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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 7: Love's Hatred
Out of all the Olympians, Aphrodite was the one Naruto was the most wary of. Firstly, Artemis and Aphrodite aren't exactly on good terms. A little-known fact is that the intensity of their conflict rivaled that of Poseidon and Athena's. Aphrodite was the goddess of love, and Artemis swore off all love. That in itself wouldn't have offended Aphrodite that much - after all, there were numerous other maiden goddesses. However, not only did Artemis swear off love, but she also required her Hunters to swear off all love.
To Aphrodite, that was unacceptable. To her, it was an active attack on her domain; it would be as if Aphrodite had a group of followers who actively destroyed forests. After all, by requiring the Hunters to swear off love, Artemis was essentially destroying their chances of falling in love. She had also said numerous times that "love was useless" and "love will only lead to despair", phrases that didn't exactly endear herself to Aphrodite.
The hatred was mutual. On multiple occasions, Aphrodite had used her magic to cause a Hunter to go astray and fall in love against her will and break her oath. And Artemis could not allow a Hunter who broke their oath to remain with the Hunters, and so she was always forced to abandon the Hunter. Given the fact that the Hunters were essentially Artemis's family, it was understandable exactly why Artemis despised Aphrodite so much.
While Aphrodite couldn't do anything to Artemis directly, if she found out that Naruto was Artemis's child. . . it wouldn't be pretty. If Naruto was lucky, she would just tell the other Olympians and force a vote to blast him out of existence - after all, his very existence as a male child of Artemis goes against the natural laws of the world itself. He is something that should not exist; an abomination of the highest degree.
If there is one thing that nearly all the gods can agree on, it's that they don't like change.
Of course, that would only happen if Naruto was lucky. Besides, if they did vote to blast him out of existence, Naruto was confident enough that he would pass the vote. And even if he was voted to be blasted out of existence, he could always pull out Six Paths Sage Mode - however, that would be a double-edged sword because once it's revealed how powerful he truly is, the gods would undoubtedly think of him as a threat and try to dispose of him.
Naruto did not want to be the cause of a war within his family. Ever. Not unless there was no other choice.
If Naruto was unlucky, however. . . well, Aphrodite was the goddess of love. Making Naruto's life miserable could be done very easily.
Next to Naruto, Percy made some weird choking noises, as if he forgot how to breathe. Naruto rolled his eyes and elbowed him in the gut.
"OOF - thanks, Naruto," Percy said sheepishly as he regained his senses.
Naruto didn't blame him. Even as he watched, Aphrodite's features shifted to pink hair and green eyes. Sakura. Her appearance constantly shifted, growing more and more perfect and beautiful by the second.
Genjutsu, perhaps? Naruto idly wondered if it would be rude to stab himself with a kunai, but decided against it. He had to keep a low profile. It was bad enough that Aphrodite asked for him specifically. He didn't know why, and quite frankly, he didn't want to know - he just wanted to get away.
"Who is Hinata?" Even that innocent question sounded seductive in Aphrodite's voice.
Naruto tensed slightly. Ah, right. In his initial surprise, he had blurted out her name. "She's uhh. . ." He already told Percy that the only people he has met in his life were Apollo, Artemis, and Hestia. "She's a video game character."
Aphrodite frowned. "Oh. I see." Then she turned back to Percy, ignoring Naruto entirely. "Percy, hold this, please." Aphrodite handed Percy a polished mirror. She leaned forward and dabbed at her lipstick. Was there something wrong with her face? She looked fine to Naruto, but then again, he wasn't exactly experienced in the art of makeup. Well, besides his kabuki paint, but he doubted that it counted.
"Do you know why you're here?" Aphrodite addressed Percy.
"I. . . I don't know," Percy responded. "Because Ares would've tried to decapitate me otherwise?"
Aphrodite hummed. "Perhaps my question was too vague. Why are you here on this quest?"
"Artemis has been captured."
Aphrodite rolled her eyes. "Oh, Artemis. Please. I mean, if they were going to kidnap a goddess, she should be breathtakingly beautiful, don't you think? I pity the poor dears who have to imprison Artemis. She is truly a dreadful sight to look at."
Naruto had multiple objections to that.
"But I digress. I know that's why the others are on the quest: they wish to save Artemis and defeat the monster she was hunting. I'm more interested in you."
"Annabeth is in danger," Percy automatically answered, as if some compulsion had overtaken him and forced him to reply.
Aphrodite beamed. "Exactly! A quest for true love! Oh, it's perfect."
Percy blushed. "It's not - I'm not - "
Aphrodite waved her hand. "Don't deny it, Percy. You know how close Annabeth was to joining the Hunters." Her eyes flashed angrily at that.
"I mean, I - " It appeared Percy had forgotten how to speak. He slowly lowered the mirror.
Aphrodite sighed. "Come on, Percy. I'm on your side here. I'm the reason you're here, after all."
Percy blinked. "What?"
"The T-shirt laced with centaur blood the Stoll brothers gave Phoebe," Aphrodite smiled. "Did you think they came up with that themselves? Of course, that plan failed due to young Naruto over here. The Hunters also thwarted several other of my attempts: the poisoned food, the exploding bow. Fortunately, the Myrmekes I stirred up in the end convinced Phoebe to give up."
Wait. Hold up. What?!
"That was you?" Naruto demanded.
She nodded with no shame. "Of course. Why, who did you think it was?"
Kronos. The Titans. Naruto didn't say any of that out loud, of course. He could only stare at her incredulously. She tried to seriously hurt the Hunters so Percy could go on the quest?
"Because, really. These Hunters are just so boring. Going onto a quest to save Artemis - let her stay lost, I say. But a quest for true love. . ." Aphrodite sighed dreamily. "It's perfect. Annabeth was about to throw her life away and join the Hunters! And you, Percy Jackson, can save her from that. It's so romantic!"
Did she just say that?
"Romantic? Wait, what are you - "
"Now see here, Percy," Aphrodite leaned forward. "The Hunters are your enemies. Forget them and Artemis and the monster. They're not important. Instead, concentrate on finding and saving Annabeth."
She did not just say that. Something cracked. It was Naruto's patience.
"Artemis. . . is not important?" Naruto's voice shook with barely restrained anger.
Aphrodite turned to him, surprised. "Oh? I remember you. You were the kid with that new power. Chi, was it?"
"Chakra."
"Whatever," Aphrodite dismissed. "You're still young; you don't understand love yet. Love conquers all. Fighting for a useless goddess and some dusty old monster - boring. But fighting for love?" She smiled at Percy. "That's something worth fighting for, perhaps even dying for."
"Yeah, uh, I'd like to keep the dying at the minimum." Percy glanced at Naruto worriedly, as if he was afraid that Naruto was going to say something that would get them both vaporized. "Anyway, it's been nice talking to you and all, but I think we should go."
"So eager to go save Annabeth," Aphrodite mused. "It's too cute. We haven't had a good tragic love story in a long time; I look forward to seeing how yours unfolds."
"Hold up, tragic?"
"You realize, Lady Aphrodite," Naruto interrupted, "that Artemis is vital for the fight against the Titans, correct? And that the monster she was hunting would bring the downfall of Olympus?"
Aphrodite sighed impatiently. "Please. Are you really worried about the Titans? I mean, what are they going to do? And besides, the Hunters are already taking care of that. No, what truly matters is that Percy gets reunited with Annabeth and prevents her from becoming a Hunter."
. . . wow. Naruto knew that many of the gods didn't care about the Titans, but wow. It's one thing to hear about it, it's another thing to actually see it in action. He was starting to fully understand why the Council meeting would be doomed without Artemis.
"Yeah, I'm pretty worried about the Titans," Percy piped up. "You know, since they're trying to cause the destruction of Western Civilisation. And kill me. Emphasis on the kill me part."
"Oh, don't be dramatic," Aphrodite waved her hand dismissively. "At any rate, follow your heart."
"My heart doesn't exactly have a GPS," Percy said dryly. "How am I supposed to know where it's going?"
Aphrodite smiled sympathetically. "Not knowing is half the fun. Exquisitely painful, isn't it? Not being sure who you love and who loves you? Oh, you kids! It's too cute. But don't worry, Percy. I'm not going to let this be easy and boring for you. No, I have some wonderful surprises in store. Anguish. Indecision. Oh, you just wait."
Percy's expression darkened. "What?"
"Now, you'd better go," Aphrodite waved her hand and the mirror on Percy's lap disappeared. "And do be careful in my husband's territory. Don't take anything. He's awfully fussy about his trinkets and broken projects, even if they are just trash."
"What did you mean by anguish?" Percy demanded. "Are you going to screw up my love life?"
Aphrodite's hand flew to her mouth, shocked. "Of course not! I'm only trying to help you, Percy. There are dark times ahead for you, but as long as you stay strong and follow your heart, you will eventually see the light."
And before Percy could respond, the car door opened and Ares grabbed him and tossed him unceremoniously out of the car. Percy landed on his feet with a glare. "Hey, what's the big idea - "
Ares shut the door behind them, leaving Naruto alone with Aphrodite. Outside, Naruto could hear Percy and Ares begin throwing insults at each other.
"So. . . I should get going as well," Naruto reached for the door. He didn't want to even be near Aphrodite.
"Naruto, what are you hiding?"
Naruto froze before quickly plastering on a confused smile. "What?"
Aphrodite leaned forward and Naruto drew in a sharp breath. Her appearance changed again. Red hair. Violet eyes. Beautiful. "Naruto, I'm the goddess of beauty," Aphrodite smiled. Her voice broke the illusion. She may look like Kushina, but she wasn't. "I know when someone is concealing their appearance."
Wait. Oh no.
"What do you mean?" Naruto frowned. Inwardly, he was panicking. She detected his Henge. Damn it. He had underestimated her.
Aphrodite sighed impatiently. "Don't lie to me, Naruto. Appearances are within my domain, and so trust me when I say that you are not who you appear you are."
She reached out her hand and touched Naruto's face gently. "So tell me. What are you hiding?"
Naruto tensed up as he sensed something foreign being emitted from Aphrodite. Divine power. A moment later, he felt his chakra cracking and the Henge dispelling. His eyes widened in shock as he tried to hastily reapply the Henge, but it didn't work - the Henge refused to form.
She blocked his chakra? How?! What the hell?! No. . . it wasn't that. His chakra was working; she was simply altering reality itself; appearances were her domain and as such she had absolute control over all its aspects. It would be the same as trying to use a water jutsu against Poseidon; he had absolute control and as such the water would simply refuse to respond to the chakra. Gods could literally alter the reality of their domains on a whim.
It was like having admin level commands in a game where you could literally set changeAppearance = False.
"What. . .?" Aphrodite whispered, looking at his face. "What in the name of Ouranos? Did it not work?" She shook her head. "No, I sense no other illusions on you. Which means this is your true form. But. . . how?!"
Naruto laughed nervously. "Well, this is awkward. Umm. . . My mother is Leto. Which is why I have a resemblance to Artemis. We're half-siblings." Gods, he hoped it worked.
"Don't lie," Aphrodite murmured, still half-frozen in shock. "Leto would've told me. Besides, she's been on Delos for the past several centuries, and I know for a fact she hasn't gotten together with any mortal. You're Artemis's child, aren't you? This explains your strange attachment to her, as well as why the satyr said you had her scent."
Then her face twisted into a hateful snarl. "I see. So Artemis had a child, huh? Just when I thought she couldn't go any lower - "
"Don't speak about her like that," Naruto snapped. His secret was out. There was no point in being polite and going under the radar anymore. "You disgust me, you know that?"
Aphrodite's mouth dropped open. "Excuse me?"
"You're the goddess of love," Naruto narrowed his eyes. "But instead of helping others find true love, all you do is find sick entertainment in the suffering of others. A tragic love story? Anguish and indecision? What right do you have to mess with Percy's life like that? You're not playing a video game; you're playing with a person's life here!"
Aphrodite stared at him, as if having trouble believing that he was speaking to her like that.
Outside, the sound of Percy and Ares's argument abruptly cut to a stunned silence. Then, in perfect synchronization, Naruto heard them step slowly away from the car, as if getting out of the splatter zone of an imminent explosion.
"You dare?" Aphrodite hissed and finally at long last, Kushina's face melted away and was replaced by the face of. . . Haku?!
Naruto blanched in horror. He wasn't attracted to Haku! Haku was a guy! Naruto wasn't gay! Sure, Haku was prettier than most of the girls Naruto had seen, but still! What the hell? Unless. . . ah, that must be it. Haku must have lied to Naruto and she truly was a girl. Naruto nodded once resolutely. Haku was a girl.
Aphrodite must have interpreted Naruto's look of horror as him finally realizing what he was saying to her, a goddess. "Ah, so you finally understand. But no amount of apologies will make me forgive you. Naruto, the male child of Artemis. No wonder you were kept hidden by Apollo." She looked at him with a newfound hatred. "I wonder. . . yes, that will do. Oh, that is perfect."
Naruto glanced at her warily, but Aphrodite simply smiled viciously. "Good bye, Naruto. Have fun with the Hunters."
"What do you mean?" Naruto demanded.
"Let's just say. . . you're going to have some difficulty reapplying your clever little illusion." Aphrodite laughed cruelly. "Oh, I wonder how the Hunters will react to that? To know that their precious mistress broke the oath and had a male child? I wonder how long it will be until their love for their mistress turns to hatred?"
She leaned in close and whispered, as if she was sharing a secret, "Love and hate are awfully similar to each other, you see. It wouldn't be too difficult to twist their love for their mistress into a seething hatred."
Naruto's hands clenched into fists. She was just asking to get punched in the face.
"Artemis's reaction to that would be beautiful," Aphrodite smiled. "Of course, her pain would be nothing compared to the pain of all the girls out there who she robbed of love, but even a tiny fraction of that would be enough. It's been centuries since I had done anything of this level to Artemis. Thank you, Naruto, for the opportunity."
"Don't you dare do a single thing to the Hunters of Artemis," Naruto's chakra thrummed agitatedly beneath his skin. "Why would you even do this?
Aphrodite shrugged. "Terrible acts have been committed in the name of love. Just look at Helen and Paris." Then she smirked. "Oh, and I should mention. After I have successfully influenced the minds of the Hunters - don't look at me like that; they're the victims here - I'll begin a little vote to, ah, how do I put this: blast you out of existence. It's nothing personal. You are an abomination, and I'm rather interested to see how Artemis would react to her child being killed in front of her. Do you think she'll cry? Personally, I don't think so. She's much too cold-hearted for that."
Naruto was silent for a moment. "I thought the goddess of love would be kind, caring, and compassionate. But clearly, I was wrong. Y'know, after spending so much time with Apollo, Artemis, and Hestia, I had forgotten just how horrible you gods are."
Aphrodite chuckled. "You think Artemis and Apollo haven't done infinitely more horrible things? Don't make me laugh."
Then, before Naruto could respond, she snapped her fingers. The door opened and he was forcibly thrown out of the car by an invisible force, landing hard on his feet. "Have a nice night, Naruto."
Naruto spoke slowly and clearly so there would be no possible way she'd mishear what he said. "I finally understand why my mother despises you." His eyes flashed. "It's because you're a first-rate bitch."
Then he shut the door behind him, not even bothering to see Aphrodite's reaction. The limousine immediately disappeared in a flash of pink light.
Naruto turned to face Percy and Ares, who were staring at him with a mixture of incredulity, disbelief, and horror.
"Holy," Percy began in a fearful yet almost awed voice.
"Shit," Ares finished, a hint of respect appearing in his eyes.
For just a moment, there existed no animosity between the two, only a strange camaraderie, as if they had just bonded over the absolute insanity that just occurred.
"How are you still alive?" Percy breathed.
"I have never seen someone speak to her like that without her causing them to fall in love with an inanimate object," Ares agreed.
Naruto's face darkened. "She can cause more pain to Artemis if she keeps me alive."
"Oh yeah. You're Artemis's kid, huh?" Ares rubbed his chin, examining Naruto. "I gotta say, it's almost scary how much you resemble her. How did that happen?"
Naruto shrugged wordlessly. He didn't want to elaborate on the details of his birth. Primarily because he didn't understand the details of his birth all that much. "She didn't break her oath, if that's what you're asking. The details are. . . complicated."
Ares nodded in understanding. "Ah, so you're like one of Athena's kids. Well, nothing personal, but since my lady friend hates you, I gotta hate you as well." He sighed. "It's a shame too; you had the potential to become a great warrior."
Naruto smirked. "Who said I wasn't already one?"
His eyebrows rose. "Oh? Wanna fight?"
Naruto hesitated before shaking his head. "Apologies, Lord Ares, but we're still on a quest. Perhaps afterwards."
Ares grinned. "I'll remember that."
"Wait, hold on, if Artemis didn't break her oath, then how were you born?" Percy asked confusedly. "And what do you mean by Athena's kids?"
Naruto and Ares paused. "Err," Naruto began, "You do know that gods don't necessarily need to, umm. . ."
"Have their happy time to make children, right?" Ares continued. At Percy's blank look, he rolled his eyes. "Damn, how can you be this stupid? You know that Athena is a maiden goddess?"
At this, Percy's eyes widened. "She is?"
Naruto nodded. "Yup. She combines her thoughts with a mortal's, essentially creating a 'brain child.'"
"What?!"
"Well, it's a little bit more complicated than that, but that's the gist of it."
"You mean Annabeth is a brain child?" Percy stared at Naruto. "And you're the same?!"
"More or less." Naruto replied before looking over at the taco shop. He hesitated. "Hey Percy, can you do me a favor? Don't tell the Hunters anything. Please."
Percy nodded. "Got it. I couldn't hear anything, but I did hear that if the Hunters found out about you, Aphrodite would do some pretty bad things. And I wouldn't want that. Oh, and can you also keep what she said to me a secret too?"
"Yeah, of course."
"Kid, hate to break it to you, but Aphrodite already placed a spell on you," Ares cut in. "You can't alter your appearance. Unless you somehow get Eros to come help you, but I doubt that would happen."
"A spell on me, hmm?" Naruto thought it over. "Perhaps. . ."
He brought his hands together in a hand seal again and concentrated. A moment later, silver chakra exploded out of him as he gathered as much as he possibly could. Naruto's eyes flickered for a moment. Silver?
"Whoa!" Percy stepped back in shock, but Naruto paid him no heed.
He was wasting a lot of chakra here. Extremely inefficient. It would be as if he summoned a tsunami to fill a single glass of water. But then again, in this analogy, there's something blocking the glass of water, and Naruto has to try to break through it.
A little more. . . His tenketsu burned as the pressure built up within himself. Two times - no, three times the amount of chakra Kakashi-sensei had.
Now! Henge no Jutsu!
Ares's eyes widened behind his shades as pink light shattered around Naruto like broken glass before Naruto became a blonde-haired blue-eyed boy once more. "What in Tartarus?" he muttered as he took off his shades to get a better look, exposing mini-explosions where his eyes should be.
And then it was over. The silver light died down as the chakra dissipated into the air. Naruto stood there, having casually broken Aphrodite's spell.
"What the fuck was that?!" Ares demanded.
Percy looked over, appalled. "Dude, he's like ten years old! Language!"
"Shut the fuck up! What he just did was impossible! Aphrodite has absolute control over her domain! What the fuck?!" Ares had a look of utter confusion and disbelief on his face. "Not even the gods can break her spells."
It worked? Naruto grinned in exhilaration. For once, his strategy of adding more chakra worked out.
"Kid, I'm serious. How did you just do that?"
Naruto shrugged. "My chakra's awesome, of course."
If a god's powers were like having admin level commands, then Naruto's chakra was a hack altogether.
Ares shook his head in bewilderment. "Right. . . okay then." He glanced up at the sky. "You realize that the other gods probably saw this, right? And they know your secret?"
Naruto grimaced. "Yeah. I do."
Ares nodded. "Expect a meeting with Athena soon. She'll have a lot of questions for you. Oh, and kid? For what it's worth, good luck."
Naruto smiled. "Thank you, Lord Ares."
Ares snapped his fingers and the world spun around them in a cloud of red dust. Naruto was knocked briefly off balance as Percy just flat-out fell to the ground. When the world stopped spinning, the road, the taco restaurant, everything was gone. Zoe, Bianca, Thalia, Percy, and Naruto were standing in the middle of the junkyard, mountains of scrap metal stretched out in every direction.
XxX
"Aphrodite," Zoe hissed after Naruto and Percy filled them in on what happened, minus a few details. "I hate that goddess. Are you two alright?"
Percy and Naruto exchanged a glance.
"We're fine."
"No problem."
"She didn't threaten Naruto or anything."
"Nor did she promise to make Percy's love life hell."
They both nodded in sync. "Nothing happened."
"Really?" Thalia asked doubtfully.
"Yup."
"For sure."
"So. . ." Percy said, anxious to change the subject. "How do we get out of here?"
"That way," Zoe said. "That is west."
"How can you tell?"
Zoe rolled her eyes. "Ursa Major is in the north which means that must be west." She pointed west, then at the northern constellation.
"Oh yeah," Percy nodded. "The bear thing."
Zoe narrowed her eyes. "Show some respect. It was a fine bear. A worthy opponent."
Naruto nodded in agreement. "Indeed." Artemis had told him about the story of Callisto before.
Zoe shot Naruto a surprised glance but didn't comment on it. "At any rate, if what you say about this being her husband's junkyard is true, then we should leave."
Thalia nodded. "This is the junkyards of the gods. Don't touch anything."
They slowly made their way, staring at the piles of junk around them in awe. Gold, silver, refrigerators, car parts, swords, bows -
"Look!" Bianca picked up a bow that glowed silver in moonlight. "A Hunter's bow!"
Thalia glared at Zoe. "What?" Zoe said defensively. "She's new; she hasn't even gone through How To Not Anger The Gods 101 yet. Bianca, when we say to don't touch anything, we mean it. The gods are extremely protective of their stuff. Drop it."
Bianca deflated. "Alright - whoa!" The bow began to shrink and became a hair clip shaped like a crescent moon. "It's just like Percy's sword - "
"Bianca," Zoe said grimly. "On top of the gods being protective of their stuff, all these items are in this junkyard for a reason. They are defective. Or cursed."
Bianca reluctantly set down the hair clip.
"Shall we run?" Naruto suggested. They were wasting time right now.
Zoe nodded. "Just don't trip."
They began sprinting west. Naruto and Zoe led the way, easily navigating past all the junk. Percy and Bianca were right behind them and Thalia was in the rear, on the lookout for enemies with her spear.
Finally, they saw the edge of the junkyard about half a mile ahead of them, the lights of a highway stretching through the desert. However. . .
"What is that?" Bianca gasped. Ahead of them was a hill larger than the others, the length of a training field and as tall as the two-story building. It was made completely out of metal, and at one end was ten thick metal columns, wedged tightly together. "They look like. . . toes. Really large toes."
Zoe and Thalia exchanged nervous glances. "Let's go around," Thalia said. "Far around."
"Why?" Percy asked, frowning. "The road is right there." He paused as he realized the full implications of there being huge metal toes on the ground. "Oh. Never mind."
After several minutes of walking, they finally stepped onto the highway.
"We made it out," Zoe breathed a small sigh of relief. "Thank the gods."
A little too soon. Behind them, Naruto heard a sound that he could only describe as a thousand Asura-path Pains getting blown into tiny metal pieces. He whirled around only to see a giant bronze giant in full Greek battle armor. Those were toes of a giant metal giant. It stood taller than the Hokage Mountain. A machine that big? How?
"Talos!" Zoe's bow was out in a flash. "But. . . no. It can't be the original. It's too small."
Too small?!
"It must be a prototype," Thalia guessed. "A defective model."
The metal giant moved, drawing a rusty and dull sword easily a hundred-feet long. It raised the sword high above its head, its joints creaking. Then it slammed its sword down on top of the demigods. They scattered immediately.
Naruto frowned as he backflipped in the air and landed on top of a truck with a broken windshield. They were wasting time right now. "Zoe!" he yelled. "Do you have any explosive arrows?"
"No!" She yelled back as she fired a volley of arrows that shattered harmlessly against the giant's face. The giant attacked Thalia, interspersing his strikes with stomps on the ground that sent debris rocketing everywhere at great speeds.
Naruto reached into his kunai pouch and withdrew several arrows - although they weren't normal arrows. Instead of a metal arrowhead, there was instead a crystal filled with a green liquid. A Greek fire arrow. "Here!" He threw them to her like he would throw kunai.
Zoe caught them out of the air effortlessly, looking at them in surprise. "Greek fire arrows?" She smirked. "I see growing up with Apollo has its benefits."
"You take care of the giant! I'll go check if Percy and Bianca are okay. There might be other defenses set up here."
Naruto closed his eyes and extended senses. There. He quickly made his way over to behind a broken chariot, where Percy and Bianca were crouched, having a tense discussion.
"It. . . it was for Nico," Bianca was saying, tears in her eyes. There was a small metal figurine in her hand. Mythomagic. "It was the only figurine he didn't have."
"Throw it down," Percy suggested. "Maybe the giant will leave us alone."
She did, but it didn't seem to do anything. She clenched her fists. "It's my fault that the giant is attacking. I'll. . . I'll make it right. I'll hold it off while you guys get away."
Percy's eyes grew wide. "Bianca, no! You're still new to being a demigod! You're not allowed to have self-sacrificing tendencies yet!"
She shook her head. "No. It's fine. I need to take responsibility."
"Hey Bianca?" Naruto spoke up. They whirled around, obviously not having heard him approach. "I appreciate your dedication and all, but we already got it covered." He smiled. "Besides, I promised Nico that I'll keep you safe, and there is no way I'll let you go sacrifice yourself like that."
"But it's my fault," Bianca protested. "I can't let you guys die - wait what do you mean by you already got it covered?"
There was a sound of a deafening explosion behind him before the metal giant collapsed to the ground with a horrible ear-piercing screeching sound. Naruto smiled at their stunned faces. "What, did you really think a single defective metal giant can beat the lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis and a child of the Big Three?"
Bianca only stared back at him dumbly, tears still in her eyes.
XxX
"What the fuck."
"I second that."
"I third that."
"I swear, didn't we just cut her thread?"
"We did. How is this even possible?"
"I have no idea. We may actually have a problem here - wait. Am I seeing things?"
"What are you - is the thread disappearing?!"
"HOW?!"
"I DON'T KNOW!"
XxX
"Naruto, everything okay there?" Zoe called.
"Yeah, they're fine. I think the giant was the only defense," Naruto called back before turning back to them. "Anyway, let's go. I don't want to stay in this junkyard for longer than necessary."
"How did you defeat it?" Percy asked curiously as they walked back to the highway.
Zoe inclined her head at Naruto. "He had some Greek fire arrows. Extremely rare and expensive. Very destructive as well."
Percy whistled when he finally got a clear look at the giant's face. It was just gone - only a concavity remained.
"Why did it attack us?" Thalia asked, wiping some sweat off her forehead.
Bianca looked away guiltily. "Umm. . . I may have taken something."
". . . after everything we said?" Thalia asked disbelievingly.
"Sorry," Bianca whispered. "But. . . I just felt really bad for leaving Nico. And I wanted to get him something." And she looked so sad and remorseful, Zoe and Thalia couldn't even stay mad at her.
"Just don't do it again," Zoe said gently. "I know our commands must seem strange and illogical sometimes, but you just have to trust us on them."
Bianca nodded. "I will. I'm. . . I'm sorry."
"Hey, on a completely unrelated note, how are we supposed to get out of here?" Percy asked, looking around them. They were on a deserted highway, not a car in sight.
"I believe I may be of help," a voice spoke up from behind them.
Naruto spun around, a kunai in hand. It was a woman with stormy grey eyes and long dark hair pulled back into a ponytail. She was dressed normally - blue jeans, a denim shirt - but she definitely not anyone ordinary. Naruto hadn't sensed her at all - one moment there was nothing behind him, the next she was there.
Either she was a master manipulator of the Mist, or she was a goddess. Judging by Thalia and Zoe's sharp intakes of breath, it was probably the latter.
"Lady Athena," Zoe greeted respectfully.
She inclined her head. "Zoe Nightshade. It's good to see you well."
"With all due respect, what are you doing here?" Thalia inquired.
Athena smiled. "I'm here to ask Naruto some questions."
Zoe frowned. "Naruto? Why?"
Athena opened her mouth to speak but Naruto beat her to it. "Lady Athena is probably interested about my chakra, y'know? I mean, it's new, and I don't think anyone else in this world has chakra."
Athena blinked. "Well, yes. That is one reason why I came. The other is that - "
"Athena, do you know where Annabeth is?" Percy interrupted. Naruto shot him a grateful glance.
Athena's expression darkened. "I have vague suspicions, but nothing concrete."
"If we wish to save Artemis and Annabeth, then we should hurry," Naruto took over. "We shouldn't waste time."
Athena turned to him with a somewhat amused look. "Very well. But before all that, you must rest first. A tired hero is a dead hero."
She snapped her fingers. The world around them cracked before they suddenly found themselves in a rather luxurious hotel room. "Why don't you guys get settled? I'll go talk to Naruto on the balcony."
XxX
Athena stared at Naruto with a clinical gaze. "A male child of Artemis," she mused. "I confess, even I didn't see this coming."
Naruto laughed nervously. "Yeah. Before you ask, no, she did not break her oath. It was essence combination."
"I see. That's a relief, I suppose." Athena leaned in close to Naruto and inhaled deeply.
Naruto jumped back in shock. "Lady Athena?"
"Just making sure," she murmured, materializing a notepad and a pen and scribbling down some notes. "Naruto, take off your shirt."
Naruto blanched. "What? Why?"
"I need to check your physiology." She gestured at him impatiently. "Hurry up, now."
"My physiology is human!" Naruto held up his hands defensively. "Apollo already ran extensive medical scans."
"Understood. I'll have to ask him for those records later," Athena made another small note. "How did you break Aphrodite's spell? You're not a god, I presume."
Naruto shook his head. "Definitely not. And I have no idea how I broke the spell. I just pumped in a lot of chakra and it somehow worked out."
"Interesting. Does your chakra have anti-divine properties?"
"Huh? I don't think so. I mean, when I used my Rasengan - which is basically just condensed chakra - it only gave Apollo some light scratches. He did reinforce his stomach with a bit of healing magic though, but that shouldn't have affected it a lot."
Athena nodded, deep in thought. "Are you half-mortal?"
Naruto blinked before shaking his head. "No. I'm not. Although Apollo isn't sure exactly what I am."
"How old are you?"
"Three years old."
Athena didn't look surprised. "Do you feel pain randomly?"
Naruto frowned. "No."
"Really?" Athena made another note. "Have you ever experienced a tearing sensation deep within you? As if your core is being ripped apart?"
". . . no."
And so the questions continued, all seemingly random and innocuous but Naruto couldn't help but get the feeling that Athena was slowly learning everything there was to know about him, even stuff he himself didn't know about. Naruto answered truthfully when he could and lied when there was no other option. He briefly considered lying about everything but then quickly dropped the idea. There was no point, really. It's not as if he was telling her anything really important and he didn't want to be caught up in a lie later on.
The goddess of wisdom and battle was not someone he wanted as an enemy.
Finally, she flicked her hand and the notepad and pen disappeared. "Naruto, what are your intentions towards Olympus?"
"Huh?"
Her grey eyes seemed to pierce straight into Naruto. "Will you ever join up with the Titans?"
"Never!" Naruto replied vehemently. "I would never betray my friends and family."
She nodded. "I see. One last question. If it came to a choice between saving Annabeth and saving Artemis, which would you choose?"
Naruto paused. "Why?"
"Humor me. If you could only save one, then who would it be?"
Naruto was silent for a moment. "Artemis," he finally said. "I'd save Artemis. But I'd still do everything in my power to save Annabeth as well."
For the first time since she began asking questions, Athena smiled as if he had answered correctly. "I see. That is good. You prioritise saving the essential targets."
Naruto's blood ran cold. "Essential?"
Athena nodded. "As much as it pains me to say it, the loss of Artemis would be much more impactful than the loss of my daughter. On this quest, the only people I trust to always save Artemis is you and Zoe Nightshade. Bianca is new so she may try to save Annabeth out of a misplaced kindness, Thalia is her best friend, and the son of Poseidon is in love with my daughter."
"You're Annabeth's mother," Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Shouldn't you be trying to convince me to prioritise her?"
Athena sighed. "She is a mortal, and mortals die. That is the truth. Losing Artemis would be more detrimental in the long run." She noticed Naruto's angry look. "Do not think me to be cruel, Naruto. If my daughter dies, then I will grieve like any mother would. But if Artemis is lost, then the Titans' odds of defeating us increases exponentially. And if the Titans win, then infinitely more lives will be lost."
Naruto couldn't argue against that logic. It was what any leader should do, after all. Kill one person to save a hundred. Kill a hundred to save a thousand. Kill a thousand to save a million. That's what a Hokage would do.
But that doesn't mean Naruto liked it.
"And so, I'm telling you right now, Naruto, do not hesitate to abandon my daughter to save Artemis. No matter what," And for just a second, Naruto could swear he saw a hint of sadness in Athena's eyes but it was gone as quick as it appeared. "Olympus cannot afford to lose Artemis."
Naruto clenched his fists. "Very well. However, there is one thing you're wrong about."
Athena frowned. "And that is?"
"You assume that we will be in a situation where we can only save one. But that will never happen. After all, I'm strong," Naruto smiled. "Don't worry, Lady Athena. I'll save both Mother and Annabeth."
Athena gazed at him with her stormy grey eyes, as if analyzing his very soul. "I hope you do," she finally said. Then she blinked. "Hold on, mother? Artemis lets you call her mother?"
"I mean, I normally call her Mom," Naruto tilted his head. "Why?"
Athena's lips quirked up into a small smile. "Nothing. When you get to San Francisco, I have two pieces of advice. First, stay away from the tunnels. Second, your clones cannot bear the weight of the sky."
Naruto frowned. "What?"
But Athena was already gone.
XxX
"What did she want with you?" Bianca asked curiously.
Naruto shrugged. "She asked me a bunch of questions about my chakra." He glanced at the clock on the wall. He had talked to Athena for about an hour. "Shall we leave?"
Zoe nodded, grabbing her gear. "Let's go."
"Wait, now?" Percy protested. "It's like two in the morning!"
Zoe raised her eyebrows. "And?"
"You heard what Athena said: a tired hero is a dead hero!"
"Sleep is for weaklings," Thalia made her way to the door. "Come on. We had an entire hour to rest and eat."
"We saved some for you," Bianca handed Naruto a small take-out box. He opened it to see a cheeseburger inside. "Athena already paid for room service," she explained. "We weren't sure what you'd like, so we just went with the safest option."
Naruto nodded in thanks, taking a bite. Salty. Not that bad.
They exited the hotel. The staff didn't seem to see them; clearly, some Mist residue remained. Something else saw them though.
"Skeleton warriors," Naruto groaned.
"What? There's no way - " Zoe caught sight of them and sighed heavily. "Naruto, you mind holding them off?"
"Sure."
Twenty shadow clones later, they were walking the opposite direction, the sound of fighting behind them.
"How should we get to San Francisco?" Bianca glanced behind them nervously. Naruto had no idea why. It's not as if the skeleton warriors could defeat his shadow clones.
"I can always hotwire a car," Thalia suggested.
Zoe nodded. "We have no other options - "
A scream pierced through the air.
They whirled around. The scream had come from back where the skeletons were fighting.
"A mortal?!" Bianca said in alarm.
"We need to check to see if they're okay," Percy announced grimly. "Come on."
They didn't argue. As they returned to the scene, they saw the skeletons on the ground. In pieces. Trying to regenerate. A few clones absently used the Rasengan whenever they got close to regenerating. Several clones were fighting amongst themselves - Naruto facepalmed. Of course. And there was one clone talking to a red-haired girl.
"How are there twenty of you?!" She waved her hand wildly, her eyes filled with fear. "And are those skeletons on the ground?"
Zoe tensed up. "She can see through the Mist? A clear-sighted mortal."
Percy frowned. "A what?"
"There are certain mortals who the Mist simply does not affect," Thalia explained. "She's probably one of them. That, or she's a demigod."
She turned her head and saw them approach. Her eyes widened further. "There's another one of you?"
"Yo!" Naruto called. "I'll take it from here."
The clone turned around and relief shone in its eyes. "Thanks, Boss." Then it dispelled, causing the girl to gasp in shock.
"What are you?" She whispered, backing up slowly.
"The name's Naruto," Naruto grinned. "It's nice to meet you."
"I'm Rachel Elizabeth Dare," she responded automatically. "It's nice to meet you as well." Then she frowned. "What are you?"
Thalia stepped forward. "Before that, you mind trying cutting yourself with this?" She offered Rachel her spear. Rachel took another step back.
"Umm, are you crazy?"
"Just trust me," Thalia said.
Rachel bit her lip but grabbed the spear nonetheless, cautiously holding it up to her hand and gently pressing down the tip - and gasped when the spear passed harmlessly through her hand. "What the hell?"
"Clear-sighted mortal," Zoe announced. She sighed. "Rachel Elizabeth Dare, it would be best if you forgot what you saw today."
"Forget what I - " Rachel gaped at her. "You want me to forget about twenty clones beating up skeletons with blue balls of death - "
Percy snickered. Thalia slapped him on the back of the head, shooting him a ferocious glare.
" - a solid holographic spear, as paradoxical as that sounds, and how you guys called me a mortal as if you're not?"
"We don't have time for this," Thalia muttered. "I'll go hotwire a car."
Rachel looked at her in outrage. "You're going to go what now?"
"Nothing."
Rachel bit her lip, thinking hard. "If you guys explain, then I can give you a car."
They all paused.
"You can give us a car?" Zoe asked cautiously. "How, exactly?"
"I'm on vacation right now," Rachel crossed her arms. "We have a rental, and it wouldn't cost us too much if somebody 'stole' it."
They exchanged glances.
"Fine," Zoe accepted. "The Greek gods are real, and so are the monsters. There is normally an illusion that prevents regular mortals from seeing the supernatural, which we call the Mist, but occasionally, there'll be a mortal who can see through the Mist, who we call a clear-sighted mortal. That is what you are."
Rachel stared at her. "If you were going to lie, at least make it sound more believable," she muttered. "Whatever. Apparently, I'm not going to get answers out of you guys." She nodded over to a car parked off in the distance. "Go, take it. I'd rather you steal our rental than some innocent dude's car."
Naruto blinked. She thought they were lying? He did suppose it sounded rather. . . outlandish.
Zoe and Thalia didn't bother correcting her, instead walking towards the car. Percy cast one last glance at the girl before heading for the car as well. Bianca hesitated. "For what it's worth, thank you, Rachel. You have no idea how important this is."
Rachel nodded. "I can imagine. When I went outside to get some fresh air, I did not expect all of this," she gestured at the clones preventing the skeletons from reforming. "Well, you should get going now."
Bianca nodded and then headed for the car as well, leaving only Naruto and Rachel.
"Don't you need to go as well?" Rachel asked curiously.
Naruto hesitated before handing her a golden drachma. "Now that you're aware of the truth, you may be in more danger than before. If a monster ever tries to attack you, just throw the drachma into a rainbow and say, 'Oh Iris, goddess of the Rainbow, please accept my offering.' Then ask for me."
"Is this real gold?" Rachel stared at the drachma incredulously. "You have real gold that you casually throw into a rainbow, but you're too cheap to buy a rental?"
"We're kind of pressed for time right now," Naruto admitted. "I need to go. See ya."
She sighed. "Bye."
XxX
Once again, Zoe drove. This time, Thalia didn't even have that many objections, only grumbling out a small "I look older than you." The car was surprisingly luxurious, with soft leather seats and a walnut-wood dash.
Percy and Bianca passed out almost immediately, clearly tired from the events of the day. Thalia sat in the shotgun seat, absently staring out the window, and Zoe looked as good as new.
Naruto, for his part, wasn't tired at all. His stamina seemed to have grown ever since he was reborn. However. . .
Demigod dreams.
His last dream had been pretty useless. Hopefully, this one would provide a bit more information.
And so he closed his eyes, allowing sleep to claim him.
XxX
Naruto stared around at his surroundings. He was in a meeting room. The walls were painted black - no. The walls were made up of solid black crystal. Floating balls of light lined the wall, providing adequate lighting for Naruto to see everyone in the room.
There were four people all seated around a table. On one side, there was a man dressed formally in a black suit. He had multiple deep scars on his face, as if something had gouged out chunks in the past. On the other side, there was a woman dressed in silver. She looked pale and sickly. Another woman with green eyes and blonde hair wearing torch earrings. And a satyr that had several life-support machines hooked up to him.
Judging by how they were all emitting vast amounts of power, they were all gods, possibly even Titans.
Naruto mentally named them Silver, Suit, Torch, and Satyr.
"Good morning, everyone," Suit smiled at them kindly. "How are you all doing?"
"Get on with it," Torch said disinterestedly.
Suit politely inclined his head. "Very well. As I had said in the invitation, I am here to offer you all what you want."
Satyr bleated in excitement. "Mass genocide on humans?"
Suit hesitated. "Er, not quite. I'm sure you're all aware of the fact that Artemis has been captured."
Silver raised her eyebrows. "Of course we are. I hope we didn't come all the way here just for you to tell us what we already knew."
Suit nodded. "I would never do that. Tell me. . . what do you three know about domains? Specifically, the transfer of domains?"
Silver laughed. "Is this a joke? You're asking me about the transfer of domains?"
"Ah, of course, My Lady. I didn't mean it as an insult," Suit smiled apologetically. "As we all know, a divine being can lose their domain of power if another more powerful god takes over."
"Like what Apollo did to Helios," Torch spoke up. "Or what Artemis did to Eileithyia and Selene. Or what Athena did to Metis." Silver winced as Torch spoke.
"Precisely," Suit nodded. "I admit, even I do not know the entire specifics, however what I do know is that I, along with the Titan Lord and Koios, have discovered a method to forcibly transfer a god's domain."
The three plus Naruto all tensed up. Forcibly transfer a god's domain?!
"How?" Satyr demanded.
Suit chuckled. "As we all know, when a god 'dies', they get sent to Tartarus. However, a lesser known fact is that for just a moment, their hold to their domains weakens. After all, as they enter the Pit, Tartarus unconsciously attempts to absorb the god's essence."
Torch's eyes widened. "What?"
Suit nodded. "Of course, Tartarus stops himself immediately - absorbing essence comes with more trouble than it's worth. However, for just a split second, as Tartarus attempts to absorb the god's essence and by extension their domains, the god's connection to their domains is weakened. Of course, this is negligible; the time frame is so short, it can be described as instantaneous and nobody can take advantage of the opening."
Satyr scoffed. "Oh, so we came all the way out here for nothing?" His life support machines beeped threateningly.
Suit smiled. "You forget one simple fact. Why worry about having too little time to act. . . when we have all the time in the world?"
There was a moment of silence as the statement sunk in. "Kronos," Torch breathed. The temperature in the room dropped by several degrees and the lights dimmed slightly at the name.
"Indeed," and Suit's polite smile became downright predatory. "The Titan Lord is capable of slowing time down to near a stop. If he does it when the god's connection to their domain is weakened, then it would be difficult but not impossible to sever the god from their domain."
Silver narrowed her eyes. "How?"
Suit chuckled. "I'm afraid the specifics are a secret, but rest assured: it would work. Koios, the Titan of farsight, has guaranteed it."
"Artemis has many domains. . ." Torch mused. "And you say we can take all of them?"
Suit shook his head. "No. Only three domains. However, we can choose." He smiled craftily. "And with you three, I can imagine which ones you desire. Moon," he pointed at Silver. "Wilderness," he pointed at Satyr. "And finally, forests," he pointed at Torch.
A gleam appeared in Satyr's eyes. "Oh? And return for giving us these domains, what do you want from us?"
Suit chuckled. "All I want is for you to pledge loyalty to the Titan Lord, of course. When he rises again, join and assist him."
Silver frowned. "Don't you mean if he rises?"
Suit shook his head. "The Titan Lord's resurrection is assured. As the Titan of forethought, I can tell you that with an absolute certainty. He will rise again, and when he does, Olympus will be razed to the ground."
"What about the sky?" Torch inquired. "If you kill Artemis, then who will hold the sky?"
Suit laughed. "So many questions. We shall find a temporary placeholder until all four Titan Generals are resurrected and their might and presence alone prevents the sky from touching the earth." His eyes twinkled. "Or rather, many temporary placeholders."
Satyr nodded slowly. "Yeah, I'll join. It's not as if I have anything better to do," he chuckled bitterly, gesturing at his life support machines.
Torch nodded. "While I personally do not care that much for the forests, I shall always accept increases to my power." She clenched her fists. "And if it means the major Olympians suffer from it, then all the better."
Silver hesitated before a dark look appeared in her eyes. "I accept as well."
"Brilliant," Suit smiled, clapping his hands together. "Then we are in an accord. We shall dispatch Artemis on the Winter Solstice, the day where our power is the strongest, and transfer her domains to you three. And don't be late," he smiled cheerfully.
And that was when Percy shook Naruto awake.
XxX
Naruto's eyes snapped open. "Artemis," he breathed.
Percy frowned. "Umm, yes. That is who we're rescuing."
"No, that's not what I mean," Naruto shook his head. "The situation is worse than we thought."
He quickly filled them in on the details of his dream. Zoe's face grew more and more stony as he spoke. "I see," she said when he finished. "That is not good. We'll have to hurry."
"Is it possible?" Thalia asked. "I mean, I've never heard of a god having their domains forcibly taken away from them before."
Zoe hesitated. "Normally, I would say that it's impossible. However, if both Koios, the Titan of intellect, knowledge, and forethought, and Promotheus, the Titan of forethought, agrees that it would work, then we cannot risk it." Her eyes flashed. "Furthermore, we can not allow Artemis to be sent to Tartarus."
Naruto nodded. "Let's hurry. Are we in San Francisco yet?"
Zoe shook her head. "No, the car ran out of gas. I believe we're still in Arizona."
Naruto bit his lip, thinking hard. "I don't think a car would be fast enough. Perhaps if we hijack an airplane - "
"That won't be necessary," a gruff voice cut in from behind them. Naruto's eyes widened. Just like before with Athena, he hadn't sensed the newcomer approach. They turned around to see five centaurs, all dressed in Hawaiin shirts, and Naruto saw several cans of root beer poking out of their satchel bags.
"What?!" Bianca yelped.
The lead centaur grinned. "Yo, what's up? Call me Alex. I'm the leader of the Arizona Chapter of the Party Ponies. I hear you guys needed a lift?"
"How did you know?" Thalia asked in bewilderment.
Percy suddenly chuckled. "Let me guess, Chiron?"
Alex pointed finger guns at Percy and grinned. "You got it. Locating you guys was kinda hard, but we got a small tip from this homeless dude named Fred."
Naruto smiled. Thank you, Apollo.
"Come on, hop on," Alex said. "We don't have any time to waste."
Zoe leveled him with a suspicious stare. "And you're doing this out of the goodness of your heart?"
Alex grinned. "Naw, dude. Chiron promised us ten grand, half up front, half on completion. Do you have any idea how much beer and root beer that would buy? Enough to get us hammered for days."
"Days?!" Percy muttered.
"They're centaurs. They have a high metabolism," Thalia muttered back.
Zoe sighed. "Very well. Let's go."
XxX
"Five minutes," Bianca breathed. "You just ran hundreds of miles. . . in just five minutes."
"We're awesome, aren't we?" A centaur named Joey grinned. "High five, girl."
Bianca hesitantly gave him a high five.
"Distance isn't the same for centaurs," Zoe explained as she got off of the centaur's back.
"Excuse me, but what?" Was Zoe implying what Naruto thought she was implying?
Zoe nodded. "Similar to pegasi, centaurs have the ability to distort space around them when they travel."
Okay, now that was flat-out awesome. Naruto wondered if he could also have that ability. He really hoped so.
"Alright, see ya dudes," Alex grinned. "And remember: if you guys ever want to party, just hit us up."
Percy watched them go with a small smile on his face. "Chiron's cousins are always cool."
The centaurs had dropped them off on the ferry docks, per Zoe's request. "We need to find Nereus," she announced. "If you see an old man who smells nasty, then he's our guy."
"Nasty?" Percy asked.
"You'll see. Or rather, you'll smell."
XxX
"This is bad," Hestia said grimly.
Apollo nodded. "Aphrodite exposed Naruto. The other gods are starting to ask questions, and Athena already straight-up confronted him." He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "This is exactly why I didn't want Naruto to leave."
"But you still let him leave," Hestia pointed out.
"Yeah, I did," Apollo admitted. "While he was running to Camp Half-Blood, it would've been very easy for me to stop him."
"Why didn't you?" Hestia asked curiously.
Apollo shrugged. "Artemis is my baby sister. When it comes to her, I only accept the best. And there is no doubt whatsoever that Naruto is the best. A mistake, in retrospect."
"You can't blame yourself. There was no way you could've known that Aphrodite would have detected his illusion."
Apollo sighed again. "Yeah, you're right. But I doubt Artemis would see it that way."
Hestia winced. "I would not want to be you when she gets freed."
"Same," Apollo agreed miserably. Then he brightened. "I like your optimism though."
"Hmm?"
"You said when she gets freed. Not if. When."
Hestia smiled. "Of course. I believe that Naruto will succeed."
They were both silent for a moment.
"But for real though, if you ever need a place to hide from Artemis, feel free to just come to me."
"Thank you."
We finally see more of the gods. I hope that my characterization of Aphrodite wouldn't be considered bashing. I heavily dislike bashing, you see.
I hope my CS analogy of domains and chakra made sense. When a god does something, ex: Aphrodite makes a person fall in love, it's not like they're a wizard casting a spell. Instead, they're literally altering the reality of their domain itself, such as setting personLoveher=True. In the myths, even the gods couldn't negate Aphrodite's "spell" to make them fall in love. Similarly, Naruto's chakra would be like a hack itself - it overrides the code altogether, causing everyone to freak the hell out.
Of course, I know that the absolute control domain thing has some flaws. After all, following that logic, Kronos should be able to freeze time for everyone. I'll expand on the idea in later chapters: there will be exceptions and special requirements and such. However, one thing that is certain is that a normal "mortal" like Naruto shouldn't have been able to break Aphrodite's spell, which is why Ares reacted in such a way.
Oh yeah. Ares. He actually possesses honor and pride. He doesn't show it often, of course, but he still had enough to not pull out a machine gun on Percy or instakill him. He believes in a "proper fight", which is why he hates archers. I'm not sure if you guys caught it, but in the last chapter, Naruto 1) held off Ares's massive sword with a kunai and 2) when Ares disarmed him, Naruto was fast enough to pull out another kunai and continue holding off Ares. And Ares definitely respects strength.
Before anyone asks, Naruto didn't punch/Rasengan Aphrodite because he's no longer that rash and reckless. He still is, but not that much. The equivalent would be like punching the Tsuchikage in the face on a mission. On top of that, Ares was right outside, and Naruto wasn't going to waste time to fight off two gods at once when he's on a time limit.
Thank you all for reading, and please review :)
euphoric
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