73Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto nor Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. I am just a lowly writer with too much time in my hands.
Warning: This is a sequel story. Read Child of the Moon: The Lightning Thief before you read this story.
Chapter 9
Leto gazed over the window overlooking the ocean. She had just sent Naruto on his way with her power. Just then, thunder rumbled around her.
"Why? Am I bound by the laws that you gods have to follow?" Leto said aloud.
Thunder boomed even louder.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," She waved the thunder off. "It's bad enough I have to stay in exile all by myself."
More thunder came.
"Oh put a sock in it, Zeus. I don't have to follow your stupid rules. I am free to do anything I want!"
Leto's argument with the thunderclap continued. The God of the sky stopped. Maybe Poseidon had made him see sense. (Yeah, like that could happen.) Or maybe Hera had found out who Zeus was trying to send the message to. Either way, Leto was left alone by herself in her usual peace and quiet.
Leto sighed, "Gods…"
She returned her gaze back to the ocean. "Be careful, my boy…"
C.C.'s Spa and Resort
Naruto's perception of Spas and Resorts was a relaxing time away from all the stress and worry, even just for a little while. He should know; he, himself, loved going to places like this. Though, right in front of him was pure and utter chaos.
All around them, the docks and buildings were on fire. Pirates were chasing ladies around and pillaging any loot they can get their hands on. To add to that, Naruto could sense traces of Naruto and Annabeth on this island.
A tick mark was forming on Naruto's forehead.
"I have a good guess on who caused this mayhem." Naruto said aloud.
He raised his arms to form a cross in front of his chest with his fingers.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" He yelled.
Poofs of smoke appeared right behind him. Another round of clones came to existence.
"Spread out and take care of this stupid pirates." Naruto ordered.
"Hai!" The clones answered and everyone, including the original, headed out.
The original made his way through the chaos which were taken care off by his army of clones. He came across one of the pirates stalking over one of the women like she was his prey.
The first thing Naruto noticed about this pirate was the aura of a demigod. No, no, no, scrap that. The first thing he noticed was the huge mop of black beard on his face.
"Let me guess, Blackbeard the Pirate. I didn't figure you for a man who takes vacations." Naruto said. stopping the pirate from what he was doing.
"Yarrr. The name's Edward, son of Ares. I'm surprised you've heard off me even though I was stuck on this here island." Blackbeard said.
"Well, your exploits weren't what you call 'subtle,'" Naruto anwered.
"Turn away now, kid and let me get a taste of this flesh." Blackbeard licked his lips as he eyed the woman's supple form. "Or else, I'll turn you into chopped lettuce."
"What?"
"Curse that sorceress. I've been a guinea pig for far too long."
"Guinea pig?"
"That's a long story, boy. I suggest you turn away, right this instant and leave me be."
"I can't let you do that. You better step away from the young lady or I'll turn YOU into chopped lettuce."
"You don't look like much. Do your words even hold any merit?"
"Why should you care? You don't seem like much yourself. "
Blackbeard turned to face the blonde. He brandished his big sword.
"Fool, you don't know who you're dealing with. I am Edward Teach, son of Ares." Blackbeard boasted.
Naruto waved off his boast and gave out a boast of his own. "Big deal, I went toe to toe with your dad just last year."
"Why you little–"
The pirate was the one who made the first move. He lunged forward for a stab. The blonde cocked his head to the right to avoid the pointed end, and then he grabbed the pirate's wrist.
"I don't need jutsu to finish you off." Naruto said.
"What are you–" Blackbeard said with a confused look on his face.
Naruto didn't answer. Instead, he twisted the pirate's wrist; a cracking sound could be heard earning a scream from the owner. The blonde pulled the pirate towards himself, and then he raised his knee and planted it on the bearded man's gut.
The attack raised him a few inches from the ground. Naruto let him go and planted a roundhouse kick on the pirate sending him flying towards the wall. Being that they were made of wood, the pirate went through the wall and into the ocean.
Naruto turned to the lady watching him in awe.
"That was close," Naruto offered a hand to help her up. "Glad I made it in time."
"Th-thank you," The lady blushed at the blondes actions. "Who are you?"
"The name's Naruto! Pleased to meet you!" The said blonde introduced himself.
The lady's eyes lit up. "You're him! You're the Son of Artemis, the one from a whole different world!"
"Wait, you know me?"
"Yes! Word of you has spread all around the godly world ever since your victories over the Mother of Monsters and the God of War last year. Even you victory over the greatest sea monster has reached has here, though it was only recently. My mistress, Circe, was even impressed by you."
"Gee… Thanks…Wait a minute, did you say Circe?"
The lady nodded. "Yes, yes I did."
"As in the immortal daughter of Hecate and the one Odysseus met during his long trip home? The one who turns men into pigs?" Naruto looked around. The blonde didn't fancy being turned into a pig right now. He still had a quest to finish and friends to find.
"The very same. This resort belongs to her, you know, but we don't turn the men in to pigs anymore." She leaned over to whisper to the blonde's ear. "We would have problems about sewage, and the stench would make it hard to relax."
She returned to her position and continued in her normal voice. "So, men who across the island are turned into guinea pigs, while the women are given a life of luxury and are bound to this island."
"So that's what Blackbeard was talking about!" Naruto said, and then he raised his finger to his cheek and scratched it. "Say, I don't suppose your mistress is here, is she?"
The lady shook her head. "No, she disappeared after the boy and the girl caused that ruckus and released our prisoners."
Naruto widened his eyes. "Is the boy black haired and has sea green eyes, and the girl blonde with grey eyes?"
"I didn't really see the boy. He was already turned into a guinea pig by then. But, I did see the girl and she was exactly how you described."
"I knew it!"
"Are they friends of yours?"
"I'm sorry my friends caused this. You and the other girls call this place your home and they wrecked it."
Tears began falling from the girl's eyes. "We have to find new place to live in now."
Naruto patted her on the head. "There, there, everything will be alright. My clones are rounding up all the survivors on the island."
"Really?"
"Of course!"
The girl wiped the tears from her eyes and jumped the blonde wrapping him in a hug. Naruto was surprised at first, but he returned the hug and stroked the girl's head.
"Why do I get the feeling like someone would get jealous about this?" Naruto thought to himself.
"You know, for a girl who lived in an island where boys are turned into guinea pigs, you certainly do not mind giving a hug to one."
The girl's eyes realized this and quickly unwrapped Naruto revealing a tomato red face.
Naruto chuckled at that.
"Oh how rude of me," The girl said getting back her composure. "I haven't introduced myself. My name's Reyna!"
"Pleased to meet you!" Naruto shook her hand.
The clothes on the girl were slowly falling off now, so the girl struggled to keep them on. Naruto averted his gaze in respect to the girl.
"I almost forgot that good for nothing pirate almost tore off my clothes!" Reyna squeaked.
Naruto dug into his pouch, and he produced a scroll. He unrolled the scroll, and then focused chakra onto the seal written in the scroll. With a poof o smoke, a clean set of clothes appeared on his hand much to the amazement of the girl.
"Here," The blonde handed them to Reyna. "I do hope they would fit you."
Naruto turned around to allow some privacy for the girl to change. A few minutes later, the girl was done.
"I'm done! You can look now!"
Naruto turned around to look at the girl. She was wearing Naruto's favourite orange shirt from camp which was a little too big for her. The pants were falling off, but she remedied them with a make shift belt.
"Sorry, I guess they're too big for you." Naruto apologized.
"Don't worry about it. At least it's covering me up!" Reyna replied.
"That's a relief! My clones are probably done rounding up the others." The blonde continued. "Come on let's go meet them!"
Naruto didn't let go of the Reyna's hand along the way as he led her towards the others.
When they got there, one of the other girls noticed Naruto and Reyna heading their way and ran towards them. Reyna noticed the girl running towards them. She let go of Naruto's hand and ran toward the girl running towards them.
"Reyna!" The other girl yelled as she ran towards them.
"Hylla!" Reyna called back.
Reyna broke away from Naruto and ran towards the girl. The two shared an embrace when they got next to each other.
"I thought I'd lost you!" Hylla said aloud as she caressed Reyna's hair.
The two girls broke their embrace and faced the blonde.
Hylla bowed her head. "I thank you for coming to our aid."
Naruto waved her off. "Oh, it's nothing. It's the least I can do after my friends caused you all this carnage."
"You'll never guess who this is, Hylla!" Reyna cut in.
"Yes, I know. His clone told us about it." Hylla said.
Reyna puffed her cheeks. "You're no fun."
"I couldn't have stopped all the pirates by myself you know." Naruto said. "Although, since I used the Kage Bunshin, you could say I still did it by myself…" He mumbled that last part to himself.
"What?" The two girls asked together.
"Oh, it's nothing. I was just musing to myself." Naruto scratched the back of his head like he always did.
The two girls looked at each other, and then shrugged.
"Anyway," Naruto changed the subject. "Let's get you girls out of here."
The three joined the other girls in the Resort's courtyard.
"So did I get to everyone on time?" Naruto asked the rest of the girls.
There were nods from the girls gathered and shouts of praises and thank you's. Naruto thought to himself. The small sailing vessel he came on the island wouldn't fit on it. Not to mention that it wouldn't survive Charybdis and Scylla when they get out of the Sea of Monsters.
An idea popped up in Naruto's head.
"Quick question," Naruto asked. "Do any of you want to join my mom's hunt?"
Murmurs could be heard from the girls gathered. Most of them still wanted have love lives of their own. Some even eyed the blonde like he was the one they wanted a relationship with. In the end, only five of them stepped forward.
"I know it's not my place to invite you to join, but once you get to my mother's camp. You can tell her your intentions." Naruto explained.
"So, just give me a sec to call out for my mother."
Naruto closed his eyes in prayer. He called out to his mother in his mind. For a moment there, Naruto thought that nobody would answer him. Just then, a bright light appeared beside the blonde.
The blonde's face lit up once he sensed the new presence arriving at the scene.
A middle-aged man with a muscular, athletic figure appeared in the vicinity. The man had salt-and-pepper hair, blue eyes, elfish features that he had seen back at a particular cabin at camp. There was a sly grin plastered on her face, like he was up to something. He was wearing nylon shorts and a New york Marathon shirt. He was checking messages on a watch he had on his left hand.
Naruto's expression dropped when he saw who appeared. The man looked up and saw Naruto's crestfallen expression.
"Sorry, kid. Just a messenger this time." The man said.
"It's okay, Lord Hermes. It's not your fault. Just thought that mom would come this time since it was the girls we are talking about." Naruto told the god.
"Your mother is probably out hunting as usual. She's never around Olympus whenever I'm there." Hermes answered.
"But your jobs as gods keep you away all of the time too." Naruto sighed.
"Right," Hermes chuckled. "Anyway, you need to transport these young ladies to your mother's camp, yes?"
"Yes please, Lord Hermes."
"All righty then."
Hermes was about to snap his fingers when Reyna called out.
"Wait!" Reyna yelled. "I didn't get to properly thank you for helping us."
Grumbles could be heard from the crowd. They were mostly berating themselves for not speaking up like she did.
"Oh that's okay. I'm not looking for anything in return." Naruto said.
"No, no, that won't do. I guess I'll have to owe you a favour. But this will do for now." Reyna said, and then she leaned over to kiss the blonde on the cheek.
Naruto blushed bright red at her actions. Jealous glares were sent to Reyna because of what she did. The blonde was in a daze for a while but he remembered that he still had to track down his friends.
"Say, I don't suppose you saw where the two dunderheads went, did you?" Naruto asked.
"Oh your friends? No, sorry." Reyna answered.
"Oh, you mean the two who caused this whole mess?" A random girl asked from the crowd.
"Yes, why don't I come with you and show you where they went." The girl said seductively.
"Oh no you don't Kinzie," The other girls pulled her back.
"You can just point at the direction they went. It's bad enough that Reyna got to make a move on him." Another girl said.
"Pft, fine." Kinzie said. "They were headed over in that direction. They took the Queen Anne's Revenge, I think."
"Thank you for that." Naruto said.
"Okay, that's enough, lover boy." Hermes said. "You've made me miss one appointment. Let's get these girls to your mother's camp."
"Thank you again!" All of the girls said.
"I'll see you around!" Naruto bid them farewell with a small salute. "And say hi to my mom when you get there!"
Hermes snapped his fingers and the girls started to glow brightly.
"Don't forget. I owe you one, whenever we see each other again!"
"And be careful of the siren's lair!"
The light engulfed the ladies and soon they were gone.
"I best be on my way, son of Artemis, before more appointments get cancelled." Hermes started to take his leave.
Naruto bowed. "Thank you for your assistance, Lord Hermes."
"It was my pleasure."
The messenger god then continued his jog and soon disappeared in the next room.
It was night time now. The stars were visible in the night sky now that they were far away from what you call modern civilization. Although, he was still bummed that he didn't see his mom when the ladies at the resort needed some transport, so he wasn't in the mood to look for constellations. The moonlight glowed brightly as he sailed through the waters of the Sea of Monsters, like a silent apology from the moon goddess for not seeing her son at this moment.
The original kept watch for any sign of his friend even at night. He travelled the same direction that Kinzie had seen her friends head towards.
In the darkness of the night, the flames from what Naruto assumed was a forge could be seen lighting up the night even from a considerable distance.
"If that is what I think it is, Annabeth would avoid that one, but at what direction." Naruto said to no one in particular.
"How about we try this way?" One of his clones suggested pointing away from the forge.
"Sure why noo–" Naruto said, but let out a huge yawn.
"You must be tired." Another one of the clones said.
"Yeah, you've got us to count on, dattebayo." Yet another said.
"I guess you're right." The original Naruto answered. "Thanks guys!"
"Don't mention it!"
"That's why you got us!"
"Leave it to us!"
Those were the answers his clones said to him as he curled up in the corner to go to sleep. Little did he know, Morpheus had something to show him as he rested.
*DREAMSCAPE*
When Naruto came to, he was in yet another room that he didn't recognize. It was a stateroom that seemed to be aboard some kind of ship. He could feel the vessel slowly sailing through ocean waters.
"Geez, what is with me waking up in rooms I never seen before." Naruto said to himself.
He examined the room. It was dark, but a golden sarcophagus glowed inside the room. In the wall behind it, the wall was painted purple and a fairly large golden triangle was plastered in the middle.
Suddenly, cold laughter could be heard coming from miles below the ship echoed through the whole room.
Join me, Son of Artemis. Help me overthrow the gods and I will give you redemption for the quest you failed back in your home world.
Naruto knew full well who was coaxing him. He was about to answer, but wind swirled around him and a new familiar voice called out behind him.
"(Naruto! Over here!)" The voice called out in the language of the Elemental Nations
Naruto turned around. Right there was his old team. Sakura was waving at him with another hand to her mouth calling out to him. Sasuke was there with his hands in his pockets.
"(Hmmp, aren't you the one always excited for missions?)" The Uchiha said.
Another voice spoke from behind him.
"(Sorry I'm late everyone. I got lost in the path of life.)" It was Kakashi, their team captain.
Isn't this what you wanted? For your friend to go back home to the village you call home. For everything to go back the way they used to be.
The voice willed the scenery to continue.
"(You're late again, Kakashi-sensei!)" Sakura scolded their mentor. "(Lord Fourth will be mad at us when we get there.)"
"L-lord Fourth?" Naruto asked in confusion. "D-dad?"
Yes, boy. I can give you the life that you have always dreamed of. The family you've been longing ever since your childhood.
The scenery shifted. They were now standing the Hokage's office. Sitting on the Hokage's chair was a different person. He looked like Naruto, except without the silver streaks on the hair. He was wearing a standard Konoha uniform and a flak jacket over it. Over his current attire, he was wearing a white short-sleeved long kaori closed in the front with a thin orange rope. The kaori was decorated with flame-like patterns on the edges and the kanji 四代目火影 (read as Yondaime Hokage or Fourth Hokage in English) written vertically down the back.
"(Naruto, I know you're excited as usual to go on this mission, but you have to focus and work with your team.)" The Fourth Hokage reminded Naruto. "
"(D-dad?)" Naruto managed to stutter out.
"(Naruto, are you listening?)" The Fourth Hokage asked again.
Naruto opened his mouth to answer, but someone knocked on the door.
"(Minato, can I come in?)" A female voice said from the other side.
"(Oh, yes. Come on in.)" Minato said.
The door creaked open revealing the owner of the voice. The voice came from a slender, fair woman with fiery red hair that reached up to her waist. She wore a high-collared, sleeveless blouse under a long, green, loose-fitting dress with a wristband on her left wrist and standard shinobi sandals on her feet. She carried two bento lunches wrapped in a handkerchief.
"(M-mom…)" Naruto managed to blurt out.
"(Oh, Kushina. What brings you here?)" Minato asked.
The others in the room, save for Naruto, bowed to the newcomer and said. "Kushina-sama."
"(You two were so eager to get out of the house that you forgot your lunches.)" Kushina explained. "(It was a good thing I was able to catch up with you Naruto)"
Minato scratched the back of his head just like Naruto does. "(Oh right, thank you.)"
The creepy voice willed the scene to pause at this moment.
The life you never had the chance to live. I can give it you if you join me. Help me destroy the gods.
Naruto walked up to the image of his friends and family.
Naruto…It's time to wake up
Another voice spoke to Naruto's ear. It was calming and comforting. Way different from the creepy voice that was coaxing him to join his side.
*END OF DREAM*
Naruto bolted upright. It was morning already. The boat was now empty; all his clones were gone. There was something stuck to his ears somehow that obstructed his hearing. Naruto looked around.
A few miles away, he saw something that looked like a pirate ship.
"That must be Blackbeard's ship." Naruto said to himself.
He steered his boat towards the pirate ship. His eyes never left the Queen Anne's Revenge as his own vessel drew closer.
What he saw next made him understand why his hearing was obstructed.
A girl jumped from the pirate ship. No doubt it was Annabeth. She was swimming towards a misty island surrounded by jagged rocks and debris of sunken ships. He instantly knew Annabeth was in danger.
"Oh shit!" Naruto blurted out as he jumped overboard and ran towards his friend.
A/N: Hey guys! Sorry this took so long. I was honestly burned out and had to take a break. Now that I am rested, I am able write without being mental blocked. Thank you for waiting.
Enjoy!
Ja Ne!
