VIII- A WILD ENCOUNTER IN A RANDOM NEW JERSEY FOREST
They all stood there, looking at the severed head of Medusa.
" so we owe this monster to Athena" mumbled Percy.
" to your father actually" said Annabeth while rolling her eyes, " My mom caught them fooling around in her temple and cursed her and her sisters who helped her sneak inside olympus".
" doesn't matter, in the end she's just another victim of the gods," said Naruto darkly.
" Naruto..."
" Can you honestly tell me Annabeth that fooling around in a goddess's temple is justification enough for said goddess to turn you into a monster for the rest of your immortal life ?"
Annabeth closed her mouth, her argument dying in her throat.
Percy sighed and walked back inside the shop.
Naruto picked up Medusa's head, careful not to remove the cloth covering her face, and followed Percy, Annabeth and Grover after him.
They met with Percy back at the table, empty plates and glasses were moved to make space for medusa's head.
" What are you doing with that ?" Asked Annabeth to Percy when she saw the box he was carrying.
" sending a message" he simply answered.
He grabbed the medusa head from Naruto's hands and carefully put it in the box.
Naruto smirked.
" Yo say Annie how do you send something to the gods ?"
" Well Hermes is the god you're looking for but you have to be in possession of a marker"
" Like that ?" Asked Percy while holding a brown piece of paper with drawn wings on it.
" Yeah but I don't see why... Oh". Annabeth looked on helplessly as Percy put the pass inside the box.
" Guys this is a really bad idea..." Started Grover.
" Yeah... Sure" shrugged Naruto while writing something on a note. He dropped the Note inside the box.
They waited. Nothing happened.
" Maybe we should pray to him ?" Said Percy with an unsure look.
" Good thinking" replied Naruto as he dug around his pocket. He fished out a Golden Drachma and dropped it in the box.
Percy thought a little prayer to Hermes and the package glowed a bit before vanishing.
Naruto smirked.
" The gods will think you're impertinent", said Grover with a sigh.
" But I am Impertinent" answered Percy with a defiant look.
" I fail to see how having the gods on our backs helps this quest" said Annabeth in a dry voice.
Naruto shouldered his backpack.
" And I fail to see how you fail to see that I'm SICK AND TIRED of having to clean up their messes".
He walked out of the room, Percy hot on his heels. Annabeth closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.
" Help me gather some of that food, Grover," she finally said while moving toward a shelf filled with bags of chips. Grover nodded.
Naruto and Percy were sitting outside, waiting for Annabeth and Grover.
" I think I hate the gods so far" muttered Percy. He was sitting on the ground, close to the road.
" tell me about it" replied Naruto while kicking a few rocks away, " they're vile, selfish, vindictive and a trashy bunch of people".
The sky growled a bit.
" Yeah screw you" yelled Naruto with his arms wide apart, his eyes glaring at the sky. A little rain fell on him.
" Thanks I was thirsty" he said with a sarcastic smirk.
Percy chuckled, before sighing and turning to Naruto with an apologetic expression.
" Hey look, I'm sorry about not realizing who Medusa was sooner", he said, " I put everyone in danger and Annabeth was right I really...have to think more".
Naruto smiled at him and nodded, feeling as if nothing more had to be said. Annabeth and Grover joined them, their arms filled one with chips and the other with water bottles.
They walked back silently to the forest until they found a cleared out spot in the woods. Naruto set his bag down and took out a blanket that he handed to Annabeth. She smiled gratefully before lying on the ground, her back to a tree. Percy mimicked her position.
Naruto climbed up one of the numerous trees around them and sat down on a thick branch, Grover doing the same.
" I'll keep watch first," Said Naruto while looking ahead, as if he was spotting enemies from a lookout post.
" Look at this mess", suddenly growled Grover. Naruto looked down from his tree. The ground was littered with crushed coke cans, empty bags of chips and bottles of cheap alcohol. Clearly the remains of a party.
" well that's actually sad", muttered Naruto. He wasn't big on ecology but he disliked dirty places.
" I can't wait to find Pan, humans have been ruining his kingdom for too long" solemnly said Grover with a determined look.
" Pam ? Like the cooking spray ?" Asked Percy, deciding to join the conversation.
" No, Pan like the god of wilderness" corrected Naruto with a smile. He then turned to Grover. " Is that why you want to have a license ?"
" How do you..." Started Grover.
" Annie told me", cut Naruto with a shrug. " I think it's a cool idea man, you'll be the one to find him".
" Yeah well first we have to succeed in this quest" darkly muttered Grover, " and with how things are going our chances are not that great..."
" True, true" sighed Naruto with a far away look. " Doesn't this quest seem fishy to you ?"
" What do you mean Naruto ?" Asked Percy.
" Well I don't know I feel like all of this is about way more than it seems" explained Naruto while shuffling on his tree. " I mean think about it: The lightning bolt was stolen, and we're going to the underworld to retrieve it".
" Yeah so ?" Wondered Percy, still not seeing Naruto's point.
" It's all too square", said Naruto with a frustrated sigh, " I feel like there's something we're missing, and besides we don't even know if my father really has it".
" But we don't know that he doesn't," replied Percy without thinking.
Naruto stared at him silently.
" Are you telling me that you've agreed that my father was guilty without even giving him the benefit of the doubt ?" Coldly said Naruto. He didn't know his father, but he was ready to give him the benefit of the doubt solely on the fact that he was too easy a target. After all it's very easy to accuse the god of death.
" I mean no", started Percy, stumbling on his words. " But if not him, then who ?"
" That's exactly the issue, everything is set up to point toward him" answered Naruto with an air of finality. " accusing him without stopping to think about it is stupid".
" I think Naruto is right" cut Grover with a calm voice. He was more focused on avoiding the oncoming argument than proving his point. The other two stopped and looked at him with expectancy.
" I mean, back in the bus Annabeth and I, we heard something weird", he continued with an unsure look. " The furies, they asked where is it as if they were looking for something, not someone"
" They could simply have been talking about the bolt, maybe they want it too..." reasoned Percy.
" Yes Percy, but what if it was something else ?" Muttered Naruto. He then looked at the others with a troubled borderline fearful look. " I can't be the only one thinking that something severely messed up is going on here ?"
Percy closed his eyes. Truth was, he could see the point his friends were trying to make, but his sanity was holding him back from considering such possibilities, he just couldn't open that can of worms.
" Talk about bad memories" Grover muttered as quietly as possible but Naruto heard him.
" This isn't your first job with Annie is it ?" He asked.
Grover sighed, a melancholic look settling in his eyes.
" Yeah, I-I was the satyr tasked with escorting her and a few other demigods to camp a few years back".
" Did it go well ?"
Grover turned his back on the other two, clearly not willing to have that conversation.
" Let's just say there's a lot of things I regret... Good night guys".
Silence followed these words, and a few minutes later, everyone was asleep except Naruto who kept watch.
Naruto woke up with a start. He had just woken up Percy to switch guard and had barely closed his own eyes. It couldn't be morning already, it was dark. Way too dark. He realized he was lying down and used his hands to get up. He heard the distinct sound of troubled water. He suddenly knew exactly where he was.
" Not again"
" Oh come on you're not happy to see me" growled out a voice behind him. Naruto gritted his teeth in anger. He could practically feel the smirk on the giant fox's face.
" What do you want this time ?" Demanded Naruto.
" We need to talk, you can't keep on ignoring me you know".
" Can't, I have to sleep" said Naruto with a smirk.
" Your body is resting as we speak kid , don't try to play me," laughed the Fox with a gleam in his eyes. He shifted in his cage, putting his huge head on his humongous orange paws. " do you know who I am ?"
" No but I have a feeling you're going to tell me", said Naruto while sitting cross legged on the floor. If he couldn't leave he might as well get comfortable.
" My name is Kyuubi, Kyuubi no Yoko", said the fox with an air of arrogance, " and Twelve years ago your prick of a father sealed me into you after another prick compelled me to attack his village".
Naruto blinked. Once. Twice.
" Ok I'm out". He got up and started walking away.
" OI COME BACK HERE YOU BRAT", shouted Kyuubi while banging on his cage with an indignant look. " SHOW ME SOME RESPECT GOD DAMN IT"
Naruto sighed and turned around, marching back toward the cage.
" I'll show you some respect if you stop spewing bullshit"
" IT AIN'T BULLSHIT YOU LITTLE RUNT" growled Kyuubi while shaking his fist in the air in a comical manner.
" Prove it" defied Naruto with a stern look.
" I swear it on the river Styx," said Kyuubi solemnly.
There was a thunderous boom, and Kyuubi smirked at Naruto.
" Okay alright you're still standing so you told the truth" concluded Naruto with a thoughtful expression, " But I was born on October 10th in Cedars-Sinai Medical center in Beverly Hills, and as far as I know there are no villages in Beverly Hills".
" But I didn't lie... Did I ?" Asked Kyuubi with a demonic smirk, he truly enjoyed the current torment Naruto was going through.
" No you didn't, which can only mean that Grace was the one who lied about where I was born... Keep going with your story" Finally said Naruto, filling away the question of his provenance for the next time he saw Grace. He knew her love for him was genuine and that she would never lie to him unless she had a very good reason. But still, he despised being lied to.
" The village I'm talking about is Konoha or as some people know it, the Hidden leaf, it's located in Hi no Kuni which means..."
" Land of Fire ..." Said Naruto aloud with widened eyes. " That language, it's Japanese, my mother was Japanese, therefore I know some stuff about Japan and I know for a fact that territories in Japan haven't been called that way since at least the feudal era with the three hundred Daimyos or something".
" In this world they call it the Edo era"
" What do you mean in this world..."
" You weren't born here Naruto, because the Village that I attacked, doesn't exist in this dimension".
Silence followed Kyuubi's words.
" WHAT THE FUCK ?!" Shrieked Naruto.
" Hey you really have to chill with your language boy" reproached Kyuubi, " But yes, you were born in another dimension, where the gods are shinto and ninjas hop around in green spandex".
Naruto suddenly had an Image of a father and son like duo with their hair in a bowl cut and wearing green clothes. He shuddered.
" You're lying..."
" Why would I lie ?" Bellowed Kyuubi, " As entertaining as that would be, I simply don't have the will to lie to you boy"
" It's impossible" muttered Naruto, sweat running on his forehead.
" Have you never wondered why you're so strong, why you're so different from everyone".
" It's because I'm the child of hades"
" Oh you wish boy" roared Kyuubi, clearly enjoying the situation much more than he should. " You do have some powers related to that, but that strength, speed and all the other abilities that NO OTHER demigod has ever possessed, it's because you come from a world where some people were gifted with chakra".
Naruto took it all in. The more the fox talked, the more he could see it. The scrolls from Grace, the story about his ancestry. It made absolutely no sense for him to be the only one in possession of these powers, unless he wasn't from here.
" You mean that my father brought me here, from there ?!"
" Hades, went to the elemental nations, disguised as a man, named Minato Namikaze. He was looking for... To be honest I don't know why the hell he came but he did anyway. There he met Kushina Uzumaki, your mother... A true woman she was, hem hem ! Anyway ! They married and they had you, but a random motherf- guy, I meant a random guy decided to attack the village. At the time I was sealed in your mother, and he managed to free me from her belly, but controlled me and forced me to destroy the village."
" That's... Crazy" muttered Naruto, his mind busy with information processing. " But my mom, is she still there ? In the elemental nations I mean ?"
" No... I... I accidently killed her back then". Kyuubi admitted with a sigh. " It's the main reason your father brought you back here".
Naruto froze and looked up at the cage. He met the fox's eyes and they stared at each other. Naruto then smiled.
"It means that she must be in the underworld and that I might have a chance to meet her right ?"
" If only you knew" thought Kyuubi as he winced.
UNDERWORLD, LOS ANGELES - USA
Hades dodged another knife aimed at his head. The Knife barely missed his blonde hair and embedded itself in a poor skeleton servant's chest. The servant looked up boredly.
" Sorry but I don't work like that no more lady" he drawled as he turned toward a figure in the corner. It was a woman. She had long flowing red hair and a glowing pale skin with a white nightgown that was semi transparent and showed her black underwear and bra. Her beautiful face was contorted in the meanest yet cutest expression she could muster.
" leave" she ordered the skeleton with a vicious tone.
" That I can do," quickly said the skeleton before darting out of the room, the other servants following after him.
" Listen Kushina I..." Started Hades with a fearful expression, " I can explain, there was no other choice..."
" You were accused of stealing a lightning bolt" said Kushina in a frosty tone, " and Instead of manning up and showing up at Olympus to defend yourself, you claim our son and let him be sent on a death quest without my consent"
" I had no choice, I know that Poseidon has it but the old git doesn't want to let me have a look at it, he keeps saying that I'm the one who has it".
" I don't care about whatever the hell is going on between you and you're brothers, I just want to see my baby safe, and I just learned that he fought medusa, MEDUSA, HADES FOR HERA'S SAKE HE'S TWELVE"
" I know that, but I need the bolt" stubbornly said Hades with a determined look. " The conditions here have never been worse, and I need to negotiate a new deal with my brothers but they never listen to me. I need that bolt as a bargaining chip that's all".
Kushina sighed and walked closer to Hades. She hugged him, and smiled when he sighed contentedly, his nose buried in her crimson hair.
" I know you want to do better and take care of your kingdom" she said in a calm voice, " But Naruto is your son, and I don't want him to feel like you're only using him for your goals".
" you know that's not true..."
" Naruto doesn't" cut Kushina in a firm tone. " And first and foremost, I want my son to be safe so I truly hope you made the right choice here..." Her voice got dangerously low and the air felt heavy, " Because if anything happens to him, nothing will protect you from me, nothing". She kissed him on the cheek. " I'm heading upstairs to play golf with Persephone and Grace, you're coming ?" She asked in a sing-song voice.
" In a minute" said Hades with a smile. Kushina walked away, whistling a tune to herself, her previous murdering intentions forgotten.
" Crazy women" muttered Hades with a defeated look. He loved her, but she could be so scary at times, he let her keep her power because he wanted her to be able to protect herself but she was too damn strong he was actually concerned for his own safety.
A skeleton came back in the throne room, he was wearing a general uniform.
" Sir should we inform the ladies of the recent development ?" He asked. Hades eyes widened in fear.
" Absolutely not, I forbid you from even mentioning it. I already have Alecto and her sisters looking for it, I don't need more attention". He ordered the skeleton. The skeleton shrugged, and went back to his duties. Hades let out a frustrated breath and plopped down on his throne. He was already in enough trouble for the quest, he wasn't about to let Kushina know that his Helm of darkness was missing too. That would be suicide.
IN A RANDOM FOREST, NEW JERSEY, USA
" Hey, hey dude wake up".
Naruto's paupieres flapped lazily as the sun invaded his sight.
" Grover ?" he asked while blinking repeatedly, " What time is it ?"
" it's a little past ten, Annabeth is making breakfast, come on".
" Coming, coming" replied Naruto while sitting up. He realized that he was still in the tree he fell asleep in as he watched Grover climb down. He sighed. Kyuubi had kept him awake until around five am, telling him meaningless stories about a war between two clans, the Uchihas and the Senjus, a war that essentially shaped Konoha . Sure the stuff was interesting, but apart from that, it was totally irrelevant to him because he was never going back in that world. Kyuubi told him that Hades paid a great price, to bring his mother's soul and him into this world, and to prevent anyone from crossing on both sides, the fates had forever burned the threads that connected the two worlds.
" Is Percy awake yet ?" asked Naruto to Annabeth who handed him a bag of Doritos cheese flavored and a bottle of water.
" No he's still asleep" she muttered while setting aside a bag of chips and a water bottle for him. " I think he has nightmares..."
" Why do you say that ?" Naruto asked while tearing open his bag of chips. the sweet odor of cheese and jalapenos assaulted his nostrils.
" I've been awake since seven", answered Annabeth while crossing her arms over her chest, " I saw him jerk around a bit and I heard him mutter something about giving something back"
Naruto sighed. That was problematic. Percy must have been having dreams about Hades, his father. It made Naruto a bit mad that his father would visit Percy, but had yet to even give him a sign, but whatever.
" I'll talk to him okay, it's probably stress..."
Annabeth nodded and opened her water bottle to drink.
" Guys you'll never believe what I found" said Grover who suddenly entered their field of vision. they hadn't even noticed his absence. Grover was walking toward them, with something pink in his arms. Naruto's eyes widened. It was a dog, a Poodle to be precise.
" Poor thing" muttered Annabeth while walking toward Grover with a reassuring smile. She took the poodle from his hands and started gushing over it.
"someone has a thing for dogs," thought Naruto with a smile.
" Her name's Gladiola, she ran away from her home, because her owners are a bit freaky, I found her in the forest that way..." Grover pointed back to the direction he came from. He then turned back to Naruto with a wide smile, " Say hi to her"
Naruto looked at Grover as if he was stupid, but in front of Grover's insisting stare, he went and said hi to the creature that was still in Annabeth's hands. The poodle barked in acknowledgement and Naruto shook his head.
" I'll go wake up Percy" he muttered while walking back toward the tree Percy was sleeping under. He crouched and shook his shoulder. Percy stirred but gave no signs of waking up. Annoyed, Naruto grabbed Percy's right foot and yanked it. Hard.
" Ah, let go you snake monster," shouted Percy. He rolled around on the ground a bit before he realized he wasn't being attacked by Medusa.
" Really Percy ? Snake monsters ? That's your fantasy dreaming ?" asked Naruto as he gazed at Percy, a mischievous smile on his face.
" Shut up," mumbled Percy while blushing at the implication, "It wasn't that kind of dream okay ?"
"Whatever," shrugged Naruto with a bored look, " Food is that way and Grover brought a friend". He pointed in the direction he came from and walked the other way to stretch his legs. Percy followed Naruto's directions and came upon Annabeth who threw him the bag of chips and the bottle of water she had set aside for him.
"Nice of you to join us Percy," said Grover with a smile, " Say hi to Gladiola".
FURTHER IN THE FOREST
Naruto had been walking for a few minutes, still trying to sort out the information that Kyuubi had given him. He was still a bit weirded out at the fact that he wasn't from this world but he was slowly coming to terms with it. He could do things that no human or demigod for that matter could do. There were still a lot of things he didn't understand and questions he wanted to ask to the giant fox and of course Grace. She had to have been aware of this, which would explain why she was so reluctant to tell him about his true origins and why she called him Master among other stuff. The next time he would see her he would definitely-
" Watch out !"
The loud warning took him by surprise as his instincts took over and he dove out of the way of a charging boar. Naruto turned around while the boar seemed to gather itself. It was pitch black with four sets of horns on his face. It was enormous for a boar and stood taller than him. Suddenly, an arrow sailed past Naruto and embedded itself in the boar's left eye. it let out a loud shriek and jerked around violently, as some golden liquid poured out of it's wounded eye, creating a contrast between the gold of its blood and the blackness of its fur. Naruto looked around for the assaillant. His eyes stopped on a tree which was about 10 metres away from where he was standing. It was a teenage girl who seemed barely older than him. She had on a short white dress with black tights and was crouching on a tree with an extended leg for support and another arrow in her bow. At that precise moment, the boar who seemed to also notice her, charged her. It was really fast and covered the distance in barely a second but the girl let her arrow fly and it struck dead center on the boar's face. It dissolved in a pile of gold dust, leaving behind it's very impressive skull. The girl quietly jumped down from the three and grabbed the skull with an appraising stare.
" Excuse me what the fuck ?" finally said Naruto who had recovered the ability to talk. Everything had happened so fast he was still unsure if it had even happened at all. The girl finally took notice of him and gazed at him with… contempt. He finally got a chance to see her face. Naruto's breath itched. She was beautiful.
Her auburn hair was tied in a ponytail, revealing her purple eyes. Her clothes did a poor job of covering her toned athletic arms and legs. She had a quiver half filled with arrows on her back and a small knife on her side.
" What do you want, boy," she had made the word sound so repulsive that Naruto instinctively recoiled, as if he had been burnt. She must have had a bad boyfriend or something.
" What do I want ?" asked Naruto, finally getting his wits back, "You're the one who comes around here and starts shooting arrows like you're Legolas or something" he said in the most annoying voice he could conjure. It seemed to work because the frown on the girl's face deepened.
" And that poor creature," continued Naruto while pointing to the spot where the huge boar used to be, "I'm pretty sure it must have been an endangered species, I'm going to report you, you're a danger to wildlife".
Naruto crossed his arms and looked really proud of his statement. Artemis on the other end was speechless. Never in her centuries of existence had a man other than her father or her twin brother dared address her like that. This mortal boy had guts she had to give him that.
'Not going to help him a lot as a jackalope though' she thought while she started chanting the spell in her mind. And he called her a danger to wildlife! She had just saved his life by slaying the Calydonian boar. She should have let it trample him before she slayed it. That would have taught that human to call monsters wildlife. Wait a minute. He had seen the boar. He couldn't have unless he was a human that could see through the mist. Or he could be…
" Are you a demigod ?" she asked while tilting her head to the side. A gesture that Naruto found cute.
" Yeah, why ?" he inquired curiously. If she knew the term then there was no point denying her question. Besides with what she just did, she could be one too.
" Who is your godly parent ?" she asked with narrowed eyes.
" What does that matter to you ?"
" Oh nothing," she said in a nonchalant voice, " I just want to determine who will be mad at me after I'm done turning you into a Jackalope".
Naruto's eyes widened and he was about to retort.
"HERE !" screamed a voice behind him. He turned around just in time to see Grover, Percy and Annabeth come running on the scene, " I knew it, I felt your presence goddess".
" GODDESS !" cried out Naruto and Percy at the same time.
Grover and Annabeth instead bowed to the girl. Grover seemed to be ecstatic, while Annabeth was a bit more subdued.
" What brings you here today, Lady Artemis ?" she asked with a small voice.
Naruto felt his stomach sink to the ground and climb back up to his throat before settling back into place. The man hating goddess. Well if there was a way to go, dissing Artemis was at the top of his list.
Artemis smiled at him. It was predatory.
Artemis took a good look at the demigods before her. The girl looked strong, she would make a fine addition to her hunters, but she seemed to have several ties of loyalty to different male, one of them being the annoying runt she just had an argument with. It was clear that she would not leave her feelings behind if asked to. A shame. She distastefully looked at the Satyr who seemed to be undressing her with his eyes. She did not understand the devotion they had for her. She found it creepy. And finally her eyes settled on the last boy. He had dark hair and green eyes. He had a smell she often found on sea creatures she hunts. The smell of deep ocean waters. This was the son of Poseidon. She knew about the quest for the bolt and she also knew the children of whom were engaged in it. Which meant that boy was the son of Hades.
" You don't look like a son of Hades," she said in a mocking voice. She could not slay him, since the last thing she wanted was beef with the god of the dead. But that didn't mean she couldn't ridicule him a bit.
" Oh yeah ?" Naruto asked, baiting her into insulting him. It would make his comeback a lot sweeter.
" Yeah usually they look a lot less shrimpy" she concluded with a smirk.
Naruto smiled.
" Well I'm sorry to disappoint you goddess but not everyone can choose their appearance like you gods do," he said in a fake sweet tone. Annabeth sensing the disaster coming started shaking her head violently but Naruto ignored her, looking instead at Artemis who's smile had dropped a bit, " But to be honest, if I could make myself younger I would too, I can't even begin to imagine how awful you must look when you're thousands of years old".
Percy wanted to laugh but he had a feeling he was better off not doing it. Annabeth wanted to strangle Naruto and Grover looked worriedly at Artemis whose face had considerably darkened.
" Naruto maybe you should-" Percy didn't get to finish because the full force of an aura hit them. They dropped to their knees, feeling as if they weighed a ton.
"NARUTO APOLOGIZE" screamed Annabeth while struggling to get up.
Stubborn as always, Naruto shook his head.
" She called me a shrimp," he yelled angrily. "Serves her right".
The feeling accentuated as they started to suffocate.
" NARUTO COME ON", pleaded Percy who was turning blue.
Naruto clenched his teeth.
" Alright fine, I'm sorry goddess Artemis, I was rude".
The weight lifted a bit but lingered as if Artemis was expecting more.
"I do not deserve your forgiveness but please spare me and my friends", added Naruto with as much humility he could muster. Artemis was still a goddess and she could end them if she wanted to.
The weight finally lifted completely and they all took deep erratic breaths.
Artemis let out an audible "humph" and crossed her arms.
" So where are you with your quest ?" she finally asked.
Happy New year everyone, I guess it's been a while since I updated anything. Things have been a bit stressful for me lately, I had to move away for college (Like literally change countries lmao) and I've just been trying to find my rhythm and balance classes and other stuff. I guess I'm starting to find it. Anyway, here's a new chapter for you guys to enjoy. I haven't dropped anything and I can't promise it will be soon but I will update my stories.
Lunkman/