1,438A/N: REVIEW FOR IT FEEDS MY ENGINE OF CREATION!
A quick clarification; rather than summers, I meant winters and four rather than two. He's in his upper teens, for clarification on that matter. There are a few things to address there as well, so please don't skip over this author's note.
I'll say it again, he is not a child, despite what Kratos calls him.
Also, one or two people seem to disagree with the pairing. I'm sorry, but why the flak? Its not going to be love at first sight. The Valkyries will have a more substantial role to play of course, as will more Norse gods. The concept of Ullr, for example, fascinates me. Not to mention we have yet to see the rest of the Norse Pantheon.
And then there's the Greeks...
If Athena's still kicking, who is to say others aren't? For instance Kratos definitely didn't kill Aphrodite. One could also argue that since he never got his hands on the rest of the pantheon (i.e, Apollo, Artemis, Hestia, etc.) a few of them could be kicking about. Some with an ax to grind, others, not. I could easily imagine them being in a weakened state, but gone? No, gods don't die that easily...
Someone also asked about the rest of Kratos's gear.
Pretty sure most of it got destroyed by 'ol Zeus, excepting the Boots of Hermes. Then again, who's to say that it couldn't be repaired?
Or would they...?
Also GreatSaiyaman54 I'm afraid I can't honor your request. Putting a Rosario Vampire character in this story would be too jarring. Sorry. Also, I can't reply to you if you're anonymous mate. If you want to talk then by all means, set up an account and we can discuss things.
I MAY give Freya an adoptive daughter, but it simply cannot be her. That'd be far too jarring.
A few of ya also asked about Naruto's attire; wolf-skin hide bound with simple leather boots. Rather akin to what Atreus wears in the beginning, but pitch black. In terms of his training and whether he wields any weapons...well...read on to find out. Oh, and thanks to Dylan Millwood for first portion of this chapter. He does good work and is an excellent co-writer. He also suggested this concept, which I agreed with. After all, a story is nothing if it is not unique, no? And I aim to make this one doozy of a ride!
Its also going to be different in key aspects.
Well, I've kept you long enough.
Onward and upward I say!
Awaaaaaay~!
"When Odin sent me here, I just needed answers, but you haaaaaaaaad to act all proud.
Throw whatever you have at me; I'll keep coming, and that old body will give out.
But before I end this, I want you to know one thing...
...I Can't feel ANY of this!"
~Stranger.
Echoes
Fire.
Even as a child Naruto had never been afraid of the flames; on the contrary, the gentle warmth of the hearth both beckoned and compelled him as a boy. It had always called to him. Protected him. Shielded him. His earliest memories were of fire. Watching the world burn around him as he was carried away in pale arms. Heat seldom harmed him-one might say it he was immune to it. Call it a blessing or a curse, it was simply the truth. Even now, with his good arm thrust into the roaring flames of the pyre, the boy felt...nothing. No, wait.
He lied.
He did feel something in the flames; a dull warmth of sorts, little more than a faint tingling in his right hand. It registered it as little more than dull warmth, rather than the searing burns he should've suffered. Yet for all his resistance to the flame, he could no sooner hold it than he could her ashes. His scarred fingers curled into a fist around warm, empty air. And still the fire raged on, consuming both wood and flesh alike, leaving him unharmed.
The fire didn't bother him.
It was the cold that concerned him.
With her death, something had withered in him.
He rarely felt the chill but he did so now as he watched Mother burn on the pyre. Tongues of flame crept up across her shrouded body, slowly consuming her as surely as the illness that had taken her. In this instant he'd never felt so alone in his life. Father had taken Atreus out on a hunt, but he had chosen to stay behind and watch her body burn. Perhaps it was petty of him to linger so, but linger he did. His little brother had a good heart to be sure, but he'd never killed before and sorely needed the practice. He knew his sibling craved their sire's praise just as much as he; alas, he had yet to realize how impossible that was.
"Why did it have to be you?" he muttered, gazing into the flames. "Why couldn't it be him? Its not fair...
The fire held no answers for him.
Though he liked it not, someone had to tend to Faye's ashes; make certain they weren't scattered by a strong wind. Or so he told himself. As the embers that fed on her fading form drifted upwards and vanished, he regretted his decisions. Cursed the world for its cruelty. Their mother was gone; left to drift away into nothing more than bittersweet memories. He felt numb, lost, unsure.
Fingers clenched into fists at his side.
Anger reared its ugly head.
How he longed to have someone to curse, someone to lash out at...!
Damn the gods! Why his mother?! Why did SHE have to die?! At the thought, his anger came to a boil. Gods did nothing but take, take, take! Yet they were worthy of praise and being revered?! Bah! It was nothing but arrogance and self-entitlement! If gods were really so meant to be admired, looked up to, and held in awe and admiration, then what had they ever done to EARN it!? Sure, it was said that they had created the world, but with all that was wrong with it, that meant the world's problems were due to the failure of the gods!
And if they truly were as benevolent as some claimed...why had they allowed Mother to die?
"If this is what the aesir allow...why worship them? They're no gods...
The sheer thought of the loss of his mother, the hardness of the man he was raised by, and the fact that it happened...it roused something within a dark place inside of him, beckoning him closer with whispered oaths that he would never need feel this way again. And just as he stepped closer to it...
"If you continue down this path, you will lose much."
The boy's head jerked up and blue eyes widened.
Standing there at the pyre a peerless beauty sheathed in a crimson cloak awaited him. Her scarlet hair, held back by a shawl, matched only by her ruby eyes. She seemed to embody the flame-the hearth-itself, as though she were forged from the burning depths of Muspelheim, the Realm of Fire which was the domain of Surtr and the Fire Giants. And yet...the warmth she gave off...the heat that came from her had a quality of gentleness to it. For all her beauty, it was the shine of humility and modesty that was the source of that peerless majesty.
"What the hell, woman?! Where did you come from?!"
"Greetings." she inclined her head in spite of his shock, "I am..."
"Great...mind's playing tricks on me..." he muttered, cutting her off with a wave. "What are you, a hallucination?"
The woman sighed at his put-out remark, but rather than argue, she merely shook her head.
"Your heart mourns." she murmured, the words nearly lost in the roaring inferno of the pyre. "Nothing seems real to you now, numbed as you are with loss." his eyes never left her as she drifted around him, inspecting the roaring flames with a passing glance. "Small wonder why you dismiss me out of hand." When her words drew a growl from the blond she turned back to him, hands raised in surrender. "Peace. I merely state what I see."
A muscle jumped in the young man's jaw.
"And what do you see?" he scoffed, turning away. "You're no aesir. If you are, you have awful timing."
For the first time since they'd met, the woman's eyes lost their gentle lava glow.
"I do not associate with Odin and his brutes."
"Oh. Well, then...
Realizing he wouldn't be rid of this apparition so easily, Naruto finally relented. Turning to face the newcomer fully, he leashed his anger and composed his face into a stoic mask. If his mind was truly playing tricks on him, the least he could do was hear it out. The idea of conversing with someone, even a potential figment of his imagination, was infinitely appealing to drowning in his own sorrows. Maybe Mother's death had driven him mad; perhaps this was simply the beginning of a downward spiral he'd never recover from.
Somehow, he couldn't bring himself to care.
"What did you mean 'if I continued down this path, I will lose much'?"
The cloaked woman held her tongue.
"Well? Out with it."
"Trust must be earned and maintained young one, and I have yet to earn yours." she hesitated a moment longer beneath his icy gaze, perhaps choosing her words with care, before she finally spoke again. "Perhaps I wish to spare you pain. Perhaps I know what it is like to lose one's family to rage, sadness, and misery."
Anger still lingered on his lips.
"And why would it matter to a phantom if I did?"
"If not for your own sake, than that of those that depend on you." The woman in the flames replied, her eyes narrowing with a hint of reproach. "We both know this is true, do we not? That is reason enough."
Bitter blue eyes widened at her sharp remark only to narrow at the biting truth within. Atreus. Illusion or not, this woman's words held a kernel of truth. He did have someone to look out for; someone to set an example to. As an elder sibling to Atreus, he couldn't afford to let his own despair consume him and turn him into something else. No matter how much that rage might dampen his own feelings of loss. However easy it might be to give into grief and let those feelings drive him...he must be better. No, they must be better.
Exhaling softly, the boy breathed out, and his anger went with it.
...thank you. I think needed to hear that."
The Burning Woman smiled. "That is good to hear. You have reasons you can't afford to loose yourself. Like he did...the man you call father is a hard one; yet not without reason. His story is one I will not speak of, save for that he knows how pitiless the divine are; how they do nothing but take and demand, demand and take...and what it means to finally say enough."
He rose a brow, "And what makes you so sure about that?"
"It is...not my place to say."
As he looked on Burning Woman sighed, sagging as if a sudden weight had been thrust upon her slim shoulders. Indeed, her bright eyes almost seemed to grow dim as he looked on. Haunted. reflecting untold depths of despair, loss, and sorrow. Whomever she was, her spirit bore a deep wound. Infinitely deeper than his own. She'd lost more than family...the way she spoke made it sound as if she'd lost her world, nay, her very reason for existing. The boy wasn't sure what caused him to draw this conclusion; only that he did.
"Painful memories, eh?" he asked, earning a nod in reply. "Who are you, then? Illusion in the flames or not, I need to call you...well, something."
Great, he was taking pity on an illusion now. What the hell was wrong with him?
The woman looked up and nodded her thanks to him.
A touch of amusement flitted across her face.
"I believe you called me woman, earlier."
The boy sighed.
"Yeah, that was my old man talking." He muttered aside at the flames, "You startled me remember?"
Her expression turned pensive and for a moment, he thought she wouldn't reply.
It came as something of a shock when she did.
"Very well. My name is Hest..."
Even as she spoke the words withered on her lips. She looked past him, her eyes widening in mindless terror. Whatever she beheld behind him must've truly startled her; for it caused her to retreat without a word. As he looked on she vanished into the smoke and heat of the pyre. The naked fear in her eyes startled Naruto, but when he turned to face it he found only Father and Atreus approaching from a different path. One leading from behind the house, not the one they'd taken into the forest. Much to his chagrin, the former proved as unreadable as ever, but he was alarmed to see his brother's expression.
Atreus looked almost...sullen.
"You're back." he blinked, startled. "When did you...?"
"You are in your head again, boy."
The crushing weight of disappointment nearly stifled his response outright, but the boy somehow pushed through it.
"Sorry, sir." he muttered. "But at least the fire...?"
"What fire?"
Turning his gaze back to the flames, Naruto found only cold ashes, long since cooled by time and the elements. Not a hint of flame remained. Impossible. He Just how long had they been conversing? Had all that truly been in his head? He almost considered telling him what he'd just witnessed, but a thorn of doubt pricked at his conscience and held him back. Father already knew about the dreams, but if he learned he was seeing things during his waking hours then he might lose faith in him. Worse, he might deem him unready for the journey ahead.
Atreus, in his boundless enthusiasm, saved him from this.
"We killed a troll!"
Naruto's right eye twitched.
"Is that so, little brother?" he chuckled, mussing his sibling's hair. "All by yourself?"
Atreus colored. "Well, it was Father mostly, but I helped! I shot it in the eye."
Despite himself, the boy's lip quirked.
"Oh, I see!"
"Brother, that's a terrible joke."
Kratos merely grunted.
"Hmm. He shot well. But his anger got the better of him."
Even then, Naruto found himself reluctant to ask.
"Did you...bring me back a trophy?"
Much to his surprise, Kratos dipped a pale hand into his satchel and lobbed a small piece of broken horn in his direction. With a baffled grin the blond laughed and deftly snatched it out of the air. Tucking his newfound prize away into one of the many pouches on his personage, he beamed and secured it firmly in its new home. Rare instances like these almost warmed his heart. Almost. He'd asked more out of reflex than anything else, really. Even so, Father sometimes surprised him with small acts of kindness such as these.
Atreus tilted his head.
"Brother...you're kinda scary sometimes. What do you do with all those trophies anyway?"
Naruto shook his head.
"Its a secret." he paused then, noting his brother's taut expression. "Why the long face?"
The joy in those bright eyes dimmed somewhat.
"Father says I'm not ready."
"And you are not, Atreus." Kratos rebuked him with a harsh glance. "Go inside. I must speak with your brother. Alone."
"Father, there's no need to-
"No." he growled.
The younger boy flinched.
"But, I-
"Now."
A moment's hesitation passed between the three of them and for a fleeting instant the boy wondered if his brother would obey. Naruto offered a helpless shrug and gave Atreus's shoulder a comforting squeeze, pressing his own knife into the boy's hand. Pacified by this brief show of brotherly affection, the young archer reluctantly stomped a foot into the snow and retreated toward the homestead. Kratos didn't spare his second so much as a passing glance; instead he took a bag from his belt and began to gather Mother's ashes into the worn pouch.
Once more, silence fell over father and son.
"None disturbed her ashes?"
Naruto shook his head.
"No, sir."
"You have kept up your training, then?" he paused, briefly looking up from his task. "The spear and shield?"
Naruto nodded quietly.
"Yes."
A satisfied grunt greeted him.
"Good." his father rumbled. "You will need them on the journey ahead."
...so we're doing it? Taking her ashes to the mountain?"
Kratos merely grunted in affirmation.
Silence draped itself over them like a wet blanket after that; a pall broken only by the sound of Faye's remains being relentlessly scraped down into the bag. Even he could see that Father was fumbling, trying to find words. The boy didn't mind. He knew Kratos was a man of few words. That didn't excuse his blunt actions. So often he spoke before considering the weight of his words. Not out of spite or anger; it was simply the way he was. Father was a harsh man, forged by his past, a past neither he nor Atreus knew. Perhaps they never would. Mother had always been the soft one, the kind one, and they had been content with that.
Yet now that she was gone, each found themselves trying to understand a man neither knew.
Mother had always understood him better then they ever could.
How did you move on from that?
It was experience that prevented Naruto's heart from hardening against Kratos entirely; he at least had some measure of the man he called Father through the years. But Atreus lacked that experience. If things continued as they were, one of them would break, or worse...
"You shouldn't alienate Atreus, Father."
"He is not ready." this time, the pale warrior did not glance up from his task. "Your words will not change this."
"And I am, then?" his voice rose in protest. "You know about my...problem. Father, we can't leave him here alone. He'll hate you for it. I won't...Mother wouldn't want that."
"My decision is final-
"Mother would've understood." he muttered. "She would've let him go."
That tattooed visage turned.
"What was that?"
"I said mother would've understood!" With that his temper finally slipped its leash and he rounded on the man he called Father, eyes stinging. "But you don't! You never understand!" he gave him a hard shove, but only succeeded in stumbling backwards. "Don't you see?!" Crimson eyes glared up at the towering mountain of a man. "You're being too hard on him! Do you even care?! You don't, do you?! Did you even love-
"BOY!"
He regretted the words the moment they left his tongue.
In an instant Father loomed over him, close enough to touch.
Those dark eyes burned, seemingly lit within by the sheer force of his wrath.
"Do not mistake my silence for lack of grief, child!" he thundered at him, the sound like a giant boulders grinding down the mountainside. "The road ahead is long and difficult! One of us must remain focused if we are to survive!"
Refusing to be cowed, the boy thrust his forehead against that of his Father.
"What's the point in surviving if we're at each others throats?!"
As quickly as it had come, the spark of anger withered.
With an ancient sigh, Kratos leaned back.
"Mourn how you wish." There, at last, a rare note of pain broke through his seemingly impenetrable facade. "Leave me to my own."
Naruto shrank back half a step.
"I didn't realize...
"No. How could you?" Kratos exhaled, sounding old beyond his years. "You do not know my ways."
While he'd spoke, Father had finally finished his task.
Piling the last of Faye's ashes into the bag, he cinched it shut with a simple leather cord. As his son looked on he bound it to his waist with a thick rope. Only once he'd completed this objective did he stand, rising to his full, towering height over him. Naruto fought down a flinch. He knew Father wasn't trying to intimidate him; this was simply his neutral state of being. Those flinty eyes narrowed slightly, not in anger, but in rare concern and he knew at once that he'd been had. After their brief spat, he found himself almost unwilling to continue. But something had awoken within in, something that would not be denied.
"Something else troubles you, boy. What is it?"
The words burst out of him all at once.
"I know I'm not your son."
Kratos went eerily rigid, his body stiff as stone.
"Boy...you will watch your tone...
Still, he bulled on ahead, heedless of the danger.
"But I'm not," he muttered, kicking a bit of burnt wood back into the pyre. "Not really." Blue eyes found his, blank and glassy. "I'm not your blood; not like Atreus." he jerked his head toward his "brother" further down the trail, watching him slam the door to their home behind him with a harsh crash. "You might've found me first, but after you had him, you only kept me out of pity. That's okay. I don't mind being the second fiddle. Its just, now that Mother's gone...you can't treat him like that. You'll lose him. You-
Strong arms took him by his shoulders. The sudden act of kindness jolted him upright.
"You are my son. As is your brother. Nothing can change that."
Naruto chewed quietly on his lip.
"Did you love Mother?"
...yes." Kratos admitted after a long painful moment. "More than life itself-
"Well, isn't this touching?"
Father and son turned as one, startled by the sudden intrusion. Rather, the intruder.
The soft sound of clapping drew their attention.
"I'd hate to interrupt this touching moment, but...no." he laughed, shaking his head. "Actually, no. I'd love to."
He cut an imposing figure; naked from the waist up, most of his upper torso sheathed in flowing azure tattoos. Yet for all his menacing appearance, despite his wild hair and scruffy beard, it was the eyes that truly frightened the boy. They were...dead. Vacant, yet brimming with madness. As though they'd been deprived of all sensation, leaving behind a hollow husk of a man. Something deep within him gibbered softly at the sight of that wild gaze. It was the expression of man who'd gone numb to the world. A soul who had lost everything, one who indulged in every carnal pleasure he could find, yet found no satisfaction in this.
And now he came for them.
Kratos stood slowly, placing himself between him and those horrid eyes.
"Get in the house, boy." he rumbled.
Naruto growled at the words.
"What? No! I can hel-
"Do as I say!"
"Don't run away, now!" the man's rough voice reverberated through the clearing as he approached, harsh and biting. "Its no use hiding anymore. I know who you are...
"What's gong on?" Naruto hissed under his breath. "Do you know him?"
...more importantly, I know WHAT you are." the stranger sneered.
Before the boy could think to do as he'd been bade, the stranger abruptly reached them. A few swift strides devoured the distance between them. Rather than attack however, he paused before Kratos. A strange, almost morbid fascination dawned in those dead eyes. As if he'd been searching for this one moment all his life, and having finally found it, didn't know what to do with it. Then that mad gaze found him and a different emotion blazed there, sending his stomach turning until Father yet again barred his path. Naruto expected the newcomer to erupt then, to fly into a fit of fury.
Quite the opposite.
A hand thrust itself between them.
If anything this intervention seemed to delight the Stranger.
"Hmm." he mused, sizing the pale warrior up. "Thought you'd be bigger." But you're definitely the one. Long way from home, aren't you?"
Kratos bristled.
"What do you want?"
The Stranger grinned and edged forward.
"Ohhhhh, you already know the answer to that."
Sneering, the man leaned around him to leer at Naruto.
"What's wrong, boy? Going to let daddy do all the fighting for you?"
A spark of anger flickered to life in Naruto's chest, demanding recompense.
"Whatever you seek, we do not have it." Refusing to be riled, Kratos turned away from the Stranger, edging his son toward the door. "You should move on."
"Ha!" Hoarse laughter greeted him the moment he turned his back. "And here I thought your kind was so supposed to be so enlightened!" he raised his arms, voice lilting, mocking him. "So much better than us, so much smarter. Yet you hide out here in the words like a coward."
Naruto felt rather than saw Father exhale, a short, sharp breath of anger leaving his body. He knew this was his opportunity to retreat, to dart inside and slam the door shut behind him. Yet despite that he couldn't bring himself to move. When the door hesitantly creaked open he immediately slapped a fist against it and hissed a low command to stay put, preventing Atreus from unwittingly wandering into the fight. Too late. He knew at once that he'd been seen, worse, that the newcomer had seen him do it.
Impossibly, the stranger's grin grew.
"Who was that?"
"No one."
The Stranger's grin widened still further as the Spartan faced him at last.
Kratos growled, deep and low in his throat.
"You do not want this fight."
The Stranger sneered.
"Pretty sure I do."
An open-palmed slap cracked across his face, jerking Father's bearded visage to the side. He did not retaliate. Instead he accepted the blow stolidly, weathered the man's contempt like a stone against the ocean. A twitch of his muscled neck brought him about to face the tattooed invader once more, but this time Naruto caught the telltale glimmer of anger lurking behind those eyes. This time, when the Stranger stepped forward, Kratos immediately moved to meet him, glowering down at the shorter man with the controlled fury of a thousand warriors.
"Leave. My. Home."
A wide sneer greeted him.
"You are going to have to kill me for that to happen."
Clenched knuckles barreled into his face again, and once more, Kratos didn't budge. A fist slammed home into his scarred stomach and still, he remained rooted where he stood. Irritated by his refusal to fight, the stranger snarled and struck him once more in the face, then reeled in his arm to do so again-
On the fourth, he wasn't so fortunate.
"I warned you."
A pale palm shot out and caught his fist in mid-swing, drawing a startled grunt. Eyes ablaze, Kratos twisted the stranger's arm backwards in a vicious vice, bending him over himself where he stood. With one final reluctant glance over his shoulder, he reared a wrapped arm back to strike.
The Stranger simply laughed.
"Finally!"
In a wordless roar his fist rammed home against the stranger's face with a sickening crunch, flinging him head over heels into the snow. Blood burst. Cartilage cracked. Bones broke. Impossibly, the Stranger's short-lived flight didn't last long; laughing, he flopped onto his hands and knees, shaking his head in disbelief. Kratos paused, lowering his still outstretched arm. A glimmer of confusion flitted across his pale face. Naruto felt inclined to agree, given what he'd just witnessed.
He'd seen his Father shatter stone with a single blow.
How in Hel was this man still conscious?
Then that gaze settled upon him.
"Boy. Stay out of this."
...yes, sir."
With startling speed his sire crossed the sundered snow to the strange and snatched him up by the arm. Heedless of his morose muttering, he hoisted the man up. Staggering like a drunkard, the tattooed stranger offered little resistance; if anything he seemed disoriented by the blow. An ember of pride flickered in Naruto's chest. He hadn't a clue of who this madman might be, but clearly he'd bitten off more than he could chew. Served him right for picking a fight.
Grunting, Kratos pulled the swaying stranger upright.
As they looked on, the man sighed.
"Fine. My turn."
Without warning the Stranger struck like a coiled viper, eeling out of Kratos's grasp and lashing out with a blinding uppercut. This blow exceeded all others, colliding solidly with Krato's chest to launch him into the air. His spinning body clipped part of the roof as he soared past. Like a bird taking flight he rocked past, tumbling into the air. He seemed to hang there for what felt like an eternity, spinning end over end as he rended through their roof. Then gravity sank its cruel claws into him and he finally fell, plummeting to the ground with a harsh crash.
"Father?!"
Laughing, the Stranger turned his gaze on him.
"How incredibly...disappointing that was."
Rather, the door he protected.
"Whose in the house?"
The boy stood his ground.
"None of your damn business."
Irked, he glowered at him for a long moment.
Slowly, that bearded visage twisted into a murderous scowl. He paid no heed to his lowered head, those twitching fingers, nor the senseless gibberish escaping his gaze. He felt only crushing disappointment. He hadn't felt a thing. Not even a tingle. The old man would be up soon enough and needed to be dealt with, but for some reason the boy's response...aggravated him. Perhaps because he had been the same once. Protecting others at the cost of himself. Idiot boy. He'd snuff him out right here and now for that attitude.
"Your turn then."
A fist cocked back.
Red eyes snapped up.
"I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"
In am impossible movement, he flowed around the blow.
Then he struck.
THRUCK.
Much to Baldr's disbelief, the blond dashed forward and drove his fist deep into his gut, leaving him over and retching. Enraged by the sudden surge of energy, he drove a roundhouse of his own into the boy's face; unfortunately, in his anger, he failed to realize his opponent was being driven by something far more potent than rage. He glimpsed the crimson cloak sheathing the boy's body, a sickly red aura in the shape of a man, and thought nothing of it. That would prove his undoing.
BLAM!
An uppercut caught the deranged deity's jaw with full force, snapping his head back.
CRUNCH.
Even as he spun to meet him the young blond's thrust-kick smashed into his face with sound and aplomb, bending bone and crushing capillaries. Reeling, the god lurched, a strangled snarl fleeing from his lips. The acrid taste of blood flooded his mouth, a salty coppery sensation he hadn't experiences since.
Wait.
"I...felt that." In disbelief, he started, surprised by the sudden spurt of sensation. "I actually FELT that!" a joyous laugh burst out of him, piquing in delight. "I can taste this! "The blood in my mouth!" Everything else was still achingly numb, but to his great delight, he found he could taste again. As if a switch had been flicked somewhere deep inside him, part of the spell that bound him peeled away by whatever wretched energies that consumed the boy. Clamoring to his feet, he cast the boy a rueful glance, his curiosity-ah, sweet euphoria!-piqued at long last.
"You! What did you do?!"
He never received an answer.
Well, not a coherent one, at any rate
A clawed fist closed around his face and quite suddenly, he found himself flying.
Wood and timber splintered before his back as he crashed through the roof and into the backward, cast through the very same passage he'd flung Kratos. Groaning, the battered deity struggled upright, seeking his opponent. Instead he found only the Spartan, staring at him in disbelief. But not for long. A crimson comet fell out of the sky and slammed into his chest from on high, sundering the earth and sky alike in its haste to reach him. This time, Baldr embraced the pain when it came and happily gave himself to the battle as twin fists crashed down on his head.
Naruto saw and felt none of it as he rained down blow after blow upon his most-hated enemy.
There was only one thought.
One pure objective.
One wild reason.
One.
"YOU!"
One blow.
"DO NOT!"
Two blows.
"TOUCH MY!"
Three blows.
"FAAAAAATHER!"
A/N: Ohohoho, looks like Baldr went and pushed that button!
Yeah, the Baldr brawl is going to continue chapter and its GONNA BE A DOOZY. Kratos and Naruto vs Baldr...given what I have planned, I thought it best to dedicate the third chapter to it. Heh, if you think this chapter had surprises, just wait until the next!
Going to say it right now, it was NOT Athena who visited Naruto.
It was Hestia.
We all know what she's the goddess of, do we not?
YES she exists in the God of War mythos. Read the novels if you don't believe me. Yes, there are actual novels. Pretty damn good ones at that.
Phew, feels good to finally get this off my chest. Helps that I've beaten the God of War game-and I'm STILL discovering new things! Now I'm trying to track down those blasted ravens. I'm a bit sad that I've almost finished everything 100% so quickly. I suppose some DLC would be too much to hope for, even though they said they wouldn't?
God of War indeed!
As a note, Kratos's role will not be diminished in this tale. Not at all. If anything, he might run into more trouble because of a certain hothead. Atreus is still Atreus and Naruto will still be Naruto of course, but he's a touch more aggressive when it comes to combat. Helps when you have actual training...
Also, yes, the Valkyries are going to have a role in this. As is Freya.
Other gods will be more visible/prevalent, too.
Moreso than the games, at that.
...and someone else.
And no, I'm not going to bloody abandon this!
I'd rather die than disappoint you readers!
So in the Immortal Words of Atlas...
...Review...Would You Kindly?
And enjoy the previews!
POTENTIAL ones!
(Previews)
"Where's that temper, boy?! Come on! Make me feel something!"
Freya tilted her head, regarding him.
"And who are you?"
"Boy...
"Just wait." Naruto reassured him. "This is going to be awesome. Hey, Atreus. See that barrel over there?"
"Huh? Yeah, I guess...?"
"On my mark...
The explosion that followed was nothing short of extraordinary.
Not so for the draugr.
Mimir blinked.
Well, as much as a decapitated head with one eye could blink.
"Wait a minute. I know that power. You're a-
Naruto clamped a hand over his mouth.
"You will tell him nothing!"
"Get out of my head."
Athena's lip curled in cruel derision.
"Idiot boy. You know nothing of your father."
"Nor will I listen to someone with a forked tongue!"
Blue eyes blazed red.
"ODIN! Come down here and face me!"
R&R~!