3 Chapter 3

Thalia smiled as she turned to the next page. So far the book had proven to be much more interesting than she had originally thought. Not only did it show a reality in which Annabeth never met herself and Luke, it was also one where Annabeth had an amazing father. Thalia never really liked Fredrick Chase since he pretty much treated Annabeth like a bag of luggage when she was a child, and it was nice to see her best friend have a caring dad.

"Chapter 3…"

Naruto had always loved picking his daughters up from school; they always looked so happy when they see their family car drive into the parking lot. Annabeth had stopped being overly enthusiastic since she started to mature past her age, but Lacy was still the same. Every day, when he would step out of the car and greet them, Lacy would run over to him as fast as she could and jumped into his arms. She could cry out daddy and immediately fire question after question, like: Can we go get ramen for dinner? Can we stop by the toy store? Did you bring home any candy, daddy?

"The infamous motor-mouth ability of any child of Aphrodite," muttered Artemis under her breath as she watched her lieutenant read.

Aphrodite smiled at her baby girl and kissed her cheek, "I'll say it again – you're adorable."

Lacy merely smiled and silently nodded her head in thanks. She was still trying to immerse herself further into the book, trying to position herself in the shoes of the other Lacy. She wanted to understand how having a loving father would really feel like and how much it would change her personality. She had a feeling that if her dad was like Naruto, she would be a much happier child when she was at that age.

But it seemed that Lacy had stopped that habit overnight.

Lacy frowned, 'I don't think so; I wouldn't give that up for anything in the world.'

Naruto stepped out of his car and only saw Annabeth sitting by their usual bench reading a book. She looked up and saw her dad and a smile immediately appeared on her face. She closed her book and walked up to him, grabbing onto his hand.

"Aww, little Annie likes to hold her daddy's hand!" Aphrodite giggled as she winked over at her rival's daughter, making the girl blush in embarrassment. "It's so sweet! I love seeing how close and the girls are to Naruto!"

Athena smiled to herself and nodded, silently agreeing.

Much like Lacy, Annabeth was also immersing herself into the Annabeth inside the book, and she was really enjoying herself. It was too good to be true; to have a childhood with such a great father and with no encounters with monsters. When she was that age she had already ran away from her cold and foreign home and was trekking across the country with Thalia and Luke; the other Annabeth was going to school and cooking at home with dad.

'If only…'

"Hey Annie," said Naruto with a smile before he ruffled her princess curls. "Where's your sister?"

"She's over there, chatting with her new teacher."

Demeter smiled and rested back on her throne, "So that's where she is; she's spending some quality time with her grand-aunt."

Hestia smiled also, "I do love taking care of children."

Annabeth pointed over to the kindergarten building and Naruto was a little surprised to see a crowd of kids surrounding the front entrance. Curious and a little worried, he led Annabeth over by the hand. From where they stood, Naruto saw a few parents off to the side of the crowd, smiling as they observed what was happening. Then the blond realized that one of the parents was Sally Jackson, who had a morning shift with him just this morning. She was holding onto her son, Percy's, hand as she smiled at the scene. Now he was really curious.

"Little Percy likes to hold his mommy's hand too!" Aphrodite giggled as she looked over at the Hero of Olympus, who was blushing at the laughter around the council chamber. "Both of you are so cute; no wonder you become my favorite couple to root for."

Ares scoffed, "Momma's boy."

Percy glared at the obnoxious God of War, but Hera was the one who spoke up. "Don't say it like it's a bad thing; a good son should be close to his mother, unlike you." The Queen crossed her arms and ignored the rolling eyes of her son, "If only more sons would love their mothers so much."

Annabeth was curious as well, so she followed her dad's pace, holding onto his hand all the while. She had wondered if she was a little too old to hold her dad's hand, but then she saw Percy holding onto his mother's hand, so it should be okay for her.

Percy gave his girlfriend a look, "Really?"

"What?" asked Annabeth innocently as she held onto his hand tenderly, "If it's alright for a boy to hold his mom's hand, it would perfectly fine for a girl to hold her dad's hand."

"Hey Sally," greeted Naruto with a smile.

Sally looked over at saw her boss and smiled back at him. "Hey Naruto, you're here too, huh?"

Percy smiled, "It's so awesome that our parents know each other so early on."

Annabeth merely nodded with a smile and rested her head on Percy's shoulder, hugging his arm close.

"Yep," With a curt nod, Naruto turned to the Percy. "Wow, you've been growing, Percy; you're going to be taller than me soon!"

The Son of Poseidon sighed happily; he had always wanted a nice male role model when he was younger, and his other-self had one in his future father-in-law. In all honesty, anyone would be better than Smelly-Gabe and his poker buddies. Percy really hoped that Naruto would beat Gabe up in this book.

The blond smiled and ruffled Percy's hair, making the boy smile a little. "It must be all the blue candy; they have all the nutrients!"

"Ha!" exclaimed Travis, "The blue food exists in that dimension too."

Annabeth rolled her eyes, "I never understood the blue candy."

Sally chuckled and nodded, "It's an inside joke."

Percy smiled at the thought of his mother's rebellious streak against Gabe, the bane of her existence. He relished in the thought of that man working as a statue in some museum somewhere, paying for his mom's tuition – sound justice if there ever was any.

"Yeah, Wise Girl; the blue candy is good for me." Percy was a little peeved that Annabeth kept telling him that his teeth were going to rot if he kept munching on blue M&Ms during class. "Not rotting teeth for me."

"Keep thinking that and you'll end up with no teeth, Seaweed Brain!"

"Oh my gods, even the nicknames are the same!" exclaimed Thalia with a smile, "I guess the two of you are just soul-mates or something – you might be together in every single dimension."

Aphrodite giggled along with Lacy and Drew, "I could see that happening; I think my counterparts would also see the two of you as their favorite couple."

Annabeth and Percy both blushed, but the latter pulled his lover closer to him, kissing the top of her head.

Naruto chuckled and wondered out loud, "Seaweed Brain?"

Percy crossed his arms and huffed. "I was eating a lot of dried seaweed on day and she started calling me that."

"A different reason, but I could see the logic behind it," mused Annabeth with a smile as Percy traced small circles on her shoulder.

Sally giggled at the aptly placed nickname, "Well I think it's really cute."

Naruto just chuckled at the pair of childhood friends and turned to look at the group of kids surrounding the kindergarten entrance. At first he didn't notice anything, but then he saw that the new teacher – Ms. Hess – was handing out trays of cookies.

Artemis licked her lips at the thought of her aunt's cookies, "Ohh, those are so good." The hunters stared at the mistress with a hint of comprehension – it was a little weird to see their immortal and powerful leader act so immaturely in front of Lady Hestia.

Hestia giggled at her little niece, "I'll make some for you later at the hearth."

"Aww," whined Apollo as Artemis' eyes sparkled, "Now I really want to come."

She looked as beautiful as ever. Her long wavy black hair swayed from side to side as she hugged each child that eagerly took some cookies from her; her eyes dancing with joy at the smiles and grins on her students' faces. It almost made Naruto blush; she was breathtakingly stunning in a sweet and genuine kind of way. He had never seen such a thing before.

Hestia blushed again and avoided many people's stares.

"Hestia, are you trying to charm my man away?" Aphrodite grinned as the Goddess of the Hearth looked over at her, devastated and had a monster blush on her face. "Working all those sweet and warm smiles and using cookies to lure the handsome single dads to your arms?"

"O-Of course not!" the Goddess muttered.

Demeter giggled, "Is there something you want to tell us, sister?"

"Yeah, it would be fine if you were to forsaken your vow; having such a good father as a husband wouldn't be a bad thing," said Hera as she winked at Demeter, both once again teaming up to tease their older sister – one of their favorite pastimes since birth.

Sally smiled at the sight as well, "Ms. Hess baked a bunch of cookies for the students this morning and it was so good they wanted her to bake another tray. She was really nice and actually made a lot more for them to take home."

"Lucky students…" muttered Artemis and Apollo, the two of them acting like twins for once.

Naruto smiled when it was Lacy's turn to receive her cookies and grinned when his princess hug her teacher around her waist. "Thank you, Ms. Hess!" he heard his princess chirp. "You're the best!"

"You're welcome, sweetie."

Lacy smiled and wished Lady Hestia was her teacher. Her junior high teachers were really obnoxious most of the time and none of them would ever care about their students – their hundreds of students. Having the kindest Goddess with the best cooking skills on Olympus as a homeroom teacher just sounded amazing and delicious.

Aphrodite felt a little hungry, "I'm starting to crave these cookies too."

Hestia loved her little niece. She was adorable and was very talkative in class, just like how her mother would during the Olympian Meetings. The Goddess of the Hearth could clearly see Aphrodite in little Lacy – not so much the promiscuity and general sultriness, but a lot in her bubbly personality, sweet demeanor and of course, her stunning beauty.

"You're sweet, Hestia!"

Many people in the room wondered how Aphrodite just waved off being called generally slutty, but many thought that over the millennia, she should have gotten used to it.

Even now, Hestia could tell that Lacy would grow into a stunning beauty, much like all her other demigod siblings on her mother's side.

"That's right boys," exclaimed the Goddess of Love loudly, "You better work quick or my Lacy wouldn't be single soon~"

"Mommy!" cried Lacy with a blush, "Don't say that!"

Thalia read on to save Lacy the embarrassment.

"Daddy!" she heard little Lacy yell.

Aphrodite smiled fondly, "You look so happy when you see your daddy," she whispered as she hugged still blushing Lacy close.

Hestia smiled happily when she saw Lacy run to hug her father, who was actually looking at them from the side of the school. It was wonderful to see such familial love from the mortals who had bonded with the gods. Most other companions of the gods had suffered tragic fates, even in such modern times – the women of Zeus, Hades and Poseidon were clear indications.

Zeus cleared his throat as he shuffled uncomfortably on his throne, something his brothers mirrored; all of the Big Three avoided the glances of their children just a little ways away from them. For Thalia and Nico, their mortal parent's lives had been ruined because of the gods, and they weren't exactly okay with it.

It was a relief that someone who had children with both Athena and Aphrodite could still be so happy.

"You make it sound like we'd kill him or something."

Hestia looked over at the Goddess of Love with a small smile, "No, but it is nice to see them without severely broken hearts."

Aphrodite frowned and rested back on her seat, "I guess so…"

In the eons that she had known Aphrodite, never had she seen her pine after a mortal man so much. Even with Adonis, all those years ago, she would forget about him and move on to either a new man or back to Ares, but this Naruto person was different. The affection Aphrodite showed to him when they all looked at them through the hearth was much more serious and loving than with her other lovers, perhaps even more so than Ares.

The room was silent after Thalia read those lines and most people glanced over at Aphrodite, who was looking down at her hands. All the Olympians were a little shocked to hear the other Aphrodite act so passionate and true about one mortal man – it was a little disconcerting. They couldn't help but stare at the usual bubbly Love Goddess, who looked oddly serious in stony silence; her eyes were piercing as her mind raced about the possibilities.

'Is it even possible for me to feel so strongly for one mortal man?'

For eons she had wondered if there was a higher form of love – a kind of affection that was stronger than anything else, a kind that would withstand time – and she had never found it. The most passionate love Aphrodite had experienced was the continuous flings she had with Ares, or maybe the few years she had spent with Adonis, but honestly, if that was the limit of love, she would be disappointed.

'Maybe…maybe my counterpart found something in Naruto, someone stronger.'

Ares and Hephaestus both frowned at the wording of the book. The God of War had never thought that his lover would feel more for a mere mortal than with him – it shouldn't be possible. What could a mortal offer that he, the God of War, couldn't? It felt unnatural. Hephaestus was also feeling a little angry and jealous; regardless of his looks and statue, he should still be more appealing that a simple mortal. For his wife to so fond of one human was sickening and made him feel worse than normal.

All the while, Hestia looked over at Aphrodite and smiled, hoping that she would one day find that special someone.

Hestia wondered what was so special about this man that he made the Goddess of Love fall for him so real and hard.

'That's what we all want to know…' thought nearly everyone in the council chamber in unison.

"Hello again, Ms. Hess," Naruto stepped up to the new teacher as the other parents slowly dispersed after their children were done with their cookies. "Thank you for giving the children the cookies."

"No problem at all," Hestia replied with a smile, her eyes warming everyone's soul. "I had a lot of time today and all the kids were very well behaved and deserved a treat." Hestia giggled and patted Lacy's cheek as she sat comfortably in her dad's arms. "And Lacy here is already one of my favorite students."

"You're my favorite too, Ms. Hess!"

Lacy smiled happily, feeling good from just imagining being in her counterpart's shoes.

Hestia then noticed Sally and smiled at her, "Hello there."

"Hi," replied Sally as she extended her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Ms. Hess. My son isn't in your class, but I've already heard good things about it."

"Well, I am going to be teaching some of the older classes as well, so I might have him in my class later." Hestia wanted to have both her great-nieces in her class, so she used the mist and manipulated the principal to assign her Annabeth's class as well.

Demeter smiled, "You do have a mischievous side, don't you?"

Hestia smiled back and merely shrugged, "Doesn't everybody?" As the caring older sister, Hestia had seen the playful sides of all her siblings, even Hades; though the Lord of the Underworld's definition of playful may be designing new torturing techniques for the Fields of Punishment.

Annabeth sighed and snuggled deeper against Percy, 'I hope my class will get cookies too.'

Sally smiled and gestured to the boy holding onto her hand, "Percy, say hello."

The boy smiled up at the nice lady and waved, "Hello, Ms. Hess."

Hestia froze a little at the sight of the distinct green eyes that were staring up at her, but quickly composed herself. "Hello there Percy, how are you?"

Athena smirked, "So she knows…"

Poseidon sighed as Percy paid full attention to the book. "So not only do we meet early, I might actually find out about dad much sooner than I did here?" Annabeth nodded as she too thought over the situation, "Damn, this is going to be completely different in the end."

"I'm good, thanks."

Naruto smiled and stepped forward also, "In that case, Ms. Hess, this is my eldest daughter, Annabeth."

The blonde girl needed to push from her dad and gladly walked up to the new teacher with her hand extended. "Hello Ms. Hess; it's nice to meet you." Hestia giggled and shook the girl's hand, clearly seeing Athena in her. "I really do hope you teach our class."

Athena gave a small smile at the image on the screen; even at her young age, her daughter already had the confidence of an intelligent young woman.

"Well, we don't want to keep you here all day," Naruto smiled and shook the teacher's hand again. "It's very nice to meet you, Ms. Hess; we'll see you again tomorrow."

Yes, have a good day, Mr. Namikaze, Sally." Hestia smiled and winked at the children, "And I hope to see you all in class."

"Bye, bye!" cried out Lacy with a large grin. "Bye, bye Ms. Hess."

Aphrodite, having decided to put her thoughts to the side for now and focus on the book, kissed her little girl on the cheek and pulled her close.

'I should have watched Lacy more when she was younger – she is just so cute!'

"Goodbye." As the group walked on into the distance, Hestia sighed and closed her eyes. The entire situation had changed entirely; not only were Athena and Aphrodite's daughters attending her school, but her younger brother, Poseidon's, son was also present. 'Why I am even surprised?'

"At least I'm not as bad as Mr. Mile-High-Club over there!" Poseidon pointed at Zeus and gave his older sister a look, as if he was whining.

Zeus glared at the Lord of the Seas and crossed his arms; he wanted to get back at his brother, but not when his wife was glaring at him. He wanted to get laid tonight and the last thing he needed was for his beautiful wife to kick him out of the bedroom again.

Hestia merely gave Poseidon a stare, making him turn away sheepishly. 'Older sister…'

Thalia was about to read on, but just like before, a bright light appeared in the middle of the room. Everyone looked away and wondered what was happening, but instead of more books, a humanoid figure was revealed as the light died down. All the demigods and hunters stared at the figure, but didn't recognize who they were, though the realized that it was a woman.

Thalia, Percy and Nico couldn't help but feel warm and cozy when the woman looked over at them – her eyes were loving and affectionate; she was also incredibly beautiful, perhaps just as beautiful as Hera or Aphrodite. She was unlike any Goddess they had seen before; her aura felt different and she seemed extremely powerful, even more so than Hera, Hestia and Demeter.

"Mother!"

Her identity was soon clear when all six original Olympians stood from their thrones and sped over to the woman, all with smiles on their faces. Demeter was the first to the woman and gave her a tight hug, with Hera and Hestia mirroring her actions soon after. Even the Big Three looked affectionate and excited – Zeus' smile was larger than the demigods had ever seen him smile.

"I've missed you, my little babies."

Mother Rhea lovingly hugged her children and gently kissed each of them on the forehead or cheek. It was a little odd for the demigods to see the almighty Olympians act more like children than gods in front of their mother. It was even odder to see all the second-generation Olympians stand and bow to the Mother of the Gods.

"Grandmother…"

Aphrodite was the only one who simply stood and casually winked at Rhea, "About time you came to join us, Rhea."

The Titaness smiled back at the Goddess of Love, "Yes, the Fates have contacted me as well and told me to come here. Apparently I play a part in whatever story you are reading and should be here to listen to it."

Zeus snapped his fingers and an additional throne appeared between his and Poseidon's. "Have a seat mother; we will continue the book."

Rhea nodded and patted her youngest son's arm, "I will, but the throne must wait." The Mother of the Gods smiled at all her grandchildren and great-grandchildren sitting in the couches and walked over to them, "I want to spend some time with my little grandbabies and great-grandbabies first." All the demigods felt a little nervous when the almighty Titaness walked up to them, but her warm and loving aura quickly eased their nerves. "I've wanted to meet you all for so long!"

Thalia smiled at her grandmother as she sat down between her and some hunters, "It's nice to meet you, grandmother."

Rhea smiled and patted Thalia's head, "Well I know about all of you; I often watch over Arty's Hunt and Camp Half-Blood." The demigods felt very cozy around Rhea and all smiled at her, even Nico. "But enough about me; please read on, my dear."

Thalia nodded and continued the chapter.

Located on 5th Avenue, Manhattan New York, overlooking the vast Central Park, were series of high-end apartment buildings. The tallest one was right at the center; it was decorated with various Greek white statues along its outer walls and had beams of light casting colorful shades on its various pillars. And at the very top – the penthouse – lived one of the most important beings in all of existence. Without her, none of the current Olympians would even exist and mankind would likely be as it were in the Stone Age.

Hera smiled over at her mother, "Perfect timing mother."

Rhea smiled back and gave a nod, recognizing her own address. She was quite surprised when the Fates send her a message, telling her to visit Olympus to read a book. It was intriguing to know that there was another dimension and they could learn about them. Needless to say, when the Fates had mentioned the words "Parental Bonding" Rhea decided to join in. Like Hestia, Rhea yearned for her family to be closer.

"Mom, I'm home!"

Mother Rhea, the mother of the older Olympians and retired Queen of the Universe. Known as the Titan of Beauty and Motherhood, Rhea was stunningly beautiful with warm and loving eyes. She was all three of her daughters put together, with only their positive factors. She was as sweet and loving as Hestia, as passionate as Demeter and was as beautiful as Hera.

Everyone in the room had to agree on that statement – Mother Rhea was perfect. It was unfortunate that she had to marry such a psychotic asshole.

And above all, she was her children's most precious and important person; from Hades to Zeus, all of them loved their mother unconditionally.

"Love you all, too!"

The Olympians all smiled back at their mother, the most important person in their lives.

Rhea, with her luscious blonde hair styled into an intricate braid, dressed in an elegant white dress that displayed her stunning beauty and womanly figure, stepped out to greet her favorite daughter with a smile.

"How was your first day at work, dear?"

Hestia rolled her eyes playfully at her mother's teasing and quickly wrapped her arms around hers. "It was quite fun; all the kids are adorable and well behaved, especially little Lacy." The godly mother and daughter stepped into their living room, "I met Annabeth as well, and as you would expect, she's like a little Athena."

Rhea looked over at the daughter of Athena, for whom she had heard about a lot; one of the saviors of Olympus and a brilliant young woman whose intellect and bravery were only matched by her beauty. So far Rhea had to agree with the rumors she had heard, but besides the girl's appearance and intelligence, she didn't seem like a daughter of Athena – she looked far too happy snuggling with the son of Poseidon. Rhea smiled; it was nice to see that old feuds didn't ruin new bonds.

Rhea smiled, "I still find it funny that those two found love in the same mortal."

Ares scoffed, "I know, right."

Apollo nodded at his brother's words, "Yeah, who would have thought that one of Dite's pretty boys would also be one of Athena's crazy smart mortals?"

"As I said before: the perfect package!" exclaimed the Love Goddess with a grin.

"Mr. Namikaze is quite handsome, so he's bound to attract Aphrodite; Athena had told us that he's also very smart when it comes to warfare, though I have no idea how he would have such knowledge."

"If he is such a good man, perhaps you would feel something for him."

Hera gave a small laugh, "Still trying to find Hestia a husband, Mother?"

Hestia sighed as Rhea perked up, "You bet I am. I want all my babies to have a good family, especially your sister since she's the Goddess of Family." The Mother of the Gods looked over at her eldest who was tending the hearth, "No to mention that she'd be an amazing mother."

"Even I have to agree with that, Aunt Hestia." Artemis smiled at the kind Goddess, "Growing up with your home-cooked meals would be amazing."

Hestia merely smiled at her family before focusing on her mother, "I'm quite happy now, mother."

Hestia rolled her eyes again and smiled at her mom, "Very funny, mom."

The mother and daughter sat down on their couches with Clash of the Titans playing on the TV. To Rhea, that movie was almost a comedy. Saying her eldest son used a part of his flesh to create a creature known as the Kraken certainly was an interesting concept and utterly hilarious.

"Yeah, not one of your best work, Apollo," said the Lord of the Underworld.

The Sun God shrugged, "The audience wants new twists."

And if there was one thing Rhea thought should stop, it would be to stop giving past heroes bigger egos – Perseus only slayed Medusa and certainly did not kill an apocalyptic monster, that was reserved for someone else.

"Who is it reserved for?" asked Percy, not knowing which hero his grandmother was talking about.

Rhea actually looked surprised, "I have no idea what my counterpart meant."

Athena narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms, 'That is the first misalignment between our worlds…'

"Well there is some bad news."

Rhea raised an eyebrow, "What is it?"

Hestia sighed and leaned back fully on the couch. "I met a student today – a friend of Annabeth, I think – and he has very peculiar green eyes." Rhea sighed; she already knew what was coming next. "The same shade as Poseidon's; his name is Percy."

"You told on me, sister?!" cried Poseidon, a little hurt his nicest sister and former crush would so such a thing.

Hestia smiled sheepishly, "Sorry brother, but it is important."

Percy felt a little awkward and could only wonder what his grandmother would do to his father.

"Your brothers are always like this."

The Big Three fidgeted in their thrones, avoiding the stern look their mother was giving them. All three of the wives – Hera, Amphitrite, and Persephone – teamed up wouldn't be as frightening as their mother alone.

"He broke his oath and now there's a half-blood who can fulfill the prophecy." Hestia rubbed her temples and pursed her lips. "If Hades finds out then young Percy may end up like young Thalia."

"He better not, brother!" Poseidon muttered as he stared at his older brother.

The Lord of the Underworld scoffed, "You did nothing to me so I'll do nothing to your son; you should be more worried of Mr. Zap-Happy over there."

Zeus glared at his brothers, "Enough; this argument ended with the end of the Great Prophecy!"

Thalia, Nico and Percy looked at one another, all relieved that their lives were no longer targeted by the Gods – for the most part. Being the children of the Big Three really came with its own problems.

Rhea sighed once more before she stood up and grabbed her daughter's hand. "Well, no sense mulling over it by ourselves; I made us dinner."

Not only did Hestia inherit her warm and sweet personality from her mother, she also inherited her skills in cooking. Both their food would have the same homemade taste that all children and most adults would love. All Hestia's nieces and nephews loved her food, especially Artemis and Persephone. The last time Hestia made her famous Shepherd's Pie, the two young goddesses polished off at least ten servings.

Artemis licked her lips, "You should make some of that later as well, Aunt Hestia." Hestia giggled and nodded at her little niece, making the Huntress grin. "Great!" It was even better than their usual family dinners since this time Persephone would be there to eat her portion; her sister really needed to watch how much she ate – she might need more exercise.

"I made your favorite today, Tia."

Hestia smiled at the sight of sweet potato mash, fresh Greek salad and crispy calamari. "Thanks mom, you're the best."

"That sounds good, too."

Demeter smiled at her mother, "Hey mom, you're coming later to our girl's night, right"?

Rhea laughed, "Yes, and I'll help Hestia cook dinner tonight."

"Yes!" Aphrodite grinned and licked her lips, "This is going to be great!"

"I really can't wait," mumbled Artemis with a smile. "Please continue reading, my lieutenant."

At the point, all the male Gods and the demigods felt a little jealous. To have both Mother Rhea and Lady Hestia cooking at the same time sounded too good to be true!

"I know how to take care of my little girl," Rhea chuckled as she poured two glasses of wine, "Even though you're all tens of thousands of years old, you'll always be my little babies." She sat down next to Hestia at their sixteen seat dinner table of white marble, and snapped her fingers. "And I also know how to punish my babies." A pale blue glow emanated from her fingers and soon formed into a trident.

Poseidon paled as his brothers smirked, hoping to see some seriously punishment.

Hestia filled her plate before she looked over at her mother. "You're calling him now?"

"Yep." She replied with a smirk.

In less than ten seconds, a rush of water suddenly appeared in the middle of the dining room and it collected into a humanoid figure. Soon, Poseidon, Earthshaker, King of Atlantis and God of the Seas, wearing his usual Birkenstocks, khaki shorts and a brightly colored Hawaiian shirt. He smiled at his mother and quickly stepped forward.

"Hey mom, how are y-AHHH!" the God of the Seas jumped back at the sight of the calamari, "You cooked my people!"

Poseidon groaned and palmed his face as almost everyone laughed at him, none louder than Zeus. It was a legitimate fear; it was gross for him to see seafood. Those mortals should be glad that he doesn't just wipe them all out with a giant tidal wave.

Percy also looked a little green, "I agree with dad; seafood is so wrong."

Annabeth giggled and kissed his cheek, "Seaweed Brain…"

Hestia giggled in her seat and decided to not eat her calamari while her brother was here. "Sit down, little brother."

"I think I'll stand," replied Poseidon with a sheepish grin; he didn't want to be near his deep-fried people.

"Sit down."

"Yes mother!"

"Momma's boy, just like your son!"

Poseidon glared at Zeus and almost blasted him with a gush of water, "Should you be talking, little sparky?"

The Lord of the Sky glowered at his brother, "Mom doesn't call me that anymore!"

Everyone tried to hide their laughter, but when Rhea started laughing, it just let loose. Just the thought of the mighty Zeus being called "Little Sparky" by his mother was too much. Even Hera was laughing, but she did reach over to hold her husband's hand, trying to make him feel better.

It took Thalia a full minute to stop laughing at her father.

Rhea dipped her calamari in some tzatziki sauce and popped it in here mouth, making her son wince. She stared into his green eyes, watching in silent amusement as he started to sweat. He may be not as scared of her as Zeus, but Rhea still prided herself in her influence over him.

Hades smirked and wanted to say: 'both of you are momma's boys,' but he refrained himself. The last thing he needed was for his own pet name to come out; "Moon Pie" was a name he would forever bury in Tartarus.

But nothing was stopping Poseidon. "See? You shouldn't talk, Sparky!"

Zeus was glowing and was about to blast his brother, but figured it to be a bad idea when his mother was present.

"W-Why did you call me here, mother?"

Rhea smiled, "Your sister met an interesting young boy today," she said as she continued to enjoy her calamari. "His name is Percy," Poseidon winced again, "Would you happen to know him?"

Poseidon tried to think of a quick lie, but one look from his mother made him flinch. So before long, he just sighed. "I'm sorry, mother; I didn't mean to."

Poseidon sighed, 'I could never lie to mom; she is far too scary.'

Hestia stood and grabbed her plate, "Enjoy your dinner mom and good luck little brother."

Demeter laughed, "Wow, you just ditched him, sister!"

"Sorry little brother, but you're on your own this time."

Poseidon sighed and looked over at his mother, who had an incredibly amused look on her face. He was praying to himself that she wouldn't start teasing him later.

"N-No, Hestia don't leave!" At least with Hestia around, Rhea wouldn't be as scary!

Hestia giggled and waved before she vanished in a burst of flames, teleporting back to her room. Poseidon bit his lips as he turned back to his mother, sweating profusely at the stare she gave him – it made his wife's glare look tame and cute. Honestly, he would rather fight Hera and Demeter together than face his mother.

Rhea just smiled, "I need to teach you girls more ways to deal with your brothers."

Hera gleamed, "Please do, mother!"

Zeus paled considerably at the thought.

Rhea smiled as she pushed the plate of calamari towards her second eldest son. "Go on, dear; I made you dinner."

'The horror!" cried Poseidon, "Mother, that is terrible!"

"Hey," started Rhea calmly, "My calamari is delicious and all your siblings love them!"

Percy shivered and snuggled closer to Annabeth, "If I ever do someone in the future to piss you off please don't make me eat seafood."

Annabeth laughed, "Don't worry; I'd just make you cook seafood for me."

"M-Mothe-"

"Eat!"

Poseidon closed his eyes and slowly reached for the calamari; all the while wondering what kind of punishment did Zeus get for siring Thalia. In the Sea God's mind, he hoped Rhea made Zeus eat an eagle.

"You know…" started Rhea, which made Zeus pale slightly, "I still haven't punished the two of you for breaking your oath."

"M-Mother, the Great Prophecy is over," stuttered out the King of the Gods.

"Yes, but you both broke your vows." Rhea shook her head disapprovingly, "A few hundred years without me here and both of you become such bad sons! Only my dear Moon Pie kept himself in check and didn't break his vow."

It took a while for people to deduce who "Moon Pie" was, but it didn't take long.

"Mother!" cried Hades loudly, "For the last time: please don't call me that!"

Everyone was laughing at the Lord of the Underworld, even Nico. If Zeus' nickname was funny, Hades' was hilarious. Just like usual, Hades felt that for some reason, he got punished when it was his brothers who did something wrong.

"Don't be like that, sweetie." Rhea brushed her youngest son's cry off and turned to her other sons, "Zeus, Poseidon, you are both coming to my home tomorrow night and we're all going to have a nice dinner. Don't worry; I'll make your favorite foods."

"Damn, she's scary…" muttered many of the demigods at once.

"I love steak!" exclaimed Lacy as she cut into her New York strip and chomped on a large piece, "And mashed potato!"

"Nice, we're back to Naruto and the girls!" cried Aphrodite.

Drew shook her head at her sister, "Really, Lacy? Eating steak and potatoes?"

"Hey, I have the quota for it!"

Annabeth giggled at her little sister and nodded along. "They're really good, but I'm waiting for the ice cream and sticky pudding." Lacy eyes twinkled, like any daughter of Aphrodite would when she heard the words ice cream and lit up like a Christmas tree. "Dad also bought some sweetened popcorn for later."

Annabeth's eyes sparkled; apparently her other-self liked the same foods she liked.

Apollo rubbed his belly, "This chapter keeps talking about food; it's making me hungry."

Hermes nodded along, "Same."

"I love you, daddy!"

Naruto, who had already finished his steak, chuckled as he knelt next to the stack of DVDs they had beside the TV. "I love you too, princess."

It was the first time Rhea saw Naruto and she nodded approvingly, "So he's the man both Athena and Aphrodite fell in love with?"

"Yep!" answered the Goddess of Love, "Isn't he gorgeous!"

"The other Athena, grandmother."

Rhea looked at her wise granddaughter with a smile, "I know, sweetie."

The father was looking through their selection of movies; he bought a new stack of Disney and Pixar movies a few weeks ago and they never got around to watching most of them. But when the girls weren't looking, Naruto quickly threw away some of them – every one that were about mother-daughter bonds – he didn't want his girls to feel awkward or sad.

Annabeth and Lacy were a little surprised, both wondering if they would be upset about it.

"Aww, that's so sweet of him~" Aphrodite pulled Lacy closer and kissed her head again.

He also hid some of the more romantic ones – he didn't want his princesses to start dating too soon; any date before turning eighteen was out of the question.

"Boo!"

"It's not a bad policy, Aphrodite." Athena looked over at her daughter, who was still snuggling with Percy. "Perhaps I should demand such a policy for my children as well."

Percy and Annabeth looked a little nervous under Athena's gaze, but Aphrodite spoke up. "Don't you dare mess with Percabeth; it took them forever to get together and they are my favorite couple at the moment!"

'Percabeth?' though many with a roll of their eyes.

Athena crossed her arms with a small huff, 'Damn sea spawn.'

Any boy who would challenge his rule would end up like Ms. Turner.

Travis grinned, "The other you is going to have trouble asking Annabeth out, Percy."

Percy, for the first time, was a little glad that Naruto wasn't Annabeth's dad in their world; a scary father-in-law wasn't something he'd do well against.

"Can we watch How to Train your Dragon again?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes, "Come on, we've seen that so many times!"

"So what, it's a good movie!" Lacy pointed at her sister and glared, "You've made us watch Night in the Museum a hundred times anyway!"

"Girls," said Naruto sternly, giving both his girls a look. "No fighting."

Annabeth crossed her arms, "How about we watch 101 Dalmatians?"

"Fine," Lacy muttered.

Hestia, Hera and Rhea smiled at the scene; it was beautiful family bonding.

Naruto smiled, "That's my good girls." The blond stretched his back and walked back into the kitchen. "Now both of you bring your finished plates to the counter and go find the DVD; I'll get the dessert ready and get the popcorn."

Annabeth and Lacy smiled and quickly placed their plates beside the sink. "Okay, thanks dad!"

Lacy hugged her dad's legs and smiled up at him, "You're the best, daddy!"

Naruto chuckled and playfully rubbed Lacy's hair. "Yep, I'm the best!"

Aphrodite grinned, "He really is!"

Olympus – Aphrodite Temple

"Ooo, it's me again!"

"NO!" cried the Goddess of Love angrily with her glare on full-blast. "I WILL NEVER DO THAT! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU, ATHENA!"

"And you're really pissed…" muttered Apollo, "Pissed at Athena."

Athena was intrigued; she had never really gone out of her way to visit the pink monstrosity that Aphrodite called home. It must have something to do with Naruto.

Athena would rarely visit the temples of other gods and goddesses except for meeting with Hestia at the main Hearth, and she would never really want to visit Aphrodite's temple, in other words, an oversized pink dollhouse with far too much perfume in the air. She had tried to convince herself to let it go, but just like the past ten thousand years, her rational side won.

"I like it; it looks like a gigantic version of our cabin," chirped Lacy with a smile with Drew nodding in agreement.

"My girls understand me the best!"

"Calm down, Aphrodite." Athena sighed and rubbed her temples. "Just hear me out."

Aphrodite flared her power, which Athena thought was surprisingly powerful, "How can you of all people ask me to do something so stupid?!" She walked up to the Wisdom Goddess and glared at her, "You were the one who fell for Naruto first and were angry at me for taking him and you think he's a great father for Annabeth; with all that I actually thought you still had feelings for him!"

Demeter smiled, "Athena has feelings for a man~"

Athena merely rolled her eyes.

"I do, Aphrodite, but this is for his own good." Athena leveled her grey eyes at the other goddess, flaring her own power. "It is also for the benefit of the girls; you know they need a mother-figure in her life."

"No, I will not pair him with some mortal woman!"

"What?!" cried the Goddess of Love. "I can't believe you would even think of asking me to do something like that!"

"It is the most logical thing to do; we can't be a proper full-time mother for the girls and a normal woman could." Athena crossed her arms and barred her power-filled grey eyes at Aphrodite, "A stepmother may not be as good as a real mother, but at least the girls would have a mother-figure in their lives."

Annabeth bit her lips, 'Stepmothers are terrible…'

"Nothing can replace a real mother, and those mortal women will never understand a demigoddess!" Aphrodite shook her head, "Get real, Athena; what would you do when the stepmother has a child of her own with Naruto? Do you think she'd still care for the girls, especially since they attract monsters to attack them?"

Athena almost frowned – Aphrodite had just described Annabeth's situation with Fredrick. "We can watch over the girls and guide them from afar; I maintain that the benefits of having a mother in their lives outweigh the detriments."

Aphrodite scoffed and pulled Lacy in her arms, "You're in denial; and I will never let some other human woman boss my little girl around."

Rhea smiled at Aphrodite's words.

Thalia agreed more with Aphrodite since she knew of Annabeth's stepmother, but decided to just read on.

"Why not?" asked Athena. "Surely you don't think you can actually go back down and be with him, do you?" Aphrodite recoiled, clearly not used to arguing with the smartest being on Olympus. "Even if you manage to explain everything to Naruto and he falls in love with you again, do you know what Ares and Hephaestus do to him?"

"Oh, I'd rip that little man apart."

Hermes scoffed at his brother, "And risk having Aphrodite and Athena kill you together?"

"…Shut up!"

Athena gave her brother a stern and intimidating look, "Rest assured, Ares, the other me will destroy the other you if you harm Naruto." Ares shivered at the expression and power of Athena, "There is no way you can outsmart or overpower me, and if Aphrodite does join me, you will have no chance."

Aphrodite smirked, "For once I agree with Owl-Head."

Ares crossed his arms and looked away. 'As much as he wanted to rip that human apart, he didn't want it enough to go to Tartarus.'

"W-Well, I'm sure they won-"

"Be realistic, Aphrodite; we've already affected his life enough; we should just find a suitable woman for him and have him life a happy and normal life." Athena sighed at Aphrodite's crestfallen expression and the sadness in her eyes. "I know you love him, perhaps even more so than your other lovers, but this is the best we can offer him."

"But…I still…"

"We don't have a choice." Athena placed a comforting hand on her the Love Goddess' shoulder and closed her eyes. "There are many good women around him we could pair him with."

"Athena, Aphrodite?"

The two goddesses' eyes widened at the familiar voice of the man they were current discussing. "N-Naruto?" muttered Aphrodite. "What's this?"

Athena smiled softly and crossed her arms. "He's praying to us."

Athena and Aphrodite both sat up taller at looked over at Thalia, who paused for a second when she read those lines. This would be first time they would see interactions between Naruto and the two Goddesses.

In the decade that Naruto had spent with his daughters, he had never really prayed to their mothers. They had each told him that if he wanted to speak with them, he could pray to them. He had wanted to pray many times; perhaps it was nervousness or fear, but he had never actually prayed. A long time had passed, but deep inside his heart, he knew that he still had feelings for them. Athena, the brilliant and confident woman who challenged and attracted him at an intellectual level, and Aphrodite, the most passionate, loving and beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on.

Athena and Aphrodite both stared at the plasma screen, at Naruto who was deep in thought. The Goddess of Love felt her heart flutter at how Naruto described her, feeling loved and cherished much more than she felt with Ares. Even Athena, who looked calm and collected, couldn't help but have a hint of redness on her cheeks, feeling quite attracted to Naruto, a man she had never even met. It was quite surreal.

"Just look at that face," muttered Demeter, "He looks like he really misses the both of you."

Lacy smiled, "I'm pretty sure he does."

Annabeth nodded in agreement, "Yeah, I know he does."

It was not hard to believe their statuses as goddesses; they were just that glorious and beautiful.

Rhea smiled and winked at the two Goddesses, "He is really sweet."

But after many hours of thinking, he wanted to speak with them. He wanted to know if they knew how beautiful and wonderful their daughters had become.

Annabeth and Lacy couldn't help but smile – Naruto was really proud of them.

"Athena, Aphrodite?" he said as he knelt by the side of his bed, his finger laced together – he knew that it was the wrong religion, but it was the only posture he could think of for praying. "Umm…" He had thought of many things to say, but none were coming at the moment.

He opened his mouth, but no sounds came out; he helplessly looked around before his eyes focused on a picture on his nightstand. It was a simple photo. It was him holding onto Annabeth's hand – it was a few years ago and her height only reached his waist – and Lacy sitting in his arms, still basically a toddler.

The picture was shown on the screen, making tears well in Annabeth's and Lacy's eyes again; they all looked so happy in the picture, much happier that they ever had been at that age.

With a soft smile, he found his words. "Thank you…"

Unknown to him, the two goddesses heard him perfectly and were surprised at his words.

"Annabeth and Lacy are the greatest things that ever happened to me." He rose to his feet and grabbed the picture, "Thank you for giving me my little princesses." He lay on his bed and held the picture above his face, smiling at how happy his daughter looked. "They are perfect."

Percy pulled Annabeth into a hug when he saw a lone tear escape his girlfriend's eye, kissing her softly and rubbed her shoulders. The son of Poseidon was seriously thinking about giving Fredrick Chase a talking to; his girlfriend deserved a much better father. One thing Percy was sure of was that if he ever had any children with Annabeth, he would be the best father he could possibly be, just like Naruto in the book.

"It's okay, Wise Girl."

Annabeth sniffed and nodded against Percy's chest, "I'm okay; I'm just a little jealous, that's all."

Athena frowned at the sight of her emotional daughter. She had to admit that Naruto was a far better than Fredrick, and she was a little angry at the father of her daughter. For Annabeth to run away at the age of seven, it must indicate something about her home. Athena had half a mind to smite the woman who neglected her daughter and send her to her uncle for the Fields of Punishment.

'"Uncle Hades," started Athena, "I might be sending you someone later."

Hades looked at his niece and almost shivered at the cold look in her eyes, "Noted, niece."

Many beings – Gods and demigods – all shivered at the expression on Athena's face. Out of all the Olympians, Athena was perhaps the worst Goddess to anger.

Lacy was in a similar state as she snuggled into her mother's chest, relishing in her warmth. It felt good to have a father who appreciated her and loved her, one who would pray to the Goddesses and thank them for his perfect daughters. If only her dad would be half as good as Naruto.

Aphrodite kissed Lacy before looking up at Hades, "I probably will as well." She gritted her perfect teeth and furrowed her brows, "Make sure to treat this one with creativity, Hades."

Hades raised an eyebrow at the Goddess of Love, "I'll be sure to."

Olympus – Aphrodite Temple

"Oh, Naruto" Aphrodite smiled fondly at the voice of her lover as she sat down on her sofa in a daze. "You're so sweet."

Athena sat next to the Love Goddess and smiled along. "He really loves the girls."

Rhea smiled and nodded in agreement; as the Titaness of Motherhood, she could appreciate good fathers when she would see one. She could hear the pride and love in the words in the book, and the image on the screen clearly showed the proud smile on the man's face. He was proud of his daughters – that was for sure.

"I'm sorry I haven't prayed for so many years; I guess I was a little nervous about it." Naruto's voice rang true in the minds of Athena and Aphrodite. "But I still remember both of you very well!"

"Still as loud and playful as ever," chirped Aphrodite.

"Just to get things out of the way: Athena, I still read a lot, like you told me to do; I've read almost a hundred books on Greek Mythology – urm, I guess it's not mythology, but yeah! Now I understand why you liked the owl cage so much when we went to the zoo and why you didn't like the Poseidon's Adventure movie – they chose the wrong name. But in my opinion, you clearly won that competition – olive trees are way cooler than horses."

"He is really a smart man," said the Goddess of Warfare with a smile.

"You got that right!" Athena smiled at how cheerful Naruto sounded; it reminded her so much of her days with the blond; she missed those days sometimes and even more so at the moment.

"I wonder what the two of you even do?" asked Demeter as she rested on her arm, "Have a nice date at the library, transcribing ancient text?"

Athena rolled her eyes, "I'm sure it is fun."

"Aphrodite, I made sure to import all kinds of candy from France and they are very demanded at the store, but Lacy usually cleans them out. I am still using the same haircut you made me get all those years ago; it attracts a little too much attention from the single moms at my daughters' schools, but I guess that just proves that you were right."

"Of course I'm right; you're absolutely gorgeous!"

Aphrodite laughed as she rubbed her face against Lacy's hair, "Utterly gorgeous; one of the best looking man I have ever seen."

"Anyway, I just wanted to check in and tell you both how great our little girls turned out. Oh I'm sure you both will love your daughters so much! Annabeth already loves architecture and beats me at chess; I bet she'll give you a run for your money soon, Athena." The Wisdom Goddess smiled and nodded fondly.

Percy played with Annabeth's blonde princess curls and smiled when he saw her smile.

"Lacy, on the other hand, acts a little too much like you, Aphrodite. She eats way too much candy and jumps and skips around when she has too much sugar. But no matter what, I will allow no boys to date her before she's eighteen; I have a shotgun ready to enforce that rule."

"Awe, that's no fun, Naruto!"

"I guess the boys in that dimension will be disappointed," said Aphrodite as Lacy smiled into her mother's dress. "One of my most beautiful daughters isn't going to be available for a while."

Lacy snuggled deeper against her mother, smiling softly.

"Anyway, I make sure they eat right, take a bath every day, brush their teeth morning and night and go to sleep on time. Both of them have good friends at school and they have good grades, especially Annabeth, who gets straight A's almost every term."

Hera smiled fondly and nodded, "He really is a perfect example of a good father."

"I agree," said Rhea with a smile much like her daughters, "He has the right priorities and isn't overly strict or stern."

Athena smiled, 'I really hope to meet you if possible, Naruto.'

Athena and Aphrodite smiled fondly, missing Naruto more and more with each passing word.

"Funny thing! We just watched 101 Dalmatians and now they want pets of their own. They don't want dogs, though; after that movie all they want are cats. I have no idea how watching a dog movie would make them want cats, but I can't understand everything. What do you two think, should I get them some pets?"

"Of course! Get Lacy a little kitten!"

"Annabeth would love one as well."

"I would love to have a kitten…" whispered Annabeth with a tearful smile, holding onto Percy's hand tenderly.

"We can get one if you want."

Annabeth kissed Percy's hand and nodded, "Sure, Seaweed Brain."

"OH, right! Lacy's teacher turned out to me a monster!"

"WHAT!" Aphrodite cried as she flared her power. Athena was very worried as well.

"It wasn't so bad; I managed to kill it with some luck, but I hope these attacks won't get worse."

Athena was shocked, "Naruto actually managed to kill a monster?"

"That is truly a troubling fact – a mortal man managing to defeat an Empousai." Zeus crossed his arms and frowned, "It shouldn't be possible; he shouldn't even be able to see past the mist."

"I think it has something to do with that nightmare he had in the first chapter," said Apollo.

"I can't find the weaknesses of monsters in the books I have, so if you can, please tell me an easy way of dealing with them. Anyway, I just wanted to catch up, wondering if you two ever think about me. Athena frowned and Aphrodite bit her lips as her heart stung.

'I think the other me would be thinking about this man day and night…' thought Aphrodite with a soft smile.

"I promise I will speak with you two more from now on." He sighed and climbed under his covers, "Goodnight, Lady Artemis must be busy now because the moon is very bright tonight." With a brief moment of silence, Naruto contemplated his words, "Yeah, goodnight, Athena, Aphrodite."

The two Goddesses stared at Thalia, wondering how their counterparts would react.

The two goddesses were silent as they looked at each other, both thinking pretty much the same thing. With so few words, Naruto had reminded them of the times they shared together, and it made them miss him more and more. Even Athena felt a little worse at the thought of matching him with another woman and almost decided to retract her request to Aphrodite. In the end, all she wanted was for Naruto to be happy, and he should have a woman in his life for that.

"I really doubt my counterpart would pair him with anyone else; if she is anything like me, it would never happen." Aphrodite sounded oddly serious, and looked quite intimidating. "If the other me really feels the way I think she does, she would rather break the rules than to pair Naruto with someone else, especially a mortal woman."

Athena glanced over at the Love Goddess, "That would not end well…"

"Love is irrational and most people, especially me, would not have a care for consequences if it means being with the one I love." Aphrodite smiled, "And I would understand more than anybody."

"I'm not going to pair him with a mortal woman," said Aphrodite softly and sternly. "I will never do that; I will find a way to make him happy, but I'm not going to force him to love a random woman." She stood and started to walk away, "There is nothing you can do that will change my mind."

"See?"

"So you're saying that the other you would actually break the rules and go find him?" asked Artemis with some surprise. "That's crazy."

"Not only me," said Aphrodite as she looked over at Athena. "If I am right about the love between Naruto and the two of our counterparts, then I think Athena might go see him too." Everyone looked over at Athena, who was staring back at her. "Not to stay, I don't think, but will be there to see him."

"We'll find out."

Athena sighed and started to walk away herself, "I know." She teleported back to her own temple and thought, "But I want Naruto to be happy."

Demeter hummed, "I think Aphrodite might be right."

Thalia sighed as she cleared her throat. "Okay, that's chapter 3."

Athena stood and walked over to Thalia, everyone watching her. "I'll read the next chapter." The Wisdom Goddess wanted to know what her other self would do, and she wanted to read it firsthand. "Chapter 4…" Athena sat down on the other side of Annabeth and held her hand, smiling as her daughter rested her head on her shoulder. "Love of Family."