Umi no Musuko

by LordUnicron

Not long after the defeat of Kronos, the gods have started claiming more and more of their children. However, even with their powers stronger than ever, the evil of an eastern pantheon is rising, and affecting the Greeks. And now, someone from Percy's past is revealed to be his half-brother, much to the anger of Zeus. But there are mysteries surrounding this boy, this Umi no Musuko

26. Chapter XXVI Tsuna

What? I'm the Son of…Susanoo? That…that's impossible. She's lying, she has to be. I was claimed by Poseidon himself. I'm Percy's brother…he's my family, and no one is going to take that away from me. But I've been having this feeling that something has been hidden from me, and I need to find out the truth.

"What the hell do you mean Poseidon isn't my father?" I yelled. "Me and Percy look alike, people say that we act the same-"

"I was hoping that you would have inherited your mother's intelligence," Amaterasu said while giving me a look of disdain. "But appears that you're as dull as your father."

"Excuse me?" I said, glaring at her.

"Don't take it the wrong way." she said. "Susanoo is much smarter than Tsukuyomi, ironic considering that he carries the symbol of wisdom. It's just…how dull are you?"

Percy practically growled at her. "Don't talk to my brother like that."

"He isn't your brother." The sun goddess said sternly before looking back at me. "Tell me Tsunayoshi what race was your mother?"

"White." I looked at her questioningly. "She was from England."

"And," she continued, "If Poseidon was your father, why would you be half Japanese?"

And just like that everything started to make sense. But, this meant I wasn't apart of Percy's family. I looked at him like I was losing him forever. Percy must have sensed my pain and pulled me into a hug.

"Tsuna." He pulled away, leaving his hands on my shoulders, "Remember what I told that bird brain?" I nodded slowly. "That no matter what happens,"

"We will always be brothers." I said along with him. "But, if I'm the son of Susanoo, why did Poseidon claim me?"

Amerterasu shrugged her shoulders. "No idea. Though your fathers would know."

"No duh." Nico said under his breath. Amaterasu frowned at Nico and, fearing that she was going to smite him, I stood in front of him.

"If what you're saying is true, then why do me and Tsuna look alike?" Percy asked.

"I've never met Poseidon, but it appears that sea deities have similar features." She explained.

"Why are you here?" Nico asked. "We thought that all the Shinto gods had Faded."

"Well," started Amaterasu, "Most importantly I wanted to see my nephew." She walked over and placed her hand on my cheek. It was warm, like sunshine on your face. "And I wanted to see what the first Shinto demigod is like since the first emperor of Japan."

My jaw dropped. "The first emperor was a demigod?!"

"My direct descendent as a matter of fact." She said with a smug smile.

"He was your son?" I asked.

"Well, he was my great grandson over five generations." She admitted. "And he was a descendant of your father Tsuna."

"So he wasn't a demigod." Percy said.

"I guess not in your sense Perseus Jackson." Amaterasu said. "But he is a demigod none the less. And he had the divine right to rule, as you do Tsunayoshi."

"What do you mean 'divine right to rule'?" I asked.

"You are the son of Susanoo, one of the Noble Three." She explained. "Being from that lineage grants you the divine right to rule all of Japan as emperor."

"I don't want to be emperor." I said. I hate that the gods have already decided my future before I get a chance to live it. "I want to live my life, the way I want. I want to go to school, hang out with my friends, fall in…" I swallowed the lump that had just formed in my throat. "Fall in love. You know, lead a normal life."

"My darling nephew, it is your destiny." She said gently. That made me furious.

"Look here your majesty, this is my life. I will live it the way I choose. I forge my own destiny."

She just stared at me for a minute, but then Amaterasu smiled sweetly at me. "You're a lot like your father."

"Why do you say that?" I asked.

"The sea doesn't like to be contained." She explained. I looked at Percy, because he told me the same thing when I was claimed by Poseidon.

I looked back at Amaterasu, with her bright smile. But as I looked at her, something started to bug me. How was she even here? And, how have we even encountered anything from the Shinto Pantheon.

"So, Aunt Amaterasu…" I started, not really sure if I could get comfortable with that, "Ever since we've been in Japan, we have seen the people actively worshiping the gods. They follow the rituals, go to the shrines to pray and give offerings-"

"They are merely following the traditions of their ancestors." Amaterasu said. "But they don't truly have faith anymore. The mortals can worship us all they want, but worship alone isn't enough to the gods to stay strong. We need faith."

"Then why don't you and the other surviving gods perform a mass miracle or something to get some faith flowing?" Percy asked.

Amaterasu chuckled. "Because son of Poseidon, seeing isn't believing. Believing is seeing. And if we just appear to the mortals now, they would probably consider us and our abilities a form of science." As she stopped talking, her body began to flicker like static. "Already?"

"You're fading away." I said. Amaterasu gave me a small smile.

"I know you'll complete your Quest Tsunayoshi." She said. Her body began to flicker even more.

"Wait!" I cried. "We still need to find the Sword if we're going to save Japan! Do you know where it is?"

"The Sword, the Ame no Murakumo, is a lot closer than you think." Amaterasu said. She started glowing, as if she was becoming the sun itself. "I must save the rest of my energy, but I need to give you this warning." She took the Magatama from my hand and tied it around my neck, making it a necklace. She looked me right in the eye and placed her hand on my cheek. "Be wary of snakes Tsuna. They tend to strike those with weak hearts. I wish you all luck." She kissed my forehead and faded into the Magatama.

"What are we supposed to do now?" Nico asked. "We still need to find the Sword and have no idea where it is."

"Follow your instincts." Meiyo said, the first time he spoke since Amaterasu appeared. I glared at him, not really wanting to hear his voice after what he pulled to 'test' me. He waved his hand and a sliding door appeared in the middle of the room. "This will lead you out of the shrine."

"Thanks." I said coldly. I made sure to keep Nico next to me as we walked passed him.

"If it means anything, I am truly sorry for what I had to do." Meiyo said. "I was merely doing my duty."

"I said I already forgave you." I said. "But that doesn't mean I'm not still royally pissed. If you were smart, you wouldn't come near me for a long time." Before I opened the door, he called back to us.

"For what it's worth, it was an honor to meet such heroes." Meiyo said. I stared at him for a moment before nodding.

Sliding the door open I led the others through. We ended up outside the false shrine, in front of the gate, and getting a face full of snow. The wind was even stronger than when we entered the shrine. Luckily for us that no one was around since it appeared to be close to night. I put Kurama in Percy's backpack just in case there was any straggling tourists or priests wandering about.

As we walked our way out of the Inner Shrine Percy had this grin on his face. It kept bugging me, because he looked way to happy, especially after what he just went through.

"Why do you look so happy, if I may ask?" I said as I popped the collar of my jacket.

"We're almost done with this Quest." Percy said. "I mean, we have two of the Treasures already."

"Hate to rain on your parade Percy, but we still need to find the Sword." I explained.

"And we don't even know where it is." added Nico. "And our time limit is coming to an end."

"Kurama, do you know anything about the Kusanagi?" I asked. "Maybe even something about…about…" I started choking up, all because I couldn't say his name. "About Susanoo? Maybe there's a myth about him that could have some hints about where he could have hidden it."

I must have been making a face or my tone gave it away, but Percy noticed something. He stood in front of me and hugged me. He told me that it'll be alright. It was comforting to be reminded how he still sees me as family, despite my true…lineage. It made me smile. And when he saw that he pulled back and punched me in the shoulder lightly.

"To tell you the truth Tsuna, there really aren't a lot of stories of Susanoo." Kurama said as he poked his head out of Percy's backpack. "Your book might tell you more than I can."

"Maybe, but you know Japan a lot better than us." I said. "You might be able to tell if there's a significant location that goes by a different name now or something."

"I guess that makes sense." Kurama said. "There is one story that comes to mind."

"Which one is it?" Nico asked.

"It tells of how Susanoo originally defeated the Yamata no Orochi." As soon as Kurama said 'Orochi', a cold wind that cut through our clothes slammed into us. That didn't seem like a good omen, but Kurama went on with the story.

"When Susanoo came from the heavens, he encountered a weeping elderly couple. When he asked why they were upset they told him how seven of their daughters were devoured by the Orochi. Some people he instantly came up with a plan to defeat the monster, but Suzaku told me that he went to see the creature for himself.

But the Orochi saw him and they fought. Susanoo was able to get away and when he returned to the elderly couple he had a plan. But he wanted something in return for helping save their last daughter, Kushinada-hime, her hand in marriage. The elderly couple was willing to give up their daughter as long as she was safe. He turned her into a comb for protection and had her parents make eight vats of sake to make the monster drunk.

They placed the vats on the other side of a fence with eight gates. The Orochi, thinking it was another offering, fell for Susanoo's plan. The gates shut on each neck, trapping it. It allowed Susanoo to cut off each head, killing the monster, though temporarily since it had to be sealed away by the Noble Three.

But as Susanoo was cutting the tails, his sword, which first belonged to Izanagi, hit against the very Treasure we are looking for: the Kusanagi. With the Orochi defeated and having himself a wife, Susanoo took the Kusanagi to Amaterasu as an apology gift."

Well there goes that idea. There wasn't any clue to where the Sword is hidden. But what did Amaterasu mean by 'the Sword is closer than I think.' Do we already know where it is and are just supposed to realize that we know? Why must gods make things so difficult?

"Y'know," Percy said when we crossed the Uji Bridge, "I wonder what the Kusanagi can do."

"What are you talking about?" Nico asked.

"I mean what powers does it have?" he wondered. "Susanoo is like the Japanese version of dad, so does it have the same powers as dad's Trident?"

"It's quite possible Percy." I said. "Both Poseidon and Susanoo are sea and storm deities. The Trident may be the only thing that could go against the Kusanagi in a water fight."

"Did you say Kusanagi?" I jumped out of my skin when a monk spoke up. I didn't even see him walking next to us.

"Uh, yeah." I said. "My brothers and I are on a trip to see where the Sacred Regalia are housed."

"Oh! Then have you been to the Atsuta Shrine?" the monk asked.

"No we haven't." I said.

"Why? Is it important?" Nico asked.

"You're on a trip to see where the Sacred Regalia are housed and yet you don't know where they are?" The monk laughed at us. I was getting a little irritated but I bit my tongue to stop myself from saying anything stupid or disrespectful. "The Kusanagi is housed there of course!"

We all went wide eyed and looked at each other. I honestly felt stupid. Why have we never just asked where the mortals keep the Treasures? I mean, even if it's just a fake sword, there might be a clue or even a way to teleport to a shrine like we did for the Mirror and the Jewel.

"Where is the shrine?" Percy asked.

"It's in the capital of the Aichi Prefecture, Nagoya, just a little north and across the bay from here." The monk said. "You might remember Nagoya Castle as one of its landmarks."

"Yeah, Godzilla and Battra wrecked it." I decided to keep that to myself.

But what really ticked me off was that we passed it on our way here. Gods I felt stupid! And I have a feeling the others are just as annoyed. I mean, we freaking passed it!

After we thanked the monk we high tailed it to the closest bus station. We hopped on a bus and got a seat in the way back so we could stick together. During the ride we figured out that we have little more than a day left to get back to Olympus and save Japan.

"Nico, if it comes down to it can you Shadow Travel us to Olympus?" I asked.

Nico thought about it for a second before he answered. "Maybe, if it was just me. But with the three of you too I'll be lucky to even make it out of Japan."

"But if you did you'd be in a coma, and that's probably the best case scenario." Percy said.

"And I would never forgive myself if that happened." I said.

"It would be my choice in the end Tsuna." Nico said. "And if we can complete the Quest and that does happen, Apollo could fix me up… maybe."

The rest of the ride I insisted we get as much rest as possible. There was no way to predict what was going to happen this time, and I can't risk losing my friends again. We took turns sleeping, but I was still on sort of an adrenaline high from what happened in the shrine of the Magatama.

I was pretty restless and I kept grabbing Percy's wrist to check the time. By the fifth time I checked his watch he just took it off and gave it to me. But he insisted that I get some sleep after the ordeal I went through. He was right. But when I fell asleep I just saw my friends getting killed over and over.

Nico was the one who shook me awake. He looked worried and explained that was shaking in my sleep and mumbling 'no, not again' over and over. He asked me what I was dreaming about but I couldn't bring myself to tell him. Instead I lied and told him that it was nothing, a simple nightmare. But I saw by the look in his eye that he didn't believe me, though he didn't press me to tell the truth.

A little before dawn we arrived in Nagoya. Before we walked off I asked the bus driver for directions to Atsuta Shrine. He was grouchy about it, but he told us how to get there. He definitely needed some coffee. Since it was so early we didn't bump into anybody which made out trip to the shrine all the easier.

I really wished we had gotten here sooner. Nagoya was honestly beautiful, even with it obscured by the snow storm. But from where we were walking I saw Nagoya Castle and remembered how Battra plowed through it on its initial tour of destruction in Japan. And then there was the TV tower. Both Godzilla and Battra destroyed it and it was awesome! Wow, I can't believe I know exactly what Kaiju destroyed what Japanese monument.

Compared to the other shrines we've been to, this one seemed pretty…not as magnificent, I guess. I don't know, but compared to the Ise Grand Shrine it wasn't as spectacular. The main entrance building looked a lot like some of the shrine buildings in Ise, but simpler. Hanging on the wall was a scroll that said the shrine was dedicated to several gods. The two names that stood out though were Amaterasu and Susanoo, meaning we were definitely in the right place.

The moment we walked onto the grounds something felt off. I didn't know why so I ignored the feeling. Maybe it was because we didn't see any priests, which was odd. I mean, despite the weather there were priests at the other shrines so why not here? But we were so close to the final Treasure that I buried the feeling deeper.

There was a sign saying that all the important and sacred items kept in the shrine were located in the Treasure Hall. Following the directions we came across a grey building that had a slanting roof. We ran to it, but when I went to open the door I stopped right when my hand was above the door handle.

"What's wrong?" Nico asked.

"I-I don't know." I said. "Something just doesn't feel right."

"Come on Tsuna," Percy said. "Let's just get in there, grab the Sword, and get home."

He nudged me out of the way and tried to turn the door knob. However it was locked. Percy jiggled it and tried pulling on the door knob, using his legs for leverage. He got frustrated and punched the door before pulling out Riptide. As he started to cut a hole in the door, that feeling that I've been having since we stepped foot on the shrine got worse.

It wasn't until Kurama popped out of Percy's back pack did I notice. His fur wasn't puffed out and he wasn't a ball of overactive energy like the other times we were near one of the Treasures. And unlike the other times my ring wasn't glowing. It always glowed when we were near the Treasures or an entrance to their shrines.

"Got it!" Percy said, stepping aside to show us his handy work.

He flashed us a smile and went to push the door open. Before his hand got to the door, a little moth came flying out of the hole here carved. And it looked disturbingly a lot like…oh no…

"Percy stop!" I yelled, but it was too late.

As Percy pushed the door open a whole swarm of moths erupted out of the Treasure Hall. They enveloped us, the swarm so think that I couldn't see the others. I tried calling out to my friends but every time I opened my mouth I nearly choked on the flying bugs. I beat them away and tried to run away, but the swarm kept getting bigger and thicker. I used my sword to kill as many as I could but it didn't seem to help.

Through the flapping of thousands of moth wings I heard Percy grunt and something hit the ground. And then Nico yelped before I couldn't hear him at all. Kurama was barking like crazy. Something then kicked me in the stomach, sending me sprawling to the ground and knocking the wind out of me. I heard glass breaking, so I think I broke Percy's watch when I fell. The moth swarm thinned out, and as I was trying to catch my breath someone spoke up.

"Stand up brat." That voice…no, not him…

"Daranibō." I said, standing up.

The big bad black Tengu was back, and he brought the big guns this time. He was perched on Hyousuke's shoulder. Nico was struggling against the oni's one armed grasp, but he wasn't able to break out of his hold. Kurama was being held up by his legs by Menōmaru, who had his foot on Percy's head. Percy was covered in silk and stuck to the ground.

"We've been waiting for you boy." Daranibō said. "It was very rude to keep us waiting that long."

"How did you know we were coming here?" I asked as I attempted to make a plan.

"We do our research as well." explained Daranibō. "When you disappeared in Ise we figured out that you would end up coming here looking for the Kusanagi. We just had to be patient while you took your time to get here."

"It must have killed you to be patient." I said.

"I don't like your attitude boy." Daranibō said.

"And I don't like you." I said. "Now let my friends go!" The monsters all laughed at my order.

"I told you that I would kill them in front of you, didn't I?" asked Daranibō. He pulled out a dagger from his sleeve and walked down Hyousuke's arm. "This is all your fault for not doing what I said the first time." He leaned down and pressed the edge of the dagger against Nico's cheek.

"Stop please!" I cried after I saw some of Nico's blood slide down his cheek. "I-I'll do what you want."

"Tsuna don't!" Percy yelled, only to be choked by a silk rope that was around his neck.

"Silence." Menōmaru said as he pulled the silk rope.

"Please don't hurt them!" I begged.

"Then come with us." demanded the Tengu. "There is someone who is very excited to meet you." I nodded and started to tear up. He shot me a demented grin as he hopped off Hyousuke's arm. He walked behind me and gripped my shoulder tightly. "Don't worry, this won't hurt a bit." He lied of course. He hit me in the back of the head and it hurt. But I blacked out before it hurt too much.

Demigod dreams, as I have quickly found out were the most random things ever. What dreams I did talk to Percy about he said that he has dreams like this too. Apparently he was Hercules in one. But I doubt he ever had a dream like this.

I was flying through the sky, above an endless beautiful ocean, not a blot of land in sight. The skies were a shocking blue and the sun was shining its golden light all over. Simply put, it was breath taking. But the skies began to darken and it was eerily quiet. The calm before the storm.

The next thing I knew there were violent winds and a heavy rain that pelted me like I was being hit with paintball pellets. Thunder banged in my ears. Lighting was brightening up the sky like a laser show, the arcs of electricity flowing through the clouds like nerves. One lightning bolt (thanks for that Zeus) hit and I started falling like a meteor.

I landed face first in the center of a small island made of sand that popped up out of nowhere. After digging myself out I scrapped off the sand off of my tongue. It was then that I noticed that it wasn't raining at all around the island, as if some barrier was keeping the rain out. But, that wasn't the strangest thing. Sitting in a rocking chair was my mom, cradling and cooing a baby wrapped in green and blue blankets.

"Is that…me?" I asked.

I was so freaked out that I started backing up, only to slip on an edge and fall. Luckily I caught the ledge; otherwise I'd fall to my death. Though having only sand to hold onto wasn't giving me a good grip. I struggled to pull myself over, flailing my arms to do so. But I was able to get back onto (sorta) solid ground I saw that I was standing on a small bridge made of sand. The bridge connected two very tiny islands, one of which my mom and her chair took all the space of. Each island was surrounded by two different bodies of water, separated by a black chasm and connected by the bridge.

The wind picked up and lightning flashed all around, but mom and dream me didn't seem to notice. Maybe because the storm just went around the island. Then a huge wave rose up behind mom. I tried to warn her, but the wave slammed into her. When I ran to see if she and dream me were alright, a large stallion, white as sea foam, was standing behind her. It leaned down and nuzzled mom and baby me. When it looked up at me, it had green eyes, just like me and Percy. It was Poseidon.

When Poseidon looked back at my mom, I watched as she rocked me in her arms. But I was really standing in front of her. I know it was a dream, but I just wanted her to look at me, hug me, or something. I miss her so much. My sides started feeling sore, but I ignored the pain.

"M-mom…it's me." I said as choked down the sobs. "Please look at me. I'm right here."

I took a step toward her when a strong wind blew from behind me. Mom looked up and smiled. I forgot how much I loved seeing mom smile, and how easy it was when I was younger that when I was upset all I needed to feel better was her smile. But my own smile melted away when I realized that she wasn't looking at me, but whatever was behind me.

I slowly turned around, where I saw an empty suit of samurai armor, sitting on its haunches. It radiated power, the raw power of the sea. The armor was primarily black, like a storm cloud. It had dark green and blue accents and had wave designs carved into the metal. It had a sword at its hip.

When it bowed at me, for whatever reason, I walked towards it out of curiosity. But as I was about to peek inside just to make sure it was empty I heard a baby crying. Turning back toward where my mom and Poseidon was I saw my younger self laying in the beach crying out. And then I noticed Poseidon was bowing as well.

The wind became fiercer and the waves grew larger. They started to slam into the beach. Despite it being a dream, I rushed to protect the younger self. The pain in my side kept getting worse. It was so bad by the time I got to the baby me that I doubled over in pain. Out of mere luck I fell over the baby, shielding him…myself… from a wave that crashed onto the island. But not even a moment later did a wave from behind hit me too.

When baby me stopped crying it got way too quiet. Looking down I saw that he, I mean me…baby me was gone, missing. The only thing that was there was the blanket baby me was wrapped in. As I clutched the blanket in my hands the wind picked up again. The waves from both oceans were getting larger and larger.

When they were the size of tsunamis I actually got scared. But before they crashed down they shot upwards and started spiraling around each other. Both bodies of water rose with the spiraling waves, kinda looking like a DNA strand. But when everything else started to spin I got a headache. Everything was spinning and spinning and spinning to the point I felt like I was going to be sick.

And then everything stopped, as if time itself had frozen over. I could see the individual water droplet and the grains of sand floating in the air. The baby blanket in my hands struggled out of my grip and flew away. As it flew away an armored hand caught it. Standing before me was the samurai armor, which sat atop the white horse. Both of them stared at me, as if they were judging me. And, in a powerful, mysterious, and yet surprisingly calm voice from the armor:

"Make us proud." As the voice faded away, so did the dream.

"Get up!" Something hit my side so I opened my eyes, though it was almost pitch black

With another kick to the side I started to stand up, which was a lot harder because my hands were tied together behind my back. By the time I sat up hands grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and forced me up. My eyes finally adjusted and I saw a face full of ugly, meaning Daranibō.

"About time you woke up brat." He said, and he did not look happy at all.

"Where are my friends?!" I asked. "I want to see my friends!"

Daranibō's response was to back hand me across the face. "You'll see them soon enough."

The Tengu yanked my forward with the rope around my wrists. As he made me follow him I finally took in my surroundings. Or the lack of surroundings, since we were in a tunnel. It had to be their base because I could barely see and Daranibō was leading me along without a hitch. I tripped once so he yanked the rope harder than he needed to, sliding me along the floor a few inches.

"Hey!" I yelled after I picked myself up. "I want to see my friends now! Where are they? Where are Percy, Nico, and Kurama?!" Daranibō grunted and punched me in the stomach.

He kept dragging me through the tunnel, not even letting me take rest to get over the painful gasps. At the end of a tunnel I saw a light. Daranibō pulled me along and we entered a large chamber filled with monsters. There were oni, Emiko and Aina in their monster forms, and all the monsters we have encountered on our Quest and many more.

In the ceiling of the chamber was a massive hole, a nature made skylight. I saw the clouds above and they were darker than they have ever been. I could see the lightning flying around out there, as if something, or should I say some one, is gathering energy. There was some light shining through the skylight, making a circle on the floor. And around the edges of the circle were lit torches.

"Did I say you could stop walking?" Daranibō asked. He punched me in the stomach again and threw me to the ground.

"I told you to be gentle with the boy." That voice, it sounded familiar… I looked up and through the tear blurred vision I saw an old man sitting in front of the circle.

When he stood up and faced me, I remembered who it was. Sōjōbō, if I recall correctly. And in his hands was the Yata no Kagami! I was scared he was going to use its power, but all he did was walk closer to me. Seeing the Mirror in his possession made me afraid that they have the Magatama, but luckily for me it was still around my neck.

"It is an honor, Umi no Musuko." Sōjōbō said as he bowed. "We have been waiting for you for a long time, and I am sorry that it has come down to this." I just glared at him.

"I want to see me friends." I said. "Now."

"Of course." said Sōjōbō. He looked to his left, and I followed his gaze.

There they were, all tied up. Percy and Nico tried yelling something at me but their cries were muffled by the gags in their mouths. Menōmaru and Hyousuke were standing behind them. Kurama was being held by an Amanujaku. I ran to them but I was roughly pulled back by Daranibō. Grabbing me by the back of the neck he dragged me to the torches.

"You should apologize, whelp." Daranibō said, squeezing my neck harder. "You've kept your host waiting."

"What the hell are you talking abou-" he tossed me to my knees, right next to the circle of light.

The next thing I knew, both my ring and the Magatama were glowing. I saw silver light in the corner of my eye, so I turned and saw that Sōjōbō was standing next to me, with the Mirror glowing as well. And the Treasure weren't the only thing glowing. Within the circle of light, ancient Japanese glyphs appear, surrounding something that looked an awful lot like a pentagram.

"What is this?" I asked.

"It is a sealing ritual, created by the Noble Three and their Treasures." explained Sōjōbō.

"A sealing ritual…" I said. "What did they seal?"

"I think you already know." said Sōjōbō. I looked back to the seal and saw large shadows move across the ground, and they looked like they were underneath the seal. And these shadows…they looked like…snakes.

"Orochi." The entire chamber started shaking at the mere utterance of its name.

"He knows you are here." said Sōjōbō.

"What does he want?" I asked, terrified of the answer.

"Freedom." said Sōjōbō. "He wants to be free of that seal."

"What's in it for you for helping with his freedom?" I wondered.

"He will help return Japan back to its former glory," he started, "Back before the Greeks and the Egyptians and the Christians came and corrupted it."

"Corrupted? People still follow the old ways, I've seen it." I said. I can deal with the Egyptian thing later, if there is a later.

"The mortals don't have faith anymore." Sōjōbō said. He even looked depressed.

"Amaterasu said the same thing." The look Sōjōbō gave me was…confusing, to say the least. His face was showing me shock, but his eyes… they were filled with fear, joy, and something else, something I just wasn't able to determine.

"You-you saw Lady Amaterasu?!" he asked excitedly, grabbing me by the shoulders and lightly shaking me.

"Yeah, I di-" I started.

"Enough of this." Daranibō said. "It's time Sōjōbō."

"It is." Sōjōbō sad, looking sad again. "Untie the Umi no Musuko."

Daranibō followed the order. He took out his dagger and cut the ropes. As soon as they were cut I elbowed Daranibō in the stomach and ran to the others again. But before I got close Daranibō appeared in front me, as if he was a ninja (we are in Japan, so he could have some ninjutsu training or something on top of being a Tengu.) He kicked me as hard as he could which sent me sprawling to the ground. I landed on my stomach, where Daranibō stepped on my left arm and held my face against the stone covered floor. I could hear the others muddled cries.

"Do not hurt the boy." Sōjōbō said, and by his tone he wasn't happy. "You know what we need from the boy."

"Hmph." I could sense Daranibō roll his eyes. He rubbed my face in the ground extra hard as he stood up.

"I hope you are unharmed." Sōjōbō said as I stood up.

"Unharmed?" I asked, spitting some blood from my busted lip. "You've got to be kidding. You people have been hunting me like an animal since before I knew about all this madness, threatening me and everyone I care about, and you have the gall to ask if I'm unharmed? Fuck you! Just tell me what the hell is going on!"

"Mind your tone." Sōjōbō said, radiating power and authority. I must have pissed him off. But he calmed down a bit a second later. "Out of respect for your lineage, I shall tell you, but it should be fairly obvious. You are required to break the seal."

"Why me?" I asked.

"You were needed to gather the three Sacred Treasures." He explained.

"In case you haven't notices, I only have two." I said.

"He liesss." A snake-like voice let out.

"What was that?" I asked.

"Our master knows you are here." said Sōjōbō.

"Orochi?" I asked. "He can hear me?"

"Of courssse boy." hissed out the Orochi. "Now, fulfill your purpossse. Complete the reassson you're alive."

"What do you mean?" I asked. I looked towards Sōjōbō. "What does he mean?!"

"It is your destiny to break the seal that keeps the Orochi trapped here Tsunayoshi." explained Sōjōbō.

"And how the bloody hell am I supposed to do that?" I asked. "And better yet, why should I?"

"Because if you don't…" Sōjōbō started. He looked at me for a moment before taking a deep breath, his face becoming serious. "Because if you don't, we will kill your friends."

"You will not touch my friends." I said with a death glare in Sōjōbō's direction.

"If you don't do what we want, we will." Sōjōbō said. A tear fell from eye.

"Is he sad?" I thought to myself.

Maybe Sōjōbō, and even some of the creatures here aren't actually evil. Maybe they are desperate, desperate enough to side with evil to save everything they know. But they made their choice by going over to join the Orochi. However, now I can't stop but feeling sorry for him.

"I don't believe you." I said. "You don't seem like the type to hurt innocent people." He looked at a bit shock, and then his face basically screamed depression.

"You're right." Sōjōbō said. "I won't hurt your friends." That actually made me relieved. But he nodded in the direction of my friends. Menōmaru ripped the gags out of my friends' mouths.

Nico grunted as he was pushed to the ground. He started screaming as Hyousuke stepped on him, crushing my best friend beneath his weight. Percy was turned around so his back was facing me. Menōmaru drew his sword and put it against Percy's Mortal Spot.

How in the world did Menōmaru know where Percy's Mortal Spot was escaped me. But, there was the time when we were running away from Madam Konchū. I remember finding Percy in a daze, and there was that little moth that I flicked of his shoulders. Maybe…maybe it was planted by Menōmaru, and it hypnotized Percy into revealing his weakness. Menōmaru pressed his blade through the ropes and Nico's screams got louder.

"Stop! Please!" I begged. I felt so…weak, so…defeated. "Don't hurt them. I'll do whatever you want."

"Tsuna don't!" yelled Percy, only to be silenced by Menōmaru.

"I thank you for your sacrifice Tsunayoshi." Sōjōbō said as he led me back to the pentagram.

"Sacrifice?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

"That is how you will break the seal," said Sōjōbō, "By taking your own life."

I felt my heart skip a beat. I had to…to kill myself to save the others? After all the times I tried to off myself since I found out I was a demigod, and it turns out I was destined to kill myself anyways? Just at this specific moment in time? Why has my life turned to complete and utter hell?

"Don't do it Tsuna!" Percy yelled.

"I don't want you to die!" Nico screamed.

"You can't die!" howled Kurama.

"There's still an issue with your master plan." I said, trying to drown out my friends pleas.

"And that would be?" asked Sōjōbō.

"You said you need all three Sacred Regalia to break the seal." I said. "I told you this already, I don't have the Kusanagi." Daranibō laughed hysterically.

"The Son of Susanoo doesn't get it!" he kept laughing, which sounded like something between crow's caw and normal laughter.

"Daranibō!" chastised Sōjōbō.

"What is he talking about?" I asked.

"You've held something close to your heart all your life." said Sōjōbō. "Something that has been a gift from your father."

"My…my ring?" I looked at it, and remembered how much I hated it at one point, but treasured it all the same. "I mean…my sword?"

"Yes." said Sōjōbō. He pointed at my ring. "Why do you think you have survived for so long for a demigod, especially for being the son of a very powerful god like Susanoo? It's because you were being protected."

"By what? My ring?" I asked, not getting his point.

"It wasn't your ring boy." Sōjōbō said. "A relic as powerful as your sword would have monsters to you like flies to honey. No, you were being protected by a dragon, by none other than Ryūjin."

"Ryūjin Faded years ago." I said.

"Were you ever directly told he Faded brat?" Daranibō said.

"No, I…" I started. But then I remembered what the others told me, when I was fighting the venom of the Orochi Spawn. That Otohime's father was helping to heal me. I stared at my ring, and finally understood why it looked like the statue in Ryūgū-jō. "Ryūjin, he protected me from Mr. Umo, he called out to Otohime that night on the cliff, and kept me alive through the poison. But-but how is Ryūjin my ring?"

"Susanoo must have thought that hiding his greatest treasure in America wasn't enough." Sōjōbō said. "He needed the might of a dragon to protect the Sword."

"So…" I said, letting it sink in. "Susanoo never cared about me."

"Oh stop with all this self-pity!" squawked out Daranibō. "Can we just get this over with Sōjōbō? That arrogant Greek Zeus is about to unleash the might of Olympus on Japan, and only the Orochi can save us and the entirety of our culture. Bring up the Kusanagi brat and impale yourself on the blade!"

"I don't have it!" I yelled.

"The boy doesss not underssstand." The Orochi said.

"Think boy, how did you get your sword?" Sōjōbō asked.

"It was a gift." I said. "From…from my father…Su…Su…"

"Say it boy." Sōjōbō said. "Accept the truth that you have been denying. Tell yourself the truth."

"Susanoo." I said. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders, but it didn't make me feel better.

"Exactly." Sōjōbō explained. "Susanoo, one of the Noble Three, and wielder of the Kusanagi. And why do you, a boy who had no interest in his lineage, and curious Grecian connections, have a sword from his father?"

"To protect me." I said.

"Or, were you supposed to protect the Sword?" asked Sōjōbō.

"What are you getting at?!" I asked, getting irritated. "That I've had the Kusanagi my entire life?!"

"Yes, Tsunayoshi, you have." said Sōjōbō.

"Why?" I asked. "Have you known this entire time?"

"Enough with the hissstory sssesssion!" screamed the Orochi. "It isss time."

"He is right." Sōjōbō said. "I'm sorry Tsunayoshi, but you must break the seal now. Summon the Kusanagi and release the Orochi…and if you don't, your friends will die."

My friends started screaming again. Kurama was being pulled by his limbs as if he was going to be torn into pieces. Nico was getting crushed again by Hyousuke. As if to prove something, Menōmaru ripped the lower part of Percy's shirt and pressed his blade against Percy's Mortal Spot.

"STOP!" I begged.

Sōjōbō raised his hand, signaling the monsters to stop. I cried as quiet as I could while I walked to the seal. I stood there, staring at the seal, watching the shadow of the Orochi move around impatiently. In order to save the people I love, I had to unleash the most dangerous monster in the Shinto Pantheon. But…I had no idea how to do it.

"What exactly do I have to do?" I asked, biting back the sobs.

"First you must take the Yasakani no Magatama and the Yata no Kagami to weaken the seal." Sōjōbō instructed. "Then you must take your own life with the Kusanagi. And finally, the Orochi will be free."

He handed me the Mirror and turned me back towards the seal. I looked into the Mirror, hoping that I could use its power, and the Magatamas', to save the others, but I couldn't think of one. Any time I got a small fragment of an idea, it kept getting shot down by the fact that my friends will die before I could really do anything.

"Hurry up!" Daranibō said.

"I don't know what to do!" I yelled.

"Just use the power of the Treasures." Sōjōbō explained. "They will do the rest."

I thought about it for a second, but I decided to just follow my instincts. I took off the Magatama necklace and held it out. It started glowing in its golden red light. The seal started glowing in the same light before dimming. I held out the Mirror, and as it was glowing in its silver light, so did the seal. This time, the seal began cracking and the Orochi became more excited.

"Now, Son of Susanoo, use the Kusanagi." Sōjōbō said. When I looked back at him he looked full of guilt. "Take your own life, and the Orochi shall be released."

As my sword…the Kusanagi…appeared in my hands, I let out soundless sobs. I raised my sword so I could look into its blade. I saw myself, and I didn't look good. And I kept remembering all of my suicide attempts. I was a coward then, what was so different now? Oh that's right…my friends lives are on the line.

"I won't do it." I said, lowering the Kusanagi.

"Then you leave me no choice." Sōjōbō said, raising his hand to signal the deaths of my family.

"I won't do it," I started, "Unless you swear, on everything you love and your life that you will spare my friends and send them home, safe and sound. With the Greeks, we swear on the Styx when we want to make an unbreakable vow. I want you to do the same."

"You are in no position to bargain." Sōjōbō threatened.

"My friends are willing to give their lives for the greater good." I said. "They're heroes, born and raised. But their lives mean so much more to me than you would ever know. All I want is their safety."

"The Orochi will not spare your friends," Sōjōbō said, "And he expects the same of his servants."

"But do you realize who you're threatening?" I asked. I pointed to Percy and Nico. "They are the sons of Hades and Poseidon, two of the Big Three and are the most powerful demigods there is. Alone Poseidon and Hades are powerful, but together, they are unstoppable. That's why Zeus doesn't trust either of them. And speaking of Zeus, he is already scared of what's happening here. You'll just be adding more fuel to the fire. And as powerful as you think the Orochi is, I doubt he can stand up against the full might of Olympus, more united than it has been in centuries."

We stared at each other, waiting for the other to back down. But I won in the end. "I swear, on my honor, my life, and the future of the Shinto Pantheon that no harm will come to your friends. As long as I am alive, no harm will befall them."

"Thank you." I said, feeling the tears flood out.

I raised my sword, the Kusanagi, again and angled it so the blade faced my chest. It was glowing brighter than I have ever seen, and it felt hot in my hands, as if it was trying to stop me from doing it. I could feel the tip of the Divine Steel press against my skin. Fear was making my heart beat faster. I took deep breathes to try to calm myself. The others were screaming for me drop the Sword, to run away and save myself. I looked over to them and saw their tears glistening in the light of seal. Through my own tears, I flashed them a weak smile.

"I'm sorry." With all my strength I plunged the Kusanagi through my heart.

The pain was too much, too immeasurable to ever describe. I never thought I could ever be in so much pain. I could feel myself choking on my own blood. I fell to my knees and looked down. My shirt was already soaked with blood. My arms went limp and I fell to my side. Through my tear filled eyes and fading sight I saw my blood pool on the ground and flow towards to the seal. I could feel my heart slowing down. Each beat was quieter, and there was more time between them. I could just barely hear the others screaming, but their voices were fading along with my life.

People say you see your life flash before your eyes when you die, but I didn't. I just watched as my blood touched the edge of the seal. The Orochi's laughter was like thunder in my ears. The seal expelled a brilliant light, only to vanish as something burst form the seal like the Arc Reactor's energy being released from the first Iron Man film.

But I didn't care about that, in the end. I only wanted one thing and one thing only at this point: the safety of my friends. But Sōjōbō swore, and I knew that he meant it. And as the world before me went dark, I let out one, last whispered prayer.

"Please be safe."