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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 6: Labyrinth
Team 7. That was Naruto's first reaction when he watched Thalia and Zoe interact. More specifically, they were acting like him and Sasuke. Almost immediately after they'd gotten into the van, Zoe and Thalia had begun arguing. And, looking at the state of things, it's unlikely that they're going to stop.
"Look, I don't know what thy problem is!" Zoe growled. "In a battle between Clarisse La Rue and Phoebe, Phoebe would clearly win!"
Thalia scoffed. "Yeah, right. Phoebe may have more years of experience, but that's the thing: she only has Hunter experience. In an actual fight against a human, she'll be defeated easily."
Zoe rolled her eyes. "You don't think we Hunters spar against each other?"
"Not to the extent that the Ares cabin does," Thalia retorted. "Phoebe may be a daughter of Ares, but her training isn't even remotely close to what the Ares cabin does. Ares's children may have many flaws and defects, but one thing I'll give them is that they're good in fights. And a child of Ares that hasn't trained like the rest wouldn't even come close to defeating them in battle."
Zoe sighed tiredly. "You lack the ability to fully analyze the situation. Phoebe outranges Clarisse with her bow, and she's faster and more agile."
"But she doesn't have strength," Thalia countered. "Sure, Phoebe may land five blows on Clarisse before Clarisse even lands one, but the one hit that Clarisse lands will be utterly devastating, whereas I doubt Phoebe's punches would do much damage."
Zoe narrowed her eyes. "Oh? Would you like to put that to a test?"
"By all means," Thalia challenged. "When we get back, you, me, Phoebe, sparring arena. I'll even have the Apollo cabin on standby, but I doubt we'll be needing them."
"Deal."
Naruto couldn't help but smile. Yup, they certainly reminded him of when he and Sasuke were fresh genin.
He idly wondered if it was a good idea for him to join the quest. Perhaps he should've just run off and looked for Artemis by himself. He quickly dismissed the notion, however. Even back in his old world, he knew better than to run off and look for Sasuke by himself, and the continent he was on was a lot bigger than the Elemental Nations.
Besides, there was one vital reason why he ultimately decided to join the quest group.
Prophecy.
From what he could tell, prophecies of this world were different than the ones in his old world. The prophecy the Great Honorable Toad Geezer had given was vague and broad. Prophecies in this world, however, are relatively clear and specific.
Joining the quest group meant having a prophecy made about him. The prophecy is essentially a guide, a step-by-step foretelling of what would happen. For a shinobi, having future knowledge about events was invaluable. Naruto may not be the best shinobi, but even he understood that. By himself, he would be going in blind. Going with a quest group meant having a prophecy that would give him a rough idea of what to expect.
Besides, the prophecy literally guaranteed that the quest members would find Artemis. It didn't specify whether or not they would save Artemis, but the fact that the quest members were essentially fated to reach Artemis was too good to pass up.
But. . . Naruto glanced around in slight annoyance. Zoe and Thalia were still arguing. Bianca was absentmindedly staring at her reflection in a knife - though Naruto doubted she was doing it for vanity's sake. And they were moving slowly. Really, damn, slow.
"Can't this van go any faster?" Naruto spoke up impatiently. He knew Genin who could run faster than this.
Zoe looked back. "Naruto - "
"Keep your eyes on the road," Thalia hissed.
Zoe turned to her, annoyed. "My situational awareness is far superior to thine own. I can drive this van blindfolded if need be."
Thalia raised her eyebrows. "If we crash, you're the one who gets to explain it to Chiron."
Zoe hesitated before looking back to the road once more. "On second thought, perhaps we should exercise a little caution.
Thalia smirked. "That's what I thought. In any case, Naruto, unless your chakra can control traffic, then no, we're stuck at this pace."
Zoe nodded. "Indeed. We would go a lot faster if we were running, but. . ." she glanced at Thalia derisively out of the corner of her eye.
"You think you can run faster than a van?" Thalia asked incredulously.
"Definitely," Zoe answered. "You can't, however, which is why we're currently in this van, stuck in traffic." She said traffic as it was a foul expletive. "The blessings of Artemis grants us a speed far superior to a normal mortal's."
Thalia raised her left eyebrow. "Well, forgive me for not wanting to be a mindless slave to a goddess."
"We are not slaves," Zoe snarled, sounding truly upset for the first time since they've started arguing. "You know nothing."
"Oh?" Thalia raised her eyebrows. "So you're allowed to disobey her?"
"We don't disobey her because we are loyal to her."
Thalia scoffed. "Right."
"But even so," Zoe narrowed her eyes and turned to look at Thalia again. "Lady Artemis would never command us to do something that's harmful or detrimental for us. We trust her, and she trusts us."
"She trusts you? Then tell me: what was the monster that she was hunting?"
Zoe didn't answer. Thalia smirked. "Yeah, I can definitely see the trust. You've known Artemis for what, centuries now? And she still didn't tell you that."
Centuries? Say what now? Naruto knew that the Hunters were immortal, but he never thought they would be that old. He gulped when he realized that Zoe may actually be older than the Sage of Six Paths himself.
"Lady Artemis didn't tell us what the monster was because she wished to protect us," Zoe finally responded, though her tone was less harsh. "As you know, knowledge can increase a demigod's aura, and she likely didn't want us to attract the monster's attention. She was protecting us."
"Ah, I see," Thalia chuckled scornfully. "So you're not willing to risk your life for your precious mistress? If the monster becomes aware of your existence - so what?"
Zoe glared. "The monster she was hunting is capable of bringing Olympus down itself."
"And?" Thalia asked challengingly. "I've had the worst monsters Hades could summon hunt me for months. Kronos himself is after me. You don't see me backing down. But you Hunters have been by Artemis's side for centuries, and you're still unwilling to face the monster for her."
"You were there that night," Zoe retorted. "We didn't have a choice. Artemis refused to reveal anything - "
Thalia laughed. "So we have a mistress that doesn't trust her Hunters' ability to protect themselves, and we have Hunters who are too cowardly to demand answers and fight to stand by their goddess's side." She turned to look back at Bianca. "Do you see what you've gotten yourself into?"
Bianca met her eyes challengingly. "Yeah, I do. So Lady Artemis cares for us. Too much, perhaps, but the fact is that she cares. Similarly, we Hunters trust her judgement enough to not demand answers."
"The fact that you believe that is truly - "
"Enough!" Zoe slammed onto the brakes, the van skidding to a stop. "The Hunters may not be perfect, but at least we're a family that won't betray each other!"
Thalia flinched back as if struck. "Leave Luke out of - "
Zoe whirled on her, eyes fierce and angry. "I will not. I had hoped to address this later, but let's do it right here, right now. On this quest, there is a high chance that we will run into that boy. And if so, I need thy word that you will not hesitate to slay him."
"Of course I won't hesitate! Luke's a traitor. He's dead to me," And yet, despite Thalia's angry words, her eyes told a different story - her electric blue orbs seemed fragile, like glass that could shatter at any moment.
Zoe noticed. "Are you sure about that? Can you truly strike him down immediately? I will not fail on this quest simply because thy emotions for that boy is still clouding thy judgement - "
"His name is Luke," Thalia said harshly.
Naruto sat up, interested. "The guy who stole the master bolt?"
Still glaring at Zoe, Thalia answered, "Yeah, he is."
"And wasn't he the mastermind behind the poisoning of your tree?"
Thalia nodded. "Yeah."
Naruto suddenly felt very amused. "Let me guess. He wants revenge?"
"Yup," Thalia confirmed.
"Does he have a massive stick up his ass?"
Thalia paused. "What?"
"Never mind, never mind," Naruto waved her off. "So why did he leave?"
"Why do you care?"
"So I could understand. So we could understand," Naruto leaned forward. "And also because we need information. If he is a potential enemy, then we can't fight him without knowing anything about him." But mostly it's so that Naruto could understand.
Zoe inclined her head. "Naruto has a good point. Why did the bo - Luke leave?"
Thalia hesitated. "Because he hates the gods," she finally said in a quiet voice.
Zoe rolled her eyes. "No, really? I thought that he loved them."
Thalia glared at her. "I'm serious. He possesses a seething hatred for the gods. He feels that they have done nothing for him; that all they do is cause pain and suffering. His father, Hermes, leaving him with his. . . sick mother, Zeus abandoning me, Apollo placing a curse on Halycon - "
Naruto's eyes flickered. Apollo did what now?
" - and, even though I was still a tree during this, I hear that after Luke's quest to retrieve a Golden Apple from the Gardens of the Hesperites, he felt that Hermes didn't care enough about him to give him an original, good quest. He doesn't merely dislike the gods: he completely utterly hates them. I wouldn't be surprised if he wishes to tear down Olympus brick by brick."
"I'm. . . I'm sorry, Thalia," Bianca reached out and touched Thalia's shoulder comfortingly. "Was Luke your friend?"
Thalia nodded, looking away. "Yeah," she whispered. Then her eyes narrowed. "No. He was my friend. But now, he's nothing but a traitor to me. You want your guarantee, Zoe? Fine. If I see Luke, then I'll kill him - "
"Are you just going to give up on him like that?" Naruto felt a sudden surge of anger. Was she seriously going to give up on Luke just like that? No. There are few things that can enrage Naruto, and this is one of them. You don't just give up on your precious people like that. Naruto didn't give up on Sasuke. But Thalia was just going to give up on Luke? It may seem illogical; in fact, Naruto was well aware that he was acting on his emotions. But if he didn't speak up now, then it would be like spitting on his dream to bring Sasuke back. "He's your friend, isn't he?"
"What? No, he's not - "
"That's a lie," Naruto said resolutely. "The bond that exists between friends who would die for each other is too strong to be broken that easily. You still wish to bring him back, don't you?"
"Naruto, what are you saying?" Zoe asked confusedly.
Naruto ignored her, intently staring at Thalia. "Never give up, Thalia. As long as he's still alive, then his mind can be changed, and he can be redeemed. But if he's dead, then it's over." Nagato changed. Obito changed. And Naruto hoped that with his death, Sasuke changed as well.
Thalia bit her lip, but there was a sudden glimmer of hope in her eyes. "Do you really think he'll come back?"
"He may not willingly come back," Naruto admitted. "In fact, he'll probably fight you every step of the way."
Thalia looked away, deflated.
"But," Naruto continued. "That shouldn't matter to you. If you have to beat him up and drag him back in chains, then drag him. If you have to fight a thousand battles, then fight them. If you have to take all his hatred for the gods and shoulder it yourself - then do it." He smiled brightly. "Because that's what friends do."
Thalia's eyes widened before a determined glint appeared in them - but there was still a hint of uncertainty. "Do you really think Luke can be saved from his hatred?"
Naruto thought of Obito and Nagato and Sasuke and so many others. His smile widened. "Yeah. I do."
Thalia was silent for a moment. "You're right." Her eyes flashed angrily. "Luke betrayed us all. I'll defeat him in battle, chain him up, and use the full extent of my imagination to create new and creative ways to inflict massive amounts of pain on him."
Naruto paused. "Hold up, what?"
"Death is too good for him," Thalia declared. "I won't kill him. Instead, I'll capture him and make him regret leaving me." Her fingers twitched and arcs of electricity leaped from them. "I'll have to ask Chiron for a private room in the Big House. Preferably soundproofed."
"Wait, that's not what I meant - "
"I should invite Annabeth too," Thalia grinned viciously. "She also has quite a lot of things to. . . say to Luke." She looked down at her lap. "And hopefully, between the two of us, we'll be able to convince Luke to repent," she whispered quietly. "And then we could be a family again."
Even Zoe didn't say anything for a moment. Just a moment though. "You are foolish. Both of you. That boy has already betrayed us once before, and he'll do it again without a second thought. While capturing him would be desirable, there is always the chance that he will escape again. Permanent measures should be taken - "
"And by permanent measure, you mean you want us to kill him, correct?"
Zoe sighed. "Please, do not give me any moral arguments. I have heard them all before. Modern demigods are quite irksome - in the old days, people killed each other all the time."
Naruto tilted his head. "And did you enjoy the old days? The days where human life was casually disregarded?"
Zoe paused. "I'm not saying that I enjoyed the past. It was not a good time, but at least the heroes of the time did what they had to do. Recently, however, some heroes have refused to kill altogether."
"Then tell me: what would happen if we killed Luke?" Naruto asked.
"Justice, for one," Zoe answered. "He betrayed us all and joined the Titans. By taking revenge and cutting him down, he will be brought to the Fields of Punishment, where justice will be swiftly delivered."
Naruto was quiet for a moment. Even though he was in a different world, it appeared that human nature was the same. "We are ordinary people driven to revenge in the name of justice," he muttered - an echo of Nagato's words.
"Yes," Zoe agreed. "We are."
"But if there is justice in revenge, then that same justice will only breed more revenge," Naruto clenched his fists tightly, "And it will trigger a vicious cycle of hatred!"
Zoe's eyes widened momentarily before she sighed. "I see truth in thy words. A cold, harsh, uncaring truth it may be, but that is the state of the world we live in."
"And you accept it?" Naruto pressed on. "You accept that we live in a cursed world; no, not only do you accept, but you embrace it as well? Even knowing that in death there is only more death, you would still ask Thalia and by extension, me and Bianca, to kill Luke?"
"Then what do you want me to do?"
"Break the curse!"
Zoe raised her eyebrows. "It's not that simple."
"Yeah? Well, I don't get what's so difficult about it," Naruto looked down at his hands. "Have you tried talking to them? Understanding them?"
"Hey, umm. . ." Bianca spoke up but was interrupted by Zoe.
"Understand? What is there to understand?" Zoe asked scornfully. "He betrayed us for the Titans."
Naruto nodded. "And he's worse than trash for doing that. But, before today, did you know why he betrayed us?"
Zoe hesitated. "No, but that does not matter - "
"It is the thing that matters the most!"
"Zoe?" Bianca tried again, but Zoe ignored her.
"Matters the most? How does that matter? He hates the gods because he feels that they have abandoned him. So what? How does that fact matter?"
"Because now that I know that, I can understand him - "
"Zoe!" Bianca shouted.
"What?" Zoe snapped, turning to look at Bianca. Naruto and Thalia looked at Bianca as well.
With everyone's attention focused on her, Bianca flushed slightly, but forged on. "We're not moving. During this entire. . . conversation, we haven't driven forward an inch."
Zoe sighed. "Sad as it may be, I cannot control the traffic."
"What traffic?" Bianca asked, fear in her voice.
What did she mean by that - Naruto glanced out the window. It was still raining outside, but there were no cars around. Not a single one.
"What the hell?" Thalia muttered.
"Everybody out!" Zoe commanded.
They all got out of the car, staring at their surroundings, ignoring the rain that fell onto them. They were still in the city, and there were buildings all around them. But there were no cars. No people. An eerie, dense fog obscured their vision, causing them to only be able to see about fifty feet in front of them.
"How didn't we notice?" Zoe flicked her hand and a silver bow materialized in it.
"I don't know!" Naruto held a silver kunai in a reverse grip, eyes darting around, scanning his surroundings.
"In our defense, we were a little. . . absorbed by our conversation," Thalia's spear extended from her mace canister.
"But what's happening?" Naruto glanced over at Bianca. She had also had a silver bow in her hand, but Naruto could see her hand trembling.
"I'm glad you asked that," a new voice called out from above. Deep, with an odd accent.
Zoe, Bianca, and Thalia tensed up as a man calmly strolled forward out of the fog, seemingly out of nowhere. He was impeccably dressed - a brown suit with a blue tie.
"Thorn," Thalia growled.
A wicked smile appeared on the man's face, and Naruto could see that his eyes were different colors - one blue, one brown.
Naruto didn't have good experiences with people who had mismatched eyes.
"How's it going, Thalia?" Thorn asked conversationally, absently brushing some lint from his suit jacket.
"What have you done with Annabeth?" Thalia demanded. She slapped the bracelet on her wrist and shouted, "Aegis!" The bracelet expanded into a bronze shield. Naruto glanced at the surface - and recoiled. The most deformed, ugliest, nastiest face Naruto had ever had the displeasure of seeing was on the shield.
"Annabeth? Oh, you mean that little girl?" Thorn smirked. "She's alive. For now."
Thalia moved to charge him but Zoe flung out her hand. "He's baiting you! Careful. Thorn, what have you done?"
Thorn tilted his head ominously. "What have I done? You mean all of this?" He gestured at the scene around them. "I can't take credit for the weather or the fog - those were already here. The mortals, on the other hand. . . well, a little compulsion magic here, a little bit of Mist there, and voila. A zone completely devoid of outside interference."
Naruto blinked. "Wait. Were you waiting out here the entire time while we were talking?"
Thorn snapped his fingers. "Ah, that's right. What's up with that? What took you guys so long to come out?"
Zoe, Naruto, and Thalia all determinedly avoided Thorn's stare.
Thorn shrugged. "Whatever. I did, however, make an epic entrance, wouldn't you say?"
"Ehh, I'll give it a six out of ten at best," Naruto said.
Thorn narrowed his eyes. "A six out of ten? Really? Really?"
Naruto paused. "Did you arrive on top of several gigantic toads?"
"No, but - "
"Did you arrive unleashing a secret devastating technique that almost single-handedly destroyed us on the molecular level?"
"What are you talking about - "
"Did you arrive with four undead leaders of the village with you?"
"Why are you being so specific?" Thorn stomped his foot. "Enough! I don't have the time to talk with you. I hate getting wet."
Naruto stared at him. "Wow. Just. . . wow. I hAtE gEtTiNg wEt. What are you, a cat?"
"A manticore!" Thorn snarled.
Naruto rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. See, normally I would love to stop and talk, get the pre-fight banter out of the way, but it just so happens that I'm in a rush today. Someone precious to me is in danger, you see." His eyes flashed dangerously. "So I'll only give you one warning. Get out of our way."
"Hmm, let me think," Thorn rubbed his chin. "No."
"That's what I thought," Naruto said from behind him. A flawless Substitution with a rock on the ground. Thorn whirled around, surprised, but before he could get a word out, Naruto slammed a Rasengan into his back. Thorn cried out in pain and Naruto caught a blur coming towards him. He jumped back, just in time to avoid dozens of tiny spikes.
"You're pretty durable," Naruto observed. "I expected the Rasengan to oneshot you." He sighed. "I guess when it comes to slaying monsters, nothing comes close to Celestial Bronze."
"Who are you?" Thorn snarled, edging away from Naruto, hissing in pain. "A son of a wind god, perhaps?"
"Not quite," Naruto answered before he dashed forward again, another Rasengan forming in his hand, though this one was denser than before - and then stopped and leaped back as he sensed something large approaching. From above, a massive lion crashed down in front of Thorn, unleashing a mighty roar of rage and fury. It had shiny, silvery claws that looked as if it would have no trouble ripping apart steel and inside its gaping maw, its fangs gleamed menacingly.
Thorn smirked. "Behold, the Nemean Lion. Have fun killing this one."
The Nemean Lion let out an explosive roar. I'll kill you all! I'll rip you to pieces and devour your flesh! I'll grind your bones to make my bread!
Naruto blinked. No way. He can understand animals?! Huh. Artemis was the goddess of the wilderness, and apparently, that extended to understanding animals as well.
"Hey, I have an idea. How about you don't kill us?" Naruto suggested.
The Nemean Lion roared once more. Kill you all! I'll kill you all! Die! The Nemean Lion's muscles tensed up as it prepared to pounce.
Naruto simply raised his eyebrows and unleashed his Killing Intent.
The Nemean Lion froze before all the tension left its body. Ah, I changed my mind. I'm not going to kill you after all. Its tone was calm and polite, and a slight tinge of Oxford crept into its accent.
"Really?"
Mmm-hmm.
"What, umm, what made you change your mind?"
Well, you know, this and that. The Nemean Lion nodded sagely.
Naruto grinned as he distinctly recalled the legend of the Nemean Lion. Instead of fighting Heracles, the Nemean Lion had cowardly hid inside a cave. Clearly, its personality hadn't changed all that much in the past couple thousand years. "I'm glad you saw the error of your ways. Now leave."
I was never even here. The Nemean Lion turned and ran with absolutely no shame whatsoever. Sorry Thorn, but this is waayyy above my pay grade.
"What do you mean?" Thorn yelled after its retreating form. "Get back here!" The Nemean Lion completely ignored him and soon it1 disappeared into the mist.
Thorn turned back to them with considerably less confidence. "Now see here - " he was cut off by Zoe and Bianca raising their bows. Thalia brandished her spear and a new Rasengan formed in Naruto's hand. "Never mind. I'm out." And he turned and melted into the shadows, several silver arrows and a kunai striking the spot where he had stood.
Zoe growled. "Coward!"
"Naruto," Bianca began hesitantly, "What. . . what was that?"
Naruto frowned. "What? Oh, I can talk to animals. I never knew that."
Bianca shook her head. "No, I mean. . ." She waved her hand vaguely.
Naruto understood. "My Killing Intent?" He paused. "Oh. You've never been exposed to Killing Intent before," he guessed.
Bianca nodded slowly. It was only then that Naruto noticed a slight tremor in her hand - fear.
"Killing Intent is simply when a person exudes pure killing intention," Naruto explained. "I'm sorry if it affected you."
"I-It's fine," Bianca said. "It was just. . . really scary."
"It was strong," Zoe admitted. "Easily comparable to Lord Ares's." She scrutinized Naruto silently. "Good job, Naruto. Fighting the Nemean Lion would've been troublesome. Although I must ask: how were you able to communicate with it?"
Naruto shrugged. "No idea."
"Guys. . ." Thalia spoke up. She was frowning deeply.
"What is it?" Naruto asked.
"Didn't Thorn say that he created a barrier using Mist and magic that kept out the mortals?"
"He did," Zoe nodded. "Has thy hearing really deteriorated that much?"
Thalia ignored her. "But now he's gone."
"Really? I didn't notice. You truly are a genius."
Thalia turned to Zoe. "Which means the barrier is gone too."
Zoe nodded slowly. "Yes. Do you have a point?"
Thalia paled dramatically. "But we're currently standing on the road."
Zoe's eyes widened. "Oh - "
And a car entered their line of sight, heading straight toward them.
"Back to the van!" Zoe commanded as the car swerved wildly to avoid hitting them. They got in and Zoe started up the van immediately, stepping on the accelerator. For a few blissful minutes, Zoe kept her foot planted on the accelerator, but they soon caught up to the traffic once more. Zoe groaned. "Not again," she muttered. "We should've just ridden motorcycles."
"Those things will kill you," Bianca frowned.
Zoe simply looked back with an amused look. "You're a demigod, Bianca."
Bianca flushed. "Oh right. I almost forgot."
"So where were we again?" Thalia tapped her fingers against her armrest.
"No, please," Naruto held up his hand. "Look, we're questmates now. We have to work together. So how about we at least try to get along and stop arguing."
Thalia paused. "You're right," she decided. "Zoe, I may not like you, but. . . truce?"
Zoe looked at her before nodding and grudgingly saying, "Very well. Saving Lady Artemis is our first priority - "
"Annabeth too," Thalia muttered.
" - and constantly arguing with you will not aid the process in the least. Truce for now."
Naruto sighed in relief. Finally, some peace and quiet. Was this how Sakura and Kakashi-sensei felt whenever he argued with Sasuke? If so, he felt kinda bad now.
"Thorn was more durable than I had expected," Naruto mused. "He withstood a shot from my Rasengan."
"Thorn is a manticore," Zoe explained. "Their durability is high; they're capable of withstanding several strikes from Celestial Bronze."
"Annabeth stabbed Thorn with her knife," Thalia recalled. "He's a strong monster. Next time, you shouldn't rush him like that. It was really risky."
"Waiting around isn't my style," Naruto frowned. "Besides, Thorn isn't even a god. I don't see any risk in attacking him head-on."
Thalia stared at Naruto. "He's a manticore," she stressed. "He was able to take both me and Percy on in combat, and we're both children of the Big Three."
Zoe snorted. "That says more about your skill than Thorn's, you know."
"Oh shut it. Naruto, I don't know how it was when you lived with Apollo, but out here in the real world, these monsters are dangerous and they can and will kill you," Thalia looked away. "You may have chakra, but that doesn't mean you're invincible. You still need to be careful."
Naruto was silent for a moment. "You're right," he finally said. "I'll exercise more caution next time." Now that was a lie. While monsters may be dangerous and even lethal to the average demigod, Naruto was not an average demigod. He was a shinobi who had faced threats far larger than any monsters this world had to offer. Thorn may be powerful, but compared to Naruto, he was nothing.
"Good. Thank you, Naruto," Thalia smiled. Then she tensed. "Do you hear that?"
Naruto tilted his head and listened. "Is there a problem?"
"Helicopter," Thalia said.
Naruto blinked. "Yes. And?"
"The mortal mercenaries had a helicopter," Zoe said grimly as she pulled the steering wheel hard and they veered across three lanes into a parking lot. A cacophony of beeps sounded behind them and there was the sound of metal hitting metal. Naruto looked behind them.
"Hey, uhh, you just caused two minor traffic accidents."
"Not the time!" The van skidded to a stop and they all got out, looking up at the sky.
"Perhaps it's just a normal helicopter?" Bianca said hopefully.
Zoe simply gazed up at it for a moment before shaking her head. "It's the same model as the one we encountered at Westover Hall, and I don't believe in coincidences." She squinted. "Wait. What is that?"
It was hard to see through the rain and the clouds, but Naruto could swear there was a black blur darting around the helicopter.
Thalia suddenly clenched her fists. "No. He wouldn't. There's no way."
Naruto looked over, confused. "What's happening?"
"Watch," Thalia growled.
Naruto frowned but looked up again, shielding his eyes from the rain with his hand. Was the black blur. . . kicking the helicopter? Naruto's eyes widened as he finally got his first clear look. A pegasus. A black pegasus.
The pegasus kicked in the helicopter's windshield, shattering it. The helicopter immediately began to spiral out of control, and it began a sharp descent down. Fortunately, there was a small grass field nearby, and the pilot was able to land the helicopter. Not well though; Naruto winced as the sound of metal scraping against metal reached his ears. The helicopter seemed to crumple inward and it tumbled over several times before finally coming to a stop.
"I am never going to get into a helicopter or a plane ever again," Bianca whispered.
"I'm with you," Thalia agreed.
The pegasus descended from the sky until it was in front of them. Percy Jackson jumped down and grinned at them. "Hey," he greeted. "I heard there was a vacancy."
"Percy!" Naruto grinned. "You're here!"
The rest weren't as enthusiastic.
"Percy Jackson," Zoe said disdainfully. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, I thought over what you and Chiron said. And I realized something: I don't care," Percy's sea-green eyes turned serious. "You see, Annabeth is my friend, and I'm going to save her."
"You broke camp rules," Thalia narrowed her eyes. "You realize that Dionysus is going to tear you apart, right?"
Percy grinned. "Nah. I already ran into him."
The pegasus whined. You're making it sound like a casual meeting, Boss. He wrapped vines around us and threatened to drive you insane and turn you into a dolphin.
Naruto's eyes widened as he understood every word the pegasus said. Magic was awesome.
Percy sighed. "True enough, Blackjack. At any rate, after our. . . talk, Mr. D agreed to let me join the quest. So here I am."
Zoe's fists clenched. "Fine. Let's go. We don't have any time to waste."
Percy blinked. "Wait, so you're just going to let me join, just like that?"
"You are part of his quest now," Zoe said grudgingly. "I do not like it, but there is no changing fate."
Naruto coughed. About that. . .
"Besides, I do not wish to waste my breath arguing with a boy. It is not worth it."
Well, now that you're with them, I guess I'll leave, Boss.
Percy nodded. "Graze, or something. I owe you a sugar cube."
The pegasus snorted. Just one? You owe me a large handful at least. Plus apples. I like apples.
"Whatever you want, Blackjack," Percy promised. And with that, the pegasus flew off into the sky - and promptly disappeared. Naruto's eyes widened. How fast was that pegasus?!
"Hey, umm. . . should we call an ambulance?" Bianca asked hesitantly. "I don't think the men in the helicopter - "
Percy snapped his fingers. "I knew I was forgetting something," he muttered. "I might have been seeing things, but I'm pretty sure that there were skeletons piloting the helicopter."
Zoe tensed up. "And you didn't think to tell us that sooner?! We need to leave. Now."
And that was when the van behind them exploded. Percy flung out his hands and let out a roar as the rain suddenly coalesced and formed a solid wall of water, blocking the shrapnel. Zoe scanned the surroundings, her bow already out. "There!" There was a group of men off in the distance - only their skin was dull gray, their flesh was transparent, and their bones shimmered underneath, like X-ray images. Skeletons. One skeleton warrior reloaded an honest-to-Sage RPG and aimed it at them.
"Scatter!" Thalia yelled as she already began running. A moment later, the skeleton warrior fired and the grenade streaked towards them, exploding and sending shrapnel everywhere once more.
"The van blew up!" Percy shouted. "Chiron is going to flay us alive!"
"I know!" Thalia yelled back as she slapped her bracelet and yelled "Aegis!". It expanded into a shield with the nastiest face Naruto had ever seen engraved on the surface. "We'll talk about it later! For now, run!"
"To where?!"
"Anywhere but here!"
"I could kill them," Naruto offered but Zoe immediately shook her head.
"Those are Spartoi, Naruto. They cannot be killed."
"Was that a challenge? That sounded like a challenge - "
"I'm serious," Zoe snapped as they sprinted across the parking lot, the skeleton warriors close behind. "We don't have the time to waste for you to figure out how to kill them. We have to go."
Naruto sighed but complied. He didn't want to make an enemy out of Zoe just yet. "Very well. I'll delay them, then."
Zoe frowned. "How - " her words died in her mouth as several shadow clones appeared.
Naruto grinned at her expression. "Did I mention I could make clones out of my chakra?"
"That's awesome!" Percy was suddenly running next to Naruto. "How strong are they?"
"They disperse after just one punch," Naruto admitted. "However. . ." He smirked. "I doubt the skeletons will be able to land a hit."
Sure enough, after a few minutes, they slowed down to a stop in an alleyway. The skeleton warriors were nowhere in sight. The sound of gunfire could be heard a distance behind them.
"They're still fighting," Zoe said in surprise. "I thought your clones would've died a long time ago."
"I told you I could fight them," Naruto grumbled.
"You could fight them, but you couldn't kill them," Zoe responded.
Naruto paused. She was correct, he realized as one of his clones dispersed and sent him the memories. The skeletons were being easily torn apart, but they were regenerating instantly; it was like fighting Hidan.
"What do we do now?" Thalia asked. "We no longer have a van. Percy, I don't suppose you have any more pegasi?"
Percy shook his head. "I've got nothing. Naruto? Can your chakra summon a car?"
"Nope."
"Unfortunate." Percy rubbed his chin. "We can always just steal a car, but I'd prefer not to."
"Perhaps we can hire a taxi?"
"And drive cross-country? I doubt any driver would do it."
Naruto ignored their conversation as he approached the alley wall. There was something. . . off; his intuition was practically screaming at him. He examined the brick wall. There! That brick was a different color than the rest. He touched it experimentally - and gasped when a blue delta lit up and the wall collapsed inwards, revealing an opening.
Zoe, Percy, and Thalia instantly jumped back at the noise. "What is that?!" Zoe hissed.
"A tunnel," Bianca said as she walked forward. "It's a tunnel that leads downwards and away from here."
Zoe frowned. "How do you know that?"
Bianca paused. "I don't know," she admitted. "I can. . . sense it? I can't really describe it."
"Should we enter?" Thalia cautiously approached the opening, her spear appearing in her hand.
"No. Absolutely not." Every fiber of Naruto's being was telling him to get the hell out of there. Going underground. . . even the thought of it sent a new shiver down Naruto's spine. Apparently, being a son of Artemis meant having an intense aversion to going underground. It made sense, though; the underground was practically the opposite of Artemis's domains.
"Why? What's wrong?" Percy inquired.
"It's just that. . . I'm getting a really bad feeling."
"Don't worry," Percy smiled reassuringly. "It'll be fine." He gazed at the entrance. "I think we should enter. I mean, it's not like we have any other ideas. Besides, we can always exit if it doesn't work."
Zoe nodded. "This may be an old tunnel leftover from the days of the Civil War built by the Hephaestus children. I heard they had tunnels underneath large areas of the US; perhaps this is one of them."
Naruto sighed. "Fine. Let's go." He didn't like it, but he was never one to run away.
Bianca was the one to lead the way, surprisingly. The second they entered the tunnel, she seemed to stand straighter and there was a new strength to her steps. Naruto glanced at her curiously. Odd. It was as if she just entered her godly parent's domain and received a power boost, just like how Naruto was always stronger whenever he was in a forest. Who was her parent? The god of tunnels? The god of the underground? Underground. Underworld. Underworld.
Naruto suddenly stilled as his eyes widened. There's no way. But. . .
Before he could say anything, the entrance behind them shut with a loud clang. Naruto whirled around and immediately jumped back in surprise. There was a solid wall right behind them - the path they had taken was gone, as if it had never existed.
". . . coming down here may have been a mistake," Percy admitted as he uncapped his pen and a glowing bronze sword appeared.
Zoe nodded as she drew her own sword. "Be careful," she warned.
The light from their swords and Thalia's spear cast a dim glow on the walls as they slowly walked forward. They stopped at an intersection. "Left," Bianca said without any hesitation.
"Are you sure?" Thalia frowned.
Bianca nodded. "Yes. Going to the right feels. . . bad."
They continued moving for about an hour, navigating the twists and turns. At one point, they had stopped to see a pile of bones on the ground. Human remains. They had quickly moved on.
Out of curiosity, Naruto had sent a few shadow clones in the direction that Bianca told them not to go. They had disappeared into the dark tunnels - and dispersed moments later due to a large variety of reasons, including but not limited to: dismemberment, decapitation, defenestration (don't ask Naruto how that happened underground), and large spikes piercing through their bodies.
Somehow, every choice Bianca made had been the correct one, and they safely continued their journey down in the tunnels. They rarely talked - the atmosphere was way too creepy for any conversation - and so in the silence, the sound of a fire crackling to life up ahead was like an explosion.
They all tensed up as the light from the fire lit up the corridor, revealing a scruffy man. He gave a toothless grin when he saw them and raised his hand in greeting. "Hey there, kids! Y'all need to get warmed up?"
They stared.
"How stupid do you think we are?" Thalia asked incredulously. "Are you really going to try to act like a harmless homeless man?"
The man scratched his head. "Yeah, in retrospect, perhaps this wasn't the best idea." He sighed. "But I promise you: I mean you no harm."
Zoe stepped forward. "Who are you?"
The man raised his hand to his heart, wounded. "You don't recognize me, sweethe - " He coughed. "That is to say, I do not know who you are and I have never seen you before today. My name is Fred. It's good to meet you."
They exchanged glances.
"In all of history, there has only been one man who continued to call me 'sweetheart'. All the others did it once. Just once," Zoe said darkly. "What are you doing here. . . Apollo."
The man sighed as his disguise vanished in a flash of golden light and his normal form replaced it. "Damn. Curse my smooth tongue; it failed me when I needed it the most." Apollo flashed them a grin. "Heya, campers and Hunters. . . and Naruto." The temperature around them seemed to drop by ten degrees.
Naruto paled considerably as he tried his hardest to turn himself invisible. When that failed to work, he slowly backed up until he was standing behind everyone. Then he spoke. "What's up, Apollo?" he smiled casually as if he wasn't using his questmates as meat shields.
Apollo took a step forward, his body emitting a bright golden light. After being in the darkness of the tunnel, the intensity of the light was blinding. "What's up?" he hissed. "Is that all you're going to say after what you did?"
Naruto took a deep breath to ready himself. Then he smirked. Apollo tensed up despite himself. They locked eyes and had a silent staring match, Naruto exuding as much confidence as he possibly could and Apollo trying to determine if Naruto was bluffing once again or if he truly had a hidden surprise. It was bad enough being embarrassed in front of the gods; it was a whole other thing to be humiliated in front of the ladies. And Percy, of course.
Percy watched the standoff with confusion. "Naruto? What's wrong?"
"Apollo and I had a. . . mild disagreement before I left for Camp Half-Blood," Naruto tilted his head. "Did I not mention that?"
"Nope."
"Huh. My bad," Naruto surreptitiously reached into this kunai pouch, looking for his smoke bombs. If things turned ugly, he did not want to be trapped with an enraged Apollo in a confined space. Sure, there was a chance that he might die if he ran into the wrong tunnel, but quite honestly, Apollo scared him more. He blinked as a spark of inspiration hit him. "Wait. What am I doing?"
Apollo shrugged. "No idea. A smart demigod would be running away screaming right now. Why are you still here talking?"
Naruto shook his head, a smile slowly spreading on his face. "No, that's not it. You can't do anything to me," he breathed. "I'm on the quest now. I'm protected by the Ancient Laws."
Apollo narrowed his eyes. "Is that truly what you think?"
Naruto nodded. "Yup. I'm calling your bluff, Apollo."
A moment. Two. Then Apollo deflated. "You're right," he sighed. "As much as I want to inflict some painful punishments on you, now that you're on the quest, any direct interference from me is prohibited. Even me being here right now is risky."
Naruto silently breathed a sigh of relief. "That's what I thought. So, what are you doing here?"
"Hmm. . ." Apollo tapped his chin. "Let's see here. Ah, yes. What in the name of Hades are you doing in the Labyrinth?!"
Zoe's eyes widened. "We're in the Labyrinth?!"
"Yup. Which just begs the question: why are you guys down here and how haven't you all died a gruesome death yet?"
"Wait, Labyrinth?" Percy spoke up confusedly. "The thing the Minotaur was trapped in?"
Apollo nodded. "Indeed, Percy. The Labyrinth, Daedalus's greatest and most terrible creation. A living underground maze that extends across the entire world. Also renowned for being a death maze that most beings who enter do not exit."
Percy blinked. "Naruto, what did you get us into?"
"How is any of this my fault?!" Naruto protested.
"You were the one who opened up the entrance in the first place."
"Yeah, but I explicitly said that we should not go down here!"
"Ah, so it's Naruto's fault. I see, that makes sense," Apollo nodded in understanding.
"Excuse me?"
"But I don't get it," Apollo shook his head confusedly. "How are you guys still alive and sane? You've been down here for half a day already - "
"Half a day?!" Zoe repeated. "How? We've been down here for an hour at most - " She paused. "Time flows differently down here," she guessed.
Apollo nodded. "Correct. At any rate, how are you all alive and sane? If you've been moving non-stop for an entire hour, then it's virtually impossible for you guys to have guessed the safe path to take every single time - it goes against mathematics itself."
"It was Bianca," Thalia spoke up.
Apollo turned his gaze to the newest Hunter. "Oh? Elaborate."
"She was the one to lead us," Thalia explained. "At every intersection, she always chose the correct path, with the alternate paths being lethal. Naruto sent in clones to check."
Apollo stared at Bianca, who slowly began to flush under the intensity of his gaze. "Umm. . . I'm sorry? Was I not supposed to do that?"
"A daughter of Tyche, the goddess of luck, perhaps?" Apollo mused, ignoring her. "Or maybe even Hecate - the Labyrinth utilizes vast amounts of Mist to function."
"I don't know," Bianca shrugged helplessly.
Apollo scrutinized her. "Ehh, whatever. You all need to get out of the Labyrinth now. When you're down here, you're shielded from the vision of the gods - and by extension, their help and assistance as well. I've heard stories of dead souls that hid from Hades and Thanatos themselves by hiding in the Labyrinth. Besides, even though you've been lucky so far, there's no guarantee that the Labyrinth won't lead you straight into Tartarus, or something." He paused before muttering under his breath, "This isn't your quest anyways."
Thalia frowned. "Then how did you find us if the Labyrinth shields us from view?"
Apollo grinned. "I have awesome prophecy powers."
"Then can you tell us where Artemis is?"
Apollo's face darkened. "I know a lot, and I see a lot. But even I don't know that. She's. . . clouded from me. I don't like it."
"And Annabeth?" Percy spoke up.
Apollo frowned. "Oh, you mean that girl you lost? Hmmm. I don't know."
"What about the monster Artemis was hunting?" Zoe asked. "Do you know what it was?"
"No," Apollo shook his head.
"Yeah, I can definitely see just how awesome your prophecy powers are," Naruto muttered dryly.
"Hey, give me a break," Apollo defended. "Prophecies and visions come to me, not the other way around. Besides, I'm fairly certain Artemis is in a foreign domain, which is why I am unable to locate her. As for the monster, however, there is one who may know. His name is Nereus, the Old Man of the Sea. You can find him in San Francisco. He has a long memory and a sharp eye, and he may possess knowledge that even my Oracle doesn't know."
"But it's your Oracle," Percy protested. "Can't you tell us what the prophecy means?"
Apollo sighed dramatically. "You might as well ask an artist to explain his art, or ask a poet to explain his poem - "
"Basically, he's saying that he has no clue," Naruto summarized. "But seriously? None at all?"
Apollo hesitated. "Contrary to popular belief, not everything is fated or predestined to happen. Some things are, yes, but for the large part, there are infinite possibilities, and even a god cannot know them all. Prophecies are vague for a reason; while they always come true, the process in which they come true is malleable. Just like how there are many ways to kill a human, there are many ways for a prophecy to realize itself." He frowned. "That was a bad analogy."
"Terrible," Naruto agreed. "But dang. For the god of prophecy, you're kinda useless."
Apollo's eyes flashed dangerously as Percy, Thalia, and Zoe slowly backed away from Naruto. When she saw that Bianca wasn't moving, Zoe reached out and pulled Bianca away as well. "Naruto," Apollo began exuding a menacing aura. "I may not be able to touch you while you're on this quest. But once it is over. . ." his fingers twitched. "You will rue this day."
Naruto paused. "If you're trying to be scary, you're not very good at it. I mean, who even uses the word 'rue'?"
The menacing aura vanished as Apollo pouted - he actually pouted. "You think? I admit, Father is better at being dramatic than me, but I think my execution was pretty good."
Naruto chuckled, thinking of Nagato and Obito - hell, even Zabuza. "Trust me, if you want to do scary, you're going to have to try really damn hard."
"Umm, Naruto?" Zoe began cautiously. "You do know what he did to that one satyr - "
"That never happened," Apollo instantly said. "I deny all accusations." He winked at Thalia. "Don't listen to Zoe; she's just trying to besmirch my good name." And he shot her a dazzling smile.
Naruto watched in horror as Thalia blushed. Was this Apollo's womanizing ways that Artemis warned him about?
Apollo snapped his fingers. "Well, in any case, you guys should probably leave the Labyrinth before lava comes pouring in, or something. My prophecy powers may not be telling me where Artemis is or what monster she was hunting, but it did tell me that you should go straight ahead, take a right, take another right, go through the false wall, then go up. There should be an exit there. Good luck, heroes. You'll need it."
"Thanks Apollo," Percy grinned.
"No problem. Oh, and one more thing. Naruto?" Apollo waited until he commanded Naruto's full attention. Then he smirked. "I'm banning Hestia from making ramen for the next month." And he vanished in a flash of golden light.
Naruto stared off into space, umoving, as still as a statue.
"Naruto? Are you alright?" Thalia asked in concern.
A single tear trickled down Naruto's cheek. "He can't do this," he whispered. "He can't. I'll stop him."
"Err, right. Well, if we truly are in a death maze, we should probably get out. What did Apollo say we should do again?"
"Follow me," Bianca said determinedly. "I know the way; I can sense it."
Percy stared at her with an unrecognizable expression. Naruto narrowed his eyes. Did he also have the same suspicions as Naruto -
"Were you bitten by a spider when you were little?" Percy asked.
Naruto facepalmed. Nope, never mind.
Bianca frowned. "No? Why?"
Percy shrugged. "It's as if you have a Spidey-Sense."
"What?"
Percy scrunched his eyebrows together. "You know. . . one of Spiderman's powers? His Spidey-Sense?"
"Who's Spiderman?" Bianca asked confusedly.
Percy paused. "You. . . don't know who Spiderman is?"
Bianca shook her head nervously. "No. Should I?"
"But. . . how?" Percy looked lost. "How about Iron Man? The Hulk?"
"Never heard of them."
Percy scratched his head. "Huh. That's odd." He shrugged. "Ehh, whatever. Spiderman is a superhero who was bitten by a radioactive spider and got special powers, one of them being his Spidey-Sense which gave him a sixth sense, kinda like how you're navigating the Labyrinth."
"Oh. Thanks, I guess?"
Percy smiled. "You're welcome."
The wall in front of them collapsed as Naruto located yet another blue delta and touched it. They walked out to find themselves outside of a boarded-up taco shop that looked like it had shut down a long time ago. There was a junkyard across from it. Mountains of old cars, appliances, and other scrap metal that seemed to go on forever. A sign on the side of a post office that read GILA CLAW, ARIZONA. It was nighttime, and the stars were out.
"No way," Thalia breathed. "That's impossible. There's no way we could've traveled thousands of miles in just a few hours."
"Time and space is distorted within the Labyrinth," Zoe surmised.
Naruto's eyes widened. "So you're saying that going just one meter in the Labyrinth might mean going an entire mile in the real world?"
Zoe nodded. "I do not know the exact conversion rate, but in essence, yes."
Was. . . was the Labyrinth its own dimension?! What sort of space-time magic was involved? This was insane!
"What should we do now?" Bianca asked.
Zoe examined the junkyard. "Apollo led us to this exit for a reason. There's probably something essential in the junkyard - perhaps an enchanted vehicle that will allow us to reach San Francisco?"
Thalia shrugged. "Perhaps. Let's check it out - " She was interrupted by a blazing light from down the road. The headlights of a car appeared out of nowhere. Naruto tensed up. Did the skeleton warriors reach them? There was no way. A deathly white limousine slid to a stop in front of them.
The back door of the limo opened right next to Percy. Before he could step away, the point of a sword flicked out - and was promptly blocked by a kunai. Naruto glared at the occupant in the car. Fortunately, it wasn't a skeleton warrior.
"Oh? Kid, not bad." A man stepped out of the car and Naruto pushed chakra to his muscles to continue pushing the sword back. His arm shook slightly; whoever the man was, he was strong.
A big man with a crew cut, a black leather biker's jacket, black jeans, a white muscle shirt, and combat boots. Wraparound shades hid his eyes.
"Ares," Percy growled.
Ares glanced at Naruto. "At ease." He snapped his fingers and Naruto's kunai fell to the ground. Another kunai replaced it almost immediately.
The war god's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Kid, this is a friendly meeting. Unless, of course, you insist it not to be, in which case I will gladly oblige." He smirked.
Naruto hesitated. Besides almost taking off Percy's head, Ares hadn't made any threatening moves. "Lower your sword," Naruto said.
Ares chuckled. "Very well." His sword disappeared from view. Satisfied, Naruto lowered his kunai as well.
"You have a good reaction time," Ares said in approval.
Naruto inclined his head. "Thank you. You're pretty strong yourself."
"What are you doing here, Lord Ares?" Zoe asked cautiously.
Ares shrugged. "Well, I was going to get some. . . let's just say, happy time, if you know what I mean." He raised his eyebrows suggestively. Zoe recoiled in disgust. "Sadly, my lady decided that she wanted to see a certain piece of shit."
"He means me," Percy explained helpfully.
"Your lady? Who is that?" Thalia frowned.
Ares looked over at her. "Well, well. Thalia, daughter of Zeus. You're not hanging out with very good company. Well, except for the kid. He's not half bad."
"What's your business, Ares?" Thalia asked. "Who's in the limo?" she paused. "Oh. It's her, isn't it."
Ares grinned. "Indeed. Well, she only wants the piece of shit, so the rest of you: scram."
"We will not leave Percy alone with you, Lord Ares," Zoe said respectfully, but there was a hint of steel in her voice.
Ares heaved a heavy sigh. "See, here's the thing. I'm already in a pretty shitty mood tonight. I like my happy time, you see, and because of you guys, I'm not getting it. So I'm warning you: don't push me. Go get yourselves some tacos, or something."
Naruto looked over. "The taco place is closed," he observed.
Ares snapped his fingers and the lights inside the shop suddenly blazed to life. The CLOSED sign flipped to OPEN and the boards flew off the door. "You were saying?"
"I stand corrected."
"It's fine," Percy spoke up. "I'll handle this."
Ares grinned. "You heard the piece of shit. He's big and strong. So leave. Now."
Naruto hesitated before turning around -
"Have Naruto stay." A female voice called out from inside the limo. Naruto whirled around, surprised.
Ares frowned. "Who? Oh, you mean the kid? Alright." He motioned at Naruto. "You heard her. Stay."
Naruto shrugged, taking it in stride. "Alright."
Zoe, Bianca, and Thalia shot them one last concerned glance before heading over to the taco restaurant.
Ares regarded Percy with a look of loathing, then opened the limousine door like a chauffeur. "Get inside, punk. And mind your manners - she's not as forgiving of rudeness as I am." Then he turned to regard Naruto. "Kid, I have no idea why she wants to see you, but try not to anger her. You make a fine warrior, and I would hate to see your life be destroyed."
That. . . wasn't ominous at all.
XxX
They got into the limo and Percy's jaw promptly dropped at the sight of the woman. Naruto didn't notice, however. The second he saw her, Naruto froze and his thoughts screeched to a halt.
Slender. Long, dark blue hair. Pale violet eyes.
"Ah, there you are, Percy - "
"Hinata?" Naruto whispered.
She turned to him, confused. "What?"
No. . . it wasn't Hinata. She looked like her, but she had none of Hinata's innocence or charm. "Who are you?" Naruto demanded.
The woman smiled. "I am Aphrodite. The goddess of love."
Awwww shit. This wasn't good.
This is a PJO AU universe.
Honestly, I had completely forgotten to give Naruto the ability to talk to animals; however when you think about it, it would make no sense whatsoever to not give him the ability. Wild animals, after all, fall under Artemis's domain.
The Labyrinth is pretty fascinating, now that I really think about it. Self-expanding, sentient, outside the normal flow of space-time. . . I have quite a lot of plans for it. Clearly, the canon Titans were unaware of the concept of guerrilla warfare. It shall not be the case here.
Speaking of the Titans. . . the original plot of Titan's Curse really made no sense from a tactical standpoint. I mean, what did the Titans really achieve? Sure, Atlas was freed, but so what? I refuse to believe that Kronos would be that stupid to pull such a major move and not do everything he can to gain everything from it. Artemis was captured, but nothing happened. Well, screw that.
Expanding on Bianca's powers is kinda fun. We never got to see what she could do, cuz she died, so I have full creative liberty.
Oh, and on the subject of Artemis vs Kurama. . . I give up. Trying to win an Internet argument is like trying to convince Naruto that ramen is unhealthy: it just doesn't happen. If you guys truly feel that strongly, feel free to PM me. But I just want to point out that it doesn't matter who I say wins. In the end, someone wins only because it's for the plot, just like how someone loses for the plot.
Thank you all for reading, and please review :)
euphoric
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