On to chapter 4! Please review and enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own "Naruto," or "Percy Jackson & The Olympians," they belong to their respective owners.
Hope for the Future
Lotus Casino – Five Hours Later
Naruto yawned and got out of his hotel room's bed with a stretch. That nap had been something he needed for a while now, and he was happy to get it.
"Okay guys, you're good to go," Naruto spoke out. Suddenly, multiple poofs of smoke appeared as his shadow clones were dispelled. While sleeping, he had assigned a few to finalize the storage seal as well as practicing other jutsu.
Pushing the covers off of him, he walked into the shower to change into a fresh pair of clothes that he packed. After dressing himself, he leaned out the window of the Casino only to blink a few times.
"That's odd…. It's the morning…" he wondered. When he took his nap, it had been in the evening. He should have woken up to it being dark outside.
Gathering his belongings, he watched as they all poofed into a seal on his wrist. He smiled at the accomplishment, happy that the information from the clones transferred into his mind. They worked relentlessly to finalize the storage seal, and now he had.
Walking downstairs, Naruto was lost in the wave of games all around him. He could see waves of people, each one playing their machine.
Some people were playing racing simulations while others were lost in their world of pinball. Seeing an attendant come up to him, Naruto smiled. She held a tray of Lotus cookies and presented them to the blonde.
"A cookie, mister?" she said in a sweet voice.
Naruto nodded, realizing he had forgotten the one back at the entrance. He picked one up and thanked her, with the lady walking away right after.
Just as he brought the cookie up to his lips, he felt someone bump into his back. This made the treat fall on the floor.
Looking up, he saw the person who bumped into him to be a little boy, not much younger than himself. He had jet-black hair and black eyes, with a frown on his face. He had dropped some of his playing cards after bumping into Naruto and was picking them up.
Crouching down, Naruto started helping the boy pick up his cards. Suddenly, he heard a faint whisper come from the boy's lips, "I'm sorry for bumping into you."
Smiling, Naruto didn't think much about it, "It's okay, accidents happen. Here are your playing cards." Handing over his stack, the boy smiled.
"Thanks, these Mythomagic cards are really hard to get and I'd hate to lose them," the boy stated while standing back up.
"Mythomagic? Like the Greek mythology game?" Naruto questioned with his arms crossed.
The boy nodded in excitement, "Yes, exactly! I haven't met anybody who plays the game here! Do you play?"
Naruto was about to respond before a girl around his age came into view. She had dark brown hair in a braid with dark eyes. She had a caramel complexion and a worried expression.
"Nico! How many times do I have to tell you, don't run off!" the girl shouted at the younger boy.
Nico put his head down in shame, "I'm sorry Bianca…"
The girl saw Naruto standing there and said, "I'm sorry if my brother gave you any trouble. I'm Bianca di Angelo, and he's Nico di Angelo." She held her hand out for a handshake.
Naruto then decided to take the handshake and introduce himself, "Nice to meet you, I'm Naruto Uzumaki!"
"That's a cool name!" Nico said, "I've never heard it before!"
Naruto chuckled, "Thanks, I appreciate it." He then looked at the sister, "Don't be too hard on Nico, he bumped into me on accident. It's no big deal."
Bianca breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good to hear."
"Bianca!" Nico said in excitement, "Look over there! They're serving marshmallows with a chocolate fountain! Let's go!'
Feeling her brother tug at her hand, Bianca gave one last look at Naruto, "Thank you for your kindness, I hope we meet again."
"Me too," Naruto nodded. With that being said, the sibling duo walked off and Naruto looked at his feet. There, lying forgotten, was his Lotus cookie. With a sigh, he picked it up and threw it away in a nearby trash can.
It looks like that was the second time he couldn't eat the sweets here.
Naruto was surprised to see that he won an unlimited amount of cash after winning one spin on the slot machine. He had sat down, entered his one-hundred dollar bill, and just played until the cash was up. To his surprise, he won on the first spin and hit the 'Ultra-Mega Jackpot' as displayed on screen.
Instead of cash coming out of the machine or even a ticket, it was a golden card. It held an infinite amount of money on the card, as stated on the front. This confused him, as the chance of him winning this was exponentially low.
Furthermore… how could a card hold infinite cash? That just didn't make sense. As he looked around, he saw that everybody in the casino carried one of these, meaning he wasn't the only one.
"I feel like the Casino is trying to keep me here… after all, who wins on their first slot spin? Even I don't think my luck is that good…" This was now the second red flag in his head, with the first being he woke up in the morning instead of night.
"ANOTHER BIG WIN!" A rather large-sized man said from down the aisle, "I FEEL LIKE ELVIS!" He had just won 'big' at a roulette table.
"Elvis?" Naruto thought in confusion, "That's such an outdated reference…." It also made him confused that the man shouted looked to be in his young twenties, not old enough to be alive when Elvis was still playing.
Another attendant then came up with a tray of Lotus cookies, which the man happily ate and continued playing.
"Why are these attendants so obsessed with feeding guests?" the blonde wondered. At first, he assumed they were just doing their job, but now it was becoming creepy.
After gathering all the information he needed, the camper wanted to test his theory. Seeing a man playing the slot machine next to him, Naruto tapped his shoulder.
Looking over, the man spat out, "What do you want kid? Can't you see I'm busy here?"
"Sorry," Naruto apologized, "But I was just wondering, what year is it?"
"What kind of question is that?" The man laughed, "It's 1957."
This made the blonde's stomach drop. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Sorry, did you say 1957?" The blonde asked with wide eyes.
"Yeah, I did," the man scoffed, "Now go bug someone else."
"Would you like another cookie?" An attendant came up to him with a tray, "It's free of course!"
Naruto refused at first but after constant persistence, he took one cookie which made the woman smile. After eyeing him one last time, she walked off.
Looking over, he gave his cookie to the man sitting beside him. The man just shrugged and ate it in a few bites. Naruto noticed as his eyes seemed to glaze over and his expression shifted into contentment.
"Something is going on… and I don't like it…." Deciding it was best to leave, Naruto hopped off his stool and went in search of his friends.
Naruto found Grover first, as he was talking to a multitude of ladies surrounding him. He was laughing as some of the girls giggled and a few others fed him grapes.
"Grover, we have to go!" Naruto said while tugging at his friend's arm.
"Naruto?" Grover questioned with a smile, "What's going on man? Why are you in a rush? I don't know if you can tell, but I'm relaxing over here!"
"Grover, if you trust me as a friend, I need you to come with me now," Naruto spoke in a serious tone that Grover wasn't used to hearing. After giving him a good look, Grover sighed and excused himself for the time being.
As the duo walked together, Grover asked, "What's the problem? Why are we leaving?"
"Just wait and watch," Naruto answered, "We need to find Annabeth and Percy first."
"Well, I found Percy," Grover said while pointing over to a corner of the room, "He's playing a surfing simulator."
Walking up, the duo saw Percy trying his best to stay on his surfboard as it throttled around.
"Percy, we have to go!" Naruto shouted.
"Hold on!" Percy said while playing his game, "I'm about to beat my high score!"
Not having the patience for these games, Naruto walked behind the machine and unplugged it from the wall. This caused it to shut down and Percy whined in annoyance.
"C'mon! What was that about!" Percy complained.
"Follow us," Naruto demanded, "Don't forget we're on a quest Percy."
This seemed to have some effect on the demigod as he sighed. He knew Naruto was right so he hopped off the surfboard and walked with them.
As they walked, Naruto finally found Annabeth. She was playing a war-strategy board game with a few other players. It looked like she had just landed a decisive blow as she cheered.
"Annabeth, we have to go," Naruto pleaded as he tapped on her shoulder, "This place is a trap of some kind."
"One second!" Annabeth said without looking over, "I'm about to win!"
Feeling fed up, Naruto forced Annabeth to look at him by grabbing her arms, "Listen to me Annabeth, this is a TRAP! We need to go!"
This made Annabeth take Naruto more seriously, as she let the words sink in. Feeling like it wasn't enough, Naruto sighed and looked at one of the other players at the board game.
"Hey," Naruto said while looking at a guy in his thirties, "What year is it?"
The man looked confused but confidently said, "1962."
Naruto threw his arms out, "See, I told you! This place has people from all over the century! We need to leave before we're also stuck!"
This seemed to have the effect desired as all three companions broke out of their trance.
"Another Lotus cookie?" An attendant walked up.
"No thank you," Naruto said with a snarl, "We're leaving."
"Are you sure?" the woman asked while sweating slightly, "We have many other luxuries! We could also-"
Grabbing his friend's hands, Naruto led them out, "No thank you, we're leaving!"
He didn't like being rude, but they couldn't stay here any longer. As they pushed past the attendant, they didn't see her eyes narrow.
Breaking through the entrance doors, the group squinted at seeing sunlight once more after so long. Finding a nearby newspaper, the group was shocked to see that five whole days had passed while inside.
"This is bad!" Grover said nervously, "This is really bad! We only have one day left to complete the quest!"
"How did this happen?" Percy questioned with his hands on his head.
Seeing he had their attention, Naruto laid out his entire theory. He spoke about how he assumed the casino was meant to trap people forever. He also said that time passed differently inside, with it only feeling like a few hours inside but several days passed on the outside.
"Fuck," Percy said in a low tone before kicking the pavement, "FUCK!" He didn't normally curse but this time was different.
He was incredibly annoyed that he failed once more as quest leader. If it wasn't for Naruto getting them out of there, they would still be stuck inside.
"So how come you weren't affected?" Annabeth questioned while looking at the blonde.
Naruto answered, "I'm assuming those cookies had some special ingredient to make people docile and want to stay. I saw it happen to this guy inside, I just got lucky I never ate them."
"That makes sense," Grover muttered, "I ate so many of those."
"Me too," Percy added in distress.
"Don't freak out," Naruto said while trying to comfort his friends, "It's still afternoon and we have one day left, that's plenty of time to get to Los Angeles."
Annabeth nodded, "He's right, we don't need to give up hope."
"So what?" Percy asked, "What do we do now then? How are we getting to Los Angeles? I'm sure we missed our truck ride already."
"We could buy a cab?" Grover shrugged.
"That's… actually not a bad idea," Annabeth admitted.
Naruto then pulled out his golden card, "They said these things had infinite cash on them, time to find out if it's true."
Annabeth, Grover, and even Percy smiled, it looked like there was still some hope after all.
Santa Monica – The Next Day
It had taken the group the better part of a day to get to Santa Monica. They had found a cab that was willing to take them, but it had fetched a high price. Thankfully, the card they were given had enough funds to cover the cost.
Once they got to Santa Monica, it had been dark outside. Deciding to rest, they were able to purchase an overnight stay at a hotel with the same golden card. It was thanks to Naruto being able to Henge into Aunty Em's form and use the ID that Percy nabbed from her shop. It seemed that they were very lucky to still have it.
Of course, he was questioned about his ability, but he told them that he had a wide array of skills that he only used when necessary. They were all so exhausted from the day, that they didn't push much on it.
The group stood on a sidewalk as they looked at the map in their hands. The golden card came to their rescue once again, it was like a real-life cheat code.
Annabeth, Grover, and Naruto had done some light shopping for any items that could help them complete the quest while Percy emerged himself in the nearby body of water.
Once they had met up once again, Percy returned with a few pearls in his hand. He said he got them from the spirit of the sea, Nereid. After meeting up with his friends, the group realized the right way to go.
As they walked, they eventually came across the Hollywood sign and realized they were close. Scouring the streets, they eventually found a building titled "DOA Recording Studios."
Walking in, the group instantly felt a cold sensation run across their forms. Naruto especially felt so much anger, sadness, and pain in the area. It seemed they had truly found the entrance to the Underworld.
Walking around, they came across a man sitting behind a desk. He was reading a magazine and didn't look bothered by the appearance of the campers.
"Ummm… Hello?" Grover squeaked out, not sure what to do.
Glancing his eyes upward, the man snorted, "What do you want?"
"We're here to enter the Underworld," Percy said firmly while putting away his pearls.
The man raised his eyebrow, "Oh really? That's a first. Most people usually run away after realizing they've died."
Standing up, the man snapped his fingers and the wall behind him disappeared. It was a long staircase that led downward into a sea of darkness. Even the man's form changed, showing that of a hooded individual with a sickly smile.
"Just like that?" Annabeth wondered, "That was easy."
"Now, for payment," The man began, "I will need some drachmas for your safe travel."
Before anybody could say anything, Percy retrieved a bag of the currency from his pocket. He placed it in the man's open palm and watched as he bounced it up and down.
"Dude, where did you get those?" Naruto whispered over.
"Nereid gave me these too, said I would need them," Percy answered in a low tone.
"Very well," the man stated while walking down the staircase, "Follow me."
As the group walked, they came across a small wooden boat. It didn't look very durable, but the man hopped on without issue. They decided to walk aboard, and the man slowly began to row away.
They were atop a dark river that held no reflection whatsoever, but the group could hear the occasional scream of torment. Naruto looked down at the boat and realized it said, "Charon Riding Services."
Looking back up at the rowing man, Naruto spoke, "So you're Charon?"
The being didn't turn around, "I am."
"So that means…" Annabeth whispered while looking over the boat, "We're on the River Styx."
"We are," Charon nodded, "Now sit back and stay quiet for the rest of the ride."
"What an ass," Naruto thought in displeasure.
Eventually, the group reached the other side of the shore and departed quickly. Charon didn't even say goodbye before he returned to the recording studio.
"Well, let's get going," Percy stated as they walked down a long hallway. They were surprised to see that the Underworld looked like an airport as there were multiple lines with attendants at each one.
Each line had a sign above it that read something different, however, each line assumed the participants were already dead.
"So uhh… what do we do?" Grover asked nervously.
"I'm not sure," Annabeth muttered, "We need to find a way past."
The group thought for a few moments before Naruto spoke up, "I'll create a distraction and we can run past. Just get ready."
The group nodded before Naruto bundled up the map they were using earlier. He crumpled it into a ball and channeled chakra through it so it would fly through the air like a steel ball. With a great throw, the crumpled-up map flew into a metal detector nearby.
This set off a few alarms as the map tore off a large chunk of the metal detector, causing alarms to blare. All nearby attendants went to assess the situation.
"Now, let's go!" Naruto shouted while the group ran.
They didn't stop running for the next few minutes.
The group eventually came across a palace with a large staircase leading up. The palace was made of dark obsidian and black marble, with an occasional torch lighting up the scenery. It held a certain beauty to it.
As they walked up the staircase, the group heard a growling coming from their side. With a loud thud, Cerberus hopped onto the staircase, stopping their path.
"Oh shit," Percy whispered in shock. The group stared at the three-headed dog in wonder.
The guard dog snarled and bared its teeth on each head, showing its intent to protect.
"Easy boy, we mean no harm," Naruto brought his hands up in a surrender motion. Grover tried to speak to the animal, but it didn't feel like speaking either.
Seeing their situation, Annabeth retrieved a bouncing ball from her backpack that she purchased earlier in Santa Monica. She intended to use it to pass the time, but perhaps it would work on the guard dog.
"Here boy, like this?" The daughter of Athena said while holding the bouncy ball in her hand. She bounced it a few times and watched as each head followed the ball in wonder.
"Want it?" Annabeth said in a sweet tone. Each head seemed to understand her question as they nodded their head.
"Wait, can I see that?" Naruto asked. Annabeth complied and handed the bouncy ball over to her friend.
With a quick hand sign, the bouncing ball multiplied into three copies. There were now three bouncing balls in his hand.
He then threw each ball at each head, which they caught in their mouth and played with respectively.
"Good idea!" Annabeth praised, "That way the heads wouldn't fight over the same ball!"
"I'm guessing it's another skill you have?" Grover asked with a raised eyebrow.
The blonde nodded, "Yep, now let's go before they lose interest."
With a quick pace, the group past the distracted dog and made their way inside the palace, Grover suddenly floated upward. The shoes given to them by Luke sported wings and attempted to take him into the pit of Tarturas they laid nearby.
However, Naruto's quick instinct allowed him to grab Grover's left hove before he left the ground.
"WHAT'S GOING ON!" Grover screamed in fright, "THESE SHOES HAVE A MIND OF THEIR OWN!"
"PERCY! ANNABETH! UNTIE THE SHOES!" Naruto grunted while holding down the satyr, it was taking more effort than he would have thought to keep him grounded. It seemed whoever enchanted the shoes was rather powerful.
Percy and Annabeth were quick to act and removed both shoes from Grover. The satyr landed on the ground with a sigh of relief as they watched the shoes fly into the pit of Tartarus.
"Why would Luke's shoes… try to kill the wearer?" Percy wondered in suspicion.
"I sense something… growing in there…" Naruto thought cautiously, "Something is definitely going on…"
"Let's go," Grover pleaded, tired of the situation. The others comforted him and agreed with his decision.
Once more, they began walking up the staircase.
The campers looked at one another before going through the large double doors, the campers realized the inside was massive. The scenery and decorations were rather nice.
Down the hall on a dark throne, sat a lone man. As they walked closer, they realized who it was.
There, sitting before them, was the god of the dead, Hades.
He had dark curly hair and coal eyes. He sported a short, dark beard and held a passive gaze. There was a golden ring on his finger and he was dressed in dark clothing.
"Welcome, mortals," Hades said in a deep voice, "I believe you are searching for me?"
Feeling his resolve, Percy spoke up from the group, "We just want the Master Bolt and we'll be gone. That's all we want."
"That's it?" Hades chuckled, "Well then you came for no reason, considering it's in your backpack right now."
Percy's eyes widened before swinging his backpack forward. Unzipping it, he opened it and realized there was a bolt of lightning at the bottom of the bag, circulating sparks everywhere.
"No way," Percy mumbled, "It couldn't have been here! I checked this bag multiple times during our quest!"
Hades just smiled in amusement, "I understand you also have my Helm of Darkness, is that correct Perseus Jackson?"
"I uhh… what?" Percy asked bewildered, looking into the bag. Alongside the Master Bolt, was a helm off to the side. None of this was making any sense to him.
"The bag was enchanted in some way," Annabeth spoke out, "That's the only way the Master Bolt could appear so suddenly while not being there before. I'm assuming the Helm was also enchanted."
"Then what was the trigger?" Naruto asked while looking over.
Annabeth shrugged, "It could have been our meeting with Hades, entering the Underworld, or anything we've done recently."
Suddenly, Hades snapped his fingers and Sally Jackson appeared in a whirlwind of gold dust. She looked startled but smiled once she saw her son.
"Percy!" Sally said with joy.
"MOM!" Percy said with delight, overjoyed at seeing his mother once more.
"I can tell you love your mother, Perseus Jackson," Hades rumbled while standing up from his throne, "So let's make a deal. You give me the Master Bolt and my Helm of Darkness, and I let your mother go free. Consider my offer generous, considering you stole both items."
"We didn't steal anything! Especially your helm!" Annabeth shot back.
"I…I…" Percy looked at his mother one last time, "I… can't…" No matter how much he wanted to save his mother, giving these artifacts over to Hades would surely spark a conflict in Olympus. This was a gut punch for the demigod, feeling saddened he couldn't save his mother once more.
Ares's warning about his mother being a hostage made sense to him now.
Hades's smile turned into a frown, "I see, is that your final answer?"
Just as the situation was getting the most tense, the group heard a soft tap of footsteps on the marble floor.
"Dad!" spoke a young girl around the age of fourteen, she walked into the room before realizing a showdown was going on.
"Oh, sorry," spoke the girl, "Am I interrupting something?"
"Melinoe," Hades said with a deep sigh, "I thought I told you I was going to be busy?" All of his momentum in the conversation seemed to die down with the appearance of his daughter.
"Melinoe?…" Naruto thought before realization hit him, "So she's the goddess of nightmares, insanity, and ghosts….
The goddess seemed to take the appearance of a young girl, most likely because she was comfortable in that form. She also held a childlike wonder in her eyes, further exemplifying that form. The right side of her body was pale and held white hair. Her eye was a glowing silver and her hair flowed beautifully.
The left side of her body was darkened, similar to that of charcoal. Her hair was jet black and her eye retained a similar color. She was quite literally split down the middle of light and dark, a duality of domains.
"Who are these people, father?" Melinoe cocked her head to the side, "Are they guests?"
"No darling," Hades sighed, "I have to discuss some things with them, please, let me speak in private."
"Now that sounds more like the Hades that Aunt Hestia painted," Naruto thought. He was known to be a calm, collected man who cared for those around him.
While the father and daughter talked, Percy heard a spirit speak in his mind, "Use the pearls to escape, Percy. However, use them wisely."
Looking down at his hand, Percy clenched his fist. He only had four pearls, meaning someone would have to stay behind.
As for Grover and Annabeth, both were shaking in their shoes. They felt terror and fear simply by looking at Melinoe despite the fact she wasn't actively attacking them.
This made the girl sigh, given that most people feared her. She was a lonely person, so she decided to hide away in the Underworld for the majority of her life. Nobody truly liked being around her, besides her family.
However, her eyes widened when she realized one camper in the group didn't fear her at all. Instead, they looked at her with a curious gaze that showed no fear whatsoever.
"I like him father," Melinoe stated while looking directly at Naruto, "His aura feels warm and safe."
Hades glanced his eyes over to Naruto and spoke with his daughter, "That's expected, given he is related to Hestia."
"To Hestia?" Melinoe stated in surprise, "Now I want to know what he's about."
Naruto sweated nervously, not wanting the goddess of insanity to take an interest in him. However, if he was to be honest with himself, he did find Melinoe to be an attractive young woman. Just like Clarisse, he felt a small blush creep up on his cheeks.
Hades saw this and raised an eyebrow, "I hope you aren't planning on trying to woe my daughter, Uzumaki."
"What!?" Naruto said in surprise, "No, I wouldn't dare!"
"Oh, so you're saying she's not enough for you?" Hades spoke darkly.
"Father! That's enough!" Melinoe huffed, "You always do this when I'm around boys! Mother says you need to stop it!"
"Well your mother doesn't have to fend them off like I do," Hades mumbled under his breath.
The entire group of campers nearly fell forward in disbelief at the scene before them. It went from being a tense situation to a comedy with the duo. It felt weird to see the god of the Underworld act so nonchalantly and calmly.
"Hades, the deal is off," Percy interrupted, having enough of the ordeal, "We aren't giving you the Master Bolt and Helm of Darkness. However, I'm willing to give you the Helm for my mother."
"No dice," Hades responded instantly, "Given that you've stolen my symbol of power, I want them both."
Percy bit his lip before looking at his mother, "I promise I'll get you out, mom! I swear!"
Sally Jackson just nodded and smiled, believing in her son.
"Take one!" Percy shouted while he handed Grover, Naruto, and Annabeth a separate pearl. "Now crush them!" He commanded, which they all did. Soon enough, the group of campers disappeared from the Underworld.
"Father, why did you let them leave?" Melinoe asked, "We both know you could have stopped or restrained them at a moment's notice."
Hades chuckled, "Don't worry about it Meli, just know things will be fine soon enough with my brothers."
Melinoe just shook her head in annoyance, hating how her father always worked in strange ways. He never revealed his plan before it was complete, even to her. Her father was good at playing the long game.
"As for that boy," Hades said while walking out of the palace, "You have my blessing to court him. He would be good for you."
"FATHER!" Melinoe shouted with raised hands, "THOSE WEREN'T MY INTENTIONS!"
Hades laughed, happy to finally get one over on his daughter. She often teased him relentlessly alongside her mother, so it felt nice to win for once.
His 'dad mode' wasn't seen by many, but it was there.
Naruto coughed out water from his lungs as he placed his palm on the beach they appeared at. After crushing the pearls, the group was sent back into the water near Santa Monica. Slowly but surely, the group crawled out and dried themselves.
As they looked around, Naruto noticed a certain individual standing by the shore, not too far from their location. However, this person seemed to walk to them instead with a smile on his face.
Coming into view, the group could see it was Ares with a smirk, "Hi kiddies, I'm guessing you found out what was in the bag?"
"You set us up!" Percy spat out, "Tricked us into thinking we were confronting the culprit behind all this, but you had the weapons the whole time! You're the true lightning thief!"
"Ehh, you're sorta right," Ares said while cleaning out his ear with his pinky, "I couldn't take them myself as we're forbidden, so I had a demigod take them instead. I was hoping to frame you all and start a war between the 'Big Three' but oh well." Ares shrugged.
"Why?" Annabeth said in confusement, "That would spell the end of everything we know!"
"And?" Ares said back uncaringly, "I wanted war to erupt, and we're only moments away. By the end of the day, blood will spill!"
"You're crazy!" Percy yelled back, "We're returning these items, and you can't stop us!"
"About that…" Ares drawled out while bringing out a sword from his back, "I can't have you returning any of that, so I'll have to end you here. Sorry about that, kid."
"No you won't," Annabeth said with confidence, "We'll stop you as a team."
"Suit yourselves, I don't care," Ares said with a snort, "But know that if you lose, I plan on killing you all."
"And if we win, you leave us alone so we can return the stolen weapons," Naruto shot back.
"Sounds like a fair deal to me!" Ares said with a bloodthirsty grin, "Now, LET'S FIGHT!"
The group of four campers actually held up a lot better than Ares thought at first. Of course, he quickly dispatched the satyr as he was the weakest of the group. He only needed to land a solid blow on his jaw before the kid was out cold.
As for the other three campers, they proved to be a bigger annoyance than he originally thought. Granted, he still wasn't taking this fight seriously as they were only twelve or thirteen, clearly outclassed in this fight.
He had managed to duck below a swipe of a knife by the blonde girl. She had tried to aim for his neck while getting close with her invisibility cap. It may have worked on others, but he was an Olympian with eons of experience.
She was the next to go, as he grabbed her neck and slammed her into the soft sand of the shore. However, despite her impact being on a soft surface, it was still enough to knock her out. This showed the power behind his blow, despite the fact he wasn't even going all out.
The son of Poseidon seemed to be enraged at seeing this. He assumed the kid had a crush on the girl, but he didn't care either.
After dodging a few of his sword swipes, Ares smiled and kicked the boy back a few feet into the water. He emerged quickly, but he could tell Percy was winded from the blow. He was trying to heal but was still panting and wincing from the pain endured.
The only person he hadn't truly engaged in combat so far was the blonde, but that was about to change.
"Percy, listen to me," Naruto shouted over to his friend, not taking his eyes off Ares, "We're going to have to work together on this, that's our best chance of winning."
"Right," Percy nodded while clutching his chest, "Sorry about charging in head first, that wasn't smart."
"Don't worry," Naruto said back, understanding that he went berserk after seeing Annabeth dispatched, "Just follow my lead. Just like you said a few days back, we make the best team."
Percy chuckled, not expecting Naruto to bring that up in such a dire situation, "Right, we're fire and water, the ultimate duo."
"Exactly," Naruto nodded before he made his move, "On me!"
Percy nodded and followed his friend into battle. This would be the first of many fights they experienced as a team.
Naruto charged at Ares's left while Percy ran to his right. They were coming at the Olympian from each side. This only made Ares smile, thinking their efforts would be futile.
"AHH!" Percy shouted while putting the full force of his swing into Riptide. The sword was intercepted by Ares's own, with both blades clanging.
Before Ares could follow up, he grunted at feeling a dagger embed itself in his left shoulder. The blade had dug itself deep enough that it managed to cause a small river of Ichor to flow down.
Now this surprised the Olympian, given that it was the first real wound he took all fight. He was wondering how it happened, as he didn't sense the blade flying towards him so quickly. It was like it happened in a split second.
As for Naruto, he breathed a sigh of relief that his dagger hit the intended target. He infused chakra within it so it could travel faster through the air and have more of a punch.
Ares momentarily forgot about Percy as he threw the demigod backward with a powerful push. This caused Percy to fall on his butt on the soft sand.
With a charge, Ares ran at Naruto who stood ready. Aiming, Naruto let loose his remaining dagger at his enemy.
Ares laughed, "You shouldn't have done that kid, now you're defenseless!" With a continued sprint, Ares simply leaned his head to the side. However, to his surprise, the dagger still cut his cheek, causing another wound to appear.
"What!?" Ares thought in momentary surprise, "I clearly dodged that! How did it cut me?!"
"It worked," Naruto thought with a smile, "Looks like adding wind chakra did extend its range, but it's invisible to the naked eye." It was something he had thought of for a while and was happy it worked in live combat.
This cut on his cheek provided enough of a distraction that Percy was able to sneak behind the distracted Olympian and deliver a slash across his back with Riptide.
"Ugh," Ares groaned and fell to one knee, not expecting the blow. The slash was also quite deep, however, his own healing factor was starting to kick in to heal the injuries.
Naruto took this moment to dash forward and channel the chakra into his right hand. Forming a fist, he charged back and delivered a harsh right hook with momentum behind it.
SNAP!
Even Percy winced at hearing the noise, understanding that Ares's nose was most likely broken. However, while Ares's head jerked to the side, he was still smiling.
"What!" Both Percy and Naruto thought in surprise. The Olympian grabbed Naruto's hand after delivering the right hook. It was clear he took the pain so he could get his hands on the blonde, feeling he was too slippery in the fight.
"Shit, he has Naruto!" Percy thought in surprise, "I need to help!" He rushed back in with Riptide at his side.
Despite the fact he was on one knee, had taken multiple wounds, and had a broken nose, Ares smiled. A trail of Ichor trailed down his nose and onto his teeth, giving him a feral appearance.
"Not used to seeing someone with a high pain tolerance?" Ares joked while looking at the stunned blonde, holding onto his arm tightly, "Guess you've seen one now."
Naruto tried to get out of Ares's grip, but couldn't manage at the moment.
Spitting out a wad of blood, Ares looked back at the blonde, "Gotta hand it to you, kid, that's the first time in a long time that mortal has managed to land a hit like that. I guess that's what I get for taking this fight too lightly."
Without saying another word, Ares spun around and carried Naruto with him. With a yank, he let the blonde fly into his friend and both flew backward.
"Oof!" Percy grunted while his friend barreled into his chest. Both boys had taken minor injuries from the fall.
The duo got back up once more, only to see Ares snap his nose into place. He sighed in relief, while also yanking the dagger out of his shoulder. Throwing the weapon into the sand, Ares picked up his sword once more.
Despite being defenseless, Naruto kept his ground. However, he was mentally berating himself, "Dammit, I shouldn't have thrown both daggers so quickly in the fight…. If only I had something more… versatile! Or something that I couldn't lose in the heat of the moment!"
While he had managed to land good blows with both weapons, he now had to rely on hand-to-hand combat.
As for Percy, he steadied himself for another bout with the Olympian. He held Riptide firmly while staring with a cool gaze.
However, just as Ares raised his sword for another fight, a bright light glowed in the distance. Percy was forced to look away while Naruto was able to keep his gaze for much longer, considering he had a blessing from the sun god herself. He was naturally resistant to these kinds of things.
Once the light died down, nothing appeared to change. However, Ares seemed to be in a bad mood as he snarled and put away his sword.
"What happened?" Percy asked.
"I'm not sure," Naruto answered, "I didn't see anything, but it looked like Ares was having a mental conversation with someone. He just stopped attacking us and put his sword away."
True to his word, Percy looked over to see that Ares was no longer interested in fighting both boys.
"You have won today," Ares spat out, "But watch out, both of you, because you've both just made a dangerous enemy today."
Without another word being said, Ares flashed out of the area.
"We… we won!" Percy said in shock, "We actually won!"
"No, we didn't," Naruto shook his head, "He let us go, but I don't know why."
Seeing they were no longer in danger, the duo went over to their friends and tried their best to wake them up. They could celebrate later when they weren't in immediate danger.
Seven Hours Later – New York City
The group had managed to leave Santa Monica by plane, with Percy not caring about risking Zeus' wrath anymore. They only had until the end of the day to complete their quest, so they had to take risks.
While attending to their friends, the Furies appeared and retrieved Hades's Helm of Darkness. The Furies agreed that the Helm was not stolen by Percy and simply left back to the Underworld once it was gathered.
Annabeth and Grover were surprised to hear that Ares let them go, but they were thankful to see another day.
After landing down in New York City, the group headed to their final destination.
The Empire State Building, otherwise known as Mount Olympus.
"This is as far as we go," Annabeth interjected just before the group could head inside, "It's best if you return the bolt yourself, Percy. You're the quest leader after all and this would clear up any accusations that you stole it."
"But what about you guys?" Percy said, "You all helped! I can't take all the credit!"
"He's right," Naruto added, "We started this quest together, we'll finish it together."
"I think you and Naruto should go up there and deliver the items, after all, you both dealt with Ares in the end," Grover gave his thoughts.
"Cut that crap," Naruto said while pulling his friends into a group hug, "We're all going up there and finishing this together."
"I guess we'll have to do this together then," Annabeth sighed but if someone looked closely, they could see a small smile on her face.
"Ready to do this, Naruto?" Percy asked while looking at his friend in the group huddle.
Naruto joked, "We're in this until the end."
The two friends then gave a fist bump, showing their strong, developing bond.
With a smile shared by all, the group walked into the Empire State Building together. They had to finish this quest, or else war would break out.
Mount Olympus – Hall of the Gods
"Do you truly wish for war, brother?" Poseidon asked as the council was gathered. This was the final meeting to take place until Percy's quest was completed, or he failed. Either way, the fate of Olympus was going to be sealed after today.
"I only wish to retrieve what has been stolen," Zeus answered back, "And if your demigod is the culprit, I will smite him where he stands!"
"YOU WILL DO NO SUCH THING!" Poseidon shouted out, with waves of water circling his form. His eyes glowed a green hue and he stood up, directing his power at Zeus.
"Are you commanding me, POSEIDON!?" Zeus yelled back, also standing up. It seemed this was a repeat of their initial encounter regarding this issue.
"ENOUGH!" Shouted out an unknown voice, before all eyes turned to see a different source of power.
There, standing near Hestia, was Rhea. She was the mother of many Olympians, including Zeus, and she rarely made an appearance.
However, despite the fact Rhea was a kind woman, she didn't hold back in her authority either. It seemed many people forgot that she was the one who originally trained Zeus in combat. Furthermore, she was a Titan, which was a different class of power altogether.
"M-Mother!" Poseidon said in shock, not expecting her appearance, "What are you doing here!?"
Even Zeus placated his anger, also curious as to why his mother was here.
"Wow…" Apollo said in his mind, "Only a mother could diffuse a situation like that in a matter of seconds…"
"They were about to go at each other's throats in moments!" Demeter thought in wonder, "And mother's power was all it took for them to calm down, like good boys!"
"I expected to see grown, mature godly beings," Rhea huffed while crossing her arms, "But instead, I come to see my children acting like toddlers, throwing tantrums!"
An embarrassed pink hue ran across Poseidon's cheeks while Zeus looked away in annoyance. Despite the fact they had been alive for eons, they could still get a scolding like a young child.
"But why have you arrived, mother?" Hera asked while hiding her smile behind her hand. She was secretly glad that their mother could still calm down her most rowdy children once more.
"Because the answer to all of your problems is about to walk into this room," Rhea said while pointing to the elevator down the hall.
Hearing a ding, each Olympian looked to see Naruto, Grover, Annabeth, and Percy walk in.
"How did you know they were coming?" Athena whispered to Rhea, clearly interested.
"Call it a mother's intuition," Rhea smirked.
Nobody saw Naruto's ruby necklace secretly glow for a second.
After walking a few paces, each camper knelt and bowed while in the presence of the Olympians.
"Perseus Jackson," Zeus's voice boomed in the hall, "Have you come with success or failure?"
Instantly, all eyes were on the demigod in question.
Grabbing the backpack, Percy opened it up to reveal the Master Bolt for all to see. A moment of pleased emotions flashed through Zeus's eyes before he extended his hand. With a sudden force, the Master Bolt flew into Zeus's hand.
All of Mount Olympus then felt Zeus channel his power through his weapon as he enjoyed the feeling of his lost symbol. With a harsh squeeze, the Master Bolt grew in size before shrinking back down. Having enough of his little display of power, Zeus willed the Master Bolt to disappear.
"It seems you have accomplished this quest at the last moment…" Zeus said while letting the statement hang in the air, "Some could conclude you wished for us to fight before the summer solstice arrived."
"Enough, Zeus," Poseidon sighed, "Your Master Bolt has been returned, all has been saved. Quit with the constant instigating."
Zeus grumbled under his breath but ultimately agreed with Poseidon. Eyeing each of the campers, the King of Olympus spoke once more, "It is courtesy that each demigod receives a wish, granted by those in benefit of the quest. Given I am the benefactor, I will grant you each a wish as long as it is within my power."
Looking over to each mortal, Zeus started from left to right, "Grover Underwood, satyr from Camp Half-Blood, what is your deepest desire?"
Grover looked a little startled at hearing his name, but he continued, "Y-Y-Yes sir, King Zeus. I wish for my own searcher's license, so I can continue in search of Pan!"
Zeus raised an eyebrow at the confession, "Is that all?"
Grover nodded.
With a snort, Zeus snapped his fingers and a searcher's license appeared within the satyr's hands. It was an incredibly easy request to grant so he didn't mind it at all.
Grover on the other hand, was incredibly ecstatic. He now had what he'd been striving for his whole life! Sure he didn't get it from the Council of Cloven Elders, but he had technically completed all the requirements necessary. Furthermore, he was sure that Zeus's authority far outweighed theirs in this regard.
"Annabeth Chase, what is it that I can grant you?" Zeus's voice rumbled on.
Annabeth eyed her mother Athena for a few seconds before looking back at Zeus. "I wish for the ability to perceive knowledge easier."
"Be more specific," Zeus snorted, "I cannot grant a vague conception."
"I wish to understand topics, whether new or old, easier than most. This includes processing the information, digesting it, and using it. I would like to be able to use this while not overloading my brain."
"I see…" Hummed Zeus while looking over at Athena, "You're a bright girl, just like your mother." With a chuckle, he also granted Annabeth's request.
At first, Annabeth didn't feel any different but she could see the world in a new light. By looking at the marble structures around her, she could tell their weight, age, and other properties based on her previous knowledge of marble structures.
She wondered if this was how her mother viewed the world.
"Perseus Jackson," Zeus said with hidden disdain, "Normally I would grant your request, however, given these circumstances, your reward is keeping your life."
Posdion flared his power at the king's words, but Zeus didn't acknowledge his brother.
"I understand," Percy said while keeping his head bowed. He wanted to make a good impression at least.
Humming in thought, Zues laid his eyes on the final camper. "Ahh, Naruto Uzumaki, the hidden warrior."
Naruto didn't say anything, instead choosing to stay silent.
"Grant your request," Zeus commanded while staring at the boy.
Naruto thought about what he wanted most, before concluding, "Lord Zeus, I make this request not for myself, but for others. I would like to allow other campers into the Hestia cabin within Camp Half-Blood, given that Hestia is the goddess of family. This would fall under her domain and allow those who feel resentment or abandonment, to have a place to call home."
Zeus leaned back in his throne, "Interesting…" It wasn't every day that a mortal had the power to request something from him, and instead chose it for somebody else.
"I thought he would do something like that," Hestia smiled in the background, joy clear in her eyes.
"My baby boy…" Rhea thought with love in her eyes, "He hasn't been gone for long, but it feels as if he's aged a lifetime…"
"You know I didn't allow Hestia's cabin to appear in the first place," Zeus said, "Why would I allow others to call it home? Much less allow the cabin to exist at all?"
"Because, Lord Zeus," Naruto looked at the king in his eyes, "If you can lead with love, people will follow you until the ends of the Earth. Allow campers into the Hestia cabin to show your generosity, and others will love you for it."
Zeus sucked in his breath, remembering words that sounded strangely similar as to why he should allow Naruto into their realm. It was quite funny how the same baby who was spared due to love, was now giving that chance to others.
"What a strange mortal…" Artemis thought to the side. She could say that out of all the boys, teenagers, and men she had met, Naruto was proving to be something special. She couldn't name many men who were willing to praise or uplift others at the cost of their happiness, her family included.
Taking a few seconds to think, Zeus eventually reached a decision. "Very well, campers will be allowed inside Hestia's cabin."
"Yes!" Naruto cheered, momentarily forgetting he was still in the presence of Olympians.
"However," Zeus raised his hand to quell Naruto's excitement, "Only those who are unclaimed can call the cabin home, as demigods who are claimed deserve to stay in their parent's cabin."
Naruto nodded, he could deal with that. He was just happy that everybody had a chance to feel at home now.
The King of Olympus looked over to see the longing in Athena's eyes while Poseidon itched to talk to his son.
Zeus then stood up, "I can see that some Olympians wish to spend time with these demigods, so I will allow it. My Master Bolt has been returned and war has been avoided. Consider this quest, officially completed!"
With a clap of thunder, Zeus and Hera were gone. A majority of Olympians then soon followed after with only Hestia, Rhea, Athena, and Poseidon staying behind. Even Grover made his way out, heading back to Camp Half-Blood ahead of time.
Athena went over to talk to Annabeth in private while Percy spoke with his father. Naruto then saw Aunt Hestia and Granny Rhea walk over with smiles on their face.
Without a word being said, he was scooped up into Rhea's arms and laughed like a young kid once again. Only his grandmother could bring out such childish emotions so quickly.
Setting him back down, each respective mortal had their private conversations.
"I can see you're all grown up now," Rhea said with a smile, "You're looking like you've been through some tough battles."
"I have," Naruto nodded, "But thanks to your training, I've been able to scrape by."
"Especially with your fire training," Rhea said proudly, "I saw you evaporate those metal spiders back in the Tunnel of Love."
"You did?" Naruto asked, "How?"
Rhea pointed at his necklace, which made Naruto facepalm. He never thought that they could check up on him or see him through the piece of jewelry.
"Speaking of those spiders," Hestia added, "I can't believe Hephaestus didn't think of disarming the trap as soon as it caught the wrong people."
"Oh, believe me, he's getting his punishment alright. He's going to owe me a million favors after that little stunt he pulled," Rhea said darkly, nobody hurt her grandbaby and got away with it.
"Could you possibly use one of those favors to get me some actual weapons?" Naruto joked, "I don't think two daggers will hold up for so long."
"Hmm…" Rhea stroked her chin, "That's actually not a bad idea."
"Granny, I was joking," Naruto said with a sweatdrop going down his head.
The group then spoke about lost time and everything that had happened to Naruto on his quest. As they spoke, Naruto decided to say something he thought was important.
"Aunt Hestia, Granny Rhea, there's something I need to tell you both."
"Hmm?" Rhea asked with crossed arms, "What is it, Naru?"
Taking a deep breath, the blonde said, "While we were down there, in the Underworld, I felt something… growing in the Tartarus pit. It felt like something… ancient…"
The color from Rhea's face drained while Hestia looked to be on alert.
"Ancient? What do you mean by that?" Hestia asked with a calm smile, but she was secretly sweating on the inside.
"I don't know how to put it," Naruto confessed, "But it was just a source of negativity and malice like it was never-ending. It felt like whatever was inside, hated everything in existence."
"I-I see…" Rhea said while trying to sport a smile, "We can talk about that later."
Seeing they no longer wanted to speak about it, Naruto complied.
A few more minutes passed before Naruto asked a burning question in his mind.
"Granny, Aunty," Naruto began, "I want to say something."
"Hmm?" Hestia hummed, a common habit of hers.
"I want to tell my friends everything about me," Naruto said, "How I have chakra, how I can use it, and everything in between! I can't stand having to come up with excuses and lies!… I hate not being able to be myself…I don't want to live a lie anymore…"
Rhea sighed, fearing this would be something he would eventually want to do, "I know honey, I'm sorry you've had to lie to your friends, but that's not something we can easily do-"
"Mother, it's fine," Hestia placed a calming hand on her shoulder, "I believe it's only fair given Naru has done so much already. Besides, it is only being revealed to his close friends, not the entire Camp Half-Blood."
Rhea chewed her lip in contemplation, "I… guess we could figure it out. Maybe we could all place them in a secure room and tell them everything?"
"That's fine with me," Naruto nodded, "I just want them to know more about me, the real me."
The two women looked at each other and sighed, they would need to figure this out.
"So you've come to see me again, sister?" Zeus spoke out as he overlooked New York City atop a balcony.
"I've only come to ask how your first impression of Naruto was, brother," Hestia said lovingly.
"The truth?" Zeus looked over, "I was impressed today. His resilience to help his friends is a quality that not many share. It seems I made the right decision in allowing his presence without our land many years ago."
Hestia chuckled, "He does have a habit of impressing even the most surprising people."
"Indeed he does," Zeus laughed, "Given enough time, I might even start to like the brat."
"Careful brother," Hestia teased, "We can't have Mother hearing you say that, she might even punish you. You know how fond she is of him after all."
This made Zeus freeze momentarily, making Hestia laugh even harder. It seemed that the 'Mommy' card still worked on the king after many millenniums.
The two siblings then laughed and overlooked the city below them. The night was starting to get darker so Zeus prepared to head back inside his palace.
As he prepared to vanish, he looked over at his sister one last time.
"Hestia."
"Yes, brother?" the goddess asked while glancing over at him.
Taking in a deep sigh, Zeus made his decision, "I am removing the ban I placed on the kid from receiving any more blessings. It's clear he's not a threat as long as he's around those he loves."
"B-brother, are you sure?" Hestia asked with wide eyes, "You rarely change your mind about these kinds of things?!"
"I am," Zeus nodded while walking away, "Let us not hope I am wrong about this."
What Hestia didn't know, was that Zeus saw somebody else appear for a moment while looking at Naruto. When the blonde bowed before him on one knee, he momentarily saw his son, Heracles. Before all the glory and honor was bestowed upon him, he was once a child.
Back when he was still a boy, Heracles displayed many of the same traits Naruto did. Being selfless, brave, and compassionate was something that often showed in the young man. Before Heracles would go on and do some bad deeds in his life, he was a good man. He was his pride and joy after all, which is why his myth is still told today.
He could still remember when he would act on his friend's behalf, such as when Tyndareus lost his throne in Sparta so Heracles helped him regain it. Or when he wrestled Thanatos on behalf of his friend, Prince Admetus. Many good deeds were overshadowed by his later misdoings in life.
It was also clear that Zeus knew he could be paranoid at times, which is something that he wished Heracles didn't inherit. However, his son did show signs of the symptom from time to time, often acting on guard when meeting new people.
"Be better than Heracles…" Zeus thought in sadness, "Be better than us…be better than me…"
It was ironic that he held a great amount of hope for the future in a foreign mortal, but he did. He was only thirteen, but he was already doing great things.
In a flash of lightning, the King of Olympus was seen no more.
AND WE'RE DONE!
I hope you all enjoyed the inclusion of Melinoe in this chapter!
The little combo of fire and water is slowly stirring up!
I hope you enjoyed seeing the humane side of Zeus that we rarely ever get to see. He has to uphold a position of power and authority at all times, but I'm sure there's a secret side he doesn't display often, just like Hades.
So many moving pieces and I can't wait to expand on it moving forward!
As always, please review!
Cheers!