A/N: Hello, one and all! Welcome, welcooooome! I hope everyone's had a good time! I sure did!
*ahem* So, then where to begin?
So, the gang made it back to camp safe and sound after that mess in Alaska. Took on a horde of ice zombies and a monster, picked up two new demigods, piece of cake right? Everyone gets a happy ending.
NOW THEN!
Some of you have been sending me PMs as to guessing the identity of Naruto's godly parent!
Others have guessed as to what his next weapon would be!
While yet OTHERS-alright, alright, we'll cut to the chase!
In further note, I've gotten PMs that the villain trailers were better off as 1: being surprises, and 2: not really needed. Seeing as how this is PJO, I should've known better. So I'm NOT doing those anymore!
Also, I believe I promised the reveal of Naruto's future skills?
...it will be further explained in this very -albeit short!- chapter.
AAAAAAAAAAAANND NOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWW!
Ladies and gentlemen, the moment you've all been waiting for!
Give it up for a brand-new chapter of:
BLADE OF OLYMPUS!
Chapter Six: Learning And Bonding
It was a few days after the "Alaska Rescue Mission" and Camp Half-Blood had never looked more livelier. Most of the campers were either taking lessons or spending their free time walking along the grounds. Mr. D was at the front porch of the Big House reading his wine magazine, as usual. Chiron was instructing Cabins Seven and Six at the Archery Range. Cabin Four and Twelve were tending to the strawberry fields, while the Cabin Nine kids were busying themselves in the Forge. And Cabin Five had their turn in the Sword Arena. Which left everyone else to their own devices.
And speaking of which...
*yawn!*
We find Naruto Uzumaki lying on his back looking up at the sky, watching the clouds whilst slowly drifting to sleep. With nothing to do for the day, he thought he could get some much-needed relaxation after two weeks of nonstop training. The young shinobi found a nice secluded spot away from most of the other campers with a good view of the clouds and plopped himself to the ground. Earlier today, he had finally asked Chiron (i.e.: he forgot when they got back) about the creature Thalia had killed in Alaska.
Needless to say, the "Wendigo" was now one of his least favorite monsters to deal with.
'Oh, man! No wonder Shikamaru liked to watch clouds all the time. What a great way to take a nap!'
The whiskered blond sighed in contentment as he slowly closed his eyes with a smile, feeling the cool winter breeze against his skin. It was nice to unwind every now and then. Naruto may have been a training freak, but he still found time to snooze whenever he could. Better to have a nice nap than to be uptight with no sleep-one of the easiest ways to get yourself killed.
Alas, but there he was. Just lying there without a care in the world. Nothing could stop this-
"Boy..."
*deep inhale* "Damn it, why now?" Naruto muttered before finding himself being dragged into his mindscape. It wasn't exactly a pretty sight: A dark sewer with murky water flooding the floor. He found himself standing in front of a set of giant bars with a sealing tag on the opening.
And on the other side of those bars..."Whaddya want, Nine-Tails?"
A giant slitted red eye opened from that dark abyss, glaring at him. To his credit, Naruto glared back yet chose not to say anymore. He didn't know much about Biju, but he did know that for all its hatred for humanity, the Nine-Tails wouldn't have brought him here for no reason.
"Why do you keep fraternizing with these halflings? They'll just die off eventually." was the guttural tone of answer.
"What the hell do you care?!"
"FOOL!" The demon roared, echoing throughout the mindscape. "Have you forgotten already as to how you were treated in Konoha?! What is to say that the same won't happen here?! The very thought of that makes me sick! YOU make me sick!"
Gritting his teeth, the young shinobi bit back a retort as he turned away from the beast. "Tch! Quit screwing with me, fox! I know you're just trying to get me killed! That's what you want, isn't it? To break free from the seal? So why are you caring about what I do?!"
"YOU DAMN BRAT! If you die, then I die too! I can't break out of this seal if I'm dead, now can I?!" The voice snarled before a giant, orange foxlike head slammed into the bars in a fit of rage.
"THEN WHY THE HELL DIDJA DRAG ME HERE?!" Naruto yelled back.
"...Because I seek to make you a deal." At the dumbfounded unbelieving expression on Naruto's face, the giant fox explained itself. "As of now, you foolish brat, we are stuck in a world with gods. Infuriating beyond belief with their holier-than-thou attitude, but nonetheless they are gods. As the strongest of the Biju, it irks my pride to be seen as weak. Even more so while inside this prison!" The Kyuubi growled. "I want to prove my strength- my dominance! -against the divine once more!"
Naruto was about to ignore the fox demon's ranting before catching the last words. "Wait...you're saying that you've FOUGHT the gods?!"
"Indeed, boy. Long ago..." The fox closed his eyes as he recalled the memory. "If I had my way, they would be long dead and faded. The Fates deemed otherwise and whisked them away like a bunch of children. Bah, cowards!" Chuckling to itself, the fox turned back to its jailer with a look of resigned contemplation. "Hmmm...I may not like it, but there may be a way for the two of us to work together mutually. I might-MIGHT-provide for you new skills to train with in a way similar to that patron witch god of yours."
The thought of new jutsu or spells to learn was enough to get the whiskered boy's attention, but given who he was talking to he had to ask: "And? What're you getting out of this?"
"Hmph. The least I get out of this is a source of entertainment, for now. Not like I can just break out of here..." The Kyuubi begrudgingly admitted before training a lone eye upon the young shinobi. "So, boy? Do we have a deal?"
Naruto Uzumaki folded his arms as he thought-really thought-about the fox's offer. On one hand, the chance to get even stronger was a HUGE plus. He'd have more skills under his belt in no time! On the other hand, however, he was absolutely sure that this was more than likely a ruse to give the fox a chance to break free. It might not be now, but what about in the future? Plenty of chances for him to lose control. The thought of the Nine-Tails escaping and wreaking havoc in a place like New York City gave him the chills.
"I'll do it." was the answer. "But on one condition..." 'Here's to hoping this works...'
Raising a brow at the surprisingly mature answer, the fox grunted and affirmative response. "What is it?"
"I need you to swear on the Styx that you won't try to break free of the seal."
*CLAAANG!*
"YOU LITTLE BRAT!" The Bijuu snarled in rage as it slammed its head against the bars. "YOU DARE TRY TO IMPOSE THEIR LAWS UPON ME?! I SHOULD DEVOUR YOU WHOLE RIGHT NOW!"
"Hey, simmer down!" Naruto responded with an irritated tone. "Way I see it, you don't have much of a choice! We're not in Konoha, we're not anywhere in the Elemental Nations-hell, the people here think you're a myth and not the walking, talking, rampaging force of nature that you are! If anything, I'm trying to keep your furry ass and mine from getting killed, alright?!"
"AND HOW DID THAT WORK OUT FOR OLYMPUS, BOY?! THE LAST TIME THE GODS SWORE AN OATH ON THE STYX, TWO OF THEM WENT BACK ON THEIR WORD AND SIRED BASTARDS! AND NOW YOU WOULD HAVE ME DO THE SAME?!"
"I know that already! And it looks like you're forgetting one tiiiiiiiny little detail, Fox!"
"And just what would that be, brat?!" The Nine-Tails didn't like the cheeky grin forming on his jailer's face. His next words all but proved it:
"They're gods. You're not. I don't think you'd be immune to whatever kind of punishment coming your way if you went back on your word." Naruto shrugged his shoulders as he heard the fox angrily snarl and growl, further proving his point. "Besides, better you prove your strength through me that having both of us being turned to a crisp, right? So what'll it be?"
The giant fox roared and snarled in frustration for what felt like ages until it was able to calm down. A moment passed before it finally gave an answer. "...Damn you, boy. FINE! I swear on the River Styx that I will not make any attempt to break free from the seal until you give in completely to your rage..." The Kyuubi glared at the whiskered boy in spite until closing its eyes. "Now leave me be..."
"Tch! Rude..." Naruto groaned as he returned to the waking world. Rubbing his tired eyes, he made to sit up straight before stretching his upper body while yawning. 'Still, at least I ain't gotta worry about the giant fuzzball breaking out soon. Not exactly what I wanted, but I'll take what I can get.' Having finished stretching, the blond teen was pondering about what he was going to do for the rest of the day when he felt a tingling sensation from a specific seal on his left arm. Intrigued, he pressed two fingers onto the seal and channeled his chakra, allowing the Scroll of Ancients to appear in his hands.
'Oh sweet Kami, please let this be what I think it is!' he thought excitedly as he opened the scroll.
And to his delight: "FINALLY! Thank you, gods!"
The whiskered boy's eyes popped out of his skull as he remembered where he was, looking around to see if there was someone coming towards him. When he was satisfied that no one heard his outburst, he turned to start reading what had appeared on the scroll:
1 New Skill Available!
1 Branch of Magic Available!
Almost immediately the young man touched the first tab with his index finger before channeling his chakra onto the parchment, resulting in the words disappearing before new ones formed onto its surface. Silently, he carefully read what the new skill was:
New Skill: Negation (Basic)
'...the hell is this? Pretty sure I'm supposed to be learning MAGIC, not whatever this is!' Naruto mentally ranted before shaking his head of any further thoughts. 'No, I wouldn't be getting this if it wasn't important. If Pervy-Sage were here, he'd be telling me to soak up as much information as I could before running off to the nearest brothel.' *sigh* 'Alright, let's see what this is about. Who knows, it might be interesting.' With careful attention, he began:
Being surrounded by those with a stronger affinity to magic and power must really suck, right? Well, here's your chance to even the odds! Negation is, simply put, a way to counter and even nullify any attacks from you opposition. Fireball of death coming your way? Negate it. Giant sword about to take off your head? Negate it. Death-dealing spell about to send you and your friends to the afterlife? NEGATE IT. It's a simple process, rinse and repeat. To begin, however, you'll need to start small. Hint: Write a seal onto a piece of paper with this (否定), channel your power source through the piece of paper, and attack it to see what happens.
Naruto Uzumaki blinked once.
Twice.
Thrice, now...
"Don't tell me..." the whiskered blond muttered under his breath as he quickly pulled out a small piece of paper. With a brush in hand, he was careful to copy the seal demonstrated in the scroll by every stroke before slowly channeling his chakra into it. Naruto had to be thankful for Jiraiya's thorough training in fuinjutsu to learn how to properly activate a seal for the first time. He shuddered at the memory of countless destroyed pieces of paper because he kept overloading it with his chakra. Watching it briefly glow orange, the young shinobi waited until it stopped when he started reaching into his pouch for a kunai in his hand. After a brief moment, he stabbed down at the seal directly with all his might. To his surprise, the paper was relatively unharmed.
To his shock, the tip of the kunai was broken off and shattered...
'...HOLY SHIT!' Naruto thought as his jaw comically dropped to the floor. 'That's awesome! They sure don't have THIS in the fuinjutsu scrolls back home-WAIT A MINUTE! What did Hecate-baachan say about my clan, again? Something about a trade...' Unsealing his Advanced Fuinjutsu Scroll, the young shinobi carefully read its contents before comparing them to some of the wordings and runes within the Scroll of Ancients to see if he was right.
After what felt like an hour, he found what he was looking for. 'Yeah, I was right! Some of these I can tell are almost the same. At least with the Ancient Greek warding spells and the Barrier Jutsus. Guess my ancestors really DID use some of those Greek spells for their fuinjutsu after all...'
Wanting to think on this another time, Naruto rolled up the scroll before quickly opening it again.
The letters changed to where he had started before, only this time there was just the one option available left for him:
1 Branch of Magic Available!
With a deep breath, he channeled his chakra once more to see what it was-
"HEY, WHISKERS!" Naruto nearly jumped from where he was sitting before looking up to see Thalia, Kassandra, Annabeth and Luke walking towards him. With a deep sigh he quickly sealed the Scroll of Ancients back into the seal on his arm as he got up to greet them. "What the heck are you doing out here? We've been trying to find you for the past ten minutes!"
"Eh? Ten minutes?" The whiskered boy blinked before sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. "Ahaha! Sorry, Thals, didn't mean to make you worry like that! Honest!"
"Tch. I wasn't worried about you..." Naruto could've SWORN he saw a faint blush briefly running across her nose before the punk-clad teen schooled her features.
It had been just over a year since his arrival in this world and it was beginning to show on everyone.
Annabeth had fashioned her blond hair into princess curls with some help from the girls in Cabin Ten. Now the Daughter of Athena stood a good five inches taller than before. Lately she seemed to have a bitter rivalry with Clarisse, which the Daughter of Ares seemed to enjoy in every CTF game.
Luke, on the other hand, seemed to be a bit buffer. The Son of Hermes had taken to cutting off the sleeves of his camp T-shirts so as to showcase his still-growing muscles on his arms. He had also cut his hair a bit shorter when it started getting in the way of training drills. But the mischievous grin on his face was ever the same.
Thalia and Kassandra, on the other hand, were more or less blooming.
The Latina wasn't wearing her hat as much as she used to, opting for growing her hair out to where it reached the small of her back, cascading like a waterfall in a ponytail fashion. Her two clothing pins Cataclysm were dug into one of her jeans pockets. Even her Camp T-shirt wasn't spared-Kassandra had tied a knot around the hem at the front. If Naruto hadn't known any better, he'd mistaken her for a Daughter of Aphrodite.
The Daughter of Zeus, on the other hand, had taken off her jacket in favor of letting her arms take in the crisp autumn air. Like Luke, she cut off her sleeves. Thalia still wore her ripped jeans and started wearing leather wristbands, giving her a sort-of rockergirl look. She'd also styled her hair a bit differently where it was slightly straighter, with one of her bangs highlighted an electric blue.
It didn't help that with the coming of age...so too did puberty.
These days Naruto had to admit that the two demigoddesses were growing up and starting to fill out more in certain areas. Lately, he found himself staring at Kassandra's growing chest or Thalia's widening hips when she wasn't paying attention before forcing his gaze elsewhere. He couldn't help it-not his fault she made the whole "rebel-punk" thing work! But for the sake of his self-preservation, he cast those thoughts aside. "So what brings you all the way here to see me, Freckles?"
*sigh* "Capture the Flag's coming up in two days, and everyone's trying to get favors for the upcoming game." Thalia explained with a roll of her eyes. While she liked a good game, it wasn't as fun as fighting the occasional monster that strolled into camp or in the woods. Ever since that rescue mission to Alaska, she'd been wanting for a little more action in her life. "So, I've been thinking!"
"Ooof, that must've hurt..." the whiskered blond cackled only to raise his hands placatingly at the blue-eyes girl's glower. "Sorry, Your Highness! You were saying?"
Narrowing her eyes at the sheepish grin, Thalia took a deep breath before continuing. "As I was saying, every game the two of us always go against each other. Red Team, Blue Team, doesn't matter."
"What Thalia's trying to say is that you guys haven't been on the same team once." Luke pointed out, Annabeth nodding rapidly beside him. Kassandra crossed her arms beneath her growing bust as she smirked at the annoyed expression the Daughter of Zeus was making.
"Really?" Naruto asked genuinely as he tilted his head in a similar manner as a fox. "I mean, yeah I've teamed with Luke or Kass a few times. But I thought we already teamed up at least once!" Scratching the top of his head, the young shinobi pondered about Thalia's unspoken suggestion before nodding his head. "Well, alright. What did you have in mind, anyway?"
He did NOT like the wolfish grin forming on the rockergirl's face, no matter how pretty it made her look...
"So, remind me again, why are we out here?" Naruto was expecting a lot of things. Trading chores, patrol duties and whatnot.
What he didn't expect was for both of them to be out in the woods in full gear.
"Because," Thalia replied, her eyes scanning the woods surrounding them for any oncoming threat. "Kaz and Cerys were supposed to check the woods for any monsters before the game. And since I wanted both of us to be on the same team for once, I cut a deal with them. You don't want to end up as a hellhound's dinner during Capture the Flag, do you?"
"Heh!" the whiskered boy grinned; his canines visible as his cerulean eyes glinted dangerously. "Like they'd be able to get ahold of me."
"Then I guess the part where you accidentally let yourself get manhandled by Cerys was a part of your plan? You were the one that got all handsy on her."
Naruto paled at the sheer memory before shooting Thalia a dirty look. It took two whole weeks worth of chores and favors for the Cabin Five Councilor to fully accept his apology, and he suspected it was because the older girl had a mean streak a mile wide. "Thals, that wasn't funny! I thought those chores were gonna kill me!"
The Daughter of Zeus gave a cheeky smile of her own before stalking further into the woods. The two opted to walk side by side, eyes scanning the foliage before them.
"So...Thalia." Naruto asked.
"Yeah?"
"...who's Jason?"
Naruto bristled in surprise as the smothering aroma of ozone permeated the air. Daring to look at where the rocker-punk teen was walking on his left, the young shinobi mentally cursed at the dark look she sent his way. 'Maybe I shouldn't have said anything?'
"Where. Did. You. Hear. That. Name?" Thalia's voice was like ice, as though hell had frozen over.
The whiskered young shinobi gave out a silent gulp at the murderous glint within her blue eyes as he began to recount what had happened...
Naruto jostled awake on the bumpy bus ride out of habit, his training demanding that he take watch over the rest of the group. Since the airplane flight was only allowed for a one-time thing only because of Thalia being the Daughter of Zeus, Chiron told them to take a Greyhound Bus ride back to Long Island.
Kudos to having the most paranoid god in existence being in charge, but at least the bus ride was already paid for so Naruto wasn't complaining too much.
Blinking his eyes awake, he noticed that they were already just crossing into Pennsylvania-Ohio border nearing just outside of Pittsburgh.
The whiskered boy yawned as he looked out the window to see the first few rays of sunlight over the horizon. 'That or the Sun God decided to go on an early joyride for some reason. Eh, who knows?' he thought to himself with a smirk.
Rubbing his eyes clear of sleep, Naruto looked over the rest of the group. Bryce was sitting in the row in front of him, constantly using his hand to keep Zack's drooling head away from his person. The whiskered blond shook his head with a smirk as he wondered just how the satyr was able to manage that while they were out cold.
Keisha and Kassandra were sleeping behind him, the Latina's head using the other girl's shoulder as a makeshift pillow. The two demigoddesses were currently bunched together in a warm blue blanket they bought from a local store-he figured the blue was Kassandra's idea.
'How many times have I heard Luke and Thalia tease poor Kass over her favorite color is BEYOND me at this point,' he thought to himself with a small grin on his face before turning to look at the final member of their group currently in the realm of Morpheus at the back of the bus. The Daughter of Zeus herself was curled up tightly into a ball, her cute freckled face- 'Ack! No, bad thoughts!' -was slightly scrunched up in a frown. Naruto soon gained a worried look on his face as he saw Thalia curl up even tighter as she started...shivering?
"No...no, please come back...I didn't mean to...!"
Seeing this, the young shinobi stood up from his seat and looked around for a spare blanket. Grabbing one, he made his way towards the back and quickly draped it over her form. Having finished bundling her up, Naruto sat by her and made sure that Thalia wouldn't fall off her seat.
'I don't know what kind of nightmare she's having, but it sounds bad...' he thought.
"Please... Jason... I'm sorry..."
"Shh... hey, it's alright, Thalia. I'm here." Naruto tried to reassure her quivering form. He felt strange; normally the whiskered boy was quite good at helping others in distress, but this felt more...natural. TOO natural, even. "I'm here, Thalia, everything's alright now." He honestly had no idea what he was doing, but it just wouldn't be right if he left the punk-clad girl like this. "We'll be back home soon. I promise."
And it was soon enough, after a few moments of quiet tremors, that Thalia finally managed to calm down. Taking care not to startle her awake, Naruto carefully made his way back to his seat.
Unknowing that his eyes were glowing, as though kissed by fire...
"After that, we pretty much had an easy ride back to camp. No monsters or anything." Naruto recounted to his companion. He expected some sort of outcry at best, or a fit of rage at worst. Knowing the Daughter of Zeus, chances are that she'd lash out against a tree with a stray bolt of electricity. To be honest, the young shinobi thought he had pressed a little too far bringing up whatever memories going through her head.
He wasn't expecting complete silence from the raven-haired demigoddess, her blue eyes burning a hole through the forest floor. If that wasn't bad enough, the eerie silence that surrounded them made it more foreboding.
"Uh, Thalia?" The whiskered blond boy had nervously asked, the beginnings of a cold sweat running down his forehead. "A-are you okay? I didn't make you mad, did I?"
When she didn't respond, Naruto dared to move closer to see if she was okay.
"Thalia?"
"He was my brother."
The young shinobi nearly screamed when the punk-clad girl finally answered, but was able to swallow in his fright." "I've never told anyone - not even Luke, Kass, or Annabeth - about this." Looking up, she had a fierce glare and a solemn expression on her face. "The last time I saw Jason, he was two years old. And right now, that's all I'm going to say about it."
There was more to that story.
For some godsdamned reason Naruto Uzumaki just knew there was more. If it was just a case of a missing sibling, there'd be no reason for Thalia to be this solemn. It almost reminded him of whenever Sasuke had his brooding moments.
'No, let's not go there...' he thought, tightening his grip on the Blades of Chaos. 'If she doesn't wanna talk about it, then what can I do?'
"...Alright, Thalia. I won't try to force it out." Giving her a small assuring smile, Naruto started walking deeper into the woods. "So how's about we finish this patrol?"
Thalia blinked; her stormy expression seemed to melt away as she raced behind him.
Little did they know how quickly things would change...
High on the Empire State Building, three old women watched.
Wearing cotton dresses despite the altitude of the roof, they weren't bothered in the slightest. Though, strangely enough, they did in fact have in their possession a basket of electric blue yarn. One was sitting in the middle holding the basket, and the other two were sitting on either side seemingly knitting large socks.
"It has begun, and so they say..." The old lady on the left said in a dire tone.
"The strings will tell of this day..." Said the other in a similar fashion.
"A warrior's destiny has been foretold..." Said the one in the middle.
"The stray leaf, flung far from home."
"Grave will his future be, riddled with trials and foes." They spoke as one while looking into the direction of the Long Island Sound.
More specifically, the direction of Camp Half-Blood.
"He will gather many allies in his path. Many enemies he will face, uncaring of his woes."
But here, their eyes glowed as their voices became imbued with power.
"But this child of the leaf...is dealt a heavy burden."
"To save one world, he must destroy the other."
"To save one live, he must sacrifice another."
"To find his place, he must lose what he loves."
Finally, the crone in the middle held a pair of large gold-and-silver cutting shears and made as though to cut the string of yarn connecting the two socks before saying this:
"How will you fare...Son of Fire?"
A/N: AAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNND THAT'S A WRAP, FOLKS! Honestly, I wasn't expecting my writer's block to take THIS long to finally clear! What's it been, like a month? Two?!
*sighs in exhaustion* Anyways, I'm currently finishing up on the newest chapter of Arc of the Morning Star, so stay tuned!
Ciao for now~~!