be watching out for them.
"It's what I do." Hermes smiled. "Ah, to travel..."
As he and Naruto knelt next to Rachel, Jason wondered why that could be.
"Swift Lord Mercury, god of travelers, hear my plea. I, Rachel Larson, Praetor of the Twelfth Legion, ask you for guidance. Give us a sign, where should the sons of Jupiter and Neptune go?" Rachel asked, looking up to the statue hopefully.
"That was so flowery, I think I threw up a little, " Ares said with a grimace.
"I happen to like it!" Hermes scowled at him and crossed his arms.. "It's nice to be appreciated."
"To the coast." A man said behind them. The three Romans jumped, Jason hanging in it for a second, and spun around to face the newcomer. He had short sandy blond hair slicked back and hanging lowly on his nose were some rather classy square-framed glasses, the lenses adding a small twinkle to his blue eyes. He was dressed in a nice business suit and in his hand was some sort of small black rectangular device, a phone Jason recalled after seeing Misaki use hers. He raised his left hand in a small wave. "Hello."
"Take me to your leader," Apollo said in a robot voice, gestures included.
"Ha-ha, you're so funny." Hermes rolled his eyes.
"I try."
"You honestly don't look that different," Percy said.
"It's how we act, not look." Hermes corrected him.
"Unless you're Zeus." Hades mumbled with a smirk. The Thunder God glared at him.
So he went blond as a Roman, so what?
"L-Lord Mercury!" Rachel said in surprise, kneeling before him. "Welcome, Lord Mercury. Thank you for answering my plea. The honor I-we feel is unfathomable."
"Got the poor girl stammering." Hermes snickered.
Reyna seemed amused, "That is quite funny to be honest. The gods rarely come to see us after all."
"Thank you, Lord Mercury." The two blond boys quickly followed their Praetor's example.
"Now, now, I haven't got time for your praise.
"Yep. Busy, busy, busy." Hermes sighed. "Barely get a nap in for a second..."
I came to help Jason and Naruto. By the way, nice job on Neptune's temple, kid. Good use of the materials I got you." Mercury said, smiling lightly at Naruto.
"Well, if I like his brother, there's no doubt that Mercury will like Naruto." Hermes said. "Especially after we saw the fruits of his labor."
"Another thing he received from his father, it would seem." Zeus mused.
Poseidon rolled his eyes, but continued to smile along with Percy for Hermes' words.
Naruto laughed and reached behind his head to rub it sheepishly from the praise. "Well, thanks for the nice gold trident and all the carved marble."
"Anytime. Not often I get a crown, you know." Mercury said before tapping the screen of his phone. "Anyway, I'll send out one message each to your chosen destination. Let's start with the contracting son of Neptune first."
"That's really cool of him." Frank said. He'd never had the chance to take leave, so he didn't really know what happened.
"...I-I want to find my mom." Naruto said quietly, looking down and grabbing his dog tags. Rachel and Jason watched as Mercury's thumbs blurred over the many buttons. After he did that, he reached into his suit and pulled out a card, turning it over in his hand and offering it to the son of Neptune.
"Done. Your mother will be expecting you at the address on this card. I'm assuming you'll be taking the buses?" Mercury asked, looking to Rachel.
"And my fingers are smoking once again, hold the applause. Please."
"We will." Artemis rolled her eyes playfully, but Apollo mock applauded anyway.
The Praetor nodded and he gave a curt nod of his own as Naruto took the card, holding it carefully in both hands. The god of travelers looked to Jason next. "And for the son of Jupiter?"
"I want to see the girl who I grew up with, but, all I know is her name starts with Ta-"
"Aw..." Thalia smiled and gave her brother a half-hug, one he readily gave back.
"Thalia Grace, your older sister." The god cut him off, giving him an apologetic smile. "Sadly, that is a message even I cannot deliver due to...technicalities."
"By technicalities, he means she was a tree…and Greek, too, I guess." Hades mused with a morbid chuckle, which earned him a glare from his youngest brother.
"Technicalities?" Jason asked, his brows furrowing together. The only reason he could think of that the god of messengers couldn't deliver his message would be one thing. "I-Is she dead?"
"No, tree coma." Thalia said, trying to make her situation slightly funny, but Jason was still frowning. "Sorry."
"Jason, don't think like that!" Rachel said as she put a hand on his shoulder in effort to comfort the boy.
"Not exactly." Mercury said, making the three look at him. "The details are complicated, and I would prefer to leave it at that."
"Because of the separation and all." Hera rolled her eyes.
"Yes, lord Mercury." The three said a bit reluctantly.
"Good. Now, I must be off. I have some business to attend to in New York." Mercury said, a bit of a cringe on his face when thinking of the east coast.
"Honestly." Athena muttered and rolled her eyes.
Hermes shrugged. "Hey, they like the West, we love the East-"
"I love the East!" Apollo grinned.
"...Don't remind us." Artemis groaned.
He vanished in a gust of wind, possibly moving so fast that he made it. A ghostly image of him remained, smiling at the two young demigods. "Good luck on your trip."
And it vanished just as fast as the god did.
"…Now that was cool." Percy mumbled. Super-speed for the win.
"Jason..." Rachel said softly, making him look at her. She had an apologetic look in her eyes and a similar smile on her face. "She's not dead."
"I like her." Thalia smiled.
"But it's complicated." Jason said, frowning. "Which means she might be close to it."
"Maybe she's frozen or something." Naruto said. "Or in a coma."
"Amazing." Athena muttered, Poseidon's Roman spawn guessed correctly.
Poseidon smirked when he heard her words.
"Not helping, Nar." Jason said with a frown. Naruto's heart was in the right place, putting a term to something always helped Jason solve a problem he couldn't understand. But comas were fickle, according to Abigail's lessons in medicine, and being frozen...well, Jason wouldn't appreciate all that ice.
"Foreshadowing," Leo said mysteriously.
Piper playfully shoved the snickering Latino and rolled her eyes.
"Sorry." Naruto said. A beat passed. "...You could come with me."
"What?" Jason blinked as he looked at Naruto.
"No, not could. You have to come! You promised!" Naruto said, grinning. "Remember? Before we came to camp."
"Yeah, Jason." Piper smirked. "You promised."
Her boyfriend smiled at her, he did promise and he would undoubtedly go with Naruto.
"...I guess I did." Jason said softly. Rachel rubbed his shoulder soothingly, as if knowing that wasn't exactly what he was hoping to do. She always seemed to understand him a bit better than anyone else.
"Almost like a big sister." Nico smirked.
"I like her, but don't push it, Death Breath."
Naruto beamed and declared he would go tell Misaki they were leaving, rushing off before the two could stop him.
"At least you have a name now." Rachel said.
"True." Thalia nodded with a smile.
"...It's not the same, though." Jason said in return.
"Also true, sadly." Jason said as Thalia frowned.
"I suppose not, but now you can pray to the gods for her." Rachel said, rubbing Jason's shoulder. He quirked a smile a bit at that, making her smile back. "You'd best go find Naruto and bring him back. I have the bus passes back at the Praetors' Chambers."
"Yes, Praetor." Jason said, running off to find his friend.
"I really shouldn't be this surprised." Jason said, finding Naruto with ease. He may have been minutes behind, but time and practice have taught him all of Misaki and her minions' known hangouts.
"My baby has minions!" Aphrodite gasped. She giggled and clapped her hands. "Yay!"
"Aphrodite, that's not a good thing!"
"On the contrary, Artemis, it so very much is!"
The common mess hall was just one of the few places in public eye where they were most often found. At a rather girl-oriented table, Naruto was sitting next to Misaki, who had scooted a bit closer than normal, and from the look on her face, he could tell that Naruto would need an extraction soon.
"No," Aphrodite glared at the blond. "Bad Jason!"
Jason shrugged her irritation off.
As he walked closer, he could hear their conversation.
"You're leaving and you're not taking me? Naruto, I thought we were friends." Misaki said, pouting at the green-eyed blond.
"Yes, take her to meet her future mother-in-law!"
"…They are ten." Hera pointed out.
"And your point is...?" Aphrodite asked.
"Today's society is not as accepting of those their young age being so legally bound." Hera pointed out.
"They're still babies in our eyes," Hestia added.
Aphrodite frowned. "Party poopers."
"We are friends, Misaki." Naruto said, reassuring her. "But this is the first time I get to see my mom in years."
"Then how come Jay-Jay gets to go?" Misaki asked, adding a bit of a whine.
"Yeah, Jay-Jay," Leo snickered, "Why do you get to go?"
Jason groaned at the name and Piper smirked at him.
"Come on, Jay-Jay. Relax," she said.
"Piper, not you, too!"
Jason rolled his eyes but continued his quiet approach.
"Because Jay's my pack-brother." Naruto said, grinning proudly. "Why wouldn't he come?"
"Aw," Thalia teased and pinched Jason's cheek. "Isn't that sweet of him?"
"Guh, stop it already." The blond pouted and swatted her hand away.
"Never, Jay-Jay."
"…I hate Misaki." Jason grumbled as he rubbed his head.
"Humph." Misaki pouted a bit more, taking a bite of the slice of cake that was before her. Jason didn't bother asking where or how she got it.
"Since when do we have cake?" Hazel asked. Reyna frowned.
"We tend not to unless it is a special occasion."
"Totally snuck it in." Hermes grinned. This girl was a sly devil.
He'd rather not try to extract information from her and wind up telling another secret about himself. He would, however, end her charade before it could get too crowded on the bus. Going on a trip with just Naruto was one thing, going with Naruto and Misaki...that's a whole different story.
"Ahh, I see how it is." Leo nodded. "Jason wants Naruto all to himself."
"Leo!" Jason turned bright red at the notion as a lot laughed at his reaction.
"If it helps..." Nico gave him a small smirk. "You two look great together."
Jason just glared at him, "Ha. Ha."
"Naruto, c'mon, we've got to go." Jason said, finally revealing himself as he planted a hand on Naruto's shoulder.
"Don't you want to stay for cake, Jay-Jay?" Misaki asked, smiling at him.
"Yeah, have some cake, Jason. Gods know how rare of a chance we get to have it." Frank said, taking a sidelong glance at Reyna.
"We have to maintain a proper diet." The war girl huffed.
"No." Jason said flatly. Who knew what she laced that cake with? Jason wouldn't put it past her to try something.
"Okay," Piper frowned at Jason. "Now, you are being paranoid."
"Am not." "He's not." The Grace siblings argued. The couple looked at Thalia and she smirked.
"Just wait."
Like that time she got Octavian to turn bright yellow. No one could blame her, but Jason knew she had something to do with it after Naruto sung praises to the 'mysterious' prankster, because she had gained a bright smile that just wouldn't go away.
"...Wow, okay, I take it back." Piper snickered out while the other demigods laughed with a few of the Olympians.
"We need to build a shrine to this girl." Hazel awed.
"No." The gods flatly denied.
"Naruto, c'mon."
"Right, right." Naruto said, getting up. Misaki pouted at him when he smiled at her. "Bye Misaki!"
"You'd better bring me something nice." She said, making him laugh as they left. Misaki turned back to her table and resumed talking with her friends/minions.
"I bet she's plotting another event to humiliate Octavian." Frank grinned. This was making his day.
"Why can't we wear our camp shirts again?" Naruto asked, looking down at the large green shirt that replaced the purple and gold he loved so dearly.
"They are awesome." Jason nodded.
"You'd think Naruto would like orange more." Annabeth noted, getting a few snickers.
"Well, he is missing the 'yellow' aspect of his father," Poseidon said knowingly. "And the sea is blue."
"Best color ever."
"Percy, shut up." Annabeth rolled her eyes. She furrowed her brows together and then widened her eyes. "Red and blue make purple..."
"Ohh..." The other demigods came to the same conclusion Annabeth did. Naruto favored the blend of colors that were attributed to his parents. So since Minato wasn't yellow here...
"...Purple's okay, I guess..." Percy mumbled.
Annabeth groaned.
They had said their farewells to their cohort, Centurion and their Praetors – though Tim was rather blunt in saying he wasn't going to shake their hand or hug them like Rachel did – and were loading up in a small bus at a stop located outside the camp's secret entrance.
"Because, Naruto, we're technically on a quest and subtlety is important." Jason said, sighing as he plopped down in a seat on the bus.
"Children of the sea have no ability with subtly." Percy noted factually about himself.
Poseidon brooded when his brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews (and Athena) looked at him.
"Shut up." He grumbled maturely.
"Sit down."
"Yes master." Naruto said with a smirk, plopping down next to him. Jason rolled his eyes and both relaxed in their seat as the bus went through the tunnel, past the secret entrance they had left through before, and broke through onto the highway. "Well, might as well get some sleep."
"You do that." Jason said, looking out the window at all the cars that passed by. It was a rather long trip, sixty minutes and thirty-two seconds by Jason's count.
"That's, like, forever." Leo groaned.
"And on a bus?!" Percy groaned with him and flopped back into the couch. "The horror!"
Boy did he get bored on that bus. He figured since they were leaving camp something bad would happen, but then, about twenty minutes in to the drive, he remembered Mercury's duties and figured the god must have blessed the both of them.
"You're welcome!" Hermes sang and buffed his nails on his shirt.
Well, that just took all excitement out of it.
Hermes' smile faltered and he gave Jason a dull look.
"You're welcome." He said with less enthusiasm.
"Sorry, sir."
They got off of the greyhound at the corner of a suburban neighborhood and Naruto readjusted his bracers, the sun gleaming off of the golden tridents catching Jason's eye. He remembered the first time Naruto had used them in what he dubbed his 'favorite' War Game, Gladiator Fights.
"Huh, perhaps this one isn't so dull after all." Dionysus mused with an interested gleam in his eye.
Naruto and Jason were knocked out early by Tim, who was the reigning champion,
"Whoo!" Ares cheered and Frank smirked himself.
but Naruto had managed to get a few good hits in that left a mighty big black eye on the Praetor's face.
"Nice." Percy grinned as Ares scowled at how the brat got a lucky shot.
Since then, Naruto had been getting hand-to-hand lessons from Tim while Rachel taught Jason how to better use his spear, since that was her weapon of choice as well.
"So where does she live, exactly?" Jason asked. Naruto looked down at the card he'd been handling with extreme care.
"546 43rd Avenue." Naruto said. The two blondes looked at the street sign near them. "That's the 42nd...Wow, we're lucky."
"Super lucky." Nico noted.
"Zack must rub off on us...That or Mercury blessed us without us knowing." Jason said.
"Probably both." Naruto said, shrugging.
"Possible." Reyna nodded in agreement. Eyes turned to Hermes.
"...What? I did say that I liked the kid's bro and Merc would like him."
The two of them walked towards the next block and rounded the corner, looking at the street houses until coming across a skinny, two storied red house. Gold numbers hung above the garage matching the ones on the card in Naruto's hand. Naruto stood at the end of the driveway for a moment.
"Nar...Stop fidgeting. It's only a house. I'm pretty sure it won't hate you." Jason said.
"He's nervous, hasn't seen his Mom in years and your picking on him for fun? Not cool Jason..." Percy glared at the son of Jupiter.
"I was just kidding. Geez, Percy." Jason mumbled and rolled his eyes at Percy's glare. "No wonder Thalia calls you a 'Momma's Boy."
"There's nothing wrong with that," Percy and Hera said together, the latter with a frown aimed at her champion.
"Shut up, Jason!" Naruto said, a bit red in the cheeks.
"...Stop fiddling with your shirt and let's go already."
"Ju-just give me a minute, okay?"
"He has to look presentable." Aphrodite nodded in agreement.
Jason sighed but could understand. Naruto probably had so many thoughts rushing through his head, Jason imagined they'd be of the same strand as his own if he met Thalia. 'Would she like me?' being the key thought going through their head.
"Of course I would." Thalia smiled at him. "I still think you could try to lighten up."
"Thanks, sis." Jason said dryly.
"I try."
Love wasn't a factor here...okay, maybe it was a little, but liking as in approving of how they (Jason and Naruto) grew up was a bigger issue. It was one thing not to love you at all, because as Misaki constantly told them, love was the strongest and most malleable of emotions mortals – and gods – had.
"Amen, sister." Piper smirked. Man, she couldn't wait for her other to meet Misaki.
Liking someone for who they were was a whole different story.
A good example of this is Octavian, a slimy member of the First Cohort that just didn't feel right to Jason and Naruto. They would probably never love him and they most definitely wouldn't like him. But Misaki, however, was a girl that thought herself better and showed that she could change her views, causing Jason and Naruto to change their own. Now, does that mean Jason doesn't think she's up to something? No. Jason knows Misaki is up to something, but he can understand that it is who she is and accept her for it.
"Is she always up to something?" Nico asked.
"Like mother, like daughter."
"Shush, Artemis." Aphrodite rolled her eyes.
"Ready?" Jason asked after giving his friend another minute. Naruto took a deep breath before nodding, walking up with Jason to the door. Stepping up to the stoop, Naruto raised his hand to knock on the door, but hesitate. Jason, a bit fed up of waiting, and tired from doing nothing on the bus, lifted his hand and knocked on the door.
"Gets that impatience from his father." Poseidon remarked, and got a glare for it.
"I hear ya." Percy said, taking a sidelong glance at Thalia.
"Shut up, fish boy."
"Hm, nah. I'm good."
"Dude!"
"Shut up. You took too long."
"One moment!" A woman's voice called, muffled by the door and sounding a bit distant. They waited on the stoop and just when Naruto shifted his foot in preparation to bolt – Jason would've stopped him, he didn't ride on that bus for an hour just to not to meet this woman Naruto was so insistent (understandably so) about meeting – the door flung open. A woman opened the door, dressed in sweatpants, flip-flops and a white tank top underneath a blue apron that said Hott Momma with orange and red lettering on it. Her red hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, but she still had the tension and alert shoulders of a soldier.
"Hott Mamma indeed."
"Apollo!" Poseidon frowned at the god.
"What? I married her in the Apoluto series. I can say what I want!"
Poseidon begrudgingly conceded to that.
"And I was her." Aphrodite added but frowned and rubbed her chin. "She could have worn something a bit more fashionable."
"...Really?" Artemis asked. "You're going to judge her attire?"
"Of course not!" Aphrodite huffed. "I judge everyone's attire!"
Jason watched from the side as Naruto looked up and the woman looked down, his friend's green eyes meeting with the woman's strange variation of violet. Naruto opened his mouth to say something when he was enveloped in a tight hug, the woman starting to sob openly. All of her tension and alertness melted away as she cried.
"A mother knows her child out of sheer instinct." Hera nodded.
"Or it was Poseidon's eyes, sister." Demeter noted with a smile, making her younger sister frown.
"You're home. You're really home." She said through her tears. The woman pushed Naruto away for a second, cupping his cheeks as their eyes met again. "My little maelstrom..."
"A proud name to live by." Poseidon smiled.
"I like Perseus better." Annabeth said and kissed Percy's cheek, which got a goofy smile from the boy.
"...Hi M-Mom..." Naruto said, finally. It made the redheaded woman let out a mix of a choked sob and a laugh before she hugged him again.
"My baby's home." She said, turning and kissing him on the cheek and making Naruto groan.
"Aww." That got some coos from the females.
Jason couldn't help but snicker at that, making the woman realize there was someone else there. "Oh...Hello."
"Way to get on that radar, Jason."
"Very funny, Frank."
"Uh, hi Ms. Uzumaki. I'm Jason Grace."
"Hello, Jason," she said, smiling. "I'm Kushina Uzumaki. You can call me Kushina, I'm not one for formalities."
"Neither are we," Hermes said. He hummed in thought and sent a few looks around the chamber. "Well, some of us aren't anyway."
"If you say so..."
"I insist." Kushina said, cutting him off. "How do you know Naruto?"
"I, uh, I'm a friend of Naruto's from camp." Jason said.
"He's also my pack-brother." Naruto said with a grin. At Kushina confused glance, Naruto elaborated. "Lupa prepared him for camp alongside me."
"She does not like Lupa." Leo said with a shake of his head.
"I don't blame her." Hestia huffed slightly. She was a tad miffed at the Roman wolf-goddess for taking the dog tags.
"Please don't mention her around me, munchkin." Kushina said, easily falling into old habits as she ushered both boys in.
"Oh, that's got to be a pain to be called that." Percy snickered.
"Munchkin?" Naruto and Jason asked.
"Oh yes. You're my little munchkin." Kushina said, pulling Naruto into another hug and kissing him on the cheek again. "So easily portable."
"Like…a package." Apollo said and he looked at Hermes, who glared back at him.
He isn't that short!
"Like during that game of D-Ball." Jason said, smirking at the flushed cheeks of his friend. Oh the dirt he would have on Naruto after all this was over.
"I like scheming Jason, he's funny."
Jason palmed his face at Leo's commentary. He wasn't scheming!
...Mostly...
Kushina laughed at her son's pout and his friend's snickering, leading them into the dining room. She sat them down and went to the kitchen.
"Can I get you two anything to drink?" She asked.
"Some orange juice if you have it, please." Jason said.
"I'll take a glass of water." Naruto said. Jason shoved him for his lack of manners, making Naruto roll his eyes.
"What? It's his house," Percy said.
"So you don't thank your mother, Percy?" Hera asked.
"No, but that's because I haven't seen her in a while. I wonder why that is?"
That shut the Queen of Heaven as she gave the boy a light glare.
It took all of his power for Poseidon to not burst out in laughter while he glared at the Queen.
He sniffed the air after a second and Jason swore that he froze in his seat. His green eyes dilated and a bit of drool started to pool up at the corner of his mouth. "...Mom...what are you cooking?"
"Ramen." Hazel said with a smirk.
"He's got a good nose." Nico mused.
"Hm? Oh! Well, since I got that random email for a small chain store called Neptune's Niche, I was thinking about my munchkin and made some ramen." Kushina said, walking back in with a glass of water and orange juice.
"Neptune's Niche?" Hermes asked his uncle.
Poseidon shrugged. "Best seafood around."
"...Isn't that a bit twisted?" Hades asked.
"Oh like you're one to talk."
"Ramen?!" Naruto asked, looking like a kid in the candy store.
"Yes." Kushina said with a smile, ruffling his hair. "My little munchkin truly is home." While Naruto groaned at the cutesy name, Kushina looked to Jason. "Can I get you some ramen, too, Jason?"
"One of us. One of us." Leo, Frank, Percy, Hermes, and Apollo chanted.
"What's ramen?" Jason asked. Naruto looked as though Jason just committed blasphemy against the gods themselves while Kushina arched a brow.
"Slay the heathen!" Nico cried out while pointing at Jason, who scowled at the boy. Not funny.
"What's ramen? Dear me, that camp must starve you." Kushina said, her head shaking in disapproval.
"No they didn't." Jason mumbled.
"You're having a bowl, no arguments about it."
Kushina ducked into the kitchen and with ease came back out with two steaming bowls of noodles, setting one in front of a giddy Naruto and the other in front of a hesitant Jason. Jason didn't want to be rude, unlike his friend who was currently inhaling the food like a vacuum, and so tentatively took his offered chopsticks. He had a bit of an issue handling the utensils, but Kushina helped him out, getting a sheepish thanks from the son of Jupiter.
"I hate those things, give me a fork anytime," Leo said as Apollo snorted.
"Please, the spork is the way to go. Every time."
"You speak holy words of truth, god of the sun."
"Thanks kid."
After the first bite, Jason understood why Naruto loved the stuff. He wasn't an immediate addict like the son of Neptune, who was already being served a second helping, but wasn't going to say he didn't enjoy the taste. Eagerly, Jason continued to eat and even had a second helping, which was strange because he normally had one serving that sated him.
"It's called, enjoying a meal, Jason." Piper teased with a snicker.
"…I know that." Jason pouted.
Once Jason finished his second and Naruto finished his fourth serving, Kushina began to ask questions about the camp.
"So D-Ball. Is that a game you play at camp?" Kushina asked. Naruto nodded eagerly, being a huge fan of war games in general.
"Not the best game to mention to a mother." Hestia frowned. It was far too violent for her liking, even to her Roman aspect.
"Yeah! According to Rachel, it's like some mortal-er, civilian game of paintball. Only with fireballs, acid balls, poison balls, spike balls and other dangerous stuff." Naruto said, making Kushina twitch.
"He's busted." Nico snickered along with the other guys.
"...How dangerous exactly?" Kushina asked.
"Not too dangerous." Jason said. "No one's died in ten years.
"The shame." Athena mumbled dryly.
The camp's perfected a lot of antidotes since then." He gave Naruto a dry look. "And mister water healer doesn't have to worry about too much."
"Water powers for the win." Percy pumped his fist.
"Jealous, Jay-Jay?" Naruto asked with a smirk as he used his friend's hated nickname.
"...Shut up." Jason said, scowling at his friend. "And don't call me that."
"Aw, but it's cute. I'll bet your mother calls you that all the time." Kushina said with a tittering laugh.
Thalia made a growling noise. "Please, like that selfishwoman could ever show affection to anyone other than herself and Zeus."
"Thalia Grace." Zeus warned under his breath.
When Jason said nothing, she gave him a confused look again. "She doesn't?"
"I don't know who my mother is." Jason said, shrugging it off nonchalantly. "I was with Lupa since I was two and left her with Naruto when I was four."
"I'm so sorry, Jason." Kushina said with a sad look on her face. She blinked and Jason cringed as a look of manic concern crossed her face. "Wait, you left Lupa when you were four!?"
"Wow, nice slip, Lil' Jason." Hazel whistled.
"Oh no..." Jason groaned. This was going to suck.
"She said we were ready." Naruto said, shrugging.
"She kicked you out?!" Kushina asked, her voice rising a pitch. "That-! I can't even-! What kind of mother is she!? Stupid...I should've never listened to your father and just followed my gut and taken you on a boat! Letting two four year olds run around unattended!"
"I love this woman." Thalia smirked while she nodded her head. "She's so right! You go, Kushina!"
"We were fine." Naruto said, his confused green eyes showing that he did not understand why she was so upset. "We managed to get to camp and we killed that boar, too!"
"Nice job, little dudes." Leo chuckled when Jason groaned at the 'little dude' title.
"Which was your fault." Jason said.
"Dude, just let it go." Naruto said, groaning.
"Yeah, grudges are my shtick." Nico smirked.
"Is there anything else I should know about this camp?" Kushina asked.
Naruto shrugged. "Not anything I can think of. I mean, after we got in and talked to the Praetors, they're the heads of the Legion-"
"That you have to serve for ten years, yes I read that brochure when it came in the mail." Kushina said, smiling as her concern about never seeing her baby again was washed away. "Continue."
"Where are our brochures?" Percy asked Annabeth, who shrugged in return.
"Well, after we met Rachel and Tim, we got our tattoos and–"
"…You two are without a doubt related." Annabeth muttered as Percy pouted at her. Even he wouldn't mention his tattoo to his mom – Oh crap, he had a tattoo...his mom was going to kill him!
"Tattoos?" Kushina asked, cutting Naruto off again. Naruto beamed and lifted his shirt up, missing Jason's curt look to not do just that. Jason was good at sensing when danger was near, but Naruto...not so much.
"At least one of you has that ability," Reyna said dryly. She felt sorry for the son of Neptune, but he brought it upon himself.
Rolling his shirt up and showing off the trident with the SPQR and six lines underneath it, Naruto was taken by surprise when Kushina grabbed his arm and looked at it with anger building on her face. "You have a tattoo!? You're only ten!"
"It's worse." Frank winced.
"Yeah, but I've had mine since I was four."
"FOUR?!"
"Motor Mouth Poseidon Syndrome. Bound to kick in at all the wrong times," Hades said with a smirk. Zeus laughed at his brother's joke.
Poseidon huffed and brooded.
"Jason got one, too!"
Jason gaped. "That little sellout!"
"Smart kid." Hermes nodded.
"WHAT?!"
"Traitor." Jason said, glaring at his apologetic looking friend. Kushina rounded on him quickly.
"Let me see it." Kushina said, her rage just about to reach its limit. Not really in the mood to argue with the older, stronger and way more infuriated woman, Jason pulled his sleeve up. Seeing the eagle and the same amount of lines pushed the rage past that limit. "Those-I can't believe they would brand you! They're coming off!"
"Go for it!"
"Thalia!" Jason said, giving his sister a glare.
"What?" She asked innocently.
"We've had this talk."
"Doesn't mean I'm not right," Thalia said with a smirk. She turned back to the book, prepared to read. "Go Kushina!"
Jason palmed his face.
His sister was so weird.
"What?!" "No!" Naruto and Jason said, Jason pushing his sleeve down and shifting away from the woman.
"Naruto Uzumaki, you will listen to me. That tattoo is coming off!" the way Kushina said tattoo had so much malice in it that Jason was sure she would've removed every tattoo ever designed if she could've.
"The power of a mother is to be feared." Hera nodded and her siblings agreed with her readily on that note.
"And you, Jason Grace, yours is coming off as well!"
"…Thalia, she's scaring me."
"Good."
"You can't!" Naruto said, covering his arm. "We earned these!"
"Earned them – Naruto, you don't need a tattoo!" Kushina said. "This is a permanent mark on your body, the body I spent ten months making thank you very much. I have every right to say what does and does not get inked into your arm!"
Hermes winced. "Ouch, she played the womb card."
"That is so evil." Apollo grimaced.
"No, it isn't." All the mother's, who give birth naturally, unlike Athena, said.
"Yes, it really is." The Big Three countered, each grimacing in their own right.
"It's not an ink though." Jason said. Kushina swiveled her gaze on him. "It's burned with sacred tools made by Vulcan."
"Ahh," Hephaestus looked around and winced at the looks the various mothers (and one irked immortal demigod) were giving him. "Oh come on! Our Roman aspects are cool with it! It's not like I decided to make this a thing!"
"...Bullshit." Kushina said. "You were burned?!"
"I know." Thalia nodded. "How messed up is that?!"
"Thalia, stop agreeing with the fictional character."
"Shush, Jay-Jay. Just listen to the story."
"They're marks of valor!" Jason quickly continued. "The more marks you have gives you seniority and acts as an access pass into and out of New Rome!"
"New Rome?" Kushina asked. She thought for a second. "The small city...And why should I care if you can get in and out of there?"
"Speak a little faster, Jason."
"Hopefully my other does, Hazel."
"Because all demigods live there." Jason said.
"And after ten years their families can move in, too!" Naruto said, making Kushina look at him.
"That's nice to know." Percy mused. It actually sounded pretty cool.
"...So you need those things to move your family in, hm?" Kushina asked after a moment of thought. Jason came to pretty much the same conclusion she did. In a few more years that meant she could legally, by Roman standards, move in to the city that was close to where her son went to camp.
"Slick thinking, little Jay." Piper nodded.
That would be good for everyone. To their relief, Kushina sighed and sat down, her hand on her head. "Fine, just...No other ones, please."
"Okay." Both boys said, giving each other a grin.
"Why bother when those are way cooler." Leo noted. They were so much better than his flaming skull idea.
"Now, tell me you're making more friends at camp. Not that you're not charming, Jason." Kushina said, smiling lightly and making him blush lightly.
Aphrodite smiled and clapped her hands. "Ooh, she's going to learn about Misaki~! Yay!"
"Oh yeah! There's Zack, Edward, Rachel, Abby, Samantha, Michelle-" Naruto said, ticking his friends off on his fingers.
"My what a little player," Kushina said with a smile.
"Oh, he's going to be if Percy was any indication." The love goddess said, getting the boy to sputter and his wise girlfriend to pout.
"What?" Naruto asked. Jason actually joined Naruto in looking confused, becoming even more so when Kushina laughed.
"They're both dense." Piper giggled as Jason pouted.
He wasn't that dense. That was Percy…and Naruto it seemed.
"Aw, you're both so adorable when you're confused." She said with a smile.
"I know."
"Thalia!"
"Let me gush at little you, Jason!"
"Never mind. They're all your age?"
"Well, the only friend we have our age outside of the Cohort is Misaki." Naruto said.
"Misaki?" Kushina asked, smiling. "What's she like?"
"She's a daughter of Venus." Jason said, shrugging. "Pretty girly, but still a Roman."
"More like evil mastermind." Leo mumbled. He looked at Annabeth. "Never become evil, please?"
"I make no promises." Annabeth said jokingly.
"I'm serious."
"She's got a lot of friends." Naruto said. Jason shook his head and made eye contact with Kushina, mouthing the word 'minions'. The redheaded woman gave a giggle at that.
Piper rubbed her chin. "Huh, minions…I could go for some minions."
"They're a lot of fun to have, Piper." Aphrodite grinned.
"Well I'm glad to hear that you're making friends." Kushina said, smiling. "How's the education of this camp?"
"I dunno." Naruto said with a shrug. He wasn't a fan of education.
"Amen, brother," Percy said. He was glad he wasn't the only one.
Jason rolled his eyes. "If you'd listen to Rachel, you'd know that camp's standards are up to date with the state of California's Department of Education regulation and is equal to the best schools in the country.
"Seriously?" Annabeth asked Percy, who nodded along with the other Romans. "Now I really want to go there."
Athena gasped in shock at her daughter's words.
Percy grinned. "Told you it was cool."
We even have a college in New Rome that's on par with Harvard or other Ivy League schools."
"Oh yeah, we're going there."
"Annabeth!"
"Mom, Ivy League. Harvard!"
"Still!"
"Well that's very good to know." Kushina said with an approving nod.
"Of course the Golden Boy would know that." Naruto said with a teasing smirk.
"Golden Boy." Nico snickered as Jason gave him a light glare.
"Munchkin." Jason said, making Naruto's smirk fall.
"Not cool, Jason." He said.
"Oh, but you're always going to be my munchkin!" Kushina said, reaching over to rake her hands through his hair.
"Aw," Annabeth said and looked to her boyfriend. "Were you that cute when you were little?"
Percy flushed out of embarrassment. "Shut up, Wise Girl."
"Fair enough. I'll just ask your mom for pictures."
"Annabeth!" the water boy whined.
"Mom!" Naruto said with a groan.
Jason gave a soft laugh at that.
"You shouldn't be laughing, Jay-Jay." Kushina said.
"Yeah, Jay-Jay, you have a nickname too." Thalia snickered, getting the boy to glare at her.
"Mom!" Jason said, flushing at his slip when the two Uzumaki gave him strange looks.
The Grace siblings' eyes widened.
"Did you just…?" Thalia mumbled.
"Um, maybe…" Jason blinked.
"I mean...sorry."
Kushina's look turned into a soft warm smile. "You can call me Mom if you want, Jay-Jay. I always wanted a big family."
Jason himself was stunned to say the least.
Thalia swallowed and powered through to read more.
"You are my pack-brother." Naruto said, grinning. "It's like we really are brothers!"
"You could pull it off." Kushina said. She smiled at the son of Jupiter.
"They do look a lot alike." Percy mumbled.
"So what do you say, Jason? Would you like to be an honorary Uzumaki?"
Jason didn't know what to think of that. He didn't want to accidently replace his sister, Thalia, but at the same time he was being offered a mother.
Jason understood his other, while he accepted that Thalia had found a new family in the Hunt, it still hurt him a bit.
He couldn't remember his own mother, and it was a strong subject of internal conflict for a few months one year until Rachel confronted him. He wanted to have what Naruto had, he was a little jealous of his friend for having the family member they came to visit. This was a genuine offer, and with a bit of both hesitation and excitement, Jason finally answered.
"If you'll have me."
"Good for him," Thalia whispered. It was good Jason had a good mother looking out for him, she'd hope her other could meet this woman in the future.
Kushina's smile widened. "Of course we would, Jay-Jay."
Jason himself, he felt jealous of his other. Thalia saw Artemis as her mother, while he felt alone somewhat. He looked as Piper took his hand and squeezed, showing she was there for him and he did the same back in thanks.
Jason didn't dare to frown or scowl, knowing it was meant mostly with love and not teasing. He smiled brightly at the woman, his new adoptive mother. This wasn't going to be one of the decisions he regretted.
"Wonderful! This calls for more ramen to celebrate!" Kushina said. Naruto threw his hands up and cheered while Jason laughed and shrugged.
Well it's as they say; when in Rome.
"That... is the most corniest and yet fitting ending line for a chapter in this story." Leo smirked as Jason shrugged.
It was true.