Disclaimer: Don't own PJO or the Whiskered Warrior.
Lunar Phases
Avada Kedavra
Curse.
Be it foul language, or insidious spell, the curse lingers in the ears of those who hear it. For as long as humanity has existed, so have curses. They are as infamous as the gods are. Man's curse is to destroy itself, all at the cause of a box and a curious girl. Some curses are bared more obviously than others. Few manage to turn their curses into blessings, but it is possible.
November 28th, 2008
To her credit, Leto was only mildly taken aback when Artemis burst through the door to Thalia Grace's apartment. She'd planned to surprise the two teens with some well-preserved pictures from decades ago that her grandson likely had no recollection of being part of, hence why she returned to her villa in Athens. Initially giddy, the titaness-turned-minor goddess' smile fell when she saw that her little girl's eyes shone with all of her deic power. It fell even further when she noticed the mortal girl behind her that was radiating distress.
Leto only blinked when she saw that their father had accompanied them.
"Lord Zeus, an honor!" She smiled and bowed her head to the King. He nodded back at her, before he coughed into his fist and nodded at their irate immortal child.
"Mother." Artemis ground her teeth around her words. "I asked you to do one thing."
"Artemis." Leto sighed. This was an argument she had wanted to postpone, at least until after Naruto and Thalia acknowledged their feelings for one another. "I will not apologize for trying to make my grandchild happy."
"Happy?" Artemis repeated, her face incredulous. She looked at Zeus, who shrugged, and then back at her. "Do you—Mother, where do you think Naruto is right now?"
"Coming in from another run, I would presume." Leto furrowed her brow. "At least, I hope he's doing that and not scaling the apartment again."
"Scaling the—What?" Artemis blinked. Zeus also looked perplexed. Leto glanced at Thalia, who subtly shook her head with widened eyes — clearly she hadn't made them privy to Naruto's recent penchant for climbing the outside of buildings — before smiling at her daughter.
"I'm sure he's fine. It doesn't feel like he's far."
"Mother – No, we can and will discuss your blocking of my son's tracker at another time." Artemis pinched the bridge of her nose. "She doesn't know."
"As I said she likely wouldn't." Zeus drawled. He gave Leto a small look. "Artemis' son has been abducted by The Crooked One's forces."
"That-that can't be true, I can sense his…" Leto trailed off as Thalia held her right hand out and opened it. A silver stud rested in her palm, wafting off of it were magical signatures she was all too familiar with. But if that were the case—Oh, dear. Artemis' attitude upon entering made sense now. "Oh, no."
"This. This is why I planned to induct him into The Hunt." Artemis grumbled, glaring at her father. Zeus promptly ignored it. Leto reached out and took hold of her daughter's shoulder.
"Artemis." She felt her chest compress like Atlas stood atop it as her daughter refused to meet her eyes. "Artemis, you have to believe me, I never intended—!"
"For him to disappear? Yes, well, neither did Apollo!" The Goddess of the Hunt hissed, a glare now locked on her. The next words that came out of her daughter's mouth broke Leto's heart. "It has become quite apparent that I cannot trust my own family with my son's well-being."
"Were it not for his decisions to mingle with other pantheons—"
"He is a mortal!" Artemis rounded on the King, cutting him off. Zeus looked taken aback by the abrasive interjection. He became thunderous when she pressed a nail into his suit coat. "You banished him from my home, from the sanctuary of the others' Half-Bloods, and denied me the assurance of my only son's safety! In my eyes, the fault of this falls upon you as well, Lord Zeus! Hear me and understand, great king, I speak now not as your daughter, but as the Goddess of the Moon! If my son is not found and returned safely from wherever he has been taken before the coming solstice, then my chariot will no longer pass through the sky! Nyx's children will have the night as their own once more! And furthermore, The Hunt will cease all operations for Olympus!"
"You dare?!" The sky boomed with its Lord's fury. Thalia quickly vacated her spot near the two quarreling Olympians, and Leto put herself between them and her. All the while she stared incredulously at her daughter. Zeus' eyes crackled with his power. "After all I've done for you!"
"All you've done?!" Artemis seethed. "All you've done is shown me that my son — my child in all but ichor — means nothing to Olympus!"
"He consorted with others!"
"And he chose us!"
"He used Egyptian magic on my Demigod!"
"Who should not even exist!"
"Artemis!" Leto gasped in outrage. She'd thought that her daughter would have more tact than that. The Goddess rounded on her.
"His pact with Poseidon and Hades was broken by his lust!" She snapped, before she turned back to the king and hissed. "Deny it, I dare you."
"I need not explain my actions to you, Artemis! I am your King!" Zeus roared at her. Her hands balled into fists.
"That may be true," she thrust a finger into his face. "But you are a lousy one!"
"You ingra—!"
"And a worse father!"
"How dar—!"
"I will say it once more, and only once more!" Artemis hissed. Leto could tell her triade was coming to its peak, and listened carefully. The words her daughter spoke made her heart plummet to her stomach. "My son best be returned by solstice, or I will wash my hands of Olympus' perils!"
"Your bluff is hardly credible!" Zeus sneered. He crossed his arms as lightning crashed through the snowstorm around them. "Cease this childishness and your punishment will be lenient."
"I would sooner Fade than further support a king so thick-headed with hypocrisy he can no longer see past it!" Artemis crossed her arms and tilted her chin up at the now incensed King. "If caring so much for my mortal child makes me a lesser or unworthy god in your eyes, then you only prove my point!"
Zeus' eyes flickered so fast that Leto wasn't sure she'd seen it, but she was certain he glanced at Thalia, before his attention returned to Artemis. His scowl doubled in intensity as he leaned in and pointed a finger at their eldest child.
"When your son is returned, and once this debacle with The Crooked One is finished, your punishment will begin in earnest!"
"Swear it on the Styx."
Zeus fumed. "Artemis-!"
"I will not settle for a half-assed promise, Zeus." Artemis narrowed her eyes. "Swear. It."
"Artemis, really-!" Leto tried to speak out in protest.
"Mother, with all due respect, be quiet. This is an Olympian matter." Artemis' gaze never strayed from the King's. She bared her teeth and growled. "Swear it, Zeus."
"...I swear on the Styx," Zeus began through grit teeth, "That before this Winter Solstice comes around, your adopted son will be recovered from The Crooked One's forces, and once this farce of a war ends, your punishment for this insolence will begin in earnest."
"Good." Artemis nodded as the sky boomed with its expected theatrical thunder. She glared at the King. "You'd best get the rest of Olympus on the same page, Father."
"I will stand for this attitude of yours no longer, Artemis." Zeus growled. He glanced at Thalia again, before he straightened himself and adjusted his tie. He folded his hands behind him. "Thalia Grace, retrieve Artemis' son within the week and I will ensure that the Council of Olympus will never again mention the...images Eros subjugated you to."
With that, the King vanished in a large burst of lightning. Artemis' silver-eyed glare swiveled to fall upon Thalia, who looked torn between embarrassment and anger. And perhaps, yes, that was a hint of fear radiating from the girl. Leto looked between the two.
"Well," She said with a forced smile upon her face. "Would either of you care to fill me in on what he'd meant by that?"
November 29th, 2008
The doorbell rang at the Jackson household three times.
"Paul? Percy? Could either of you get that? I'm a little tied up at the moment!"
"Sure thing, Mom!" Percy Jackson called into the kitchen, before he got up and walked away from the festive holiday movie marathon that Paul had long since dozed off in front of. He didn't know what he was expecting when he opened the door after the bell rang excessively, but it certainly wasn't a small group of silver-clad girls led by one Bianca di Angelo standing in the cold. With them, her arms crossed and a thunderous scowl on her face, was Thalia. She immediately barged in as soon as he opened the door and started brushing snow off of her acid-stained denim jacket that looked just a bit too large.
"Bout time you opened the door, Kelp Head. It's freaking cold out there."
"...Hey, Pinecone Face, come on in. Make yourself at home." Percy muttered, a little annoyed by the rude entry. He looked back at Lieutenant of Artemis' Hunters. She hadn't aged a day since he last saw her. "Uh, hey, Bianca. You all want to come in, too?"
"I will, thanks." Bianca smiled at him before she turned to the other Hunters. "Phoebe, you and Evelyn keep watch. Naomi, Joy, you two clear the perimeter."
The Hunters nodded, half of them sent him a sneer while the other two gave him looks of gratitude and approval, before they jumped from the stoop and rushed off to fulfill their assigned duties. Bianca stepped in past him and waited until he closed the door to hold her hand out.
"Good to see you again, Percy."
"You, too?" He took the offered hand and shook it. It was a curt and weird exchange. He crossed his arms after it ended, as if to shield himself from the bizarre distance Bianca insisted on, then looked from her to Thalia. "Not that I'm not happy to see you guys, but why are you here?"
"Right now? I'm trying to warm up." Thalia grumbled. A few curt and all-but forbidden words were centered around the snow and 'dumb, ineffective jackets'.
"I'm here because we might need your help." Bianca gave the older girl a pointed look when she huffed. "We might. If Eros and Hecate are indeed working with The Crooked One-"
"Er-who and He-Katie?" Percy frowned.
"Minors from the Empire State Building's top staff." Thalia grunted. Much to his confusion's relief at her vague allusion, she nodded at Paul's snoring state. "Does he actually snore like that or is he faking it?"
"That's all him," Percy snorted. "'Paul naturale'."
"…Seriously?"
"Mom's joke, not mine." He admitted sourly. He wasn't going to tell her why he'd heard it the first time. That day was a study date he really hadn't enjoyed getting canceled. Coming home to find Mom and Paul—Ugh, he needed brain bleach before he thought too much about it.
"Who was it-Oh, hello." As if aware that he was thinking about her, Mom walked in. "Percy didn't tell me some of his friends were coming over tonight. Should we be expecting Annabeth or Rachel as well?"
"I dunno," Thalia's lips pulled into a smirk as she glanced at him. "Are you expecting Annie or Red, Kelp Head?"
"Shut up, Pinecone Face." Percy sneered back at her, ignoring the heat that crept up his neck. He looked at his mom's questioning expression and sighed. "Camp stuff, Mom."
"Ah." Mom nodded. She clasped her hands together and smiled at the two girls. "Can I offer anyone some hot chocolate in the meantime?"
"I'm good, thank you." Bianca declined with a raise of her hand.
"Don't know what you're missing out on, Bianca. I'll take you up on that! Thanks, Mrs. Jackson." Thalia grinned and followed her into the kitchen. Percy was tempted to follow, especially after the daughter of Zeus started asking which of the aforementioned girls came over more often. Unfortunately, Bianca stopped him by holding her hand out.
"We can't dawdle here long, Percy. The Crooked One has been making moves against Olympus." She explained before sighing. "Lady Artemis' son has been abducted right off of the streets of New York."
Percy waited for the punchline. Naruto was ridiculously strong for a clear-sighted mortal. He survived being shot through the throat and cleared out a ship of trained mercenaries. He held off Kronos' army of monsters, including the Manticore, so that Annabeth could make it out of Mount Othrys and snuck in an attack against Atlas that gave Artemis and Apollo the opening they needed to shove him back under the sky. When Bianca continued staring at him, the son of Poseidon realized she was being quite serious.
"You're kidding." He gaped, arms falling to his sides in disbelief.
"Believe me, I wish I were." Bianca rubbed her head. "You don't have to come, but it would really help if you did. Between you, me and Thalia, we'd have what loyal members there are of the Big Three's kingdoms supporting us."
"Okay, but why isn't Artemis leading the charge for this? And why are there only four other Hunters? No offense." Percy added, hoping he hadn't upset her. Bianca gave him a wry smirk and crossed her arms.
"None taken, Squid Kid."
"…Why?" Percy frowned, his brow furrowed.
"You're the son of Poseidon," she said, ticking off a finger. "And your hair reminds me of a squid's ink. Not to mention your shirt."
Percy looked down at his 'Are You Squidding Me?' shirt. He'd gotten it as a gag gift from Paul when he escorted a field trip to the aquarium a few weeks ago. He leveled the grinning girl with a flat stare.
"That's a little childish, don't you think?"
"Says the fifteen-year-old wearing the cartoon squid t-shirt." She grinned at him. "Besides, I'm twelve. I'm allowed to be childish."
"Right." Percy groaned into his hand. "So, about Artemis and the Hunt not going on the offense here?"
"Lady Artemis can't simply walk into the Underworld, especially for one mortal. Regardless of his importance to her." The Lieutenant answered dutifully. "As for Phoebe and the others? They're only here to escort us. Once we meet with Lady Artemis' contact, they have to go back to the Hunt."
"She has a contact in the Underworld?"
"Right?! It's like we're on a mission for the OSS!" Bianca grinned, excitement written on her face. She coughed into her fist to recompose himself. "I mean, um, obviously."
A moment of awkward silence passed.
"...Just so you know, I'm not going to forget that happened."
Percy chuckled when Bianca scowled at him. If she was going to call him that dumb nickname - and he was sure that she would - he was going to hold her little fantasy over the World War II espionage branch over her head. Of course, considering she lived in the Lotus Hotel for decades before joining the Hunters of Artemis, he imagined there were few things that held her interest in the modern world. As he considered Bianca's new role, another thought occurred to him.
"Okay, I get why you're going," Percy began. He glanced into the kitchen with an annoyed frown as a pair of laughs emerged from it. "But why is Thalia?"
"I…Actually, I'm not sure." Bianca admitted with a shrug. "Lady Artemis dropped her off before she briefed us on what happened. She didn't look too thrilled about it either. I just thought it was because she's Naruto's best friend or something."
"Oh." Well, Percy had done plenty of his own questing whenever his friends were in trouble. One such friend came to mind. "You try to get ahold of Annabeth?"
"We asked her through an I.M. before we came here." Bianca sighed. "She wanted to, but The Camp's on full alert. Every available body is needed for possible defense."
"Bummer." He liked going on quests with Annabeth. "So, you came in person to get my help?"
"Partially. What sold me on the idea is that Thalia said you have a pet Hellhound, and their tracking skills are on par with The Hunt's wolves, if not better." Percy did his best not to look too disappointed. Bianca looked around. "Where is she?"
"Mrs. O'Leary's in the yard, out back." He sighed. "Let me get her leash and you can fill me in."
"Our meeting point is a greenhouse?" Thalia asked, arms crossed. Partially to display her lacking enthusiasm, but mostly because she was cold and Whisker's jacket was not as warm as she'd thought it'd be. How he didn't freeze in the Colorado Mountains was a little concerning. That, and she hadn't ever really gotten accustomed to being cold since their original quartet formed. When it was chilly out, the three demigods would huddle together and Whiskers would build a fire. Some nights she found his cloak draped over them, or at the least over a young Annabeth.
"Apparently." Bianca's voice snapped her out of her reminiscing. She tilted her head and looked at the sign that hung above it. "'Phony's, Potts', and Planters' Plumage'? Geez, got enough alliteration?"
"Hey, there's nothing wrong with the letter 'P'," Percy said with a frown as he scratched Mrs. O'Leary's neck. The Hunter scoffed.
"You're biased, Percy."
"Yeah? And?"
"…Whatever, Squid Kid." Bianca huffed in defeat. Still, based on the glower on the son of Poseidon's face, Thalia had to remember that one. She smirked at the two's byplay and pushed the door open. The bell chimed once the doors closed behind them.
"Weird." Percy pointed out, "The pomegranates are freshly watered."
Then the floor vanished.
"It's a trap-!" Thalia managed to get out before gravity took hold of them. They plummeted through darkness with yells — Thalia did absolutely not shriek, regardless of what Percy and Bianca claimed — Mrs. O'Leary howled, before landing in a cushioned, thick, and soft, bed of dying flowers.
Thalia plucked one of the flowers and looked at it with a scowl.
"Great. My life was just saved by a bunch of daisies." She grumbled before flicking the floral head away. "Yep. I could die now and be fine with it."
"Careful where you say that, child of Zeus. The Lord of the Underworld has ears everywhere."
Thalia rolled her head back and stared up at the pale woman that towered over her, Percy and Bianca. With her model-like looks, the daughter of Zeus knew this was a goddess. Clad in regal robes that had sorrowful souls trapped within them, she had a feeling she knew who it was, too.
"L-Lady Persephone." Bianca swallowed, all but confirming it was who Thalia thought it was. The goddess, Persephone, looked at her for a brief moment. It was almost as if she was debating how to stare at Bianca, before she nodded cordially.
"Lieutenant." She glanced at the last of the demigods. "Percy Jackson. It would appear that a powerful trio has fallen into my lap."
Mrs. O'Leary barked. Persephone arched a brow and, Thalia swore on That Woman's grave, cracked a small smile towards the Hellhound.
"Of course, a quartet. My mistake." The goddess' features turned impassive once more. "You've arrived at quite the inopportune time."
"Oh, I'm sure." Thalia grumbled, crossing her arms. "What, is it almost time for Addie's daily pineapple punishment?"
"How did you-?" Persephone's surprise turned into a flat glower. "I take it you saw that insufferable movie from Apollo's newest production company as well?"
"Yeah, but I've seen worse movies." Thalia shrugged. "At least it had a great soundtrack."
"I'm unsurprised you'd say that."
"Uh, context?" Percy asked, looking at Thalia.
"Little Nicky. Watched it as a 'reward' at the end of an English class for whatever reason." She sighed when he gave her his patented Kelp Headed 'lost in the deadlights' stare. "It's that dumb movie where Adam Sandler is the son of Satan."
"Ohh! Right, that one." Percy nodded. "I caught a rerun on Comedy Central once. Seemed okay."
"You would say that."
"The son of–that sounds awful. Why would anyone want to watch that?" Bianca gaped. Thalia shrugged again.
"It wasn't my pick. It had some good music, but that's the only praise I'll give it. Oh, and it had an interesting idea of what Hitler's daily punishment was." She tilted her head and glanced at the goddess beside them. "Although, considering Lady Persephone's reaction to my joke, I guess it wasn't too inaccurate?"
"I'll not dignify that with a response." Persephone drawled. Thalia smirked, that was a yes if she ever heard it. The queen of the underworld folded her hands in front of her. "Popular culture references aside, time has become an imperative factor in finding Artemis' wayward son."
"We have until the solstice." Bianca frowned. Persephone gave her a withering stare.
"You had until the solstice…Then the boy assisted with the theft of my husband's sword."
"…What sword?" Percy asked. Persephone gave him a tired stare. Based on that reaction, Thalia got the feeling that the stolen sword was going to be more trouble than they'd bargained for. A few seconds into the goddess' explanation of the weapon, Thalia cursed herself for being right.
You should've just taken the boy when he was in your bathroom.
Thalia blinked. That wasn't Aphrodite. She noticed Persephone glance at her while holding conversation with Bianca and Percy. It took a few seconds before it clicked.
"Demeter told you what Eros did to me, didn't she?!" Thalia accused, glaring at the queen. Bianca and Percy gave her confused stares. She did her best to ignore them and the heat creeping up her neck. Curse the impulsive nature she inherited from her father.
"Of course not." The Queen snorted. "Mother would never share such 'raunchy' gossip with me. I'm still 'her baby'. No, Artemis told me," Persephone said dryly as she investigated her nails. "Quite colorfully, too. I must say, my husband had long since thought his mother-in-law was the most insufferable in existence, but I believe yours will be far worse."
"Wha-We aren't even dating!" Thalia scowled before shaking her head. "At all! We're just f-friends!"
Although, after having Zeus of all gods call her out on it, Thalia couldn't deny there being some kind of feelings. Was it love? She didn't know. The only love she knew was familial and that was the bond she, Luke and Annabeth, and Jason before them, had shared. Besides, if she did love Whiskers, wouldn't she know it by now?
"Wait, hold on, you were targeted by Eros? Then why is Naruto the one missing?" Bianca asked with a frown.
"I–That's not important!" Thalia deflected quickly. She did not want to explain the misunderstanding that occurred between them to the immortal twelve-year-old for multiple reasons. One, just no. Two, they weren't close enough for Thalia to be okay with it. Third and finally, it wasn't like Bianca was fifteen; she was twelve, she probably wouldn't get it.
"Eros is the love god, right?" Percy asked. He furrowed his brow. "So, if he did something to you then that means—Oh. Ohh."
The son of Poseidon gave her a cheeky smirk. She glared and pointed at him.
"Utter one word, Jackson, just one, and you'll know what it feels like to stick a coin in the power socket!" Thalia warned with a low hiss. He held his hands up, but his smirk remained painted on his face. Bastard was going to spill everything to Annie, she just knew it. Then Annie would pester her for details and she would inevitably slip up because Annie was just that good. She could feel her body start to warm up once more as flashes of those scenes flipped through her head again. She closed her eyes, banished those thoughts to the back of her mind, and crossed her arms. "I'm not telling either of you what that bastard did to me. The only thing I'll say on the matter is that Eros is the reason Whiskers is missing."
"It takes two to tango, Thalia Grace." Persephone's small smirk was positively infuriating.
"You want me to get my least favorite Uncle's sword back, don't you? I'm guessing he doesn't know that it's missing." Thalia glared at the Queen. Was she alluding to blackmailing The Queen of the Underworld? Yes. Would she follow through on it in order to protect her pride? Abso-freakin-lutely!
"To be perfectly frank, he doesn't even know it exists."
"Of course he doesn't." Thalia scowled. What followed was an explanation of what the Keys of Hades did, why they were so blatantly broken, and why Hades preferred to use his Helm above all else. Essentially, it was imperative they caught up to Whiskers before he disappeared. Hence, why she all but snatched the flower from Persephone when the goddess finally finished talking about her husband's lacking respect.
Thalia didn't know how quickly Whiskers could move, but she wasn't going to risk losing him again. For all she knew, if he was lost again, it would be forever. That thought brought back the vice that squeezed her chest and drove her to run, nearly leaving her kelp headed cousin and Bianca in the dust.
"One hundred percent mortal, hm?" Iapetus was a ten-foot-tall titan with light skin and silver eyes. The Titan of the West, The Piercer, the Master of Pain and Torment, these were but a few of his epitaphs, or at least those that survived to the modern era. He leveled a massive spear at the face of the blond member of his 'rescuers'. "Shall I test that?"
…B–y...
Naruto ignored the faint growl. It didn't belong to Lady Hecate, or Arashi, hence it didn't matter. Likewise, he wanted to ignore the words of the Titan in front of him, but his orders from Lady Hecate were to obey Kronos. Kronos' orders were to retrieve The Piercer and Hades' Sword at all costs. Technically, however, Iapetus outranked Lady Hecate in Kronos' forces. That meant that Naruto was outranked.
"You can try if you wish, Lord Iapetus." He shrugged indifferently. He was one mortal of many, after all, he would be easily replaced.
"No, he can't." The other boy, the demigod Ethan Nakamura, scowled at him. He looked back at the Titan, while cradling the other objective in his arms. "Lord Kronos expects us to return as soon as possible."
"Demigod, you brought a mortal before me and it's been so long since my spear has tasted their blood." Iapetus scowled at Nakamura. "Unless you'd like to take his place?"
"Not really, no."
"Not really? What kind of answer is that? Don't answer, it was rhetorical. The correct response is 'no, sir'." Iapetus told him, a facsimile grin on his face. The Titan's spear leveled at the demigod's face. "Show your respect for the one allowing you to carry Hades' new toy. Now, I'll ask again, would you like to take his place?"
"No, sir." Ethan repeated firmly, swallowing.
"Very good. They can be taught."
"Yes sir, but we really should return to Lord Kronos." The son of Nemesis glanced at Naruto. "All of us."
"He's just one mortal."
"He's very important to Lady Hecate's spellcasting."
"Really? Then why did he come with you to retrieve me?"
"Because the demigod can't be trusted." Naruto droned. He crossed his arms and leveled a glossy stare onto the scowling boy. "Whereas I, a mortal in the purest sense of the term, can be easily manipulated."
Do…—ear y—rsel…?!
"True!" Iapetus rubbed his chin and rested his pole arm on his shoulder. He reached out, his hand engulfed Naruto's head, and ruffled his hair. "Thank you, Mortal."
"It's why I'm here, Lord Iapetus."
"Ha! You remind me of the Golden Men. Ah, such capable slaves they were." Iapetus chuckled. "Terrible fighters, though. Ah, but that's enough reminiscing of the past. It's time to focus on what comes ahead. Best not keep ol' lardo waiting. Which way do we go, Demigod?"
"How 'bout back to Tartarus?"
Naruto moved before he spotted the speaker, hand lashing out and snatching the silver arrow before it could strike Iapetus. The Titan blinked and stared at him.
"You do realize I could have stopped that, yes?" He asked. The blond nodded. Iapetus hummed. "Nevertheless, that's impressive reaction time. You're sure that you're purely mortal?"
"Yes." Naruto twirled the arrow in his fingers as he turned to face the shooter and her accomplices. "Lord Iapetus, it appears we've been followed. By the daughters of Hades and Zeus respectively, as well as the son of Poseidon."
A massive black mastiff let out a very loud bark.
"…And, it appears that they have a Hellhound."
"Whiskers!" The daughter of Zeus called over to them. Naruto arched his notched eyebrow. That was a strange battle cry.
"Odd way to pick a fight." Iapetus hummed. Naruto glanced at him.
"Perhaps she has inherited an aversion to facial hair because of her father?" He offered. From what he could recall in the briefing, Zeus had a strange fascination with facial hair. His daughter might have had conflicting feelings about it.
"I've heard of stranger things. Don't worry demigod, it's just a beard, it won't hurt you! But I will!" Iapetus called out with a smirk before he looked at Ethan. "These are the children that have been giving Kronos difficulty?"
"They're very powerful. We should leave."
"And lead them back to their turf? Hardly a smart move." Iapetus huffed. "What say you, Golden Boy?"
"One subjugated themselves to the Huntress' Oath, and the other two are teenagers." Naruto droned. He chucked the arrow down into the obsidian dirt and drew two crescent shuriken. "Our best bet would be to deal with them now, where we hold the advantage."
"Are—Do you hear yourself when you speak?" Ethan asked.
"My words don't matter," Naruto said, repeating the creed he and his father lived by. The demigod pinched his nose as the Big Three's demigods and their pet joined them on their obsidian shoreline.
"Right. Brainwashed." Odd, what did he mean by that? A fog in his head thickened before Naruto shook it away. Probably not important. Ethan sighed and glared at him. "Okay. Fine. Don't expect me to save your sorry butt if things go sideways."
"Yeah, about that." The Son of Poseidon pointed at him. "Mrs. O'Leary? Fetch."
The Hellhound vanished into the shadows just as two arrows were notched and fired by Hades' child at Iapetus' head. The Titan blocked the shots and turned towards the archer with a grin on his face. The Hellhound emerged from a crevasse behind Nakamura, almost capturing him in her jaws.
"Percy, Bianca, deal with the Titan." The Daughter of Zeus' eyes were locked on Naruto. She brandished a shield and spear, the tip crackled with electricity. "I'll handle Whiskers."
"Oh, that's what she meant." Iapetus looked at him. "Do you know her, Golden Boy?"
"Not to my knowledge." The answer felt...wrong. Flashes of someone's life appeared in his mind's eye. Nights on the road, laughter at a campfire, and…conversations about a dam? Strange. He closed his eyes and staved off a brief pounding in his head as the foggy feeling came back. When his eyes opened once more, he locked gazes with the daughter of Zeus. "But I guess she knows me."
"Oh, I'm a sucker for reunions. Go have fun, Golden Boy. Kill her slow." Iapetus ordered. He leveled his spear at the other two demigods. "Hate to break it to you, children, but you two are in over your heads."
"Yeah?" The Daughter of Hades drew another arrow and took aim. "We'll see about that."
"Please, as if I'd be caught off guard by—Whoa, there! Rude!" Iapetus scowled as The Son of Poseidon rushed in and engaged him in close combat. "I was having a conversation! Kids today!"
"Kill her slow." Naruto mumbled before he started throwing shuriken at Zeus' child as she charged at him. Her shield deflected most, save the ones that nicked her arms. When she was ten feet away, he moved. He slid past her pole arm's sweeping strike and drew one of the tri-pronged kunai Arashi gave him. He spun the ringed end on his middle finger before catching the blade in a reversed grip, using the pronged edge to catch the pole of the girl's spear. His free hand caught the edge of her shield and held it back when she tried to clock him with it.
"Not going to lie, I'd hoped that when I did manage to kick your butt it'd be in that Capture the Flag game. Not because you got abducted and brainwashed into stealing from Hades!" The girl grumbled at him. Her eyes narrowed, as did his by her insinuation. He was not being mind-controlled! Why did people keep—not important. "Maybe I'll just shock it out of your system."
"I've been a servant of Lady Hecate since the day I was born. Just like my father before me." Naruto sneered back. She frowned, confused. That in turn confused him, as did her response.
"Father—? Whiskers, you're an orphan!"
"I don't know what lies the Olympians are feeding you, girl, but that's all they are." His foot lifted and dug into her gut, before she was shoved away. She stumbled, but kept her footing. Impressive, most teenagers were too uncoordinated to manage that kind of recovery — at least, most of those in the Titan's Army were. Then again, a good portion of them were still in the adolescent stages of development. Ah, she'd gotten her wind back.
"Lies—Do you even hear yourself?" The girl lunged forward with her spear. He sidestepped it into her range, then ducked under the wide swing that followed. He jumped, turned, and lashed out with his feet. The first kick knocked her still rising shield out of the way, and the second caught her in the sternum. This time, she was sent to her back while he landed with his right hand drawing his next weapon.
"Why do people keep asking me that?" He frowned as he approached her.
A throw of his father's spare kunai pinned her spear to the dirt. She noticed too late that he'd intended to disarm the both of them, but by that point he'd already jumped and drawn two silver throwing knives, intending to bring them down on her chest and end this. Her shield came up and caught the sharpened blades. No matter, she only prolonged—Did her eyes always spark like that?
Pain! He was knocked off of his feet by the lightning that erupted from her shield.
..Id-ot! The faint growl echoed in his ear after he came back from the daze that the child of Zeus' impromptu electrotherapy session put him in. He rolled out of the way of the falling shield that dug into the edge of the earth.
"You're not bad." He admitted as he rose back to his feet and drew the trench knife he carried at the small of his back. He couldn't help the subtle quirk of his lips when he saw that her shield was now stuck, leaving her weapon-less. "But you're not good either."
"I'll expect you to apologize after I break your face." The girl scowled. Her fists came up and became caked in lightning. "Sorry in advance, Whiskers."
"Why do you keep calling me that?"
"Wh—I've always called you that!"
"I don't even know who you are." Naruto told her flatly.
A silence was held between them and a muscle jumped in the demigoddess' jaw. Her nostrils flared as she took a deep breath in and her stormy blue eyes became filled with anger and something else. Something that seemed...hurt? Odd, once he noticed that, his stomach felt like it was twisted from guilt. Perhaps he shouldn't have eaten so much red bean soup before going on this mission.
..Gr—t j-b, Mo—n.. ..N-w we a-e g—ng to d-e. A gruff, gravel-like baritone snarled. Naruto did his best to keep his features from changing despite his surprise at the foreign speaker in his head. Where had that come from? The Hellhound? Must be an old creature; Nakamura would need help once he finished up with Zeus' child.
"You will." The girl's lighting covered fists seemed to double in intensity while her eyes became orbs of static discharge. "Even if I have to stop your heart and start it again."
"Bold words," he narrowed his eyes. "Can you back them up?"
"Watch me."
She rushed in and took a swing that he weaved around. He got in a few shallow cuts, but the girl was tenacious. She attacked with reckless abandon, but was sure to avoid his knife. The only attempted stab he made was blocked and she grabbed his left arm. The nerves fried and he dropped the knife. His left hand was rendered useless.
Finally! Yes! The Growler roared, the sound echoed in his head. Naruto cringed at the elated voice while he stumbled back, trying to block the shocking blows from coming in contact with him. For every two he blocked or deflected, a third caught him off guard.
"Everything was fine, then Eros screwed with my head, and you ran away again!" The girl snarled when he blocked her next right hook. Wa-Was she crying? He couldn't be sure, it was hard to tell, what with the lightning and all, but it sounded like she was. "You keep leaving! What about your promise, huh?! What happened to being there?!"
"What are you talking about?" Naruto grumbled. She let out a yell and caught him square in the gut with one of her sparking fists. He stumbled back, dropped to a knee and quickly rose back up, all while he tried to keep a semblance of a distance between them. She closed in before he could secure it and continued her assault.
You can't run from this mistake, Boy! The Growler sneered. Naruto had to get one of Lady Hecate's disciples to check that out. Perhaps a spirit that wanted to escape the Underworld had possessed him?
"I already lost you twice!" The girl dug her fist into his gut again while he was distracted. Her words were uttered through clenched teeth. "I'll be damned before I'm forced to lose you, again."
Naruto grit his teeth as he trembled through the shock that wreaked havoc on his intestines, before he managed to shove her arm away. His right fist connected with her jaw and his left foot caught her in the knee. She dropped, but quickly rose to pursue him once more.
With a sharp curse uttered under his breath, he backed away again. He lost his footing on the slick obsidian rock they fought on and fell over the edge toward the unforgiving waters of the River Lethe. His good hand caught the edge of the rock. The hardy mineral carved through the skin of his palm and his grip weakened. He'd not even been given a chance to think of a way out of it before his fingers slipped.
Two hands that were previously engulfed in static grabbed his wrist and halted his fall before it could even truly begin. His adversary helped pull him up. His numb left hand clawed around the obsidian in an effort to return to solid ground and he collapsed to his back once he did. Naruto turned his head to look at his savior, as both of them tried to catch their breath. She was resting on her rear, arms draped over her knees, and her head tucked between them. He winced as he pushed himself to a seated position and frowned at her.
"Wh—What did you mean?" He furrowed his brows as he considered his next words. His head pounded, his body ached, and his heart was going at full throttle. "Why did you save me?"
"You're going to make me say it. Seriously? ...Dammit, Whiskers." She groaned, before rubbing her hands over her face. A moment passed, and just as he thought she was going to leave him hanging, she cupped his face in her hands. "It's because I love you, you jerk."
Then she pressed her lips against his, and Naruto's mind went blank. The fog clawed at his skull before it lifted. After that, everything just... clicked.
Whiskers' lips were softer than Thalia expected them to be, but they were firm enough to keep it from feeling like she was kissing a pillow – Not that she ever had, of course. Her hands kept a firm hold on his face, even as the soft puffs of air from his nose tickled her skin. Her stomach was tight while her heart threatened to burst from her chest, but at the same time she felt a sense of weightlessness. He smelled woodsy, with a faint hint of sweat, a tint of blood and the slight roast of burnt skin — Thalia knew she smelled of at least two of those, and part of her hoped he wasn't too put off by either.
This was nothing like the scenes Eros had filled her head with.
In fact, it was easily ten times better.
For one thing, in most of those scenarios, Whiskers took the lead. As any of her friends, and even Whiskers himself (when he was in the right state of mind and not brainwashed by some psycho-goddess), would tell you, Thalia wasn't a follower. She was born to lead. Taking this step herself, without that annoying godly influence chirping in her ear, gave her a sense of satisfaction unmatched by any other.
His left hand found its way to her cheek, trembling now and again. She'd have to apologize for the nerve damage, if it even stuck. Whiskers was a durable guy — and that train of thought had to go before it went to Aphrodite territories.
Was it normal for a kiss to leave someone light-headed? Wait, no. That would be her overworked lungs making note of their requirement for air. Right. Breathing. She should probably do that.
Mm, but was breaking the kiss worth it?
I could always kiss him again. A stray thought reminded her. Oh, yeah. Yeah, that was a thing that happened between two people who'd kissed, wasn't it?
Thalia felt a slight pressure on her head and opened her eyes, staring into the more lively deep blues that Whiskers had. Their foreheads were pressed together, his hand had slipped up to twine with her hair, and their shoulders heaved in unison. She chanced a glance up at his forehead, the odd purple mark that was there before didn't seem to be present now.
"Thalia." Oh, it was so wrong how that exhausted, husky timber sent a pleasant tingle up her spine. He sighed and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry."
Everything froze.
"W-What?" Thalia's mind went into overdrive.
Sorry? Why? Did he not-Did she screw up? But-but he seemed into it! Or was she misreading it? Oh gods, he looked morose. Did-did that mean he didn't–? ...Nope. She couldn't walk away after feeling that amazing from something as small as her first kiss and not have it reciprocated. Artemis could shoot her now. Or, better yet, Thalia could be left down here to be tortured by her uncle. Maybe he'd wipe her mind if her brought her his dumb swo—
"I'm sorry," Whiskers started again. "For storming out on you like that. I should've trusted you, or at the least let you explain."
Oh. Oh, that's what he meant? Okay. Awesome. Wait, but, does he not–? Doubt gnawed at her mind. She bit her lip, she could still feel his soft-yet-firm lips pressed against hers, and they're right there she could just kiss him again—Focus! She needed to know.
"Whiskers." Thalia had to clear her throat after a breathy voice came out of it and glared at him when he cracked a small smirk. He was not allowed to laugh at her in that way that gave her butterflies in her stomach when she didn't know how he felt about it. "Shut up. Listen, about what just happened—"
"You love me." His smirk turned into a softer smile. Oh no. No-no-no. Dammit. He looked even more kissable now. Must... Fight... Almighty libido! ...It's not going well! Damn it, Zeus! Why'd he have to go and pass that on to her?! Wait, is Whiskers frowning? Why is he frowning? "You–you did mean that, right? ...Tree Girl?"
Obviously, she did! Why would he think–? Thalia resisted the urge to smack herself in the head. She hasn't said anything in response to his question. Still hasn't. Hello! Brain!? What does she keep this thing around for?! Say something already!
"Y-yeah." She swallowed, mouth suddenly dry, and her arms felt like lead. At least they were resting on his shoulders, so he could keep them from going limp on her. "Yeah, I do."
"That's...good, I guess?" He pursed his lips and dammit Whiskers! If he could just, like, stop looking kissable for thirty seconds, Thalia would be able to pull herself together! Wait, 'guess'? Did—does that mean he doesn't–?
"Do you–? I mean, it-it's fine if you don't," she lied. The very thought that he didn't like her back made her feel as if her sinews had been ripped out.
"No, I-I do. I love you, Thalia. I think I have for a while." He smiled at her and ran his fingers through her hair and it took all of her willpower to not kiss him again. He still had to say–Wait a sec, he did, didn't he? He does?! Yes! That meant more kisses were inbound! Before she could think to act on those thoughts, he pulled his hand away, pinched the bridge of his nose and heaved out another sigh. "But that revelation is giving me some...conflicting feelings."
Huh? Why would he feel conflicted abo–Right. His mother is Artemis. He was probably raised to despise romance. Actually, scratch the 'probably', Thalia knew he was.
"…Oh."
"Yeah."
They sat in silence for a moment. It hung over them like the gallows' edge, and with it was a tension of the headsman's rope. Thalia rubbed her arm and looked down at her knees. She screwed her eyes shut.
Dammit.
She still wanted to kiss him.
It'd break the tension, right? Well, the new tension. No, it would be wrong to do that now.
...But it would feel so good! A small part of her quietly argued.
Thankfully, the dilemma of breaking the tension with a kiss was taken from Thalia's hands by the act of another.
"I am your friend, Bob!" A cheerful voice suddenly boomed, making the two teens jump. Thalia exchanged a look with Whiskers, both of them looked out to where they'd left Bianca and Percy. The Titan, Iapetus, was soaked to the bone and was giving the two other demigods a big smile.
Thalia wasn't going to lie, it was a little unsettling.
"Well, that's one way to kill a mood." Whiskers mumbled. She snorted at the understatement and got to her feet, before helping him to his. Her grip on his right hand was loose after she helped him up, but he didn't pull away. She felt no need to do so either. He glanced at her, their hands, and then back up at her. His small smile flashed her way again as his fingers twined with hers.
"C'mon," Thalia said, pulling him along and ignoring the growing heat in her cheeks. "I need you to tell them how I kicked your butt so hard that you got your memory back."
Whiskers snorted.
"Tree Girl, I can tell you right now that that's definitely not happening."
At the peak of Mount Tamalpais, Arashi sat outside the cavern leading to Atlas and his punishment. His eyes were closed and his hands rested in his lap, fingertips barely touching as his breathing slowed to nonexistence. The moment the severance took place, he was stirred from his meditation.
"Arashi."
Damn. Arashi thought before his mind fogged over. He rose and turned to Lady Hecate, her hands folded in front of her. He bowed.
"My Lady."
"Your son was taken. His connection to me was broken."
"Yes, I felt it."
"That unpredictable goddess interfered somehow. She must have put a charm on Zeus' child." Hecate seethed. "Iapetus is lost, as is the Sword of Hades."
"I could retrieve them." Arashi pulled out one of his kunai. "Do you wish me to?"
"No." Hecate smiled at him. She strode around him, circling him like a shark does a floundering seal. Her finger reached out and traced his shoulders. Arashi didn't move. "The fewer Titans there are after Olympus falls, the fewer obstacles lie in the way of New Olympus' rise."
"Yes, Lady Hecate."
"Once that happens, I can give her back to you. Then it won't matter if your son joins us or not," Hecate said. She rested both hands on his shoulders as they stared out at the San Francisco Bay. "You and your wife will bring about the next age of man, the loyal followers of New Olympus, in the next step in their evolution: Homo Magi."
"Yes, Lady Hecate."
"If the time comes, and your son still stands against us, what will you do?"
Arashi was quiet. He considered his meditation, contemplated why he did it, and for a moment the fog cleared. His hands balled into a pair of fists. A few more sessions. Just a bit more, then he could break...Something? What was he thinking about? His head felt foggy. Ah, he was considering his response to Lady Hecate's question.
"If it comes to that, I will kill him."
AN: Happy belated day of irishness. imma go puke now.