Son of the Suns

Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I own neither franchise…unfortunately. :(

After that rather eventful match of Capture the Flag, things happened rather quickly. With the revelation of Percy's lineage as the Son of Poseidon, the teenage Demigod was moved to Cabin Three, and the very next day, he was called to the Big House and subsequently sent on a Quest to retrieve Zeus's missing Master Bolt, which had been stolen by an unknown party and could provoke a war between the Olympian gods.

The fallout of this incident had brought a thunderstorm to Camp Half-Blood that persisted past the departure of Percy's group on their Quest, resulting in dampening of the mood around camp. However, a Demigod's life must go on, and that is exactly what happened for the residents of Camp Half-Blood. There was a bright side for Naruto, though. A rather unexpected one at that: one day, at mealtime, Naruto found a steaming bowl of Ichiraku Miso Ramen waiting for him at his seat. The blond was understandably surprised, as were his Demigod siblings, who had received the usual fare of lean cut barbecue, fruit, and bread with cheese from the Dryads that were serving them. The only hint about the source was a folded note next to the bowl reading, 'Because you cared,' and sighed with the Kanji for Fire, 火.

Not sure what was going on, but deciding not to look a gift horse in the mouth, Naruto had followed his Cabinmates up to the central brazier where he spooned off some of the broth, and a slice of the pork, into the fire, adding a silent prayer of thanks to whatever deity had allowed him to enjoy his favorite meal again, in addition to the prayers he always sent to his father and grandmother of course.

Things continued like this for a few days, with the Campers making the best of the weather to practice combat training in harsher environments, though Naruto's siblings were called on more than once to use their healing abilities to treat several minor colds among the other Demigod teens. All this changed though soon enough.

The weather had been a bit better that morning, with things being merely dark and overcast instead of rainy and windy, which was a nice change for the Campers, though a far cry from happy days. The Campers had just finished breakfast in the dining pavilion when suddenly, there was a brilliant flash of light near the central brazier as the kanji for gate, 門, appeared in the air, before forming into a shining Torii gate with a glowing portal within. As everyone watched, a man in a black business suit and reflective sunglasses stepped through, causing the gate to vanish into motes of light.

"Lord Futodama," said Chiron as he walked forward and bowed to this newcomer, "To what do we owe the honor of your visit?"

"I come bearing a message from Amaterasu-sama," said the now identified Kami in a formal tone, "a message for her grandson."

"For me?" asked Naruto in surprise as he rose from his seat at the Apollo Table.

"Indeed," said the Kami as he turned to the blond Shinobi, "Amaterasu-sama wished to keep informed of your wellbeing, a valid concern considering your life before here, and as such, requested the Chief of Divine Affairs, Ame-no-Koyane, to perform a Divination as to the recent unrest surrounding this Camp. After seeing the results, Amaterasu-sama has decided to send you on what the Greek Pantheon refers to as a Quest."

"Wait," said Mr. D. from his seat at Table 12, "would this be seen as the Shinto Pantheon interfering with Greek affairs?"

"Hardly," replied Futodama as he regarded the god of Wine with a minute amount of disdain, "as Uzumaki-san is the Grandson of Amaterasu, he falls within her jurisdiction. Furthermore, due to his heritage as a Son of Apollo, Uzumaki-san is capable of involving himself in the affairs of the Greek Pantheon without it being an overstep of the Shinto Pantheon's boundaries."

"Seems to check out," nodded Mr. D with a grunt, "I assume there is a Prophecy or something involved then?"

"Indeed," said Futodama as he reached into his suit jacket and withdrew a scroll. Unfurling said scroll, the Kami placed a hand over the unrolled parchment, causing several cards to appear.

Seeing the look of disbelief and recognition Naruto was giving the scroll, Futodama allowed a small smirk to appear on his face as he let out a subtle chuckle, catching the blond's attention.

"You didn't think the Shinobi invented the art of Fuinjutsu, did you?" he asked Naruto with a hint of smugness, "The Kami of the Shinto Pantheon were using the art for eons before, and it was Amaterasu-sama that taught a simplified version to the one you refer to as the Sage of Six Paths."

"In any case," said the Kami as he addressed Chiron and Mr. D, "I have here the results of the Divination performed by Ame-no-Koyane and the translation we have gleaned so far."

Reaching for the first two cards, Futodama turned them over to reveal the Kanji 神 and 黄泉.

"Kami and Yomi," dictated Futodama, "referring to the god of the Underworld."

"Hades?" said Chiron in surprise, "Curious considering the Quest we recently sent Perseus on."

"Quite," agreed Futodama as he reached for the nest two cards, revealing the Kanji 兜 and 影, "Helmet and Shadow." Translated the Kami.

"The Helm of Darkness?" said Chiron, "Curious…"

Nodding, Futodama reached out and flipped over the final card, revealing the Kanji 戦争, but inverted.

"War," explained Futodama, "inverted. From what we can interpret, the prophecy indicates that Uzumaki-san must seek an audience with the god Hades in regards to his Helm of Darkness in order to prevent war."

"That does indeed make some sense," said Chiron, "especially considering we just sent young Percy Jackson on a Quest to prevent an Olympian Civil War by traveling to the Underworld himself."

"Indeed," said Futodama as he waved his hand, causing the scroll and cards to vanish, "and if I am correct in my assumptions, there is a timetable that his Quest was set to?"

"The Summer Solstice meeting," said Chiron in confirmation, "if the Quest isn't completed by then, it could very well start a war."

"Then I suggest you not dawdle, Uzumaki-san," said Futodama as the Kami turned toward the blond Demigod, "you have a long journey ahead of you."

"Indeed," agreed Chiron, "now then Naruto, who will you have accompanying you…"

"No."

"I beg your pardon?" said Chiron, surprised at being cut off by the visiting Kami.

"Unfortunately, only Naruto-san shall be allowed on this Quest," said Futodama as he adjusted his glasses with one hand, "due to his nature as a child of the Shinto and Greek Pantheons, only he will be able to perform this task without it becoming a conflict of interest for either side."

"This is troubling," said Chiron, "three is a powerful number and Demigods that undergo Quests with more or less than that number making up their party tend to face more trials and misfortune than any others."

"I'm afraid that, due to the ancient laws that currently restrict the interference of deities from one Pantheon in Quests being undertaken by Demigods of another, Uzumaki-san must act alone here."

"Very well," said Chiron with a sigh, "Naruto, you are excused from Camp activities for the day. Use this time to prepare for your upcoming journey, as you will be departing at sunset."

"Hai," said Naruto as he nodded to the Centaur, slipping into Shinobi-mode due to the seriousness of the situation.

"I wish you well on your journey, Uzumaki-san," said Futodama as he gave a respectful bow, the glowing Torii gate appearing behind him once again as he turned to leave, "do be wary, there are many forces that would seek to end a Demigod child of two Pantheons. Remember your training, both from here and from your old home. It will serve you well."

With that, the Shinto deity walked through the gateway and the gates themselves vanished into motes of light, leaving the gathered Campers stunned into silence at this new development.

xXsceneXx

After the eventful breakfast, Naruto began to prepare for his upcoming Quest by gathering supplies from around camp. Eventually he made his way back to his bunk in Cabin 7 where he stashed his Shinobi gear. Pulling a trunk out from under his cot, Naruto pulled out several scrolls and unfurled them to reveal some basic Fuinjutsu seals that he had prepared using the book of his parents' notes that Amaterasu had given him. Next, he pulled out a bundle of Kunai that he had specially commissioned from Hephaestus Cabin after the announcement of the Quest, which Beckendorf had been more than happy to help him craft in exchange for his aid in a future Capture the Flag match. The Kunai were forged out of Celestial Bronze in order to allow them to target monsters and were otherwise virtually identical to the ones he had brought with him when he had been transported from the Elemental Nations to Earth.

Nodding to himself, Naruto sealed the items into the scrolls with a quick burst of Chakra, and was just about to seal the scrolls into a Fuinjutsu seal he had gotten tattooed onto his right arm (one of his Demigod siblings was an aspiring tattoo artist) when there was a bright flash and a quiver of arrows appeared on his bed with a bow sitting next to it along with a folded note.

Unfolding the note, Naruto couldn't help but smile at the doodle of a smiling Minato giving a thumbs up along with the words, 'good luck,' now knowing that this was a gift from his father to help him on his first solo mission. Sealing the bow away as well, he slung the quiver around his shoulder, and was just about to make his way out, when he saw one last parcel as well in the form of a jar of what appeared to be Soldier Pills from his world with a note attached.

These should serve you well on your upcoming journey. They are laced with Ambrosia to better heal your body and restore your energy, so use wisely. They may taste good, but don't eat them all in one place.

Stay safe,

Smiling, Naruto realized that these Soldier Pills had been gifted by the same mysterious person that had arranged for Ramen to be available for him at Camp dinner. Curious as to the flavor, he took one of the pills an took a small bite, before his eyes widened and he had to fight to hold back tears at the nostalgic flavor of Ichiraku Ramen. Strangely enough, it wasn't any specific ramen though. No, what caused him to get so emotional was that the flavor simply seemed to invoke an almost forgotten memory of him as a child one rainy night, when Teuchi ushered him into the store and provided him with his first steaming bowl, while refusing any payment the blonde had offered, which had brightened a rather dismal day and started a lifelong friendship and patronage to the humble shop.

Wiping his eyes, Naruto sealed the jar of pills away as well and headed to the entrance of camp where Chiron was waiting with the Camp's Head of Security, Argus, the hundred-eyed giant.

"Argus here will take you as far as the Manhattan Bus terminal," Chiron explained to the Shinobi Demigod, "from there you will have to make your way to Los Angeles where the main entrance to the Underworld is located. Unfortunately, we do not know the exact location, but I trust you will be able to find it. Remember to be wary, there are many beings out there that won't hesitate to hunt a lone Demigod, so remember your training."

With that, Naruto boarded the Camp van and left the borders of Camp Half Blood for the first time as he headed out on his first Quest.

To be continued…