AN: I actually went for T.G.I. Friday's. Mm their chicken fingers are finger lickin' good!

AN 2: I have a "Reading" story! For those unaware of what this is, it's when a crossover fic, like mine, is read to the cannon characters of one portion of said crossover. Reading Sun's Heir, Death's Guardian was written by TenshinG and actually made me laugh a few times.

Needless to say, this chapter is dedicated to loyal reader and fellow author tenshinG.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

Sun's Heir, Death's Guardian

XI


"Here it is," Naruto said to the group as they walked into the station, "Sunwest Line: 'Only goes in one direction, if you miss it, you miss it'?"

Inwardly, somewhere deep inside his heart, Naruto thought his father needed to reacquaint himself with the way of the ninja if this was his plan to help them while working "under the radar".

"That's a bad slogan," Grover mused as he stepped in the train, his eyes going wide as the lights came on, "Whoa!"

The others followed the satyr and replicated his shock, well, everyone but Naruto did. The blond stood at the back and palmed his head. Of course, the train they were riding was a freight train that carried the most expensive and stylish model of cars. It was like his father just didn't care about keeping his identity to himself.

Dad! Seriously?! That does it; I am so telling Mom that you're slacking off with your shinobi training! Naruto exclaimed in his head as he groaned softly. Percy ran for the Maserati Spider with Grover soon chasing after him; Zoë and Phoebe took a nice silver Ford Mustang; leaving him and Thalia to find their own 'seats'.

"Hard Top or Convertible?" Naruto jokingly asked the girl, only to see her heading for the sleek black Dodge Charger near the back. The blond arched a brow before grinning.

Hey, if she doesn't want to use this opportunity to corner me, then who am I to complain? Naruto thought with a grin before he headed over to the lonely burnt orange Challenger the same model as his last one, which was nice. He had taken a shine to the car and was planning on customizing it with the Hephaestus Cabin, until Kakashi blew it to high Olympus that is.

Kinda wish he didn't do that, Naruto grumbled inwardly to himself as he jimmied the lock and got in the car's driver seat. Closing his eyes, Naruto leaned back into the comfy leather and sighed in relief before falling into a dreamless sleep once again.

Twenty minutes later, there was a flare of chakra and Naruto sighed as it woke him up.

"Sorry 'bout that, didn't mean to wake ya," a whistling voice apologized. Naruto looked to his right and gave a tired look to the homeless man.

The two were silent for a moment before the blonde demigod arched a brow and asked, "So...'Fred', huh? Couldn't think of anything better?"

"Shut up, brat," Fred replied as his features changed into his chosen form for the Hidden Lands, revealing him to be Apollo. The God of the Sun opened the other door and sat in, giving his son a smile, "So what'cha think? Am I the best or what?"

"I knew it was you from the beginning," Naruto snorted out as he closed his eyes, "All this going to be worth it in the end?"

"You know my motto, Fishcake," Apollo replied, getting a growl out of his son for the name, "'Those who break the rules are trash...'"

"Yeah, I know the rest," Naruto grumpily replied, "Now if you don't mind, I'm trying to sleep. Why don't you go bother Jackson?"

Apollo sighed, "Naruto, you can't keep this grudge against the boy up. It's going to cause a rift in the camp if it continues."

Naruto glanced at his father from the corner of one cracked eye, "I know. It'll work out in the end, Dad. You just gotta have some faith in me."

"You're seriously going to corner him into a fight? What, you think he's like that Sasuke kid?" Apollo asked with an arched brow.

"Hell no, if anything Percy Jackson is ten times the human that Sasuke Uchiha is," Naruto grunted out, "He's like me...before you pulled me out of the Nations."

"Then try going about changing him in a different way," the God suggested, "Right now all you have is a lot of tension and soon enough he's going to snap."

"I know what I was like, Dad," Naruto shot back quietly, "And I know just what he needs. He needs a Sasuke Uchiha."

"...You're going to recreate the Nami Bridge Incident...Are you out of your MIND?" Apollo raged, getting his son to look at him, "Do you know what my Uncle will do to me if I let you go through with that?"

Naruto blinked and looked at his father, "Which one?"

"The scary one!" Apollo replied with a terrified look on his face.

The blond demigod stared at his father for a moment. "...You gotta give me a little more than that, Dad."

"Ha-ha, you're hilarious," Apollo deadpanned. They sat quietly for a moment before the God of the Sun sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, "Order give me strength...If you successfully recreate the Bridge incident you're not going to try and kill him are you?"

"Who do you think I am, Sasuke?" the blond replied with a smirk before it fell into a frown and he looked forward, "The Titans are recruiting Konoha."

"I know," Apollo sighed out as he covered his eyes with his hand.

"...Shinobi are going to be a part of the war."

"Yep."

"The Masked Uchiha spoke to me at the Museum."

"Yeah, I...Wait a minute, say that again," Apollo looked at his eldest child.

"That Madara wannabe you warned me about," Naruto confirmed his father's fears, "He's here...and he knows about the Crooked One."

Apollo shivered at the mention of his father's sworn nemesis. He looked at his son, who was now biting a nail in nervousness and staring ahead. Apollo frowned, "What else did he say, Naruto?"

Naruto hesitated as he was taken back to the vision forced upon him. The many dead friends at his feet, the implied death of his father and aunt, the Big Three's defeat.

Then there was the EYE. That giant red orb staring at him, forcing him to take the brunt of its power full on. The killing intent that oozed from it made him feel like he was a small boy in Konoha all over again. Alone in his apartment when there was a bump in the dark and he didn't know what caused it.

"Hey, you okay, kiddo?" Apollo asked in concern as he noticed Naruto's eyes glisten over. The blond inhaled sharply before nodding as he was shaken from the thought. Naruto rubbed his eyes and mentally groaned. Now he wasn't going to sleep for two reasons.

That thought made him look at his father and ask, "Have you been giving me visions of the future?"

"Uh...No, why?" the God asked before his eyes widened in realization, "You're having visions?"

"Sort of, but they're more like jumbled warnings," Naruto muttered in response as he rubbed his temple, "Gods above...I swear if it's the Fates, I'm going to kill...something."

"Relax, kiddo, they've always got a reason for what they do," Apollo reassured his son while mentally growling, But they should know damn better to give a demigod mixed messages! It'll get him killed...again! Last time that happened, oh boy was I given a beating from his mother...Nice of Uncle Dead-Head to let me see her again every so often, though.

"Dad, this has been a wonderful heart-to-heart and all but you really have to get back to Olympus," Naruto suddenly said. The God frowned, but before he could speak, Naruto gave him a look that he obviously got from his mother, "I can't keep an eye on both you and Jackson, Dad."

"Tch, ruin my fun," Apollo grumbled, "Fine. Just do me one thing, Naruto."

"What?"

Apollo grinned at his son, "Be sure to use protection when you and Thalia do the deed."

"Wha-I-YOU ASSHOLE!" Naruto reached for his Father in order to strangle him only for the God in question to vanish in a bright flash of light. His laughter echoed in the train but was drowned out by the train's horn.

The blond groaned and ducked his head down, crossing his arms as he tried to get back to sleep. The images his father's words left him with however made it much harder to, no pun intended. The thought of him and Thalia doing...that, led him to think about his feelings for the raven-haired girl.

She's headstrong, brave and cares for her friends almost as ferociously as I do, he mused with a small smile, Not to mention her time as a tree didn't hurt her figure, though I probably won't say that to her face. Ever. She'd probably hit me for the compliment. Huh, why does my relationship with Thalia remind me of something...Ah well, I'll dwell on this later. Maybe I should get some shuteye.


While Naruto was thinking about his relationship with the daughter of Zeus, Percy was dreaming of a time long since past. He dreamt of a girl that looked faintly familiar to him, and receiving a blade that he already had in his possession. Percy didn't have control of himself in the dream, saying things out of character for himself and acting absurdly cocky, like he was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Before the end of it, though, Percy realized that he wasn't in his own body, but was viewing a memory from another's perspective. He also realized who the girl in his dream was.

Zoë Nightshade.

Percy's eyes snapped open as he heard the passenger door open and he looked to see the homeless guy that led them to the train sitting down. He opened his mouth to ask him what he was doing when the man spoke, "Have a nice dream, Mr. Jackson?"

"How'd you know my name?" Percy asked warily, reaching for Riptide. A familiar pressure washed over him and Percy started to sweat as heat followed it. Looking at the smiling man, he was shocked to find the face of Naruto's father grinning back at him.

"Well for one thing you just told me," Apollo joked, getting Percy to palm his face. Undeterred the god continued, "And for another thing, I wouldn't be a good prophet if I didn't know the names of people important to the fate of Olympus."

"W-What do you mean?" Percy asked. Apollo smiled and tapped the side of his nose.

"That would be telling, young hero," the God of the Sun replied knowingly. He then looked at the rearview mirror back to where Naruto's Challenger sat. Before Percy could ask a question, Apollo spoke, "Do you know why he's an asshole to you?"

"Huh?"

Apollo grinned over at the confused teen, "You're just like how he used to be, before he saved his village the first time. Man was I impressed after I found out... I'm still mad I had to get that story from him after he was resurrected, though."

"The first time?" Percy repeated in disbelief.

"Stopped a giant sand monster, bout as tall as the Empire State Building with the Mist around it," the God chuckled at the gaping teen's face and continued, "He thinks he changed after I brought him from his home to the States, but if anything all he did was hone his planning abilities. He's still the same knucklehead no matter how hard he tries to hide it."

"No offense, but that doesn't explain why he's an asshole," Percy muttered. Apollo gave the kid a shrug.

"In his opinion, you're too much like he was as a kid," Apollo explained, "A portion of him, a good portion, despises how naïve he was. He almost died multiple times and he doesn't want that to happen to you."

Still confused, Percy asked "So...He's a dick to me because he likes me?"

"...I can see why he dislikes you sometimes," Apollo groaned as he rubbed the bridge of his nose, "You're very slow on the uptake, Percy Jackson. He's not doing it for you, more so he's doing it for your little girlfriend."

Percy blushed and looked away, "I...I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh please," Apollo rolled his eyes, "Look, Aphrodite might be the Goddess of Love, but I'm pretty good at spotting those smitten with the opposite sex. I'm the God of Poems, remember? Father to Shakespeare? I could go on, but the point is I know when a guy likes a girl. And you, my young friend, have the hots for Athena's daughter."

"N-No I don't!" Percy protested weakly. Apollo laughed.

"Yeah, right, and my kid doesn't threaten me with violence with each encounter," the God snickered out. Once he finished he continued, "It's for that reason alone that Naruto's such an asshole to you. You're an only child, so you don't know what it's like to protect a younger sibling, but Naruto...Aside from his actual siblings he has several pseudo-siblings. He's got experience at cheering kids up and making them see him as an older brother. That's how it is with that daughter of Athena."

"I think I get it," Percy said after a moment, "Naruto's acting like an overprotective big brother, right? Trying to scare me away from Annabeth?"

Apollo palmed his face, "No! How in the name of my family are you this dumb? Seriously!"

"Hey!" Percy pouted at the God, "I'm not dumb..."

Apollo looked at the Son of Poseidon and spoke slowly, "Ok, he's a dick to you so that you grow up and don't die. If you died, and follow me on this, it would hurt Annabeth. You get that?"

"Well, yeah, she's my friend so she'd be sad, right?" Percy said, following though still mad he was being talked to like he was an idiot.

"Good, that's progress," Apollo joked before continuing, "Now Naruto is a protective big brother, so he's going to keep Annabeth from being hurt in any way, shape or form. Emotional pain is what he considers to be the worst pain possible, so can you see where I'm going with this?"

Percy thought the God's words over before nodding slowly, "Naruto's mean to me, because he wants me to grow up and stay alive for Annabeth's sake? That doesn't make sense to me."

"It's not supposed to, it's not your logic," said Apollo before he continued with a shrug, "It's Naruto's logic. He's my son and even I don't understand him sometimes. I mean seriously, who turns down an offer from three call girls? Sure they wore him down eventually but still, the fact that they had to just boggles my mind!"

"...Th-that actually happened?" Percy asked with a blush on his face. It was then that he realized maybe Naruto had more to offer than fighting advice.

"Yeah! What, you think he made it up just to piss Arte off?" At the mention of his sister Apollo's smile immediately died and he looked away. Percy shivered as the heat started to vanish with Apollo's enthusiasm. The God of the Sun was quiet once more for a long time.

"Uh, A-Apollo?" Percy hesitantly reached out to the God with his voice, only for the Sun God to snap from his depression and force a smile on his face.

"Sorry, I zoned out there for a second," Apollo apologized before he opened the door, "Listen, I can't say too much, but I can tell you this: Find Nereus, the old man of the sea. He'll help you find what you're looking for."

"Near Us?" Percy repeated in confusion. The God grinned and nodded before becoming serious. Another wave of pressure hit the son of Poseidon.

"You'd best find my sister, Percy Jackson," Apollo warned, "If there's one thing my son and I share it's the protective nature of a big brother."

But...Aren't they twins? Percy thought absentmindedly while also nodding his head. The God of the Sun grinned and stepped out of the Spider, leaving the shivering demigod to think about what Apollo had said.


Naruto woke up silently as the train came to a hissing stop and stretched as much as he could in his seat. He went to get out of the car when a note taped to the rearview mirror caught his eye. Looking it over, Naruto smiled when he saw that it was a note from his Dad.

Naruto,

I heard what Kaka-Baka did to your last ride. Can't be having you riding around in another lame-ass van, can we? Consider this a late birthday present. Just channel chakra into the steering wheel.

With Love From The Best Dad Ever

P.S. Open the glove box before you channel chakra. Consider it a gift that you'll need later.

Naruto arched a brow at the post scriptum before shrugging and doing as it said. Opening the glove box, the blond found a smaller black box about the size of his wallet. Flipping the box over, the blond's face turned bright red and he scowled. He threw the box out of the car and immediately channeled chakra to the wheel.

In a poof of smoke, Naruto dropped to the ground next to a moderately sized scroll. With a groan, he sat back up and grabbed the scroll, his face still flushed from the purpose of the 'surprise' his father left him. Grumbling about a perverted bloodline and concerns that his aunt and or, gods forbid, mother might think he was converted were heard from the rest of the group as he joined up with them.

The Lieutenant of Artemis' Hunters arched a collective brow at the blonde attitude and Zoë was the first to ask, "What's wrong, Uzumaki?"

Naruto remained in his dark mood while he muttered about some perverted toad, his terrifying mother, and cursing his father. All the while he refused to make eye contact with the three females accompanying him.

"Uh, Whiskers? Are you ok?" Thalia asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. The blond tensed and shivered before shaking his head. Snapped out of his trance, Naruto looked around at the group before his eyes locked on Thalia.

He fought down another blush and looked away at Percy, who also seemed confused about something. He realized the group, save a distracted Percy, was staring at him, and replied to Thalia's question, "Y-Yeah, I'm good Thalia-chan. Just an argument with our conductor of sorts."

"If you say so," Thalia replied unsurely before her eyes widened and she glared at him, "Hey, wait a minute, I still had questions for you!"

"Well...Dammit," Naruto sighed in defeat while scratching the back of his head, "Let's get our bearings first before we do anything else. Like interrogate me."

"Fine, but I'm holding you to it like you promised," Thalia said to him before pushing past the group and walking off the train. Percy and Grover were quick to follow, the former still deep in thought while the latter was muttering something about coffee.

Naruto gaped at her form before following after his fellow demigods, "H-Hey! I didn't promise that you could interrogate me! Thalia-chan, wait up!"

"Gods, their 'romance' is annoying and distracting!" Zoë grumbled as she and Phoebe followed the two, "Lady Artemis best be safe or I'll string them up as an offering to placate Lord Zeus' anger."

"I'm sure we could just sacrifice Uzumaki now and get more time to save Lady Artemis, perhaps some support as well," Phoebe mused with a small smile as she thought about doing just that.

"Then again, Lady Artemis is fond of him," Zoë groaned, "Why must he be a man, though! If he were a girl I'd have no qualms about following his orders."

"Perhaps she would've been a sister to us as well," Phoebe thought aloud before she laughed, "Could you imagine it if he was turned into a girl?"

"The shock would probably kill him," Zoë admitted with a smirk.


Oh, how little the two Hunters knew that the blond had already experienced life as a girl. In the few times he had stumbled across the Hunters and his aunt, Naruto never once showed them his first self-developed technique. He did so for two reasons, the first being his Aunt was already enough of a man-hater so he didn't need to ruin their relationship by transforming into a naked girl. The second being his own mother's threat to him after he was returned to life and struck a deal with his grand uncle.

Needless to say, it'd be a good long time before Naruto returned to 'pranking perverts' with his anti-pervert technique.


Ahead of the two laughing Hunters, just outside the small New Mexico town of Cloudcroft, Naruto was trying to get Thalia to lay off until they finished the quest. So far it's been refusal after refusal, so Naruto decided to pull out his signature weapon when arguing with a member of the opposite sex: Kawaii No Jutsu!

"Fine!" Thalia relented as she blushed and looked away, "Just-Just change back already! It's weird seeing you like that!"

Naruto grinned and was enveloped with a poof a smoke before giving the girl a one armed hug. Inwardly he thought, Female: 0, Kawaii No Jutsu: 14.

The technique was a simple transformation technique, much like his signature weapon against perverts, only this turned him into a six-year-old version of himself. He would water his eyes and look up at his target. Jutting his bottom lip out, he would then ask in a depressed tone for what he wanted and usually it came out to be a full success. His mother and grandaunt certainly fell for it.

Remembering how he had to pull it out against his great aunt Hestia made him smile. He never expected her of all people to be as big a ramen fan as he and his father were. He found out the hard way when they met in a grocery store while replenishing his ramen supply. After successfully defeating her and discovering she was his great aunt, he invited her to a local restaurant to talk. Learning that their shared love for Eastern meals was the reason Hestia once considered his father for a husband made him bust a gut. It was the start of a great familial relationship and the thought of said bond always made him happy.

"Geez, where's a Starbucks when you need it?" Grover asked the group, snapping Naruto from his thoughts about his fellow ramen loving family members. The Satyr yawned and continued, "I mean, really we should-"

The Satyr froze mid step and the group looked at him in confusion. Zoë and Phoebe froze shortly after ward and Naruto, who was about to ask what was going on, joined them. Percy and Thalia were stuck with four teens frozen in place, eyes dilated and breathing softly. Thalia began shaking Naruto in worry while Percy waved a hand over Grover's face.

"Ok, this is weird," Percy mumbled before looking at Thalia, "Any luck?"

"No, dammit snap out of it Whiskers!" Thalia said before smacking the blond across the face. Unlike many times before, her strike failed to break him of his trance. The sound did wake both Zoë and Phoebe from their trances. The Hunters immediately went on the defensive and pulled their bows out, taking aim to the Northeast.

"Hurry, wake thy friends! We have to move!" Zoë ordered as she and Phoebe drew their bows.

"I'm working on it, Nightshade!" Thalia replied before grabbing the blonde before her by both shoulders, "Dammit, Naruto, wake up! We need you awake!"

"G-Man! Dude, c'mon wake up!" Percy said while shaking his friend by the shoulders. Grover slowly came out his trance and mumbled something.

"What was that, buddy?" Percy asked his friend in concern. Grover looked in the direction Zoë and Phoebe were aiming their arrows in and a wide smile crossed his face.

"A Gift from the Wild!" he said louder, snapping Naruto from his trance. Naruto followed the Satyr's gaze and his own widened in horror. He grabbed Thalia's wrist and began running West.

"RUN!" he called over his shoulder.

The others exchanged a look before following after him. Grover reluctantly did so, only thanks to Percy's grip on his arm.

"C'mon Grover, we gotta move!"

"What are we running from?" Thalia asked loudly. Naruto didn't look back and didn't reply. He suddenly came to a stop and began sniffing the air.

The Hunters eyed him curiously, while Thalia and Percy thought something was wrong with the teen. Naruto continued to sniff the air before he tensed.

Under his breath, the appointed Guardian of Hades' Children whispered, "It's here."

"A gift from the Wild!" Grover exclaimed once more, only to get a hand clamped over his mouth by his best friend. He silently agreed to quiet down with a glance and was freed from the hand.

Percy then looked worriedly around him while the Hunters and the two elder teens tensed for a fight. The Son of Poseidon heard a snort and he slowly turned his head to the area behind him, coming face to face with a large snout. The others followed his gaze and their eyes widened as the largest boar they've ever seen snorted steam right in the raven-haired teen's face.

"Gods above!" Naruto whispered as he looked over the creature in fear. It stood at a whopping thirty feet high and had tusks the size of canoes.

"What do we do?" Percy asked those around him in a hushed tone.

"Run...As fast as you can," Naruto replied quietly. The boar seemed to hear him as at that moment it let out a head splitting squeal.

"RUN!"


Meanwhile on Olympus, we follow the Goddess of Love as she once again exits from her room. This time she has a smile on her face. Unknown to said goddess, a certain curious God of Thieves is following her. Hermes left George and Martha back in his temple so that he could successfully follow her without risking being spotted.

Unsurprisingly the Goddess of Love walked past the other temples and entered that of the God of War. Hermes pressed himself against a door after it was shut and listened closely, displaying his rarely used skills as a thief.

"I need you to do this for me Ares," Aphrodite pleaded in a feigned manner, "Please? I just need to show a little muscle."

Oh please, I'm listening in on their foreplay? Blech, I'm outta here, Hermes thought. He prepared to walk away nonchalantly when Ares' response stopped him.

"No fucking way, 'Dite," Ares snarled making Hermes furrow his brow in surprise, "I ain't going to see Apollo's kid again! You know how embarrassing that was! Hell you were one of the first to laugh!"

While Hermes racked his brain to recall what might've happened between Naruto and Ares. The God in question continued his rant, "And then there's fact that Prissy Jackson's there, too, definitely makes me reluctant to go. Last thing I need to do is piss Uncle Poseidon off again! When Poseidon found out we fought and I almost killed his son...I'm not afraid of much, but damn if he didn't do a good job making me afraid of him! He's just like Dad when he's pissed, except it's with water! Fucking water! Do you know how painful water can be?"

"Oh please, Ares, man up for once! I just need it to look like you'll kill him if he's out of line," Aphrodite said in response, "I'll do something special for you if you help me."

"...And how is that any different from every other night?" Ares asked. There was whispering that Hermes couldn't catch, but whatever it was made Ares reply in lust filled excitement, "I'm in!"

"Good. Now give me a few hours to prepare," Aphrodite replied. Hermes knew that was the end of it and slipped away, his curiosity raised. Whatever happened between Ares and Naruto made Ares wary of interacting with the kid again. Now all he had to do was remember what had happened.


AN: What happens next? What's Aphrodite planning? What's Ares' history with Naruto? Will the group escape the Boar? Will I finish packing for my move to Cinci?

REVIEW!

(Once more, I have to say this chapter is dedicated to TenshinG and I ask that you check out his Reading story based on my own.)