Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Percy Jackson.
Fils de l'Amour: The Lost Hero
Chapter 12: Dreams and Reality
"Let's
get started," Aphrodite smiled.
"Wake up, Naruto."
Naruto groaned and rolled onto his side. "Later, Kurama. My head
hurts."
"He's got a point, Mr. Nine. It ain't chillin time. Fool, ya
fool!"
"Is
that rapping?" Leo asked.
"B, we've talked about that rapping."
"Don't be hatin' on me, Gyuki!"
"It
is!" Apollo beamed.
"Octopops?" Naruto sat up with a groan, rubbing his eyes. He
dropped his hand and took in his surroundings. A dimly lit cavern was where
they were, but it was large enough to house the nine Biju, each about three
times the size of Gamabunta.
"I
want to collect them all," Ares beamed.
Behind him, ever loyally watching over him was Kurama. He was putting a
tough act on, but Naruto could tell that Kurama was exhausted still.
"Isn't
that cute?" Hazel smiled a little. A tough guy, huh?
To his immediate right was the eight tailed Biju, Gyuki. The Hachibi was
an Ushi-oni, a beast with a bull-like head, but his left horn was shorter than
the right. Gyuki had a strong torso and eight octopi-like tentacles that acted
like his tails.
"Ooh,"
Poseidon said with interest.
He stood just as strong as Kurama, though just a bit smaller than his
brother.
"Just
like Poseidon to Zeus," Athena said with snide.
Poseidon
scowled as Zeus smirked at that.
Standing in front of Gyuki was a muscular dark skinned man with platinum
blond hair and a goatee. Oval sunglasses hid his eyes and on his left cheek was
a tattoo in the shape of a horn, representing the beast he held within him. He
dressed in white armor as seen in Kumogakure, the village in the clouds, but
with a twist that made him more 'hip'.
"Now
that is a fly kind of guy," Apollo whistled.
There were two swords strapped to his back and a large bandaged sword
resting at his side. Samehada, the shark-scale sword, it was the man's second
strongest weapon, not counting the biju forms.
Ares
gleamed, "I want that!" he said after seeing it.
"Ares,
enough," Hera scolded.
"But
mom!"
"No,
now shush," the Queen of Heaven said, making her warring son pout.
This was Kirabi, aka Killer B, or as Naruto affectionately called him:
Octopops.
"You know, he may not be as tired if he had the lucky number seven
sealed inside him," said a buzzing voice. Naruto chuckled while Kurama
growled at the seven-tailed rhinoceros beetle. Chōmei, the Nanabi, was always
so laid back and calm whenever they spoke.
"He
seems like a cool dude," Apollo rubbed his chin, liking his number.
"I believe Kurama did an admiral job protecting him," a soft,
yet deep, voice said. Kurama huffed, not saying thank you but acknowledging the
six-tailed slug's words. Saiken was mostly quiet, only speaking when spoken to
or when he felt it necessary. A similarity he shared with Tsunade's slug
summons.
"Lots
of different kinds it seems," Artemis commented with interest.
"If he had done a good job, we wouldn't be meeting now," said
an irritated voice.
"Quell your anger, Kokuō," Gyuki said to the dolphin-horse.
Kokuō huffed but remained quiet, his five-tails swaying lightly in annoyance.
"I
like that one," Poseidon said as Percy nodded with him.
"I'm sure Kurama has a good reason. He could have told us before
Naruto awoke," said a deep voice to Kokuō's left. The red four-tailed
monkey named Son Goku
"So,
we have a Super Saiyan, huh?" Percy questioned and Annabeth rolled her
eyes at his love for that show.
was sitting in a meditative position and watching Naruto carefully. He
narrowed his eyes slightly. "Have you lost weight, Naruto?"
"Oh, good, I wasn't the only one to notice," a light chuckle
escaped the turtle-like Isobu. He spoke even less than Saiken, and was often
seen as the most caring of the nine as well as the most innocent.
"Lot
of them are my symbols and domain," the sea god said, looking pleased with
himself.
"Oh
get over yourself," Hades rolled his eyes.
"You're
just jealous is all." The middle brother smirked.
"Maa, I think Naruto-san looks fine. A proper tomcat," said the
nekomata to Isobu's left. Matatabi's green and yellow eyes were looking at
Naruto like he was a kitten, making him pout lightly at the maternal care the
Nibi showed him. Matatabi was respectful, but she was far more overbearing than
he would've liked. She stuck around Konoha for at least two months before going
her own way after the war ended.
"Tomcat
indeed," Aphrodite smiled as she was liking the cat Biju already.
"He certainly hasn't gotten smarter, look at the dumb look on his
face!" A cackle escaped the Ichibi.
Those
of wisdom frowned at that.
The tanuki made of sand named Shukaku was mad, much in the way Dionysus
would approve of.
"Oh
really now?" Dionysus wondered.
He often tried to pick fights with his brothers just for the hell of it,
but would grow bored mid fight and find something else to do.
"I
like him the best," Ares grinned wildly.
"Shut up, Shukaku," the other eight said in Naruto's defense.
Naruto smiled at that, happy his friends were so willing to stand up for him,
even if Shukaku was just playing around.
"Now that Naruto is awake, I believe we can begin," Kurama
said. The other Biju looked to him, while Naruto was helped to his feet by
Kirabi and received a fist bump. "Several weeks ago, Naruto was abducted
by a goddess from his own living room."
"What?!" "And you allowed this to happen!?"
"More
like had no choice," Aphrodite snorted.
"Silence!" Kurama flared his power, quelling the anger of
Matatabi and Chōmei. "I was still recuperating from being reunited with my
other half."
"I knew I should've stayed in Hi no Kuni," Matatabi said.
"Quiet, Matatabi. Let Kurama continue," Gyuki said. His white
eyes turned to Kurama's red. "After all, I'm sure there's a reason he
allowed his Jinchuriki, our new sage, to be taken from us."
Kurama snarled at the accusation. "You filthy little sea
urchin!"
Poseidon
scowled at the words as his siblings snickered.
"Kurama, Gyuki, stop!" Naruto had the two strongest staying put
with just his words. "Gyuki, like Kurama said, he was still in recovery
hibernation. He's only just woken up and has probably a third of his full power
at his disposal."
"Only a third? Let's fight and see who is stronger, Kurama!"
Shukaku said.
"Definitely
the Ares of the bunch," Hermes said, getting a smirk from the war god.
"I still have enough to beat each and every one of you into the
ground!" Kurama was on his haunches again, ready to fight if need be.
"So
the Zeus," Hades said in a dry tone, getting nods all around. The king of
the gods fumed at that with flared nostrils.
"Kurama, don't encourage him." Naruto glared at the growling
kitsune until he was sitting back down. He turned to look at the rest of the
room. "And you guys are no better! Listen to my full story and thenspeak."
"Fine," Kokuō said, glaring at Kurama and then looking
irritably at Naruto. "Speak quickly, Nidaime Sennin, I wish to return to
my forests."
"You will," Naruto said. He then began to recount everything he
had learned. Like Kurama, the tailed beasts were shocked by the discovery of a
larger world and of the Greek gods. They all shared a look when Naruto told
them of his parentage, and pieces of answers to many of their questions about
him began to click together.
"This...changes everything," Saiken said, summing up a lot of
what the others were thinking.
Kirabi nodded, then whispered something to his sword. Samehada began
shuddering and shaking, a rhythmic sound coming from the scales as they
shuffled in tune.
"I
want that," Percy said under his breath, he loved Riptide, but that looked
really really cool.
Ares
glared at him, "Wait your turn Jackson, I saw it first!"
Kirabi nodded his head to a beat and it soon filled the room, making the
Biju groan.
Apollo
started to beatbox a tune, getting groans.
"Yo! Say! Ho! Gods rule above and below me, but nothing can stop the
mighty Lord Killer B. Ain't nobody, immortal, dead or alive can stop my power
that resides inside. The people love us Jinchuriki, Uzumaki Naruto is their
favorite word jockey. But when it comes to da real raps, ain't no one can top
me. Why? Cause I'm the mighty Killer B."
"Someone's
full of themselves," Athena frowned.
"I
wonder if he's a child of someone," Artemis said, looking at her twin.
Apollo
beamed, "Hey, if he was, that'd be awesome!"
"That was slick, Octopops. There ain't no doubt you can be topped.
Think of this though, when you're writin' in your book, I'm the one where
everybody looks. You might be the best, this is true, but I'm way cooler than
you." Naruto grinned as he got into the rap spat.
"My
baby has mad skills!"
"Mom,"
Piper palmed her face.
"No,
that was good," Apollo supported.
They did it all the time on the giant turtle island.
"Don't be joking like that, Mister Nine. You're not that cool,
you're not even fine. It's not all their eyes on me that I want, it's their
ears that ought to be taught. The words I say aren't meant to be seen, so it
don't matter if I'm clean! I'll be on stage using my greatest tool, so don't
try to challenge me, fool ya fool!"
"Good
point," Apollo nodded sternly in agreement.
"I'd rather be a fool-!"
"Enough!" Kurama wrapped the tip of his tail around Naruto's
mouth, making the boy struggle against it.
"Aw, but it was getting good," Shukaku said with a whine.
"I
know!" Apollo whined too, stopping his beatboxing.
"Don't encourage them, please!" Gyuki rubbed the side of his
face with a groan. "It's one thing when it's just B, but both of them? My
head will split."
"I'll take your word for it." Son gave Naruto a wink and Naruto
grinned back behind Kurama's tail. He was a silly monkey. "Now, there are
otherworldly forces out there, do we have to fear from them?"
"Yes,"
Ares said as the others just shook their heads at his behavior.
Kurama released Naruto's mouth and after giving his friend a mild glare,
he answered. "No. The gods have decreed that our home, the former island
of the Letoides–"
"Hi,
yeah, that's us." Apollo smiled while Artemis gave her own small one.
"The twin god and goddess, correct?" Isobu asked.
"Yes, Isobu. Apollo and Artemis." Naruto nodded. "Apollo
is the god of the sun and Artemis is...well..."
"The goddess of the moon," Chōmei said. The biju collectively
shivered at that. Even if the Shinju's body didn't create the moon, it was
still up there and it was enough to give them a good scare every now and then.
"The
what?" Percy asked as they were shown an image, "Oh, wow…" he
trailed off as everyone gave a small shudder to that thing.
"And she's the goddess of the hunt. She won't come after you because
you're not 'game', so unless you guys plan to test your luck against her – and
no, Shukaku you're not allowed to."
"Aww..." The giant tanuki looked like he had just been kicked.
"Definitely
the Ares of the bunch," Athena shook her head.
"Hey,"
Ares glared, no dissing his new favorite thing, not cool.
"She'll probably leave you alone," Naruto said, finishing his
earlier thought. "...Maybe. I don't know, I haven't met her."
"I
don't want to meet him."
"You
just like Apollo Naruto more," the love goddess rolled her eyes.
"…Shut
up," Artemis frowned.
"But you have met your mother, right?" Matatabi asked.
Naruto grinned. "Yeah. Twice now. It's so cool that my mom's a
babe."
"Pretty
much," the love goddess said with smug.
"And a goddess?" Son Goku asked.
"Yeah, that too."
"At least you have one parent alive," Matatabi said, purring
while her tails waved idly back and forth. "Now tell us, Naruto-san, have
you found a girl yet?"
"I
really like her," the lady of doves giggled.
"Matatabi, now isn't the time to pry into Naruto's personal
life." Kokuō gave his sister a dry glare while Naruto sputtered and
flushed at the direct question. She hissed at him for intruding on her fun and
he arched a proverbial brow. "He's not even your original Jinchuriki, you
should leave these sorts of things to Kurama."
"Yugito-san placed her trust in him alongside us, so I will watch
over him like he is," Matatabi said. Her emerald and golden eyes gleamed
as her blue flames danced mirthfully. "Besides, don't act all high and
mighty. I saw you release some steam when Kurama told you he had been
abducted."
"Horses
are loyal like that," Percy nodded as Poseidon beamed at his words.
"That was because without Naruto I would be hounded to be used as a
weapon," Kokuō said.
Ares
hummed at that while his horse making uncle glared at him.
"Both of you, stop it!" Naruto said. He rubbed his head as the
two looked back at him. "Look, I've told you everything that I learned. I
guess I need you guys to keep this on the down low and keep them from coming
after me. I still have issues coming to grip with some things, so if any of the
Kages find out about this..."
"Not
like they can do anything about it," Zeus huffed.
"It could be very problematic," Gyuki said. He nodded. "I
will have B tell Ē-sama what we have learned and that the Biju will be on
patrol."
"Do we have to?"
"Yes, Kokuō!" Saiken lightly swatted the grumbling
dolphin-horse.
"This'll be fun!" Chōmei said with a buzz. His wings fluttered.
"Ne, Naruto. If you need a lift, call the Lucky Number Seven! I'll pick
you up in a pickle!"
"I
really like that one," the sun god smiled. He was just so chill.
"You have us at your disposal if you need us, Naruto," Son said
in agreement.
He got to his feet and held his fist out to the blond. Saiken and Isobu
stepped forward, their tails resting on his fist. Kokuō snorted before doing
the same and Matatabi followed suit, placing her paw against Son's. Gyuki
pressed his against Son's other side and Chōmei put his insect-like leg atop
the Ushi-oni's fist. Kirabi went over to the fists and put his in, Kurama
growled in annoyance at Shukaku, who pushed his against Matatabi's, before
joining in.
"Team
huddle!" Leo called out.
Naruto grinned and pressed his fist against Kirabi's. "Alone we are
strong, but together we're unstoppable!"
"Like
a Legion," Reyna nodded, getting smiles from the Romans.
"Heh, didn't need a rap to tell you that, Mr. Nine," Kirabi
said.
"Thank the Sage," Gyuki said under his breath, making his
brethren chuckle or smirk.
"We await further word from you, Naruto," Son said.
Naruto nodded and the world went white.
Kirabi yawned and stood up, stretching as he did. He was glad to know
that his buddy was okay. The hottie Tsunade had been getting antsy about
Naruto's absence and it had been doing the same to Ē. Ē feared that a fifth war
would break out should Naruto go missing for too long.
"Whoo!"
Ares whooped as Frank palmed his face.
"Which is exactly why you should hurry to his office and tell him
to summon the Alliance Leaders," Gyuki said.
"Ah, we're in agreement on that, Hachibi-sama," Kirabi said. He
rolled his arm to loosen it up. Afterwards, he held his hand out to the large
mass of scales that was sitting at his side. Samehada's mouth opened and
chattered before its handle jumped into his hand. "Yeah, I hear you bro.
Things be getting strange for our boy, Naruto."
"Oh for the love of the Sage."
"And Order," Artemis sighed, knowing how the Biju felt as she
glimpsed at her twin in annoyance.
Naruto didn't wake up immediately after his meeting with the rest of the
Biju. Instead he found himself in a library.
Eyes
went to Athena, who had a passive face.
A big library, at that. Naruto wandered around for a
bit, trying to find the exit. While doing this, his eyes wandered over the book
titles he walked past. There were a lot of history books on war in what he
supposed was the west wing,
Athena
nodded while Ares grunted. War was supposed to be done, not read.
and in the east were several books on weaving, tapestry and all sorts of
architecture.
Annabeth
looked interested now.
To the south was a bunch of biographies and other random things, but it
was in the north that Naruto found his choice of literature.
"The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi!" Naruto grabbed
the copy of his favorite book and opened it. He read through the pages with a
smile on his face. He was named after the hero of this book, after all.
That
one seems like a fun read," Hazel commented as did the other reading
lovers.
Naruto turned the page and cheered his namesake on as he fought against a
horde of samurai. "Man, Ero-sennin wrote such a good book...why didn't
anyone pick it up?"
"It was too idealistic for the time."
"And
here she comes, here comes Athena, she's a demon on wheels," Apollo sang
and got a withering glare from his brainy sister.
Naruto jumped slightly and turned, book closed and ready to be
thrown.
"Beware,"
Percy nodded, Annabeth was deadly with a book.
Behind him stood a woman whose beauty rivaled his mother's.
Aphrodite
clicked her tongue, getting a smirk from Athena.
Her hair was as dark as the night sky and looked like it was softer than
silk. Her skin was fair and lightly tanned, contrasting perfectly with the
charcoal business attire she wore. But it was her eyes that captivated him the
most: the same shade of grey as Annabeth's, but instead of a thousand thoughts,
perhaps millions were going through her head at once.
"I
try," Athena said in a humble tone, getting a snort from her rival.
It reminded him of the look in his dad's eyes when they fought against
Madara.
"Athena." Naruto gaped and relaxed as she smiled at him.
"Hello Naruto," Athena said.
"Hi...Can I call you Grandma Athena?"
"No."
"No."
"Good,
we're in sync." Athena nodded and glared at Apollo, "No jokes."
"Aw…"
"...Please?"
"No."
"...How about Athena-baachan?"
Athena frowned slightly. "No."
"Athena-oba?"
"He's
not going to let this go, is he?" Athena pursed her lips as her daughter
giggled lightly.
"Just Athena will do, Naruto."
"...Fine." Naruto wasn't stupid. He knew when to let a battle
go. And he would let this battle go...for now.
That
got a few sniggers as Athena shook her head.
His grandmother would not win this war!
"We'll
see about that."
"Thanks for letting me use your spear."
"I only did what was needed to be done," Athena said. She
turned and began walking, Naruto following swiftly after her. She turned and
gave him another small smile. "You did well."
"Athena
giving praise," Poseidon said in an awed voice, getting a scowl from his
rival.
"Thanks!"
"You could have done better," Athena said.
"And
now for the criticism," Hermes said under his breath.
Naruto pouted and her smile turned upward into a smirk. "When
Enceladus was reforming you would have had enough time to make a few
Rasenshuriken. It would've hindered him even more and given you time to think
up a strategy. Perhaps you could've prayed to me or...your mother, for help
rather than waiting for me to fight my way into your head."
"Well,
he's never really needed to pray for help before," Piper pointed out,
getting nods of agreement.
"Yeah, but...Uh..." Naruto struggled to come up with a good
rebuff that would get her off his case.
Athena chuckled. "You could have done better, but you got it done,
and that is what matters. I wished to congratulate you in person. Glaucus sends
his regards, as well."
"So
lucky," Annabeth pouted.
"That was the owl, right?" Naruto asked. The little guy sure
was a help, distracting Enceladus for a brief moment was enough for Naruto to
get his wind back.
"Yes, that was my owl," Athena smiled proudly. "He was
insistent on getting the spear to you. I believe he knew that you needed a sign
and a moment to catch your breath."
"He was right.
"Just
as his owner," Athena smirked, getting eye rolls.
Does he take sacrifices?" Naruto asked.
Athena arched a brow and gave him an amused smile. "No, but a prayer
of thanks wouldn't be objected to, I'm sure."
"That'd
be like thanking the original Pegasus every morning for riding Blackjack,"
Percy muttered.
"I'll do that as soon as I wake up," Naruto said. "So
Gr-Athena, not that I'm not grateful or anything, but was there another reason
for your visit?"
"You should be careful how you address me, Naruto. The same with the
other gods. We don't tolerate disrespect," Athena said.
"Yep,"
Percy said, getting some looks since he didn't do much respecting unless he
wanted to.
"No offense, but I don't just give respect out." Naruto crossed
his arms stubbornly. "You have to earn mine. Everyone's equal, human,
animal or god."
"Loving
this one way more," Percy grinned, Apollo Naruto could go suck it. This
was his kind of Naruto!
"I see. And have I earned your respect?"
"Well, yeah. You're my dad's mom." Naruto grinned. "But
that means you're family, and family is family, I should be allowed to be me
when I'm around family."
"Good
point," Jason nodded, wishing he could do that with his dad.
Athena blinked. "That's...a rather logical argument."
"It's
finally happened…"
"Silence
Fishface," the goddess scowled.
She smirked. "I suppose I won't smite you, then."
"...Right, smiting...that's a thing..." Naruto chuckled
sheepishly. "Sorry."
"It's fine. Just try to remember that the gods are stingy and not
all are as lenient as myself. Like Poseidon for instance. He's more likely to
drown you than save you."
"Oh
you conniving little-!" Poseidon glared.
"Heh,"
Athena smirked at his anger.
Naruto nodded to that and the goddess gained a small smile.
Athena stopped walking and grabbed a book from the shelf. She offered it
to Naruto and he took it. "The main reason I have come to you, Naruto, is
because I wanted to see what my son's child with Aphrodite was like on a
firsthand basis."
"My
invading his dreams," Hermes nodded.
Naruto looked at the book in his hands. "This is the book Anna-oba
has!"
"I would hope so, this library is a projection of all the things I
have knowledge of," Athena said.
"Oh
my gods!" Annabeth gasped, she wanted to see it, oh she just had to!
"...You've got a lot of time on your hands."
"Immortality has its boons," Athena said. She tapped the cover
of the book in his hands. "In this are Minato's strategies in the Third
War, his policies in government, and his greatest achievements documented by
myself. When you awake, and return to camp, I want you to study it
thoroughly."
"Oh
no, not a pop quiz!" Percy said in horror.
"That's a lot of studying," Naruto said under his breath as he
flipped through the book. "I don't suppose you have some copies to send to
us. I have a trick that lets me learn things faster."
"I'm aware of it. I want them to continue the usual studies. You
personally must study this one." Athena gave him a stern glare that had
Naruto nodding somberly.
"While
the clones are all well and good, to personally do it is far greater in the
end," Athena nodded.
She let up on her glare just slightly. "Good. You are a smart boy,
Naruto. Minato would be proud of you."
"What
father wouldn't be?" Aphrodite smiled softly.
"I know," Naruto said, smiling. He closed the book and offered
it back to Athena. She did not take it, instead looked outside the nearby
window. He followed her gaze and saw distant dark clouds rolling in.
"Zeus is aware that I am manipulating your dream, he's honing in on
me," Athena said.
"I
know the feeling," Hephaestus nodded in agreement.
She looked back at Naruto, her brilliant grey meeting his bright blue.
"Olympus is closed to the world, Naruto, but I have a feeling that more of
us will push for Zeus to open it once more.
Eyes
turned to Zeus, who glared right back.
One last piece of advice; beware Jason Grace. He cannot be trusted."
"Hey,"
Jason frowned as the Romans frowned. Hera did as well at the slight to her
champion.
Athena
sniffed, it was sound advice for her legacy.
"What? Why not?" Naruto asked, frowning. Sure, Jason was a son
of Zeus and was probably falling for his sister,
Jason
flushed as Piper smiled brightly at that.
but there wasn't anything really bad or untrustworthy about him.
"Exactly,"
Jason nodded.
"Trust me, Naruto. Jason Grace is not to be trusted. Not
with your secrets or with Minato's. Especially Minato's. Keep your father's
work safe," Athena said.
"Yeah,
Romans getting ninja strategies would not be good while we're
in-fighting," Annabeth nodded in agreement since she didn't trust Jason at
first either.
The booms of thunder got louder and the world around him started to
darken significantly.
Naruto watched as Athena seemed to fade away. "Wait! Athena! What's
happening that's caused Zeus to close Olympus? Why can't I trust Jason, you're
not making any sense!"
"Be wise in your coming battles, Naruto Uzumaki."
"Athena!" Naruto sat up. There was a sharp beeping and Naruto
winced, looking down at himself and finding a smock covering his body and cords
hanging on the outside of his eyes. He reached up and grabbed the sensors that
were sticking to his forehead, peeling them off with a groan. When that was
done, he reached into his smock and did the same thing to the ones on his
chest.
"He's
in a hospital huh." Apollo rubbed his chin.
"After
that fight, I would think so," Hermes told him.
Then a flat line appeared on the machine and within moments a few nurses
rushed into the room.
"Sir! You need to lay back down," one said.
"Not happening," Naruto said, grabbing the IV in his arm and
pulling it out. A queasy feeling overcame him as he looked at the needle and he
quickly tossed it out of his hand. Naruto looked around. "Where are my
clothes?"
"Sweetie,
you don't need them."
"Mom,
stop it."
"We can't give them to you yet. You need to be released by your
guardian," the nurse said. "Sir, you need to lay back down! You have
a concussion and we have some very troubling readings from the machine."
"Lady, trust me, I'm fine," Naruto said, jumping off of the bed
and stumbling before the nurse helped him get back to his feet. "Ugh...I
feel like I'm going to puke."
"I told you to lay back down. Concussions are no joke. I'll go tell
the man who brought you in that you're awake," she said, helping him back
to the bed.
"Who
brought him?" Frank asked.
"Maybe…my
dad?" Piper guessed, it was possible.
"Good. I need to have a few words with him." Naruto glared at
one nurse who grabbed the IV. "Get that away from me."
"That's not..." The nurse was quieted and all of them hurried
out when Naruto repeated himself.
"Charmspeak
at its finest," Aphrodite giggled.
When they were gone, he flopped back down to the bed and held his head.
"Where the hell have you been!?"
"Not so loud...headache..." Naruto groaned and squeezed his
eyes shut.
"I've been trying to wake you up for an hour now!"
"Got lost...Had to talk to...'thena..."
"Lost
in his own head," Nico snickered.
"Just settle in then. I don't like that she can separate
us."
"Believe me, I know," Naruto said, frowning a bit.
"You know what?" Naruto looked over to see Piper's dad walk in,
his wrists bandaged.
Piper
smiled but soon paled, he still remembered!
"Nothing, just talking to myself," Naruto said. He scooted up
in his bed to sit and looked at the man. "So...you brought me here?"
"After your...clones vanished I was afraid something happened to
you," he said. He walked forward and offered his hand. "I never
properly thanked you for saving my life. Tristan McLean."
"Go
dad," Piper smiled once again as Aphrodite sighed a little.
Naruto smiled and took the offered hand. "Naruto Uzumaki. I'm
a...friend of Piper's."
"Do you know where she is?" Tristan asked, looking a bit
worried.
Naruto shook his head. "We got separated on a field trip. She's been
worried sick about you."
"Like
you wouldn't believe," the charmspeaker frowned.
"She was never in danger then," Tristan said. He scowled.
"Jane is so fired."
Piper
cackled.
"Who?" Naruto asked, playing dumb.
"My assistant. She's the one that told me Piper was being held
hostage. I used the same cover for the authorities after you were brought in,
but...when I get through with her..."
"Hey, the important thing is that you're safe and Piper's safe.
There's no reason to bring violence into it," Naruto said. He grinned and
winced. "Trust me. Violence can only solve so much."
"Lies!"
Ares cried out.
Tristan sighed and sat down in the chair next to the bed. "I suppose
you're right. I was just so worried. I never wanted to send her to that damn
school either."
"Why did you send her?" Naruto asked. He hadn't heard a lot
about his sister's past, but he knew she didn't like the school.
"She was stealing things constantly, and then was trying to play it
off like she hadn't," Tristan said.
"Not
my fault," Piper crossed her arms, looking at her smiling mother.
"Sounds like that charm-language."
Naruto nodded in agreement to Kurama. "Well, did you ever think
about why she did it?"
"The doctor said she was a kleptomaniac," Tristan said.
"She tried to swipe one of his plaques."
Naruto rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Mr. McLean, I'm an orphan and
trust me when I say Piper is not a thief. I've had a...a not too pleasant past
and regret a few things I've done, but some things I did and got in trouble for
was because I wanted people to look at me and notice me."
"Piper,
is this true?" Leo frowned at her, getting the girl in question to roll
her eyes.
"Ha
ha, Leo."
"I
try, Beauty Queen."
"You think Piper was doing this...for attention?" Tristan
asked.
"If I had a dad that was always busy, I'd want to get his attention
somehow," Naruto said. He smiled lightly at the thought of being on the
receiving end of his father's stern look after a prank while his dad sat behind
the Hokage desk, still in his prime. That would have been nice.
"It's
not nice," Hermes and Apollo said as Zeus glared at them.
Tristan rubbed his face. "Oh, I should've seen it. I made it worse
by shipping her off to school without even considering it. She must hate
me."
"No,
dad, I could never," Piper said with a frown at him even thinking that.
"I don't think it's possible for Piper to hate you." Naruto
chuckled at the idea.
Tristan smiled again. "Thank you. A lot of things make sense, but I
still have some questions-"
A sharp tapping at the window cut him off and they turned to look at it.
Naruto beamed when he saw the reason why.
"Miu!"
"Geez,
got a GPS on her or what?" Leo whistled.
"It's
that bond thing," Nico pointed out.
"Still
weird."
The eagle tapped urgently at the window again and he slowly got out of
bed, ignoring the throbbing in his head as he did. He went to the window and
slid it open. The golden eagle fluttered in and rested on the bed, looking at
Tristan curiously before dipping her head, as if she were accepting his
presence. Naruto went back to the bed and lightly stroked Miu's beak. "Boy
are you a sight for sore eyes. I'm so glad you're okay, Miu."
The eagle chirped and nuzzled against his hand, crooning at his touch.
"I take it you know this eagle?" Tristan asked.
"Yeah, Miu's probably my best friend here," Naruto said,
smiling as he continued to stroke Miu's beak and let her settle into a perch on
his leg. He feared the worst when Lyacon had thrown her through the fire.
"Indeed,"
Zeus frowned.
"Right, Miu?"
"My father would think you have some sort of spiritual connection
with her," Tristan said, having a distant look on his face.
"You
could say that," Piper giggled at just how right her father was.
"Something like that," Naruto said, lightly stroking the
feathers on the back of Miu's head with a smile on his face. He looked down at
Miu's leg and found a rolled up piece of paper tied around it. "What's
this?"
Miu let him untie the note and went back to cleaning her feathers,
satisfied that Naruto had given her enough attention. Naruto unrolled the paper
and read the note aloud. "'Naruto. Quest done. Full story later. Need to
come in. Urgent...Piper.'"
"Wait,
we don't get to read how awesome we were?!" Leo gasped, "So not
fair!"
"We
know what happened, Leo." Jason told him.
"Not
the same!" the Latino pouted with a grumpy look.
"Piper?" Tristan asked. He rushed out of the room before Naruto
could stop him. Naruto looked at Miu with a sigh.
"Great. Now how am I going to get out of here?" Naruto asked
her. Miu tilted her head before she resumed cleaning her feathers. Naruto
chuckled. "Thanks for the advice. On my own, huh?"
Naruto eyed the window with a grin on his face.
"He's
going to jump!" Hazel pointed out in mock horror.
"Get
the firefighters!" Leo exclaimed.
Piper looked nervously back to where Jason, Hedge and Leo were hanging
out by a smoothie shop. After they had saved Juno and she had brought Jason
back from death with her charmspeak,
"Thanks
for that," Jason smiled at Piper.
"No
problem, Sparky," She kissed his cheek.
they had obeyed Juno's advice to follow the eagle. Leo had built a rather
impressive and intricate go-cart that ran on his heat from the remains of his
helicopter.
"I'm
awesome like that," the pyro grinned.
They followed Miu to Highland Emergency. Miu found a scrap of paper and
dropped it in Piper's hands, which she interpreted as writing a message for
Naruto.
"Pipes!"
Piper looked to the front door and her heart stopped for half a second.
Her dad was alive. Naruto did it. He saved her dad. She was worried that her
dad would be in the hospital in a coma or something or worse, Naruto would be
dead along with her dad.
"So
little faith in your big brother," Aphrodite frowned.
"I
was worried," Piper argued with a pout. She was glad they were both safe.
She took a few steps before she was pulled into the tightest hug she's
ever been in.
"Dad!" she finally said, wrapping her arms around his neck and
hugging him back.
"I'm sorry," He said. It was so soft that Piper barely managed
to hear it. "I'm so sorry, Pipes. If I had known..."
"Dad, it's okay," Piper said. She pulled away and her dad
reluctantly let her feet touch the ground again. "You were tricked by
Jane, but you're safe. The giants won't hurt you anymore."
"Oh
yeah," Piper nodded.
"Piper, I'm not talking about that," her dad said. He put his
hands on her shoulders. "I'm sorry for never believing you."
"What?" Piper asked, blinking in surprise.
"All those times you were caught stealing...you aren't a thief.
You're a neglected child, and I'm so sorry I put you through that," he
said.
"Aww,"
Aphrodite sighed, like something melted in her ribcage.
His thumb brushed across her cheek and he smiled at her. "You're my
daughter, Piper. Never forget that first and foremost I am your father. I love
you."
"I...I love you too, dad," Piper said, biting her lip. The
potion in her pocket felt like lead.
"Oh
yeah it would," Piper frowned.
She hated what she had to do, especially after what they just went
through. "Dad...I...I need you to do something for me..."
"What is it, Pipes?" Tristan asked.
Piper bit on her lip. "Dad...I need you to-"
"Look out below!"
Piper looked up and gaped as from a window on the far right, about six
stories up, fell a very familiar blond. Naruto landed with a crash atop a very
expensive looking car, driving the roof inward.
"That
poor Maserati!" the guys exclaimed with pained looks.
Piper ran to the car and a few people started to follow.
"Is he all right!?" Tristan asked, coming up alongside Piper.
Naruto groaned and sat up, popping his back into place.
"That...was probably the worst escape from a hospital I've ever
done," he said. Tristan and Piper watched him climb off the car with wide
eyes. He stretched his arms above him and groaned. "Oh, yeah that feels
better."
"He's
fine folks," Nico nodded, yeah, that wouldn't freak anyone out.
"Sir! Sir are you alright!?" A doctor asked, running up to
them.
"I'm fine...aside from a splitting headache, but that'll go away in
a bit," Naruto said. He smiled at Piper and Tristan. "Hey Imouto! Mr.
McLean. Ready to go?"
"He's
not that good at, you know, being discreet, is he?" Hazel laughed
awkwardly.
"Not
that I can see." Reyna stated.
"...You...What am I going to do with you, Naruto?" Piper asked,
rubbing her head. She had to give her dad the medicine now. Before he goes
insane like Jason's mom.
"He's
doing far better," Thalia said in a snide tone as Jason frowned a little.
"You can clone yourself, beat up giants, glow like the Human Torch
and survive falls from six stories," Tristan said. He put his hand on
Naruto's shoulder and led him away along with Piper. "Come on, before the
news gets here."
"He's
taking it rather well," Annabeth admitted and Piper frowned. If he gave
him some time…could he still have remembered? Great, now she was stuck with a
huge what-if.
It took a while for him to get his clothes back, but Naruto eventually
did thanks to Tristan. Who knew that being rich and famous and having access to
the best lawyers around could be so useful?
"Has
its perks," Piper shrugged.
Naruto readjusted his coat and then whistled, letting Miu roost on his
shoulder once again. He looked at Piper, who was talking softly with her dad in
a booth in the smoothie shop.
"So, how'd your fight go?" Leo asked. The son of Hephaestus was
tinkering with his Boom Stick.
Leo
rubbed his chin, he needed to make that.
"Piper said you were going to deal with Enchilada, letting us get to
Juno."
"Huh? Oh, yeah...it went okay," Naruto said. He thought about
what Athena told him and frowned a bit. He really could've gotten through that
fight if he hadn't frozen up. That killing intent combined with sage mode,
though...It was too much, his instincts took over.
"Empathic
weakness," Aphrodite sighed as Athena frowned at that.
"Just okay? No details?" Leo asked.
"Pah, whatever," Hedge said. He was chewing on an aluminum can.
"Bet the blond idiot could barely move. Enceladus is a smart
bastard."
"Why
that little-" Athena glared, how dare he say that about her legacy!
"I didn't do that bad, throw rug," Naruto said, scowling at the
satyr. He looked back into the smoothie store and saw Piper pull a vial out of
her pocket and pour the contents into her dad's smoothie when he wasn't
looking.
"Slick,"
Hermes said, giving a thumbs up to Piper as she frowned.
He then glanced at Jason. "Do you still have the rest of the
potion?"
"Yeah, why? You're not hurt are you? And I've got my memories
back," Jason said. He looked like it, like he was trying to sort through
it all. It blew Naruto's mind; Jason wasn't Greek, he was Roman. That explained
a lot, but it made him wonder why Athena wanted him to be careful around him.
"Wait
until I tell him that story," Annabeth sighed, that was going to be a
problem. Gods know how her siblings were edgy with Jason around the first few
months. They eventually eased up on him, but were still guarded all the same.
"Just give me the vial, flyboy," Naruto said. Jason shrugged
and pulled it out of his pocket. He was amazed that the vial hadn't broken in
all the fights and crashes that they had gone through. The son of Jupiter gave
the vial to Naruto and the blond nodded. Naruto set his staff against his seat
and prompted Miu to save his spot. He missed his staff. It would've come in
handy against Enceladus. He carried the vial with him as he went inside.
"Piper, I can't believe you left your school!" Tristan was now
chewing Piper out like she had done something wrong and she looked miserable
for it.
"That
didn't happen," Piper winced.
"Wow, he sounds pissed."
Naruto agreed under his breath and ducked into the bathroom, using the
Henge to appear like an overexcited fanboy. He ran back out and right at the
McLean's table.
"Ooh,
nice one," Hermes snickered as Aphrodite frowned a little. But Piper was
greatly interested now.
"Mr. McLean! Mr. McLean! Oh my gosh!" Naruto bumped against the
table and knocked Tristan's smoothie to the floor. "Oh no! I'm so sorry,
here, let me make it up to you and buy you another!"
"No it's...Fine..."
Naruto left before Tristan could finish. He went to the counter and
ordered a small cherry smoothie. Paying the cashier, Naruto then went to the
side counter and emptied the rest of the vial into the smoothie before
recapping it, grabbing some napkins as he did. He set the smoothie in front of
Tristan and asked for an autograph. Tristan gave him a death glare but sighed
and did it anyway.
"He's
cool like that," the daughter of love smiled.
Naruto smiled and left, going to the bathroom and undoing the Henge. He
walked back out and went to a nearby table to watch his magic happen.
Tristan rubbed his head. "Piper...I...We'll talk about this
later."
He took the treat set before him and, after replacing the straw with a
new one, took a sip. Naruto grinned as he saw the fog lift from his eyes.
"Yes,"
Piper beamed, now she was super curious to deal with her dad knowing who and
what she was.
Tristan blinked a few times before coughing. The cold smoothie must have
counteracted with the burning properties of the healing agent.
"Pipes...What...Did you just try to drug me?" Tristan asked,
setting the drink down.
"Busted!"
Leo snickered as Piper paled.
"W-what? Why would I do that, Dad?" Piper looked terrified at
the thought and a bit ashamed.
"I
was." The girl nodded.
"You did! Piper..." Tristan frowned at his daughter and put his
hand on hers. "You slipped something into my last smoothie, didn't
you?"
"Dad, I just..."
"Piper, don't you trust me?"
"I do, but-but mom said that you'd be unable to handle it and-and
you might go crazy and she wanted to be a bittersweet memory..."
"I
did," Aphrodite pouted, it was how she rolled.
"Piper." Tristan stopped her with a word. "No matter what,
all your mother will be is a bittersweet memory. I can never hate her, though.
She gave me you. I told you before, you're my daughter. From
now on, you will be first priority. And if the studios don't like it, then
tough."
"I
really wish I didn't give him that potion," the head of cabin ten sighed.
Naruto grinned and left the smoothie store, giving Piper a wink when he
caught her eye.
"Drug her own lover into a peaceful bliss at the extent of her
daughter's peace...I never knew Kushina had it in her."
"Kushina doesn't." Naruto walked out of the store with a smirk
plastered on his face. "Aphrodite does. And she should know that for me,
no matter what, family comes first."
"Heh,"
Artemis smirked at her rival's own child rebuking her wishes.
Naruto looked up at the sky, the clouds overhead shifted a bit to look
like the proud face of a bearded man and he squinted his eyes.
"Zeus?"
"Nope,"
Aphrodite smiled as Zeus scowled.
"Where?" Jason asked, looking up. Naruto watched the clouds
separate slowly as the passed over the sun.
"I thought I saw...Must've been my imagination." Naruto shook
his head and reclaimed his seat, Miu reclaiming his shoulder as her roost.
"So, tell me flyboy. What was your sister like?"
"She was hot."
Thalia
glared at Leo, but he just grinned, "Can't lie on that one."
"Truth."
Apollo nodded, getting a glare from his twin.
"Leo!"
"Who's
next?" Aphrodite asked the rest.
"I
will," Hera smiled since her moment was coming no doubt.