NPU4: Battle of the Labyrinth
Chapter 2
Well, that was a decent amount of reactions to my continuation of this story and i am in such a good mood due tot he reaction of Neglect, that i am releasing this chapter early.
Enjoy
The taxi ride back to camp was interesting, if not a little tense. It seemed that with Annabeth conflicting emotions about Percy and Luke, seeing another girl give Percy her number right in front of her was a little much. And naturally the blond demi-god of Athena was pissed at the demi-god of Poseidon. Go figure.
So naturally, she was talking to Percy as little as possible….at least until they got back to camp anyway.
"So…any word on Luke?" Percy asked.
"Nope." Naruto replied from his position between them so they didn't kill each other. Naruto did know that Percy was fishing for a conversation, but with Annabeth in a bad mood, that might not be a good idea.
Also, Percy knew that Luke was a touchy subject to Annabeth, but he didn't want to stay silent. It was so tense with her mad at him. Still, he wanted to know more about the guy since he did survive a fifty foot drop off a cliff. This also led Percy to think back to his conversation to Aphrodite. All this drama with Luke and Rachel, is thiswhat she meant? If so then Aphrodite has really annoying drama tastes.
"Mount Tram is still overrun with monsters," Annabeth spoke up. "I didn't dare go close, but I don't think Luke is up there. I think I would know if he was."
That didn't make Percy feel much better. "What about Grover?"
"He's at camp," she said. "We'll see him today."
"Did he have any luck? I mean, with the search for Pan?" Percy asked.
"You'll see Percy." Naruto replied with a look that was worried and annoyed at the same time while Annabeth fingered her necklace, a sign of her own worry. Now that made Percy nervous.
As they headed through Brooklyn, Percy used Annabeth's phone to call his mom. Half-bloods try not to use cell phones if they could avoid it, because broadcasting their voices is like sending up a flare to the monsters: Here I am! Please eat me now! But Percy figured this call was important. So he left a message on his home voice mail, trying to explain what had happened at Goode. He probably didn't do a very good job as he was in a hurry and he hated explaining things. Percy told his mom he was fine, she shouldn't worry, but he was going to stay at camp until things cooled down. Percy also asked her to tell Paul Blofis he was sorry for skipping out early.
Thankfully, with Rachel's quick thinking and Naruto being there, there was less damage to the school. He had a feeling that if it was just him and Rachel, then things would be a lot worse and he would be in more trouble.
They rode in silence after that. The city melted away until they were off the expressway and rolling through the countryside of northern Long Island, past orchards and wineries and fresh produce stands.
As the taxi exited on Route 25A, Percy wondered if he should call Rachel, as if she would have all the answers. They headed through the woods along the North Shore until a low ridge of hills appeared on their left. Annabeth told the driver to pull over on Farm Road 3.141, at the base of Half-Blood Hill.
The driver frowned. "There ain't nothing here, miss. You sure you want out?"
"Yes, please," Annabeth handed him a roll of mortal cash, and the driver decided not to argue.
The three young demi-god hiked up the hill where the young guardian dragon was dozing, coiled around the pine tree, but he lifted his coppery head as they approached and let Annabeth scratch under his chin. Steam hissed out his nostrils like from a teakettle, and he went cross-eyed with pleasure.
"Hey, Peleus," Annabeth said. "Keeping everything safe?"
"Heh, of course the big guy is. No one wants to mess with a badass dragon." Naruto commented with a smirk. Plus the dragon had grown since Percy had last seen him, so with that information, the dragon would only get bigger and no one would want to mess with a full grown dragon.
Soon, he eyes wandered to the Golden Fleece draped over one of the tree branches, further protecting the camp's magical borders. With the camp so protected by these things, it looked almost peaceful, but that was only a front. Things were subliminally tense as they neared a time of war.
The three kids walked down into the valley and found the summer session in full swing. Most of the campers had arrived last Friday, making Naruto smile at Percy's helpless look as he was already behind in the events of the camp. The satyrs were playing their pipes in the strawberry fields, making the plants grow with woodland magic. Campers were having flying horseback lessons, swooping over the woods on their pegasi. Smoke rose from the forges, and hammers rang as kids made their own weapons for Arts & Crafts. The Athena and Demeter teams were having a chariot race around the track, and over at the canoe lake some kids in a Greek trireme were fighting a large orange sea serpent. A typical day at camp.
"I need to talk to Clarisse," Annabeth said suddenly, making Percy look at her like she had grown a second head. After all, Annabeth and Clarisse weren't the best of friends.
"What for?" Percy asked. He didn't like the girl and she didn't like him. The only reason he tolerated her was because of Naruto.
"We've been working on something," Annabeth said. "I'll see you later."
"Working on what?"
Annabeth glanced toward the forest.
"I'll tell Chiron you're here," she said. "He'll want to talk to you before the hearing."
"What hearing?" Percy asked as she jogged down the path toward the archery field without looking back.
"Ah don't worry about it too much Percy." Naruto said, patting Percy on the shoulder. "She is just pissed that she saw you getting some digits from a pretty red head. I am sure she'll get over it."
"If you say so, but what hearing?" Percy asked once more.
"Eh….I'll let Chiron explain that one, but it is about Grover." Naruto said before he walked away. "Seeya later!"
"Yeah…seeya." Percy replied as he wandered off, wondering what everyone's deal was.
XXX
"You know, I think should have told Percy what was going on." Naruto said as he walked around the forest with Thalia in no apparent direction. They were close enough to where Grover's hearing would be, so they were in no rush. They were just enjoying each others company.
"It is possible, but I think Chiron did say he wanted to personally tell Percy as he took him to Grover's hearing." Thalia said.
"True." Naruto conceded before a smile crept on his face. "So, you think Percy has met Mrs. O' Leary yet?"
"If not, then he will soon. I beat that giant dog will freak him out." Thalia replied with a smile of her own. "Tear had no problem with her though and that is one small hellhound."
"Heh, yeah." Naruto replied as they leaned against a tree with Thalia up against him. While small for a hellhound, Tear had grown somewhat, but she was not going to be that big since she was the runt of the litter. Still, the giant Mrs. O' Leary didn't have a problem with the little dog and they got along great.
As Thalia leaned against her boyfriend, she felt that he was very tense. "Stop thinking about it. I am sure Grover will ok."
"It is not Grover that I am worried about, but those Cloven Elders. My experience with elders is not pleasant and they usually only do things for themselves. They aren't going to believe him because they were already against him. If I have to, I'll kick their asses so that they give Grover a fair trial."
"Amusing but I doubt Chiron will be happy about that." Thalia replied with a knowing smile. She loved her boyfriend for protecting his friends, but he couldn't fight all their battle for them.
"Considering he is surprisingly one of them, yeah no." Naruto replied before he just held the daughter of Zeus as he stared at the serenity of the forest around them. He didn't mind the city all that much now that he lived in this world, but he grew up in a nature based world, so this was great.
Thalia liked the peace the forest. It let her think on things and in addition to ramen, that is what her boyfriend smelled like. "So peaceful." She sighed with a smile.
"Yeah, that is something great about the forest." Naruto said before he pulled out a necklace. It was a chain necklace with a little white lightning bolt at the end. It was made of diamond and celestial bronze. "Here…I made this for you if you ever can't get to your spear and shield."
Thalia blinked before taking the item with a smile. "Thanks." She said with a small smirk. "First present my boyfriend gets me is a possible weapon, take that normal girls."
"Oh ha ha." Naruto said, rolling his eyes.
"I mean it. Thank you Naruto, I love it." Thalia said as she handed it to Naruto so that he could put it around her neck. "So…what kind of weapon is it?"
"Oh just something I had wiped up. I modeled it after a blade back home called the Rajin Blade. I asked Zeus nicely to add some of his power into it and he agreed….mostly so you have a better means of protecting yourself. Still doesn't seem to like me though."
Thalia rolled her eyes. "Of course he doesn't, your dating me. Plus, you stood up to him AND you called his Master Bolt his Toy of Mass Destruction."
"Eh, semantics." Naruto replied, brushing it off. "Anyway, the handle is like the original, but it can be any weapon you desire. Still have given it a name, but I am sure you will think of something." Naruto paused for a moment and then said, "It is a work of art….well, if creating things that aid in killing other things is considered art anyway. Still, I had Beckendorf and Tyson help me out with it. Percy's brother is pretty good at that stuff, but it is still comical that Tyson is afraid of Grover."
Thalia laughed at that. "That is funny." She said with a smile before rounding on Naruto. "So how should I thank you for this gift, hmmm?"
Naruto smiled warmly at her, making the girl blush. "A simple thank you will do."
Thalia laid her neck on his shoulder, at the crook of his neck. "That's another thing I like about you. Always giving to your friends and never really expecting much in return." She said before she looked back up at him with a strange smile. "But this time will be different."
"Oh? What do you have in mind?" Naruto asked, completely oblivious.
She leaned up to his ear and said, "We could…disturb the peace and quiet of these woods."
"Wait wha-mhp!" Naruto asked before she assaulted his lips with her own.
(Put the Lime in the Coconut!)
In her heated passion of the moment, she subconsciously released some of her lightning through him, sending his hair on head and making him and her a little more sensitive to things.
Thalia moaned into the kiss as Naruto brought his tongue into the action as she ran her hands through his hair. Naruto then put his hand on her hips and rubbed them up and down.
It became a lot more heated when they switched positions and Thalia was pressed up against the tree. She moaned even louder when Naruto started groping her developing breasts and she brought her legs around his waist.
She was also unknowingly releasing a little more lightning between them, making things little more heated as the electricity coursed through ever cell of their body, making them forget everything else by the heat of the moment.
However, what woke her up was a certain someone's third leg, poking at her through their clothes and the way he was grinding it against her was really turning her on. Still, she didn't know if she was ready for that just yet and had to stop this soon.
Reluctantly breaking away from the kiss they were sharing, she brought her mouth next to his ear and said, "I may not be ready for that yet, but I would mind doing something else."
Regaining his senses as Thalia unwrapped herself from around his waist, he said, "What do you have in mind? It has to be quick or we'll be late for Grover's Hearing."
Thalia smirked. For being a descendent of Aphrodite, he wasn't that well versed in sex, but managed to charm 4 girls to his side. Oh well, that made things interesting as she kissed him and then lowered herself to her knees so that she was eye level with his waist.
"W-what are you doing?!" Naruto asked with big eyes.
"Relax." Thalia said kindly as she unzipped him and brought her prize out. Her own eyes widened when she saw big it was. She felt it before but sees is better than feeling in some instances.
When she gripped it, she sent another shock through his system, if possible, making it a little bigger. It hurt Naruto at first, but he started to like it, especially after she started to lick the top before taking some of it in her mouth.
"W-wow." Naruto breathed as he leaned back against the tree in a slight daze. "Amazing!"
Thalia smirked at the effect she was having on him. Take it out of her mouth, she licked along the shaft while saying, "Just think what it would be like what I am ready for the more…sensual acts of loving making." She then took it back in her mouth, taking in a little than last time as she began to bob her head up and down, the pleasurable sensations heightening with every stroke.
Since it was his first time in this kind of situation, he didn't last very long. Soon, he felt he was going explode from the sensations, so he grunted and held on her hair, making the girl smirk as she released it from her mouth so she would choke and lightly bit at the end of it, making Naruto shoot his cum in her mouth.
Thalia licked the excess cum of her lips and swallowed it all, after making sure Naruto had a good look that is.
(The lime juice has run out!)
Thalia smirked at his dazed look and asked, "So how was it?"
"Awesome." Naruto said with a big smile on his face.
"Good," Thalia replied with her hands on her hips before she leaned in for another kiss. "Later, we can do, other things….especially with the other girls." She laughed at Naruto's big eyed look. "But first, we need to get to Grover."
"Oh right!" Naruto said, panicking that that might be late, so he took her hand and they ran to Grover's hearing, all the while Thalia was laughing.
XXX
They made it just in time to see that Grover was in the middle of explaining himself to the Elders and Chiron was not ever there yet.
"What took you two so long?" Clarisse asked with an annoyed look on her face as Annabeth was soothing a girl that they knew to be Grover's girlfriend. The girl was small, almost petite, with wispy hair the color of amber and a pretty, elfish face. She wore a green chiton and laced sandals, and she was dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief every now and then, knowing that the elders didn't reallt care about what Grover had to say as they had already made up their minds. Her name was Juniper.
They knew this girl to be a tree nymph, also known as a Dryad.
"Eh…what you believe me if I told you that we got lost on the road of life?" Naruto asked in a hashed tone.
"No, that excuse is bullshit." Clarisse hissed, knowing where he got that line from.
"Right," Naruto replied. "We just lost track of time enjoying the beauty of the forest."
Clarisse accepted that line due to the fact that Naruto loved the forest. He was a big nature fanatic after all.
Naruto turned to the council of Cloven Elders to see that they were barely even listening! They were fat satyrs that wore Hawaiian and Polo shirts and they looked they were a mix of bored out of their mind and highly annoyed at having to speak with Grover. It reminded him of the councilors of Konoha, except without the hate in their eyes. But they also had high and mighty looks on their faces as they sat on their topiary thrones shaped out of rose bushes.
Soon, when Grover was nearing the end of his story, Chiron arrived on the scene with Percy on his back. The demi-god of Poseidon did look a little rattled, which meant they he had met Mrs. O' Leary and the new camp counselor.
Clarisse's brown hair was tied back with a camouflage bandanna and to Percy, she looked a little buffer. She looked at Percy and muttered, "Punk." as a greeting. Percy just looked relieved that she wasn't trying to kill him like usual
"It's going terribly," Juniper sniffed, catching Percy's attention.
"No, no," Annabeth patted her shoulders. "He'll be fine, Juniper." Annabeth looked at Percy and mouthed the words Grover's girlfriend. Now that was news to him and that made his eyebrows rise a bit, wondering when Grover even got a girlfriend.
"Master Underwood!" the council member on the right shouted, cutting off whatever Grover was trying to say. "Do you seriously expect us to believe this?"
"B-but Silenus," Grover stammered. "It's the truth!"
The Council guy, Silenus, turned to his colleagues and muttered something. Chiron cantered up to the front and stood next to them, making Percy remember that Chiron was an honorary member of that council.
Silenus tugged his yellow polo shirt over his belly and adjusted himself on his rosebush throne. "Master Underwood, for six months—six months— we have been hearing these scandalous claims that you heard the wild god Pan speak."
"But I did!"
"Impudence!" said the elder on the left.
"Now, Maron," Chiron said. "Patience."
"Patience, indeed!" Maron said. "I've had it up to my horns with this nonsense. As if the wild god would speak to…to him."
Juniper looked like she wanted to charge the old satyr and beat him up. Naruto looked the same. It might not have been like back in Konoha, but these elders had already given up in their search for Pan. To them it was just something to do and when someone like Grover showed evidence that their god was alive, they just brushed it since they didn't want to actually lose their new found power. However, Annabeth, Thalia, and Clarisse held them back, making Percy widen his eyes seeing that Clarisse was in that line up.
"Wrong fight, girlie, Naruto," Clarisse muttered. "Wait."
"For six months," Silenus continued, "we have indulged you, Master Underwood. We let you travel. We allowed you to keep your searcher's license. We waited for you to bring proof of your preposterous claim. And what have you found in six months of travel?"
"I just need more time," Grover pleaded.
"Nothing!" the elder in the middle chimed in. "You have found nothing."
"But, Leneus—"
Silenus raised his hand. Chiron leaned in and said something to the satyrs. The satyrs didn't look happy. They muttered and argued among themselves, but Chiron said something else, and Silenus sighed. He nodded reluctantly.
"Master Underwood," Silenus announced, "we will give you one more chance."
Grover brightened. "Thank you!"
"One more week."
"What? But sir! That's impossible!"
"One more week, Master Underwood. And then, if you cannot prove your claims, it will be time for you to pursue another career. Something to suit your dramatic talents. Puppet theater, perhaps. Or tap dancing."
"But sir, I—I can't lose my searcher's license. My whole life—"
"This meeting of the council is adjourned," Silenus said. "And now let us enjoy our noonday meal!"
The old satyr clapped his hands, and a bunch of nymphs melted out of the trees with platters of vegetables, fruits, tin cans, and other goat delicacies. The circle of satyrs broke and charged the food. Grover walked dejectedly toward us. His faded blue T-shirt had a picture of a satyr on it. It read GOT HOOVES?
"Hi, Percy," he said, so depressed he didn't even offer to shake Percy's hand. "That went well, huh?"
"Those old goats!" Juniper said. "Oh, Grover, they don't know how hard you've tried!"
"Feh, they already gave up, so they just don't care and to think someone young like Grover actually found something, it hurts their pride." Naruto grumbled.
"There is another option," Clarisse said darkly, making Thalia smirk.
"No. No." Juniper shook her head. "Grover, I won't let you."
His face was ashen. "I—I'll have to think about it. But we don't even know where to look."
"What are you talking about?" Percy asked.
In the distance, a conch horn sounded.
Annabeth pursed her lips. "Come on, Naruto and I fill you in later, Percy. We'd better get back to our cabins. Inspection is starting."
"Oh crap! Those clones better not have been screwing around!' Naruto yelled in a panic as he ran to his cabin, making the others stare at his retreating form before laughing.
XXX
Naruto arrived at his cabin in record time. On his porch, were a couple of his shadow clones that he dismissed, seeing that they had that part cleaned enough. Walking into the place, he saw a mess of clones and for that, he couldn't see how they were doing, so he made the mistake of dispelling them all at once.
The mental feedback knocked him on his ass in a daze. Thankfully it didn't last long. Looking around, he saw what his clones have confirmed; they succeeded in making the cabin spotless. Now, he may not have slept here that much, mostly sleeping in the Aphrodite cabin, but it was still his cabin to deal with and he would not lose!
He had learned a lot while bunking with Silena. One, she was a neat freak, which as was fine and all, but there were limits to that and two was that she hated barren walls. So, on his walls were pictures of him and his friends, posters of Disney characters that he liked, and some posters of games he sometimes played. There were even some of his world's weapons he propped up on the wall after making them with the help of Beckendorf.
All in all, the inside of the spooky Hades Cabin was not what you would think it would be. After all, looks can be very deceiving.
"Knock Knock!" A sing song voice rang throughout the cabin, signifying that Silena had arrived.
"Hey Silena…again." Naruto replied with a goofy smile at seeing her earlier that day.
"Hey Naruto, I see that you heeded my warning about a dirty cabin. I must say that everything in here is defiantly…you." She said with a slight giggle at see a genie poster. "I like it. I like it a lot."
"Why thank you. I aim to please." Naruto replied with an exaggerated bow.
"Oh I know you do." Silena with a sultry look as she sauntered up to him and the whispered in his ear. "If I give you first place, would the same apply for the shower we would share?"
That sent a shiver of excitement down Naruto's spine. He was just getting into all this…sex stuff and Thalia's blowjob was amazing, but what could one do in a shower? "Oh you know it." Naruto replied, so he wouldn't have to think on it to much.
Silena's smile grew at that before she planted a kiss on his lips and then left with a sway on her hips. "Good, see you later lover boy.
"Yeah…seeya…." Naruto said a bit distracted as he watched her go. When she was gone, he snapped out of it. "Wow, these girls are getting to me. But can't think on that, Tyson is bring Percy down to the arena for his surprise. Gotta get there."
XXX
When Naruto got to the arena, he saw the new camp councilor petting an extremely happy Tear. Of course the little hellhound would be happy to get attention, she was like that after all and it is why her and Naruto got along so well. The little god from hell was also happy to see another of her kind that didn't have a problem with her.
Still, it was ironic that said dog was a giant among hellhounds.
"Hey, Quintus, how's things?"
"Hectic, but things are starting to go smoothly now that I know what to do here. I thank you for helping me." Quintus replied with a small smile. Quintus was like them, a demi-god, but he had managed to live long enough to become an adult, which shocked many thinking that they would die at a young age. Quintus proved that living to adulthood was possible.
Although, the man was very mysterious and others didn't fully trust him for that since he tended to keep to himself. Naruto, didn't really care about it all that much. Sure the mystery bother him, especially when it bothered Chiron to a point, but Naruto could live with it since he was a ninja and keeping secrets was their thing…even if he didn't always follow that rule.
"I was surprised that you had a hell hound too, but considering who's kid you are, I shouldn't be." Quintus stated as Tear ran up to Naruto
"Hey girl, how ya been? Not giving Mrs. O' Leary much trouble?" Naruto asked as he pet the little dog and then placed her on his shoulder where she liked to be. Tear would never really grow much and that was ok with him. After all, big things come in small packages.
"So what are you doing here, Naruto?" Quintus asked.
"Wait for Percy and Tyson. We had another blade forged for him incase he ever needed it when Riptide ever decided it was going to crap out on him again like back at Mount Tram."
"I see." Quintus stated. He had heard about that little venture to the old Titan stronghold and he was not all that surprised. What did surprise him was Naruto defying the prophecy and saving a Hunter. Zoe Nightshade if he remembered correctly. "That was a good idea then. What did you model it after?"
Naruto took out a silver clicking pen and said, "After one of my first enemies in the Elemental Countries, the man was my first true enemy, but he taught me a lot that day."
Quintus just nodded at that. He had heard about the Elemental Countries in passing from some of the Olympian Gods and Goddesses that went there. People like him could go there because of one thing. He was bound to this world for his mistakes in the past.
Plus, if the Olympians wanted to go to that world, they would be gone for three years this world's time and they would have to follow the rules set by the Gods of that other world. Which meant they would have to reborn as a human, but they would keep their powers in the form of a bloodline, or just start anew. But demi-gods were still born there, you can't get rid of godhood that easily.
He had heard of other types of deities going there, like Nyx and Aphrodite. It was a mystery as to why Nyx would even bother to do there, but for Aphrodite, it was pretty simple. She had a thing for strong men playing the part of a warrior.
For Hades, it was to see a new take on life. People knew he had gotten tired of the rumors surrounding him and wanted another chance. It worked out very well for him in the end.
There were even rumors that Hera herself wanted to try it, but her oath to stay with her husband, no matter how unfaith he was, made her stay.
It was the same for the gods of the other world. But the Eclipse was the bridge for free travel between worlds and it was coming soon. Quintus felt that something big was going to happen that day and Naruto would be at the center of it all.
"Naruto! We are here!" Tyson's voice rang out, catching both Naruto and Quintus' attention.
"Thank you, Tyson." Naruto replied with a smile before turned to Percy.
The young demi-god of Poseidon was very confused. After doing a few things with his brother, Tyson suddenly remembered that Naruto wanted to bring him to the arena and that was all he got out of the bigger boy.
'Ok, since Tyson is not telling me anything, what do you need Naruto." Percy asked, a little confused and annoyed.
Naruto smiled as he tossed the silver pen to Percy. When Percy caught it, the boy just rose an eyebrow. "This is a pen."
"So is Riptide." Naruto replied. "Click it and see your new blade."
That made Percy's eyebrows shoot past his hairline. Naruto had mentioned last time that he was going to make him a new blade, but he didn't think it was going to be that quick. So he clicked the pen, making it morph into a miniature version of the famous Executioner's Blade that a man named Zabuza once held.
"I call it Wave's Requiem." Naruto said with a small smile. "As you can see I modeled it after Zabuza's blade. However, the powers it possesses are very helpful to you."
"Wow Naruto, this is beautiful….and deadly. Thank you man!" Percy shouted with stars in his eyes at getting a new and awesome blade. Tyson seemed to have gotten bored and was playing with Mrs. O' Leary, who were playing Get the Greek. Quintus was staring at the blade with interest.
"Yeah, now the powers they blade possesses are that they let you control water to a better extent, as if aiding your already impressive control over water. If you use that power, it can create a mist to hide yourself in, confusing your ememy, but you will be able to see through it perfectly. Thank you dad for that, he blessed the blade. Oh and one more power is that if you want to dish out heavy hits, it can turn into the original's size, but you might to bulk up for that….or use it smartly."
"Now that is awesome, thank you again man!" Percy said truthfully. He knew why Naruto had made this blade. Riptide was cursed. If there was ever a situation that was in dire need of that blade, it would fail him. Wave's Requiem had no such curse on it.
"Come, let's practice. Quintus can give us some tips when we need it." Naruto suggested, making Percy and Quintus nod in agreement.
That was when Percy saw something on Quintus that made his ADHD act up and he blurted out, "Hey, what is that mark?"
Quintus paled a little as he put his hand over it. It looked like a tattoo at first, but Naruto saw that it was a burn mark…a brand of sorts. "A reminder…" He said simply. "Now get on with your practice."
XXX
That night, Naruto decided to sleep in his own cabin. He hadn't been able to sleep that well since Nico left. He was worried about his little brother after all. That thought led him to think about his sister and he wondered how she was doing in the underworld.
He didn't even notice the shimmer in the air next to him until it was too late.
"NARUTO!"
"WHA!" Naruto said as he fell off his bed on and on his floor. Getting back up, he saw his sister heads floating in midair with a dark background. "So that is what the receiving end is like." Naruto muttered before he smiled at his sister. "Hey Bianca, I was just thinking about you."
Bianca smiled back at her older brother. Technically she was older, but when she thought about it, it just made her head hurt, so she called him the older one. I felt right that way. "Hey big bro."
"To what due I assume this call is about?" Naruto asked.
"I wanted to see how my brother was, you have called me in a week!" Bianca said. "But I have something to tell you. There is a ritual that we of the Children of Hade can do to summon a spirit of the dead to speak with them, but for us, we can use it to speak to each other over long distances….like right now if I wasn't using an Iris Message. Nico tried using it and failed. He is trying to talk to my spirit. However, even if he reaches me, I doubt he will listen to me."
"I see. Why Are you tell me this?"
"I am getting the feeling something big is about to happen and there will be another quest and you will run into each other. I think then you will need to get him back on our side. Plus, I am not sure he is alone." Bianca replied with a worried tone.
"Yeah, you're probably right. I'll get him back Bianca, I promise."
Bianca smiled at that. Whenever Naruto promised something, he always did it. "Thank you big brother….and get some sleep for me."
"Right…" Naruto said as the Iris Message disappear. He was tired, but he was worried too and then often led to nightmares. But for his sister, he would try.
XXX
For half-bloods, dreams are hardly ever just dreams. They get messages. They glimpse things that are happening to their friends or enemies. Sometimes they even glimpse the past or the future. And at camp, the dreams were always more frequent and vivid.
Tonight, Moprheus the Dream God decided to present a dream of the present time about his little brother.
As the dream haze faded away, Naruto saw the dark shore of a river. Wisps of fog drifting across black water. The beach was strewn with jagged volcanic rock. A boy squatted at the riverbank, tending a campfire. The flames burned an unnatural blue color. Then Naruto saw the boy's face. It was Nico di Angelo. He was throwing pieces of paper into the fire—Mythomagic trading cards, part of the game he'd been obsessed with last winter.
Nico was only ten, or maybe eleven by now, but he looked older. His hair had grown longer. It was shaggy and almost touching his shoulders. His eyes were dark. His olive skin had turned paler. He wore ripped black jeans and a battered aviator's jacket that was several sizes too big, unzipped over a black shirt. His face was grimy, his eyes a little wild. He looked like a kid who'd been living on the streets.
Naruto want to reach out to the boy, but knowing this was a dream and window to only look through, Naruto looked on sadly at the sad state his brother was in.
Nico tossed another trading card into the blue flames. "Useless," he muttered. "I can't believe I ever liked this stuff."
"A childish game, master," another voice agreed. It seemed to come from near the fire, but Naruto couldn't see who was talking.
Nico stared across the river. On the far shore was a black beach shrouded in haze. Naruto recognized it: the Underworld. Nico was camping at the edge of the river Styx. That lead Naruto think of where their sister was or if she even knew the boy was in the Underworld.
"I've failed," he muttered. "There's no way to get her back."
The other voice kept silent.
Nico turned toward it doubtfully. "Is there? Speak."
Something shimmered. Naruto thought it was just firelight. Then he realized it was the form of a man—a wisp of blue smoke, a shadow. If you looked at him head-on, he wasn't there. But if you looked out of the corner of your eye, you could make out his shape. A ghost.
"It has never been done," the ghost said. "But there may be a way."
"Tell me," Nico commanded. His eyes shined with a fierce light.
"An exchange," the ghost said. "A soul for a soul."
"I've offered!"
"Not yours," the ghost said. "You cannot offer your father a soul he will eventually collect anyway. Nor will he be anxious for the death of his son. I mean a soul that should have died already. Someone who has cheated death."
Nico's face darkened. "Not that again. You're talking about murder."
"I'm talking about justice," the ghost said. "Vengeance."
"Those are not the same thing."
The ghost laughed dryly. "You will learn differently as you get older."
Nico stared at the flames. "Why can't I at least summon her? I want to talk to her. She would…she would help me."
"I will help you," the ghost promised. "Have I not saved you many times? Did I not lead you through the maze and teach you to use your powers? Do you want revenge for your sister or not?"
Naruto didn't like the ghost's tone of voice. He reminded him of Mizuki. That man and lead him to steal the Forbidden Scroll, which lead half the village after his ass. However, all Mizuki wanted was a chance to escape with the scroll so he could sell it to Orochimaru. Plus, there was bonus of killing him so that even if he left, Mizuki would be seen as a hero. This ghost was manipulating Nico and Naruto didn't like it. Not one bit!
Nico turned from the fire so the ghost couldn't see him, but Naruto could. A tear traced its way down his face. "Very well. You have a plan?"
"Oh, yes," the ghost said, sounding quite pleased. "We have many dark roads to travel. We must start—"
However, that was all Naruto was able to see before he woke up. Naruto's blue eyes pierced through the darkness in anger. "Whoever this ghost is…I will make sure they pay for manipulating my little brother!"
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And that is the end of that chapter. Now excuse me while i go and finish the next chapter of this and Grim Reaper. But i do have a question, what should Thalia's weapon be called?
Review!