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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 15: The Hunters of Artemis
A note: the second to last scene in previous chapter has been replaced. Naruto has not gone to the Underworld/DOA Recording Studios yet. Feel free to re-read the second to last scene in Chapter 14 - I added a small Dionysus scene.
Enjoy the chapter!
Naruto looked up at the gold letters etched in black marble: DOA RECORDING STUDIOS. It was beautiful calligraphy - elegant handwriting that could only be described as perfect. Underneath, stenciled on the glass doors in the same font: NO SOLICITORS. NO LOITERING. NO LIVING.
Underneath that, stenciled in really bad handwriting: NO HEPHAESTUS. NO MUSICIANS. NO APOLLO. NO HERA. NO HERMES UNLESS ON LEGITIMATE BUSINESS. And so on. There seemed to be hundreds of names, Naruto not recognizing most of them. The etches appear to have been added on over time, some looking older than the others. The most recent one appeared to be: CHILDREN OF ZEUS, WELCOME. SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTS SHALL BE MADE.
That... wasn't ominous at all.
He then gazed inside the building. The lobby was brightly lit and full of people. A man sat behind a desk. The Mist was strong around this building, and the few mortals still on the streets didn't seem to be able to see this building at all.
"Thanks for dropping me off, Apollo."
"Yeah, no problem," Apollo grinned. "Anything to get me far, far away from Olympus."
"Why are you banned from the Underworld?" Naruto asked curiously.
Apollo's face darkened. "Hades and I had a... minor disagreement several millennia ago. I got a little mad. Things got a little heated."
"What did you-?" Naruto trailed off as he caught sight of something oddly familiar. "Apollo..." he began slowly. "Is that a scorch mark I see on that marble column inside?" He'd sparred with Apollo too many times to not recognize the marks of Apollo's powers.
"What scorch mark?" Apollo asked innocently. "Anyways," he cleared his throat. "I gotta go. Can't stay in one location for too long..." Naruto looked at him weirdly, but Apollo didn't elaborate. "Stay safe, Naruto. I'll give you about fifteen minutes before my little sister realizes I lied to her about where I took you and she comes looking for you. Oh, and good luck with the Hunters!" He winked. "Tell them I said hi."
Naruto smirked. "Sorry, but I'd rather not. I'm trying to make a good first impression here."
Apollo didn't respond, instead simply giving Naruto a headslap.
Typically, Naruto would respond with a thrown kunai or a Rasengan or two. However, the pain of the headslap, however light it may be, jarred Naruto somewhat. The building in front of him flickered, shifting between what was really there and the illusion created by the Mist.
Blank brick wall.
Black marble building.
Blank brick wall.
Black marble building - wait what was that?
Naruto squinted, looking inside. He could've sworn all the people suddenly became transparent for a second. Was it a trick of his imagination or -
His gaze landed on the stencils on the glass. NO SOLICITORS. NO LOITERING. NO LIVING.
NO LIVING.
NO LIVING.
Naruto's eyes widened as he became aware. The Mist shifted once more, revealing that the people weren't people and were instead transparent souls of the dead. Or, in other words: ghosts.
His blood ran cold.
Oh you have got to be kidding me.
"Hey, on second thought, can you come with?" Naruto asked Apollo, his eyes fixed on the ghosts inside the building.
Apollo frowned. "Why?" He caught sight of Naruto's pale expression. "What's wrong?" He asked concernedly.
Naruto opened his mouth to speak but then thought better of it. If Apollo discovered that he was afraid of ghosts... yeah, Naruto didn't even want to consider what would happen.
"It's nothing," he denied rather unconvincingly. "Never mind."
Apollo scrutinized him for a moment before shrugging. "Alright." He turned around and walked back to his sun chariot, which was idling in its Maserati form. "Have fun with the Hunters!" he called with a grin before climbing in and speeding away.
Naruto waved goodbye, already turning his attention back to the building. The building that was full of ghosts.
He swallowed, mentally steeling himself. This was for Nico. He had to do it. No matter how much ghosts utterly creeped him out...
Taking a deep breath, he walked inside DOA Recording Studios.
XxX
Standing behind the raised podium was a man dressed in an immaculate silk suit. He had chocolate-colored skin and bleached-blonde hair, and a black rose was pinned to his lapel.
Naruto took note of his silver name tag. Charon. The gatekeeper and ferryman of the Underworld.
As he approached the desk, Charon looked up from where he was polishing a silver watch, took one glance at Naruto, and promptly sighed.
"Can you demigods just not read or something? Is that it? See, it very clearly says NO LIVING, and yet you," Charon pointed a single manicured finger at Naruto, "are alive. Now get out."
"I need to speak with Nico," Naruto said politely.
Charon rolled his eyes. "Kid, I don't care about what you need."
Naruto stared at him intently, trying very hard not to pay attention to the suddenly restless ghosts in the lobby.
"Please, sir. Nico is my friend, and I need to know if he's - "
Charon groaned. "Spare me the backstory. Come back when you're dead, and we'll see. But if you think I'm going to let you into the Underworld, you're - "
"I wasn't asking," Naruto said mildly.
The gatekeeper narrowed his eyes. The room suddenly chilled, the temperature lowering to freezing, and the ghosts became agitated - pacing around, running hands through their hair, fiddling with wristwatches. Naruto ignored them all, though he wasn't able to stop the chills from running down his spine.
"Was that a threat?" Charon asked dangerously.
For a few seconds, Naruto actually considered it. He wasn't kidding when he said that he was willing to storm the Underworld. However... did he really want to piss Hades off? He didn't want to make one of the Big Three his enemy before even meeting him.
However, he didn't actually have to storm the Underworld. He just had to make Charon think he would.
"Depends," Naruto tilted his head. "Will you let me see Nico?"
"Not a chance."
Naruto narrowed his eyes before Killing Intent flooded the room. Charon's eyes widened as he suddenly felt a suffocating aura press down on him, the air becoming laden with sheer intent.
However, it took Charon only a moment to regain his composure and glare at Naruto. "You have nerve, demigod," he growled. "Just who do you think you are?"
Naruto shrugged. "I'm Naruto, and I think I'm about to storm the Underworld."
Charon narrowed his eyes as shadows began gathering in the room. "For what it's worth, you are going to enter the Underworld today. You just won't be alive when you do - " he froze, the shadows abruptly dissipating. "Hold up, what did you say your name was again?"
Naruto scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. "Naruto," he repeated.
Charon stared at him. "The son of Artemis?"
"Doesn't the resemblance make it obvious?"
"It's kind of hard to see the resemblance when I've never met Artemis before," Charon responded. "Weren't you the demigod that fought Atlas?"
"Yup."
Charon let out several Ancient Greek curses. "Yeah, so uhh, disregard everything I just said. You needed to see Nico?" Naruto nodded slowly. "Alright. Give me just one minute."
Naruto watched with a bemused expression as Charon raised his hand to his head and began silently communicating with someone. "Mmhmm. Yeah, he's here. Mmhmm. Got it." He nodded. "Understood."
He turned back to Naruto. "Well, kid, while I'm not authorized to let you into the Underworld, Nico di Angelo is giving you a message." He snapped his fingers and the ghostly mist around the room coalesced into an image of Nico.
"Nico!" Naruto immediately called out. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? Do I need to Rasengan anyone?"
Nico stared at him with wide eyes. "W-what?"
"Just give me the word, and I'll storm the Underworld itself," Naruto promised, ignoring how Charon tensed up.
"Wait," Nico looked confused. "Why would you storm the Underworld for me?"
"Because... we're friends?" Naruto said slowly. "And that's what friends do for each other?"
"They don't, by the way," Charon muttered. "They most certainly don't."
"You're still my friend?" Nico asked uncertainly.
Naruto frowned. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"Umm... because, you know. I'm the... son of Hades," Nico whispered.
Naruto blinked. Then he strode up to the mist-image and promptly gave Nico a headslap. Well, he tried to - his hand passed straight through the mist - but it was the thought that counted.
"Dude. That's probably the dumbest thing I've ever heard. You really think that I would abandon you for something as silly as your parentage?" Naruto raised an eyebrow.
Nico broke out into a grin. "I knew it! I knew Hades was wrong!" At Naruto's confused look, he elaborated. "Hades said that you would abandon me because I'm his son."
"Yeah, well, he's wrong. Quite frankly, I could care less who your father is." The ground underneath them rumbled, almost skeptically. "If I can still remain friends with someone who shoved his hand through my heart," he continued, "then I can deal with your father being Hades." The ground grew silent at that.
"Was this the same friend that betrayed you?" Nico asked hesitantly.
"Yeah. It was." For a moment, Naruto looked sad, but then he shook his head, clearing away those thoughts. "Anyways, enough of that. Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Nico hurriedly said before glancing off to the side and pausing for a moment, as if he was listening to someone. "Err, my dad says that if you storm the Underworld, then he'll... yeah, I won't repeat that. Just don't, Naruto. There's no need. Hades isn't all that bad, actually. He's pretty nice."
"Oh thank the gods," the son of Artemis breathed a sigh of relief. "I wasn't looking forward to assaulting the Underworld. Being underground is already bad enough. Being surrounded by ghosts... Not a big fan, I'll admit." He suddenly brightened. "Hey, by the way, I heard about how you saved the Hunters." He grinned. "You were awesome."
Nico grinned back. "I know, right? My entire victory was owed to Mythomagic. Clearly, it's the superior card game by far."
Naruto chuckled. "I don't have much time right now, but later, you'll have to tell me all about it."
"Why don't you have time right now?" Nico frowned.
Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Err... I'm not exactly supposed to be here, you see. I'll give it maybe two minutes before Artemis arrives and drags me away."
"What?!" Nico and Charon exclaimed in unison, the former looking worried and the latter looking flat-out terrified.
Naruto waved away their concerns. "Nah, it'll be fine. She just doesn't want me accidentally pissing off Hades and making an enemy of the Big Three." He paused. "Speaking of which, thank you, Lord Hades, for taking care of Nico."
The ground rumbled appreciatively.
"Anyways, I should get going now. I don't want to get my mother banned from DOA Recording Studios as well," Naruto chuckled amusedly. "I'll try to get the situation resolved with Zeus as fast as I can so you can come out of the Underworld again."
Oddly enough, Nico's face darkened at the mention of Zeus's name. "Yeah."
Naruto furrowed his brows in concern. "Everything alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
Nico was clearly not fine. He was trying to hide his emotions, but he was an untrained civilian, not a seasoned shinobi, and so Naruto could easily see through his facade.
The son of Hades was furious. For some reason, just mentioning Zeus's name seemed to send him into a rage. It made sense though. Naruto would be mad too if he was in Nico's position. "If you ever need to talk, I'm here for you," Naruto offered sincerely.
Nico gave a small smile. "Thanks, Naruto." He paused. "Hey, you're joining the Hunters now, right?" At Naruto's nod, he continued. "Can you please keep Bianca safe?"
"Of course," Naruto smiled. "Don't worry, Nico. I won't let anything happen to her. I promise."
"Good." Nico nodded, looking reassured. "Bye, Naruto."
"See ya!"
The ghostly mist dissipated.
"Anything else you need, kid? Because if not, scram. I do not want an angry goddess rampaging in my lobby."
Naruto snickered. "Alright, alright."
As he made his way over to the exit, Naruto jumped slightly when two ghosts materialized at the door. Newly deceased. They were accompanied by a man who practically radiated power. He had dark skin with gold eyes, but what drew Naruto's attention was the pair of large, black wings on his back.
Belatedly, Naruto realized the man was staring directly at him, examining him with a frown that was simultaneously thoughtful and confused.
"Excuse me," the man called out in a deep, cultured voice as Naruto walked past him.
Naruto stopped, turning to face the man. "Yeah?"
Golden eyes met silver, and Naruto couldn't help but feel slight unease. All his instincts were on high alert and the hairs on the back of his neck were standing up. It was the same feeling Naruto got whenever he was in a life-or-death situation, as if he was staring down death itself.
Oh wait. Given the context of the situation...
"Evening," the man inclined his head. "I am Thanatos, the god of death. You are Naruto, the son of Artemis." It was not a question.
Naruto nodded slowly. "I am. It's, uhh... nice to meet you?"
Thanatos gazed at him with an indecipherable expression for a few more seconds. "Interesting..." he finally muttered. "It's nice to meet you too, son of Artemis. Have a good night." With that, Thanatos walked past him without another glance.
"You too..." Naruto waved, but when he blinked, Thanatos was already gone.
XxX
"So you're telling me," Artemis began skeptically, "that you've been wandering the streets for the past twenty minutes and enjoying the weather and doing absolutely nothing else?"
"Hey, Los Angeles is an interesting place, and the air is really fresh."
Artemis leveled him with an unimpressed stare. "And I suppose it's just a mere coincidence that the entrance to the Underworld is just a few blocks from here?"
Naruto shrugged. "It's a small world," he replied innocently.
Artemis gave a long-suffering sigh. "At least tell me that you didn't do anything to get banned from the Underworld."
"I didn't do anything to get banned from the Underworld," Naruto dutifully responded.
"Good. Then there's still hope."
They were in the moon chariot, heading back to where the Hunters had set up camp. Unlike the sun chariot, which was often in the form of one automobile or the other, the moon chariot was just that - a traditional Greek chariot, albeit one that was made of silver.
His brows furrowed as a thought occurred to him.
"Out of curiosity, is the moon chariot actually the moon?" Naruto inquired. "And the moon in the sky is just an illusion created by the Mist?"
Artemis nodded. "Correct. It's the same with the sun chariot. The mortals believe they've successfully landed on the moon, but in reality, it was a combination of Mist and Athena manipulating their data."
Naruto tilted his head. "Then why can't I see through the illusion?"
"It's an extremely ancient and powerful illusion," Artemis explained. "I doubt any demigod could see through it."
"I see."
The goddess then frowned. "But are you saying the moon in your old world was just a gigantic rock floating through space?"
"... not exactly."
At Artemis's confused gaze, Naruto elaborated.
"The moon was created by the Sage of Six Paths when he used Six Paths Chibaku Tensei to seal away his mother, Kaguya."
The goddess of the moon blinked owlishly, at a rare loss for words.
"Oh, and Sasuke and I also created another moon with the same technique," Naruto added as an afterthought. "It was how we defeated Kaguya for the second time."
Artemis blinked again. Finally, she recovered. "You've created an entire moon?!" she asked incredulously.
Naruto grinned. "Definitely one of the coolest things I've ever done."
"Huh." Artemis shook her head in utter bewilderment. "And they say Greek mythology is weird," she muttered.
Naruto opened his mouth to speak but then paused. "That's fair," he admitted.
Sometimes, he felt like his life did get a little outlandish at times.
XxX
"Yo! My name is Naruto, the son of Artemis. My likes are ramen, forests, and my friends and family. My dislikes are people who hate others, people who seek revenge, and people who cause others pain. My hobbies are destroying Apollo in video games, taking care of plants, and writing. My dream for the future is to protect everyone I care about. It's a pleasure to meet you all!"
Naruto grinned brightly as he finished his introduction, looking around the clearing. Not that he actually needed to physically look to see their reactions, since he was in a forest and had perfect awareness, but there was a difference between his intuition telling him their expressions and him seeing it for himself.
The Hunters of Artemis formed a semi-circle around him, twelve in total. Some looked curious, others had unreadable expressions, and one looked outright hostile. Zoe, Bianca, and Thalia were sending him reassuring glances. Artemis was standing at the very back, observing the proceedings calmly. Naruto knew that she wasn't going to interfere. This was all up to him.
However, while the huntresses may not exactly be welcoming, they were still polite, and after a moment's hesitation, they began introducing themselves as well.
"I'm Phoebe, the daughter of Ares," Phoebe said. Naruto could definitely see the resemblance between her and Clarisse. They both had brown hair, brown eyes, and muscular builds. She was glaring at him, and Naruto couldn't help but be reminded of how the Iwa shinobi treated their counterparts from Konoha.
"Katarina, daughter of Hecate." Katarina had red hair and grey eyes. She regarded him casually, her stance relaxed and unconcerned, though Naruto could definitely sense the slight distrust she held for him
"Diana," Diana stared at him scornfully with blue eyes, long black hair tied up in high pigtails. Naruto recognized her as the girl he had been staring at when Percy was giving him the tour of Camp Half-Blood.
"Psyche, hemlock nymph." Psyche had black hair just a bit lighter than Diana's. Her eyes were an interesting shade of purple. Naruto felt his hopes rise up when she smiled at him sweetly. Hopes that were dashed a moment later by Kurama's words.
Yeah, don't let her smile fool you. Her anger is practically tangible. Though it doesn't seem to be focused on you, per se...
"Lily, daughter of Demeter." Lily had green eyes and blonde hair tied back in a ponytail. Her face was set in a regal gaze, and she showed no outward emotions when addressing him.
"Ally, daughter of Eris," a younger girl with snow white hair and amber eyes grinned at him. "If you try anything funny, I'll take one of your fingers." Even as she delivered the threat, her smile never left her face.
Naruto blinked. "I'll keep that in mind."
"Charity," A girl with wild white hair and light sky blue eyes stared at him, her gaze completely emotionless. Naruto noted how she didn't give her parentage. As the girl looked at him, he felt as if his soul itself was being laid bare under her gaze. She wore a necklace with a red ruby.
"Belladonna, Arai." The youngest huntress had black hair that turned orange at the tips. Her eyes were a strange pink color. She was also really, really cute. Then her words registered in his mind. Arai? Weren't those the children of Nyx? The spirits of curses? What was she doing as a Hunter of Artemis?
"Jeanne d'Arc, daughter of Apollo. It's nice to meet you." A blonde girl with brilliant blue, nearly amethyst eyes, smiled at him. Unlike the other hunters, she showed no signs of ill will. Naruto waited for her to threaten him or something, but nothing came. It appeared she was genuinely kind.
"It's nice to meet you too," Naruto replied automatically with a grin before he paused as he registered her name. "Wait..."
She nodded. "Yes, that Jeanne d'Arc." She said it as if she had said the same thing multiple times before.
Naruto blinked. "No offense, but aren't you supposed to be, uhh... dead?"
She shrugged. "Lady Artemis and my sisters rescued me and manipulated the Mist to fake my death."
"You were a brave maiden," Zoe muttered. "There was no way we were going to let you die like that."
"And for that, I shall be forever grateful to you, Zoe," Jeanne smiled warmly at her.
Phoebe clapped her hands together loudly, drawing everyone's attention.
"Alright, now that we have the pleasantries out of the way, let's get down to business." Phoebe declared, narrowing her eyes.
Naruto's gaze sharpened as the air suddenly filled with tension, anticipatory gleams appearing in the hunters' eyes.
The calm before the storm.
"Are you ever going to peek on a girl while she's bathing?" Phoebe suddenly asked him in an aggressive tone.
A sheer look of terror passed over Naruto's face. "Oh gods no," he immediately answered. "First of all, I'm not a Super Pervert - that's Apollo's job. Second of all, do I look like I want to have two broken arms, six snapped ribs, and multiple ruptured organs?" He shook his head frantically. "No, no, no. Absolutely not."
The Hunters all stared at him in bewilderment, but Naruto didn't care. Sakura and Tsunade had emphasized exactly what would happen to him if he ever decided to follow in Jiraiya's footsteps. Needless to say, they had left a lasting impression.
"That... was oddly specific," Thalia said slowly.
"Your idea is better than mine," Ally pondered thoughtfully. "Two broken arms, six broken ribs, and ruptured organs is definitely a more befitting punishment for being lecherous scum than simply removing a single finger." She then frowned. "Although I admit, while broken arms and ribs are easy enough to arrange, I'm not an expert on rupturing internal organs..."
She turned to Thalia. "Hey, with your lightning blast, do you think you can rupture his spleen?"
Thalia stared at her, looking vaguely disturbed. "Possibly..."
"Awesome!" Ally grinned, turning back to Naruto with a smile that unsettled him immensely. "Please peek on us. I dare you."
Zoe sighed tiredly. "Ally, we've talked about this. Please, at least try to keep your... unique tendencies to a minimum."
Ally pouted. Pouted. "Fine," she agreed reluctantly.
Naruto stared at her with a disturbed expression that matched Thalia's. Even by shinobi standards, she was... off.
But still. Why would they even ask him that?
"What was even the point of that question?" Thalia asked, sounding rather exasperated.
Phoebe shrugged. "We already know he has a split personality due to Apollo. Had to make sure that Naruto didn't pick up any... bad habits as well."
Oh. Apollo.
... yeah, that's fair.
"Do you believe that women are inferior to men?" Diana questioned him.
Naruto frowned in confusion. "No, of course not. Why would I think that?"
Diana shrugged. "Sexism?"
Naruto's frown deepened. "Oh. Isn't that for civilians?"
Back in the Elemental Nations, sexism was practically nonexistent among the shinobi population. After all, gender didn't matter on the battlefield, and it was kind of hard to be sexist when underestimating a kunoichi would lead to a senbon through the eye - or, in the case of Tsunade during the Great Third Shinobi War, a fist through the head. Only civilians possessed notions of sexism - all the sexist shinobi were dead.
Two of the current five Kage were women, Terumi Mei and Tsunade. Sakura, his own teammate, was insanely strong. Hell, Kaguya, the most powerful being Naruto had ever met, was also female.
Diana blinked at his odd reply, but inclined her head acceptingly nonetheless.
"We're in the twenty-first century now, by the way," Thalia muttered passive-aggressively. "Like, come on."
"One more question," Psyche said, smiling the same empty smile. "What do you think about Apollo's poetry?" she asked him.
"It's absolutely god-awful," Naruto responded, not missing a beat.
"Alright, I've heard everything I needed to hear. He's cool," Psyche announced.
"Unless he lied?" Ally inquired, turning to Jeanne.
"I sensed no falsehood or deceit in all of his answers," Jeanne affirmed. "He's being entirely truthful."
"Good. I hate liars," Ally's expression momentarily darkened before it cleared up in the next second. "But yeah, he's not that bad."
"He's a male hero," Phoebe voiced disdainfully. "We all know what that means. Even if he's fine now, who's to say he won't worsen in the future?"
Katarina nodded. "Time and time again we have seen heroes be corrupted, whether through fame, power, or money. Do you seriously believe Naruto will be any different?"
Naruto narrowed his eyes angrily as he opened his mouth to speak, but stopped when Zoe met his eyes. Don't, was the silent message. Though Naruto didn't like it, he shut his mouth, trusting that Zoe had it under control.
"I say we trust Zoe's judgment," Jeanne declared, inclining her head at the lieutenant. "If she vouches for Naruto, then I shall support her."
Zoe nodded, stepping forward. "Thank you, Jeanne." She looked around, her gaze sweeping across the Hunters. "Sisters, I assure you, Naruto is unlike any hero we have met before. Sure, he may not have much self-preservation, and he may have broken our 56 game winstreak of Capture the Flag - "
Naruto glanced away sheepishly as the Hunters collectively began emitting an aura of discontent.
" - but all in all," Zoe continued, "he's someone who I'm glad to call a comrade. A friend." She paused before saying in a softer voice. "A brother."
"Ayy," Naruto smiled, looking touched. "Thank you."
"So... any objections?" Zoe asked, looking pointedly at Katarina and Phoebe.
Katarina sighed. "Do as you wish."
Phoebe narrowed her eyes but didn't say anything.
"Capital. Milady, the stage is yours."
Artemis nodded, finally stepping forward. "Very well."
"Does Naruto have to swear the oath?" Thalia asked curiously.
Zoe laughed in amusement. "You're asking if Naruto has to swear to 'turn his back on the company of men' and 'accept eternal maidenhood?'"
Thalia blushed. "I meant a modified version."
"Whoa, hold up," Naruto raised his hand, frowning. "I'm not planning on swearing off romantic love forever."
"What? Why?" Zoe demanded.
Artemis looked distinctly worried. "You didn't mention this before."
Naruto shrugged. "Yeah, well, it never came up in conversation, I guess. But... yeah, no. If possible, can I, uh, not swear off love? Please?"
Artemis blinked. "But... why?"
"... reasons."
Mostly because he wanted to actually experience love and become a father and whatnot, but he felt that was a little too embarrassing to say out loud. After seeing the love his parents - Minato and Kushina - had for each other and for him... He would be lying if he said he didn't want to experience it for himself. Melodramatic, perhaps, but oh well.
Artemis tilted her head but shrugged. "Hmm. Very well then. I'll grant an exception."
"I hope you're not planning on dating any of us," Phoebe muttered darkly.
"What? Why in the Sage's name would I ever want to date any of you?!" Naruto exclaimed. "You're, like, my sisters! I know I'm the son of a Greek goddess and all, but that does not mean I'm okay with incest!"
Artemis coughed mildly.
"Err, no offense."
"None taken," Artemis paused. "I confess, I don't entirely know what you should say now..." She shrugged. "Oh well. Whatever."
She waved her hand and Naruto drew in a sharp breath as he felt a wave of potent divine energy wash over him. A bright silver aura exploded out of him, surrounding his form. It was as if he was the moon itself, emitting brilliant rays of moonlight. A moment later, the intense light died down, though the silver aura still remained - a light, silvery glow that every Hunter of Artemis possessed.
The blessing of Artemis.
It felt a little like Sage Mode, only... different, in a way.
Different types of divine energies, Naruto realized. When he entered Sage Mode, he was absorbing the natural energy of Artemis's domain of forests. However, the blessing of Artemis must be her own special blend of the divine energy of her domain of forests, wilderness, archery, and even the moon.
Naruto could only absorb the divine energy of the natural domains - forests, the moon, and so on. As such, he isn't able to gather the divine energy of the domain of archery or the domain of war, for example, since they technically weren't natural energy.
Unlike Sage Mode, he wasn't actively blending the divine energy with his own chakra to create senjutsu chakra. Instead, the divine energy appeared to be augmenting his body and wasn't interacting with his chakra in any way. Interesting...
Zoe raised an eyebrow. "That was the most intense reaction to your blessing I have ever seen."
Artemis shrugged. "It's no surprise. He is, after all, my son. Due to divine resonance, my blessing would naturally be extremely potent on him."
Zoe tilted her head. "That makes sense. In any event..." She smiled at him.
"Welcome to the Hunt, Naruto."
XxX
Dinner was... awkward.
Artemis was called away by a summons to Olympus, leaving Naruto alone with the Hunters.
It was clear that even if the Hunters may have accepted Artemis's decision out of respect and devotion, they didn't accept him. He was an outsider, an intruder.
Naturally, he didn't let any of this affect him.
"This is delicious!" Naruto smiled after he finished chewing. "You're an amazing cook, Katarina."
"Flattery will get you nowhere," Katarina stated flatly.
"It's true though!" he proclaimed sincerely. "I mean, for something that's not ramen, this is actually really good!"
An expertly arranged salad of assorted vegetables. Fried shrimp covered in tempura flakes, all freshly caught. Meat resting on a bed of lettuce with a rich, flavorful sauce on top. Steamed, white rice to balance out all the flavor.
It was a far cry from the pizza and BBQ served at Camp Half-Blood.
After a moment's hesitation, Katarina inclined her head politely in response.
"Katarina is the unofficial cook of the Hunters of Artemis," Zoe confided. "Mostly because none of us can even approach her level of skill. The food she makes is incomparable to the food at Camp Half-Blood. It's one of the main reasons why we dislike that place."
"The wood nymphs don't allow me anywhere near the kitchen," Katarina narrowed her steel eyes. "Something I blame Phoebe for, by the way."
"What? Why?" Phoebe cried, wounded.
"Because you were the one to lead the charge that burnt down Camp Half-Blood, thus pissing off every wood nymph at camp," Katarina replied dryly.
Phoebe paused. "I thought we already agreed it was the campers' fault that their camp burned down."
"True, true," Katarina hummed.
"Excuse me?" Ally exclaimed, offended. "It was clearly my fault that the camp burned down." She seemed to be proud of that fact. "Why are you giving them the credit?"
"Because we don't want to encourage you," Jeanne replied, her gaze filled with mirth. "Lady Artemis already warned us what would happen if there was a repeat incident."
"Yeah, yeah," Ally grumbled.
The sound of rapid chewing noises drew Naruto's attention. To the normal human, it would've been virtually silent, but to Naruto's enhanced senses, he could hear it loud and clear.
Lily was devouring the food. There was a steadily growing stack of ceramic plates next to her. She was completely ignoring their conversation, instead focused intently on the food. Not only that, but even though she was eating at an incredible pace, her table manners were still impeccable.
She would've even looked regal if not for the sheer speed at which she was consuming the food. How could such a small girl eat so much?
"I'm still surprised that my father came here today," Thalia spoke up.
Bianca snorted. "Surprised? You were convinced that you were being pranked for a good solid minute before Zeus blasted that tree as proof that he was the real deal." Sure enough, one of the trees in the forest was blackened and cracked, clearly having been struck by lightning.
Naruto narrowed his eyes at the sight of the destroyed tree. There will be a retribution.
"I hope his visits won't become regular," Phoebe muttered darkly, venom in her tone. "I cannot believe he had the audacity to show his face here after what he did to Callisto."
"Yes, well, he is the almighty king of the gods," Katarina drawled caustically. "Our opinions are clearly beneath him."
Thalia shifted uncomfortably. "He's not that bad," she defended weakly.
Phoebe, Katarina, and Zoe stared at her incredulously. Psyche's smile dimmed slightly. Diana snorted in disbelief.
"You do realize - " Phoebe began in a scathing tone but was cut off.
"Don't." Charity, who had been silent all dinner, spoke up.
"But - "
"Phoebe, please." Her words were quiet yet firm.
The daughter of Ares sighed but acquiesced, falling silent. Charity nodded in thanks before turning to regard Thalia. "Thalia, I do not blame you. Zeus is your father. It is only natural for you to defend him."
Thalia watched her, unsure of where she was going with this.
"However," Charity continued, "While you are his daughter and as such you're willing to attempt to see him in a good light, we are nowhere near as... lenient."
Her eyes flashed slightly. "Zeus has committed unforgivable, reprehensible crimes against us. Please try to understand that you will be unable to change our feelings towards the king of the gods. Similarly, we will try to understand that even though Zeus is despicable and loathsome, he is still your father. Is that acceptable?"
Thalia nodded slowly. "Yeah. Yeah, that's fair."
"Excellent," Charity murmured. Then she fell silent, content in returning to observe the proceedings.
Jeanne laughed, a pleasant sound that lifted everyone's spirits. "As diplomatic as ever, Charity. I can't imagine how we would get by without you."
Charity inclined her head. "Thank you."
"Returning to the topic at hand," Zoe's expression grew contemplative. "I confess, I did not expect Zeus to actually visit you, Thalia. It isn't his style to interact with his children in any way."
Thalia nodded, her brow furrowing. "I don't understand his sudden change of heart. I mean, why would he just casually show up out of the blue after being radio silent for the first sixteen years of my life? Do you think Artemis said something to him during their... meeting..." she trailed off slowly as she and Zoe shared a dawning look of realization.
Then, in unison, Zoe and Thalia both turned their heads to stare at Naruto, who looked back at them innocently.
"Naruto," Zoe began in a restrained tone. "Did you say anything to Lord Zeus during your meeting?"
Naruto nodded. "Of course."
A silence descended onto them all.
"You... did?" the daughter of Zeus said hesitantly. "Umm... Out of curiosity, what exactly did you say?"
Naruto shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, I tried to convert him over to the way of ramen."
Thalia visibly relaxed and Zoe let out a sigh of relief.
"That's not too bad." Bianca looked pleasantly surprised. "I was honestly expecting something a lot worse."
"Oh, and I also told him to be a better father to Thalia."
"Gods damn it."
Zoe's eyes widened and Thalia choked on her spit, looking horrified.
"You did what?!" Diana spoke up, staring at him incredulously. "Are you suicidal, mentally damaged, or just plain stupid?"
"None of those," Naruto shrugged casually. "I just thought that if nobody was going to speak to him about it, then I would."
Ally looked at him in awe. "Wow. I'm impressed. So what, you tried to convince Zeus that he was wrong in having no interactions whatsoever with his children?"
"Not just tried," Zoe breathed. "He succeeded, because if he didn't, Zeus wouldn't have shown up today. You successfully convinced the King of Olympus that he was wrong." Naruto nodded. She stared at him in disbelief. "How?!"
"I've always been pretty good at convincing people."
"Pretty good - " Thalia gave a strangled laugh. "Understatement of the century right there. My father is quite possibly the most arrogant and stubborn god on the council, and you managed to change his mind because he visited me today and he legitimately appeared regretful that he didn't do anything earlier and we spoke and he..." she grew quiet. "For a good fifteen minutes," she whispered. "He was actually a halfway decent father."
Though several other Hunters looked like they had something to say, they remained quiet.
Naruto smiled, genuinely happy for her. "That's great! I'm glad nearly getting blasted - again - was worth it."
"Why though?" Psyche leaned forward, peering at Naruto with purple eyes. "Why would you risk making the King of Olympus your enemy? You must've known that telling him such a thing would anger him. You would have gained no money or power. Fame, perhaps, but fame is useless if you're dead. So why do something so monumentally... reckless?"
The son of Artemis looked at her bemusedly. "Isn't it obvious? I did it for Thalia."
Psyche frowned. "You did it for Thalia?"
"Of course. After all..." Naruto smiled brightly. "Thalia's my family."
He said it as if it explained everything. And, in a way, it did.
There was a long moment of silence.
Finally, Thalia let out a sound between a laugh and a choked sob. "You're a total idiot, Naruto. Chiron would be aghast at just how little self-preservation skills you possess. But..." her gaze softened. "Thank you."
Naruto grinned. "My pleasure." And he meant it.
Ever so slowly, the briefest glimmers of respect began appearing in the Hunters' eyes. It was small, nearly imperceptible, but undeniably there.
XxX
"Why do the Hunters of Artemis dislike boys so much?"
It was common knowledge that the Hunters of Artemis had a general dislike of the male population. However, that wasn't enough for Naruto. For him to actually get along with the Hunters and make them accept him, he needed to understand them first.
He couldn't just walk up to a Hunter and ask her bluntly though. Even he knew that would be a bad idea.
Now if only he had realized that before he had already done it...
Zoe's expression immediately became guarded. "Why do you ask?"
Naruto rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Umm... well, you know. I kinda want to understand you guys better. I mean, you gotta admit, scorning an entire gender is kinda illogical, so you guys must have a really good reason for it. But I can't figure out the reason, so I'm asking you..."
Zoe stared at him for a long moment before shrugging. "Alright. You'll find out anyways." She sat down, patting the spot next to her. "It's a long story. I'd sit down if I were you."
Naruto sat down next to her. They were in one of the tents the Hunters had set up. It was empty except for the two of them - the other Hunters were in their own tents. There were several comfortable throw pillows which Naruto and Zoe sat on.
Zoe stared at the wall of the tent across from her. "I'm well aware of what the campers think of us," she began. "They believe we are self-righteous bigoted 'sexists' who blindly hate all men with a passion."
She chuckled. "What they don't know is that we were the one who started that rumor centuries ago."
Naruto blinked. "You did what?" he asked incredulously.
The huntress laughed. "We thought it was an ingenious way to keep the males far away from us. After all, why approach someone who hates you?"
"But why would you want to keep them away from you?" Naruto asked in bewilderment.
Zoe shrugged. "This was centuries ago. At that time, nearly all men at the time believed they were superior to women. Do you have any idea what it's like to be treated like you're lesser than someone? To have to talk to arrogant males who believe they're the gods' gift to mankind? And they tried to flirt with you?" Naruto winced at the thought. "Even worse, they're demigods, so their egos are especially overinflated. Trust me, it gets unbelievably annoying and tedious."
"So that caused you to spread the rumor?"
"Not exactly. See, the older Hunters - Phoebe, Katarina, and I - we're mostly unaffected. If they think they're better than us, then whatever. Let them enjoy their delusions. It's the younger Hunters that we have to worry about." She paused. "Well, younger Hunter, singular."
Naruto frowned. "What do you mean?"
Zoe glanced at him with an amused gaze. "How do you think Ally reacted to a bunch of arrogant pricks treating her like a weak little girl?"
Naruto considered it for a second before horror filled his gaze. "Oh gods."
Zoe nodded. "Precisely. I don't believe those demigods ever quite recovered from the trauma they received that day... Anyways, Charity suggested the idea of spreading the rumor. It wasn't even too hard. We already acted cold and distant to males to prevent them from flirting with us - not that it worked - so it wasn't too hard to convince them that we hated them. A few insults there, a few glares there, and in a few years everyone was convinced that the Hunters of Artemis were certified man-haters."
She snorted. "It's almost like they forgot we've had two males accompany us on the Hunt."
"Hippolytus and Orion," Naruto recalled.
Zoe nodded. "Correct." She smiled wistfully. "To tell you the truth, I rather miss them. They were a reminder that not all of mankind was irredeemable."
"Didn't Orion go crazy and try to kill all the animals in the world?"
She froze. "Ah. Yes. That. Uhh... yeah, let's go with that."
Naruto sighed. "Let me guess - another old myth that's completely inaccurate?"
The huntress hesitated. "It's not my story to tell," she finally said. "In fact, I've sworn an oath never to reveal it. Ask Lady Artemis if you truly wish to find out. And make sure she's in a really good mood when you do."
Naruto frowned but nodded. "Alright. But if you guys don't actually dislike males, then why were the Hunters all so... unwelcoming to me?"
Zoe raised an eyebrow. "Were they? All of them?"
"Well, some of them," Naruto amended. "Pretty sure Phoebe was trying to burn me alive with her glare alone..."
Zoe shrugged. "Katarina dislikes heroes, whereas Phoebe dislikes males in general. You'll have to talk to them."
"Yeah," Naruto's expression grew contemplative. "Yeah, I will."
XxX
Artemis returned to the camp late. Naruto was still awake, waiting for her. He needed to speak to her about something. Something important.
"Is something wrong?" she inquired, seeing the uncharacteristically serious expression on his face.
"Why did you forswear romantic relationships?" Naruto asked her bluntly.
Artemis blinked. "What brought this on?"
"I just wanted to know."
The goddess hesitated for a moment before nodding. "I'm sure you've heard the myth of my birth. My mother, Leto, was cursed by Hera so she couldn't give birth on land with roots in the earth. After seven months of wandering the world, my mother finally found the island Delos and gave birth to Apollo and me there."
"Your sacred island," Naruto remembered.
Artemis nodded. "And do you want to know where my father was while my mother was in excruciating pain?" She narrowed her eyes. "He was hiding from Hera. He was the most powerful god - the king of the gods - and instead of trying to help my mother, he was hiding like a coward."
Thunder rumbled threateningly overhead.
Artemis ignored it. "And on top of that, the only reason Hera was so mad was because my father had cheated on her - again."
"... yeah, that's kinda messed up."
She inclined her head. "Indeed. As a goddess, romantic relationships are different from a mortal's. If I ever marry a god, it's a guarantee that he will not remain faithful to me. There has not been a single relationship in existence where the god has not cheated on his wife. And after seeing the pain my mother went through... Well, needless to say, that ruined my perception of love. Not to mention the fact that I'm the goddess of maidenhood..."
"Got it," Naruto nodded. "One more thing," he added. "Percy told me that you said you turned a boy that stumbled onto the camp into a jackalope." He hesitated. "Is it true?"
Artemis frowned. "What are you talking about - ohh." She said in comprehension before she smiled amusedly. "Of course it isn't true. First off, there's a heavy layer of Mist around the camp that would prevent any mortal from entering. Second, even if he had managed to stumble in, I am the protector of children. Why would I harm him?"
Naruto cocked his head. "Then why would you tell Percy that?"
Artemis laughed. "To tell you the truth, Naruto, Zoe and I just wanted to see the look on his face. After all the pandemonium and stress his presence caused back when the master bolt was stolen... I admit, his expression was extremely satisfying and objectively hilarious." Her silver eyes gleamed with amusement.
Naruto gaped at her before he laughed as well. "Are you telling me that you and Zoe pranked Percy?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," she responded with a completely straight face.
Naruto admitted, he was actually impressed.
This chapter was partially re-written.
I had three options with the Hunters here. I could either 1) make them all nameless, irrelevant characters (which is what a lot of PJO fics do), 2) spend time creating 8 OCs that I don't think anyone would really care about, or 3) base them off of characters from other anime. The choice was clear. To be absolutely clear, the plot won't become one focused on the Hunters. Naruto is still the protagonist. I just thought it would be more fun and interesting this way. Similarly, they're not carbon copies or anything; I'm simply taking aspects of their personalities lol.
Thank you all for reading, and please review :)
euphoric
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