1 Chapter 1

Reading: A Father's Love - Chapter 1

For many millennia, the Gods had been living together in their stronghold named Mount Olympus. High above civilization, the immortals ruled over their various domains with utter apathy. From the sun and moon gliding across the sky to storms and earthquakes shaking the foundation of cities, humans lived at the whim of the Gods. Alive only through the tales written in ancient Greek Mythology, the humans ignorantly lived on their oblivious mundane lives, not unlike ants within an ant farm.

Though there were some aspects of life that even the Gods would envy the mortals.

With immortality, the Gods abandoned most of the inhibitions hosted by the human condition; when no consequence could possibly end their eternal lives, most of them wouldn't have a smallest care for morals. Over the millennia, the Gods raped, pillaged and slaughtered humans without care; like cattle, the insignificant replications of their godly forms were simply entertainment. With such mindsets and philosophies and a complete lack of repercussions, the humans could feel much more than the Gods.

With such short lives, humans would strive to make the most of their limited time. They love and hate much stronger than the Gods because they would know that they could only love and hate for a limited time. Life would be just that much more beautiful simply because it would end. From marriage to childbirth, humans could be much more passionate than the Gods, and the immortals could never understand.

Or at least, they wouldn't understand without help.

"Umm, what happened?"

It was just the usual day for the Gods. They had their scheduled council meeting and the major Olympians sat in their newly designed thrones yelling at each other. Since the fall of Kronos' uprising and the reconstruction of Olympus, the Gods had once again gotten used to their immortal lives.

Athena and Poseidon were once again at each other's necks arguing about Athens and how horses were better than olive trees; Zeus was almost hiding behind his throne because of Hera yelling at him once again for siring Thalia and Jason; Hades was failing to ignore Demeter when she yelled at him for kidnapping Persephone; Aphrodite and Artemis were arguing about their lack of and passion for love; Apollo, Hermes, Dionysus and Ares were just chilling in their thrones, snickering at the others. All the while, Hestia just frowned at her family as she continued to tend to the main hearth, wondering if there was anything she could so to mend her family together.

But then, a blinding light filled the room and immediately halted all the Gods.

"Apollo, did you park you chariot in the wrong place again?"

"No, I shrunk it down and it's in my pocket!" cried the God of the Sun as he gave his little sister a look.

As the light died down, the Gods relaxed. Instead of some new enemy, it was just their children from camp, though it would seem that they were just as surprised as the Gods. The counselors from each of the original twelve cabins were present, even Thalia was present, along with the hunters of Artemis. There were also some other campers around, such as Lacy from the Aphrodite cabin. Soon, all the children were revealed and they all looked up at the Gods confused.

"Umm, why is everyone here, Lady Artemis?" asked Thalia, the hunters nodded along with her words.

"I'm not sure…" replied the Goddess.

"H-Hello, mother," Annabeth muttered as she looked up at her towering mother, who had a stern expression on her face as she looked down at her daughter and Percy Jackson. The moment they appeared, Annabeth was lying on top of Percy, lip-locked; it would appear that they were in quite the compromising position before they were suddenly teleported. "Do you know why we're here?"

Percy smiled sheepishly and nodded at his girlfriend's question, hoping that his Curse of Achilles' Curse would save him from Athena's wrath.

Poseidon smiled at his son and nodded at the boy, making Percy smile back. "It's great to see you again, my son."

"You too, dad."

Hades nodded at Nico, who looked as out of place as ever. The boy merely nodded back, deciding to stand next to Percy and Annabeth instead of saying anything to his father.

Hera scoffed at the sight and shook her head, "Great, your dirty laundry is here again." Zeus sighed as Thalia glared at her step-mother. "Who summoned all of them here?"

"It wasn't me, but I don't mind!" Aphrodite smiled and shrunk down to the size of a regular human. "It's been a long time since I've seen my little girls!" The Goddess wrapped her arms around Drew, one of her favorite daughters, and Lacy, her youngest little girl. "You're both so beautiful!"

Drew and Lacy both smile happily and hugged their mother back, "Hey mom…"

Lacy snuggled into her mother's arms and smiled happily, "I missed you, mommy."

"So," the Goddess began, "Any new boys in your lives?"

Before Drew could go on about her harem of boys, Zeus cleared his throat. "Aphrodite, please let us find out what is happening before you start your chat."

"That is a good idea," said Thalia, "We were very close to finishing our current target."

"Yeah, our sparring sessions were getting good as well!" Clarisse grunted as she crossed her arms, making her dad smirk at his best girl. "I still want to beat Travis into the ground for pranking Chris."

"That was Connor!"

"Enough!" Zeus sighed and shook his head, wondering how these heroes managed to defeat Kronos, "Silence!"

Another bright light appeared over Zeus' head and an object fell onto his lap.

"What is this?!" Zeus frowned as he held up a book with a note attached to it. "A book with some note…"

"What does the note read?" asked Athena, curious.

"Here, you read it."

Athena sighed and took the note from her father, opening it from its single fold.

"Olympians and heroes, we have summoned you all here today for a long delayed lesson. We have seen the future and we find that it is of utmost importance that all of you learn how to bond properly between parent and child. The next crisis will require the combined effort of both Gods and Demigods, so we warn you to heed our advice. The book we have given you is a record of reality from a different dimension, a place where the bond between parent and child is truly cherished and nurtured, compromised and perfected. We know that you will learn well from this book. The Fates."

"This is ridiculous!" Zeus frowned at once again the Fates trying to rule over him, "This is a waste of time!"

"No matter what your ego thinks, we must read this book." Hades ignored the glare his younger brother sent him and sighed, "And it's only one book; give it to Athena and it will be finished in a few minutes."

"Fine…" Athena said with a sigh, "A Father's Love."

Hestia smiled, "That's a decent title…"

Zeus conjured several couches and loveseats all around the council chamber for the demigods to use. Annabeth and Percy took one of the closest loveseats and sat together, though it was a little unnerving to have Athena glare at them. Thalia settled into a long couch with her hunters after she hugged Annabeth, with her couch right next to Annabeth's. It had been a long time since the two best friends had seen each other and it was nice to just hold hands over the two couch handles. The daughters of Aphrodite took a loveseat to their own close to their mother's throne; all the others settled into their own seats and remained silent, not really sure how they should think of the Fates making them read together.

"Silence; I am going to start the first chapter." Athena cleared her throat before she started to read.

He had never felt such power; it was overwhelming and beyond his wildest imagination. His body felt as if it had been turned to stone; he couldn't move a muscle as the calamity towered over him, its shadow covering most of the mountain range. It wasn't moving, but every subtle twitch of its body sent quakes along the ground and shook the foundations around him. Its mouth was closed, but a low rumble came out as its growl. Then there was its eye – its one lone eye. It was as red as blood with strange black rings and tomoe surrounding pupil, and it emanated power.

"Whoa, what is this…" muttered Percy with a frown.

Poseidon sighed and crossed his arms, "This reminds me of Typhon."

"It does, but even Typhon doesn't have an eye like that." Zeus frowned; he didn't want to think that such a monster was what the Fates had warned them about.

But despite all of this, he felt no fear.

"I assume this "he" is the main character of the book?"

Athena nodded at her daughter, "Yes; that seems to be the usual case."

Perhaps it was because he had nothing to lose. Everyone else had perished; crushed by the beast's overwhelming power. Pools of blood covered the ground, forming into rivers as the foundations of the earth shook. Hundreds upon thousands of corpses lay still or burning on the dirt. With his sensory abilities, he could still feel the lingering chakra of some of his most precious people; he could feel their life fade as their deaths sunk into his consciousness. He was the only one left. Everyone else had perished; he had failed to save any of them.

"Well that's not morbid."

"Be quiet, Apollo." Artemis frowned at the book, wondering if the whole book would be so depressing.

Percy shivered as he imagined being in the man's shoes. He had more than once wondered what would happen to him if he failed to defeat Kronos and everyone around him died, including his Annabeth…he would rather die.

He laced his fingers with Annabeth's and kissed the back of her hand, pulling her closer to him.

'I'm sorry…'

The ground shook heavily and he was nearly knocked to the ground as the monster took its first step. Its ten towering tails were swaying from side to side, threatening to flatten any person or mountain within its reach. Its mouth slowly parted, revealing jagged and razor sharp teeth covered in its slimy saliva. It looked hungry, not for food, but for death and destruction. It only wanted one thing: to destroy every living thing in the world and start anew.

"This thing looks even more disgusting than Typhon…" muttered Aphrodite as she shook her head.

Ares grinned and started to sharpen his blade, "I would like to have a crack at this thing!"

Hephaestus snorted and shook his head, "You'd be destroyed in a second."

"Shut up, you cripple!"

"Quiet down, both of you!" Hera sighed at her two sons, both bitter disappointments.

He stared up at the beast with his azure blue eyes connected to its lone powerful orb, and wondered. 'Is this really the end? All this time I had thought that I could become powerful enough to save everyone. Even if I could defeat the Juubi now, what's the point? So I can be the King of the ashes?'

"So this thing is called the Juubi…" stated Athena before she continued.

Suddenly, a deafening, earth-shaking roar of devastation blasted from the beast's gaping mouth, sending gales of neck-breaking winds towards the corpse covered land. It shredded the ground and tore away at the remaining earth. Then as it breathed back it, thousands of small red and blue orbs of chakra gathered around its mouth, slowly forming a gargantuan orb almost as big as its body. It was almost pitch black in color, and was suffocating.

"That thing looks very deadly…" Apollo shivered and shook his head.

'Why should I fight on? There is no point anymore.'

A shockwave that shaved off the top of the surrounding mountains pulsed from the monster as it fired its attack directly at the lone survivor. The ground was split open by the sheer power of the speed it was traveling and soon towered over the man.

'Maybe I should just die…'

A blinding light covered the entire mountain range and all was silent.

A pair of azure blue eyes snapped open and a man burst from his bed. His breathing was quick, as if he was close to hyperventilating, and cold-sweat covered his bare torso. His entire body was shaking and he could actually feel the adrenaline slowly leave his system, rendering him tired and weak.

"What the hell was that?"

"What the hell?!" cried Ares loudly. "That was just some loser's nightmare?!"

"I guess so, but that was a rather graphic dream…" muttered Athena.

He slowly calmed from his nightmare and combed his fingers through his blond hair, making it even more spiky than usual. He felt that his scalp was moist from sweat, making him shake his head and sigh. He had never experienced such a vivid and horrific dream. In all honesty, he was surprised his brain could even conjure up such imagery.

"Exactly; a normal modern human shouldn't have dreams like that…" said Athena again.

"It's all those weird video games they play, I swear." Demeter hated to see so many children play those bad games instead of eating cereal.

Putting on his glasses before looking over at his clock, he saw that it was still early – only 5:00am – making him sigh again. He was wide awake, and despite his weak and tired form, he'd doubt that he would be able to fall asleep again so soon. He simple pushed his pillow upright and leaned back against the head board of his large bed, letting the silence and peaceful darkness relax him. As usual, his grey curtains were parted and the moonlight seeped in, casting a serene white light in his bedroom. Seeing the familiar placing made him relax more, and he calmly closed his eyes to rest.

'That's it, no more crazy hero movies before bed with the girls.'

"So this guy should be the father mentioned in the title of the book." Annabeth rubbed her chin in though and crossed her arms, "And we can assume that he has more than one daughter since he said girls."

Aphrodite smiled, "That's nice; it's always cute to see loving fathers with their little girls."

After a few more minutes, he decided to just start his day. No longer with shaky feet, he stepped onto the cold but cozy hardwood flooring and heading towards the master bathroom. He jumped into the shower and turned the water to higher heat than usual. He could feel his exhaustion leave him as his skin tingled and eyes clear. He spend much more time standing under the shower than usual, trying to red himself of the worst nightmare of his life – or what he could remember of his life.

"So he has some kind of amnesia?" wondered Annabeth.

In his memory, he had only lived twelve years. He was in his late-twenties, but he couldn't recall anything before his 16th birthday. The earliest memories were of him waking in the local hospital and the doctor informing him of his car accident. Apparently he had been in a head-on collision with another car and had broken nearly every bone in his body. The doctors were genuinely shocked that he managed to wake from such devastating injuries – it was nothing short of a miracle.

"Miracles usually don't happen unless one of us intervenes." Hera looked over at Apollo and raised an eyebrow, "Maybe you healed him?"

Apollo shrugged, "Maybe, but I don't see why?"

But he had suffered a serious case of amnesia and could barely remember how to speak. It took him quite a long time to finish his recuperation in the hospital, but he could survive on his own 18 months later.

He started to regain some of his knowledge, but no substantial memories of his past life. All he had of himself was from the wallet the police found on his person the day of his accident. His name was Namikaze Naruto, and he was a citizen of New York City, United States of America. He had a driver's license, a Social Security Number, even a Gym Membership, but other than that, nothing. He had no family or girlfriends. He was alone – well, for the first year anyway.

"So I guess this guy is going to be a father of some demigods?" asked Demeter as she recalled the Fates mentioning that this dimension had bonded parents and child. "I wonder which Goddess he had children with."

Aphrodite giggled, "I wonder what he looks like."

"Man, today is going to be exhausting." Naruto jumped out of the shower and dried himself before looking in his mirror. His hair was growing quite long – the bangs nearly framed the sides of his face and most of his forehead – but he saw something weird. For a split-second, he saw that his eyes morphed into the same eye the monster had in his dream, but it was gone as soon as he noticed. Shaking his head, Naruto chuckled to himself as he squirted some toothpaste on his toothbrush, "I am going to crazy."

"Whoa, is he going to get that crazy eye from that monster?!" Apollo grinned in excitement and rubbed his hands together. "That would be pretty cool."

He dressed himself in his usual style. He had a on a black dress shirt with the top few buttons open tucked into a pair of light grey jeans with a white belt. Slipping into his black socks, he stepped into his black dress shoes, hearing the usual clacking footsteps of his own.

"Oh come on, I really want to know what he looks like!"

Another bright light filled the room and a large plasma screen – at least twenty feet across – appeared at the end of the council chamber. It was lit up with an image of a young man with sun-kissed blond spiky hair that framed his angular face; his bright blue eyes shone happily, coupled with his wide smile. Just like the book described, he was wearing a black dress shirt that did little to hide his perfect body, and a pair of grey jeans that just framed his toned legs.

"Wow…" muttered Aphrodite as she stared at the image as she licked her lips. "That is one beautiful man."

Drew nodded along, "Yeah, what a hunk…"

Artemis rolled her eyes at the Love Goddess and just crossed her arms, just as her hunters did. A few years back, Thalia might have thought the man was really hot, but after joining the hunt, she no longer had that kind of feeling, though she had to admit, the man was very good looking indeed.

"I agree," said Demeter with a smile, "He must eat his cereal!"

Stepping down the hall of mahogany hardwood, Naruto turned to the last door on the left. With a gentle turn of the knob, he silently slipped into the teddy bear and plushy filled room. He smiled at the sight of his little princess sleeping away with all the innocence of the world, her little face pressed against her pink pillow while her blanket was kicked off the bed.

"Aww, that must be his little daughter!" Aphrodite had always been attracted to gorgeous men, and if they had a cute little daughter with them, it made it even better. "I wonder what her name is."

"It's time to wake up, sweetie," Naruto whispered as gently as he could before he kissed his little girl's forehead, making her squirm with a groan. "Come on, Lacy."

"Wait, what?!" cried many people at once.

Drew looked at her youngest sister with widened eyes, "Is it the same Lacy?"

As if the plasma screen could hear their words, it flashed to a different image. It showed a little girl, no older than five years of age, holding onto her father's hand. She had a bright smile on her face and looked utterly adorable in a little white sundress. And she looked exactly as Lacy did when she was that age.

"It is you, Lacy!" Annabeth sat up and looked closer at the screen. "Wow, so you have a different father in that dimension!"

Lacy was stunned silent as she stared at the image on the screen. The girl in the image was clearly her and looked very happy, something she never had as a child. Her dad was a pompous underwear model and small time actor; he had never really loved her as a child and had never bothered visiting her at camp. She had always been a year-round camper and hadn't spoken to her dad in a very long time. Seeing herself so happy with a father was a little strange and surreal.

"That means I was the Goddess he had a child with!" Aphrodite giggled and fanned herself, "Not bad; the other me has great taste in men!" Ares grunted in annoyance, now sharpening his blade with more force.

"So you actually had more than one child with him?" asked Apollo, genuinely curious.

"I don't know, I don't really do that sort of thing usually." She clapped her hands together excitedly and squealed, "I can't wait to see who the other girls are!"

Athena rolled her eyes, wondering if the whole book would be about one of Aphrodite's stupid love stories. "Whatever, let's just get this over with."

"Five more minutes~"

"No, that will just make you sleepier." Naruto smiled and lightly brushed his daughter's own long blonde hair behind her ear. "Come on, you have to get ready for school."

Lacy slowly opened her eyes, though she had a pout on her face. She gave her daddy her most in innocent puppy-eyed look and raised her arms up. "Can you carry me, daddy?"

Naruto sighed with a suppressed smile, "Sure, you little minx."

"Oh us!" squealed Aphrodite loudly, making Ares, who sat next to her, cringe at the volume. "That is sooo cute!" The plasma screen once again shifted into another image, one of Naruto holding his little girl in his arms. It seemed that the plasma screen would automatically change pictures as the book was read.

Lacy bit her lips; she had never asked her father to carry her, not even once, and even she did, she'd doubt if her father would ever hold her with so much love and affection.

Many of the demigods smiled at the image; it was really adorable. Lacy was very cute as a little girl, just as she was as a young teenager. She looked very happy with her loving father, a privilege that almost none of the present demigods had experienced before.

The little girl, even at five years old, still fit perfectly in his arms. Cradling her close to his chest, Naruto rested Lacy's head in the crook of his neck and kissed her head. He made sure to rub his hands along her back so she wouldn't be cold after leaving her warm bed and quickly placed her down in front of the bathroom.

"And he's so attentive!" Aphrodite smiled beautifully and giggled.

Lacy couldn't help but feel extremely jealous at the sight. She was the same person as the girl on screen, but she had a terrible father. She couldn't even remember the last time her father had smiled at her, much less carry her in his arms and kissed her. It wasn't fair that the other Lacy could be so lucky.

Aphrodite sudden appeared next to her daughters on their loveseat and pulled them into her arms. She giggled and kissed each of them on their forehead and held them close. "You are all so cute when you're so little!"

Drew smirked, "Like mother like daughter."

Lacy couldn't help but smile as well; at least she had a mom who loved her, even though she couldn't always be around. She looked back at the screen and saw how the other her was snuggling into her father's chest, and eventually smiled. In the end, she was glad that the other her could have a dad who loved her.

"Annabeth promised to brush my hair today," mumbled Lacy as she rubbed her eyes.

"WHAT?!"

Annabeth blinked and looked up at her mother, who read over the line again to see if she had read it correctly. Her grey eyes seemed to run hundreds of miles per hour, trying to deduce the possibility of her having Annabeth with someone that was not Fredrick.

"So, you're this guy's daughter too, Annabeth?" asked Katie Gardner from the Demeter Cabin.

"How's that even possible?" Thalia rubbed her temples and sighed.

Zeus looked at the War Goddess, "So you had a brain-child with this man…"

Percy held onto Annabeth as she looked up at Athena, who was still thinking very hard about something.

"So, I have a different dad in that dimension?"

Athena nodded, "It would seem so…"

Annabeth looked over at Lacy, who was also looking at her. "So, Lacy is my sister in that dimension, like a real blood related sister."

"Wow, yeah." Lacy smiled at Annabeth; she had always wanted a real sister when she was still living with her father, and the other her had one in Annabeth. "That's kind of cool!"

"Yeah…" whispered Annabeth with a faraway look, "But this is going to change so many things!" She looked at Thalia, who understood immediately. "According to the note from the Fates, this man is a really good father, so that means I probably won't run away from home."

"And you wouldn't have met me and…" Thalia frowned at the thought of the deceased son of Hermes.

Percy bit his lip and pulled his girlfriend closer, "This will change the entire great prophecy…" Hermes looked a little hopeful; maybe his son won't end up being so bad in this dimension.

Zeus sighed and nodded in agreement, but looked over at his favorite daughter. "Read on, Athena; we must find out what happens."

"I know, I'm right here", Annabeth Namikaze stepped out of her own room already showered and dressed for school; at the age of nine her maturity was far beyond her years. "Good morning, dad."

The plasma screen once again changed and it showed a picture of a young Annabeth, no older than ten years old. She looked just as Thalia remembered; still had the same princess curls and grey eyes, but this one looked a lot happier. The smile the girl had on her face was very innocent, as if she had never even been unhappy once in her whole life.

Annabeth clearly saw that as well and smiled a little, hoping that the other her would have the happy childhood she had always wanted.

Naruto smiled at his eldest and kissed her forehead, "Morning, Annie." He ran a hand over her combed blonde hair that she shared with him and her little sister. "Help your sister get ready; I'll make some pancakes."

"Yay!" exclaimed Lacy, "With vanilla syrup?"

Aphrodite smiled and kissed Lacy's head, wanting to cuddle with her baby daughter more.

"Sure."

"Dad, you still have to sign that permission slip for me."

"I already did sweetie; it's on the table." Naruto furrowed his brows as he ran his hand through his hair again – something he would do with he would feel stress. He hated leaving his daughter to go around the city on a field trip, but Annabeth had him wrapped around her little finger. But as much as he wanted to deny it, he was a little happy. What dad didn't want to be bossed around by his darling little princess?

"Wow, that's sweet of him." Aphrodite smiled again, already feeling quite fond of the man they were reading about; she could see why the other her decided to have a child with him.

Zeus snorted, "Not every father is like that."

Hera snorted back at her husband, "Really, so you giving Artemis and Athena everything they want is just you being generous."

Artemis smirked and looked away, making Zeus cross his arms. She winked at Athena, who, despite the situation, smiled at her sister. Their father really gave them anything they ask for, like to run around the earth with a horde of hunters and to open as many libraries as possible.

"Face it brother, your daughters have you wrapped around their little fingers." Poseidon chuckled along with Hades as Zeus looked away.

Naruto smiled at the thought of his two princesses as he started on the pancakes. They were so much like their mothers it was a little shocking. He would never forget the eyes of his first love back in his college days. Yes, he actually went back to college. After his recuperation, he found out that his past-self had already started on a Business Administration Degree at the New York City University, and he managed to learn his way back in. That was also when he met Annabeth's mother, Athena, one of his professors.

"So naughty, Athena, having a baby with one of your students~" Aphrodite smiled slyly at Athena.

"Shut up, you fool!"

When one would hear such a name they would usually think of the ancient goddess of Greece, not a living goddess of Western Civilization. It was real. Athena, Annabeth's mother, was really a goddess. He really had a hard time believing it when the Goddess of Wisdom had told him of her true identity – he had thought she tried to prank him. Though it was even harder to believe that even though he did not get laid, he ended up having a daughter with his gorgeous professor.

Demeter smiled, "He says you're gorgeous, Athena."

"Gorgeous naughty professor~"

"I swear Aphrodite; I will shave your head clean!" Athena had a small blush on her face; she had never been tolerant of teasing; the last time it really happened she threw the first flute onto the earth and cursed it.

Apparently, Athena was capable of having children with men she could connect with at a mental level, like Naruto when they shared a very nice semester together discussing warfare tactics. The blond had no idea where he had so much knowledge about wars and how to win them, but apparently it was enough to impress Athena. So much so that she decided to have his child.

"Well, that is kind of what happened with you and dad, right?" Annabeth remembered the story her dad had told her a few months ago about how he met Athena, and it was quite similar.

"Yes, but your dad was studying Historical Warfare, not War Tactics."

Naruto smiled at the thought, 'She gave me one of my princesses.'

"Aww, he calls them princesses!" Aphrodite gushed at the sweetness and hugged her daughters again.

Annabeth blushed and looked away, a little embarrassed.

Annabeth was Naruto's life. From the moment Hermes, the Messenger of the Gods, and Athena dropped the little bundle into his arms, nine years ago, she will forever be someone he would love unconditionally.

Athena couldn't help but smile. Even though she had never met this man, his thoughts had already told her that he was perhaps one of the best fathers her children had ever had. Fredrick and all the other men she had a brain-child with had more or less felt some sort of frustration when she would drop of their child to them. She couldn't recall a single time when one of her fathers of her children had not felt burdened.

Thalia smiled and grabbed Annabeth's hand, "He should be a really good father to the other you."

"Yeah, he should be." Annabeth had a soft smile, feeling more and more jealous, but also happy for her other.

Artemis nodded approvingly, "This is certainly a rarity; such fathers are largely scarce in the world." Many hunters nodded along, thinking back to now terrible some of their fathers had been. Hera and Hestia nodded in agreement; they both knew that none of the male gods could ever be such good fathers.

She was the perfect blend between him and her mother. She had his blond hair and slightly tanned complexion, but had Athena's intimidating and endearing grey eyes. His daughter was perfect.

Percy smiled and kissed Annabeth's cheek, "He's right, you're perfect."

Annabeth blushed and lightly kissed Percy on the lips before snuggling into him. A part of her had wished that she could actually have a life like the other Annabeth, but if that would take Percy away from her life, she'd never take it. Percy had become integrated into her life and her love for him and become so painfully strong since the end of the war. She wouldn't trade Percy's love for anything, even a better childhood.

"It smells great, dad!"

Annabeth walked into the kitchen and sat down at the dining table, smiling at her daddy as he cooked his usual great breakfasts.

"Wow, finished with Lacy's hair already?" From what Naruto knew about his youngest princess, it surprised him that Annabeth managed to satisfy Lacy's standards for her hair in such a short time. Even at such a young age, Lacy loved to be pretty and cute.

"That's an understatement…" muttered Katie with a smile. "I've seen her stare at a mirror with a comb for more than an hour."

"It wasn't an hour, maybe forty-five minutes tops!"

"Poor Annabeth; having to do that every morning would take so much time," Rachel, the newest Oracle of Apollo spoke as she sat next to Katie and Travis, "That must be so frustrating."

"Well, sooner or later, she'd be used to it."

Annabeth nodded, "All you need is repetition."

"Yep, I've had lots of practice."

"See?" said Annabeth rhetorically.

Naruto scooped the first batch of pancakes onto a plate and placed it on the counter, "Annie, no books at the dinner table." He gave his daughter a knowing stare, making her sigh in defeat before she placed the book she hid under the table on the table. "You will have plenty of time to read later."

Percy laughed and kissed his girlfriend's cheek, "Looks like Chiron isn't the only one who stops you from doing that."

Annabeth scowled, "There is nothing wrong with reading before a meal!" The campers chuckled at the female leader of the camp.

Annabeth pouted at her dad, "But I was getting to the good part!"

"I don't care; no reading at the dinner table." Naruto smiled at his princess, "Be a good girl and I'll take you and your sister for ramen tonight."

The girl instantly grinned and nodded. "Okay!"

"You don't even like ramen," said Percy as he recalled their last date, where they went to a food court at the mall; Annabeth didn't even glance at the ramen place.

Annabeth shrugged, "I'm indifferent about it."

"Well, apparently we both love it in this." Lacy smacked her lips together, not really knowing how to feel about loving ramen. "I don't really like starch…"

If there was one thing the girls really inherited from him, it would be his love for ramen.

"I would have preferred the height, but whatever," muttered Lacy.

"DADDY, DADDY!" Lacy came running out after she finished dressing, looking absolutely adorable in a little blue sundress with her hair tied into a small braid. "I'M HUNGRY, IS BREAKFAST READY?"

"That's an adorable look, Lacy." Aphrodite smiled and kissed her little girl.

Lacy smiled and leaned into her mom, "Thanks, mommy."

"Yes, yes, come get your own plates girls."

Annabeth and Lacy both happily ran for their own plates before quickly sitting back down at the dinner table. Naruto smiled at the sight of his little girls devouring their breakfast, or of Lacy drowning her pancakes into vanilla syrup.

'Lacy is also very much like her mother.'

"She totally is!" Aphrodite grinned happily at the thought.

Naruto didn't know what was wrong with his life or why he was so lucky, but he had had two goddesses in his life.

"Yeah, that almost never happens." Apollo crossed his arms and shook his head, "Especially since he's not a God."

"Well, he's already a much better father than most male Gods I know, so it's not too surprising." Artemis glance at her brothers and shook her head, "At least he really loves and cares for his girls."

"Hey!" cried Apollo, "I care greatly about my little girls!"

"Yeah, I killed the last guy who tried to sleep with my daughter!" Ares grinned at the memory of splitting that boy in half.

Clarisse sighed as Will Solace chuckled. "Damn, Chris is going to die soon."

"Shut up!" Clarisse glared at him.

The first of his relationships was with Athena, but that was purely intellectual – he had never even kissed her once.

"He better not kiss my little girl!" Zeus glared at the book, but made Athena glare back at him.

"Don't call me little girl!"

Poseidon rolled his eyes at his rival and brother.

But the second was very different. While Athena was confident, smart, and gave off an aura of authority, the second goddess in his life was playful, seductive, and extremely stunning.

"That basically sums it up for Aphrodite…" muttered Demeter.

She had met Naruto when she visited his work – Sweet On America, a Candy Store he opened after he finished school. It was just a small store located at the end of Grand Central Station, but one day this extremely beautiful woman walked in.

"Hey, that's the place my mom worked at a few years ago!" exclaimed Percy with a smile. "That's awesome!"

"Hmm, maybe you and Annabeth might have met each other much earlier on," suggested Thalia with interest.

Annabeth smiled, "I do hope so."

"Be quiet, girls, it's getting to the good part!" Aphrodite glared at the young ladies and shook her head. "Read on, Athena!"

Athena rolled her eyes at her.

She was stunning. Naruto froze the moment he laid eyes on her. She was the definition of beauty. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and that included Athena. She had long red hair that reached her lower back and the face of an angel, and her eyes was a shade of purple that made his heart flutter. He could still remember how excited she was when she practically skipped into his store, leering at all the candy like a predator.

"Aww, he likes red hair!" Aphrodite looked at the plasma screen and saw an image of Naruto's interpretation of perfect beauty and smiled happily. "That's a great look! Naruto certainly has great taste!"

"Yeah, I love how the long hair just flows down!" Drew smiled and nodded at the look; her mother was gorgeous!

It was only a few minutes after she walked in that she told him her name: Aphrodite. Normally when a person would meet a woman named Aphrodite, they would think of her as joking or something, but after having a brain-child with Athena, Naruto grew suspicious. He asked her right away: are you a goddess?

Well, let's just say they got along very well very quickly.

"Ohh-la-la!"

Artemis sighed and shook her head, "No wonder you go through so many lovers so quickly…"

"Like you would ever understand, you virgin!" Aphrodite huffed and glared at her greatest rival.

"Proud of it!"

Athena sighed, "Come on, just like me read!"

He showed her all the candy in his shop and the chatted the day away. Long story short, Lacy arrived a short few months after.

"Slow down, Lacy; the pancakes are not going anywhere."

Lacy have her daddy a big smiled and nodded. "It's just so good!"

Naruto sighed at he sipped on his cup of coffee, wondering if he would ever see the mothers of his children again. He had never seen either of them again after they dropped off their respective daughter to him. Athena gave him a sweet smile and a hug before she just vanished. Aphrodite's parting gift was much more intimate and steamy, but she had not shown herself to him afterwards. They both just vanished from his life, never appearing to him again.

To be perfectly honest to himself, he felt a little depressed.

Athena bit her lips and felt a little guilty; not only did she just disappear from his life forever, she left him with a constant reminder of her. She knew that Naruto loved Annabeth, but on principle, she was still in the wrong.

"You really broke his heart, mom!" Drew smiled at her mother, who just bit her lips and gave a forced smile.

"That's not a good thing, Drew!" Annabeth glared at the daughter of Aphrodite and shook her head. "He is a human being and it's just not right to play him like that!"

Lacy absentmindedly nodded, making Aphrodite feel even more guilty. Usually the Love Goddess would really care, but seeing how sweet and attentive Naruto was being compared to the other pretty men she had children with, she felt a little bad.

'Maybe I should find a girlfriend. '

Goode Elementary School, the one place Naruto loathed. It wasn't necessary a bad school, but Naruto hated leaving his daughters alone for such a long time. If he had more time on his hands, he would homeschool them himself. If there was one thing he would always remember of the gods, it would be the moment when Hermes had told him that demigod children will always be in danger. As they grow and as their powers develop, they will emanate a scent that will attract all kinds of monsters around the world.

"You tell the dads about the monsters when you drop us off, mom?" Annabeth looked up at her mother and Hermes, wondering if it were true.

"Always; we need to make sure that they know what would be coming for them."

Annabeth frowned; her dad had always known about the monsters and still didn't believe her sometimes. Naruto was ten-times better than her dad in this world; he didn't value his work over her and truly smothered her with affection. Just like every little girl, she wanted to be coddled by her dad, but she never got that when she was a child.

That is the main reason Naruto hated leaving his princesses alone.

"He really cares a lot…" said Hestia with a smile. "That's really sweet."

"Did you bring your lunch?"

"Yes."

"What about your extra juice box?"

"Yes."

"Do you remember what I told you? Never leave the group; always follow your teacher on your field trip."

"Yes."

"Remember to wash your hands when you have the chance; those museums are very dirty."

"Yes."

"Remember to not read your books when walking around."

"Yes."

"Remember-"

"Dad!" cried Annabeth with a slightly red face as she glared up at her daddy. "I remember everything, stop reminding me!"

"Oh that's adorable!" Aphrodite squealed again; she couldn't recall another one of her lovers who cared so much for her children.

Percy chuckled, "Now you know how I feel when my mom drops me off at school."

Annabeth smiled and nodded, "It's not so bad; it feels pretty good, really."

Percy just smiled and pulled her closer.

She felt a little embarrassed at her dad's constant overprotective nature, especially when they were all walking up to the school and there were many other kids with their parents around them. She could hear some of the other kids' moms smiling over at them, whispering how sweet and loving her father was. "I'll be very careful!"

Lacy, who was holding onto her daddy's hand as they walked, giggled. "Annabeth looks funny."

"Heh, teasing the older sister, wonderful!" Demeter and Hera just smiled at Hestia, who smiled back.

Annabeth held onto the straps of her backpack and tilted her face up, looking high and mighty. "I'm almost ten years old, dad, you don't have to be so protective."

Annabeth shook her head, 'You really don't know how lucky you are; I would love to have a dad who cares so much.'

Naruto smiled at his princess trying to act grown up and how she looked shockingly like her mother. "No matter how old you are, you will always be my cute little princess." He kissed her lovingly on the forehead before he messed with her hair. "Now be careful and be sure to be here when I pick you up later."

Annabeth smiled again, but felt her heart stricken. The other Annabeth had everything she wanted as a child, which wasn't all that much. She had a nice home and a very loving family; she could still remember how she wanted her dad to tell her that he loved her when she was a little girl, but he never did.

Thalia smiled with a sigh as she held onto her best friend's hand, knowing perfectly that the Annabeth she knew would ne envious. The daughter of Zeus knew perfectly how Fredrick wasn't the best father and his wife made Annabeth's life miserable; Thalia was glad that the other Annabeth could enjoy such a childhood.

Aphrodite smiled dreamily, "He is such a cute father."

Athena nodded with her own smile, "That is really sweet."

Annabeth was blushing from embarrassment, but smiled back nonetheless. "Okay dad, see you later."

"Aww, she's blushing!" Aphrodite was really starting to love this book.

The father watched his eldest walk into the building before he continued to his way to the kindergarten section of the school. He smiled at some of the other parents as he walked passed them, most of which were woman. It was a little disconcerting for him to receive strange leers and lustful glances from the other parents, especially since their children were right next to them. Even Lacy seemed to sense something and pulled him along faster. She didn't like the looks those women were giving her daddy.

Aphrodite giggled and kissed Lacy's head, "Protective of your daddy, huh?"

Lacy blushed, but smiled. "I guess I would be, yeah."

Annabeth nodded; she wouldn't want the other her to have a stepmother. She may be a little bias, but she hated most stepmothers, especially her own and Hera.

"Okay princess; remember to listen to your teacher." Naruto leaned down to kiss her little princess on the cheek, smiling as she giggled. "I'll come pick you up in the afternoon."

"I know, bye-bye daddy." Lacy hugged her dad around his legs and grinned up at him. "I love you."

Aphrodite squealed again, "So cute!"

Lacy sighed happily; she could never say that to her father and probably doesn't even feel that way.

Naruto smiled and kissed her forehead, "I love you too, sweetie." He smiled as he watched his little girl skip into her classroom, happy to see all her friends again.

Lacy could only imagine what it would be like to have a dad genuinely tell her that he loved her.

He was about to leave for work, but someone stopped him.

"Mr. Namikaze."

He turned around and was surprised to see Lacy's teacher walking towards him. It was a pretty sight. Ms. Turner was beautiful. She was a young teacher, probably one who just finished her education degree and wanted to try teaching kindergarten. She had long brown hair that reached her lower back and was very pretty. Nowhere near Athena or Aphrodite standards, but as far as normal humans go, she was gorgeous.

"Wow, she is pretty hot," said Apollo with a grin.

"No she's not…" muttered Aphrodite, already feeling a little possessive of the man. "And she's leering at him like a piece of meat." The image on the plasma screen showed the young teacher smiling at Naruto, who was clearly infatuated.

"Good morning, Ms. Turner." Naruto smiled and met her halfway. "What can I do for you?"

"Please, just call me Katie." The teacher smiled with her green eyes sparkling. "We had another meeting last night and decided that we need some volunteers to help with day to day operations, so I was wondering if you would have some spare time sometimes."

Apollo grinned, "That's a real naughty teacher!

"She wants the D!" Hermes fist pounded his older brother with a grin.

Ares chuckled and nodded along, "Ram her good!"

Three pale arrows narrowly missed each of the male Gods' heads as Artemis glared at them. "One more word and I will actually shoot the three of you!" Needless to say, the three brothers clamped their mouths shut immediately; an angry Artemis would be a scary Artemis.

Naruto actually felt happy at the news. "I would love to help out; just give me the time and date and I'll try to arrange my work around it."

Katie smiled approvingly and nodded. "That's great! That being said, if you don't mind can you please help me with something now?"

"Why doesn't she just strip for him?!" exclaimed Aphrodite with a frown.

"Now?" The blond looked down at his watch and shrugged. "Sure, I have a little bit of time."

"Thank you so much." Katie reached for his hand and started to lead him into the school. "I am supposed to bring these boxes of worksheets and coloring books to the classroom, but they are really heavy and I can't lift them."

"Well I'm happy to help," said Naruto, wondering if she would let go of his hand anytime soon – not that he minded having a pretty girl holding his hand.

Artemis sighed, "Of course."

Hera nodded, "It takes a willing man for a seduction to work, which is why seductions always work." She frowned at her husband and at his weak mind when it comes to women. "Pathetic."

Zeus cleared his throat and looked away.

They walked through the hallways of the school, which were mostly scarce of people since class had most likely started already. Katie was still holding onto Naruto's hand as she led him towards the back of the school, where most of the files and papers were in storage. They turned the last corner and was met with a double door, which Ms. Turner unlocked swiftly.

"Just these boxes in here."

Naruto nodded and stepped into the room, but didn't see any boxes, only a wall of shelves. "Where did you say the boxes were?" Suddenly the sound of a door closing could be heard and Naruto turned around to see Katie leaning against the door. She had a mischievous smirk on her face, nothing like the sweet smile she would usually have. "Umm, is everything okay?"

"Umm, this might turn out very badly." Percy frowned; the scene reminded him a lot of the time he was almost killed by some cheerleaders in Goode. "I think that teacher is a monster…"

Thalia nodded, "Yes, she does have that kind of vibe."

"You smell really nice today."

"Yep, a monster."

Annabeth and Lacy absentmindedly held onto the person next to them, Percy and Aphrodite respectively.

The blond felt a little weird and just nodded. "Thank you?"

Without any warning, Katie walked up to Naruto and kissed him hard on the lips. He was shocked and his eyes were wide, but he couldn't deny how great her lips felt against his. She pushed him to the back of the room, his back knocking down some of the files on the shelves. Her tongue forced its way into his mouth and darted around wildly, as if trying to taste him fully. To top it all off, she took Naruto's hand and placed it down her shirt, making him fondle her chest.

"I don't know if I should be jealous of him or scared for him," muttered Travis to his brother.

To say that Naruto was shocked would be an understatement. Ms. Turner looked like a perfectly elegant and calm young lady, but now she resembled more of a vixen. Her eyes turned into a cunning and vicious glare instead of the usual kindness. He couldn't kiss back; she was far too forceful and violent. He could feel her nails digging into the back of his neck and her teeth were starting to bite into his tongue.

It was one of the worst kisses he had ever experienced.

"Yeah, I don't see Naruto as someone who would like to be dominated…"

Artemis glared at Aphrodite, "Really, that's the only thing you have to say?"

"Ms. Turner!" cried Naruto as he shoved her off. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

The woman was laughing and it sent chills down Naruto's back. It sounded so weird, so evil. Then the real frightening changes happened. Her healthy tanned skin started to morph into grey and crusty layers, her brown hair turned white and became wild, and her eyes turned black. One of her legs started to shake and quiver, and soon Naruto noticed that it had been replaced by a wooden peg. Then there were her fangs…they were like those of a vampire.

"That's in Empousai!" cried Annabeth worriedly.

"Yeah, that's pretty much what happened to me a few years back." Percy frowned at the memory and shook his head.

Naruto stared on in horror as he back into the shelves, "W-What the hell are you?"

Her voice came out as raspy and manic. "I'm Villi, an Empousai."

"A what?!" demanded Naruto loudly.

"Mmmm," Villi moaned as she smirked, revealing her black teeth and elongated fangs. "You smell so good today." She reached up to her chest and fondled her now crusty breasts in ecstasy. "I thought it was only your daughters who I wanted to feed on, but I was wrong. You smell so much better~"

Hearing the monster mention his daughters knocked Naruto back to reality. "You stay away from my daughters," he said lowly, his anger palpable.

Lacy and Annabeth smiled; neither of them could even imagine their fathers doing that. Sure, Fredrick at killed some monsters before with his plane, but he wouldn't ever do it face to face. It was even worse with Lacy; she could see her father just running away and abandon her if a monster were to confront them.

"HAHAHAHAHA!" Villi clutched her stomach as she laughed crazily. "You will be the main course today, and little Lacy will make the perfect dessert." Naruto gripped his fists until his knuckles were white, glaring at the monster. "DIE!" The Empousai launched itself towards Naruto, its long nails threatening to run through Naruto to keep him still; her mouth was salivating as her eyes gleamed with hunger.

"Okay, he's dead." Dionysus sighed as he continued to flip through his magazine, "Can we leave now?"

Athena glared at him harshly, "Be quiet, you damn drunk!"

"Yeah, shut the hell up, you worthless piece of shi-"

"Aphrodite, watch your language."

The Love Goddess sighed as she looked over at Hestia, knowing full well that she couldn't fight with another in her presence. Oh well, she'd send Ares on him later.

Now any normal father would probably piss their pants as the monster charged at them, but Naruto was not exactly normal.

Quickly reacting, Naruto reached back to one of the shelves and used the top shelf to direct himself as he jumped up. Almost reaching the full height of the room at nine feet, Naruto looked down at the monster, which was shocked at his actions, and kicked her as hard as he could in the face. The force of his kick forced the Empousai to stagger back to the edge of the room, slightly disorientated.

"Whoa!" exclaimed Apollo with a grin. "This guy's got skills!"

"I'm going to kill you, monster!"

If there was one thing Naruto knew that he excelled at, it would be fighting.

Ares smirked and sat up, paying attention. "This is finally getting good and manly!"

Artemis sighed and shook her head, "Just shut up and listen."

He charged at the monster, grabbing it long white hair with his left hand and pulled its head into his right fist. He heard a distinct crack before he kicked her once more, sending her back to the wall. Naruto glared angrily at the Empousai as he ran up to it and grabbed its head. He dug his fingers hard into her hair and slammed its head into the wall as hard as he could, denting the drywall instantly. Naruto knew he needed a tougher surface to slam the monster's head into, so he turned to the steel shelves and slammed again.

But the Empousai used its legs to stomp on Naruto's foot and hind kicked him away. It turned to glare at the slightly winded blond man with its face bleeding badly.

"I'm going to give you a slow death!" Its raspy voice was shaking with anger as its nails grew in length.

Thalia smirked, "I don't think that's possible."

Annabeth held onto Percy's arm harder as the fight got more intense, and the boy just pulled her closer.

"Hey…" he whispered lovingly into her ear. "He's going to be fine; we still have most of the book to read through."

She nodded, a little more relaxed, "Yeah."

"Not if I can help it!" Naruto sped for the fire extinguisher and quickly used it to hit the Empousai in the face. He repeatedly slammed the extinguisher against the monster's face, making it cry out in pain every time. He didn't count how many times he had struck the Empousai, but he didn't relent until his arms wouldn't move anymore.

Villi lay on the ground, still alive. "T-This is impossible. No human should have such strength!"

"I guess this power comes from whatever was in the dream in the beginning of the book," stated Artemis as she crossed her arms. "If not, I don't see how a normal human could possible overpower a monster."

Athena nodded, "I agree."

Naruto didn't want to take any chances and quickly stomped on the monster's chest. "Just die already!" He slammed the fire extinguisher straight down on the monster's face, crushing it against the cement floor. He did it again and again, ignoring the cries of pain and wails coming from the monster. He closed his eyes and just let his strength guide him, and it continued on.

Then suddenly, Naruto felt his weapon hit the ground instead of the monster's head. He quickly opened his eyes to see if it had escaped, but sighed in relief when he saw a pile of gold dust on the ground, just like the Hellhounds did last time.

"Holy shit, he killed a Hellhound too?!" cried Travis loudly.

Nico and Hades crossed their arms in thought; both knowing better than anyone that a human couldn't possibly kill a Hellhound. The man must have some sort of power or was a demigod himself; that's the only explanation.

He sighed in exhaustion and sat down on the ground, dropping the dented fire extinguisher to the ground.

"I knew today would be a bad day."

"As a father of two demigods, I think he has many of these days."

Annabeth and Lacy frowned, a little frustrated that being a demigod came with such horrible dangers. Not only did they endanger themselves, but their families as well, and that made it all the worse.

Sweet on America was Naruto's pride and joy. He had opened it a year after his graduation with his life savings and it had been going fairly well. It was located inside the Grand Central Station, and business was improving over time. Many people find it a good idea for some sweets after lunch or dinner, and his shop would be a nice convenient place for them to visit after getting off the subway. It varied from young adults working nearby or children with their parents, but they would all leave his store with smiles on their faces.

Lacy nodded with a small smile, feeling a little better since Naruto was fine. "That would be a great job to have."

That was what really made Naruto love his job. Candy and sweets are universal, just as Aphrodite had told him.

"I love a man who listens."

He stepped into the red, blue and white themed store and smiled when he saw that there was already a line in front of his register.

"Good morning, Mr. Namikaze!"

"Good morning, Sally," said Naruto as he smiled at his best employee. "Sorry for coming in late, but it's been a hectic morning."

"He does now my mom!" cried Percy as he pointed at the plasma screen, which showed a picture of Sally Jackson wearing the Sweet on America uniform.

Poseidon smiled a little at seeing his lover's image on the screen; she looked as beautiful as ever.

Sally smiled and waved him off. "It's perfectly fine; I've got this under control."

Sally Jackson had been working for Naruto for almost a year already and she was a great employee. She worked hard, was punctual, the customers loved her, and looked beautiful in the store uniform. Another good thing was that her son was also a student at Goode Elementary and was a friend of Annabeth.

"And we know each other!" Percy smiled and hugged Annabeth close, "That's awesome!"

Annabeth frowned; she was officially very jealous of her other self. Not only did she have an amazing father and a very happy childhood, she also got to meet the love of her life years earlier than she did. The other Annabeth also never met Luke, so she probably could get together with Percy a lot sooner as well. It was just not fair that everyone was so much better for her other self! Serious, what's next? Is her mom going to come live with them or something?

"Did you drop off Percy this morning?" asked the owner of the store as he walked behind the counter and started the other register to ease the lineup.

Sally nodded with a smile, "Yep, he wasn't exactly excited to go to the museum, but he still went."

Thalia chuckled, "Typical of you, Kelp Head."

"Like you could talk, Pinecone Face!"

Naruto chuckled as he gestured to the next customer. "Annabeth couldn't stop talking about it for the whole week."

"Well I'm glad Percy and Annabeth are friends; I hope someday her good habits will rub off on him."

"We're lucky that some of them did," said Katie with a giggle.

Drew giggled and nodded, "And I bet she literally rubbed them on him~"

"Shut up, Drew!" cried Annabeth with a monster blush. 'Percy and I haven't done that yet!'

Percy was just as red as Annabeth and prayed that his future mother-in-law would read faster.

The blond merely smiled and nodded at his customer. "Good morning and welcome to Sweet on America…"

In one morning, he woke from a nightmare, cooked a killer breakfast, dropped his daughters off at school on time, killed a strange slutty monster and managed to get to his store in time. It was just the usual day for Namikaze Naruto; just as he would expect as a father of two beautiful little demigod princesses.

"Beautiful princesses indeed," chirped Aphrodite as she pulled Lacy close and kissed her head.

The Love Goddess couldn't wait to find out more about her relationship with this man. He sounded like the perfect package – the gorgeous looks, the sweet and loving personality and the great job. She wondered if her other self would make an appearance later on; she couldn't wait!

"This is boring, right?" asked Ares to his lover.

Aphrodite glared at him and back away from his reaching hand, "No, this is really cute, and you're just too big a lump to see it!" She smacked his pleading hand away and huffed, "Naruto is so much better than you!"

Ares growled, 'I hope the other me kills that little queer!'

Hephaestus sniggered and shook his head at his brother and wife before going back to tinkering with his toys; he couldn't care less about some random mortal and his children.

Athena placed the book down with a smile; she was enjoying the book a lot more than what she originally expected. It was great to read about such a good father, and it was even better that her favorite daughter was his child. Annabeth's sad childhood had been and always will be one of the greatest regrets of Athena's life, and to see her with such a great childhood in another dimension made it a little better.

"Okay, that was the first chapter." Athena looked at the other with a rare happy smile, "Who wants to read next?"

Annabeth quickly raised her hand with a big smile. "I will!"

Athena smiled at her daughter and teleported the book over to her.

"Chapter 2!"