Reading: Sun's Heir, Death's Guardian II: A Hero's Peril
XX
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
"So...that sucks," said Nico as he, Annabeth and Percy continued down their chosen path to Hephaestus' favored workshop at Mount St. Helens.
Zeus rubbed his face. "Why were you allowed a forge there to begin with?"
"You said I could have it."
The god king just groaned at this as his siblings got a quick laugh out of it.
They once again followed the quick and nimble little metal spider, much to Annabeth's dismay, but had hit a crossroads with a tunnel that looked like an entryway to a fairy tale.
Percy smirked at this.
Grover and Tyson had split off, Grover smelling something that told him Pan was in the tunnel's direction
Hermes smiled. "Finally."
and Tyson, wanting to prove Hephaestus wrong about trusting, went with him.
The smith just grunted at this, which made Leo frown a little.
"Shut up, Nico." Annabeth had never been more distraught. She had let the two split off for the group while trying to stay true to her plan. Keeping her group together was the largest part of that plan.
"And down there, that was a big issue." Annabeth nodded to her other
Without any heroics – that was hard to keep Percy from doing, she noted
"Well, duh." Drawled everyone, much to Percy's chagrin.
– she'd be among the few to bring back a fully intact group from a quest. Percy and Naruto were both on that list
"Seriously?" Percy blinked as Annabeth gave him a dull glare.
"Yes."
"But we know it was really luck on his first one, right?" Nico pointed out.
"…Shut up corpse breath."
Nico just smiled widely.
and, no offense to her friend or brother, they were both kind of idiots.
"Hurtful." Percy looked at his girlfriend with a pout.
Annabeth just gave him a sheepish smile, "Sorry."
If they could manage it, so could she...or so she thought.
"That must suck." Nico said, getting a stormy glare from the girl.
"We're losing the spider, lets go," said Percy, trying to shake Annabeth from her depressing thoughts. They continued to run, Annabeth stumbling as her mind continued to race miles ahead of her, dashing to different strands of thoughts in the only way a child of Athena could.
"So many subsections." Percy teased lightly, getting her girlfriend to turn pink in her cheeks.
"Oh be quiet." She mumbled, but Percy just gave her a half hug.
These were costing them time and Nico turned to look at her, catching sight of her unease.
"Percy didn't notice first? For shame."
"Shut up hunter girl." The raven haired boy frowned.
"Hey are you all right?" Nico asked. "Annabeth!"
That certainly snapped her from her thoughts and she responded with the distracted "What?"
"Annabeth Chase?" Percy questioned to Thalia.
"Distracted?" the hunter continued with a smile.
"Ha. Ha." Annabeth said with a mock laugh and crossed her arms. She was a thinker, it happened!
"You're distracted," said Nico.
"And he points out the obvious, well, the obvious that Percy failed to notice."
"Stupid girl scout." Percy muttered.
"Girl-What?!" Thalia glowered, hearing him.
Percy just gave her a mocking smile and said no more.
The spider seemed to have slowed down a bit, it was staying in sight for once, relieving the demigods greatly from their run.
"For the plot of course." Apollo nodded.
"Sorry," said Annabeth. She was still a bit distracted. "Just-just thinking about the prophecy."
"Yeah, that was a scary one for me." Annabeth admitted with no shame.
"I know." Percy nodded, giving her a half-hug in assurance.
"What part of it?" Percy asked as they continued to follow the small spider. He had been focused on a part of the prophecy himself during his first quest, the part about his mother.
"Like you wouldn't believe." Percy sighed out. Annabeth just rubbed his shoulder comfortingly.
"The last line," said Annabeth, her face twisted into a frown as she continued to think about it.
"Drama~!" Aphrodite said in glee, on the edge of her throne.
And lose a love to a fate worse than death. Percy thought,
The people who knew him, sighed out for Luke, such a terrible fate indeed.
a small unpleasant pain forming in his chest.
"Of course he would." Thalia smirked at him, getting the water boy to frown at her.
"Shut up." He muttered, it was a tough time for him, okay?
"That Luke guy, right?" Nico asked.
"Ooh, go Nico, bring in the cause." Aphrodite smiled, "Let's see the effect."
"And Naruto," said Annabeth, distracted.
You could hear a pin drop. It was broken by Aphrodite who was squealing in glee as eyes turned to the now fire red Annabeth.
"W-What?!" she sputtered out.
"Oh this is going to be amazing~!" the love goddess grinned wildly.
She slapped a hand over her mouth while the two dark-haired boys came to a dead stop in surprise.
"And she tries to cover it up! Annabeth, dear, just admit those feelings."
"Please stop talking." The blonde begged the love goddess. That smile told her otherwise sadly.
Stopping herself, Annabeth quickly turned to the two boys with pink cheeks. "I-I mean he's my brother, right? I'm just worried about him on his quest."
"Sure." Drawled everyone as Percy when to brooding level eleven.
"...You have a crush on him, don't you?" Nico asked
The lady of doves turned to the son of death, "Nico di Angelo, I could kiss you."
"Please don't." the fourteen year old said with discomfort.
in child-like innocence that she forgot he had,
"Where did that go, anyway?" Percy asked jokingly.
"Shut up. Now."
since he was still eleven but acted so much older since his return from the Underworld.
"The place tends to do that." Nico pointed out.
Annabeth's cheeks turned a bit darker
"It's true!"
Annabeth just wanted to die right now, damn love goddess.
and Percy felt as though he had been sucker punched in the gut.
"I think it might be a bit lower." Ares snickered out as Percy glared heatedly at him.
"Got something to say to the class, Jackson?"
Percy turned forward, not giving the war god the satisfaction of his reaction. But still, this was getting even more complicated for his other. Hero's Peril, indeed.
"No!" said Annabeth, her face burning as she denied it.
"Oh, she reacts so readily." Hazel said in amusement.
"Shut up, Hazel."
"He's-he's my brother and I care about him, okay? Sibling love counts."
"Sibling love does count, we've all done it." Poseidon said as the gods turned their heads away as the demigods blanched a little.
Nico thought she was just making up excuses,
"Wow, even Nico is calling you out on it."
"Shut up Thalia!"
but shrugged it off. She had a point, he loved Bianca and was worried about her.
"Boo." The love goddess pouted, the boy was on a roll!
Plus, he was eleven. What does he know about this stuff?
"Double boo."
"Oh grow up, Aphrodite."
"I have, unlike you, little miss huntress."
Artemis glared at her strongly for that.
Percy, however, didn't know what to think except that he wasn't exactly a fan of Naruto at the moment.
"Understatement."
"Really? Percy, this is another dimension."
"It's the principle of the matter." The son of the retorted to Frank, rather strongly in fact.
Annabeth had a crush on Luke and Naruto?
"It's the blond hair." Apollo smiled.
"No, those blue eyes." Hermes added with a chuckle.
"Or both." Aphrodite smirked, blonds were all the rage right now, after all. Annabeth just hid her face in her palms, trying to not show anyone how red it was.
It was like he had no chance.
"Not true." Percy argued, he so had a chance, a very good chance! Don't let that blond pretty boy beat you!
He sighed softly, Aphrodite did say his love life was going to be complicated –because she "liked" him
"And I still do."
"Thanks." Was Percy's dry retort.
"Oh no, no thanks needed~"
– so maybe this was what she meant, not getting Annabeth to like him like he did her.
"Oh, so he knows about his feelings for you." The love goddess gushed with her hands on her cheeks in glee, "Yet says nothing, the drama~!"
Artemis groaned, could an no one shut her up?!
Well, there was that old saying "there's other fish in the sea."
Poseidon smiled a little at the phrase, but still frowned at how his son was giving up so soon. Percy was too.
...Didn't mean it didn't cut deep, though.
"Right in the gut…or the crotch?"
"Fuck you, Ares."
"Perseus Jackson." Hestia frowned strongly at the boy.
"Sorry Aunt Hestia."
Hestia turned to Ares, giving him a warning glare. The war god sighed and nodded, getting the goddess of the hearth to smile as she continued reading.
"So, anyway," said Annabeth, eager to change the subject,
"No doubt."
"Thalia!" Annabeth whined at her friend with a pout. The hunter just smirked, this was too good not to rag on her.
"Um, Nico. I don't want to say this but-"
"Whoa, hold your horses," said Nico to the older girl. "If you even think about telling me to leave I'm going to say one thing: Sphinx. Without me, you'd never have killed it."
"So true." The boy smirked as the blonde pouted at this fact.
"I wasn't going to ask you to leave," she said. Annabeth begrudgingly acknowledged that fact,
"Amazing." Poseidon said in mock awe, getting Athena to glare at him.
though it irked her a bit.
"No doubt on that, such Hubris." Nico mocked, just a bit.
"Shut up, zombie boy."
"Bra-a-ains."
She shook it off as best she could and recomposed herself.
"Must be hard."
"…I hate you, McLean."
"Aw, but I love you Annabeth." Piper chuckled lightly.
"What I was going to say was that I want you to go ahead and get a peek at what the spider is going to deal with."
"You really have a handle on that," the boy's father commented on, some pride in his tone as Nico smiled at that.
"Oh. Well, sure, yeah. Give me a few minutes," said Nico before he turned and walked into the shadows, melding with them and vanishing from view.
"...Okay, that's cool," said Percy with a bit of jealousy in his tone. "Wish I could teleport..."
"Can't always get what you want." Apollo sang out, but stopped after getting a slap to the arm by his sister.
"Yeah, but we've got to work with what we've got," said Annabeth. "C'mon, we should at least keep walking so that we don't fall too far behind Nico and the...machine."
Poseidon snickered a little, "At least call it what it is."
"A machine." Annabeth said firmly, getting a few laughs as she pouted at being mocked at. Stupid spiders. Stupid fear.
Percy smiled lightly at the choice of her words, finding a bit of amusement in it.
Annabeth looked at her boyfriend, betrayed.
"It is a little funny." He pointed out.
Annabeth snuggled into his side, "You're lucky you're cute."
Percy smirked at that, yeah, he knew that.
They continued to walk, Percy content with the silence and it just being the two of them.
"Of course he is." The lady of doves cooed.
Well, content was a bit of a stretch. He was okay with it, but he also wanted to ask Annabeth if she really did have a crush on Naruto.
Hermes winced, yeah, that was awkward for sure.
It was one of those questions he wanted to know the answer to and yet didn't.
"The best kind." Aphrodite assured the boy.
"Listen Percy, I...Thanks," said Annabeth, breaking the silence. "Thanks for sticking with me through all this, it means a lot."
"Yes, moment time." Percy smiled at Annabeth, who gave one back.
"Hey, I told you earlier that it wasn't a problem," said Percy, relieved that she started the conversation.
"No doubt."
"Shut up Leo."
"We don't know what we're doing half the time and we turn out fine."
"True." Athena said with a pensive look, she didn't like her daughter just bumbling around with only luck saving her at times. It was a terrible way to quest.
Annabeth smiled at him and he grinned back. Percy had already forgotten about the earlier conversation and Annabeth, well, she was thinking about how Percy was a good friend.
"Or something more~" the lady of love smirked, oh this drama was so delicious.
She began to open her mouth to say something, but it was lost as Nico reappeared in front of them with a swirl of darkness.
"Dammit Nico!" Percy shouted at the boy.
Nico just smirked at him, "I try, really, I do." He answered as Percy fumed at the lose moment.
"Hey, I found the forge!" Nico said while the two demigods jumped where they stood.
"Like grasshoppers."
"Shut up Leo." The couple told the boy as one.
"…That was freaky." The fire user said.
"You get used to it." Nico waved him off.
He grinned at their glares. "What? Did I scare you?"
"No/Yes." The couple and Nico said together.
"Now that is really weird." Leo muttered to himself.
"No," said Percy, who was a bit miffed that the moment was ruined.
"Little jerk."
"I revel in your hate, Percy." Nico smirked at him.
That and his heart was racing about ten times faster than before.
"So I did scare you."
"Stupid cousin." The son of the sea muttered.
"Can you lead us there?" Annabeth asked.
"Sure thing," said Nico with a nod. "Found a good shortcut."
"You certainly got used to that shadow travel fast," said Annabeth.
"Why thank you." Nico smiled at the praise.
"I was talking to younger, non-emo you, Nico."
"Still me though."
Nico grinned sheepishly. "Well, don't tell my dad but I had a little bit of help.
"From who?" Hades asked and Nico shrugged.
"Maybe Midos?" he suggested with a look of distaste.
"I would certainly hope not." The god murmured, honestly, to try and use his child. The nerve!
Bianca was so good at swordplay that, y'know, I wanted to impress him too."
"So, Bianca is even better with a sword then the other you?" Percy blinked in surprise, "Wow."
"Maybe she's even better then you." Nico pointed out with an amused look. Percy looked like he disagreed completely.
"That's understandable," said Annabeth with a nod. Percy just shrugged in agreement. He didn't know what it was like to be the younger sibling
"True, you don't." Annabeth said, "We have to prove our worth at times. It's frustrating."
"I feel for you." Nico nodded, taking a glance at his father.
...not counting Naruto's teasing and/or training. The thought of the whiskered blond made Percy frown a bit, before shunting those feelings aside.
"You'll just have to deal with them later." Aphrodite commented coyly.
Percy ran a hand through his hair, great just great.
Unfortunately, he'd have a bit of a problem with forgetting Annabeth's comment because of Nico's next question.
"Dammit Nico."
The boy just snickered.
"So what do you think Naruto's doing right now?" he asked.
"Probably driving Thalia up the wall," said Annabeth with a smirk.
"Hey!"
"All's fair in this game Thalia, learn to deal with it." The blonde said with cheek.
Thalia clicked her tongue, and she was finally off the radar for teasing. Seems she was a blip again.
That thought did make Percy smile and he did wonder what was going on with his hot-tempered cousin.
"Screw you wethead." Her cousin just smiled that stupid smile of his at her. Stupid water boy.
"I'm going to kill him," said Thalia. She was now dressed in another set of clothes, dark and a bit form fitting, save for her leather jacket.
"Always with the dark shades." Aphrodite frowned.
"I like them." Thalia argued.
"I know I do." Leo said, liking the form fitting part.
"Dude." Jason told him.
"What?" Leo asked, not seeing a problem with what he said.
Jason just sighed.
Piper, likewise, had changed into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt of her own, both of them looking at the younger Grace as he explained how he 'lost' Naruto.
"Jason." Thalia scolded.
"What? I'm not his keeper."
"He was injured, and you still lost him." The hunter explained blandly.
"…I'm sure I have a perfectly good reason." Jason said in a weak tone.
After they had a good laugh at Jason's expense,
"Still mad about that," Jason pouted, but Piper just pinched his cheek teasingly.
the girls asked the whiskered blond if they could have their clothes back, which he obliged to by unsealing their stuff.
"Thank the gods for that." The two girls said.
Thalia then shoved the two blonds out of the room before another word could be said. It was then that Naruto got bored.
"Oh no." Artemis grimaced as Apollo beamed. Well, more than usual.
And when Naruto gets bored, well, he had to do something. So with a quick "be right back" to Jason, he was off.
"Oh, you actually fell for that?" Piper asked with a giggled.
Jason turned red, "Shut up." He muttered weakly, looking away from the amused looks he was getting from everyone.
And now Jason was left dealing with his annoyed sister,
"Annoying, am I?"
"Well…"
which said annoyed sister glared at him for announcing that fact.
"Jason, buddy, good work." Percy said with a thumbs up as Nico gave his own.
"Shut it you two!"
Percy and Nico looked at one another and looked back to the lightning girl, "Nah."
The hunter fumed at that.
"So he just walked off?" Thalia asked. "For thirty minutes?"
"Really? Jason." Was the pitying voice of his sister at his naivety. The wind boy just grumbled.
"Yeah I thought he had to use the bathroom," said Jason, as she and Piper looked to him for a reason why he was sitting alone in the hallway.
"Wow, pluming problems?" Ares asked with a laugh.
"Seems so." Hermes snickered.
He thought about what he said after his sister arched her brow. "Well, after ten minutes went past I figured that wasn't the case and he was just wandering.
"Okay, redeeming points to you for that fly boy." Hermes nodded to his half-brother.
"Thank you."
He'll be back and I figured why should I make you worry about me when I can sit and wait?"
"That was well devised." Apollo nodded while rubbing his chin.
"Slick, good one." Hermes nodded too. Jason smirked at that one.
"...You're so lucky you're my brother that I haven't seen in years or I'd pound you for letting him wander off," said Thalia in response to his well thought out explanation.
"Even Thalia agrees, and she let you off. Good one, Jay." Leo snickered as the hunter pouted.
Darn, and she wanted to reinforce her sister privileges to pound him for doing something dumb. Oh well, maybe next time.
Her boyfriend on the other hand. Gods it was like he was a child at times
"All Apollo."
"Arte!"
and a kitten at others, curious to explore the world and unable to sit still.
"He's such a tomcat." Aphrodite mused with a smirk as Apollo laughed at that one.
Thalia groaned and rubbed her face with her hands. "When I find that idiot–"
"You'll kiss him."
"Annie!"
"Turnabout is fair play."
Apollo snickered, "One of the best lines ever." He said with pride.
"He didn't escape again did he?" asked the head of the ward, Shizune, as she walked back to the group.
"They make it sound like he's a convict." Ares pointed out with mirth.
She looked haggard compared to the previous day, her hair a bit out of place.
"Aw, and not the good kind of ruffled." Aphrodite pouted.
"Or the nurse lucky hour." Apollo added with a grin, getting Aphrodite to beam at that.
"Pigs." Artemis muttered under her breath.
"Dammit. First injuries from the attack yesterday finish piling in and overflowing the ER, now I have to find Naruto in the hospital." Shizune sighed angrily.
"So this is a recurring theme?" Percy asked with a laugh.
"Seems so," Hazel smirked.
"It's like he's twelve all over again."
"Why do you have to find him?" Piper asked.
"The serum is done,
"And the mortal does what you couldn't." Ares laughed at his medical brother, who was looking red in the face.
"Shut up you uncultured idiot." He mocked back.
but Tsunade and the other Kage want to talk to him one more time before he leaves," said Shizune.
"Try and force him into joining them no doubt with the cure on the line." Athena calculated as she usually did.
Poseidon rolled his eyes, "Not all of them are that bad."
"Really? Have you seen what they've done so far to return him to this place by force?"
The sea god said nothing and Athena smirked at that, "Thought so."
Thalia's eyes narrowed. "About what?"
"I don't know, but it's very important," said Shizune, looking perturbed at the comment. The fact she wasn't clued in to the reason why was very concerning to her.
"I think she's just the nosy secretary type." Demeter commented.
With another groan, she entered the room Naruto was supposed to be in, hung her clipboard on the rail, and then walked back out to them. "Well, lets go find him. I highly doubt you'd like it if he was taken off without you."
"This is true, it would make him a bad boyfriend." Aphrodite nodded, but paused, "Or he could be visiting an old flame."
Thalia glared at her for that.
"...You're all right, Shi-zune."
"Shi-zu-ne."
"Really?" Percy asked Thalia, "You mispronounce her name?"
"Shut up, Japanese names are weird."
"Only to our culture, Thalia." The god of the arts corrected.
"Sorry."
"It's alright, Tha-lia."
"Ha, payback."
"Shut up wethead, or it's voltage time."
"Ooo, scary." Was the mocking retort.
"Tah-lia."
"My mistake."
Piper rolled her eyes and whispered to the confused Jason. "I don't think they like each other."
"What was the first clue?" Annabeth said in a dry tone, but still found it humorous.
"Why?" he asked, eyebrows furrowed in thought.
The demigods and gods snickered at the currently flushed Jason's cluelessness.
After giving him a look, Piper glanced up at the ceiling as they walked down the halls. "Boys."
"I hear you."
"Oh be quiet Artemis." Aphrodite glared.
"What?"
"Nothing, Jason. Nothing."
They were quiet after that, the tense mispronunciation of names behind them as they walked through the hallways of the hospital.
"I don't think someone likes you," said Leo in an effort to tease the hunter. Thalia huffed at that, like she cared what some woman thought of her.
They checked Naruto's original hiding spots within the hospital –
"He has his own hiding spot?" Percy said in disbelief.
"Amazing how he hates that place." Artemis teased her brother, who was pouting.
apparently he wasn't a fan of vaccinations – starting with the kitchen, which was a bust, then the bathroom, and then looking up in the children's area where he would entertain kids aspiring to be ninja whose parents were sick or recovering.
"That's sweet, slow brainwashing to join the core." Ares grinned.
Artemis rolled her eyes, "Of course you would say that."
"Yep!"
"Isn't she lovely?"
The three demigods and medic stopped as they heard the soft, yet appealing voice singing in the distance.
Apollo put a hand on his ear, "What is this I hear? My son being awesome of course!"
As they got closer to the maternity/infantry ward, the silvery low voice got clearer. They found the source of the voice in a room that Shizune told them was for a new mother who had been given a very serious arm wound during the attack.
"Poor dear." Artemis frowned as Hera held a look of sympathy as well since she was the goddess of women.
"Isn't she won/der/ful? Isn't she precious? Less than a few months old."
"Oh, of course he would be singing to a new baby." Percy rolled his eyes, talk about cheesy.
"I find it sweet." Annabeth told him, getting the boy to grumble.
Shizune held a finger to her lips, then gently gripped the door handle, turning it and opening the hospital room of the maternity/infant ward. The group of four found the blond they were looking for. Or rather, all three copies of him, each one dressed in their hospital scrubs and tank top.
"His own chorus, nice." Leo nodded as Apollo was grinning.
"I never thought / through love you'd be / making one as lovely as she / but isn't she lovely, made from love?"
"Isn't She Lovely?" Apollo blinked, but smiled afterwards, "Nice choice."
One sat on the windowsill, an acoustic guitar in hand and strumming the chords gently. Another was playing with rhythm sticks while sitting next to the clone on the guitar.
"Where did he get all those-and don't say seals!" Percy argued to Annabeth, "Seriously, why would he pack them if so?"
"Duh wethead, to be awesome." Apollo nodded, like that was all that was needed.
The schoolteacher Iruka Umino, who sat on the left side of the pretty brunette mother's bed with his back to the clones, and the third Naruto flanked the bedridden mother, a pink bundle in his arms as he sang softly to it.
The women cooed at that, it was adorable and sweet of the boy. The males except for Apollo found it a bit too sugary sweet for them if they were honest. But valued their lives not to say anything about it.
"Isn't she pretty?" Naruto sang, making good on the Stevie Wonder song. "Truly the angel's best. Boy, I'm so happy / we have been heaven-blessed. I can't believe / what the gods have done / through you they've given life to one / but isn't she lovely, made from love?"
"Excellent pitch, and gives off the dreamy vibe to it. So beast." The sun god grinned wildly.
Iruka's hand gently wrapped around the woman sitting in the bed, a bandage on her hand. They smiled at each other before looking back at the blond, ignoring the newcomers. The other Narutos started a chorus in the background.
"Isn't she lovely?" Naruto asked, looking over at the newcomers with a happy grin on his face.
"He'd make a truly good father. Other Thalia is very lucky." Aphrodite chirped with a wide grin as hunter Thalia groaned.
Not this again!
He looked back at the parents of the child he was holding with the same smile. "Life and love are the same / love is Reiko / the meaning of her name." He grinned at the mother.
"What a fantastic name!" the love goddess gushed.
"Of course you would say that." Artemis rolled her eyes, but she silently agreed, it was a wonderful name for a child.
"Ayame it could have not been done / without you who conceived the one / that's so very lovely made from love."
"Melt those hearts kiddo. Man, I can see him going on tour maybe." The god of music said with a nod.
The strumming clone finished with a final chord before Iruka and the mother, Ayame, clapped for him. Naruto stood and bowed lightly, careful to not move the bundle with his bow, before equally gently handing the bundle back, revealing the hidden face of a sleeping infant. Her eyes were closed and her face was a bit chubby, but all the same there was a light glow around her and the dark hair growing from her head.
"Absolutely precious." Artemis said with the softest of smiles.
Naruto signaled for his clones to cut the music, had them seal the instruments back up before tossing the scroll to him and dispelling themselves.
Annabeth sent Percy this smug look. Percy threw his hands in the air, it was so pointless to carry them in the first place!
"That was amazing, Naruto," said Iruka with a wide grin. "Thank you."
"Not a problem, Iruka-sen– Iruka," said Naruto, correcting himself at the man's dry stare. "Sorry. Old habits, y'know?"
"I still call Alecto, Ms. Dodds." Percy admitted.
"I know," Hades told him, "She hated that name."
"Don't change too much, Naruto," said Ayame, a sweet smile on her face. She reached out and patted him on the knee. "Can't have my dad's favorite customer becoming a stranger."
"Cause seven years doesn't turn you into a stranger." Hazel nodded in assurance.
Naruto laughed guiltily at that one. "Yeah, don't want that."
"Are we interrupting?" Shizune asked.
"Yes, shoo." Apollo mocked.
Iruka looked over at the group with a bit of surprise. "Oh, sorry. No, by all means come in, come in."
Not that it mattered since they were practically in the room already. Thalia, Jason and Piper went to Naruto's side of the bed, where Piper failed to resist the urge to coo at the two month old baby sleeping in Ayame's arms.
"Everyone's a sucker for a baby, you can't resist the urge to coo at it." Piper said, feeling the need to defend herself.
Thalia only did it because she had managed to build up resistance to all things cute.
"Please," Aphrodite rolled her eyes while Artemis looked curious about this.
Unless they had whiskers,
"Like her boyfriend."
"Annie!"
like a kitten.
"Aw, so you like pussy?" Ares jeered with a grin as the females all glared at him. The men almost felt sorry for him, but that was Ares, god of morons.
It was a bit of a weak spot for her. Not that anyone really knew it except Naruto. She made him swear on the Styx to keep his mouth shut when she played with Ranger when the large cat was a kitten.
"Wow, the Styx? Seriously?" Percy asked his cousin in a dry tone.
"Duh, rep." Thalia said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"I wasn't aware you spoke English, Ayame-san," said Shizune to the mother, who smiled at her sheepish husband.
"Well someone was having problems with it and I was a better student than he ever was, even if it was a civilian school," said Ayame. She smiled down at Reiko. "I think I'm going to have the first bilingual baby in the village, aren't I Reiko-chan? (My little angelic gift from the heavens)."
"So that's the girl's name translated." Hera mused, it was a sweet name.
"Actually, her name means 'lovely child', hence why Naruto changed the lyrics from 'life is Aisha' to 'love is Reiko'," said Apollo.
"...Still a sweet name," said Hera after a moment.
"Helps that English feels right coming off of the tongue," said Naruto with a grin. He stood and gestured to his group. "Iruka-sen-er, Iruka already knows them, but I figure it wouldn't hurt to introduce you to my group." He gestured Ayame as she cradled her baby. "Guys, this is Ayame Umino, my favorite waitress." Ayame lightly swatted at him
"So he had a usual spot, huh." Leo said, "Whatever for?"
"Ramen." The demigods deadpanned, they all knew that by now.
while the kids snickered along with a chuckling Iruka, "This is Piper, a daughter of a guy who, um, works for my dad."
"Understatement." The daughter of love said as her mother smiled along with the sun god.
"Hi!" Piper smiled and moved closer to get a look at the baby. She cooed at the sleeping Reiko. She could see where Reiko got some of her father, particularly the nose and skin tone, and some of her mother, particularly Ayame's face.
"She's going to be a cutie when she gets older." Aphrodite said as Artemis rolled her eyes.
"Nice to meet you Piper," said Ayame with a smile.
Naruto continued, putting a hand on Jason's shoulder. "My friend Jason, he helped me fit in after I had an accident
"Or, death, to be more precise." Hades said dryly, as death was always an accident nowadays.
in one of the states and I helped loosen him up a bit."
The demigods snickered at Jason, who frowned. He didn't need help, he could totally be loose.
He just chose not to is all.
Jason rolled his eyes and nodded with a small smile. "Nice to meet you."
"The pleasure is mine," said Ayame with a smile.
"And last but certainly not least, my girlfriend Thalia," said Naruto as he stood behind Thalia and rested his arms over her shoulders in a loose hug while his chin rested on her head.
"I should still be mad at him," Thalia pouted.
"But, you can't, he's too cute for you to." Piper smirked and the hunter glared at her for the remark.
He was too happy at the moment to sense Thalia's annoyance that was directed at him.
"Can't blame him." Annabeth smirked and Thalia, begrudgingly, agreed.
Thankfully, she had managed to push it aside for later to smile at the relatively new mother.
"Aw, that's sweet of you."
"Shut up, McLean."
"Hello," said Thalia curtly but kindly.
Ayame's eyes narrowed just a margin. "So you're Thalia, hm?"
"Another figure in his life that's going to judge you." Hazel said with an amused look.
"Joy." Was the dry retort.
"Yes...?" Thalia said, taken aback by the sudden change in the mother's voice.
"She should be." Hera said. Zeus groaned slightly at the gleeful look in his wife's eyes.
Ayame looked her up and down, scrutinizing her with a frown on her face
Hera gave a small laugh as Thalia's neck hackled at her step-mother's laugh.
before shrugging.
Hera frowned, Thalia smirked.
"I guess you'll have to do as a godmother."
"What?" Thalia said, jaw hanging open.
"…I don't see it."
"Shut up, corpse breath!"
"As a what now?" Thalia asked.
"I'm shocked she was even considered." Hera muttered aloud, getting Thalia to grit her teeth and Jason to sigh. Why couldn't they be civil?
"Godmother," said Ayame with a smile. "Naruto-kun was so kind as to accept his position as Reiko-chan's godfather."
"Aw, and who wouldn't want to be the godparent of such a cutie?" the love goddess cooed affectionately.
The three looked at the sheepishly smiling Naruto. "What?"
"Godfather. You?" Jason asked.
"Ouch," Percy winced and turned to the blond, "Hurtful much?"
"He does seem kind of irresponsible at times." Jason defended himself and his other.
"Once again, from Apollo."
"Hermes, bro, why?"
"It's funny."
"Yeah, so what?" Naruto said. He may not have had the best godfather/teacher in the world but that didn't mean he'd be as bad. Hell, he already gave Reiko a blessing from Helios to be open minded and long sighted.
"We never do that anymore." Apollo pouted.
"Unless it's our own children." Demeter told him.
"I meant for mortals."
"Ah, this is true."
"Nothing, just, hard to believe," said Jason. "You're only twenty."
"Twenty-three," said Naruto with a small frown.
"Can't help he looks younger, momma gives good genes." Apollo bragged jovially.
"In October," said Iruka.
"How is it we managed to have the same months as the rest of the world?" Naruto asked him.
"That is true, one would expect them to make their own." Athena nodded.
"Traders most likely," said Iruka with a smile. "We grew greatly from outside trade."
"Ah, the truth of any land." Hermes nodded knowingly.
"Don't change the subject, Whiskers," said Thalia with a bit of a frown as she slipped out of Naruto's arms.
"Aw, why'd you do that, Thalia?"
"Because, I felt like it no doubt." The hunter told the love goddess.
"You're going to be a godfather. We live millions of miles away!"
"Not very responsible." Percy nodded.
Athena gave a chuckle, "Seems your son forgot a key element." She told her rival, who frowned at the jab at his son.
"Yeah, but I can be here in an instant if need be," said Naruto with a grin. "I told you I don't need rescuing, Thalia-chan."
"Teleportation Percy. Be jealous." Nico snickered to the pink faced Percy, who had indeed forgotten about that.
"You need restraint and someone to keep you chained down a bit to the ground," said Ayame with a light laugh.
"True," Artemis nodded and gave her brother a sly look, "If only this Kushina woman was around long before." She commented.
"Ouch, Arte, ouch. Shot through the heart."
"And you're to blame!" Leo sang out, "You give love, a bad name!"
Aphrodite was all smiles at that while Hermes and Apollo were giving Leo thumbs up. Artemis on the other hand was frowning (more like pouting).
She smiled at Thalia. "You seem to do that very well.
"Yeah, Thalia's got him on a nice leash." Piper nodded, "Like Annabeth does to Percy."
"Hey!" said boy protested. Annabeth gave him a raised eye brow. Percy's shoulders slumped. Everyone but Percy, even his father, laughed.
You know if you lost the gruff look, you'd be very pretty, Thalia."
"She is right." The love goddess pointed out.
"Pass." Thalia said dryly.
"Pass," said Thalia dryly.
"See." Thalia smiled with crossed arms, "We are so in-sync."
"Like the boy band?"
"No!" Thalia shouted in terror at Leo's comment.
Naruto grinned at her.
"I dunno, I think Ayame may be on to something," said Naruto with a smirk.
"You should wear a dress for him or something," the lady of doves pointed out critically.
"Really?" Thalia crossed her arms and gave a challenging look to her boyfriend.
"Not wearing a dress." Thalia muttered with a frown. Ha! Yeah right.
"I also think you're pretty the way you are," said Naruto, leaning into her face with his hands behind his back. "So either way, I win."
"Got to remember that one," Leo muttered, this guy was a natural. Like yours truly, of course.
"Smooth," said Piper with a giggle while Jason chuckled a bit.
"Well, if a daughter of love agrees." Hazel said with a smirk, getting Piper to roll her eyes.
Naruto grinned at the younger kids.
"Don't encourage him, Piper," said Thalia with a roll of her eyes.
"Yeah Piper," Thalia snickered.
The love child rolled her eyes, "We know you love it."
"…Shut up." The hunter mumbled with a pout.
Piper nodded
"Why can't you be that well behaved?"
"Because I don't feel like it Thalia, deal with it."
Aphrodite smirked at Artemis, who glared at her in return.
and Naruto pouted, standing back upright as he did. He turned to the snickering Shizune, whom he almost forgot to address in the room.
"She is somewhat forgettable." Demeter muttered quietly.
"So, what's the word on the cure?" Naruto asked. His question got the woman to pay attention and stop giggling. She recomposed herself and smiled at him sadly, knowing that as soon as she told him he would be gone.
"Well, at least she cares about him." Apollo said, "That's always a plus."
"It's done," said Shizune. "Tsunade-sama finished the cure. A complicated combination of the Nara deer antler, some Hyuuga herbs and a couple of medical chakra techniques that she developed for her own personal use."
"Deer, why deer antlers." Apollo groaned as Artemis looked smug at him.
"You could have asked." Said the assumed goddess.
"No thank you." Apollo deadpanned, who knew what favor she would have asked for one of her sacred deer's antlers, let alone enough for a horde of infected.
"Anything else she used?" Naruto asked as his demeanor changed. "Could we replicate the cure if need be?"
"So I can add it to one of my books." Apollo said with intrigue.
"We've already given a sample to the village and our allies' pharmaceutical branches," said Shizune. "It's a simple chemical realignment in the post developmental process, so yes it may be possible to do that."
"Wow, ninja doctors work fast." Leo whistled out impressed.
"Thank the gods," said Naruto with a sigh, earning an intrigued look from Ayame from his words. Iruka rubbed her hand to get her attention and silently told her that he would explain it in a more appropriate manner.
"Oh, so he explained it to the man, that's good." Demeter said.
Naruto, however, just stepped towards the woman with a gleam in his eye. "So where is it?"
"Fork it over now woman," Hades muttered, a dark glint in his eyes.
"Tsunade-sama will relinquish it to you upon your arrival at the Hokage Mansion," said Shizune. "She and the other five kage want you there ASAP."
"Blast." Hades muttered, the bottom of his fists pounding his armrests.
"He'll get it dad."
"I know," Hades pursed his lips, "I dislike these stalls by the ninja."
"Trust me, I know."
"I just can't win with these people," said Naruto with a groan.
"We know." The males of the underworld said.
He rubbed his forehead before returning to the bedridden mother's side. "Sorry I couldn't stay longer to catch up, Ayame."
Ayame waved him off with a small smile on her face. "You have to go off and save another country.
"She says it like it's some everyday thing for him." Percy muttered.
"Well, from what we've seen in this ninja continent, then yes Percy, he probably has." Annabeth told him.
Go, but promise me you'll come visit more than your godfather did."
"And how often was that?" Apollo asked, curious.
"Well, they did say it was bad." Jason reminded him.
"True." The sun god frowned.
"Well, I'll do what I can," said Naruto with a grin as he leaned in to give her a hug. Iruka stood up and walked over to stand in front of Naruto.
"I wasn't sure initially if I gave you the best option to resign," said Iruka.
"So he was the one to say it? Well, he is in my good books for sure." The father of the demigod smiled brightly.
"When you came to me for advice, I wasn't sure what I should say. I wanted you to stay in Konoha, but I learned a long time ago that I couldn't protect you forever. You're my friend, my brother, and one of my favorite students." Iruka held his hand out to the blond, which Naruto quickly took with his own. "You're my comrade, and I'll always stand beside you."
"Now that is a brother in arms." Frank whistled out.
"True." His father said in a mild tone of impression.
"Thanks, Iruka," said Naruto before he pulled the older man into a hug. "(Thank you for everything)."
"Ah, brohugs." Leo sighed out and turned to Jason, "Why do we never brohug?"
"Um, I don't know?"
Iruka hugged him back for a second longer before they separated with smiles on their faces. Naruto turned and nodded to Shizune, who smiled lightly before leading him out of the room. Piper and Jason followed him, but Thalia was held back by Iruka lightly grabbing her shoulder before she could follow suit.
"Some advice for the blond I think," Hazel said with a look to Thalia, who scoffed at her words.
"Keep him from doing anything too stupid," said Iruka with the look of a concerned father/brother in his eye. "I know how he is and how hard it can be, but try."
Hermes just looked at his sun brother, amusement in his eyes while Apollo grumbled. The thief smirked, he didn't even need to say it!
"It's all I can do," said Thalia in return with a smirk. "Even if it's a pain."
"Bah, she loves it." Nico waved off with a lazy grin.
"Shut up Nico."
"Never."
Iruka chuckled and Ayame giggled at her comment, Reiko making a soft sound as she woke up distracted Thalia for a moment. She looked at the small family with a smile as Iruka went back to his wife's side to coo at his daughter.
"And, click." Apollo said, taking a mental picture. It was just too much of a perfect moment. Why waste it?
It was good to know that not everyone from her boyfriend's homeland was insane.
"Finally." Most of the audience said.
She left the three members of the Umino family and quickly caught up to her group.
"...so he asked her to marry him," said Naruto, finishing up a story as she caught up to them.
"We missed how they got together?" Aphrodite pouted, oh, she bet it was sweet.
"Wow, you really need to look into working at Hallmark," said Piper. "You brought two people together without even being here. Like an agent of fate or something."
"Ooh," Leo winced, "While true, he doesn't like them ladies."
"Even if they helped him return back to life." Hades pointed out.
"Please, that was just chance," said Naruto, a bitter look crossing his face at the comment.
"See?"
"Yes, Leo." Piper said, "We see."
"Cool."
"What happened?" Thalia asked her brother quietly.
"Naruto was just telling us how Iruka and Ayame got together," said Jason with an arched brow. "Weren't you listening?"
"She doesn't do that very well."
"Funny. One would think that was you Percy, oh wait! It is!" Thalia mocked him back with a smile on her maiden face. Percy just stuck his tongue out at her.
"Not really," said Thalia. She wanted to let the topic die, but her curiosity got the best of her. "How'd it happen?"
"Apparently Naruto and Iruka would usually get ramen where Ayame worked and when he went 'missing' Iruka would go there for days in hopes that the blond would show up.
"That's sweet of him." Aphrodite said.
He and Ayame started to talk, connect and well, I guess that's how it all got started," said Jason with a shrug. He wasn't paying attention to details much, but it was an interesting story nonetheless.
"It is," Piper nodded, it was simple and sweet, her kind of story.
"Piper's onto something with him working at Hallmark," said Thalia with a smirk. "He's corny enough for it."
"And he gets it all from me." Apollo bragged.
"That he's corny?"
"Of course!" the sun god told his younger brother.
"I heard that, Thalia-chan!"
"You were supposed to, Whiskers."
"Ouch, harsh." Leo winced.
"Not really." Said the boyfriends, as the girlfriends grinned.
Naruto pouted as he turned around to look at his girlfriend, walking backwards through the hallway. "Why are you so mean to me, Thalia-chan?"
"Training, duh." Thalia smirked. If she was going to ever have a boyfriend, which she wouldn't, she would train him to sit down, shut up and obey. Like Annabeth did to Percy.
Percy glared at Nico, who opened his mouth, but closed it a second later. He did not want to hear some lame joke about him being trained by Annabeth. It was really in poor taste by now.
"Tough love, Naruto. It's tough love," said Thalia with a small smirk at him.
"And it is needed."
"Arte!"
Jason chuckled and Piper giggled at the wounded look Naruto gave her. Shizune also giggled as she watched them over her shoulder. She was going to miss Naruto, his antics always brightened the village's day, even if it was a prank.
Hermes grinned at that one, pranks always do.
As they walked through the hospital Shizune recalled the first time she and Naruto spoke one on one. Trying to convince Naruto to stop going for her master's 'cursed' necklace in the bet they made where Naruto had to preform the initial form of the Rasengan – which took his father three years to design
"Three years to make a spiny ball of energy?" Ares asked mockingly.
"Hey," Apollo glared, "That was tough to make, you remember the method detailed when he showed Thalia during the Valentine special?"
"I do." Athena nodded, "most impressive."
"Thank you!"
and master and their master Jiraiya no Gama three months to get down
"Only cause he had the notes and my instruction no doubt." Apollo muttered with a pout.
– in one week or Tsunade would take all of his money and leave him for broke.
"In one week?" Apollo whistled. "Hot damn my kid is good."
"Yes, we get it." Poseidon rolled his eyes.
"Oh, you're just jealous he's hogging Percy's spotlight."
"…No."
Athena snorted in disbelief and her rival glared at her for it.
Naruto beat the odds put against him, having declared that he would break the curse of death that surrounded the necklace Tsunade had given to him, and did the impossible. He managed to preform the initial form of the Rasengan after only one week to learn it. An A-Rank technique, at age twelve. He had to be some sort of genius.
"Like his father," Apollo smirked. The gods rolled their eyes. Ham.
"A genius of hard work always surpasses inherited genius," said Tsunade once when they were discussing her former team, known as the Legendary Three. "Orochimaru could never beat Jiraiya as he is now alone. That's why it always comes down to the summons coming out. Escape to fight another day, yes, but truly win against the idiot? Not a chance. Jiraiya's a monster. I don't know if I could've beaten him in strength alone." Tsunade took a drink of her sake.
"I like the sound of this guy." Ares grinned.
"You would." Athena told him with a scoff.
"May the idiot rest in peace and I hope he's giving Orochimaru a hard time down there."
Shizune looked at the chuckling Naruto, who had made a comment to the now blushing Jason about finding his own girlfriend soon.
"I wonder who-ow!" Leo winced at the slap to his head and pouted, "Piper, I was kidding." He whined.
"Well, don't." the Charmspeaker huffed.
Thalia apparently wasn't taking that well from the glare she gave her boyfriend.
"You know, I never did give you the twelfth degree." Thalia mused at Piper, who actually started to sweat a bit.
"…Please don't."
"Well when you tell me not to…"
"Thalia," Jason glared at his now snickering sister.
He was certainly like Jiraiya, and Sakura had taken after Tsunade well.
"In personality maybe," Aphrodite sniffed, "No in looks, for certain."
She sighed as unfortunately that meant Sasuke was taking the same path Orochimaru had taken, a dark path.
"Bitch!" Apollo jeered.
"Apollo!"
"Wha?" he asked his aunt, who just gave him a fiery glare.
And as they are like Jiraiya and Orochimaru, Naruto and Sasuke had a rivalry that destroyed lives and left craters in the planet.
"Which he ended, until the emo baby decided to be a sucker for power." Nico rolled his eyes, he hated people who thought the world revolved around them. So stupid.
She could only hope that where Naruto goes, Sasuke doesn't follow, because if they continued the cycle that Orochimaru and Jiraiya were a part of, these new lands, the Americas,
"Just America honey."
wouldn't stand a chance.
"Not true." Said most of the gods. Stupid ignorant mortals.
She remembered the first time Naruto returned from their clash at the Valley of the end, battered and broken, a freshly healed lung had ribs penetrating it, he had a cracked skull from a fifty plus drive headfirst into the dirt, his left arm completely shattered and useless, and bruising all over his body.
"Your boy should have done worse." Ares commented to his brother.
"Very true," simmered the sun god.
And that was when they were twelve. Who knows the damage if they both went all out in a populated area.
"Wow, that's impressive for little kids." Ares whistled. He wanted a chakra kid. They sounded like a riot!
Not only that, but the war would go with them as well, since it pretty much was down to that. You were either with the Uchiha or against them,
"Sounds like a bunch of babies." Hades snorted, stupid mortals.
and if you were against them, all bets were off. You would be targeted, your world would be rocked and no one was innocent in Sasuke's eyes.
"Wow, douchebag much?"
"Nico di Angelo." Hestia scolded.
"Sorry Aunt Hestia." The death boy said in a bored tone, but gulped under the glare he got for his halfhearted apology.
He was ruthless, deranged and powerful enough to be labeled an S-Rank problem at age 16 for killing Orochimaru.
"Hey, Shizune, you all right? You're zoning out," said Naruto, snapping the woman from her thoughts. They were already approaching the Hokage Mansion. She must have been thinking about this longer than she thought.
"Yes, I'm fine, thank you Naruto," said Shizune with a small smile.
"No she isn't, with all the inner monologue." The sun god rolled his eyes, but it was good for background he supposed.
Naruto grinned back at her, she was among the few that he would miss a lot. If Iruka was his older brother, Shizune was his older sister.
"Aww."
Kakashi was the crazy uncle and Tsunade was the worrying grandmother.
"Still don't see how that much of a woman is in her fifties." Leo muttered to himself.
"It says she uses a...technique to disguise her true age," said Hestia, arching a brow. "A genjutsu..."
"Oh, those mind things!" Apollo said. He widened his eyes. "Wait, so she's pretty much a really good illusion?"
"Seems that way," said Hestia.
He was just glad no one babied him, he got enough of that from his mother. Talk about embarrassing.
"Sounds like Prissy's mom."
"Fuck off Ares."
"Both of you, silence."
"…Yes Aunt Hestia." The god and demigod said as one, but glared at one another for it.
Jackass/Pussy.
Had to be the maternal instincts she unfortunately passed away with. Well, at least now he can just shift her attention onto Nico and Bianca for some of that maternal loving.
Nico's face twitched at that.
Once again, the group of demigods followed a shinobi up the many steps to Tsunade's office where, once again, they were greeted by the rest of the Kage. They were flanked this time by two guards each, as though they were worried about being attacked in an allied state.
"Seriously, a boom and scare. Amateur hour," Ares scoffed at the mask wimp.
With a small wave to his group that told them to stay close to the door, Naruto walked forward and stood with his arms crossed over his chest.
"So where is the cure?" he asked, almost demanding.
"Like a BOSS!" Apollo snickered, getting some from the demigods and more humorous gods.
The sooner he got the cure the sooner he could get back to Bianca and the camp to check on his family. He got the strangest feeling that something bad had happened as soon as he left his new goddaughter and her parents. Naruto couldn't put his finger on it, but he was sure that it had something to do with Percy.
Percy winced at that as Annabeth glared at him coolly.
"What happened against Sasuke Uchiha?" Tsunade asked in return.
"Kicked his ass, blinded him and his stupid eye infection," said Naruto.
"Gave him the perfect cure for it," Apollo mocked with a snigger along with Hermes.
"You didn't kill him," said Ē with a scowl.
"We don't either," Athena said, "Much better to give them a punishment." She said, glaring at her rival. The sea god rolled his eyes, oh get over it. Stupid owl brain.
He turned to one of his bodyguards – though the demigods wondered why he needed them since he was large enough to be able to challenge Ares to an arm wrestle
"I'd take that bet," grinned the war god.
– and said, "have the village put on alert and sent out the hunters to the Valley of the End. I want this over with by the end of the week."
"Hai, Raikage-sama," said the man with pale blond hair and a feminine face.
"Heh, girly boy," Leo snickered.
"No, I didn't kill him," said Naruto with a frown. He could hear Kyu ranting at him from here.
"Where is that stupid thing?" Apollo asked.
"Probably with Pan perhaps?" Artemis speculated.
It's a good thing you didn't, said the up until now unusually quiet Helios. That's what makes you better than him. Keep that in mind.
"Of course it does Hel, anyone would be better than that piece of slim," Apollo huffed.
Now you make me sound like Batman or something, Naruto thought in return.
"Absolutely nothing wrong with that." Athena said with a curt nod.
"Fangirl." Apollo said with a grin as the wisdom goddess scowled at him for the remark.
He looked at Gaara when the Kazekage made a sound. "Something you want to add, Gaara?"
"Do you need assistance?" the Kazekage asked. "With your new problem, I mean? I'm willing to send squads with you if you need."
"Such a good guy," Apollo smiled, "Really, why can't they all be like that?"
Naruto blinked, he hadn't seen that coming. Then again, this was Gaara, the Godaime Kazekage who had been born to the Yondaime and raised to hate others and love only himself.
"Boo," Aphrodite frowned, how horrible.
His polar opposite when they were younger. Heck they were still somewhat opposites now: Naruto had wanted to be Hokage, but Gaara achieved the status of Kazekage at age 15 while Naruto was still a genin;
"So a genius and a leader," Athena mused, visibly impressed.
Gaara led an entire village and Naruto defended one; and now he was on a council of a near continental wide alliance while Naruto resigned from his post. Just goes to show that life loves to throw those curves at you.
"That's the fates actually." Percy corrected.
Naruto shook his head to keep from thinking about that. He smiled at his friend thankfully and at the two bodyguards, Gaara's older siblings Kankuro the poisonous puppeteer who used 'war paint' and Temari, the high ranking ambassador to Konoha. "Thank you for the offer, Gaara, but I'll have to decline. The battle we face is one that the Elemental Nations are not ready for."
"Very true," Athena said.
"I don't know, they seem like nice backup." Annabeth told her mother.
"Still, it is our fight, not theirs."
"Not very wise sounding right now." Hermes told her.
"…Shut up."
"Just know that Suna stands with you, Naruto," said Gaara with an understanding nod.
"Konoha stands with you as well, brat," said Tsunade with a crooked grin. She pulled out a vial and tossed it to the blond, who caught it with ease.
Hades and Nico smiled openly at that.
He looked at the vial in his hand while Tsunade continued to speak. "We have two more things to ask you and then you are 'free'" she used the term loosely as Naruto pocketed the cure with a small smile "to leave."
"No, leave. Now." Hades said with a frown coming upon his face.
"Oh let's hear them out."
"Your child's life isn't on the line." Hades told his middle brother crisply.
"Sorry."
"Humph."
"Alright, what do you want to know?" Naruto asked.
"Where is the Kyubi no Kitsune?" Onoki, the Tsuchikage, asked. "I refuse to believe that you have it hidden somewhere."
"Die, stupid little troll doll." Apollo spat, not liking the gnome too much.
Naruto shrugged. "To tell you the truth, I don't know."
"What?" The Kages were all on their feet, save Gaara, simultaneously demanding explanations.
"Hee hee, getting the governing bodies to stand in shock. Another reason he's my kid."
"We get it, you have an awesome kid, shut up about it already." Hermes rolled his eyes at his older brother.
"I don't feel like it."
"Sasuke destroyed my link with it," said Naruto, pointing at his wrist that usually held the gem he had to hold his sword and shield. He dropped his hands and let one slip into his scrubs (the clothes were comfortable and he was fresh as could be thanks to the hospital) pocket, fingering the small flashlight that Eclipse disguised itself as.
"How ironic for a child of yours to have a flashlight," Artemis smiled.
"Oh shut up, Arte." Apollo pouted at the remark, it was an awesome sword, no need to diss its hidden form, "I mean, Jackson has a pen. Don't seem him as much of a writer." He jibbed.
"Hey," Percy frowned, Riptide was awesome.
Even if he wasn't the most studious demigod around.
Calmly, the whiskered blond continued. "Without it, I haven't a clue where the Kyubi could be. I do know that he's most likely out of reach of Madara and without me they'll probably never find it since I only have hunches."
"Then tell us where it is so we can use it," said Onoki.
"Power hungry mortal," Zeus scoffed and all eyes turned to him, even Thalia's, at that statement, "Oh be silent." He muttered, crossing his arms.
He could just hear their mocking thoughts.
"And risk them getting all nine of the Biju? You're a stubborn old fool, Onoki-dono," said Mei with a frown on her pretty face.
"It sure is."
"Leo," Piper groaned.
"What?"
She glanced slyly at the blond teenager. "Besides, I'm sure Naruto-kun can keep it safe."
"Cougar." Thalia and Artemis said in distaste.
"Well, you can't blame her," Aphrodite smiled.
"Sure she isn't one of yours?" the goddess of the hunt asked scathingly.
"While very pretty, yes, I'm sure she isn't mine. A shame really."
"Mei-dono, please," said Tsunade with a sigh.
"The boy's so young to have such important information," said one of Mei's bodyguards, an old man with one eye. "Back in my day we only trusted old and experienced shinobi with important details like that."
"Bah, old soldier mentality. Diminished in this day and age." Ares waved off.
"Ao?"
"Yes, Mizukage-sama?"
"Shut up before I melt your balls off," said Mei sweetly as an aura of death waved off of her.
The men wilted at that comment with pained faces and shifts in their seats. Well, Hephaestus didn't. Artemis seemed to be smiling though.
"Y-Yes, Mizukage-sama."
Naruto took a small step away from the Mizukage. That was one threat he was not going to risk happening to him.
Apollo nodded vigorously.
Resistant to fire or not, he was not willing to test how resistant he was or risk his package deal either.
"Yes, Thalia hasn't even tried it yet."
"Aphrodite!" Artemis glowered.
"What?" Aphrodite asked innocently. Thalia's face surprisingly less red than it should've been. She was getting far too used to this teasing.
It seemed every man in the room had the same idea as the male shinobi, no matter their rank, moved slightly away from her. Even Jason took a step back to sanctuary behind Thalia and Piper.
"No worries Jason, I'll protect you," Piper cooed with mirth.
"Hey, I was prioritizing my important bits," Jason flushed.
"Of course." Thalia nodded, somewhat mockingly in the blond's opinion.
"Anyway," said Tsunade, watching all of this with an amused smile on her face. She returned her gaze to Naruto. "We've decided that you're far too reliable a resource to let go from one village and have decided to offer you a once in a lifetime opportunity."
"We be making an offer you can't refuse." Apollo said in a perfect Godfather voice.
She cleared her throat and all of the Kage seemed to straighten up like the previous antics hadn't occurred. "Naruto Uzumaki, former Genin of Konohagakure no Sato of Hi no Kuni. The Allied Shinobi Forces are offering you the position of being the first ever Sennin in our alliance."
"The Sage?" Apollo asked with a blink of surprise, "Well, sure, Pan likes him and he's good with nature stuff…but this sounds like some BS way to keep close ties on him."
"It is," Athena said.
Naruto felt his jaw pop open in shock. "W-What?"
"With this position of Sennin, we grant unlimited travel access in and out of the Five Great Villages and other Allied Shinobi Forces domains. We also grant you right to leave for unannounced and unrestricted periods of time provided that you write a debriefing upon your return to one of the Five Great Villages."
"Like I said, BS ways to keep a figurative 'leash' on him," Apollo frowned, let his boy be.
"W-Wait a second-"
"Yes, give him a second to protest." Hazel said with crossed arms, there had to be angle in this for them. There always was in these kinds of situations.
"Considering your capability to take charge and lead a group as well as we have observed," said Tsunade, ignoring Naruto's words as he gaped at her.
"Being a quest leader and all that." Annabeth said.
Behind her Kakashi gave his student a big thumbs up.
"Thanks for the support." Percy said dryly.
"We've also come to agree that this position is an equal Jonin status in every village apart of the Allied Shinobi Forces and will allow you, if you so choose, to take and lead squads of the forces into battle."
"See, trying to get him into their war." Athena said.
"Nothing wrong with that, the kid's an asset."
"Of course you would say that," the wisdom goddess mocked her war brother.
"You bet!"
Tsunade turned to Kakashi and nodded. The jonin nodded in return and stepped forward towards the teenager with a horned headband similar to his deceased godfather's with the kanji for shinobi carved into it in his left hand and a white Konohan jonin flak jacket with the Uzumaki spiral engraved on the back in his right.
"The ceremonial piece!" Leo said in a deep dramatic tone. Apollo sang a holy chorus for added effect.
Naruto looked at the offered items and then around the room, waiting for the twist.
"There has to be one," Annabeth said, something like this wasn't for free, it just couldn't be. No such thing as a free lunch after all.
This was all too good to be true: A way to come and go as he pleased with no questions asked and stopping the shinobi from trying to catch him.
Seriously, everyone was waiting for the catch.
"Well, Naruto?" Tsunade said, making him look right at her. "Do you accept the status as the first Sennin of the Allied Shinobi Forces?"
"...Will I be forced to fight in the war?" Naruto asked, looking at the Godaime Hokage.
"Of course they would do that," Ares said, he would after all.
She shook her head.
"Wait, what?" Ares blinked and Athena frowned. Where was the twist?
"We've already held a vote over who was your superior
"So someone is holding the 'leash'."
"Boo," Apollo said to his wise sister's words.
and decided that a vote was the only fair way to decide your inclusion. You resigned for Konoha's previous hassling and concern over you declining this offer solidified leaving your inclusion of our war to you," said Tsunade.
"I like this offer," Hermes smirked, "One war is enough for any kid."
"Says you."
"Yes," Hermes told Ares with a look, "Says me."
"You have no master, but you represent all of us."
"Interesting," the weaving goddess said with a pursed lips.
"If, and this is a big if," said Naruto.
"Kid," Apollo frowned, "Don't…please."
"Too selfless." Annabeth reminded the god of Naruto's fatal flaw. The sun god dimmed at that.
"If my war is over before yours, I will return to help you. Not because of my duty, or because it is my war, but because it is the right thing to do." With a heavy breath,
"Lame." Ares pouted, stupid way to join a war.
Naruto looked back at the items offered to him and chuckled. "Now I feel a bit underdressed."
"Nonsense," Apollo waved off.
"Agreed." The love goddess nodded.
"Oh you're fine," said Mei with a smile.
Thalia scowled.
With a nervous laugh to the Mizukage's comment, Naruto looked back at Tsunade.
"I accept."
Thalia frowned at that, really not liking this.
Behind him Thalia had a frown on her face. She didn't like this place and didn't want Naruto to have something to really tie him down here.
"Agreed," the hunter frowned deeper.
Reiko was a different story because if something happened to her parents he could always come and get her somehow. She merely crossed her arms with her brows furrowing as Naruto took the offered gear from his old teacher while the Kages nodded in approval.
Thalia could tell this was going to make things a lot more difficult later on.
"For their relationship, yes." Aphrodite nodded happily.