Chapter 19

June 4

The sun has risen, and the occupants on a wooden craft began to wake up. Naruto was the first to waken and notice something had changed with Rachnera; she now had human legs. Rachnera's legs surprised Naruto as he didn't think it would be possible, but apparently, he was wrong. He noticed that Rachnera was beginning to stir, showing that she was about to wake up, so Naruto waited until she was fully awake to ask his questions. Once Rachnera's mono-chromed eyes had fully opened, she then proceeded to get into a seated position and rub the sand out of her eyes.

"Morning Rachnera," said Naruto

"Morning, Naruto," replied Rachnera, "How did you sleep?"

"Fine, but what happened to your thorax?" asked Naruto.

"Oh, I can change my thorax into a pair of human legs," said Rachnera, "it makes it easier for me to conceive with my chosen husband."

"Good to know." said Naruto as he looked away, awkwardly, "at least it makes it easier for you to blend into modern society. I think we're nearing an island."

"Great; hopefully, some of your teammates will be on the island," said Rachnera. "Hopefully," replied Naruto as the raft neared the island. It only took a few minutes for the raft to reach the island. When the two did get off, they spotted a plastic raft nearby. Naruto walked closer to it and saw that there was writing on the side, and the letters spelled 'CSS Birmingham.'

"My team is definitely here." said Naruto looking back at Rachnera, "we need to go in deeper to get to them."

"Are you sure?" asked Rachnera.

"The ship that I came on was called the CSS Birmingham," said Naruto, "They must

have landed here trying to get their bearing straight." "If you're sure then I'll follow you," said Rachnera

Naruto walked into the jungle, brushed the large leaves aside and making room to make it easier to walk in, but so far couldn't spot any sign of his teammates. As the pair walked further in, they started to see a sign of locals. Some of the trees were cut down; the plants were flattened or broken form them being stepped on.

"I think we're close," commented Naruto as he passed by the tree line to see

crudely made huts, "yep, they're definitely here." "Naruto, is that you?"

Naruto looked the side of him and spotted Silena only with her shirt ripped near the waist, and her pants legs shredded, yet her hair was still well kept.

'Must be an Aphrodite thing.' thought Naruto trying to figure out how she kept her hair looked nice for two days without the various shampoos and conditioners the Love Goddess's daughters use daily.

"Yeah, it's me," replied Naruto, "took a while, but I managed to pin you down."

"Oh, good we thought we lost you," said Silena as she hugged him, not noticing the other girl standing next to him, "We were drifting in the open water for several hours until we landed here."

"Well, I'm just glad you guys are alive and well," said Naruto, "by the way, where's Percy, Annabeth, and Tyson?"

"They broke off from us when we entered the Sea of Monsters, we haven't heard from them since." said Silena, "By the way who is she?"

"This is Rachnera, a princess from a race of spider women," answered Naruto. "And I'm his wife," added Rachnera.

"What!" yelled Silena

"It's a long story," said Naruto as he cradled his forehead, "I'll tell you later."

"You better," said Silena as she put her hands on her hips and glared at Naruto, "and why do you have a spider on your shoulder?"

"This is Phil; he's a friend I picked up," said Naruto, "and don't try and to pet him."

Silena put her hand away before Phil could infect her with a cocktail that would kill her.

"Is Clarisse here?" asked Naruto.

"She's busy building us another boat," replied Silena, "she found some fallen wood and vines around."

"Okay, tell her that we are here while Rachnera and I get something to eat," said Naruto

"I'll tell her right away," said Silena as she began to walk to the shoreline

"Does anything look appetizing to you?" asked Naruto as he grabbed a banana, "because I am unfamiliar with your physiology."

"No. I can only eat meat," replied Rachnera, "my stomach can't handle anything else."

"Well I'm sure we can catch some fish and roast them over the fire," said Naruto

"That sounds good," replied Rachnera as Naruto grabbed his pocket knife and began to gather some stick and began to sharpen them.

"I'm surprised you're not complaining about the current situation," said Naruto

"I may be a princess, but the thought of my mother dethroned me has come to mind, so I began to read some survival book and camp in secret," said Rachnera

"How did you get away with that?" asked Naruto

"I asked some of the guards to keep it a secret from my mother," answered Rachnera, "they even invited me to camp out with them."

"Sounds like fun," said Naruto as he finished his spears, "you can tell me more about this as we're fishing."

Once they reached the shore, they tied some of Rachnera's silk around the shaft so they could reel them in once they caught something. The two waited for something to flicker in the water.

"So what are your interests, love?" asked Rachnera

"I like to sew and train in my abilities," answered Naruto, "I am also a business owner that has several contracts around the world."

"Really, that's impressive for someone so young." replied Rachnera, "It must have taken years to establish a stable clientele."

"It was at first, but my first two clients really spread the word around," said Naruto

"Who were they?" asked Rachnera, "they must be critical in the fashion world."

"The Lady of Doves and the One Who Brings Flowers," answered Naruto, "but I also make a few enemies too, one of them being the War-Monger of Greece."

"Sounds rough," said Rachnera. "You have no idea," replied Naruto, "try imagining one of your relatives sending an assassin to kill you or make you run away."

"I can imagine, my aunt tried to have my mother dethroned so she could take the throne for herself. She made multiple attempts, but she began to grow impatient and tried to kill us directly. Luckily my mother managed to stop her before she could execute her plan. Her latest plan involved stabbing my mother and me in our sleep and taking the throne by the rules of succession. It would have worked if it wasn't for one of the servants overhearing her and informing my mother about the plan. She was executed within the week, and her name is now synonymous for betrayal." said Rachnera

"Well, it seems we have more in common than we first thought," said Naruto as he throws his spear in the water, catching a fish. Naruto got out his knife and began to gut the fish, tossing the guts back into the water, and skewing the fish onto a smaller spear.

"My cousin hasn't tried to kill me yet, but they have threatened to break my hands, ruining my business, and have Aphrodite lose interest in me. With me out of the picture, Ares would have his girlfriend all to himself, and things would go back to normal."

The two caught a few more fish before they decided to turn back inland and begin the cooking process. They didn't have many spices to work with, but they did the best they could with what they could find. Naruto and Rachnera ate in silence, but Naruto was thinking about their current situation;

'Okay, we're stranded, and I somehow managed to get a bride on the way,' thought Naruto, 'Why must life be so complicated. At least I managed to find my team and think of a plan to get the fleece to camp.'

"Listen, I know you aren't exactly thrilled having me as a bride," commented Rachnera, "I'm a monster, not the first choice someone would make for a bride."

"Rachnera, I am a person who has the blood of a god in me. Having to watch over my shoulder for a vicious monster that wants to eat me and possibly use me to get revenge against my mother," commented Naruto. "Trust me, my life is anything but normal, having a monster as my wife wouldn't even faze me if anything Melinoe might be excited to have more hands at the workshop."

"Good," said Rachnera as she finished her fish, "do you think she would be interested in us having an orgy to further bond and producing you heirs for your business."

"I don't know. You'll have to ask her," said a blushing Naruto, he couldn't look at her at the moment.

It was nearing down when Clarisse returned to the camp to tell them that she completed the raft. She was surprised when see saw Rachnera for the first time but seemed calm after Naruto explained the situation. They decided to split up as Naruto and Rachnera already had a boat, they were going to meet the two girls on the other side of the island. Polyphemus's island was only a few clicks away, so it would only take an hour to get there. The trip was uneventful as they concentrated on getting to the island. They docked the two boats on a beach hidden under the cliff. It was nearing midnight when Naruto began to act odd, as he exited his sleeping bag and began to sleepwalk. He managed to avoid stepping on his teammates and avoid bumping into any trees as if he was being guided. Naruto was nearing the Polyphemus's carnivorous flock, a few of them began to stir but went back to sleep. Naruto was nearing his destination, the Golden Fleece, and managed to take the cloth off the nail it was secured on. He draped it over himself and laid on the ground and went back to sleep.