"About time you showed up." Clarisse grumbled when Naruto appeared at their regular sparring ground.
"My apologies, I didn't realize you were in such a hurry to lose. I'll try to be a bit more courteous next time."
"What did you say, you bastard." The girl's right eyebrow started to twitch.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I wasn't aware I stuttered the first time." He had a calm smile on his face which seemed to infuriate the girl even more.
"Aright, that's it. You're going down." She readied her spear and ran at him full speed. With one swift move he brought his kopis from its sheath at his side and sidestepped her blind charge, knocking her spear out of her hand.
"Lesson number 11." He stated calmly, holding the blade next to her neck. "An opponent quick to anger is an opponent quick to defeat. Keep your calm." He helped her up, handing her the spear. "Again?"
"Yeah, again." She kicked him in the shin and jumped back, swinging the spear low. He jumped over the swing.
"Not bad, catch an opponent off guard." He ducked a high swipe aimed at his head. The spear changed direction mid-swing and angled downward, managing to graze his left arm.
"First blood." Clarisse grinned.
"Yes, I suppose so." The blonde swung his sword in a circle. "I think I've played with you long enough now. First to submission?"
"Deal. What's the bet?"
"Bet?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah. I think I can beat you this time, so I want something in return for all my hard work."
"Very well, what is it you want?"
"The sword."
"This old thing? It's hardly worth all that. But if you insist. And what will you offer in return?"
"I dunno." She shrugged. "Whatever the hell you want."
"My dear, such a bet is hardly to your advantage."
"If I lose." She jumped at him, swinging her spear. "I won't."
He ducked down, allowing her to pass above him, and grabbed the back of her spear with his spare hand, throwing it back, and her along with it. He then proceeded to run after her, grabbing her by the throat in mid-air and slamming her into the ground. She tried to reach her weapon, which flew out of her hand and a couple o finches away, but the feel of the blade on her jugular stopped her.
"Submit?" When she said nothing he applied a little pressure, giving her a small prick.
"Submit." She sighed.
"Thought so." He helped her up again.
"So what do you want?"
"Never mind, you can forget it."
"No. I made the bet; I'll follow through with everything."
"Noble." He nodded his head, scratching his chin in though. "Well, you currently have nothing I want, so let's label this as 'you'll owe me one'. Fair?" She nodded. "I can't see you, remember."
"Then how did you know I did anything?"
"I assumed."
"Big brother! Big brother!" A small girl with blonde pigtails wearing a pink Camp Half-blood shirt ran through the crowd gathered to watch the spar and up to Naruto.
"Lacy?" Naruto sheathed his sword and held the frightened girl in his arms. "What's wrong little one?"
"Drew and Silena are fighting again." This also caught the attention of the daughter of Ares, who was fastening her spear to the straps on her back.
"Where?"
"In front of the cabin." Naruto nodded and started running towards the conflict, followed closely by Clarisse.
"Do you know what about?" The little girl shook her head, whipping her pigtails around.
"I was inside when the fight started, and I ran to find you as soon as I heard the raised voices."
"Good job, kiddo." He stopped a few feet from the cabin and let her down. "Stay with Clarisse for now, ok?"
"Ok big brother." He chuckled, tapping the top of her head, and walked to the two arguing girls.
"Drew, you are going way out of line." A tall, pretty raven-haired girl with hazel eyes harshly told the other, equally tall and pretty, Asian girl. "Leave the younger campers alone. They aren't here to do your bidding."
"Of course they are hon." The other girl's voice was uncaring and arrogant. "Somebody this beautiful should always be looked after. Isn't that right, boys?" a group of boys behind her, ranging from early to late teens, from all over the camp, shouted in agreement.
"You are disgracing our mother's name!"
"It's you who's disgracing her name. Such an ugly image could belong only to someone who didn't pass the trials."
"What did you say to me?"
"You heard me, hon. No go hobble off into whatever hole you crawled out of." More and more people, both male and female, started converting to Drew's side, chanting against Silena. "And leave this to the pretty people. Namely me." She let out a snobbish laugh.
"Assez!" Like magic, whatever hold Drew had over the other campers was broken instantly. Silena smiled when she recognized Naruto's voice. "You are not behaving like sisters should." He scolded the two. Silena looked down sadly, but Drew tried to keep her gaze up, and into Naruto's face.
"We're just having a friendly chat, hon."
"Drew, je tu préviens. I heard enough to understand what's going on. Silena, I'm disappointed in you. You do not have a shouting match with your sister in the middle of camp, for everyone to see."
"I'm sorry, brother." She apologized sadly.
"That's fine. Now go with Clarisse and take Lacy somewhere." She nodded and ran off to her best friend and youngest sister. "And as for you." Naruto turned his unseeing gaze to his other sister, making her fidget in place unconsciously. "We'll be having a little private talk." He glanced at the other campers who quickly got the message and scattered. "Drew, tu ne l'utilisez charmeparler sur les alliés."
"Nous avons déjà parlé de ce, frère."
"Et nuns en parlerons à nouveau, jusqu'à ce que tu écoutez ce que je tu dit." She fidgeted under his intense gaze. "Je vais laisser ce soit cette fois, mais je ne me laisse pas te prends à nouveau? Comprendre?"
"Mais frère, je…"
"Comprendre?"
"Oui, frère ainé."
"Bonne. Tu pouvez y aller maintenant." She nodded and left.
Naruto sighed, shaking his head. "Such a problem child. Mother, how am I to keep this family together if it keeps fighting me over it?" A soft breeze blew through the clearing, almost caressing his face. "I'll do the only thing I can, as always. I always thought it was the younger brother that plaid the peacekeeper. Oh well." He sighed again, turning around. "Now where did those three run off to?"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
He found them half an hour later, playing by the river. He sat down beneath one of the nearby trees, next to Clarisse, listening to Silena and Lacy run around in the shallow water.
"Naruto?"
"Hm?"
"Can I… ask you something?"
"You already did. But go ahead."
"Are you seeing someone?" She asked nervously.
"I see precisely no one, as you should well know."
"Look bub, this took a lot of courage, so the least you could do is answer me straight. Got it?" She growled at him.
"Very well, ruin my fun. No, I am not."
"Are you thinking about seeing someone?"
"Clarisse…" Naruto sighed.
"Because Silena thinks you need a girlfriend, and I think so too. And I know you can't find one on your own. So I'd be willing to… well, I'd…"
"Look, Clarisse… I know. How you feel about me." She looked away. "But you should find someone more worthy of your affection. I couldn't make a good boyfriend."
"And what if there's no one else worthy enough?"
"Clarisse, I don't even know what you look like. How could I…"
"No, it's fine. You don't have to give me excuses." She got up, dusting her pants. "I'm sorry for bothering you with this." Her voice quivered a little. "Any chance on joining my team for Capture the Flag?"
"You know I won't be playing."
"Can't blame a girl for trying. I'll see you later." She ran off.
"Ah dammit." Naruto sighed sadly.
"I take it that didn't go too well?" Silena sat next to him, with a confused Lacy,
"You pushed her to this."
"I did no such thing. I simply convinced her that she'd be better off telling you."
"Menteur. At least now she'll know I'm no good, and she can move on." He stood up. "I'll see you back at the cabin."
"Oh brother…" Silena watched him g, concerned.
"Silena, what's wrong with big brother?" Lacy asked.
"You'll understand in a few years, kiddo. Now let's go."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"My poor baby." Aphrodite muttered sadly, watching Naruto's interaction with the girl that was head over heels for him. "When are you going to stop with this?" She glanced in the direction of Zeus's temple. "I really wish I could meet you. I'd help you with all your problems, honey."
"It's refreshing to see you act like a mother, Aphrodite."
"Hestia?" The young-looking girl, and Goddess of the Hearth, walked into Aphrodite's temple. She was one of the very few gods on Olympus that would treat Aphrodite like more than just another pretty face. "What am I going to do?"
"There is nothing you can do." She put a comforting hand on Aphrodite's shoulder. "As long as brother's rules are in place, you can only watch." She gave the Goddess of Love a hug. "It will be difficult, but you will pull through. And I will help you."
"Thanks, Tia." Aphrodite returned the hug, keeping an eye on her son's calm, even face.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Assez – enough
Je tu… - I'm warning you
tu ne… - Drew, you do not use the charmspeak on allies.
Nous avons… - We have already talked about this, brother.
Et nuns… - And we'll talk about it again, until you listen to what I'm telling you.
Je vais… - I'll let it be this time, but don't let me catch you again.
Comprendre – understand
Mais… - But brother, I…
Oui… - Yes big brother.
Bonne… - Good. You can go now.
Menteur – liar
Fair warning, the only French I know on my own is 'eat' and 'sleep', so I'm using Google Translate.
I'm also thinking about getting Aphrodite and Hestia together somewhere along the line, so I'd like to hear thoughts on that. They won't change my mind, but I'd like to hear them.
And no, she won't end up with Naruto's father and no, it isn't Minato. That'll be a secret until later chapters, around the end of the book (if I remember correctly there's a fight with Ares). All I will say is I based the title on both his parents. And no, it's not him either.