Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or The PJO series. Both franchises are owned by Masashi Kishimoto and Rick Riordan respectively.
Wrath of The Sun Deity, while I appreciate you for defending me (thank you, by the way, you're awesome) please don't argue with Loveless, if he doesn't listen to you, then drop it. As for Loveless, thanks for criticizing me, I appreciate it.
E-Paradox, you sir, have opened my eyes. There's a 2% percent chance of me doing a Harem, but rest assured I probably won't go that route. You are absolutely right, there's too much Harem stories in these kind of stories; I didn't know what I was thinking when I made that decision (maybe it's because it was 3:00 fucking something in the morning, but… Eh).
plums, hahaha, sorry about the last chapter mostly focused on flashbacks, just wanted to show what the Joker did to Naruto in the past, and flesh out Bruce and Naruto's relationship. Sorry if you didn't like it.
JaCk-'o-LaNtErN 91, you pose a good question. Naruto was 10 when he became Robin and was Robin for about a year. Turned 11, then was kidnapped by the Joker and died. 12, when he was resurrected, met Cassandra and trained with the League and the All-Caste. 13, when he returned to Gotham as the Red Hood, beaten Tim in the Titans Tower, fought Bruce and fled Gotham, then entering Camp Half-Blood.
I hope that was a good explanation for you. And if some are complaining about the age. Two words: Damian Wayne.
Naruto's final Red Hood design is still being decided. So give any suggestion you want. (I'm personally rooting for the Arkhamverse design, but that's just me)
Current pairing choices (for now):
Annabeth Chase
Barbara Gordon
Cassandra Cain
Calypso
Ravager (Rose Willson)
Edit: Which BatFamily member would you like to show up first?
Choices:
Nightwing (Dick Grayson)
Oracle (Barbara Gordon)
Cassandra Cain (Black Bat)
Batgirl (Stephanie Brown)
Robin (Tim Drake)
Batman (Bruce Wayne)
Enjoy, Chapter 10 of,
UNDER THE HOOD
"How's it feel? For your greatest failure to beat you. Huh?"
Bruce struggled to get up from the ground, his batsuit in tatters and teared. Naruto sneered, and dropped his 'Hood', revealing a simple red domino mask, concealing his blue eyes. He grabbed the older man by the neck and lifted him up for eye contact.
This was it. He's been waiting for this moment since he had been revived. All his training with the All-Caste, Lady Shiva, and the League of Assassin's prepared him for this.
"Tell me," Naruto started. "What bothers you more? That your greatest failure has returned from the grave, or that I've become a better Batman than you?"
Despite the pain, Bruce spoke, "You're ruling through fear and intimidation—you're just another criminal!"
Naruto growled and slammed his knee into his former mentor's gut. "I'm what this city needs!"
The blond chuckled as he watched the man collapsed, "You just don't get it. Do you?" He smirked and kneeled in front of his mentor. "You can't stop crime. That's what you never understood." The whiskered boys said. "I'm controlling it, you wanna rule them by fear, but what do you do with the ones who aren't afraid? I'm doing what you won't."
"I'm taking them out."
"Naruto… Please." Bruce asked, no begged to his son. "Stop this, this isn't you."
"No!"
No matter how hard the boy tried to hold it back, fresh tears slipped down on his face, staining his cheeks as the droplets fell down.
"You failed me! You left me to die with… HIM."
Bruce could feel it.
His son's rage, anger, all the things that he'd experienced with the Clown prince of crime on that night seeped out of him.
Naruto took out a pistol from his thigh holsters and trained the gun at the man. "How many days did take for you to replace me huh? A month? A WEEK?! I trusted you, I saw you as Father!"
Bruce could hear the boy's voice was filled with pain and regret.
The emotions he, himself was feeling.
The raw fury and betrayal cut the Dark Knight deeply.
Bruce looked at his son from his position on the ground.
Lightning flashed, and for a split second, Naruto's form changed to the broken Robin he held during the blond's death, before it turned back into the murderous Red Hood he knew now.
He's grown taller, broader. His face was more angular and the whisker marks were defined better.
Bruce imagined his son growing up without him, imagined seeing him one day in the future and not recognizing him, imagined recognizing him but missing everything that turned him into the man he has become.
It hurt him.
"I'm… Sorry."
Naruto scowled, his eyes red and puffy behind his mask. He tightened his grip on the handgun. "Sorry doesn't make it better."
"… My armor wasn't strong enough." Bruce muttered. "It wasn't strong enough for Barbara, who has to fight from a wheelchair. It wasn't strong enough to stop Dick from leaving the Cave."
"… And it wasn't strong enough for Naruto Uzumaki."
Naruto stared at the older man. "What are you saying?"
Bruce's mind flashed back, to him, holding his son's dead body, cradling it. "Willful Naruto, who ignored danger… Who spat at risk. Who was never frightened enough."
"Stop."
But Bruce continued. "I've always wondered… Always… Was he scared at the end?"
"Was he praying for me to come save him?"
"Stop. It." Naruto demanded.
"And in those last moments when he knew that I wouldn't…"
"… Did he hate me for it?"
Naruto's hand was shaking, his vision blurry, as his figure trembled.
The blond gritted his teeth and his finger moved towards the trigger.
He could do it right now.
He could end all of this, and have his revenge.
But… Why couldn't he?
…
…
…
The rooftop was silent before the boy turned away. Once more, leaving his father.
That was the last time he would see his wayward son.
It had been months now, and Naruto Uzumaki, the second Robin, the dead Robin, and now the murderous Red Hood was last seen.
Bruce narrowed his eyes and stared at the monitor in front of him. The various news articles and pages taking up the screen, showing various pictures of the former Robin.
He should have taken care of him better.
Naruto was his partner.
His soldier.
His fault.
His son.
Despite everything the boy did, killing criminals, decapitating heads, controlling Gotham's Criminal Underworld for a short time, and even beating Tim half to death. He still wanted him back.
"HA! Another win, Tim!"
"No fair, Dick!"
Bruce sighed and swiveled his chair around to face the two bickering brothers.
Dick Grayson, now sixteen, rolled and tumbled along the Cave with his brother Tim Drake, who had the older boy in a grapple. The two were so focused on each other, that they didn't notice their mentor staring at them.
"… Do I even want to know?"
Dick grinned and pushed a protesting Tim off him as he stood up and dusted off his clothing, "Not at all Bruce, just some brotherly fun, is all." He said cheerfully.
Tim scowled. "Yeah. If you call 'brotherly fun' as a means to beat me several times in the sparring ring. Then, yes, we were doing 'brotherly fun'. The twelve year-old finger quoted.
The older boy smiled and ruffled the current Robin's hair. "You just have to practice more, Timmy."
He turned to the entrance to the Cave where a short black haired girl came through. "Right, Cass?"
Tim looked at the older girl hopefully.
Cassandra mutely nodded her head, which made the third Robin deflate.
"How about you, Steph?" Tim asked, his tone shining with hope once again as he looked at the blond girl near the Bat-Computer.
Stephanie laughed and shook her head. "Gotta be better than that Timmy~" She sing-songed.
Great, no one was at his side.
Tim grumbled but didn't say anything.
Let it be known that Timothy Drake was not a sore loser.
Dick looked at the Bat-Computer and frowned. "Still no sign of him, Bruce?"
"Nothing. No leads. Or clues. It's like he vanished off the face of the earth."
Dick turned to a wheelchair bound redhead in hope. "Babs?" He asked silently.
Barbara sighed and shook her head sadly.
Cassandra looked at her fellow vigilantes.
She could feel the sudden conflict in the air.
They were all trying to keep their facades, but their body language gave the girl insight.
Bruce was afraid for Naruto. He wanted to stop him. He wanted to help him anyway he can, but he didn't know how to accomplish this. Bruce tried to separate the happy-go-lucky and hyperactive boy the blond used to be, and now the murderous and vengeful Anti-Hero he was now. He had a responsibility towards Naruto—not only as a vigilante but as a former partner and Father.
He offered Naruto a chance to come with him. To reunite with the family. But the blond disappeared.
Nightwing was trying and failing not to think of the Red Hood as his brother. Naruto and Dick were not on the best of terms back when the whiskered blond was Robin, sure, but the boy still saw Naruto as family. Maybe this was why Dick tried his best to act like a brother towards Tim.
Because he failed Naruto in that regard.
Despite this, Naruto always made Dick laugh when it came to pranks. But as the Red Hood, he scared the hell out of Dick. The Red Hood was dangerous. He knew how to kill and was an expert in psychological warfare.
He was using death as a weapon.
Oracle was also desperately trying not to see the blond as the Robin she was used to in her days as Batgirl. And would often try to convince herself that the Naruto she knew was gone. And the Red Hood was what was left.
Robin and Batgirl were the most confused of the group. Both had never met Naruto. Naruto had been dead by the time Tim and Stephanie became both Robin and Batgirl. Still, Tim wanted to know Naruto. Naruto was his brother, but Naruto had also beaten the shit out of him. It had taken Tim a full month to be back at good shape after the fight in the Titans Tower. Naruto could've killed him during the fight. It would have been so easy for the blond to crush Tim's windpipe.
But Naruto didn't.
Tim wanted to know why he was still alive.
He needed to know why Naruto spared him at the last moment.
As for Cassandra herself…
She believed, no, she knew there was still hope for Naruto. He had been her only friend and light during the time she was in the League. He had comforted her when she revealed her first kill at the age of eight. Supported and cheered for her when she was training. Was the light to her darkness back then.
He cared for her, and she cared for him.
"What're we going to do once we find him?" Tim asked.
Bruce closed his eyes before looking at everyone in the Cave.
But Cassandra beat him to it.
"Offer him to come back."
Shock was the general reaction.
Barbara turned to Cassandra. "You can't be serious, Cassandra. After what he's done-!"
"Still good in him." The younger girl reasoned.
"There is, Cass but we-!"
"No!"
Barbara gave a sisterly glare towards Cassandra, "If you just listen—"
"No!"
"He's dangerous." Dick said calmly. "I know you like him, Cass. But he's dangerous. We just want to help him."
Bruce remained silent.
Cassandra looked at the first Robin in the eyes. "You are brothers. Should know he smart enough to leave. He know we will look for him."
Dick sighed, "Look, when we find him. If YOU find him. Ask him why he's doing this."
"Know why."
The others stared at her in surprise. Bruce included.
"He thinks no one cares. Thinks Tim took his spot. Thinks Joker living means his death not important. Thinks Bruce lying to him when he said to give him a chance. Thinks he's not loved, not wanted. Knows this hurts Bruce. Knows it makes Bruce angry."
Cassandra took a deep breath and started to walk out of the Cave.
"Thinks better to get an angry reaction than nothing."
Naruto didn't pack much. Just the essentials, he had a spare bag from Cabin Ten. A few supplies from the camp store, and a first aid kit from Will, curtesy of Cabin Seven. His kunai and shuriken were all that's left for him to pack.
The camp store loaned the questers a hundred U.S. dollars and twenty golden drachmas that were big and had images of various Greek Gods stamped on one side and the Empire State Building on the other. Chiron gave the trio of Demigods each a canteen of nectar and a Ziploc bag full of ambrosia squares, in case of emergency. It was God food, Chiron reminded them. It would cure them from almost any injury, but it was lethal to mortals. The Centaur warned them that if an overdose would cause them to burn up and turn into ashes.
Annabeth brought her magic Yankees cap, a gift given by her mother during her twelfth-birthday. A book on famous classical architecture, in Greek, of course. And a long bronze knife, hidden in her shirt sleeve. To which Percy was sure that would get them busted the first time they went through a metal detector.
Grover wore his fake feet and pants to pass as human. He wore a green rasta cap, to cover the tips of his horns should it ever rain. His bright orange backpack (which Naruto approved of) was full of scrap metal and apples to snack on. And a set of reed pipes his daddy goat had carved for him.
Percy, Annabeth, and Grover waved good-bye to the other campers, took one last look at the strawberry fields, the ocean, and the Big House, then hiked up Half-Blood Hill to the tall pine tree that used to Thalia, daughter of Zeus. Naruto was already up there, his eyes noticeably red and puffy, and he was leaning against its trunk.
Annabeth frowned when she saw her childhood friend's state, and approached him. "Are you okay?" She placed a hand on his arm. Naruto visibly flinched upon contact, worrying the girl more, and wiped his eyes. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine, Annie." The blond assured her.
The daughter of Athena wasn't buying it, and glared at her not-so-secret crush, "Whiskers, I know you for far too long." Her glare softened, "I know when you're lying." Naruto glowered, "How exactly?" He snapped. "You're posture stiffened, you stutter when you speak," Annabeth listed off. "And you look away when you're lying." She put her hands on her hips. "Tell me what's wrong, Naruto." She said in a soft tone. "Please."
A few feet away, Percy leaned to Grover and whispered, "Should I do something or…" He trailed off. Grover shook his head and put an arm around Percy and led him away from the two blonds. "Just let them do their thing, Percy."
The Demigod and the Satyr walked towards Chiron as Annabeth comforted Naruto. The trainer was waiting for them in his wheelchair; next to him was the surfer dude that Percy saw around camp. According to Grover, the guy was the camp's head of security. He supposedly had eyes all over his body so he could never be surprised. Today however, he was wearing a chauffeur's uniform, so they could only see extra eyes on his hands, face and neck.
"This is Argus," Chiron introduced the two to the man. "He will drive you into the city and, er, well, keep an eye on things." The Centaur frowned when he noted the absence of the two blonds. "Where are Mister Uzumaki and Miss Chase?" He asked.
Grover pointed towards the pine tree and Chiron smiled when he saw Annabeth hugging the taller blond, a blush sporting her cheeks. "Ah, young love." The Centaur said with a smile. Annabeth seemed to have hear Chiron and if it was possible, her cheeks turned redder.
The two separated and approached the group, Annabeth with pink cheeks. Grover snickered at Annabeth who glared at him. The Satyr shut up, but the smile didn't leave his face. "If I may, Mister Uzumaki. Are you alright?" Chiron asked kindly.
"Never been better, Chiron." Naruto grinned.
He liked Chiron, guy acted like Alfred, kind, caring, and grandfatherly.
He missed the old butler.
Just as the group was about to leave, the sound of footsteps stopped them.
Luke came running up the hill, carrying a pair of basketball shoes.
"Hey!" He yelled and panted. "Glad I caught you guys."
"Just wanted to say good luck," Luke told them, "And I thought… Um, maybe you could use these."
He handed Percy the sneakers, which looked normal to him. Heck, they even smelled normal. If him sniffing them and not reacting was any indication. Naruto did the same thing to various objects during his time as Robin, and even now.
It helped in Detective work.
Noticing the skeptical the shoes were getting, Luke smirked.
"Maia!"
White, feathery wings sprouted out of the heels, startling the son of Poseidon so much, he dropped them. The shies flapped around in the ground until the wings folded up and disappeared.
"Awesome!" Grover exclaimed.
Luke smiled. "Those served me well when I was on my quest. A gift from Dad. Of course, I don't use them much these days…" He said sadly.
Percy looked shocked at the gift and was a bit embarrassed at getting it. "Hey, man. Thanks." He meant it, by Luke's sincerity in his tone told how much he valued the shoes.
"Listen, Percy…" Luke shifted around nervously. "A lot of hopes are riding on you. So just… kill some monsters for me, okay?"
They shook hands.
As he turned to Naruto, he had a pained look in his eyes, the one he always seemed to have after the whiskered blond's claiming. "Leaving us again, huh, Naruto?" He joked, though there seemed to be a bit of hurt in his voice. "Only for a while, Luke." Naruto smiled at the older blond.
Naruto knew how hard it was to cope with Thalia's death. That, and Luke always seemed to look emotional whenever he was around, and he understood that.
Alfred once caught Naruto looking at Thalia's photo that he kept with him during her birthday. The kind butler comforted the young blond, and the next day. Naruto was shocked and happy to find a framed portrait of Thalia in the Manor.
Bless the butler's heart.
Luke moved on to pat Grover's head between his horns, and then gave a goodbye hug to Annabeth.
Annabeth unknowingly stared at Naruto, and was snapped out of her trance by Percy.
The son of the sea elbowed her. "Do you like him?" Percy asked, referring to their fellow quest member.
Annabeth turned bright red, "W-What? No! How can you say that? I only see him as a friend!" She said heatedly, her voice getting a tad bit higher at each word.
"It's pretty obvious you know? Why not just tell him?"
"Oh… Why do I want to go anywhere with you, Percy?" Annabeth huffed in anger and stomped down the other side of the hill, a white SUV waiting for them on the road. Argus followed, jingling his car keys.
Percy picked up the magic shoes and frowned at them before looking at Chiron. "I won't be able to use these, will I?"
The trainer shook his head. "Luke meant well, Percy. But taking to the air… That would be not wise for you."
The Demigod nodded, a bit disappointed. He turned to Naruto and held up the shoes. "Do you want to use them?" Percy asked, to which the whiskered blond shook his head. "Nah. Don't need 'em."
Percy looked at Grover. "How about you, Groves?"
The Satyr's eyes lit up. "Me?"
Pretty soon they'd laced the sneakers over his fake feet, and Grover grinned and activated the magic shoes.
"Maia!"
He got off the ground fine, but then fell over sideways which caused his backpack to get dragged through the grass. The winged shoes kept bucking up and down, poor Grover got bonked on the head a few times as he tried, and failed, to control them.
"Practice!" Chiron called after the flying goat. "You just need practice!"
"Aaaah!" Was Grover's only reply as he went flying sideways down the hill, heading towards the van.
Before Naruto or Percy could follow, the Centaur halted them. "I should have trained you both better," He muttered. "If only I had more time. Heracles, Jason, they all got more training."
"What am I thinking?!" Chiron suddenly cried out before looking at the son of Poseidon. "Do you still have the pen, Percy?"
Percy nodded, and fished the small pen out of his pocket. "Yeah, I found this after I woke up in the infirmary. What about it?"
"Percy, that's a gift from your father. I've kept it for years, not knowing you were who I was waiting for. But the prophecy is clear to me now. You are the one."
The boy remembered the field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, when he vaporized Mrs. Dodd. Chiron had thrown him a pen that turned into a sword.
Could this be…?
Percy uncapped the pen, and to his and Naruto's surprise, the sword that Percy used during his fight with the Minotaur was in the son of Poseidon's hands.
"The sword has a long and tragic history that we need not go into," Chiron told him. "Its name is Anaklusmos."
"Riptide," Percy translated easily.
"Use it only for emergencies," Chiron said, "And only against monsters. No hero should harm mortals, unless absolutely necessary of course, but this sword wouldn't harm them in any case."
Both Demigods looked at the bronze blade. "What do you mean it wouldn't harm mortals? How could it not?" The boy asked in disbelief.
"The sword is celestial bronze. Forged by the Cyclopes, tempered in the heart of Mount Etna, any creature from the Underworld, provided they don't kill you first. But the blade will pass through mortals like an illusion. They are simply not important enough for the blade to kill. And I should warn you; as a Demigod, you can be killed by either celestial or normal weapons. You are twice as vulnerable."
"Good to know."
"Now, recap the pen."
Percy touched the pen cap to the sword tip and instantly, Riptide shrank to the ballpoint pen again. He tucked it in his pocket, looking a tad nervous. "What if I lose it?" He asked.
Chiron smiled, "You can't lose the pen no matter how much you try." He said with some amusement in his tone. "It is enchanted. It will always reappear in your pocket. Try it."
The green eyed boy looked wary, but threw the pen as far as he could down the hill and watched it disappear in the grass.
"It may take a few moments." Chiron told him. "Now, check your pocket."
Sure enough, the pen was there.
"Okay, that's extremely cool," Percy admitted with a smile. "But what if a mortal sees me pulling out a sword?"
Chiron smiled. "Mist is a powerful thing, Percy."
"Mist?"
"It's the veil that Hecate controls, Aqua-lad." Naruto informed the boy. "Keeps mortals from seeing Gods and Monsters. Since were half-bloods, we see just fine, and since the blade has 'celestial' in its name, mortals can't see it either?" He asked the Centaur, who nodded with a pleased look in his eye.
Percy nodded in understanding too while putting Riptide back in his pocket.
Chiron looked at Naruto, "May I take a closer inspection on your weapon, Naruto?"
The blond nodded and held his arm towards the trainer. Chiron examined it before widening his eyes. "The Gauntlet of Zeus!"
Naruto tilted his head, "The what now?"
"The Gauntlet of Zeus, Mister Uzumaki." Chiron said, "Forged by Lord Hephaestus, your father used this Gauntlet to chain the Titans in the depths of Tartarus."
Naruto looked at his Gauntlets and let out a whistle.
Chiron spoke, "Though I am unware of what it does."
"I think of a weapon, and the Gauntlets transform into it." To prove his point, the Gauntlets shined before transforming into his twin handguns.
The trainer frowned in disapproval at the modern weapon, "Mister Uzumaki, may I ask, why guns of all things?" While some older Demigods use firearms, and that was rare as it is, the Centaur more or less preferred traditional weapons such as Bows and Swords.
"Just… Used to it, why?"
"Tradition, my boy."
Naruto let out an "Oh."
Before the boy could speak, Chiron raised a hand. "But, if it is your desired choice. Then I support it." He smiled.
Naruto grinned at the Centaur.
With all that done. The two Demigods set off down the hill after the rest of their group.
When Percy got to the bottom of the hill, he looked back. Under the pine tree that used to be Thalia, Naruto's older-sister, Chiron was standing in full horse-man form, holding his bow in salute.
A send off by the trainer.
Argus soon drove them out of the countryside and into western Long Island. It felt weird to be on a highway again, Annabeth and Percy sitting on opposite sides while Naruto sat in the middle. With Grover riding shotgun.
Percy was staring out the window while Naruto was inspecting his pistols.
Silence filled the van.
"So far so good," Percy told Annabeth, breaking the silence. "Ten miles and not a single monster."
She gave him an irritated look. "It's bad luck to talk that way, seaweed brain."
"Don't jinx it, Aqua-lad." Naruto said, not looking up from his inspection.
Percy ignored his cousin and glowered at Annabeth. "Remind me again, why do you hate me so much?" He asked the girl with a small sigh.
"I don't hate you."
"Could've fooled me."
She folded her invisibility cap. "Look… We're just not supposed to get along, okay? Our parents are rivals."
"And that should be the same with me and Naruto, yet, we seem to get along okay. Nut why us?" He asked with a quirked brow.
Annabeth sighed. "How many reasons do you want? One time my mom caught Poseidon with his girlfriend in Athena's temple, which is hugely disrespectful. Another time, Athena and Poseidon competed to be the patron God for the city of Athens. Your dad created stupid saltwater spring for his gift. My mom created the olive tree. The people saw that her gift was better, so they named the city after her."
"They must really like olives." Percy concluded.
"Oh, forget it."
"Now, if she'd invented pizza, that I could understand." He grinned at the girl.
"I said, forget it!"
"Please stop this before it gets out of hand." Naruto looked up from his handgun and turned to the two Demigods. Seeing the two of them descending to a cold war, the son of Zeus just sighed and went back to checking his firearm.
Silence prevailed once again.
Traffic slowed them down in Queens. By the time they got into Manhattan, it was sunset and starting to rain.
Argus dropped them at the Greyhound Station on the Upper East Side, not far from Percy's mom and Gabe's apartment. Taped below a mailbox was a soggy flyer with the son of Poseidon's picture on it, below the picture was text that read: HAVE YOU SEEN THIS BOY?
Percy ripped it down before the others could notice and read it as fast as he could before he threw it away with an angry look on his face.
Argus unloaded their bags, and made sure they got their bus tickets, then drove away, the eye on the back of his hand opening to watch them as he pulled out of the parking lot.
Percy held a look of longing on his face as Grover chatted with him about something. Naruto wasn't really listening as he was talking to Annabeth.
"Can you at least play nice with Aqua-lad, Annie?" He asked the girl.
Annabeth sighed, "I know, I know, geez." She huffed. "It's just, I don't know, it's this thing in my gut I guess." She admitted.
Naruto put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "We're not our parents, you know. I get the tension too, and trust me I know the feeling. But their arguments and squabbles are with them. It's none of our business." The son of Zeus said.
"Nice policy."
"Gotta do what you have to do, Annie." He grinned at her.
Annabeth looked at Naruto, who had his blue eyes covered by a pair of black shades, even if it was approaching evening.
"It's almost dark, why are you wearing that?"
Naruto just smiled at her, "Secret."
The rain didn't stop.
They got restless waiting for the bus and decided to play catch with one of Grover's apples. Tossing the apple from one to another as Grover desperately tried to get it.
Then, they played Hacky Sack with the same apple. Annabeth was extremely good. Able to bounce the fruit with her knee, shoulder and elbow. Percy wasn't bad either.
But Naruto stole the show, doing various flips and tricks while bouncing the apple.
As much as he hate to admit it. He had to thank Grayson for that.
The game ended when Percy tossed the apple toward the Satyr which got too close to his mouth. In one huge bite, their Hack Sack disappeared into the belly of the goat boy.
Grover blushed and tried to apologize, but the Demigods were too busy laughing.
The bus finally came. As the four stood in line to board the vehicle. Grover started looking around, sniffing the air like a dog.
"What is it?" Percy asked.
"I don't know," He said tensely. "Maybe it's nothing."
"Keep your guard up, but don't look too tense." Naruto spoke, narrowing his eyes behind his shades, his training as Robin kicking in. Annabeth already doing so, and Percy looking over his shoulders every few seconds.
A sigh of relief was heard when they finally got on board and found seats together in the back of the bus. Annabeth, Percy and Grover stowed their backpacks, while Naruto held his own close to him.
Never can be too careful.
Ah, great, his paranoia's kicking in. But considering they're situation, being paranoid might actually help.
As the last passengers got on, Annabeth clamped her hand onto the son of Zeus' knee. "Whiskers." She said in a tight whisper.
An old lady had just boarded the bus. She wore a crumpled velvet dress and a shapeless orange-knit hat that shadowed her face along with a few more accessories such as lace gloves and a big paisley purse. When the woman tilted her head up, her black eyes glittered, something which Naruto noticed caused Percy to flinch and withdraw into his seat.
Two more ladies came behind her. One in a green hat and the other in a purple hat.
They sat in the front row, right behind the driver. The two on the aisle crossed their legs over the walkway, forming an X.
The bus rode out of the station, and they headed through the bustling streets of Manhattan. "Ms. Dodds didn't stay dead long." Percy said in a shaky voice. "I thought you said they could be dispelled for a lifetime." He turned to Annabeth with a look.
"I said if you're lucky." The girl reminded him. "You're obviously not."
"I could say the same for me." Naruto muttered. Glaring at the elderly ladies.
"All three of them," Grover whimpered. "Di Immortales!"
"It's okay." Annabeth tried to assure them, thinking in overdrive. "The Furies. The three worst monsters from the Underworld. No problem. No problem. We'll just slip out of the windows." She was panicking.
"They don't open." Grover informed them.
"A back exit?"
"None. And even if there is, we'll get trapped either way." Naruto pointed at the oncoming tunnel.
"They won't attack with witnesses around," Percy said. "Will they?"
"There's the Mist Percy, it'll keep the mortals from noticing anything wrong." Naruto frowned.
"Mortals don't have good eyes." Annabeth added. "Their brains can only process what they see through the Mist."
"They'll see three old ladies killing us, won't they?" Percy suggested.
Annabeth thought about it. "Hard to say. But we can't count on mortals for help. Maybe an emergency exit in the roof—"
Darkness abruptly blanketed them, cutting off Annabeth's question; they'd hit Lincoln Tunnel, and the bus went dark except for the running lights down the aisle.
It was dead quiet without the rain.
The Fury with the orange whatever-it-is got up and declared she needed to use the bathroom in a fake tone.
That was such bullshit. Naruto thought.
"So do I," The second sister said.
"So do I," The third echoed.
They all started coming down the aisle.
"I've got it," Annabeth said. "Percy, take my hat." The sea child blinked, much to the girl's annoyance. "Come on, take it." She insisted.
She turned to Naruto who put his 'Hood' on for extra protection.
The red helmet was a contradiction to the darkness that enveloped the bus.
Naruto jabbed a thumb on his chest. "Don't worry about me, Annie."
Annabeth nodded and looked at the son of Poseidon. "Percy, you're one of the two they want. Turn invisible and go up the aisle. Let them pass you. Maybe you can get to the front and get away."
"What about Naru—"
"Don't worry about me." Naruto cut the boy off.
Percy nodded hesitantly. "What about you guys?" He looked at Grover and Annabeth.
"There's an outside chance they might not notice us," Annabeth said. "You and Naruto are both sons of the Big Three. Your smell might me overpowering, along with Naruto's scent. This could work."
"We can't just leave you." Naruto argued sternly. His voice slightly robotic with his helmet on.
Annabeth's heart fluttered and her cheeks flushed but insisted. "Don't worry about us." She said. "Go!"
Percy took the hat shakily and put it on.
Grover turned towards Naruto's seat and…
"… He's gone." Grover whispered, dumbfounded and confused, "How did he disappear so fast?!"
Percy also thought the same thing, but quickly stopped the train of thought.
He had to focus.
He began to creep up the aisle. He got up about ten seats before he had to duck into an empty seat as the Furies passed him.
Mrs. Dodds stopped, sniffing, and looked straight at him. Percy's heart pounded rapidly. She started to sniff some more and looked at the other asile.
From his angle, Percy could see a glimpse of a familiar red helmet from the darkness of the other aisle.
He was free. The boy made it to the front of the bus. They were almost through the Lincoln Tunnel now. He was about to press the emergency stop button when he heard hideous wailing from the back row.
The old ladies transformed. Their faces were the same, but their bodies shriveled into leathery brown hag bodies with bat's wings and hands and feet like gargoyle claws. Their handbags turning into fiery whips.
The Furies surrounded Grover and Annabeth, lashing their whips while hissing, "Where is it? Where?!"
The other passengers started screaming, cowering in their seats.
They all saw something, all right.
"They aren't here!" Annabeth yelled. "They're gone!"
The Furies hissed angrily and raised their whips.
Annabeth drew her bronze knife. Grover grabbed his tin can from his snack bag and prepared to throw it.
Percy looked at the distracted bus driver and narrowed his eyes.
Still invisible, the boy grabbed the wheel from the man and jerked it to the left. Everybody screamed as they were thrown to the right, and he heard what was hopefully the Furies smashing against the windows.
"The hell do you think you're doing?!" Naruto's voice rang out through the current chaos. Percy turned briefly to see that he had twin, sleek, and not to mention cool bronze pistols on his hands, right behind the Furies and rolling on the ground from his impulsive action. The blond looked like he was about to shoot them in the head while the monsters were distracted by Grover and Annabeth.
Naruto gritted his teeth and aimed one of his handguns toward the Furies and pulled the trigger, the bronze bullet came sailing out of the chamber and whizzed past the aisle, hitting a Fury.
The Fury wailed in pain, a hole in its shoulder where the bullet passed through.
'Need to work on my aim.' Naruto thought absently.
"Hey!" The driver yelled. "Hey-whoa!"
Percy wrestled for the wheel. The bus slammed against the side of the tunnel, grinding metal, throwing sparks a mile behind them.
They shot out of Lincoln Tunnel and back into the rain, all the while people and monsters were tossed around the bus, and outside cars were plowed aside.
Somehow, the driver found an exit. Shooting off the highway through half a dozen traffic lights. They ended up flying down one of those New Jersey rural roads right across the river from New York. There were woods to their left, the Hudson River to their right, and the driver seemed to be veering toward the river.
Another great idea.
Percy hit the emergency brake.
The bus screeched, spinning into a full circle on the wet asphalt, and crashed into the trees. The emergency lights came on.
The door flew open.
The bus driver was the first to get out, quickly followed by the other passengers after him. Yelling as they stampeded after the man.
The Furies regained their balance. They lashed their whips at Annabeth while she waved her knife and yelled in Ancient Greek, telling them to back off. Grover threw tin cans.
The wounded Fury went to strike Naruto for revenge, but the former Robin flipped back, the tip of his boot striking the Fury on the chin. Knocking the Fury back a bit. The monster screeched in rage and flew straight towards the son of Zeus and raised its whip, only for the masked blond to grab its arm. The Fury felt cold metal under its chin and howled, trying to escape. "Eat bullets!" Naruto roared and shot the Fury under its chin. The bullet escaping its head and reducing it to golden dust.
Percy looked at the open doorway. He was free to go, but he couldn't leave his friends. So the boy took off the cap and yelled, "Hey!"
The two remaining Furies turned, baring their rotten and yellow fangs at him, and the exit suddenly seemed like an excellent idea.
Naruto ran and stopped right in front of Percy, lightly crouching. The orange hatted one stalked up the aisle, occasionally flicking her whip, melting the row of seats.
The sister hopped on top of the left rows of seats and crawled towards him and Percy like a lizard, her arms and legs in awkward angles.
"Perseus Jackson, Naruto Uzumaki," Mrs. Dodds called in an accent. "You have offended the Gods." She hissed.
"You shall die."
"I liked you better as a math teacher." Percy told her.
"Fuck off, for all I care," Naruto glared at her with hate.
The monster growled at them.
Annabeth and Grover moved up behind the Furies cautiously, looking for an opening.
Percy drew his ballpoint pen out of his pocket and uncapped it. Riptide appearing in his hands.
The Furies hesitated.
Mrs. Dodds had felt the celestial bronze sword before. She obviously didn't like seeing it again.
"Submit, now." She hissed. "And you will not suffer eternal torment."
"Nice try," The son of Poseidon snorted as he got into a stance. Naruto tightened his grip on his pistols, lightning dancing around his form.
"Guys, look out!" Annabeth cried, Naruto grabbed Percy and forced him to duck along with him, the two dodging the Fury's whip.
Mrs. Dodds lunged at Percy, only for Naruto to change one of his firearms into the curved blades he used during Capture The Flag and sliced the whip clean through, a shockwave of lightning hitting the Fury, causing her to stumble back.
The one on the left lunged at the son of Poseidon, but he swung his blade. As soon as the blade connected with her neck, she screamed and exploded into dust.
Annabeth got Mrs. Dodds in a hold and yanked her backwards while Grover managed to rip the remains of the whip out of her hands.
"Ow!" He yelled. "Hot! Hot! Really hot!"
The remaining Fury tried to get the daughter of Athena of her back. Kicking, clawing and hissing. But the girl held on while the Satyr tied Mrs. Dodds with her own whip. The two shoved her backwards into the aisle. Mrs. Dodds tried to get up, but she didn't have enough room to flap her bat wings, so she kept on falling down.
"Zeus will destroy you!" She shouted. "Hades will have your souls!" She said to the two children of the Big Three.
"Been dead, done that." Naruto retorted as he glared at the struggling Fury.
"Braccas meas vescimini!" Percy yelled.
He wasn't sure where the Latin came from. He wasn't entirely sure what he'd said, but he thought it was something like: "Eat my pants!"
But judging by the dry look Percy just knew Naruto was sending him through his red helmet, he probably said something stupid.
Naruto shocked the monster with his lightning, knocking back the Fury who had finally clawed her way upright, while he changed his curved blade back into his pistol and holstered it.
Thunder shook the bus as the hair rose on the back of Percy's neck.
"Get out!" Annabeth yelled at them. "Now!"
They didn't need any encouragement; rushing outside, the four found the other passengers wandering around in a daze, arguing with the driver, or running around circles yelling, "We're gonna die!"
"Holy shit!" One tourist shouted once they saw the masked Naruto.
"It's him! The Red Hood!"
The man exclaimed as he snapped the helmeted blond's photograph, while another tourist snapped Percy's who couldn't recap his sword.
Oh shit.
Naruto realized his mistake.
He was still a wanted criminal.
Before the whiskered blond could do anything, Grover's shout caught his attention. "Our bags! We left our-!"
BOOOOOM!
Lightning struck, and the windows of the bus exploded as the passengers ran for cover. Lightning shredded a huge crater through the roof, and where the Fury last stood.
All that remained of Mrs. Dodds was a pile of golden dust.
Naruto looked up at the sky and silently thanked his sire for the bolt of lightning.
The sky rumbled, as if it heard the blond's thanks.
Naruto turned towards his group and motioned them to follow him, to which the three complied.
The four soon stopped at another street, where they could still see the aftermath of the explosion.
"What're we gonna do now?!" Grover frantically whispered, his panic spreading when he heard sirens.
Naruto stayed silent before walking towards a parked white and blue striped Shelby mustang.
And promptly shattered the driver's window
Annabeth, Grover, and Percy watched in shock as the helmeted blond silenced the muscle car and got into the vehicle and looked at them. His red helmet giving them no expression.
"What're you three waiting for? Get in the car!"
The three quickly entered, Annabeth calling shotgun, while Grover and Percy sat at the back.
It was quiet as the blond in the driver's seat hotwired the car.
Soon enough, the engine roared to life. And Naruto pressed the gas pedal and they were off.
"Where are we going?" Percy asked his cousin, breaking the silence.
"Easy, Gotham."
"GOTHAM?!" Annabeth, Grover and Percy echoed in shock.
"Gotham?! As in 'highest murders per capita' Gotham?!" Grover asked after the shock. "Naru, are you crazy?! That city's miles away."
Naruto grunted. "We're out of supplies, right? I have safe-houses in Gotham, we can re-stock there, and continue our quest." He told them.
"Safe-houses?! Since when did you get safe-houses?!" Percy asked.
"He's the Red Hood, seaweed brain, that name ring any bell?" Annabeth said.
"Red Hood…" Percy trailed off as he looked down. That was familiar, one of the passengers called Naruto that, right? "I heard about Red Hood before…" He muttered. Before widening his eyes.
"You're a criminal!" Percy realized, pointing a finger at the blond in front of him.
Naruto stayed silent.
"Percy's right, and after we go in one of your safe-houses, we will have a very long talk about your exploits, Whiskers." Annabeth said far too sweetly, her tone like honey.
Naruto paled, when he recognized that tone.
That's the tone Barbara usually used when she was mad.
Fuck.
"Y-Yes, Annie." He replied shakily.
"Wait a sec, if you're a criminal…" Grover started, "Does that mean The Batman is gonna hunt us down?!" He yelled in a panic.
"Awesome." Percy muttered.
Hey, if he had a chance to meet Batman, then he'd take it.
"Grover's right, Whiskers, what if we do encounter him?" Annabeth asked worriedly.
Naruto narrowed his eyes as he focused on the road.
"Let's hope it doesn't come down to that…"
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See ya.