Welcome to another chapter of SQ: Fall of a god.

Before we begin, some housekeeping. Plenty of you have said that Naruto was useless in the fight, but remember that the mission was to extract the two demigods. NOT to wage a campaign against human mercenaries posing at teachers and monsters waiting to ambush them. Unlike Percy Jackson, Naruto's powers come at a cost to use them, a trade off to how Frank Zhang has his stick. Power comes at a cost after all, and the more he uses his power the more strong of a side effect he has to deal with.

But perhaps you should wait to see what I mean.

Nico sipped at the hot drink that Grover (a satyr so cool!) had given him as he stared at the spot where the manticore had taken his sister. He had no idea what to do, usually his sister was there to help him ever since his mom died in an explosion, but he was now alone. The hunters of Artemis were busy using the mist to alter memories of the students of the school, Thalia and Annabeth were talking to the goddess, gods and goddess were real go figure, and Grover was working with a kid bout his own age called Naruto to look for food from the kitchens to eat as rations for the student body. As for himself? He was in shock.

The day started normal enough. Rise for cardio and yoga, breakfast then classes with the rest of his grade in their uniforms. Then prep for the party with Grover and his sister while under the watch of Mr. Thorn. Nico always knew teachers were monsters but he never meant it to be real! Placing his drink to the side the young boy picked one of the scattered bones from the skeletons that had collapsed when Bianca had over the cliff with the monster. With a yell he threw the bone over the water in frustration. After a few moments watching it tumble end over end until it was out of sight, Nico placed his head between his arms and legs as tears dripped from his face.

Footfalls echoed in the snow before a figure sat down next to him. Nico didn't care if they did so as he stared and listened to the waves crashing below. He tried to stop the tears from falling but all he got was a few sniffles.

"Thou were close to thy sister?" A girls voice asked softly. A hunter then, not one of the two that trashed the school in the fighting. Nico remained quiet making the girl sigh. She was used to this, far more than she would like to admitted out loud. A negative side for one having long life.

"Thy silence is telling young one." The hunter took out a knife and began to sharpen it while she sat next to him. "I thyself know thy pain and woes of losing family."

"... Does it get easier over time?" Nico whispered as he trembled in the snow.

The Hunter shook her head. "Nay, each time hurts like a dagger in thy chest. But the first time is the worse. It is fresher and more lasting than others, more impactful. Thyself has had learned in time how to deal with the pain as has many of us in the service of m'lady Artemis."

Reaching out the hunter patted his shoulders before standing up. Nico did not join her but he was sure her eyes were on him. A rustle of clothing was followed by a hand placing a pamphlet in front of him.

"When thou are ready, take a look at this and talk to thy lady or thyself. The hunt does not often do this young one, but if thy needs someone to talk to..."

Leaving the pamphlet there the hunter began to leave.

"What's your name miss?" Nico asked softly as he picked up the item.

"Zoe Nightshade, lieutenant of the hunters of Artemis." At that, Zoe made her way to her ladies tent with a small frown on her face.

Under more normal circumstances the hunt would not attempt to recruit the young boy, as males were forbidden. However there was a few times in the history of a male joining as a hunter and becoming a female, the story of Sipriotes was one such time. Some might call her cold towards males, but after thousands of years of seeing men wage blood and pain on one another it was not easy to remember that they were once scared children that lost their way. Nico was suffering and as the child of one of the three, Hades, that made him a target by those who would seek to turn him bar that, kill him.

As she made her way to the tent a shadow in the school made her pause. It was too big to be a student, a merc?

Acting quickly in one fluid movement she notched an arrow and fired before leaping into the frame of the building to see... nothing. Zoe blinked as she looked back and forth with a frown on her face as she took out her daggers. Even if she had missed her target, her arrow would have landed somewhere but if she could not see it then-

"Is everything aright Zoe?"

Zoe cursed mentally as her lady and the two female demigods left the tent. Keeping eyes on where her arrow should have landed she gave her lady a series of taps on her daggers, to a normal human or demigod the sound wouldn't be picked up but the goddess of the hunt? It was clear like the ringing of the bells during the modern saturnalia.

She did not like to call it Christmas and she hated having to clean the moon chariot of red paint and sleigh bells each year. But her eyes narrowed at the message that Zoe sent her.

-Someone was in the building-

...

"It Would seem That one One will Be a Problem." Zetsu said as he appeared next to Tobi with a smile on his face.

"Indeed. Our benefactors will be displeased that our presence might be known sooner that expected." Looking at the arrow that his partner had given him Tobi causally snapped it. "It would seem that his warning was correct. The hunters without their goddess are strong. Perhaps C to low B rank."

"That one Is a Low A." Zetsu hissed as he stared at the the girl that had nearly shot him. Few were ever aware of his presence but he new better than to push his luck. "So, All I Have to Do is Enter this Camp-half Blood?"

Tobi was quiet as he stared through his telescope at the distant ruins of the military school. Taking his silence as confirmation, Zetsu sank into the ground to begin his mission. Ever since the Akatsuki had crossed the sea of monsters looking for Naruto they had quickly discovered that the world outside of the elemental nations wasn't like the land they hand left. Naruko was able to provide information about the cultural practices of this United States, but their youngest member was not sure if the information was accurate enough to avoid the locals attention.

Yet their employer was more than willing to help them. Tobi was no fool that she would throw them away if they did not live up to their part of the deal to help her with this little war against children and gods. Flipping a coin he knew by its warmth she was likely waiting on their process.

Taking one last look at the school he smiled as a van with the words "Delphi Strawberry Service" made it's way into the school parking lot.

...

Annabeth and Thalia watch as Artemis and Zoe talked in rapid hushed tones as they looked at a wall, one of the few that was not damaged from the fighting that happened with the ambush.

"What are they looking for?" Thalia muttered as she glanced at Annabeth who shook her head. Groaning, the daughter of Zeus rubbed a bruise on her side that was refusing to fully heal even with nectar. More damage than what the immoral drink could heal at the moment but not life threatening.

"You should stop touching your side." Artemis said over her shoulder as she traced a pattern on the wall. The goddess could feel an unfamiliar energy there, as if someone or something had phased though. Yet there was nothing like this in her long life and her other selves took note as a feral smile danced on the edges of her lips. After hundreds of years there was something new to track. "A new prey..."

"Something interesting?"

Artemis glanced over her shoulder at her old student. "Chiron, I'm surprised that you came so quickly. Here I thought I would have had to get Apollo to transport your campers safety back."

The trainer of heroes rolled his eyes with good humor as he nodded in greetings to Zoe and Annabeth. Thalia flinched as his eyes landed on her.

"So," He said slowly. "What happened?"

"Can I tell you at camp Chiron?" Thalia asked softly as she hung her head in shame. Taking her and the daughter of Athena's appearance he sighed and nodded.

"Of course. Gather everyone to the van to head back soon."

"Zoe, please gather the rest of the hunt to go with them." Artemis ordered as she stood tall.

Zoe blinked. "My lady?"

"Please Zoe." Artemis's tone hinted that the goddess would not take no for an answer. With a flash the goddess of the moon and hunt disappeared, leaving behind a confused boy standing behind her in the doorway.

"Was that really Artemis? Oh man I forgot I wanted to tell her about my friend who is also called Artemis." Naruto griped as he held up several snacks while Grover brayed behind him hoisting drinks while drenched. "I got food!"

"Only because you were worthless in the fight and those females were pissed at you for being so useless." Kyubi said as he leaned against the doorway. Naruto shot him a glare as handed Annabeth some chips. Apparently he had forgotten to warn Naruto about the trap and had hid in some corner of the school instead of helping them fight and save Nico's brother. "Any tuna? I'm starving."

Hades stared with daggers at the figure of his younger brother Zeus on the viewing deck of the empire state building. Both gods were not happy at the current situation and the shivering goddess cowering behind her father did was having a hard time with the power both immortals were giving off. Not that Hades cared at this point, Artemis's actions, or lack of, had given his daughter to father's hands.

"Stand aside Brother." The god of the underworld hissed in barely held rage as he twirled a mace in his hands. The mortals had fled the area when he had stormed the building with his helm on full power but Zeus had stopped him from storming and waging a campaign on her temple on the accursed mountain. The well being of those living there was his argument, but both knew that was barely a reason. One that Hades only agreed to in order to save face.

"You know that I can't let you harm her Hades." Lighting cracked in the sky as Zeus stared at his younger brother. Years ago he thought he had killed the last of his and his brother's spawn. Well, before he and their other brother broker their oaths. Funny how it worked out... "We have other issues at hand."

Hades snorted. "Like father risi-"

BOOM!

Hades rolled his eyes as a lighting bolt struck the railing near his head. Zeus wasn't foolish to strike him directly in a neutral location, especially when he knew that Hades coming alone in the winter wasn't normal.

"He is not coming back! The crooked one is shifting in the pit again." Zeus barked out, his power melting the ice and snow on the roof. "We should not be racing around saying the sky is falling like a chicken."

"Be that as it may," Hades refused to try and attempt to convince his brother there was a problem. It rarely worked and only afterwards the only way to get better was to get a hangover, only to have him forget because of some skirt, leggings, alcohol or some combo of the three. "Artemis is the goddess of the hunt and youths, the fact is that she couldn't use her skills to prevent an assault on her domain and hunters is telling!"

Artemis stood straighter. "I'm sorry, but I don't give you lectures on how to run your domain, Uncle! Nor shall you tell me how my hunter work!"

"No, you and the rest of you thin air breathing ilk send me requests about who should go were constantly." Hades countered with a scowl. "It was Thalia Grace who was in charge of the rescue attempt and you, brother, have proven yourself incapable of staying true to your word."

The lord of the underworld smashed a statue into rubble as he glared at the two other immortals in front of him. His ichor boiled to take action but he wasn't one to be blast happy, no he would have his vengeance in time. War and deceit he knew all too well unlike his straight forward brother. The most recent time with him losing his thunderbolt only made Hades want to curse the fates. After all, what good is a leader if he was such a foolish, horny idiot!?

"Yes it was Uncle. She was on a mission, I a hunt. A hunt now that has been interrupted by you and father, one that now my brother is having to track to make sure I don't lose the trail!"

Hades pointed at the dark red sky with narrowed eyes at at the goddess of the moon. "And now he is missing."

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