A/N: Hello, one and all! Welcome, welcooooome! This is me taking a break from the Hunter series for the moment, but if it gets enough positive reviews then we'll see where this leads.
Now, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls!
I proudly present for you delectation and delight!
I give you...
THE SOLDIER: BLADE OF OLYMPUS!
Chapter 1: Ninja, meet Demigoddesses!
*FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!*
"DAMN IT, BRAT, WHAT DID YOU DO?!"
"HUH?! ME?! I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING, ALL I DID WAS LOOK AT IT FOR A FEW SECONDS!"
"DON'T LIE TO ME, BRAT!"
"WHY WOULD I LIE ABOUT SOMETHING LIKE THIIIIIIIIIIIIS?!"
"NAAAAAAAARUUUUUUTOOOOOOOOOOO!"
One Hour Ago...
Two people were overlooking a pine tree on a hill close to a small rural town. The first was a tall, middle-aged man with long waist-length spiky white hair kept in a ponytail save for two shoulder-length bangs framing his face. He had red lines underneath his eyes which extended down to his jawline. The man had black eyes, wrinkles around the corners of his mouth, and a small wart on the left side of his nose. He wore a red sleeveless haori with two yellow circles on each side over a matching green short shirt kimono and pants; a pair of wooden geta sandals worn over his feet. Wearing a horned forehead protector with the writing for "oil", and carrying a large scroll on his back, it solidifies his identity as Jiraiya the Toad Sage, self-proclaimed "Super-Pervert" and one of the strongest ninjas of his time.
The other man-er, more likely boy-was of a much shorter stature, at thirteen. Blond, spiky hair adorned his head, as though kissed by the sun. Blue eyes shone in wonder at the writings on the tree. Clad in an bright orange and blue jumpsuit with a white collar and blue sandals. Although on each of his wrists and ankles were weights with gravity seals on them that allowed to increase the weight on his limbs periodically. Finally, the boy had three whisker markings on each side of his face. This was Naruto Uzumaki, Jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tailed Fox and Genin of the Hidden Leaf Village.
It had been almost a year after the failed Sasuke Retrieval Mission. To better harness the chakra of the powerful biju, The Toad Sage took the young Uzumaki on a three-year training trip all over the nations. And one of those methods was to introduce Naruto to the wonders of fuinjutsu, the sealing arts. At first, Naruto didn't think much on learning the "scribbles on paper", preferring to learn powerful ninjutsu instead. It wasn't until Jiraiya mentioned that the Fourth Hokage, Naruto's idol, was able to use his most famous technique, the Flying Raijin, thanks to fuinjutsu that the whiskered blond begrudgingly changed his mind. In just a few weeks time, Naruto was able to make his own training weights using fuinjutsu.
Which leads to their current placement.
"Hey, Pervy-Sage! What's with the seals on the tree?" the hyperactive young man asked, looking over the other man's shoulder to gaze upon the intricate seals upon the tree bark.
"Whoa there, brat! Gimme some space to work with! I need to see what it is first." seeing his charge pacified for the moment, the sage gave him a small smile before turning to focus on the seals in front of him. From what it looks like, this was supposedly some sort of Teleportation Seal almost eerily similar to the Fourth Hokage's Jutsu. Now, he knew Minato well enough that his late pupil was rather paranoid when it came to his secrets. And the man's wife Kushina even more so, given the fate that befell her clan. So to see something out here in the middle of nowhere which looked like a perfect copy of their work-
"Hmm..."
"What is it?"
"...I'm going to need some time to look at this seal. In the meantime, try to keep practicing your calligraphy. Fuinjutsu isn't the same when done sloppily."
"Aw, c'mon!"
One Minute to Present Time...
"...Aaaaaaaaand done!" Naruto cheered as he finally finished practicing his calligraphy for the day. Looking up from his scroll, he gazed upon his near-1000 Shadow Clones with pride. The whiskered blond chuckled to himself as he recalled when, just before they left on their trip, he was pulled aside to know a little training secret.
FLASHBACK-NO-JUTSU
"Kakashi-Sensei? Didja need something?" the small-statured boy asked. Standing in front of him was an adult male in his late-30s with upright spiky silver hair. He wore a green flak vest over a long-sleeved dark blue shirt and matching pants with blue sandals. His ninja headband was worn over his left eye, giving him an appearance of a human cyclops. Completing the ensemble with fingerless gloves protected by metal plates on the back of the hand, this was none other than Kakashi Hatake, Jonin of the Hidden Leaf, the Copycat Ninja, and Sensei to Team 7.
"Oh, Naruto. Perfect timing, I was just looking for you." The older man spoke with an eye smile. With a motion of his hand, the two shunshined to the rooftops where they would have a more private conversation. It was here that Kakashi took a more serious tone of voice. "Firstly, I want to apologize."
Blinking in confusion, Naruto tilted his head to the side. "Eh? What for?"
Sighing heavily, Kakashi closed his visible eye as he began to explain himself. "I once taught you, Sakura, and Sasuke when we first formed Team 7: 'Those who break the rules are trash, but those who would willingly abandon their comrades are worse than scum.' Do you remember?" Seeing his former pupil nod his head, he continued: "But in the end, the only one of you three I've ever really focused on was Sasuke. I trained him to use the Chidori so that he would use it against enemies of the village." The Jonin clenched his fists as they shook in anger. "And look how that turned out. It was my training-MY JUTSU-that nearly got you killed, Naruto. I failed you and Sakura as a sensei." The silver-haired man bowed his head in shame. "For that reason alone, I'm sorry. KNOW that I am sorry."
Upon hearing his teacher's reveal, Naruto's eyes widened in shock. Sure, Sasuke may have used the Chidori against him in their last fight. Hell, he still had the fist-shaped scar on his chest and a matching one on his back to prove it. But still...
"It's not your fault, sensei." The reassuring tone in his voice made Kakashi lift his head in surprise. "You were training him to fight Gaara at the time. I mean, yeah, you taught Sasuke how to use the Chidori at the time. But it was STILL his choice. And he chose to kill me. But if it helps, I forgive ya!"
"But-"
"Nope."
"I-I mean-"
"Nope!"
"Will you just-!"
"NOPE."
His eye twitching in frustration, Kakashi Hatake opted to give a tired sigh knowing he couldn't change his former student's mind. Instead he straightened himself with a gleam in his eye. "Alright, Naruto. If that's the way you see things, I won't bother trying to convince you otherwise. I know better than to do so. HOWEVER," Here he gave the whiskered blond no room for argument. "I will not have you leave Konoha without granting you a few pointers to help you with training! Understand?"
Seeing the Uzumaki nod, the silver-haired man continued. "Good! Now, you remember your Shadow Clones?" Naruto looked at him incredulously. How in the ever-living HELL was he supposed to forget one of his most useful jutsus?! "Right, well did you know that, because Shadow Clones are able to retain any memories and experiences before sending them back to the user when they disperse, you can use them to train and learn new jutsu in just a fraction of a time?"
Naruto Uzumaki did NOT launch himself into the air with a cry of "YATTA!" before prancing around in cheer.
Laughing at the boy's antics, Kakashi got him to calm down in moments. "It's easy, I'll show you. Think of it as a going-away present!"
FLASHBACK-NO-JUTSU-END
"Man, I gotta thank Kakashi-sensei for teaching me that trick! Now I'm able to learn almost anything at once! Heh, I'm almost finished with the Intermediate Fuinjutsu Book that Pervy-Sage got me."
Chuckling to himself, the young Uzumaki decided that he had enough of calligraphy practice for the day. Double-checking his work, he was satisfied by his results and sealed away his scroll and brush unto the storage seal on his rear pouch before getting up from his spot to walk over to Jiraiya. The Toad Sage was still trying to decipher the writings on the tree, the most prominent being a large Omega symbol written in black ink. Looking over to his teacher, he asked. "Anything interesting?"
"Hm? Done already?" The white-haired man gave his newest apprentice a sideways glance before looking back to the tree bark. "Well, to answer your question, no. It looks like some kind of space-time teleportation seal designed to take someone from one place to another. But there's absolutely no chakra trace. It's what allows any sealing technique, or fuinjutsu of any kind to actually work the way their supposed to. That and the writing-it's something I've never seen before. *sigh* I'm gonna take five before coming back to study it a little more. Oh, and Naruto?"
"Yeah?" was all he could answer before being handed a heavy book and a new scroll. Setting the scroll down, the young shinobi carefully read the title of the book "Studies of Advanced Fuinjutsu Vol.1" His eyes widened with awe at the book before looking up to see the grin on the man's face. Jiraiya was honestly proud of how far Naruto had come. He could almost see the boy's parents, Minato and Kushina, hugging his growing frame. No doubt that one day he would surpass them both and rise to be a great shinobi one day.
"Go nuts, gaki. You've more than earned it."
"WOOOOOOOOOO!"
"Alright, alright! Knock it off! Now listen, don't go messing around with the seal until I get back. You can look at it all you like but assume that it's active. Got it?"
"Yeah, Pervy-Sage! I got it!"
"DON'T CALL ME THAT, GAKI!" The man roared before storming off into town, hoping to get a drink. Calming himself down, Naruto began to look at the seal his teacher was looking at. For something that supposedly doesn't work, it did look legit enough. And the young man could see the strange writings that the Toad Sage was talking about.
'Honestly, you'd think someone would be able to write this in a way I could understand-wait..."
And the letterings began to move.
They were starting to form words.
The scary part being that they were forming words he could read and understand.
"Eh?" was the intelligent response coming from his mouth before seeing that, within the Omega-symbol, one simple word appeared on the middle.
"...Olympus?"
*FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!*
Present Time NOW...
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaahhhhhh-huh?" Naruto only had a moment to blink before seeing something about to slam into him. Quickly, he jumped out of the way and hopped onto a branch to look at his would-be attackers.
And blinked in surprise.
"What the fuck are you?!"
There were a pack of dogs. An enormous pack of large, black mastiffs easily the size of rhinos with glowing, angry red eyes. He could see they sharp, jagged teeth within their growling jaws.
And they looked hungry.
"Um...good doggie?"
**********ARRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!**********
'OH SHIT!' Forming his fingers into a cross in front of his chest he yelled his response.
"SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!"
Columns of smoke poofed around him before dispersing to reveal thirty copies of himself on nearby branches, each with a kunai and shuriken in hand. With a battle cry they leapt upon the masses. The Naruto clones attacked them only for their weapons to go through the bodies, shocking the young man. Helplessly, the Naruto clones fell one by one to the jaws of death. Poor Naruto could only blink in shock as one of the evil-looking dogs charged foward and crushed his neck with its teeth!
*POOF!*
But then he vanished, causing the pack to look around in search of their newest prey.
"EAT THIS, SUCKA! RASENGAN!"
Only for the whiskered blond to slam a spinning blue spere of energy into the back of the lead dog, causing it to crash into the ground with a freshly-made crater before dissipating into gold dust. With a wide face-splitting grin, the young man looked unto the rest with gleaming bloodthirsty eyes. Noting their size, he chose speed over strength as he swiftly brought the Rasengan in his right hand in front of him. Holding his left hand on the other side of the blue sphere, he then clapped his hands together before slowly pulling them apart to form two Rasengans, one in each hand. Not once did he dare take his eyes off of the pack.
"Heh, I've only ever done this to boulders and trees every chance I got while training." he barked out, bending his knees in excitement. "I wonder how you'll hold up?"
Kicking himself off the ground, the Uzumaki shinobi bolted at his next victim, ducking underneath the overextended lunge of the dog's maw before severing its massive head with a swipe of his right hand, the Rasengan obliterating it to dust. Without mercy, he used his chakra to boost his speed in his assault.
*AWOOOOOO!*
Naruto bisected one dog down the middle after feinting to its left. Shoving his hand through the ribcage and crushing what would've been its heart and lungs.
*BOOOOOOOM!*
Another found itself impaled unto a fallen tree after being launched from midair. One well-placed strike to the abdomen seemed to be the cause.
*BOOM!*
Yet two more would find themselves without limbs. Only for their skulls to be crushed beneath the boy's enhanced feet.
*BOOM!*
*BOOM!*
*BOOM!*
If any outsider were to look at the ongoing battle...
*BOOM!*
*BOOM!*
*BOOM!*
*BOOM!*
All they would see is an orange blur swiftly moving through and in between a massive black horde, cutting their numbers down like fields of wheat in blinding blue explosions.
*BOOM!*
*BOOM!*
*BOOM!*
*BOOM!*
And the mad, cackling laughter from within.
One would wonder why there was such a horde in the first place...
Meanwhile, Not Too Far...
"BY ALL THE GODS! WHO IS IT THAT'S CAUSING SUCH A RUCKUS AT THIS HOUR?!" A voice was heard as people were running about in a camp, shouting and grabbing weapons and armor as they started making way towards the disturbance. The sight of blue explosions and echoes of maniacal laughter seemed to disuade many of the warriors from approaching even further. Only one stood with such calmness, gazing at the distant battlefield with a calculating eye.
The top half of this being was that of a middle-aged man. Thinning brown hair, bushy eyebrows, intense brown eyes and a scruffy beard framed his face. His torso was covered by a long-sleeved blue shirt and a dark grey waistcoat. The bottom half, however was that of a horse. To be more specific, that of a white stallion. In his hand was a recurve bow; a quiver of arrows slung over his back. This was Chiron, Trainer of Heroes and Activities Director of Camp Half-Blood, a safe haven for demigods. And right now he was overly cautious with todays' events.
'None of this makes sense. From Grover's last report, he was tracking down the scent of four demigods making their way to New York. But it's been two days since! And if that were the case, they would still be at least an hour from the camp boundaries-that's still somewhere on the other side of the city if not within according to the Council. Meaning whoever this is right outside our borders has to be a demigod we'd missed somehow. And powerful to boot. I only hope that we can get to them in time.' Making up his mind, he turned to direct the campers. "CAMPERS! We have an unclaimed demigod on his own just outside our borders! Cabin Seven, prepare a medical tent for any wounded we may face! Cabin Nine, ready the catapults with Greek fire jars-be sure to concentrate your fire on the center mass of the horde! Collaborate with Cabin Six for further instruction! The rest of you, ON ME!"
""""""FOR THE GODS!""""""
With Naruto...
"C'MON, C'MON!" The whiskered boy snarled as he ruptured three bodies of the foul beings into a small patch of forest. What was once a horde of darkness numbering in the 400s, was now remaining a mere thirty to forty dogs at most. But now he was starting to tire, his breathing turning ragged. That Twin Rasengan Blitz was useful in fighting off a great number at once, but it was taxing on his chakra. Yet he couldn't rest-not until the last of these angry mutts were put down.
'Not good,' he thought, as he had to dodge a swipe from a massive paw aimed for his midsection. 'I should've had a few clones in the trees for a surprise attack. That way, they could cover my retreat while I find a good spot to rest. At this rate-' he smashed a Rasengan into the gaping maw of another hound, the loud squelching sound as the blue ball of death tore through its neck and out the back. 'I'm gonna burn out of chakra soon. Then...then the fox takes over, and I REALLY don't want that to happen.'
"Are you sure, boy?"
Naruto gritted his teeth as he sluggishly tore through another five dogs, weaving through their numbers and obliterating them to dust; his breathing becoming heavier as he narrowly dodged a set of teeth headed for his face.
'Fuck OFF, fuzzball!'
"Insolent brat! I should let you die here and now for such disrespect!"
'Then why don't you?!'
"Foolish boy! If you die, then I die too! That is the only reason that I allow you to live!"
'How nice of ya, but in case you haven't noticed yet, I'M A LITTLE FUCKING BUSY AT THE MOMENT RIGHT NOW!' Naruto was able to cut the mental link before raising his arms to block the swipe coming at his chest. The blow had sent him careening into a tree, colliding with a loud thud as he blinked to stay awake. As the young man shakily got to his feet and saw the still remaining dozen or so hungry hounds stalking towards him, he could feel his reserves running on empty...
So. This was it.
This was how he was going to die.
No more dreams of becoming Hokage.
He'd never get to keep his promise to Sakura.
He'd never get to see his friends again.
He'd be killed, mauled, and eaten by a pack of evil dogs for dinner.
'Sakura...Sensei...everyone...I'm sorry...'
He closed his eyes, fully accepting his death whilst readying another Rasengan, when suddenly!
"GET AWAY FROM HIM!"
*KRA-THOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMM!*
Jolted awake, the young shinobi blinked away the blurry vision from his eyes to see a streak of lightning race from the furthest trees, across the battlefield, and into the large gathering of beasts. It did the job of scattering the remaining monsters away from the tired whiskered blond who could barely make out a figure fast approaching him. At first, he thought it was Sasuke from the show of lightning before.
But, no, this wasn't the wayward Uchiha.
This was a girl, roughly a year younger than he was, with shoulder-length spiky stormy black hair, piercing electric blue eyes, and had cute freckles across her nose. Her clothing were best described as more akin to "punk"; completing her outfit with a black leather jacket, a blue shirt, and black pants with sneakers. Her armaments were a bronze spear sparking lightning from the bladed tip and a silver shield. He could tell, despite his tired state, that she was built like a long-distance runner, lithe and strong. Soft, pink lips were settled in a frown, thin eyebrows furrowed in worry.
"...re...oka...?"
Oh, it looks like she was trying to talk to him.
"HEY!"
Naruto blinked, finally regaining his bearings as he looked around him. There were craters, uprooted trees everywhere. Trails of gold dust seemingly fading into thin air as the sky blackened with the sounds of thunder above. With a deep breath of much-needed air, the whiskered shinobi made a show of cracking his neck before turning to see where the newcomer had come from. Immediately, he could see four people making their way towards the pair-two boys and two girls at that.
One was of a sandy-haired boy of about fourteen with blue eyes and tanned skin. He wore what looked like ragged makeshift leather armor over a black T-shirt. Completing the set were a pair of jeans and white sneakers. His face somehow reminded Naruto of a roguish thief.
The child of the group was a rather small thing, with honey-blond hair in a low ponytail, stormy grey eyes brimming with tears. The girl was wearing a white shirt and denim shorts. Her feet were covered by grey sneakers.
There was another boy, rather tall sixteen at that, with curly brown hair covered by a rasta cap, brown eyes, the beginnings of a beard. He wore a T-shirt with the godly color of orange and-
'...ARE THOSE FREAKING GOAT LEGS?!'
Indeed, the lower half of his body was all brown goat legs, much to the Uzumaki's astonishment.
Now, the final female member of the group-and for a moment he couldn't tell if the new girl or the first one he'd just met was prettier. Whereas one dressed in a punk fashion, the other girl-who he took to note that both shared the same age-was dressed in a more "Southern" fashion. She wore a green plaid long-sleeved shirt over a white short-sleeved tee, ripped dirty denim jeans and a pair of boots. A worn tan baseball cap covered her sleek jet-black hair. All that was left was her olive-tanned skin and gorgeous sea-green eyes complimenting her Latina features. In her hand was a pair of three foot, double-ended labrys axes made of pure bronze.
Where was he? Oh, right...
"I asked if you're alright. Guess that hellhound hit you harder than I thought."
Scrunching his face together, Naruto bit back his response. "OI! I can hear you just fine, y'know!"
The older blond guffawed in amusement. "Oh gods, he does speak!"
"Wow, rude much?" the country girl bit out, to which the boy laughed it off as he apologized.
"Knock it off, you two!" the apparent leader ordered before turning to the whiskered teen in front of them. "Hey, you wouldn't happen to have seen whatever it was causing the lightshow from earlier tearing into those hellhounds, would you?"
Naruto blinked as he took a moment to register what she had just said. Once he did he answered in a no-nonsense tone. "Ohhh...yeah I might have gone overboard with those mangy mutts. My bad."
The whole group was momentarily silent before-
"Hey Kass, you owe Grover twenty bucks!"
"Shut up, Luke!" The Hispanic teen hissed out, embarrassment flooding her face. Meanwhile, the youngest of the group seemed to stare at him with awe, causing the young Uzumaki to scratch the back of his head sheepishly. The tough looking girl asking him questions gave him a bewildered look before continuing to speak. "Hey, Whiskers-"
"What, Freckles?"
Aaaaaaaannd there was the glare. If looks could kill, Naruto would've been struck by lightning. Even her companions went silent at the conversation. "Don't. EVER. Call me that. Got it?" she growled.
To which he nonchalantly replied, "Then don't call me Whiskers."
The cowgirl gave the others a smirk as she whispered: "I like his style."
"Then what would you have us call you?"
He raised an eyebrow at the challenging tone. "My NAME Is Naruto. What's yours, if ya don't mind me asking?"
Cue the awkward silence the punk-girl's face seemed to calm down from his earlier remark. "I'm Thalia, Daughter of Zeus." Motioning to her friends she continued. "That's Luke, son of Hermes." the sandy-haired kid gave an impish grin as Thalia waved her other hand at the youngest of the bunch. "This little doll is Annabeth. Over there is Kass, and that's Grover, he's a satyr-don't mind the goat legs. No offense, buddy."
"None taken! Though could we please hurry on to camp? The Kindly Ones and their bloodthirsty minions will be here soon!"
"THERE THEY ARE!"
"TOO LATE! HERE THEY COME!" Before Naruto could even ask just what they were talking about, there came a terrible shriek from above before he felt a sharp pain strike him across the back, leaving him nearly paralyzed as he could see what could only be best described as monstrous hags. There were three in total: each looked practically alike in appearance. Tall, almost bone-like with leathery wings, razor-sharp claws, and mouths filled with huge yellow fangs and eyes glowing an angry red. In their hands was brandished long whips that seemed to dance in flame with every flick. These were the Furies, top enforcers of Hades, God of the Underworld.
Oh, it didn't help that they brought more of those dogs-hellhounds, if what he overheard right from Grover's fearful muttering.
'This really just isn't my day, 'ttebayo...'
"Demigods, surrender your two friends and we will let the rest of you live." the hag in the middle proclaimed as the other two manuevered themselves on the other side of the group as the horde slowly closed in.
"And we refuse? What, you'd just kill us all regardless." Luke snarked, his anger made evident on his face at the thought of leaving his friends behind. Naruto would've joined him if only he weren't in such pain. His back felt like it was on fire!
"Oh please spare us your whining, son of Hermes. We can show mercy when the occasion calls for it." Hag number two cackled with glee. "All you have to do is comply with our request, and you'd be free to go."
The young Uzumaki was struggling to keep his anger in check. How dare these monsters suggest that they leave their friends behind! Oh, it was taking every fiber of his being not to loose control but they weren't making it easy! Even worse the fact that he could barely move his everything.
Deep into the recesses of his mind, the fox grinned-waiting for the chance to let loose its wrath upon the world.
"Like hell, bruja!" Kass roared furiously, only to receive a lash across her face from one of their whips. Gritting her teeth, the Hispanic cowgirl refused to give these "Kindly Ones" the satisfaction of watching her cry; it did, however, leave a scar on her left cheek.
"Careful now, dear." Hag number three tutted with an ugly smile. "No need for such crude language, now. Try to be reasonable and think of the bigger picture."
"Megara, no. She's too much like her father to see reason."
"Honestly, Tisiphone you should listen to Alecto Cerberus is more mild-mannered that this rabid bitch. So why bother trying to fix what's broken?"
Their off-handed insults was causing Kass to grow more and more agitated by the second. All it would take was one comment more, and then-
"I'm standing right here!"
Three lashes.
Three lashes is what it took to make her cry out in pain. One on the chest, one on her throat, and one at the back of the knees forcing her to kneel; causing her friends cried out in worry.
"Now listen here, honey." the leader drawled, her voice laced in venom as she approached the downed girl. "I would normally chastise you for interrupting your betters, but what would be the point? Our Master wants you and the daughter of Zeus slain for past transgressions. And I do revel in dealing with spoiled little troublemakers like yourself. You have NO IDEA what you've done just by breathing in this world."
Naruto could feel his sanity starting to slip, only the fear of what would happen to the others holding his anger at bay. But then he remembered:
"Freak!"
"Monster!"
"Get away from my child, you damned demon!"
"It's things like YOU that don't belong in this world!"
"Why won't you just die off, already?!"
All his life, he had to shoulder such cruelty with a smile on his face, not willing to give the villagers the satisfaction of tearing him down. It got better, eventually; he'd found those he could happily call friends, comrades, family even. but the scars still remain. And now, watching these monsters tear into Kass verbally-
"You're nothing but a mistake."
-he finally broke...
"GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOAAAAAAAARRRR!"
All eyes instantly turned to Naruto, who was consumed by rage as he glared at the three hags with murder in his eyes. For a moment, the daughter of Zeus could've sworn his eyes were blue and not the slitted blood red that they were now. His canines grew more pronounced, the whisker marks on his face thickened; nails lengthened and sharpened as he lowered himself on all fours. Wisps of orange flames spiraled into a column above him before forming into a giant fox head sporting a malicious grin on its face.
But the moment it dissipated, Naruto vanished into thin air before reappearing above Alecto.
The leading Fury barely had time to shout in surprise before the feral blond slashed at her wings with his claws, rendering her helpless as she crashed to the ground. Her sisters were quick to respond as they latched the ends of their whips around his forearms before pulling them back behind him. The shinobi roared as he-with great difficulty-grabbed what he could of the whips before sending the two sisters past the oncoming horde and into the trees, somehow impaling them onto broken tree stumps where they faded into gold mist.. Growing angry at such blatant disrespect from the 'whiskered fool', The leader of the Furies turned and slashed at his throat and his shoulders before kicking the boy off of her. Getting back up on her feet, Alecto was a little surprised to see his newly-found wounds slowly healing; she instantly recalled her whip as the monster gave a challenging shriek at the angry young man.
Naruto, in the meanwhile, was starting to come back from his rage-high enough to think more clearly. The less opponents he had to face the better. But then he heard growling and remembered the hellhounds. Turning to Thalia and Kass, he asked: "Any chance you could deal with the mutts while i wrap things up here?"
All he got were savage grins as the duo set off to face the dogs of the damned.
Turning back to Alecto, he cracked his neck before looking at his arms and hands, the whips still attached as they seared into his skin. Ignoring the pain and the smell of burning flesh, he wrapped the remainder of the length around his arms until he was holding the very handles. Grinning, he taunted the monster. "You done taking a breather, grandma?"
The Fury growled as the boy's insolence as she made to lash out with her whip. "To the Pit with Master's orders! I'm going to enjoy tormenting your soul for ETERNITY!" She cried before lunging at the Uzumaki. Naruto easily ducked underneath the weapon's reach before closing in to deliver a heavy haymaker to the jaw, followed by grabbing both sides of her head and slamming her face upon his knee; the blow stunning her enough for him to jump up and kick her in the chest. Alecto was sent sailing through the air with the blond hit on her tail.
All Luke and Grover could think of was: 'Damn...'
The Fury leader was able to right herself before landing on a fallen tree. Opting to play for range, she kept lashing out with her whip in otder to keep her quarry at bay.
Naruto found himself growing frustrated at the monster's strategy of wearing him out. He also knew that he was finding himself to easily succumb to anger, and that if he didn't manage to control himself then the consequences would be severe. And yet...
'If only I had someway to even the odds and kill this bitch-!'
And as if his prayers were answered...
"Then try these, son."
'Eh? The hell was that-' "WHOA!" Naruto was left in shock as the whips painfully attached to his arms suddenly glowed a deep blood red before starting to change their shape and form. When the light finally subsided, Naruto was looking at a new set of weapons entirely and gazed upon them in wonder.
Two sets of single-edged kopis, about 31" in overall length. The handle appeared to be made of ivory boar tusk, much to his disgust. The hilts fashioned into the skulls of the Furies, sharp fangs and all. The blades themselves, measuring 24" in length and about 6" in width, were imbued with the powers of hellfire and appeared to be made of a blend of bronze and steel; embers glowing upon the surface. Attatched to the pommel of the handle were the chains snugly wrapped around his arms, which the whiskered blond found no longer burned him. Letting go of the handles, he gripped the chains and gave the blades a spin, watching them spark with hellfire as they struck the ground. Recalling the handles back into his grip, Naruto knew not what any of this meant, but this?
This did put a smile on his face.
"COME HERE!" The whiskered blond roared as he sent the blade on his left careening towards his opponent, causing her to leap off of the tree as it was obliterated from the impact. Alecto smirked at such an amateurish display...only for it to vanish as the chained weapon dug into the ground. Looking at Naruto, she was shocked to see him merely two feet in front of her, the other blade cocked back readily behind him. And before the Fury could wonder at the amount of speed it would have taken for such a feat, Naruto swung the blade at her stomach; the searing heat allowing it to gut her through. With momentum on his side, the young man spun back down to earth whilst gripping the chains; the poor enforcer of the Underworld was dragged down with him akin to a ragdoll until she crashed into the dirt, breaking her nose and jaw in the process. Wailing in pain, Alecto never had the opportunity to register her situation before finding the jagged blade embedded within her stomach violently yanked free. A hard punch landed on the right side of her face, then a sweep of the blades rendered her immobile as they severed her legs. Wrapping the chains around both her arms, Naruto stabbed the left blade at her right hand, stabbed the right blade at her left, before jumping over the leader of the Furies and wrapping the chains around her neck. Alecto desperately tried to free herself from his grasp, only to find that she unable to move her hands, much to her horror. Landing on the enforcer's back, the young man tightened his hold on the chains as he started choking out his opponent. He waited until she had nearly lost consciousness before leaning into her ear and said:
"You've been weighed, measured, and found wanting. Now give the Devil my regards on your way down to Hell."
Using the Fury's back as a platform, Naruto jumped off before crossing his arms in front of him. And as soon as he felt the chains become taut-
*SQUELCH!*
Pulled. Real. HARD.
Off went the hands.
Off went the arms.
And off went her head.
By the time he landed back on the ground, the Fury was already dissolving into a gold mist. Standing up, Naruto saw Luke and Grover slowly walking up to him, eyes threatening to pop out of their skulls. Annabeth too-the two boys having the forethought to cover her eyes and ears as much as they could so as not to terrify her. As they let her go, the little girl ran up to hug the whiskered boy, who gave a chuckle as he gave a one-armed hug of her own. Looking up at the two boys, he gave a wide but tired grin. "Enjoy the show?"
The thought of the Kindly One all but exploding into a bloody gorefest turned the satyr's face a dangerous shade of green. A nervous grin formed on the son of Hermes' face as he made to answer when they heard another speak.
"Did we enjoy it?" Thalia guffawed as she and Kass returned, their clothing scratched up from fighting the hellhounds pack. "Did we enjoy it?! No, I didn't enjoy it! There wasn't any popcorn!"
A pause throughout the scarred earth before someone started laughing. Naruto realized it was himself. His laughter caused the others to laugh; even little Annabeth to let out a small giggle...only for them to fall silent as noises of people marching was heard behind them. Naruto, Thalia, and Kass readied their weapons as groups of teens and kids clad in leather armor appeared from the woods. Readying themselves for a fight, the three warriors were about to leap into the fray when all of a sudden-
"WAIT!" Grover yelled, using his hooves to quickly maneuver himself between the two groups. "Thalia, Kass, stop what you're doing! They're friendly!"
At the word "friendly", the two demigoddesses blinked before proceeding to lower their weapons, getting the satyr to give out a sigh of relief before turning to Naruto, who still had his newly-claimed weapons at the ready. "Naruto, I know this is strange, but you have to trust me. They're here to help."
Naruto stared at Grover, then to Thalia and Kass, Luke, the large group of armed kids, and then finally Annabeth who gave him a hopeful look. The whiskered blond took a deep breath before finally lowering his weapons. Only then did the larger group finally approach. Seeing to their wounds, the armor-clad teens deemed them okay before, much to the whiskered boy's shock, a half-man/half-horse person showed up with a bow and quiver of arrows slung over his shoulder. The bearded horse-man gave the five a look before turning to Grover with a smile. "Grover, my dear boy! I'm glad to see you all safe and sound."
Grinning sheepishly, the young satyr gave an awkward salute at what the shinobi could guess would be his superior officer of sorts. "Thanks, Chiron! I honestly thought the Kindly Ones would get us for sure if not for Naruto here. He saved our bacon."
"Eh-hem..."
"OH! Uh, sorry Thalia, Kass! No offense."
"I'm just joking with you, Grover! Relax, we know you didn't mean anything by it." The daughter of Zeus reassured with a grin. Soon, however, Annabeth gave a gasp as she looked at the centaur.
"Wait, you're Chiron? The Chiron, Trainer of Heroes?"
The bearded centaur gave a hearty chuckle at he awe-filled voice. "Well, Activities Director is also one of my many titles, but yes I am Chiron." Looking to the four demigods and one shinobi, he raised his hands. "And allow me to be the first to welcome you to your new home: Camp Half-Blood!"
The only thing going through Naruto Uzumaki's mind was: 'What the fuck did I get myself into?'
-End-Chapter-
A/N: Okay, people! Obviously, I've been hitting a bit of a roadblock with my Hunter story. And by "a bit", I mean a BIG F#CKING LOT! This is just my story to get away and try something else instead of pulling my hair out at making new material. BUT WHO KNOWS?! If people want me to keep this story going, then who would I be to deny the masses?! SO! Don't forget to PM and review, and we'll just where this goes, now shall we?!
Ciao for now!