The Greek Kunoichi
Chapter 16: Quest start, To Greece and Pit stop to Delos.
Author's Notes: Okay, here we are at chapter 16. There won't be much shown of the Quest to defeat Gaia, since I couldn't bring myself to read the books so what little knowledge of the events I have are the big lines described into the wiki and profiles of the various characters. The Seven will still be the Seven but at least this time they won't have the Romans on their tail all the way to the Atlantic Ocean. Also a reminder, no matter how much bravado Octavian shows, he is still deathly afraid of Naruto and she was very serious in the last chapter. One more stunt like that last one and she might just kill him to save everyone from the misery and conflict he brings about or at least maim him a little. You shouldn't piss off a woman trained to kill since she was a child, because once she's over her limits of patience, well you're toast. Well, now let's take a look at those stats shall we? We have 72 reviews, 314 followers, 313 favourites, 6 C2 communities and 39 237 views. Thank you very much! Now let's get this show on the road.
It was a sulking Leo Valdez who was the first of the Argo II's crew to put foot on Roman grounds, much to Jason's ire who was trying to do something symbolic or whatnot. Naruto wouldn't have any of it however, so she took the protesting son of Jupiter in a fireman carry across one shoulder and went ashore, followed by the snickering Satyr Coach Gleeson Hedge and the giggling Piper McLean and Annabeth Chase. Seeing the situation his best friend was in, it brought out a snorting laugh out of Leo. The big bad Jason Grace carried on the shoulder of a woman shorter than him, like he was a simple potato sack! Of course, Jason was protesting to the treatment but Naruto's words made him relent
"You were taking too much time. You already have seduced Piper, so there was no need to show off for any other ladies if you two are still not decided to take my offer, so stop whining or I'll throw you into the lake to see if you're a good swimmer."
Piper blushed like a tomato to that, much like Jason. Leo and Annabeth were curious and Hedge had an inkling of what the daughter of Apollo was talking about but he asked anyway, since he would not pass an occasion to tease his former students
"Hey, Foxy. What did you offered them to make the lightning rod and the beauty queen so red?"
Naruto answered him in a nonchalant tone
"Well Coach, I offered them to try a threesome with me. I'm not discriminating, women, men, I like them both! While Jay over here is a bit young for my tastes since he didn't start to shave yet, he is becoming quite yummy and Piper is also looking very delicious! By the Gods, just take a look at those curves and she's still growing! Sadly, they are always turning me down. I even offered to teach them how to please each other first but they still turned down my propositions."
There was a moment of silence and then Leo, Annabeth and Hedge almost fell over since they were laughing so hard! Jason and Piper though, were so red you could have seen them from outer space! She just had to bring that here! Soon enough though, the mirth passed and Naruto put a still embarrassed Jason down on the ground. The Praetor could have done without her foxy smirk and flirty wink though. With Jason taking the lead once he had recomposed himself, they marched toward the Praetor's chambers. Annabeth was looking around really fast, looking at the architecture and also looking for a certain son of Poseidon. Naruto, knowing who she was looking for, let herself be passed by the others, dropping at the end of the line to talk to the daughter of Athena. She put one arm around her shoulders and said
"Don't worry Betty Boop, everything will be just fine. The cease fire and the truce between our camps are now official and enforced. Percy will be there, if he is not then I will go fetch him for you. The Romans don't go out much of their Camp outside of City patrol or for the rare Quests. Some have accumulated down time, but it's not very common. It's like they don't know how to do much more than being soldiers. Rey-Chan doesn't like to not have her Legionnaires nearby without Flyboy over there to help run this place smoothly. As the son of the Sea God, Percy would have likely been roped for latrine duty. Better latrine duty than Octy duty if you ask me though. Uggh, that guy is a royal pain in the ass; it was made even worse since I couldn't find a guy or a gal interesting or interested enough to get laid with around here! You will be able to show your boyfriend your displeasure at his absence pretty soon, and then make up; so don't worry your pretty little head about this."
She finished with a tone filled with mirth. Annabeth also smiled good-naturally but blushed heavily as usual at Naruto's sexual innuendos. It was quite hard to stay depressed and with any negative emotions with that daughter of Apollo around. Naruto had a magnetic personality and was always so full of energy. She was also quite the prankster, seeing as she suddenly decided to run back to the front, lift Leo's Camp Half Blood t-shirt and put it over his head and then laugh at him when he turned back to glare at her when he undid the joke. Yes, she was totally random sometimes. The Architect of Olympus shook her head. She was often left wondering if the kunoichi was really nineteen years old seeing how she often acted.
Soon they were in front of the chambers where Reyna was. Naruto was looking around, wondering why Terminus had not manifested himself already, what with the unknown Greek demigods inside the Camp. Maybe he felt there was no need since she was present, since she had already proven herself and Jason, who was the returning Praetor? It was food for later thoughts. Once inside, it was a boring ceremonial. Jason seemed to somewhat thrive for it though. After all, he had been raised by the Legion from what she heard. Then, just as everything seemed to go for the better, enter Octavian, the headache inducer, stage left. By the Gods! She was going to snap at this rhythm and do something that she would not really regret! Though, she had to hold a snicker, seeing his bedraggled state and the bruises all over his feeble body. Octy hadn't taken well to her Fox fire enhanced Lariat. With the air he was taking, she was sure he was about to pull a fast one out of his ass once again. She was sadly right. You have to give credit where credit was due though. He was a skilled orator that Octy.
"Beware! The Gods are against their presences here! I saw it in my readings! Those Graceus are intruders and should be dealt with accordingly, the faster the better before we invite the wrath of the Gods upon us! The Mother Earth and her Gigante children will go back to sleep soon enough, we only need to fortify ourselves and wait for the storm to pass! We do not need the help of mere barbarians to go to the Doors of Death. Thanatos is now unchained, our part is fulfilled! It is no longer our problem!
The Gods have spoken! Legionnaires, you are now ordered to throw every last Greek demigod present out of this camp! If they resist in the slightest, kill them all! Then burn that abomination of a ship on the lake! Jason Grace, son of Jupiter, Praetor of the Fifth Cohort! For abandoning your post and for having broken the Ancient Law forbidding us Romans to go on the East Coast of the United States and the crime of associating yourself with Graceus, you are now hereby stripped of your rank. You are hereby and immediately shifted back to Probatio."
Everyone was looking at the Augur like he was something unpleasant you swiped off from the sole of your shoe. But Naruto was fed up. Enough was enough. He was lying through his teeth and trying to wield an authority he did not have and she needed to act quickly before things fell apart. In a short burst of chakra enhanced speed, she was in front of the pompous Augur and then slammed her open right palm on his solar plexus, making him lose his breath since she wasn't gentle in the slightest. From the point of contact, innumerable lines, kanji and squiggles expanded from under her palm and were soon all over the Augur. Soon enough, the foreign characters were somehow absorbed into his body, like they were never there at all. Naruto caught him when he seemed to lose consciousness before he fell to the ground and hurt himself. She gave him to a legionnaire nearby who was none too enthusiast at his new job and then addressed everyone
"Okay people, let's continue! He's okay; I only put him in stasis. Sadly, I can't kill him and do the world over a lot of good. I'll give you the key to wake him up after the meeting is over, Rey-Chan. Jason, Octy was lying, and you are not demoted. You were sent in an official mission by the Gods to start uniting both camps for the war against the Giants."
The daughter of Bellona and the son of Jupiter both let out a sigh before the latter decided to keep quiet. Of course Octavian would have showed up to crash the meeting and invented something to mess with everything already accomplished. He had not been shy in declaring his opinion about extending a hand of friendship to the Greeks since Naruto's arrival and his lust of power was observed since he first arrived here. In insight, she should have sent him on a bogus Quest accompanied by a few legionnaires with saint like patience or with some on punitive duty before the arrival of the others Greek demigods. Reyna was glad on how restrained Naruto's answer to Octavian's acts was. The female Praetor knew that the Greek daughter of Apollo could have done something more permanent.
She did lead the meeting back on course though and everyone was willing to ignore Octavian. After the earlier interruption, nothing else came to disturb them until it was over. Naruto had let Annabeth and Jason do the talking with Reyna, while she was absentmindedly working on the counter-seal with her sealing brush, special chakra and blood infused ink and a paper tag similar to an Ofuda (A type of household amulet or talisman, issued by a Shinto shrine, hung in the house for protection.) for Octavian and letting her imagination coming with different scenarios to get him out of their hair for at least a while.
Most included leaving him stranded with minimum survival gear in a deep forest somewhere. Maybe he would like a vacation to Madagascar? She could stash him in a small civilian village in the middle of nowhere on Delos easily enough, but she wasn't that cruel. The poor civilians who would have to deal with him didn't merit that type of punishment! Maybe she could dump him in Nadeshiko no Sato? The kunoichis there would soon either straighten him out or kill him. They were a very Darwinian type of ninjas those kunoichis. Hum, that idea had merits. She would suggest it to her Roman friends. She also had a Hiraishin marker near their village, so the trip would be short. Huh, yeah, she almost forgot. Not everybody was talking and understanding the English language on Delos. The higher-ups in the various shinobi villages did, but the regular population? No. She would have to fit him with a translation seal. Damn. Just too bad, she would have loved to dump him there tonight and be done with it.
Once everything was hashed out, Reyna told them it was time for the Feast of Fortuna and when Naruto gave her the counter-seal with the directions on how to use it, she said to her Roman friend
"It's quite simple, the chakra is inside the paper, so put it on his body in manner that all four corner of the paper tag touch his bare skin and he'll wake up almost instantly but with a hangover level killer headache. The seal will be useless after its one use though. Could we just wake him up after the Feast is over please? Or maybe we could wait until tomorrow afternoon? I think that I'm talking for everyone here that we really don't need him to ruin the Feast for us with his false predictions and sourpuss disposition."
Both Jason and Reyna were of the same mind. Octavian was clearly unhappy that Camp Jupiter was hosting Greek demigods, if only for a short time. Thus he was left in stasis in his bunk in the First Cohort's barracks and would be revived only when the festivities were over. Maybe they will even forget to wake him up until tomorrow morning? Who knew? Now that the official meeting was over, Greek and Roman were mingling, asking questions, seeking clarifications. It was then that Leo realized something strange when people were talking about the pro and cons of taking over a fortress and Capture the flag. Turning about he said
"Hey, Naruto. I was wondering why you never joined the rest of the Campers when it was time to play Capture the flag? I mean, with your training and abilities to help them, your siblings would have won more often, no?"
Naruto smiled genuinely and answered
"Leo, I'm a fully trained Konoha kunoichi of high rank. In English, my village's name is translated as the Village Hidden in the Leaves. The name says it literally. Think about it one minute, Forge boy. I'm trained for concealed and guerilla warfare. I can easily erase any signs of my presence in any type of woods and prepare tons of traps or a fatal ambush if I wished it. Whoever has my support in the woods would have quite an unfair advantage. Chiron asked me to stay out of the games for that very reason, but he did tell me that when the Hunters of Artemis would come around, he would let me play. It's the same thing with Sasuke; we would tip the balance in our favor too much."
The son of Hephaestus blinked with surprise, and then his mind computed what she said and some mock scenarios. Yes, indeed she and the unnaturally calm son of Ares would be a very unfair advantage for any team. She was crafty as a fox on top of everything else and that Sasuke guy had sharpened to the extreme all the qualities that came with being a child of a war god, that kind of make it up for being less fox-like crafty. With his curiosity satisfied, he went back to watching the verbal cat fight between Piper and Reyna over the son of Jupiter. That was pure gold! Of course, Jason was obvious to what was going on just under his nose. He was kind of sheltered. But damn was he lucky! Two chicks were fighting over him! Too bad they would not come to blows and tear apart their clothes so he could get a few peeks. He knew better than to flirt with Naruto though. She was very hot but the danger factor alone was quite a turn off and the humiliation she put them through as a test on his ship a few hours ago was still stinging something fierce.
They were almost to the Mess hall when Annabeth started to run in another direction. Curious, the whole procession stopped to observe what was going on. What followed was pure gold. Both the son of Poseidon and the daughter of Athena ran to each other and met in an embrace that resulted in a very passionate kiss! When Naruto let out a wolf whistle, Annabeth disengaged from the kiss and with a movement of the hips, she then judo flipped him to the ground, since she had not released him beforehand. Percy had not even regained his breath that he was assaulted verbally!
"That is because you left me all alone during all those months! You could have called with an Iris message or at least sent a letter! Do you have any ideas of how worried I was? I swear, if you ever leave me again, there is more from where it came from Perseus Jackson!"
Under the eyes of the group observing everything that was going on, Percy did something that nobody though he would do after such a scolding. He started to laugh. Getting back to his feet, he took a still somewhat offended Annabeth into his arms and after a big hug, he told her
"You don't have to worry wise girl. I don't intend to disappear again. Consider me warned. I understood you loud and clear. So now that the show's over, do you mind doing some introductions? I recognize Naruto, the whiskers birthmarks, the sunny blonde hair and the fox like smirk is unforgettable, but the others?"
Annabeth, still on the high of that kiss and happy to be in his arms started to introduce everyone without protest. Jason and Percy became good friends instantly, thanking the other for keeping an eye on their respective camp. Jason remembered Frank and Hazel, having started to know them for a month before Juno sent him on his mission. Piper also hit it off really well with Hazel, even with the cultural differences. Hazel was a bit more reticent with Annabeth since the daughter of Athena was quite forceful and somewhat bossy, but it would likely pass. At least, they would be on speaking terms. Leo was a riot and quite friendly, but something about him was irritating Frank, but he didn't let that inconvenience him. He would not judge before knowing the Latino better.
After many distractions, the Feast was launched finally. There was many choices, since it was somewhat of a buffet. The topics of conversations were also very varied. The feast even came with a show, when a pushy son of Venus who just got out of Probatio rank decided to hit on Naruto. The boy was about what? Fifteen years old if that? Naruto wasn't in the least interested since to not have problems with the statutory rape clause, she never seriously looked for partners younger than sixteen years old. Needless to say, the son of Venus didn't took "no" for an answer. Everyone knowing the legitimate daughter of Apollo at least a little came to realize that she was going through life at her own flow and everyone around her was pulled along to a certain extent by her exuberant and larger than life personality. Naruto was a trailblazer and did not care much for rules or norms. But she had another side. Underneath her sunny disposition, she could be cold, logical, very pragmatic and highly proficient in combat. She was also an adept of dialing back her emotions when it was necessary. That son of Venus though he was the Gods' gift to womankind and combined with the fact that he had somehow found a stash of Bacchus' brews and was a bit drunk, but not enough to not be held responsible of his acts; it was bound to create a disaster. The only good thing in that situation was that he didn't inherit the charmspeak of his mother. Then he made the terrible mistake to grope the sun kunoichi's left breast during his lamentable attempt to court her.
Naruto's feral blue eyes bled to berserker red and the killing intent rose so fast that it took a few seconds for all the Greek demigods to get out of dodge and the few Romans who had seen Naruto lose her temper when a male Centurion of the Second Cohort tried to arrest her for using the Fields of Mars as training grounds "supposedly" without permission (Naruto had asked Reyna beforehand just in case and she was given the go ahead.) and also for being a Greek slut, since she was only dressed in a tasty and somewhat conservative black sport bra and tight black spandex shorts covering her thighs (Even Octavian had enough decency in him to not use sexual insults even if he loathed Naruto with all his being. Those insults where beneath him.), were right behind them a few seconds later. To this day, the Centurion, who is a Legacy of Ceres, was still bedridden in the infirmary and was said that he would likely come out in two to three weeks. The medics were not sure if he would still be fit to command his cohort for a while longer though.
The "show" this time was not a powerful Kitsune arm uppercut right under the chin that sent the offender flying high in Jupiter's domain like the last time. No, it was something quite different. A multitude of golden adamantine sealing chains suddenly shot out of her back with a thick metallic sound at insane speed and soon, the offender was bound in a cocoon from head to toe, literally. Only his nose was out to let him breathe and she had made sure to not constrict his throat and torso too much, just in case. Naruto took a few large breaths and once calm again, she asked Jason, since he was the closest to her
"Hey, Superboy, where do I stash the grope happy pervert?"
Jason couldn't answer, because this time, it was Terminus who intervened before he could, once his statue materialized near them.
"Disgraceful! Shameful! Legionnaire Charles Wolfe, Son of Venus! For assaulting sexually a foreign ambassador while she was in her official capacity, you are now hereby stripped of your rank and banished foreverfrom Camp Jupiter! You will pass the rest of the night locked away in jail and tomorrow you will be evicted! You shamed your Cohort and lineage with your actions!"
With that, Charles disappeared into thin air. The troublemaker was gone, but so the good feeling of the Feast. Annoyed and no longer in the mood to stay for the festivities, she was about to go blow some steam in the Fields but Terminus stopped her with a question
"Greek Ambassador Naruto Uzumaki, daughter of Apollo. How long will those chains hold the disgraced?"
She thought back on it, calculated quickly the quantity of chakra used in the technique but it was hard to really quantify a biological energy, but came with an answer
"That should hold him for about three hours Terminus. I didn't put too much power in them. Now I'm no longer in the mood for a party, so I'm going to go blow some steam in the Fields of Mars. You lot better be careful if you want to see, I intend to bring out the big guns."
Well, that was her plan anyway, until she felt a few of her shadow clones left behind on the Argo II being forcefully dispelled. Something had tried to seize control of them to take control the ship! Man, she never felt so glad to not have inherited that talent from her grandfather! No, Naruto couldn't take full control mentally of any sea fearing vessel. She had to do it manually and was able to work in all the stations at once, what with her shadow clones. No sea sickness for this girl though. Then, her Sage training really came handy, for she felt a massive, but truly massive amount of natural energy around her. Quickly she turned toward the god and said with a very serious tone of voice
"Terminus, I would sound the alarm if I were you! Gaia is here, I can feel her presence! There is so much nature energy in one place! Also, something tried to take control of my clones that I had left behind on the ship! Some kind of spirits! What do we do?"
Naruto was an excellent fighter and quite the battlefield commander; if she hadn't the skills for the job she wouldn't have been promoted. In Konoha, the ranks were given on a meritocracy system, but now repelling a Primordial entity and incorporeal spirits, it wasn't really in her skills set. She supposed she could challenge Gaia for a fight and go full out in Kurama Mode, but other than that, she was a bit lost.
Terminus did follow her advice though once he felt Gaia's presence, but he never gave her any instructions, so she had to improvise. He linked himself with all his statues all around Camp Jupiter and New Rome and bellowed for everyone to hear
"AD ARMA! AD ARMA! HOSTIBUS IN PORTA!" (At arms! At arms! Enemy at the gate!)
Then a siren similar to those that would alert of an air raid during World War II started to wail and Camp Jupiter entered in full alert. Soon, every Cohort was fitted into armor and armed. Everyone was marching in quick time, with Reyna and now Jason barking orders. In less than two minutes, Camp Jupiter and New Rome were in total lockdown. Nothing could get in; nothing could get out without Terminus knowing. Hazel and Frank, when the order came, were quick to go put their armor and fill in their ranks. Being promoted Centurion, Frank was barking orders at the Fifth Cohort like a pro. Annabeth was awed. Yes the Romans were the enemies of her mother, but damn if they weren't effective! Not knowing what to do since they had left their weapons on the ship as ordered, she and the rest of the Greek demigods endeavoured themselves to stay out of everyone's hairs. Well, except Naruto that is.
While she wasn't very good at other elemental jutsus, she could use a few. She had a few mid ranked Katon and one or two low level Raiton in her arsenal and a about three Doton. With a few mudras (hand seals) she managed to create a raised and stable platform a few metres from the ground. Said platform was a bit grainy though. She was really bad with other elements outside of wind and water. The only reason she was somewhat passable with Katon was because of Kurama, whose chakra often took the shape of flames. Then she sat herself down, took her meditation position and after calming herself and evicting all thoughts out of her mind, she started to gather Senjutsu Chakra. Senjutsu was coming from the Earth and Gaia was the Mother Earth, maybe she could at least communicate with the Primordial? Well, if she wanted to draw attention to herself, she managed. Gaia had stopped taunting the Romans like a cliché villain and was now focusing what little consciousness she had already awakened on her. It was only due to her successful Sage training and the fact that she had managed to perfectly balance Nature energy with her own chakra network that saved her from being overwhelmed and changed into a toad statue. It was then that the Earth Mother spoke to her in her mindscape
"Who are you girl? How can you commune with Nature? You are not a child of Demeter or of her whining brat, Persephone. Could you be a Roman? No, your essence taste Greek. Wait a second...The Sage Arts! You are a Sage! Then you understand what I am going through! You know of my plight! Mankind went too far when they poisoned me with atomic fire sixty years ago! The Gods, those usurpers! They locked my Children away like they were unthinking beasts! Humankind must be wiped out! The Gods must be punished! Nature must come back! Help me restore the balance once again, O Sage!"
Naruto could somewhat empathize with Gaia. Humankind had really pushed themselves to evolve, but at what price? The God of the Wild had faded; his Domain was diminishing even more every year and even if there was no more clear cuts, it seemed to be too little too late. But wiping the slate entirely to start over was not the solution either! It was taking the easy way! She would not take that path. With Kurama shielding her with his immense presence, she began siphoning what Nature Energy she could from the primordial. Naruto knew she wasn't destined to defeat Gaia, but nothing was said against giving a helping hand to those who could! After all, she had accomplished her own Great Prophecy, by bringing a durable peace on the war torn continent of Delos. Now, she was a free agent. Ah, in your faces, Fates!
"What are you doing? No! It's my energy! Give it back! You can't take it! I'm warning you, Sage! Stop it! Too late, I warned you! What?! There is another consciousness in you? What's this? A gigantic fox spirit?! A creature of the Eastern Civilization?! SHINTO! A CHAOS BE DAMNED SHINTOIST! Go back to your Gods, SHINTOIST! It is a Greco-roman affair! Curse you to Chaos! First those damn Egyptians and now the Shinto! What's next? Indra or Asura from the Hindi? Baron Samedi from the Voodoo religion? I HATE IZANAGI!"
Of course, Gaia was wrong. Kurama was a piece of an ancient primordial god, the God tree Shinju who became the Juubi (Ten tails) but she wasn't about to explain how a Ancient Greek Island became a small continent who worshipped the Greek Gods, said continent didn't make the Roman transition except for the rumor that Apollo's ego had increased tenfold and Artemis had a phase when she was somewhat more ladylike, but had also so many Shinto influences and traditions. Well, maybe Gaia would believe her if she told her it was her dad who had a boyhood crush on Amaterasu? After all, Apollo's Womanizing ways were well known on every pantheon, since he was the son of the #1 Godly Super Pervert. She digressed. She could ponder on how to give Gaia an aneurysm later. She had to be doubly careful to not be overwhelmed by the Nature Energy coming in from Gaia, since it was tinted with loneliness, rage and so many negative emotions. She did send back some positive feelings to the Earth Mother, if only to stop her from ranting.
After about an hour, Naruto had successfully drained what energy Gaia had managed to amass and her voice and her presence faded away with the sound of sobbing. Well, it was awkward. Man, she was beat. But she had her partner to thank and a God to report to.
"Thank you Kurama. Without you holding her back, I doubt I could have held as long as that."
"You're welcome. Now, let me sleep. Holding back that dirt lady really took its toll."
The ancient Kitsune rolled onto himself, laid his massive head on his hands like paws and closed his red eyes. Moments later, he was in a deep sleep. She got up and shook the stiffness of her limbs, then went to find the closest statue of Terminus to debrief him of what happened with Gaia. Once she went near the Decumanian Gate, she approached the God of Boundaries and waited to be addressed. She was not in the mood to be chipper and insubordinate tonight. Not after almost everything she worked for months nearly went down the drain. She did not have to wait long before the statue came to life and ordered her strictly but not unkindly
"Report, Ambassador Naruto Uzumaki."
She went instinctively on Attention and answered crisply like the soldier she was
"Sir, yes Sir! I confronted the Earth Primordial Gaia, Sir. With the help of a shinobi earth technique, I created a raised stone platform for meditating at the entrances of the Fields of Mars. I then used the Sage Arts to enter in contact with the Earth Mother. She felt my presence and stopped antagonizing the Legionnaires to focus entirely on me, Sir. She found out quickly I was a Greek demigod and a Sage but when she dug deeper, she went almost berserk. Delos has many Eastern influences and I am marked with a big one. I managed to rob her of her energy, but it was potent and full of negative emotions. It took me around an hour to be able to purify it. I cannot be certain, but I think that I managed to put some seeds of doubt in her by sharing some on my own energy with her, for she was sobbing when her presence faded."
Once she was done, she stayed at attention and silent, waiting for her superior to address her. Now was not the time to be cheeky. Camp Jupiter was on a state of maximum alert and one wrong move could see her dismissed. The Roman Gods had so far tolerated her presence because she had her official accreditation and never started any of the altercations she was involved in, but she knew that if she put one toe out of line, she would be getting the boot. Terminus was silent a few moments, likely digesting the information she gave in her report and then answered
"Good job. We had troubles with Eidolons. They are spirits who had shown the ability to possess most people and machines. They used to and still serve Gaia. In exchange for serving her, she promised them that they would live again. We think we managed to chase them off, but we are still on high alert. I want you to go in Sage Mode and see if we have any more undesired visitors. If we do, tell me and we will take care of it. If not, you are to take the Greek delegation back on their ship for the night then you are free to go to sleep. You will be awoken tomorrow for breakfast. Dismissed!"
Naruto did as commanded right here. It was better when she was sitting down, but she could go in Sage Mode while standing still. In no time at all the signs of a Toad Sage were on her face and the daughter of the Sun Rider focused her sensing abilities. She confirmed to Terminus that they were definitively alone. With an order to double the night shift with the reserves in New Rome to let the day shift rest, Camp Jupiter went down from maximum alert to high alert. The Sun Kunoichi was doing as instructed and once on the ship, she decided to add some insurance. While she liked everyone on the crew, Naruto was the closest with Annabeth and Piper. She really respected the former's intellect and the latter's courage. So she unsealed two tri-pronged kunais and gave one each to the girls with the instructions on how to use them, then to the rest of the group she gave them something to think on
"I know I'm not among the ones destined to defeat or be defeated by Gaia and the Giants. But, no matter what the Prophecy of Seven says, it doesn't mean I can't give you a hand when needed. If you have an emergency or if you are fighting an enemy simply too strong even for Jason and Percy to get rid of; one of you should throw this special kunai on a hard surface. I will feel it and it will permit me to teleport almost instantly to your location from anywhere in the world. Just because you are a part of the Chosen Ones, it doesn't mean you have to shoulder every burden only by yourselves. Trust in your comrades, trust in yourself. Before we all go to sleep, I want you all to think on something that was passed to me by my master and a dear friend.
Those who break the rules are trash, but those who abandon their comrades are even worse than trash. It means that you never leave a comrade behind! The other piece of wisdom I want to leave you is that it's only when you are protecting your precious people that you will find what true strength really is. When a human have something to protect, his power grow exponentially. When your divine side is not enough, dig deep into your humanity and you will have all the power you need."
With that said, Naruto went on dry land towards her tent. Her bedding was calling her. Fighting off a Primordial Being inside her own mindscape had put her through the ringer.
The next day, after a hearty breakfast, the last three members of the Seven were chosen. Hazel, Percy and Frank were enlisted and after a departing gift from the Romans, a month of rations, the Argo II lifted off in direction of the East Coast, then the Atlantic Ocean, the Mare Nostrum (Mediterranean Sea) and finally the homelands, Greece. While Naruto could have hitched a ride to camp Half Blood on the ship, she decided not to. She could Hiraishin back easily enough, but after everything, she needed to let out some steam and running at Sunlight Speed would be a great way to decompress. After obtaining the right to leave from Terminus and reminding the daughter of Bellona to wake Octy since prolonged stasis would be harmful for the body, she started to run at high speed, accelerating to the point where she could shift gears to Sunlight Speed. Soon, she was gone and the Headache inducer was now awake. Poor Reyna really.
About a month and a half later, things were about the same at Camp Half Blood. Mr. D was his usual useless self other than helping the strawberries grow. Chiron was working with enthusiasm, doing what he was doing the best, help shape and train young minds into future heroes. The senior campers were now in tip top shape and Sasuke was now only keeping them at their best. He still wasn't much of a talker and more or less lone wolf, but he was doing his share of work. His training was brutal, but very effective. Kushina's pregnancy was showing, since she was now about three months along. With her husband and sister in law as her personal physicians, she was well taken care off. She also had a pleasant surprise! She was having fraternal twins! A boy and a girl! It was fantastic! Yin Kurama was even more protective of Kushina than her husband, constantly coating her with her chakra as a shield at the slightest sign of something dangerous. Yes, her half of Kurama was female. It seems that the Yin was more closely associated with the female gender, thus when the original Kurama was split by Thanatos, one half stayed male, the other became female. Thus now of the same gender, the two vixens were often teaming up against Apollo, to the great amusement of Artemis when she was visiting. But now that she was too far along to really help; Kushina decided that it was time to go home. Not in Konoha, no. Apollo was still locked in Minato's body. He was officially dead and it would cause no end of headaches if he went near a shinobi village. No, it was time to take her pregnancy leave to her first home, Uzu no Kuni. So husband and wife packed up and left but both Naruto and Sasuke opted to stay in Camp. Life here was nice and when they wanted some private time, Naruto could Hiraishin them to their apartment to New York.
Talking of the city, Naruto kept her deal with Sally Jackson and kept her updated about her son's whereabouts. She had even managed to convince Annabeth via IM (Iris Message) to convince (read threaten with a withdrawal of boyfriend privileges) Percy into writing a letter to his mother. At least the poor woman was no longer so worried about her baby boy. It was when she was wondering on how their mission was going that she felt the pull of a summons from a Hiraishin kunai. Now knowing on what she would stumble upon, Naruto made sure to be fully stocked in kunais and shurikens and with also her first aid kit before homing on the beacon and vanishing in a bright yellow flash. She reappeared on the main deck of the Argo II on a totally different climate with the same yellow flash. Once she shrugged off Hedge who was looking sad to not have something to hit, she looked around to see who had summoned her. It was a red eyed Piper and now she could feel the depression and worry all around her. With her usual tact, namely almost none, she asked
"So, what's up? There no mega monster to fight anywhere. Did you call me because Jason can't get it up when you showed him the goods or because he shot his load before you could have fun because he loved the goods too much?"
Percy, Leo and Frank all snickered at that. Hazel face palmed and started to talk to herself in Latin she guessed since she couldn't understand what gibberish she was saying, while Annabeth seemed to pray to Hera of all people for patience in Ancient Greek and Piper tried to ward off a headache by pinching her nose. The sad daughter of love then said
"Naruto, please stop talking about Jason's and my sex life! We don't have a sex life yet and you will certainly not be the one I will be talking to when things like that happens! Yes you are a sexually liberated woman, but I'm barely sixteen!"
"So what? I lost my virginity when I was fourteen. It's no big deal. Jeez, lighten up a bit girl! Anyway, why did you call me?"
Then went the explanation on how the ghost of a previous Praetor stabbed Jason with an Imperial Gold weapon and while it was not a mortal wound, his soul had been touched and he couldn't fight the Giants and other monsters like that. Nectar and Ambrosia weren't enough and none of them had the medical skills necessary to help more. With the mental note to train the campers to be at least Field medic worthy, she said
"Well, I'm a daughter of Apollo, true, but I never focused on the healing arts. With my Uzumaki constitution, combined with my dad's genes and the fact that I'm a Jinchūriki, I'm never sick and I can shrug mortal wounds. My fuzzy tenant boosts my regeneration factor when needed. I'll try at least."
Naruto was a very honest person. She had no qualm to talk about her strengths and no qualm to admit her weaknesses among friends. But she would be damned if she let a comrade die without trying to help. She went to Jason's cabin with Piper as guide, since she never went further than the main deck. Soon enough they were at destination. Jason was not looking good. He was laid on his belly and she could see a sword wound half healed between his shoulder blades. She approached swiftly while Piper went to his other side and she inspected the wound more closely. Frowning, Naruto made some hand signs from a basic medical jutsu, maybe it could help? Sincerely, she was not very good with healing. Music wise she was average, but it seems as if she had inherited more of her father's warrior attributes.
After a few minutes, the gentle green glow medical jutsu in her palm extinguished itself and she said to Piper
"If he was from Delos and born with Chakra, I could have pass him some of my life force. Mine is very potent and it could have healed him. But seeing as he's not from my continent, he doesn't have a Chakra circulatory system, so I can't transfer my life force to him without making it worse. What I could do though, is take him with me to Delos. My dad is there with my mom, since she's on maternity leave. He's the medicine god; he should be able to help. But Jay's not in any state to be moved by Hiraishin..."
Naruto was pensive for a few minutes, finding and discarding ideas at a speed that would make a child of Athena envious. Then she found one, but that was going to hurt like a bitch. She soon gave her solution to the daughter of Aphrodite, but Piper couldn't make the decision alone. So they went back on the main deck and explained the situation. Of course, everyone was looking at Naruto like she had grown a second head. It was Frank who decided to try and make sense of what she was telling them.
"Jason is in urgent need of healing, that I can understand. He's not in any shape to be moved with your teleportation technique without the risk of worsening his wound at nearly a fatal one. That one I also understand. You also said that you are not good enough with the teleportation technique to take the whole ship and everyone in it. It's becoming concerning, but realist. You had an idea but it would take too long to do it, because you would have to invent a formula from scratch to seal the Argo II in a sealing scroll. That one, I don't believe. Without a godly power, I don't see how you could put a ship into a scroll of all things!
Then there is the one idea that would work according to you but paints you as crazy. You want to change into your giant energy fox form and make sure that the ship is inside the giant fox and run on the Ocean all the way to the island of the Letoides? I call bullshit on that. What's next? Percy's Dragon Ball Z anime is accessible and you will go get the Dragon Balls to summon the Dragon and wish Jason back to health? Naruto, I wonder, where you dropped on your head when you were a little child?"
That was the general feeling of the crew. But what other choices they had? Hera couldn't heal Jason and they couldn't leave him like that. In the end, Naruto was fed up with their bickering and took things in hand. She placed herself in the exact center of the deck and then said
"That one is going to hurt like a bitch."
Kurama answered
"Do you think I don't know that? We can do it Naruto, but once we're here you're going to be exhausted. Not just physically, but mentally and maybe low in chakra too. You're certain that the flying monkey is worth it?"
Naruto answered with an eager grin and started to synch her chakra with Kurama's.
Soon enough, she was in Kurama mode. Then with a powerful yell of exertion, she created the fox avatar. Little by little, the whole ship was coated in golden chakra and the avatar took shape all around the Argo II, to the great surprise of everybody else. They were in the Tailed Beast Mode. With a grunt of exertion, Naruto headed toward the Atlantic, passing many countries boarding the Mediterranean Sea. Once on the Atlantic, Naruto took a south west cape. It was tiring maintaining the shape of the fox, making sure to keep the ship inside the body and also make sure to stay on the surface of the water. She could also feel the sheer thickness of the Mist, hiding them from mortals' eyes. It was not easy for Hecate to conceal such power. She would have to sacrifice something good for making up to the minor goddess. Hours later, they had left the "real" world behind, entering the pseudo dimension where Delos was, since no mortal could leave or find it without a demigod native from there or the assistance of a Greco-roman god. They were near now! Naruto made sure to keep clear of Mizu No Kuni (Land of Water) archipelago then finally, the enclosed by a barrier of coral Uzu No Kuni. By this time, Naruto was running on fumes and to help, Percy had the great idea to call Apollo in advance so he would be prepared for two patients. Even as dense as he was, he could see that his niece was pushing her limits for her friends and once they would be at destination, she would collapse. She could not heal from just a bit of water, but as a Legacy of Poseidon, she could recoup a bit of stamina when doused. Finally, they were on Horaijima (Horai Island) the main island of the Uzu archipelago. Once near the docks for the sea fearing ships, Naruto collapsed on her knees on the deck and while she was gritting her teeth, the fox avatar was lowering itself into the water and once the keel of the ship was submerged, Naruto lost consciousness. She stopped glowing immediately and the fox construct vanished.
The six demigods still conscious just couldn't believe what had happened. In a matter of six hours, they had left Greece and where now on the hidden continent. And their mean of transport was now out cold. Naruto was at another level completely. It was then that Apollo appeared and with a snap of his fingers, once Percy had moored the ship with his powers, they were now in Kushina's home; with Jason in the room selected has the infirmary and Naruto asleep in her bed, in light pajamas. What broke the silence was Kushina
"Come, you must be hungry. I made enough food to feed an army. After you have all eaten, you can relax or go to sleep. My husband will see to Jason's health. You are safe here. There are no monsters here on Delos. And yes, I have veggies and fruits for you Mr.?"
Hedge answered a bit gruffly but with politeness
"Hedge, Coach Gleeson Hedge, madam Uzumaki. Thank you."
It was a load of everyone shoulders. A pit stop on Delos. There were safe. Safety was weird, but nice.