Heyo!
I know I am unjustifiably late in putting this chapter out, but there is a lot of stuff going on that made me disregard this and keep you guys waiting. I know I am a terrible person, I'm sorry :(
NOTICE : IN URGENT NEED OF A BETA-READER.
Before you get to reading, a few review responses, for people who actually read this lol:
The Fox Paradox 9 : That is an awesome idea, will make sure I include that little scene somewhere xD
Chrolloz : You'll have to be more specific my guy, I put plenty of references and easter eggs in that no one seems to find :p
helrio uzukagu : I actually never thought about this, but now that I did, it does make plenty of sense. I'll see if I can include like a mini-bashing/comedic scene in regards to that. Also, as a guest pointed out, they actually aren't for 'protecting' the demigods, but rather for just sniffing them out because of their tracking skills and what not. But regardless, they shouldn't be free monster food in any case.
WeslenBR : Obrigada, my guy,.
Also, IMPORTANT: With the addition of Artemis to the poll, the vote count for Rhea pretty much stagnated while Artemis's and Aphrodite's has kept on growing. In regards to that and various other considerations, I've decided to remove Rhea all-together from the poll. She won't be included as a probable long-time relationship option for Naruto.
Also guys, I think I might have overstepped the fine and almost non-figurable line between T and M rated fictions in this particular chapter. If anyone has any issues with this, don't hesitate in PMing me and giving me a piece of your mind.
Won't take much of your time. Happy Reading!
Dionysus groaned, then sighed, then massaged his temples as if he had a headache, "We might or might not have a problem."
"Ah, yes. Dionysus already knows about him."
The whole council looked at the God of Wine with equally puzzled looks. Dionysus just sighed again, "After all, Camp Half-Blood was where this irksome blonde appeared to annoy everyone first."
"What was he doing at Camp Half-Blood if he wasn't a demi-god? Aren't humans unable to see that camp?" Apollo questioned.
"This human managed to slay an offspring of Gaea and Tartarus without getting even a single scratch, and you are asking how he was able to see the camp?" Artemis deadpanned.
Apollo just scratched his head for a few seconds, and then instantly lit up as if a lightbulb had switched on inside his head, "Yeah, that is quite strange now that you mention it...He shouldn't have been able to see the giant either!"
Artemis nodded, her brother at least hade some sense. She was going to tell them about how Naruto also seemed to be a clear-sighted mortal as well, but she was interrupted before she could even speak.
The God of Music continued, "Holy shit! This guy must be really strong if he managed to slay a giant when he couldn't even see him!"
Ares just grinned, the thoughts of a worthy battle brimming inside his head, as he slipped into his sadistic desires.
Artemis put her head in her hands and said with a desperate sigh, "I don't even know why I bother anymore…"
"You both done?" Dionysus asked, his eyebrow twitching.
"Yes, continue."
And continue he did. He told the council about how Naruto had appeared in Camp Half-Blood with a demigod and a satyr for the first time, and had gone off only to return after he had saved another demigod. He told them that the blonde had apparently also killed the Minotaur with nothing but his bare hands, and how he had proceeded to manhandle the Lieutenant of Artemis's hunters in a Capture the Flag game.
Dionysus seemed to have forgotten the part where he tried to make the blonde go insane the first time he met him by showing him visions, and also the part where that plan had backfired very unpleasantly.
And obviously, it wasn't because of the unavoidable hit to his dignity that would take place if the council became aware that a teenager had managed to bring him down to his knees.
"Chiron has taken quite a liking to the boy." Dionysus finished.
"And apparently, you haven't." Hermes commented, noting the irritated look on Dionysus's face and his twitching eyebrow the entire time he was speaking about their latest object of interest.
"Wait until you actually meet the brat. We'll see how much of a liking you take to him." Dionysus replied.
"Well, even if this…Naruto is quite the mystery, it would seem that we are quite indebted to him. He saved the lives of our mortal children, and arguably Artemis as well." Athena stated.
Artemis nodded, although begrudgingly. No matter how much of a hit to her pride it was, it was true nonetheless. Artemis was under no illusions that she would have left the summit unscathed or even left at all, if Naruto hadn't intervened.
"Well, there is only one way we can get to the bottom of the situation." Zeus spoke finally.
The council turned their heads to look at their king.
"We get the boy here."
They agreed. It did seem like the only reliable course of action. It seemed to be the only way they could understand the mystery of this blonde. They could question him directly, and it also was the perfect opportunity to gauge the intentions of the blonde. And when you are as paranoid as the God of the Sky, you did not like being left in the dark.
To Zeus, from whatever he had heard so far, this blonde was a threat. All that was left to see was whether he would become a threat that needed to be neutralized, or a threat who could be swayed to their side of the park and made a threat to the everyone on the other side.
But Athena interrupted his musings.
"Father, I believe that we should let the blonde be."
The surprise in his eyes was evident, but Athena was never one to say something without having something else to say to back it up, so he gestured her to continue.
"If he does have intentions that may not be in the best interests of our own interests, summoning him here will doubtlessly alarm him. Rather, we should supervise him from the shadows. Not give him a single hint that he is being watched, and see where that road leads us."
Zeus nodded at her logic. It was sound, as always. If he was summoned here, he would know that he was on the radar of the gods, which in turn would lead to him being careful if he was indeed a threat. Letting him be was a much more viable option. They could simply observe and try to learn why this mysterious blonde had decided to make a sudden appearance and what his motives were.
But his musings were interrupted again, this time by Apollo.
"What if we don't like where that road leads us?"
Ares grinned hungrily.
"I'll bury his corpse right in the middle of that road."
After the council has adjourned and the gods had departed to their respective favorite wastes-of time, only Athena and Artemis remained.
Athena had gestured her half-sister to stay back. Artemis looked at her inquiringly, knowing that if Athena had asked her to wait, then it had to be something important.
As Athena approached her to talk, both missed the little dove that quietly sat on Aphrodite's throne. Seeing both Artemis and Athena not leaving initially, the Goddess of Love had apparently decided to hang around some more as well.
"What is it, sister?" Artemis asked the smartest of the Olympians.
"This Naruto, he worries me Artemis. From what you and Dionysus have spoken of, I find it hard to believe that he is a normal human. The only thing that is stopping me from not believing otherwise is your surety that he is indeed a human."
"I am sure of it Athena. Granted, the feats he has managed to accomplish and the skill he has shown clearly hint at him not being one, but if he were not a human, I would have sensed it. I would've smelled it."
Artemis, being a hunter, had a highly honed sense of smell as well, and could almost track every monster that existed by its scent alone.
Athena sighed. She hated mysteries she couldn't solve. Ever since she had been small, even the most difficult of puzzles and riddles that even the wisest could not solve had been child's play for her. But when she got a riddle she couldn't solve, she would use everything at her disposal to crack it. It was another one of her traits that she was known for. Give Athena a question she couldn't answer, and she would scourge the earth and sky looking for an answer, and then shove it in your face without even looking smug about it.
"I have a request to make, Artemis," Athena looked at Artemis, her calculating mind already planning out ways to convince Artemis in the event she denied the request, and continued, "We need someone to keep an eye on this worry, lest we let him out of our sight and regret it later. We can't let him run around unsupervised until we can confirm his intentions."
"And you'd have me do it?" Artemis spoke up, considering what to answer. Doubtlessly, her interest had been captured by the blonde. And not just because of his fighting skills. There was something else about him too, something that she couldn't quite place. She felt the urge to grow close to the blonde. To talk to him and get to know him and all the secrets he hid. It was like that urge to do something just to know what happens, even if you already know that the outcome might be very unexpected. Quite akin to the urge that people who don't know how to solve a Rubik's cube get when they see an unsolved one and get to just going crazy with it in an attempt to get it right.
But then there was the question of the recent emergence of the presence of Gaea that she had felt as well. Artemis had refrained from letting that little detail about the fight out into the Council, since she was not quite sure herself. She would need to look into the matter more, and determine whether what she had sensed was correct or not. No point in making the already paranoid Council more paranoid before confirming first whether it was a matter to be paranoid about or not.
There was also the question of the little something she had felt when Naruto her pulled her up from the ground, when she had been standing so close to his frame. Again, she could not quite place what it exactly was. And she wanted to refrain from trying to place it, and so marked the matter with a large red 'CONSIDERED, NEED TO AVOID' and cast it away in the deeper parts of her mind, to be thought about later, and hopefully not anytime soon. Olympians, and everyone in general, tended to avoid things they were not familiar with. Feelings included.
"Obviously I'd have you do it," Athena replied, "You have the best tracking skills in all of us. If we are only getting to know about this strangely skilled blonde now, then it is hardly unlikely that he possesses similar skills in remaining hidden and out of the spotlight and has used them in the past to remain undetected from us."
"As always, you have thought this out thoroughly, haven't you?" Artemis inquired with just the hint of a smile. Athena really was worth what they paid her for.
"Obviously." Was Athena's short reply, but she did not fail in hiding the slight hint of pride that had managed to leak into those nine letters.
"I hate to be the jam in the execution of your plan, but I have other important matters to tend to, sister. I know you understand, since I wouldn't have disregarded this if it hadn't been for something equally, if not more important." Artemis said with just a hint of hesitation, since she was aware what happened when something went south in Athena's plans.
The Goddess of Wisdom sighed disappointedly, and replied, "It is okay, Artemis. I shall look for another solution, or rather study this Naruto myself, and keep a watch over his activities."
And that was when the little dove flew from between their faces, surprising both of them and causing them to take a step back. Not even a second later, there stood the Goddess of Love herself in all her glory.
"Hate to interrupt you girls' gossip, but I felt the immediate need to offer my services." Aphrodite's voice was as beautiful as she was, though that did nothing to please the other two goddesses at her sides.
Athena gritted her teeth, and asked, "And why would we be needing your services?"
"Obviously, since dear Arty seems to be too busy, and you seem to be too arrogant to do this yourself," Aphrodite began, "I shall take it upon me to bear the heavy responsibilities of taking care of Olympus's security." She finished with her hands extended outwards and into the air, striking a superman pose, coupled with a wink.
Artemis shook her head with a smile at her other sister's antics, but Athena was even more irritated by Aphrodite's actions, fueled by the suspicion that said actions were done explicitly to irritate her.
"And do tell, as to how you would do that?" Athena asked again.
"By keeping an eye on our latest object of interest." Aphrodite winked again.
"And you are sure that you would do this for Olympus's security and not for your own selfish reasons of getting him in your bed?" Athena asked with raised eyebrows. She was well aware that the Goddess of Love did not take an interest in anything that did not involve her domain, which usually was sex, love, and more sex.
"I am offended that you would go so far as to question my resolve, sister!" Aphrodite said with a faux pained expression.
Athena sighed, knowing that Aphrodite was probably still going to try and see if whether this Naruto was a decent hook-up candidate or not. It was all for the better if along with that Aphrodite simultaneously kept an eye on him.
"Very well then. Do make sure that he doesn't realize he is being watched by a goddess. Be as discreet as you can. And also make sure you remain committed to your resolve." Athena commented dryly.
Aphrodite smiled innocently, "Why sister, you know how strong my commitment is."
And with that, her smile took a more seductive side, and she disappeared with a wink and a gust of perfumed-air.
We find our irksome protagonist, or potential antagonist, sitting at a bar counter; his head hung low and staring into a glass of bourbon.
Loud music blared around him, and he downed the drink in one gulp, and asked for more.
"Long day, bud?" Ed asked him. He had come in with an irritated look on his face, as if he had to run an extra mile in his usual schedule of not running at all, had sat down at the counter, and demanded a bourbon.
"Tell me about it." Naruto said, his voice wavering as if he was drunk.
"I know you can't get drunk Naruto, I've seen you chug down countless bottles of the strongest stuff we serve here and look even more sober than usual after." Ed said with an amused look on his face.
"Shut up, man. Even if I can't get drunk, there is nothing stopping me from pretending that I am drunk! Don't ruin my buzz." Naruto said in the same tone, earning a chuckle from the bartender as he poured him another glass.
That was when the vacant seat next to Naruto was pulled out, and was occupied by a graceful, slender presence that smelled particularly nice.
Naruto gulped down the bourbon, placed the glass on the counter with a soft 'thump', and tapped the edge of the glass, signaling for more.
As Naruto took another whiff of the smell of lavender and vanilla perfume as it wafted toward him, he realized that the slender presence smelled VERY nice. Excruciatingly so.
The bourbon glass was filled again, and he started drinking again.
"I love to see a man drinking to drown his sorrows. It's so sexy." The slender presence said, and scooted a little closer to Naruto's frame. Her voice was feminine, so she must be a woman, Naruto concluded. Naruto also concluded that her voice was as nice as her perfume.
Still not taking his eyes off his now empty glass of bourbon, he said, "And I love to see a woman who knows what a 'personal space' is."
No matter how good you smell or sound, you never interrupt a man while he is in the middle of drinking a glass of bourbon. Sure, you can chat as much as you wanted AFTER that glass has been finished, but not DURING the process of it being finished. It's just something you DON'T do as a rule of the thumb.
Aphrodite was a little taken aback. Usually, her sound was enough to lure men who hadn't fallen in love with just her smell, but not this man. She still had to get a good look at his face as she could not get a clear view of it due to the now awkward angle between them, to decide whether coming down here for literally just checking someone out in the middle of the night had been worth it or not.
Judging by what she had already seen, the blonde was tall. Easily over six feet, and had a muscular frame, judging by the bulging biceps her wandering eyes had taken note of as he had raised his hand to gulp down his drink. Speaking of which, bourbon was not a poor choice. A man's preferred drink could tell a lot about him too.
"Feisty, aren't we?" Aphrodite teased.
"That's generally how the girls like it in bed."
He finally turned his head to look at her, and winked with a slight smile.
Aphrodite literally forgot to breathe for a second. She had not seen a handsomer man. He was clean-shaven, with a well-defined jawline, and long spiky blonde hair that also hung over his face.
'And that smile of his. Ooh, that smile.'
And Naruto had to admit, that this had to be the sexiest and simultaneously most-beautiful woman he had laid eyes on.
Aphrodite recovered quickly, having seen her fair share of good-looking men, and said, "You might be feisty, but are you feisty enough?" She retorted with one of her sexiest winks.
She had expected Naruto to blush, have his legs turned to jelly and collapse on the spot.
Instead, he fired back with his own retort, without missing a beat, "Feistier than you can handle."
Aphrodite grinned, coming down here had not been a waste after all.
"We wouldn't want to make any presumptions now, would we?"
"You want to, I don't know, maybe confirm them?" Naruto grinned back, as he was the one who now proceeded to scoot closer to the other.
"Down, boy." Aphrodite put a finger on his chest and playfully pushed him back.
"I haven't gotten up yet." Naruto's grin widened as he winked again, the girl wasn't too bad a company.
Aphrodite was surprised that she was the one blushing now, but she said nonetheless, "You want to, I don't know, maybe save that for a little later?"
"Why delay a good deed?" Naruto spoke in a sagely voice with his eyes closed and head nodding, and Aphrodite started laughing at the stupidity of the imitation.
"No, I am totally serious!" Naruto said, and Aphrodite started laughing even louder, and Naruto chuckled as well.
When their smiles died down, Aphrodite asked for a bourbon of her own.
"You don't generally do introductions?" Naruto asked, comfortable in the playful air around them.
"It's impolite to let a lady introduce herself first." Aphrodite said.
It had been a long time since she had a genuine laugh. It felt good, and made her feel lighter in a sense. Contrary to what most would believe, being the goddess of her domain was not easy. Love was a very volatile emotion, and maintaining its equilibrium in the world was a very difficult task, made even more difficult by the newer generations engaging in activities of unfaithfulness and pretending to be in love just for the sake of it. Sometimes Aphrodite felt like she didn't get paid enough for what she did, but all these thoughts and worries had slithered out of her mind.
"Why do I feel like you don't actually need an introduction?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow. He could sense the same thing in this woman that he sensed from Artemis. Even though the essence of what he sensed from the Huntress Goddess was fundamentally different from what he was sensing here, it was essentially the same type of energy. It was hard to describe.
While Artemis felt like the paramount representation of forests, animals and nature, this woman was more like the paramount representation of glamour, beauty and everything pleasing to look at. There was no doubt about it. She was an Olympian Goddess.
The only question that remained was of which one she was.
"And why would you think that?" Aphrodite asked him with a playful look in her eye.
"You don't give up easily, do you?" Naruto sighed.
"Nope," She giggled slightly, and then her eyes wandered off to his empty glass. Picking up the bottle of bourbon, she leaned over at his side seductively, "Allow me to help you out with this." She filled his glass, and put the bottle back and leaned back to where she was sitting just as seductively.
'This woman could even breathe seductively.' Naruto thought to himself. Not that he was complaining.
"Appreciate the help." He said, his eyes glinting mischievously.
"Oh, I know you do."
As Naruto sipped his bourbon, his eyes never leaving the Goddess's sitting in front of him, he wondered what her purpose could be of coming here.
The timing was way too convenient for what he thought was most likely the case. Artemis had seen what he was capable of and had informed the other Olympians, who had panicked and sent Aphrodite to watch over him.
That, or the Goddess had way too much free time on her hands.
He knew it had been a bad idea to put on a show like that. He could've avoided this mess and waved at it as the chance to get caught up in it passed harmlessly by his side. He could've simply delivered the kids to the camp, and returned back home and continued with his mostly meaningless existence. He could've chosen to not get involved in this newer plane of things. He could've chosen to not unnecessarily spice up his life.
But where was the fun in that?
And anyways, curiosity never fails in killing the cat.
'Curiosity might as well be more of a ninja that I ever was.' He mused to himself, amused at the thought.
"What are you smiling about?" Aphrodite asked, interested in why the blonde suddenly spaced out for a moment and then started smiling.
"Oh, just a few naughty thoughts that somehow made their way into my musings." He grinned at her.
"Such as?" She smiled back and asked in a seductive tone.
"How about I show rather than tell?"
"All the more better."
As another orgasm tore through Aphrodite, she reflected over how her boring day had suddenly become so interesting.
After all, there was nothing more she could do, since she had gone almost numb from Naruto pounding her like a man possessed.
Ah, she had decided to lend her help to Artemis and Athena.
And what a good decision that had been.
Neither had she informed the blonde about her identity, and neither had he, even though she was quite sure that he knew already. And despite the lack of introductions, here they were.
The Goddess of Love and Sex, going numb from pleasure, and Naruto not showing the signs of stopping anytime soon.
She decided that she liked the blonde. He was smart, funny and all those other cliché things you'd want in a man. But despite that, he had an aura that she felt drawn to. Men of immense strength have always been the prime attraction of women looking to mate. It was a natural instinct that had developed in various organisms over the years. Something that had been evolving since the primitive days, where a strong mate was the highest object of desire of a female.
Needless to say, it wasn't too different for the divine beings.
None of the humans that Aphrodite lay with had the aura of power than Naruto possessed. It was subtle, as if being both consciously and subconsciously hidden, but despite that, it had a dwarfing presence.
Laying with gods wasn't comparable as well. Ares was no fun in bed, despite what most might believe. Sure, he might have the adequate required equipment, but that alone was not enough to sate a woman who was in desperate need of some pleasuring.
Naruto on the other hand, the scream that she let out as another orgasm all but RIPPED through her was evident enough towards his skill in the more delicate arts.
How had she ended up here again?
Oh yes, a few drinks and a few good laughs. Contrary to popular belief, that is indeed and in fact all that you needed to get yourself a woman in your bed.
Sure, the amazing body and the defined muscles that Naruto had did also supplement the basic requirement, and needless to say, Aphrodite did find his whiskers very cute and strangely erotic, but she had to admit that this night might as well be one of the few that she was actually enjoying.
He also had very nice eyes, Aphrodite reflected as he pulled her into another deep kiss.
He woke up with a slight headache. Never would Naruto understand how drinking blindly could never get him drunk but still leave him with a hangover after a long night.
And boy, what a long night it had been.
As he pushed the covers aside and rubbed his eyes, he found that his impromptu nightly companion had disappeared without a trace. Not that he had expected her to stay. Goddesses must be terribly busy beings after all.
He took a moment to appreciate the rather rare stroke of pleasant luck that had fallen in his bag, which usually received nothing but large shits from fortune as he had banged what he could confidently call the most beautiful woman he had ever seen senseless.
He went ahead and took a short shower, and stepped out and put a plain black t-shirt on, along with comfortable grey jeans.
He was running out of clothes to wear, he mused to himself as he headed to the kitchen to make himself some breakfast. He noticed a particular something that previously had no job being in his house on his small dining table as he did though.
A plain white paper which might have had a little perfume sprayed on it and a red rose kept on it as a paperweight. He supposed with a smile that his one-night-stand partner might as well have left a trace after all.
He picked up the paper, and it had written on it in beautiful handwriting the message:
I had plenty of fun last night, Naruto ;)
A 10/10 man and some 10/10 sex, what more could a woman ask for?
Would've hung around if I had some time, and shown you what some of MY naughty thoughts were (cue wink)
A deed well done indeed.
XOXO
He grinned, his initial prediction that she already knew who he was confirmed. Even though she had not confirmed who she has, she had quite made up for it with her skills in pleasuring the previous night, so he guessed he was no one to complain.
If there was a Goddess of Sex, she had to be it.
And cut!
That'll be it. I get it you guys hate having to wait for so long and then get such short chapters in return, I really do. And I do apologise for this inconvenience, but this is my capacity. For some reason, I can never write chapters exceeding 5-6k words, because then it starts feeling like I am increasing the word count just for the sake of it.
Read and Review, let me know if this chapter was up to the mark, or if it exceeded it or if it has dropped so low that you can't even make out the mark anymore. Any and all constructive criticism is appreciated!
Absolutely loving how crazy you guys are going over the story. Y'all are the best.