495Author's Notes: Before anything, I'd like to clarify that this isn't Canon reading my Fic. It's an AU (where Naruto instead went to Northern Europe) that's reacting to my fic. The reason why among others is explained at the end A/N.
RFC: So it finally happened, I'm writing a Reading fic for my own work. Pretty egocentric, I know but tbh I both got sick of waiting and was also kinda-afraid-someone-else-would-mess-it-up-because-I-have-trust-issues so I went ahead and looked for a co-writer or two and started grinding.
Before we begin, big thanks for mirxae (from Ao3) and ALTartist1105 (from FFN) for the help as the co-authors of this baby!
And once again, big thanks to SandaiKagami for being a champ and beta-ing this mess!
Mirxae: Hello tis is mirxae and I would like to say hi! Hope yalls enjoy this lovely chapter!
RFC & Mirxae & ALTartist: "Without further Ado!"
Olympus, Throne room, December 2007
The meeting room was large.
All right, that was a given, but Percy had to put emphasis on this. Despite it being his second time here, he was still in awe of the immense size and majesty of the room, let alone the entirety of the golden city. It wasn't so easy to get used to.
As for the residents… hopefully, he wouldn't have to.
He turned his attention back to the gods. They were still vehemently arguing on whether his reward for helping save Artemis was to smite or not to smite him into smithereens. He, along with Thalia and Annabeth stood near Bessie.
Man, his feet hurt. This place reeaaally needed a waiting room.
Percy supposed he should be paying attention- impending doom and all, but since they've had this discussion last year too, one couldn't blame him for being done with the subject. At least Annabeth was here, aaaaaaand she's glaring at him now.
'Alright fiiiiine Wise Girl, I'll pay attention' he sighed, turning back to the 'discussion' at hand.
He quoted it because it looked like his dad was two seconds away from getting physical with his dear Uncle. Something about him and his cousins being part of a prophecy or something.
"That boy's too powerful to live! He should be obliterated on the spot!" Zeus thundered, slamming his bolt on his throne's armrest.
"And I'm telling you, Zeus! If you kill him you'll get the fight of your life!" Poseidon retorted back.
Same old, same old then.
Dang, he could really do with some of his mom's blue cookies. They were the best.
As if sensing what he was thinking about, Annabeth turned and lightly smacked his arm.
"Focus, idiot! They're discussing your death, you should be paying attention!" Beside her, Thalia nodded and stuck her tongue out at Percy.
Stupid pinecone faced princess.
He maturely did the same back at her, and soon they were both glaring daggers at each other. Annabeth sighed, before giving up. Let her be the responsible one around here. Noticing that the gods had stopped shouting, she turned back.
"Young ones. The council has voted and we have decided you shall live another day… for now," Athena spoke, her voice carrying across the room.
"Yeah, 'cause yalls are pretty cool!" Apollo gave them a thumbs up, and Artemis sighed.
'Classic Frank,' despite not knowing the god for a long time, Percy felt that being cool like that was his m.o.
Thalia rolled her eyes. "Of course, they don't want to kill us because they need us," she muttered, fidgeting with Aegis. Annabeth shot her a look but didn't disagree.
"So what now?" Percy asked. Either being brave or stupid, as some (mainly a certain daughter of Athena) would believe. After all, how long was someone supposed to be standing here for? They just came back from an insanely dangerous quest, and he's had to carry the full weight of the sky for a while.
Did anyone have any idea how heavy that thing weighed?
A lot! The answer was a lot! So was a break too much to ask? Or a shoulder rub? Maybe? Probably?
Zeus glared at Percy but before he could reprimand him for his disrespect, Artemis thankfully butted in.
"I have one more matter to discuss, before we may send these young heroes away. It is a matter of the Hunt."
Percy stiffened up. The Hunters of Artemis? Beside him, Annabeth and Thalia both looked grim. Percy gritted his teeth, before actually concentrating on what Artemis said. Zoe's death was fresh and bitter, and for sure this talk would be about her.
He had a nagging suspicion about what else it may entail, but the son of Poseidon violently shoved those thoughts down.
He gave a not so subtle glance at the blonde next to him.
No. No way, Annabeth was his best friend. She wouldn't leave him for a bunch of insanely powerful and cool immortal hunters, who served underneath Artemis. She wouldn't.
'Bianca did though and Bianca was-'
Percy shut that train of thought right there, the thought of his late cousin sickening him- Oh god what was he going to tell Nico?
Feeling apprehensive, Percy started towards where the goddess of the Moon was speaking.
"The Great Prophecy speaks of a half-blood of the eldest gods, who will turn sixteen and bring upon great misfortune towards us. So my proposal is-" the goddess was cut off by a strange light that shone harshly above them.
Every eye in the room turned to it, then most turned away from its intensity. The light subsided and a large book fell from above, hitting Zeus' head (much to the god's chagrin and anger), and sliding down on the floor until stopped at Percy's feet.
Ah damn, everyone was looking at him now. Was he supposed to do something with the book? Mulling over it for a moment, he bent down and picked it off the floor.
'Heavy!' Yeah this was a hardcover one, the kind Wise Girl read before bedtime.
There was a sticky note plastered to the front with something inscribed in Greek. Thank the gods for that, because he did not need to trip over his words in front of everyone. He could actually read this, and seeing that… well, it was important looking, he proceeded to do so.
However, he was interrupted by another flash of light, this one more intense than the last one. Zeus instinctively covered his head, and glared at the light.
Percy hid a smirk, finding the situation a bit funny. Not enough to make it clear he was amused, obviously, but just enough to feel some catharsis.
Sue him, his Uncle was a jerk. Heck, his entire family, besides his mom (and maybe his dad), were jerks.
Plus, bonus points: nobody looking at him now.
Before he could comment on anything, a few figures appeared, causing Zeus to jump in surprise. Almost all the Olympians were on guard, Percy bit his lower lip to not let out a snicker. All this chaos was a bit funny, and the faces Zeus was making looked extremely dumb right now, boosting his spirits a little.
Eh but he should really be on guard. Potential attack and all that.
Was it a book god? Throwing books around? Was there a book god? Was Wise Girl's mom a book god?
As the figures fleshed out, Percy caught sight of a seven-ish feet-tall-lady who looked extremely pretty, like Aphrodite-pretty except she was bigger, and what the fuck.
The question was indeed appropriate, seeing as Hades appeared in the middle of the room, followed by Luke who looked pretty banged up and in chains, then Nico, Bianca and Zoe who were standing unharmed and-
What the actual fuck.
His hyperactive ass immediately focused on the problem at hand; two dead girls were in the middle of the room. Also Luke, who he was pretty sure fell to his death just hours ago. Now, which was the bigger problem?
Evidently, Thalia thought Bianca and Zoe were more important as she let out a yell, before practically bounding over to them. Percy would've followed her too, but he had a feeling this would end with some painful shocks for him, so he focused on the other problem and decided to head towards Luke. Bianca and Zoe were dead, Luke was alive- obvious choice.
However, he needed not to worry as Luke immediately turned as white as a sheet, and struggled with the chains. Oh yeah that's right, feel afraid you traitorous bastard!
"WHERE THE HELL AM- MMPH-" his violent thrashing was cut off by- Annabeth! So cool! Percy's inner self cheered her on as she went on a complete girlboss moment and punched him square in the schnoz.
"What?"
"What is this?"
"Luke! What the fuck?"
"Language!"
"Zoe?"
"My Lady?"
"Bianca?"
"Nico?"
"Hades?"
"Dad?"
"Mother?"
"Sparky? What's going on?"
"Who's Sparky?"
"That's not important, you moron!"
Absolute pandemonium erupted in the room as the elder gods jumped from their thrones to surround their mother, while the demigods crowded around each other. Hugs were exchanged alongside tearful reunions, insults were thrown, and questions bombarded everyone as no one knew what was happening.
Percy stood there, palms sweating and with the heavy book in hand, feeling his arm tingle a bit from the weight. Damn thing really weighed a ton. Should he put it down? Ah wait-
The book fell with a thud, and for some reason, almost all the eyes in the room turned to him.
'Damnit, it slipped' He looked around the room.
"What?" he asked.
"Pick it up! Don't treat the book like that" screeched Athena, just like an owl. Huh, the resemblance was uncanny. Also, did this prove that Athena was a book god?
Complying with the goddess's order, he picked it up and opened it. Maybe the answer was right here? Probably, the book was the reason the light appeared.
The first page contained a preface (Wise Girl taught him that word), so he decided to read it.
"Olympians, heroes and others, the book you see before you is the result of a request made by a Rhea from an alternate reality."
At this, every eye in the room turned to the surprised Titaness.
"Don't look at me, I don't know what other-me is going to do!" the normally cheerful woman said, looking nervous.
She then looked at everyone; "However, I'm sure that with thyme, we shall figure it out! Huhuhuhuhu~"
Percy could've sworn he heard a cricket somewhere.
'Tough crowd'
He chose to continue before anyone could say anything, feeling a little awkward with everything.
"The request was made possible by the One Above All." Percy paused as the gods gained looks of confusion, but a nudge from Annabeth prompted him to continue.
"The book itself is a record of a pivotal character's journey in that alternate reality and is necessary to save many of you from your demise and/or unfortunate destinies. As you've undoubtedly seen, some of you, whether dead or alive, were transported here by the One Above All both as a show of goodwill, and to act as further evidence of the book's origins. Most cordially, the Fates." The raven-haired boy barely finished the paragraph before questions started flying.
"What?"
"One Above All? What manner of impudence is this?"
"Mother! What did your other have to do with this?"
"I don't know my children! I'm just as lost as you are!"
"Does this mean we get some time off?"
"Shut up Apollo!"
"SILENCE!" Zeus' order was emphasized with a boom of thunder.
…
"Err… sorry?" Percy raised a hand. His question cut through the tension that had followed Zeus' demand, and once again brought attention to him.
"What da ya want Prissy?" the god of War spat only to have his hand slapped lightly by his lover.
"Don't be so crass Ares, let the boy speak!" Aphrodite spoke from her side, while shooting a beautiful smile at the demigod. Further to the side, Hephaestus huffed in annoyance on his throne, his eyes focused on a small trinket in his hands.
The raven-haired boy fought down the blush forming on his face, and focused back on the book.
"There's still this part. 'P.S: We require an audience with the Council at the earliest opportunity following the many revelations in this book.'"
The statement raised some questions once again but this time, before any further pandemonium could occur, Athena chose to speak.
"I believe we should read the book. If it truly came from the Fates, then it poses no danger to us. If they believe the information in it to be so sensitive as to require an urgent meeting, then there's much to gain from it," the goddess of Wisdom explained, her tone measured and terse.
"Well, this wonderful-" Dionysus grumbled from the slumped position on his throne. The son of Poseidon jumped slightly. Aha! So he was awake! The guy was somehow moving less than a corpse so he had his doubts.
Eh. Then again, he had been quite the help for this quest so maybe Percy should give him some respect. Just a little bit.
"I have no complaints" Bianca shakily voiced, as she sat next to her father, who had summoned a black leather couch in the middle of the room. Beside her, Nico clung adorably to her silver parka.
Oh god, he still didn't know that Bianca had died.
Well, Percy wasn't going to break it to him now. Oh yeah, your sister died, but because of some freaky powerful being she's back, but she's probably going to die again kiddo, so prepare? Maybe?
Was that One Above All guy going to just kill off Bianca and Zoe again? Hopefully not. In any case, that's a conversation for Future Percy and Future Nico.
"Before we begin, I think we need to address the elephant in the room," another person spoke up. Artemis sat at her throne, with Zoe in a chair next to her, as she looked down at the demigods. Her silver eyes glared venomously at one of them specifically.
"What punishment shall Luke Castellan receive for his betrayal?" Her voice was arctic cold, laced with a concealed hatred.
Percy could understand her issue, from the way she and Zoe acted around each other, one might mistake them for siblings.
"Father, please! I know he did wrong but-" Hermes' defense was cut off by another boom of thunder.
"Silence Hermes! Your bias towards him does not change anything!" Zeus cut through his son's protests.
"Ahem?" a voice spoke out.
"Ah shut up Herm, you're just mad your kid got caught," Ares snickered from the side.
"Ahem!" the voice spoke out again.
"You shut up you scarfaced prick! At least I care about my kids!"
"Suuuuuure you do! That's why one of 'em's leading the rebellion against us!"
"Well-"
"AHEEEE-HEMM" the same voice shook the room this time, as everyone stopped their bickering and turned to a visibly angry Hestia, sitting by the Hearth with Luke at her side, now without his chains.
"Sister, are you mad? Unchaining him-"
"ZIP IT!" the usually calm and soft-spoken goddess bellowed, shutting up any protests.
"Are you done? Good!" Hestia's flame-like eyes scanned the room, seeing everyone seated and quiet. "Now no one is going to get smote, nor is any violence going to occur, we're all family here!" she exclaimed.
"Sister, I think you know best that our 'family' regrettably is far from perfect. The Crooked One is not one to be trusted and the fact this boy allowed our monster of a father leeway to use his body is enough proof that he's our enemy, " Hera answered her. Her visage was a picture of distaste as she gazed at some of the demigods, especially Thalia and Luke.
"Now now, my Little Peachick~" Rhea's nickname filled the Queen with embarrassment, "I know you're all upset about what the dear boy did, but if what you say is true, then Luke is just as much of a victim here!"
"Mother, I'm sorry but are you being serious right now? He gave our father a way to strike at us! Who knows what would've occurred had they been able to burn the Ophiotaurus?!" This time, Demeter answered, frowning in anger.
"And while I hate to do this to children, what guarantee do we have that he isn't possessed right now?" Poseidon gestured to the boy with his trident.
"No he's not." the Titaness asserted, stopping further protests. "I know your father's presence like the back of my hand and even if he was suppressing it, I would still be able to tell purely through his emotions. Your father is not in the boy right now." she said with finality.
The Olympians looked indecisive before Zeus sighed and raised his bolt again.
"That doesn't change what he did!" he accused.
"And why did you think he did it?" Hestia was the one to answer her brother this time. "Do you seriously believe you have any right to blame him, Zeus, after everything you've put the boy through?"
"You've taken away his childhood," Hermes looked down at that, "his mother, " Hades frowned when his sister pointedly looked at him, "and his love for his family" the goddess gazed at all her relatives, bar her mother who had taken to sit next to Luke and heal him.
Rhea huffed as she added her two-cents. "So is it any surprise the child felt as if he was driven into a corner? I know how your father operates, he likely saw a possible pawn in Luke and used him. If it wasn't Luke it would've been someone else. You should know by now that the Croaked One plans meticulously for these things." she explained with a huff.
Evidently, the scolding had been enough to cow the gods into silence, leaving them to mull over their sister and mother's words.
While the gods had been bickering, the demigods had huddled together to have their own conversation.
"That was a good punch there Annie," the daughter of Zeus elbowed the blonde girl teasingly.
"Yeah, really showed him," the son of Poseidon agreed, which made Annabeth chuckle.
"Thanks Thals, Seaweed Brain."
The mood soon turned somber, with the three looking at the ground.
"I still can't trust him," Thalia began.
"Neither can I" Annabeth nodded.
"Ditto," Percy added his two cents.
"Um," the three turned to Nico, who was practically melding himself to his sister's side, much to her discomfort. The two had come to join the other demigods, and heard the discussion.
"I know he's probably a bad guy now, but maybe he was just angry?" the child said nervously.
That statement drew frowns from the older children, as they all looked at each other.
"Nico, no offense but you're a kid and you don't know what he did to us," the daughter of Zeus rebuked her cousin.
"Well, maybe he's right. The book says it's to help us fix some potential mistakes, so maybe Luke's there to get help? From the sounds of it he didn't have a good past" Bianca put a hand on her brother's shoulder as a show of support.
Annabeth looked contemplative and turned to Thalia, both of them having known the Castellan boy the longest.
"Luke… he's had a rough childhood, yeah. I mean I can get why he was angry, I was too, but it doesn't mean what he did was okay. He tried to kill me for gods' sake!" the daughter of Zeus whisper-shouted, anger and betrayal visible on her features.
Percy looked a bit conflicted. Sure he was fooled by Luke too, but he'd barely known him for a week at the time, while Thalia and Annabeth had known him for years.
It really was unfair, the blond boy's anger was more than justified, but his actions weren't. He could've chosen to be a better person and be defined by more than his past, but he chose to wallow bitterly in it which drove him to make some really bad choices.
Meanwhile, the boy in question had been silent this entire time, sitting by the Hearth with his head held down. His injuries had been healed and his chains discarded and yet he daren't commit any false moves.
He probably knew he'd get vaporized on the spot, but then again, the demigods were reminded of the book's words.
The One Above All, the meaning of that name was obvious. It was someone or something with a whooooole lot of power. Maybe Chaos? God? Some eldritch deity older than the Olympians?
But one thing remains clear, its power had shaken the Greek gods to their core. It wasn't every day a being could forcefully transport two immortals against their wills like nothing. Plus there was a reason they were all here, so what were they supposed to do?
Nothing… the answer was nothing… it wasn't their place to deliver any punishment.
Didn't mean they couldn't feel a bit bad about it.
Ah! Looks like they were done talking, they'll leave this for later.
"I believe we can postpone any trials until after we've read the book," Athena spoke, nudging at her father to agree.
"Indeed, and hopefully it'll give us a clue on avoiding any potential casualties when fighting father," the King nodded in agreement.
"I just hope there's some juicy drama in there~" Aphrodite clapped her dainty hands together.
"Ohhh or some health tips!" Demeter added her two cents.
"Some cool fights would be nice," Ares spoke up.
"Might use some new ideas for new weapons," Hephaestus reluctantly agreed.
"Hopefully one of you dies a horrible death," Hades groused from his chair, as Bianca and Nico rejoined him reluctantly.
"Shut it, Death Breath" Poseidon glared at his brother, only to receive a middle finger in return.
"Brothers please," Hestia groaned, sick of the arguing.
"Ah~ But before we get to it, I want to properly greet all of you~ Especially my babies and grandbabies!" Rhea gushed, before getting up from the Hearth to walk around the room to give everyone a good hug.
This would take a while.
"I will start then if everyone is ready." Athena's voice cut through the chatter, and instantaneously, everyone calmed down. The Goddess flipped open to the first page and began projecting her voice.
An Extraordinary Sage's Not-So-Ordinary Adventure
'Weird title' was a common thought.
Just as the phrase was uttered, everyone jumped again in surprised as a large white screen appeared floating before them, the title written on it in bold font.
Chapter 1: Father and Son
Rhea, Hestia, and Hera alongside some others smiled at that, hoping it foreshadowed a good relationship.
The screen lit up, showing what looked like an old page from a book.
"I've never fully believed in his existence, for I thought it was nothing more than a Myth.
"What?" Percy interrupted within the first sentence. Athena and Annabeth shot twin glares at him, and he held his arms up in a placating gesture.
"Sorry, but that's a strange way to start a chapter," he protested. It really was. What sort of book starts off with a sentence like that?
"It's not a chapter, it's more like a… foreword or a preview," Athena explained.
"Preview? Can't we skip it?" Thalia muttered under her breath. "This is a waste of time." She sighed, before focusing on the book. Goodness, who knew how long this would take? They were in a room full of argumentative gods, an overly affectionate Titaness, hyperactive demigods, and a Shakespear-speaking Huntress-
Oh, fuck her life.
A Man who walked the earth before the gods themselves? Surely it must be a jest! For that sounds the furthest away from a Man!"
"Wait what?" This time Nico interrupted. However, no one gave him any glares.
Huh? That wasn't fair! Percy grumbled. How come he got a glare from Wise Girl and her mom, but cute little Nico got- right. He was a cute kid.
Yes, that was probably the reason.
"How can a man walk the Earth before the gods? Didn't gods like… make humanity?" Nico asked.
Before Athena could provide an answer, the Titaness beat her to it.
"Well dear, while I'm sure the story would tell us, I will say that gods only created the humans now, not every human civilization in history," She smiled at the tiny black-haired child while her statement garnered some curious looks from the rest of the demigods.
'Moon Pie's babies are adorable! All of them are!' the Titaness gushed internally, fighting the urge to pinch the kids' cheeks.
"So they're probably talking about someone from the Golden Age, back when Titans like me," she gestured to herself, "ruled. But sadly, since your grandfather had a Kronic case of poop head," The childish insult elicited some chuckles from the crowd, particularly the elder Olympians, "humans didn't have much room to do anything other than suffer."
"They were dark times, which is why it puzzles me why anyone would want them back" Zeus glared lightly at Luke.
The boy said nothing and simply looked away.
"Knock it off, brother" Hestia's voice cowed the King.
"But alas I was proven wrong! For we were one day visited by a Man who resembled the one described in the ancient texts. Hair that looked to be woven from gold, eyes that resembled the Sun itself, and a body that surpassed any warrior's."
"Mmm~ Mama likes the sound of that~" the Love goddess tittered.
"If that were not enough, the Man had the audacity to empty our entire supply of flour! And for what else but his own personal meal? Preposterous! Inconceivable!"
Flour? That's it?
Percy opened his mouth to comment, but an elbow from Annabeth shut him up.
Right. The quicker they got through this, the better it would be.
The three daughters of Rhea did feel their eyebrows twitch at the casual mention of theft and gluttony.
The god of Thieves felt his lips twitch up.
"And what even is this Ramen he spoke so highly of?"
~~ Testimony of a scribe of a rural Chinese village, 4900 B-C ~~
"Ehhh?" Apollo sat straight up. "They don't know what ramen is? How could they not know what ramen is? It's delicious!"
Artemis stared at her younger brother with an eyebrow raised. He turned to her, his expression even more shocked.
"Sis, why're you looking at me like that? Don't you know what ramen is?" he wailed dramatically. "How could you?"
Artemis sighed. "I do Apollo, but obviously ramen wasn't known well back then. It was almost seven thousand years ago, it must've been from before noodles were a part of the Chinese diet. How come you like ramen anyways?" she asked, leaning back.
Apollo brightened up quite literally, causing a few of the residents to wince as a harsh glare flooded the room. "I stayed in Japan for a little bit!" he chirped. "Ahh the lovely Amaterasu…" he trailed off into mutterings.
Shaking her head, Artemis beckoned for Athena to continue reading.
From "Tales of the Great Sage" by Professor Fujino Yasuhiro.
The Great Sage? Who was that? Thalia and Percy both turned to Annabeth for clarification, but she looked as stumped. In fact, most of the gods looked stumped.
"Mother, who is this Great Sage?" Annabeth asked, her curiosity overpowering her sense to keep her mouth shut in a room full of volatile beings.
"The Great Sage…I do have some suspicions but I'd rather we continue, I assume it'll be explained anyway," the goddess of Wisdom answered.
'That professor. I'll have to look him up' she added mentally.
There were virtually no creatures, apart from the oldest primordials who could recall the Age of Shinobi, a period that preceded the Golden Age of Humanity and succeeded the First Age. The Age of Shinobi has long been considered the briefest era of world history, lasting only a few centuries as opposed to eons or millennia.
Athena and Apollo both perked up at that. One because any additional knowledge was good for her soul, and the other because of his fascination with anything Eastern.
"Shinobi? What's that?" Nico asked.
"That's another word for ninjas" the answer came from someone unexpected, as more than a few eyes turned in shock to Percy.
"What?" the boy met their stares with a raised brow.
"How did you know that Seaweed Brain?" the blonde demigoddess asked in pleasant surprise.
"I watch a lot of those Japanese cartoons, okay? I know my stuff!" the boy protested. Sure it was mostly Dragon Ball, but he's also seen one or two other shows.
"Anime," Apollo corrected with a hiss, letting his inner weeb out.
"CoughnerdCough," Hermes jested.
"Do not insult anime," Apollo threatened. "It is a beautiful work of art, and deserves love and appreciation and-"
"Okay, we get it!" Hades snapped. "Now will you shut up and let us finish? Continue reading Athena!"
"Yes, Uncle."
It began with the Sage of the Sixth Paths bestowing the gift of Chakra onto humanity and ended with a mass extinction event triggered by Gaia.
"Six Paths? Chakra? Alright, this is a bit too much!" Thalia interrupted, drawing a groan from Athena.
"Well if someone would let me finish reading this, maybe we could get through it!" the goddess's voice cowed her mortal half-sister. "Besides, I'm more curious about this extinction event. There are no records of this!"
"Did you ever consider that there just wasn't anyone to tell the story?" Poseidon commented snidely, only for Athena to ignore him.
None but a few beings out there could remember the exact sequence of events, but rumor has it start with a war that engulfed the world and shook the continents. It was a period that blurred the lines between 'godhood' and 'mortality', where multiple men and women amassed so much power they would have been able to stand toe to toe with many of today's gods.
Many felt shivers down their spine. That didn't sound good at all!
"Mortals with the power of us gods? Unthinkable!" Zeus rumbled.
Beside him, Poseidon sighed, suffering in silence. His poor, poor ears.
But among all these powerhouses, a lone being stood off from the rest of the earthly creatures.
A figure known by many names, the most famous of which would be "The Gallant Sage of the East".
"HOLD IT!" the god of the Seas' voice cut through any noise in the room.
The Big Three looked at each other in alarm. The three of them were more than aware of that threat.
"What is it, brother?" Hera asked from the side.
"If this guy's the same as the one in our world, then this could potentially be very bad" Hades explained, his face serious.
"Wait, we have him here?" Apollo asked curiously. The closest being he knew that would bear a name like that was Sun Wukong, but he was just a fictional character. Right?
Right?
Athena likewise had an inkling as to who this was, but it was more due to her knowledge of history, especially the more obscure parts of it.
Their thirst for knowledge increased, and the goddess chose to continue before any more interruptions.
Despite the abundance of records detailing his sightings and interactions with men and women throughout human history, he was a cryptid even among the higher plane.
None but the Primordials and the elder deities of the more powerful pantheons could ascertain his existence nowadays.
"Grandmother, do you know of him?" Athena asked, interrupting herself.
The Titaness smiled. One of her grandbabies was asking her a question!
"Well~" the Olympians tensed at her answer, "I don't know him, but I do know of him," she started, noticing that she had the room's attention.
"Most of my memories of him were of that terrifying war that occurred in Asia, thousands of years before any of you were born," she recalled that particular period of her life. The earth had shaken so much they had believed Gaia to be reawakening.
"The Heavenly War?" Zeus breathed in shock. He knew it had happened but it still felt strange to have it confirmed.
"Anyway, the main reason I knew about him is that, for one, the war literally shook the planet," the nonchalant way Rhea said that statement sent a spike of fear through some of the gods, "and for two, because my Little Owl, your bast-Ahem" the Titaness stopped herself from cussing in front of the children, especially with her daughter glaring at her. "I mean, your grandfather wouldn't shut up about him"
"Huh?"
"What?"
"Kron-OW! Annabeth!"
"Names. Have. Power!"
Several people chimed in with their questions, all wondering what the former King of the Titans had to do with this. Even Luke, looked up in surprise at the revelation.
"Now, now, children, while I'm sure everything will be revealed eventually, just know that this man in particular terrified the Croaked One," her statement was accompanied by an amused smile, as she remembered her ex-husband's ridiculous tirades about the Sage.
Everyone else felt their worries increase.
It does create a sense of paranoia among them, the thought of a being with so much power left unchecked was worrying.
"It really is," Zeus said, looking clearly uncomfortable at that fact.
Who knows what such a creature could be planning? What sort of evil machinations could they be concocting?
The ominous nature of that question was unnerving to many.
Chiba Prefecture, Japan, Spring of 2000
"~Mina saiko arigato k-k-k-kawa-OW!" Apollo sang, only to be smacked by his sister.
...
Sluuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurp
Crunch crunch
…
Bianca's face took on a confused tone. "What?" he asked. "Why do we hear those?" she asked in confusion.
"That's what's written down here, and it's coming from the screen" Athena replied.
"Oh."
"That's some loud slurping though," Hestia commented, scrunching her nose at the distastefull sound.
Surprisingly, the next section was not spoken with Athena's voice, but distinctly male ones.
"Hey, Pops?"
"Yeah Son?"
"I'm bored- Wait! WAIT! Don't you dare!"
"Hi, Bored… I'm Dad"
Some giggled at the bad joke, some groaned, but among them, Rhea gasped.
'Could it be?' she thought, a smile appearing on her face.
"I hate this already," Dionysus complained from his throne slumping further down like a grouchy child.
"Shut it" Hermes shot back. His voice was still sharp, clearly still tense after what occurred.
His son was almost smited for their sake!
Said blond was still hunched over, looking like a kicked golden retriever.
Throughout this, both Athena and Hephaestus gazed with intrigue at the screen, pondering on its mechanics. The way it gave them visuals, sound effects and -assumedly- accurate voices was simply bizarre. To the goddess, it felt like she didn't have to actually read the dialogue, as the screen automatically played it.
"UGGHHHHHH"
Sluuuuuuurp
A couple sat in a seiza position on top of a cliff overlooking the sea.
Well...one was sitting, the other was writhing in what appeared to be physical pain on the ground.
"Oh no!" Hestia fretted, "Is he alright?"
Hades started. "It's a book sister, it doesn't matter," he grumbled.
"Pain!" Ares butted in from the side, looking immensely happy at the thought of any violence. No one paid him any attention.
"It still happened in another dimension!" Rhea cut in, also looking concerned.
Hades sighed. Once his mother and his dearest sister got into something like this, it was hard to stop them.
"I'm sure we'll find out," Poseidon added, trying to placate the two.
The tallest was a blond man, holding a hot ceramic bowl of Ramen in his calloused hands and using chopsticks to inhale the noodles at an almost inhuman pace. His whiskered cheeks were puffed out while his eyes were closed in bliss, making the man resemble a fox.
"Ha! Guess you and that guy have something in common Seaweed Brain! Both bottomless pits!" Thalia guffawed.
"Shut up Pinecone face," Percy grumbled from beside Annabeth.
Annoying cousins.
'Well cousin, because Nico and Bianca are cool,' Percy amended, even if the younger son of Hades seemed a bit too clingy.
Beside them, said boy looked at the book in confusion. "That's a weird way to look," he muttered to Bianca.
Bianca frowned. "I don't know, I've never met anyone with a fox-like appearance," she replied, playing with Nico's hair.
Hestia and Rhea looked on in envy. They wanted to ruffle fluffy hair too!
Well, Rhea could go ahead and try, but it would cause a little too much of a distraction, and her babies (and grand-babies!) were already getting antsy.
Haaaah
Despite his seemingly non-threatening appearance, his body spoke of a different matter entirely. As he knocked the bowl back to drink the still-steaming broth, the shirt he was wearing hiked up, showing a toned stomach decorated by red flame-like orange markings. The same markings went over his muscular arms in a manner resembling some sort of tribal body paint.
The screen shifted to a picture of the scene.
"Oooh~" Aphrodite sang. "That's a whole lotta man!" she said delightfully, sitting up as the picture of the scene popped up on the screen.
Hephaestus sighed, used to his 'wife's antics, while Ares growled.
Many of the ladies in the audience, as well as Apollo, nodded in agreement with the love goddess, while most of the men shrugged.
At this point, being hot was the standard in the immortal community.
'Oh my~' a certain Titaness shamelessly checked out the man in question, but daren't verbalize her thoughts. Wouldn't do for her overprotective boys to start grouching!
Athena, unbothered by the commotion, catalogued the markings. The description wasn't extensive enough but the fact they were even written about meant they carried some sort of importance.
"Looking a bit too intensely there Athena~" the Lady of Doves sang from the side, making Poseidon snicker.
"Silence, harlot" Artemis spoke up in defense of her sister, who ignored the taunt and continued.
As he was done with his meal, the bowl disappeared in his left hand in a puff of smoke while a similar bowl appeared in his right hand, which the man proceeded to attack with the same vigor.
'He's a real glutton ain't he?' Rhea thought with a smile.
He did not seem the least bit disturbed with how his lunchmate was acting and continued to consume the noodly goodness with enthusiasm.
Sluuuuuuurp
His companion, however, looked less human. The average person would probably mistake them for an imp because of their small stature, a little under three feet, and their midnight black complexion, partially covered by a child-sized green yukata.
"Okay, the first one was hot, that one? Not so much"
"Aphrodite! That is very mean!"
"I'm just being honest!"
"Well, I happen to think he's cute!" the mother of the Olympians pouted.
The little creature was barely getting back together from the reflexive disgust it felt towards the terrible attempt at humor and looked back for the whole fried chicken it had been munching on. Shrugging, it took a bite out of it, consuming both meat and bones in one go.
"Ah," Hestia once again scrunched her nose at the lack of manners.
Dionysus belched loudly in approval, garnering some looks of disgust.
"Dang those are some sharp teeth!" Hermes whistled. Sure, most of them in the room could bite through bone too, but the little guy made it look effortless.
"There should've been some cereal with that!" Demeter criticized. A meal without vegetables or grains? What travesty was this? What world were they in?
It then looked up at the one they called 'Pops', the large yellow dots that served as its eyes being filled with curiosity. It finished swallowing the food before opening its glasgow-like mouth to speak.
'Creepy' the Lady of Doves shivered at the features displayed on the screen.
'Awww ain't he adorable?' ironically, that was a thought shared by both the god of the Underworld and the Titaness. Although one would never admit to it.
"He looks cool! Like a karpoi!" Nico tugged on Bianca's clothes excitedly and pointed at the screen, while the older Di Angelo smiled at the boy's excitement.
"Sooooo...what should we do today?"
Gulp
The blond loudly swallowed the handful of noodles he had shoved in his mouth before shifting his own strange set of eyes onto the creature.
A pair of blue eyes with a central golden ring gazed upon the one that the man considered his son.
"They don't really look related," Hera rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
"Why does that matter sister?" Hestia snubbed the Queen lightly, knowing her thoughts on the matter.
"It doesn't, I'm just curious as to how their relationship came to be" the Queen answered with a shrug.
'Hera's view of a proper family is too one-dimensional'
"Meh… I'm up for anything you want" he replied nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders before continuing his meal.
His son scratched his horned head in thought, removing the large cone hat he wore in the process and revealing his moss-colored hair.
'Green hair?' the Olympian Japanophile was intrigued. This was looking more and more like an Anime!
Zoro got lost again.
"Moss hair?" Poseidon rubbed his chin in thought, similarly curious. You didn't see that every day.
Percy was also in the same boat, even if it wasn't blue.
The smaller male contemplated their next course of action. It has been a few decades since anything exciting happened in the world, ever since the end of World War II, Asia did have a few skirmishes here and there that occupied the duo but nothing as major as the Great War.
Nico scrunched up his nose. "That's old," he declared.
"Nico, they're immortals. That's just a short period of time to them," Bianca explained.
"Still old." Percy nodded with his younger cousin.
"I have witnessed the Second World War, and it was not so long ago," Zoe stated, speaking for the first time. "I do not know what thou are talking about."
Percy and Thalia both snickered to themselves, pausing only when Zoe turned to glare at them.
Hades listened in on the conversation and hid a smirk. Those were some funny kids.
Ah. Right. Nico and Bianca still didn't know about the entire deal with the Lotus Casino.
Well, he wouldn't explain that now. Maybe later?
"I agree with the midget," Ares said, "You guys just had to have that oath didn't you? We could've had a third war with the Japs! And the Reds! It woulda been glorious!"
Zeus rolled his eyes at his son's ravings.
He wouldn't complain about peace, as moderate as it was, because that seemed like something his own father yearned for.
Hestia smiled at that statement while her more violence inclined nephew gagged in disgust.
But he still wished for something to do.
They had already been all over the world, traveling most of the continents for millennia in search of adventure and great foodstuffs. However, the blond had insisted on staying in the Far East for the last few centuries.
Naruto N. Uzumaki was strong, perhaps one of the strongest beings on the planet. There was little in the world that he felt apprehension towards.
"That's quite a bold claim," Hades spoke, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah! I'd like to fight him!" Ares exclaimed, perching on his seat. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all!
"Of course, you would," Hephaestus responded, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
The gods who knew of the Sage's legends raised a brow at this information. What could prompt such a powerful figure to confine themselves?
Well, anything not truly Omnipotent that is.
No one liked the implication of that line.
'I'm strong too, not as much as Pops obviously, but I can hold my own and if push comes to shove, I'll just call for help' the shorter of the duo thought.
There had to be a sensible reason for his father's decision but for the life of him, he couldn't think about anything.
Maybe it was his own apathy towards most living creatures that weren't his family or those he considered precious, but there was simply no valid excuse for them not to do whatever they wanted.
"There should be," Hestia murmured, surveying the room. Alas, immortality oftentimes had the unfortunate side-effect of taking away one's compassion for mortal life.
"What's apathy?" Nico asked curiously.
"It's the opposite of empathy, it essentially means to feel nothing for others," the blonde demigoddess explained kindly while furrowing her brows.
That particular characteristic spelled naught but bad news when it described an immortal.
'After all, who's gonna stop us?'
"I don't know, maybe the gods?" Percy mocked, only for Thalia to lightly punch his shoulder.
"Shush"
Luke, despite himself, was growing more curious about these two. Would they challenge the Olympians and take them down as he wanted?
"You know… I've been getting sick of Japan and Asia in general, we traveled everywhere here! And yeah, the dishes are great and all, the people too… sometimes...but I just wanted some more variety… Why can't we visit Europe again? Or the Americas?" asked the little guy.
"Yeh, come here!" the god of War began sharpening a knife.
"Yes, come here~" the goddess of Love checked herself in the mirror.
"Aphrodite no!"
"Aphrodite, oui!"
Naruto sighed, putting his empty bowl down and gazing upon the sea in thought.
"It's… complicated"
"It's not. Why can't they just travel here?" Percy asked, furrowing his eyebrows.
"First of all, I don't think we want them here" Annabeth humphed, slapping Percy's arm slightly. "Secondly, they obviously have a valid reason, which I'm sure we'll find out if you shut up a bit."
Dam Wise Girl
"Well make it not complicated" The son crossed his arms and rumbled to which the blond raised an eyebrow at the lip.
"Little sassy guy aren't you?" Naruto asked, making Zetsu wince and grumble under his breath.
"Mood," Thalia smiled at the little guy.
"A good way to put it is… I can't afford to go there anymore"
"How? You're stronger than ever, Pops!" the green-haired young man almost screamed in exasperation.
Ares perked up at the thought of a strong opponent.
"That's just it Zetsu! I'm too strong! Do you realize how threatened my very presence makes people feel? Let alone beings who can actually sense my power?" the blond explained and gestured widely.
At Zetsu's incredulous gaze, he decided to elaborate.
"What do you think happens when someone unfamiliar with us meets either of us?"
"Challenge you to a fight!" the warrior god proclaimed.
"Challenge you to a night~" his lover said shamelessly.
"...I would have countless questions to ask him," the goddess of Wisdom admitted.
"Me too," her daughter added, getting a smile from her mother. A historical figure was always a gold mine of information after all.
The short male scratched his head "They'd, umm... flee?"
"Like Tartarus, we would!" was a yell echoed by many in the room, all insulted at the insinuation of cowardice.
Naruto shook his head "While that may true for weak creatures like most humans and monsters, it's another story when it comes to deities or beings of a higher power, especially those with too much pride for their own good"
Zetsu tilted his head as he listened to his father.
"Most of those beings would see me as a threat, regardless of my intentions. And what do you think they'd do if I entered their zones of influence? Let me prance around?" He questioned his son who nodded his head in understanding.
The Thunderer huffed. "Well, at least the man is aware of the basics of interpantheonic politics."
"Don't stick your dick in everything?" his wife sniped at him, forcing the many children of Zeus to either turn gold and green (in Thalia's case), or muffle their snickers, while the King glared at his Queen.
"No they wouldn't, many of them would start blasting before asking questions, regardless of where I was, and how many do you think will die before they listen to reason?" Naruto continued.
"You've never truly experienced it because of your own ability to suppress yourself, but me? This is all I had to deal with for the first few thousand years of my life! If it weren't for that bullshit (Hestia: Language!) with Okhwang and his gaggle of megalomaniacs, I wouldn't have garnered- what do the kids call it these days? Ah yeah! A street rep! Your old man wouldn't have any of that rep!" the man grumbled in irritation.
"Okhwang? Who's that?" Bianca asked, having never heard of the figure.
"Seeing the context and how it's pronounced, and given what we know about the Heavenly War, it's likely Korean for 'Jade Emperor'. I do wonder why it's in Korean script however, and not Chinese," Athena answered.
The big Three narrowed their eyes at that information.
The Jade Emperor was just as obscure of a figure as the Sage, both with unknown abilities that they've rarely displayed in recent millenia.
The thought of two powerhouses of that scale ever clashing was worrying, so to know it's happened before filled them with dread. It would be good to know how to aboid any such future scenarios.
Some of the more battle-oriented gods also hoped to read more about the war.
Apollo and Hermes snickered at the last statement.
Zetsu simply nodded in understanding.
"Besides, you know we only really stay here because of Ama-chan's influence. If it weren't for my darling ray of sunshine, we'd have to have stayed in Oraeguk."
'Ama-chan? Ray of Sunshine? Darling? No.. it can't be! Amaterasu?' Apollo stared off, face twisting to horror.
'IS THAT WHY SHE REJECTED ME?' he thought frantically.
Did he really flirt with a married/taken foreign goddess?
His other him was gonna die! Scratch that, he was gonna die! He did that too! Wait-
His scared eyes briefly crossed with the Lady of Doves, the goddess having chased after Amaterasu as well.
The deity in question was idly filing her nails, a self-confident smirk on her face.
WHY WASN'T SHE WORRIED?
Zetsu again nodded, thinking deeply on it.
'It really makes sense when I think about it. Pops and Uncle Kurama alone are some of the top dogs out there so there's really nothing to fear. Plus everyone in Asia sort of keeps their distance from us.'
Naruto had forged many friendships among the supernatural in the Eastern hemisphere, some of them strong enough to be considered a Pantheonic Threat like he himself was.
"WHAT?" screamed most of the younger gods in the room.
"I knew you said he was tough, but this is ridiculous!" the Messenger cried out in alarm.
"Him coming here would spell disaster!" the Huntress cried out in alarm, with her lieutnant nodding vigorously.
With the demigods, the situation was much calmer, as many were lost on the meaning of the words, but all naturally felt the panic didn't bode well.
"What's a Pantheonic Threat?" Percy asked the obvious, only to be answered by a sigh from an unexpected source.
"Well Peter, it's pretty obvious but it's a threat to a Pantheon. It's part of a system agreed upon by many pantheons that measure threat levels. Guess where you and the campers stand" the god of Wine drawled out with a small sneer at the end.
The son of Poseidon chose not to respond, and instead mulled over the explanation, before turning to his father.
"Errr dad? What's your rank then?" the boy asked
"I, like my brothers, would classify as a Chief god level threat a single rank under a Pantheonic Threat. The three of us could each destroy several countries and even a continent if we wished to." The god in question smiled at his son and puffed his chest in pride.
The statement was received by the mortals in the room with mixed reactions. Annabeth's eyes shined with curiosity, while Luke's widened to the size of dinner plates. On the other hand, the children of the Big Three were awed at the information, Nico even going as far as to note it down on the respective Mythomagic cards.
Just as the boy was about to put his cards away, a small figurine was held in front of his eyes.
"Huh? Is that Hades? He's the only one I don't have!" the boy screamed in glee, snatching up the toy and looking up at his benefactor. He was met with both Percy and Bianca, the two having taken the opportunity to gift Nico with it.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" the boy jumped in his cousin and sister's arms as the two smiled down and returned the hug.
From the side, the Lord of the Underworld let a soft smile grace his features while Rhea cooed at the display.
He had a pull here that he lacked in the other parts of the globe, especially in the West.
Zetsu heard and read a lot of bad things about the so-called "gods" dominating the Western hemisphere.
"Hmm, for some reason the word 'gods' is quoted," Athena raised a brow at this for it implied disbelief.
Why would two immortals disbelieve in creatures that existed?
Be it Zeus' vindictiveness and paranoia, Odin's similar but more calculative personality, or even Ra's wishy-washy demeanor.
"And just like that, Zetsu became my favorite," Poseidon smirked.
"Truly an excellent judge of character," Hades nodded mockingly.
"Shut it you two! I am not paranoid!" Zeus seethed, looking extremely put out.
The rest of the gods and demigods had to bite their lips to stifle their laughs collectively.
"Aww Sparky, but you have to admit you are! Just a bit!" Rhea exclaimed, choosing to partake in the very popular parental sport of calling out your child in public. "Why I remember when you were just a small boy, every time you heard a storm you thought another thunder god was challenging you to a fight, it was adorable! Uhuhuhuhu~"
"Mother! Not in front of everyone!"
The peanut gallery took this as its cue to erupt in chortles.
But compared to their power base?
There really wasn't anything the western pantheons could pull that would catch them flat-footed. They had too much raw power to be challenged. But that doesn't mean any of the pantheons would be cowed into non-violence. They had too much pride and too little care for anything they considered below them.
"Alright now I really wanna fight him! Lemme at 'im pops!" Ares was both frustrated and excited. He, like many of the gods present, did not like the dismissive tone with which the Uzumaki spoke.
For many others, such as Hestia, Demeter, Poseidon and Rhea, they felt incensed by the accusations.
Yes, the Greeks hadn't had the best history, but they've become much better in recent centuries! Or they tried to make some smarter decisions for mortals!
Or that's what he assumed at least. One could never be too careful with those. They'd already made that mistake once before.
Percy scratched his head. "Before? Are they talking about that 'Heavy war' thing you talked about?" he asked, only for his friends to sigh.
"It's 'Heavenly War' kelp head. Too much moss in your ears?" His older cousin replied, poking his head jokingly.
"You're one to talk with all that bark in your hair."
"Why you little-"
Annabeth moved between them as the two oversized children almost jumped at each other.
In the end, Naruto wasn't afraid to fight them, but any fight he might get into could become both bloody and destructive, delivering crippling damage to both the environment and the people.
Something that he, as a Sage, cannot allow himself to do.
Artemis actually smiled at that, surprising Zoe who sat next to her.
"My Lady?" the Huntress leaned in to whisper to her patron.
"It's nothing Zoe, it's simply refreshing to see someone, especially a male, care so much about these issues," her answer drew a nod and a small almost-imperceptible smile from her closest confidant.
While most of the gods accepted the man's logic, Ares was scowling at the lack of 'gung-hoeness' the man was displaying.
"Ugh! Come on! This is boring now!" the god of War replied.
Hestia and her mother wore large smiles at the statement. Finally, a diplomatically inclined powerful immortal!
With the demigods however, a different discussion was being held.
"What does Sage mean?" the son of Hades was puzzled at the unfamiliar word he's heard several times now.
The daughter of Wisdom, as usual, delivered the answer promptly. "It generally means a wise man but I feel like the context here makes it different," she said with some hesitance.
"So what? He's a tree hermit man?" the other boy in the group asked.
Annabeth chose not to answer.
But Zetsu found himself racking his brain for another argument. He didn't personally care as much as his father for any potential consequences their presence could cause, but he had thought up a way to prevent those scenarios and he hoped Naruto would agree.
"I mean… we don't have to announce ourselves y'know? I could use err… y'know...that new technique" the little guy tried to convince his father.
Athena raised a brow. A new technique? What was this?
"Hmm? You mean that one you've been working on? What did you call it?" The man scratched his whiskered cheek in thought.
"[Mole in Plain Sight]" Zetsu spoke with a level of pride. The technique had been his pet project for quite a while and one that could offer up a solution for their dilemma.
The goddess of Wisdom raised a brow at the odd name, yet she could guess what the technique's ability would entail from it.
It was a similar skill to one used by a warrior of the Old World, one that his father fought in the past.
"The Old World? That's over twelve millenia ago!" Hera exclaimed in shock.
"He's even older than the Titans!" her husband added with surprise.
"Ooooh~ he looks positively scrumptious for that age!"
"Not now Aphrodite!"
"Non! I'm sick of being the one robbing cradles. Mayhaps I want my cradle robbed? Hmm?~"
"That is disgusting," Artemis and Zoe gagged at the idea while the older demigods turned green as well.
"Oh stuff it you virgin! I know Rhea agrees with me!" the goddess of Love sneered at the prudish goddess.
"Mother?" Feeling her children's stares on her, the Titaness chose to remain silent.
The Second Tsuchikage's [Dustless Bewildering Cover] hid the user's presence and chakra (or energy signature) completely from other shinobi or warriors in general. Zetsu initially wanted to take it a step further, and completely erase the user from everyone's radar, including 'all-seeing' beings like the astral or sky deities of multiple pantheons.
Athena trailed off with a contemplative look on her face. Beside her, Ares looked puzzled, while Zeus looked horrified.
"This technique would hide them from-m-us?" he shrieked. "That can't happen!"
"Brother calm, down," Hestia comforted. "They seem to be very well-rounded individuals, and do not wish to cause harm upon us," she added.
"Oh poo~ so he'll be playing hard to get hmm?" Aphrodite pouted.
Hephaestus, who's been listening to his 'wife' prattle on and on about her newest interest, actually felt curious himself. If he could replicate this technique through his own tech the Greeks would gain a giant advantage.
Failing to accomplish that goal, Zetsu opted to shift his objective from erasing one's presence to blending it with the surroundings. The technique was powered purely by Senjutsu, which he and his father were both masters of. Nature chakra would constantly coat the body in a thin 'opaque' layer while sending a 'Mist' of diluted chakra in the area surrounding the user. Nature chakra would act as a masking agent for the other kinds of energy within the body, thus making it seem as if the user was made of pure Senjutsu, or pass him off as a nature spirit.
All things considered, that sounded like an easy task for both of them.
"I mean, they both are powerful…" Annabeth pondered.
"I understood none of this" Percy grumbled while Thalia snickered next to him.
"Don't act like you did! I know you don't have a clue either!" the son of the Sea turned to glare at his cousin.
"Do not!"
"Then explain it!"
"I- err so it's like- Shut up!"
Both cousins began pushing each other while the more level headed blonde next to them smacked a palm to her head.
The problem, however...
"I got it down but I still have an issue. The technique depends on the user's concentration. You have to be constantly focusing on it to maintain it, this means that any lapse of focus could land us in the crosshairs of any supernatural being with a sensing capability" Explained Zetsu, while Naruto gained a surprised look followed by a proud one.
"Needs… portable… source of power" the god of the Forge noted down.
"You finished it? THAT'S MY BOY! Bahahahaa!" The blond father laughed joyously as he scooped up his child and held him up, much to the son's annoyance.
After all, that was an achievement of the highest order! Hiding their power from other deities was near impossible, if they made themselves invisible to the eye with a technique, they could still be detected by powerful sensors. Simply walking into a pantheon whose authority they had no positive relations with was out of the question, especially if what he heard about those 'gods' in the Americas was true.
His son however was ironically like a sponge - 'Heh get it? Because he was half-plant' -
Just like with earlier, Percy could've sworn he'd heard the sound of a cricket.
"Huhuhuhu~" the mother of the Olympians tittered, making many eyes turn to her.
"What?" Rhea raised her arms defensively, "I got it!" she smiled at the silly humor.
Everyone else felt dread for what was to come.
He simply absorbed information and thought up unpredictable ways to use it. Quite outside-the-box like himself at his age, but his boy was also a born genius.
That was far from the first technique he invented but Naruto still felt a swell of Fatherly Pride(TM) every time his boy made such discoveries.
"What?" Percy verbalized everyone's thoughts.
"I can sense the Trademark from here," Apollo whispered to Hermes with a chuckle.
"Is that a good thing?" the god of Messengers asked back.
"I dunno, you tell me"
Rhea giggled at the interaction. It was just like her and her girls!
Ah but Zetsu's problem was a pretty big one, still…
Old as he was, Naruto was still Naruto, meaning he was just as hyperactive as those 'demigods' peppering the world were, and thus could never give all his focus to a single task for too long.
"Oh!" Percy exclaimed, sitting upright. "Like a demigod!"
"Yeah, an immortal version," Thalia added with a grin, feeling the man to be somewhat relatable on this front.
Yes, ADHD might help them fight but it isn't going to do them any favors in other more delicate situations.
Artemis grimaced, "No thanks, we already have one" she gestured to her brother who gave her a look of betrayal.
Said god also felt his other half-sister looking at him and turned to her.
"What is it? Something in my face?" he asked.
"Uncanny resemblance," the wise goddess mused, before she returned to reading.
Especially considering the technique will need to stay active when they inevitably go to sleep for the night.
Sure he could force himself to stay awake the entire time, but he liked to sleep! It gave him some modicum of serenity.
"Sleep is good," Dionysus added from his seat, practically melting into it.
So, staying completely hidden was a no-go, but then again, did they really have to?
Naruto has been alive for eons, he had more than enough time to become the Master of Masters of the Shinobi arts, especially the Art of Fuinjutsu, the knowledge behind Jutsu Shikis, and even some of the western and nordic runes.
The idea came to him almost instantly: A Seal to act as a nature chakra battery with a multi-layered runic circuit with some Jutsu Shiki sprinkled here and there, all to act as both a chakra filter and a circuit around the body.
The few intellectual or academically-inclined gods and mortals in the room internally cheered at the information. Runes? Jutsu Shiki?
Any such information was extremely interesting!
Nico gaped at the book. "What's that mean?"
Annabeth sighed, noticing that the other demigods and even some gods looked lost. "Basically they'd use nature to conceal themselves, although that is fascinating, it's application could be developed to cover larger areas and thus…" the daughter of Wisdom prattled on, while her mother smiled at her enthusiasm.
To Percy and Thalia gave the poindexter a blank stare, their minds filled with the sound of buzzing.
The blond narrowed his eyes in contemplation, ignoring his son's trashing as the boy attempted to escape the hold of his captor's Fatherly Pride(TM).
"Again?"
"Why do I feel like this is the start of a running gag?" Hermes rubbed his chin.
"Nah, you gotta wait for three for a proper gag" his half-brother corrected him with a grin.
'Now all I need to do is put the idea into practice, hmmmm-OUCH' Naruto yelped as Zetsu finally had enough and opted to use his powerful teeth to bite at his father's arms.
Bianca suddenly had flashbacks of her brother's younger days. Nico as a toddler, had been as feral as a mutt when someone took away his toys.
"LET ME DOWN POPS!"
"NOT UNTIL YOU LEARN TO ACCEPT MY FATHERLY AFFECTION(TM)!"
"Aaaaaaand that's three. Goodnight everybody!"
"ARE YOU SERIOUSLY TRADEMARKING THIS?!"
"SCREW YOU I'M THE BEST DAD IN THE WORLD I CAN TRADEMARK FATHERHOOD ITSELF! Besides…"
"Oh No…" Zeus grumbled, sensing what was coming.
"Oh No…"
Some giggled at the parroting while the King scowled.
"I wouldn't be much of a Patent if I wasn't the best I could be eh? Get it?"
"UGHHHHHHHHHHH"
This time, an actual cricket's sound filled the room, courtesy of Apollo.
Rhea bit her lips.
"Pfft"
A/N: Some quick explanations here.
Why this specific audience? Well, I thought about it, and since the original fic mostly occurs before canon, there was no need to involve the seven heroes, especially considering that just having the Olympians as a whole reacting is already a bit much.
Why did we bring back Bianca and Zoe? Since the original fic is a fix-it of sorts, and since I'm a bitch about realistic reactions, I didn't want there to be a feeling of "Oh damn, if only" in the audience.
Why are there some differences with canon? Same reason as before. I didn't want some like Rhea feeling like they'll never get to experience what AU Rhea will feel, and I also wanted the gods' reaction to be more genuine. So Naruto does exist in this AU, but instead of going to America, he went to Northern/Western Europe.
Also, as mentioned in the reading, only the narration will be read while the audio/dialogue is taken care of by the screen.
We good here? Good!
we better be bcz this was made with a lot of love and time and braincells went into this (its mirxae btw i wanted to feel important)