Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson & the Olympians or Naruto. Percy Jackson & the Olympians and Naruto are the property of Rick Riordan and Masashi Kishimoto respectively and are not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.


-|Day Four|-


The next day, Shinobu is already up and running… and cartwheeling... atop the branches.

Some would call her hyperactive. They'd be right, but it's not like she has much else to do. Thalia is out again, doing whatever. From what Shinobu could tell, this will be the last job Thalia needs to do for the hunters. Gleeson is still recovering from the Cyclopes ride. Ivy is also incapacitated.

She isn't much for chatting with the old man, not after she's been immobile for so long.

It is past noon when she decides she's done enough of a morning warm-up. It is finally time to focus on training. She starts by doing a spar with an imaginary opponent. Shinobu grimaces. Another utility of Kage Bunshin she misses is always having a sparring partner. She thinks of asking for the archers for help, but the most skilled ones are out today. That might have something to do with Thalia's own mission. Besides, she isn't interested in practicing combat against ranged opponents, yet. One step at a time.

The Gentle Fist is a good base to start with for a style that doesn't rely on overpowering her opponent. That doesn't change the fact that it is too strict for her preference. Gentle Fist is also grounded and defensive. Shinobu prefers to move around and take the initiative. It is a small hurdle. She'll have to give it her own twist like she does with a lot of her jutsus.

Gentle Fist is ice; cold, rigid, either sharp or blunt. She needs to thaw it down to water. Her new style will need to flow. She'd like it to surge and maybe even become hard ice then back to water, but that's for later.

By sunset, her white shirt and silver camo pants are damp with sweat. While she is thankful, she doesn't want to ask for another set from the archers. There is a pond east of camp, though according to the archers it changes locations. Weird but not the strangest thing she's encountered.

Getting there is simple enough. It is a simple case of following her ears and her nose.

The water is colder than she expected but not intolerable. She leaves her sandals and weapon strap on some boulders. She hasn't bothered to disrobe. There is no point in taking a bath if she is just going to put on sweat-stained clothes. She relaxes, performs a few moves under the water, then goes back to relaxing. Afterward, she dries herself and her clothes with a simple chakra exercise. It takes longer than she'd like. Her chakra acts sluggish and unwieldy, but she succeeds, kinda. There are spots that are damp instead of dry but the wind will take care of that.

A loud explosion echoes at the camp's direction as she finishes putting on her weapon straps. With haste, Shinobu runs through the small forest.

When she gets there, the sight that greets here is that of an attack. About three dozen the size of Akamaru and a handful of dogs twice that size are hounding the camp. The archers there can't hold them off for long. It is obvious that the attack by the black dogs with glowing red eyes had come as a surprise.

The camp is in chaos.

Immediately, Shinobu brings her sword to bear. The other one is still damaged. She does not charge the attackers head on. It is not the time to be brash. She can't risk the lives of her comrades to such stupidity.

She runs up one tree until she is atop its higher branches. As she hops from branch to branch, she takes the daggers from her back and snipes down the enemy. The smaller ones are easy. The larger ones are much harder targets. They are more aggressive and thus in constant motion. The smaller ones might be more aggressive if the silver-clad archers didn't force them back.

She transfers her sword to her left arm and takes daggers from her right side and throws those as well. Curses leave her lips when she runs out daggers. She drops down and impales one of the larger dogs through the head. Its body cushions her fall before it explodes into gold dust.

The enemy's numbers don't seem to dwindle. She can see more coming from the forest. The monsters will overrun them if the fight continues this pace.

A loud clap followed by a second louder crash of thunder echoes in the distance. It sounds like Thalia was busy, which likely meant her entourage was also busy. No reinforcements then. Not soon at least.

Shinobu kills a couple more of the big ones by stabbing them in the neck while dodging their lunge. She hardly dents their numbers. From the corner of her eye, she can spot Gleeson swinging his bat against four attempting to back him into a corner. Some of the archers are busy trying to both hold off the attack and pull their downed comrades to safety.

Her sword slays another three, but it isn't enough. Killing these things one at a time is too slow. She needs something large in scale. But how? She doesn't have enough chakra to go through the academy three.

A pair, with their teeth, drag Ivy by an arm and a leg, and another set takes away Gleeson's weapon.

With a cry of frustration, she throws her sword like a spear and kills one of Ivy's captors. She hopes it'll slow the other down. She runs back up a tree and straddles a branch. She can't afford any distractions or have a monster attack her while she is doing what she is about to do.

Her hands clasp together, and she focuses inward. What she is about to do is really, really stupid. She can hear her heart beating like a drum in her chest, not out of fear but out of the fight's adrenalin high. She needs to calm down. Toad Sage Mode, drawing natural energy to empower all her abilities, is risky right now. According to Fukasaku, only those who have "extreme chakra levels" can use natural energy. She doesn't have extreme chakra levels to invoke senjutsu. By all intents and purposes, this is a useless suicide move that will just leave her as a stone statue.

She has a theory. Kinda. The idea is simple. In theory, the world has a will. It is through nature chakra it imposes its will. Or at least this augments its capabilities for change, renewal, and destruction. It's similar to the way chakra is for shinobi. The reason overloading in nature chakra turns people to stone is because it is nature's will. The battle to not become stone is, in theory, a battle of wills. Chakra, if she is correct, is just an amplifier of those wills. She really hopes she is correct.

It was how Sakura explained levers worked. Chakra is the lever, and the will is the force. In theory, if she has enough will, she can win against nature despite having less chakra.

It isn't going so well in practice. Already, she can feel her legs becoming stiff and heavy. The branch she is on snaps and she drops to the ground feet first. Her feet make small craters but she feels neither. The numbness is climbing to her waist.

She keeps herself from tensing, from grinding her teeth, from screaming in frustration. She needs focus. Everything else is just a distraction. For a moment she stops drawing. She feels its effects retreat and yet she knows she is not drawing enough to do anything of value. She draws, and it creeps back up again. Her ability to sense energy climbs, and she can feel the battle around her. She has no more time.

With one final push, she draws as much as she can, then her hands flash through hand seals. She bends forward, and her body teeters over her stiff legs. She falls forward. Her hands part, and her palms slam into the ground.

"Doton! Yomi no Numa!"

With the last of her consciousness, she directs the technique to the largest group of enemies. She is careful to avoid the allies she can sense on the battlefield. She only hopes it is enough to give her allies the momentum to push back and help her friends.

Numbness.

Darkness.

Nothing.


Three separate beings sense a ripple.

One god,

One Protogenoi,

And one other.


-|Aftermath|-


The winds rush past her face. Her heart doubles its pace as she collides with the clouds.

She's falling. She is falling! Oh the gods, she's falling!

Thalia hits the ground, a pillow and a blanket are on top of her. She blinks the sleepiness away. Her hand grabs her throbbing skull. A curse escapes her lips.

The crunching of leaves alerts her to feet approaching the silk, silver tent. She forces herself up with a groan. Her eyes dart to her gray sleeveless shirt and black panties with a skull and crossbones pattern. The pain dulls and her eyes spot her pants and jacket by the foot of her bed. She gets her pants on but the flaps of the tent open before she can reach her leather jacket.

"I see thou art awake." A spark arcs between Thalia's fingers in surprise. She expected company but not Zoe's voice. Another hunter, younger than Zoe hesitates and pokes Zoe on the shoulder. Zoe gives the girl an annoyed expression. It softens when the girl recoils in fear. She gives the girl a pat on the head and turns to Thalia. "I see you are awake." Zoe emphasizes 'you' and 'are' then mutters to herself. Her short partner gives Zoe a small smile which Zoe returns with less enthusiasm.

Thalia does not hide her amusement at the exchange between Zoe and the junior. The cold and aloof lieutenant of Artemis yielding to the timid is too bizarre. Zoe gives Thalia a mild glare. Zoe straightens her silver circlet and tightens her posture. She opens her mouth to speak but her companion interrupts her. "You've been out for almost two days." The younger girl gives her a pitying look. "Your friends are not so fortunate."

Thalia's face pales. Did something happen to her friends? Before she can ask, Zoe speaks up. "While you were away, monsters attacked the camp. Hellhounds." Thalia's heart races. The implication is clear. Monsters attacked the hunters and her friends because of her. The hellhounds searched for her. "The blonde is unconscious." Zoe's eyes soften. "The satyr is gone." Strength leaves Thalia's knees but she forces herself to stay standing. "He may still be alive but we cannot say this for certain." Zoe hesitates and her face goes from soft to stern to accusing. Her companion lays a hand on her shoulder and Zoe's expression becomes neutral.

The younger hunter speaks up. "Your older friend is… strange. I think it will be better if you see for yourself." Thalia takes a deep breath and steadies herself. The two hunters give her a moment to take everything in. Zoe places a hand on Thalia's shoulder. An understanding passes between them. Zoe prefers they get this done as soon as possible but she'll give Thalia time to rest if she wishes to. Thalia takes another deep breath and nods. She's ready.

They leave the tent and immediately Thalia regrets her decision. The camp shows the scars of the hellhounds' attack. The camp wasn't in great shape when she first entered it. It is in worse condition now. There are a lot more hunters, but far more suffer from injuries. Some hunters tending to their injured sisters are themselves injured.

Thalia wants to ask if how the hunters fared. How many did the monsters injure? Did anyone… Did anyone die? Her lips part but Zoe's glare drains her courage. Thalia's averts her eyes from Zoe's gaze. This is her fault. The younger hunter gives holds her hand and shows a comforting smile. Thalia returns a weak smile. She prefers Zoe's harshness. The kindness hurts more.

They enter another tent but the young hunter stays outside. Shinobu's golden hair draws Thalia's gaze first. It is unsettling that the blonde is silent and still. Zoe directs her attention elsewhere. Is that an arm?

"Is time for the interrogation?" Thalia's heart jumps. The arm talked! "Let's get straight to the point. My real name is Daedalus." Zoe's shoulders stiffen and Thalia's eyes widen.

"Ivy?!" Thalia recognizes the voice. "How?"

The arm points to Thalia. "Yes. I have gone with that alias." The arm points at itself. "Ivan V. Hugo to be exact. As for how, I have found a means to transfer my consciousness to an automaton." The voice takes on a smug tone. "This is my fourth body. Ivy. I. V. Four." Thalia groans. Ivy, Daedalus, sounds way too smug. It isn't that clever.

"And 'Hugo' means 'Bright in Mind and Spirit' or 'intelligence'." Zoe drones in an annoyed tone. "Get on with it!"

The arm gives an embarrassed cough. "Correct. I suppose you are not interested in my origins." The two girls give the arm a flat stare. "Indeed. I do believe you'll want to know that I can help you save your two friends." Gleeson! Wait? Two?!

Zoe bits her lip and her eyes glance at Thalia's unspoken question. "The satyr and Pheobe."

"And most of my body." Zoe glares at the arm. She can care less about the man's mechanical toy. She wanted to save her sister in arms. "Tsk. Tsk." The arm wags a finger at her. "It's my body that will save your comrades. It produces a signal that we can track." The silver-clad lieutenant of Artemis crosses her arms. "I can't track it as I am right now." Daedalus continues before Thalia speaks. "I need my workshop."

"This is not going to be easy, is it?" Rhetorical. Thalia knows nothing is easy for demigods.

"It's in the Labyrinth." Fuck! "And the entrances to Labyrinth's have shifted." So before they can even try traversing the underground maze they have to find it first. "I should also warn you. It is acting up, especially in the last century, doing strange things." Great.

"It doesn't matter." Zoe's confidence is infectious. "We'll find the Labyrinth and find your workshop. Are you sure you can track your body if we do?"

"More important than that, do we have time?" Thalia holds her hands up at Zoe's intense glare. "I'm just saying. This sounds like it will take a while. How can we be sure they won't be dead by then?" She tries not to back down from Zoe's gaze. "I mean. Hellhounds are Hades' minions, right? Why not just go straight to the land of the dead and get them out?"

"You mean aside from the fact that the Underworld is enormous. Or aside from the fact that it will take an eternity trying to find your friends?" Okay, stupid question. "There is an entrance to the underworld through the Labyrinth. That should mean we can enter without alerting Hades' forces."

"Thalia is not completely incorrect. We can't waste too much time." Zoe turns to Thalia. "Prepare your belongings. We'll leave by sunset."

"Wait. What about Shinobu?" Zoe and Daedalus' disembodied arm freeze. Worry shoots through Thalia. "What?"


-|Demon|-


Shinobu groans. She is glad she is alive but her body aches like Gamabunta sat on her. Her back is wet with sweat but her skin is cold. The blanket on top of her is heavy, suffocating. She lifts her arms and pushes the cover away from her. Her vision is blurry but she can see bandages wrapping her arms. Her body throbs and she knows her entire body is also wrapped.

She feels awful.

Everything hurts but she's still Shinobu. She can't stand lying still and doing nothing. She forces herself up despite her body's protest. The world spins and her ears ring but she succeeds. She sits at the side of her bed and raises her hands to her head. The throbbing stays but dulls. She exhales a dry breath and combs her hair with her fingers. Wait.

Her hands stop atop her head and trace a small bump on her head with her fingers. It is small but hard and pointed. She needs a mirror. Her hands drop to her sides and grip the bed. She pushes forward to stand but falls to the side. The ground thuds against her shoulder. She tries to stifle a scream but fails. Her wails are so loud she can neither hear the footsteps that approach her nor the words spoken.

Hands lift her from the ground and return her to the bed. They pull the blanket over her but her hands push it back. She tries to speak but she bursts into a coughing fit instead. Arms lift her to sitting. A hand brings a cup full of water to her lips but her own feet grabs her attention.

Stone. Her feet are the solid gray of stone.

In pain or in distress, her eyes water. The girl holding her up lowers the cup and lowers her down to the bed. Concerned eyes look down at her. Shinobu spots herself reflected in the girl's eyes. Bandages cover her face and her hair spread over her pillow. White draws her focus.

Peaking through golden strands is a pair of bone white horns.