Hinata accepted the book and open up to the page Iruka had marked.

Chapter three; Hell ends and a new hell begins

The group wondered what trouble Naruto has gotten into to that he would call hell. Iruka sweat dropped as he had a feeling what it was.

Life after the freak show went on like normal, well as normal as it could get in this school. For the rest of the year both the boys were a bit put off by the revelation that Miss Dodds never existed. In her place was a perky blond woman names Mrs. Kerr. When either of the boys would ask something about the old hag, people just looked at the like they were nuts! Naruto, however, did like the new teacher thought. She was a refreshing change from the old crone. Though he still knew something was up, he knew that something had happened at the museum.

Everyone else seemed to not even know what the hell they were talking about, Grover seemed like he did. He would always hesitate before denying it though. He was such a bad liar.

Kakashi shook his head; he knew the important skill of lying and how it could kill you if you were bad at it.

Anyway, that freak storm continued and one time it blew out the windows in Percy's dorm. Luckily, Naruto offered him a place to stay until things were fixed and ready to go to his place. A few days later, the biggest tornado ever spotted in the Hudson Valley touched down only fifty from Yancy Academy, which was scary in itself, luckily they didn't get hurt.

Percy started feeling cranky and irritable most of the time. His grades slipped from Ds to Fs. He got into more fights with Nancy Bobofit and her friends. He was sent out into the hallway in almost every class.

Kiba chuckled remembering how he skipped class and caused trouble with Naruto and felt like he would get along with Percy.

Naruto was in some of his class he was feeling the same way; he stayed under control….most of the time. He was getting really annoyed if anything else. And when Naruto was annoyed or bored he went on a pranking spree.

Iruka sighed knowing this was coming and the school had his pity.

So far he filled the pools with orange Jell-o, paint every single locker, insides too, neon orange. And somehow got the statute of the school founder in a hideous green one-piece jumpsuit with orange leg warmers. He also use black permanent marker to make thick eyebrows on the head. No one figure out how he managed to do that. And what sent Percy and Grover over the top was Naruto telling them that Might Guy and Rock Lee wore that every single day in his home.

Lee blinked before he shouted, "Gai sensei! Naruto is spreading the flames of youth in that world! He is showing power of youth to everyone!"

Gai did his trademark smile and thumbs up, "That correct Lee! We must work to help spread the flames of youth as well."

The other sweat dropped while Jiraiya wondered where Naruto got one of those suits since he made sure Naruto got rid of the one Gai gave him.

Though when Percy got in trouble for calling their English teacher an old sot, whatever that meant, the school sent a letter his mom telling her that Percy would not be allowed back next year, the boy's mood lifted….but just a little bit. Naruto could tell Percy missed his mom because he hated that fact that she was with Gabe of all people. The kid was homesick, no surprise there. He felt it too. He even wondered when he gets to see his mom like the scroll said.

Naruto sighed as he came to reality, exam week was come up soon and he, like Percy and Grover had to study. Like Shikamaru says, it is going to be a drag.

Shikamaru raised a brow but shrugged.

(Scene change)

The night before the exams started, Naruto and Percy decided to have a study session at Percy's dorm. Throughout the night, Naruto could see that Percy was getting more and more agitated. Finally he threw his book across the room.

"Man what did that book say to you this time?" Naruto commented, trying livening up the atmosphere.

"Sorry but how the hell am I supposed to know the difference Chiron and Charon!"

Sakura blinked, "They do sound different so what is the problem?"

Ino answered, "Problem because he sees the names all scrambled. It's hard to do a written test. It is a miracle that I did as good as I did."

Sakura nodded understanding, "So what is the difference?"

Hinata looked ahead and said, "Naruto explains it right here" And read on.

"Simple, one has an I and the other has an A in their name." Naruto smartly said with smirk. (que sweat drops) Percy slapped his face and gave Naruto a glare. "Ok, let me help you then. Chiron, the one with the I, trains heroes and is a horse's ass. Then we have Charon, the one with the A, he is the ferry man of the dead who would sell his mother for gold."

If anything the sweat drops grew bigger. "That is not helpful," Kiba muttered.

Shika sighed catching the important part, "Chiron train heroes and has something to do with horses maybe a rider or tamer. Charon takes the dead to the afterlife but you have to pay for it."

Jiraiya nodded, "That is pretty much the gist of it, nice catch."

Shikamaru said nothing wanting nothing more then to take a nap.

"Is that how you remember everything? Give it a short description while it could insult them?" Percy asked while trying to hide a smirk.

"Heh, easier for me to remember stuff like that." Naruto smiled. "Hey, I need one for Zeus, should I go with, ego the size of the sky or skirt chaser?"

The two looked at each other before saying at the same time, "Skirt chaser."

"Huh?" asked many of the genin in the room.

Kakashi chuckled, "Zeus is famous to have many affairs with many women and sire heroes. Naruto is simply giving it a different term for it."

The girls scowled at the fact a god was pretty much a womanizer.

"But my way might not be best for you. Everyone has a different way of remembering stuff."

"Yeah." Percy said. "I can't believe I am saying this but I think I should go see Mr. Brunner, he might have a way that is good for me."

"Want me to come?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah, so I don't feel like a total idiot going down there." Percy replied and got up to get his book.

Naruto just laughed, "Too late for that man." He said as he ignored Percy's glare.

Kiba huffed, "like you are one to talk Naruto."

They walked downstairs to the faculty offices. Most of them were dark and empty, but Mr. Brunner's door was ajar, light from his window stretching across the hallway floor. They were three steps from the door handle when the duo heard voices inside the office. Mr. Brunner asked a question. A voice that was definitely Grover's said "... worried about Percy and Naruto, sir."

The boys froze at that. They nodded and leaned in to eavesdrop, not that they did it a lot but when a friend is talking about you to a teacher, you'd want to what was going on.

"... alone this summer," Grover was saying. "I mean, a Kindly One in the school! Now that we know for sure, and they know too—"

The group blinked. Kindly One? There was nothing kindly about whatever attacked Naruto.

"We would only make matters worse by rushing them," Mr. Brunner said. "We need the boys to mature more."

"But he may not have time. The summer solstice deadline—"

"Will have to be resolved without them, Grover. Let him enjoy his ignorance while he still can."

"Sir, they saw her..."

"Their imagination," Mr. Brunner insisted. "The Mist over the students and staff will be enough to convince them of that."

Kurenai thought about it, "Maybe this mist is a natural Genjutsu barrier of some kind and that is why people do not remember Mrs. Drodds."

"So Grover and Mr. Brunner is behind it or part of the world of the gods." Asuma added.

"Sir, I ... I can't fail in my duties again." Grover's voice was choked with emotion. "You know what that would mean."

"You haven't failed, Grover," Mr. Brunner said kindly. "I should have seen her for what she was. Now let's just worry about keeping Percy and Naruto alive until next fall—"

The mythology book that Percy had brought with him fell to the floor and Naruto's eyes widened in panic as all went silent. As soon as Percy grabbed the book, Naruto grabbed Percy and they ran for it. Percy saw something larger than Mr. Brunner come out of the room he steered them to a nearby room to hide for a bit.

A few seconds later they heard a slow clop-clop-clop, like muffled wood blocks, then a sound like an animal snuffling right outside the door. A large, dark shape paused in front of the glass, and then moved on.

Both the boys were sweating, that was too close.

Somewhere in the hallway, Mr. Brunner spoke. "Nothing," he murmured. "My nerves haven't been right since the winter solstice."

"Mine neither," Grover said. "But I could have sworn ..."

"So whatever is happen it revolves around the winter solstice." Sakura muttered to which the others nodded. They wished they knew more but the book did not give anymore information so they kept reading.

"Go back to the dorm," Mr. Brunner told him. "You've got a long day of exams tomorrow."

"Don't remind me." They heard Grover whine.

Iruka chuckled, "Oh I am sure they are not that bad." As he was not looking at them he did not notice his students avoiding his eyes.

When the lights went off in Mr. Brunner's office went off, they bolted out of the room they were hiding like a bat out hell. When they made it back to Percy's dorm, he locked the door. "Ok, now we know for sure something is going on!"

"Yeah, but what and who would want us dead. I mean, they talked as if someone was after our heads." Naruto pondered.

"Hey, you can stay the night." Percy said. "I mean, you're the ninja here and if anything happens we would have a better chance at surviving."

"Fine with me…" Naruto said. He then sighed, "I just hope we survive the exams."

Kakashi chuckled, "You think after the chunin exam he would not think test would be bad."

Kankuro chuckled a bit, "He did look rather pale when the first exam came along."

Percy paled and then hung his head, once again reminded of the exams and why they went down there in the first place. "I'm so screwed."

Just then Grover walked in like nothing had happened. "Hey, how are you guys doing on the studying?" When they both hung their heads and didn't say anything, he got worried. "You guys ok?"

Naruto answered, "Yep, we're screwed."

"At least he admits it," Shino added softly.

(Scene change)

The next afternoon, they finally got out of their three hour Latin exam.

This cause all the once academy student to go wide eye and paled thinking of having to take such a long test. Konohamaru and his friends glanced at Iruka fearfully hoping he would never give a test that long. They were relieved when Iruka said, "That long? That must be some test. Maybe too long for my taste though."

Ino whispered to Sakura, "I think I would die or jump out the window if I had to go through that. How did Naruto manage?"

"A miracle," Sakura answered.

"Three hours of that crazy, inhuman, hell!" Naruto complained, "test back home were never like this!"

"Well the second exam last five days but I don't think that counts." Kakashi added, getting glares at that reminder.

"Ugh, my eyes are swimming with all the Greek and Roman names that I misspelled." Percy complained as he held his head. Unfortunately, Mr. Brunner called them back in.

"Percy," he said. "Don't be discouraged about leaving Yancy. It's ... it's for the best." He then turned to Naruto and asked. "What about you?"

"Well, I am split between staying here for Grover's sake or going where ever Percy goes so he won't be the only new kid. ("That's nice of him," Kiba said approving of being loyal to a comrade) Oh and don't worry, I am used to hopping around." 'Mostly hopping worlds and trees but you don't need to know that.' When they were talking Percy was getting annoyed by Nancy Bobofit who, like some others, was still taking the test.

"I see." Mr. Brunner commented. "I guess this place is not the right place for you boys then. It's only a matter of time."

Naruto glance at Percy sadly to see that Percy was upset. His favorite teacher at this dump of a school and in front of a whole freaking class was telling him that he couldn't handle it here. This Naruto pissed off. Percy was his best friend in this land after all.

"No, no," Mr. Brunner said. "Oh, confound it all. What I'm trying to say ... you're not normal, Percy and neither are you Naruto. That's nothing to be—"

Iruka frowned; this was supposed to be a teacher? 'A teacher should be supportive of their students. I can't imagine ever saying something like that to any student let alone someone like Percy and Naruto.'

"Thanks," he blurted. "Thanks a lot, sir, for reminding me."

"Percy—" He called out but Percy was already out the door.

Naruto looked from the door to Mr. Brunner and scowled. "Mr. Brunner, maybe you should take some classes about speaking you need a lot of lessons." Naruto said as he left to chase after his friend.

"You tell him Naruto," Iruka muttered.

(Scene change)

On the last day of the term, Naruto watched as Percy shoved his clothes into his suitcase. They listened to the other guys brag about where they were going this summer. Those idiots may be juvenile delinquents, but they were also rich juvenile delinquents. One of them asked Percy and Naruto where they were going.

"My home in the city for the summer." Percy replied.

"Same here." Naruto said, scaring Percy since he did know he had arrived yet.

"When did you get here?" Percy asked still not use to Naruto popping up out of nowhere.

"Heh, a few minutes ago man." chuckled Naruto.

"Oh." Percy replied.

"So remind me again why I am going with you to your place for the day?" Naruto said.

"Well, you can tell I have been a bit peeved lately and you usually help out when I am in a bad mood. So, I guess I need to you to keep me in check because Gabe is going to really piss me off."

Choji chuckled as he bit into a chip, "It funny that Naruto would help keep someone in check. He can help make a person feel better but not keep them in check."

"True but none of use ever really needed it," Shikamaru added.

"Keep you from shooting your mouth off, got it." Naruto commented, and then his eyes lit up. "You know, I live right in the middle from your apartment to the school. I just noticed that."

"Good, then you can come over more often." Percy mumbled as they left the school dorms to get on a bus, though he was wondering how Naruto got from his home to school in time for class. 'Must be a ninja thing…'

Kiba laughed wondering how Percy would react to some of the stuff ninja can do that Naruto could not.

(Scene change)

Both boys were dreading how they were going to say good bye to Grover but luckily for them, he was on the bus they were on. The whole bus ride, they saw that Grover was very fidgety, like he was expecting something to come out the works to come after him or them. He was like this every time they left the school campus…odd.

"He must be expecting another attack." Kakashi noticed.

Gai nodded, "Ever on the look out for his friends. This Grover is burning with the flames of youth!"

Though Percy was getting annoyed by it and he blurted out, "Looking for Kindly Ones?" Naruto smacked his head while Grover nearly jumped out of his seat. "Wha—what do you mean?"

They boy confessed about eavesdropping on his and Mr. Brunner's conversation the night before the exams.

Grover's eye twitched. "How much did you hear?"

"Oh ... not much. What's the summer solstice dead-line?" Percy asked

"Or is that too much for you to handle?" Naruto smirked.

He winced. "Look, guys ... I was just worried for you, see? I mean, hallucinating about demon math teachers ..."

"Grover/Dude-"

"And I was telling Mr. Brunner that maybe you guys were overstressed or something, because there was no such person as Mrs. Dodds, and ..."

"Dude, you suck at lying." Naruto blurted out making Grover sputter and his ear turn pink.

"Busted," Kiba chuckled getting laughed from the Konohamaru corp.

From his shirt pocket, he fished out a couple of grubby business cards. "Just take this, okay? In case you need me this summer." The card was in fancy script, which was murder on their dyslexic eyes, but they finally made out something like:

Grover Underwood

Keeper

Half-Blood Hill

Long Island, New York

(800) 009-0009

"So we are right," Ino muttered, "But what is a keeper?"

Hinata glanced down and found a foot note that appeared, "It says that Keepers are those that travel the country looking for half-bloods and bring them to camp safely."

The group blinked, then they gave Grover their pity for having to deal with Naruto and try and protect him with his stubborn nature.

"What's Half—" Percy started.

"Don't say it aloud!" he yelped. "That's my, um ... summer address."

That made Naruto roll his eyes. He didn't buy that for a minute but his friendship with Grover stop him from saying so.

Percy looked at little sad that even Grover had a summer home like the other people at school. 'At least Naruto is like me and lives close.' "Okay," he said glumly. "So, like, if I want to come visit your mansion."

"Did he not pay attention to the card?" asked Shikamaru annoyed at Percy for being such a drag. "I doubt he lives in a mansion."

He nodded. "Or ... or if you need me."

"Why would I need you?" Percy growled out harshly, surprising even Naruto.

Grover blushed right down to his Adam's apple. "Look, Percy, the truth is, I—I kind of have to protect you, both of you." He said making the boys look at him oddly. They were the ones who had to protect him in the school!

"Grover," Percy said, "What exactly are you protecting us from?"

Before he could answer, there was a huge grinding noise under our feet. Black smoke poured from the dashboard and the whole bus filled with a smell like rotten eggs. The driver cursed and limped the Greyhound bus over to the side of the highway.

"Man rotten luck," Konohamaru said crossing his arms. "Stuck in the middle of nowhere."

After a few minutes clanking around in the engine compartment, the driver announced that they'd all have to get off. Percy, Naruto, and Grover filed outside with everybody else.

They were on a stretch of country road—no place you would notice if you didn't break down there.

"Hey that's what I said!" Konohamaru exclaimed.

On our side of the highway was nothing but maple trees and litter from passing cars. On the other side, across four lanes of asphalt shimmering with afternoon heat was an old-fashioned fruit stand.

"Couldn't we break down somewhere with more shade." Naruto commented while hitting the back of his head on the bus. Raising an eyebrow he took a look at the fruit stand on the other side of the street. The stuff on sale looked really good: heaping boxes of blooded cherries and apples, walnuts and apricots, jugs of cider in a claw-foot tub full of ice. There were no customers, just three old ladies sitting in rocking chairs in the shade of a maple tree, knitting the biggest pair of socks they'd ever seen. These where no ordinary socks, they were as big as sweaters! Who wears socks that big?

The lady on the right knitted one of them. The lady on the left knitted the other. The lady in the middle held an enormous basket of electric-blue yarn. All three women looked ancient, with pale faces wrinkled like fruit leather, silver hair tied back in white bandannas, bony arms sticking out of bleached cotton dresses.

Konohamaru glanced at his friends who glanced back at him. Were these the ladies they met before?

The creepy thing was, is that they were staring right at Percy and Naruto. "Talk about creepy." Naruto commented. "Hey Grover…" Whatever Naruto was going to ask died in his throat seeing Grover.

"You ok man?" Percy asked when he saw Grover's face.

"What wrong now?" Kankuro asked.

Temari rolled her eyes at her brother's stupidly, "Shut up and we will find out."

They looked at Grover to see that all the color had drained out of him, that and his nose was twitching. "Tell me, are they looking at you two? They are aren't they?"

"Yeah. Weird, huh? You think those socks would fit me?" asked Percy in a joking manner.

"Not likely." Naruto replied, getting really freaked out. "I think they would fit Gamabunta though."

"Big socks," Jiraiya muttered. "Maybe they would be kind enough to make a pair for him." he added as a joke which no one found very funny.

"Not funny you two. Not funny at all." Grover whined.

"What is eating you?" Naruto asked. Grover only pointed to the old ladies.

The old lady in the middle took out a huge pair of scissors—gold and silver, long-bladed, like shears. They heard Grover catch his breath. "We're getting on the bus," he told them. "Come on."

"What?" Percy said. "It's a thousand degrees in there."

"You actually like the heat Grover? When you are hot you smell like a wet barn animal." Naruto asked/complained.

Kiba gagged hearing this, he hated that smell and he had to smell it a lot when it rains and it is his turn to care for the kennels.

"Come on!'" He pried open the door and climbed inside while his friends stay back for a bit. Across the road, the old ladies were still watching them. The middle one cut the yarn, which they could hear that snip across four lanes of traffic. Her two friends balled up the electric-blue socks, leaving them wondering who they could possibly be for, probably for big foot or the Jersey devil. ("Who?" almost everyone asked) Naruto rolled his eyes and climbed into the bus.

"Come on, let go see Grover before he wets himself."

At the rear of the bus, the driver wrenched a big chunk of smoking metal out of the engine compartment, the bus shuddered, and the engine roared back to life and everyone cheered. "Darn right!" yelled the driver. He slapped the bus with his hat. "Everybody back on board!"

"Took him long enough," Naruto drawled as he walked to the back with Percy.

"It's not his fault," Kurenai said. "And he did manage to fix it."

Tsunade and Jiraiya stayed quite feeling that there was more to that then meets the eye.

Once the bus got going, Percy got all feverish like he got the flu while Naruto started sweating and complaining about the heat. Grover was not any better but he was chatting his teeth like he was cold.

"Grover?" asked Percy.

"Yeah?"

"What are you not telling us?"

"A lot of information I am sure," Shino said.

Grover dabbed his forehead with his shirt sleeve. "Percy, Naruto, what did you two see back at the fruit stand?"

"A few old ladies with way too much free time." Naruto replied while putting a hand on his forehead and wiping off the sweat.

"Yeah." Percy smirked but lost it at Grover serious face. "Wait, they're not like Miss Dodds are they?"

"I don't think so," Neji said thinking it over, "If they were I do not doubt they would hesitate in attacking them."

"Then who were they?" Tenten asked, "I don't think they are harmless old ladies."

The look he gave them made it seem worse. What could be worse?

"Just tell me what you saw."

"The middle one took out her scissors, and she cut the yarn." Percy shrugged, like it was nothing

Grover closed his eyes and made a gesture with his fingers that might've been crossing himself, but it wasn't. It was something else, something almost…older. Now that is odd. He said, "You saw her snip the cord. Tell me it didn't happen."

"Yeah. So?" Percy replied, getting the feeling like it was something big.

"This is not happening," Grover mumbled. He started chewing at his thumb. "I don't want this to be like the last time."

'Last time?' Shikamaru pondered, 'A failed mission perhaps?'

"What last time." The boys asked, getting freaked out as much as Grover was now.

"Always sixth grade. They never get past sixth." Grover mumbled to himself again.

"Grover," Percy said, because he was really starting to get scared. "What are you talking about?"

"Let me walk you two home from the bus station. Promise me." This seemed like a strange request but they promised he could.

"It is no problem; I am going over to his place anyway." Naruto replied.

"Uh…is this like a superstition or something?" Percy asked, but got no answer. "Grover…that snipping of the yarn. Does that mean somebody is going to die?"

He looked at the two mournfully, like he was already picking the kind of flowers that would be best on their coffins.

"That's a cheerful thought," Tenten muttered.

That is when the cogs of Naruto's mind started churning and rapidly.

"Don't hurt yourself Naruto," laughed Kiba which got a frown from Hinata and many others.

The things that have been happening lately and all the Greek Mythology they had been learning finally caught up to him. Those three old crones were something that he paled at. "Oh crud."

"What?" Percy said, freaked out that Naruto was scared now.

"Fate or in this case Fates do exist." Naruto replied, while Percy and Grover gawked at him. "If Neji was here he would never let me live this down."

Neji paused hearing this before he smiled softly, "Well it is not the same but I will have to remember this the next time I see Naruto."

Hinata marked the book, "And this is it. Who would like to read next?"