**Chapter Ten**

**Sun West Line**

"So what do we do now?" Thalia asked as the group ran along with one another side by side, making their way towards the van they arrived in.

"We head west. If it's the General who really did take Lady Artemis, then I believe I know where they are and where she is being kept. We need to head west immediately." Zoe said as her braid flew in the air as she ran.

Naruto looked towards Zoe and wondered if she was hiding something. _'This general character has really got her spooked. Has he got some kind of vendetta against her?'_ He wondered as he patted Luna's head who ran beside him.

"So what do we do with kelp for brains here?" Thalia said giving Percy a glare who looked away.

Naruto sighed and rubbed his forehead as he ran. Percy sneaking onto yet another quest had just made it more difficult. Sometime he wondered whether he really did have kelp and seaweed in that head of his.

"He'll have to come with us. We cannot afford to lose anymore time on the quest and sending him back to camp will take up a day at least. For now he stays."

They all nodded while Zoe gave Percy a glare that would have made him combust into ashes.

"Just make sure he stays out of the way otherwise he will just get himself killed." Zoe said scowling at the thought of having Percy come with them on the quest before she turned back around and faced the way they were running.

Percy frowned at the tone Zoe spoke about him in and looked for someone to say something but saw no one did. They all looked at him and just shook their heads, annoyance and disappointment clearly evident on their faces.

"Once we end the day and rest somewhere secure, you will iris messaging the camp and you will be telling Annabeth that you took her precious hat. She is probably turning the Athena cabin upside down trying to find it." Naruto said making Percy go a little pale.

An angry Annabeth was not a foe he wanted to fight any time soon.

Thalia whacked the back of his head before shaking her head at him. "If she is upset when we call her then I am shocking your ass." She said and to make sure she was not kidding, she lit her hand up with sparks.

Percy quickly nodded and decided to stay quiet since speaking anymore right now would probably get him killed.

They ran for another minute when they saw the van up ahead. Quickly climbing in, Zoe got behind the wheel and as soon as all the doors closed, she pushed on the accelerator and sped forward and away from the museum.

Everyone held onto their seats as Zoe's driving made them swerve in and out of traffic lanes with angry horns sounding out from angry drivers.

"I think I should have stuck to running, it might have taken longer but at least it would have been safer." Naruto said as Zoe glared at him.

"There is nothing wrong with my driving. It is efficient, it's safe and its get us where we need to go." She said while everyone looked at her a little skeptically. In the back Luna had a paw over her eyes proving it was a little too much for her and Percy and Grover were going shades of green and looked ready to vomit.

As they drove along the road dodging cars and trucks, they arrived at the Potomac where their when they noticed a figure in the sky heading towards them.

Heading straight towards them was a sleek and militarized helicopter similar to the one they had all seen in Maine.

"They know the van." Grover said as they all halted to a stop. "We have to ditch it."

"We have to try and outrun them for now." Zoe said even though it was very slim that they would be able to since it had the speed advantage. Zoe quickly slipped into the fast lane and pushed down on the accelerator.

The car got faster and faster but helicopter continued to follow them, not giving them a moment of rest.

Sitting beside Silena who was keeping an eye on the helicopter and had one of her daggers ready in her hand, Thalia closed her eyes and prayed hard. "Hey, Dad. A lightning bolt would be nice about now. Please?"

They all looked outside to see if her prayer would be answered from her father, but the skies were just gray and snowy. Not a single thundercloud was anywhere in sight, telling them that Zeus would not be helping them in their quest.

"_Head towards the parking lot."_ A voice in Naruto head called making his eyebrows shoot up. He recognized the voice.

"Uncle Apollo?" He asked back but no word came back. Looking around as they drove he spotted a parking lot which he must have meant.

He told Zoe to head over towards the lot but she looked at him as if he was insane. "We will be trapped if we go in there." She said but Naruto relented and told her to go towards the parking lot.

After a moment of thinking it over, Zoe shot across two lanes of traffic and into a small parking lot on the south bank of the river.

They all got out and Naruto heard his Uncle speak to him again. _"Head down the steps and take the train to Alexandria."_

Naruto nodded and followed the orders and motioned for everyone to follow him. They quickly bough tickets and ran to the train just as it was leaving.

"The subway." Grover said nodding to himself as Luna at their feet, disguised by the mist again as a Labrador. "That was a good call."

"It's not over yet." Naruto said as they all heard the chopper again as they left the station. It was barreling towards them again and stayed with them above the train, refusing to let them out of its sight.

"It does not give up does it. It is very persistent." Silena said.

"Wouldn't it be easier just to shoot it out of the sky?" Percy said thinking getting rid of it now would solve their problem but he guessed not when Zoe gave him a glare.

"If we do then we will caused a lot of problems for the innocent people around us. Plus a helicopter being shot out of the sky will just bring unwanted attention to us. Shooting a helicopter out of the sky will only burden us more then we already are." She said before turning away and making Percy look away.

As they rolled into the next station, they quickly got off and with instructions from Apollo again Naruto ended up buying two more lots of train tickets in an effort to get rid of the helicopter from following them everywhere.

Thankfully though and much to everyone relief once they got out of the third train they had taken in the last half an hour, the sound of the helicopter had disappeared signaling that for now they had managed to evade it.

Unfortunately, when they finally got off the train the group found themselves at the end of the line, in an industrial area with nothing but warehouses and railway tracks. And snow. Lots of snow.

"Great we have ended up at some kind of dead-end." Thalia said throwing her hands up in the air in annoyance as she wondered what else could go wrong for them on their first day.

As they looked around for some kind of indication of where they were, about ten meters away a homeless guy was standing at a trash-can fire. His head turned towards them and he gave them a toothless grin and said. "Y'all need to get warmed up? Come on over!"

Naruto and the others surged seeing no harm in it and Naruto knew he was not a monster in disguise due to his smell. Though his energy signature did feel familiar.

"You know." The homeless man said. "You're never completely without friends." His face was grimy and his beard tangled, but his expression seemed kindly. "You kids need a train going west?"

Everyone looked at him in surprise since that was exactly what they needed while Zoe was glancing at him suspiciously as if she knew who this was but she could not put her finger on it.

"Yes sir." Percy said taking a step forward. "We don't suppose you know of any?"

Everyone looked at Percy skeptically before they noticed the homeless man point a greasy hand over behind him. "I believe that should be able to help you kiddies."

They all looked over to see a freight train, gleaming and free of snow. It was one of those automobile-carrier trains, with steel mesh curtains and a triple deck of cars inside. The side of the freight train said SUN WEST LINE.

"Wow, that's a little convenient." Thalia said as the others all nodded in their stupor at their luck. They all turned around to thank the homeless man for pointing it out but when they looked back he was gone.

'_I feel like I should have known who it was_.' Naruto thought. _'One of the gods hiding their appearance and power perhaps?'_

"So what do we do?" Silena asked looking at the freight train. "Do we take it or do we look for another way?"

"We don't have much of an option." Grover said patting Luna's head. "I don't think the guy meant us any harm and the train does look safe enough. It might be our best option and I don't think we can afford to be picky right now." He said with everyone nodding at the reasoning.

"Then let's get on it before it leaves without us." Naruto said. The group rushed forward and ran towards the freight train. Naruto grabbed the side of one of the cargo containers and pushed it open as the others quickly climbed aboard and loaded up.

Checking to see no one was watching them; Naruto jumped on and closed the giant door behind him, completely covering them all in darkness.

Before Naruto could get a fire going, the light above them switched on automatically and they felt the train begin moving and rumbling coming from beneath them. They covered their eyes for a moment as they got use to the newfound light before they all stared around them and saw a variety of very expensive and luxurious cars holding up in the cart they were in.

There were two decks all with multiple cars on them, varying in colors and all looking brand new as if they had just been made the other day.

"Wow." The boys all said as they looked at the cars and smoothed theirs hand over the work and paint jobs.

"Whoever owns this cart must be filthy stinking rich." Percy said and everyone was quick to agree with him.

"Well I think the cars will provide us places to sleep for the night. Its going to take us a while to get west, no matter how fast this train is." Naruto said as everyone began picking out a car to sleep in.

Grover quickly picked a yellow Lamborghini and immediately began pretending that he was racing it down some racetrack. Everyone looked at him in amusement. Thalia went and climbed in a black Mercedes and made herself comfortable while Percy took the seat beside her. Zoe thought went on to one of the top decks and got in a large black SUV while Naruto and Silena took up a seat in a red Chevrolet Camero.

Luna meanwhile wanting to enjoy the open space from the freight train and happily sat on the top of one of the SUVs, stretching her large body before getting herself comfortable.

"One day in and this quest is already making me feel tired." Naruto said as he rested his head against the headrest while Silena did the same with her and faced towards him.

"You did fight the Nemean Lion and you went into Sage Mode. It's not surprising. Your body is still getting use to the amount of natural energy you are absorbing, making you feel tired quicker than normal. Once you adapt to it and use it more often, Fukasaku did say the after effects will wear off eventually."

"True I guess. How are you? It's not quite the same as the Sea Of Monsters quest?" He asked as she smiled at him.

"I'm fine; my feet are just a little sore from all the running and the boots rubbing against my feet. Though I think I will have to get use to it." She said as Naruto nodded and motioned for her to put her legs on his lap.

Smiling, she did so as Naruto took her boots off and gave her a foot rub. From the happy sigh she was giving off, he guessed she enjoyed it and the two lapsed into silent while he massaged his girlfriend's feet.

"Percy." Naruto said getting everyone's attention. "You still need to contact Annabeth back at camp. Do it now since we have some time."

Percy paled a little and looked ready to make an excuse to get out of it but he swallowed a lump in his throat and got out of the car. Sooner was better than later.

Taking the water spray from Grover and taking a drachma out of his bag, Percy took a deep breath before he separated the water and threw the drachma into the Iris Message. "Annabeth Chase, Camp Half-Blood." Percy asked.

The mist formed from the water rippled before showing Annabeth inside the Athena Cabin and was rummaging through a box beside her bed in a hurried matter while muttering something as she searched.

"Hey Annabeth." Naruto called out as he stuck his heads out the window. His voice got her attention as she whipped around with her dagger in her hand, ready to strike. Though she calmed down when she saw the Iris Message and was about to smile but then noticed Percy standing there with a nervous smile on his face while carrying her New York Yankees hat in his hand. Her face went from easy going to murderous.

"YOU STUPID SEAWEED BRAIN! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" She shouted making Percy gulp. "AND WHY DO YOU HAVE MY HAT?"

"Heh well you see about that Wise girl." Percy said hoping she would go easy on him though he knew it was a long shot. "I…..may have snuck onto the quest and taken your invisibility hat."

"Oh dear." Naruto said while he continued to rub his girlfriends feet and Thalia grinned when she saw the angry look on the daughter of Athena's face and watched and listened as she began shouting at him.

For the next five minutes, everyone in the train listened as Annabeth completely chewed Percy out and said some very colorful words that left everyone a little gob smacked at from hearing it. Even Zoë stuck her head out of the SUV she was staying in and had a look of just awe at the girls rant. Grover looked ready to pass out while Thalia was doing her best not to laugh.

Once she was finished she took a deep breath and calmed herself before giving Percy a look that promised pain. "If that hat gets ruined in any way or if there is a single tear or rip in it, then I will cut your testicles off and shove them up your ass." She said making him go pale and making Naruto, Silena and Thalia laugh at the threat. Zoe had an amused smile on her face.

"Go on kelp for brains, go rest. I think you could use it after that." Naruto said as he got out of the car he was in and Percy got back into the Mercedes while a laughing Thalia poked him on the side for getting chewed out by Annabeth.

"So how is it all going on quest?" She asked looking more relaxed since she now knew where Percy and her hat were.

"It's had it's up and downs so far but nothing we couldn't handle." He said before he got serious. "Do you know if Chiron is up or possibly Mr D?" He asked but saw Annabeth shake her head.

"No he left early today. Why do you ask?"

"During the day we ran into the one called the General who we now know is the one behind capturing my mother." He said as Annabeth eyes widened slightly before giving her utmost attention.

"I fought him briefly and from the power that he was letting out, he had to of been a Titan."

"A Titan? Are you sure?" She asked looking worried.

"Positive. His power matched that of the gods and in terms of raw power, this guy had a hell of a lot of it. Even more so then Ares. I need you to speak with Chiron or Mr D when you can and ask them if they know the identity of the General. I would feel better knowing who I might have to battle."

She nodded her head. "I will talk to them first thing in the morning, try and get some answers from them." She said before asking "Do you know if Luke was there?"

Silena, Thalia, Grover and Percy all turned their attention towards Naruto as he stared towards the Iris Message and looked at the pleading look Annabeth was giving him. Sucking in a breath he answered.

"He was though he has probably already headed back west with the General. They seemed rather chummy with one another. Plus Luke did not look all that well. In fact he looked gods awful." He said getting everyone's attention.

"What do you mean?" She asked as Thalia and Grover also leaned in.

"I mean he looked terrible. He was pale, he had lost weight, and his hair lost all its shine, even his eyes looked dulled. He looked like a simple breeze could knock him over. I don't know what he has been doing lately but whatever it is, it's affecting his body."

Annabeth gulped and looked at him with pleading eyes. "If you see him, please speak with him. Try and convince him to come back to us." She asked but saw Naruto's steeled look form, making her and everyone else shiver.

"No Annabeth. Take it from me when I say Luke will not return to us. He has made his choice and he has chosen his path. He had made it evidently clear what he wants and what he wants is to tear down Olympus with Kronos. If he tries to kill one of us then mark my words, I will not hesitate to end his life."

Annabeth looked like she wanted to say more but stopped herself and nodded at his words. While Thalia and Grover looked down and didn't like the thought of Naruto killing Luke, Percy, Zoe and Silena nodded to it and knew they would do the same if they had to.

Sensing the conversation was over, Annabeth swiped at the iris message as the misty water disappeared in front of Naruto.

Naruto swept a hand through his hair before he made his way back to the car and sat back down beside Silena who placed her head on his shoulder.

They train lapsed in silence for some time, no one wanting to speak as they just listened to the rumble of the train underneath them. Grover cleaned his reed pipes again while Thalia was trying to hotwire a car so she could listen to some music.

"I had a dream about Artemis yesterday." Percy blurted out making everyone in the train whip their heads around and look at him. No one dared to make a joke due to the circumstances.

In a flash Naruto and Zoe appeared in front of him.

"Start explaining." Zoe said with a steeled look on her face while Naruto gave Percy a nod, telling him to start explain.

"I'm not sure where we were but it was on top of some kind of hill. That man, the General was there and he had Artemis beside him with her hand in chains. Her clothes look a little ripped and had a few bruises on her as if she had been struggling and trying to get free."

Zoe and Naruto took deep breaths but everyone could see they looked concerned.

"They then stopped and looked towards a girl who was on her knees and was in pain. She looked like she was holding a dark cloud that went on for as wide as they eye could see. I think she was a hunter since she wore ripped and torn silver parka jacket. The General then said that she would be crushed if someone did not take it from her. Artemis looked stuck on what to do before the General released her and she pushed the girl out of the way and took the dark cloud thing on her shoulders."

Naruto took a deep breath and looked at Zoe.

"Do you have any idea what this cloud thing is? Who the girl could be?" He asked as Zoe had a thoughtful looked cross her face as if contemplating whether or not to speak or not.

She battled with herself internally before speaking.

"You say the girl wore a silver parka jacket. Can you describe what she looked like?" Zoe asked as Percy nodded and began describing her.

"She looked about fourteen with lightly tanned skin, brown hair tied in a long braid. Um she had blue eyes I think and a few freckles underneath her left eye."

Zoe took a deep breath. "That's Elizabeth."

"Elizabeth?" Naruto asked as he had thoughtful look on his face. "I think I met her the summer I arrived. It was back in California and we were heading to the Underworld. Did something happen to her before Maine because I remember seeing her."

"Yes, about a week before we arrived in Maine, Elizabeth was sent to take care of a hellhound that had popped up nearby. She had done the job many times before so we thought nothing of it. After a couple of hours past and she had not come back, we began getting worried and we all headed towards the location we sent her too.

"When we arrived we found signs of a struggle and her bow was on the ground while Elizabeth was nowhere in sight. Lady Artemis tried to sense her out but she could not feel Elizabeth anywhere. We believed that the Hellhound must have got the jump on her and devoured her body since there were no remains."

"But with Percy's dream we now know that is not true." Naruto said as she nodded.

"If she was indeed there then it must mean she was captured before hand and was used as bait. Lady Artemis would never turn away a maiden in need and seeing one of her hunters in such a state, it would have given the General leverage over her and to manipulate her."

"Using her weakness against her." Thalia added as she listened in beside Percy.

"It's smart, you have to give them that." Silena added as everyone reluctantly nodded.

"It means whoever we are fighting knows what they are doing and they know the Art of War."

"Then we best rest up and try to figure out what that cloud thing Percy saw is. Whatever it is, it's strong enough to keep a goddess down and out so we have to be wary of it."

Naruto went back to the car he and Silena were staying in while Zoe jumped back up onto the second deck and back inside the SUV.

As Naruto lay back against the seat, his eyes scanned Zoe direction and he furrowed his brow. Something did not add up and he knew Zoe knew something the rest of them were unaware of in this quest.

'_But what is it?'_ He thought.

Beside him, Silena linked her hand with his.

"What's wrong? You look distracted." She asked brushing her fingertips up against his arm.

"It's Zoe." He said as a frown appeared on her face as Naruto continued to look in her direction.

"What about her?"

Naruto's lips thinned a little before he spoke. "I think she knows who the General is." He said surprising Silena.

"You think so?" Silena asked as she looked in Zoë's direction. "How do you think?"

"It's her reaction every time the name is brought up. The first time his name was mentioned back in Maine, she froze up and went pale. Then there was the dream we both had and again she looked very off put. Then early today when I said we saw him in the Museum, she froze up again and just looked completely terrified."

Silena nodded and frowned a moment later and clicked her tongue.

"But if she knows then why is she keeping it a secret. If we know who we are fighting then it will benefit us in the long run. It's better to know our opponent then being kept in the dark."

He nodded in agreement. "I know but something about this guy just has her spooked, like he knows things about her that she wants to be kept secret and away from the public. If we push her it could do more bad then good."

"If she knows who this is then do you think she knows where your mother is being kept then?"

"I think so but we can't just go up to her and force it out of her. Interrogating her for this kind of information will just make her trust us less and less and it will turn her against us. And when it comes to my mother, her will looks to be ironclad. She won't be budging for anyone.

"I could rough her up a bit if you like. I'm sure Thalia would be happy to help."

"I think that is something we should try and avoid right now." He said smiling at his girlfriend.

Silena huffed and crossed her arms. "Pity, why not." She said making Naruto smile at her and kiss her on the lips. He held it there for a few seconds as Silena wrapped her arms around his neck before separating.

"Because I don't want you too to start duking it out in the middle of this quest. That is a bloodbath I would like to try and avoid."

Silena rolled her eyes before nodding in reluctance before she propped her feet back up onto his lap and wiggled her toes.. "Massage now."

Naruto smiled. "Yes your majesty." He said mock bowing before instead he grabbed her foot and started tickling her making her squeal out in surprise.

"NO YOU MEANY!" She yelled out as Naruto laughed and tickled her all over making her squirm and shudder before she managed to get on top of him and pin him down. She smirked and rubbed her foot against his leg before they began a make out session.

"Get a room you two." Thalia shouted out from the Mercedes as she finished wiring the car and was listening to alternate rock stations.

* * *

**Later on that Evening**

As night fell, everyone got comfortable in their places and sat in their seats, contemplating the day they have had as well as getting the rest they needed, so they could be ready for the next day.

Naruto had moved to sit with Grover and Percy while Thalia was speaking with Silena since she wanted the details of her training trip.

Explaining it to Thalia, the daughter of Zeus was in awe at how far the daughter of Aphrodite had come in just six months and explained to Thalia why she was so cold and showed no emotion when she killed the demi gods.

"I knew going into the training that I would have to take a human life eventually, especially since this war is going to happen and with so many demi gods siding with the Titans."

"So Naruto and Shima took me out into the forest of the Land of Fire and we went to a bandit camp. They were the common low life's you would think they were, thieves, murders, rapists, frauds etc. Naruto and Shima wanted me to learn how to take a life now so that I could grow use to it in a way and not have all the emotions pouring out of me when I do take a life for the first time because the first kill is the one you always remember."

"And you remember yours?" Thalia asked as Silena nodded.

"We had just arrived at the bandit camp and it was a chance for me to put my training into affect and show it was not all for nothing. Naruto had quickly started to demolish them while I picked them off but I was not killing them, I was knocking them out. However I could someone coming from behind me with the intention to kill so I turned around and on instinct drove my dagger forward."

"When I turned around my dagger was in the chest of a boy a couple of year older than us."

Thalia watched as Silena turned her head to wipe a tear away.

"I watched as the life left his eyes and they rolled back. Then within seconds he dropped to the ground dead."

"Afterwards I have never cried so much in my entire life. I threw up in some bushes afterwards and Naruto consoled me for the next two days and he and Shima explained in to me gently and told me what I did was not wrong and that that boy despite being so young would have killed me if I had not defended myself."

"And though it took me a while I understood what they meant and now when it comes to killing I know that I am only killing because it for the greater good and it's to protect."

"That's why we fight. We don't fight to fight, we fight to protect."

"That makes sense. That's sounds like something Naruto or Chiron would say."

She laughed. "I guess it does sound like it."

"So you really have no qualms in killing demi gods like us anymore?" Thalia asked as Silena shook her head.

"It might sound cruel but no I don't. The demi gods that chose to side with the Titans made their choice and now they will stick to it. When we fight them, they will come at us with the intention of killing us and destroying everything that we hold dear to us. If I have to end their life to protect everything I hold dear like Naruto, my siblings, my friends, my dad and my mom then so be it, that is what I will do."

Thalia nodded before asking another question. "Just how strong have you become?"

Silena smirked as if wondering when she would ask that question since she knew Thalia could be a little…..prideful when she wanted to be and was not fond of people being a lot stronger then she was. A trait she inherited from Zeus.

"My training was…..intense to say the least. Every day it was up at dawn and then bed by ten at night getting small breaks and pushing my body to the limits. It was basically train until you can't move anymore and then to some more on top of that."

Thalia paled a little at the sound of the training.

"But the results were miraculous, plus it put my body in the best shape it could ever be in."

"Strength wise if I went all out I could probably match the hunter girl brooding up in that SUV though she does have more experience than I do so it might be more of a tie. Against Naruto I can hold my own for a little while but once he gets serious then he would overpower me."

"So what did you work on then exactly?" Thalia asked as she dug for more information.

"Well we conditioned my body every morning and then during the day we would alternate. We would mix it up each day and do about two hours each of archery, hand to hand combat, gymnastics, plus the shinobi training like how to wield and throw kunai and shurikens as well as stealth."

"Sound really intense." Thalia said as Silena nodded.

"It was but the results was what I wanted which was to be able to stand with Naruto when the war began so I would to get left behind and just watch as everyone else did the fighting. I wanted to play my part and be the protector and not the protectee."

"Though Naruto had it even harder since whenever he made a mistake Fukasaku would whack him on the back of his head with his wooden stick."

Thalia watched as Silena spoke about Naruto and she saw her eyes just light up and sparkle as she did as well as her cheeks flush a little.

"You two are really in love aren't you?" she asked.

Silena was surprised by the question but she smiled brightly and nodded.

"We are. He is just so…perfect. He is everything I could have ever wanted and so much more. He is kind, he makes me laugh, he's very protective but he respects me enough to let me make my own choices and decisions, he looks at me as equals and he spoils me whenever he gets the chance."

Thalia smiled before her smile turned a little coy.

"Have you two… you know…done it yet?" She asked looking a little curious.

It did not take Silena long to figure out what she meant and went red and looked away.

"No, no we have not done that yet. We have thought about it but we want to wait until we are both ready to take that next step since it's a big deal. Plus I kind of have to win his mother over first before that happens."

"True, Lady Artemis does seem the protective type." Thalia said from her one meeting with the goddess.

"Yeah well wait until he meets my mom. Then he will be running for the hills." Silena said as both girls shared a laugh. No doubt the future meeting between Naruto and Aphrodite would be an interesting one to say the least.

As they laughed they watched as Naruto got out of the car, jumped onto the second deck, and got into the SUV.

"Now he is playing with fire," Thalia said as both girls nodded before going back to their conversation.

* * *

**With Naruto**

Naruto jumped on the second deck of car and quickly opened the door and took a seat in the SUV.

Beside him he saw Zoe sitting there looking more relaxed then she had been so far throughout the quest.

"What do you want?" Zoe asked as she just gazed off to the side, not sparing a glance towards Naruto.

"Just coming to see how you are since you have isolated yourself away from everyone else."

"Well as you can see I am fine, so you can go now."

Naruto raised an eyebrow at her but instead made himself comfortable. "No I am pretty comfy here. I think I will stay here for a bit." He said.

As he spoke, Zoe slowly turned around to look at him with a frown on her face before she quickly looked away. Naruto saw the frown and had one of his own appear on his face.

"Why do you hate me so much?" He asked softly as Zoe turned to look at him and saw his eyes now had a sad look in them, much different from the playful or the serious look she had seen before.

While she did not really want to explain it to him, the look he gave her was beginning to win her over before she eventually sighed and turned fully around to look at him.

"You are everything myself and the hunters have always dreamed of being." She asked as Naruto looked at her confusingly.

"You are our lady's trueborn child and you have her blood running through you. You do not understand how many of us, myself included would kill to be her real children. And we were until you came along."

Naruto sat back as he listened.

"I have been with Lady Artemis for over two thousand years and in those years her life has been dedicated to the hunt and to us girls. Nothing else mattered and we had adventures that no one else in the world would ever have. But then you arrived and her focus has been divided with most of it now lying on you."

"Most of the girls in the hunt were either treated badly by men or they had simply been left abandoned and hurt by those they thought cared for them. They look to Artemis like a role model, a mother figure and yet now with you around, that mother figure has been tainted because they now realizes they will never really be her children."

"We are jealous of you because you have a love from Lady Artemis that us hunters have never received back. We thought we could be okay with it at first and grow to care for you in some way but it just kept getting harder and harder to do so and with Lady Artemis disappearing from time to time checking in on you when she should have been focusing on the hunt. Not checking on you. That is what the camp is for. So that gods and goddess don't have to look after you all."

"While you may have one some brownie points with us with things like defeating Ares, head butting Tantalus or bringing two new girls to the camp, we hunters won't be swayed so easily."

Naruto just sat there and listened to her speak and it further dawned on him that the hunters did not hate him per say, they were just so envious and jealous of him and the new relationship he had with his mother, that they were giving him the tough, we hate you attitude to show him they would not be affected by his presence when really they were.

"Hmm." he hummed softly as Zoe looked at him from the corner of her eye before he shrugged a little.

"I guess that's fair in a way but now that just means I have a better chance then I originally thought I did." He said as Zoe turned to look at him.

"What do you mean?"

Naruto grinned. "It just means that I definantly have hope and I swear that by the end of this quest I'm going to be calling you big sis whether you like it or not and you will call me your brother."

Zoe looked at him a little gob smacked and was about to talk back to him but stopped when she felt a very quick kiss on her cheek that made her go a little red.

Before she could do anything though Naruto got out of the car at speed of lightning and went back to his own. Zoe was going to chase after him but she felt too exhausted and figured she would just get him back in the morning.

"Stupid boy." She muttered pouting before closing her eyes as she let Morpheus take over. As she did she would never know that as she slept a tiny smile grew on her face.

* * *

**Chapter Ten Completed**

**Hey everyone I am sure you have noticed that this story has been kinda slow in getting updated. I am in no way abandoning this story so I don't know where that rumor came from. Thing is my spark for this story is kind of low at the moment and at the moment I have alot of inspiration for my Devils Dragon Story. This story will take a little break because I dont want to write more chapters for it when my motivation and spark for this story is low since it would just reflect badly on the chapters that get written.**

**Thank you all for being patient. I will most likely get back to this story is a few weeks. I'm sure many of you understand :)**

**Also know that when I get back to it, Percy, Thalia, Silena and Zoe will be getting some pretty kick ass moment since I noticed I have favored Naruto a bit too much.**

**Thanks for reading and please REVIEW**