A/N: REVIEW FOR IT FEEDS MY ENGINE OF CREATION!

Yeah, I'm back! LONG LIVE THE REQUEST YEARS! Figured it'd be cool to update this since the new God of War is out...and I am currently playing it.

(EDIT: Just found out the witch is Freya and she's been viciously cursed by Odin)

0_0

Recall, that in the last chapter, Naruto ventured into the Underworld...

...yeah, we're in Chains of Olympus territory here.

Quick refresher here, Naruto's actually on GOOD terms with Hades in this story unlike "Son of Gods". Furthermore, Naruto and Kratos aren't allies in this story. Yes, they know of one another to be sure, considering they worked together a few chapters ago, but bear in mind that Kratos has been dead for years, trapped in the Underworld.

Who is to say how he'll react?

I also feel I should clarify that "Son of Ares" Naruto and the Naruto from "Son of the Gods" will both find their way to Midgard...each in differing fashions. That's all I'll say on the matter for now. The events of the chains of the Olympus have been glossed over slightly, seeing as Hades provided a Hyperion Gate to his realm. So Naruto lacks most of Kratos's armaments...

...save one undeniably powerful artifact.

This chapter answers that.

Zack Hemsey's Find a Way provided KILLER inspiration for this.

Also, I don't appreciate people calling my writing trashy. I bust my ass everyday to write this and I know for a fact that I've improved leaps and bounds since then.

Granted, it was one anonymous person...

...but he knows who he is.

WARNING!

Character death ahoy!

But who is truly dead, I wonder?

"They will betray you, in the end."

"We'll see."

~Persephone and Naruto.

Weight of the World

The ferry wasn't hard to find.

All it took was a bit of ingenuity on his part to summon the boat and a bit of patience to wait for its imminent arrival. From there, getting to the portly craft proved almost painfully easy for Naruto. A large barge adrift on a red sea of blood...you couldn't miss something like that. Even if he wasn't familiar with the realm of Hades-which he was-such a sigh was impossible miss. Even with the relentless whispers of Morpheus inexorably clawing at his psyche, the God of War somehow managed to walk/stagger his way aboard like a recovering drunkard.

Were it not for the Gauntlet of Zeus, he doubted he'd be awake at all.

Strapped to his right arm, the towering weapon bristled with heavenly power; power he'd used to sustain his faltering consciousness as he waded through hordes of Morpheus's minions. Between the Blades of Oblivion and the broadsword of Artemis, he was more suitably equipped for the task, yet he still found himself wielding the thunderous bludgeon. It had proven itself a useful implement.

In all honesty, he found himself rather attached to the weapon by this point.

Hades had been adamant that he would require the mighty tool in his quest to rescue Helios, thus on his uncle's suggestion he'd gone well out of his way to retrieve it for himself. And he'd seen the horrors firsthand. Atlas was indeed free. But who had released such evil from its shackles? Persephone could have done such a thing, but given his limited interactions with the Queen of the Underworld, he knew little about her. His true concerns lay elsewhere. Supposedly, Kratos awaited him somewhere on the shores ahead.

Hades wasn't known to lie, at least not to him.

How would the Ghost of Sparta receive him after all these years? Would he be friend? Or foe? A pawn of Persephone? Or the master of his own destiny? Perhaps neither? In another world, the Son of Ares might have been somewhat concerned with the Spartan's final fate. Now? His sole focus was saving his family. If his old acquaintance became an obstacle to that goal, then he would die.

Still with the light of Helios leading him on in the distance, he knew his destination was nigh.

He merely needed to convince the Ferryman to...cooperate.

And if he didn't, well...

...the gauntlet would come in handy.

"Who calls for the ferryman?"

Awaiting him on deck stood a ghastly caricature of a man, withered and pale. Severed heads hung from his belt, grisly trophies of the scarce few who'd dared to oppose him. Withered hands clutched at a towering scythe for support, yet belied a strange strength within. A ruined face sheltered behind a golden mask turned toward him, revealing what little remained of his tortured form. Naruto felt his lip curl despite himself. No matter how many times he saw him, the ferryman of the river Styx still unnerved him. Who could stomach the sight of such a creature? Certainly not him.

Marshaling himself, he stood stall and spoke.

"The God of War seeks passage across the River Styx."

Rheumy white, unseeing eyes snapped towards him with a crack.

"Ah, the kinslayer?"

In a fit of impossible speed the ferryman darted behind him. Veined fingers curled around his shoulder and repulsed, the blond shook him off. Even that lingering touch was enough to sent a silent chill of dread through his very soul. Hoarse laughter greeted Naruto and when he turned, the ferryman had flitted to his flank once more. Again came that rough chuckle, like a rusted blade scraping against a whetstone. His temper flared, and with an effort, he stifled it. No, he wasn't that person anymore. Rage no longer had any hold over him. He'd become a better person.

"Why do you seek passage, slave of Zeus?"

Naruto growled.

"Enough of your games, Charon. I have business with Persephone."

That disgusting laugh scraped against his nerves for a third and final time.

"I think not, pretender." Hobbling away, the aged keeper dismissed him with a contemptuous flick of a bony wrist. "The age of the gods is ending at my lady's hand. And you with it. Be gone. It is not yet your time...but soon, it will be."

Once more Naruto felt that telltale spark of anger.

Once more, he tamped it down.

Once more, quenched it.

"I have no quarrel with you, ferryman." the blond's voice rose in warning. "Let me pass and I will trouble you no further."

His final plea only served to anger the ferryman.

Charon rounded on him with a snarl.

"I said begone, God of War-

The Gauntlet of Zeus closed around his masked face before he could finish. With a splintering crack, the deck shattered beneath his back and he found himself forced down to the ground, the scythe swatted out of his hand as though it were no more than a hapless stick. Keening, the weapon plunged deep into the river Styx, never to be seen again. Pale eyes widened between the cracks, bulging as furious red orbs bore down on them. Steel-shod fingers flexed in menacing promise, clenching now when he mounted a desperate struggle.

"Then be gone." the God of War rumbled.

"No! Stop! You fool! What are you doing?!"

Alas, Charon's feeble pleas for mercy availed him not.

Those taut digits gave one final tremor and crushed his skull.


(...Scene Break...)


The ferry carried him to his final destination in short order.

Ahead lay the Groves of Persephone, and the Pillar of the World. Beyond that, the fields of Elysium. At this distance, the light of Helios was a bright and angry thing; likely reflecting the sun god's current state of being. If he could illuminate the entire underworld in this much distress, then he'd nearly run out of time. Or perhaps they already had-no! Where in blazes had that come from? To give up after having come so far, to simply let the world fall to ruin on a whim...that was a dangerous thought.

Shaking that morbid thought aside, he hastened up the steps as quickly as his legs would carry him.

A lone undead sentry attempted to bar his path and was sundered for its efforts.

Sure enough, he found the one he sought in the grove beyond.

"Persephone!"

The Goddess stiffened.

"What do you want, God of War?" she turned languidly to face him in her seat, cradling a pomegranate in her hand. "Come to douse the flames of my hatred for Hades? You always were a good little nephew."

Naruto let the barb bounce off with a sigh. "Why? Why go to such lengths? Have you lost your mind?"

"Choose your words carefully. You address the Goddess of the Underworld-

His blade found her throat, silencing her before she could finish.

"No stalling! What have you done?"

"Such a pitiful God of War." she spat his title anew as though it were the foulest of curses. "You're too late. The titan will fulfill his role and finish what I started. With the power of the sun in his hands, it is only a matter of time before Atlas destroys the pillar that holds the world, and Olympus with it."

Dark eyes turned upward, gazing upon the Pillar of the World.

"Soon, this world will be no more. And I will have peace."

If she expected him to argue, she'd be disappointed.

Instead, he lowered his blade.

"I'm not a very good God of War." the blond admitted after a long moment. "I've lost my appetite for destruction a long time ago." the rueful tone in his voice caused her head to turn, scowling as he turned to face her in his entirety. "I'd much rather drink wine and watch my kids play in the clouds. See, I find joy in that. Family. As fucked up as I am, I was able to make something good. But Hades, he loves you, in his own way. He cares about you, else I wouldn't be here in the first place. Talk to him. Would you deny him that? The chance to make you happy? You want to destroy the world instead?"

For a fleeting instant, he thought she might listen.

Then those onyx eyes narrowed.

"I am a Goddess." she growled. "I am a queen. And you dare to lecture me?! You, weak as you are NOW?!"

Before his very eyes she grew wings, armor sprouting from nothingness.

"Look, can't we talk about this? I really don't wanna kill you...

Persephone laughed, favored him a crazed snarl.

"You? Kill me? As if you possibly could-

The Gauntlet of Zeus flew at her.

Despite all her experience, all her years, she simply hadn't expected such a tactics. Rather than attack, the Son of Ares removed his favored gauntlet from his wrist and lobbed it at her. The sheer size of the weapon gave her pause before she evaded; little more than a moment, nothing more. After all, one simply didn't expect anyone to fling a legendary artifact at them and her concern was rationalized. Persephone didn't bother to catch it, nor did she dare take it for her own, but still, she hesitated. It was enough.

In that moment, Naruto struck.

Strong arms locked around her from behind with godlike strength, crushing her wings and arms to one another. Persephone shrieked in surprise and lashed out the only way she could, slamming her helmet back into the blond's face to bloody his nose. Once. Twice. Thrice. Still Naruto held fast, even as she mangled his face. Howling and spitting blood, he drove his fellow deity face-first into the floor, cratering the once placid grove. With each ensuing slam, he felt her struggles weaken. Hades had begged him not to kill her. Pleaded.

He hadn't forbade him from breaking a few bones.

Or shattering her spirit, for that matter.

Finally, he struggles abated.

He got the better of her.

"Enough!"

Forcing her head into the ground, the God of War unlimbered the blades of Oblivion and painstakingly bound both arms behind her shoulders with their lengths of chain. When she bucked in a sudden fit of pique, he drove a hard knee into her back and smote the air from her lungs. Unlimbering the ebony links, he quickly shouldered his flailing charge and marched toward the Forsaken Tree. Perhaps realizing what he intended, the enraged Goddess renewed her struggles tenfold, wailing like a thing possessed.

Under any other circumstances, he might've admired her resolve.

Now...

"No! You won't stop me! I shall not allow it!"

...it felt as if he were dealing with a petulant child.

Though smoldering emerald flames scorched his chest and shoulders, Naruto held fast. Step by step, he carried on. Suffering her tantrum with the tried-and-true patience only a father could possess, he carried her to the tree and pressed her back against its warm bark with one hand. The other went to work, with what remained of the chains, wrapped them tight around the Forsaken tree and the spiteful goddess both. Foul oaths and more than a few inventive curses rained down on him as he worked, securing her in body and soul to the twisted oak.

Within moments he was done.

Still, she shrilled at him in righteous fury.

"This won't stop me!" Spittle flew at him as she raved, struggling mightily against her bonds. "Atlas will still destroy this world! There can be no escape! Everything will fall! EVERYONE WILL-mmph!"

Her cries found themselves muffled as a scarred palm closed firmly against her mouth.

"Stay put." he jabbed a finger against her stomach. "I'm not going to kill you."

The Goddess of the Underworld scoffed and bit him.

"Ow! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

Persephone merely glowered at him.

"Zeus will betray you, in the end."

"Not so long as I breathe."

Naruto dismissed her statement without a second thought. Clearly she was trying to distract him. Buying time for Atlas. Regardless, he could no longer afford to delay here. Every second waste was another that the Titan could use to bring down the Pillar of the World, and once that fell, all would end. No, it was time to move, not banter words with this witch.

"You're done. When this is over, you'll come back to Olympus with me."

"Then perhaps I need a champion." she hissed.

Naruto stiffened in consternation.

"What? Wait, what champion-

A blade found his chest.

"For my daughter!"

Blue eyes bulged.

In disbelief-and more than a little pain-the whiskered warrior gazed down at the gore-slicked weapon protruding from his chest in grisly red relief. By some miracle he'd shifted enough in time to avoid a mortal blow, but it still stung all the same. Ah, a small, rational part of him mused. I've been stabbed in the back, then. But by whom? Persephone still stood before him, indignant and haughty as ever. Atlas was clearly somewhere up on the world pillar as well, too lofty to even see, let alone attack. So who had...?"

Craning his head, he gazed into the eyes of the assassin.

He sorely wished he hadn't.

He knew that face.

He knew him.

"Kratos?!"

That was all he managed before the Ghost of Sparta roared and hurled him into the very pillar he sought to protect.

Stars-entire galaxies!-erupted before Naruto's vision as his back cracked against the mortar. The sheer scope of the impact dropped him to his hands and knees. Pain surged in his chest. Cold fury burned the world a wild white. With a thought the Gauntlet of Zeus flew from its resting place at the foot of the Forsaken Tree and slammed home into his hand. Rage dappled his vision red and he lashed out with that terrifying artifact, catching his attacker on the chin before he could hope to renew his assault. Sure enough, his eyes didn't deceive him.

"No...

Stumbling to his feet he beheld his one-time ally, impossibly still bearing the Blades of Chaos as he always had. He'd wanted to believe that the Spartan was at peace. That in defying Ares, he'd somehow found retribution for his sins. Joined his loved ones, at the very least. Clearly that wasn't the case. If there was one soul in the Underworld who deserved closure, it was Kratos. Yet here he stood, barring his path. Naruto felt his heart give a painful lurch at the sight of the grim, desperate resolve in his eyes. Was he destined to kill all those he tried to save?

"Get out of my way, Kratos!" irate, he slammed an arm into the earth. "I don't have time for this! Why are you even here?!"

"If I kill you I will be reunited with my daughter in the fields of Elysium! Persephone gave me her word!"

"Elysium falls too, Kratos!" Naruto swore, "She's lying to you! Can't you see?!"

Perhaps Kratos did see the truth, but the promise was all he had now.

Furious, the two men leered at one another over crossed arms.

"Lies!" The Spartan grit his teeth. "I do not believe you!"

Seething, he lunged at him with blinding speed.

Descending in a storm of blows, the Blades of Chaos wove a cage of impenetrable steel and wrath. In his weakened state, Naruto didn't dare attempt to intercept the blades. To do so would have been foolish, even for him at his peak. Instead he stepped back and let them pass within inches of him, choosing to evade rather than attack; retreat instead of defend. Banishing the Gauntlet of Zeus, he summoned his third and final weapon. One he seldom wielded, and even now, called upon with a heavy heart. It burned a vibrant blue in his palm, curved edge radiating primal power.

Raising it over his head, Naruto gave himself to the rage and cut down.

True to its name, the Blade of Artemis came alive in his hands.

With a single strike, it roared through the chains of the Blades of Chaos as though they were naught but rotten timber. Now bereft of his ranged attacks, Kratos reeled the shattered lengths in and attempted to close the distance and engaged in close combat. Naruto scarcely noticed any of it. Swept up in a full berserker rage he struck out at him again and again, raining blow after blow down upon the lost soul, heedless of anything else save the blade in his hands. Steel clashed against steel and still he fought on, striking with wild sweeps of his armored forearms. What few strikes that did slip through clattered off his armor or amounted to nothing significant.

Kratos wasn't nearly as fortunate.

Caught in the middle of a particularly unwise-swing, the former general had no choice but to attempt to block the blow with a chained forearm. He would have been wiser to dodge. The Blade of Artemis knew neither mercy nor pity. Whistling harshly, it bit deeply through his arm and severed it at the elbow. For the first time since their brawl had begun, indecision flickered across the warrior's face. Never in all his days had he lost a limb to an enemy. In his shock, he momentarily regained his senses.

Too late.

Swept up in mindless rage, Naruto thrust low with the curved weapon and found Kratos's exposed stomach; splitting sinew and muscle with ease to erupt out his back in a shower of bloody viscera, spitting him like a wild animal on a skewer. A sliver of pained eternity passed between, broken only by their labored breaths, until the blond finally dispelled the blade and stepped back. Deprived of the blade's support, Kratos still managed to somehow land on his feet. Swaying, he looked about, almost in confusion...

...then he dropped with a wordless gurgle.

Naruto was there to catch him.

It did him little good.

A trembling hand found his, clutching his forearm.

"Forgive me. My mind...was not my own. I only wanted...

"I know." he reassured him. "Just hang on. You're going to be okay...Kratos?"

The Ghost of Sparta didn't seem to hear his words; indeed, he seemed deaf to them.

"Calliope...Deimos...is that you?" Fading eyes gazed at nothing. "Ah, I see. There you are...

"Kratos?"

No response came.

Naruto grit his teeth, schooling himself into silence. There would be no tears. Not hear. Not at the end. Kratos deserved more than that. More than the grief of a washed up god. Any words he said now would be wasted, or worse, taken as pity. Kratos had died as he lived, on his feet, fighting for what he'd believed in, heedless of the cost. Somehow that thought stung more than others. In another life, they might've been friends. Now he had slain a man whose only sin was fighting for his family. Persephone had taken that desire and twisted it, used it against him until he could see naught else.

Distantly, he heard Persephone speaking, deriding him and their battle.

"Why shed tears for mortal? You truly are a pathetic god."

Something snapped.

A wordless roar tore out of him.

In an instant he grew to his full towering height.

Crimson eyes fixed on the towering expanse of the Pillar.

A thought summoned the Blade of Artemis to his right hand.

He gathered his legs beneath and leaped upward in a pillar of flame.

Atlas never saw the blow that killed him.

One moment he'd been relentlessly beating at the Pillar of the World. With the power of Helios clutched tight in one of his many hands, he was far too focused on the task at hand. He had been delayed, to be sure, but in a few minutes, he would render Olympus naught but ashes. It never once occurred to him that he ought to look down, let alone wonder about the possibility of an attack from below. Such tunnel vision blinded him. His rage towards all of Olympus and those who dwelt within prevented his ancient mind from even considering the possibility. The god held captive in his hand, however, he was all too aware of what was about to transpire.

Of course, Helios wasn't about to warn the Titan of what was coming for him.

As such, Atlas never saw pillar of fire rushing up at him from the base of the pillar like an angry phoenix. Never felt the massive blade split him in twine. Never understood the depth of his folly. Never realized the danger until the arm cradling Helios flopped away from him. Never knew the face of his killer; for an armored fist slammed into his face and rendered it a pulpy mass. Even as the severed, scorched pieces of his body tumbled to the Underworld below, the many-armed Titan never knew what had hit him.

But Helios knew the truth.

He knew it all too well.

The Son of Ares.

A/N: Well, my nose kept bleeding while writing this, but its finally out!

Yes, Persephone is using/tricking Kratos. I can EASILY see her doing that. But is Kratos truly gone? We all know how impossibly stubborn he can be. Remember, Hades begged Naruto NOT to kill Persephone. That's was going to be quite the handicap.

But what will the consequences of this battle be?

What happened?! There we go, folks! If you have recently played God of War, Ascension, or beaten it like I have, then you should get the gist of the idea behind this story. That's right. Naruto isn't exactly the hero in this story. But is he the villain? Only time will tell. I found this a rare opportunity to see what made Ares the way he is. Where did he go bad? What made him rebel against Zeus? Was he a madman to begin with, or was there a catalyst that led to this? Of course, the Furies were here as well!

The idea of having a son who actually lived up to his expectations was a challenge suggested to me by a fellow author who wishes to remain anonymous -but you know who you are, girl!- and this idea was born. Kratos will still appear in this story, but not in the way it might be expected. Will Naruto step out from the shadow of his father? Will he try to destroy Olympus? Or is there a higher calling in store for him? Who knows where this will take us? But in God of War, the story is seldom a happy one, and tragedy is about to befall our beloved blond...

So...In the Immortal Words of Atlas...

...Review, Would You Kindly? And of course, enjoy the previews!

LET HEL-ha!-break loose!

(Preview)

Zeus's lips curled in mild derision.

"I see you lack honor as much as brains, Asgardian." A stray spark snarled through clenched teeth as storm clouds began to roll in above, rendering the once calm sky black as pitch. "Did you truly think you could attack my grandson and not suffer the consequences?"

Thor swore.

"Oh."


Freya frowned at him.

"You claim to be a god."

"Hit the nail right on the head." the God of War shrugged. "I'm taking a bit of a vacation and surprise, surprise, I wound up here in Midgard. Not a bad place...

"And

Naruto bobbed his head in agreement.

"Now, lets get those awful curses lifted from you, eh?"

"Impossible." she shook her head, "No one can lift them, I've tried-

"Lady, I'm the God of War. My wife is the Goddess of Wisdom. My Uncles ares the Gods of Death and the Seas. Don't tell what I can and can't do."

R&R! =D