Naruto: Prince of the Underworld
Chapter 7
Just Naruto/Thalia 3
Naruto/Thalia/Clarisse 1
Well, if people want just Naruto/Thalia that is fine but I am keeping this poll open for now. BUT, if you all do choose that….i could just do something small for Naruto/Clarisse during books 1 and 2. Anyway, I have an awesome idea for later. We all know that Orochimaru had no parents….or did he? He will be the last son of Typhon and Echidna. He will be saved by his mom when Sasuke kills him. To those who guessed Poseidon….NO! He already has one of the Big Three as a dad! But, since I said that they have to be a kid of the Big Three to hold Kyuubi….well, what if they were related to someone stronger…someone that even Zeus fears. You will see soon! One more thing, I know that Annabeth is afraid of spider and Thalia is afraid of heights, but what should Naruto be afraid of?
After Percy got over his shock, he ran to Chiron's side along with Naruto, because hey, you can never trust a horse's backside, especially in Amish Country. Anyway, they started the tour of the camp!
They passed the volleyball pit. Several of the campers nudged each other. One pointed to the
minotaur horn Pecy was carrying and Naruto. Another said, "It's them." Naruto chuckled as he heard them trying to figure out how his did the log thing as they put it. Percy gave Naruto a look and smirked. "You just had to show off, huh."
"Naturally." Naruto smirked. As they walked that saw everyone doing activities and Satyrs joining them in their activities with orange camp half-blood shirts and nothing else.
"Hey." Percy said aloud, "What is up there?" He said pointing the fourth story of the Big House that they just left.
Chiron looked to where Percy was pointing and his smile faded, making Naruto raise an eyebrow, "Just the attic."
"Somebody lives there?"
"No," he said with finality. "Not a single living thing."
Naruto looked at the window to the attic oddly and thought, Nothing living…..but what if something not entirely living…..nah! Naruto turned his head just as a curtain moved and Percy was the only one who saw it.
"Come along boys," Chiron said, his lighthearted tone now a little forced. "Lots to see."
They walked through the strawberry fields, where campers were picking bushels of berries while a satyr played a tune on a reed pipe. I wonder how hard it is to learn how to play one. Naruto idly thought, not listening to Chiron tell them that these Strawberries pay for the camps expenses.
Percy did look a little sad though and Naruto somehow knew that he was wondering if Grover was ok…he was getting chewed out by a God though, so who knows.
"Grover won't get in too much trouble, will he?" Percy asked Chiron. "I mean ... he was a good protector. Really."
Chiron sighed. He shed his tweed jacket and draped it over his horses back like a saddle.
"Grover has big dreams, Percy. Perhaps bigger than are reasonable. To reach his goal, he must first demonstrate great courage by succeeding as a keeper, finding a new camper and bringing him safely to Half-Blood Hill."
"But he did that!" Percy exclaimed.
"Yeah, two campers none the less." Naruto grumbled. Now he was worried about their friend as well.
"I might agree with you," Chiron said. "But it is not my place to judge. Dionysus and the Council of Cloven Elders must decide. I'm afraid they might not see this assignment as a success. After all, Grover lost you two in New York. Then there's the unfortunate ... ah ... fate of your mother. And the fact that Grover was unconscious when Naruto brought him over the property line. The council might question whether this shows any courage on Grover's part."
"He helped get us here so I think that is good enough, even he is a bit weak, he is still a good guy." Naruto replied.
"He'll get a second chance, won't he?" Percy asked.
Chiron winced. "I'm afraid that was Grover's second chance, Percy. The council was not anxious to give him another, either, after what happened the first time, five years ago. Olympus knows, I advised him to wait longer before trying again. He's still so small for his age..."
Five years? Oh, that must mean that he was with Thalia since she mentioned him. Pondered Naruto.
"How old is he?"
"Oh, twenty-eight."
"What! And he's in sixth grade?"
"Well hey, I am thirteen and I was in sixth grade too!" Naruto said.
"Yeah but….twenty-eight! And besides, no one would think much of that Naruto!" Percy panick as he looked back to Chiron.
"Satyrs mature half as fast as humans, Percy. Grover has been the equivalent of a middle school student for the past six years."
"That's horrible." Percy said while Naruto shivered.
"Quite," Chiron agreed. "At any rate, Grover is a late bloomer, even by satyr standards, and not yet very accomplished at woodland magic. Alas, he was anxious to pursue his dream. Perhaps now he will find some other career…"
"That's not fair," Percy said. "What happened the first time? Was it really so bad?"
Chiron looked away quickly. "Let's move along, shall we?" The boys were not convince but didn't want to anger the horse man.
"Chiron," Percy said. "If the gods and Olympus and all that are real ..."
"Yes, child?"
"Does that mean the Underworld is real, too?"
Chiron's expression darkened and he shot his eyes over to Naruto for a split second but Naruto caught it. "Yes, child." He paused, as if choosing his words carefully. "There is a place where spirits go after death. But for now ... until we know more . . . I would urge you to put that out of your mind."
"What do you mean, 'until we know more'?"
"Come, Percy. Let's see the woods." They wanted to know what he was talking about tbut when they reached the edge of the forest that thought left them. Once they saw it, they thought the forest was HUGE! It took up at least a quarter of the valley, with trees so tall and thick, you could imagine nobody had been in there since the Native Americans.
Naruto smiled a sad smile and said, "Feels like home." Percy looked at him and put a hand on his shoulder. Naruto had told him a lot of the world he used to live in. He didn't believe it at first because it sounded weird but so were his experiences so he just took it in stride.
Chiron said interrupting them, "The woods are stocked, if you care to try your luck, but go armed."
"Oh that sounds nice." Naruto deadpanned. "Sounds just like the Forest of Death with the way you put it."
"Stocked with what?" Percy asked, a little freaked out now. "Armed with what?"
"You'll see. Capture the flag is Friday night. Do you have your own sword and shield?"
"My own—?"
"No," Chiron said. "I don't suppose you do. I think a size five will do. I'll visit the armory later." He then looked at Naruto's wrist band with the fox and dragon charms. He new Naruto would be alright, but at the moment, he was more worried about Percy.
"Sword and spear fights?" Percy asked.
"Cabin challenges and all that," he explained. "Not lethal. Usually. Oh, yes, and there's the mess hall." Chiron pointed to an outdoor pavilion framed in white Grecian columns on a hill overlooking the sea. There were a dozen stone picnic tables. No roof. No walls.
"Not bad!" Naruto smirked as he observed it, really wanting to eat now.
"What do you do when it rains?" Percy asked with a confused face. Chiron looked at him as if he had gone a little weird. "We still have to eat, don't we?" He then sighed and decided to drop the subject.
Finally, they reached the cabins that Naruto had seen earlier. The collection of twelve cabins was very odd to Percy but Naruto didn't seem as fazed. He guessed the blond and seen weirder things, which was very possible with all those stories Naruto had told him.
Percy looked back at the building to get a better outlook at what was what. They were arranged in a U, with two at the base and five in a row on either side. Except for the fact that each had a large brass number above the door with odds on the left side, evens on the right, they looked absolutely nothing alike. Number nine had smokestacks, like a tiny factory. Number four had tomato vines on the walls and a roof made out of real grass. Seven seemed to be made of solid gold, which gleamed so much in the sunlight it was almost impossible to look at. They all faced a commons area about the size of a soccer field, dotted with Greek statues, fountains, flower beds, and a couple of basketball hoops, which Percy smirked at, now that was something he could do!
In the center of the field was a huge stone-lined firepit. Even though it was a warm afternoon, the hearth smoldered. A girl about nine years old was tending the flames, poking the coals with a stick. Naruto found this odd but he did find that the girl extruded a lot of power. She was someone that you did NOT mess with, that was for sure.
Percy looked to the huge mausoleum like cabins at the bend of the U and he instantly knew who they were for. "Zeus and Hera?"
"Correct," Chiron said.
"Their cabins look empty."
"Several of the cabins are. That's true, but no one ever stays in those two." Chiron explained.
"Troublesome." Naruto muttered Shikamaru's famous saying. "Sounds like a real waste to me." He then noticed that Percy was staring at a long, low, and solid cabin that seemed to be extruding power as well. The outer walls were of rough gray stone studded with pieces of seashell and coral, as if the slabs had been hewn straight from the bottom of the ocean floor. Curious, Percy tried to take a peek inside.
Chiron said, "Oh, I wouldn't do that!" But Percy had already looked in and was a little sad at how sad it looked inside. "Come on Percy." Chiron said as he lead them away from the cabin. I swear this guy knows something…what a drag, AGH! I am sounding more and more like Shikamaru! Ranted Naruto in his head.
Now, most of the other cabins, however, had a lot of kids for their cabins. Naruto held in a chuckle. Man…these gods but be real horny. Number five was bright red, which did not have that great of a paint job, it was as if the color had been splashed on with buckets and fists. The roof was lined with barbed wire. A stuffed wild boar's head hung over the doorway, and its eyes seemed to follow all that looked at it. Inside they could see a bunch of mean-looking kids, both girls and boys, arm wrestling and arguing with each other while rock music blared. The loudest was a girl maybe thirteen or fourteen. She wore a size XXXL CAMP HALF-BLOOD Tshirt under a camouflage jacket. She zeroed in on me and gave me an evil sneer. She reminded me of Nancy Bobofit, though the camper girl was much bigger and tougher looking, and her hair was long and stringy, and brown instead of red. Naruto smirked as he recognized her. Her cabin seemed really fun!
Percy then noticed something, "Hey, where are all the other Centaurs?"
"No," said Chiron sadly. "My kinsmen are a wild and barbaric folk, I'm afraid. You might encounter them in the wilderness, or at major sporting events. But you won't see any here."
Naruto gave the man a smirk. "Oh, so they are the guys who love to party, eh? Now they are some people I want to meet!"
Chiron put a smirk and said, "I am not sure about that Naruto. They take it to the extreme and they do that every day."
"So what you are saying is that they are the ones who invented Tail Gate Parties and Frat Parties?" Naruto deadpanned and Chiron just nodded. "Oh boy."
"You said your name was Chiron." Percy interrupted, "Are you really ..."
He smiled down at the boy. "The Chiron from the stories? Trainer of Hercules and all that? Yes,
Percy, I am."
"But, shouldn't you be dead?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow.
Chiron paused, as if the question intrigued him. "I honestly don't know about should be. The truth is, I can't be dead. You see, eons ago the gods granted my wish. I could continue the work I loved. I could be a teacher of heroes as long as humanity needed me. I gained much from that wish ... and I gave up much. But I'm still here, so I can only assume I'm still needed."
"Being a teacher for all time….man that sounds boring!" Naruto said.
"No, no," Chiron said. "Horribly depressing, at times, but never boring."
"Why depressing?" Percy asked.
"I can only imagine why." Naruto said, being immortal mean you see all those that you have learned to love die….i am not sure if I could do that.
"Oh, look," he said. "Annabeth is waiting for us." Chiron suddenly said, as if not hearing the question.
When they reached the blond girl, it was at cabin 11. The girl was reading a book that was not even in English. The thing was in Greek and it seemed to be about Greek Architecture. Fuuuun.
"Annabeth," Chiron said, "I have masters' archery class at noon. Would you take these two from here?"
"Yes, sir."
"Cabin eleven," Chiron told them, gesturing toward the doorway. "Make yourself at home."
Out of all the cabins, eleven looked the most like a regular old summer camp cabin, with the emphasis on old. The threshold was worn down, the brown paint peeling. Over the doorway was one of those doctor's symbols, a winged pole with two snakes wrapped around it.
Looking inside, Naruto sweatdropped at what he saw. It was packed with people, both boys and girls, way more than the number of bunk beds. Sleeping bags were spread all over on the floor. Oh….crap, this is worse than the orphanage back home…or not. He thought as he looked at them all. They were all in good spirits. He did notice that when they saw Chiron, they stood and bowed to the man. Yet another sign that they guy was important. First was the Immortality and not the show of respect.
"Well, then," Chiron said. "Good luck, Percy. I'll see you at dinner." He then galloped away toward the archery range.
Turning back to the group behind them, they notice that all the kids where sizing up the two of them. Great, now they needed to make a good impression. So naturally Percy tripped coming in the door and made a total fool of myself. There were some snickers from the campers, but none of them said anything. Naruto just walked in nonchalantly, which seemed to calm Percy down a bit.
Annabeth announced, "Percy Jackson, Naruto Uzumaki, meet cabin eleven.
"Regular or undetermined?" somebody asked.
"Uh….guessing as how we just got here….i would say undetermined." Naruto deadpanned and there was a groan of annoyance from everyone in the cabin.
A guy who was a little older than the rest came forward. "Now, now, campers. That's what we're here for. Welcome, Percy, Naruto. You can have that spot on the floor, right over there. It is pretty big so the two of you will fit for now." The guy was about nineteen, and he looked pretty cool. He was tall and muscular, with short cropped hair and a friendly smile. He wore an orange tank top, cutoffs, sandals, and a leather necklace with five different-colored clay beads. The only thing unsettling about his appearance was a thick white scar that ran from just beneath his right eye to his jaw, like an old knife slash. Oh ho, now this guy seems like fighter! Naruto smirked at the thought. This place was awesome.
"This is Luke," Annabeth said, and her voice sounded different somehow. They looked at her and it looked like she just got out of a blush. Naruto raised an eyebrow. It seemed that she was in to old guys. He smirked, he could tease her later. He expression hardened when she them looking, but for Naruto…he already had some pranking material. "He's your counselor for now."
"For now?" Percy asked.
"You're undetermined," Luke explained patiently. "They don't know what cabin to put you in, so you're here. Cabin eleven takes all newcomers, all visitors. Naturally, we would. Hermes, our patron, is the god of travelers."
"Heh, the God of Theives…now that is a guy that sounds fun." Naruto said, getting a a few chuckles from the other campers. He decided to give back Luke's wallet. "Here you go man."
"Wha..?" Luke said a little surprised. "How and when?"
"Oh, just now and I am a ninja, I am do that easily." Naruto said, getting a few shocked looks.
"Anyway…." Percy interrupted, already use to Naruto's antics. "How long are we going to be here?"
"Good question," Luke said. "Until you're determined."
"How long will that take?"
The campers all laughed.
"I am getting the feeling that take a loooong time." Naruto sweatdropped. What do we got to do, prove ourselves?
"Come on," Annabeth told me. "I'll show you the volleyball court."
"I've already seen it." Percy replied.
"Come on." She grabbed his wrist and dragged him outside. Percy could hear the kids of cabin
eleven laughing behind him. Naruto shook his head. This girl was odd but she seemed fun to him. He them chuckled to himself. Could Percy already have a girlfriend and already be whipped? Nah…he just got here after all.
When we were a few feet away, Annabeth said, "Jackson, you have to do better than that."
"What?"
She rolled her eyes and mumbled under her breath, "I can't believe I thought you were the one."
"What's your problem?" Naruto grimaced as he heard the anger in his friend's voice. "All I know is, I kill some bull guy and that was with the help of Naruto. We just kill some odd bull freak!"
"Don't talk like that!" Annabeth told him. "You know how many kids at this camp wish they'dhad your chance?"
"To get killed?" Percy asked with a confused look.
"To fight the Minotaur! What do you think we train for?" The girl yelled.
"Then you guy must train your asses off here. The Minotaur from those old stories was a pain in the ass to kill! I had to weaken with a Rasengan!" Naruto complained.
"A what?" Annabeth asked. Naruto just sighed as he created a of swirling energy that disappeared after a few second, but those watching them had seen it and wondered what it could do.
"Wait, Theseus killed him in the labyrinth. So ..." Percy trailed off.
"Monsters don't die, Percy. They can be killed. But they don't die."
"Oh, thanks. That clears it up."
"They don't have souls, like you and me. You can dispel them for a while, maybe even for a whole lifetime if you're lucky. But they are primal forces. Chiron calls them archetypes. Eventually, they re-form."
"Oh that's nice." Naruto said as he smacked his head.
"You mean if we killed one, accidentally, with a sword—"
"The Fur ... I mean, your math teacher. That's right. She's still out there. You just made her very, very mad." Annabeth informed him.
"How did you know about Mrs. Dodds?"
"You talk in your sleep."
"You almost called her something. A Fury? They're Hades' torturers, right?" Naruto asked while Percy nodded.
Annabeth glanced nervously at the ground, as if she expected it to open up and swallow her. "You shouldn't call them by name, even here. We call them the Kindly Ones, if we have to speak of them at all."
"Man, you guys take fear to the extreme, sure she was creepy but, come on. They can't be that bad." Naruto replied. Annabeth just gave him a look.
"Look, is there anything we can say without it thundering?" Percy whined. That even sounded sad to him. "Why do I have to stay in cabin eleven, anyway? Why is everybody so crowded together? There are plenty of empty bunks right over there." He said, pointing to a few other cabins.
"You don't just choose a cabin, Percy. It depends on who your parents are. Or ... your parent." Annabeth informed him. He seemed to get it….maybe.
"My mom is Sally Jackson," He said. "She works at the candy store in Grand Central Station.
At least, she used to."
"Uh Percy, I think she means your dad." Naruto commented.
"But he's dead. I never knew him." Percy said.
Annabeth sighed. Clearly, she'd had this conversation before with other kids. "Your father's not dead, Percy."
"I am getting the feeling that he is a god, right?" Naruto deadpanned.
"What?" Percy said surprised.
"How else would you be allowed here?" Naruto shrugged.
"What about you?" Percy pointed to Naruto.
"Oh, I am not sure, but whoever my dad was, he said to just wait until the right time. Besides, you know that I am an orphan, so I am used to waiting around like this."
"Oh…right." Percy said a little embarrassed. "But, how do I know I am a demi god as they are called?"
Usually demi gods are diagnosed with dyslexia and probably ADHD, too." Annabeth said.
"Uh…dyslexia is where you mix up word and stuff right? " Percy asked.
"Heh, you think you got it bad….what about me? I know three languages now!" Naruto said. "English, Japanese, and now this Greek stuff!"
"So, you could read at the museum as well?"
"Yep!" Naruto said.
"Ok….so how does ADHD help?"
"Simple…they are your battle reflexes." Annabeth stated. It is a good thing you had that beause if you didn't, you would not have survived the Minotaur, much less eaten the Ambrosia and nectar."
"Huh?"
"Percy, that stuff you drank that made you feel better." Naruto said. "For me, that stuff tasted like Ichiraku's ramen!" He had anime tears in his eyes, making Percy chuckle to himself. His friend had the weirdest tastes.
"My mom's cookies." Percy said sadly.
"Well…those are the signs, you two are defiantly demi gods." Annabeth said but before she could say anything else, she was interrupted by someone very familiar to her and Naruto.
"Well! A newbie!" a husky voice said. Percy looked over to the big girl he saw in the Ares cabin, come sauntering toward them. She had three other girls behind her, all big and ugly and mean looking like her, all wearing camo jackets. He noticed that she was talking to him, but also that she was stealing glances at his blond haired friend. Oh no...why does he attract all the tough girls! First it was Nancy Bobofit and now this girl!
"Clarisse," Annabeth sighed also noticing the looks. "Why don't you go polish your spear or something?"
"Sure, Miss Princess," the big girl said. "So I can run you through with it Friday night."
''Erre es korakas!" Annabeth said, which was Greek for 'Go to the crows!' though the boys had a feeling it was a worse curse than it sounded. "You don't stand a chance."
"We'll pulverize you," Clarisse said, he then looked at Naruto and had a slight pink tint to her cheeks. "Hey Naruto, who is the runt with you?"
"Oh! This is my friend Percy Jackson!"
"Yes, and I am sure Naruto already knows this but this is Clarisse, daughter of Ares, God of War." Annabeth mumbled, finding it odd that Clarisse could be in love.
"THE War God?" Percy said with both eyebrows raised.
Clarisse sneered and held up Percy by the collar. "You got a problem with that?"
"No," Percy said, recovering his wits. "It explains the bad smell."
Naruto smacked his head and mumbled something about his friend getting a spine at the worst times. Clarisse growled. "We got an initiation ceremony for newbies, Prissy."
"Percy."
"Whatever. Come on, I'll show you." Clarisse said as he dragged the boy to the bathrooms.
"Clarisse—" Annabeth tried to say.
"Stay out of it, wise girl." Clarisse growled as she and the others walked away.
"Naruto!" Annabeth rounded on her fellow blond. "You have to help him!"
Sighing Naruto replied, "I know I should but I can't be the one to fight all his battles."He then grabbed the horn Percy dropped. They walked to the door while saying this and he was sure Percy heard him. "Let's see if you can regain some of that strength.
Annabeth and Naruto watched at the door as Clarisse and her friends mocked Percy. As they began to push Percy's head toward the toilet, Naruto felt that power if felt back at the museum. "Oh, this is going to be messy for them."
"Huh?" Annabeth asked.
Then, one of the toilets shot out water at Clarisse, and as her friends tried to help her, the other toilets exploded, blasting water all over the place and on Annabeth and Naruto. "Didn't expect that." He said, spitting out water.
Percy walked over to them with a shocked epression, but he was laughing in the inside at how funny the two looked.
Annabeth said, "How did you ..."
"I don't know." Percy shrugged.
"Well Percy, you just gave the name Water Boy a whole new meaning." Naruto said which actually got a laugh from Annabeth.
They walked to the door. Outside, Clarisse and her friends were sprawled in the mud, and a bunch of other campers had gathered around to gawk. Clarisse's hair was flattened across her face. Her camouflage jacket was sopping and she smelled like sewage. She gave me a look of absolute hatred. "You are dead, new boy. You are totally dead." However, it was quickly gone because Naruto had decided to help out, but not in the way anyone expected. He created a shadow clone to help them out.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!" All the water and mud that was on them was blown away and into the nearby forest. The clone then disappeared. Though, the damage had been already done. Everyone was gawking at Naruto now. He walked over to Clarisse and help her up. "Don't be to hard on him next time." He smirked and then winked. He then shunshined back to Percy and Annabeth, leaving more shocked people to look at him. He never saw the full blown blush on her face.
"Show off." Percy smirked.
"Oh, I do over to it but I could not help it." Naruto shrugged. He then noticed Annabeth looking from Percy to Naruto. "What? What are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking," she said, "that I want the two of you on my team for capture the flag."
There you go, here that chapter.