Chapter 4-the twilight zone where things go bananas
Speech-"Hi"
Thought-'Hi'
Technique-Rasengan
Demon talking-"Hi"
Demon thinking-'Hi'
Beta: Ketsuoni
Disclaimer-both series belong to their respective owners and anything else in the story.
"I love you my maelstrom," a soft angelic voice whispered into Naruto's ear. She captured his lips in a passionate kiss as she lay on top of him. She pulled back slightly, "And I forever will," She continued before recapturing his lips.
This woman had long black hair, pale skin that seemed illuminated under the sun's rays. Her bright brown eyes held warmth and love in them for him, her slender frame, and that smile on her face, which was blocked slightly by sun's rays and her bangs.
To Naruto this person on top of him is perfect and he swore that he'll never let her go and this angelic beauty's name was—
The sound of horns woke Naruto up from his pleasant dream and he cursed who ever that was. "Whoever that was is dead," he muttered, sitting upright on his seat
"Your awake, did you have a nice nap?"
Naruto gazed to his left to see his partner driving and it suddenly came back to him. He looked back to confirm it and, indeed, in the back of his car was Percy Jackson, who was deep in thought.
Earlier, after the school trip ended, Naruto asked Percy to go with him and Moxxi, stating that he'll explain what he saw and drive him to his apartment. The drive was interesting, somewhat. Percy couldn't believe that the blonde was from another world and asked Naruto to prove it, which Naruto did by summoning a shadow-clone next to Percy and forming his signature Jutsu Rasengan.
Needless to say, Percy's mind was blown and made him think that Naruto was some kind of superhero in disguise, like he read in his comic books, which Naruto denied saying 'hero's doesn't exist in real life only people doing their jobs that make them out to be'.
After that, Naruto took a small nap since there was slight traffic. That was an hour ago.
"I did before that annoying horn woke me up," Naruto said in an annoyed tone, though he covered the emotion he felt. He felt a pang of sadness in his heart as he recalled that evening. It seems like a life time ago for the blonde, yet it felt like yesterday when he held her in his arms and he heard those words, those simple words that held so much meaning for him.
But it would seem his partner noticed as Moxxi squeezed Naruto's hand softly to let the blonde feel that she knows and is comforting him. He smiled slightly and nodded to her, thanking her for, once again, being there for him.
Taking in some air, Naruto calmed himself down before looking back at Percy. "Jackson, this is your stop, I'll see you tomorrow okay," he said.
Percy nodded and got out of the car. "Thanks for the help Naruto, oh and just call me Percy since I'm calling you by your first name," Percy said with a slight smile.
Naruto nodded. "Sure thing. I'll see you tomorrow. Oh and don't ask about anything regarding Mrs. Dodds okay, better that you forget about her." With that, Naruto left, though not before leaving a shadow clone to watch over Percy.
"You think he'll be alright," Moxxi asked, taking a left turn.
"Hmm, hard to say. With what happened to him today, he's trying to hide it, but he's shaken. All we can do is watch over him for now and see what happens," Naruto stated calmly looking towards the setting sun.
The sky was giving off a menacing color of red-orange and, to Naruto, it was foreboding. 'Why do I get the feeling that things are going to change?' Whatever that feeling was, one thing is certain in Naruto's mind; he's ready for anything.
"By the way, why did you admit to Chiron that the metal was a gift," Moxxi asked, wondering why her blond partner/love interest admitted it.
"It wouldn't matter if you got the information out of him. Based on his reaction, that kind of metal ore is something of a rare commodity that is not easily found, so no making bullets out of imperial gold," the blond replied, getting a cute pout from Moxxi. "A shame I couldn't get a new toy."
A short drive, later the car stopped at a certain apartment. "Do say hello for me," Moxxi said, knowing that her secret love interest was visiting someone who he viewed as a maternal figure.
"You sure you don't want to join us, I'm sure Obaa-chan won't mind," Naruto said, though he still didn't know why she would ask him to call her Grandmother, considering how young and beautiful she looked. But, then again, her glare and that sweet smile of hers, which Naruto learned to use, said otherwise.
"I'm sure. Besides, someone has to manage your clones who, need I remind you, are out on a mission," Moxxi said before driving off.
Making sure he was proper and clean, Naruto rang the doorbell. Instantly, he heard the sound of footsteps getting louder and louder getting closer to the door. The door swung open, revealing a radiant woman with brilliant and gentle green eyes.
"Good afternoon Rhea-obaa-chan," Naruto greeted his somewhat grandmother, who smiled brightly enough to put the sun to shame.
"Ahh, Naru-chan. Good afternoon, I was beginning to think you had forgotten," she said with her motherly tone that seemed to hold no equal.
Naruto scratched the back of his head, a bit embarrassed at being late. "Sorry, but me and my companion got caught in traffic," he replied to the kind and radiant women in front of him.
The blond blinked for a bit when he saw Rhea studying him as if trying to discover something. "Hmm, did something happen to you Naru-chan," she asked, her voice laced with worry.
Naruto inwardly sighed and knew he could never lie to her, not counting times he withheld certain information about himself, since he didn't want to lose this bond they shared. Unbeknownst to the blond, Rhea already knew he wasn't originally from this world, having talk with both his mother and her daughter and was fine with him withholding such information till he deemed it necessary to share those facts with her. She herself has hadn't told him that she is, in fact, his actual grandmother. But after the time they spent together, it became apparent that Naruto already saw her as a maternal figure.
Naruto nodded, letting his masks drop for the only person, aside from Moxxi, that he trusts. The former blonde Shinobi felt a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Let's talk inside and you can tell your Obaa-chan all about it." Naruto nodded, unable to refuse her request, like he ever could.
The blonde jinchūriki sat down on the living room couch while Rhea prepared some tea and snacks. Naruto took note of the décor of the living room. It was a bit reminiscent of the decoration that of Greek houses. How Naruto knew that, well reading and watching some T.V. special about it.
It was lavishing, to say the least. Simple, yet elegant with that homey feel to it. Naruto felt that feeling of safety and security that only a true home could bring.
The smell of cookies caught Naruto's senses and it smelled heavenly. The blonde looked up to see Rhea with a batch of cookies and tea. He also took notice of the red dress she wore which seemed to highlight her curves and her natural beauty.
Naruto buried certain thoughts back to the deepest and darkest corner of his mind and looked down with a red blush on his face. Of course Rhea saw this and smirked slightly.
'I still got it,' she thought, amused that she could bring out such a reaction from her grandbaby, who mind you, had grown up with beautiful mortal women and is currently living with a Demigoddess who she is certain is related to a certain goddess she knows.
"Is something the matter Naru-chan," the Titaness of motherhood asked innocently, placing the tray down on the wooden table, that looked very expensive, and moving closer to the blonde, making said blond shift a bit uncomfortably at the close proximity. "You seem flustered, do you have a fever," she said, placing her forehead on his "checking" his temperature.
This only served to deepen Naruto's blush as he stumbled backwards and stuttered incoherent words. "Mou, you don't seem to have any sort of fever unless…oh my," she said suddenly, gaining Naruto's attention. Both of her hands were on her cheeks, with a mild blush, and looking away from him.
"It seems Naru-chan is having illicit thoughts about this widowed woman. Should I be concerned that my Naru-chan would ravish me to satisfy his beastly urges," she said sending Naruto's brain straight into the gutter as he tried to recompose himself and keep his mind clean, so much so that he overloaded his brain, causing him to pass out. 'Hmm, I might have gone too far,' she thought, tilting her head slightly while placing her index finger just below her lips.
Sometime later, Naruto awoke and found that his head was currently on Rhea's lap, making the former blonde Shinobi jump. "Ara, is something the matter Naru-chan," she asked innocently.
Said blonde shook his head and took a seat. "Are you sure that you are alright, you seem jumpy today Naru-chan." Naruto didn't know if his grandmother figure was doing this on purpose or not since he couldn't tell with that innocent look of hers, and he's an expert at reading facial expressions. But it seems he couldn't determine whether or not Rhea's expression was real or fake.
Taking a second to calm down, since his mind was still a bit rattled, the blonde spoke. "Yes, Rhea-obaa-chan, I'm fine. It could be because of the ride or the fact that I skipped both breakfast and lunch."
Naruto forgot to eat his morning meal, which consists of a good, healthy bowl of cereal or bacon and eggs and other morning meals, he even forgot to buy or bring lunch with him. The blond Jinchūriki flinched at the site of his grandmother figure's stern glare. "You should really learn to take better care of yourself Naru-chan," she scolded, making him bow his head in embarrassment.
"I know. I just had a lot of things on my mind," Naruto answered weakly.
"That's still not an excuse to neglect your health," Rhea lectured, still maintaining that glare of hers.
"I'm sorry," the blonde apologized, feeling like child being scolded by his mother. It was like when Lilith would scold him for doing something reckless when he was a kid, now Rhea was doing the same thing; different circumstances, same situation with him neglecting his health in favor of his brooding. "I forgive you, now eat up. I would hate for these to go to waste." she gestured to her homemade cookies, which the blonde found very addictive. Same with his Ramen addiction and a bit of a cereal addiction.
"So, are you going to tell me? What has caused my Naru-chan such emotional distress," she asked before taking a sip of herbal tea. The Titaness saw Naruto flinch ever so slight and she instantly knew it had something to do with his past. Something very painful. It was further backed up by the fact that he scratched his left side where his heart is.
'Hmm something must have happened to someone close to his heart to stir such emotions from my grandson,' she thought. If someone were to ask how she knew this, the answer that someone would get is that it's Rhea's motherly instincts.
"Something just made me remember a painful part of my past. It involved someone I loved," he said in a lamentable tone. He felt a familiar, painful knot around his heart. It was almost a year since her death, though the exact date was different from his world to this. He still knew when, how could he not?
It was, after all, the death of someone he loved and still does. That day has been etched into his very soul. It is something no one could easily forget.
"Explaining it would be too painful. Even if I recall our time together, any of those memories would only be washed away as I remember her dying in my arms as she said those three words before she died. I couldn't say those words back."
Sometime while speaking, his tears began to flow down his cheeks. He would not let anyone see him like this, aside from those who he trusted the most. Heck, even back then he didn't shed a single tear, bottling up his sadness, since he didn't trust his former teammates.
Naruto felt a pair of arms wrap around his form and a hand rub his back in a comforting manner. "Let it out Naruto, just let it all out, bottling it up will only make it worse," Rhea whispered gently, letting her aura wash over her grandson.
Not even a second later, the blonde finally let the dam loose and started to cry, letting out years of pent-up sadness in one go.
"That's it, don't worry Naruto, I'm here." At the moment, Rhea didn't see the strong blonde warrior that her grandson had become, but the emotionally damaged child who had been wronged throughout most of his life.
Soon, the tears died down and Rhea heard light snoring coming from her grandson. 'Oh Naru-chan, my poor grandson. Those mortals really did a number on you,' she thought, feeling her anger rising and as well as resentment towards the mortals who harmed her grandson, which was only equal to her hatred towards a certain titan.
She would like to smite Konoha for their transgressions towards her grandson, but in doing so, she would also be harming those he considered family as well as the few good mortals who showed him kindness.
'Let's do away with those thoughts for another time, right now I need to put Naru-chan to bed,' she thought and used her power to teleport to the nearest room and laid Naruto down.
"Hypnos, I do hope my grandson sleeps easily and Morpheus, you better make sure his dreams are wonderful or else," she said, threateningly, using her omnipresence to send a clear message to the god of sleep and the god of dreams. Both heard it and shivered in fear while proceeding to do just that. They didn't want to suffer the Titaness's wrath.
*Time skip, one week*
It has been well over one week since the incident at the museum. For a certain dark haired teen, it was hectic. Everyone around him acted like Mrs. Dodds didn't exist and was on their merry way, oblivious to everything. The only person he could talk to about this was one blonde Shinobi, as Naruto called himself.
Naruto understood his reason for being jumpy and helped Percy so he wouldn't lose his mind, or at the least feel out of place, so to speak. The blonde noticed that Grover had been acting strange as well. It was as if something was on the verge of jumping him or he was expecting something bad to happen at any moment.
Seriously, Naruto thought that goat smelling kid was on drugs or was high on medication due to the boy's jitteriness. It wasn't until he asked Chiron about Grover's questionable acting that he got an answer.
The trainer of heroes admitted that Grover was Percy's assigned guardian and a Satyr, half-man half goat, which explains the goat smell. And the reason why Grover was acting so nervous was because of the incident with Mrs. Dodds and the fear that other creatures may know of Percy. But Naruto was not satisfied and felt Chiron was holding back on him, but the Centaur's look pleaded that he not press the issue.
So he let the matter drop, for now anyways. Naruto hated not knowing anything about the situations he was in, even during his time with Moxxi. Before the two would pick a contract, the blonde would gather as much information as he possibly could. Of the people he and Moxxi would work for to the mission itself; such as the place, the people, and, in most cases, the opposition they were up against. The blonde would go into every tiny detail and make sure no stone went unturned.
After all, knowledge is power and, in the right hands, it could become a tool of salvation or utter destruction. An example of this was in the battlefield. Lack of information is fatal in the field. It is a recipe for disaster and utter failure. You're basically going into unknown territory blind, not knowing how many people are going to kill you.
There is that old saying; blind a soldier for a second and he or she is dead. Or ignorance can and will get you killed.
Percy still felt out of place, more so than usual, making the blonde sigh as he looked over some paper work.
"Percy, stop jittering like a bug and just relax," the blond said in a calming tone before stamping down on one of the files. Currently, Percy was in Naruto's office, or rather, the student council office and the disciplinary committee since he just couldn't stand the atmosphere of the people around him, aside from his friend Grover and Chiron, or, as he still knows him, Mr. Brunner.
"I know you feel out of place at the moment, but try your best to ignore it. Besides, Mrs. Dodds, from what I gather, wasn't your favorite teacher, so this shouldn't be affecting you this much," he said not taking his eyes off his paper work. It would be much easier to use his shadow clones, but he didn't want to be too dependent on them.
"It's just frustrating and weird to see everyone act so…so casual, like that old coot never existed in the first place," Percy said, frustrated. He was about to curse, but remembered that the blond hated people cursing in his presence. Anyone caught talking in such a vulgar manner would be strictly punished for it.
"It's as if she was just a figment of my imagination or something and I feel so…ahh, I can't even explain it." Percy sighed in frustration and slumped down in the leather couch he was sitting in.
He truly did feel out of place for the past week and couldn't concentrate on anything, which was bad, since they have a test tomorrow and, with his grades, let just say he was sure he wasn't going to come back to this school next year.
The blonde sighed softly, finally finished with the last stack of paper work. 'Who ever invented this, may they suffer in the afterlife.' The blond cursed whoever made the term "paper work" and introduced it to the world.
Truly the being is of pure, pure evil. Now turning his attention to the stressed teen, maybe that semester his clone took in psychology at Harvard University could come in handy. Nah, in this kind of situation he doubted it. There are just some things that can't be explained or even reasoned out.
"Percy, its better if you push those thoughts away in favor of tomorrow's upcoming test. If you need assistance, then I will help you," he reasoned, trying to get the sea-green eyed teens mind off the former math teacher and onto something more important and, probably, stressful.
'Meh, it's the lesser of two evils. At least with this, he won't act like someone who's about to go insane, or something close to it. He'll probably blow a gasket. Yeah, that's it,' the blond thought. For some reason, he imagined Percy doing just that, but in an anime-like or possibly cartoonish way.
Percy nodded, almost as soon as Naruto finish his last sentence. Why? Well, Naruto is considered the number one student in school, despite their similar condition. When he had asked the blonde how he managed that, he just answered "I just learned how to read backwards." He said it as if it was the simplest thing in the world.
It is true though, Naruto found a way around his condition. It started when he was a kid. He found out that when he was trying to read, the words would somehow turn backwards, as if some omnipotent and possibly omnipresent entity was messing with him. Later in Naruto's life, he called it Murphy, after he heard about Murphy's Law.
"Okay, let's head to your apartment."
"But what about your, um, girlfriend? Would she be fine with it?"
"Oh, don't worry about Moxxi. She's working on something that requires her full attention."
Percy nodded and thanked his blonde friend. At least he thinks they're friends. 'Well we have been hanging out for the past week, but maybe I should ask him,' he thought.
"Hey, um, Naruto," Percy called out.
"Yeah, what it is," Naruto responded while filing the finished paper work.
"Are we friends?" Percy saw the blonde stop and with a thoughtful look on his face before nodding.
"We are. By the way, what is taking Grover so long," he wondered out loud.
"Well, I did tell him not to eat the bean burrito," Percy said while scratching the back of his head followed up by a sigh. "And they had chilly in them too," he added. Seriously, what kind of burrito did the food truck come up with?
"Go get him. I have something to finish here first," he said to Percy. Naruto sat down and opened the top part of his desk. Inside were mission reports that his clones had successfully finished and need to be filed accordingly. Hey, just because he's in school doesn't mean he neglects his mission contracts, that his and Moxxi's permanent clients handed to them, that being government agencies and other organizations that cannot be named.
Ahh, the wonders of shadow clones. An over powered technique in the hands of Naruto, and probably any other Jinchūriki or Uzumaki, since his clan was the one who made this forbidden technique. It was forbidden because of the required amount of Chakra.
The Jutsu would take away a lot of chakra just to make one and only people with at least Kage level chakra reserves and control could make, at best, four. The Jutsu would kill if used by a novice with low chakra.
But for someone like him, an Uzumaki and a Jinchūriki, it wasn't a bother; well maybe the slight intake of sudden information that gave him a headache, but that was just mildly annoying.
"Okay, let's review today's mission report." The blond began to speed read through the reports, analyzing each detail, checking if for things that could have been done so the mission could have ended quicker and more efficiently than it already had, and if there were any faults in each of them.
His mind, once again, drifted back to his maternal figure, who he visited after classes, except if there were exams or a very important mission involved, and during his free time. Naruto still recalled waking up in her guest room followed by sharing a wonderful breakfast with her and so forth.
Basically, he spent the entire day with her, helping her with the house, assisting her in buying the groceries and just simply chatting with her. The blond truly enjoyed his time with her and was angry with himself for still keeping secrets from her. But his fear of losing her always held him back from telling her. 'I really hate having to keep secrets from Rhea-obaa-chan,' he thought while leaning back in his chair.
The blonde doesn't keep secrets from those he considers precious to him, which consisted of Lilith, his motherly figure back in the Elemental Nations, the girls who work in the brothel, his older sister figures, everyone in the Red-light district, who saw him not as an abomination that needed to be kill but simply as him, as Naruto, Anko, who knew the same pain of loneliness and hatred as him. Another person he loved was his Tenshi-hime, who knew the same burden as him and Anko, also the one he loves.
Rhea, his grandmother/motherly figure and Moxxi, his partner and really, really close friend, who he also has strong feelings for. Naruto is still oblivious to her feelings but is not without reason. There are also his two sentient partners and Kyuubi, who he also came to care and develop feelings for but, like Moxxi, he didn't know if she holds the same feelings as he does, again dense as Adamantium.
Speaking of the brunette and the red-orange haired vixen, the day after Naruto left Rhea's home and returned to his apartment, Moxxi suddenly jumped him and dragged him to the bedroom.
Five hours later, a content and satisfied Moxxi was sleeping soundly on Naruto, using his chiseled chest as a pillow. The same could not be said about the blond. The moment he fell asleep, Kyuubi pulled him into his mindscape and they proceeded to rut like rabbits in heat till morning, when he felt his consciousness returning.
Any other man would have killed to be in Naruto's position. For the blonde, he was just happy that he could make them happy. It was what his adopted mother taught him after all. Never leave a girl unhappy and unsatisfied. It was a Gentleman's job after all. At least, that's what Lilith and his older sister figures told him.
Among those teachings were; always treat the female gender with respect, view them as equals, and treat them with kindness, with the exception of fan girls, unsavory women, who his sisters described as total bitches, and those who make any woman look weak or pathetic.
He cared for each and every one of them. He would gladly give his life if it meant protecting them. This could be his biggest flaw as well as his most endearing quality. But, it is who he is and it is what drives him to become strong enough to protect those he cares for and loves. 'I won't let it happen again. I won't lose anyone again,' he thought while closing his eyes.
"Please hold on. I'll save you," Naruto choked out, trying to fight the tears as he was trying to heal the person he loved, trying to heal the large gash on her left side just above her heart.
He promised himself that he wouldn't lose her and is currently failing. "p-please, hold on," Naruto croaked out, his emotion clear as day; fear, dismay, and denial.
The blond felt her almost cold hands caressing his cheeks, as she would do since their first date. Her eyes lock with his and she mustered all her remaining strength into saying one last thing to him: "Na-Naru-to-kun I…love…you." Her hand fell making the blonde's eyes widen in shock as he heard her last words before he felt her heart stop.
"No, no, NOOOO!" he cried out in anguish, denying the site before him; his Tenshi-hime, dead in his arms.
Naruto jerked up harshly, panting heavily, tears flowing down his face as he recalled the day he lost a piece of himself and the person he loved, but he couldn't mope around since he felt two familiar presences.
He quickly took out some eye drops and some paper work just before Percy and Grover came in.
"Naruto, I got Grover here so we could… wait, are you crying?" That earned Percy a slap on the head by Grover, who pointed to the eye drops and the stack of papers.
"No Percy, I wasn't crying. My eyes just felt dry so I had to use some eye drops and sorry if my voice sounds off, my throat feels dry too," the blond lied smoothly.
"So Grover, will you be joining us in a late night cram," Naruto continued while putting away the eye drops and papers. The teen shook his head.
"I would, but Mr. Brunner asked me to help him with something. Don't worry, I've studied beforehand," the satyr replied. He could tell that Naruto was studying him with those piercing cerulean blue eyes. It was as if he was trying to determine something before nodded. "Then we'll see you tomorrow Grover, oh and just call me Naruto. Got it," the Caucasian teen nodded.
*Scene change-Percy's dormitory and Time skip-evening*
"So, did you get all of that Percy," Naruto asked as he was currently tutoring the teen, who looked like he just went three rounds of boxing and lost. He nodded in response. "Okay then, I'll ask you a question," the blond started.
"Tell me the difference between Chiron and Charon"
"Um…oh, one has an I and the other has an A in their name"
"And…"
"Ahh…Chiron, that's with an i, has a horse behind and is known as the trainer of heroes. Charon, the one with the a, is the ferry man of the dead and really greedy, due to his obsession with Olympian money."
Naruto smiled and nodded. "Good, now, why can't you be this attentive in class and why did you have me read to you." Percy sheepishly scratched the back of his head and chuckled slightly. "Well, Dyslexia gets in the way and you don't seem to have a problem with that so…" the dark haired teen trailed off from here.
The Jinchūriki sighed. "Percy, you still need to learn this stuff on your own. I know it may be tough for people like us, but we have to make due," he lectured the teen, who nodded and began to read on his own.
A few minutes later and the blond saw Percy was getting more and more agitated before he finally snapped and threw his book, absently cursing. "Fuck!" Halting in his agitated state, he forgot the person who was with him.
"I'll let that word slide since you were agitated, but try to use less unsavory words Percy." Percy nodded quickly under Naruto's heated glare.
"Maybe I should go see Mr. Brunner, he might have a way that is good for me, no offence to your method Naruto, but I won't be able to just magically learn how to read backwards."
Naruto nodded, understanding the teen's reason and deciding to join him, since he had some questions for the trainer of heroes. Like, why the weather was getting worse and more and more rampant earthquakes. Yeah, those kinds of questions.
Both teens made their way downstairs to the faculty office, which was dark and empty aside from Mr. Brunner's office. They were only a few steps from the door handle when they heard voices inside the Latin's teacher office.
"…worried about Percy and Naruto, Sir," Grover's voice rang out. Naruto raised an eye brow at the his name being mentioned, but shrugged it off thinking that either Grover must have sensed he's a Demigod or Chiron told the Caucasian teen that he is. "… alone this summer. I mean, a Kindly One in the school! Now that we know for sure, and theyknow too—"
"We would only make matters worse if we rush the boy. And no, I am not worried about Naruto. I did tell you what happened to Mrs. Dodds, correct," Mr. Brunner said, cutting Grover off.
"Y-yeah." Grover's voice sounded shaken. Probably because of the details on how Naruto killed the furry. "But sir, the summer solstice deadline—"
Grover was cut off again by Chiron. "Will have to be resolved without Percy, Grover. Let him enjoy his time while he still can," he said gently, though it sounded like Percy was going to die or something.
"And Naruto, what about him," Grover asked.
"Mr. Uzumaki is a different case. I'm sure you have sensed the power he's holding back and expertly hiding, correct."
"Yes, I still can't believe a Demigod has that much power and could keep it in check and, more importantly, hidden. But we're getting off topic Sir, I…I can't fail my duties again." Grover's voice was very familiar to a certain blonde and said blonde wondered what Grover could have meant by that.
"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 alive until next—"
Percy accidentally dropped his text book making an audible thud. He was paying such close attention to the conversation that he did not realize the book was beginning to slip from his grasp.
Naruto acted quickly and grabbed Percy's arms and the text book before Shunshin (body flicker) back to Percy's dorm. Said teen nearly hurled as he felt very dizzy. "Sorry about that Percy. Don't worry, the dizziness should subside after a few seconds,' Naruto said, getting the teen a glass of water.
"We'll talk with Grover tomorrow, since it'll be easier because he's a bad liar. For now, try to get some sleep since we have an exam tomorrow," Naruto said before vanishing in a swirl of black and white feathers. To Percy, that exit was the coolest thing he'd ever seen.
The next afternoon, they finally got out of their three hour Latin exam. Naruto got out much earlier thanks to his photographic memory, which was both a blessing and curse, and waited for his dark haired friend, who was currently talking with Chiron.
'Well, that doesn't look good,' Naruto thought sensing Percy's emotions, mostly frustration and anger.
Percy rushed out of the classroom and made his way towards his dorm.
"Let me guess, your tried the pep-talk and it didn't end well," Naruto said. Chiron nodded and explained what happened.
"Don't blame yourself Chiron. You were distracted and stressed. I can see it clearly in your eyes. It happens to us from time to time, so don't beat yourself up, okay," Naruto said kindly, trying to lift the man's spirit
"Thank you for your words Naruto, but, it still doesn't excuse the fact that I made Percy feel worse."
The trainer of the heroes felt like kicking himself for his poor choice of words to the dark haired teen and it was only made worse, since it was in front of the class. With another sigh, he said, "I'll be leaving for the camp. I assume that both you and Moxxi are joining." He received a nod from the blonde before he left, presumably to catch up with Percy.
The blonde sighed. When he finally caught up with Percy, he was already packing his things. The whiskered teen could see the negative emotions rolling off the sea-green eyed teen and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder to calm him down. "Hey Percy, don't worry. There are other schools out there, not just this one. Who knows, they may have something for our condition," he told Percy gently.
Percy blinked. "What do you mean "our"? Are you not staying here for another semester," he asked.
"Dude, we're friends right?" Getting a nod, Naruto continued. "What you should know is that I never leave a friend alone. Besides, this place is too stuck up with rich brats and boring classes. Now come on, Moxxi's waiting for me and I don't want to keep a lady waiting. It's rude, like most kids in this school." That got a chuckle from the dark haired boy as he followed his blonde friend.
Both teens spotted Moxxi and Grover, who looked very jumpy, waiting for them at the bus terminal. "Hey Percy," she greeted before walking up beside Naruto and locking his left arm around her, pushing it between her bosom, and leaning her head onto his shoulder. "How was the exam Grover," Naruto asked.
"F-fine," he stuttered out as the four of them got on the bus. During the whole ride, Grover kept glancing down the aisle nervously, watching the other passengers and looking out the window, as if he was expecting to be jumped by something or someone. 'I guess it's as perfect a time as any.' Naruto sent Percy a nod. The teen knew what it meant.
"Why so spooked Grover," Naruto asked innocently, getting said teens attention. The disguised Satyr was waving his hands franticly in dismissal.
"Yeah Grover. Not getting it lately," Moxxi continued, giggling and getting a blush from Grover. He didn't know how to answer her.
"Yeah, you've been looking around. What, looking for Kindly Ones," Percy said, going in for the kill, so to speak. The Caucasian teen's eyes widened and he nearly jump out of his seat and looked like he was having a heart attack. "Wha…what do you mean," he asked, lying and trying to play innocent, which he failed at.
"Underwood, you might as well tell us the truth. Both Percy and I overheard you and Mr. Brunner talking last night," Naruto said in a dead serious tone. Those who heard it shivered in fear and shook their heads in pity for the boy.
It was only made worse for Grover since Naruto was blasting him with his KI. The Satyr began to think that the blonde was enjoying this or something. "Oh, and Grover, know that I do not like imposing my will and intimidating others, especially my friends, but if need be, I will," he said, seemingly reading Grover's mind.
Grover sighed and took out a card from his pocket and handed it over to them. "So this is your summer camp or something," Moxxi asked. Though she already knew what Camp-half blood is, she acted ignorant for a certain dark haired teen. The Satyr nodded. "Yeah, well, that's just so you guys can contact me if you need my help," he said.
"Why?" Percy asked curiously. "What exactly are you not telling us?" However, before Grover could answer, the bus suddenly stopped and black smoke began to pour out from the dashboard, filling the bus with the disgusting smell of rotten food.
"Another reason to add onto why I don't like using public transportation," the blonde muttered as they got off the bus in the middle of nowhere.
Taking a look around, Naruto, at the least, took a bit of comfort in seeing nature and the quiet country side. "Why is there a fruit stand here?"
Percy pointed over to the other side of the road where, indeed, an old fruit stand that had various fruits, giving it a colorful image of the tropics, was standing. Next to the fruit stand were three, ancient looking ladies sitting on racking chairs, swaying back and forth. They were sewing one humongous sock. 'Weird,' the blonde thought before glancing towards his companions.
Percy and Moxxi had that curious look on their faces while Grover, well, Grover looked like he just took a huge dump in his pants and looked sickly pale.
'What got into him?'
Glancing back towards the three old ladies, he noticed that they were looking at Percy for some odd reason. "Tell me they're not looking at Percy. They are, aren't they?" Grover's voice was laced with terror and worry.
"Yeah, weird right? But do you think those socks would fit anyone and who is it for?" Percy said/asked. His tone sounded both disbelieving and curious. This got a shrug from Naruto's partner.
"I don't know, maybe for big foot or someone with abnormally large feet. Either that or they just have a lot of free time in their old lives," Moxxi replied, still keeping her eyes on the three very, very old women.
"This isn't the time for jokes. Common let's get back on the—NARUTO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Grover shouted at the blonde, who was making his way towards the three old ladies.
"Excuse me," Naruto called out, trying to get their attention.
"Yes dear," all three of them said in perfect unison.
Naruto took out a black jacket from his bag. "Could you please sew this for me? I will pay you," he asked kindly and loud enough for a certain Satyr to hear, getting a disbelieving look from and making him shout out again. "NARUTO WHAT ARE YOU DO—" but he was cut off by Naruto's glare.
"Grover, you are making a scene," he said, pointing to the people who were looking at the Caucasian teen. "And, if you must know, I am asking them if they could sew the hole in my jacket, to which I will pay them," he said, turning his attention back to the three old ladies.
"Sorry about my friend, he's a bit jump today. By the way, my name is Naruto Uzumaki," Naruto apologized and bowed his head.
"It's fine dear. The youth these days are different from our time, oh and my name is Atropos," the old lady holding a pair of scissors said.
"And to answer your question dear, yes we would gladly fix that nasty hole on your jacket, and please call me Lachesis," the old lady holding two metal rods said.
"You don't need to pay us, but maybe you could buy some of our fruits; we worked tirelessly for those, and please call me Clotho," the old lady with the big ball of yarn said.
Naruto nodded happily and handed his jacket to the three old ladies. While they were busy fixing his jacket, the blond took some time to buy some fruits such as grapes, strawberries, green and red apples, and peaches, which surprised Naruto since that kind of fruit is not normally found in this area of America.
Once he got what he needed from the fruit stand, Naruto paid for everything. "Thank you dear and here is your jacket." Atropos handed his jacket back. Naruto bowed his head in thanks and made his way back to his group.
"Such a good boy he turned out to be," Clotho said while pulling out a single thread from the ball of yarn.
"Yes, considering how he was treated by his people, though they will meet their ends very soon," Lachesis added with a bit of venom in her voice as she grasped the thread with her rod.
Once the blonde was with his friends, he saw that Grover was about to faint. He looked back to see Atropos was about to cut a thread, making him wonder why Grover was so interested in it. "That's it we are getting out of here," the Caucasian teen said, grabbing both Percy and Moxxi's arms,
"Hey, watch it," they both said, with Moxxi removing Grover's grip from her arm. "Only Naruto can touch me," she hissed, making both teens blush at the double meaning in her words, as she swung her arms around Naruto's left arm.
An audible snip could be heard. They looked to see the thread of yarn that Lachesis had in her hand was now cut by Atropos's scissors.
"No, no, no," Grover kept repeating like a mantra before he scuffled to the front of the bus. He kicked it as hard as he could, making a dent in it. Surprisingly enough, the bus shuddered back to life with the engine roaring.
The passengers cheered, since they finally get to leave and the driver patted Grover on the back. "Good thinking kid. Now everyone, back on board," he said.
Naruto was about to get on board when he suddenly stopped, alerting his three companions. He suddenly moved away from the bus and started hailing a taxi.
"Naruto, what's wrong," Percy asked, feeling quite nervous. He blamed it on his Caucasian friend for acting like they were about to be jumped by something.
"Percy is there anyone important to you here," Naruto asked without even looking at the teen.
"My mom, why?"
Naruto's tone of voice suddenly filled the sea-green eyed teen with dread, the same kind he felt before Mrs. Dodds transformed into a monster and was about to kill him. Before Naruto answered the teen, a taxi finally stopped. "I'll tell you on the way, now get in!" the blonde ordered.
Once inside, Naruto placed the driver under a Genjutsu that would make him think that they were having a pleasant chat about summer plans or about school.
"A clone that I left in school suddenly vanished." Naruto stopped himself after seeing the confused look on both Percy and Grover, making him sigh. Good thing the taxi was a hybrid or what Naruto was going to do next would be awkward. He made a cross sign.
Suddenly, a poof sound was heard from the back and both teens eyes widened when they saw another Naruto. "This is one of my abilities, and the reason why I can finish any and all of my paperwork so fast. I can make a clone of myself and when they dispel, anything they learn passes back to me. From the memory of my clone, our school was burned down." The last part made both Percy and Grover nearly faint, the latter was very close.
"Grover, no more lies. The creature that burned our school down and killed all mortals who were still there was a large lizard-like creature with black scales."
Grover's skin went pale and he had to place a hand over his chest to try and calm himself down from having a heart attack. "A Dragon," Percy muttered in disbelief. Naruto nodded.
"Percy, since that creature came to our school, I'm assuming it is either looking for you or all of us, so we need to leave. We can only take those you consider precious with us."
"My mom."
"Alright, when we get there, act casual. We don't want to give your mother a heart attack, like the one what Grover almost experienced. Moxxi, check on him please."
Moxxi slapped the Caucasian teen, snapping him from his fear induced trance. "He's fine," she said casually, though inside she was in panicking in fear. It wasn't until she looked at Naruto's calm and worriless face that her own nerves and fear subsided. If anything, she was berating herself for forget just who she was with. She knew Naruto had already formulated a plan to get them somewhere safe and possibly deal with the dragon, if it comes to that.
"Good. Grover focus," Naruto said while snapping his fingers, getting his friend's attention. "Does Percy's mom know about you?" Grover took a breath and nodded.
"Good, then this will make things less complicated."
"Wait, what do you mean by that?"
The blonde turned to the black haired teen. "It means that she knew certain things. Things she kept secret to protect you, I assume. This makes it easier to explain to her why we need to leave and go some place safe."
The cab stopped in front of Naruto and Moxxi's apartment. Once inside, Naruto conjured up several clones and ordered them to pack cloths, supplies, weapons, passports, money, etc. Once everything was in place, they quickly went to the garage and got in Naruto's car. "Percy, point me to your address." The dark haired teen nodded and told Naruto the location of his house.
*Scene change-Jackson Residence*
Sally Jackson, mother to one Percy Jackson, was a beautiful woman with blue eyes that sparkled and change color in the light. She had long brown hair with a few streaks of gray in it. She was a wonderful person with a kind, understanding, and passionate personality.
She was also currently on the floor holding her reddening cheeks, courtesy of her foul mouthed and abusive husband, Gabe Ugliano, hitting her like he always does when he is in a bad mood, drunk, or just felt like it.
Normally, she would have reported such abuse, but knew it wouldn't end well for two reasons; one was because she couldn't back up her claims, since Gabe's poker buddies would back him up, one of them was even a police officer.
The other reason, if she does succeed then monsters would pick up on her son's scent. This was the reason she married Gabe, to protect her son, since Gabe had a smell so horrible that it could mask any Demigod/goddess scent from any monster.
The reason was because Gabe smacked her like some whore, which he thought she was. There was an announcement about the school being bombed by a deranged lunatic with a picture of the smoldering remains of Yancy Academy.
A feeling of dread filled Sally as she hoped that her son was not on the list of victims who died in the explosion. Before the news reporter even mentioned a single name, Gabe changed the channel, not really caring about some brats.
Sally quickly grabbed the remote and changed the channel back and to her relief her son was among the students and staff who were safe since they left the school. This action, of course, pissed Gabe off and he promptly smacked her in the face.
"You Bitch!" he snapped. In his fit of rage, Gabe grabbed Sally's shirt and quickly ripped it. "You need to learn your place you fucking whore. The guys and I will make sure of that."
He was about to remove her pants but was cut off by something piercing his chest and heart. Gabe's poker buddies looked up only to drop dead the second they did.
The last thing they saw was a blonde haired teen with a silenced Five-Seven.
"MOM!"
Percy quickly rushed towards his mother's side and Naruto pulled out his jacket, placing it around her to hide her modesty. "P-Percy."
Finally out of her shocked state, tears welled up in her eyes. Percy brought his mother into a comforting hug, trying his best to comfort her. Behind them, Naruto signaled to give the mother and son some privacy.
He summoned three shadow clones and ordered them to dispose of the bodies, either dumping them in some undisclosed area or burning them while he took care of the security footage.
To his luck, all the security cameras were under maintenance and the building had an incinerator, making it easy to dispose the bodies. Naruto then took out his phone and called several people who owed him a lot of favors. He decided to use one of them.
"Yeah, it's me… Yes, I'm calling for a favor you owe me… It's quiet simple really. I need you to remove four people from the system…It is. Just tell them it is me who is making the request…Why you ask? Well, I killed four people who were about to rape this poor innocent woman…Need I remind you of the favor you owe me… Good… Yes, goodbye."
Naruto received the memories of his clones throwing the body into the incinerator before returning his attention to the mother and son, the former finally calming down after a minute of crying.
The former blonde Shinobi then asked, "Miss Jackson, first, allow me to introduce myself and my companion. I am Naruto Uzumaki, but call me Naruto." He then gestured to his partner. "My name's Madeline Mox. But please call me Moxxi," she said.
"Thank you for saving me Naruto and, please, just call me Sally as well."
"No need to thank me Sally. I was only doing what was right by helping my friend's mom."
"Thanks for that Naruto," Percy said, sending his blonde friend a grateful look.
"Again, no need. Now Sally, I assume you know Grover, or more specifically what he is." Percy's mom nodded, confusing her son in the processes. "Mom," Percy called.
"Percy, the time for questions is not now. Right now, we need to leave. You can ask her once we are in a safe and secure place," Naruto said sternly. He knew the teen had many things on his mind, but right now, safety is their number one priority.
If his assumption as to why sally even thought about staying with that filth he just killed was correct, then they have a small window of opportunity to get to safety.
"Is there any place we could hold down for a while Sally, at least until I can make some arrangements?"
"Yes, Naruto. Montauk, we have a cabin there. Percy and I would occasionally stay there on vacation."
Now, Naruto knew they needed to get as far away from New York as they could, but the location was close to the camp Chiron told him. "Good, grab your things and let's go."
A minute later, Percy and Sally finished packing and the group left in a hurry.
-END-