**Chapter 12**
**Meeting Love**
"So it was gift from Pan?" Percy asked as he went over in his head what Grover had told him. That the lost god had sent the boar to them to help aid them in their quest to find Artemis.
"That's right. I know it sounds crazy but that energy I felt and the warm breeze. I could have sworn I could also here someone whisper in my ear. Telling me that help was on its way and that it would help us in our quest."
"It's a feeling I have not felt in many years," Zoe muttered. "Pan disappeared only a few years after I joined the hunt. I only met him the once but I could see he was a respectable man. It's no wonder why Satyrs worship him more than they worship the Olympians."
"But why now?" Thalia asked as she played with her bracelet. "He's been missing for so long. Why just make contact now of all times?"
"Maybe he recognizes how disastrous it would be to nature and the wild if Artemis was lost forever. They do both have a great respect and love for nature after all."
Silena idea's got a few nodding heads. Grover was beaming and was muttering how close he must have been to fulfilling his lifelong dream and the dream of every satyr in the lost two thousand years.
"Could we not find him now then?" Percy asked since a lost gods help could definantly prove worthwhile.
"I doubt it Percy. It's just one clue and it came from a god that has been missing for so long. I'm afraid it will take more than that to find him."
"Did you not sense him with your senjutsu?" Silena asked as Naruto shook his hand lightly.
"I felt something very briefly, it lasted a second but I could have sworn I felt a power signature spike to the level of a god. I tried to focus on it but it disappeared as quick as it came."
"How did he manage to get something this size and powerful to help us though?"" Percy asked. "I mean no offence to Pan but he was just a minor god wasn't he and has been missing for so long?"
"Isn't he Percy. He not dead or faded," Grover said with a serious tone which was very unfamiliar on him.
"He is the God of the Wild therefore animals of all shapes and sized fall under him. It could of been the boar or it could have been an elephant, a lion, a Pegasus, anything. I don't think he was really going to be picky with what he chose."
"Well at least now we have a slight idea where he might be right?" Silena piped up. After all for him to have been speaking to you like that he must have been kind of close."
"Yeah he must be. If it was not for the current quest I would be looking all over New Mexico right now to try and follow the clues or see if I can get a feel to him like I did earlier."
"You can do that another time," Zoe responded as she raised her voice. "For now Lady Artemis is off more importance and we only have a few days left."
"Right," Grover said as Naruto get checking behind them while Luna padded next to them.
"How long do you think it will take for those skeletons to find us?" Thalia asked as she looked behind them as well.
"Not for a while," Naruto answered. "They did get smashed into multiple pieces so it might take them a while to put themselves together. Plus the speed we are going at is putting plenty of distance between us."
"We still need to think of a way to destroy them. How exactly do we kill something that is already dead?"
"I'll let you know when I figure that out. Maybe we can trap them some way. We might not exactly be killing them but they will be stuck and can't go after us after that," he said as he made a clone and sent it into the tree's to hide.
"What's the clone for?" Silena asked as her eyebrow rose at him, wondering what he was doing.
"Keeping a clone stationed here as lookout, that way when the skeletons to appear he can disperse and let me know just how far away from them we are."
They nodded in understand and realized it was a good idea. That way when they did appear they could begin moving again and try to put more distance between them.
The group then fell into silence as the only sound that could be heard were the heavy footsteps of the boar as it trudged against the ground.
They rode the boar all day until sunset when they all fell the boar was beginning to slow down. Even magical boars had their limits. Behind them the mountains had completely disappeared and they knew they were very far out of New Mexico and had been for the last few hours.
"We must have covered hundreds of miles, maybe even a thousand," Percy said as he rubbed his eyes, signalling that he was getting tired. Not that anyone could blame him since everyone but Naruto was feeling the same.
As night fell, the boar came to a stop at a creek bed and began lapping up the muddy water letting its grunt be heard as its mouth tipped into the water. It then moved over towards a cactus and ripped it form the ground and ate the thing whole.
"This is far as he will take us. We best get off now before it turns angry on us again," Grover persuaded as everyone slowly and careful got off the boar and took a few steps away from the big creature.
When they did the boar finished what it was eating and then walked away back the way it came, crushing anything that was in its way. They stood there watching it leave until it eventually disappeared from sight.
"What now?" Silena asked as Thalia pointed across a small dirt road and towards an a few old buildings that look ready to fall apart. A boarded-up house, a taco shop and a white stucco post office with a sign that said 'GILA CLAW, ARIZONA' hanging crooked above the door.
"I doubt we will find a car here," Thalia mumbled as everyone nodded in agreement. The place looked ready to fall apart. "I don't suppose you have another wild boar up your sleeve?"
Grover who was sniffing the wind was looking nervous. He fished out a few acorns form his pockets and threw them into the sand and began playing his pipes. They rearranged themselves in a pattern that made no sense to anyone, not even to Zoe.
When he stopped playing he leaned down to look at the acorns and had a worried expression on his face.
"Everything already there Grover?"
"That cluster right there," Grover said, pointing to the left acorn that looked smaller than the rest of them, "that's trouble."
"A monster?" Thalia asked.
Grover looked uneasy. "I don't smell anything which doesn't make sense. But the acorns don't lie. It holds some kind of significance," he said as he pointed over towards an old looking junkyard a little to the left of the old buildings.
"I say we tackle it tomorrow. I think we should probably get some rest for now. It's been a long day and my butts killing me from sitting on that boar all day," Naruto said as everyone muttered in agreement as they rubbed theirs hides.
Deciding that they were good where they were since there was no one for miles, the group camped under the stars as they set up a small camp fire thanks to Naruto's fire jutsu and got their sleeping bags out.
"Urm guys," Percy said as he got everyone's attention. "I don't have a sleeping bag."
Everyone stared at him not saying anything remembering that he did not exactly have the right equipment with him due to joining the quest late. A few moments later Zoe began muttering things about stupid boys and quickly got into her sleeping bag, slipping her shoes off and putting them beside her.
"Here you can take mine Percy," Silena said as she threw him her baby pink sleeping bag. Percy looked at it as if she was being serious and got hands on her hips in response.
"It's that or none at all," she said making him suck up his pride and use the pink sleeping bag.
"Where are you going to sleep?" Thalia asked as she got in her blue sleeping bag and saw Silena chuckle.
She walked over to Naruto who was already in his orange sleeping bag and maneuvered her way in. It ended with Naruto on the bottom and Silena lying on top of him, not that he minded.
"How bold," Thalia said as Percy and Grover blushed at the display while Zoe rolled her eyes. Luna happily slept beside them and had her head on the ground, already falling into a peaceful slumber.
"Comfy?" Naruto asked as Silena nodded happily and leaned her head on his shoulder.
"Very," she said back to him as she gave him a peck on the cheek before she titled her head to look up at the night sky.
"There's not many star's in the sky," she said with a frown as Naruto wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head on hers.
"There use to be far more," Zoe answered to their surprise. "But then man came along and began polluting the world. Now most of the stars have been blocked out thanks to men's work in light pollution."
"You talk like you're not human," Percy said.
"I am a Hunter. I care what happens to the wild places of the world. Can the same be said for thee?"
"Beats me. I'm a born and raised city boy, not a country gal like you," he said making a few snicker come from everyone while Zoe crossed her arms and gave him a mild glare.
Grover sighed. He was still looking up at the stars like he was thinking about the light pollution problem. "If only Pan was here, he would set thing right."
"I just realized," Silena said breaking the silence. "It's nearly Christmas."
A round of surprised look appeared on everyone faces and saw she had a point. "Oh yeah. Doubt we will do much Christmassy stuff thank to the quest," Percy said.
"Got any plans this year?" Thalia asked since she knew she did not have any. Plus it was her 16th birthday coming up in a few days so she had that to look forward to as well.
"No my dad will be away with his new girlfriend so I was thinking off just going to camp for Christmas this year," she spoke up before looking at Naruto.
"Maybe if we get permission from Mr D again, we can go spend Christmas in Wave Country with Tsunami, Tazuna and Inari," she said making Naruto have a big smile on his face.
"That does sound nice plus we did say we would visit in the future."
"Are you guys up for going back again?" Silena asked as Thalia and Grover gave them a thumbs up though Percy shook his head, saying he would be with Sally again which was fair enough.
Zoe looked a little awkward as these plan were getting made. Though she did wonder what the Elemental Nation was like since she had never been.
The group kept talking for another half an hour until they began to drift off to sleep. Before they could however and loud rumbling came from the left of them.
When they looked over they saw a large limo was making their way towards them. It was easily big enough to fit an entire cabins like the Apollo or Hermes cabins together.
As it pulled up everyone got out of their sleeping bags and stood up as the door got pushed open. When it did everyone scowled and had their weapons out as Ares stepped out of the limo and looked at them all with a bored expression.
"Evening kiddies," he said as he cracked his shoulder joints.
"Oh great, what do you want ass clown," Naruto and Percy both said while the others looked at them as if they had a death wish. In front of them Ares scowled at them and his large sword appeared on his back.
" At ease puny demi gods. While I'd like to take your head for a trophy, someone wants to see you. And I never behead my enemies in front of a lady."
"Calling yourself a lady now? You don't really look the part," Naruto said as Ares grew red in the face.
"Then again we all know he doesn't have anything between his legs," Percy added making a few more snickers get heard and Ares face to get redder.
Their teasing was pissing Ares off and made the God of War draw his sword form his back. When he was about to take a swing at Percy a delicate and girly cough could be heard from inside the limo. When he heard it Ares calmed down a tad and slammed his fist on top of the limo, making a large dent form on the side of it.
"Be lucky that she is here or I would tear you all a new one."
"Who is here?" Thalia asked.
"Oh I she does not want to most of you. Particularly not her." He jutted his chin toward Zoe who glared at him. "She wants to see these two."
He pointed his sword at Naruto and Silena who each looked a little surprised and both wondering who wanted to meet them.
"Get inside, brats," he said. "And mind your manners. She's not as forgiving of rudeness as I am."
He leaned on the open door and motioned for them both to go in.
They looked at each other before they took slow steps towards the limo. Ares sneered at Naruto as he walked past him while keeping his sword aimed at the others in the group, making sure they stayed where he could see him.
Stepping inside Naruto recoiled a little and scrunched up his face when a heavy dose of perfume hit him like a tonne of bricks. He was use to the perfume smell due to being inside the Aphrodite cabin on multiple occasions but this time it was a lot more pungent. He had to take a quick gasp of air from outside before he braved going completely inside.
As he took his seat and waited for Silena to take her seat he looked up and quickly felt his jaw completely drop of his face. If it was anything like a cartoon he would have looked like a love struck idiot.
The woman in front of him was nothing short of a perfect example of a beautiful woman.
She was wearing a red satin dress and her hair was curled in a cascade of ringlets. Her face was spotless and had light make up which only enhanced her beauty and her eyes were the like Kaleidoscope. She was lightly tanned and had a beautiful smile on her face.
When Silena got in she looked towards the woman in front of her and an enormous smile appeared on her face and practically lunged forwards.
"MAMA!" she said lunged forward and hugged the woman tightly which got a soft and beautiful giggle in response as the now revealed Aphrodite kissed the top of her head and nuzzled into her daughter long hair.
"_Holy crap that Silena mom,"_ he thought as he watched the two embrace.
"Ooohhh you look so beautiful. Look at you, you are such a young woman now," Aphrodite said as she cupped her daughters face in her hands and nuzzled her daughter nose with her own making Silena laugh and hug her mother again.
While Naruto had heard multiple stories about Aphrodite and what she was like, he had to give her credit on one thing. She genuinely loved her children if what he was seeing in front of him was real.
As the broke apart she turned her attention to Naruto. "Naruto Uzumaki how lovely to finally meet you. Your are more handsome in person," she said making him blush as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before pulling out a mirror.
"Hold this please," she said as she gave him the mirror and leaned in as she pulled out a stick of lipstick.
"Urm okay," he said as Aphrodite and Silena began talking about the colour of lipstick that she was using. He felt a little awkward as the two girls talked about gods know what kind of accessories and found himself looking around the limo to keep him busy.
From outside he could here Ares chuckling. It made him feel angry that the God of Asses was listening in on their conversation. However quickly he smirked as he put up a silencing seal around the limo.
"_That'll teach him," _he thought when he saw Ares turning around and wondering why he could not hear anything all of a sudden and the two girls were none the wiser.
"Now mama why are you here?" Silena asked as she leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms.
"Can't a mother just come and see how her favorite daughters doing?" she asked innocently as Silena fought the urge to grin at being the favorite.
"You could but you could have done that before or after the quest ,"she said as Aphrodite leaned back while still doing her lipstick.
"Little higher dear," she said to Naruto as he quickly complied.
"Well perhaps there is more and some of it does have to do with the quest I will admit despite how much I don't want to help," she said as she looked at Naruto. "I'm sorry sweetie but your mother and I really don't get along most of the time."
"That's okay I guess. She doesn't have much to say about you either," he said being honest.
"Even after I found out that you existed and that Artemis was your mother I wanted to make peace with her since she had finally got laid. But did she accept? No she did not. She can be very stuck up some times."
She leaned over and pinched his cheek with her well manicured hands. "But you are just so adorable and handsome. My little Lena is so lucky that she got you before anyone else did. Though I may have helped you there."
"You made us fall in love?" both asked a little frightened at what the answer would be. They hoped that Silena's mother was not the only reason they were in love with one another. Aphrodite laughed and shook her head.
"No dears I just helped push you. I can't create love, I can only nurture it. It had to of been there beforehand like a crush. I just watered it like a plant and it slowly grew and bloomed."
That made them relax a bit but kept up with the questions. Naruto could feel his heart pounding away in his chest. He wondered why he felt so nervous around this goddess. Was it because he was aware of the vindictive streak that his mother had told him about or was it just because this was his girlfriends mother.
"So you said your here because of the quest?" Naruto asked as Aphrodite nodded before putting away her lipstick and now getting out a small tube of eyeliner.
"That's right. I figured since Apollo gave you a helping hand earlier it's only fair that I give you one as well. The junkyard across the road. You have seen it correct?" She asked as both nodded their heads.
"Good because that is no ordinary junkyard. It is one of my husband's junkyards," she told them as Naruto and Silena took a quick peek out the window and looked at the junkyard.
"So that's why Grover told us it would be a challenge," they both muttered before turning back to Aphrodite.
"Yes well my husband Hephaestus places many of his old inventions, scraps and faulty machines in that junkyard therefore it can be a very hazardous place. I'm warning you now that it could be very easy for someone to die in there."
Both demi gods gulped as their hands unconsciously slipped into one another hands.
"So any advice for us then?" Silena asked as her nerves about the junkyard got heavier.
"Only one. Don't take anything and certainly do not steel anything either. If you do I can't promise that there won't be loses."
Both nodded as Aphrodite leaned back and smiled as her eyes trailed down their forms and noticed their hands were holding one another. She let out a small squeal of delight.
"Oh you to are so adorable. It's why you are one of my favorite couples. Right up there with Percabeth," she said as both looked at her oddly.
"Percabeth?"
"Percy and Annabeth of course. Those too like each other bad. It makes me want to rip my hair out most of the time. Why can't they be more open like you two," she muttered as she shook her head.
"What are we then?" Silena asked.
"That's easy silly. Narlena of course," the goddess said as both sweat dropped.
'_That's the best she could come up with?'_ they both thought as they heard a knocked on the window from Ares.
"Ahh looks like he is getting impatient. I guess this is where we must part. Though I would like a quick word with you Naruto," she said looking towards Naruto before turning to her daughter. The two embraced and Aphrodite said soothing and heart warming words to her as she kissed her cheek.
Silena said her goodbyes to her mother before exiting the car before it slammed shut again. She turned to look at Naruto who gulped a little at being left alone with the Love Goddess.
"No need to be nervous dear. I just need to ask you a question," she said as he leaned towards him. "Do you have good intention to my daughter?"
He could see that she was being serious and that right now was not the time to joke around. His first response was nodding to her question before speaking.
"Yes, I mean I do of course. I love her," he said as Aphrodite nodded and motioned for him to continue. "She light ups everything for me. Just being around her makes me happy, kind of like my own portable sun. There is not a thing I don't like about her."
"I love that she is so strong, so smart and thoughtful, that she doesn't not take crap from anyone and will stand up for her friends. She knows when to be gentle and went to push back."
"Hmm good answer," the love goddess said as she wiped away a tear from her eyes. "Normally it's my children that do the heart breaking but my Silena is so different feom my other children. She has a strength in her that the others don't seem to posses and one I wish people would see more off. It's well known that most think my children are weak but my dear daughter is proving them otherwise. I suppose I have you to thank for that."
She then leaned forwards and her lips were inches away from his ear as her hair tickled his nose.
"But do know this. Break her heart I will break you in so many ways that it will make even Zeus cry out for his mother," she whispered which sent chills down his spine. "Sometimes I may be heartless but I love my children with all my heart and I will hurt those who dares to hurt them. Why do you think I dislike your mother and the hunter so much."
"Remember this warning and we will never have a problem," she said before leaning away and the quickly returned to her normal self. She checked the time and saw it was 10:30 and gasped. "Oh my I am going to be late for my dinner reservation. I'm afraid we will have to part here."
Naruto nodded his head still feeling the effect of what she just said to him. He understood why many were so frightened of her and for good reason.
He was about to open the car door but saw Ares was muttering to himself and stroking his sword as if it was his first love.
He looked at the God of War and then to Goddess of Love who was now fixing her hair. His thoughts went back to an old question he wondered about the love Goddess and he wanted to hear her reasoning on a certain topic.
"Let me ask you a question," he asked getting her attention back to him. "I think I should be allowed a question after that frightening experience."
"Hmm….Very well but make it quick," she said.
Naruto took a deep breath before he asked "Why Ares?"
"Why Ares what?"
"Why do you do these things with Ares when he it's obviously all he does is use you for sex. Can't you see that he has no real feeling for you? You do have a husband you know who apparently does have some genuine feelings for you."
"I think that is a little obvious. He is not exactly the best looker and Ares fulfills my needs."
He frowned we at how quickly she was dismissing it.
"I thought you were the goddess of Love, not the goddess of Lust. By the looks of things you really don't understand what love is if you think Ares of all people actually loves you."
That made her stop as she took the brush away from her hair. "I think you are forgetting who you are talking too demi god."
"I'm only telling the truth," he said using his sudden confidence before it quickly left him. "During the quest for the bolt he openly said all he wants from you is sex, nothing more nothing less."
"We have had this arrangement for years. We date and leave Hephaestus to his workshop. It's obvious he care more about his machines then he does me. Plus it's so hard to love someone who looks the way he does."
"I thought love was about the person inside, not the outside. You're basing everything on his appearance. Answer me honestly IS Hephaestus a good guy? List some of his good qualities."
Aphrodite looked at him and raised an eyebrow but answered the question. "I will admit he is sweet at times and he makes me wonderful gifts. He can be quite thoughtful and is quite intelligent. He is hard to talk to though."
"So if he looked more….handsome you would make a real go at your marriage with him?" he asked as Aphrodite bit her lip but nodded.
"Lady Aphrodite can I ask have you ever tried to alter his body?" He asked as he saw her confused expression. "You can change your body features right?" He got a nod in response.
"Well have you ever tried to alter the appearance of another person. Use your power to fix his disfigurement," he asked and he got his answer when he got a wide eyed look from the Love Goddess. "I guess not."
"I never thought about it like that before," she said as a thoughtful look appeared on her face.
"Look I am certainly no expert on Love but it's just I have heard and read about the things that you and Ares have done to Hephaestus in the past. It's kind of makes sense why he is bitter to you both and to everyone else."
"I love Silena and I feel happy when I am around her. Is that how you feel when you are around Ares?" He asked before giving her a polite good bye, a quick bow and hastily leaving the limo.
"Gods please don't kill me," was all he was thinking as he left the limo. He turned around to look at Ares and grinned when he gave Ares the bird.
In response Ares glared and growled at him, wanting nothing more than to burn the worthless demi god into nothing but ash but then he would have to deal with his damn family. They were too troublesome and he learnt the hard way on multiple occasions what happened when you messed up.
From inside the limo Aphrodite bit her lip and looked out the window as thoughts raced around in her head as she contemplated over the discussion she just had with the strange demi god and daughters boyfriend.
"You ready to go beautiful?" she heard as Ares took his seat beside her and placed his hand on her things and began rubbing it in circular motions. "Maybe we could skip the reservations and get right to the good stuff."
As he spoke Aphrodite stared at him and thought over what Naruto had told her about Ares only using her for sex and his own personal pleasure. His grin got bigger as his other hand began to move towards one of her straps.
Before he could pull it down though a sharp whack on his hand made him recoil his hand. "Ow what was that for?" he asked as the goddesses slapped his hand with her own.
"Hmm I'm not in the mood anymore. I'm going home so you will have to go play with yourself," she said as Ares looked at her in disbelief.
"But we had plans?"
"Plans change," was all she said before she disappeared in a puff of perfume that made Ares wrinkle his nose and sit alone in the limo.
Ares sat there in silence before he growled and punched one of the door, making the door go flying off the car.
"That damn brat gain. He said something I bet. Gods one day I will kill that kid and that stupid family of mine won't stop me," he said as he punched a hole in the bottom of the limo before he took off in a fire induced teleport.
Back at the camp Naruto got back into his sleeping bag and felt Silena wriggle back on top of him as she placed her head back on his chest while his arms wrapped around her waist.
"What did she want to talk to you about?" Silena asked, hoping that it was nothing to bad.
"….Your mom frightens the hell out of me," was all he said instantly making her laugh while the others in the group all looked at them in confusion, wondering what was so funny.
* * *
**Chapter 12 Completed**
**Thanks for reading and please REVIEW**
