The forest was too quiet.
Not the kind of quiet that meant peace. Not the kind of quiet where you could breathe easy and enjoy the sound of wind through the trees.
No, this was the wrong kind of quiet. The kind that made Thalia's skin prickle under her jacket and her fingers tighten around her spear until her knuckles ached.
She didn't trust quiet.
They'd been forced off the highway an hour ago when monsters caught their scent, and Thalia had led Luke and the new kid Annabeth off the road and into the woods. The air here was heavy, thick with damp.
Mist clung to the branches, shrouding the pines like they were hiding something. It pressed in, muffling sound, and made every step crunch too loud against the carpet of needles.
Luke followed at her side, his sword out, shoulders tense. He was better at hiding nerves than Annabeth, but she saw the twitch in his jaw.
Annabeth herself trudged stubbornly behind, hammer clutched in both hands. She was only seven, too young for all of this, but her gray eyes darted everywhere like she was trying to memorize the whole forest.
"This doesn't feel right," Luke muttered, his voice low.
"It never does," Thalia said. Her voice was flat, but her grip on her spear tightened another notch.
A crow cawed in the distance. It made all of them flinch.
Then, through the mist, a soft orange glow flickered between the trunks. Thalia slowed, raising a hand for them to stop. The three of them crept forward until the trees opened into a clearing.
That's when they saw him.
A boy crouched by a fire. Long blond hair sticking out in every direction, face streaked with dirt, clothes torn like he'd been crawling through the woods for weeks. He hummed off-key while roasting meat on a stick, perfectly at ease like this was his backyard.
But it wasn't just him.
The company around him was worse. Birds perched above in the branches, their wings fluffed as they watched. Squirrels and rabbits sat close by the fire, unafraid.
And lounging beside him was a fox the size of a shepherd dog, fur a deep, unnatural crimson. Nine tails flicked lazily behind it, each movement precise and deliberate.
Thalia reacted on instinct. She shoved Annabeth behind her, spear leveled. "Kid or monster, I don't care which but move and you're toast!"
The boy looked up mid-bite, blinking at them with the bluest eyes Thalia had ever seen. Then he grinned, cheeks puffed out with food.
"…Yo."
The fox's ears twitched. Its eyes opened with glowing amber, sharp as blades. When it spoke, the voice was deep, rumbling, and far too human.
"Tch. Another pack of brats. As if one wasn't enough."
All three of them froze.
"…That fox just talked," Luke said flatly, though his voice wavered.
The fox turned its head slowly toward him. "Good observation, genius."
Annabeth's mouth dropped. "Is that… a monster?"
The fox bared its teeth in something like a smile, tails swishing. "Watch your tongue, child. I am a mighty beast."
Thalia felt her stomach drop. She forced herself not to show fear, though her knuckles went white on the spear. She'd fought monsters before, but nothing like this. This wasn't some hungry beast. This was… something else.
Before she could demand answers, a growl ripped through the clearing. Branches snapped, and a hellhound exploded out of the brush, eyes glowing, foam spraying from its jaws.
Thalia braced her spear, electricity crackling along the bronze. Luke stepped forward, jaw set, sword raised.
The blond boy just sighed. "Really?"
He stood without hesitation or fear and flicked his wrist.
The earth answered his call and the ground split, and massive spears of wood shot upward, faster than arrows. They skewered the hellhound mid-leap, snapping its spine before it could reach the fire.
The beast yelped once, then went still as the wood twisted, coiling around its body. The forest swallowed it whole like it had never been there.
Silence crashed down again. Even the fire seemed to hesitate before popping.
The boy brushed his hands on his pants, annoyed more than anything. "Stupid dog," he muttered. Then he looked at them, grin back on his face like nothing happened. "So… you guys hungry? I've got extra."
Thalia didn't lower her spear and Luke's grip on his sword whitened until the leather creaked.
Annabeth, however, stepped forward, eyes wide with childish fascination. "What's your name?"
The boy tilted his head, grin stretching. "Me? Naruto." He said it like the answer was obvious, like it was the only thing in the world he was sure of.
The fox yawned, long teeth glinting. "Kurama."
Annabeth blinked. "You… named your fox?"
Kurama growled, tails swishing. "He didn't name me, my father did."
Naruto chuckled, scratching his cheek. "Don't mind him. He's just cranky."
Thalia narrowed her eyes. "Cranky? That thing just talked."
Kurama's tails lashed, snapping like whips. "And you're remarkably loud for a child. Perhaps someone should shove that spear into your mouth."
"Hey!" Thalia snapped, stepping forward. "You wanna go, furball?!"
"Oh please." Kurama sneered, lips curling back. "I've eaten things scarier than you before breakfast."
Naruto slapped his knee and doubled over laughing, nearly dropping his food. "You guys, haha! You guys are killing me!"
Luke muttered, "This is crazy."
Annabeth's lips twitched like she was hiding a smile. "I think they're funny."
Thalia jabbed her spear toward both fox and boy. "I already hate them."
Naruto wiped tears from his eyes, still grinning like an idiot. "Aw, come on! But we just met!"
The fire crackled, the mist rolled back, and somehow, for the first time all day, the forest didn't feel so quiet anymore.
Thalia kept her spear leveled, refusing to be the first to blink. Luke's sword hovered at his side.
Annabeth shuffled closer to Thalia's leg, her hammer clutched to her chest, but her eyes never left the strange blond boy and his pet fox.
Naruto just kept grinning at them like this was the friendliest campfire in the world.
"Are you guys always this jumpy?" he asked, voice light.
"Only when we find random strangers in the woods," Luke shot back.
"Or when their pets talk," Thalia added coldly.
Kurama's tails swished lazily, his amber gaze flicking over them like they weren't worth the effort. "Pet? Watch your mouth, girl."
Annabeth tilted her head, her small voice breaking the tension. "Are you… with us? Or with them?"
Naruto blinked, then tilted his head too, mimicking her expression before breaking into another goofy grin. "With you, I guess? Unless you're planning on trying to eat me."
Annabeth's lips twitched, the hammer lowering a fraction.
Luke sighed, rubbing at his temple. "Gods, have I mentioned this is insane?"
"Not gods," Thalia corrected bitterly. "Monsters. Which means we don't camp out in the open."
Naruto perked up, clapping his hands together. "Oh, that's easy! You don't need to camp out here." He flashed a big grin. "I'll just make us a place to stay."
Luke frowned. "You'll what?"
"Trust me," Naruto said, already crouching down. "Sleeping on the ground sucks if you're not used to it. You'll like this better."
He pressed a hand to the ground. The earth rumbled, roots bursting upward. In seconds, wood wove into beams, walls, and a slanted roof. A door swung into place, leaves layering into shingles as if the forest itself had decided to grow them a cabin.
All three demigods froze, staring.
Naruto stood, grinning proudly. "There! Beds beat dirt any day, right?"
Annabeth's jaw nearly hit the ground. She bolted to the doorway, eyes wide. "It's.. It's a whole house!"
Luke muttered, "That's not normal."
Thalia scowled. "That's not possible."
Naruto smirked. "Oh, I'm not done yet." He pressed both palms flat to the earth. Around the cabin, a ring of trees surged upward, their crowns bending inward until they locked together in a thick, woven dome.
The gaps filled with interlaced branches, sealing the little camp in a living shield. Starlight glittered faintly through the gaps overhead.
"Now no monsters can bug us," Naruto said, dusting his hands off. "Pretty cool, huh?"
Even Thalia couldn't hide the flicker of awe in her eyes.
Annabeth whispered, "Are you… are you a son of Demeter?"
Naruto blinked. "Who?"
"Demeter," she said eagerly. "Goddess of the harvest, crops, and the nature seasons. She makes plants grow. You must be her kid."
Naruto scratched his cheek, embarrassed. "Uh… never heard of her. I mean, I talk to nature spirits sometimes. They pop up sometimes, say hi, call me 'master'" His face went red. "Which is super embarrassing, by the way but I don't know any Demeter."
Luke gave him a long look. "Wait. You seriously don't know about the gods? At all?"
Naruto blinked, tilting his head. "Gods? They're real?"
Thalia threw her hands up. "Unbelievable. Were you born under a rock?"
Kurama, stretched by the hearth, let out a deep, rumbling chuckle. "Don't bother, girl. This brat's thicker than oak. And you.." his amber eyes slid toward Thalia "you've got a mouth that could scare off monsters."
Thalia bristled instantly. "You wanna say that again, mutt?"
Kurama bared his teeth in a fox-smile. "Gladly. You're loud, bossy, and permanently irritating. Remind me why anyone keeps you around?"
Thalia's spear crackled with sparks. "Try me."
Naruto collapsed into laughter, clutching his stomach. "Pfft! Kurama! Stop bullying her! She's gonna fry you!"
"Let her try," Kurama said lazily, curling his tails.
Luke groaned, dragging a hand over his face. "I can't believe this is my life."
But Annabeth was too curious to care about the bickering. She sat cross-legged on the cabin floor, staring up at Naruto. "Listen. The Greek gods are real. They're alive. They're in America. And they have kids with mortals. Half-bloods. That's what we are. Demigods."
Naruto's eyes went wide. "Wait, wait, wait. So they're all walking around right now? Just having kids?"
Luke nodded grimly. "That's why monsters hunt us. They smell it in our blood."
Naruto sat back, whistling. "Huh. Y'know… I think the nature spirits might've told me some of this before. I probably wasn't paying attention."
"Spirits?" Annabeth leaned forward. "They talk to you?"
"All the time," Naruto admitted. "Animals too. Birds, foxes, deer. They never shut up." He rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed. "I didn't think it was weird."
The three demigods stared at him like he'd just dropped another bombshell.
Thalia recovered first, voice hard. "So what's your deal? Kids like us just don't wander alone. Not for long at least."
Naruto's grin softened, almost wistful. "Eh. Long story. Doesn't matter right now."
Luke didn't press, but the suspicion in his eyes sharpened.
It was Annabeth who broke the silence. "We've been running from monsters. We're trying to reach a safe place called Camp Half-Blood. It's where half-bloods like us can train and survive."
Naruto leaned forward, curiosity plain. "A camp? For people like you? That sounds awesome."
Annabeth smiled a little.
Kurama snorted from the hearth. "Hnh. Safe camp, brat? With your luck, you'll just drag monsters there with you."
Thalia glared at him. "Better than dragging around a talking furball."
Naruto burst out laughing again, his grin wide and carefree.
"Man, you guys are hilarious." He leaned forward suddenly, chin in his hand, curiosity lighting up his face. "So… what gods are your parents, anyway?"
The question dropped into the room like a stone.
Thalia stiffened, her jaw tightening. Luke's expression darkened. Even Annabeth's small smile faded.
Luke spoke first. "Hermes. God of travelers, messengers, thieves." He let out a short, bitter laugh. "The guy who's supposed to guide souls and never loses his way. Figures his own kid spends his life running."
Thalia's grip tightened on her spear. "Zeus," she said sharply. "King of the gods. Lord of the sky." Sparks licked the bronze as her eyes hardened. "Doesn't mean a damn thing when he left me alone to fight for myself."
Naruto blinked, wide-eyed. "Whoa…"
Annabeth hugged her knees, her small voice steady but soft. "…I don't know yet."
Naruto tilted his head. "You don't?"
She shook her head. "Not all of us are claimed right away. But I'll know someday." There was the faintest tremor in her words, quickly swallowed by determination.
The fire popped, shadows dancing across the wooden walls.
Naruto looked between them, his grin fading into something gentler. "Man. I thought gods were supposed to be amazing."
Kurama gave a low chuckle, tails flicking. "Amazing? Try negligent. Your mighty Olympians sire children they don't bother to raise. Pathetic." His amber eyes slid to Thalia, teeth flashing. "Explains the temper."
Thalia's spear snapped with electricity, the air thickening with ozone. "Say that again, mutt."
"Of course," Kurama drawled, baring his teeth in a grin. "You're a real credit to your father."
Naruto jumped up, waving his hands quickly. "Whoa, hey, hey! Sorry sorry! He's just… like that." He shot the fox a glare before grinning sheepishly back at the others. "Don't take him too seriously. He likes pushing buttons."
"Damn right I do," Kurama muttered, curling his tails tighter.
Naruto scratched the back of his head, trying to dispel the charge in the air with a laugh. "Look, you guys have been running for who knows how long. You're tired, right? Why don't we just… call it a night? No monsters are getting through my dome, promise."
Luke gave him a long, measured look, but finally sighed, lowering his sword. "Some rest wouldn't hurt."
Thalia didn't drop her spear, but the sparks fizzled out. "Fine. But I'm keeping first watch."
Annabeth had already climbed onto the nearest bunk, gray eyes drooping despite herself. "This is the safest I've felt in weeks," she murmured.
Naruto grinned, softer this time. "Good. Then sleep. I'll keep things steady."
Even as the tension still clung in the air, one by one they settled with Luke against the wall, Thalia perched stiffly by the fire, Annabeth curled up on the wooden bed.
And for the first time, they let themselves believe they might wake up safe.
___
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