AN: Sorry! I know this is like more than late. Later than late, but my computer broke, and had to get a new one. Long overdue, but don't hate me for it. What I want for people to understand, especially for this chapter, is that the gods have varying degrees of difference in their different aspects. Like, Zeus and Jupiter are gonna be close to the same exact guy, but, due to him being Roman, he is more strict. Another example is Athena and Minerva The same goddess, but they are completely different from each other. You see what I'm getting at?
redlox2-I'll say that it's Orochimaru, cuz that guy just didn't know how to die, but I won't tell you how she got it.
LazyKid24- Your opinion is noted, and read to find out. I already made up my mind on the pairings, so you'll see eventually.
KnowPein- You get to see in this chapter actually.
EternalKnight219- Yes, he was Minato in this story.
ultima-owner- Me too, cuz if she there will be hell to pay.
exillion-Technically, since it is surrounded by water, I can call it an island all I want. You can technically call Australia an island because it is surrounded by water and not be wrong. So, boom.
Jose19- You get a little bit of what Naruto felt in comparison to Percy in the last chapter, but Naruto, no matter what version, is powerful in his own right. At this moment, he is not to be taken lightly. Yes, he has his chakra, but his use is limited as it's not really a focus of his at the moment since he hasn't really needed it. Hephaestus's power does not lie in his ability to destroy continents or create big displays of power, it's in his craft. Vulcan, on the other hand, is the god of volcanoes, which are pretty destructive.
Sniperbeattie- Thanks yo! I'm far from done with this fic.
Night had fallen around the camp, and everyone knew what that meant.
It was time for the fun to begin.
Naruto himself was glumly crouched down atop one of the few high reaching towers that were erected around what was going to be the setting for the War Games this time around. It was built similarly like he remembered it, but with a few nasty changes that he was sure to surprise some of the attacking cohorts this time around. He was sure of this because, he made some of them himself. This fort, though, was the newly revamped version, because apparently his ripping that old gate off of its hinges damaged the old with numerous hairline fractures that jeopardized the fort's stability. And because it was around that time, where the old one is tore down and a new one is built to take its place.
Naruto himself was annoyed. Being Praetor meant that you were stuck acting as a referee to the War Games, which to him was the stupidest thing ever. This was supposed to simulate actual war, and there were no referees there to stop everybody and ask if a kid was okay to continue playing or to call a foul. That was just ridiculous. But apparently those are some of the stipulations that come with being Praetor.
He heard the flapping of wings overhead, and Naruto knew that Reyna shared his feelings, but was just better at hiding them. He had not had a good fight to get his blood pumping in forever since he became praetor. Either the people were too chicken or just didn't stack up. The enjoyment he found sparring with Reyna died quickly as he was restricted to using just his basic skills due to how destructive in nature his other ones were.
Naruto sighed, at least he would be able to get a better scope of Percy's skills with this, and see just what he brought to the table. In no time the battle began in earnest, and immediately Naruto's anger spiked. Hard.
He watched the two cohorts that were supposed to be backing up the fifth, sit back and laugh as the fifth got pounded with all of the defenses that were set in place. High pressure water cannons, rocks, arrows, flaming arrows, scorpion bolts, the whole nine yards! The fifth trudged along under the relentless fire in turtle formation, and Naruto felt pride at their showing of grit, but his analytical mind quickly counted the number of teens in the formation, and realized that the number was three off from what it was meant to be.
He immediately knew which two weren't there, Hazel and Frank, they have always never fit the mold of the average legionnaire, but he wondered why Percy decided to join them.
Well, they are his only friends, so that would explain it, Naruto thought to himself.
He scanned the field and spotted the trio rising from a hole on the east side of the fort. Naruto guessed that they had travelled using the underground tunnels. What he couldn't figure out was how they found one that they could travel through. Some of them are completely unpassable, and he was sure that they didn't just randomly come up on one coincidentally before the War Games tonight. They had to of known about it before.
Naruto continued watching them, which was better than watching the disgraceful actions of the other cohorts. If he continued watching that shit show he wouldn't be able to keep himself from getting involved.
"But they are going to feel the burn later for this," Naruto promised aloud to himself.
Back to the diverse trio, he saw Frank pull from the quiver of arrows on his back, which Naruto found absolutely fascinating for a boy his size to use but he wasn't one to judge, a single arrow with a golden rope hanging from it. Naruto immediately got down to thinking, and guessed that it probably had some special function or something like he'd seen before in other arrows.
Naruto's senses stirred, and he felt a spike. He zeroed in on Percy, and saw that he had his hand raised toward the fort. His eyes swung to the fort walls, his eyes catching the movement of a water cannon being swung towards the trio. Naruto felt the energy spike once more, and then it was all chaos.
The water cannon that was aimed at the trio suddenly burst apart in streaks of bronze, blue, and white. The teens that were once manning it were blasted backwards, and a shock wave of water surged outwards knocking over the defending teens. Some toppled over the walls, but were quickly swept up by giant eagles. Naruto still questioned where they came from, but Jason promised that it was a gift from Jupiter so Naruto said no more about it because they were a huge help. Like dominos, the water cannons lining the walls burst apart in a similar fashion, dousing fires and knocking kids around like bowling pins. Naruto himself was impressed with the tactic and display of destruction and skill, and decided that this Percy Jackson may be worth more attention.
Naruto saw the arrow Frank had pulled back, release, racing towards the still discombobulated defenders. The arrow tip expanded into dozen lines that raced towards the fort and grabbed at anything and everything it could. It wrapped up parts of the wall, some of the armaments, broken or otherwise, and a few teens. The teens, and everything else, found themselves quickly slammed backwards, and tacked there like a poster. The functions of the rope did not end there, as the glittering rope shot out to make a ladder.
Naruto leaned back, impressed at the trio and their teamwork. He watched the trio climb ladder, with Frank in the lead. Naruto saw him stop climbing, and yell back something to the stunned attackers. His yell seemed to do the trick, as a resounding yell rang up from the Fifth Cohort. Even Hannibal trumpeted loudly in response. From there, Naruto noticed, everything turned downhill for the defending cohorts. Hannibal finally broke through the gates with a vigorously motivated Fifth Cohort charging in behind his wide form. Naruto heard a battle cry come from away from the fort, and he looked to see the Fourth and Third Cohorts charging to join the fight.
He scoffed at the show of 'zeal' from the two cohorts. Better late than never, he thought. With the surge of energy from the Fifth Cohort, Hannibal knocking aside teens like bowling pins, and the fresh Third and Forth Cohorts coming in, the game was quickly wrapped up. Naruto stood as, not too surprisingly, Percy and Frank were the ones waving the banners around in victory from Hannibal's back.
He jumped down from his vantage point as the teens wearily regrouped in the field. Some holding their head high on victory, and others wallowing in their disappointment in defeat. He hit the ground, and that was when he smelled it.
Blood.
He sniffed in a deep breath, smelling the acrid copper scent, and he his head snapped toward the fortress just as a couple of teens came rushing out, carrying a body on the stretcher. Wait…that was Gwen!
"Move! Get out of the way!" Someone yelled, but Naruto didn't care to figure out who. The medics hurriedly set the stretcher down, and Naruto rushed over to them. He slid in on his knees, and he saw the terrible shape she was in. She was on her side, her pale face turning his way, with a pilum sticking out of her chest near where her armpit was. His nose was immediately assaulted with the acrid stench of blood, and he saw it running down from the stretcher and onto the ground pooling around his knees.
"No, no, no…," He muttered, as he tried to figure out what to do. She had to be okay, but the empty look in her eyes told him otherwise.
He reached out and put the back of his hand next to her mouth, feeling for a breath, any sign that she was still breathing.
But there was no air.
He quickly reached for her neck and her wrist with two fingers, searching desperately for a pulse of any kind.
But there was no pulse.
A pair of hands on his shoulders broke him out of his searching for any sign of life.
"Sir, we need everybody away from the body so we can work," He heard.
Naruto looked at the young medic over his shoulder, and shook his head slowly in response.
"No…it's no use. She has no heartbeat," He said lowly.
Gwen was dead.
He reached for the pilum that was imbedded in the body of one of his friends. With a grunt and a sickening wet squelch the javelin was pulled out. He set the pilum down next to her body. He couldn't believe it was a Roman weapon that had taken her life. Someone would answer for this.
He stood up and turned around. He quickly had to move out of the way, as Frank came rushing in the next moment. He spared a sad glance at Frank. He would find nothing just like he did. Naruto looked to Reyna, who stared back resignedly. He shook his head, and Reyna nodded once in acceptance.
Reyna turned and examined the campers from her Pegasus with a dark and icy look.
"We will launch an investigation into this. Whoever did this, there will be severe punishment. You have not only cost the legion a good, honorable officer, but you cost us all a comrade, a friend…and a family member."
Naruto tore his eyes away from the body, and turned around to see how Frank was doing. He was sure to be reeling from this even more than he was given his and Gwen's friendship.
At that moment Gwen decided to come back to life.
Naruto heard a deep gasp come from Gwen, and saw her eyes snap open. Her back curved upward as her mouth hung open and her eyes wide. It was during this that the color to her skin returned. Then, her back straightened out and she dropped against the ground. Her eyes refocused and Naruto saw them go from Frank, to him, and to the crowd.
"Uh…what's going on Frank?" Naruto heard her whisper. "Why is everybody staring at me?"
Naruto slowly walked forward with disbelief draped over his face, not knowing that Frank himself was stuck on repeat with his mouth gaping open, trying to answer her question.
Naruto got closer, eyes wide, and asked slowly, "Gwen…do you know what happened…to you?"
He needed to be gentle with her. He, like everybody else, did not know what had just happened, and he needed to not put anymore undue stress onto her. An idea popped into his head, and he grabbed Frank's shoulder.
He bent down and whispered into Frank's ear, "Go and find Di An-I mean Nico. Find him as fast as possible, and bring him here. We need an expert on this, and he's the closest we got."
Naruto gave Frank a hard look, showing him the seriousness of the situation and smothering any kind of argument from him. He patted him on the shoulder, and Frank quickly scrambled up and turned around to do as he was told but stopped. Gwen was trying to pull herself up.
She tried to sit herself up, but failed and dropped back onto the ground after trying. "Someone tell me what's going on please. Last thing I remember was seeing a river and a…man asking for some sort of…a coin," her brow creased like she was trying hard to remember what happened to her. "It was all dark and shadowy, and I turned around and saw an open door. So, I left. What's going on?"
Naruto felt his breath catch in his throat. What she just described was what the process to the underworld was described as. He immediately connected the dots, and knew that Gwen had no reason to lie. This was…unreal!
To Naruto's relief, Reyna came jogging over with Nico in tow. And Percy and Hazel.
"Naruto what is," she stopped when her eyes landed on Gwen's breathing and totally alive body. "Wh-what," she stuttered but quickly regained herself and gave Naruto a hard stare, like it was his fault that this was happening.
He shrugged helplessly, and stepped close to whisper, "I am as lost as everybody else here. According to Gwen, she hasn't figured it out yet, but she just came back from being dead."
Reyna's response was cut short as Gwen once again tried once more to rise, and was able to this time with the aid of Percy and Frank. Nico walked over to her and touched a hand to her forehead, and held it there for a moment with his eyes closed in concentration. Naruto felt a small flow of energy run from Nico's hand into Gwen, and Naruto felt Gwen's own rise in defense at the foreign energy.
Nico took his hand off of her forehead and stepped back, allowing his energy to dissipate back into him. "Well, she's not dead. She isn't some sort of ghost or physical spirit, because if she was I'd be able to exert my will over her due to my Pluto's blessing," He explained while turning around to address Reyna and Naruto. He looked at them with a serious look that held a sense of focus in comparison to his usual, and no pun intended, dead look. "She's as alive as me or you right now. The only thing that I could find was a light taint on her soul that everybody gets when they enter the underworld," at their confused expression he elaborated, " It's how Pluto keeps track of everybody and everything that enters his domain. The only ones exempt from this are the Gods, but that's self-explanatory, but Pluto never lets people return from the dead," Nico tapered off towards the end, and he turned to look at the ground. He slowly shook his head from side to side, "No, no, but that's impossible. Dad says that he hasn't been seen in months, but it was normal for him to not be seen for extended periods of time," He murmured, but it was loud enough for everyone in the immediate vicinity to hear.
"What's impossible?" Reyna asked.
Nico slowly raised his head to look at them, and Naruto noticed that his eyes looked darker than usual. "I don't think Pluto is to blame for Gwen coming back."
For a moment there was silence, and Naruto wondered what he could have meant by that. He looked at Reyna, who was staring at Nico in silence as she mulled over what he just said. Naruto wondered if this night could get any worse.
He should've known not to tempt the fates.
An absolutely thunderous voice crashed into everyone's eardrums and rolled over the field, "DEATH LOSES ITS GRIP. THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING."
Everybody tensed and some even drew their weapons. Hannibal the elephant trumpeted nervously, and Reyna's Pegasus reared back and neighed similarly.
In the midst of the legion, an orange-red column of fire rocketed into the air like the back end of a rocket. The heat seared everyone's skin and the flare cause everybody to turn or look away. Naruto felt the heat, but was undeterred by it, he had felt far hotter and seen far brighter. The column finally stopped flaring and what was revealed caused the teens to scramble backwards.
It was a man.
Well, 'man' was putting it lightly," Naruto internally noted.
Standing inside the ring of burnt ground and what was left of the small amount of grass that was there, stood an absolute behemoth. He stood tall, topping off at gods know how tall, maybe nine or ten feet tall, and was dressed in a military uniform colored in desert camouflage. He seemed like the physical manifestation of power itself. His hair was cut into a flat-top wedge like Frank's, which Naruto wondered was a coincidence or not. The man's face was square, but still semi-angular with a strong jaw like he could chew through solid steel…or bone. His face was crisscrossed with old brutal scars that made it look like he was mauled by a grizzly bear, and looking at this man, Naruto hesitated to think about how that grizzly bear looked. On his forehead lay a pair of infrared goggles that stuck out with is glowing color. Around his waist he had strapped a giant pistol, which was only one upped by the knife that was strapped around his waist as well, and several grenades. And to top his menacing, but professional image off, the man held in his hands the most oversized gun Naruto had ever seen.
If Naruto had enough sense to realize that this man was not to be trifled, he wouldn't make a joke about over compensating for something. But there was something that rubbed him the wrong way about this man…
And what was life if you didn't piss off a few gods here and there.
Before he could crack his joke, from beside him Frank stumbled forward, and fell to one knee. The other campers and Reyna followed suit and knelt. Naruto knelt, but only did so out of respect towards him for his aid in past battles. Say what you will about children of Mars, but they were damn fine soldiers to fight with and terrifying to fight against when they got going.
"Well it seems," the soldier began in a deep, rough voice, "that at least some of you know your superior officer when you see him. It's been a long time since I visited Camp Jupiter."
Naruto felt someone step up beside him, and he looked to see that it was Percy, sword in hand, glaring at the giant military man.
"You, you're Ares," Percy stumbled out in realization. "What do you want?"
There was a chorus of gasps from the hundreds of campers, an elephant, and a flying horse. Naruto was surprised by the tone of aggresion that Percy took, and mentally jotted it down. He also scratched a notch under Percy's reputation mentally. Anyone with balls big enough to question a God either had a death wish or knew what they were doing.
Naruto wasn't sure yet which one Percy was.
The god regarded Percy with a look of semi-interest, "You've got spunk kid," he said. "Whether you're blind or stupid remains to be seen, but Ares is my Greek form. But to these people, to these followers, to these children of Rome, I am Mars-patron of the empire, divine father of Romulus and Remus."
"We've met," Percy said and his brows creased as If trying to remember, "We…we fought…"
Mars scratched his chin, thinking. "Being who I am, I fight a lot of people, kid. But I assure you, you've never fought me as I am. If you had, you wouldn't be here right now. Now, kneel demigod, as befits a child of Rome, before you try my patience," he demanded as around his feet flames began to sputter anew.
"Percy, please. C'mon man," Frank pleaded and gave Percy a look.
Naruto could see the distasteful expression on Percy's face as he relented and kneeled, and Naruto could relate to the feeling.
Seeing the either brave or stupid demigod kneel, Mars forced the flames to extinguish themselves and Mars looked over the crowd of campers, "Romans, lend me your ears!" He laughed-a deep, hearty laugh that reeked of genuine amusement. "I've always wanted to say that. That Antony really knew how to move a crowd with his speeches. Anyways, I come from Olympus with a message for you. Now, Jupiter does not like us communicating directly with mortals, especially nowadays, but he has allowed this exception, as you Romans have proven yourselves and have always held a special place in my chest cavity."
Naruto wasn't sure he said that phrase correctly.
"I'm only permitted to speak for a few minutes, so listen up," he said. He pointed his thick finger at Gwen, "She should be six feet underground now, yet she isn't. The monsters you fight no longer will stay down when they are slain. Some demigods, using her as an example, who have died either recently or long ago are now walking amongst the living." Mars paused here before revealing the reasoning behind it all. "Thanatos, death himself, has been captured and chained. The Doors of Death he held control over have wrenched from his grasp and are now open. Gaea allows our enemies to travel into the world of mortals, your world. Her sons, the giants, are mustering whole armies against you, armies that you will not be able to kill, I remind you. Unless Death is unleashed to return to his duties, you will be overrun and extinguished. You must find him and free him from his bindings. Release him and whatever you kill will be rightfully dead."
Mars looked around, and everyone was still silently kneeling, "Okay, you can get up now. Any questions?"
Naruto rose immediately, while Reyna rose in a more reserved manner. They approached the god, followed by Octavian, who was bowing like a professional kiss ass in Naruto's eyes.
Naruto spoke first, "Thanatos is the god of death, so that means that people will just stop dying?"
Mars made an iffy motion with his hand, "Not all at once, but it will eventually get to that point. Monsters are already pests that are hard to dispatch, but soon they will be completely impossible to put down. Eventually, even mortals will stop dying as well."
Octavian chose this moment it interject with his own question, "Oh, great and powerful Lord Mars, this humblest of the humble one wonders that if we cannot die then wouldn't it be a good thing?"
"Naïve demigods," Mars muttered shaking his head before speaking up, "What Is the point of war if it would have no end? Endless carnage that just kept repeating itself. Enemies that keep getting back up because they can't be killed. Is that what you want?"
Again Percy chimed in with a distasteful expression on his face, "You're the god of war. Isn't endless carnage your forte?"
Flames grew in Mars's eyes, "You have a smart mouth, don't you? I can see why I may have fought you before. I am the god of war, yes, but military might that is used for righteous cause. For the glory of ROME. The full god of war would be your Praetor's mother, but I protect the legions. War without end is not something I desire. You'll see for yourself eventually."
Mars raised his gun into the air, and everybody ducked or covered their ears expecting gunfire. The god rolled his eyes, "Get up you bunch of babies. I'm not going to shoot," he glared at Percy," no matter how much I want to. Instead, I order a quest! You will go north to the land beyond the gods, find Thanatos, and free him from his bondage, thwarting the giants' plans," Mars glowered and swept his gaze across the crowd of teens, stopping to look at a specific four in particular, "But beware the might of Gaea. Beware her son, the eldest giant."
Naruto's eyes widened. He had only heard rumors of the land beyond the gods' influence and power like everybody else, but it at least proved what had happened to the old Fifth Cohort and the eagle.
Standing next to Frank, Hazel let out a terrified sort of squeak, "The land beyond the gods?"
Mars stared down at her and stayed staring at her for a long minute before answering her, "That's right, Levesque. You know exactly what I mean. Everyone here knows of the land beyond the gods, the land where the legion lost its honor! Perhaps if you are to succeed, and return by the Feast of Fortuna then maybe your honor will be restored. Romans, know what is at stake. If you don't succeed, there will be no camp to return to. The remnants of Rome will be overrun, and there will be nothing left. Do not let that happen."
There was a heavy silence that befell the group as everyone digested what was at stake.
Mars grunted and waved his gun towards Frank, causing everyone next to him to flinch back a little. "Get over here, boy."
Frank hesitantly walked over to the god. He slowly made it, and stood in front of Mars.
"Good job tonight, kid. Who were the refs for this game?"
Naruto and Reyna both raised their hands.
"Now I know you seen what I saw," He stated with a heavy cloak of pride over his voice. "That was my kid, my blood. First over the wall, and won the game for his team. Unless you are both blind, I'd say that was a play worthy of the Mural Crown don't ya think?"
Regardless of the feeling that they had to say yes, Frank's actions were actually worthy, "Yes, he does Lord Mars. We'll make sure of it."
"Good. My kid, here!" He said loudly, and Naruto noticed that Frank looked like he wanted to disappear from existence. "Emily Zhang's son," Mars continued in a softer tone of voice than what he had been using, "She was a good woman, and a good soldier too. Here, kid. Happy late birthday. It's time you started using a real man's weapon and not that sissy bow of yours."
Mars took his giant gun in both his massive mits and tossed it to Frank, and Naruto for a split second wondered if a teen of Frank's sizable bulk would be able to handle it. But before his eyes the gun shifted into a small and thinner weapon. When it landed in Frank's hands, what was once a giant gun, was now a spear? The shaft was imperial gold and its point was…some sort of white bone? Naruto couldn't really identify it, but guessed it held some sort of power due to its flickering of pale, ghostly light.
"The tip is a dragon's tooth," Mars clarified, still talking to Frank, "You haven't learned how to use your mother's abilities yet, so this spear will give you some breathing room until you do. Your mother would find a way to kill me if I let you do something like this without any proper help. Its power is limited to only three charges though, so use it wisely."
Mars turned his attention back to the teens, specifically Reyna and himself, "Now, unless anybody has any objections to it, my kid Frank Zhang will lead this quest to the land beyond the gods to free Thanatos."
No one said a word of course, but Naruto could see the looks of jealousy, envy, and anger directed at Frank.
"Good. You can only take three companions, and two of them have to be him," he pointed to Percy, "and the other him."
To Naruto's surprise and shock he was the one being pointed at.
"The first one, he's gonna learn some respect for Mars on the trip or die trying, and I don't much care which one. The second one because his presence on this quest is needed and I was strong armed into making him go. The last member you can choose whoever you want."
Suddenly there was a flash of lightning and a boom of thunder.
Mars looked up into the sky, "Well, that's it for me," He surveyed the collected group of campers once more, "This is a special group of Romans. I can feel it. Do not disappoint me."
There was an eruption of flames once more, and then the god was gone.
Reyna turned towards Frank and Naruto could see the look of unease on her face. She raised her arm in a Roman salute and said, "Ave, Frank Zhang, son of Mars."
Naruto and the legion followed her up with a repeat of it.
Naruto knew that it was late in the evening, and tomorrow was going to be the beginning of preparations for the camp. He cleared his throat to get everyone's attention, "Alright everybody! Time to turn it in for the night. We all need to be focused for the coming days and fully rested!"
He stood there as the collected group of teens slowly dispersed away into their respective cohorts. In a few minutes, the only people that were left in the field were him and Reyna, and then they too walked back to get some shut eye. They both were going to need it.
Naruto opened his eyes to see nothing, but darkness. He looked around, and couldn't make heads or tails of where he was. Was he even still sleeping?
Slowly he heard voices. Two of them, one female and one male. As the voices got louder and clearer, he recognized them. In a flash the shadowy environment he was in changed. He was now in a cabin, and in the cabin stood two figures.
Jason and Lady Juno.
"Jason!" He called out, and tried to run to him, but he couldn't move. He began to panic, and tried to move anything. His legs, his arms, damnit even his toes! But nothing would respond. He could only stare and listen. He drew upon the mammoth pools of Kurama's power, bracing himself for the burning sensation, but…nothing. No flare up, no pain, no red haze….just nothing.
He was helpless.
He got angry at not being able to do anything, but before he could start struggling anymore, something was said that caught his attention.
"An exchange of leaders was necessary: it was the only way to bridge the gap between the two camps," Juno said.
Naruto's mind raced. What did she mean by whatever she was saying?
Jason scowled deeply, "I didn't agree to any of this," he gritted out through clenched teeth. Naruto could tell he was having a hard time controlling his anger in the face of the revelation.
"No, you did not. But Zeus gave me control of this, as he is busy in the face of other rising problems on Olympus, and I am helping you reach your full potential young Grace. You will play a critical role in the events that will take place, and you will be tested like non others before you. Failure is not an option for you," Juno stated.
Naruto was taken aback by what Juno was saying, and he could tell that Jason was too.
"You're not giving back my memories," he stated angrily as a fact and not a question. "Even though you promised you would."
Juno, either not noticing his tone or choosing not to acknowledge it, responded, "Most of your memories will return in time. Think of it like a case of amnesia. Strong queues will help as well, things that your mind can subconsciously associate with your past. Do not be so quick to return to your home. You need these next few months with your new friends, your new home."
Juno opened her mouth to continue, but she was cut off by Jason's outraged outburst.
"This place is not my home! I have one already, Lady Juno. I may not remember it, but I do remember what it felt like to have a home, and this is not it. I don't even know who I am anymore!" He raged at her.
Naruto could see the beginnings of an angry Jason. His eyes flickered with lightning, his hair stood on end as the electric current ran along his skin, and the cloth in the cabin began to sway due to the wind he began to produce.
With a wave of her hand, everything instantly died down, and Jason returned to normal.
She continued speaking, "As I was saying, you're gaining their trust and you are slowly trusting them as well, and you cannot deny it. By the time you set sail, you will be a leader at this camp, that is just who you are. At the point will you be ready to peacemaker between the two of the greatest powers that walked this earth.
Jason clenched his jaw, and glared at Lady Juno for a long minute before sighing and running a hand through his hair. "What if I fail? What if this causes another civil war?"
Lady Juno smiled amusedly, "Do not fret, you are not alone in this endeavor. Your counterpart is in the same position as you are. You two are pivotal to my plan, and you two will succeed. You two will be the ones that bring about the change that is needed to combat this apocalyptic threat. The giants will rise, and each can only be killed by a god and demigod working together. Those seven demigods must be the greatest of this age. The prophecy demands we change, and if we cannot then we shall fall. Gaea is counting on this from us. You must unite the heroes of Olympus, the demigods that will carve their name into the history books of the Gods, and sail together to meet the giants on the aincient grounds of Greece. Only then will the gods be convinced to join you. It will be the most dangerous quest ever attempted, the most important voyage ever taken by the children of the gods."
"I could ruin everything and fail to meet what is expected of me," Jason murmered.
"It is possible," Juno said, "But you won't. The gods have always needed heroes. We always have."
Jason quirked an eyebrow, "Even you? The goddess who is known for hating heroes?"
Juno sighed in what Naruto could tell was unhappiness. "I am the goddess of marriage, and it is not in my nature to be faithless. So, as a result I have no mortal heroes to do my bidding, which is why I am bitter toward demigods and heroes. That's why I favored the first Jason. He was pure mortal, who had no godly mortal parent to guide him like the others did. I am glad Zeus gave you to me, Jason. You will be my champion, you will be the greatest of heroes, and bring unity to the demigods, and thus to Olympus."
Naruto could literally feel the weight her words carried. He didn't think anyone could reach the expectation Juno set forth. He didn't think that if it was anyone other than Jason that is. He had complete faith in him. He knew Jason could do this, and he would have his support.
No questions asked.
"And if I fail?" Jason asked.
Juno sighed once more, "With great victory comes even greater risk. Fail, and there will be repercussions no one, mortal or otherwise has seen. Demigods will be at each other's throats, destroying one another. The giants will overrun Olympus with their tide changing strength. Gaea herself will wake, and the very earth will shake all mankind has created over their existence to dust and ash. It will be the end of the world as we know it."
Jason was an odd shade of green and white, like he was ready to throw up from what Juno had just said.
"Well that's just great."
In the next instant Naruto was awoke. He snapped up from his bed, breathing heavily and coated in a light sheen of sweat. He sat there for a minute digesting what he had just seen and heard. Firstly, he felt so relieved that Jason was alive and apparently kicking. He was worried about him for the longest time, and it felt good to finally know. He still didn't know where he was, but at least he was safe.
Next, he went over what Lady Juno was telling him. She had mentioned something about a prophecy and seven demigods. Naruto deduced that one of them was, of course Jason, and the other he did not know. He had a feeling, but he wasn't sure yet. This quest was seemed to him like the beginning of the changes Lady Juno spoke about.
Speaking of which, they needed to discuss the quest himself. He needed to start getting ready if he was to make it there early this time. The last time he wasn't on time Reyna scolded him right in front of everybody. Granted, no one would dare speak about it aloud, but he swore he heard snickers every now and then when he walked in the open.
It was 15 minutes into it, and the meeting was well under way. Frank had been bestowed the mural crown, which he totally deserved, got his first stripe, and his centurion's mark. Naruto himself hadn't really been paying much attention, partly due to the fact that Octavian was the one doing it and due to the fact that he had already seen so many of these. Granted, not all at the same time and given to one person, but still.
They were now getting to the elephant in the room, the quest, and Naruto paid close attention.
"Do you know where you are going? Do you and your group even have a plan?" Octavian asked and Naruto could feel the sarcasm he put into the word 'group'.
Hazel stepped up and put a hand on Frank's shoulder for support, as he was still reeling from all of the medals he got in one day. "You were listening, right Octavian? We're going to the land beyond the gods. Alaska."
Just saying the name made everyone in the room uncomfortable. The senators wriggled and squirmed in their togas, some of the ghosts who were attending flickered and some outright disappeared, and even Reyna's dogs became uneasy and whimpered with their tails low to the floor.
For a few moments, no one said a thing. Finally one of the senators, Larry he believed, stood. "We all know what Mars said last night, but that's ludicrous. Alaska is cursed! 'The land beyond the gods'! It is called that for a very, very good reason. The Roman gods hold no power up there. That accursed place is swarming with monsters and who knows what else if they are keeping Death himself there! No demigod has come back from there intact since -"
"Since you lost your eagle," Percy finished for him.
Larry gulped down the lump in his throat and gave a shaky nod.
The whole room turned to Percy now, curious.
"Look," Percy continued, unaffected by the multitude of eyes on him, "I just got here, but I know that you guys don't like to mention the massacre in the nineteen-eighties-"
"He mentioned it!" one of the ghosts whimpered loudly with his head stuck in an empty vase.
"-But this a chance to right what happened there. You all know the story. It was the Fifth Cohort that led the expedition, and they-we failed, and now we are the ones responsible for making things right. This is what this quest is for. This giant, he's the one that defeated your forces all those years ago, I'm sure of it! And now he's sitting up there with Death chained, and your eagle. He is amassing an army to attack this camp."
"Is that right?" Octavian questioned with narrowed eyes. "You seem to know quite a bit about our enemy's plans, Percy Jackson."
"I hope you're not insinuating what I think you are, Octavian?" Naruto asked dangerously. He heard the tone Octavian took and knew he was calling Percy a spy, and Naruto wasn't going to let that stand. His gut was telling him that Percy was trustworthy.
"I'm just saying. How does he know all of what he is speaking about? How do we know is he's telling the truth or that he is even trustworthy? For crying out loud, he claims to have fought a god and live to tell about it." He stated.
"Lady Juno herself was at his side when he saved the lives of the two at his side. Mars himself basically explained all of this himself. If that is not enough proof that he is not only trustworthy, but brave, then you will never find your proof," Naruto argued.
Octavian glared at Naruto and Naruto glared right back. Octavian opened his mouth to speak, but Reyna cut him off.
"That is enough out of the both of you! We are here to discuss a quest, not how trustworthy or not Percy Jackson is! Regardless of if he is or is not Octavian, there will be three Romans with him, one of them being a Praetor like myself. I'd say that is ample security should he prove to what you insinuated. From this point on, only talk of this quest shall happen at this meeting like it was intended. Afterwards, you may do what you want, but now we have more pressing matters," She finished and then stared hard at the both of them. "Do I make myself clear?"
"Yea, we're clear Reyna." "I understand."
Percy took this a sign to continue speaking. "We have no other choice than to confront the giant that resides there. We'll get back what was lost to the camp and unchain death or err…" He glanced at Hazel for help. "Thanatos, right?"
"Yea, but it's Letus in Roman," she corrected. "What you're thinking of is his old Greek name."
Octavian rolled his eyes, "No matter his name, there is still the deadline that was given. To get back by the Feast of Fortune? That's the evening of the twenty-forth, and it's the twentieth now. Do you even now where to look? Or even know which son of Gaea we are dealing with?"
Percy shut his mouth, and Naruto couldn't answer that.
To everyone's surprise, Hazel answered him. "Yes, I do," she spoke with a great level of certainty that surprised Naruto. "I have a pretty good idea where to look, and I know the giant's name. It's Alyconeus."
Yet again the room was silenced, but this time an eerie chill was felt.
Reyna looked hard at Hazel, "How do you know the giant's name? Does it have something to do with you being a daughter of Pluto?"
It was at this moment Nico chose to actually say something. Naruto almost forgot he was in here, wearing his shadowy black toga and his half dead look. Honestly, he couldn't be quieter.
"Praetors, if I may speak," he began, "Hazel and I…we learned more about the giants from our father. We learned that each giant was specifically bred to oppose one of the twelve Olympian gods-to be their absolute counter in every aspect of that specific god. The king of the giants was, as you could've guessed, an anti-Jupiter. His name was Porphyrion, but the eldest of the giants was Alyconeus. He was born to oppose Pluto. That's why we know about him in particular."
Naruto exchanged a look with Reyna. It made sense, but why couldn't Hazel answer the question herself?
Naruto nodded at Nico to continue.
He twiddled his fingers and pulled at his toga. "Anyways, the giants were hard to kill. According to prophecy, they could only be defeated by gods and demigods working together."
Dakota, somehow having snuck in a flask of Kool-Aid in hand, belched. "Sorry, did you say gods and demigods…like fighting side by side and working together and all that? That's impossible."
Nico shook his head at that, "Not impossible. In fact it has happened before. In the first giant war, the gods called on heroes to join them, and they came out victorious. Now, whether it can happen again, I don't know, but I do know it has to. With Alcyoneus…he was different from the others. As long as he remained in his home territory, the place he was born, he was completely immortal-impossible to kill be it god or demigod."
He paused and let it sink in. "And if he has been reborn in Alaska…"
"Then he can't be defeated there," Reyna finished. "That explains why our nineteen-eighty expedition failed. It was doomed from the beginning."
This broke the false calm that everyone had. Everyone started shouting out and arguing.
"Then it's impossible!"
"How can such a thing even exist?!"
"That's so unfair!"
"Quiet!" Naruto hollered. They're shouting out was only making this longer than necessary. They were on a tight enough time limit as is. "Regardless of if he is immortal or not, he is still killable. We just have to find out how they did it last time and do that. I, for one, want to get going on this quest, we are on a time limit if you all haven't forgotten, but I do have a question for you Di Angelo."
Nico gave Naruto his attention, as did the rest of the room, and asked, "What is it?"
"Mars said that Death had been chained…how is that possible?" He questioned.
"It's been done before. In the ancient times a dude named Sisyphus tricked Death and tied him up, and Hercules wrestled him down."
"So," Percy interjected, "if we free Thanatos, then the dead would stay dead, right?" He glanced at Gwen and winced, "Uhh…no offense."
Nico sighed in exasperation, "It's more complicated than that."
Octavian scoffed and rolled his eyes, "Why am I not surprised?"
"The Door of Death," Reyna said, ignoring Octavian. "They are mentioned in the Prophecy of Seven, which sent the first expedition to Alaska-"
A ghost cut her off, "We all know how that turned out! We Lares-!"
Before he could continue, Nico put a finger to his lips in a shushing motion, and all of the other Lares in the building went silent. Some looked panicked due to their mouths not being able to open anymore.
With that deed done, Nico continued, "Thanatos is only part of the solution. The Doors of Death are the personal doors of Thanatos. They are like his express way into Life and Death, and only he is supposed to know where they are because the location of them shifts over the ages. Now, though, they are being forced open by Gaea's minions, meaning-"
"Meaning that Gaea controls who can come back from the dead," Percy finished gravely.
Nico nodded, "Exactly. She has control over them, choosing who to send back to life, and that is not good. Monsters that have long been killed will come back, evil souls that should stay dead won't. If we unchain Thanatos the at least he will be able to bring the souls back down under. Monsters will die they used to, but they won't stay that way for long. Unless we close the Doors of Death, our enemies won't stay down for long."
Frank, who snapped out of his stupor and began to listen, scratched the top of his head, "But if we free Thanatos, he should be able to retake the Doors of Death because he know where they are, right?"
Nico shook his head negative, "I don't think so. Not alone. He is no match Gaea. It would take a massive quest. An army of the best demigods the world has to offer."
"Foes bear arms to the Doors of Death," Reyna said. "That's the prophecy. We don't have the resources nor the manpower to send an army to take the doors and defend the camp. I can't even imagine sparing seven demigods…"
"First things first," Naruto interjected. He could sense the levels of panic rising in the room. "We can deal with the Prophecy of Seven when we are not on crunch time here," he said staring right at Reyna whose eyes had turned to the floor due to her thinking. He looked back up to the room, "Let's concentrate on the task before us first. We need to free Thanatos, and get back here before the feast. After we succeed, then we can worry about the Doors of Death," he said confidently.
Naruto breathed a silent sigh of relief as he felt people's level of panic fall back down. But Octavian had to open his mouth again.
"You sound confident. Do you even have a plan?" He asked, and Naruto cold hear the slight sneer in his voice.
Naruto glanced at Percy, Frank, and Hazel before answering, "We get to Alaska as fast as we can, and then take things from there."
"We improvise," Percy added.
"A lot," Hazel and Frank said at the same time.
"See?" Naruto asked. "Now all we need is to put to vote on what support will be provided for the quest."
"If I may say," Octavian began, "the camp is in grave danger. Two gods have warned us that we will be attacked in four days from now. We cannot spread our resources thin on the off chance that a rag tag group can succeed in this quest," his face went sad and had a pitying look on it.
Naruto wanted to throw up.
"The ones who have been chosen do not have the best track record. Perhaps they were chosen because they were the most expendable, and couldn't help in the important task of defending the camp, defending our lives."
"Well, then why did he choose Naruto to go?" Dakota asked in an oddly serious tone.
Octavian stared at Dakota for a second before answering, "Perhaps he wanted to make it seem like there was at least a chance in the quest. I cannot speak for a god, no one here can, but I can speculate. Whatever the case is, he did not order a massive expedition, like he could've, nor did he ask us to fund this quest. There are only four of them after all. No, I say we keep the resources here. Where the battle will be one or loss. If the camp were to fall, then who would they come back to on the small chance they succeeded in their quest? Now, the chances are small, but if they succeed then that's wonderful, but it should be done so by their power and ingenuity."
An uneasy murmur rippled through the crowd, and Naruto clenched his fist until his knuckles became white. He looked at Reyna, wondering how she was standing the absolute garbage that was coming out of Octavian's mouth, and saw that, while her face was passive, she was gripping the arms of her chair in a death grip.
Naruto caught out of the corner of his eye, Frank shoot up and try to go for Octavian, but was stopped cold by Percy's arm. "Fine!" Percy yelled out over the murmurs. "No problem. But at least give us transportation. Gaea holds domain over the earth, right? Then we need something that doesn't touch the earth. Like a plane or a boat?"
Before Octavian could speak up and sway the crowd even more than he already had, Reyna interjected, "We can grant you access to a boat. That is doable," she straightened up in her chair and said tightly. "We'll put it to vote. Senators, the motion is as follows: The quest shall go north to Alaska. The senate shall provide full access to the Roman navy docked at Alameda. No other aid shall be provided beyond that. The four adventurers will succeed or fail on their own merits. All in favor?"
All but one hand went up, and she sent a small respectful nod Dakota's way. He, of course did not see it due to him drinking from his flask, but she knew he did it on purpose.
"The motion is passed," Reyna said and turned to Frank. "Centurion, your party is excused. The senate has other matters to discuss, and Naruto will join you after it is adjourned. And, Octavian, if we may confer with you for a moment."
So, with that said, Frank, Percy and Hazel left the building, and Naruto sat back down in his Praetor chair with an angry huff.
There was nothing he could do now. They were to go to the land beyond the gods, fight a giant and whatever else he had up there, free Death itself, and return with the golden eagle, and all before the feast in a few days. This was to be the hardest challenge laid on his plate to date. It was do or die…
And he had no plans of dying.
.
.
.
.
.
Mars teleported back up to Olympus in a flash, and was immediately confronted.
"Did you do what I asked of you?"
Mars rolled his eyes but answered, "Yeah, I did. I don't know why you wanted me to. The boy looked kind of flaky in my opinion."
"That's because all of your children are built more to choke out a bear than to outsmart it."
He nodded. He couldn't argue with that. "Why, besides the obvious, do you want him to go on this quest? If what you said about him is true, then your plan may not even work. He might even die."
"If I see it getting to that point, then I will step in. I want him on this quest to see what his potential is, to see what he can do. He is an unknown to most of us due to who his father is, and you know how far he is willing to go for his privacy. That child is not supposed to exist. He is a combination of two different bloods that should have made him explode by now, but he hasn't."
Mars raised a burnt eyebrow, "So?"
A roll of eyes, "This child has the potential to be a god! If he comes in contact with the other half of his life, like I'm assuming he will, he will have to be able to survive. We gods cannot go there without explicit permission, and we cannot interfere with anything on that continent due to the gods that already reside there. They will want him back Mars, to integrate him into his homeland, and make him one of their own once he reaches his peak! To use him as a weapon. And we cannot allow that to happen."
"So, this plan of yours will make him wary of his homeland, and make him want nothing to do with it?" He questioned.
A nod. "Yes."
Mars scratched his chin. "That's kind of cold of you to do to your own blood, ya know? Aren't you all about family?"
"I'm keeping him in the family, in our family. Not in there's. He belongs with us, and my plan will make him see that as clear as day."
Mars shrugged his shoulders, "Just remember you promised my boy would not get caught in the crossfire of this. I know how destructive their fights can get, and I don't like it."
"Oh, I remember my promise. Your boy will lead his quest like he was meant to, but his survival is not up to me. That is dependent on his skill, and the skill of his two companions."
Mars nodded, "I know, but, he's got his mother's blood in him to. He'll realize his potential soon enough. I know he will. Are we done, Lady Juno?"
Juno nodded her head, and snapped her fingers as Mars flashed out of her chambers.
In a red blur, a figure appeared kneeling at her feet.
"Rise, my daughter-in-law."
Kushina Uzumaki raised her head and opened her purple eyes which had a golden mist over them that flashed away, "What is it you wish of me mother?"