AN: If this were to continue, this would be comprised of four chapters.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Percy Jackson and the Olympians. If I did, I wouldn't be on this site sadly.
Fearless: Some Knights
Darkness.
From darkness, came fear. From nothing, came life. These are facts told in every religion, in every origin story that is offered in cultures. Oh, there may have been one singularity or entity that started it all, but where did they come from? They just were.
Humanity doesn't know how to rationalize origins, try as they might. Life was somewhat simpler when they just accepted the gods' existence. There was bad stormy day? Zeus was obviously pissed. A ship sank? Poseidon was offended. Someone was killed in war? Ares was at play.
Now, with the advancements of 'science' and 'technology'? The ugly truth has arisen; humans are cruel animals. No more, no less. Complex animals, mind you, but animals all the same. Like all other animals, they felt fear, but unlike real animals, humans felt that fear was a weakness, a flaw, something to be eradicated. Likely passed down from Ares' hold over the New World.
Most Demigods knew otherwise.
Fear was an ally. A drug that could give a Demigod a boost when it was needed to win a fight or flee from a powerful force. Fear bred life, thus fear was good.
Fear thrives in the shadows, in the unknown.
It is there that Naruto feels most powerful.
The mortal son of Artemis, sole nephew to Apollo, perched high on a tree above the small camp of his three half-blooded friends, somewhere in the woods of West Virginia. He was in a trace brought on by meditation, a lesser form of sleep, one that kept him fully aware of his surroundings. He learned this on a field trip with his uncle, a trip west into the high mountains of the east.
The trip was one of the last real interactions he had with Apollo prior to leaving the Hunt. Apollo showed him the light of humanity, a spiritual journey more than it was physical. Naruto knew, thanks to hindsight, that Apollo was trying to keep him from becoming a mortal male version of Artemis – a hunter with little care for mankind save for the young women, maidens, and children under the age of twelve – and in most part, he'd failed.
Naruto did not care for humanity as a whole. He did not believe himself to be bound by religion, nationalism, politics, or mortal law. He had stolen when it needed to be done, he had desecrated what was considered holy ground multiple times to stop crimes, and he cared little who was in charge of what city/state/country.
This did not mean Naruto didn't care about humanity. No, Naruto cared for the innocents. Those who choose to leave no mark on the world, to live day-by-day without real problems and those who tried to do good, to do what was right. The latter were few and far in between with the materialistic country the gods now dominated.
Still, while Naruto cared for some of humanity, the rest, those like the dogs he'd dealt with before he met the group of demigods, he'd rather see them burn.
A stick cracked in the distance and Naruto opened an eye. He scanned the area, searched for the source. There was something coming from the north, something that lived in the darkness much like Naruto did.
Like Artemis did.
Naruto took a deep breath and relaxed his body. He carefully, silently moved from the tree. Once Naruto was back on the forest floor, he slipped through the shadows to find the source. Naruto's steps were slow and soft, but his mind was racing. His heart as well.
Had he stumbled across the Hunt?
Was he to be reunited with the goddess that raised him?
How would she react?
Would he be greeted with warmth or threatened to leave, to forget, as he was long ago?
"A busy mind is a dangerous mind, you know."
The man's voice was sudden, but it had Naruto stop and pull out an arrowhead from his pocket. The arrowhead was plucked from his hand by a force unseen to Naruto, but he was familiar of it. It was godly, this force that slapped his weapon from his grasp, and it was old.
But it was not Greek.
"That seemed like you were about to make a bad choice. A loser's bet, in fact."
Naruto turned and stared at the well-dressed and handsome young man, his suit a glimmering silver much like the crescent moon above them. His head was shaven save for the lone side-lock of dark hair. His eyes were silver, cold and distant, but highly amused. Around the man's neck were many silver chains, a crescent moon medallion hung from one.
The man walked around Naruto, his amused smile still in place. "I had come out here because I thought it was a joke, but here you are. A copycat superhero! First of his kind! Running around the streets of Virginia, kicking ass and taking names!" He chuckled and stopped back in front of Naruto with a pensive look on his face. "Hm, you can't call yourself 'Moon Knight', it's copyrighted, you know. But, maybe we can make a deal?"
"I don't even know who you are." Naruto frowned.
The man frowned. "No? Tch, are they still sore that they had to ask us for help in World War II?"
Naruto had no answer.
The man rolled his eyes. "Oh enough of the 'mysterious' gimmick. Honestly." He snapped his fingers and Naruto's hood fell from his head, and his mask dropped to rest around his neck. The man arched a brow and whistled lowly. "Wicked scars you got there, kid. Didn't think that her Hunters were that adamant about the 'no boys' rule."
"Birthmarks." Naruto frowned. His sisters were against the presence of males in camp, sure, but they never got violent. A bit mean, sometimes, but nothing a hug from another didn't fix. Naruto pushed the memories away and glared at the god that stood before him. "Who are you?"
The man arched a brow and his smile widened. "Really? I'm standing before you in a silver themed attire, not unlike your own or the Hunters', with a pendant" he flicked the pendant with his finger and it dangled slightly "of a crescent moon, no less. My eyes are even silver!"
"You're a moon deity. That much I gathered. You're not Greek. You refer to the Olympians as 'they' and Artemis as 'her'. Distant pronouns." Naruto narrowed his eyes and kept his guard up.
The strange god sighed. "You'd think with the relationship Rome and Egypt had as well as our recent alliance back in the forties would wash away their distaste for the rest of us." The grin returned to his face, but his eyes remained distant, cold and slightly angry. He made a grandiose sweep of his arms. "Then, allow me to have the pleasure of introducing myself! I am the Egyptian God of Time, Youths and the Moon-!"
"Khonsu." Naruto didn't mean to speak, interrupting a god was stupid. He'd made that mistake often when he was a child, and the excuse that he 'didn't know better' only worked so long until Apollo had to pull him aside on their trip. Naruto's uncle had explained to him gravely what interruption could result in.
Luckily, Khonsu seemed to be more surprised than he was upset at the interruption. "So the costume was a rip off then? Which version do you like? I prefer Ultimate Moon Knight, to be honest, since I'm not a part of him at all."
"...I have a lot of questions..." Naruto realized, more to himself to the Egyptian deity that stood across from him.
Khonsu grinned. "They always do. You're lucky, boy. Mortals, even clear-sighted ones like yourself, are more likely to be ignored by the world. Maybe an immortal reaches out to take your to bed or maybe a magician takes you as an apprentice, but you, dear boy...You're different."
Naruto just swallowed. "Different...isn't good."
"It's not bad, either. It just is." Khonsu shrugged. "But that's not the point here. What is the point is that you're not the normal breed of clear-sighted mortal that usually runs around." Khonsu pointed at him, his grin wider than before. "You, kid...you're a new breed of human. One that no immortal saw coming. That could be good. That could be bad. Depends on who you ask and what agenda is being formed in the background."
Naruto frowned. "You want me to ask what you're getting at, why you decided to show up when no one else has?"
"Seems the Letoides didn't raise no fool," Khonsu said with a chuckle. He adjusted the silver cuffs on his sleeve. "You've seen what most Immortals see about humanity, and you've seen the promise that lays within. I want to make a bet."
"Bets and deals are weighted in immortal favor," Naruto said firmly.
Khonsu chuckled again. "Yes, yes it is. Well, I suppose I can even the score then. This bet, our wager, will be determined right now. We will play a game of chance, we'll roll this die."
A silver cube appeared in Khonsu's hand. The cube was tossed in the air and Naruto caught it. Naruto found that three sides were painted with a moon and the other three were painted with a bright sun. The mortal looked at the god, to see the grin still in place.
"Not weighted nor altered in any way." Khonsu held a hand up. "Sworn on Ra's Throne."
"Not very reassuring to one who was raised by an Olympian." Naruto drawled.
Khonsu rubbed his neck. "Ah, got me there. There's an oath for your sort, isn't there? Been a while since I dealt with a Greek."
"An Oath on the Styx," Naruto said. "It's the most powerful word of honor the Olympians have. To break the oath is to bring ill time on yourself."
Khonsu nodded. "Right, right. I, Khonsu, God of Time, Youths, and the Moon, son of Ra, Father of the Gods, swear on the Styx that the die used in our game of chance will not and has not be altered in any way by myself or another."
The sky boomed and Naruto felt far more respect for this god than he had for few others he'd met. Only his respect for Artemis and Apollo surpassed this, which was understandable as they had raised him. Naruto tightened his grasp around the die and lowered his guard slightly.
"What's your bet?" Naruto asked.
Khonsu grinned and held his hand out. A light appeared over his palm. "I wager my ren, my secret name. The very definition of who or what I am. The key to my soul. Whomever so holds this secret name has control over me, that forces me to do nearly whatever is bidden of me...but not for long. Magicians have tried again and again to bind me permanently, but they get greedy."
Khonsu closed his hand and grinned as the light dimmed out. "I have the feeling that greed isn't your ren."
"So we're betting our souls?" Naruto asked.
Khonsu shook his head. "No. I'm betting my soul. You're betting your life."
The die in Naruto's hand suddenly felt heavier than it was before.
"We all sense it. All of us, kid." Khonsu took a step forward and his eyes seemed pleased when Naruto didn't take a step back. "Every immortal that ever was can feel it. Something ain't right. Someone doesn't belong here, in our universe." Khonsu put his hand on his chest and his smile grew wide. "I just happened to decide to do something about it."
"And if I refuse to play the game?" Naruto asked. He rolled the die in his hand, his breathing still. He had an idea of what would happen.
"I go away and wipe your memory." Khonsu shrugged. "Wash of the hand, keep an eye on you occasionally if you step out of line. You're wearing my colors as much as you are your 'mother's."
Naruto nodded. "Very well. I accept your terms, Khonsu."
Khonsu's grin was bright, his teeth spotless, and a gleam appeared in his eyes. One of excitement.
"Then throw the die, Son of Artemis, and call the landing."
Naruto looked down at the die in his hand, the moon etched in one side gleamed back up at him. He slipped his thumb under the die and flicked it up. A word escaped Naruto's mouth. The die tumbled in the air. It arched in the air and time seemed to slow as it made its descent.
The die landed with a bounce. For a moment, Naruto's heart stopped and his eyes dilated. There was another bounce, both god and mortal watched the die intently in the faint moonlight.
When the die settled, Naruto simply stared at it and Khonsu's grin widened.
Thalia didn't know when it happened or how, but she cursed the horde of hellhounds that attacked her, Annabeth and Luke underneath an overpass. It'd been two months since they left Virginia with little Annabeth, and for the first three weeks there weren't that many monsters to follow them. The occasional lone hellhound or two came up, but aside from that, it was almost monster free. Now though, something had changed. More monsters came after them, a lot more.
It was like they'd been doused in eau de monster or something!
Thalia used her shield, a replica of Aegis, her father's shield, to bash a hellhound away from her as it made its lunge. She thrust her spear into the hellhound's side and quickly pulled it out to slash another hellhound away. Thalia looked over her shoulder towards the two blondes.
Luke was doing all right for having only the remains of a bronze sword. His last one had been snapped in half by some sort of snake legged woman. He faced off against three hellhounds while Annabeth finished off one of her own, one that had been wounded beforehand. Smart kid, knew she couldn't take one by herself yet, went for one Luke had wounded.
The bashed hellhound took Thalia's eyes off of her two companions and back on the threat at hand. With a yell, Thalia drove her spear into the canine-like monster's open mouth and through the back of its skull. It dispersed into golden dust after she pulled the spear out. Thalia turned her attention back on the other hellhounds, there were two more that joined the ones that had cornered Luke and Annabeth earlier.
"Hey, over here you bastards!"
Let it be known that street life does not leave a child's vocabulary pure.
And let it also be known that hellhounds do not understand the English language.
They do, however, understand that a sound accompanied by ill intent means to move, thus rendering Thalia's following surprised attack useless. The hellhound she intended to skewer had moved and Luke had nearly taken the blow, had he not been as riddled with ADHD as she was.
"Wow, geez, Thalia! Thought the hellhounds were enough of a problem!" Luke tried to down play his own nerves at nearly being killed with weak humor.
"Funny, Castellan, very funny." Thalia countered with a scowl as she forced herself to stand on her sprained ankle. Part of the reason Thalia didn't accidentally kill Luke was because she adjusted her landing mid air, but she landed on her left foot wrong. Thalia kept a Hellhound at bay with her shield and held her spear up accordingly. Another glance was thrown over her shoulder at the young blonde behind them before her gaze returned to the four monsters.
"How you holding up, Annie?" No response. "Annie!"
"I-I got one!"
Thalia smirked. "Atta girl."
A hellhound seemed to gain some courage as it took a large bite at the air right in front of her shield. Thalia sent some static into her spear and sent a large shock at it. The hellhound backed off, but the three demigods were cornered. Behind them was a concrete wall, and to either side was a hellhound. Thalia and Luke could try to fight them off, maybe even win, but the chance of this occurring was very low. One hellhound was easy with two demigods. Two were a bit challenging, but still doable. Three would be complicated and require a lot of luck. But four?
No chance.
"Thalia, got any ideas?" Luke asked.
Thalia swallowed. "None that immediately come to mind. You?"
"Fight back?"
"Let's do it."
Luke grinned and tightened his grip on his broken sword. "You know, I wish I had gotten a backup sword when you said to. Maybe there wouldn't have been four hellhounds."
"Told you last time we stopped, but no, you had to save room for supplies," Thalia said. She sent another shock to another hellhound and took a deep breath. Man that took a lot out of her.
"Little good that did us." Luke mumbled. He slashed at a Hellhound that got too close. The Hellhound backed away and snarled at Luke. Saliva dripped from its jaws.
There was a second of peaceful tension, but it was broken as the four hellhounds made to move forward.
Then, the air filled with snarls and growls was interrupted by the sound of soft clacking. A lone hellhound turned its ears towards the source, but the sound did not deter the others from their slow enclosure. Thalia looked towards the source, down in front of Luke's feet.
A silver die, with a sun and a moon painted on some of the sides, rested before Luke's right foot. Next to it, was a small scrap of paper, crinkled and partially unrolled. But there was something written on it that Thalia surprisingly understood and could barely make out. It was one word, and one word alone.
Down.
"Get down!" Thalia grabbed Annabeth's shoulder and dropped, Luke a step ahead of them, as silver blurs tore through the air towards the four hellhounds. The hellhounds couldn't move as they were pierced by something made of silver. The hellhounds slumped to the ground and slowly dissolved into golden dust.
All that remained were small silver crescent moons, each no larger than Thalia's hand.
The faint sound of a lone car passing overhead was the only thing that filled the air for a minute. Thalia was pretty sure she could hear faint music, but that was probably due to the adrenaline rush. There was a soft thump and a relieved sigh.
"Good thing you saw the note. I was momentarily afraid it would've been blown off by a gust of wind."
The three demigods turned to see a familiar figure in a hooded silver cloak perched behind them. His blue eyes looked them over for a minute before they met Thalia's. The eyes dropped and landed on her shield.
"That thing is still ugly as sin."
Thalia glowered at him. "I didn't exactly have a choice in decorating it, Whiskers."
A groan left the cloaked teen and he pulled his hood down, his face mask still up to conceal the source of his nickname. "Can you not call me that?"
"It wasn't like you ever gave us your name." Luke mumbled a bit harshly. Thalia realized that was true. 'Whiskers' never gave a name to them. Annabeth called him what Thalia called him, and Luke always spoke with eye contact.
'Whiskers' blinked and stood upright. "Well to be fair, you never asked. You only wanted to know if I was a monster and why I could see what you saw since I wasn't a demigod."
That was also true, Thalia noted. They kept 'Whiskers' at arms length, well, she and Luke did anyway. Annabeth liked him and treasured the comic he'd given her. It was still preserved safely in the girl's grey backpack they'd snagged from a store a few days after they left Richmond.
"Can we know it now?" Annabeth asked as she looked up at the taller blond. 'Whiskers' looked back at her and stepped down from his perch. His cloak fell around him, concealing his form from real view.
"You can call me 'N'. I'll give you my name where there aren't any eyes or ears around." 'N' offered. Thalia took note of the lack of any bums or people about. All that were present were a few rats that had started to become brave. 'N' walked past the demigods and reached down to pick up the die he'd thrown with his note.
'N' stood and flicked the die into the air with his thumb. He caught it with a quick swipe before his hand disappeared back into his cloak. His eyes went back to them, a scan.
Thalia grimaced as his gaze fell on her ankle. She was using her spear to keep off of it, but he didn't – couldn't know that...right?
"Luke, you know Connecticut well, right?" 'N' asked.
Thalia and Annabeth looked to the other blond boy, who had a dark look on his face. "How do you know that?"
"You gave me your first name. You didn't think that runaways were exempt from being reported missing, did you? Took me a while, but I found you, Annabeth, and even the damaged lightning rod, here." Naruto nodded to Thalia. Thalia was miffed that he wasn't really affected by her glare for making Annabeth and Luke aware of her injury.
"If you know where I used to live, why ask if I know Connecticut well?" Luke asked with a scowl on his face.
'N' arched a brow and amusement seemed to twinkle in his eyes. "I might know, I might not. But I know that you know that I know you remember where you live." 'N's gaze became distant and sad. "No one forgets where they come from, after all."
Luke's scowl deepened and he turned away slightly. "...Fine, but stay close."
"You should carry Annabeth." 'N' said.
"I can run, Whiskers!" Annabeth frowned at him. Thalia snorted while 'N' sent her a quick glare. He really didn't like that nickname it seemed.
'N's eyes became amused and gentle once more as he knelt down to look at her. "We need you to save your energy, Annabeth. We're all so tired and need our little wise girl to keep an eye out for more monsters."
Thalia had to fight down the smile that crossed her face as Annabeth seemed to be swayed by 'N's logic. She watched Luke begrudgingly pick the smaller blonde up in a piggyback ride and start to walk off. Thalia looked back at 'N' as he walked up to her and her gaze hardened.
"You so much as ask to carry me – Hey!" Thalia cried out as 'N' picked her up over his shoulders in a fireman's carry.
"Didn't ask." There was a smirk under that mask, Thalia just knew it.
Thalia scowled and collapsed her weapons with a huff. "You're a jerk, Whiskers."
"I've been told this before. ...And stop calling me that."
Naruto had, at Thalia's request, stopped to reposition her to be carried like Luke carried Annabeth.
It was far less humiliating for her that way and it was a lot easier for Naruto, too.
He could keep up with Luke and not be subjected to Thalia's complaints.
They traveled in relative quiet through a small town until they came across a white Colonial house that looked almost lonely by where it was placed on the street. Luke stepped up the porch to the door and let Annabeth slide down his back to the ground before he crouched in front of the door.
"Picking the lock of your own house?" Naruto asked as he let Thalia slip down from his back carefully. He continued to let her use him for support while he watched Luke work.
Luke paused and looked back at the other blond. "There's a reason I ran off."
"Fair enough." Naruto shrugged. Hey, he said he looked the kids up, not that he read their whole files. That would be an invasion of privacy.
Luke got the door open in a few seconds and ushered them in quickly. He shut the door and turned, only to find their backs to him. "Guys, what are you waiting for? We can't stay long!"
"No, by all means..." Luke looked up at the one that obstructed their path. A man in a navy jogging suit stood before them. He had salt and peppered hair, with blue eyes that were akin to Luke's own. A smile spread across his face. "Have a seat. Get comfortable."
"Oh, god dammit." Naruto mumbled. He'd recognized the being by Apollo and his mother's descriptions of the 'lax' apparel that would often be worn on a day – or second – off. The patron of thieves, Hermes, stood before them.
"Watch your mouth, there's children present." Hermes told him firmly. He turned and walked into the living room, pausing to look over his shoulder. "Luke, come with me. We need to talk."
"...Yeah." Luke agreed. Naruto stole a glance as the other blond teen walked past and saw white knuckles formed by the clenching of his fists.
This was only going to end in tears.
Naruto led Thalia and Annabeth to the kitchen, where Thalia sat at an island countertop on a stool. Annabeth sat next to her and her eyes widened at the sight of a mountain of cookies that was on it. Her hand reached out to grab one, but Naruto's hand was faster. Annabeth recoiled and held her hand that had been slapped as she looked at the other blond with a pout.
"Don't be rude. Ask for permission first." Naruto looked at the other occupant of the kitchen. A wiry woman with white hair that seemed to slowly be falling out. She looked almost like a scarecrow.
"Hello, children!" The woman greeted with a smile on her face. "My name is May."
"Hello, Ms. Castellan," Naruto said softly as he pulled his mask down. He took a seat next to Thalia and forced her to turn towards him so he could look at her ankle. "This is Thalia and next to her is Annabeth. My name is Naruto."
Thalia arched a brow, a smirk on her face. "Really? That's a weird name, Whisk-Ow!"
Naruto gave her a look as he tested the functionality of her injured foot. "Sprained. Nothing too severe, but walking on it could've cost you in the long run." He turned to May with a gentle smile on his face. "Excuse me, Ms. Castellan, but do you have any ichor or ice I could use?"
Annabeth furrowed her brows. "Where would she get ichor?"
Naruto ignored the question as May smiled, her clouded eyes gained some light to them. She walked over to the refrigerator and opened the door. "What a polite boy! That reminds me of the time my son, Luke, and I went to get some ice cream. Oh, he was so precious when he was little. Nervous as a tick when he asked for rocky road from the pretty girl behind the counter. Like his father, he was, a little ladies man in the making..."
A tray of ice was pulled out and a jar of slightly golden liquid was set on the table. Thalia looked at Naruto with confusion written on her face and Naruto softly whispered, "With the Traveller here, one can assume that she's more aware of things than we think."
"Would you like some Kool-Aid, sweetie?" May asked Annabeth. "A cookie perhaps?"
"S-Sure," Annabeth said uneasily as the cloudy eyes met hers. A cup was set before her and red liquid, poorly mixed if those clumps were anything to go by, was poured in. The cookie Annabeth had tried to snag beforehand was greeted by a grimace as she showed the bottom of the snack to the older demigods. Burnt like it had been cooked for too long.
Annabeth gave them a pleading look and silently mouthed, Can we go now?
Naruto frowned at her slightly. Manners.
The young daughter of Athena pouted unhappily as May started to make a new batch of cookies and talked about Luke's childhood.
Naruto paid it no mind and returned to his treatment. He rubbed some ichor and ice around the ankle with a napkin and had Thalia take a sip of the former. While May had their attention with a gripping tale of Luke's first few days of potty training – that boy did not want to be in diapers or limited to one spot when he did his business, apparently – Naruto pressed his hand over the ankle and closed his eyes.
After he'd thought of some words to use, Naruto began to sing softly – not with the best voice in the world, but it wasn't bad either – in Greek. It was a trick used mostly by his 'cousins', to sing to Apollo to heal another, but Apollo told him that it really didn't have to be his kids that sang. He'd accept a request made by anyone that was singing about him. His mother said it was due to his ego. Apollo never disagreed when Naruto asked if it was true.
May ignored the song, going to a story about Luke picking a locker in school, but Thalia and Annabeth stared at Naruto curiously. He sang too softly for them to really catch with May's chatter taking up most of the sound. By the time Naruto had finished, he had released Thalia's leg and let her walk around on it for a second.
"How'd you do that?" Thalia asked with a curious and wary frown. She started to pull her sock and shoe back on while Annabeth stared in genuine curiosity.
"Old trick my uncle taught me. Wasn't sure if it would work," Naruto said with a shrug. He covered the lid on the ichor and handed it back to May. "Thank you, Ms. Castellan."
May smiled back at him. "No problem, deary-"
"Then you don't care!"
Eyes went to the hall as Luke's shout echoed in the house. Naruto winced. Yeah, this was going to end badly. Eyes went to May, who had stopped stirring and set the bowl of cookie mix down.
"Luke? Is that you?" Her voice was worried, hopeful, and elated. "Is that my boy?"
Luke ran from the living room and left the house. Annabeth was quick on his heels and Thalia was right on hers. Naruto stood from his seat and pulled his mask back up. He watched as the elderly woman moved from the kitchen to the door in a speed one would not expect of her.
"Luke! Luke, come back! My boy!" Tears fell down her cheeks.
Hermes was behind her. He had her in a embrace one would not expect a god to use when they kept a mortal from chasing after demigods. Naruto slipped by and pulled his hood up.
He turned back and his eyes locked with the god's for a brief moment before he looked at the sobbing May. "Ms. Castellan, thank you for all your help."
"My boy!" May wailed.
Naruto turned and ran off towards the woods that the other three had run to. There were clouds forming overhead and the moon was being hidden from sight. Naruto took one last look at the Castellan house, the image of the worried mother driven to tears burned in his mind. He turned back towards the shadows of the wilderness and embraced them.
Humans and immortals...so different and so very much alike.
"Would you like to talk about it?" Naruto asked that night. Luke was too worked up to sleep and had told Thalia and Annabeth that he'd take first watch. Annabeth had asked what Hermes was like, and Luke almost flipped had Thalia not pulled Annabeth aside and offered to read the comic with her again before bed.
"What do you care?" Luke asked bitterly. "You're not a demigod."
"I am not a demigod, but I know what it's like to feel betrayed by your father." Naruto added.
"It's not the same." Luke grumbled.
Naruto sighed. It looked like he'd have to start this conversation if he was to make any headway. "My birth mother died the night I was born. My father was nowhere to be found. It wasn't complications in birth that killed her. According to my adoptive mother, my birth mother was riddled in cuts and gashes. She held on long enough to give me my name."
"...Your name?" Luke asked. Naruto looked at him from the corner of his eye.
"Naruto. It means maelstrom or fishcake in Japanese, depending on how it's written." He explained. "There's probably another meaning for it, but that's what I know."
"...Do you know who your father is?" Luke asked.
Naruto shook his head. "Don't know, don't care. If I ever meet him in this world or the next, I'm going to punch him square in the face."
"How do you know you're not a demigod?" Luke asked.
"My mother, the one that adopted and raised me, has experience with demigods. She's very worldly." Naruto smiled softly as Luke narrowed his eyes.
"How does she have experience with demigods?" Luke asked.
"She's very worldly. You could say she's clear sighted, too." Naruto chuckled. "Far better sight than I have. Anyone, really."
"Why haven't gods gone after her, then?" Luke asked.
Naruto smirked. "My uncle is very protective of her. He's got wicked aim and a bit of a sadistic streak to him. Almost killed a guy for making a pass at her."
"...And this would scare a god?" Luke asked in disbelief.
Naruto grinned, a feral-like smirk plastered on his face under his mask. "Gods are smart. They know a bad idea when they see it. Going after my mother...possibly the worst idea imaginable."
"...Your family sounds awesome." Luke commented.
Naruto looked up at the sky. "They are. They've got faults too, though. Mom doesn't like a lot of guys and her adopted daughters, my sisters, aren't fans, either. I left because it made them...uncomfortable." And because it was against old laws.
"That sucks." Luke frowned. "Couldn't they have gotten over it?"
Naruto shrugged. "Maybe. Doubt it. Doesn't matter. I decided to leave with my Uncle. He couldn't stay with me long, though. He's got a job that keeps him away."
"Well...At least you don't have monsters after you." Luke joked.
Naruto reached into his pocket and pulled out his die. He looked it over and his eyes became hard. "Yeah...no monsters..."
"Cool die. Where'd you get it?" Luke asked.
"Picked it up when I was tracking you guys down." Naruto flicked it into the air and caught it. "Was getting bored and figured being in a group of demigods would be better than running around Richmond pretending to be a superhero."
Luke frowned. His guard went up like rock walls at Naruto's comment. "...So...what exactly spurred on this get up?"
Naruto looked at his die. "I wanted to make a difference...And keep my home safe."
"And now?" Luke asked.
Naruto looked at him. A soft light appeared in his eyes. "I felt some other kids needed to find a home, too."
Luke fought the smile that spread across his face for a moment before he held his hand out. "Glad to have you. Luke Castellan."
Naruto looked at the hand for a moment before he pocketed his die and took hold of Luke's hand.
"Naruto, but my legal name is Nathan Blank."
"Die!" Thalia cried out as she stabbed another hellhound in the head. It had been a few months since the mortal had joined up with them. Naruto kept to the shadows mostly and was great when it came to deciding where one should camp. More sleep filled nights were had than if they had been without him. He was also good at finding weapons and supplies. Something about tricks his mother and sisters taught him.
A silver arrowhead flew inches from Thalia's head, over her shoulder and into a jumping hellhound's eye socket. The guy was a natural survivor and he made up for what she and Luke lacked, a ranged support. Naruto was an ace shot with his thrown weapons. Thalia didn't know when the guy slept, but it had to be less than an hour each night. Seriously, the amount of times Naruto saved the demigods' lives in their sleep was surprisingly high.
"They just keep coming," Thalia said in tired outrage. This was the fifth pack that had attacked them that night, and without looking, Thalia knew Luke was on his last legs, too. She frowned as he stumbled and narrowly escaped a hellhound's swipe with its front paw. Luke had been getting a bit more reckless. He'd attacked most monsters he could lay his eyes on, and in another time, it would've driven him and Thalia to exhaustion, near death. Each survival would've made them closer than they already were before.
Now, with a third and, begrudgingly admitted, more talented fighter, it had only made her increasingly agitated with the boy. Naruto had tried to explain that the run in with Hermes had made Luke unsettled, that there were just some things one had to figure out for themselves, but Thalia wouldn't buy it. Luke didn't think before he acted when he saw a monster, he didn't consider his, hers or even Annabeth's safety when they fought a monster.
The girl in question was back with Naruto, close enough that he could grab her if needed, but able to hold her own against a hellhound. Her tactics got better with each night, and that could be attributed to Naruto's knowledge of hunting.
"Mom likes to hunt." Naruto explained when asked how he knew all of this. "It was a simple way of life. You could call her a naturalist, I guess."
Thalia found it odd when he never gave a name to the woman he called 'Mom'. There was a sister he mentioned a lot, Zoë, but they never got an exact name for his mother. They knew his Uncle Fred through some zany stories about trips to Japan or China – Frankly, Thalia thought Uncle Fred was a perv with all the women that would come up in the stories, but kept those to herself out of respect for the boy that travelled with them – but got no hints to his mother.
Ms. Blank was an apt name, as Thalia couldn't think of anything else to call the woman other than Naruto's Mom.
"There's another pack coming!" Naruto's warning came along with the howls of more hellhounds. Thalia grimaced. There were too many. She and Luke were exhausted – hell, Thalia could barely manage a single spark by the third pack of hellhounds – Annabeth could barely handle one Hellhound, and Naruto was probably low on silver.
"We can handle it!" Luke managed to get out as he cut another hellhound down. "It's got to be the last group!"
"Luke, there's too many!" Naruto sounded closer than before and Thalia caught sight of him. His cloak was gone, torn to shreds earlier when the third pack nearly flanked them. Like herself and Luke, Naruto had cuts on his body from the hellhound's claws getting too close. The mask around his face was ripped slightly on the left, the side that faced her, and revealed one of his whisker marks.
"W-We need to run!" Annabeth agreed from where she clung to Naruto's back. Her leg had a large cut on it and Thalia saw the younger girl blink away the tears.
"Annie, you okay?" Thalia asked. She turned and stabbed another Hellhound with her spear. A final lunged at her but was nailed in the side of the skull by a silver arrowhead. Thalia glowered at Naruto before she looked to the younger blonde on his back.
"I'm okay, just hurts a bit." The admittance was quiet, but at least she was honest. Acting tough was stupid, even when supplies were limited. Naruto made that clear when Luke got a gash in his arm and tried to brush it off.
"Would you rather die because you were so stubborn that you bled out, or would you like to ensure that we all make it to the next safe house?"
Naruto was curt, but not unkind. He genuinely cared about all of them, even though he was a bit distant. It was like he expected them to leave him behind sometime.
"Glad to hear it." Thalia nodded. She looked at Luke as he finished off his hellhound. They looked at the last pack that was heading towards them. Luke steadied his ground and Thalia glared at him. "Luke, come on!"
"I can catch up!" Luke called over to them. He sounded just as exhausted as Thalia felt.
Naruto gave an annoyed grunt. "Oh, now he wants to be the-?" Naruto stopped abruptly and turned to the woods behind them. He hissed out a swear that Thalia felt was a bit too inappropriate for Annabeth's ears.
"What's that mean?" Annabeth asked.
"Tell you when you're older," Thalia said as she frowned at the older boy. "What?"
"I need to leave. Luke should come with me." Naruto mumbled.
Thalia narrowed her eyes. "What does that mean?"
Naruto shook his head. "Never mind. It's too late." He crouched down and slipped Annabeth from his back. "Annie, stand next to Thalia."
"But-"
Naruto didn't tear his eyes from the forest. "Annabeth, just do it."
The force he used behind his order had Annabeth back away and stumble into Thalia. The older girl let Annabeth keep her weight off of her leg and they watched as Naruto turned towards the hellhounds. He reached behind him and pulled a large, silver arrowhead from his back pouch. It was easily large enough to fit on a pole to make a spear.
"Run to the forest." Naruto softly instructed. "Luke and I will cover you."
"What?!" Okay, why were boys so stupid? Thalia scowled and opened her mouth to call them both idiots, but she stopped when Naruto's eyes met hers.
Cold orbs of ice had replaced the warm ocean blues that once rested in his eyes.
"I said go."
Thalia frowned and put her shield away. She let Annabeth climb onto her back and started to back up.
Luke looked at her over his shoulder. "What are you waiting for!? Get going!"
Thalia grit her teeth and turned to run. She ignored Annabeth's questions about the two idiots she'd left behind. Thalia was mere feet from the woods when the first arrow shot over her shoulder. She came to a stop and dropped to the ground. Thalia pulled Annabeth around and covered her with her own body.
"Fire!" A voice called from the woods before more arrows shot from them. There were pained howls and the sound of brush being moved. There were more arrows fired, it sounded like someone had just decided to rip a bunch of cardboard at once, and even more howls. Thalia kept down and quiet until a hand placed itself on her shoulder.
"Hey there." The voice was gentle and feminine, and caused Thalia to look up. A girl her age or maybe a year older smiled down at her. Her hair was brown and green eyes looked down at her with care. Oddly enough, like Naruto, the girl was clad in a silver cloak. "I'm Melissa, are you all right?"
"...Thalia." Thalia decided after a minute. She got up with Annabeth and looked at the young blonde's injured leg. "I'm fine, but she needs some bandages."
"Wow, at least it's a shallow cut. Thalia come with-!"
"Milady!" A voice called from behind Thalia. Thalia and Melissa turned to see two other girls coming back from the clearing. Behind them, Luke followed with a frown on his face. His sword was in one of the girls' hands, but they were down a person.
Naruto wasn't with them.
The girl that had called out was taller and a bit older than Thalia and looked a bit like a Persian princess with that dumb tiara on her head. She came to a stop in front of a younger girl, around twelve or thirteen if Thalia had to guess, with dark auburn hair pulled back into a pony tail. She had a circlet of her own on her head, with a familiar symbol in the middle of her forehead.
A crescent moon.
Thalia stared at the moon and found herself distracted long enough before she registered the conversation as the older girl spoke with the younger.
"Are you sure?"
"He was here." The older girl urgently mumbled. She held her hand out and a glint of silver caught Thalia's eye.
The younger girl took the object from the older's hand with a small frown on her face. Her eyes, cold and bright like the moon above them, looked it over before she clenched it tightly in her grasp. She looked back at the taller girl.
"Come along," Melissa said as she took Annabeth into her arms and turned. "We have started to set camp for the night. You'll be safe with us."
Thalia strained her ears as she, Annabeth and Luke were led away. "...A Hunter with...find him and end..."
It was gone, they were too far. Thalia scowled and looked at Luke. "Where's 'N'?"
"Don't know." Luke muttered under his breath. He looked pissed. "One second he's there fighting hellhounds with me, and the next he's gone. He might've said something, but I was too busy to hear him. Next thing I know, bunch of arrows made of silver are falling from the sky and taking out the Hellhounds." Luke looked at the girl that led him. "Thanks, by the way."
"Spare us your gratitude," Melissa said with a scowl. Thalia frowned, that was an abrupt turn around. "If you wanted to thank us, you should've stepped-!"
"Melissa!" Another girl, this one with yellow hair like straw and sky blue eyes snapped. She stepped up and tossed Luke a roll of bandages and a bottle. "Here. Fix yourself up, boy."
It was nicer than Melissa, but it was still a bit harsh. Thalia frowned as the girl sat them down and took care of Annabeth's cut. She took a glance at some of the surrounding girls and noted their glares directed at Luke, who shifted uneasily as he treated a cut on his shoulder.
"What's your problem?" Thalia asked the one that was helping Annabeth. "What did Luke do to you guys?"
"He has done nothing...yet. He will, I'm sure." Melissa answered scornfully.
The one treating Annabeth stopped and frowned at her. "Melissa, isn't there a watch you need to join?"
Melissa huffed and walked off while the girl that was assisting Annabeth looked at Thalia.
"We are the Hunters of Artemis."
That certainly cleared up the questions in Thalia's head. More were raised, though. Like what were those two Hunters talking about? How did Naruto know the Hunters were here? How did he know about the Hunters at all? Why did Naruto disappear and leave Luke to the hellhounds?
And the biggest question that was going through the daughter of Zeus' head: Where was Naruto now?
"Ow, ow, ow..." Naruto hissed as he pulled a silver arrowhead out of his side slowly and carefully. He was seated against a tree at least a mile from the clearing. Or, at least, he hoped it was a mile. Naruto didn't exactly want to be found by the Hunters. That wasn't a reunion he wanted to have.
Ever.
First things first, he needed to get the arrow out of him before he bled out or it got infected. Naruto reached into his pouch and pulled out one of his crescent moon shuriken. He used it like a plier, giving a hiss as he opened the wound to grab the arrowhead. Carefully, he dislodged the projectile from his side. It wasn't without a scream that the arrow left his body.
Naruto took heavy breaths and pressed his hand against his side. He grit his teeth and used his other hand to pull his second pouch around. He always had small quick fix supplies in this one. After a bit of digging, Naruto found what he needed.
A needle and thread.
He grimaced. This was going to hurt like hell.
"Ouch, that looks painful."
Naruto looked up and glowered at the one that smiled down at him.
"Khonsu..." Naruto grumbled. "Not in the mood for your crap right now."
Khonsu gained a wounded frown and put his hand on his chest. "Ouch, that hurts me right here, Naruto. I thought we were friends!"
"We're not." Naruto grit out as he tried to thread the needle with one hand. It did not go well.
"You know, I could help you with that," Khonsu said nonchalantly.
"Thanks, but I'll pass. There's no such thing as a free lunch," Naruto said through gritted teeth.
Khonsu frowned. "You're no fun."
"Bite me."
"Now that's just rude." Khonsu crossed his arms over his chest and his necklaces gleamed in the moonlight. He watched Naruto struggle with the needle and thread for another minute before he sighed. "Now this is just sad."
He snapped his fingers and the needle became threaded. Khonsu pointed at the wound and the needle began to stitch up the gash. Naruto grit his teeth and his nails dug into the ground. It took a few minutes, but the wound was stitched shut.
"There, don't say I never did anything nice for you," Khonsu said with a smirk.
Naruto grimaced. "What do you want?"
"Nothing...yet, anyway. Just came to check up on you."
"While the Hunters were on my trail?" Naruto asked dryly.
Khonsu's smirk dimmed. "They cannot find you, Naruto. She will know of our interactions. You should leave as soon as possible."
Naruto shook his head stubbornly. "I can't leave the others behind."
Khonsu pursed his lips before he sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Alright, well I tried to warn you. Might as well let you know that another is on your tail aside from the Hunters."
Naruto looked at the Egyptian god sharply. "Another what?"
"He should find you sometime soon." Khonsu continued without acknowledging Naruto's question. "Word of advice, don't bring up the subject of your mother or father. He'll never shut up about it. Hot tempered, that one." Khonsu dusted his sleeve off and looked up. "Huh, would you look at that? An hour passed. How time flies."
Naruto grimaced as Khonsu faded from view. As a god of Time, he could control the flow of time. When they first met, Khonsu had frozen their small place in time so they could converse. It had set Naruto a week behind the trio of demigods he followed, before he caught up to them again. It seemed this time, Khonsu wasn't as willing to do something so chaotic.
Naruto waited for the stitching to hold, for the blood flow to slow, before he patched it with some fabric he tore from his leg and tape that was in his pouch. With a bit of effort, the mortal got back to his feet. He took a few steps and braced himself against a tree while he held his injured side. As per the norm, Naruto was right.
That hurt like hell.
Naruto clenched his hand into a fist and stubbornly pushed on. He disappeared into the shadows of the woods. He would have to travel down wind once he found the nearest creek or sewer to clear away his scent. The Hunters were after him, and it would be a cold day in the Underworld before he was found.
"He sat here," a Hunter said softly as she pressed her hand against a tree. "And dug the arrow out of his side."
"Amazing that he didn't leave a blood trail." Another commented. There was a hint of scorn in her words. "I'd have thought he'd forget how to live like us when he left with his uncle."
"Creusa, watch thy tongue." The first Hunter warned. Her eyes narrowed as she looked around the area. The dirt a few feet away from this spot was disturbed, as though another person stood there. Something was wrong.
"I apologize, Zoë, but tell me, why do we care?" Creusa asked. She crossed her arms over her chest with a huff. "He's just another boy now, but at least he has a bit of brains to stay away."
Zoë turned and frowned at the Hunter. "He is our Lady's son and he's been missing for seven months. Not even the gods can find him."
"Why do we have to?" Creusa asked again. "He's a boy."
"He's our Lady's son." Zoë repeated herself firmly. She turned and walked further into the woods as a small frown crossed her face. There was one answer that she had to know now more than ever, a question she will undoubtedly share with her patron.
Who were you speaking with, little brother?
A small meal, some kind of stew was offered to the three demigods, and they took it. Annabeth had a few pleasant conversations with the other Hunters, but for the most part, Thalia and Luke urged her to stay away from them. Now they were settled together in a small tent offered by a hunter for them, and Annabeth slept soundly next to Luke while the boy and Thalia spoke quietly to one another.
"He wanted you and him to leave," Thalia said to the miffed boy that sat with them. Luke was still sore that Naruto had vanished in the middle of the fight. "He knew that the Hunters were coming..."
"How!?" Luke shot back lowly. "How did he know? He's keeping something from us, Thalia, and if he comes back, we need to find out what it is."
"Nar-Whiskers will come back." Thalia rebuffed Luke's concern. Naruto hadn't left them thus far and he'd had many chances to do so during their journey together. "And we'll get answers when he does."
Their makeshift tent was opened by the Persian princess that had the hushed conversation before. She looked at Luke with hardly concealed distain and then looked at Thalia with a bit more approval.
"My Lady would wish to speak with thee." The girl said curtly. Luke started to join Thalia in getting up, but he was stopped by a glare. "Not thou, boy. Thou shall stay and watch the child."
Luke frowned and held his tongue while Thalia frowned outright. Luke may have been acting like an idiot lately, but that didn't give this chick the right to talk down to her friend like that. Thalia made to open her mouth and say this, but a shake of the head from Luke told her to let it slide. They weren't exactly on their home turf right now.
Thalia quietly left the tent and followed the taller girl to a larger tent of silver with a crescent moon on the front. She stole glances and noticed the tension that had overcome the Hunters. Like they were all torn from being elated or upset at some news. Beyond that, Thalia saw that there were a few white wolves that looked like they were patrolling the camp.
Melissa walked out of the tent with a frown directed at Thalia, but nodded to the other girl. "She's waiting for you."
"I am aware." The girl walked past without another word. Thalia followed and entered the tent. The interior was filled with furs of all sorts of animals, a few looked like hellhound furs. In the center of the tent were a few cushions set before a table, and on the other side sat the same young Hunter from before, the one with the crescent moon on her circlet.
"My lady, I've brought the girl as you requested." The leading Hunter, the Persian princess as Thalia dubbed her, stopped and bowed. She sent a cross look to Thalia when she noticed the girl just stood there. The Hunter righted herself and scowled at the girl. "Have thou no manners, girl?"
"Enough, Zoë, I don't think she knows who I am. That's forgivable." The young girl smiled at Thalia before her form shone brightly. Thalia had to close her eyes and look away before she looked back to see an older version of the girl seated behind the table. The beauty of this woman was even more prominent than before and Thalia found herself a little envious. The woman smiled slightly at her. "My name is Artemis, and this is my lieutenant Zoë Nightshade."
Thalia certainly felt stupefied at the proclamation before she took a seat at one of the cushions offered to her. "You're Artemis? Like, the goddess of the Moon?"
"Yes." Artemis nodded. "And the goddess of the Hunt."
"...Wow." It was all Thalia could really say. "W-What do you want from me?"
Artemis smiled gently at her. "Well, I just want to ask you a few questions."
"Questions?" Thalia frowned. "Like what?"
"Would you like to join the Hunt?" Artemis' question was blunt and to the point. It would have thrown Thalia off guard if she wasn't used to blunt questions from Naruto.
"To skirt around an issue is to waste time, time that could cost someone a life. It's better to be blunt and get the issue out in the air."
Thalia frowned slightly, which caused Artemis to frown as well. "What do you mean?"
"For every young girl, around your age and a bit older, I ask them to join me in the Hunt. To slay monsters at my side for eternity."
Slay monsters for eternity... That certainly sounded nice to Thalia. Get some payback for the horror she was put through over the years. Thalia crossed her arms. "What's the catch?"
"The catch." Artemis hummed and then shook her head. "It is not guaranteed immortality, you could still fall in battle, but you must swear an oath to the Hunt. To forsake the foolhardiness of love or boys."
That was it? No way, it wasn't that easy. Thalia looked around the cabin as her thoughts ran wild. Her eyes landed on a small metal box set on a yellow blanket slightly behind Artemis. It was, like many other things, shaped like a crescent moon. There was something unnatural about it though. Thalia couldn't put her finger on it, but it put her off.
"The question is simple, thou should answer before we take thy silence as a no!" Zoë hissed impatiently. Thalia glared at her and Zoë glared back, but her eyes flickered to the box that Thalia had noticed. Something about it made Zoë uneasy. What was so special about the damn metal moon?
"Zoë," Artemis said sternly, and her gaze had the lieutenant back off. The goddess looked back at Thalia. "It is a simple yes or no, Thalia."
"...What about my friends?" Thalia asked softly. Luke couldn't keep Annabeth safe alone and, what if, he was right and Naruto ran off for good? Naruto was just a mortal, a weird one, but a mortal nonetheless. He didn't have to stick around with a bunch of demigods and risk his life for them.
"If the girl were a bit older, she'd be in here with you, being asked the same question. As it is now, she is too young to make a decision without understanding the consequences."
"So there are consequences, huh?" Thalia asked. Artemis arched a brow in bemusement while Zoë scowled outright. Thalia crossed her arms and waited, but neither rose to the bait.
Artemis continued despite the question asked not being answered. "The boy, well, I suppose I should tell him where to go, but someone must surely be looking for him by now."
"You'd just throw him to the wolves?" Thalia asked with a frown.
Zoë scoffed and muttered scornfully. "That would be too kind."
"Zoë!" Artemis snapped curtly.
Thalia, however, wasn't so quick to forgive the discrimination this time. "What's your deal, Princess?"
Zoë glared at the girl and looked to the goddess. "Apologies, milady, but shouldn't this wait until after our search is completed? This girl is already used to the boy's company and-!"
"The boy has a name and his name is Luke!" Thalia retorted with a frown. "And like it or not, he is my friend!"
Zoë frowned back at her. "Thou are a fool!"
"Only fool I see around here is you, Princess!"
"That boy will turn on thou as soon as it suits him."
"Don't say that like you know him!" Thalia growled.
Zoë scoffed. "He's like any other man on this planet, concerned only to sate the needs and desires of their real bra-!"
"Zoë, that is enough!" Artemis words were quick as a whip and the lieutenant became silent. The tension was high and Artemis sighed before she looked at the static that danced across Thalia's hands. "I apologize, Thalia. I know that...Luke, is your friend. This decision is hard, perhaps, another time, I shall ask you. If we meet again, maybe circumstances will be different."
"Doubt it." Thalia scowled and made to rise. Artemis raised her hand and stopped her.
"Before you go, I have another question." Artemis waited for Thalia to sit back down and then pulled out a silver arrowhead that made Thalia's eyes widen. One of the same arrowheads Naruto used when he fought monsters. You could tell because, unlike the arrows of the hunters, there was no way to attach a shaft to them. Artemis must've seen Thalia's eyes widen, because her silvery ones narrowed. "You've seen this before, I take it?"
"Yeah, all of your Hunters have them," Thalia said quickly. She crossed her arms again and looked away, her gaze returned to the metal box behind Artemis. What the hell was it? Why did it make her wary?
Why did it feel like it didn't belong?
"This is not one of my Hunters' arrowheads, Thalia." Artemis' voice was low. "This belongs to someone outside of the Hunt, someone we've been looking for, for a long time now."
Thalia frowned. "What do you want with Whiskers?"
Artemis paused and a small chuckle came from her lips. Thalia's brows furrowed and she looked to Zoë, surprised to see a faint ghost of a smile on the princess' own features. Thalia looked back to the goddess, her frown still in place.
"What's so funny?"
Artemis sighed, a smile on her face. "It's an apt nickname, I suppose."
"Yes it is, Milady." Zoë nodded. "Shame we did not consider it. A blessing, even, that Lord Apollo doesn't know of it."
"Indeed it is."
Thalia scowled. "Wanna let me in on the joke here?"
Artemis turned and grabbed the two items that Thalia kept finding herself drawn to look at. Up close, they were even more out of place. The yellow cloth was not a fur, but a blanket with a golden sun etched into it, from what Thalia could make out despite the folds. The crescent moon metal box, however, was still a puzzle. Artemis pressed the side and the top opened. A mobile with shapes of stars and small moons popped out, and the song "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" began to play.
Thalia's brow shot up and her jaw dropped as she put the pieces together. Her eyes went to Artemis and she thought over things that Naruto had said. He vaguely hinted to his past, never once revealing who his adoptive mother was.
"I left. Had to. My sisters were starting to drive me nuts."
"Mom likes to hunt."
"Older sisters. They're awesome. A bit ...hardheaded sometimes, but they've got good hearts."
"You could call her a naturalist."
"Oh my God." Thalia looked at Artemis. "You're Naruto's mom."
Artemis smiled gently and turned the mobile off, where it folded away. "Yes...Yes I am."
"Ow, gods above and across the world, that hurts." Naruto hissed as he slumped against a tree. His eyes drooped and his hand went to his poorly covered side. It burned, like nothing Naruto had ever felt before. A pained hiss left his lips.
A mile to go.
Naruto groaned and rose up only to stumble and fall to the forest floor on his uninjured side. His wound was reopened, it had to be. That was the only reason it hurt so much. That or it was infected.
Either way, Naruto had to push on.
The fire came back, the burn was more intense than before. It was the most agonizing pain Naruto had ever felt in his life. Naruto stopped and braced himself on his hands and knees.
Keep going.
Naruto could hardly get back up, but somehow he managed to. He stumbled forward, using the trees as support. Eyes screwed shut as the pain flared. Naruto slumped down to his knees and took labored breaths.
"Finally."
A deep voice echoed around him as a shadow encompassed Naruto's body. The blond barely managed to jump away as a red hand-like claw smashed down into the ground where he once stood. The trees melted away into nothing and Naruto was left in a poorly illuminated area. Naruto's eyes moved up as a red claw overshadowed his form. He looked up beyond that and found a massive fox...with rabbit-like ears. Nine tails danced behind the creature and two blood red eyes glared down at Naruto with so much hatred, that Naruto could barely breathe.
"Uzumaki..." It snarled. "You are the last of your kind, the last that could potentially end me..."
"Wh-what?" Naruto asked. He bit down on his lip behind his mask as another flare of pain shot up around him. Naruto pressed his hand into his side and looked down at the wound. His eyes went wide as red...energy leaked from his side over his hand and slithered towards the massive fox.
"You have my chakra. I want it back!" The claw rose back up and shot down right at Naruto's body. The middle claw on the fox's hand passed through Naruto's chest, and would've torn through his whole torso if it hadn't merely phased through him like a ghost.
"What the Hell is going on!?" Naruto demanded around a pained cry.
The fox snarled at him, its teeth bared as its eyes glared at him. "It seems our connection is not strong enough for me to simply kill you here, boy. I must wait until I reform to take back what is mine. Be ready Uzumaki, for when I do return, I will take your life."
"Who...what are you!?" Naruto asked.
The fox snarled at him. "I am your death!" It lunged forward with its maw open wide and closed around Naruto's form before he could move.
Naruto's eyes snapped open and jerked from where he rested in an abandoned bear's cave. He hissed and moved his hand to press against his side. Naruto looked down at the wound and pulled the tape away to look at the stitching. There was no sign of any of that red energy.
Naruto scanned the outside of the cave he had hid himself in. It was set down wind of nearly every direction, so he would be safe from discovery here. There was also no sign of a giant monster fox trying to eat him. He frowned and sat back against the rock wall. This bore some looking into.
What was that fox? What is chakra? Just what exactly was he?
AN: Wow, yeah, I know I said Demeter, but...I came up high and dry. So, while I was plotting out that story, I came up with this one. The continuation of probably the most popular of the group.
Hope y'all enjoyed it!
REVIEW!
