Chapter 5: I Drive Everyone Crazy
I had to drag Percy and Tyson away from the head table to their own table. Percy looked like he wanted to argue with me, but was probably afraid that I'd go nuts again. He was probably right.
Tyson on the other hand, was glancing between me and Percy with a smile on his face. "We're sitting together?" he asked.
I grinned back. "Yeah Tyson, we're sitting together."
That seemed to break Percy from his stupor, as he suddenly began to sputter. "No! We're supposed to sit at our own tables!"
I gave him a confused look. "Isn't that what I'm doing?"
Percy shook his head. "The gods have all sorts of issues with each other, and don't really like their children sitting at other gods tables. Hermes is the exception, because he's the god of travelers."
"And, I'm supposed to care if they care which table I sit at because?"
Percy blinked. "Uh, that's how it's always been."
I shook my head. "I've heard better excuses than that. Now, if your parent doesn't mind, I'd like to eat now."
Percy mumbled under his breath. "I'm not sure what Poseidon will do to you."
I gave him a shove towards his table, almost knocking him over the bench. He managed to catch himself in time to set himself down with myself and Tyson. A moment later, a strange looking man walked over with a circular object. I'd pretty much given up on trying to understand what half of the stuff in this camp was; I'd probably do better waiting and getting Percy or Annabeth to explain when the man was gone.
As the man left however, I was too busy poking and prodding the circular object. It looked like bread, but it was covered in a yellow substance like what had been on my cheeseburger; I'm guessing it's the 'cheese'. The thing that got the more part of my attention was the black stuff on it. Black usually meant that the food was bad right? So why would they give us bad food? Then again, I wouldn't put it past Tantalus to try and poison us.
Percy and Tyson both took a piece of it and walked towards a small fire. I grabbed a piece, somewhat surprised that it just came apart like that, and followed them. Percy then took a piece of it and scrapped it into the fire, Tyson following shortly after. Percy said something like a chant, with Tyson repeating it a moment after, "Poseidon, accept my offering."
I had watched a few other people do something similar, saying different names as they scrapped their food into the fire. I thought about it for a moment before scrapping a bit into the fire. "Olympians, please accept my offering."
And could someone help me get some answers? I mentally added before walking back to Percy's table.
Percy was picking at his food while Tyson was sticking each piece into his mouth delicately, like he was afraid that they would fall apart in his hands. With his hands, I wouldn't doubt it. I picked up my own piece, taking a small bit of it. A grin crossed my face as I put a bit more in my mouth. This stuff isn't half bad.
Percy twiddled his thumbs for a moment glancing at me and Tyson. Once he seemed sure nothing was going to happen, he relaxed. "Hey Naruto."
I glanced up at him, a stringy bit of cheese still stuck to the food in my mouth. "Yeah?"
"Were you serious when you said you didn't know who the gods were?"
I nodded, a small chuckle slipping out. "I kinda crash landed here, so I don't really know much of anything. Why, what's up?"
"Uh nothing. It just kind of explains why you seem to have no fear of any of the gods. You even stood up to Dionysus and didn't blink."
"Who?"
"Mr. D."
"He's a god?" I asked, my eyes turning towards Mr. D with an appraising look. He seemed normal enough, but there was something that seemed a bit off to him. Like he was trying to hide or something like that. "Huh, he's not too bad."
"You don't know the half of what he and the other gods can do." Percy muttered.
I grinned. "Enlighten me."
We spent the rest of dinner talking about the history to the gods. Well, Percy talked. I was still eating and after a long day, felt quote content to sit and listen. He told me about the Titans who turned out to be the gods parents, some of the monsters he'd encountered, and a few of the heroes that he knew about. These heroes included the heroic actions he took the year before to retrieve Zeus's lightning bolt (apparently it was a big deal).
As everything began to wind down, I nodded my head. "I see. So these geek gods -"
"Greek." Percy whispered through clenched teeth, his eyes wide with fear.
"Right. Greek. Sorry. Anyways, so these gods are still around, and having kids? Oh, except for the 'Big Three,' who are supposedly the strongest of the three, because of some treaty. And that's only because they were trying to prevent a prophecy...but failed when you and Thalia were born. That about right?"
Percy nodded. "You've got a pretty good memory Naruto."
I scratched the back of my head nervously. I have gotten praise before, but it still made me feel uncomfortable. Of course, it usually wasn't my intelligence that was getting complimented. Come to think of it, I usually didn't get a chance to expand my intelligence, seeing as I was generally focusing on my physical training. Though, I had been getting better with some of the things I'd been learning under the tutelage of Pervy Sage.
A small knot formed in my gut as I remembered him. It felt like forever since I'd seen him. Especially I didn't know how long I'd been stuck in limbo. For all I know, years could have gone by, and I would be none the wiser.
"Hey Naruto, you okay?" Tyson asked.
I shook my head, trying my best to put on a happy face. "Yeah, just thinking of some stuff. It's nothing, really."
Tyson looked a bit happier, and took another bite of his food.
Suddenly, a loud noise sounded through the dinning area. It took everything in me to avoid letting my natural instinct to throw my non-existent kunai at the sound. Glancing over, I saw a satyr (Percy was kind enough to fill me in, though he appeared sad as he talked about them) holding a shell horn, blowing into it as everyone's attention was drawn towards Tantalus and Mr. D.
Tantalus stood, his frail form looking almost like a shadow against the flames if it weren't for his orange suit. "Yes, well," Tantalus said as talking began to die out. "Another fine meal! Or so I'm told." I chuckled as he tried to 'sneak' towards a nearby plate only to have it shoot away as soon as he got within a half a foot of it.
"And here on my first day of authority, I'd like to say what a pleasant form of punishment it is to be here." Tantalus continued.
I blinked in confusion. Punishment is pleasant? Since when?
"Over the course of the summer, I hope to torture, er, interact with each and every one of you children. You all look good enough to eat." Tantalus said, sending a particularly nasty glare at me.
I just grinned my usual fox-like grin in response. I still knew nothing of Tantalus, and his past, but I knew enough to know that while his threats were just as real as Zabuza's or even Orochimaru's, he couldn't do anything to carry out those threats. If he could, he probably wouldn't be working here in the first place.
Mr. D clapped lightheartedly, a few other people from the other tables joining in. Most of them looked a bit disturbed by what Tantalus had said, though I can't say why. Percy had told me that this was a training camp for heroes, so someone like him really shouldn't have been too much of a hassle for them. Then again, they were in training.
"And now some changes!" Tantalus gave everyone a crooked grin. "We are reinstituting the chariot races!"
Murmuring broke out amongst the tables. I blinked in surprise as I suddenly felt a surge of emotion from everyone; for the most part, all I felt was fear. However, as I looked at some of the other cabin members faces, there were looks of excitement at the prospect of this, chariot race.
I leaned over to Percy. "Can he do that on his first day?"
Percy shrugged. "I don't know, I've never met an authority figure who did something like this before."
"Now I know that these races were discontinued some years ago due to, ah, technical problems." Tantalus said, a slimy grin crossing his face.
"Three deaths and twenty-six mutilations." one of the Apollo kids said.
I shook my head. Those did not sound like the kind of statistics I'd want to hear when going through an activity. Then again, the Chunnin exam wasn't much better. Especially when I remembered the Forest of Death, and all its friends. I shuddered at the memory of the giant snake that had eaten me when I'd taken the exam two years ago. Kami, has it really only been that long? It doesn't feel like that long.
Tantalus looked positively pleased by the facts that the son of Apollo had told us. "Yes, yes! But I know that you will all join me in welcoming the return of this camp tradition. Golden laurels will go to the winning charioteers each month. Teams may register in the morning? The first race will be held in three days time. We will release you from most of your regular activities to prepare your chariots and choose your horses. Oh, and did I mention, the victorious team's cabin will have no chores for the month in which they win?"
Everyone seemed to suddenly become far more animated by this prospect. Apparently, no chores was a good incentive for people do something life threatening, and from the sounds of it, pretty stupid. However, not everyone seemed to be so happy about this, as I felt a sudden spike of anger from one of the tables. I turned towards it, and realized it was Clarisse. I noticed that she was at the Ares table, the god of war if I remembered correctly. This peaked my interest. After all, if she was a child of the god of war, why would she seem opposed to something like this?
"But, sir!" Clarisse yelled, nervousness rolling off of her as she stood up. Some of the other kids at the other tables seemed rather amused by something, but I couldn't tell what. She glanced at a few of the other members of her table before speaking. "What about patrol duty? I mean, if we drop everything to ready our chariots – "
"Ah, the hero of the day," Tantalus said, cutting her off. "Brave Clarisse, who single-handedly bested the bronze bulls!"
Clarisse looked startled, as a blush crossed her face. "Um, I didn't – "
"And modest too." Tantalus grinned.
"Say what?" I said, scratching my head in confusion.
Tantalus and a few other people gave me a somewhat confused glance. My guess would be that he wasn't really expecting me, or anyone for that matter, to cut him off. "What's the matter boy?"
I shrugged. "I dunno, I mean, Clarisse is definitely the hero of the day. If it weren't for her, those bulls definitely would have gotten into the camp and destroyed it. Wouldn't you say that she showed good judgment, and that you should trust that judgment in the defense of the camp?"
I had no idea of half of the stuff I'd said, but judging by the looks I was getting, it was the right thing to say. Clarisse gave me a grateful look, before looking at Tantalus with a resolute stare. Tantalus had lost whatever sway he'd had over the camp in that moment, and I was not going to let him get it back without a fight.
Tantalus growled. "While I'm certain that is true, I am the activities director, and as such will make the final decisions on such matters."
I put my hand on my chin in a thinking manner. "You know, I heard this was a camp for heroes in training. Aren't heroes supposed to exercise good leadership skills?" I grinned. "So wouldn't putting something like this to a vote make a good test of leadership and devotion?"
Tantalus looked torn. One the one hand, I had his hands tied with the entire camp looking at him with a curious gaze. On the other hand was his own desires, ones that probably wouldn't end well for members of the camp. I was feeling quite happy with my new skill of feeling people's emotions, because feeling his frustration was all the more satisfying.
Twisting his face into a smile, Tantalus nodded. "Alright then, I do believe that a compromise is in order. For all of those who desire to participate in the chariot race, you may sign up tomorrow at the Big House. The same goes for those who wish to do border patrol. Just go in and sign up, nothing too it."
Clarisse seemed to think it over, chewing on her lip. I could feel the conflicting fears and doubts floating about from everyone. No one was really sure of what to think of it; after all, it was a lot to take in. Mulling it over in my head for a moment, I stood up. "Mr. D, I'd like to request tonights night shift. I know I just got here, but I'll take any opportunity to help those who've helped me. I promise to do everything I can to help out…and I never go back on my word."
A few of the tables burst into sporadic conversation as to what I was doing. The Ares table weren't all giving me the best of looks, but there were more than a few who were smiling and nodding. Clarisse in particular looked quite relieved to hear that someone was backing her up on this issue. A few of the other boys turned to her and started discussing something with her. She seemed to be trying to keep up her strong image, but she looked dead on her feet. In fact, I was somewhat surprised to see she was still on her feet.
Mr. D gave me an approving look that soon had me scratching the back of my head nervously. I had only been in the camp for a day, and I was already getting the approval of one of the gods. How awesome am I?
"Yes, well, thank you for that. Now, back to other pressing issues." Tantalus said, regaining his composure. "Before we proceed to the campfire and sing-along, one slight housekeeping issue. Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase have seen fit, for some reason, to bring this here." Tantalus motioned towards Tyson.
"This?" I asked, rage quickly coursing through me as I heard some of the random conversations that were springing up. I began to stand, but found a weight on my back was holding me down. Percy had practically leapt across the table to sit me back down, and not cause a scene.
"Yes, that." Tantalus said, ignoring my outburst. "You see, Cyclopes have a reputation for being bloodthirsty monsters with a very small brain capacity."
"Bigger than yours." I muttered under my breath. Tantalus didn't notice, as he continued his little speech. "Under normal circumstances, I would release this beast into the woods and have you hunt it down with torches and pointed sticks."
By this point, Tyson had joined Percy in holding me down. They both were straining slightly as I glared daggers at Tantalus. He talked about monsters and beasts, but he didn't really know them. After all, Tyson was one of those who'd helped save the camp.
"But who knows? Perhaps this Cyclops is not as horrible as most of its brethren. Until it proves worthy of destruction, we need a place to keep it!"
"Tyson." I growled. Everyone looked at me, most were no longer surprised by my cutting Tantalus off by this point. "His name is Tyson."
Tantalus smirked, opening his mouth to make some smart retort. Before he could speak, a low groaning noise filled the camp. Everyone glanced around, trying to identify the source of the noise. I took some deep breaths, trying to calm down. Whatever this was, it had happened before when I'd gotten angry in the Big House. The last thing we needed was more panic.
As my heart rate slowed down, the groaning noise slowly ebbed away. Tantalus and Mr. D both gave me a curious glance, but then moved on to 'more important matters'. "Yes, as I was saying, it needs a place to sleep. I'd suggest the stables, but it might spook the horses. Perhaps, the Hermes cabin?"
I shook my head, glancing back at Percy and Tyson. "I'm good guys. You can let go now."
"You sure?" Percy asked, his grip loosening just a bit. Tyson on the other hand, just removed his hand and gave me one of his toothy grins.
"Yeah, I'm sure."
"Surely there is something it can do. Perhaps menial chores or the like? Come now, there must be somewhere that we can kennel it."
I swear, he was asking for someone to rip off his head. I was more than willing to, but had my attention drawn to the campers as everyone gasped.
I glanced behind me, looking through the tree line. There didn't appear to be anything startling. I gave myself a once over. Same as I always did. I looked over at Percy and Tyson.
And understood a bit better what they were shocked by.
There, glowing over Tyson's head, was a green three pronged spear-like weapon. Percy had explain that a similar symbol had appeared over his own head during his previous year. It was the sign of Poseidon. The sign of his, and now Tyson's, father.
Tantalus roared with laughter, cutting through the mystified feeling that had swept over the camp. "Well, that solves where it will be staying. By the gods, I can see the family resemblance!"
By this point, everyone else was laughing as well. I noticed that Annabeth, Clarisse, and a few other people weren't laughing, and silently thanked them. Thing were going to get interesting around here, of that much I was certain.
I stood on the far side of the boundary, dressed in the Greeks traditional armor. Despite the fact that I was obviously no threat to them, most of the campers seemed to be untrusting towards me. Then again, someone poisons a tree, then metal bulls attack and a random guy comes to the rescue? I would probably be a little suspicious myself. After a short discussion, they had eventually come to the decision to have me guard this particular area. And when I say 'this particular area', I mean the same area Clarisse was guarding. I guess they thought she'd guard me best.
I looked down at the armor they'd given me. I was wearing a bronze breastplate, with a pair of leather arm and shin guards. I decided not to wear the helmet since I'd seen just how much protection that had against the special abilities some monsters apparently had. To complete my look, one of their swords was strapped to a leather belt that hung freely at my side.
I fiddled with the sword absentmindedly. It didn't give me as much comfort as my kunai pouch did, but it was definitely better than nothing. I glanced at Clarisse, an uncomfortable silence forming as she said nothing, her eyes scanning our surroundings. With nothing better to do, I slowly drew the blade and began to inspect it.
Now, I'm not really much of a swordsman myself since I'm a ninja. There aren't many ninja who really used swords, but those ninja who did were experts at using them. If you were just practicing though, even someone like me could swing a sword around and get a feel for how it moves.
Moving in a small circle, I gave it a few test swings. The weight of it wasn't really that bad, though there was a bit too much in the blade. I noticed that the way the celestial bronze felt was eerily similar way to the way that most kunai's weight felt. In essence, it really was just an oversized kunai.
I took another couple of swings, soon realizing that it was a bit heavier than it looked. If I wanted to throw it, it probably wouldn't go the way I wanted it to, meaning that this was supposed to be a close combat weapon. I growled as I tried to turn the odd weight placement to my advantage, turning a fumbling swing into a torrent of slashes that would hopefully push an opponent back. As I stopped, I felt a sense of exhilaration. I could practically feel everything around me, my eyes darting back and forth along the length of he valley that led to the camp. I felt...alive.
A slow clap drew me out of my elated state. I glanced back towards the clapping. Clarisse stood there, a look of amusement on her face. I'd forgotten she was there. Shaking my head, I gave her the best serious look I could. "What?"
"Oh nothing." Clarisse said. "It's just that the way you swing that sword, I never would have known that this was your first time wielding one."
I raised an eyebrow at that. "Are you mocking me?"
She had a small smirk on her face, like she was going to say something witty. Then, a tired look overtook her previous expression. The feeling of frustration and disappointment slowly rolled off of her in slow waves. I wondered what was making her feel that way, but decided that it probably would be smarter to not say anything.
After a moment of silence, she shrugged. "Not really. You aren't a natural with a sword, but with a bit of work you could be taking on monsters in no time. But right now, your swings are wild. If a monster were to attack, you'd be better off beating it with your fists like you did with the bull."
"Oh." There wasn't much more I could say about it. After thinking it over I decided her answer was nice; she wasn't really saying I was bad, just that I needed to improve.
Her gaze turned towards the hillside, sighing softly. "This is nuts."
"Which part? The tree dying, the new counselor, the attacking monsters, or the fact that you're on guard duty with me?" I asked.
Clarisse growled at me, a heated glare leveled at me. "None of your business!"
I rubbed my chin thoughtfully, ignoring her glare. "Personally, both counselors have been pretty useless. I mean, one was as informative as a rock, and the one we have now is as dumb as a rock."
Clarisse blinked in surprise. Then she laughed lightly. "Yeah, Chiron's riddles can get a bit annoying at times, but he means well."
I shook my head. "I'm not sure I believe that."
"Why not?"
I sighed. "Before he left, he told us that he had an idea of some object that could cure the tree's poison. But when me and Percy asked him, he just shook us off and started telling him to stay at camp because of some prophecy. It just doesn't make sense."
Clarisse said nothing, returning her gaze towards the valley between the road and Camp Half Blood. I guess she'd decided to ignore me. With nothing better to do, I kept swinging my sword around in the wild way I had before.
After goofing off with the sword for about ten minutes, I decided to up the practice. Grinning from ear to ear, I put my hands into the very familiar cross shaped position. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
A small poof of smoke filled the area around me. After a couple of seconds, eight replicas stepped forward. I scratched my cheek in confusion. Wasn't I trying to make ten clones? Oh well.
"What in the gods name did you just do?"
I glanced back to Clarisse, who had grabbed her spear and was holding it in a defensive position. My eyes widened slightly as I noticed that there was a small spark of electricity building up around the tip of the spear. An with the scowl on her face, I wasn't really willing to make a mess of things.
Unfortunately, all of my clones were following the same thoughts as I was. Not a second after I opened my mouth to speak, at least four of my clones broke out into chattering. Soon, all of them were talking, making animated motions with their hands to try and get some point across. With all the chaos they were causing though, I almost forgot what I was supposed to be explaining. Luckily, or unluckily, Clarisse did not forget.
One of my clones got to close to her, still trying to help explain. In a flash of motion, the clone suddenly had a large gash in its neck. All of the clones instantly stopped talking as they watched the other clone struggle for a couple of seconds in pain and confusion before the clone finally dispelled. I placed my hand to my throat, an odd feeling going through me. Like I really knew what it was to die like that. Remembering just who had killed my clone, the clones and I raised out hands in surrender as Clarisse leveled her spear at us, lightning now freely dancing about on the spear's tip.
"What did you do?" Clarisse growled.
I raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Other people here can't do this?"
"No they can't you moron! What, did you think this was how everyone reacts to normal stuff?"
I shrugged. "This is the first time I've done this here, so I wouldn't know. I mean, it's just a clone technique."
Clarisse lowered her spear a bit. "A what?"
"You know, a clone technique. Like water clones, earth clones, or even my own shadow clones. They're chakra constructs people can use for various purposes." I explained. Despite the fact that I was mentally applauding myself for remembering the different types of solid clones, I was also concerned. Instead of becoming more at ease, Clarisse seemed to look more confused and tense. I decided I should simplify it a bit more. "They're copies of me."
"That's not possible." Clarisse said, poking one of my clones with her spear.
The lightning on her spear jumped onto the clone's breastplate. The clone jumped in surprise. "Watch it! That hurts you know!"
"How?" Clarisse asked, backing up slightly.
"That's a good question." I said, poking the clone nearest to me. He looked somewhat uncomfortable, but then, I'm sure I'd be acting the same way if someone was scrutinizing me. Sort of like a paradox where I can watch myself, while feeling my own scrutiny. I don't think to much of it. Gives me a headache.
Not really seeing anything different about the clone, I pulled him to the side. "Defense only."
The clone pouted at my command. "Fine."
We both got into ready stances, eying each other for a second before I rushed forward. Since my defense has never been good, my clone stumbled back as he attempted to block my blows. I did everything I could to hit the clone; coming in at odd angles, spinning around to hit harder, even kicking at him a couple of times to throw him off balance. He just saw through my different attacks, and countered in whatever way he could. I saw that his form (my form...stupid paradox) was sloppy, and I quickly found an opening.
Charging forward, my blade sped towards my clones now unprotected neck. A moment to late, my clone saw and tried to dodge. Instead of taking his head off like I'd planned, my blade cut into my clones shoulder. I quickly understood just how effective the bade was, as it nearly cut through the bone in my clones right arm. There was just one problem.
My clone didn't go poof like normal.
Instead, it fell backwards onto its butt, clenching its teeth to prevent itself from crying out in pain as blood slowly seeped from the wound. I was immediately at its side, grabbing the wounded arm and trying to stop the blood from flowing out. My clone glared at me. "What the heck was that?"
"I don't know." I shook my head, trying to remember the description of he Shadow Clone Jutsu from the Scroll of Sealing. Going over it in my head, I couldn't think of anything that would explain what was going on.
"Hold up." my clone grabbed my shoulder with his good arm. "Let's try something."
I looked at my clone in confusion until I noticed the right side of his badly was disappearing. My eyes widened as he slowly faded into nothing. Then, I felt his energy suddenly roll through me. My arm felt like it was sore, but it was completely uninjured. Then the really strange thing happened; I saw myself rushing forward, swinging wildly, hacking at my own, my clone's, arm.
Do I always look that angry when I'm fighting? I though as I turned towards my other clones. They had a startled expression on their faces. "Uh boss? Did you see that? Yourself, attacking yourself?"
I nodded. "This, this isn't normal. This world changed the Shadow Clone Jutsu. Plus, seeing stuff like that usually doesn't happen. Which can only mean one thing."
All of my clones looked at each other. Then, a look of realization crossed their faces. "The Shadow Clone Jutsu is now even more awesome!" they yelled, pumping their fists into the air.
I grinned. "That's right. Now, let's test out just how much we can do! There's six of you left, so we'll split into three groups of two. You two go patrol the hillside side, and make sure to let us know if anything is coming. You two practice with your swords. If I'm right, we should get better as you guys practice. And you two practice tree walking."
"Aw, do we have too?" one of the tree walking clones whined, while the other snickered.
I nodded. "We were stuck doing nothing for a long time, so I'm out of practice with my control. I tried making ten clones, but I only made eight. Wait a minute, why am I explaining this to you? Why don't you know what I'm thinking?"
My clone gave me a shamed grin. "I forgot?"
I smacked the back of his head. "Go practice!"
"Yes sir!" my clones chanted, each of them giving me a mock salute before running off to do what they'd been told to do. I watched them leave with a small feeling of satisfaction.
"You know what, fine! Don't tell me anything!" Clarisse suddenly yelled at me, making me jump a bit. She's a scary girl. "It's not like I might need to know what's going on or anything like that!" she yelled as she stormed off.
I watched her go, silently wondering what I'd done to anger her.
AN: I'm bringing jutsu's into PJO? Oh boy, I hope no one tries anything stupid with Naruto.
First off, the pairing for Naruto. After reviewing your reviews (dang paradox keep popping up!) I decided to cut a few people out. I know that some of you were rooting for them to be paired with Naruto, and while most of them were very unique, they wouldn't be able to spend enough time to form a good relationship with Naruto. As such, here are the final 4 girls.
Thalia
Annabeth
Clarisse
Bianca
(please note that I cannot, have not, and will not write a harem story)
These characters will all get their chance at having a little time with Naruto, but in the end, I will have to make a choice. So show me what your thoughts on all these pairings are, so I know where you are coming from.
Also, for Naruto's god parent. I know that in PJO Percy and Tyson were given signs pretty quick, but Naruto isn't going to have that luxury. As such, you should see plenty more of frustrated Naruto in the coming chapters.
That, and more of Naruto using his new found logic to uber pwn Tantalus. (laughs evilly)
Thank you for reading! I look forward to doing the same with your reviews.