Good Enough

Summary: How the story of Percy Jackson would change if he was a girl and the reincarnation of a kunoichi who was killed by her best friend and brother? What if she still had all her memories, abilities and the demon fox stuck in her gut? FemNaru.

Just a warning: FemNaru, FemNaru-is-Percy, Reincarnation

I don't own Percy Jackson or Naruto, Rick Riordan and Masashi Kishimoto does!

Book 1: Aria Jackson and the Lightning Thief

Working Together

Kurama growls and Aria's eyebrow twitches as a sigh was heard. Clarisse looked ready to strangle someone, Silena had a knife in her hand and Will looked like he wanted to scream in frustration and kill something.

"Are we there yet?"

"No Leo…"

"Are we there yet?"

"No Leo."

"Are we there yet?"

"No Leo!"

There was moment of silence.

"What about now?"

"YES!" Silena yelled making the others look at her as if she had grown another head. "FOR THE LOVE OF THE GODS! YES VALDEZ! NOW SHUT UP BEFORE I RIP YOUR TONGUE OUT!"

The effect was instantaneous; Leo closed his mouth and hid behind Aria who whistled impressed. She never thought she'd live to see the day that Silena would lose her patience and composure. From what she had seen, Silena was one of the most calms demigods in the camp.

Her friends blinked their eyes at Silena who looked like a wild animal before she took a deep breath. Leo gulped when she narrowed her eyes but sweatdropped along the others when the daughter of Aphrodite gave him a sweet smile as if nothing had happened. "Good boy."

Leo frowned displeased with the way she was talking to him and opened his mouth to complain but stopped, sniffing the air.

"Please, please, tell me you guys can smell it too… It can't be just hallucination." Leo muttered with hungry.

Aria sniffed the air. "If you're talking about the smell of fast food –" Silena grimaced as Aria said this. "Then yes. Yes I do."

As they walked a little more, the group came upon a deserted two-lane road through the trees. On the other side was a closed-down gas station, a tattered billboard for a 1990s movie, and one open business, which was the source of the neon light and the smell of food that seemed to make Silena sick.

"Thank the gods! A rest stop!" Will said with joy.

"And there's food! Hamburger!" Clarisse clapped her hands together with a grin.

Aria frowned. She had food with her. Had they forgotten it already?

As her friends walked in the direction of the rest stop Aria felt herself frowning more. There was something wrong with that place…

"Hey guys –"

They ignored her in favor of the rest stop, Aria and Silena were the only ones not excited to see it.

It wasn't even a true fast food place; it was one of those restaurants you could find on the open road. It looked like it also sold those lawn flamingos and wooden Indians and cement grizzly bears and stuff like that. The main building was a long, low warehouse, surrounded by acres of statuary and the neon sign above the gate was impossible for normal demigods to read because if there's anything worse for their dyslexia than regular English, it's red cursive neon English. Cursive was like a monster and torture to any demigod (Maybe it was why Dionysus liked to use it so much).

While Aria could read it because of Kurama, her friends couldn't. For example; to Clarisse, Will and Silena it was written: ATNYU MES GDERAN GOMEN MEPROUIM. To Leo, on other hand, it looked like a really cool child drawing or secret code that he wanted to decipher.

Seeing the expression on their faces, Aria smiled feeling amused and grateful that she didn't have the same problem as theirs (Well, she did, but it wasn't so bad). "Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium." They looked at her. "It's what is written there."

They nodded and turned their attention back to the rest stop.

Silena really wanted to smash the gnomes in the entrance, they were ugly bearded little runts, smiling and were waving, as if they were about to get their picture taken. They were creep.

She stared at the gnomes before Aria placed a hand in her shoulder. As she looked at the petite girl, Silena smiled knowing that she wasn't the only one that felt like something was wrong with that place.

She just hopped nothing was going to happen.

"Hey, girls, come on!" They heard Will yell and quickly crossed the street, walking to the others.

The front lot was a forest of statues: cement animals, cement children, even a cement satyr playing the pipes. Aria narrowed her eyes as they stopped at the warehouse door. She stared at the cement satyr.

He looked a little like Grover…

"This isn't right. I think we should go." Silena nodded her head at this.

"I second that. Please, I don't want to stay here any longer…"

Clarisse was ready to say something when the door creaked open, and standing in front of them was a tall Middle Eastern woman – or so Aria thought since the woman was wearing a long black gown that covered everything but her hands, and her head was completely veiled –. Her eyes glinted behind a curtain of black gauze, but that was about all anyone could make out.

Aria narrowed her eyes even further. She grimaced when she recognized a really familiar and disgusting scent.

We just found Orochimaru long lost mother. Kurama stated with as much as disgust as she was feeling.

Yes…

He hummed. What now?

We can't run… She took a deep breath. We'll have to wait and see what'll happen… If needed, we fight.

"Children, it is too late to be out all alone. Where are your parents?" Like with her appearance, her accent too sounded vaguely Middle Eastern.

"We're... um..." Will started to say, trying to think of something.

"We're lost," Aria said interrupting her friend who sent a grateful smile at her.

"Lost?" The woman asked.

"Oh yeah…" Leo nodded and sniffed looking like he was ready to cry.

Clarisse crossed her arms and shook her head sadly, playing along. "We're all cousins you see. And Aria's uncle –" She pointed to Aria who waved with an expression that would break the heart of anyone. "– asked us –" Everyone snorted in their minds. "To find something he lost and see if Aria other uncle has it with him."

'Which he doesn't…'Aria wanted to say. But she stayed quiet.

Will, not wanting to stay out of the show, started sobbing and hugged Leo. The two were trembling and crying together.

Silena raised an eyebrow impressed. Now, this was act worthy of an Oscar. If she hadn't known them all before, she would have believed them.

"W-We lost our way –" Leo nodded at Will words.

"And we can't continue without energy so… Is that food I smell, lady?" Silena shook her head while Aria chuckled. Will wasn't looking sad as he finished talking. Actually, it was like his little scene never happened.

"Oh, my dears," The woman said. "You must come in, poor children. I am Aunty Em."

Silena repeated the name in her head for a while before she gripped Aria arm and looked at the kunoichi who nodded at her silent question. The daughter of Aphrodite paled and took a deep breath, trying to not show the panic that was rising inside her.

"Go straight through to the back of the warehouse, please. There is a dining area." Will smiled while Clarisse and Leo grinned. The three demigods thanked her and went in.

Silena and Aria looked at each other and shook their heads.

It was too late to go back now.

The warehouse was filled with more statues—people in all different poses, wearing all different outfits and with different expressions on their faces. Aria was twitching, trying to hide her disgust. The smell was starting to get insupportable and Kurama instincts were starting to affect her. All she wanted was to rip that woman apart and make so she wouldn't have to be in the same presence of someone who made her think of Orochimaru. But her friends were hungry and tired, and even if she didn't like it, this place was just convenient.

Too convenient… Kurama muttered.

Aria hummed in agreement and tapped Silena shoulder making the girl look at her. The older girl stared at her for a moment before nodding her head in acceptance.

They wouldn't do anything for a while. It would be better to play along, the last thing they wanted, was their friends doing something stupid because fear or anything similar.

As soon as they walked in the back of the place, they noticed a fast-food counter with a grill, a soda fountain, a pretzel heater, and a nacho cheese dispenser. Everything you could want, plus a few steel picnic tables out front.

"Please, sit down," Aunty Em said.

"With pleasure," Will said, nodding his head with a grin.

"Excuse me… Maybe we should go. After all, we don't have money..." Silena said. The other three looked at her as if she was crazy. They knew that Aria had enough money with her.

Aunty Em smiled and said, "No, no, children. No money. This is a special case, yes? It is my treat, for such nice children."

"Thank you, ma'am…" Aria muttered with narrowed eyes.

Aunty Em turned her attention to her. She stared at Aria's eyes and a creep smile found it way to her face. To Aria, it looked like the woman had just won the lottery. And if the woman was who she thought it was and if the story was right, then Aunty Em really thought she had just won the lottery.

Remind me to talk with my father about his choicesof girlfriends… Kurama nodded in her mind.

"Quite all right, Ariadnê dear…" She said. "You have such beautiful sea-green eyes, honey… So beautiful…"

Clarisse and Will tensed and narrowed their eyes a little. None of them introduced themselves.

Their hostess smiled at Aria and disappeared behind the snack counter and started cooking. Before they knew it, she'd brought them plastic trays heaped with double cheeseburgers, vanilla shakes, and XXL servings of French fries. In little time at all they started chowing down –even Silena and Aria –. Though, the only reason Silena started drinking her shake was because Aria took one for herself.

Aria was finishing her shake (She really wished a bowl of ramen at the moment) when she heard hissing sounds. They were starting to get louder and louder, as if excitated about something.

Snakes… Aria thought, her eyebrow twitched in annoyance. It is always snakes. Orochimaru is a snake; Voldemort is a snake, that guy from Dragon Ball looks like a snake and now this…?!

Aunty Em, Aria noted, ate nothing. She hadn't taken off her headdress, even to cook, and now she sat forward and interlaced her fingers and watched the four children eat. It was a little unsettling, having someone stare at you when you couldn't see her face; it was, in lack of words, creepy and Aria was starting to believe that yes, Aunty Em was Orochimaru long lost mother.

"So, Aunty Em, you sell gnomes," Leo said.

Aria almost facepalmed while the others looked like they just wanted to bang their heads against the table.

"Oh, yes," Aunty Em said. "And animals. And people. Anything for the garden. Custom orders. Statuary is very popular, you know."

"A lot of business on this road?"

"Not so much, no. Since the highway was built... most cars, they do not go this way now. I must cherish every customer I get."

As Leo and Aunty Em talked, Aria looked atound, trying to see if she could find something that would be useful against Orochimaru's mother. Though, she endded staring at the statue of a young girl with an eater basket looking at her with a look of terror in her face.

Aria shivered. She really didn't want to end like that.

"Ah," Aunty Em said sadly when she noticed Aria looking at the statue. "You notice some of my creations do not turn out well. They are marred. They do not sell. The face is the hardest to get right. Always the face."

"You make these statues yourself?" Leo asked hesitant and Aria could almost see his brain working in a incrible speed. She sighed a little relieved. It seemed he had finally understood who was sitting with them.

"Oh, yes. Once upon a time, I had two sisters to help me in the business, but they have passed on, and Aunty Em is alone. I have only my statues. This is why I make them, you see. They are my company." The sadness in her voice sounded so deep and so real that you couldn't help feeling sorry for her, but that also made her more dangerous.

"Two... sisters?" Leo asked. Aria saw a flash of horror in his eyes.

"It's a terrible story," Aunty Em said. "Not one for children, really. You see, Aria, a bad woman was jealous of me, long ago, when I was young. I had a... a boyfriend," Aria grimanced. She was really going to talk to her father about his choices of girlfriends. "you know, and this bad woman was determined to break us apart. She caused a terrible accident. My sisters stayed by me. They shared my bad fortune as long as they could, but eventually they passed on. They faded away. I alone have survived, but at a price. Such a price."

"Beautiful story, Aunty Em..." No it wasn't. "But I think we should go. We still have a long way to my Uncle house." Her friends nodded at such speed and with so much force that Aria almost thought their heads would fall from their necks at any moment.

Aunty Em ignored her. "You know... You have such beautiful eyes, Ariadnê my dear." Aunty Em told Aria again. The kunoichi in question was starting to get green at the way the woman was looking at her. Now she knew where Orochimaru got his pedophile ways. "My, yes, it has been a long time since I've seen eyes like those..."

She reached out as if to stroke Aria's cheek, but hissed in pain when her fingers made contact with the girl's skin as if she had just been burned. Aria stood up as if nothing had happened while thaking Kurama in her mind. The last thing she wanted was her father ex-girlfriend touching her.

"We really should go, sorry."

"Yes!" Silena almost jumped from her seat. "Aria's Uncle is a important man, we don't want to let him waiting."

"Oh, yes! We don't want to make him angry!" Clarisse said grabbing Will and Leo arms and getting up as well.

"Please, dears," Aunty Em pleaded. "I so rarely get to be with children. Before you go, won't you at least sit for a pose?"

"A pose?" Silena asked almost whimpering in fear.

"A photograph. I will use it to model a new statue set. Children are so popular, you see. Everyone loves children."

Silena gulped and shook her head as she shifted her weight from foot to foot. "I don't think we can, ma'am. Come on Guys —"

"Oh, no! I insist!"

Aria closed her eyes for a moment. She just wanted to get the hell out of that place and reach her Uncle Hades's home. Now, how do you even kill someone like Medusa? Aria looked at her feet in thought, frowning as she tried to think.

Mirrors.

Aria blinked and grinned. Perfect!

After what - to her - seemed to be hours (though had only passed seconds), Aria and Kurama finished creating a plan to kill Medusa and the green eyed girl turned her attention to her father ex-girlfriend (Aria really hated to think that the woman one day touched her father or that he touched her... It was just disgusting) and smiled.

"Sure! Let's take a photography!"

Her friends were ready to complain, but a quick hand sign and a raised eyebrow stopped them. Aria was realieved and really happy when they just nodded their heads.

Aunty Em nodded happily and directed them to a park bench next to the stone satyr. "Now," she said, "I'll just position you correctly. Ariadnê in the middle and the other two young ladies on her either side and the boys around them."

"Not much light for a photo," Aria muttered making a few hands signs as Kurama was repeating their plan in her head so she wouldn't forget anything.

"Oh," Aunty Em said. "Enough for us to see each other, yes?"

"Where's your camera?" Leo asked.

Aunty Em ignored him and stepped back, as if to admire the shot. "Now, the face is the most difficult. Can you smile for me please, everyone? A large smile?"

Will glanced at the cement satyr next to him, and mumbled, "Doesn't he look just like Grover?"

"William," Aunty Em chastised, "look this way, dear."

She still had no camera in her hands. Not that they thought she would even use one.

The woman smiled behind her veil. "Now give me a big smile!"

Aria placed one of her hands over her chest and smirked as she did a few hand signs. The woman ignored it and removed the veil. Clarisse, Will and Leo closed their eyes while Silena placed her hands over her face. They stayed like even after hearing Aria' voice.

"Demoniac Mirroring Ice Crystal!" There was a scream and the sound of ice cracking and then they heard a sickening shlock!, then a hiss like wind rushing out of a cavern—the sound of a monster disintegrating.

Something heavy fell to the ground and they opened their eyes to see Aria sitting in the ground behind a mirror made of ice that was starting to melt. Silena took a deep breath and fell to the ground Clarisse who muttering curses under her breathe. Will walked over Aria and knelt next to her, asking her if she was alright.

"I can't believe it worked!..." Aria laughed.

"Aria, you're full of superpowers." Leo said as he looked at her clone. The ice had melted and now they could see Aria's clone holding Riptide in one hand and Medusa head wrapped in black cloth in the other. He grimaced when he noted that the head was dripping green juice.

Aria smiled. "I'm just happy Mei thaugh me how to do this..." She muttered to herself with a gently smile in her face.

"So hum... Why didn't the head evaporate?" Leo asked curious.

"It become a spoil of war," Clarisse said. "Same as Aria's minotaur horn. Oh, and don't unwrap the head. It can still petrify you."

Aria looked at her before a smirk appeared in her face.

"Oh? Really?" Before they could ask why she was so happy, Aria bit her tumb and made a few hand signs before hitting her handd on the ground. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

There was a poof of smoke and when it cleaned, they could see a small, red, serpentine Chinese dragon. He had spindly limbs, two-toed feet, and four-fingered hands. His claws were dark red, as is a small tuft on the tip of his tail. His belly and two whiskers were yellow-orange. His eyes were large, close set, and appeared to be a very dark shade of brown. His teeth were sharp and white, and his floppy ears had dark red tips. The bottoms of his feet and the inside of his ears were pink.

"Is me!" The Dragon yelled, throwing his arms in the air. "The awesome! The powerful! The most loved Dragon -"

"Mushu." Clarisse deadpanned.

"Is he real?" Will askd in awe. He didn't even try to ask Aria how she had done that since he knew she wasn't going to awnser. "As in the Mushu from Mulan?"

Mushu grinned and puffed his chest proundly.

"Yeah! It is me! I knew the guy who made Mulan and he saw how incrible I'm and made one of the caracheters based on me." Aria rolled her eyes.

If she knew him as much as she thought, then Mushu had more likely visited the man in his sleep and convinced the man to create a character based on him.

"Stop touching me brat!" She heard Mushu yelling. Aria smiled when she saw Leo pocking the dragon with a big smile in his face. Her friend smeed fascinated with Mushu.

"Mushu." He looked at Aria and saluted. "I need you to take something for me to the Temple. Can you do it?" He nodded. "Good. Take it to Arashi-sama and tell him that he can do whatever he want with it. But he owns me one."

Having one of the Elders owening her was going to be good! Aria thought with a grin.

"Leave it with me, boss!"

Aria clone had found a plastic bag where she double wrapped Medusa's head in it. After that, the clone sealed the head and gave the scroll to Mushu who was happy to know that he wouldn't have to touch te decapitated head. The Dragon grinned and waved to Aria and her friends before disapearing in a poof of smoke.

Aria turned to her friends.

"Where to now?"

00

Aria had stop herself from groaning when she noticed that she was near black pit. She looked around for a second and closed her eyes, looking for Kurama presence. As she found the fox in the back of her mind, she folded her arms, opening her eyes as she waited to see what this dream was about.

She looked around before she saw creatures made of gray mist that churned all around her, whispering rags of smoke that they somehow knew were the spirits of the dead. Those creatures tugged on her clothes. Aria had tried to resist, she fought with all strength she could use, but she felt the pull coming from the pit of darkness and walked in it direction. Aria hummed as she looked down. It was bottomless.

Is him again. Aria heard Kurama growl. By the corner of her eyes, Aria could see Kurama cage appearing behind her.

Aria narrowed her eyed.

"Little heroine..." The same voice from before echoed in the darkness.

Kurama... She didn't need to finish. She wanted that thing out of her mind and Kurama knew it.

Wait a little more.

"Too weak, too young..."

Aria shook her head, she didn't even stop to hear what more the voice was saying. It was something about someone misleding her and the he would give her what she wanted. Truly, Aria didn't know, she really wasn't paying attention.

Then, the green eyed-girl blinked when a shimmering image hovered over the void: It was her mother, frozen at the moment she'd dissolved in a shower of gold. Her face was distorted with pain, as if the Minotaur were still squeezing her neck. Her eyes looked directly at Aria, pleading: Go!

Aria had really wanted to do something. To move or cry for her mother, but she knew it was just a ilusion. The owner of the voice was trying to use her mother against her. But Aria was a shinobi. She had a mission to complete and she would do it. Even... Even if it meant that she would lose her mother... Because if losing one life meant she could save a hundred or thousand, than she would do it.

Aria closed her eyes, taking a deep breathe as she tried to not think about her mother at the moment. It would just distract her.

The image then disappeared as a cold laughter echoed from the chasm. An invisible force pulled her again, like it would drag her into the pit, if that did not hold her ground. One of Kurama tails made sure that Aria stayed wherte she was and the girl was grateful for having the fox there.

"Help me rise, little heroine."The voice became hungrier. "Bring me the bolt. Strike a blow against the treacherous gods"

That invisible force pulled once more, and Kurama roared making her eyes snap open.

Aria sighed when she saw that she was inside the improvised tent she had created with a few Earth Justus.

Thank you Kurama...

Kurama sighed. You're welcome, kit... He growled. I need to make sure no one else have acess to your mind, this is ridiculous.

Aria hummed and looked around with a sigh.

The only place her and her friends had found to camp was in the woods, specifically in a clearer where the local kids had used for their parties – the ground was littered with flattened soda cans and fast-food wrappers -. If Grover had come with them, Aria was certain he would have a heart attack or made a trantum.

Fortunately, Leo and Aria joined forces and, in the end, the two of them made a small Cabin that was confortable enough for all of them. It hadn't fornitune or anything, but inside was warm and they could rest without worrying about monsters since Aria had placed a barrier around the Cabin. How those two had made a Cabin and how Aria could create barries, their friends didn't know and they weren't asking.

Aria walked out of the Cabin after stretching a little. She looked around to see if she could findo ne of her friends and found Silena sitting cross-legged on a blanket with something fuzzy in her lap. It was dirty, unnaturally pink and had a...

Aria paled.

No! Tell me this isn't what I think it is!

If you are asking if the dog has a ribbon around her neck... Kurama made a pausa and closed his eyes. Than yes... He sighed, ready for the outburst.

NO! THE DEVIL FOLLOWED ME EVEN IN DEATH!

The poodle yapped at Aria who narrowed her eyes at it.

"What's wrong Ari? Are you alright?" Silena asked.

"What's this thing doing here?!" Asked Aria in horror.

Silena blinked. "You don't like dogs Aria?"

"I do like dogs... But this –" She pointed to the poodle who growled."- isn't a dog! It is... It is Tora in dog form!"

"Who?" Will asked as he walked in their direction. He had one of the clones Aria had created the previous day to protect their Cabin. Her barriers weren't indestructible after all.

The clone took one look at the poodle before backing away in horror. "Is Tora in dog form! Run before it comes after you!"

"Really, Aria!" Silena said, exasperated. "Who's Tora?"

"The Demon Cat." Both Aria and Clone replied. "Tora had a ribbon in her neck too."

Will facepalmed. "You can insult the Gods without fear, but you can't even look at a dog because it makes you think of a cat?"

"Is not just a cat! Is the demon cat!"

"What's this about a demon?" Clarisse asked as she walked from the woods with Leo following her.

"Aria is afraid of cats." Will and Silena said with deadpanned expressions.

Aria shook her head. "I'm not!" She took a deepbreath and crossed her arms, not wanting to talk about Tora anymore. "So, what you guys had been doing?"

Clarisse pointed downhill, toward train tracks Aria hadn't been able to see last night in the dark. "There's an Amtrak station half a mile that way. Leo found out that the westbound train leaves at noon."

"Perfect! Let's go!" Aria made a pause and looked at the poodle. "That thing won't be coming with us."

Her friends looked at each other before Leo grinned.

"Who would have thought... Aria is truly afraid of cats."

"I'M NOT!"

00

Before they had gone to the train station, Silena made Aria sent clones around so they could find the poodle's owner. The green eyed girl hadn't been too happy but did what her friend wanted. It was better than having the dog traveling with them (That and they received a reward for the dog!).

Their train jorney had been long. The group spent two days on the Amtrak train, heading west through the hills, over rivers, past amber waves of grain. They weren't attacked once, but they didn't relax. They still kept their guard up just in case. At some point, Aria used the technique called Henge to change her appearence because her name and picture were splattered over the front pages of several East Coast newspapers.

On the way to their destination, Leo was pointing to anything interesting he saw from the window. The boy had spotted a family of centaurs galloping across a wheat field, bows at the ready, as they hunted lunch. Another time, the son of Hephaestus saw something huge moving through the woods. It was a lion, he told Aria who had been confused by this. She was sure lions didn't live wild in America, and there was no such thing as a lion with the size of a Hummer in this dimension. Especially with fur glinted gold in the evening light.

Toward the end of the second day on the train, June 13, eight days before the summer solstice, they passed through some golden hills and over the Mississippi River into St. Louis. Aria was excitated. She had never gone to far from Montauk or New York, so she was happy to see all of that.

When they pulled into the Amtrak station downtown. The intercom told them they had a three-hour layover before departing for Denver. Aria was grinning like a little kid along with Leo. The two of them were more than happy to get out of the train for a while.

"Let's go sight-seeing." Will said. "There's nothing to do and we can go see the Gateway Arch." He shuggred when Clarisse grimaced.

"Do I look like a owl lover to you?"

"Do you have a better idea?" She closed her mouth.

"Exactly." He looked at the other three for confirmation.

"Sure." Silena said while Aria nodded.

"I don't care." Leo said. "I just need to get out of here."

The Arch was about a mile from the train station. Late in the day the lines to get in weren't that long. They threaded way through the underground museum, looking at covered wagons and other junk from the 1800s. Leo was looking around.

He grimaced. "Ari, do you smell anything or I'm going crazy?"

Aria sniffed. "It is death..." She frowned. "Maybe it is because we're getting close to Uncle Hades dominion."

"Aria! We're in a public place...!" Silena said in a rushed tone.

Aria raised a eyebrow. "He's my Uncle, I'll call him that and I will say his name."

Silena lowered her head in defeat. "Should have know you were going to say this."

When they had to get into the small car that would send them up the Arc, Clarisse called their attention by waving her hand infront of them. They got shoehorned into the car with a big fat (and suspicious) lady and her dog, a Chihuahua with a rhinestone collar. Aria tensed the moment she saw the lady. The aura around both her and the Chihuahua were Strong, too Strong for a human and her pet.

Monsters...!

Will was the first to notice how tense she was and understood why. He looked around and sighed. There was light enough for him to use in case they were attacked. Leo, was glaring at the Chihuahua. Like with Aria who thinks that any small animal wearing a ribbon is evil, Leo never liked Chihuahuas. Those disgusting creatures.

"No parents?" The fat lady asked them when they were inside the elevator.

If he appearance wasn't enough to confirm to Will and Aria (and Clarisse and Silena who started to catch up with their friends) that the lady was a monster, they didn't know what more could confirm it. The lady had beady eyes; pointy, coffee-stained teeth; a floppy denim hat, and a denim dress that bulged so much, she looked like a blue-jean blimp.

"They're below..." Aria told her, though the girl really wanted to know why she was wasting her time with this. Is not like this would change anything. "Scared of heights."

"Oh, the poor darlings." The Chihuahua growled. The woman said, "Now, now, sonny. Behave." The dog had beady eyes like its owner, intelligent and vicious.

Aria placed a hand over Leo's mouth before he said something that would make the lady angry (The boy was ready to make a joke, she was sure of it). The last thing she wanted was to have to fight in a elevator. She could survive, the others won't.

Leo glared at her, but one look from Aria and a few hand signs he finally understood. His eyes widened and he nodded. Aria took her hand from his mouth and turned her attention back to the lady.

Silena shifted a little. "Sonny... Is... that his name?"

"No," the lady told the daughter of Aphrodite. She smiled, as if that cleared everything up.

"Oh..."

At the top of the Arch, the observation deck reminded them of a tin can with carpeting. Rows of tiny windows looked out over the city on one side and the river on the other. The view was okay to Aria, but she wasn't too happy to know that if they needed, her and her friends couldn't run away.

When the park ranger announced that the observation deck would be closing in a few minutes, they steered toward the exit, loaded them into the elevator, and Aria was about to get in herself when she realized there were already two other tourists inside. There was no room for her or Leo who was standing beside her.

"Next car, kids." The park ranger said.

Aria looked around. The only ones with her were Leo, a little boy with his parentes, the park ranger, and the fat lady (aka. Monster).

"We'll stay here with you -" Leo waved Will off.

"Nah! It's okay. We'll see you guys at the bottom. And if anything happens, Aria and I can take care of it! Right, Ari?" Aria smiled and shuggred.

"Sure."

Will and Silena both looked nervous and Clarisse tried to protest, but the elevator door slide shut before she could say or do anything. Their car disappeared down the ramp.

The Chihuahua jumped down from the lady's arms and started yapping at them.

"Not now, sonny," the lady said. "Does this look like a good time? We have all these nice people here."

"Look, look, a doggie!" the little boy shouted while his parent pulled him back.

The Chihuahua bared his teeth at the two friends who weren't looking very impressed with him, though Aria was already read to act if needed.

"Well, son," the fat lady sighed. "If you insist."

"Son? Did she just call this thing son?" Lao asked incredulous. The lady, who had heard him, nodded.

"Chimera, dear," the fat lady corrected. "Not a Chihuahua. It's an easy mistake to make."

Aria cursed. She had read about her. "Echidna."

The fat woman rolled up her denim sleeves, revealing that the skin of her arms was scaly and green. When she smiled, they saw that her teeth were fangs. The pupils of her eyes were sideways slits, like a reptile's.

Snakes! Aria yelled in her mind.

Kurama sweetdropped. You don't know if she is truly a snake. He was ignored.

Again with the snakes?! This one could be Orochimaru twin sister! ARGH! IS ALL MONSTERS HERE RELATED TO OROCHIMARU?!

The Chihuahua barked louder, and with each bark, it grew. First to the size of a Doberman, then to a lion. The bark became a roar. It was now so tall it back rubbed against the roof. It had the head of a lion with a blood-caked mane, the body and hooves of a giant goat, and a serpent for a tail, a ten-foot-long diamondback growing right out of its shaggy behind. The rhinestone dog collar still hung around its neck, and the plate-sized dog tag was now easy to read: CHIMERA—RABID, FIRE-BREATHING, POISONOUS—IF FOUND, PLEASE CALL TARTARUS—EXT. 954.

The little boy screamed. His parents pulled him back toward the exit, straight into the park ranger, who stood, paralyzed, gaping at the monsters.

Aria created a clone who uncapped Riptide and gave Leo a sword she had sealed (She didn't even know it was there).

"Call Tartarus?" Leo muttered as they backed a way from the duo. "There's a way to call Tartarus?"

"You learn something new everyday." Aria grumped.

The snake lady made a hissing noise that might've been laughter. "Be honored, Aria Jackson. Lord Zeus rarely allows me to test a hero with one of my brood. For I am the Mother of Monsters, the terrible Echidna!"

"Uncle Zeus gave a monster the Ok to kill me! This is just perfect!" She rolled her eyes. "Did you forget that if I die no else can get your toy of mass destruction back? Aunt Hestia is going to kill me for this, but... Are you retarded or what, Uncle?!" She looked at the sky with a deadpanned expression and thunder boomed. "Oh, shut up you big baby!"

Leo looked at the sky with amusement before turning his attention to Aria.

"Hey, Ari... Isn't Echidna a kind of anteater?"

Aria blinked and tilted her head. "Now that you mentioned it, Leo... I think it is. Do you think our friend here likes ants and termites too?" They grinned and fist bumped when the snake lafy growled.

Echidna howled, her reptilian face turning brown and green with rage. "I hate it when people say that! I hate Australia! Naming that ridiculous animal after me. For that, my son shall destroy you two!"

The Chimera charge with its Lion teeth gnashing making Aria jump, holding Leo. The problem was that the boy moved and made her let him go. To her amusement, he fell on the Chimera and was riding the monster as if it was a mechanical bull or something.

Aria clapped with a grin. "I didn't know you were a cowboy, Leo."

"I came from -" He gasped holding the fur with more strength so he won't fall. " - Texas...! Is in my blood!"

Aria laughed and turned her attention to Echidna, placing herself in front of the monster who was ready to help her son.

"Is just you and me lady."

"ARIA, AYUDAME!"

Aria rolled her eyes with a smile. She looked at Echidna who couldn't believe at how the daughter of Poseidon was acting. "One second please." Aria created two clones sending them to help Leo and looked at Echidna again. "What were we doing? Ah, yes! Come on Lady!"

Echidna tried to attack her, but it just gave Aria a chance to use the Shunshin to appear behind the monster. She was ready to swing her sword, but was distracted by explosion, turning her head to see a hole in the Arc that must have been made by Leo and the Chimera. Echidna took advantage of this and caught her hand, throwing her out in the hole in the Arc, down toward the Missippi River.

Aria had left Riptide go, which was taken by one of the clones she had created early. Echidna didn't have the chance to defend herself as the clone stabbed her.

Meanwhile, Aria was calm as no one in her place would be. "What do they say in times like this?" Aria closed muttered as she saw the river getting closer. "Ah, yes. GERONIMO!"

00

Leo was having his fun acting like a cowboy till the Chimera threw him in the air. The only reason he hadn't turned into pancake against the floor was because two of Aria's clones saved him (Leo was glad that he thought of calling for help). One of the clones turned away and run in direction of where Aria and the snake lady were fighting the moment his feet touched the floor.

The clone (or Cloria, as he decided to call it) pushed him away from a column of flames that came straight at him. After a explosion, he looked at the Arc and grimaced when he saw the hole the flames had created.

"That could have been me." Cloria nodded.

"A special BBQ made of Leo the demigod."

"Poor Chimera, would have gotten sick." Leo said with a grin.

They stared at each other before bumping their fits and laughing. They were interrupted by the Chimera who growled. It wasn't happy at being ignored.

"So... Any plan?"

Cloria shrugged. "Hell if I know. I can use water against it or even lava. To make lava, I need both earth and fire I have earth element because of my father, he is the god Earthquakes... So using water and earth is easy for me. But I'm just a clone and I'm not powerful enough to create fire because it isn't..." Cloria blinked slowly. "Fire isn't my original element." She looked at Leo who started to get a little apprehensive. He didn't like that look in the clone's face or the glint in her eyes.

"W-What?"

"Nothing ~" Cloria purred.

There was a roar and another column of flames, but this time, Cloria jumped away and threw Leo in front of the flames. The elf boy closed his eyes and placed his arms in front of face, waiting for his imminent death. But nothing happened. Actually, the flames were tickling him.

Leo blinked his eyes. "I'm alive."

Cloria appeared beside him, patting his shoulder. "Good! It worked! My theory was right."

Leo felt his eyebrown twiching. "Are you saying that you didn't know that it would happen? Are you trying to kill me! Are you crazy girl?!" He made a pause. "I would have done the same thing." Leo sighed, dreamy. "I knew you were made for me. Remind me of thanking Silena's mother."

Aria's clone tilted her head confused.

"Eh... Ok?" Cloria shook it head and pointed to the Chimera who was coming in their direction, ready to pounce. "Alright, the plan is like this... Is not really a plan. Just give me fire."

"Eh... How?"

"Think of something that makes you angry and then... Well, just use your instincts."

They nodded at each other and joined their hands, pointing them in direction of the Chimera. Leo thought about his mother death, his life till now, about what made him angry in his life. There was a rush of power in his veins and a vortex of fire apeared from his hand making grin in delight. After a second, his eye widened when he felt a foreign power mixing with his and his fire turned into lava. Leo watched in awe. The lava looked like it just came from a vulcan.

It was beautiful.

The Chimera roared in pain when the lava covered it like a blanket. The monster tried to escape but failed and when Leo blinked, the lava was already drying and the Chimera had been turned into a statue. A really ugly statue.

"We work well together." Leo said after Cloria punched the statue, destroying it. He placed a arm around her shoulders as they turned around, ready to find Aria and the others.

"Yep." Aria's Clone grinned. "A duo full of awesomeness."

00

Aria saw the river racing toward her at the speed of a truck. She felt the wind ripped the breath from her lungs, it was a sensation familiar to the one she felt when Jiraya threw her out of the cliff when he was trying to teach her (If could even call that teaching). Steeples and skyscrapers and bridges tumbled in and out of her vision.

Flaaa-boooom!

A white out of bubbles and she sank through the murk. Aria closed her eyes in contentment. She loved the water and she felt safe because she knew her father would not let anything hurt her there. She hoped he would protect her... He was her father.

But you don't know him enough to know if will treat you like you deserves. Kurama said, making her frown.

Aria shook her head. Her impact with the water hadn't hurt and she was falling slowly, bubbles trickling up through her fingers. She sighed as she settled on the river bottom soundlessly. Aria grimaced, as she looked around. She could see clouds of silt and disgusting garbage (beer bottles, old shoes, plastic bags) swirled up all around her. Then, after a few moments, she noticed that she wasn't wet and she could feel the coolness of the water (This was something she hadn't noticed before, how curious).

Being Poseidon's daughter has it advantages. Kurama said.

Aria nodded thinking that he was talking about the fact tha she was breathing.

Aria looked around again and smiled. "Thank you, dad."

Why are you thanking him? Kurama muttered. He won't answer.

Aria was ready to yell at him when she heard a woman's voice. 'Aria, Your father believes in you.' The woman words seemed to come from everywhere, rippling through the water like dolphin sonar.

"Where are you? Who are you?" Aria asked, looking for the woman.

Then, through the gloom, Aria saw her, a woman the color of the water, a ghost in the current, floating just above his sword. She had long billowing hair, and her eyes, barely visible, were green like hers.

"Hi, er... Are you my relative or something?"

Kurama groaned and muttered something about her being obsessed with her family and people that she never saw in her life.

'No, child, only a messenger.' Aria nodded. 'Go to the beach in Santa Monica.'

"What?"

'It is your father's will. Before you descend into the Underworld, you must go to Santa Monica. Please, Aria, I cannot stay long. The river here is too foul for my presence.'

"But -"

'I cannot stay, brave one,' the woman said. She reached out, and Aria felt the current brush her face like a caress. 'You must go to Santa Monica! And Aria, do not trust the gifts...' Her voice faded.

Gifts? Aria blinked. Like the shoes Luke gave to me? Ha! I knew he was traitor!

The woman made one more attempt to speak, but the sound was gone. Her image melted away.

Aria stared at nothing for a while before smiling.

He does care, Kurama. The fox rolled his eyes. He doubted it.

Working Together

I had wanted to place the part with Nico and Bianca here, but I decided to place it in the next chapter, sorry.

Hope you have liked it and thank you for taking your time to read it.

Please, let your review, Follow/Favorite or sent me a PM.

- Cissnei.