Ficool

Chapter 13 - Chapter 13

Chapter 13: The Hollow in the Heart of the World

(Where blood answers silence and even Immortals are weighed and found wanting)

Naruto had faced warlords, monsters, and enough apocalyptic prophecies to fill a demiImmortal's bad dream diary. But standing on the edge of Camp Half-Blood's territory, watching it glow with that warm golden shimmer of Olympian magic, he felt something different—something ancient. Not ancient like Gaea or the Titans. Ancient like bedtime stories whispered by dying stars.

The camp looked like a myth come alive. Wooden cabins nestled in half-moons, kids in orange shirts sword-fighting near the climbing wall (which was definitely trying to kill them), and pegasi swooping low across the trees like they were playing tag with the clouds.

Naruto hovered high above all this on the back of Albion, the wind tousling his hair and Ella's wings ruffling beside him. Alice sat quietly behind, her focus sharp as ever. No jokes. No complaints. Just tension. The kind that made you check over your shoulder twice in case a Immortal sneezed your name into a curse.

"Let's land here," Naruto said, his voice low but steady. He pointed to a clearing several miles from the glowing perimeter of the camp. Albion didn't need more. With the elegance of a falling leaf (okay, maybe a giant scaly leaf with claws and a wingspan the size of a mansion), the dragon descended. He landed softly, avoiding theatrics for once.

The moment his claws touched down, the forest seemed to hold its breath.

Naruto jumped off, cradling Ella and Alice gently as they dismounted. Ella flared her crimson wings—still getting used to her new form as a scarlet dragon harpy—but she managed to stay silent, though the glow in her eyes said Wow, this place smells like destiny.

Behind them, Albion shimmered, shrinking into his smaller form—like a teen-sized dragon-pup who was too cool for leash laws but still fiercely loyal. He curled beside a rock, golden eyes scanning the trees like he expected them to sprout monsters.

Then, as if summoned by the thought, Gaea's voice slid into Naruto's mind like ivy through stone.

"You know, Naruto… They will be watching. The Olympians are not fools."

He exhaled. "I know, Gaea. I'll be careful."

She didn't respond, but the silence felt like approval. Or maybe she was letting him mess up on his own. Hard to say with primordial earth Immortal.

The forest around them buzzed with life—squirrels darting, birds chirping, monsters probably sniffing the air with interest and filing complaint forms for trespassing dragons.

Naruto turned to the girls.

"You two need to stay hidden for now. I don't know how they'll react to outsiders showing up on a dragon after we… y'know… melted a few of their problems."

Alice nodded. Serious. Calm. Totally professional as always.

Ella, however, leaned closer with that impish grin she always had when danger looked like a buffet. "I'm staying close. Someone needs to keep you from punching a Immortal by mistake."

He rolled his eyes but didn't argue. She had a point.

They moved deeper into the woods, just far enough to still see the camp's lights flickering in the distance, yet close enough that Naruto could feel the divine boundary brushing against his senses. It was like leaning too close to a sunbeam that remembered being a lightning bolt.

He slumped against a tree and let himself breathe. The bark was rough, the earth warm, and the air smelled of pine, campfires, and prophecy.

Albion sat beside him, curling his tail protectively. Ella snuggled under his arm. Alice paced like a shadow with questions.

Naruto stared toward the horizon.

"I have to learn more about these Olympians. Their powers. Their grudges. Their rules. We can't afford to be seen as a threat."

Albion let out a low, vibrating growl. Agreement. Maybe even warning.

Gaea whispered again, soft as moss.

"Patience. Time reveals all things. Don't rush."

Naruto nodded.

"Yeah. We'll wait. Watch. When the moment comes… we'll know."

 -------------------------

There was something almost peaceful about Camp Half-Blood from a distance. The golden cabins shimmered under the sunlight like polished shields. Laughter drifted faintly on the wind, the kind that came from sword training, campfire stories, and demiImmortals who still thought they had some control over their lives. But Naruto Uzumaki stood far beyond the treeline, eyes narrowed, arms crossed, and the weight of the world—literally—humming beneath his skin.

He wasn't here for peace.

He was here because the Immortals had a habit of pretending they weren't part of the problem.

"They don't even know they're being watched," Naruto muttered, crouching on a hill that gave him a perfect view of the camp's border. The magical barrier shimmered faintly, like heat waves rising off summer asphalt. To a normal eye, it would just look like a mirage. But to him? It was divine security with Olympian fingerprints all over it.

Gaea appeared with a quiet rustle of leaves, perched on his shoulder like a very judgy, very old sparrow. "How long do you plan to stay here, boy?"

Her voice held that ancient tone—half warning, half prophecy. She always sounded like she'd seen empires rise and fall before breakfast.

Naruto didn't blink. "Long enough to understand them. The Immortals. Their kids. What they know… what they've done."

"They've made their choices," Gaea replied coolly. "They sided with Olympus. With power. They won't be gentle if they discover you here."

He smirked. "I'm not really expecting gentle."

Despite himself, Naruto rubbed the side of her head gently with one finger. Gaea rolled her eyes, but allowed the gesture.

He stood slowly and made his way up a rocky slope, finding a better vantage point among some pines. Below, he could see demiImmortals going about their routines—one kid with goat legs racing another who left scorch marks on the grass. A girl in silver armor knocked her opponent flat in the sparring circle. The place looked like a summer camp run by mythological insurance liabilities.

"Looks like they've gotten comfortable," Naruto said, voice low. "Too comfortable."

From a distance, Albion let out a roar loud enough to startle a flock of birds into the air. The dragon had parked himself by a lake, wings twitching with irritation. Naruto gave a sideways glance toward the sound.

"Albion," he called calmly. "Relax. You did well. You've earned your sulking rights."

The great dragon huffed, turned his head away like a teenager ignoring his mom, and beat his wings with a frustrated whump, disappearing into the clouds.

Naruto sighed dramatically. "So grumpy. He's mad we fought his cousins. Typical dragon pride. You'd think saving his scaly hide would earn some gratitude."

"Dragons remember slights more than they do favors," Gaea remarked. "Don't take it personally. He probably liked you until you devoured their essence like a smoothie."

"Hey," Naruto said with a shrug, "They were trying to turn me into ash. Fair trade."

---------------------

Alice had been quiet for a while. Too quiet.

She sat near a crooked tree, her back to Naruto and Ella, her golden eyes watching the camp through narrowed lashes. The wind toyed with strands of her pale hair, and Naruto could sense something bubbling beneath the surface—restlessness, maybe even jealousy.

Finally, she stood.

"Naruto," Alice said, her voice calm but laced with a spark of something more. "There's a much more effective way to learn about the camp."

He raised an eyebrow, curious. "Yeah? And how's that?"

Alice faced him fully now, her eyes blazing with purpose. "I can summon the wind nymphs from inside. They owe me loyalty—more than they ever gave the Olympians. They only stay because it's safe, not because they've forgotten what was done to us."

Naruto's expression shifted—less curious now, more thoughtful. He knew Alice didn't talk about her past lightly. Whatever scars she carried, they weren't the kind you saw. They were the kind that shaped you.

His voice softened. "They'll pay, Alice. For what they did to you and your people. I swear it."

Alice's composure faltered for a heartbeat. Her lips twitched, not quite a smile, more like a release of breath she hadn't realized she was holding. Then she stepped forward and hugged him—a small, desperate squeeze that carried more weight than words.

Naruto blinked, surprised, but returned the embrace. "Please," he whispered into her ear, "summon them. We need answers."

Alice stepped back, composed once more, and raised her hands.

The air stilled.

Then the wind came—not loud, but sharp, slicing through the trees with an eerie whistle, a sound meant for ears attuned to the air itself. Naruto felt it ripple over his skin like a secret being whispered directly into his bones.

Minutes passed.

Then, they arrived.

The wind nymphs descended from the treetops like petals caught in an invisible current—small, luminous beings, their wings glinting like shards of moonlight. Their eyes shimmered with mystery, ageless and ancient, but their expressions were alert.

Alice stepped forward, her posture poised. "Answer to Naruto. From this moment, he is your master."

The lead nymph—a delicate creature with silver wings and a steady gaze—bowed her head. "Very well, Mistress," she said softly. "Master, what do you ask of us?"

Naruto regarded her with interest. Unlike Alice's stories of terrified, mistreated spirits, these nymphs didn't look broken. Just... cautious. Like soldiers who had learned how to survive in someone else's war.

"I want to know," Naruto said carefully, "how you're treated in the camp. The truth."

The silver-winged nymph hesitated—but only for a moment.

"Things have changed," she admitted. "It was terrible once. We were prey more than we were staff. But that changed after the son of Poseidon—Percy Jackson—rose up and demanded reforms. Now, we serve, but we're respected. Mostly."

Her voice grew quieter. "We aren't hunted anymore."

Gaea's voice, cold and ancient, slithered into Naruto's mind like a warning tide. "But the attacks still happen."

The nymph looked away, her wings drooping slightly. "Yes," she whispered. "Not often. But… it happens."

Alice clenched her fists, eyes narrowing with quiet fury.

----------------------

Naruto had fought monsters, Immortals, and even ancient dragons who made nuclear bombs look like cheap firecrackers—but nothing unsettled him quite like this conversation.

Sitting at the edge of the forest, with the barrier of Camp Half-Blood shimmering faintly in the distance like a soap bubble stretched too thin, he turned toward the nymph who had led him here. Her wings fluttered with unease, catching glints of sunlight like stained glass. He'd asked a simple question, but her answer felt like a punch to the gut.

"No, most of them are scared," she said softly, avoiding his eyes. "The camp is the only place where they can live peacefully. Only rarely do some of them go insane and cause massive damage, but… they're just sad little pups who can't even live longer than twenty years."

Naruto's expression darkened. His fists clenched at his sides. Twenty years? That wasn't a life—that was a blink.

"Would they give their lives to save their parents?" he asked. "Or avenge them?"

The nymph blinked, her lips parting in shock. It was the kind of question that made mortals uneasy, the kind that peeled the nice, soft layers off the truth until all that remained was the raw bone of reality. "I… I don't know," she said, her voice shaken. 'Is this guy trying to say he'll kill the Olympians?' she wondered, horrified.

Naruto said nothing. But his silence was a stormcloud, thick and full of thunder.

The air grew still.

He shifted his focus. "Is there a way for me to watch what's happening inside the camp?"

The nymph looked visibly relieved at the change of subject. She nodded slowly, turning to whisper into the wind. A moment later, the trees themselves seemed to sigh, and from the grass between them rose a water basin—clear as glass, pulsing faintly with divine energy.

"This will show what the water nymph inside the camp is seeing," she explained.

Naruto stepped closer, peering into the surface. The water rippled and then cleared, revealing glimpses of Camp Half-Blood—its cabins, its training fields, its demiImmortals. Kids with swords and shields sparred in a sandpit while others practiced archery with barely steady hands. It was like watching lambs prepare for a lion fight with cardboard armor.

"They're training," the nymph offered, as if that explained anything.

Naruto frowned, the lines of his face hardening into something that made the nymph take a nervous step back. "Why don't they use guns?" he asked. "Or drones? Or even traps? There are monsters out there that can snap these kids in half with one breath."

The silence that followed was heavier than most silences dared to be.

"I don't know…" Gaea's voice came from behind him, not the angry primordial Immortal of old, but a whisper of thought inside the earth. "Maybe they think it's honorable. Like, using such weapons proves bravery or… or manliness."

Naruto's teeth ground together. Honor? That was a word cowards used when they sent others to die for mistakes they'd made.

He looked down into the basin again. One boy stumbled during sword training, falling on his rear while the others laughed. Another tried to aim a bow and shot an arrow clean into the dirt. None of them looked ready. None of them should've had to be.

'How many would still be alive,' he wondered bitterly, 'if the Immortals had simply taught them better? Or fought for them? Or undone the curses they left behind?'

His fists tightened until the skin broke and small trickles of blood fell onto the leaves. The forest responded with a rustle, as if even the trees felt the anger rolling off him.

Then—lightness. A gentle warmth against his head.

"Smile, Naruto," came a soft voice.

He blinked.

Ella stood beside him, looking up with eyes wide and bright as stars reflected in midnight pools. "Ella doesn't like it when your face becomes like that. It's scary."

He softened—barely. Forced a smile, though it felt like trying to lift a mountain with one hand. "Sorry," he murmured, his voice gravel. "I'll try not to."

Ella beamed and pinched his cheeks. "Better," she giggled.

For a moment, the tension eased. The world stopped tilting sideways. But as Naruto turned back to the basin, watching the children move like ghosts through the camp—unaware that the weight of old sins still hung over them like swords—he knew.

There would come a reckoning.

------------------------

The days ran like dry blood over old stone—crusted, cracked, and far too red. Naruto walked the compound as a ghost might drift through a charnel house. Silent. Watching. The demi-children skittered around him with hollow eyes and limbs too thin to bear their burdens. Born of Immortals, bred for war, broken for peace. The kind of peace you nail into things.

The nymphs watched too, their eyes wide and green, but not with wonder. Their skirts dragged the dust of cruelty long ignored, and suddenly, silence itched like a rash. One nymph, the eldest among them, frowned at a training spear snapped mid-use and whispered to her sisters, "Couldn't the blacksmith's sons have done this? Instead of toys and failures?" But the question died in her throat like everything else that mattered.

Naruto saw it all—heard the words never spoken, felt the accusations turned inward, like knives carved from shame. The camp was a graveyard of noble intentions, every stone engraved with a child's name, and yet none of the children were dead. Not yet. That would be too merciful.

The Big House loomed like a judgment unpassed. Within, Rachel lived—the oracle, the girl who saw Immortals and futures but never saw fit to change a single damn thing. Naruto's eyes fell heavy upon the roof as if he could see through it. Through time. Through hypocrisy.

"Hermes," he whispered, voice like gravel dragged across bone. "You ruined her. Your son. Her life. All for what? A game? A message?"

His fist curled in on itself, and his palm opened with the kiss of blood. Red rained down in slow, mocking drips. The earth tasted it eagerly, and the world paused to listen.

Then came the voice—not spoken, not summoned, just there. From himself, or someone buried deeper inside. A twin in thought. A shadow sharing his bones.

"Sorry. I get really emotional sometimes. These incidents were so avoidable. If they had just tried… You were right. I'll end them as planned. They've lost the right to exist. Even my limits have been breached. Once I gather my power, I'll erase everything wrong in this world. It will be… pure."

The words weren't his. Not fully. They wore his skin, echoed in his chest—but they dripped rot and madness, like honey spoiled in a sealed jar. His eyes grew colder than the Styx. Older too.

Gaea slapped him—not hard, but sharp. "Relax, Naruto. Don't connect to the world." The panic in her voice was subtle. Gaea didn't do fear. Not often.

But he looked at her… and what looked back wasn't human. It wasn't even divine. It was elemental—a thing from before things had names.

She stepped back. Instinct. The most honest part of the soul.

Then Ella's voice cracked the moment like lightning splits a tree. "Wake up, Naruto! You're scaring me!" She ran to him, wrapped him in arms too soft for war, too full of faith for this world.

Visions clawed at him like starving dogs: Cities burning. Oceans boiling. The heavens themselves howling under a sunless sky. A voice—his, not his—urging him to rip it all down. Start over. With fire.

But Ella's hands were real. Warm. Gaea's stare held will, not fear. And Alice knelt nearby, her silence steadier than any sermon.

His breath came back like a man drowning in a memory. He staggered, fell to one knee, then another.

"I'm okay," he lied. "I don't know what got into me."

You do. You always have.

"I connected too deeply with the world. It almost swallowed me."

Gaea knelt beside him, brushing dust from his cheek like he was still mortal. Still her child. "You need rest. You've seen too much."

Naruto nodded, eyelids heavy with rage and regret. "Tomorrow, then. We leave."

He collapsed, not with dignity but with the inevitability of gravity. Ella stayed by his side, her wings like a makeshift blanket. Alice hovered near, her presence more comfort than sound.

Naruto slept. Not peacefully. Not safe. But alive. And somewhere deep inside the Earth, something old and furious stirred.

More Chapters