Son of the Suns
Chapter 7
Disclaimer: I still own neither franchise.
As he made his way through the streets of the concrete jungle, Naruto marveled at the difference between New York City and Konoha. Instead of dirt roads and open skies, towering skyscrapers surrounded paved asphalt while metal vehicles, which Naruto had learned through his lessons at camp were called 'Cars' zipped by at speeds a shinobi would be hard pressed to match.
Dear gods was he thankful that Chiron had seen fit to have Athena Cabin practically pound the lessons in until he was up to date on all the modern advances that set this world apart from the Elemental Nations. Without those lessons getting him acclimated to the technology of the modern age, he would have been completely lost. As he reached the bus stop where he'd catch the first of several busses on the way to Los Angeles, he quickly pulled out some mundane money some friends of his from Hermes Cabin had traded for Drachma he had won in one of their secret poker matches (he had been subsequently banned from attending after cleaning them out in a few rounds) and counted out the bills needed to pay for the first leg of his trip to Los Angeles.
After paying his fare for passage on the bus, Naruto found a seat near the back as he pondered about the reason for his being sent on a Quest that seemed to parallel the one Percy had just been sent on. It was almost as if the two Quests were connected in some way.
Naruto shook his head to clear it of such thoughts. He was probably just being a bit paranoid, probably due to his experiences growing up in Konoha. His heart clenched as he remembered the betrayal and all the friends he would never see again. But he had a family now, and new friends. He would endure, after all, he was still a Shinobi.
The bus made another stop and several tall, muscular teens boarded, dressed in t-shirts and ripped jeans. Naruto watched as they found seats together near the center of the bus, and for some reason, his danger senses were beginning to flare like crazy.
Naruto watched the teens as the bus continued on its route, trying to figure out why his danger senses were screaming at him, like when he had gotten eaten by that snake in the Chunin Exams. Making a decision, he got to his feet and made to leave the bus at the next stop, and much to his concern, the group of older teens followed him as he stepped off onto the streets.
As he walked, he noted that the group kept on his tail despite the twists and turns he made, solidifying the notion that they were not to be trusted. Well, if they wanted to try anything, they'd have to catch him first.
Darting down an alleyway, Naruto made a quick hand-seal and performed a Henge that transformed him into an old broom leaning against a wall, just as the group following him walked up.
"Where'd he go?" growled one of the teens, "I saw him walk in here!"
"How'd he just disappear?" snarled another.
"He can't have gone far," said a third teen, "I can still smell him."
"I want Demigod meat tonight," muttered a fourth, "so let's find him!"
The teens, which Naruto was beginning to recognize as a species of Giant that his Greek Monster lessons had covered, filed out of the alley, leaving one of them behind to look around. Naruto waited patiently until the Giant was distracted sifting through a dumpster to dispel his Henge and quietly unseal the blade he received from his father before creeping up to the monster, intent on slaying it. Unfortunately, as he got close, the Giant sniffed the air before whirling around and backhanding Naruto into a brick wall.
"Nice try, little Demigod," sneered the Giant, "you have quite the powerful scent. It smells delicious. I'm going to enjoy this."
"We'll see, teme," growled Naruto as he reached for the Fuinjutsu tattoo on his arm.
Acting quickly, Naruto unsealed a pair of Kunai forged from Celestial Bronze and threw them at the Monster, causing it to reel back in pain as the divine metal knives impaled him in the shoulder, allowing the blond to leap up and drive his blade into the Giant's chest, piercing its heart and turning it to dust.
"There he is!" yelled one of the Giants from the street, causing Naruto to curse and leap for the wall, channeling Chakra into his palms and feet to stick to the surface as he quickly climbed up to the roof.
Unfortunately, the monsters were not so easily shaken from their pursuit, as they used the fire escape to scale the building and follow Naruto onto the roof where the chase continued. Naruto kept ahead by pushing Chakra to his legs to increase his speed and allow him to leap from rooftop to rooftop, but the Giants' monstrous strength allowed them to keep pace and follow the blonde Demigod across the roofs. Coming upon a larger gap between buildings than before, Naruto went into a dive and rolled to his feet while unsealing the bow and quiver that his father had given him. Quickly notching an arrow and drawing back the string, Naruto let fly a Celestial Bronze tipped arrow towards the Giant as the monster was airborne, in the middle of leaping between the buildings.
As the arrow left his fingers, Naruto felt a small drain on his chakra and the bronze arrowhead was wreathed in golden flames. The Monster's eyes widened in surprise as the arrow impaled him between the eyes, the golden flames enveloping his form even as his physical body was reduced to dust, its soul being returned to Tartarus.
"That was unexpected," said Naruto as he glanced down at his bow, "thanks, tou-chan."
It was probably his imagination, but he could have sworn that, for a moment, the sun shone just a bit brighter.
xXsceneXx
"Damnit, these cities are like a maze!" groaned Naruto as he came to a stop and pulled out an atlas that he had managed to buy at a corner store.
After his encounter with the Giants, Naruto had decided to give public transportation a hard pass for the rest of his trip. Based on what he'd been told of the distance, he'd made longer trips on foot back during his time as a Konoha Shinobi. Best to keep away from enclosed metal capsules that moved at several dozen miles per hour, where monsters could corner him with no way for him to escape without blowing his cover or endangering civilians. Besides, he could run almost as fast as some of those vehicles could drive.
The downside though, was doing this forced him to have to navigate the urban and suburban areas of the United States with only this atlas to guide him. Still though, he had made good time, if he was reading the map correctly that is.
Unfortunately…
*growwwwl*
"Gah," groaned Naruto as he gripped his stomach, "so hungry."
Yeah, his supply of mortal currency had just about run out and he didn't want to dip too much into his supply of Soldier Pills, as they were meant to be used for emergencies, not as field rations.
"Damnit," said Naruto with a sigh and a yawn, "need to find someplace to rest and something to eat. But where can I find something in this concrete jungle?"
"Ara ara?" said a feminine voice from behind Naruto, causing the blonde to jump, "Are you in need of assistance, good sir?"
Naruto spun around and immediately blushed when he saw the person standing there. She was an attractive woman with a slender body and pale, unblemished skin wearing a jet-black blouse and skirt. Her black hair seemed to glisten in the light and also, something which Naruto certainly couldn't help but notice, she had a bust that only Tsunade had beat.
"Um, hi," said Naruto awkwardly.
"Hello," chuckled the woman, "I don't mean to be rude, but I couldn't help but overhear your plight. If you wanted, I could offer you some help. I run a small Bed and Breakfast near here, and wouldn't turn away someone in need."
"I don't have any money," admitted Naruto as he collected himself.
"Not a problem," said the women with a smile, "I'm sure we can work something out. As I said, I could never turn away someone in need."
"Alright then," said Naruto with a smile, "I'd be happy to accept your offer."
With a smile, the woman led the blonde down the street, the son of Apollo not noticing a small spider hopping of his pack and skuttling off to join its brethren.
To be continued…
