With a deep intake of breath I opened my eyes wide and shot straight up. As my eyes adjusted to the light I felt something squeeze me tight. It was Percy, and he was squeezing the air out of me. His body was shaking as he cried into my shoulder.
"Thank the gods." he sobbed, pulling me tighter against him.
Wrapping my arms around my brother I hugged him just as tight. "I missed you."
We just held onto each other, crying into the other's shoulder. I really couldn't imagine what he was feeling, watching me end my life. Percy is protective of his friends and me sacrificing myself to save him and the others must have killed him. We let go and kept each other at arm's length. Percy was smiling and crying tears of joy.
"You're grounded." he said. "You're not allowed to leave my side for a month."
"If that's the punishment," I said, "I'll happily serve the time."
Kurama came close and started sniffing me. I lowered my hand to him, where he sniffed and licked my hand. As I pet his head I couldn't help but think what a loyal friend he's been this entire journey.
"Tsuna…"
Looking up I saw Nico standing a few feet away, eyes wide with disbelief and his face filled with confusion. I stood up, only to be caught by Percy when I nearly fell. Nodding to him after I got my bearings, Percy let me walk over to the young son of Hades. When I stood in front of him Nico slowly placed his hand over my chest and felt for my heart beat, just to prove that I was alive. When I placed my hand over his he started crying.
I pulled him into my chest and felt him cry. He was shaking so much, and just letting what he had bottled up flood out. I rubbed his back to soothe him, which only made him grip my shirt tighter and cry harder.
"It's okay Nico." I said. "I'm alright."
"I-I saw y-you die." He said, his words muffled by my chest. "I-I-I FELT you die."
"I know." I said, threading my fingers through his hair. "I'm so sorry."
We stood there for a good five minutes, Nico crying and me just holding him. Eventually we separated. I held Nico's face in my hands, seeing the streaks of tears that stained his cheeks, his blood shot eyes which looked even redder with his pale skin, and in his eyes I saw…no, I sensed that my sacrifice hurt him down to his soul. It broke my heart seeing him like this. He sniffled and a tear was about to fall from the corner of his eye, so I used my thumb to wipe it away.
And as I stood there, staring into his eyes, I realized that Nico meant more to me than I originally thought. My heart started to beat a little bit faster, although I wasn't sure why. Before anything or maybe should I say before I could do anything stupid Nico spoke up.
"How are you even alive?" he asked, backing away from me. "I felt your soul leave your body, and then it came back. Your heart was basically cut in half. You lost a lot of blood and-"
"Shh." I said, pulling him close again. "I know, but I'm okay now. I'm alive."
"But how did you come back Tsuna?" Percy asked. I separated from Nico, just keeping my hand on his arm. "Not that I'm complaining."
"There was…an exchange." I said, remembering Ryūjin's sacrifice way too vividly. "I don't want to talk about it. This isn't really the time for me to explain anyways." I looked up towards the sky, seeing how it has gotten darker. "We have to destroy the Orochi."
"I got that much Tsuna," Percy said as he crossed his arms, "But how are we supposed to that when we don't know where he went?"
"He'll be heading to a volcano." I said. "But I don't know which one. Whatever's closest I imagine."
"How do you know that?" asked Kurama.
"My grandfather told me." I said. The others looked surprised.
"You're what!" they yelled.
"I'll tell you later." I promised. "We just need to figure out where we are."
Looking around I saw how devastated the cave had become since I was dead. There were rocks and rubble everywhere. Where the seal was… where the Orochi escaped… was a massive crater. There weren't even any monsters in sight.
"What happened here?" I asked. "After I died, what happened to all the monsters? And how did you all survive?" It looked like no one was going to say anything, until Percy spoke up.
"After you di…d…" Percy said, having trouble saying that one word. "After you died, the seal released some kind of energy. It burst out and caused the cave to start collapsing."
"It had to be the Orochi." Nico said. "It must have been weak from being sealed for so long. It attacked every monster in the cave and started to drain their life force. I felt every monster wither away and die. I felt as each and every one of them was, I don't know, absorbed into the Orochi. All of the monsters dying at once was so overwhelming I started shaking and blacked out."
"That's when I tried to protect him." Percy said. "The moment that Menōmaru and Daranibō ran to fight for their lives Nico cut off the robes I was tied in. And after he passed out I pushed and pulled him out of the way of the falling rock. Any monster that wasn't being eaten at the time tried to attack us, and with Nico out of commission I had to protect everyone."
"But Percy only lasted so long." Kurama said. "Once he was beaten down, an Oni came and nearly smashed us all with his club before the Orochi devoured it."
"And then the Orochi turned its attention to us." Percy said. "He called me and Nico Greek Filth. He said how he was going to enjoy killing us. But as he attacked, Sōjōbō stood between us and the Orochi and saved us."
"How?" I asked. "And how did he stand up to something like the Orochi?"
"Sōjōbō is the king of the Tengu." Kurama said. "Didn't you know that?" I shook my head. "Tengu are minor gods Tsuna, and even they had a king. Suzaku once told me about how Sōjōbō has the strength of a thousand Tengu. And Orochi must still be weak, with the way he attacked all the monsters here."
"So how did he save you guys?" I asked.
"He created the barrier." Percy said. "When the Orochi asked him why we would protect us of all people, all Sōjōbō said was that he made a promise. They started fighting, and Sōjōbō went into his Divine Form. I looked away just in time before they took their fight outside. After they left Nico woke up. He didn't let me see if he was alright before he dragged me over to your..." He swallowed the lump in his throat. "Your body. I couldn't stand seeing you with your sword stuck in you, so I pulled it out and threw it away."
"And you started to revive me." I said. I looked over to Nico. "Why would you do that? There's a balance Nico. You should know that."
Nico looked away, not wanting to meet my gaze. "There always should be exceptions." I let out a sigh and started to look around.
"What are you looking for?" Percy asked as I was lifted some rock out of my way.
"My sword." I said. "Where did you toss it?"
"Uh…" Percy said as he looked around. Understandably he wasn't paying attention to where he threw it at the time.
We heard the caw of a bird so we all turned our heads over to Yatagarasu, who was trying his hardest to get our attention. He was flapping his wings and scratching at the stones. Walking closer I saw my sword, the Kusanagi, and it looked different.
Picking it up so I could get a better look at it I instantly saw how its dragon theme was gone. It must have been a side effect from Ryūjin merging with it all those years ago. The guard of the stone had lost its dragon carving, leaving only a solid, polished white stone. The handle had gained a dark green cloth to go along with the blue one. Instead of the dragon head the pommel was now plain silver like the blade itself. It hurt to know that Ryūjin gave up his life for mine.
As I slid it through my belt loop a soft green light caught my eye. Looking down I saw a small pearl just lying on the ground. Picking it up and giving it a closer look I realized that it looked a lot like the pearl Otohime used to keep Nico alive underwater. This must have been the other Tide Jewel of Ryūjin. If I'm remembering what the book said, then this is Manju, the Tide Flowing Jewel.
Nico tugged on my sleeve, getting my attention as I put the Manju jewel in my pocket. "I think these are yours." In his hands were the Magatama and the Kagami.
"Thank you Neeks." I said with a smile. I had Nico hold onto the Mirror while I took the Jewel.
As I tied the Jewel around my neck, I started to figure out where we were. Since I was blacked out when we were brought to the cavern I obviously had nothing to go by. I asked the others if they saw anything when we were kidnapped, but they said they had bags over their heads.
Yatagarasu cawed at me again to get my attention. "I guess I should thank you for helping bring me back." I said with a smile towards the sacred bird. With another caw it bowed its head. I kneeled down and ran my fingers down its back. It felt really warm, like the heat given off by a comfortable campfire. And now that I was right next to it, I saw just how big of a bird he was. He seemed a little larger than the bald eagle I saw at the Point Defiance Zoo a few years back. "I don't suppose you know where we are, would you?"
Yatagarasu cawed again and flapped its wings excitedly. I fell on my backside when it spread its wings. It flew over to me and two of its legs grabbed me by my shoulders, its talons just barely digging through my shirt. Flapping its wings again it started to fly up, taking me with it.
As the others yelled after me Yatagarasu flew me through the massive hole in the celling of the cave. With the storm clouds above, I was terrified that Zeus was going to strike me down here and now for even attempting to fly at this point, but this was another lucky day for me (y'know, except the whole self-sacrifice bit.) Yatagarasu was flying somewhat close to the ground which made my landing a bit softer when he dropped me.
"What was that for?!" I asked as I brushed the dirt and snow off. With another caw it looked to its left. I raised an eyebrow in confusion, but it cawed again. I figured it wanted me to look where it was looking, so I did but as I did my eyes went wide.
Not only did my eyes go wide but my breath got caught in my throat. In the distance was Mt. Fuji, in all of its glory. But between me and the mountain was a giant twister that was carving out a scar on the land, and it was heading towards Mt. Fuji. I squinted my eyes to help me see through the Mist, I saw something snakelike inside the twister. Lightning would strike it, causing the Orochi to snap at the lightning.
"Tsuna!" The others appeared behind me. Nico must have Shadow Traveled them up here. Percy rushed over to me and checked me over to see if I was alright. He was being really over protective.
"Percy I'm fine." I said, swiping his hand away from my face. He still looked worried. "You should know by now I'm not made of glass."
"I know." Percy said. "I just…don't want anything to happen to you."
"I know how you feel, especially after what just happened," I said, "But unfortunately we have bigger things to worry about then me getting hurt." I turned him around so he was looking at the Orochi-nado. "We need to stop that thing." Percy looked at me like I was insane.
"How?!" he asked "Look at that thing! It's almost as big as Typhon, and it's growing!"
"That's exactly what it is, the Typhon of the Shinto Pantheon." I said. "And it's not at full power yet. Like you just said it's still growing."
"How do you know that?" Percy asked.
"I don't know." I shook my head. "Intuition? You guys did say it was feeding on the monsters from the cave, so it needed to recharge its power." I looked towards the mountain. "We need to get to Mt. Fuji before the Orochi starts his plan."
"I can take us there." Nico said. That made me scared.
"I'm not letting you guys risk your lives any more than you already have." I said. "I already gave my life to save the three of you, and I won't let you give up your lives for this Quest. Just take Percy and Kurama home Nico."
"I am not leaving you here to fight that thing alone." Percy said sternly.
"I'm not leaving either!" Nico said.
"The three of you have done enough for me." I said. "There have been so many times since this Quest started that I feared I lost you. I can't risk losing you, any of you…again…"
"Tsuna that was just an illusion." Percy said. "It wasn't real."
"The pain I felt was." I said, gripping the Mirror tight.
"You can't fight the Orochi by yourself Tsuna." Nico said. "Don't you remember what the prophecy said? 'The power of two Pantheons flow through his veins, with friends by his side the Serpent shall meet his bane'." The prophecy… Ojīchan said something along those lines.
"The power of two pantheons…" I said as I stared at my hands. I looked up and saw the determined looks my friends had. "You guys are dead set with coming with me, aren't you?"
Percy smirked. "It's not like I'm going to leave my brother to die without me by his side."
"You're such a loving brother Percy." I said.
"So do you have a plan?" Nico asked.
"In all honesty Nico," I said, "I have…a part of a plan…I'll improvise when I get to that point. But," I looked behind the others, towards the ocean. "It does involve getting the Orochi to the sea."
"Why the sea?" Kurama asked.
"Percy and I are the sons of sea gods, and powerful ones at that." I said. "When we're in the water, our powers are a lot stronger."
"And then with the two of us together in the ocean then we'll have a much better chance to defeat him." Percy said as he caught on with my plan.
"I know it's not much, but it's the best I can come up with right now." I admitted. "I really wish Annabeth was here right now."
"Me too." Percy said with a stupid grin.
"This is not the time to think with your 'Downstairs Brain' Perce." I said as I rolled my eyes. I looked down at the silver Kitsune and kneeled close to him. "Kurama, I need you to stay here and stay safe. I don't want you to get hurt."
Kurama shook his head. "I need to help you guys too. This is my homeland Tsuna. But…I know I can't really fight the Orochi. So I'm going to help any animals that haven't gotten away yet."
"Yeah, that would be great." I said. I gave him a smile and petted his head. After giving my hand a lick he ran off into the woods.
"Ready?" Nico asked, holding out his hand.
"As I'll ever be." I said, taking Nico's hand. We looked over to Percy who nodded and gripped Nico's shoulder tightly. Yatagarasu perched itself on my shoulder before the shadows even moved.
The shadows swallowed us, and with a force that made me feel like my skin was being peeled off, the shadows dispersed and we were standing in foot deep snow. We all had a little trouble breathing because of the instantaneous exposure to the thin air at this altitude. Nico even fell to his knees. Yatagarasu flew off my shoulder once the shadows dissipated.
"Are you alright?" Percy asked as the two of us helped him up.
"Do you think this counts as being in Zeus's domain?" Nico asked with slightly labored breathing.
"He's alright." I said with a chuckle. I looked towards the east, seeing the ocean again, as well as seeing a major flaw in my not-so-developed plan. "How are we going to get him there?"
"What'ssss thissss?" hissed out that snake-like voice of the Orochi. I looked around to see if I could find the source, but I couldn't see anything. "How are you even alive?! You're sssssoul ssssshould be rotting in the Yomi boy! Unlesssssss…"
"My grandfather saved my life you worm!" I yelled.
"Really?" the Orochi said. "Name calling? I expected more from you, Sssson of Ssssusssssano."
The wind started to violently pick up. I went closer to the others and brought them closer. The ground started shaking when the Orochi let out a dark chuckle. Soon the twister rose up from the edge of the volcano. But the Mist that formed the twister faded away, and I could see it. I could see the Orochi in all of its monstrosity.
The Orochi raised itself high above us. It had eight heads, all of them looking like snakes. They all has slightly different coloring of scales to each head. Some were toxic green while others were crimson red like blood. The center head was an evil looking black. And I could feel it's the power of its venom from here. All the scales faded into a rusty looking dirt brown the closer one looks to its stomach. There were even small trees growing along its back. But as I stared at it, it seemed to shift into something resembling a dragon and back to a snake. It had to be still gaining its strength back, not being able to hold its draconian form.
"I knew it." I said. "You're not at full strength yet."
"Oh really?" The Orochi said. He stood up straighter and roared. Parts of his body started glowing brightly. It must have his attempt in going into a Divine Form, and I felt my skin crawl with the power he let out. "Do you think that now?" He let out a low cackle, keeping his center head staring at me while his other seven move around as he talked. "Your fathers little seal may have weakened me slightly, but don't worry Son of Susanoo, I'll get my full power back soon enough."
I really didn't like the way his other heads were moving. I didn't know where to keep watch. I saw Percy and Nico ready themselves out of the corner of my eye. I tightened my grip on my sword as the Orochi continued talking.
"You're planning ssssomething, aren't you?" it asked. "Whatever it issss, it won't work. Ssssussssanoo wassss barely able to defeat me the firssst time we fought, and it took the help of his missssserable brother and sssissster to ssseal me. What can you do boy? What can you do againssst me?!"
"I…I don't know." I admitted. "But I won't stop until you're destroyed!"
The Orochi let out a deep laughter that shook the ground beneath our feet. "I cannot be desssstroyed! I am the darknessss in the heartssss of Japan. I have whisssspered my desssieresss into their mindsss and have caussssed great turmoil for the entire world. They may not have realized it but the people of Japan have killed for me. I am their god now!"
He caused all the tragic events that Japan has caused in history? Wait, so that means he twisted the leaders of Japan to attack Pearl Harbor. He made the Japanese army invade China. Because of HIM he made Japan do all those terrible, terrible things.
"You really think that you are a god?" I asked before laughing. Maybe if I can get him angry, than he won't think straight and I can get more time to fully make a plan. "You're nothing more than an over grown garden snake," He glowered his many eyes. "A Ghidorah impersonator!" He started to growl in the back of his throat. "You call yourself a god when in reality you are just a monster!"
That did it. He lunged all of his heads at us. Before his attack landed the three of us jumped out of the way. I slipped on a patch of snow and slid down the mountain a little bit. I stabbed my sword into the ground to stop sliding. One of the Orochi's heads saw me once I stopped and sneered before lunging to swallow me in one bite. When he got close a pillar of black rock hit the side of his face and threw him off course.
"Thank you Nico." I thought as I climbed back up to the top.
Another pillar of black rock rammed into the stomach of the Orochi. He staggered as the wind was knocked out of him. The black center head fell next to me as I climbed onto more stable ground. I sliced at it with the Kusanagi and made a deep gash just under the eye. It reeled back in pain and thrashed around. Through its erratic movements I saw the wound bleeding, not Ichor, but regular monster blood, proving that he was a monster instead of a god.
"I knew it." I said to myself.
I really don't know how long we were fighting the Orochi for. But the thunder clouds were getting darker and lightning was flashing more often. And I was starting to see that the longer we kept fighting, the more the Orochi became more like a dragon. The hiss in his voice was getting weaker too. Despite not being at full strength the Orochi was a powerful enemy. From what I could tell I was the only one that actually landed a hit. And the Orochi was pushing the three of us towards the edge of the crater of the volcano.
The Orochi laughed again, relishing in what he thinks was victory. "None of you ever ssstood a chanccce against me." His body started glowing as he said something in some ancient language. I heard something crack behind me. Turning my head I saw lava started to fill the crater. "I will very much enjoy the sssight of you all burning with Japan."
After all we've been through, it's all going to end by being burnt by molten rock? As far as heroic deaths go, this has to be the worst. I hated this. I hated knowing that I keep dragging Percy and Nico to their deaths. And now that we're fighting the Orochi, there's no way I can save them. I mean, it took the Noble Three together to seal the monster in the first place.
But, the way Izanagi talked about the Orochi made it seem like I could defeat him. He said to use the Treasures to help, but I really don't know how to use them. Use my instincts, he said. Easier said than done when fighting a giant snake. But if using them is our only to survive this fight, I might as well use them. Like Izanagi said, they do belong to me now. And if I could just get the Orochi to the water…
I got an idea, but it was a long shot. "Guys, I need you by me a couple of minutes."
"What do you have planned Tsuna?" Percy asked.
"Something crazy that might not even work." I said. Percy gave me look before shrugging his shoulders.
"Good enough for me." he said. It felt great knowing how much he trusted me. The wind started to pick up around us until it was a small hurricane made of snow and rain surrounding the Orochi. It was so strong that the Orochi was being pushed back.
"Nico, the Mirror." I said over the wind. He nodded and handed the Mirror over.
"I'll try to help Percy." he said. Struggling against the wind he walked over to Percy and stabbed his sword into the ground. I saw something pitch black move across the Orochi through the wind storm. Nico had to be using the shadows to restrain the Orochi.
"Let's hope this works." I said.
I looked up and hoped that it was night. I raised the Kusanagi above my head and concentrated. The clouds above me started to swirl slightly. I concentrated harder but it didn't help.
"What do you think you are doing?!" yelled the Orochi as he struggled against the wind and shadows.
"Please Dad." I prayed. "I need your help."
The Kusanagi started glowing and the clouds above me swirled apart. Shining through the hole in the sky was a full moon. I couldn't help but take a moment to stare at it, but I snapped myself out of my daze. Then with a howl the Orochi broke out of the shadow binds and pushed himself through Percy's wind storm.
I had to act quickly. I raised the Mirror and angled it so it reflected the light of the moon. Focusing on what I want the Mirror amplified the moon light and blasted out a silver burst of light that shone on all eight heads of the Orochi.
The Orochi stopped dead in his tracks and looked around. "What wasss that sssupposssed to do? Nothing?" He chuckled. "The Yata no Kagami'sss power hasss no hold on me."
I was going to believe him. That is until I saw something forming behind him. "Are you sure about that?" I said with a smile
"Of courssse insssect." the Orochi said smugly. Percy and Nico came close to me with wide eyes. "Do you really think that Tsukuyomi'sss pathetic little illussssssionsss will help y-"
SKREEOOONK!
The Orochi was interrupted by the greatest sound I have ever heard in my life. He whipped his heads around to see what on earth could have made such a sound and bared his fangs with a loud hiss. Percy was trying to make a sound while looking between me and the illusion I made. Nico on the other hand looked scared, as if think 'Oh great, another monster to deal with.'
"Tsuna," Nico asked, "What is that thing?"
"That Nico," I said, "is Godzilla."
And I picked the best incarnation of the King of the Monsters to cast into this fight. He had prominent dark green scales that faded into a charcoal black. All along his back were long, jagged dorsal plates that had just a hint of a purple tint to them. He had a long, thin reptilian face with rows of curved fangs. His claws looked wicked sharp. My illusionary Godzilla swung his long tail back and forth, just waiting for me to give the word.
The Orochi broke out into hysterics. "And what isss thisss sssupposssed to be?" he asked as he slithered closer to Godzilla. "Your trump card? It doesssn't even look that ssstrong, even for an illusssion. It doesssn't even look that real." Godzilla snarled at him.
"Tsuna what are you planning?" Percy asked.
"I'm going to get that over grown snake into the ocean." I said. "Trust me." I looked to Godzilla, and feeling the power of the Mirror in my hand I have him the order. "Have some fun."
With that Godzilla chomped down on one of the Orochi's necks and dug his claws in another. The Orochi howled in pain and tried to fight back as he was being dragged down Mt. Fuji. You have no idea how glorious it was to see your favorite monster duking it out with something that wanted you dead. It was like I was in an actual Godzilla move, a dream come true. But I will admit that the Orochi was putting up a descent fight.
"What part of your mind actually thought that this was a good idea?!" screamed Percy. "I mean, what will the Mortals think? What can they even see?"
"It was the only thing I could think of." I admitted. "We needed to get him to the ocean, and the Mirror can make illusions real, so I thought 'What the hell'. Besides, how cool is this? Monster versus monster, it's like a dream come true for me."
"But look at the rate they're going Tsuna." Nico said. "They're barely gaining any ground against each other. It could take hours to drag the Orochi to the water, and who knows how long your illusion will last."
Sadly Nico was right. But this fight was too awesome! In the end though I decided not drag this out (we have a time limit, remember) and went for a different tactic. I was hoping to see Godzilla's Atomic Breath in person though.
"You're right." I said. "We need something that flies."
Concentrating on a different Kaiju, I used the Mirror's power to shift Godzilla into none other than his arch-nemesis King Ghidorah. The black scales changed into brilliant gold, and Godzilla's dorsal plates shrank into his back, only for large wings to grow in their place. Godzilla's one tail split into two and Godzilla's arms stretched and became the two other heads of Ghidorah.
Knowing who Ghidorah was based off of, it was sort of like watching the Orochi fight a much more impressive version of itself. Ghidorah's two other heads wrapped around two other heads of the Orochi before biting down to lock their hold as the tails wrapped around the Orochi's stomach.
"Can that thing get him to the shore?" Nico asked as I stuffed the Mirror between my pants and my shirt behind my back.
"I think." I said. My head was starting to hurt. "It's the strongest monster I could think of that could fly."
I sent a mental command to Ghidorah to start flying the Orochi to the ocean. It started flapping its wings and was able to lift the Orochi off the ground. The Orochi struggled against Ghidorah's hold and attacked with his five other heads.
"We should get to the shore as soon as possible." Nico said.
"He's right." Percy said. "The sooner we get there, the sooner you and I can defeat him."
"It's not going to be that simple Percy." I said.
"Why?" he asked.
"Look at him." I said, point to the flying monsters. "He clearly isn't that hurt. And even if we get him to the sea, he's not damaged enough for us to defeat, even when we're empowered by the ocean."
"Maybe you should go the sea first Percy." Nico suggested. "While you get ready for him Tsuna and I will weaken the Orochi as much as we can."
"Ok, that's a good plan and all Nico, but how will I get there?" Percy asked as he looked towards the ocean. "It's like a hundred miles away!"
I heard a familiar cry not too far from us. "With his help." I said. Yatagarasu flew towards us. I raised my arm so he could have somewhere to perch. "Where did you go?" The sacred bird let out a series of chirps as he told me the story. I would've thought the messenger of Amaterasu could, I don't know, speak but I guess not. "Okay, Yatagarasu I need your help. Can you carry Percy down to the shore? He needs to be in the water to help us defeat the Orochi."
Yatagarasu let out a loud caw and flew of my arm. Flying over to Percy he grabbed my brother by the shoulders. Percy looked scared, not that I can blame him. He's about to go flying, which Zeus threatened him not to do.
"Just don't take me too hi-IIIIIGH!" Wow, I didn't figure Yatagarasu could fly so fast. He was carrying Percy just above the ground, swerving and dodging around hills and large rocks.
"We should get going Tsuna." Nico said. He was looking tired, the black spots under his eyes more defined than I have ever seen them.
"Are you up to it?" I asked.
"Yeah," he said. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"Nico-" I started.
"Not now Tsuna." he snapped. "We have more important things to deal with."
"But I don't want you to-" He cut me off with a glare. I raised my hands defensively. "Alright, but if you're feeling weak or anything because you're over using your powers, tell me, okay?" He just stared at me. "Please Nico, just promise me."
"Okay Tsuna." He said after he let out a breath. I don't know what came over me, but I leaned in with a smile on my face and kissed his cheek. His eyes went wide and his face turned so red, and I'm sure mine wasn't any less red.
"Uh…sorry Neeks." I said as I scratched the back of my head. Ugh, my face feels like it's about to explode, I was so embarrassed. "Can…Can we forget that happened?"
"Y-Yeah, sure." Nico said as he looked away. "Let's go." He held out his hand for me to grab, and he was shaking. When I grabbed his hand I gave him a reassuring squeeze. Though, I don't think that helped with our embarrassment.
The shadows swallowed us and then we emerged underneath a small tree. There was dirt and dead grass all around us. I was about to ask Nico why he took us to the wrong location until I saw one of the Orochi's heads rise above us. It bared its fangs and bit Ghidorah. The head we were on started to move about erratically so we grabbed the tree for support. It was at this time that I realized that the Orochi has gotten bigger.
"Do you really think you can win?" the Orochi asked, shaking the ground beneath our feet. "Your illusssion, while impressssssive, will not stop me."
His other heads started lunging at my Ghidorah, and he was hurting him. Granted Ghidorah is a villain, I always liked him (though Godzilla and Mothra I liked better) so I got angry seeing the Orochi hurting him. I tried to focus and have Ghidorah use his electric bite abilities he had in the films, but it didn't work.
"You think you can ussse the Treasuresss to defeat me, but your wrong." the Orochi said. I ignored him since he was just trying to psych me out. "You're jussst like your father. He usssed tricksss to defeat me, like you. He got me drunk before chopping off my headsss. He wasss a coward."
"My father was not a coward!" I yelled. "He was a strategist!"
"Your father wasss a fool!" The Orochi said. "He wasss nothing! Jussst like you."
I gripped my sword tighter. "My father may have had to trick you to destroy you, but what I'm using are gifts! And just because Susanoo is my father, doesn't make me the same as him. I'm his son!"
I stabbed the Kusanagi through the skull of the head we were on. The Orochi moved violently around, nearly throwing me and Nico off. I grabbed Nico by the waist and pulled him close while I held on to my sword. After the head stopped moving as drastically Nico gave me a nod. I let go of him and we started stabbing and slicing the head. I was hoping that since Nico's sword absorbs the life force of monsters that he was doing even more long lasting damage to the Orochi.
One of the other Orochi heads rose up near us. I just barely took notice of it in the corner of my eye. I saw it glaring at me. It came really close, too close to just glare at me like I'm sort of bug. Since it was so close I swung the Kusanagi across the eye. It reeled back in pain, it shooting me a look that would probably scare Zeus himself. It flashed its teeth before lunging at me.
In that instant I turned around. "Nico!" I yelled as I ran towards him.
He looked at me, eyes going wide when he saw the Orochi head. I tackled him and wrapped my arms around Nico as we fell. We were free falling for a couple of seconds before we roughly landed on another head. The Orochi screamed while we were falling, and was still screaming now. I rolled onto my back, my arms still wrapped around Nico, where I saw that the head we were just on was limp in the mouth of the head whose eye I gouged out.
"What?" Nico asked, struggling out of my arms. "What happened?"
"That head, it's, well, dead." I said.
"It must have damaged itself too much with that attack." Nico said.
"But it will take more than that to defeat it." I said. I stood up, only to get dizzy and fell to my knees.
"Tsuna, are you okay?" Nico looked worried.
"N-no, I don't feel good…" I said. I felt sick. My vision was a little blurry and my forehead was dripping with sweat. I felt like I had no energy left in me.
"Look Tsuna!" Nico said. I looked up and saw the Orochi heads literally ripping pieces off of Ghidorah. "Tsuna, the Mirror…" He grabbed it from underneath my shirt (I couldn't help but notice when his fingers touched the skin of my back) and showed me that it was glowing in an intense silver light. "Tsuna the Mirror is draining your energy to feed your monster. You need to drop the illusion!"
"I can't." I said. "Not until we're at the ocean. And until then," I stood up and fought through the wave of nausea that hit me. "Until then, you and I are going to do everything we can to weaken the Orochi."
"Are you sure?" Nico asked.
I flashed him a smile. "You're cute when you worry." I can't believe I said that. "Uh, um, I mean…Come on, I can't hold Ghidorah for too long."
Nico nodded, his cheeks red again. Gods, what's wrong with me? I continued to stab the Kusanagi through the Orochi's head. I really don't know how much longer I can keep sustain Ghidorah, but I have to keep it up until we're near the ocean. I looked over to Nico, who was stabbing the base of the skull. He plunged his sword there, but other than a yelp in pain the head didn't seem too bothered by it. Nico must have been annoyed because he used his powers to make a fissure which, while it didn't kill the head, it left a massive wound. I think I could see its spine, er, well one of its many spines.
A flash of lightning gave me an idea. Susanoo is the god of the sea and storms, but I wonder if that extends to lightning storms. No better way to know than to try. I ran over to Nico and told him to stand back. Pointing my sword to the sky, I concentrated and prayed that this would work. The clouds began to swirl, and lighting gathered at that one spot. I swung my sword down, aiming it at the exposed spine and a large bolt of lightning striked the Orochi. Yay, lighting control, Zeus is really going to love now.
The head we were on went limp and fell on another. It started to slide off, so I grabbed Nico and jumped onto the other head. Two head down, six to go. Easier said than done. I helped Nico up when I sensed the ocean was close. I even saw the beach not too far away. We were going to make it. But then I heard Ghidorah scream. I looked up and saw that the Orochi had Ghidorah's two side heads between its teeth. It tightened its jaws around the golden dragon heads before biting them off completely. The two Ghidorah necks unwound from the Orochi heads they were holding onto before they let go and fell, fading into moonlight as they did.
We started to descend, but we weren't close enough to the water yet. Ghidorah started to flicker from existence so I grabbed the Mirror and poured as much energy as I could into it. I needed to get us to the ocean, no matter the cost. Ghidorah looked a bit more solid, but he was hurt. I tried healing him but it was taking all of my focus just to keep him flying.
"You are only delaying the inevitable." The Orochi said. Oh, how I missed his voice…NOT! "I will kill you before we reach the water."
He started thrashing about again. I had to keep my focus on Ghidorah, so Nico stabbed his sword into the Orochi's head and grabbed me tight. It was hard for Nico, I'm sure, to keep use as steady as he did with the way the Orochi was trying to toss us off.
"Just a little farther Tsuna!" Nico yelled.
"GET OFF OF ME!" yelled the Orochi. He was getting so angry, and I felt a little proud knowing I was pissing him off so much.
But it wasn't as nice as I thought, especially when he started ramming his other heads at the one me and Nico are on. It's willing to bludgeon a part of its self in order to kill us. Nico was holding me tighter, and when one of the heads aimed straight for us he put up a shadow barrier around us. It protected us, but the barrier fell after the Orochi pulled back. Nico loosened his grip around me.
"Nico?" I said. "Nico!"
Nico was passed out and leaning against me. The Orochi chuckled above me, knowing I had to make a choice: drop the illusion and save Nico or let us get smashed and the illusion ends anyways. The Orochi head reeled back and struck. I made my choice though. I dropped the Mirror, which fell over the edge of the head, grabbed Nico's sword and pushed Nico off.
Free falling wasn't as much fun when you have your best friend unconscious in front of you and the mass of self-centered Japanese evil that wants you dead behind you. The only real good thing I can make out of this is that we were falling over the ocean. I would be safe from the plunge at this height, but Nico would splatter like an egg. I did everything I could to get to Nico sooner. As I dove to save Nico I saw our swords and the Mirror falling not too far from him. But Nico was the priority. I couldn't live without Nico in my life.
"Please Dad, Poseidon, Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, Bāchan and Ojīchan," I prayed. "Please help me save him!"
They must have heard my prayers because I caught up with Nico. And it was great timing to since he just woke up. As soon as I had him in my arms he woke up and started freaking out. But that may have been because of the Orochi yelling at us from behind. The water was getting closer and closer, so I turned around so my back was facing the ocean.
"Nico take a deep breath!" I said. Nico buried his face into my shoulder and nodded.
The moment I hit the water I felt my energy return. Gods I love being the son of a sea god. We fell into the murky depths, and since Nico can't breathe underwater I made an air bubble for him. As soon as I did the Orochi slammed into the water. I felt the shock wave his landing made, and I'm sure every sea creature in a hundred miles felt it too. I started to swim to the beach to Nico in dry land. We passed one of the Orochi's heads while swimming and I saw that it looked stunned.
"Not so invincible after all, are you?" I thought.
"There's Percy!" Nico said as he tugged on my sleeve.
Percy was floating not too far off. In his arms were mine and Nico's swords and the Yata no Kagami. He craned his neck towards the beach, motioning us to follow him. As soon as we walked onto solid ground I hugged Percy and checked Nico over.
"I'm fine Tsuna." Nico said as he took his sword from Percy. "We need to think of something. I was hoping to do more to him than we did."
"Something that huge falling from that height is bound to be at least dazed for a couple of minutes, no matter how strong it is." I said.
"So how's your plan coming along?" Percy asked, handing me my sword and the Mirror.
"Still a work in progress." I said. "But whatever else I plan won't be enough. It took everything me and Nico got to take down a single head at a time."
"But what about the Treasures?" Percy asked.
I shook my head. "Using the power of the Mirror took a lot out of me, and that was just one illusion."
"Have you tried to use the Jewel?" Percy asked. "What about your sword? Isn't it one of the Treasures?"
"Yeah, I guess." I said. "I haven't really used the Kusanagi's abilities, mostly just using it to help me focus."
"It looked like you were doing some pretty awesome stuff with them." Percy said.
"What I did was nothing compared to what they could be doing." I said. "I mean, they are the most powerful relics in Japan. And what I've been able to do has been wearing me down."
"What can the Jewel do?" Nico asked. "Other than heal, I mean."
"I don't know." I said as I fiddled with the Magatama.
"And we don't have time to figure it out." Percy said. He pointed to the water, where we saw that the water was receding. It was like there was a tsunami was about to form.
"The Orochi is coming," I said, "And I bet he's pissed. Nico? What's wrong?"
"I know a way that we can slow the Orochi down." he said, looking around.
"How?" Percy asked.
"This area is filled with the dead." said Nico. "Most of them are warriors. Maybe I can summon an army to help us."
"Are you sure?" I asked. "When you summoned the four samurai on the cliff edge you looked like you were going to pass out."
"I didn't tell you before, but they died peacefully and with honor." Nico explained. "They didn't want to be brought back."
"My grandmother probably wasn't much help either with your trying to raise the souls of her domain." I said. "But maybe I can help."
"How can you help?" Nico asked.
"When I was…dead…" I said. "My grandparents told me that some people consider my father as a god of the Yomi. Because of that, I have a very small connection to the Yomi. So maybe my connection is strong enough, when coupled with your abilities, to raise the dead here."
"Whatever you are going to do, do it quick." Percy said. In the distance I could see the water starting to churn.
The Orochi burst from the water in fury, larger than when he fell into the water. And it no longer looked like a snake. It finally shed its skin and became a dragon. But that didn't mean that it still wasn't hurt. And I could sense that it wasn't quite at full strength yet, but it was almost there. The thing that took my attention though was that only three of his heads were moving, including the center head.
"The center head must be the brain." I said through the Orochi's roars. "If we can destroy it, then the Orochi will die."
"I am going to eat your soul Umi no Musuko!" The Orochi screamed in absolute fury. At least he didn't have that stupid hiss anymore. "You will never go to the Yomi! You will forever be devoured, never truly dying yet never truly alive! An eternity of pain and torment awaits you!"
"I'll buy you guys some time." Percy said as he walked out into the water. "But I don't know how much."
"Whatever you can get us." Nico said. Percy nodded and continued until he was waist deep in water.
"Please be careful Perce." I said. "I can't risk losing you."
Percy gave me a lopsided grin. "I'll see you soon guys." He dove beneath the waves, and I prayed to Dad and Poseidon to keep him safe.
"I hope he's strong enough out there." I said.
"He'll be alright." Nico assured me. "He's one of the strongest people I have ever met. You don't have to worry about him."
"I can't help it Nico." I said. "He's my brother."
"Then you should know how strong he is." Nico said. A loud thunder clap boomed from overhead. "We should get some help now."
He closed his eyes. After a moment he nodded his head at me to join him. I placed one hand on his shoulder and intertwined our fingers as I gripped his hand. I felt them, all the dead in the area. I could feel their anguish, their anger, their pride, all of the emotions they felt when they died. Is this what Nico feels when he uses his abilities? I sensed them all resisting Nico's summoning. Maybe Bāchan was preventing them from rising, so maybe if I asked…
"Fallen warriors of Japan, listen to me." I said. "We are all facing our end. The Yamata no Orochi is here, and he is threating to not only destroy Japan, but the entire world as we know it. Even though you are dead you have to have loved ones and descendants that you don't want to die."
The wind began to pick up. The Orochi was surrounded by a hurricane, much larger than the ones I've seen Percy make before. He was so much stronger on the ocean. And then two large hands of water rose from the ocean and started to pummel the Orochi. Only Percy could have thought of that, and it was so cool. But it wasn't enough, I know it, so I kept talking to the dead.
"I know that you are all at peace and died honorable deaths, but you have to help us. The Orochi will destroy everything we hold dear, in life and in death. I know I mean nothing to you, but I am the Son of Susanoo, heir to the Shinto Pantheon, chosen by the Noble Three themselves. I ask for your help not just for me, but for my friends, the people of Japan, and your descendants! Please, I beg of you, help us!"
Bāchan must have decided to take pity on me. The ground started shaking as the dead crawled their way out of the dirt. Some of them were armor clad samurai; others were soldiers from World War 2. There were even some ninjas! All of them looked like what you'd expect of zombies though, which was disgusting, but I will have to admit, they were more like the cursed crewmen of the Black Pearl in Pirates of the Caribbean.
The army of the dead ran into the water. I think I should thank Bāchan whenever I get a chance, maybe even offer up a cheeseburger when I get back to Camp or something. Nico slumped to the ground with a grunt. I kneeled down and held him close. He looked paler and his face was drenched in sweat. I cupped his cheek with my hand and felt so worried about him. Summoning this much dead must be taking a lot out of him.
"Please hold on Neeks." I pleased. The Orochi roared, drawing my attention. He was thrashing about, tossing the undead off of him. They moved a lot faster than I expected. "They're doing it Nico! They're hurting him!"
Admittedly, on their one the undead weren't going to do much in damaging a creature like the Orochi. But with the undead army the Nico and I summoned, the total amount of damage to him will be great. That, plus Percy beating him repeatedly with his giant water hands had to be weakening him. After several minutes of being stabbed, shot, and bludgeoned the Orochi finally shook off most of the undead, only the strongest holding on. He slammed his tails in the water and then the water hands melted back into the ocean, the hurricane fading away with them.
"What happened?" Nico asked. His voice was quiet.
"Percy must have been hit by the tails." I said. I set Nico down and headed for the water.
"Where are going?" Nico asked as he sat up.
"I need to see if Percy is alright." I said. I was up to my waist in the water before I stopped. I turned around and saw Nico leaning against his sword for support. As much as I wanted to check on Percy I couldn't just up and leave Nico like this.
"Go get him" Nico said with a small smile. "I'll be fine.
I knew that deep down, but that doesn't change the fact that I'll worry about him. "I'll be right back." I said, looking him straight in the eye. "But if anything happens Nico, I want you to release the undead. Your health is more important to me."
"But the Orochi-" Nico started.
"Don't fight me on this Nico." I said sternly. "I can see that keeping them fighting the Orochi is draining you, and they haven't even been fighting for ten minutes. Promise me."
"But-"
"Promise me." Nico nodded, and I had this feeling well up in my chest. I bit my lip so I wouldn't get distracted by it and dove beneath the waves.
The ocean depths were insanely dark. But thankfully as a child of a sea god I had good navigation in the ocean, no matter how dark or how deep I went. Thinking like Percy I went straight for where the Orochi was, because he had to be close by when the Orochi hit him. When I was near him I saw the Orochi thrashing about in the water making a large torrent of bubbles every time he slammed his tails in the water, all the while being climbed on by the undead.
I went deeper, dodging around a couple of the Orochi's tails. I found Percy floating just above the sea floor, surrounded by a school of fish. I think they were seeing if he was alright. When I got close they broke apart. Percy was breathing, which was good. I couldn't find Riptide anywhere, but I knew that it would appear in his pocket again soon.
"Look out!" yelled the school of fish before swimming away.
One of the Orochi's tails was heading right for us. I couldn't just leave Percy there to get squished. So instead I raised the Kusanagi and swung, creating a blade of water. It was much stronger than the ones I made before and it sliced straight through the oncoming tail. I could hear the Orochi scream from this deep in the water. Since he now more than likely knew where I was I grabbed Percy and swam as fast as I could to the surface. On my way up I saw the undead warriors starting to literally fall apart. I needed to get back to Nico as soon as I could.
I broke the surface, where the Orochi saw me. "There you are whelp!" he cried. He rammed one of his heads at us, and at the last second I made a current push me and Percy out of the way. Water splashed over us as the head hit the surface.
I continued to swim me and Percy towards the shore, the Orochi hot on our trails. We were so close now that I could see Nico. From here I could see that he wasn't doing well. He was barely able to hold himself up by hanging off his sword.
"Please just release them Nico before you kill yourself!" I thought, hoping he would do it. But he's too stubborn.
Right when I could touch the ground with the tip of my show the Orochi dove at us. I was able to push us out of the way just enough so we weren't hit but we were sent flying by the force of the Orochi's attack. I ended up landing on Nico. As soon as I got up I saw that he was knocked out. I tried to wake him up but he wouldn't budge. He was still breathing so I should be grateful. And that's when I felt I was being stared at.
Turning around, there was the Orochi just staring down at me. His three remaining heads were glaring at me, at my soul. I walked forward a bit, making sure to keep myself between my friends and the Orochi. The giant serpent glared at me while he lowered his heads a bit.
"You are quite the annoyance." he said. "I am going to make you suffer greatly for what you have done to hinder my goals."
"I'm not afraid of you." I said.
"Oh, of course you're not, of course you're not." The Orochi said. One of his heads looked behind me. "But you are afraid for the lives of your friends, are you not?" I felt myself stiffen up before I turned to see the others. Percy was slowly crawling over to Nico, who was still unconscious. "Unlike my so called 'servants', I will not spare them. I will kill them Son of Susanoo. I will make them suffer before I destroy you."
"You'll be bringing down the wrath of Poseidon and Hades on yourself if you kill them." I threatened. "Contrary to popular belief the gods do love their children."
"Please." The Orochi said with a roll of his six eyes. "I don't threaten like Sōjōbō. What can the Olympian pests do to me? I am far stronger than them, than their Typhon."
"I can feel your arrogance from here." I said. "You're already risking the wrath of Olympus itself just by having Ajari and Tsuchigumo come and kidnap me. But if you kill Percy and Nico, the earth will split open and the dead shall rise en masse with an endless wave of darkness by their side. The oceans and all that reside their will hunt you down and drag you into a desolate, watery grave. There will be no place on earth for you to hide. Together, Hades and Poseidon will make Tartarus look like Paradise for what they will have in store for you."
"Well, well, well." The Orochi sounded impressed. "Look who learned to talk big. But it matters not. Zeus already has plans to destroy Japan, as do I. But I will survive his…how would you call it? Oh yes, his nuclear strike. And now, if you excuse, I have some Greeks to slaughter."
I should have seen it coming. But I was distracted by my threat about Hades and Poseidon. The sand shifted in front of me before the Orochi's tail burst out and whipped me away from my friends. Percy yelled at me as I rolled across the beach. As soon as I could I stood up and, as if in slow motion, watched as the Orochi lunged at Percy and Nico. Every step I took as I ran to them felt like I was running a mile in lead shoes. My heart was thundering in my head.
The closer the Orochi got to my friends the angrier I got. I clenched my fist tightly and remembered the other times I felt this angry. There was that time when Percy told me that he was spying on me in Camp. Then there was that time when we were being chased by Madam Konchū and when I destroyed the centipede woman. And then when I learned mom had died. Every time I was this angry there were tremors and earthquakes.
When I was dead Ryūjin called me the descendant of Poseidon. Poseidon claimed me at Camp for a reason. Ojīchan said that within me was a great power that isn't Shinto. I ran through my mind what makes Poseidon and Susanoo different. Obviously both are sea gods, as well as having control over storms. But then I finally realized: Poseidon is also called the Earthshaker!
Knowing what I have to do, I fist needed to stop Orochi from killing Percy and Nico. I thrust my hand towards the sea before flinging it in the Orochi's direction. A massive wave rose from the ocean and slammed into the Eight Forked Serpent. This distracted him enough that I was able to use the water sliding off his body to form tight tendrils to hold him at bay. The Kusanagi started glowing as I tightened my grip around. It must be helping me keep the Orochi at bay, which was extremely difficult as sweat was starting to form on my forehead.
I got back between the Orochi and my friends, who were helping each other up. "Are you two alright?" They nodded. "Good. Now stay behind me."
The Orochi struggled against his bindings, snapping and growling at me. "I will end you! You will never defeat me!"
"In all of your years, you should have learned to never underestimate your opponent." I said.
"Underestimate?" he asked. "You are just a mere mortal, the vile spawn of a human and a god. You have an insignificant fraction of your father's abilities and you can't use the full powers of the Sacred Regalia. You will perish by my might!" He broke free of the tendrils and reeled back.
"There's one thing that you don't know about me." I said.
I set the Kusanagi in the sand and curled my right hand into a fist. I focused on the anger I felt at the Orochi and what I really hope was my inheritance from Poseidon. The Orochi bared its fangs and lunged two of its remaining heads at me. When they were just about to hit me I punched at them. Just like with Madam Konchū the heads were frozen. And the next second, the entire area started to violently shake, the epicenter coming from my fist. For a brief moment the air itself cracked apart before the two Orochi heads were ripped apart by the force of the power.
"I'm also the descendant of Poseidon!" I yelled.
The Orochi screamed so loud that I'm sure even the Mortals could hear it. He backed up into the ocean while he dealt with the pain. I actually fell to my knees, sick to my stomach and ready to pass out. My hands were shaking uncontrollably.
"What was that?" Percy asked as he and Nico helped me up.
"It's what I inherited from Poseidon." I said.
"Are you okay?" Nico asked. I nodded.
"But we just learned that your Susanoo's son, not Dad's." Percy said.
"Turns out we are related Perce." I said. "Izanagi, my grandfather, and Ryūjin said that I'm the descendant of Poseidon. That's what I have earthquake powers."
"'Kay, so it's cool that we're related," Percy said, "But how do you have earthquake powers, and why did Dad claim you if you're not his son? I don't even have that kind control over that aspect of Dad's abilities."
The Orochi's pain filled movements were beginning to go away. "Let's ask him after we kill that thing." I said as I pulled the Kusanagi from the sand. And as the Orochi calmed down, I got an idea. A very stupid, practically suicidal idea, but an idea none the less.
"What's going on in that head of yours Tsuna?" Percy asked.
"When I give you a signal, I need you to launch me at the Orochi." I said. "And then I'll need you to catch me Nico."
"Tsuna no offense but that sounds-" Percy said.
"Stupid?" I finished. "Yeah, I know. Just go along with me." They nodded slowly, and their eyes screamed 'He's crazy!'"
"What are you?!" The Orochi screamed after he saw me walk into the water.
"I have the blood of two Pantheons within me." I said. "I am the son of Susanoo and the descendant of Poseidon."
"Freak!" bellowed the Orochi. "Abomination!" He started slithering his way closer.
"Now Percy!" I screamed.
At that instant Percy used the water around my feet to launch me like a missile towards the Orochi. I tried focusing my earthquake power in the tip of the Kusanagi, praying to Dad and Poseidon that it worked. As I was flying I saw the Kusanagi glowing, so hopefully this works. The Orochi wasn't expecting it and was left wide open. I was heading to the base of the center head's neck, where I stabbed the Kusanagi in him. I released the earthquake power, seeing the stab wound break apart like what happened to the air when I punched the Orochi earlier.
The Orochi screamed in agony and writhes in pain. I felt like I had absolutely no energy left. It was taking everything I had left to keep a hold of the Kusanagi. But with the way the Orochi was flailing around the Kusanagi was starting to slide out of the stab wound.
When it finally slipped free I started falling. Shadows formed near me as I fell, and then I felt arms wrap around my chest. Smiling up at Nico I let him take me back to solid ground. We appeared next Percy as the Orochi fell really close to us. Percy and Nico supported me as we walked closer towards the Orochi who was having a hard time breathing, let along move and fight.
"Damn…you." The Orochi coughed out.
"You really are the strongest monster in the Shinto Pantheon." I said. "Being able to take blows like that."
Blood was pouring from his mouth. "Do you…really think that…you can kill…me? I…cannot be…destroyed…"
"You're just a monster." I said, standing up straighter. "True, I can kill you today and you could show up tomorrow, next week, or in ten thousand years. But you can and will be defeated. Help me up." The others nodded and climbed to the top of the Orochi's head before pulling me up.
"What…do you think…you… are doing?" the Orochi asked. I was able to hear the fear in his voice.
I looked at Percy and Nico and had them raise their swords. "Between the three of us there are three magical metals from two different Pantheons." I said, looking at the glowing blade of the Kusanagi. "Celestial Bronze, Stygian Iron, and Divine Steel. You have faced this sword before Orochi, but you haven't really felt the power that Celestial Bronze and Stygian Iron before today. So I believe that if we all strike at once, the Orochi's life force will be so divided that he'll never reform again."
"NNNOOO!" screamed the Orochi. He tried shaking us off, but he was too injured to even move at this point.
"Let's end this." I said. Percy and Nico nodded, and then we angled our blades so they were pointing right at the Orochi's head.
I counted down from three, and at the signal we plunged our swords to the hilt in his skull. The Orochi let out a strangled cry of pain. His stab wounds let out this light, before his skeleton started flashing as if he's been electrocuted. After the light faded the Orochi's body started to break apart. We jumped off as his body blew away like dust.
"We…we did it." I said, my smile starting to the others. "It's over."
We started cheering and hollering like morons, excited in our victory. Percy and I gave each other a high five and a bro fist. I pulled Nico into a hug and swung him around. Percy then practically jumped on me to hug the both of us. After I set him back on the ground Percy ruffled Nico's hair before giving him a hug himself. And I noticed how Nico tensed up in Percy's hug for a moment before hugging him back. Everything seemed to be brighter, literally. I looked up and saw how the clouds in the sky looked a lot brighter and less menacing.
"Guys!" Kurama came running out of the woods leading herds of animals. The silver Kitsune ran straight to me and jumped in my arms. He licked my face and nuzzled my face. "You did it! You did it!" He was so excited. "Everyone was watching the fight. You guys were so cool!" Yatagarasu cawed and landed on my shoulder. "You're right. Even a few Mortals saw it."
"Should we be worried?" I asked, looking over at Percy and Nico.
Percy shook his head. "Unless they could see through the Mist, I doubt they knew what was happening."
"Either way we should get out of si-" A loud thunder clap and a flash of lightning stopped me from saying anything. The skies were pitch black again "Gods no…"
"What's going on?" asked Kurama.
"It's Zeus." Percy said, his face looking at the clouds.
"Why?" Kurama asked.
"Because we're running out of time." I said. "We need to get the Treasures to Olympus now."
"Tsuna, how?" Percy asked. "We don't have time to take a flight, and even with Dad's help I don't think we'll get there in time."
"I'll take us there, with Shadow Travel." Nico said.
"That could kill you!" I yelled, clutching Kurama tightly to my chest.
"We don't have any other choice!" screamed Nico. "Look up there! We're running out of time!"
"But Nico…" I said.
"Tsuna, it will be alright." Nico said. We went to place his hand on my arm in a way to reassure me, but he stopped himself, probably because he knew that he won't be alright.
"Nico, Tsuna's right." Percy said. "You told me that you passed out for a week after accidently Shadow Traveling to China. By taking us to Olympus you'll die."
"I know Percy." Nico said, though he did look scared. "But we have to. Otherwise Japan will be wiped off the map. My life isn't worth the millions that live here."
"There has to be another way." I said. I didn't want to lose Nico after all this, after coming back from death itself.
A bright, golden red light shined from the Magatama. The sacred Jewel felt warm against my chest. As Kurama jumped out of my arms Yatagarasu pecked at the Magatama.
"Why is it glowing?" Percy asked.
"I, I don't know." I said.
I untied the Magatama from around my neck, only to have it pull me next to Nico. As if it had a mind of its own it wrapped itself around mine and Nico's hands. It glowed brighter, filling me with immense warmth. And there was this energy flowing into me from the Magatama. From the look on Nico's face, he felt the same thing. Shadows from the forest darkened and stretched towards us.
"What's happening?" Nico asked.
"I think…the Jewel is amplifying your abilities." I said.
"What do you mean Tsuna?" Percy asked.
"Well, let's see the Magatama as the sun." I said. "The sun is the source of all life and energy on Earth. So maybe one of the Magatama's powers is to amplify the abilities of a person, giving the user energy to so use their abilities to levels they can't perform without help."
"That's never happened before." Nico pointed out as we watched the shadows dance around erratically.
"The brightest lights cast the darkest shadows." I said.
"Wait, isn't that straight from-" Percy started.
"Yes." I said quickly.
"But you just-" he said.
"Shut it Perce." I said. I offered him my hand. "We need to get going." After Percy grabbed my hand I looked down to Kurama, who looked scared and unsure what to do. "Kurama, let's go."
"I…I can't Tsuna." Kurama looked away. "I don't belong in the land of Olympus…"
I let go of Percy's hand and kneeled down to Kurama, taking Nico with me since we were tired together. "Kurama…" I petted him and he licked the tips of my fingers. He jumped into my free arm and I hugged him as the tears fell. "I'll miss you. You're one of my best friends."
Nico petted Kurama, as did Percy. He backed away from us and bowed. We all bowed back. As we stood back up I figured Yatagarasu was going to join Kurama, but he didn't.
"What about you?" I asked the bird. "Are you going to stay?" His response was to caw right in my ear and tighten his three claws on my shoulder, making me wince. "It'll be nice having you in our circle of friends."
Percy grabbed my hand again as the Magatama glowed even brighter. "Good bye you guys." Kurama said, his tears soaking his fur. As Nico made the shadows envelop us, the last thing I heard from Kurama was his howling.
We weren't even in the shadows for that long, but the way it felt like my skin was being peeled off made the trip seem a lot longer. And we were literally tossed out of the shadows, landing in a heap on top of each other. Yatagarasu squawked at us from above as he flew to the chandelier. Wait, chandelier?
"Where are we?" I asked.
"Looks like the lobby for the Empire State Building." Percy said as he leaned against a wall.
"I was aiming for Olympus." Nico said. "The protections from Titan War must still be in place."
Nico slumped against the wall, and Percy was next to him before I could even attempt to help him. "I'll help Nico, Tsuna; you need to get up to the Throne Room now."
"Right." I nodded.
Yatagarasu flew to my shoulder as I tied the Magatama around my neck. When I got to the front desk there was a security guard leaning back in his chair with his feet up. His nose was stuck in a magazine. I tried to get his attention by clearing my throat but he ignored me.
"Excuse me." I said, slapping my hands on the desk. "I need to get to Olympus and see Zeus."
The guard didn't even look away from his magazine. "What was that kiddo?"
"I am on a mission from Zeus." I said. "I need to get to the six hundredth floor, like, now."
He lowered the magazine enough so he could look me over. "Sorry kiddo." I was getting really sick and tired of this kiddo BS. He didn't say anything for a minute, which made me scared that I was just talking to a Mortal.
"You clearly don't have an appointment." the guard said as he went back to his magazine. "No appointment, no audience. Lord Zeus is too busy to deal with little issues."
"Little issues?" I asked. I felt the vein in my forehead start throbbing. "Little issues?!" I slammed the Kusanagi on the counter, making him drop his magazine. I was really pissed. "Japan is about to be destroyed any minute, so if you don't give me access to Olympus right now, I swear on the Styx I will-"
"Ok, ok." the guard said. "Let's not get out of hand here." He reached under the desk and handed me a gold key card that had the Omega symbol on it. "Make sure no one is in the elevator with you and stick the card in the shot."
"Thank you." I said. Yatagarasu cawed at the guard, making him jump.
I walked into the elevator and stuck the card into the slot. It turned into a button that said six hundred. I pushed it and the elevator shook before it rocketed up. I was thrown to the floor by the force, almost comically. Yatagarasu just tilted his head at me, as if he was wondering why I was on the floor. During this roller coaster ride a musac version of Fireflies played from the speaker.
"Gods I hate this song." I said.
The elevator came to an abrupt stop with a short *ding*. As the doors open Yatagarasu flew back to my shoulder. As I stepped out, my jaw just dropped at the mere sight. A narrow stone walkway was suspended in midair, the only thing connecting the elevator and the floating mountain ahead of me. I carefully walked over to the edge and saw all of New York below.
Yatagarasu decided to fly by my side as I walked across the path. Once I got to the mountain I started to run up the path. All along the sides of the Olympus were mansions, palaces really, that looked like they belonged in different periods of human history. A lot of them looked damaged, but I could see that repairs have been going on. I passed some minor gods that looked like teenage supermodels and some nymphs help repairing a couple of buildings. One of the minor gods, a teenager that looked a lot like Will but older, winked at me.
Before I could even react to that I took notice of the sky starting to turn pink. I ran as fast as I could along the road to the palace at the top of the mountain, where I assumed Zeus would live. And it was a very beautiful white and silver palace, despite some areas looking newer than others. After I walked through the central courtyard and into the main hall I heard arguing. I followed it until I stood next to an open door that towered over me. Honestly, I was scared to go in. But I needed to save Japan.
With a deep breath I entered the Throne Room, and I wanted to run right back out. The gods were giants, yelling and bickering at each other from their thrones. It seemed like all the major gods were in this room, all except one. A fisherman's chair was empty, so I couldn't help but wonder where Poseidon was.
I couldn't catch everything that the gods were yelling about. They were all yelling at once, but I did hear them mention Japan a couple of time. They were so into their fight that they didn't notice me come in. not that I would expect them too, since they also probably thought of me as less than a bug, a tool at best. And just being in their presence made me feel so many things. Love, intense anger so bad that I wanted to punch something, even the sudden urge to eat a bowl of cereal.
Two gods noticed me after a few minutes. One was in the form of a little girl with long mousey-brown hair wearing a simple brown dress. She was poking the hearth that lied in the center of the Throne Room with an iron bar. She smiled at me, which made me feel a lot less nervous. But when I saw Hades himself staring at me, I wanted to curl up at his feet and die. His stare was so cold, and it was like he was staring through me into my soul. I think he could tell that I was brought back from the dead. He was drumming his fingers on the arm of his chair, waiting for something to happen.
Taking that as a hint, I spoke up as loud as I could to get the attention of the Olympian Council. "My lords and ladies of Olympus!"
The moment they all looked at me, at once I might add, my breath got caught in my throat. Not once in my life did I expect to be looked at by a group of the most powerful beings in the world. In my entire life I have never felt so small, when fighting the Orochi or talking to Bāchan or Ojīchan.
"You just offed a giant eight headed snake monster, you can handle this." I told myself.
Zeus breathed deeply from his nose as his eyes bore into me. He took a long time to say anything. "So, you have returned with mere minutes to spare boy."
"Yes, Lord Zeus." I said after swallowing the lump in my front.
"So does that mean we're not going to blow up Japan?" the biker who I assumed was the god of war.
"That depends Ares." Zeus said. "Did you bring the Three Sacred Treasures, son of Poseidon."
"Wait, do they not know the truth?" I asked myself.
"Because if you haven't," Zeus said, "I will strike you down here and now, despite you being my brother's eldest. But I should do it anyways since you brought that animal in here." Yatagarasu's feathers ruffled in annoyance, so I petted his breast to ease him.
"Father, if I may." said a blonde woman in grey. She must be Annabeth's mom Athena. Zeus nodded his approval for her to speak. "It would have been unwise for him to come here without completing his Quest. Bring out the Treasures Tsunayoshi."
I nodded slowly. I took out the Yata no Kagami and placed it by the hearth. I did the same with the Magatama after I untied it from my neck.
"I present to the Olympian Council the Yata no Kagami, the symbol of Tsukuyomi, and the Yasakani no Magatama, the symbol of Amaterasu, the Queen of the Shinto Gods." I said.
"And what about the sword?" Athena asked. "The Kusanagi?" I was scared to give up my sword. But I needed to do it. After I pulled it out I set it on the ground. I actually had to force myself to let go of it. I felt empty without it.
"I present the Kusanagi no Tsurugi." I said, keeping my head down. "The symbol of power of Susanoo, the god of the seas and storms.
"As much as it pains me to say it," Zeus said, "You did a good job."
"Thank you, Lord Zeus." I said.
"Now, bring me the Treasures." Zeus demanded. "Once they're destroyed, we can put this Quest behind us."
"What?!" I yelled, my head shooting straight up. Even Yatagarasu looked pissed. "You can't destroy the Sacred Regalia!"
"Why not boy?" Zeus asked. "They're the reason you went on that Quest in the first place."
"Because they are the most sacred relics of the Shinto Pantheon!" I screamed. "If you destroy them, you will completely destroy the Noble Three!"
"At least there won't be a war." Zeus said.
"There isn't going to be a war no matter what!" I said. "All the Shinto gods have Faded!"
"I HAVE SPOKEN!" bellowed Zeus, his voice like thunder. But I stood my ground.
"I won't let you do that." I said. The way the gods were talking amongst themselves told me volumes of how surprised they were of my defying Zeus.
Zeus was shaking with rage. "How dare you defy me?!" He as gripping a lightning bolt, probably the Master Bolt that I've heard so much about, tightly in his hand. "I am your king. As the son of Poseidon you must obey your king!"
"I am the son of Susanoo!" I yelled before I could stop myself. "I am the heir to the Shinto Pantheon. These Treasures are my birthright!"
The room fell silent. No one spoke, though the eyes of the gods were wide in shock. Zeus stood up, the Master Bolt crackling like crazy. He raised it, ready to blast me to cinders, before Percy and Nico ran in.
"Don't do it!" "Please stop!" They yelled at the same time.
"And why should I not kill him?" Zeus asked. "He shouldn't exist. All enemies of Olympus must be destroyed."
"I'm sorry Lord Zeus," Percy said, "But that sounds more like Ares, or even your father."
"Hey!" Ares cried.
"Silence Ares." Zeus said. "You still haven't answered me Perseus Jackson. "Why shouldn't I destroy this son of Susanoo?"
"Well, first things firsts he's my brother." Percy said. "I lost him once when he sacrificed himself to save both me and Nico, and I'm not losing him again."
"I thought there was something off about that boy." said the oily voice of Hades.
"Father, please don't-" Nico started, but he was silenced with a look from his father.
"What are you talking about Hades?" Zeus asked.
"Tsunayoshi Noble was dead." Hades said. "But he was brought back to life. Against the natural order."
"My life was exchanged with that of the sea god Ryūjin's." I said. "He gave up his life, and his chance to be with his daughter, all so I could live and destroy the Orochi."
"The Orochi?" asked a brown haired woman with silver eyes like the moon. Her eyes reminded me of Tsukuyomi's, so this had to be Artemis.
"The strongest monster in the Shinto Pantheon." I explained. "He compared himself to Typhon. Well, he actually considered himself more powerful than Typhon.
"How did you defeat such a monster?" she inquired. Oh that's right; she's the Goddess of the Hunt. She would be interested in a monster like the Orochi.
"With Percy and Nico's help." I said. "Without them, I wouldn't have been able to kill him. The Orochi was going to destroy Japan, and then he said he was coming here to destroy all of you."
"Absurd." said the woman to Zeus's left. With her sense of superiority, which felt stronger than any god I've met, this had to Hera. "Nothing can fight the combined might of the Olympian Council."
"That's what I told him." I said. "But he wasn't scared. So after a long battle, using the powers of the Sacred Regalia, the help of my friends, and my own abilities the Orochi was defeated."
"What abilities are you talking about Tsunayoshi?" Athena asked. I wasn't sure how to answer, so I looked at Percy for support.
"I…I have the power to control earthquakes." I said.
"Where does it come from?" Zeus asked. "Susanoo has no connections to the earth."
"I'm not just a son of Susanoo." I said. "I am also the descendant of Poseidon."
Zeus was about to smite me then and there before Athena stopped him. "Father, please remember the Prophecy. 'The power of two Pantheons flows through his veins."
"That is more than enough reason for him to be destroyed." Zeus said. "We have no idea how powerful that boy can become."
"If you kill Tsuna, you'll have to kill me too." Percy said as he stood in front of me. Nico stood by my side.
"Nico…" Hades warned, but my best friend defied his father by staying his ground.
"I'll gladly destroy the four of you." Zeus said.
"Brother, I would appreciate it if you don't threaten my son." Hades said. Nico tensed up as if he never heard his father say something so protective like that. "Besides, this is the first gathering of the Olympian Council since the War. Perhaps we should put it to a vote."
"That doesn't sound like you Uncle." said the mirror image of Will and his half siblings. This must be Apollo, whose smile was as blinding as the sun.
Zeus glared at Percy. "It would take too much time to gather all the gods of Olympus to put this matter to a vote." Hades waved his hand in dismissal.
"It can just be us here," the Lord of the Dead said, "If that would be easier for you Brother."
"Very well." Zeus said, leaning back in his throne. "We shall put it to a vote."
"While I personally could care less if Tom Nguyen live or not," Mr. D said, "Should we really cast a vote without Poseidon's presence?"
"Where is Dad?" Percy asked us.
"Poseidon made his choice in not being here." Zeus said. "Let us begin. Ares?"
Ares sneered at me all the while picking at his nails with a large knife. "You can't trust the gods of different pantheons, we all know that after two thousand years. For all we know, he could have been lying about his pantheon Fading and he could be a spy. I say let's get rid of him."
"I doubt he's a spy." said the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, so this had to be Aphrodite. Her appearance kept changing. One moment she had shaggy sun kissed blonde hair, and then her eyes would be electric blue, before her appearance shifted to that of shaggy black hair and brown eyes. "Besides look at him! He's so…good looking, for a mortal that is. And I can see something interesting when it comes to him and the matters of the heart. If he dies, then I won't be able to see his love life blossom."
"I find him annoying." said Mr. D. "Let's get rid of him and make my job easier."
"I think we should let him live." Apollo said. "He seems to be a pretty cool dude. He did save an entire civilization. Besides, I can't hate someone from my favorite poetic muse. In fact, I feel a haiku coming on." All the gods groaned. He cleared his throat before speaking.
"Tsuna saved Japan
Where I make all my Haikus
I am so cool."
"He says he defeated a monster like Typhon." Artemis said. "Not an easy feat. If he were a girl I would've liked to have him join my hunt, but letting him live is admiration enough."
"I personally don't see a reason for him to live." said a large burly man with welts on his face. He was tinkering with something in his hands. "For all I know he could lead to trouble."
"I say he should live." a man that looked like an elf said. Actually, I could see a lot of Travis and Connor in him, so this must be their father Hermes. The gods waited for him to say something else, but he didn't.
"Unusual for you to have so little to say Hermes." Athena said. Hermes just shrugged. "Keeping the boy alive is a calculated risk. He could easily destroy Olympus or start an age of unification if he so chose. But that is a risk we cannot take. Death."
"If he doesn't eat some more he'll wither away anyway." Just from that statement this must be Nico's step-grandmother Demeter. "But I can see him being helpful."
"We can't risk it." Hera said. "Look at him. A descendant of Poseidon and the child of a Shinto sea god, he's too dangerous. We should forgo this vote and destroy him and his birthright right now." Annabeth was right, Hera is Queen Bitch.
Hades was the next one to vote. He was just sitting there, his chin rested on his linked hands as he looked at me. "He should live." The Council stared at him in shock.
"Now that's unusual." Hermes said.
"Indeed." said Zeus. "Explain Brother."
Hades kept staring at me, before he glanced at my right, at Nico. "My children are not known for having…friends, let alone people who would throw away their lives for them. But this boy saw past the discrimination my children face and became friends with him. This Son of Susanoo has proven, time and time again, to be a true ally to my son and our entire pantheon."
"Those are very…kind words from you Brother." Zeus said. He sat up and tightened his grip on the Master Bolt. "I decree that we kill the son of Susanoo."
"Thank God, a tie." I said, letting out a breath that I didn't even realize I was holding in.
As soon as Zeus said his piece the gods began fighting each other, trying to make the other change their vote. With all this raw power in the room the hair on my arms starts to stand on end. If the gods kept this up they'll end up in their Divine Form and vaporize us.
But then there was this sudden breeze from behind. It smelled like the ocean. I turned around slowly and saw Poseidon in all of his Hawaiian clad glory, his Trident leaning against his shoulder. But he wasn't the only one who came into the Throne Room. Poseidon was helping a tired looking man that had shaggy black hair. He had a black goatee and his face had some scruff on it. His grey eyes looked like an oncoming storm. At his hip was a sheathed katana. He was wearing a dark blue and sea green haori with wave designs and it looked like he was wearing armored boots underneath his pants. I knew who this was the moment I laid eyes on him.
"D…" I said, feeling a tear fall down my cheek. "Dad?"
Susanoo, my father, smiled at me. "Tsuna."
"How dare you Poseidon?!" Zeus screeched. "How dare you bring an enemy into the halls of Olympus?!"
"You have nothing to fear from me, Lord Zeus." Dad bowed. "I am not here to start a war."
"Then why are you here?" Zeus asked. Dad looked back at me.
"I wanted to see my son." he said. There was a moment of silence before Poseidon spoke.
"I wished you would have waited, Brother," Poseidon said, "To have a vote for Tsuna's life."
"You should have been here when I summoned the Council." Zeus said. "And why did you bring him here?"
"I was doing a favor for an old friend." Poseidon said.
"You've interacted with the Shinto before?" Zeus asked angrily.
"I did once. Sixteen years ago." Poseidon said. Zeus glared at Poseidon before shifting his gaze at me, the Master Bolt crackling in his grip.
"How did the vote go then Athena?" Poseidon asked.
"The Council is undecided." Athena explained. "Half of us voted for Tsunayoshi's death, half of us voted for him to continue living."
"I take it I'm allowed to vote, yes?" Poseidon asked Zeus, who looked really mad.
"Very well Brother, cast your vote." said Zeus.
"Ah, good." Poseidon said. "I vote for Tsunayoshi Noble to live."
Percy slapped me on the back and gave me a side hug. It knocked me out of my shock enough for me to hug him back and pull Nico into it. Yatagarasu even looked excited.
"But he is far too powerful not to be at least a tool for Olympus." said Zeus, killing our good time. "We should grant him immortality so we can use him when there is another threat to Olympus."
I was scared because I didn't want to leave Percy or Nico. "Forgive me Lord Zeus, but I'll have to decline."
"Why is it that all the mortals declines immortality?" Zeus asked. He began to rub his temples. "Explain yourself."
"It's just like what I told Amaterasu." I said. "I want to go to school and be with my friends. I want to live a normal life. I swear I will not betray or fight against Olympus."
"I doubt you won't be able to stop yourself from destroying Olympus." Zeus said.
"I'll swear on the Styx, if that would make you feel more reassured." I said. "But if that isn't enough for you Lord Zeus, I am willing to give up the power I inherited from Poseidon." Zeus went silent.
"Are you really willing to give up that power?" Athena asked. "The ability to create earthquakes would be a very powerful asset for you."
"If it proves to you all that I won't betray you, I'm more than willing to give it up." I said.
"Very well." Zeus said. "Swear that you will never go against Olympus, and Poseidon will take your power."
"I, Tsunayoshi Noble, son of Susanoo and the descendant of Poseidon, hereby swear on the River Styx that I will never go against Olympus."
Poseidon walked over to me, at a normal human height, and pointed his Trident at me. After first I thought he was going to skewer me, but all the Trident did was glow with thick bolts of sea green energy. My body glowed in the same light before fading away.
"What about the Sacred Regalia?" Hera asked. "We can't risk having items as powerful at the Master Bolt in the hands of a mortal Shinto demigod."
"They belong to Tsuna." Dad said. "He completed the tests to obtain him and they are his birthright. Taking the Regalia away from Tsuna is like taking you throne away from you."
"If he keeps the Treasures than he will still be a threat to Olympus." Hera said. Wow, she really has to fish for reasons to kill me.
"There's no need to over react your majesty." Dad said. "But, if it would make you, and the Council, more at ease, I can seal the powers of the Treasure. But no matter what I do, as Tsuna grows so will the powers of the Regalia. As it is right now, Tsuna has just barely scratched the surface of their powers."
Dad walked over and waved his hands over the Treasures. They all floated in midair and glowed. The Yata no Kagami shrunk down a little bit and connected to the Yasakani no Magatama, forming one necklace that put itself around my neck. The Kusanagi shifted back into its ring form, although it was a lot different now. It was just a plain blue ring, its edging made of Divine Steel. I already missed the dragon design, but it's pretty cool as is.
"There." Dad said. He looked back at Hera. "Better?"
"Tsk. It is." scoffed Hera.
"Poseidon, since you claimed him he is your responsibility." Zeus said. "If he betrays Olympus, you will be punished to the fullest extent."
"As you wish, Brother." Poseidon said.
"Then this meeting is adjourned." Zeus said.
The gods then left when I blinked. Only Hades, Poseidon and my father were left. Hades called Nico over, saying he needed to talk to him, so Nico said he'll meet up with us later. Percy gave me a reassuring smile before he walked over to Poseidon. Once he stood in front of him, Poseidon held his arms wide and hugged Percy.
"Tsunayoshi…" Dad called. He had shrunken down to normal human size as well. He stared at me for a second before signaling me to follow him.
I wanted to go talk to him, but I couldn't bring myself to go with him. I had so many questions, so many things to ask him. I didn't know what to do. That's when I felt a large hand on my shoulder.
"Lord Poseidon." I said looking up.
"You should go talk to him Tsuna." he said. "You won't get another chance."
I tilted my head in confusion. "What do you mean?" I asked.
"Ask your father." Poseidon said with a great sadness in his voice. "It will do you good." I almost wanted to fight back, but he was right. I needed closure. After I nodded he turned back to Percy.
"I'm sorry." I muttered.
"For what son?" he asked.
"For saying I hated you." I admitted. "For blaming you for my mom's death."
"I understand." Poseidon sighed. "You were stricken with grief. I would have reacted the same if I was in your place. And you're right; I probably could have saved her. If I had known she was on that boat I would have saved her. It pains me still to know that I could have saved my great granddaughter."
"Mom never told me about her relationship with you." I said.
"She never knew." Poseidon said. "After the Second World War, in which my son, your great grandfather, fought, he wanted him and his future descendants to live normal lives, away from monsters and wars. He asked me to seal their powers. It pained me to do so, but I honored his request."
"And I presume he had a knack for earthquakes?" I asked.
"That he did." Poseidon revealed.
"But if you sealed their powers, how was I able to create earthquakes?" I asked.
"I'll let your father tell you." Poseidon said. He smiled and nudged me towards the courtyard. When I got to the door he called out to me. "And Tsuna, I am very proud of you. I would be honored to call you my son."
I felt so honored by that. "Thank you Lord Poseidon."
When I finally walked out onto the courtyard I saw my father standing on a balcony. He was overlooking Manhattan, and the golden waters of the ocean reflecting the rising sun. I took a deep breath and walked over to join him.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" he asked.
"Yes it is Father." I said.
"You don't have to try to be formal or anything Tsuna." he said. "I know that I'm not your most favorite person in the world."
"That's a bit of an understatement." I said, feeling annoyed.
"Go on son." he said.
"You left us before I was born." I said, just needing to get everything off my chest. "There were so many times in my life that I needed you, when I wanted to be with you. At first I believed that you would one day walk through the door and stay with us. But I decided to stop dreaming and accept reality. I started hating you. My life wasn't terrible, far from it. Mom was great at raising me by herself but there were times that we wanted you around. There were times when Mom was so depressed because she missed you. She tried to hide it but I knew why she was sad. And…and…you could have helped her when she died."
I started crying and hugged my Dad for support. As I cried into his chest he rubbed my back to soothe me. A few minutes went by. While I was still upset at him, it felt so good to be there with my Dad.
"I'm sorry." I said as we pulled apart. I wiped the tears from my face. "I don't know what came over me."
"You have bottled up your emotions for so long Tsuna." said Dad. "You merely released the flood gates. And I deserved to hear what you were holding back all these years." He stared at me for a moment. "You have your mother's eyes."
"Why did you choose Mom?" I asked.
"That's a long story." he said.
"I don't have to go anywhere." I said.
"Very well." he said as he led me to a marble bench to sit. But just sitting there in silence was uncomfortable. I was doing it as well, but Dad was fidgeting in nervousness. "So…where I do I begin?"
"You can tell me how you and mom met." I suggested.
"You would want to know that." smiled Dad. "I met her the winter before you were born. She had come to Japan for her first job. She was filled with such excitement and wonder over her job. The day I met her, she was walking a beach in Okinawa gathering samples from the water."
"What were you doing when you two met?" I asked.
"Journeying across Japan." he said. "Before I decided to become one with your sword."
"You…you decided to Fade?" I asked. He nodded.
"I didn't have a reason to go on, son." he explained. "My brother, my sisters, your half siblings, my…family. They were all gone, Tsuna. Faded, never to come back. I was sad and alone."
"So what happened to make you go on?" I wondered.
"I met your mother." he said. "I came out of the ocean early one morning. Your mother, ever the over achiever, was there at the crack of dawn, trying to impress her employer. Your mother…" He smiled. "Your mother thought I was a surfer and called me crazy. But then she started flirting with me and following me down the beach."
"Couldn't you have just, I don't know, teleport away?" I chuckled.
"I could have, but I didn't." he gave me a knowing wink. "It actually came as a surprise to me, her flirting. I hadn't had anyone really pay attention to me for a long time, and she was persistent, so I decided to indulge her. We went out for a cup of tea and talked. She never stopped talking, barely letting me get a word in edge wise. And I came to find out she had such passion with everything that dealt with the sea, from the creatures that resided there to the myths and legends about the oceans. After that she asked to see me again, and-"
"You said yes." I smiled.
"That I did." said Dad. "And as the weeks went by, I fell in love with her. During that time, I felt that Donna had a connection to the sea, but I didn't question it. All I cared about was making her happy. And one night, I told her who I really was. You mother thought I was making fun of her, but I showed her what I could do. I thought she would run away from me in fear, or think I was crazy, but she accepted me for who I am. I was so happy that I told her that I loved her more than anything in my life, and she told me she felt the same. And then we made lo-"
"Stop, stop, stop!" I yelled as I covered my ears. "I really don't need to hear that part."
"Sorry son." he laughed. "I needed to scar you somehow at least once."
"Then what happened?" I asked.
"A few weeks later she told me that she was pregnant with you." Dad said. He smiled and put his hand on my cheek. "I can't tell you how happy I was to hear the news." He pulled his hand away. "But I was also scared for your life."
"Why were you scared?" I asked. He didn't seem to want to answer.
"Before the Orochi was fully sealed, he cursed me. Actually, it was more like he cursed any future children." he explained. "His last words were that my children would be the ones to free him, at the cost of their own life. And after your mother told me she was with child, I had to do everything in my power to protect you. I told her to go back to America so you and she could be safe, but…you know your mother."
"She refused to leave you." I said. He nodded.
"Donna was upset." he said. "She wanted me to be a part of your life, so you could know me. I wanted that too, more than anything. She even named you Tsunayoshi, to signify the bond she and I shared. But your lives are the most important things to me, so I left her, which broke not only her heart, but my own. But the night you were born, I went to New York, just so I could see you. I held you in my arms," He looked at his hands, as if he was holding my younger self, "And the way you looked at me made my heart soar."
His hands dropped as he continued talking. "And then Poseidon appeared. He wanted to know why I was there in his descendants' room, until he saw you in my arms. At the same time I figured out why your mother was connected to the sea. He tried to take you away from me, but I couldn't bring myself to give you to him. So we talked and I told him about the Orochi's curse. And it turned out that his son Perseus would be born in a few days, so he could sympathize with me. So I asked him to keep an eye on you and not tell Zeus anything. When he left, I laid you back down and left your ring for your mother to give you. And after kissing her goodbye, I left to go back to Japan."
So he did love Mom, and me. For years I have always thought he hated us despite what Mom told me. I understand now that he couldn't be a part of our lives without increasing the risk of losing us.
"How can I have the ability to control earthquakes if Poseidon sealed that power in my Great Grandfather?" I asked. Dad raised his eyebrow. "He told me to ask you."
"In all honesty Tsuna that's hard to explain." he said. "But in the most general sense, the godly blood in your veins broke the seal Poseidon put on your mother's family. It's also why you have her eyes, Poseidon's eyes."
"But what about my idiosyncrasy?" I asked. "Growing up my eyes would always change between green and grey when I got angry."
"It was because of your Shinto and Grecian blood conflicting against each other." he said. "The power of two seas that resides inside you fought, switching your eye color."
"But Poseidon just took away that power, so how could I have mom's eyes?" I asked.
"He must have left that as a parting gift." Dad said. "I actually like it. It shows how you are the best of both me and your mother." Dad started to look weak, and his hair was turning white.
"Dad?" I asked worriedly. "What's happening?"
"You know what's happening Tsuna." he said, so I started crying again.
"You're Fading…" I cried. He pulled me close to try and soothe me.
"It's alright Tsuna." He said. "All things have an end."
"But…I don't want to rule our pantheon." I said.
"And I don't want you to." he said. "Everything will play out the way they are destined Tsuna. In the end, I know you'll end up finding happiness."
I pulled away from him so I could ask him how he could know that before the Magatama and the Kagami started glowing. Silver and red lights floated out of the Treasures and took the form of Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi. Yatagarasu squawked excitedly as he flew onto Amaterasu's arm.
"Brother, Sister." Dad said.
"Hello Susanoo." Amaterasu said as she petted Yatagarasu.
"It's good to see you Brother." said Tsukuyomi. "And you too Nephew."
"You knew I was your nephew this entire time, didn't you?" I asked. Tsukuyomi nodded.
"Are you ready Susanoo?" Amaterasu said.
"Yes, I am." Dad said.
"Ready for what?" I asked.
"It's my time to merge with the Ame no Murakumo." explained Dad. "Just as your aunt and uncle have become one with their Treasures, so must I."
"But why?" I asked.
"So we will always be close to you." Dad said. "While we won't be able to converse with you, just know that we will always be in with you."
"But, I just met you; you're in my life now." I said. "I already lost Mom, I can't lose you too."
"I'm sorry Tsuna." Dad said. "But your family doesn't stop at me, or your mother. Remember, you have that young Perseus as your brother, and you have that son of Hades." He pulled me into a hug, the last one I would ever get from my father, I realized. "I love you son, and I will always accept who you are." He whispered in my ear. "Just tell him the truth."
My eyes went wide at that. "How did you-" I said before Tsukuyomi pulled me into a noogie.
Yatagarasu flew off Amaterasu's arm and landed on. Amaterasu hugged me herself before the three of them backed up. They started glowing in godly energy, and it felt like they were going into their Divine Forms.
"I am so proud of you, Tsunayoshi Noble." Dad said, before he sent his essence into my ring.
My Aunt and Uncle followed his lead and went into their respective Treasures. I stood there staring at where they just where. Yatagarasu flew over and nudged my head to make me feel better. I let out a small laugh and pet his head.
"Tsuna!" Percy yelled. I quickly wiped my eyes so he wouldn't know I had been crying.
"I'm over here Percy." I said.
"There you are." Percy said as he patted my back. "C'mon, we're heading back to Camp. There's a celebration waiting for us."
"Cool." I said. We walked down Olympus, and I saw that we were missing a certain son of Hades.
"Where's Nico?" I asked.
"I saw him leaving with Hades." Percy said. "I asked him if he wanted to go to the party, but he mustn't have heard me."
"He didn't even say good bye." I felt, well, devastated. I thought he and I agreed that we would hang out after the quest?
"Don't worry Tsuna." Percy said. "I'm sure we'll see him later. You know Nico; he doesn't like to be in one place all the time." That wasn't making me feel better.
"Nico is nothing like that." I thought as we got into the elevator.
We rode down in silence and then before we got into the Camp van, I told Yatagarasu to fly to Percy's apartment. Using Riptide to write a note for Sally, I sent him off. As soon as we arrived at Camp, Percy dragged me up Half-Blood Hill, where Chiron and Annabeth were waiting for us. Annabeth and Percy ran into each other's arms and kissed. I rolled my eyes, but Annabeth greeted me with a kiss on my cheek. My face felt like it was turning red.
"What's this?" she asked, lifting my necklace to inspect it closer. I pulled it out of her hands and stuffed it under my shirt.
"I'll tell you later." I said.
After Percy and I stepped out of our Cabin after changing out of the heavy winter clothes we had, we were greeted by the whole camp. They put us on their shoulders and then carried us to the amphitheater. Chiron presented us with laurel wreathes, which signified our completion of a quest. We wore them all day, and after dinner we were given funeral banners at the bonfire.
Despite how morbid the concept was, the banners looked really nice. And since Percy and I are the only members of the Poseidon Cabin, Annabeth volunteered herself and her siblings to make ours. They were identical dark blue silk shrouds that had the symbol of Poseidon, the Trident, in green in the center, and waves surrounded the trident.
After burning them I saw Will holding a bundle of black in his arms. He was looking around, as if waiting for something, or someone, to show up. But Will was let down, as much as I was. I walked over to him and grabbed the shroud. Will was reluctant to let go.
"It's okay Will." I said, placing my hands over his and giving him a reassuring smile. "Nico's alive."
Will smiled, and it made the area seem brighter. He mouthed 'thank you' before letting me take Nico's funeral shroud. I went back to the bonfire and unfolded the shroud. Made of black silk, it had a border of skulls and green Greek fire and a perfect copy of Nico's sword sewn into it. I tossed it into fire and everybody cheered.
The next day was filled with me avoiding Drew. It's like she had this obsession with me or something. Percy thought it would be a good idea to spar in the arena since the entirety of the Aphrodite Cabin had Pegasus duty at this time, so I took him up on the offer. We were so evenly matched that after an hour and a half of no-power sparing going all out we were drenched in sweat. And this is including the fact that the Ares Cabin dumped water on the two of us as a co-op prank with Connor and Travis.
Speaking of Travis, he called Percy over saying that he had a call waiting for him at the Big House. I was tired so after Percy left I sat near the stands. My body felt really sore and I stank of sweat. I decided to close my eyes for a second and enjoy the sun on my face, when the next thing I knew something cold and wet was pressed to my forehead.
I jumped, only to see Will holding a bottle of water. "Thanks Will." I said as I took the water.
"No problem." He said as he took a seat next to me. "How's it going?"
"Not bad." I said. "Say, how's Casey doing?"
"He's doing good." said Will. "He's really close to Victoria, and him and Eric are on better terms now."
"That's cool." I said. We sat there for a few minutes, just enjoying the day.
"So, um, have you, uh…" Will struggled to say. I raised my eye at him. "Have you heard from Nico?"
"No, I haven't." I said. "I tried Iris Messaging him several times last night, bur the calls never went through." I then looked at Will with interest. "Why?"
"Oh, um, no reason." Will said, though he had a slight blush going on. "Just wondering."
"Uh huh." I said. "Right."
After a few minutes I asked Will if he wanted to take a walk with me. We walked all around Camp, saying hi to a few of the other campers. We talked about each other, learning where the other was from and what we wanted to do when we grew up. While I told him I wasn't really sure yet, he said he wanted to be a doctor.
"I know what you're going to say, a son of Apollo wanting to be a doctor." Will said. "But before I knew about my Dad my mom inspired me to go into medicine."
"What did she do?" I asked.
"She's a nurse." Will said. "She always had to work late, but some days, because we didn't have a babysitter she would take me to work with her."
"Sounds like fun." I said. "Have you ever thought about going to the University of Washington? It has one of the best medical programs in the country."
"I've thought about it, but I'm not really sure." Will said.
"You'd enjoy it." I said. "It's where I plan on applying. Maybe we could room together if you decide to go."
"I'll think about it." Will said with a smile. Percy found us not to much longer after that, so Will and I split up. He and I promised to keep in touch, so we gave each other's house numbers.
"So you and Will seemed pretty friendly." Percy said.
"He's pretty cool." I said.
"What were you guys talking about?" he asked.
"College and stuff." I said. "I told him where I planned on going, and turns out that it's one of his choices."
"Isn't he a little young to be thinking of college?" Percy asked.
"Well in today's society it's never too early to start thinking about college." I said. "Speaking of which, where do you plan on going?"
"I haven't really thought about college." Percy said. "I expected to be dead before then."
"You're a real ray of sunshine, aren't you?" I asked.
"Hey, I'm the son of Poseidon, not the son of Apollo." he punned. I rolled my eyes at how terrible it was.
"So who called you?" I asked.
"It was mom." Percy said. "She's been wanting to talk to us for a week now."
"Why?" I wondered. Percy broke out into the largest smile I have ever seen.
"Mom and Paul officially adopted you!" he said. I had to have him repeat that, because it came as a complete shock.
"Really?!" I said, needing to hear it for a third time. Percy nodded. "Awesome!" I hugged him close, happy that I officially belonged with him and his family. "But, doesn't adoption take years?"
"Mom said she asked Chiron to help." Percy said. "A little bit of Mist manipulation and his way with words made the process take weeks. And Mom's going to pick us up after lunch."
"So soon?" I asked.
"Yeah," Percy said as he scratched the back of his head, "Because we missed a lot of school during the quest, she wants us to get back into the speed of things."
"Oh gods…" I said as I face palmed. "I forgot we had school. This is going to suck."
"At least we'll have each other." Percy said as he threw his arm over my shoulders. "It shouldn't be too hard."
Lunch came too soon. I really liked camp. I never felt more at home than here, with Percy and Annabeth and…Nico. I really wished he was here. I missed him. After lunch Percy and I packed out things and walked to Half-Blood Hill. Percy, seeing the look on my face, had us take the long way round, just so I could see the entirety of Camp again.
When we eventually got the Thalia's Pine Annabeth, Chiron and Will were waiting for us. Chiron shook our hands and wished us luck, as well as telling me that he hopes to see me again. While Percy and Annabeth kissed each other good bye, will and I clasped hands and gave each other a one armed hug. After telling Percy she'll see him during Winter Break Annabeth hugged me good bye.
I adjusted my back pack and looked across the valley Camp resided in. Percy clasped my shoulder, so I turned and saw Sally and Paul walking through the woods. Sally waved at us, so I waved back. As Percy and I wrapped our arms around each other's shoulders, I felt so happy, knowing that I still had people that cared about me. That people loved me. I will always love Mom, and Dad, but I knew that they would want me to be happy. And with Percy and Sally, and Paul, I knew that I had a family.
To all the fans of Umi no Musuko, there is a sequel. But I have decided to stop using , and have begun using AO3 instead. So go find TsunaNoble at AO3 to read all future installments of the Umi no Musuko series. Thank You.
