Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Chapter 9: Ares the God of War
The next afternoon, June 14, seven days before the solstice, the train rolled into Denver. They haven't eaten since the night before in the dining car, somewhere in Kansas. They also haven't taken a shower since Half-Blood Hill, making them pretty noticeable to the other passengers.
"Let's try to contact Chiron," Annabeth said. "I want to tell him about your talk with the river spirit."
"We can't use phones, right?" Percy asked.
"I'm not talking about phones." Annabeth replied, getting confused looks from the two, however she didn't answer them for a while. Instead, they wandered through downtown for about half an hour, though no one was sure what Annabeth was looking for. The air was dry and hot, which felt weird after the humidity of St. Louis. Everywhere they turned, the Rocky Mountains seemed to be staring at them, like a tidal wave about to crash into the city.
Finally they came upon an empty do-it-yourself car wash. They veered toward the stall farthest from the street, keeping their eyes open for patrol cars. They were four adolescents hanging out at a car wash without a car; any cop worth his doughnuts would figure they were up to no good.
"What exactly are we doing?" Percy asked, as Grover took out the spray gun.
"It's seventy-five cents," the goat man grumbled. "I've only got two quarters left. Annabeth?"
Naruto sighed as he flipped a quarter to him. "Here."
"Excellent," Grover said. "We could do it with a spray bottle, of course, but the connection isn't as good, and my arm gets tired of pumping."
Naruto raised an eyebrow and Percy was confused and said, "What are you talking about?" and Naruto nodded seeking an answer.
Grover fed in the quarters and set the knob to FINE MIST. "I-M'ing."
"Instant messaging?" Percy asked.
"Iris-messaging," Annabeth corrected. "The rainbow goddess Iris carries messages for the gods. If you know how to ask, and she's not too busy, she'll do the same for half-bloods."
"OK that is an efficient way to contact someone but wouldn't be easier just use a phone" Naruto thought.
"You summon the goddess with a spray gun?" Percy asked, not believing this.
Grover pointed the nozzle in the air and water hissed out in a thick white mist. "Unless you know an easier way to make a rainbow." Sure enough, late afternoon light filtered through the vapor and broke into colors.
Annabeth walked up to Percy and held out her hand. "Drachma, please." Deciding to go along with it, he gave it to her.
She raised the coin over her head. "O goddess, accept our offering." She threw the drachma into the rainbow. It disappeared in a golden shimmer. "Half-Blood Hill," Annabeth requested. For a moment, nothing happened. However, Naruto was surprised that the coin just disappeared in the rainbow, but all things considered, he should not be.
Then they saw through the mist at strawberry fields, and the Long Island Sound in the distance. The image seemed to be set on the porch of the Big House. Standing with his back to us at the railing was a sandy-haired guy in shorts and an orange tank top. He was holding a bronze sword and seemed to be staring intently at something down in the meadow.
"Luke!" Percy called.
He turned, eyes wide. "Percy!" His scarred face broke into a grin. "Is that Annabeth and Naruto, too? Thank the gods! Are you guys okay?"
"Yeah we've been through a lot off shit but yeah we'll cool and fine," Naruto replied.
"We're ... uh ... fine," Annabeth stammered. She was madly straightening her dirty T-shirt, trying to comb the loose hair out of her face. "We thought—Chiron—I mean—"
"He's down at the cabins." Luke's smile faded. "We're having some issues with the campers.
Listen, is everything cool with you? Is Grover all right?"
"I'm right here," Grover called. He held the nozzle out to one side and stepped into Luke's line of vision. "What kind of issues?" Just then a big Lincoln Continental pulled into the car wash with its stereo turned to maximum hip-hop. As the car slid into the next stall, the bass from the subwoofers vibrated so much, it shook the pavement, making Naruto's eye twitch.
"Like we are not trying to have a conversation here with Luke through some mist." Naruto grumbled before he shook his head, realizing how crazy that sounded.
"Chiron had to—what's that noise?" Luke yelled.
"I'll take care of it.'" Annabeth yelled back, looking very relieved to have an excuse to get out
of sight. "Grover, come on!"
"What?" Grover said. "But—"
"Give Percy the nozzle and come on!" she ordered. Grover sighed as he gave Percy the hose, grumbling something under his breath as he left.
"Chiron had to break up a fight," Luke shouted to the duo over the music. "Things are pretty tense here. Word leaked out about the Zeus—Poseidon—Hades standoff. We're still not sure how— probably the same scumbag who summoned the hellhound. Now the campers are starting to take sides. It's shaping up like the Trojan War all over again. Aphrodite, Ares, and Apollo are backing Poseidon and Hades, more or less. Athena is backing Zeus."
"Oh great, just what we fucken needed, a fucken war," Naruto said while putting a hand on his face.
"This is bad," Grover said.
"I know," Luke said.
'I never thought Clarisse's cabin would ever be on my dad's side for anything,' Percy thought.
"Anyway what's your status?" Luke asked "Chiron will be sorry he missed you."
They told him pretty much everything, including Percy's dreams. Percy felt so good to see him, to feel like he was back at camp even for a few minutes, that they didn't realize how long they had talked.
"I wish I could be there," Luke said. "We can't help much from here, I'm afraid, but listen ... It had to be Hades who took the master bolt. He was there at Olympus at the winter solstice. I was chaperoning a field trip and we saw him."
"Don't know until we find out," said Naruto.
"Well whatever suits you Naruto, take care of yourself out there in Denver," Luke said. "Good bye." The mist was gone, and Luke's image faded to nothing.
"So what did Luke say before?"
Grover and Percy told them everything.
"It is bad," Annabeth said.
"Oh great, this isthe Kiri bloodline war again and this time I not even involved," said Naruto dryly.
Suddenly Percy's stomach growled loudly. He blushed with embarrassment
"Come on, let's find some dinner and don't worry about money," Naruto said.
~Few Minutes Later~
"Take this money." Naruto gave some his some money to Annabeth. "Go ahead, I'll meet you later," He said.
Annabeth asked, "Where are you going?"
"Somewhere," Naruto said.
"OK," Annabeth said.
As Naruto left them to get dinner, he headed to an ally to go and smoke but was stop by a group of what to be punks, there seem to be about 10 of them.
"Hey kid, fork over all your money and you can walk out of here unharmed," said the ringleader of the gang arrogantly.
"Yeah, not gonna happen," Naruto said emotionlessly.
"I won't ask again kid."the ringleader said.
Naruto just raised his hand and gesture the ring leader to come to him.
"Come at me," Naruto taunted.
"OK brat you asked for it," said the ringleader as he ran to Naruto hoping to hit him but for Naruto to intercept the punch and yanked him down to the ground and side kick him to the head, knocking some teeth out.
"Hey the boss is down, get him boys," said one of the gang members as they all walked towards Naruto and surrounded him.
As one of them tried to get Naruto from behind only for him to duck down and trip him to the ground. Two tried to hit him together only for Naruto to simply duck again and got the two gang members to collide with one another and thinking their simply idiots and drop kick one to the ground which resulted both hitting the floor hard.
Another one sneak behind him and tried to hit him only for Naruto to super kicked him in the jaw, spitting out a couple of teeth out and falling backwards.
"Fuck this, I'm getting out of here," said one of the remaining gang members and fled out of the ally leaving behind some of their friends.
"They honestly think they could take on a trained assassin, idiots," Naruto said to himself quietly and got a cigarette out and started smoking but notice the ringleader was getting back up and Naruto simply and ran up and Blackout Stomp him to the ground, knocking him out again.
"Better go check on Annabeth and the others," said Naruto as he took the cigarette out off his mouth and throw it away and headed back to his companions leaving behind a couple of gang members knocked out.
~With Percy and co~
Annabeth, Percy and Grover were sitting at a booth in a gleaming chrome diner. All around them, families were eating burgers and drinking malts and sodas.
Finally the waitress came over. She raised her eyebrow skeptically. "Well?"
Percy said, "We, um, want to order dinner."
"You kids have money to pay for it?"
Before they could say anything, rumble shook the whole building; a motorcycle the size of a baby elephant had pulled up to the curb.
All conversation in the diner stopped. The motorcycle's headlight glared red. Its gas tank had flames painted on it, and a shotgun holster riveted to either side, complete with shotguns. The seat was leather—but leather that looked like ... well, Caucasian human skin.
The guy on the bike would've made pro wrestlers run for Mama. He was dressed in a red muscle shirt and black jeans and a black leather duster, with a hunting knife strapped to his thigh. He wore red wraparound shades, and he had the cruelest, a most brutal face they had ever seen— handsome, but wicked—with an oily black crew cut and cheeks that were scarred from many, many fights. The weird thing was, Percy felt like he had seen his face somewhere before. As he walked into the diner, a hot, dry wind blew through the place. All the people rose, as if they were hypnotized, but the biker waved his hand dismissively and they all sat down again. Everybody went back to their conversations.
The waitress blinked, as if somebody had just pressed the rewind button on her brain. She asked us again, "You kids have money to pay for it?"
The biker said, "It's on me." He slid into their booth, which was way too small for him, and crowded Annabeth against the window. He looked up at the waitress, who was gaping at him, and said, "Are you still here?" He pointed at her, and she stiffened. She turned as if she'd been spun around, and then marched back toward the kitchen. The biker looked at Percy.
Percy couldn't see his eyes behind the red shades, but he had bad feelings. Anger, resentment, bitterness. He wanted to hit a wall. He wanted to pick a fight with somebody.
He gave Percy a wicked grin. "So you're old Seaweed's kid, huh?"
Percy should've been surprised, or scared, but instead he felt like he was looking at his stepdad, Gabe. He wanted to rip this guy's head off. "What's it to you?"
Annabeth's eyes flashed him a warning. "Percy, this is—"
The biker raised his hand. "S'okay," he said. "I don't mind a little attitude. Long as you remember who's the boss. You know who I am, little cousin?"
Then it struck Percy why this guy looked familiar. He had the same vicious sneer as some of the kids at Camp Half-Blood, the ones from cabin five.
"You're Clarisse's dad," he said. "Ares, god of war."
Ares grinned and took off his shades. Where his eyes should've been, there were only fire, empty sockets glowing with miniature nuclear explosions. "That's right, punk. I heard you broke Clarisse's spear."
"She was asking for it."
"Probably. That's cool. I don't fight my kids' fights, you know? What I'm here for—I heard you and Minato brat were in town—where is he?"
"Minato?" Percy asked.
Grover said, "He means Naruto, and Minato is Naruto dad."
"Well anyway, I got a little proposition for you," Ares said to Percy.
The waitress came back with heaping trays of food—cheeseburgers, fries, onion rings, and chocolate shakes. Ares handed her a few gold drachmas. She looked nervously at the coins. "But, these aren't..."
Ares pulled out his huge knife and started cleaning his fingernails. "Problem, sweetheart?" The waitress swallowed, then left with the gold.
"You can't do that," Percy said to Ares. "You can't just threaten people with a knife."
Ares laughed. "Are you kidding? I love this country. Don't you carry a weapon, punk? You should. Dangerous world out there. This brings me to my proposition. I need you to do me a favor."
"What favor could I do for a god?"
"Something a god doesn't have time to do himself. It's nothing much. I left my shield at an abandoned water park here in town. I was going on a little ... date with my girlfriend. We were interrupted. I left my shield behind. I want you to fetch it for me."
"Why don't you go back and get it yourself?"
The fire in his eye sockets glowed a little hotter.
"Why don't I turn you into a prairie dog and run you over with my Harley? Because I don't feel like it. A god is giving you an opportunity to prove yourself, Percy Jackson. Will you prove yourself a coward?" He leaned forward. "Or maybe you only fight when there's a river to dive into, so your daddy can protect you."
Percy wanted to punch this guy, but somehow, he knew he was waiting for that. Ares's power was causing his anger. He'd love it if he attacked. He didn't want to give him the satisfaction.
"We're not interested," Percy said. "We've already got a quest."
Ares's fiery eyes made him see things he didn't want to see—blood and smoke and corpses on the battlefield. "I know all about your quest, punk. When that item was first stolen, Zeus sent his best out looking for it: Apollo, Athena, Artemis, and me, naturally. If I couldn't sniff out a weapon that powerful..." He licked his lips, as if the very thought of the master bolt made him hungry. "Well ... If I couldn't find it, you got no hope. Nevertheless, I'm trying to give you the benefit of the doubt. Your dad and I go way back. After all, I'm the one who told him my suspicions about old Corpse Breath."
"You told him Hades stole the bolt?"
"Sure. Framing somebody to start a war. Oldest trick in the book. I recognized it immediately. In a way, you got me to thank for your little quest."
"Thanks," Percy grumbled.
Suddenly a familiar voice said, "So do you think he actually stole it? "
They looked at voice direction and saw Naruto. heading towards them.
"So your Artemis and Minato's brat huh," Ares said, "I doubt it he stole a bolt. He has been bitching about too many dead people lately."
"Whatever, I don't care," Naruto said and started to walk away from there.
"Where are you going? Don't you want to hear about your other quest?" Ares said.
"Yeah fucked that, it's their quest, not mine." Naruto said to Ares.
"Smart kid, I like him," Ares said. He turned to Percy. "Just do my little job, and I'll help you on your way. I'll arrange a ride west for you and your friends."
"We're doing fine on our own," Percy said.
"Yeah, right. No clue what you're up against. Help me out, and maybe I'll tell you something you need to know. Something about your mom."
"My mom?"
Ares grinned. "That got your attention. The water park is a mile west on Delancy. You can't miss it. Look for the Tunnel of Love ride."
"What interrupted your date?" Percy asked. "Something scare you off?"
Ares bared his teeth, but Percy had seen his threatening look before on Clarisse. There was something false about it, almost like he was nervous.
"You're lucky you met me, punk, and not one of the other Olympians. They're not as forgiving of rudeness as I am. I'll meet you back here when you're done. Don't disappoint me." After he said that, Percy blinked and he was gone. He might've thought the conversation had been a dream, but Annabeth and Grover's expressions told him otherwise.
"Not good," Grover said. "Ares sought you out, Percy. This is not good."
Percy stared out the window. The motorcycle had disappeared. 'Did Ares really know something about my mom, or was he just playing with me?' He thought. 'That man liked to mess with people's emotion so bad they break.'
"It's probably some kind of trick," He said. "Forget Ares. Let's just go."
"We can't," Annabeth said. "Look, I hate Ares as much as anybody, but you don't ignore the gods unless you want serious bad fortune. He wasn't kidding about turning you into a rodent."
"Interesting," Naruto said as he walked over there. He was eating streaming hot noodles.
"Only for you, Naruto," Percy said. He looked down at his cheeseburger, which suddenly didn't seem so appetizing. "Why does he need us?"
"Maybe it's a problem that requires brains," Annabeth said. "Ares have strength. That's all he has. Even strength has to bow to wisdom sometimes."
"But this water park ... He acted almost scared. What would make a war god run away like that?"
Annabeth and Grover glanced nervously at each other.
"Don't worry ... very soon you will find out," Naruto said.
The sun was sinking behind the mountains by the time they found the water park. Judging from the sign, it once had been called WATERLAND, but now some of the letters were smashed out, so it readsWAT R A D. The main gate was padlocked and topped with barbed wire. Inside, huge dry waterslides and tubes and pipes curled everywhere, leading to empty pools. Old tickets and advertisements fluttered around the asphalt. With night coming on, the place looked sad and creepy.
"If Ares brings his girlfriend here for a date," Percy said, staring up at the barbed wire, "I'd hate to see what she looks like."
"Percy," Annabeth warned. "Be more respectful."
"Why? I thought you hated Ares."
"He's still a god. And his girlfriend is very temperamental."
"You don't want to insult her looks," Grover added.
"Who is she? Echidna?"
"I think you forgot I killed the bitch remember," Naruto said.
"Yes," Percy said.
"She is Aphrodite," Grover said, a little dreamily. "Goddess of love."
"I thought she was married to somebody," Percy said. "Hephaestus."
"What's your point?" Grover asked.
"Oh." Percy suddenly felt the need to change the subject. "So how do we get in?"
"Maia!" Grover's shoes sprouted wings. He flew over the fence, did an unintended somersault in midair, and then stumbled to a landing on the opposite side. He dusted off his jeans, as if he'd planned the whole thing. "You guys coming?"
"Grover wait up," shouted Percy and he and the others decided to follow him.
The shadows grew long as they walked through the park, checking out the attractions. Luckily for them, there were no monsters in site so they were safe. Nothing made the slightest noise.
They found a souvenir shop that had been left open. Merchandise still lined the shelves: snow globes, pencils, postcards, and racks of—
"Clothes," Annabeth said. "Fresh clothes."
"Yeah," Percy said. "But you can't just—"
"Watch me."
Annabeth snatched an entire row of stuff of the racks and disappeared into the changing room. A few minutes later she came out in Water-land flower-print shorts, a big red Water-land T-shirt, and commemorative Water-land surf shoes. A Water-land backpack was slung over her shoulder, obviously stuffed with more goodies.
"What the heck." Grover shrugged.
Soon, all three Annabeth, Percy and Grover were decked out like walking advertisements for the defunct theme park.
"Naruto, try this" Annabeth said. But they saw Naruto wasn't with them. "Where is he?" She said.
"Over here, just checking some stuff," replied Naruto and they continue on with their quest and Naruto just simply accompany them.
They continued searching for the Tunnel of Love. Percy got the feeling that the whole park was holding its breath and while Naruto just remained quiet, don't want to get involved in their conversation.
"So Ares and Aphrodite," he said, to keep his mind off the growing dark, "they have a thing going?"
"That's old gossip, Percy," Annabeth said. "Three-thousand-year-old gossip."
"What about Aphrodite's husband?"
"Well, you know," she said. "Hephaestus. The blacksmith. He was crippled when he was a baby, thrown off Mount Olympus by Zeus. So he isn't exactly handsome. Clever with his hands, and all, but Aphrodite isn't into brains and talent, you know?"
"She likes bikers."
"Whatever."
"Hephaestus knows?"
"Oh sure," Annabeth said. "He caught them together once. I mean, literally caught them, in a golden net, and invited all the gods to come and laugh at them. Hephaestus is always trying to embarrass them. That's why they meet in out-of-the-way places, like ..." She stopped, looking straight ahead. "Like that."
In front of them was an empty pool. It was at least fifty yards across and shaped like a bowl.
Around the rim, a dozen bronze statues of Cupid stood guard with wings spread and bows ready to fire.
On the opposite side of them, a tunnel opened up, probably where the water flowed into when the pool was full. The sign above it read, THRILL RIDE O' LOVE: THIS IS NOT YOUR PARENTS' TUNNEL OF LOVE!
Grover crept toward the edge. "Guys, look."
Marooned at the bottom of the pool was a pink-and-white two-seater boat with a canopy over the top and little hearts painted all over it. In the left seat, glinting in the fading light was Ares's shield, a polished circle of bronze.
"This is too easy," Percy said. "So we just walk down there and get it?"
Annabeth ran her fingers along the base of the nearest Cupid statue. "There's a Greek letter carved here," she said. "Eta. I wonder ..."
"Grover," Percy said, "you smell any monsters?"
Grover sniffed the wind. "Nothing."
"Nothing—like in-the-Arch-and-you-didn't-smell-Echidna nothing, or really nothing?"
Grover looked hurt. "I told you, that we were underground."
"Okay, I'm sorry." Percy took a deep breath. "I'm going down there."
"I'll go with you," Grover said, but he didn't sound too enthusiastic.
"No," Percy said. "I want you to stay up top with the flying shoes. You're the Red Baron, a flying ace, remember? I'll be counting on you for backup, in case something goes wrong."
Grover puffed up his chest a little. "Sure. But what could go wrong?"
"I don't know. Just a feeling. Annabeth, come with me—"
"Are you kidding?" Annabeth looked at Percy as if he had just dropped from the moon. Her cheeks were bright red.
"What's the problem now?" Percy demanded.
"Me, go with you to the ... The 'Thrill Ride of Love'? How embarrassing is that? What if somebody saw me?"
"Who's going to see you?" Percy said. His face was red.
'Leave it to a girl to make everything complicated,' He thought.
"Fine," Percy said. "I'll do it myself." He started down the side of the pool.
Annabeth followed him, muttering about how boys always messed things up.
"That's old gossip, Percy," Annabeth told him. "Three-thousand-year-old gossip."
"What about Aphrodite's husband?" Percy asked.
"Well, you know," she said. "Hephaestus. The blacksmith. He was crippled when he was a baby, thrown off Mount Olympus by Zeus. So he isn't exactly handsome. Clever with his hands, and all, but Aphrodite isn't into brains and talent, you know?"
"I am curious as to why she married him in the first place." Naruto said thoughtfully, while Annabeth and Grover shrugged.
"Well, I heard she likes bikers now, so that could be why Ares is one." Annabeth suggested, making Naruto shrug his shoulders.
"Whatever." Percy replied, not wanting to know anymore. "Hephaestus knows?"
"Oh sure," Annabeth said. "He caught them together once. I mean, literally caught them, in a golden net, and invited all the gods to come and laugh at them. Hephaestus is always trying to embarrass them. That's why they meet in out-of-the-way places, like ..."
She stopped, looking straight ahead. "Like that." In front of them was an empty pool that would've been awesome for skateboarding. It was at least fifty yards across and shaped like a bowl.
Around the rim, a dozen bronze statues of Cupid stood guard with wings spread and bows ready to fire. On the opposite side from us, a tunnel opened up, probably where the water flowed into when the pool was full. The sign above it read, THRILL RIDE O' LOVE: THIS IS NOT YOUR PARENTS' TUNNEL OF LOVE!
Naruto had this blanked look on his face, "OK even I know this is not what Ares like and I'm the emotionless bastard."
"It's not, it's Aphrodite."
"Oh that makes more sense."
Grover crept toward the edge. "Guys, look."
Marooned at the bottom of the pool was a pink-and-white two-seater boat with a canopy over the top and little hearts painted all over it. In the left seat, glinting in the fading light, was Ares's shield, a polished circle of bronze.
"This is too easy," Percy said. "So we just walk down there and get it?"
"Ya know, bet it will magically start as soon you get in." Naruto sarcastically said.
Annabeth ran her fingers along the base of the nearest Cupid statue. "There's a Greek letter carved here," she said. "Eta. I wonder ..."
"Grover," Percy said, "you smell any monsters?"
He sniffed the wind. "Nothing."
"What about you, Naruto. You sense anything?"
"Nope." Naruto replied emotionlessly.
"Good, let's just hope we don't run into Echidna like the Arch." Percy replied, while Grover had a hurt look and Naruto didn't care.
"I killed her remember Percy," replied Naruto.
"Oh right," Percy replied while taking a breath. "OK, I am going in."
"I'll go with you." Grover didn't sound too enthusiastic; they guessed he was just making up for what happened in St Louis.
"No," I told him. "I want you to stay up top with the flying shoes. You're the Red Baron, a flying ace, remember? I'll be counting on you and Blondie for backup, in case something goes wrong."
"OK" said Grover
"I don't know. Just a feeling. Annabeth, come with me—"
"Are you kidding?" Annabeth replied while looking at the sea boy with a red face. Naruto smirking evily in the background.
"What's the problem now?" Percy demanded.
"Me, go with you to the ... the 'Thrill Ride of Love'? How embarrassing is that? What if somebody saw me?"
"Who's going to see you?" Percy replied, his own face burning now. " Fine. I'll do it myself." He went to leave them but he noticed she was following him anyway, mumbling under her breath.
"$5 say they be a couple in a 3 or 4 years," Naruto whispered to Grover.
"Like that will ever happen, your on," Grover whispered back and shook hands on it.
They watched as Percy and Annabeth got in the boat. Percy picked up some pink scarf, which Annabeth took away, say something about no love magic for him.
Percy scowled and reached for the shield, only to pale as his other hand hit a trip wire.
"Wait," Annabeth said.
"Too late."
"There's another Greek letter on the side of the boat, another Eta. This is a trap." She announced as the ride came to life and the boat drifted down the set stream.
Grover yelled, "Guys!"
Naruto couldn't help but smile a bit. "Him and her, alone in the Tunnel of Love, hope they use protection."
"Oh dear." Grover said with a blush.
"Besides, I think Luke is just a bit to older for her, don't you think?" Naruto replied with a smirk.
Grover sighed. "I can see that happening."
"What?'"
"And they don't have a clue and I'm the emotionless ANBU."
"Who?"
"Annabeth and Percy"
"Like that will ever happen."
"So, wanna watch them."
"How?'
"I got this portable TV from a guy back at that gift shop, I think he's a minor God or something but anyway lets watch the love birds shall we," Naruto said as he flipping through the channels.
Percy was pulling Annabeth out of the water, apparently she freaked out thanks to some spiders. Then a countdown started as the screen brightened up. A voice announced the Hephaestus Show to all of Olympus.
After watching for a few minute's and saw that they were in trouble.
"Grover I think we should head to the exit," said Naruto.
"Agreed," replied Grover and they both headed towards the gate exit.
~With Percy and Annabeth few moments ago~
The Cupids' heads popped open. Out came video cameras. Spotlights rose up all around the pool, blinding us with illumination, and a loudspeaker voice boomed: "Live to Olympus in one minute ... Fifty-nine seconds, fifty-eight ..."
"Hephaestus!" Annabeth screamed. "I'm so stupid.' Eta is H.' He made this trap to catch his wife with Ares. Now we're going to be broadcast live to Olympus and look like absolute fools!"
They had almost made it to the rim when the row of mirrors opened like hatches and thousands of tiny metallic ... things poured out. Annabeth screamed. It was an army of windup creepy-crawlies: bronze-gear bodies, spindly legs, and little pincer mouths, all scuttling toward them in a wave of clacking, whirring metal.
It was an army of wind-up creepy-crawlies: bronze-gear bodies, spindly legs, little pincer mouths, all scuttling toward us in a wave of clacking, whirring metal.
"Spiders!" Annabeth said. "Sp—sp—aaaah!"
As the spiders crawled over Annabeth and screamed her lungs out, one after the other. Percy grabbed her and pulled her up, and she clung to him, to afraid to care that she was holding Percy. He pulled her to the boat and they sat down, and Percy started kicking them as they drew near. Fear blanked out my mind, blocking out every rational thought. I think I heard my myself screaming, and I distantly felt Percy's warm body beside mine, pressed against me in small seat. She screamed again and again.
Then something horrible occurred. The spiders, they started splitting cables at them and Annabeth thrashed around, breaking them. Her eyes widened as a spider crawled up her leg, and I froze, and stuttered, "P- P- P- PERCY!"
Percy concentrated and then water bursted out of the pipes, drowning all of the spiders. Even though it nearly capsized us, relief flooded through me. Percy tugged me farther back into my seat, and then did my seatbelt. Then gate blocked our exit, and we were going to crash.
"Unfasten your seatbelt!" Percy yelled.
"Are you crazy?"
"Unless you want to get smashed to death," he yelled, attaching Ares' shield to himself. "We're going to have to jump for it."
She knew this was crazy but what else was there to do and she nodded.
"On my mark," he told me.
"No! On my mark!"
"What?"
"Simple physics!" I explain. "Force times the trajectory angle-"
"Fine! On your mark!"
When both Percy and Annabeth jumped and thought they were about to die only for them to saw Naruto and Grover at the entrance and was ready to catch them, Naruto caught Annabeth while Grover caught Percy in midair. Then slowly put them down on the ground.
Annabeth gave Naruto a hug. "Thanks Naruto."
"Your welcome," said Naruto as she let go of Naruto and then saw a bunch of Cupids still filming them. The statues had swiveled so that their cameras were trained straight on them, the spotlights in their faces.
"Show's over!" Percy yelled. "Thank you! Good night!" and with that, all the cupids left with the cameras and production tools.
"Well on the bright side, at least you guys got Ares shield," said Naruto trying to lighten the mood.
"Yeah, but c'mon there were spiders there," Annabeth cried out acting a bit like a little girl.
"OK what do you think Percy, Percy?" asked Naruto as he he and the others turned to him and saw that Percy eye was twitching.
"Guys, we need to have a little talk with Ares."
End of Chapter 9
Omake: Root Sex Education plus Seduction
In the Root headquarters, Danzo had called every single Root member to the hall for an important meeting.
"Let this meeting begin, I have called all of you here to discuss with you an important way to gather information," said Danzo.
"What is this important way to gather information Lord Danzo?" asked a curious Root member.
"It is by the art of seduction, you see I learned from a couple of nin where if you seduce a men or women the right way then they will tell you every bit of information unintentionally, but you will also" Danzo answered.
"Will you show us this way of information gathering Lord Danzo," said Sai.
"No since I have no time but I will show this video of the Icha Icha movie to show you how it is done, well everyone watch this movie and take note of everything in right."
"HAI!" all of Root shouted.
And if that Danzo left and the movie started. After a few minutes in the movie their was seduction scene happening between a men and women and it quickly lead to a sex scene.
"My God, why is that men on top of that women," said a confused Root member.
"So that's what a naked lady looks like, I've got to get the Icha Icha novels to find out more" said Naruto.
"Hmmm, so you inserted there in that girl spot, so that's how it's done, but that men really have a small dick," said Sai observing the sex scene.
And that is how Naruto became a fan of Icha Icha and Sai comments about people having small dicks and having flat chest
Omake End
OK Chapter 9 is done.