CH 10 : Make Yourself at Home
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Percy Jackson & the Olympians or any related Movies.
"Naruto" Speech.
'Naruto" Thought.
"Katon" Jutsu/Technique/Demon talking.
"C'mon, Naruto, it will be fun."
"No."
"Pretty please?"
"No."
"The winner gets ramen."
That made him twitch a bit before he walked away.
"No."
"Okay, if you join my team, I'll give you... an orange shirt."
That made him twitch violently before he walked away at a faster pace.
"No."
"OKAY, if you win, I'll give you a kiss."
That made him stumble a bit before he turned to look at a blushing Annabeth. Everyone who heard her loud offer turned to look at her. Some from Hermes and Aphrodite cabins made catcalls and kissing noises, making the girl blush even more.
Naruto's eyebrow twitched at the campers and Annabeth. "Why would you want me in Capture the Flag, Annabeth?" he asked, stopping in his tracks.
She played the shy, cute girl card. Tilting her head to the side, she looked at the ground with her hands behind her back, her lips forming a cute pout. She circled her foot on the ground and looked at him with teary eyes.
To any other men, they might have fallen for the hurt and sad little girl trick, but Naruto was not like other men. He looked at her with a deadpan expression before he poked her forehead with two fingers, making the girl almost fall back from the force.
Annabeth was shocked. Not even Aphrodite Cabin could resist her sad and hurt little girl act. On Naruto's side, he sighed in resignation. He could do better; after all, he had created that look back in the Elemental Nations. He grinned evilly, ready to show her how to do it properly.
He grabbed the senbon that tied his hair and pulled it, letting his white waist-length hair fall over his back. He put his hand on his back while the other twirled his long hair, puffed his whiskered cheeks, and set his lips into a bigger pout. He tilted his head to the side and leaned forward.
Now it was Annabeth's turn to twitch at the sight. "OMG, that is so cuuuuteeee!" she squealed with delight. On the outside, she was blushing at the sight. The same could be said for the girls from Aphrodite Cabin. One girl with black hair and blue eyes and a slim figure was blushing the most.
After a moment of blushing and burning the image of cute Naruto into her mind, Annabeth took a deep breath and smiled forcefully at Naruto. "Nice try, Naruto, but I have a stronger will."
Naruto smirked at her. "Well, that is impressive. You survived my pout, Annabeth, but no, I will not join the Capture the Flag game."
Annabeth pouted at him, making him sigh. "Alright, fine, I'll join." This made her smile brightly at him, and she tiptoed to kiss him on the cheek, leaving a certain daughter of Hephaestus and Ares glaring at her in jealousy.
"Thanks, Naruto," she said happily while humming a happy tune.
Naruto sighed. It had been, what, like sixty-seven times already she had asked him to join.
After that little incident in the bathroom, people were whispering about what had happened. Naruto just shrugged off the looks he received from the campers, but Percy felt slightly uncomfortable with the attention.
Then they passed the rock climbing wall with lava. Naruto thought they should add spikes to them, just like he had trained with Jiraiya, except blunted ones and then sharper ones. They also visited the arts and crafts portion of the camp. This made Naruto think deeply. After the war, he had been given all the Seven Swordsman's Swords as a gift from the Mizukage herself. He was thinking of recreating the team and starting a project with his brother Hephaestus to create non-chakra Seven Ninja Swords with bronze to kill monsters. Maybe he could recreate the group with the right people.
"You need to talk to the oracles," Annabeth told them.
"Who?"
"Not who, what. I asked Chiron."
Percy sighed and looked down at the water, hoping for a straight answer. His eyes widened when he saw two people down there. Naruto noticed it too. They saw two teenage girls sitting cross-legged at the base of the pier, about twenty feet below. They wore blue jeans and shimmering green T-shirts, their brown hair floating loosely around their shoulders as minnows darted in and out. They saw the two boys but blushed upon seeing Naruto and waved at them.
"Don't encourage them," Annabeth warned. "Naiads are terrible flirts."
"Naiads?" Percy repeated, feeling completely overwhelmed. "That's it; I want to go home now."
Annabeth frowned. "Don't you get it, Percy? You are home. This is the only safe place on earth for us."
'I wouldn't put my trust so blindly in that, Annabeth,' Naruto thought with a grimace. 'You don't know if this camp is truly a safe place or not. It's better to be safe than sorry. After all, the gods themselves cannot save Thalia outside the camp.'
"You mean mentally disturbed kids?" Percy deadpanned.
"I mean not human, not totally human anyway, half-human."
"Half what?"
"Half-human, half-god, Percy. You are a demigod," Naruto explained.
Percy stood still for a moment before he exclaimed, "Then that means my father is alive!"
"Yes, and that means he must be one of the Olympians," Annabeth said. "That's crazy!"
"Is it? What's the common thing the gods did in the old stories? They ran around falling in love with humans and having kids with them. Do you think they changed their habits in the last few millennia?"
"I don't think so," Naruto chuckled at Annabeth's bluntness. She was right about them.
"So what are we called again?" Percy asked.
"We are demigods," Annabeth said.
"Then who is your dad?" Percy asked.
Her hands tightened on the pier railings. He got the feeling he had touched a sensitive subject.
"My dad is a professor at West Point," she said. "I haven't seen him since I was small. He teaches American history."
Naruto winced at that. It seemed her father didn't want her, and she had run away. From the way she talked about it, it was clear that it had been a painful experience.
"So your mom is Athena, then," he said more like a statement than a question. Annabeth nodded with a small smile.
"Figures, I guess smart people hook up with only smart people," he joked, making Annabeth giggle cutely at him, and Percy chuckled at that. Naruto always had a way to lighten the atmosphere.
"He's human," Percy said.
"What? So you assume it has to be a male god to find human females attractive? How sexist is that?"
"Okay, so who is my dad then?" Percy asked.
"Undetermined," Annabeth said. "Like I told you before, nobody knows."
"Except my mother; she knew."
"Maybe not, Percy. Gods don't always reveal their identities."
"My dad would have. He loved her."
Annabeth gave him a cautious look. "Maybe you're right. Maybe he'll send a sign. The only way to know for sure is if your father sends you a sign, claiming you as his son. Sometimes it happens."
"You mean sometimes it doesn't?"
"The gods are busy, Percy," Naruto said. "Sometimes they don't claim their kids. That's why Cabin Eleven is full of campers. Well, not full anymore," he added, making Percy and Annabeth smile at him, grateful that he had created a new cabin for other unclaimed kids.
"So, I'm stuck here forever, then," Percy said a bit glumly. He had seen the sad expressions on the campers at Cabin Eleven. He had seen that same sadness in the rich kids at Yancy Academy back then.
Naruto chuckled. "Not forever, Percy. Until you learn to defend yourself against monsters, you'll stay here to get your hero's training. Believe it or not, there are older campers who stay outside the camp, and you can be a year-round camper if you don't have a place to stay or you don't have anything to do. Some campers only stay during the summers," he explained.
"If you're a child of Aphrodite or Demeter, you probably won't be a powerful force," Annabeth added. Naruto glared at her slightly. His aunt Demeter was not weak; she was strong, just like the rest. She should eat more cereal.
"In the mortal world, we attract monsters. They sense us and come to challenge us. Most of the time, they ignore us until we're old enough to cause trouble, usually when we're about ten or eleven years old. Most demigods either make their way here or get killed off. A few manage to survive in the outside world and become famous. Believe me, if I told you their names, you would know them. Some don't even realize they're demigods. But very, very few are like that."
"So monsters can't get in here?" Percy asked, hoping he was safe.
"Not unless they're intentionally stocked in the woods or someone on the inside summons them," Annabeth explained.
"Why would anybody want to summon monsters?"
"Practice fights, practical jokes."
"Practical jokes?"
"In other words, she means pranking someone, Percy," Naruto said bluntly, making Annabeth nod.
"The point is the borders are sealed to keep mortals and monsters out. From the outside, mortals look into the valley and see nothing unusual, just a strawberry farm."
"So you're a year-rounder?" Percy asked, and Annabeth nodded. She pulled out a leather necklace from under the collar of her t-shirt. It had five clay beads of different colors and a big gold ring strung on it, resembling a college ring.
"I've been here since I was seven," she said. "Every August, on the last day of the summer session, you get a bead for surviving another year. I've been here longer than most other campers. They're all in college."
"Why did you come here so young?"
Annabeth twisted the college ring nervously. "None of your business."
Naruto winced, realizing Percy had made a bad move. "So, I can get out if I wanted to, right?" Percy asked after an awkward silence.
"It would be suicide, but with Mr. D or Chiron's permission, yes. However, they wouldn't give you permission until the end of the summer unless..."
"Unless?" Percy asked eagerly, hoping to find a way out.
"Unless you were granted a quest. But that hardly ever happens. The last time..." Annabeth trailed off, and they could tell from her tone that the last quest hadn't gone well.
"Back in the room," Percy said, "when you were feeding me that stuff?"
"Ambrosia?"
"Yeah, and that stuff almost killed me when I took a sip," Naruto complained, remembering the water.
Percy chuckled. "And you were asking me about the summer solstice."
"So you know something?" Annabeth's shoulders tensed.
"Well, no, but back at the old school, Naruto and I heard Chiron and Grover talking about it. Grover mentioned the summer solstice and said something like 'I don't have much time because of the deadline.' What did that mean? We couldn't figure it out."
She clenched her fist. "I wish I knew. Grover and the satyrs, they know, but they won't tell me. Something is wrong on Olympus, something pretty major. The last time I was there, everything seemed normal."
"You've been to Olympus?" Percy asked, surprised.
"Some of us year-rounders, like Luke, Clarisse, and me, along with a few others, took a field trip during the winter solstice. That's when the gods have their big annual council."
"But how did you get there?"
"By the Long Island Railroad. Of course, you get off at Penn Station, then the Empire State Building, and there's a special elevator to the six-hundredth floor," she explained, looking at Percy as if she expected him to know.
Naruto groaned. "Annabeth, while we are New Yorkers, I bet the Mist wouldn't let us see the six-hundredth floor." He said this, making Annabeth blush from forgetting that important fact.
"Right after we visited," Annabeth continued after regaining her composure, "the weather got weird, as if the gods started fighting. A couple of times since, I overheard satyrs talking. The best I can figure out is that something important was stolen, and if it isn't returned before the summer solstice, there's going to be trouble. I was hoping... I mean, Athena can get along with almost everybody, except for Ares and, of course, she has a rivalry with Poseidon. But aside from that, I thought we could work together. I thought you might know something."
Naruto was thinking about what could have been stolen from his father. The fact that the weather and the sea were clashing together suggested things weren't going well up there. His best guess was that something powerful was stolen from his father, and his dad accused Poseidon of it. To make matters worse, Percy was the unfortunate son of Poseidon. He needed to visit them after this.
Suddenly, they heard Percy's stomach give a powerful roar.
"Right, I'll see you later," Annabeth said, tracing her finger along the railing of the pier as if she were drawing up a battle plan.
"Let's go, Percy," Naruto said, placing his hand on Percy's shoulder, and they disappeared into a distortion.
Mount Olympus
Naruto walked toward the throne room. After he had sent Percy back to Cabin Eleven, he flashed straight to Olympus. He could feel the power emanating from the throne room, and the whole of Olympus was shaking like a mini earthquake.
'What the hell is happening?' Naruto thought as he pushed his chakra to his feet to stop himself from falling due to the quake.
"I KNOW YOU'RE THE ONE WHO STOLE IT, GIVE IT BACK!" He heard his father shout, making him sigh miserably.
"I DID NOT TAKE YOUR STUPID NIGHT GLOW, YOU'RE BLAMING ME BECAUSE MOTHER FAVORED ME!" he heard his uncle shout, making him sweatdrop at the last jab.
"WHY DOES MOTHER HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THIS, AND I KNOW YOU'RE USING THAT SEA SPAWN OF YOURS TO STEAL MY BOLT!"
"I DID NOT, YOU MAMA'S BOY!"
"WHAT? TAKE THAT BACK, YOU SEAWEED!"
"MAMA'S BOY!"
"SEAWEED!"
"MAMA'S BOY!"
"SEAWEED!"
Naruto just stood behind the door with a larger sweatdrop forming behind his head. 'I swear they're acting like kids,' he thought tiredly. He had no doubt that they had been arguing for hours.
He entered the throne room without even needing to knock and sweatdropped again at the scene. There was his mother Hera and his aunt Hestia trying to calm down their husband/brother before another disaster happened down in the mortal world.
His father was poking his index finger at Poseidon's nose, while his uncle pushed his palm against his father's chest to push him away.
He took a deep breath and shouted, "Daaaad!" His father stopped his 'important' matter, and they turned their attention to their son.
"Yes, my son, what can I help you with?" Zeus asked with a somewhat forced smile, while sending his brother a pointed look that said 'We're not finished yet.'
"I was wondering what could have been stolen from you that makes you argue with Uncle about Grandma instead of the thing you've been missing," he said to his father with a deadpan look, making both brothers blush with embarrassment, while his mother and aunt sent their knowing smirks to their husband/brother.
"Well, my son, for the past few months, my lightning bolt has been missing, and I'm sure your pathetic uncle has stolen it from me," he said, before sending Poseidon a glare, with Poseidon doing the same.
"I told you many times, I don't have your stupid bolt," Poseidon said, enraged at being accused.
"Well, what about that Jackson boy, huh? You think you could hide him from me? I know you used the boy to steal the bolt from me, and you dared not to confess about your treason!" Zeus raged, while Poseidon did the same.
"You're blaming my son? I have not seen him since the day he was born, thanks to your hypocrite rules," Poseidon reminded his brother.
"Hypocrite, you dare to call me hypocrite? If the boy does not bring me back my bolt, there will be war, Poseidon, and your son will be the first to taste my wrath!"
"Do not touch my son, Zeus! Do not forget you broke the oath too. Remember Thalia Grace? It was you who broke it first, and yet I didn't do anything to the girl. You should be grateful for my mercy."
"WHY YOU-"
"ENOUGH!" Naruto shouted, sending his own power at the two of them. They both stiffened as they felt the primordial power wash over them.
Naruto took a deep breath. "Father, while I understand that your bolt has been missing, I can assure you that Percy has nothing to do with it. I was with him during these past months," he said.
His father looked at his son before saying, "If not that sea brat," this got a glare from Poseidon for calling his son a brat, "who stole my bolt then, my son?"
"I have my suspicions, father, but please give me time to prove it. I know that Percy is not the thief, father. If you're not convinced, then I swear on the River Styx, if Percy is the real thief, then I will take care of him myself." Thunder boomed in the distance as his father and uncle looked at him in shock, along with his mother and aunt.
Zeus nodded slowly. "Very well, I will not declare war and hurt the boy, but I will have my bolt back before the summer solstice. Can you help me with this, my son?" He asked with a smile, and Naruto smiled back.
"Of course, father."
Naruto flashed behind Percy, who didn't notice his arrival.
"So where are we going?" Percy asked nonchalantly, scaring the boy.
"Naruto, don't do that!" Percy yelled at him, his hand on his chest, trying to calm his beating heart. "We're going to the dining pavilion."
They marched up the hill to the mess hall pavilion. The satyrs joined the group from the meadow, naiads emerged from the canoeing lake, and a few other girls came out of the woods.
At the dining pavilion, torches blazed around the marble columns, and a central fire burned in the bronze brazier the size of a bathtub. Each cabin had its own tables, covered in white cloth trimmed in purple. Four of the tables were empty, but Cabin Eleven was way overcrowded. Percy had to squeeze his way in at the edge of the bench, with half of his butt hanging off. Naruto just walked toward an empty space at the corner of the dining pavilion, attracting curious gazes from many campers. Naruto put his hand in a snake sign, and a table and bench made out of wood appeared from the ground, leaving campers shocked and wondering how he did that. Naruto waved at the Hermes table, inviting them to come sit with him. They all sat at the new table, and Percy took a seat beside Naruto.
The boys saw Grover sitting at Table Twelve with Mr. D, a few satyrs, and a few plump, blonde-looking boys who resembled Mr. D. Chiron stood on one side; the picnic tables were too small for the centaur.
Annabeth sat at Table Six with a bunch of serious, athletic-looking kids, all with gray eyes and blonde hair, making Naruto wonder if Athena had a penchant for blonde guys.
Clarisse sat with her cabin mates. She had apparently forgotten about being washed in the toilet water and was now laughing and chatting with her siblings.
Finally, Chiron pounded his hoof against the marble floor of the dining pavilion, and everyone fell silent. He raised his glass in the air. "To the Gods!"
"To the Gods!" Everybody followed Chiron's example, except for Percy, who did it weakly, trying to escape this madness.
Wood nymphs came forward with platters of food. Naruto and Percy's glasses were empty, but Luke said, "Speak to it, whatever you want, non-alcoholic, of course."
"Blue Cherry Coke," Percy said, making Naruto chuckle at him. "Don't judge me," Percy pouted at him before taking a sip.
"Honey Sake."
Percy watched as Naruto's glass filled with yellow-looking liquid, before Naruto took a drink.
"Hey, Naruto, what is sake?" Percy asked loudly, with a confused expression, while other campers watched them.
"It's alcohol, Percy."
"But I thought Luke said no alcohol?"
"That's because I'm mortal, Percy. That's why the rule doesn't apply to me," he explained patiently while Percy nodded.
"C'mon," Luke yelled out and followed him to the bathtub-sized fire. "Throw a good portion into the fire; they love the smell."
Percy deadpanned at him. "Are you kidding?" But he saw Naruto throw a bit of ramen into the fire, making him follow his example as well.
After they finished their meals and Chiron pounded his hoof, grabbing their attention, Mr. D sighed and stood up. "Well, I suppose I should say hello to you brats. So, hello. Our camp activities, Chiron said, our next capture the flag will be next Friday. Cabin Five presently holds the laurels."
A bunch of ugly cheering came from Cabin Five.
"Personally," Mr. D said, "I couldn't care less. But congratulations also. I should tell you we have two new campers today, Petah Jameson and Naruto Uzumaki."
The campers were shocked that Mr. D got Naruto's name right. Apparently, Dionysus had tasted Naruto's wrath when he got his name wrong and received a lava-flavored curry instead of diet cola. So, now he would appreciate not going through that again, thank you very much.
Percy muttered lowly at the mistake Mr. D made. Then Chiron muttered something. "Percy Jackson, sir," he said.
"That's right, hurrah! Now, run along to your silly campfire. Go on!"
Everybody cheered, and they all headed down toward the amphitheater, where Apollo Cabin would lead a sing-along about the gods and eat s'mores.
They gave Naruto a guitar. Naruto raised a brow. "C'mon, Naruto, sing," one of the Aphrodite campers begged. They all knew Naruto had played the ocarina a few times, so he must be good at singing. He sighed and took the guitar. Dionysus smirked. Oh, this should be good.
"I heard the song on the radio, so I guessed I could try."
(Undone by FFH: I don't own the song)
Open up wide, swallow down deep
No spoonful of sugar could make it sweet
The cancer inside, stealing my sleep
Night after night, it keeps haunting me
The secrets I keep are tearing me up inside
I try to hide them, and I wonder why
I wonder why I'm still running
When I know there's no escaping
Come undone, surrender is stronger
I don't need to be the hero tonight
We all want love, we all want honor
Nobody wants to pay the asking price
Fall on my knees, fall on my pride
I'm tripping over all the times I've lied
I'm asking please, but I can see in your eyes
You don't need tears for alibis
That's true what they say, love must be blind
It's why You're still standing by this sinner's side
You're still by my side
When all the things I've done have left You bleeding
Come undone, surrender is stronger
I don't need to be the hero tonight
We all want love, we all want honor
Nobody wants to pay the asking price
I don't think I can drive it home tonight
I don't think I wanna be alone tonight
Come undone, surrender is stronger
I don't need to be the hero tonight
We all want love, we all want honor
Nobody wants to pay the asking price
Come undone, surrender is stronger
I don't need to be the hero tonight
We all want love, we all want honor
Nobody wants to pay the asking price
Come undone, surrender is stronger
I don't need to be the hero tonight
We all want love, we all want honor
Nobody wants to pay the asking price
Come undone, surrender is stronger
I don't need to be the hero tonight
We all want love, we all want honor
Nobody wants to pay the asking price
Come undone, surrender is stronger
I don't need to be the hero tonight
We all want love, we all want honor
Nobody wants to pay the asking price
In the end, everyone was clapping and smiling at the song. Clarisse, Annabeth, and Silena were blushing at Naruto's soulful voice.
Mr. D smiled at the part "I don't need to be a hero tonight."
Figures, Naruto thought, as he smiled back at them. After all, he had a big family to take care of.