Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
Sun's Heir, Death's Guardian II: A Hero's Peril
XXVI
As he drifted back to Camp Half-Blood on his magical raft, Percy thought back to who he thought of as his biggest 'what-if'. Calypso was a great host, and he felt horrible about what he had to do. Had Hephaestus not come and told him just how much time had passed, Percy gathered he might not have bothered wondering at all when he should go back. Calypso offered a lot of good things, immortality prime among them, and he felt that they could have had something, but he had a duty to preform, one he was obligated to do.
After all, Mr. Perfect didn't have any friends that were clear sighted...as far as Percy knew anyway. He really hoped that Naruto didn't know any clear sighted mortals. Talk about stealing his thunder.
The dock of Camp Half-Blood was coming into view and Percy stood on the edge of his raft, looking at the reflective surface of the Long Island Sound before diving in, leaving his raft behind. He swam faster than the raft could've floated to the docks, not seeing the raft immediately fall into the depths of the Sound. Breaking to the surface, Percy was confused at the sheer absence of people on the beach. Maybe it was lunchtime.
So Percy went to the dining pavilion, finding no one there either. He looked around the camp, growing more and more concerned when he failed to find anyone anywhere. It made him worry that he was too late. Did his hesitation over the night keep him away another week? Or worse, did Luke attack the Camp?
Percy would never be able to forgive himself if that were the case.
He walked up to the back of the amphitheater and came across a strange sight. A beautiful blue shroud with a golden trident in the center stood in a fire pit on the amphitheater, burning slowly. Standing to the right were Chiron, Nico, Naruto, Thalia and Annabeth, the last's eyes filling with tears as she spoke.
"Percy Jackson was my friend...He was one of the bravest, most noble and probably the bes..." Annabeth blinked and looked to the side, her eyes meeting his for a moment. Percy gave her a small sheepish wave and she gaped for a moment, the audience and the fellow speakers on stage following her gaze and joining her. Annabeth recovered and her eyes settled into a glare. "Biggest idiots on the face of the earth!"
Oh...harsh.
Percy stood in place as Annabeth stormed over to him and …pulled him into a hug?
"You stupid idiot! Do you know how worried we were?!" Annabeth said, her face buried into his shoulder. Percy opened his mouth to speak but was forced to take a step back as Nico slammed into him, joining into the hug. Thalia walked over, slapping her cousin upside the head before hugging him as well. The crowd cheered for Percy's return, save for two people.
"...He really is kind of scrawny." Leo said, crossing his arms.
"You aren't one to talk." Piper said with a smirk.
"Shut up."
Naruto hung back, helping Chiron put the shroud out and taking the fire pit down. He gave the wetheaded wonder a small smile as the joy died down and the campers were encouraged to walk off. Annabeth immediately followed the crowd, flushed red from embarrassment at one of her most vulnerable moments. Seeing the opportunity to have a conversation with the son of Poseidon, Naruto walked forward, throwing his arm over Thalia's shoulders while Nico caught Percy up to speed on what he missed.
"Welcome back, Waterboy." Naruto said with a grin.
"Thanks..." Percy said after a brief pause as he looked at the two. Sure he knew Thalia and Naruto were a couple but...something seemed different now. Like they were closer some how...
"Wanna walk and talk real quick? I gotta ask you something about Alcatraz." Naruto said, giving Thalia a small peck on the cheek that had her giving him a small look. He turned and began walking away.
Intrigued, Percy followed. Naruto led Percy to a secluded spot behind the Fourth Cabin before he turned to Percy. Blue eyes with miniscule suns in them narrowed and he glared at Percy.
"Where the hell have you been!?" Naruto asked with a hiss. "What, you decided to take a vacation? During Annabeth's first quest!?"
"No! ...Well...It was only two days where I was..." Percy said. He shook himself out of the funk and glared back. "It's not like you were on the quest. What's your excuse?!"
"I was trying to save Bianca's life." Naruto said dryly and then poked Percy in the chest. "And I've been making sure that my people can't find their way here. And keeping up camp morale."
"Oh." Percy said in a small voice, but anger bubbled up in him, he didn't have to take this. "Well, I got blown up, so forgive me for recovering."
"You splash water on yourself and boom, magically healed." Naruto said with a frown. He took note of Percy's fist clenching and Naruto arched a brow. "Did I do something to piss you off." Percy's mouth started to move, but Naruto cut him off. "Remember, son of the truth god."
"...No, you didn't do anything." Percy said, his jaw clenching.
"Oh good. I'd hate for there to be bad air between us." Naruto said with a chipper smile. "Now I don't feel as bad."
Percy blinked in confusion. "Feel as bad about wha-oof!"
"That." Naruto said as he shook his hand. He watched Percy cover his now shattered nose and cry out in pain.
"You asshole!" Percy yelled. "What the hell was that for?!"
"That was for making Annie cry." Naruto said, looking at his hand in wonder. "Huh. Think I dislocated a finger from that punch. Hard nose too. Must be thicker cartilage..."
Percy got back to his feet and stumbled for a moment. He glared as hard as he could at Naruto and, to the blond's surprise, took a swing at him. Naruto easily danced around him, bopping him on the back of the head. Percy stumbled forward to his knees and turned back around to glare at the chuckling blond.
"Easy there, Skipper." Naruto said, his hands tucking into his pockets. "You're a few years too late to get me with a simple punch. Now I enacted my brotherly right, just go stick your face in the lake or something. You'll be good as new."
Percy glared at him before getting up to his feet and walking off to get some bottled water for his nose. Naruto watched him walk off, frowning at the hostility Percy was giving him. What happened to the son of Poseidon, aside from getting decked in the schnozz, to make him feel that way?
"Jealousy?"
Naruto arched a brow at Helios' musing. Jealous of what?
"How the hell am I supposed to know? I'm just speculating off what you know. Poseidon was a jealous guy back in the day, easy to anger too. Maybe his kid's just as hot tempered as he was."
Percy's not hotheaded...thick skulled, maybe, but not hotheaded. Naruto said in Percy's defense.
"Then I don't know what to tell ya, Kid. He's a teenager. Teenagers get pissed for all sorts of stupid reasons."
Amen to that. Naruto said with a snort as he walked off into the camp. He saw Annabeth happily conversing with Thalia and a grin crossed his face. At least she wasn't moping anymore.
"You want to go back into the labyrinth?" Naruto arched a brow as he sat next to Thalia on the couch in the Big House. Naruto and Thalia were discussing the relationship with Camp Jupiter with Chiron when Percy – nose healed thanks to some water – barged in with Annabeth behind him. Their conversation came to a halt, but their interest was peaked when it came to the labyrinth. Apparently, their quest was still ongoing since they hadn't found Daedalus.
"Yes! Before I came back, Hephaestus came and found me. He told me what Hera meant by 'you already have a way through.'" Percy said. "Clear sighted mortals can navigate it!"
"Ariadne was clear sighted..." Annabeth said, making the connection. Her lips pursed as her mind continued to move at kilometers a second. Naruto arched a brow at the action, wondering what was going on in her head.
"And Harriet Tubman, who was a daughter of Hermes, used a lot of clear sighted mortals to help her with her Underground Railroad." Chiron said. "You could use the help, Annabeth."
"I suppose..." Annabeth said with a pout.
"Exactly, so we need a clear sighted mortal to get through." Percy said.
"Wish I could say I know just the guy or girl but I don't know anyone." Naruto said.
"Well I do." Percy said, sounding pleased at that. A glance at Annabeth showed that she was frowning, making Naruto blink in confusion. She knew something he didn't, which wasn't all that surprising, but for some reason that something upset her. Once more, Percy snapped Naruto's attention back to him. "I know just the girl. I just need a phone."
"You'll need a car to get there, too." Naruto said, crossing his arms. "Compared to Argus, I'm ten times the driver...no offense big guy."
Argus simply shrugged. A day off for him? No problem.
"Fine." Percy said.
"Road trip." Thalia said with a smirk, making Naruto chuckle. It seemed they were glued to his car this summer.
"Isn't your mom clear sighted?" Annabeth asked. "Couldn't we ask her?"
Percy shook his head as the group of four walked through Times Square, looking out for the girl he said was named Rachel Elizabeth Dare. Naruto and Thalia walked behind the two, Thalia's hand fingering her pocketed mace canister while Naruto flipped his flashlight in his hand. He was enjoying the sights, eyeballing the Coke sign and a shadow watched from the top.
"Your mom's clear sighted?" Thalia asked, taking Naruto's attention off the shadow. He looked back and it was gone, making him tense and stop flipping his disguised sword.
"Yes she is, but no we're not asking my mom to go through the labyrinth." Percy said with a pointed look to Annabeth.
Annabeth just pouted, making the two older demigods smirk. They could tell that Annabeth did not want to talk to this girl, whoever she was. They could also tell that she was jealous, which Thalia could understand. She had to deal with Reyna, after all. At least this way she got some entertainment out of it. Naruto, on the other hand, thought her jealous pout was adorable.
"So where is the mystery girl, Jackson?" Naruto asked, grinning at Annabeth's mild glare. Oh this was going to be fun.
"Marriott Marquis." Percy said, pointing at the hotel in question as they crossed. A car angrily honked at them as it tried to make a right and Naruto turned to glare at it.
"I'm walkin' here!" He said in his best Brooklyn accent, making Thalia snort in amusement.
They approached the human statues standing in front of it. There were six in total, but one was a rather pretty girl covered in gold paint from head to toe. Naruto and Thalia shared a look, guessing she was the one Percy was talking about since he was looking at her specifically. Shrugging it off, Naruto fished into his pocket and dropped a twenty into the donation tarp. Painting their whole body for donations and standing still for hours on end? That's dedication and that earns a twenty.
"We could push her over." Annabeth said, making Naruto shake his head.
"Don't be mean, Annie." He said, chiding the girl.
A few minutes later, a kid in silver came over from the hotel's taxi spot. He took a pose next to the girl in gold, like he was about to lecture the crowd, and the girl blinked before hopping off the tarp. She gave Percy a grin.
"Thanks for waiting, Percy. Nice timing, too. Wanna get some coffee?"
She led them over to a coffee stand called Java Moose, where Percy and Annabeth got fruit smoothies while the girl ordered an Espresso Extreme. Naruto began to order when Thalia cut him off. "We'll each have a bottle of water."
"Wha-C'mon, Thalia, that's no-!"
"No coffee." Thalia said with a pointed glare. Naruto sadly took his bottled water and paid the girl standing behind the counter. They left the stand and went over to the table where Percy, Annabeth and the girl were sitting, Naruto pulled a chair over next to Annabeth and Thalia taking the last seat next to him.
"Annabell, right?" the girl asked.
"Annabeth." The daughter of Athena corrected sternly.
"Sorry. Name's Rachel Elizabeth Dare." She said to the two older demigods. Her eyes lingered on Naruto for a second. "Hey, you're the guy that slapped Percy upside the head at the Hoover Dam."
"Someone's got to." Naruto said with a shrug. "Naruto Uzumaki."
"...You're hot." Rachel said bluntly. She was leveled with a glare from both Annabeth and Thalia while Percy groaned and Naruto blinked.
"Thank you?" he said in return.
"He's taken." Thalia said swiftly, glaring at the girl. "Thalia Grace, his girlfriend."
"There's nothing wrong with window shopping." Rachel said, ignoring the warnings Thalia was giving her. Naruto snickered, getting a glare from Thalia. "So are all of you like Percy?"
"Some of us are smarter, some are stronger, gotta be a bit more specific." Naruto said, getting a dull glare from Percy.
"You're all demigods, right?" Rachel asked, amused.
"Not so loud!" Annabeth hissed. "Announce it to the world why don't you?"
"Okay." Rachel said. She got to her feet and cupped her mouth. "Hey everybody! These four are living evidence that the Greek Gods exist! They've got godly blood running through their veins!"
The people walking by either gave her a brief glance or ignored her outright.
Annabeth kept glaring at the girl while Naruto broke into snickers, holding his sides while Rachel sat down.
"They don't seem to care."
"Oh man..." Naruto said, holding his gut. "That was priceless...the look on your faces…"
"Naruto! This is serious! What if someone believed her?" Annabeth asked.
"Annabeth...We," he said, gesturing to himself and Thalia, "Can make sure that the Mist clouds their minds."
Annabeth blushed a bit for forgetting that fact and pouted at her brother for pointing that out.
Percy looked at Rachel. "Listen, we need your help."
"Okay." Rachel shrugged. "I helped with that band room thing."
"Sorry. I hope they didn't kick you out." Percy said.
"Nah. They asked a lot of questions about you, though. I played dumb."
"Was it hard?" Annabeth asked.
"Annabeth!" Naruto said sternly while Thalia chuckled. He gave his girlfriend a look and she smirked at him.
"Can we please just stay calm and talk?" Percy asked.
"I am calm." Rachel said. "What's to be nervous about?"
"The Labyrinth." Naruto said, with added wiggling finger effect. Rachel quirked a smile at that before turning to Percy as he explained everything that happened in the past few days. Rachel took it all in stride, occasionally asking what one place was like or inquiring about more detail.
"So where were you two?" Rachel asked Thalia and Naruto.
"Secret world hidden in Antarctica, which happens to be where I'm from." Naruto said. Rachel blinked at him and he lifted his hand up, making a Rasengan that had her green eyes glued to it. Annabeth gave him a pout.
"...I wanna go."
"We'll talk about it later, Annie." Naruto said as he let the technique dissipate. "So what do you say, Red?"
"You need my help?" Rachel asked, looking at Annabeth.
Annabeth stirred her fruit smoothie. "Yeah." She sounded sullen as she said it. "Maybe."
"Yes." Percy said. "You can see through the Mist, like Ariadne."
"So you want me to lead you through a place I've never been?" Rachel asked. "Based on a guess?"
"An educated guess." Percy said. "I'm betting you'll be able to avoid being tricked by the Mist."
"She already did." Naruto said, getting their attention. "I used the Mist to make the Rasengan look like a baseball. She saw through it."
"Good for her." Annabeth said with a huff while Percy looked pleased that his guess was right. She looked at Rachel. "It'll be dangerous. Very, very dangerous."
"I could die?"
"Yes."
Rachel turned to Percy. "I thought you said monsters won't hurt mortals? That sword you have..."
"Celestial bronze doesn't hurt mortals. And Monsters normally don't either, but Luke..." Percy paused in thought. "He doesn't care. He'll use mortals, monsters...anything to get what he wants. He'll kill anyone that gets in his way."
Thalia and Naruto gained dark looks at that while Annabeth gave Percy a small glare.
"Sounds like a nice guy." Rachel said.
"He's under the influence of a Titan." Annabeth said in the son of Hermes' defense. "He's being manipulated."
Rachel looked between Percy and Annabeth before nodding. "Okay. I'm in."
"Really?" Percy asked, blinking. "Are you sure?"
"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, Percy." Naruto said, getting a mild look of annoyance from the boy.
"So what do I have to do?" Rachel asked, pulling a blue plastic hairbrush out of her bag and brushing out the gold in her hair to reveal a vibrant red.
"You need to find a entrance to the Labyrinth. There's one at Camp Half-Blood, but that's off limits to mortals." Annabeth said, somehow making mortals sound like a disease. Naruto gave her a pointed look that had her looking into her drink.
"What am I looking for?" Rachel asked.
"The symbol of Daedalus." Percy said. "It's anything with a Greek delta on it."
"This?" Rachel asked, drawing the delta with her straw.
"Yes...where'd you see it?" Thalia asked, eyes narrowing.
"In the Marriott's basement, where we keep our costumes." Rachel said. She grunted. "First I have to change though."
"That...is one old door." Naruto said, looking at the rusted old entryway.
"I tried to open it." Rachel said. "I couldn't. It's rusted shut."
"That's because you're not a demigod." Annabeth said as she stepped forward. She put her hand on the door and it gained a bright blue light before it started to creak and groan as it opened. Naruto covered his ears, groaning in agony as he fell to a knee. Behind him, a shadow did the same.
Thalia put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a concerned look that he waved off. "Got better ears than normal humans. Chakra circulates through them constantly like the rest of my body. It's why I can take so much damage."
"So...You get it from your mom?" Thalia asked, making Naruto nod as the creaking stopped and he got to his feet.
"Yeah." He said. There was a small noise that had Naruto looking behind him, eyes narrowed in suspicion. The blond looked forward again, taking up the rear with Thalia as Rachel led the way down the stairs that were hidden behind the door. They stopped at the bottom of the stairs, Percy and Annabeth turning their flashlights on as they entered a pitch-black tunnel.
Rachel yelped as the beams of light landed on a grinning skull. It was attached to a giant skeleton, formed in an X over the tunnel entrance.
"Well...I think its safe to say that isn't Tyson." Naruto said, unknowingly relieving Percy. He channeled chakra into his hand and willed light into his arm as he used it like a makeshift torch. "Save the batteries, guys."
"Naruto, how'd you do that?" Annabeth asked after shutting her flashlight off.
"Practice." Naruto said.
"When?" Thalia asked, giving him a look.
"At night. Come on, Lia-chan, that much is obvious."
He yelped from the smack upside the head he got.
"But your nights are occupied now, aren't they?" Annabeth asked, jokingly. She got a glare from Thalia, whose cheeks were now red, and Naruto scratched the back of his neck with his glowing hand. Rachel snickered while Percy furrowed his brows.
"What's so funny?" He asked.
"Nothing, Seaweed Brain." Annabeth said, smirking despite the glare Thalia was giving her.
"Damn right there isn't anything funny." Thalia said with a grumble. Oh once Annie had her own boyfriend...The teasing hell that would come in the form of Thalia Grace would be ruthless.
They continued on, Naruto's glowing hand making a rather bright light to walk with.
Rachel turned to Percy. "So...Who's Tyson?"
"My half brother." Percy said. "He's a cyclops."
"...Your half brother?"
"Yeah. Hopefully we find him and my friend Grover. He's a satyr."
"Oh. Well...I guess we should be moving on then." Rachel said, leading them onward until they came to a three-way intersection. On the left was a forested looking path while the right looked older than the path straight ahead.
"Well...isn't this interesting?" Naruto said, making two clones. He sent both down the two side tunnels.
"Those stones are the oldest, we should go that way." Annabeth said. "It could take us to Daedalus' workshop."
"Tyson and Grover took a path like that..." Percy said, looking to the forested tunnel.
"We need to go straight." Rachel said. Her eyes were looking ahead at the floor.
"That's...That's the most illogical choice though." Annabeth said.
"Thank you for your analysis, Mr. Spock." Thalia said, smirking at the glare Annabeth gave her.
"Those leaves look like feelers." Rachel said.
Naruto winced as his clone was dispelled. His hand went to his head. "Ow...Let's not go that way...Or the other way! Ow!"
"Because there's a spike trap that way." Rachel said. She looked back down to the muddy brick. "There's like a faint golden path on the ground. I think it's our safest bet."
"Follow the yellow brick road..." Naruto mumbled, getting elbowed in the side by Thalia. "Ow."
"Yeah and there's no traps up ahead as far as I can see." Rachel said, amused by Naruto's comment.
"Then that's the way we go." Percy said. Not getting killed by a trap sounded like a great idea to him.
"You trust her?" Annabeth asked.
"Yeah." He sounded very sure of himself, getting a light smile from Rachel for the faith. Annabeth opened her mouth to argue, but thought better of it and just went with Percy's decision. She still looked rather peeved as she waved Rachel on.
They continued to walk, and minutes turned into a hour. Still no sign of a trap. However, occasionally, Naruto would stop and look behind them, peering into the darkness with two sun-ringed pupils. Thalia, who often would forcibly turn him around, urged him on despite his paranoia.
Their shadow followed silently, mimicking a lizard as it followed the group of five.
"Is it always this easy?" Rachel asked.
"If it had always been this easy, we would have never come to you." Thalia said.
"And that worries me." Percy said. Naruto nodded in agreement. Aside from their current shadow, that he was sure was following him, there was this feeling in the air.
To put it in the proper terms: Naruto's spider-sense was tingling.
"So...Where are you from?" Annabeth asked, though it sounded as if she was asking if Rachel was from another world.
"Brooklyn." Rachel said simply.
"And your parents?"
"They're both human."
"I meant won't they be worried about you?"
"I've been gone a week once and they hadn't noticed it. I'm sure a day or two in a Labyrinth won't change that."
"Funny thing about that..." Annabeth trailed off as the sound of a metal door creaking open was heard. "...What was that?"
"Iron hinges?" Rachel guessed.
"I meant literally, what is making that sound?!"
"Nothing good." Naruto said, dimming the light down to a light glow.
"Run?" Percy asked as the ground started to rumble.
"Run." Rachel agreed. The group turned tail and retreated, not making it even twenty feet until they ran into one familiar face and four strangers. Three dracaenae stood with them, one of the monstrous women holding a masked man with gravity defying white hair within one of her legs. His headband was lifted up and the Sharingan was staring Naruto in the face.
"Hello again, Percy." The African-American girl standing beside the dracaenae said smugly. "And Rachel. Welcome into the fold."
"Kelli." Rachel said with a nod.
"Hey Kakashi." Naruto said with a wave. The man's eyes closed merrily.
"Naruto. What in the world are you doing here? Here I was spelunking on my vacation and look what I found, the perfect woman for Orochimaru."
"I know right?" Naruto said with a chuckle while the dracaenae hissed in anger at the man in her grasp.
Kelli turned her attention to Naruto. "So you are the Heir of Helios, hm?"
Naruto grinned and reached into his pocket. "Yep. And you are...?"
"Kelli, I'm a empousa."
"...Might want to have a doctor check that out." Naruto said. He couldn't help himself. He got a look from the ancient vampiric monster before she smirked.
"You truly are his heir. Lady Hecate has special orders for you not to be killed, nothing about being captured though." Kelli hummed for a moment. "She'd probably enjoy it, actually."
"Bitch." Thalia grumbled, whipping her mace canister out and pressing the button on top of it. Before her spear, or Percy's now uncapped sword, could finish forming, Kelli moved and wrapped her hand around Rachel's neck, her hands going to the monster's wrist instinctively. Kelli smirked and held a clawed hand up to Rachel's cheek.
"Move and I slice her up. I suggest you lower your weapons."
"You're bluffing." Annabeth said.
"She's not." Percy said.
"It's not nice to use mortal shields." Naruto said chidingly.
"I don't care." Kelli said, her finger dragging across Rachel's cheek and making a light cut. "I'll say it again...Lower your weapons."
Percy and Annabeth shared a look while Thalia glared at the monster.
"Ah...You got me." Naruto said, sighing as he held his hands up. "I surrender."
"What?"
"Naruto!?"
"Whiskers!"
"Yes?" Naruto asked with an innocent blink.
"The Hell!?" the three of them asked.
"What? They've got hostages and if Kakashi is caught, then there's no way I can escape." Naruto said with a shrug. A dracaenae ski-walked up behind him, grabbing his arms and forcing them behind him. "Ow! Hey, watch it with the kinky stuff! I'm not that used to it yet."
Kelli smirked as he was bound and looked expectantly at the other three. Thalia glared at her before she tossed her spear down, Percy and Annabeth following her example. The other dracaenae collected the weapons with a laugh while Kelli stroked Rachel's cheek, watching the demigods get bound before she did the same to the mortal.
"So just out of curiosity," Kakashi started. "Why am I being held like this and not bound like them?"
"Sssylvia likesss you." The dracaenae holding him said. "You will be Sssylvia'sss offering to the hossst."
"Oh, goodie. I'm special."
"Kakashi-sensei, word of advice. If you get groped a little, just take it in stride. Speaking from experience here."
"Ah, the woes of being devilishly handsome. This reminds me of that one male stripper mission I had to do. ...Unfortunately, I think this is going to end just like that mission did."
"Kicking ass and taking names?"
"Waking up in a hospital after a month went by."
"...The horror."
They were led into two bronzed doors guarded by a giant with red eyes and drooling fangs. The door was opened and as they passed through, Naruto made a face at it. It made a grab for him but was stopped by a savage slice from Kelli. Ah, it was nice to know that even while on opposite sides, Naruto was saved by his past life's yearning lover. And while that irked Thalia, it entertained the hell out of him.
He, Percy and Kakashi were separated from the girls, the three of them being taken to the host as prisoner/observers. The three were led to the gates of an arena, where they got to see a centaur killed brutally. Naruto bowed his head and prayed for the creature's soul before looking up as the gates were opened. He and Kakashi were pushed through the gates, Percy being held back by the dracaenae hissing tauntingly at him.
Their binds were cut and then he saw him. Naruto's blood ran hot. His fists clenched tightly and the ground beneath his feet was slowly heating up if the steam was anything to go by. Golden suns turned red as they stared at the cold blue orbs belonging to his onetime friend.
"Luke."
He couldn't describe how made he was...nor how he felt about the...the...
"How's Psychopath? Murderer's a good one. Bastard isn't bad, but a bit insulting. Ooo...here's a very accurate word: Traitor."
"That'll do nicely." Naruto said under his breath. He listened to Luke barter with the giant son of Poseidon and Gaia, Antaeus. It was odd hearing praise from the guy that tried to kill you not too long ago.
"What's that Naruto?"
"Just talking to myself, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto said.
"Surely the Heir of Helios will entertain you, Lord Antaeus." Luke said, his silver tongue being put to good use. "He is good with both a bow and a sword, and comes from a land where magic is within all."
"Yes! A heir of a titan, my father's cousin. He will die well in this temple!" Antaeus said with a gleeful smile. "What of the other one?"
"A comrade. Two for the price of one." Luke said. "Two on two should be entertaining, should it not?"
"Ah, yes! Send two more combatants in! I like the sound of this team fighting."
"Great." Naruto said dryly. "We're gladiators."
"I'll go easy on you."
"I don't think we're fighting each other, sensei."
The gates opened and two dracaenae skated out, armed to the teeth with a shield and a spear in their hands. They glared at the two shinobi, who shared a look of boredom. Before Antaeus could begin the fight, Kakashi and Naruto had their signature attacks in hand, Kakashi's left hand was encased in lightning, crackling off it just as Zeus' bolts did from the sky. Naruto's hand held a small ball of fire that burned more intensely than the chariot of Apollo. They rushed forward, crossing each others' paths twice over before jumping up and shoving their attacks into the dracaenae' faces.
Soon after, the two monsters were dissolving, leaving behind a boot of snakeskin each. Naruto grinned and snatched the two, not that Kakashi would know what to do with them. He put them in a seal before Antaeus recovered from his shock, which swiftly became anger.
"I did not say begin!" Antaeus said, standing from his seat in all his sumo-like fury.
"He looks like an Akamichi, doesn't he?" Kakashi asked.
"Ah, that's an insult to Choji's family." Naruto said, waving it off. He looked up at the infuriated giant. "Come on! Give me a real challenge! I'm the son of Apollo, Heir of Helios! I'm literally a walking firebomb waiting to explode!"
Antaeus glared at him before sitting back down and nodding. "True, their deaths were magnificent...This time wait for me to start and end the fight!"
"Sorry, we got trigger happy." Naruto said with a shrug. Antaeus gave him a terrified grin and he turned to address the audience.
"Now, I give my fine guests and my father the Earthshaker a true treat! Release the Indus Worms!"
"...The what!?" Naruto and Kakashi asked, both not liking the sound of that.
"What are those?" Thalia asked.
"Giant man-eating worms from India." Annabeth said under her breath. "They should be able to fight them...I think."
"Real reassuring there, Annabeth."
"I don't remember asking you, golden girl."
"Stop talking!" Kelli snapped, her eyes going back to the fight. "I must watch in order to intervene if necessary."
Thalia snorted. "You won't need to."
"I hope not. Standing orders and all."
Naruto and Kakashi settled back to back as the ground shifted and cracked before from beneath broke four large tree-like...things. They were about twelve feet in length, perhaps six or seven feet wide. Circular mouths with lines of sharp teeth opened as they roared, surrounding the two shinobi. Naruto grunted in annoyance.
"Grabboid's influence. Great." He said.
"What influence?" Kakashi asked.
"Tremors. Pretty fun sci-fi movie. Has Kevin Bacon in it. If we live, which we probably will, I'll show it to you."
"Does it have a Icha scene?"
"...Sensei, my aunt would hate you."
"Now, now...that's not a nice thing to say, Naruto."
"She's got the moniker of 'Immortal Man-Hater'."
"...Maa...so negative."
"Begin!" Antaeus said over the roar of the crowd. The monsters roared before diving forward, their attempted group attack was avoided as the two shinobi jumped up and landed a few feet away, back to back as the tails of the worms disappeared under the earth. The ground started to circle around them and they stood completely still, tense and ready to move.
"Well...this is fun." Kakashi said, unsheathing his sword as well as a kunai, holding both at the ready. "Any ideas?"
"They've got to have a weakness." Naruto said as he flicked his flashlight's switch, Eclipse unfolding out and gleaming readily. "It's like a godly law or something. Even the playing field."
"Yes well, this seems fair." Kakashi said. "Worms circling us like we're dinner."
"I never said it was fair, just saying it was a even playing field..." Naruto said, his right hand flipping through signs that Kakashi saw through his peripheral vision. The ANBU smirked beneath his mask and put the kunai to use, throwing it a bit away. It struck the ground and a part of the circling ground split off, going to investigate it. Naruto and Kakashi exchanged a look before Naruto grinned. "Let's turn this field into our favor."
"After you."
Naruto spun Eclipse around in his grip, bringing his hands together in his signature hand sign, grinning as they were surrounded by several clones. The clones immediately left the two shinobi while the monstrous crowd roared in approval. Antaeus cheered loudly, approving of more sacrifices for his father. The worms followed the clones, leaving Kakashi and Naruto to plan secretly and safely...even if it looked like they were just standing there lazily.
A clone attacked with a kunai, failing to cut the worm's hide and being eaten by the worm.
"...That was an unpleasant." Naruto said, rubbing his forehead.
"Learn anything?"
"Their teeth hurt. Like, a lot."
"Well, that's progress I suppose."
"I don't see you doing anything, Mister Raikiri."
"I have to conserve chakra, I don't have an endless ocean of it like someone else I know."
"Excuses."
"Yeah, your father taught me well."
"Half-truths, right?"
"Exactly."
"Fight and die! Fight and die! Fight and die!" The crowd chanted.
"I'd like to see you guys come down here and do that!" Naruto yelled back. He looked at Kakashi and arched a brow. "Am I going to have to do everything?"
"You are the demigod, Naruto."
"...You're lazier than Shikamaru."
"It's not being lazy." Kakashi closed his eyes and gave a thumbs up. "It's strategizing."
"Yeah. For me to do all the work, you lazy excuse of a sensei!"
"Ex-sensei."
"Semantics!" Naruto said, jumping into the fray and bringing Eclipse up as a worm broke from the underground, mouth poised to catch him and swallow him whole. He landed on top of the worm's head and drove his sword into it. There was a shriek of pain before Naruto twisted and pulled the blade out, the worm reared back and fell forward. It dissolved into golden dust, electing the attention of the other worms.
"Uh-oh." Naruto grabbed the vial of oil left behind and tucked it away into his pouch. His clones ganged on one of the other worms before it could dive underground, attacking it with Rasengans as it dived on them, causing them to sacrifice themselves. The blond ninja ran away as the other two followed him, one jumping out of the ground with its mouths open to eat him. He avoided with a small evasive jump, turning to slice the other leaping out right down the middle. It exploded into golden dust, leaving behind the strong smell of sulfur and a vial that hit him in the head. "Ow."
Naruto picked it up off the ground as the last worm shot up behind him. He turned around and looked up at the drooling worm. Clearing his throat, Naruto pointed at the worm with his sword. "You're one ugly motherfucker."
The worm shrieked in anger and Naruto grinned. "Bad call, because I know the one man who can cut lightning in half. He's just waiting for the signal."
Antaeus laughed and thrust his hand out in the thumbs down position, which Kakashi took as his cue, his hand being engulfed in lightning and his left eye's Sharingan spun rapidly.
"Raikiri (Lightning Cutter)!" He cried as he rushed forward and cut through the worm's hide, grabbing the insides and electrocuting the worm to its demise. The worm dissolved into golden dust, leaving a final vial of oil that Naruto picked up. He and Kakashi turned, the blond raising his sword to the sky.
"I give upon the lord of the sea this gift of Indus oil!" Naruto said, the oil vanishing in a flash of light. "Thanks...squid god."
The ground trembled a bit and Naruto smirked.
Ah, it was good to get the last word in.
AN: Ah, finally, getting this out was a bitch and a half, just like the last one. Well its out, so ... You all know what to do!
Review!