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A Shinobi Among Monsters by euphoric image
 Naruto & Percy Jackson and the Olympians Xover Rated: T, English, Adventure & Humor, Naruto U., Artemis, Apollo, Words: 208k+, Favs: 8k+, Follows: 9k+, Published: Mar 21, 2020 Updated: Jan 15 3,237Chapter 2: Forgiveness
1 year, 2 months after.
"I am interested in you," Apollo said.
Naruto immediately backed away until he hit the wall. "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!"
Apollo winced. "Why do you have to be so loud? Anyways, as I was saying, I'm scientifically interested in your body. You're the only child of Artemis in existence, and I want to test out your powers."
Naruto tried his very best to activate Kamui and sink into the wall. It didn't work. "Phrasing, Apollo, phrasing!"
Apollo frowned. "What?"
"Never mind," Naruto sighed. Then he perked up. "So, how does it work?"
"Kukuku," Apollo chuckled menacingly. "Follow me, Naruto."
Naruto gulped in fear.
XxX
1 year, 2 months, and 3 hours after.
Naruto collapsed onto the wood floor, feeling as if he'd just been hit by a Susanoo.
"Hey, careful. Don't get your sweat on the wood. These floors cost me a fortune," Apollo warned.
Naruto breathed in deeply, ignoring Apollo. He had just gone through one of the most exhausting training sessions he had ever been in. It wasn't as bad as Kakashi-sensei's Hell Training, but it was close.
"Conclusions?" Naruto gasped out. "Wait, no. Water first."
Apollo snapped his fingers and a bottle of Coke appeared, which he offered to Naruto.
"I said water."
"Don't be a picky drinker," Apollo snapped his fingers once again and the Coke turned into a bottle of spring water which Naruto took gratefully. "You're just like Artemis. I bet that on your birthday, you'll ask for trail mix instead of a cake oh wait. . . "
Naruto and Apollo locked eyes and froze. Naruto spoke first. "My birthday. . ."
"I completely forgot. . ." Apollo finished, horror on his face.
They stared at each other.
"I'll get us some ramen later tonight?" Apollo offered.
Naruto brightened. "It's a deal."
"Perfect. Now that we have that out of the way, let us analyze the results," A dossier appeared in Apollo's hands.
Naruto leaned forward, eager to hear what Apollo had to say.
"Let's see. . . We already know about your immunity to diseases. Hmm. . . your overall physical capabilities are far above mortals, which is typical for most demigods. As a child of Artemis, your reflexes are off the charts, you have a great innate skill with archery, and your senses are inhumanly good. And. . . nope. That's it. Those are all the things I can detect at this point."
"That's it?!" Naruto asked incredulously. "You made me go through 3 hours of hell just to tell me what I already knew?"
Apollo smirked. "That, and it was great entertainment."
XxX
1 year, 3 months after.
"Let me get something straight," Naruto held up one finger. "The original 6 gods, Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Demeter, Hera, and Hestia, overthrew their father, Kronos."
"Congratulations, you've just mastered Greek Mythology 101."
"Zeus sliced Kronos up and scattered his remains across Tartarus. The other Titans that had sided with Kronos were also either cast into Tartarus or imprisoned."
Apollo sighed. "How in the name of Me is that relevant to what we're doing right now?"
Naruto looked down at the game of chess that they were playing. "Well, you're cheating and I'm cheating, so there's not really much of a point of focusing on this."
Apollo shrugged. "Fair enough. Chess was never really my thing anyways. Athena, on the other hand, loves chess. 'The game of a strategist,' she says. 'It simulates a battle.'"
Naruto scoffed. "Chess?! Chess has nothing to do with a real battle!"
"Exactly!" Apollo leaned back and spread his arms in agreement. "I'm the god of archery! I'm not going to move onto my enemy's square, I'm gonna take them down from a mile away!"
"And there are no surprises in chess! The opponent has all of the information, and you're heavily limited by what you can and cannot do," Naruto slammed his hand down onto the table, rattling the entire chess board and knocking several pieces down. "See, in a real battle, that's how you win! You do something the enemy doesn't expect!"
Apollo nodded fervently. "I concur completely."
Naruto started picking up the fallen chess pieces and placing them back onto the board.
"So why are you asking about Kronos?" Apollo said curiously.
Naruto bit his lip. "Did Zeus or any of the other gods try to talk to their dad at all? To try to understand why he did what he did?"
Apollo stared at Naruto. "Dude. Kronos literally swallowed them whole. There's no room for understanding there. The only thing to do, the right thing to do, was to overthrow Kronos."
Naruto was silent for a moment. "So the gods' vengeance brought justice, huh?"
"Yeah, I'll say it certainly did," Apollo nodded.
"And if that justice only brings more vengeance?" Naruto rubbed his hands unconsciously. A memory of an old wound. "The Titans aren't fully gone. They're going to come back one day and attack Olympus."
Apollo hesitated. "We don't know that for sure."
"But if it does happen?" Naruto pressed on. "The Titans will seek revenge. They will want to raze - "
Apollo drew in a sharp breath.
" - Olympus to the ground. And then the gods will attack them again, right?"
"If the Titans do come back and attack Olympus then yes, we will counterattack and beat them again," Apollo confirmed.
"So it's the same," Naruto whispered. Even though shinobi do not exist in this world, hatred is still present.
"What was that?"
"Nothing," Naruto said. "Oh, by the way, checkmate."
Apollo blinked and looked down at the board. Sure enough, he was checkmated. "Did you seriously move the chess pieces that you knocked down into a position that would checkmate me while I was right here watching you?"
"In a real battle, do you think the enemy will follow the rules? I won." Naruto smirked.
Apollo glared at Naruto. "I'll call it a tie, and that's the best offer you're going to get."
"I'll take it."
XxX
1 year, 4 months after.
Naruto was bored. He was surprised it took him that long to become bored, but in all fairness, there were a lot of things to do in the mansion. But today, Naruto didn't feel like reading the old myths or training or perfecting his Pikachu against bots.
With Apollo off to do his own things, there's nothing Naruto could do.
A cunning smirk appeared on Naruto's face.
There's nothing he could do. . . except for execute the Plan.
Naruto had played the long con. He had convinced Apollo that he was an innocent little boy. And now, with Apollo's guard down, it's time to strike.
XxX
The Hall of the Gods was alive with chatter for the Monthly Council Meeting.
Aphrodite was flirting with Ares, Hephaestus's hands were tinkering with some gears while glaring at Aphrodite, Athena was discussing the benefits of lowering the mortal drinking age with Dionysus, Zeus was arguing with Hera, and Poseidon was passed out from boredom.
Artemis surveyed everyone with a neutral look. Internally, however, she was heavily irritated.
There were rumors about ancient and powerful enemies of Olympus beginning to rise. Whispers of forces long forgotten stirring from their sleep.
The only problem was that the gods weren't willing to separate the truth from the lie. They're well aware of the rumors, they just don't care.
Artemis disliked that. If there truly are threats against Olympus, then immediate action must be taken to first identify and then combat the threats before they spiral out of control.
"Father, shall we begin?" Artemis called out, silencing everyone - or in Poseidon's case, startling him awake. Her neutral expression became a cold one. "Or shall we continue to waste time?"
Zeus coughed. "Ahem. You're right. Let's begin - hey, wait, where's Apollo?"
The gods and goddesses looked around, but Apollo was nowhere to be seen.
"That idiot," Artemis muttered under her breath. "Why is he late?"
The grand double doors slammed open and Apollo staggered through.
Artemis opened her mouth to rebuke him - and promptly froze at the sight. Everyone else did the same. They all just stared at Apollo.
Apollo's hair was a bright pink color along with what looked like about a pound of glitter scattered in. It was also sticking out in every direction imaginable.
His skin was dyed neon orange. There was black marker on his face - a mustache, whiskers, a fox's paw print, and a small drawing that vaguely resembles a leaf.
There was an audible silence in the Hall.
Hermes started trembling, trying to keep it together.
"What's up, everyone?" Apollo grinned. The grin was clearly forced, and his eyes twitched every few seconds.
"Your hair, for one," Ares answered in a rare display of wit. And with that, it was all over for everyone else. They all burst into a resounding laughter that echoed throughout the halls.
Even Artemis chuckled a few times. She could definitely appreciate seeing her brother like this.
Throughout all of this, Apollo stood there, grin still fixed on his face, eyes twitching madly. "Right, well, I'll just go ahead and sit down."
"Who did that to you?" Hermes inquired, a twinkle in his eye. "I need to shake their hand." And steal their watch went unsaid, but everyone in the room knew it.
Apollo clenched his fists. "Yeah, I wonder who," he said, staring right at Artemis.
Artemis's eyes widened. So it was him?
She smiled amusedly. He did well.
The Council Meeting continued, with a few chuckles here and there whenever someone looked at Apollo.
And during the Meeting, nobody noticed the curious gleam in the little girl's eyes while she tended to the hearth, keeping the flames alive.
XxX
1 year, 5 months after.
"Naruto? What are you doing?"
Naruto spun around, blocking Apollo's view of the papers on the desk behind him with his body. "Nothing!"
"Oh? That doesn't look like nothing to me," Apollo walked forward, craning his head to get a better view.
Naruto couldn't let him see what was on the papers. It had to be kept a secret. But how can he stop Apollo? If Apollo wanted to do something, then he will do it -
Oh. Right. Naruto could always just do that.
Naruto smirked at Apollo.
Apollo immediately jumped back, a HAZMAT suit materializing to cover his entire body. His eyes flickered around the room, scanning for any hidden surprises. "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on you. You won't get me again, Naruto."
And with that, Apollo disappeared in a flash of golden light.
Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. It worked.
Ever since he had pranked Apollo, Apollo had been downright paranoid. Seeing Naruto smirk at him must have sent him into DEFCON 1.
Naruto looked back at the papers on the desk. That was a close call.
XxX
1 year, 6 months after.
Naruto stared at the person in front of him. "Apollo!" he screamed, jumping back, hands already coming together to form hand seals.
A few moments passed before Apollo was there in a literal golden flash of light, his bow out and an arrow nocked at the intruder. There was a sudden heavy pressure that pressed down against everything, cracks forming on the wall from the might.
"Who dares intrude upon my domain - Hestia?" Apollo abruptly lowered his bow, confusion written on his face. "What are you doing here? How are you even here?"
Naruto tilted his head questioningly, hands still held together in a familiar cross-shaped hand seal. He was fully willing to reveal the existence of chakra to fight back anyone powerful enough to intrude in Apollo's domain. "Hestia?"
Naruto examined the small girl in front of him. She was a few years older than him, around 11 years old. She had black hair and warm brown eyes, like pools of chocolate.
Apollo cautiously dismissed his bow, which vanished in a flash of golden light. He looked around wildly, as if sensing for any other intruders. After a moment, he relaxed. "Naruto, meet my Aunt, Hestia, the Goddess of - "
"The hearth, home, and family," Hestia cut in, smiling. "It's nice to see you again, Apollo."
"What are you doing here?"
"What is she doing here?"
Naruto and Apollo spoke in unison. They turned to each other, surprised.
"Hey, kid, the adults are talking. That means for you to shut up," Apollo said.
Naruto scoffed. "Adults?! You banned ramen for a week after the harmless prank I pulled on you! Is that what an adult would do?"
"You deserved that, after embarrassing me in front of the Council," Apollo snarled.
Hestia coughed lightly. "Yes, well, as amusing as that was, allow me to reveal what I am doing here."
Apollo and Naruto turned to her.
"To be honest, at the moment, I'm more concerned about the how. If I have any security issues, I need to fix them," Apollo narrowed his eyes. "How did you get in here?"
Hestia stared at him. "You invited me."
Apollo frowned. "No I didn't."
"Yes, you did," Hestia grinned mischievously. "Remember a few thousand years ago, when Artemis wouldn't talk to you?"
Apollo's face darkened. "We don't talk about the Dark Ages."
"Ah, of course. Well, after I told you what to say to her, and she spoke the first words to you in, what was it again?"
"529 years, 8 months, 23 days, 5 hours, 49 minutes, 23 seconds," Apollo answered automatically.
"That's a made up number, and you know it," Naruto accused.
Apollo's eyes were unfocused, lost in painful memories. "No. I counted every second. She wouldn't look at me, talk to me, even be in the same room with me. It was the single worst time of my entire life."
"Huh. What did you do to make her so mad?" Naruto asked.
"A mistake."
"Yes, well," Hestia cut in, "After she finally spoke to you and you cried and danced and sang songs about the 'awesomeness of your little sister,' you celebrated for 3 days straight afterwards."
Apollo nodded slowly. "I do remember that, yes."
"Then do you remember when you came up to thank me, drunk out of your mind?"
"A little fuzzier, but yeah."
"And do you remember saying, and I quote, "Hestia, you are wonderful. From this day forward, where I am welcome, you are welcome. Nothing else could show my eternal appreciation for you.'" Hestia's grin widened.
"That was binding?!" Apollo asked incredulously.
Hestia nodded. "Your intent was clear. It was an invitation to your domain, and since you never took it back, the offer stood to this day."
"Huh," Apollo crossed his arms. "So you mean to say. . . all this time, you could have entered all of my domains?!"
"Indeed," Hestia confirmed cheerily. "So don't worry, there aren't any security risks here - unless you granted another person permission to roam all your domains?"
Apollo shook his head. "No, I wouldn't be stupid enough to do that."
Naruto smirked. "And yet, here she is."
Apollo chose to ignore him. "What brings you here, Hestia?"
Hestia raised an eyebrow. "You know that I'm the goddess of home and family, correct? So how could I possibly not have noticed a new addition to my dear nephew's family? Especially with how much time the new addition spent at home. At first, I thought nothing of it. Perhaps it was a nature spirit that you took fancy to, or maybe you found yourself a goddess to settle down with."
Hestia leaned forward conspiratorially. Naruto and Apollo leaned forward unconsciously as well.
"But then you came in that one Council Meeting looking so. . . colorful. And you didn't kill anybody for it. You didn't even make a fuss! No songs denouncing your enemy, no secret arrows being launched into the sky, no favors being called in to make the person's life a living hell. . . it was as if it never happened. At that point, I was definitely interested in just who it could be."
Apollo and Naruto stared at Hestia. Then, eyes still fixed on Hestia, Apollo smacked Naruto on the back of the head.
"Ow!" Naruto yelled, grabbing his head. "What was that for?!"
"Idiot! She only found out about you because of the prank you pulled!" Apollo snapped.
Hestia laughed. "Well, the knowing glance you shared with Artemis during the meeting only strengthened my suspicions. She knew, you knew, and nobody else knew. It was obvious there was a secret between you two."
Apollo glared at Naruto. "No. Don't you dare."
"You head-slapped me first! It's only fair I get to do it to you!" Naruto tried his hardest to smack Apollo, but Apollo's long arms held him away. Curse his height advantage!
"I admit, it slipped my mind somewhat until earlier today, when I was baking cookies," Hestia smiled while Naruto glared at Apollo with righteous fury. "I was experimenting with adding cotton candy, and the pink cotton candy reminded me of your hair during the meeting."
Naruto broke out into laughter at the mention of his prank. Oh, that had been a masterpiece.
"And so I entered this home through the hearth," Hestia continued. "And imagine my surprise when I came face to face with Artemis's look-alike."
"Hold up," Naruto held up his hand confusedly. "You appeared through the television, not the hearth."
Hestia shrugged. "In this day and age, not many people have hearths anymore. Thankfully, the definition extends to anything that symbolizes a home. In your case, it happens to be the television."
Apollo and Naruto shared a look of mutual agreement that perhaps they've been spending a little too much time playing video games and watching movies.
"And now it's my turn to ask the questions," Hestia's expression became deadly serious. "Who are you?" she directed to Naruto.
Naruto looked at Apollo for help. Apollo considered it for a moment. "Swear on the River Styx you won't tell anyone else until we allow you."
"Done. I swear on the River Styx." Thunder boomed off in the distance, signifying the pact being sealed.
Apollo nodded to Naruto, giving him the green light.
"Alright. My name is Naruto and I'm the son of Artemis!" Naruto grinned. "Nice to meetcha!"
Hestia's mouth dropped open. She mouthed the words the son of Artemis.
"She's still a virgin," Apollo hurriedly said. "He was born through immaculate means. Essence combination."
Hestia breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness for that. I was worried for a second. If Artemis suddenly lost her maidenhood as the Goddess of Maidenhood, chaos would ensue. So is Naruto similar to Athena's children?"
"Pretty much. We don't know who or what the father is, unfortunately. He seems to have disappeared into thin air."
Naruto was suddenly very, very interested in his sandals.
"No human blood in him?" Hestia asked.
Apollo hesitated. "He doesn't have any ichor in him. But at the same time, he doesn't have any human blood in him either. He aged rapidly and was born with English and Greek hardwired into his brain."
Hestia frowned. "Hmm. Interesting. In any case, I can certainly see why you're keeping him a secret from the other gods. I wouldn't be surprised if they started a vote to blast him out of existence if they found out."
Naruto's mouth turned dry. He knew of this already, of course, but it always left a foul taste in his mouth when he realized just how little his family cared for each other.
Apollo nodded. "A child of Artemis, male no less, would be viewed as an abomination that goes against the natural order. Although to be fair, he is an abomination at times."
"Hey!"
"Artemis brought him to me and asked me to take care of him the night he was born, and he hasn't been out since. That was, what, a year and a half ago?" Apollo wondered.
Naruto nodded. "Yup."
Naruto's accelerated aging still unsettled him sometimes. He often forgot, since his mind was 17 years old, but he has been born for only a year and a half.
Hestia stared incredulously at Apollo. "He hasn't been outside, ever?!"
"A travesty, I know. He hasn't even ridden in my sun chariot yet," Apollo sighed.
Hestia pursed her lips.
Then she turned to Naruto and smiled warmly. "Hello there, Naruto. My name is Hestia."
Naruto returned her smile with a brilliant one of his own. She was the third person - goddess - he's met so far since being reborn. She was also really friendly. "Do you have any cool powers?"
Hestia grinned. "Yup. In fact, I could show you them right now. It's about lunchtime. Are you hungry?"
Naruto's stomach chose that time to let out a growl. He blushed. "Umm, yeah."
"Speak no further. Lead me to your dining room."
They walked past into a room with a small round table with two seats facing each other.
"Let me take care of that," Apollo quickly clapped his hands and a new chair popped into existence.
They sat down, Naruto eagerly waiting for the food. As a goddess of family and the home, she had to know how to cook, right?
Hestia merely waved her hand and a feast appeared on the table. Roast beef, fried rice, sandwiches, chicken wings, salads. . . it smelled delicious.
Wait. . .
"Can you do that for all types of food?" Naruto asked urgently.
Hestia blinked. "I can."
Naruto's hands blurred as he clasped Hestia's small hands, staring intently into her wide eyes. "Do you know how to make ramen?"
Hestia stared at him, surprised, before a confident and slightly amused smile took over her face. "As a matter of fact, in the time the gods spent in Japan, I mastered my art of cooking both ramen and sushi."
"Can. . . can we have ramen for lunch then?" There were stars shining in Naruto's eyes.
Hestia laughed. "Of course."
She waved her hand and the feast on the table was replaced with bowls upon bowls of ramen, each a different recipe. Miso, pork, beef, seafood. . . they were all there.
Naruto inhaled. Exhaled.
Heaven.
"Hestia. I know we've just met. . . but I think I love you. You're the best!"
Apollo crossed his arms. "You better have meant that as a familial love."
Naruto paused, already halfway finished with a bowl. He finished chewing first before shouting, "Of course it was familial love! Don't be weird like that!"
Hestia smiled. "You know, Apollo proposed to me once."
Naruto went still. His chopsticks slid out of his hands and clattered onto the floor. He slowly turned his head to stare at Apollo.
Apollo grinned sheepishly. "Now, before you say anything - "
"You're even worse than Ero-Sennin," Naruto whispered. He unconsciously edged away from Apollo. "Ero-Sennin isn't the Super Pervert anymore. You are."
"Who? No, it doesn't matter. Look, Naruto, gods don't have DNA. It wasn't weird. Don't look at me like that! Why are you looking at me like that?! Naruto!"
Hestia laughed.
XxX
It was official.
Kaguya sucked.
Because so far, all the gods and goddesses Naruto has met were waayyy better than Kaguya.
And Hestia may possibly be one of the kindest beings Naruto has ever met. She was awesome.
If only it was Hestia who had introduced chakra to the shinobi world. There probably wouldn't even be any shinobi, since everyone would be nice and pleasant to each other.
XxX
"He's a good kid," Hestia said.
Apollo smiled. "Oh yeah. It could've been a lot worse. He doesn't have the arrogance of Heracles or the rashness of Theseus or the insecurity of Phaethon. I lucked out with him."
Hestia turned on Apollo with a knowing smile. "You couldn't refuse Artemis's request to take care of him, could you."
Apollo fumbled for a bit before sighing. "I was going to refuse at first, but. . . she asked for my help, Hestia. I've never seen her so vulnerable and afraid before. She hid it well, but I know my little sister better than anyone."
"That's what you do for family," Hestia hummed. "So what does she think of him?"
Apollo froze. "Yes. That."
Hestia whirled around. "What do you mean?!"
Apollo coughed. "Umm, well, you see. . . Artemis hasn't seen him yet since the night she dropped him off."
Hestia nodded sadly in understanding. "Ah, yes, the Ancient Laws - "
Hestia stopped abruptly. She narrowed her eyes.
Apollo winced. She figured it out.
"The Ancient Laws don't apply to Naruto since there's not a drop of mortal blood in him." Hestia's expression looked as if it was carved from stone. "Which means that Artemis hasn't seen Naruto of her own volition."
Apollo shrugged helplessly. "Yeah. She's choosing to stay away. I can do many things, but controlling Artemis is not one of them. I haven't been able to convince her so far."
Hestia was silent for a moment. "I'll go talk to her."
Apollo backed away slowly.
Hestia's aura, normally warm and comforting, was filled with a burning determination. There were flames in her brown eyes, not the harsh explosions that burned in Ares's eyes but rather the gentle flames found in the hearth.
And at that moment, Apollo was reminded of just why Hestia wasn't an average goddess but rather the Eldest Olympian.
XxX
Naruto woke up feeling content for once. He didn't have a nightmare that night.
When he was first reborn in this world, he had nightmares practically every time he went to sleep. It was understandable, really. Losing his precious people, being in a new world, and the mental scars from the Great Fourth Shinobi War all culminated into a lot of restless nights.
But recently, the nightmares were fading. And last night, Naruto didn't have a nightmare at all.
Perhaps one reason for that was because of Hestia yesterday. Naruto had been freaked out at first by her appearance, but she was too nice.
It had taken all of Naruto's willpower to not call her Hestia-nee-chan. Unfortunately, there weren't any honorifics in English.
And she had fed him ramen! Lots and lots of ramen. Naruto's mouth watered at the memory. Her ramen was almost as good as Ichiraku's - maybe even better.
This was going to be a good day. Naruto can feel it. Maybe he'll finally beat Apollo in an archery fight - a duel where they only used bows to try and take each other down.
Naruto brushed his teeth, took a quick shower, and dressed. He wore long black pants, a black T-shirt, and an orange-and-black jacket. It was similar to his attire in his teenage years.
He still wore black open-toed sandals. Apollo had never understood why Naruto insisted on wearing sandals, but Naruto could never get used to sneakers. They were too. . . confining.
Naruto sleepily jumped over the balcony (who takes stairs?) and landed lightly on the floor. He strolled over to the dining room, already planning out what to make for breakfast. Pancakes sounded good.
One bad thing about living with Apollo is that he can't cook. At all. So either Naruto cooked, or they had takeout. The takeout wasn't bad, since Apollo only got food from 5-star restaurants, but over the years, Naruto has gained an appreciation for home-cooked meals.
Most shinobi did after a while.
He walked into the dining room. The kitchen was deeper inside.
"Morning, Apollo," Naruto yawned as he made his way past the sun god's tense form. "Morning, Artemis."
Naruto took another 3 steps before he froze. Wait. What?!
He spun around, eyes wide in shock.
Artemis sat at the round table.
Naruto couldn't move. He couldn't even speak. He could only stand there, staring dumbly at Artemis.
Artemis broke the silence after a long uncomfortable moment. "How are you, Naruto?"
Naruto didn't quite know how to respond.
XxX
There was a secret that Naruto has never told anyone else before. He likely never will.
Naruto Uzumaki had given up on a dream before.
He can still recall that one day when Jiji had delivered his monthly living expenses, the question he had asked Jiji.
Why don't I have a mom and dad?
Once, before he truly even knew what an Hokage was, Naruto had a dream of having parents.
He wanted to have a mom who would hug him and say to him "Welcome home" when he came home.
He wanted to have a dad who would be proud of him whenever he learned a new jutsu or pulled an awesome prank.
But no matter what he did, that dream could not come true.
It didn't matter how hard Naruto worked, it didn't matter if Naruto never gave up and if he never ran away.
Becoming Hokage was possible. Having everyone accept him was possible. Protecting his precious people was possible. But having a mom and a dad?
It was never going to happen.
And so, for the first and last time in his life, Naruto had given up on a dream. Because what was the point of having a dream if it would only bring pain and sadness in the end?
But then Naruto was reborn. He had been dead and then he was alive in a new world with a fresh start.
More importantly, he had a mother.
She wasn't a conventional mother, true, but she was his mother.
Truth be told, back when Kurama had first told him that Artemis was his mother, Naruto had been speechless. Not from shock. Not from disbelief.
It had been from an overwhelming hope.
Hope that perhaps this time around, Naruto would finally be able to have a mother who would welcome him home and hug him and scold him and laugh with him and maybe even sometimes laugh at him.
His dream, his childhood dream, his first dream, was coming true.
But then it hadn't.
On the night he had been born, Artemis had left him. She had abandoned him.
And she was his mother.
She wasn't some nameless villager. She was the one person in the world that should've loved him unconditionally.
It hurt.
XxX
It was because of her eyes.
Naruto had been more than ready to tear into Artemis, to make her understand how he feels. He may not punch her physically like he had with Minato, but he's been told that his words can cut deeper than any blade.
But then Naruto saw her eyes. Silver. The color of the moon.
They were the exact same eyes as his.
She was his mother.
Did he really want to try to cause her pain?
No. Absolutely not. That's not who Naruto is.
And so, instead of furiously shouting at Artemis, Naruto simply said one word.
"Why?"
Artemis was momentarily caught off guard by his calm tone, but she quickly regained her composure. "Naruto, I'm sorry - "
"Why did you leave me all alone?!"
Silver light danced agitatedly on Artemis's skin. "I. . . I was in a new situation. Gods don't like change, Naruto. When you were born, I had no idea what to do. I was scared that I would somehow mess things up, or that something bad would happen. I was never supposed to have a child. It was easy for me to just pretend you didn't exist."
"Do you hate me?" Naruto bluntly asked.
Artemis stood up, the chair crashing into the wall behind her. "Never. I could never hate you, Naruto."
Kurama. I know you're still asleep, but please. Just this once. Help me out here.
Kurama didn't reply, but Naruto felt a sense of confirmation. Artemis was telling the truth.
Naruto unconsciously relaxed, all the tension and fear that's formed over the last year and the half dissolving away like it was never there.
His mother didn't hate him.
"But just because ignoring you was the easy thing to do doesn't mean it was right."
His mother was here.
"I was wrong. And for that, I'm sorry."
She was his mother.
What would Jiraiya do?
"I forgive you."
Artemis's silver eyes widened. "What?"
Naruto smiled. "I forgive you."
A beat.
"Just like that?" Artemis asked incredulously.
Naruto nodded. "Yup."
"Even though I abandoned you? Even though I caused you pain?"
"Yes," Naruto shot her a bright, genuine smile. "Because sometimes, you forgive people simply because you still want them in your lives."
Artemis blinked before silently walking up to Naruto, her face impassive. Naruto looked at her warily, unsure of what she would do.
Then she did the most shocking and astonishing thing of all.
Artemis reached out with her small arms and drew Naruto into a tight hug.
Naruto tensed up, his eyes widening. After a second, he relaxed and hugged her back.
It felt warm and comforting in her small arms. Naruto breathed in. She smelled good, a combination of fresh air and the forest. And at that moment, Naruto realized just how foolish he had been.
Artemis, hate him? How could he possibly have thought that? Hadn't Minato and Kushina taught him that a parent's love is boundless and infinite?
Artemis may be a goddess. But she was still a mother, and one thing Naruto had learned from Kushina was that a mother will always, always love her child. In his loneliness and pain, Naruto had forgotten that fact. It just took Artemis's embrace for him to remember it again.
"I'm sorry, Naruto," Artemis whispered.
"It's fine. You're here now. That's all that matters. Just don't leave me again."
There were suddenly sniffling sounds in the room. Artemis and Naruto pulled away, confusedly looking at each other. It didn't come from either of them.
Then, in unison, they both turned to Apollo, who was sniffling into a handkerchief. "It's. . . it's so beautiful. Mother and son, reunited at long last. Here, let me think of a haiku. . ."
Artemis and Naruto stared at Apollo.
"Just to be clear," Naruto began, "I don't forgive you for leaving me with him though. You have no idea how much of his 'poetry' I was subjected to."
Artemis shuddered. "Oh gods, that must've been terrible."
"Hey! My poetry isn't bad - why are you two raising your eyebrows at me? Oh wait, you two just raised your eyebrows the exact same way. That was pretty cool. So cool, in fact, that it deserves its own song - "
"Come with me, Naruto," Artemis led Naruto out of the room, ignoring Apollo's anguished cries. "I made breakfast for you."
Naruto brightened. "Really? You mean fresh, good food?"
Artemis nodded. "Yes. I hunted and prepared it myself."
"Yes!" Naruto pumped his fist into the air. "Two days of good food in a row!"
"From what Apollo has told me, you've never been outside of this mansion before, have you?" Artemis inquired.
Naruto shook his head.
Artemis regarded him sadly. "You poor child. The wilderness is literally in your blood. To be confined indoors for your entire life. . . It must've been agonizing."
"You have no idea," Naruto said with a haunted look. "All I want to do is be among the trees again. I haven't been in a forest since the night I was born."
As a shinobi of Konoha and a friend of Tenzo, Naruto had gotten used to being surrounded by an endless green.
"Then it's settled. Tonight, we're going out to hunt," Artemis announced.
"What? Hold up, isn't that dangerous?"
Artemis smirked. "Masking your presence is child's play to a Hunter. And besides, I am the goddess of hunting, the wilderness, and the forests. It would be criminal for my child to experience none of them."
Naruto stared at her, shocked. Then an excited grin spread across his face. "Finally! I've waited for so long! I'm going to be the best hunter you've ever seen, believe it!"
"We'll see," Artemis's expression shifted. Naruto didn't know what it was, but it looked almost. . . regretful. "Before that, however, tell me about yourself. I've missed a lot, and I know I can never regain that time, but. . ."
Naruto smiled understandingly up at her. "My name is Naruto. My likes are ramen and my precious people. My dislikes are people who hate others, people who seek revenge, and people who cause others pain. My hobbies are destroying Apollo in video games and taking care of plants. And my dream for the future. . ."
Naruto's eyes unfocused. Before, his dream had been to find more precious people, to escape the crushing loneliness. But now. . .
Naruto gave Artemis a beaming smile of joy and hopefulness.
"I want to get to know and spend time with my mom."
XxX
"Thank you. I don't know how you convinced her, but thank you."
Hestia only smiled mysteriously from where she was tending to the flames. "You're welcome, Apollo."
"I don't understand something though. How did you know that he would forgive her?" Apollo tilted his head. "Naruto could've hated Artemis. This could've easily backfired."
"I knew he would forgive her because of one thing," Hestia absently poked at the coals with a stick.
"What is that?" Apollo frowned in confusion.
"When you left us alone yesterday because you had to go to a musical performance 'you just couldn't miss' - "
"It was my son's first violin recital."
Hestia paused, looking at Apollo in surprise. "Oh. I didn't know."
"Yeah."
"You're a great dad, Apollo."
Apollo grinned, but his eyes were a bit sad. "Thank you. Anyways, continue?"
"Well, after you had left, Naruto showed me some papers."
Apollo thought back to a few months ago when he caught Naruto hiding some papers from his view. At the time, he had thought it was just bait to lure him into a trap. But apparently it was actually something legitimate.
Which meant, when Naruto had smirked at him. . .
Had. . . had Naruto been bluffing?!
That little scoundrel. If Apollo didn't know any better, he'd swear that Naruto was a son of Hermes.
"And what he had written on those papers is the reason why I knew he would forgive Artemis," Hestia continued. She smiled. "After all, you can't possibly seize peace in this world if you can't even forgive your own mother."
Apollo blinked. "Say what now?"
"Ask Naruto. I won't betray his confidence," Hestia's eyes narrowed slightly, as if daring Apollo to try and make her. Apollo considered it for a moment before dropping the idea. He wouldn't do that to Hestia.
"Huh. Alright. I need to go find out what he had written on those papers." Apollo's hands twitched. He also needed to teach Naruto yet another lesson about exactly why small insignificant children shouldn't con gods.
"You do that."
Apollo turned to leave, but then thought of something. "Hey, you think my poetry is good, right?"
Hestia coughed lightly. "Oh. Umm, yes. Of course."
Apollo grinned. "I'll take that as a yes."
Naruto forgave Artemis because that's what he does. It's what makes Naruto, Naruto.
Don't worry, though. Against the Titans, Naruto will not be forgiving at all. In fact, the Titans and monsters in PJO are uniquely suited for being completely immune to Naruto's Therapy no Jutsu. Most monsters exist solely to kill demigods, and the Titans have been longing for revenge for thousands of years.
In the shinobi world, most of the villains are not villains; Nagato, Obito, Kisame. . . they all fought for their own beliefs, their own justice. Kronos, on the other hand, fights simply to destroy and get revenge.
For the first time in his life, Naruto will be against enemies who do not have a tragic backstory.
The plot is coming.
Thank you all for reading, and please review :)
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