Response to Reviews:

1. rebornandlost - Do you really think Hera cares about the consequences? In her eyes Zeus was asking for her to ignore his rules. Plus, there is always a loophole she can find.

2. jcjunior - Thanks for the review. Don't worry too much about Indra interfering in anything yet. He might be too preoccupied to babysit 12 year old's on a quest.

3. Journey To The End - While I can kill Haya off, it would throw Indra off the deep end and I can't write angst. I do have something important set up that will appear in the future though.

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A/N: Its been almost two years bow since the last chapter. I started writing at a high point in my life which I am no longer at. I've had a pretty bad case of post-concussive syndrom thats pretty much left me unable to life a normal life let alone write.

Anyways, here's the next chapter.

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Previously: As the day of the deadline drew to an end, Indra prepared himself for his deadly introduction to the Greek world. A mysterious god appears before Indra and his mother Haya, as the veil Susano'o held over them dissipates.


"Found you, boy," the goddess spat in a dark tone. Sensing killing intent from the woman, Indra drew a kunai in his left hand and positioned himself in front of his mother.

Thunder rolled through the clouds, sending dark promises of pain should anyone make a wrong move. The dark sky reflected the storm raging behind Hera's eyes.

"You're a god." Indra stated matter-of-factly. There was no other explanation for how she appeared along with the power she exuded. And if the crown atop her head and peacock cloak said anything, this encounter was going to be a headache.

"I am not just any goddess; I am Hera, Queen of Olympus." Hera responded in a cold voice. As if making a point, thunder sounded again, briefly illuminating her shadowed face with lightning.

Indra heard his mother gasp from behind him. Her face slowly turned to one of fear and horror. The one god they had never wanted to meet was now standing on their doorstep.

"What does the Queen of Olympus want with a kid and his family peacefully living in the woods?" Indra asked, feinting ignorance while also buying time and digging for information. If the secrecy he has been put under for years and the stories of Hercules were anything to go off of, she wasn't here for a chat about the weather.

"Hm, what indeed," Hera said, crossing her arms and putting on a contemplative face while tapping her chin. "Perhaps, I simply wish to see the mortal spawn my beloved husband cheated on me to have. Or..." Hera continued, her face slowly becoming more cruel as she spoke each word.

"Or what." As much as he wished he could just call upon the winds to get his mother out of harms way, Indra guessed that Hera would be able to feel if he used his powers.

This storm wasn't his doing and it didn't feel like his father's doing so that only left the being in front of him. He never read that Hera had powers similar to Zeus, or at least this much.

"Or," Hera answered, "I could kill you now and be done with it." She took a step forward with a confident and proud face. Looking every part the evil stepmother from fairy tales.

"No!" Haya yelled and rushed forward, placing herself in front of Indra, reversing their roles of protector and protected. "Leave my son alone! I'm the one at fault, not him! Your feud is with me."

"Kaa-san! Don-" Indra started. His eyes widened, it was as if he forgot how to talk. His voice betraying him.

"Silence," Hera hushed him with but a look, and for the first time in this life, Indra felt as though things were now beyond him and his abilities. "The adults are speaking."

Indra could practically see the glint in her eyes as she set her gaze on Haya. She was like a predator that had just set sights on the most delectable prey before a long winter. Or like the rouge shinobi he often fought in his days as Sasuke the wandering ninja.

"Do tell me, mortal, why I should stay my hand and leave the boy alive." Hera asked Haya with a fake inquisitive tone.

Haya stared down the goddess. After spending years holding Susano'o and being around Indra, she had begun to feel the powers of others, not just an instinct but a genuine sixth sense. So when she saw how Hera was practically exploding with raw power and had clearly set her vengeance on her son, she did what she thought she had to do.

"L-lady Hera. If I may humbly speak. My son is not at fault for your husband being... unfaithful...it's mine. A-and seeing as you are the goddess of family, and more importantly, childbirth, you should know that the fault of a parent does not lie with the child." As Haya spoke in a slow and calculating voice, Indra was forced to watch from behind. He felt if he moved, the tense peace would snap.

He watched as Hera's face, which had been amused at first, slowly became shadowed and gloomy. The clouds overhead picked up on her mood and began to flash with lightning as rain began to fall. But it never touched them; instead, it fell around them like an invisible umbrella was being held over their heads.

"You're right." Hera said quietly, her features hard to make out. Then, the ground began to rumble. Hera looked straight at Haya with a murderous glare. "It's your fault. And as such, you shall be punished for crossing a goddess!"

Haya's eyes widened and she quickly turned towards Indra. On the other side, a dark look made its way onto Indra's face that would give a scowl from Hades a run for its money. He drew upon his powers, calling the wind to hasten his steps as he rushed forward faster than the naked eye could follow.

'Susano'o, remember that time a year ago with the water nymph.' Indra called in his mind.

'You mean the time where you got a whooping by a girl ya just met?" Susano'o responded in his head.

'That was not what happened.'

'Details. If you think it'll work then go for it.'

In response, Indra briefly called upon the power of Susanoo. Only instead of becoming a tangible substance, the power mixed with Indra's and became a part of his, waiting for his call.

Indra appeared before Hera almost instantaneously, his kunai drawn as he swung out, aiming not to kill but to maim and impair. It was beyond question whether he had the ability to kill her, but if he could at least incapacitate her, then it might give him enough time to take Haya and run.

Both God and demigod watched as milliseconds passed, the bronze blade inching ever so slowly towards Hera's eyes. As it reached the edge of her hairline near her ear, Hera disappeared in a flash and reappeared to Indra's left.

A bead of sweat fell from his brow. Teleportation! While he saw Hera do it when she arrived, he wasn't sure if it was effective in a fight. It seemed it was as he barley had time to react as he was launched sideways by an invisible force and thrown against a tree over a hundred feet away.

He crashed against the trunk with a snap and a cry escaped his lips as he fell limp against the ground, clutching his arm. He could feel that his upper right arm was shattered and he was sure he fractured a rib or two. Hera far exceeded his ability in combat. If not in skill then in power.

'Fine then, two can play that game.'

Summoning the winds to his aid again, Indra disappeared from his spot and and started closing in on Hera as she stood watching with an arrogant smirk.

Fumbling with his remaining hand, he drew another kunai and threw it at her, sparking with electricity. Adrenaline increased the speed of his throw. The kunai went right past Hera's face, drawing a line of golden ichor on her cheek as she was forced to dodge, smirk gone from her face.

Indra called upon the lightning in his kunai while more lightning came from his palm. Then, with skill and ability that should be far beyond his age and ability, water materialized like a string between the kunai and his palm. The moisture being taken out of the air with the mix of his and Susano'o's power.

Before Hera could even think, the lightning traveled along the waterline, which had by now manifested around her like a net, and electrocuted her. She collapsed onto the ground as the energy surged through her.

The world lit up as Hera cried out in agony. Seeing his chance, Indra appeared next to his mother and taking her hand, dragging her away from the wounded goddess.

"Kaa-san, run!" Indra commanded. A bit of lightning wouldn't stop a god. As if to drive the point home, the water and lightning net that had previously entrapped Hera collided with Indra knocking him away from his mom and shocking him.

While he had a strong resistance against lightning, it did nothing to lessen the pain coursing through him. He collapsed in a heap on the grass, the net dissipating into nothingness.

The invisible umbrella that had protected them from the rain disappeared and Indra was quickly being drowned in water. Wait, drowned! The rainwater was being collected around his head cutting him off from the air he desperately needed after the shock and tumble knocked it out of his lungs.

But, instead of grasping at the water in an attempt to remove it, he simply willed the air around him to pull the water off his head. His black hair was matted down over his face as his spit out water that had gotten in his mouth. Indra suppressed a cough he felt coming in favor of looking up.

To his horror, Hera was ignoring him and instead stalking towards his mother who seemed to be frozen in place. He could see Haya struggle from whatever invisible restraints held her.

With great effort, Indra heaved himself to his unsteady feet and once again dove into the fray. The rain silencing his footsteps.

'Close combat and tricks don't work, so what about this.' As Indra closed the distance, he reached into himself and drew upon every ounce of power available. Sensing his power at play, Hera stopped and glanced as him, her hand raising, most likely to throw him again.

Before she could however, the wind around her picked up and in an instant a tornado surrounded her, blocking her vision and everything in a 20 foot radius. The behemoth was slowly growing even larger and higher as it connected with the clouds above.

In a last ditch effort to win, Indra raised his hand to the sky and called. Lightning arced around in the sky and appeared like cracks of shattered concrete as they converged overhead of the tornado.

Indra was about to use his last attack. If tricks and combat were ineffective and a drawn out battle was impossible, then all that was left was pure destructive force. While the move he was attempting was incomplete as he had yet to remaster it, the strength behind it should be enough to leave some real hurt.

The lightning intensified and finished converging overhead, appearing as a small blue sun. "Tóra pese." Indra said coolly, the greek language coming foward subconsiously.

He dropped his arm down palm facing the ground.

If there was one thing he could claim to be a master of in his last life, it was lightning. He took the chakra nature to depths no one had come close to before. Manipulating it almost completly without chakra, simply directing the raw natural element to rain destruction on his foes.

Above, the blue sun shined before blasting down as a blue beam of pure energy, vaguely, one could hear the cry of a beast. The explosion that followed was deafening as an impossibly loud boom sounded out.

The tornado could be seen lighting up in a heavenly blue glow before swiftly breaking apart. The wind rushed out in every direction, knocking both Indra and his mother off their feet from the force of it. He was forced to shield his eyes as dirt and rocks flew past him.

As the wind quieted down and debris settled, he brought his hand away from his eyes to see the results of his attack. As he gazed on, he felt a chill run down his spine.

Standing in the epicenter of a crater of smoking ash and molten rock, was Hera, unscathed and very much alive and well.

In the corner of his eye, he could see Haya watching along with him, her eyes wide in disbelief.

The warm smoke and mist created from the explosion and fallen rain snaked around her as if greeting her. Her cheek was healed and all that was visible of their fight was slightly disheveled hair and clothing..

Her gaze landed on him and they locked eyes. "Enough games child. I'm ending this here and now." she spoke, her voice traveling the distance between them with an echo.

Collapsing on the ground, all energy and adrenaline depleted, Indra was forced to sit and watch as Hera put her hand out facing Haya and began to chant.

"Se vrízo na xecháseis to paidí sou kai tis anamníseis tou. Allá gia na ypoférei gia pánta oneirévetai ton chamó tou."

To Indra, it was a sentence that would forever plague him. In English she said. 'I curse you to forget your child and memories of him. But to forever suffer dreams of his demise.'

While Haya may not die. It was a fate worse than death to never remember her own beloved child. Both she and Indra felt a wave of power surround her and begin to seep into her skin.

Dredging up whatever strength he had left, Indra brought himself to his feet and cried out. He watched as Haya looked at him with tears in her eyes and how they slowly went blank like glassy marbles.

He felt as his heart began to crack and break apart as he failed his family, for which he knew there was no coming back from, for the final time. Ignoring his broken arm and bruised body, he dug his fingers into his kunai pouch and pulled out several shuriken in each hand.

Adding wind as a boost, he threw them at Hera aiming for all the vital spots on her body and those that would cause the most pain, and watched as they closed in on her.

But the weapons never reached Hera. They burst into flames before they could get near. The heat causing the surrounding rain to sizzle and turn to mist. At the same time, Haya's eyes began to glow and a new power descended on their surroundings.

Haya began to glow and her eyes returned to normal. A soft flame licked across her feet around her and she let out a gasp. A feeling of hope, love, and peace came over both her and Indra causing Hera's eyes to widen in disbelief.

"Hestia?" Hera whispered. It was Indra's turn to be surprised after hearing her. Was the fire goddess Hestia's doing? Why would she interfere? Did it have anything to do with his prayer he made to her days prior?

As the questions formed and dissipated in Indra's mind, Hera's face was a cacophony of emotions. From confusion, to anger, to wonder, and finally landing on fear and acceptance.

Meanwhile, Haya used that time to make a getaway from the goddess and made her way to where Indra was on his knees catching his breath.

"Indra! Are you okay?!" Haya asks breathless.

"I'll be fine Kaa-san. I should be asking you that." Indra countered. Even if she put up a brave front, Indra could see the subtle shaking of her hands, the way here eyes dilated and jumped around the surroundings like a frightened animal.

"The witch is coming over Indra!" Susano'o warned from around his neck. Indra's head jerked up and like he was told, Hera was walking over to them. But, the rage was gone from her face.

"I tire of this conflict Indra." Hera spoke to him in a motherly tone. "So, I offer you a choice."

"What choice?" Indra shakily replied. The broken ribs making his breathing erratic and voice soft.

"You and your mother will be left alone," Hera gestured to them with a hand, the other was resting at her side like the threat was gone. "and it will be as if this never happened. All you have to do is solve a slight problem that recently came up for me. If you refuse..."

The threat was left unsaid but Indra knew what she was saying loud and clear. Accept or die. Many old stories have had mortals smited for far less affronts than fighting against a literal god.

Gritting his teeth and glancing at his mother, Indra made his decision. "Fine. What do you need."

At the same time, he made another conversation. 'Susano'o.'

"No. The Greeks are infamous for their quests and poor conduct. There's no telling what will happen to you."

'I wasn't asking.' With that Indra slowly unclasped the necklace and handed it to Haya. He wouldn't put it past Hera to act out against her while he was gone.

"It's simple. Far more than you deserve. You see, a stray storm stole something of mine. I want it back." Hera answered.

"Quit dodging the question." Indra snapped back. If this went on any longer then he would pass out from over exertion. He spent far more of his power than what's healthy. It was like the time he first created a tornado but ten times worse.

Thunder rumbled overhead and Hera's eyes flashed a dangerous look. "Watch your tone. For your disrespect, I'll have you figure out what is missing yourself. But don't fret, this will direct you to what you need."

Ina flash of light, a massive, ten foot diameter bronze sundial. It was painted gold with intricate designs along the edges. But the majority was taken up by a large circle. Engraved in it were five rings that ended in the middle.

The outer ring, on the top half, was a row of stars. On the bottom half were a few lines that matched up into the next ring, which had grooves. Indra imagined it was to measure angles. The next ring had Roman numerals from one to twelve. The third ring was just a divider with wave-like details. The second-to-middle ring had the ancient Greek abbreviations for the cardinal directions and the four intermediate ones. The final middle ring had a large star shape, which seemed to emerge from the protruding piece of the device.

Shock and disbelief permeated the air as Haya and Indra gazed at the sundial. "Where exactly is this spirit supposed to be?" Indra asked at last. He supposes he shouldn't be too surprised, he expected some sort of catch.

"Not too far. Only in...Alaska." Hera answered with a pause. Like there was some detail she knew but wouldn't tell.

"How can he possibly use this to find something if he can't even move it!" Haya exclaimed. She was as furious as she was despaired.

"Quiet!" Hera sounded. Haya instantly went mute. It was exactly like she had done previously to Indra.

She returned focus to Indra who met her eyes with a glare. Hera smirked in return. "Why don't I give you a head start." With a snap of her fingers both Indra and the sundial disappeared.

"INDRA!" Haya yelled out, voice returning. She frantically looked around for any trace of him. Not finding anything she grabbed the necklace Indra left her along with a shuriken that was on the ground and stood up. "Bring. Him. Back." she demanded in a cold voice. As if pleased with the reaction, Hera let out a small hmm and also disappeared.

Thunder rumbled overhead and rain cascaded down Haya's hair and face. Tears gathered in her eyes as she collapsed on the ground. The sound of her sobs muffled by her hands. Her son was gone.


Camp Half-Blood, Same Day at Night:

Chiron was having a very bad day and, most recently, night. It started off well enough; no demigods were being mauled by harpies. There were no deadly fights or pranks. In fact, a new camper was even brought in and claimed the very hour! Selina Beauregard, daughter of Aphrodite. A new camper was always a cause for celebration. Unfortunately, this is where things started to sour.

It wasn't the fist fight Selina got in with her cabin mates over what type of love was better. It wasn't Dionysus turning a son of Hermes into a dolphin for trying to steal one of his playing cards. It wasn't even the worry he was feeling for Luke who is far too young to be going on a quest. Poor boy was tasked with stealing a golden apple from the Garden of Hesperides just the day before by Hermes.

No, what started his bad day was the hunters of Artemis saying they were spending the night at camp. What followed was one of the worst altercations with the hunters and campers in the last century, with various demigods being admitted to the camp infirmary with critical injuries. The tension only escalated further after that, to the point where Dionysus called it, "too noisy," and left. He wasn't even allowed to leave!

That brings him to the present.

Total chaos. Hunters and campers were fighting all around. The Hermes, Aries, and Apollo cabins were on fire. Multiple bodies which Chiron could thankfully see breathing were lying on the ground. He could see a daughter of Ares being shot in the shoulder by an arrow. A son of Hermes being punched to the ground by an angry hunter. He even spotted young Selina along with other younger campers trying to put out one of the cabin fires before it spread.

As Chiron tried to put a stop to the madness around him, thunder rumbled ominously overhead.

All throughout the camp, demigods stopped fighting and looked to the sky as rain started to fall throughout the camp, the message was clear. Stop fighting at once. Chiron could only shake his head in sadness and disappointment. Despite centuries of effort, campers and hunters still couldn't get along.

"Campers. Treat the wounded and return to your cabins." That was all Chiron could say with his weary mind.

There were, of course, some small protests, particularly from the Aries Cabin, but the unusual rain shut them down. Another boon from the rain was that the cabin fires were doused and died out rather quickly.

The rustling of feet, equipment, and debris was muffled as the rain gradually grew stronger. Chiron did his best to oversee what he could and prevent further altercations.

Sending the hunters to Artemis' cabin was the first step. The air was too volatile to have both campers and hunters around each other.

As he looked to approach Zoë Nightshade, lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis and most reasonable of the bunch, he heard a few cries of, "Don't look!" Before a flash reached the corner of his eye.

He turned his head to see Artemis herself appear. And boy did she look pissed. The hunters were originally brought here in the first place because Zues called her to Olympus and they were already in the area.

Chiron's tail flicked slightly as he met the goddesses eyes, but she bypassed him and went directly to her lieutenant. Briefly in the back of his mind, he noted she wasn't in her childlike form.

"Zoë." Artemis called.

Said girl was quick to respond, "Milady."

"Go find Phoebe and Parthenos," instructed Artemis. "I have a task for you three."

"Yes Milady." Zoë answered and began to walk away to her fellow hunters.

With that Artemis turned back to Chiron. "Chiron, instruct Zoë to visit the Oracle when she returns. Unfortunately, I don't have the time to tell her the details myself."

"Of course. I assume something important is happening on Olympus."

Artemis nodded, "I cannot explain fully, but let's just say my father is in a foul mood."

Before Chiron could begin to comprehend what that might mean, Artemis was gone. A moment later, Zoë, Phoebe and Parthenos walked over, bows in hand looking ready for another bout with the campers if the glares were anything to go by.

Luckily, they were smart enough to know there was more pressing matters at hand. At least Chiron hoped.

"Where has Milady Artemis gone, Chiron?" Zoë asked when she drew near. Her head swiveling as she peered around.

Chiron tapped one of his back hooves as he replied, "Back to Olympus," Zoë opened her mouth to interrupt. "-but she asked for you all to visit the Oracle. It seems a quest is in order." Chiron finished before she had the chance to speak.

Quest. The one word that put more fear into the old centaur than anything else. For a being whose sole purpose is to watch over and raise demigods, watching them be forced into a deadly task with no way to help is an even greater hell than the underworld itself.

Adding on the stress of Luke Callistan being on his own quest and the current state of Camp Half-Blood, Chiron felt like he aged a few centuries at the very least.

Zoë Nightshade, on the other hand, had very different thoughts on the matter. It was not often her goddess was so brief in giving tasks. She usually explained what they were to do at the very least before leaving them.

Regardless, her goddess has assigned her a task, and she would dutifully complete it. With that thought in mind, she spoke a bit longer with Chiron on arrangements for the hunters at camp while she was away. She had no doubts that something wasn't done, there wouldn't be a camp to return to given the current tensions.

Afterwards, Zoë made her way through the camp, past the cabins and debris and over towards the big house, glaring at any male that dared to even look in her general direction.

Making her way to the attic, Zoë spent a few moments looking around. The attic was filled with Greek junk, old armor with scratch marks and faded leather, rusting shields and various other items stowed around the room. She spared a glance at some of the plaques. Reading them as she passed by.

Ithaka, Circie's Isle, and the land of the Amazons,

Hair of John Wayne the cyclops,

Hydra Head #1, Woodstock. N.Y., 1969,

George Washington's Wig, Mount Vernon. V.A., 1785,

Then, reaching the end of the room by the window, Zoë saw her objective. Sitting on a wooden tripod stool, was a human female body shriveled to a husk.

She wore a tie-dyed sundress, lots of beaded necklaces, and a headband over long black hair. The skin of her face was thin and leathery over her skull, and her eyes were glassy white slits.

The mummy unnerved Zoë in more ways than one. Not that she would tell anyone though.

Before she had the chance to speak, a green mist poured from the mummy's mouth, coiling over the floor in thick tendrils, hissing with the combined might of thousands of snakes.

Inside her head, Zoë heard a voice speak to her. "I am the spirit of Delphi, speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python. Approach, seeker, and ask."

Quietly swallowing, she responded, "What is thy task milady has assigned me?"

The green mist responded to her words like coiling serpents, an image appeared overhead that made Zoë's blood run cold. And with the words that came shortly after, cold sweat ran down her back.


In a cold land, beyond the reach of the gods the wind stirred. A young girl leaned against a window, looking bored out of her mind.

There was another blizzard outside that had slowly appeared over the course of the day and looked to have no signs of stopping.

The weather had been getting worse and worse over the past few weeks. The abnormal weather was on the back of the girl's mind however. She focused on the vague reflection of her eyes on the glass. Brown with orange flecks that seemed to glow like embers stared back.

With a sigh, the girl looked back to the piling snow outside, "When will something interesting finally happen." She muttered to herself softly.


Extra:

Indra walked down to the creek that flowed past his house. It was part of a larger river that ran through the area and part of the reason he and his mother had moved here.

While not as good as a lake or beach, being close to a source of water gave a slight boost to Susanoo's power that allowed Indra to train longer when using the gods power.

It also, interestingly enough, helped Indra channel his own divine abilities better. When he had questioned the god if it was his doing, his response was quite enlightening.

"Of course you feel more powerful in water! You have the best God in the world to thank for that. Blessed yer family bloodline back when I entrusted my essence to your ancestor." Susano'o said in a voice that reeked of sarcas.

"What does this… blessing give me?" Indra asked, pausing slightly in thought.

"Well a little bit of everything really. As much faith I have in your family, mortals can only accomplish so much against beings of the mythological world. To even wield my awesome power in the first place, yer weak bodies needed some extra durability! Add to that water treating you to the same effects a cup of expresso would have, speaking to fish, and breathing underwater, you all have a much better chance of survival."

That- actually explained a lot. Back when his mother was in the hospital, Indra had heard the doctors say it was a miracle she was even alive. Not to mention how quickly and completely she recovered.

"Anyways," Susanoo interjected, "we got a little off task here. Today you are training in a different use of my power that, coincidently, shares a bit of old lighting beards' domain as well."

"Water? I don't remember that being a particular strength of my father." Indra asked in a questioning tone.

"Ha! And here I thought you were supposed to be oh-so-smart." Susanoo goaded. Indra simply scowled and waited. "Man, yer so boring. It's rain!"

That should have been obvious to Indra in hindsight. He just never tried to manipulate the rain, instead opting to focus on his skill over wind and lightning since they were his core elements in this life.

Susanoo drawled on some more, but Indra ignored him in favor of stepping into the stream below and trying to feel the water.

It took some time, but finally, like a sixth sense, the creek below became visible in his mind. It was similar to how he had been working on feeling his surroundings with the air, but a bit more muted, like a radar rather than omnidirectional echolocation seen in movies.

Reaching out his hand, Indra felt a tug in his gut and a hum of power from his necklace, and pulled. Before his eyes, the water began to divert before it was flowing along the river bank around him.

He marveled at the new discovery before water splashed against the back of his head that felt almost like a wet hand slapping him, his concentration broken, the water quickly returned to the creek.

Indra's instincts and training took over, his hands sparking to light with bluish-yellow arcs of energy. He spun around sensing a being behind him in the water, and swept his legs low causing his attacker to fall with a squeak.

Indra was ready to fight but paused at the being in front of him. A teenage girl with pastel blue skin, brown wavy hair that flowed like water, and a youthful face was rubbing her butt where she had fallen in the river.

"Owie," the girl cried as she looked up and glared at Indra that to him, looked more like a pout. "You jerk! Who do you think you are to come into my river and mess with my water! And to attack me too. What do they teach demigods these days!"

Indra quelled his surprise and released the hold over his power letting the energy dissipate from his hands. "You're a naiad, one of the potameides." He stated matter-of-factly.

"A hot one too!" Susanoo added unhelpfully in his mind.

The naiad stood up from the water, her clothes perfectly dry and crossed her arms over her chest in a huff. "Quite the genius aren't you, what tipped you off?" She snarked. The god watching the interaction burst out laughing.

"Bahahaha! She's hilarious!"

Indra sighed, both at the girl and Susanoo's laughter. "I… apologize for attacking you. How were you able to sneak up on me?"

From what he could tell, the girl had loose lips, if he could gather information about her abilities it would be useful in case things went south.

The naiad looked at him like he was stupid. "It's my river. I can appear wherever I want in it. Especially when some kid comes barging in like a cyclops and begins messing with it!"

"I see." Indra simply replied. It explained how she wasn't detected by him despite being so close.

"Soooooo," The naiad drawled as Indra hadn't said anything else. "What are you doing with my river? Are you the son of some water deity thinking they can do whatever they want with whatever water they wish?"

Indra shook his head, ignoring the somehow still laughing god in his mind. "I was simply testing my abilities, I hadn't realized the river was… occupied."

The anger on the naiad's face faded as she contemplated what to do next.

Seeing a chance, Indra continued speaking, "I live just outside the forest here," He pointed to the left past the small hill the river had sunk into. "Would it be okay if I trained in your waters?"

While no diplomat, Indra knew better than to force his hand over something that could be accomplished through dialogue. It was something he had quite intimately learned after dealing with Naruto's charismatic speeches and the various villages in the elemental nations.

If he could win a truce of sorts with a potential ally near his home, she could prove useful down the line when Susanoo's protection wore off.

The naiad looked at him funny for a moment before a small smile graced her lips. "Usually no one asks before using my river. Not the other nymphs, not the occasional annoying satyr, and definitely not the humans."

Indra watched as a small blush rose on her cheeks and her hands began playing with her hair. She looked down, not meeting him in the eye.

"I guess it would be fine if it's you." She mumbled before looking back up to him.

"Ahh, young lov-"

"But," the Naiad spoke, her tone hardening, "don't think this means I'm leaving you alone by yourself. You'd better not cause any damage to the banks or mess up my river or there will be hell to pay!"

"Hn."