Here we are with the 2nd chapter of the story so far!
I've addressed some reviews at the bottom of this chapter, so feel free to read them!
Disclaimer: I don't own "Naruto" or "Percy Jackson & The Olympians," they belong to their respective owners.
Claiming a Warrior
Naruto walked around with Annabeth and Percy as they talked. They were slowly getting accustomed to one another, as they spoke about whatever they wanted.
For Percy, this was pretty amazing. He had finally found someone in this camp that he felt was normal enough to carry a conversation with. Besides Annabeth, who constantly ridiculed him, he could hang out with somebody his age.
As for Naruto, he was grinning as he spoke with his newfound friend. They clicked pretty easily in his opinion, as they could always find something to talk about while never keeping the air between them awkward. He also tried to include Annabeth in the conversations at times, but the girl kept herself reserved.
The trio walked side by side after the little incident with Clarisse.
"So you're telling me the pipes burst as she was messing with you?" Naruto asked with curiosity.
"They did!" Percy exclaimed, "It was so weird, but it was so cool at the same time!"
Naruto laughed, "I would have loved to see it."
"Ugh…boys…" Annabeth mumbled under her breath while shaking her head, despite the fact there was a small smile on her face.
"So where are you staying?" Percy asked his fellow friend as he walked.
"What do you mean?" Naruto questioned back.
"Did Chiron not tell you?" Annabeth interjected, "Everyone gets placed in a cabin representing their godly parent, it's how you know where to stay. Depending on who your godly parent is, depends on where you stay after they've claimed you."
"Oh…" Naruto thought with worry, not knowing how this would turn out for him, given he wasn't originally from this world or a demigod.
Annabeth, mistaking Naruto's expression as that of somebody who didn't know their godly parent, tried her best to cheer him up. "Don't worry if you don't know yet, most kids get claimed soon enough."
"Right," Naruto nodded his head, "I'm sure I'll find out soon."
"Yo, Percy!" Hearing a voice in the distance, all three turned their heads to find the source. The person slowly made their way over, which revealed it was a satyr.
"Grover!" Percy yelled back, "Come meet our new friend!"
Walking over, Grover walked over on his hooves with a smile on his face. He seemed to be in a good mood.
"How's it going man?!" Grover looked at Naruto, "Name's Grover!"
Naruto chuckled at his easy-going nature, "Nice to meet you Grover, I'm Naruto Uzumaki!"
"Woah, that's a unique name," Grover said, "But that's pretty cool!"
"So he's a satyr," Naruto confirmed in his head while looking at Grover, "Aunt Hestia said they were known to be rude, but Grover seemed pretty laid back so far."
As for Grover, he seemed to take a few sniffs out of nowhere. He did it for a few more moments before his eyes locked onto Naruto, "Why does he smell so much like…nature?"
Deciding to change the subject for now, Grover put those thoughts to the side.
"If you don't mind me asking Naruto," Grover began while tilting his head in question, "Are you a child of Apollo? You have the blonde hair like most of his kids?"
Seeing that all eyes were on him, Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, "I'm not sure, I don't know my… godly parent so to say."
Grover nodded in sympathy, "No worries man, I'm sure you'll find out soon. All the kids here do in some way or another."
"Unless you in the Hermes cabin…" mumbled Percy under his breath, but Naruto was able to hear him.
"Why do you say that?" asked the blonde.
Seeing that he was caught, Percy decided to let the cat out of the bag, "Well if you aren't claimed by the time you come to camp, you stay in the Hermes cabin until you find out. The thing is, some kids go without being claimed for years."
Annabeth grimaced at this revelation, "He's right, most kids stay there since Hermes is a god of travelers, so he doesn't mind picking up other kids. However, it is overcrowded and we've been trying to come up with a solution for a while now."
"Only the kids of Athena would try to solve something without being asked," Grover joked.
"Kids of Athena?" Naruto contemplated while looking over Annabeth. "Hmmm…I could see that. That actually makes sense the more I think about it."
Looking over at Percy, Naruto asked, "So is that where you're staying?"
Percy nodded with a frown, "Unfortunately, I'm sleeping on the floor because it's so crowded in there."
"Are you his child or unclaimed?" Naruto asked.
"Unclaimed," Percy answered while crossing his arms, "Although I wouldn't be surprised if I was never claimed, I don't exactly have a relationship with my…godly parent."
Naruto winced while thinking to himself, "Damn…so many kids had it rough. I'm very lucky to be raised by Granny and Aunt Hestia…" These moments opened his eyes to the rough treatment most demigods face.
"Enough about that!" Grover clasped his hands together, "I heard the volleyball field is going to have some open slots, we should all go join! Plus, we can go get dinner together after!"
Percy and Naruto nodded, both intrigued to join. Annabeth simply sighed but decided to follow the pair as well. She would rather read her book while sitting in the stands, but she didn't mind joining them.
Plus, this would be a great way for Naruto to have some fun.
"Attention campers, we have a new addition!" Chiron announced as he walked into the Hermes cabin.
All the kids inside turned to look at their instructor.
Naruto then walked to the side of the centaur, revealing himself. Chiron then placed one hand on his shoulder, "This is Naruto Uzumaki, and until he is claimed, he will be staying here."
A collective groan was heard, as each camper inside realized they would have to make space for another kid. It was already cramped, and adding more kids would not be beneficial for anyone.
"He looks like a kid of Apollo!" One camper shouted out, "Just lump him over there!"
Some seemed to be in favor of this idea, with many agreeing.
Chiron shook his head, "Until he is claimed, Naruto will stay here, end of discussion." Putting his hoof down as a sign of authority, the centaur gave the blonde some supplies. Being handed a sleeping bag, a few water bottles, and other items, Chiron wished Naruto a good night.
As he walked out, another older kid came up to the blonde. "Nice to meet you Naruto, my name is Luke! I'm the Head Counselor here at the Hermes cabin!"
Getting a look at the older kid, Naruto assumed he looked to be around eighteen or nineteen given his appearance. He had sandy blonde hair, blue eyes, and a small scar on his cheek. He didn't seem to hold any malicious intent, but Naruto felt uneasy around him for some reason.
"Naruto!"
Hearing a shout, both boys turned their heads to see Percy come out of the crowded sleeping area of the cabin.
"Percy!" Naruto responded with a smile, happy to see his friend once more.
The trio then spoke for a few minutes, while Luke kept an easy smile on his face the entire time. He then decided it was time for bed, given the sun had set a while ago.
"Well, Naruto," Luke began, "Feel free to take any open spot you can find, sorry about the clutter by the way."
"Actually, I saved you a spot over by me!" Percy said excitedly.
Nodding his head, Luke bid them both farewell before going back to his sleeping quarters.
"Why did he feel so…malicious?" Naruto wondered as he stared at the retreating form of the teenager.
"C'mon! I have a pretty sweet set-up over here!" Percy said while leading the way.
Naruto followed and ended up placing his belongings next to Percy. Both kids were located near a corner of the cabin, with a window placed above their heads.
Percy warned that some kids of Hermes like to steal, so Naruto kept a close eye on his things. He didn't want to get robbed while asleep.
As both boys spoke about their own respective lives, they learned a lot about each other. For one, Percy learned that Naruto was raised by his Aunt and Grandmother before being sent here. Naruto was adopted as a baby which he didn't mind.
As for Naruto, he learned that Percy lived with his mother, Sally. He was even told that Percy's mother married a despicable man, Gabe, to hide Percy's scent as a child. She didn't want any monsters to come after her child.
This made Naruto sad, as he didn't understand why any Olympian would allow their spouse to fend for themselves or have to degrade themselves to protect their child. If you were an all-powerful Greek god, why not provide in some capacity? Why did they have to always abandon their child?
On top of that, why was the child then expected to fight for their godly parent? It didn't make much sense in his mind, and things needed to change.
However, he decided to keep those thoughts to himself, as he didn't want to put Percy in an even worse mood than he was while recounting his life story. He eventually learned that Sally ended up passing away while Percy killed the monster that took her life, the Minotaur, at the Camp's entrance.
It made Naruto feel a lot of sympathy for his friend, whom he vowed he would help for as long as he could.
Eventually, both boys went to sleep, but not before Naruto looked out the window one last time. This would be one of the first nights he would sleep without any of his family around. But as time went on, it was getting easier to handle being away.
He would admit that he felt slightly homesick the first night in the woods, but now, it was getting better. He was becoming his person, in his own way.
"I'll make you proud, Granny Rhea, Aunt Hestia…" he vowed in his mind while staring out the window into the moon. Eventually, he rolled over and entered Morpheus's realm.
Naruto was the first to awake in the morning, used to this because of his training routine. As he woke up, he brushed his teeth and changed into some training clothes. It seemed that his Grandmother had packed some jeans, a long-sleeved black t-shirt, and training shoes which were black & brown. He was also given a ruby necklace. He placed each article of jewelry and clothing on his body, which all snugly fit.
After finishing his morning habits, Naruto decided it would be a good time to open the scroll his grandmother packed him before coming to camp.
Sitting by the wall, he opened up the scroll and was surprised to see everything inside. It started with text at the top.
"Naru, if you're reading this, then that means you've opened up the scroll while at Camp Half-Blood and not anytime earlier since this was charmed. Below are different categories of techniques I gathered, which you can learn at your own pace. I wanted you to be able to freely decide your training progression, but if you need a schedule, feel free to let your Granny know!
All you have to do is pour your chakra in whatever seal you want, and it will pop out a book, scroll, or parchment about those techniques! Don't lose them!
The ruby necklace inside your backpack is also made from a special type of material that can contain the Kyuubi inside should it ever run rampant. Think of it like a fail-safe in case it tries to take over your body. Of course, me and Hestia already enchanted it as well!
Don't forget to visit!
Fire Release Techniques:
Wind Release Technique:
Water Rel…"
Naruto looked down the scroll to see there was a seal located under each category, which he assumed meant it held the respective knowledge. As he read towards the bottom of the scroll, however, he came across something interesting. There was something labeled as, "Fuinjutsu" which piqued his interest.
Over his time reading with Aunt Hestia, Naruto had learned the language of his homeland. This meant he knew what Fuinjutsu translated into, which was "Sealing Techniques."
Now, normally, Naruto wouldn't jump to such an advanced topic right away. However, he decided to spice up his normal training routine. He already had a grasp on chakra control, elemental ninjutsu, and even some hand-to-hand combat. Why shouldn't he try something new for once?
Seeing that most people in the cabin were still asleep and snoring, Naruto made up his mind. Placing his hand on the scroll, Naruto poured a small amount of chakra where the Fuinjutsu seal was.
Instantly, a small 'poof' was heard with a book falling into his lap. Startled, Naruto jumped up to see if anybody had awoken from the small commotion, only to realize that the only person who stirred was Percy. However, he assumed it was because Percy was right next to him.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Naruto put the scroll away in his backpack for now while he read the book. It was titled in Kanji, so only he could read it for now.
The title, once translated into English, stated: "The Guide on Sealing Techniques – From Beginner to Expert."
Opening the book to the first page, Naruto began reading the contents inside. He became lost in the world of seals, being amazed at what only a few lines of Kanji and some chakra could do. Not only were the possibilities endless, but he could slowly grasp how the Kyuubi was sealed inside of him now.
Whenever he would use his chakra, a black swirl would appear on his stomach. Once he found out it was the seal containing back the Kyuubi, he didn't think much of it. But now, he was understanding the science behind the seal.
Naruto stuck to the beginner section of the book so far, as the other sections used terms he wasn't completely familiar with just yet.
As he flipped from page to page, Naruto realized the book provided examples, theories, and other topics related to Fuinjutsu. There were seals he could replicate in real life to see if they worked.
Realizing this, he shuffled through the book once more, only to see a calligraphy kit fall out. It seemed the book came with a starter set, so people could learn as they went.
Placing the book on the floor, Naruto grabbed the piece of parchment paper and ink pen, before trying his best at replicating a beginner seal. This seal was meant to hold items, such as the seals on the scroll his Grandmother gave him.
After putting together what he thought was correct, he tried pouring chakra inside only for nothing to happen. Looking over once again, he noticed that his lines were slightly crooked.
"Wow…so just one simple mistake…" Naruto thumbed the lines that he drew, "…will make the entire thing useless. There is such a specific art to this…"
It was clear it would take time to learn this.
Percy groaned as he awoke, feeling the sun's rays hit his face from the window above. He sat up and stretched, only to hear some scribbling beside him.
Turning over, he saw his friend hunched over and drawing on a piece of parchment paper. His hands were steady and he could see that he was completely focused on the task.
"What are you doing?" Percy asked.
Not taking his eyes off of the Kanji he was writing, Naruto answered back, "Just something I've been practicing, it's a hobby of mine." He hated that he had to lie to his friend, but he wasn't sure how he would explain it.
He couldn't just outright say, "Oh yeah, I'm working on something that's only exclusive from my home world! You wouldn't understand, it's from another pantheon!"
That would get him in a world of trouble, so instead, he made up the lie on the spot. Thankfully, it seemed that Percy bought it as he got out of bed and made his way into the bathroom. Hearing the shower turn on, Naruto could guess what Percy was planning on doing.
Leaning back, Naruto could see that despite his extra effort, his lines were still slightly wobbly. Huffing in disappointment, Naruto decided to put it all away for now. It seemed that he needed extra practice in this field if he wanted to get better at it.
Percy then walked out of the shower with a towel wrapped around his waist. Gathering some clothes, he went back in and changed into jeans, a blue t-shirt, and some gray sneakers.
"Ready for today campers!" shouted out Luke to the cabin, as he emerged in the middle of the room.
"Hoorah!" Shouted out the kids in excitement.
Seeing his friend walk back over, Naruto whispered over to him, "Uhh… what's today?"
Percy shrugged, also confused by this announcement.
"Today, we train!" the Hermes kids seemed to be excited by this announcement. "Tomorrow, we win Capture the Flag!"
Another round of cheers sounded off inside the cabin.
Camp Half-Blood – Training Grounds
As Percy and Naruto stood to the side of the training fields, they both thought of different things.
"I'm screwed," Naruto deadpanned while looking at the swordplay going around. He was not proficient in any kind of swordsmanship at all.
"I'm going to crush this!" Percy thought with excitement, clearly giddy to get out on the field.
"What are you two boys doing over here?" Annabeth questioned as she walked up to them, "You know the training is happening over there, right?" she pointed over at the kids sparring.
"I'm still new to this, so I don't know how to join," Naruto claimed sheepishly. Percy nodded, also along the same train of thought.
"Well, then we'll assign you training partners," Luke said as he appeared behind Annabeth. The girl turned around and gained a slight blush on her face at the sight of the teenager.
"Percy, you're with me," Luke said while looking at the dark-haired boy, "Naruto, you take Annabeth here."
Both boys nodded and went off with their respective partners. As they walked, Naruto looked over to see Annabeth was lost in thought.
Arriving at the armory, she said, "Feel free to grab anything in here, it'll be used when we train."
Looking around, Naruto didn't feel like anything called out to him. He glanced over at a spear and shook his head, feeling it wasn't his type.
Seeing a longsword, Naruto picked it up, only to put it back down. Once again, it just didn't feel right in his hands.
That was until he looked at something in the corner of the armory. Walking over, he crouched down and picked up a pair of daggers. They were short but durable and glowed a dark bronze. The handle felt comfortable in his hand and he liked the weight of it.
"I like these," Naruto commented while making the daggers hop in his hand.
"Good," Annabeth nodded, "While most people use swords, daggers aren't too bad. I have a knife that is similar in size."
Grabbing a vest, Annabeth tossed it to Naruto who caught it, "Put that on, it's just an extra layer of protection while sparring."
Nodding, Naruto slipped it on and made sure it was snug. As they walked out of the armory, both individuals found an empty spot on the training grounds.
"So this is Celestial Bronze," Naruto thought while looking at his daggers, "It shouldn't hurt me technically since I'm a mortal, but I don't know if having Aunt Hestia's and Granny Rhea's blessings negate that."
Seeing Annabeth ready herself with a short sword in her left hand, showing that was most likely her dominant hand.
Despite his thoughts, Naruto readied himself regardless. He was about to find out if Celestial Bronze could cut him or not. Placing both daggers in a reverse grip, he slipped into a stance that he read about in those books with his Aunt Hestia.
If he remembered correctly, the reverse grip was meant to hit vital organs quickly and end a fight right away. Of course, he wouldn't aim for Annabeth's vital organs and instead be more passive with his attacks.
"So can you tell me why we're using actual steel instead of something like… wood?" Naruto questioned while keeping his eyes locked on his opponent.
"Because that would be less fun, besides," Annabeth said while raising her short sword, "We demigods have to be ready for life and death battles at all times."
Naruto nodded while keeping his eyes ready.
"This spar will end when someone is disarmed, someone yields, someone is incapacitated, or it becomes too lethal," Annabeth stated.
Understanding the rules, Naruto gripped the two daggers a little tighter in his hands.
"Now, show me what you got newbie!" Annabeth shouted before rushing the blonde.
To his credit, Naruto did keep up at first. Annabeth swung her sword methodically, always swinging with a purpose in mind.
Ducking under the first swing, Naruto raised his right dagger into the air. He aimed to cut Annabeth's arm, but she was ready for that as well. Shifting her weight backward, Naruto's swing barely missed her arm by centimeters, but it missed.
Now that he was wide open, Annabeth delivered an overhead slash that Naruto was able to block with both daggers, hearing a loud 'clang' from the two metals connecting.
Seeing that she wouldn't win the power struggle for now, Annabeth decided to fall back. Using this moment, Naruto decided to play on his speed. Given he was using lighter weapons, he should theoretically be fast enough to dance around Annabeth.
And he was right.
Leaning to the left, he barely avoided being cut by a slash, which he repaid by leaving a small cut just above her right elbow.
Dodging another slash by jumping to the right, he gave a quick nick to Annabeth's side, causing her to grunt in pain.
However, he seemed to get a little too cocky and didn't notice that Annabeth also decided to up the speed. It seemed she was holding back.
Not ready for a sword to come swinging at his face with such speed, Naruto leaned his head back only to have a few strands of red and blonde hair come off. He could see Annabeth smirk, clearly she was trying to set the pace of the duel.
She swung for the left side of his ribs, which required him to block the blow with his left dagger. He was able to manage this, but he grit his teeth at the force he was required to use.
Now this made Naruto worry if he was being honest with himself. He theoretically should have been strong enough, if not stronger, than Annabeth. He was older and trained himself for years, but it seemed she had him beat in experience. Not only was Annabeth proficient with her weapon, but she also strategized by letting the blonde believe he was setting the pace when in reality, she was leading him into a false sense of security.
Even if he was stronger than her, it was clear Annabeth knew how to use the right amount of force, momentum, velocity, and power in each swing of her sword. Sometimes, having the right technique could beat out any amount of strength from the opponent.
It was skill vs raw power, and right now, raw power was losing.
The next few seconds were not enjoyable for the blonde, as he was on the defensive. The constant slashes and barrages from Annabeth made him sweat and he had a hard time blocking each blow. It looked like she was trying to tire him out given her smirk.
However, for once, Naruto smiled mentally. While he may not have the proper technique right now, he knew he had more stamina. He was confident he could outlast her if needed.
Stamina was one of the few things Naruto could claim he excelled in, ever since he was a young child.
It was proven true when it seemed that Annabeth was starting to lose steam, given that she was breathing harder and had a few strands of her hair flying in front of her face. While she was tiring out from her constant barrage, Naruto slowly got into the rhythm of the battle.
"It almost looks like…." Annabeth thought, "He's… adapting to the fight!"
Annabeth thought this spar would be over in seconds if she was being honest, given that Naruto had only arrived at camp the day before. However, he was giving her trouble despite the fact it looked like this was his first time fighting with daggers.
She was using the advantage of having real-life combat experience to win, but it seemed even that was slowly dwindling the more it dragged on.
Eventually, someone had to lose… and they did.
Naruto had slowly lost his panicked look and felt more comfortable as the fight went on. He didn't know if it was nerves or if he was coming up with strategies on the fly, but he was learning.
He found out that Annabeth had a habit of telegraphing her movements. Whenever she would go in for a certain attack, she would give off a distinct element.
After picking up on that, it was all downhill from here. Seeing that she was going in for another overhead slash, he decided to try and end the spar.
Instead of dodging or blocking, Naruto did a little bit of both. He braced himself and let Annabeth's sword connect with the blade of his right dagger. After catching the sword, he flung his arm out to the side, causing the sword to go with it.
This made Annabeth's eyes widen in surprise, feeling herself get off balance. His arm had essentially been swung to the side.
In that same moment, Naruto gave a slash to her wrist holding the sword with his left dagger. This momentary flash of pain caused Annabeth to drop her sword, which was the biggest mistake of the spar.
Seeing the weapon fall in slow motion, Naruto advanced and pointed his left dagger at her neck while his right one was focused on her side.
"Do you yield?" Naruto asked with a serious tone.
Annabeth, who was panting and feeling sweat go down the side of her head, gave a defeated smile, "I do."
Smiling, Naruto dropped his daggers to his side and sighed. He was starting to feel exhausted towards the end of their spar.
Hearing a loud 'clang' to the side, both turned over to see Percy standing over a fallen Luke. It seemed that just like Naruto, Percy had also disarmed Luke's sword with his own.
"Those two new kids just won at the same time!" some kid from the Hephaestus cabin yelled out, seeing both outcomes.
However, unlike Naruto who was barely breathing hard, it seemed that Percy was full-on tired. It looked like he had to work a lot more to get his win.
"Congratulations, Percy," Luke smiled while standing up, "Looks like you have some good beginner's luck."
Percy had just learned the disarming technique from Luke before both had gone at it. In his own opinion, Percy felt like the sword just felt right in his hand. He really liked practicing swordsmanship.
Naruto smiled, happy to see that both he and his friend were doing alright so far.
Camp Half-Blood – Dining Pavillion
Naruto watched as many other campers donated portions of their food to the campfire. He was told by Luke that campers do this to respect their godly parent, and the Olympians like the smell of burnt food.
He didn't know how accurate this was, but he just accepted it was part of the Camp's tradition. He even watched as Percy gave away his mashed potatoes as a tribute to whoever was his godly parent.
Deciding to follow in their lead, Naruto walked over and decided to throw his steak, which was the main part of his meal, into the fire. He didn't have a problem with it, as the other side portions would be able to fill his belly.
"Here's to you, Granny Rhea and Aunt Hestia," Naruto muttered in his mind while the fire crackled on. "I made it to camp safely, thank you both for everything…"
He could speak to his Aunt Hestia through the flame if he wanted to due to her blessing but decided against it. He could always speak to her later, away from prying eyes. His ruby necklace glowed just a little brighter for a split second as the fire consumed the steak.
Sitting back down at the Hermes table, Naruto ate the remaining portions of his food along with the other campers.
Percy looked over, surprised, "Dude, you just gave away the main part of your meal!"
Even Luke looked perplexed, "Percy's right, why give away the largest part of your dinner?"
Naruto shrugged, "I don't think it's that big of a deal. They get their offering and I still get to eat anyway, it's a win-win situation."
"I guess so," Luke hummed while drinking out of a goblet full of soda.
Percy sipped his respective water while Naruto drank lemonade, just like his aunt used to make.
"So, are you both ready for the Capture the Flag game tomorrow?" Luke asked.
Naruto and Percy looked at each other before shrugging.
Luke laughed at this, "Well, I was hoping you both would want to join us."
"What are the teams?" Percy asked.
"It's a series of cabins versus the others. It's Hermes, Apollo, and Athena on one team while the other has Ares, Demeter, Aphrodite, and Hephaestus."
"Why does the other side have more cabins?" Naruto asked.
"It's to make up for the numbers since Apollo, Hermes, and Athena cabins have the most amount of kids. So the other cabins are used to help combat this," Luke answered while wiping his mouth with a napkin.
"Ahh, I see," Naruto said while blinking.
After a few seconds of silence, the blonde decided to speak up, "Well, I don't have a problem with it. I wouldn't mind joining in."
Percy nodded, clearly not minding either.
"Perfect," Luke clapped, "Get ready for tomorrow then, It'll be hectic."
Just like that, they were now on an official side.
The next day had come far too fast for Naruto's liking. One moment they were having dinner, the next, they were preparing for a Capture the Flag game.
In his opinion, they took this game far too seriously. However, he could also see why they did so at the same time.
While it was a simple game, it was also meant as a way to live through a war simulation. They were essentially in live combat and had to make decisions on the fly, like a real-life war.
It was also a way to help relieve the campers who thirsted for combat, like those in the Ares cabin. Having these games helped them legally fight other campers without fear of repercussion.
Despite this, Chiron did place certain limits on these games as he did not want it to become a blood bath. Some of these rules included no maiming, killing, or seriously injuring another fellow camper.
Some campers did not follow these rules very well, so Chiron was often on high alert and overlooked these games. He would not directly interfere unless needed.
Right now, both teams were at their home base discussing strategy. In a few minutes, a loud noise would blare, signaling the start of the game.
It seemed that Annabeth was taking charge of strategizing for their team, as she was surrounded by her fellow campers. Everyone agreed she was their best chance at winning, given she was very good at making plans. Even Luke allowed her to lead him.
Naruto kept a close ear on her words.
"In summary, Luke will lead a certain pack from the Hermes cabin while Sarah here will lead another," Annabeth stated. Sarah was a fellow sister in the Athena cabin, and she would lead a secondary force.
"While they are both out searching for our opponent's flag, we will leave a small defensive force here in case our flag is found first."
A kid in the crowd raised their hand and spoke, "Umm excuse me, but why is it only a small amount of kids staying behind?"
"Because we need more numbers on the offensive, and our flag is already secured geographically," Annabeth answered. It was true, their flag was located atop a hill that was rather tedious to reach if not careful.
While it wasn't specifically steep, you could slip and fall if not careful. There was also a nearby creak with rocks towards the side of the hill.
"Percy, Naruto," Hearing his name, the blonde perked up, "You both will stay here with the defensive group. I will be joining Sarah's group, so you both will be in charge while I'm gone."
That earned some displeased grumbles from other campers, clearly not satisfied at having to follow the orders of the new kids. However, in Annabeth's mind, they had earned their right of combat during training. Furthermore, nobody who stayed behind was of particular leadership quality in her opinion, which is why she left it up to the two kids she knew best.
"Got it," Naruto stated while Percy simply nodded. They were both dressed for combat and ready to go.
Percy had a sword he picked out of the armory while Naruto kept the two daggers he used while sparring with Annabeth.
Hearing a loud noise in the distance within the woods, Annabeth straightened up, "Positions people, let's go out and win this thing!"
A loud chant of agreement rang out before everybody moved out. They all had their orders.
"Okay, I'm bored," Percy huffed out as he sat on the hill alongside Naruto. Both boys were trying to pass the time.
It had been about fifteen minutes since the beginning of the game, and they had seen no other campers in that time. Besides the occasional yells and clashing of steel they could hear, nothing exciting was happening.
However, maybe it was for the best this way. They were still new to this world and avoiding a possible clash would work in their favor. It seemed that Annabeth found a really good spot to hide their flag, given nobody on the enemy team located it yet.
The other campers left behind were also bored. Naruto could see some kids from the Apollo and Hermes cabin sitting around the hill with them, finding different things to do.
Two Hermes kids were taking a nap while an Apollo kid was skipping stones by the creak. It was clear everybody here was bored.
In total, it seemed there were fourteen of them, with him and Percy included. It wasn't that big of a defensive force.
As they sat around, Naruto started to feel uneasy. For some reason, deep inside, he felt like an opposing force was heading their way. He didn't know if he was sensing anybody, but just in case, he called out.
"Everybody, stay on alert!" the blonde shouted out while standing up at the same time.
This earned him some stares, but they listened regardless. The Apollo kid skipping rocks stopped and started walking up the hill. The two Hermes kids jolted awake but they did stand up to look around.
Even Percy looked startled, but he also stood up and glanced around. For a few moments, nothing happened. There was no rustling of the trees, no footsteps being heard, or anything similar.
Just before some of the Hermes kids were about to call Naruto out, they saw Clarisse emerge from the woods. She was leading a force of about twenty kids.
Once she broke through the treeline, she gave a smile that sent shivers down Percy's spine. It was clear she had found what she wanted.
"Apollo cabin, stay atop the hill and provide firing support!" Naruto began giving orders, "We will need help taking out as many campers since we are outnumbered!"
This immediately made everyone scramble to their position, not caring if a newbie was giving the orders.
As for Clarisse, she didn't want her enemy to organize. "CHARGE!" she yelled out. "JACKSON IS MINE!"
With a loud yell, the kids behind Clarisse raced forward to the flag atop the hill.
"Hermes cabin, provide a defensive line and keep your eyes peeled! Avoid getting double or triple teamed!" Naruto shouted while seeing his enemies approach, "We need to hold them off as long as possible!"
Nodding their heads, the kids from the Hermes cabin readied themselves. Many of them looked worried, but kept their calm at seeing Naruto take charge. It was always easier to fight when you had a noticeable leader.
"Wow," Percy thought while looking over at his friend, "I couldn't even begin to think of any plan right now…Naruto really is a leader."
Taking out his daggers, Naruto looked over at Percy, "If you plan to fight Clarisse, be careful. It's clear she has it out for you. I'll help when I can, for now, I'll support the Hermes cabin in holding them off."
Nodding his head, Percy watched as his friend ran off to help. Looking back over, he saw Clarisse running at him with her signature spear. He took a deep breathe before meeting the girl in the middle.
Naruto grunted as he avoided another spear flying at his head, courtesy of an Ares cabin member. It was a boy who frowned at clearly seeing his object miss it's target.
Before Naruto could attack, it seemed another Hermes kid did. Mike, if he remembered correctly, tackled the Ares kid from the side and both were sent stumbling down the hill.
Hearing arrows fly behind him, Naruto turned around to see about six Apollo kids with their bows out, providing cover fire. However, he could tell they were shaking and didn't seem confident about their accuracy.
Trying to provide a boost of morale support, he shouted out, "Only shoot when you have an open shot! We don't want to accidentally shoot our teammates!"
Seeing them nod, he also added, "Take a deep breathe, ready your aim and fire!"
He couldn't fault them for being nervous, after all, they all seemed to be younger than him. Combat was always scary to any child.
Hearing footsteps, Naruto turned to see an Ares kid charge at him with a shield and sword. The two then began to enter a dance of combat.
As Naruto ducked and dodged each slash sent at him, he was secretly testing something. He wanted to see the reaction time of this kid, how fast could he bring his shield up? How quickly could he block a blow?
To test this, Naruto threw out some feints to catch him off guard. Every-time he went for a fatal slash and the kid blocked, he mentally kept count. After a few seconds of doing this, he felt like he had a good read on his opponent.
Naruto then did something that would earn him a bit of a reputation for being unpredictable.
Seeing his opponent raise his daggers, the Ares kid readied himself for another close encounter. Instead, he was surprised to see a dagger fly straight at his face. He didn't think of this outcome, as this would intentionally crutch Naruto due to the fact he would only have one dagger as a weapon.
Blocking the blow with his shield, the Ares kid grunted due to the force behind the impact. It seemed the blonde kid had some strength in his arms after all.
Unknown to him, the dagger thrown at him had some chakra enhanced with it. Naruto didn't know if chakra would hold in Celestial Bronze, but he was happy it worked mid-fight.
Seeing the shield dent from the impact, Naruto made his move. At the same moment his attack was blocked, he moved inside his opponent's guard. Swinging his right arm around, Naruto aimed for his opponent's face.
Once again, however, the Ares kid was able to block this with his shield. While the dagger was poking over his shield, Naruto's arm was held back.
Grinning to himself, the Ares cabin member was about to strike only to be baffled at what happened.
Naruto purposely dropped the dagger, letting it fall.
As it fell, however, he caught it with his left hand. The dagger fell into his open palm and he used it to slash at the bicep of his opponent.
The attack was far too quick for the Ares kid to react, which was the whole purpose of testing his reaction time.
This caused the kid to drop his shield due to being unable to hold it with his bicep slashed. It was not a big slash, but it was deep enough to draw blood.
With his entire left side open now, Naruto delivered a hard right hook into his enemy's jaw. He even used some chakra to enhance the blow.
This made the Ares kid, despite his durability, knock out cold onto the grass. He fell back and didn't move, clearly unconscious.
Hearing a roar behind him, Naruto turned around to see yet another Ares cabin member charge at him. This time, the kid held a spear.
Naruto dodged the first two attacks sent his way, but he underestimated the length of the spear given he hadn't fought anything similar to it before. With a hard jab, his dagger was knocked out of his remaining hand, leaving him weaponless.
Smirking, the Ares kid dashed forward and kept on trying to poke his opponent. Both kids did their respective dances, with one dodging and the other attacking.
Seeing an opening, Naruto leaned his body to the side for the spear to stab the air once again. However, this time, he timed it perfectly so he could grab onto it before it retracted.
Placing both hands around the spear point, he yanked hard.
This caused the Ares kid to stumble forward, right into a knee. It smacked into his bottom jaw and he dropped like a sack of potatoes.
Taking a sigh of relief, Naruto looked around to see that most of the Hermes kids were surprisingly holding their own. He supposed they were better suited to combat because of Luke's constant training.
Looking over to the hill, he saw that all of the Apollo children were still trying their best to provide support, but they were running out of arrows. Despite this, he could see that they were landing their shots more constantly.
Deciding their flag wasn't in immediate danger, he looked for Percy instead. He eventually found his friend, but wasn't happy at the sight.
Clarisse and Percy were fighting by the nearby creek, on a bed of gravel. They were only feet away from the water. Percy looked like he got in a few good slashes and bruises on Clarisse, but she had disarmed him with her electric spear in the end.
Now, standing over him, Clarisse gave a smirk that showed she was very happy at their positions. There was a deep gash on Percy's arm that was leaking blood, something that she didn't care about.
Wanting to give his friend an opening, Naruto made his move. Finding one of his daggers in the soft grass, he threw it straight at Clarisse.
To her credit, Clarisse had good battle instincts. Hearing a 'whooshing' noise through the air, she turned to see a dagger flying at her. In a split second, she was barely able to bring up her spear to let it bang off, falling onto the ground.
Percy looked over to see that Naruto had thrown the item, clearly trying to help him.
Naruto was trying to create an opening for his friend by causing a distraction, but he could only do so much while he was still far away. Throwing his second dagger, Clarisse once again blocked it with her spear.
However, this time, Percy took advantage of this by grabbing his sword on the gravel and swinging it towards his enemy.
Once again, Clarisse's battle-sharpened instincts saved her once more. Leaning back, she avoided a slash and delivered a strong kick to Percy's chest. The force of it was so strong, it made him fly back into the nearby water.
He landed with a loud splash.
Before she could advance on the fallen boy once more, a loud horn was blown in the distance. It symbolized the end of the game, somebody had won.
Naruto looked over, hoping to see that their flag wasn't taken. To his joy, their flag still stood proudly, protected by the Apollo cabin kids.
"LUKE CASTELLAN HAS WON THE GAME FOR HIS TEAM!" Chiron announced for all to hear, "ALL CAMPERS, PLEASE RETURN AT ONCE AND CEASE FIGHTING!"
With this announcement, it was like a switch was flipped. Certain campers that were fighting, stopped at once and sighed in relief. Others helped kids up and gathered their weapons.
Clarisse snarled, obviously unhappy she had to stop her fight as well as losing the game. Her revenge may have cost them the win.
Naruto felt relieved that they won. He walked over towards Clarisse and picked up both daggers he threw at her. After retrieving them both, he stood up to see the Ares girl give him a passive look.
He looked behind her to see Percy arise out of the water, with a fully healed arm. Before he could think about it any longer, he heard Clarisse speak to him.
"Nice throw," she grunted out. Normally, she wouldn't be caught complimenting anybody, but as a child of the war god, she could respect combat skills. Naruto's accuracy was really good for as far as he was, especially being able to replicate it with both daggers.
Blushing in embarrassment at not expecting the compliment, Naruto thanked her, "Thank you…you have a…nice spear too…"
Raising an eyebrow, Clarisse spoke, "… thanks…I guess…"
"She is really pretty up close…" Naruto said, "…I just wish she wasn't so mean…"
"Uhh… are you okay?" the Ares girl asked, "You keep staring at me?"
Feeling he was failing at talking to the girl, Naruto blurted out, "Sorry! It's just that you have a pretty face!"
The girl blinked at hearing this.
Once again, the blonde blurted out, "I mean, it's not like you have an ugly face, I just mean tha-"
Clarisse laughed at seeing his flustered expression. This put the blonde at ease, happy that at least he wasn't making a complete fool of himself.
The campers on both sides then began walking into the clearing, seeing as Chiron was waiting for everybody to appear.
Suddenly, everybody heard some sinister howls in the distance. As they turned their heads, they all saw something that made their hearts drop.
"Those are hellhounds!" Naruto thought in worry, not expecting to see the monsters. He remembered seeing similar photos when reading about Greek mythology with his aunt.
There, snarling and growling, stood three different hellhounds. They were clearly in the mood for blood, as they all rushed Percy while ignoring every other camper there.
Without even thinking, Naruto pushed Clarisse to the side and rushed forward to help his friend. His body reacted before his mind could catch up.
Percy was pounced upon by one hellhound, which he held back with his hands. Its jaw was snapping only inches away.
Naruto was able to grab his daggers and throw them at the other two hellhounds. To his surprise, one of the hellhounds seemed to have sentient thought and dodged the blade. The other dagger entered the neck of the monster and caused it to disintegrate.
"Do they instinctively know to be wary of Celestial Bronze?" Naruto thought while seeing one of his daggers miss.
The blonde then saw an arrow fly at the hellhound who dodged his dagger, but this arrow flew much faster than his attack did. It landed on the forehead of the monster and caused it to disintegrate right away.
As for the hellhound holding down Percy, it was killed when Percy was able to grab his sword that was nearby and slash the monster in two. The weird thing is that he didn't even have to search for the sword in the water, instead, he just knew where it was in proximity to him.
Taking a sigh of relief, Naruto saw Chiron walk over with a serious expression on his face. He then said, "Monsters cannot attack us from the outside thanks to our magical barriers… someone must have summoned them from inside."
This surprised the blonde, was somebody secretly trying to kill Percy?
Before Chiron could continue, everybody heard a small hum appear above Percy's head. He had managed to stand up with the water coming up to his knees.
"It can't be…" Chiron whispered out.
"What?" Percy asked, seeing all eyes on him, "What happened?"
"Dude," Naruto pointed out, "Look above you."
Looking up, Percy saw a hologram of a green trident appear above his head. Staring back down, he saw all the cabins kneel to him, including Annabeth, Grover, Chiron, and Luke. The only person who didn't kneel to him was Naruto, who stood there bewildered.
Chiron said with closed eyes, "Hail Perseus Jackson, son of the sea god Poseidon."
"My father is… Poseidon?" Percy whispered to himself. Deep down inside, it made sense to him, why he had such a close relationship with water.
"Earthshaker, Father of Heroes, and Stormbringer," Chiron finished, "It has been determined."
Naruto looked around before spotting Annabeth. Walking over, he tapped her on the shoulder and asked, "Why is this a big deal?"
Annabeth, still kneeling, answered, "Because Poseidon, Zeus, and Hades made a pact years ago to not have any more children. They even swore by their word, which is incredibly important as an Olympian."
Looking back over at Percy, Naruto began to let the realization sink in.
"And now… it's clear they've broken that pact."
"Oh…that's not good…" Naruto realized, now understanding why this was a big deal. There wasn't supposed to be another demigod of either of these Olympians.
It seemed he had just witnessed history in the making.
The next morning at Camp Half-Blood was intense. Percy had immediately been moved out of the Hermes cabin and into the Poseidon cabin, which was empty beside himself.
He was given many luxuries and presents from other campers, but in reality, he just felt sad. He now knew that his scent as a demigod of the "Big Three" caused the death of his mother. He was indirectly responsible for his mother's death.
He had spent the entire day moving his things, talking to his friends, and training. By the time night hit, he was exhausted from the day's events.
Currently, he was sitting down along with Chiron, Naruto, Annabeth, Luke, Grover, and the rest of the cabins in attendance. They were sitting around the campfire, while Chiron answered many of the questions campers had.
The point of this sit-down was to answer as many questions as possible while also welcoming Percy's claim as Poseidon's son. Chiron also had something special for Percy as well.
"Please all, quiet down," Chiron said while the campfire crackled on.
Seeing he was the center of attention, Chiron spoke, "As you may know, the weather here lately is getting worse at camp."
It was true. It never rained in Camp Half-Blood, but storm clouds were forming above and lighting crackled often.
"After speaking with Mr. D on what the best way to solve this issue is, we agreed upon a certain outcome. Percy, please step forward," Chiron said.
Looking around, Percy stepped forward.
"Many of the issues plaguing this camp are private and I cannot openly state," Chiron began, "However, if you accept this quest and speak to the oracle, I can promise many answers will be revealed, including your mother's fate. So, Persues Jackson, do you accept this quest?"
Percy's initial instinct was to say 'no' as he didn't want to go on a quest. However, he also wanted to get answers on his mother's whereabouts. It felt like the world was relying on him, but he just wanted to be with his mother once more.
Looking over at his friends, Percy saw their respective reactions.
Luke didn't meet his eyes.
Annabeth kept her eyes forward, her expression unreadable.
Grover was chewing on an aluminum can out of stress.
Naruto nodded his approval and gave a thumbs-up, wishing the best for his friend.
Taking in a deep breath, Percy nodded, "I accept this quest."
Chiron then smiled, happy to see this. "Very well," he said in a calm voice. "Now as long as we don't have any more surprises, I can calm my racing heart."
Almost as if somebody wanted to play a joke, the fire crackled even louder in the middle of the camp. The flames then began to slowly rise into the air, with some campers stumbling backward to avoid getting burned.
"What is happening?" a girl from the Aphrodite cabin shrieked, "Why are the flames growing!?"
The source of fire then began to morph and shape, causing many to wonder what was going on. The flames then shot into the sky, swirling around like a beautiful light show.
"Great Hera…." Annabeth whispered out, shocked at what she was seeing. Everybody else had their mouths agape, not knowing what to do.
Even Chiron seemed surprised, never seeing anything like this before at Camp Half-Blood. He was about to say something before the flames shot toward an amazed Naruto.
He was sitting down like the rest of the campers before the flames encircled his form.
"NARUTO!" Shouted Percy, scared that his friend had just been killed.
Suddenly, the flames subsided and revealed an unharmed Naruto. Even the blonde was confused, looking as if he didn't know what just happened.
"Look!" Gasped a kid from the Demeter cabin, "Look above his head! He's being claimed!"
True enough, a symbol began to form above Naruto's head. It morphed with the flames until only soft glows surrounded the blonde. His clothes, skin, and belongings were unharmed. Nothing was burnt on his body.
A hearth sprouting flames, surrounded by black outlines appeared above Naruto's head. It glowed brightly, shining for all to see.
"That's impossible," Annabeth whispered, "It's literally impossible!"
Chiron was the first to announce this revelation, "Hail Naruto Uzumaki, son of Hestia!"
"Hestia!?" were the collective thoughts of many of the campers.
Just like when Percy was claimed, Chiron knelt once more. However, instead of kneeling out of fear for Poseidon, Chiron was kneeling this time out of respect for the goddess. Everybody knew that Hestia was one of the most selfless beings who helped in one way or another. She even gave up her throne on Olympus so that Dionysus could sit atop the council.
"Aunt Hestia… claimed me?" wondered Naruto in shock, not expecting this revelation.
"Goddess of the Sacrificial Flame, Hearth, and Fire," Chiron continued with his head bowed incredibly low to the ground.
Many other campers also bowed or knelt out of respect to Hestia, knowing her legend throughout the Greek myths. She always put her family first and had helped many of the camper's kids with godly parents in some form or another. It was clear that nobody had anything bad to say about the goddess.
Naruto sat there, surprised that he was getting so much attention. This was all so sudden for him, so all he could do was sit there and wait for the flames around him to subside.
As the campfire slowly began to recede, everybody watched as the flames washed off the blonde. Eventually, Hestia's symbol faded but not before glowing brightly one last time. It then warped itself into the ruby necklace on Naruto's neck.
Hearing the awkward silence, Naruto tried to break the ice with a joke, "So uhh…I guess I don't have a place to stay now?" he said while rubbing the back of his head.
This was true, given that Hestia didn't have a cabin made in her honor given she was a virgin goddess. Nobody expected her to ever have children, nor did she show an expressed desire to do so.
Suddenly, each camper heard a rumbling in the distance. Looking over, they watched as a cabin rose from the ground. It looked to be fully constructed already and stopped emerging after it matched the sizes of the other cabins.
A flame glowed bright by the entrance, with it unwavering.
The cabin seemed to be made out of brick with a wooden interior. There were many rugs, carpets, and small candles lighting the inside.
Feeling even more embarrassed at having his cabin arise, Naruto said, "For the record, I didn't expect that!"
"A son of Poseidon and a son of Hestia," Annabeth whispered out, "I have to admit, even I never saw this coming."
The clouds above the camp seemed to rumble even louder than usual.
AND THAT'S A WRAP!
I hope you enjoyed the development of every character in the series so far. I can't wait until we get further along!
Whatif-inator: That's funny that you bring that up, considering I had something in mind that was very similar. Keep an eye out for it in future chapters!
KakeruPB: Exactly on the nose. He's still learning about everything around him in terms of physical attraction and I will build on this.
The Black Cat 1843: He's about to get tested in ways that seem unfair, especially because he comes from an entirely different pantheon altogether.
Alexander4443: Always glad to see you! Cheers!