I do not own the Percy Jackson series or Naruto.

I have permission from hyvnn (formerly Mr AnimeKidd and Dreaming of the Moon) to do a reading version (or in this case a watching) of his story Hero or Monster. This, though, is a revised edition. I'm posting this, though, before the new revised chapter comes out. I can't promise that this will always be the case, so don't expect me to post the next chapter before his.

If you like it, leave a review down below. Whether it's to sing high praises, or to give me HELPFUL critiscism, I'll appreciate it.

Enjoy

"There is a saying," A deep voice resonated within Percy's mind, "All things come with a price." Percy looked around wildly, panic setting within his heart, as he tried to find the source of the voice.

"Don't try and find me." The voice stated, amusement evident in its tone, "And I suggest you calm down. Your Uncle looks like he's about to have a heart attack."

Percy suddenly remembered that he wasn't alone, how he forgot in the first place was a mystery in itself. As he looked at the King of Olympus, Zeus, he noticed how his skin was turning an interesting shade of red, just like Thalia did whenever she got angry. He was going to have to defuse the situation as quickly as possible, "I apologize, my lord. What were you saying?"

Zeus gazed at his nephew, disapproval evident on his face, as he held his lightning bolt, "What assurance do I have that you won't betray Olympus?."

"You have none, my lord. All you have is my oath." Percy bowed, his head almost touching the ground, as he knelt before his King. From the corner of his eye, he could see his father, Poseidon, clenching his trident, ready to smite any who would dare touch his son.

Zeus snorted, "That will have to do for now, but know that I will be watching you." Percy breathed out a sigh of relief, that could have gone bad really quickly.

"Well done, Percy. Now... let us talk." The voice stated as the world around Percy shifted, like a ripple in the water. The young demigod clenched his eyes shut, trying to shield his eyes from the disorienting sight.

"You can open your eyes again," The voice stated.

Percy did just that and was surprised to find himself in a new location, one quite unlike any other. It was an all-encompassing white, and nothing else except for two great doors.

In front of him, a white shadow stood, its mouth set in a wide grin, "Do you know who I am?" It asked as it gestured to itself. Its grin turned into a frown when Percy shook his head in the negative, "A shame... but worry not. I shall rectify that mistake soon enough." It raised its hand, its long fingers turning into a long blade, and stabbed Percy in the stomach.

"Ugh!" Percy gasped, blood spilling out of his mouth, as he fell to his knees, "Wh-What are you doing!?" His hands were gripped on the blade in his chest as he tried to remove it.

"Don't bother to try and remove it. It's already fused to your body." The creature stated with a shake of its head, "Soon, your body will be my vessel into this new world."

"Why?" The demigod asked with a glare, "Why are you doing this to me!?" He roared. his hands slowly turning white.

The white shadow shook its head, "I'm afraid that you won't live long enough for me to explain my reasons, but know that it is for a good cause," A smile made its way onto the creature's lips, "Now sleep."

Percy's head fell as he gazed at his arms, his entirely white arms, "Answer this. What is happening to me? What is this white stuff?" He could feel it creeping up his arms, his body slowly being converted into whatever the substance was.

"That? It's just the very matter that the universe is made of." The creature grinned, its teeth visibly sharp, "Consider yourself privileged. You will know the Truth."

That was the last thing Percy heard, as the strange substance had covered his ears and started crawling up his neck, "Whatever happens... you will not win!" It had now covered his mouth, making it impossible for him to speak.

As the substance crawled to his eyes, he saw the creature give him a lazy salute before everything went white.

As 'Percy' opened his eyes, he saw eleven weapons pointed at his body, "Ugh... guys? Someone mind explaining to me why I have weapons shoved in my face?"

As he looked around, he noticed the grim looks on everyone's faces, Dionysus included, "Ah... I see. You've noticed it, haven't you?" A small chuckle escaped his lips as he ran a hand through his hair, "I had hoped to keep this a secret, but I guess I was a bit too slow."

"Where is he!?" Poseidon demanded as he zoomed towards 'Percy', his trident pressing against his Adam's apple, "Where is my son!? What have you done with him!?" The Earth shook under his powerful voice.

"Your son?" The boy asked, feigning shock as he stared into the Sea God's eyes, "I find that highly unlikely. I've seen his memories, and while he may think of you as his father, he is most definitely not your son!" He finished the last part with a strong glare, his emerald eyes burning in silent anger.

His hands grabbed the trident pressed against his neck and pushed it off, although with a bit of strain, "Where were you when he had skinned his knee for the first time? Where were you when Gabriel Ugliano beat Perseus into unconsciousness? Why didn't you visit him!?"

Zeus frowned as he stood up, his lightning bolt still pointed at 'Percy', "He could not. The ancient laws forbid such actions."

The boy snorted, his hair turning a stark white, "Laws. You claim to follow them, yes?" Seeing them nod, he continued, "Then please explain to me why you are ignoring all the other ones!"

Poseidon growled as he pushed back with all his might, his muscles visibly straining, "Do not change the subject! What have you done with my son?"

'Percy' rolled his eyes, this was going to take forever, "Fine. Since you seem so adamant about knowing... I absorbed him. Wait... not that's not right. I froze his soul, for a lack of better words, and took his body for my own."

Poseidon staggered back, his trident dropping out of his hand, "Why? Why did you do that!?" He demanded as he started to take his true form, a green glow emerging from his body, "I'll kill you myself!"

"Do you even know who, or what I am?" 'Percy' asked as he stared at the god in front of him, "I am the Universe, the World. Some have called me God. I am all and I am you. You all may call me Truth"

Apollo raised his hand, a frown on his face as he stared at the now named Truth, "When you say God, do you mean the same one from the Bible?" If so, then they would all be screwed.

A smile made its way onto Truth's lips as he pointed at the Sun god, "You can see it can't you? My very existence can not be denied because I am truth itself."

"I know," Apollo admitted, his head bowed as he looked away from the vastly superior being, "These laws... what are they?"

Truth made to answer but was forced to dodge when he noticed Poseidon barreling towards him, ready to smash his body, "Now that's just rude. I don't want to harm you but if you don't stop, I will have to resort to violence."

The sea god snarled at him, too far gone into his anger to be able to use reason, "You... you... you killed my son! I'll kill you myself... you BASTARD!"

Poseidon dug his fingers into the ground and pulled. All of Olympus shook as he ripped out a piece of the ground, ready to smash Truth's head in. Before he could throw it, though, Truth slammed the ground with his two hands and willed dozens of marble swords to grow out of the ground and surround the god.

"Throw that at your own peril," He warned his host body's father, "But know that if you do, you will suffer for it." He sent a warning glance to all of the other deities, daring them to make a move, "Each one of those blades is pointed at a vital organ. If you even step forward, I will skewer you on them. It won't kill you, being gods and all that, but it sure as hell will cause you untold agony."

With a clap of his hands, the damage done to the room was undone, leaving it in a pristine condition, except for the hundreds of swords sticking out of the ground. Looking back at Poseidon, he sighed, "I'm sorry for your loss, well not really, but the point stands. Your son was the only suitable host I could find, everyone else would have just burned up from my presence alone."

Poseidon only glared at him, refusing to speak to the man that robbed him of his son.

Zeus rolled his eyes, not really broken about the sea spawn's death, "Let's step away from this issue, for a minute, and focus on your reason for being here."

Truth nodded, his eyes locked onto a pair of mismatched one, "Ok. I'll be blunt. When the universe was made, a careful balance was formed. You guys have been mucking that up. That needs to stop, like right now. "

Artemis blinked, her hands crossed under her breasts, as she regarded Truth, "I don't think I understand. I mean, we've taken great care to keep things in balance, maybe a few reckless moves here and there but nothing truly dangerous."

Truth shook his head, "I know that, well at least when it comes to you." He gestured to Athena, "But what about her? How do you explain Arachne, Medusa?" He sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose, "Making such drastic changes requires a price, one that she did not pay."

Athena frowned, "Hold on a sec." She raised her hands into the air, "Are we really going to allow him to question our actions? I mean he says he's God but what proof do we have of that claim?"

Hermes laughed, "Did you not see what he just did? He stopped Poseidon without even punching him, something that you will never be able to do, might I add." He ignored the icy glare that he had received, "I'm curious, though. What do we do now? If there is a price to pay, what is it?"

Truth rubbed his chin in thought, his green eyes gazing at the ceiling, "I'm in a good mood, so I'll just have you read a book, and hopefully learn a few lessons." He nodded his head, that would work.

"And what happens if we don't learn those lessons?" Zeus asked carefully.

Truth waved off his question, "Don't worry about it. I'll probably just kill you all, except for Apollo and Artemis cause their important, and replace you with better versions of yourselves."

Horror crept up Zeus's face as he registered what Truth had just said. Before he could try anything, though, Truth clapped his hands and the world shifted once more.

Truth smiled as he appeared in a familiar location, the same white expanse that he had met Percy in. He was currently looking into a mirror, gazing at his new body, a small smile on his face, "Yup... who's sexy and knows it? Me that's who!" He crooned into the mirror as he gazed at the rock hard abs that he now possessed.

His hair was a pale white, looking like freshly fallen snow, whilst his eyes were ruby red, like fresh blood, "I'm a handsome mother-fucker and they'll all know it."

Getting tired of admiring himself, he looked into his closet looking for something to wear. Pulling out a yellow shirt, he blanched, "Looks like someone threw up. I am so not wearing that." Tossing it to the side, he smiled as he pulled out a white shirt with golden cuffs, "Now that's style!"

Snapping his fingers, he watched as the shirt dematerialised and reappeared on his body, "Fits perfectly." Raising his hands to his mouth, he looked up to the sky, "Thank you, Edna!" His only response was a rock, with a small note attached to it, hitting his head.

Nursing his new bump, he picked up the note and smiled, "For the readers, 'NO CAPES!'. Good old' Edna. She knows me so well." He threw the rock away, and put the note in his shirt pocket, "Now... what else am I missing?"

Looking around, he noticed that the deities of Olympus were standing behind him, an awkward look on their faces, "Ah sorry about that. I kind of forget you were there."

Zeus's left eyebrow twitched, he did not like being ignored, "Yes... well we don't like being ignored."

"AND I DON'T LIKE HAVING MY RULES BROKEN!" Truth roared, silencing Zeus's complaint, "So do me a favour and shut up. I don't have time to deal with ignorant gods."

Zeus baulked in rage, but a withering glare from Hades shut him up.

Truth's eyes were filled with untold fury, "I don't care who you think you are. In my eyes, you are nothing more than impudent children with more power than you should have." He ignored the glare he received, "I will be fixing that!"

"How?" Apollo asked, his eyes glowing golden as he sized up Truth, "How do you plan to fix us? If you haven't noticed... we're immortal. We can not die. We have power unfathomable to mere mortal minds." He paused as he considered his next set of words, "... How can you fix something that doesn't want to be fixed?"

Truth laughed as if he had just heard the funniest thing in the world. "Simple. I'm going to make you realise that you're not as powerful as you make yourself out to be. That there are beings out there, in the great beyond, that can put you all to shame." Closing his eyes, he smiled, "Once I'm done, you'll want to change."

Ares snorted, his fiery eyes glaring at Truth, "Challenge accepted. But once this is all done, I'll break you like the twig you are."

"If you say so," Truth replied in a sing-song voice, his red eyes fluttering in mock shyness, "But when you do... please be gentle." Shaking his head, he smiled ruefully, "But on a serious note, I need you guys to change into something a bit more appropriate."

Apollo frowned, "What's wrong with what we're wearing?" He happened to like his shorts and shirt.

Truth gasped, his hands resting on his chest, as he gazed at Apollo, "Dear boy, you have no idea as to what good tastes are, do you? Shorts? That was so last year. Now it's all about suits and ties." Clasping his hands together, a golden suit formed in front of the Sun god, "Here... try this on."

"Fine," Apollo grumbled as he grabbed the clothes, "Is there anywhere I can change of? Something tells me that I won't like the results if I use my powers to make the clothes appear on my body," He sighed when he saw Truth nod his head, "I thought so."

"Smart lad." With a snap of his fingers, Truth willed a portal to appear in front off Apollo, "If you go through there, you will appear in a small pocket dimension that contains everything you could ever need."

Apollo said nothing as he walked through it, his body disappearing in a flicker of golden light.

Truth clapped his hands excitedly as he gazed at the rest of the deities, "Now for the rest of you." With another snap of his fingers, eleven more portal appeared, "Well, just go on in. Maybe... you'll find something you might enjoy?" The lewd smirk on his face alerted them to the fact that he was thinking something on the x-rated side.

The disgust of Hera's face was visible, mostly because of her scrunched up nose, "I had thought that someone of your stature would be more mature than to make... sex jokes, but I guess I was wrong."

Truth rolled his eyes, "Don't get your panties in a twist, Grandma," He disappeared from their sight... and reappeared right under Hera's chin, "Or you might just turn into a stick in the mud," He gently flicked her chin, "You are jewel in this boring world and I would hate to see that tarnished by your inability to have fun."

Hera did nothing, although there was the barest of blushes on her cheeks, as she stared at Truth, "Don't say such things if you don't want to get smote." She pointed towards Zeus, who was turning red in rage.

"Hmm... I guess your right." Truth raised his hands in surrender, choosing to step a few feet away from the Queen of Olympus, "Go and enjoy yourself."

Hera did just that, whilst Zeus glared at Truth, his teeth gnashing in anger, "Never speak to my wife again! Do you understand me!?"

"As you say. She is your wife, and I shall not steal her from you," Truth smiled at Zeus, not at all threatened by the King of Olympus, "But know this... I do not respond well to threats." He finished with a strong glare, his red eyes glowing brightly. With a snap of his fingers, Zeus was pushed through the portal that was behind him, "That should teach you a lesson."

Looking back, he noticed that only Athena and Artemis remained, the rest having left during his conversation with Zeus and Hera.

"So do you guys need anything or are you just here to stare at my magnificent body?" He asked, his eyebrows wiggling suggestively. Athena rolled her eyes, before leaving through the portal beside her.

"I guess that answers that for Athena. What about you, my virgin goddess?" Truth asked, interested as to why Artemis was still there.

Artemis rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help the smile that formed on her lips, as she gazed at the strange being in front of her, "No... I'll be going now." She paused as she turned away, her long black hair swaying in the cool breeze that had suddenly formed, "You are a strange one, a mystery to my senses. You've explained who you are to us... but I don't think we'll ever be able to accept that as the truth."

As she wasn't looking at Truth, she didn't get to see the small smile on his face, "It is your choice if you choose to accept it, but I am glad that you told me this. It shows that you are far more level headed than most people, deities included, that I've met."

Artemis nodded, slightly flattered by Truth's praise, before walking through a portal. As her body disappeared in a silver light, Truth released a small sigh as he fell into the seat that had formed behind him, "Now for the waiting game."

Annabeth Chase, Cheif Architect of Olympus, sighed as she sat in the Athena cabin, her long blond hair a mess as she gazed at the paper in front of her. Despite putting as much effort as she could into focusing on the paper, she could not. Her worry for Percy won out in the end. With a growl, she crumpled up the paper and threw it into the garbage, "Come back to me soon Percy."

She buried her head into her hands as she silently thought about her boyfriend, the only sign of her life being the constant rising of her back, indicating that she was still breathing.

"I'm sorry," A new voice startled Annabeth, "But he won't be coming back." Annabeth blinked as she raised her head to gaze at the figure in front of her.

"Excuse me?" Annabeth asked, disbelief evident in her voice, "Who gave you the right to decide if he comes back or not?" Her face was narrowed into a scowl as she tried to get a good glimpse at the person who was talking to her.

"No one," The person admitted, why did the voice sound so familiar to Annabeth, "But, on the other hand, I should know. I was the one to essentially kill him."

A strangled cry escaped Annabeth's lips as she finally got a good look at the person, "No! That's impossible! He promised me that he would come back!"

The ruby eyes of 'Percy' gazed uninterestedly at the young demi-goddess, "And in a way, he has. This body, which was once his, has returned to you." A sigh escaped his lips when Annabeth only glared daggers at him, "Come. All will be explained in due time, but know that his body was the only one that could contain my very essence."

With his part said, he grabbed onto Annabeth's arm, "Just so you know, my name is Truth." They disappeared in a flash of white light.

Annabeth felt like she was going to throw up as she fell to her knees, "Wh-what was that!" She demanded as she turned her towards Truth, her eyes containing the pits of Tartarus within them.

Truth rolled his eyes, "Don't be such a wimp. I only dematerialised your body and remade you at this location." What was it with people being so unreasonably expressive? If everyone was going to be like this, he might as well just have destroyed the entire human race and been done with it

Annabeth scowled at him as she got up, her strength slowly coming back to her. Before she said anything, though, she looked at her surroundings, "What is this place?"

"This?" Truth asked for confirmation, knowing very well that was what she was referring to. Getting a nod, he answered, "It's nothing much... just my personal dimension." Clasping his hands together, a seat emerged behind Annabeth, "Take a seat." Once she did, he continued, "Now I assume you have a lot of questions, so I'll do my best to answer them all, though I can't promise that you'll like them."

Annabeth thought about the questions that she wanted to ask him, most of them concerning getting Percy back, "Why. Why do you need a vessel into this world?"

Truth paused as he looked to one of the twelve portals that floated around them, "That is a very good question, one that I don't have the time to explain fully, but it all pertains to the Olympians." The frown on his face indicated, to Annabeth, that he wasn't happy, "They've been mucking around with the rules with absolutely no regard for the consequences of their actions." He made a wishy-washy motion with his right hand, "Now not all of them are to blame, but some of them, like your mother, are guilty of this to the highest degree."

Annabeth shook her head in vehement denial, "My mother would never do such a thing!"

Truth raised an eyebrow in mock curiosity, "Really? Then please explain to my how Medusa and Arachne came to be!" When Annabeth could not comply with his demand, he snorted, "So eager to come to your mother's defence, and yet you can't even come up with a good excuse."

Annabeth bristled but refrained from lashing out. It had become apparent to her that Truth was someone that she did not want as an enemy, "My mother has her reasons for everything, even if it is morally questionable."

"You still defend her honour... that is commendable." Truth praised her, the barest of smiles tugging at his lips, "Come. I wish for you to join the Olympians as they read a story... although it might be a tv show instead. Still deciding on that but either way, I'm certain that you will enjoy it."

Annabeth said nothing, upset beyond belief with Truth, "Fine..." Her grey eyes were narrowed in determination as she gazed into his red ones, "But I won't give up on getting Percy back."

"If you say so," Truth crossed his hands, his eyes gazing into one the portals that stood to the side, "They should be done soon... I really should change this place." He looked at Annabeth, "Close your eyes, please."

Annabeth did so, she suspected that it would be bad for her health if she didn't follow his instructions, "Ok, they're closed."

Truth scrutinised her for a few seconds, he didn't want her to die after all, "Ok," With a snap of his fingers, the entire dimension changed into that of a grand theatre from the eighteenth century, "You can open your eyes again."

Doing so, Annabeth was surprised to see that she was in a theatre. She stared at Truth, shock evident on her face, "Just who are you exactly?"

"I am the Universe, the World. Some have called me God. I am all and I am you." He replied in a bored tone, he never did like revealing his identity to mortals... the churches had a tendency of calling him a heretic.

Annabeth highly doubted it but chose not to comment on it, "So when is this thing going to start?"

"Now!" Truth grinned at her, "So sit back and enjoy the show." With a snap of his fingers, the portals that floated around them changed into doors, each a different colour to represent the Olympians.

It wasn't long before everyone started returning, Zeus being the first. Truth gazed at them with the smallest semblance of a smile, his eyes lingering on Artemis slightly, "Welcome back, my friends. While it hasn't been long, I feel that we have gotten to know each other quite well." He paused as he saw everyone staring at the demi-goddess next to him, "Ah, you are wondering about Annabeth, aren't you?"

Hermes nodded, a concerned look on his face, "Yeah... does she know about Percy?" He dragged his thumb against his throat to indicate what he was talking about.

Truth nodded his head, "Yeah she knows, and as you can probably imagine, she isn't very happy about the fact." He spared a glance to said demi-goddess and quickly turned away when he saw her murderous eyes, "But she is here for a reason."

Athena frowned as she stepped forward, concerned by the tears that streamed down her eyes, "Are you ok my daughter?" She may have utterly despised Percy, being her rival's son and all that, but that didn't mean she wanted him to die, mostly because of the effect it would have on her daughter.

"...No," Annabeth replied quietly as she wiped her tears, her eyes burning with the need for revenge "I'm not alright! I just learned that the love of my life is dead! How do you think I feel!?" She asked with an accusatory glare, "But you must be jumping in joy aren't you?" Her chuckle was mirthless as she stared into the grey eyes of her mother, "After all... that is what you wanted, right?"

SLAP

Annabeth blinked as she touched her cheek, feeling the spot her mother had just slapped.

"Never say that again, Annabeth! I may not have liked him, but after seeing how he made you happy, I was ready to give him my blessing. I only want the best for you." Athena replied, tears coming to her own eyes as she looked at her daughter.

Annabeth cried as her mother hugged her, "I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry."

As this was going on, Artemis was staring at Truth with a confused expression on her face, "What are you doing?" She could see lightning coursing down his arms and condensing into a small orb.

Truth merely continued working on the orb, adding more power to it every few seconds that passed, "Has anyone ever told you that you look great?" He asked distractedly, "Absolutely fabulous... just give me a sec. I'll have this ready soon enough and then we can talk some more." As he was focused on the orb, he didn't see the flush on the moon goddess's face.

"No..." Artemis mumbled as she clenched the sides of her silver dress tightly, "Wait! What am I saying!?" She shook her head so as to get rid of the blush on her face, "Don't distract me with your silver tongue!"

Truth shrugged, a small smile on his face as he continued working, "I wasn't lying, though. You really are beautiful... you just need someone to help bring it out," He winked at her as he took a mental picture.

Her wavy black hair reached the small of her back with two long bangs framing her face. She wore absolutely no makeup, and yet she was still as beautiful as her sisters, Aphrodite included.

To top it off, she wore a silver dress that reached her ankles and hugged her body, with a slit on the left side that went all the way to her hip. The odd thing, though, was that there was only one sleeve whilst the other one looked like it was torn off. On her chest, she wore a small moon pendant.

Artemis said nothing as she turned away from Truth and crossed her arms, refusing to give him any more fuel. Unfourtantly, by doing this, she gave him a good glimpse of her butt, which, whilst not as big as Aphrodite, was still hugged by the dress.

Truth chuckled to himself, this was almost too easy, "No one's ever flirted with you before, have they?" He asked while ignoring the furious glare from Apollo.

He blinked as the orb stopped growing, before a bright grin split across his face, "Done!" Taking the orb, he used his power to levitated it to the stage, "Ok everyone, take a seat, cause this shows just started!"

Athena nodded, "Come Annabeth, sit with me." She couldn't help but smile as she hugged Annabeth, "I promise you that everything will work out in the end." With her part said, she lifted her daughter up and carried her over to one of the chairs and sat down, "Now, we might as well as enjoy this." Seeing her smile, Athena looked back at Truth and nodded, "We're ready."

"Ok," Looking around, Truth made sure that everyone was ready, "It looks likes we're ready to start." Clapping his hands, the lights dimmed leaving only the orb as a major source of light, "What we are going to see is another universe, one that is called Hero or Monster."

"Sounds epic," Ares stated with a grin, his bloody red eyes glinting in excitement, "Hope there's a lot of blood."

Truth said nothing, except roll his eyes, as the orb expanded into a flat surface, "Well I wouldn't know about that but I do know that it isn't a pretty story... sort of" His only response was a laugh from Ares, "Now shush... it's starting."

Some say my father was a hero. In the eyes of our people, he was nothing but. In the eyes of our enemy, he was a butcher. He cut down the strong, the weak, and everything in between in the name of peace.

Athena blinked, "That's a rather interesting way to start a story..." She tilted her head in thought as she mentally stored that tidbit of data away for later use.

"Who cares?" Ares grinned, "I like this guy's father already!" He ignored the glare he received from his aunt, Hestia.

The line between life and death is more intimate than we humans realize. They both accrue every day, sometimes at the same time. Hundreds of people are brought into this world and hundreds more leave it, and it's impossible to completely manipulate such things that are the unknown.

We – humanity – spend our whole lives trying to do just that; live. We cling to the idea that just existing is enough. Life and death, said to be polar opposites…

I see them for what they are though…

Mine.

"..." Hades stared at the screen, dumbstruck by what he just heard, "Did he just say what I think he did?" He barely managed to get the question out before a headache started forming.

"He did..." Artemis muttered, her eyebrows twitching madly. The fact that there was a mortal who would make a claim on life... it irked her as a goddess of childbirth. She looked towards Truth, "I'm not going to like this story am I?"

Truth shrugged, "Honestly... it depends on how uptight you are and how much you value female supremacy." He ignored her glare as he continued staring at the TV, "Remember though... this is me teaching all of you a lesson. Everything you see is but a glimpse into another world."

Annabeth snorted under her breath, trying not to be heard, as she looked at her mother, "I think someone needs to teach him a lesson."

Athena chuckled but said nothing as she hugged her daughter.

My father, Namikaze Minato: Hero… or Monster?

Sometimes, the world doesn't need another hero.

"At least someone gets it." Dionysus drawled out with a bored look on his face. A sneer made it's way on his face, "You heroes are all the same, refusing to take a life. How can you expect to protect what is precious when you can't even be certain that your enemies won't come back?"

Annabeth frowned, "Because if we did kill... we wouldn't be any better than them!" She denied vehemently.

The god of madness scoffed, "Keep on telling yourself that."

Sometimes, what it needs, is a monster.

"It doesn't," Artemis denied with a shake of her head, "There are enough of them already in this world, and others."

My name is Uzumaki Naruto, and I am a monster.

Dionysus smiled slightly, "Maybe this mortal won't be so bad." He turned towards Annabeth, a pointed look on his face, "And... maybe you will learn that your way is not the only one."

Annabeth made to retort but a look from her mother shut her up.

Truth put his index finger to his lips, "Shh... the show is starting, for real, so be quite."

They watched as the scene changed.

A six year old Uzumaki Naruto lay on his back in the cold dank alleyway that his attackers left him in not five minutes ago.

"Wait..." Apollo put up his hand to stop the show, "Are you telling me that someone attacked a child and left him there!?" He was angry, there was no doubt in anyone's mind, as he watched the image in front of him.

"...Yes..." Hestia murmured, horrified by the scene on the screen. The small blue eyed blond looked so much like Zeus that it was scary, "How could someone do something like that?"

Artemis crossed her arms, she had seen this scenario before, whether they be girls or boys, "Only scum can do something like that."

"While I wouldn't use those exact words," Hera said with a sneer on her beautiful face, "I agree with you. People like that don't deserve to live."

He was beaten and broken, so much so that his body felt numb. Good. It was better if he couldn't feel the pain right now. He could somewhat hear the faint noises that the still going celebration was making in the distance, mocking him with its cheery attitude, completely ignorant of his suffering.

Hermes breathed in deeply, doing everything in his power to contain the rage he felt, "...Those fuckers... If I ever learn who did that, I won't hesitate to kill them."

"Get in line," Apollo snarled, his body erupting in golden flames as he clenched his fists tightly, "If you're lucky, I just might leave you an arm when I'm through with them."

Hestia frowned at the two young gods, "I understand your anger... but please don't lower yourself to their levels."

Apollo and Hermes said nothing, too deep into their anger to care about what their aunt said.

After a random man walked right into the young blond, said man decided, after noticing who it was he bumped into, that he was going to relieve some pent up stress on the village pariah.

At some time during the beating others began to join in. Before it ended there seemed to be at least ten of them.

One boy – one child – against ten adults, an entire village, an entire world…

Annabeth frowned, tears prickling at the corner of her eyes, "He's only six years old..." She couldn't find the words to describe how she felt. Compared to him, she lived a great life.

"It's ok Annabeth." Athena comforted her daughter, her arms wrapped around her shoulders, "It's bound to get better."

Annabeth nodded, her eyes brightening up slightly, as she rubbed her eyes dry.

Yet, the small smile on his face never faded, even as the tears rolled down his cheeks to meet the damp ground. It had rained the day before, he had remembered. He wondered if, hadn't the member of the zoo not shown up, would they have stopped like they did? Would they have kept going until he no longer drew breath? He was curious, was all.

Artemis frowned, "No... they would have continued. It's just how humans are" She paused, "Although I am curious about this 'zoo'. They must have quite the power if they are able to stop a mob."

"I'm surprised that the boy can smile after what he's gone through," Haded murmured, surprise evident on his face, "I know that I wouldn't be smiling... actually I would be planning my revenge on all of them."

Apollo scoffed, "You and me both." His blue eyes were narrowed in anger.

He always could feel what others felt. He could feel the pain and rage they experienced when they caught sight of him.

Hestia gasped, "That's awful. How can a six-year-old deal with all that hatred?" Her brown eyes revealed the despair she felt. She looked towards Annabeth, "Annabeth... this is a power that no mortal should have, a young child none the less."

The demigoddess nodded, her eyes locked onto the image of the smiling boy, "That kind of power must be a curse. To be surrounded by people that hated your guts... I don't think anyone could handle that."

Apollo waved his hand in wishy-washy motion, "It depends on the circumstances, the most important one being the state of the people."

Just like how he knew they weren't angry at him, but at the thing inside of him. That never stopped them from projecting their anger on his young body though.

Did they ever notice that he never resisted?

"I don't know what to say. The fact that they take their anger on an innocent boy... my opinion of the opposite sex has just plummeted even more." Artemis announced, her silver eyes narrowed in a glare. How could someone be so heartless?

Athena scoffed, "You and me... you and me."

He didn't understand what exactly he housed in his gut, but he was sure that it was the ire of the village. He'd heard the stories of the Kyuubi no Kitsune, the "Demon" that attacked the village a few years ago.

"Ah, now I understand. They lost people in that attack... maybe friends and family." Zeus stated after thinking about it... all the pieces were coming together, "Though it doesn't excuse the people from what they've done."

Truth smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes, "I'm glad you agree. There are some things that just cannot be forgiven."

Artemis smiled at him, "I agree."

He put two and two together and figured the red hot and oh so angry feeling in his gut was the supposed destruction incarnate.

Hermes winced, that was not good, "This is just getting worse and worse isn't it?"

None replied to him, as they too did not have an answer to that question.

He understood the feeling he found completely.

Loneliness.

Naruto had been all alone since he was born. No parents, no friends, nothing. It was a nightmare, except he couldn't wake up. He was stuck.

That never kept him down though, because with his innate ability to feel those around him also came the ability to understand them completely. And when you can understand someone completely, you can't help but love them. And Naruto did, he loved his village, his people, with his entire being.

Hestia smiled, some of the tension leaving the room, "I wholeheartedly agree. When you can understand others that well, that deeply, you can find it deep within yourself to forgive them, even if they have done something against you."

Truth nodded, "And yet it is a mortal that has this power, not a deity." He looked at them, a pointed look on his face.

He could connect to others on such a level that if someone paid even a sliver of attention to him, they would realize that the boy was capable of feats no other human was able to perform. He, in the simplest way to put it, was doing the impossible, the unthinkable, the amazing.

"That's not including his amazing empathy right?" Apollo asked sarcastically. He wasn't in a good mood right now, and when he wasn't in a good mood, he got sarcastic.

To connect and understand another's feelings and intentions to such a degree that you could practically understand what the other was thinking was as scary as it was incredible. And that was only the beginning of what Naruto could do with his natural talents. Compared to his other skillset, the empathy was just a small drop in a very large ocean.

"Oh..." Apollo blinked, "Color me intrigued."

"With you, that's not very hard to do," Artemis smirked, her eyes glinting with mischief. She nearly laughed when Apollo stuck out his tongue.

He had never used his other ability on another living being before, but he knew; the outcome would be terrifyingly effective.

Sighing to himself, the little Uzumaki finally stood, already healed of the beating he had received. If his pain caused others joy, even if only slightly, then he would take it. He was the only person who understood the pain of each individual as much as they themselves did, so it just stood to be true that he would be the only one who could handle their anger. He could and would take it all, the pain, like it was his life's mission. He would do that for his precious village.

"I'll say this once again," Hades started, "He's a better person than me, despite the fact that he is only a child." The fact that he would suffer so that others wouldn't... it warmed his cold heart, "I am certain... that if he were to die right now... he would make it to Elysium."

Hestia smiled, despite disliking the idea that a child should die, "I agree. He is a pure soul in a lawless world. There is no doubt in my mind that he is capable of making it to Elysium, maybe even the Isles of Blest if he tries for rebirth three times."

Poseidon was silent, still reeling from his son's death, there was a small smile on his face.

Dusting off the dirt that now occupied his clothes, Naruto began to walk, where to even he did not know. He felt… drawn to something the moment he first stood. Like something, no, someone was calling out for help, calling out for him. They were scared, terrified, and helpless against whatever it was causing their intense fear. It was so strong that it hurt his heart, his soul and whole self.

"Empathy is a double edged sword. But in situations like this... it is a valuable gift." Apollo said in a grim tone, "I just hope he can get to the person in time."

He needed to get to them quickly.

He decided to try out an idea he had a few days ago. With the use of his other ability, he thought that it would be possible to run faster than he usually was capable of.

Much faster.

Pulling in that beautifully bright and unbelievably powerful essence that was all around him, always roaming the world – or was it the world itself? – he flooded his body with it to the spilling point.

"That's not something that a mortal should be able to do!" Athena denied, her rational mind telling her that it was impossible. She could see with her own eyes the golden energy enter Naruto, his own body glowing like a beacon.

"And yet, we are seeing it happen before our very eyes," Truth pointed out, a grin on his face.

He was now brimming with the unnamed and unknown energy, and he began directing it to his legs. Just like he had thought, his speed doubled. Not enough! He wasn't fast enough, not yet. He forced even more of the energy into his legs, his speed tripling. More! He repeated the process again. His speed quadrupled. Not yet. His speed quintupled.

"So this energy is somehow increasing his own natural abilities?" Apollo mused to himself. He sneaked a peek at Hermes, the fastest god in all of Olympus, "How fast do you think he's going?"

Hermes closed his eyes in thought, the calculations running through his mind, "Honestly, I'm not certain. Kids that young don't normally start running that fast until they're like eleven."

"It's a good thing I know, then," Truth announced, "And you are right Hermes. A child shouldn't be running that fast at such a young age." He looked at Apollo, "But to answer your question, he is currently running at three thousand one hundred twenty-five miles per hour." He let that statement sink in.

Shock rang throughout the theater, "That's impossible! No mortal should be capable of running that fast."

Truth gazed at Artemis, "Do remember, please, that this is another world. The rules are far different there than they are here."

He was so fast everything seemed to be in slow motion. He was no longer visible to the human eye, or any eye for that matter.

"That's what he thinks," Hermes grinned, a playful smirk on his face. He paused as a thought entered his head(and the author's), "Truth... if he ever comes here... I wanna race him."

Truth smirked, "I thought you might... which is why I have a plan for that very reason. It might take a while, but I should be able to do something."

Zeus paled, two-speed demons in the halls of Olympus? It would be one of his worst nightmares fulfilled.

He suddenly came to a complete halt, like he wasn't traveling fast enough to clear the whole village in seconds. He was directly in the path of someone he had never met, or felt, in his village before now. He was in a different uniform than the shinobi of his village, and his forehead protector was not of the Leaf as well.

Athena paused... the word shinobi was strangely familiar. Closing her eyes, she rummaged through her mind palace, looking for anything pertaining to the word shinobi.

She opened her eyes after a few seconds, having found the information she needed, "A shinobi is an assassin, or ninja, who works from the shadows. They are masters of espionage, rivaled only by the samurai."

Truth nodded, "That's the basic gist of things, although, in that world, they do more than just kill. If the bidder pays enough, they will clean your garden for you."

Aphrodite stifled a laugh as she imagined men in black clothing pulling weeds out of the ground.

With the foreign energy flowing through his body, Naruto could see perfectly in the dark. The man had white bandages wrapped around the top part of his head, his hitai-ate slanted on his face, completely covering his right eye from the world with a black piece of string holding it all together. He had brown hair, if his brown facial hair was anything to go by. And he was tall, a lot taller than the blond.

"Ugh... that guy totally reeks of suspicion," Hermes stated as he watched the image, his eyes sharp.

Naruto immediately recognized the small form that was held in the man's left arm as the person he felt. He could still feel their fear even now. He wanted to change that – immediately.

The man looked down on the small boy in front of him and snarled, "Out of my way runt!" The Head Ninja of Kumo barked.

Naruto was silent for a moment, too angry to even move his body. He had felt the unknown man when he arrived and he now knew his intentions. He was taking what was not his to take. He was condemning an innocent and – what he now knew – gentlest girl he'd ever felt to a life of servitude and abuse.

Artemis felt the fury within her grow as she watched the image, "What!? I'll kill that bastard!" She didn't need to be a genius, not that she wasn't, to know what the man wanted.

Hera too felt angry, but she kept her fury contained, "Monsters... all of them are monsters. A young girl, taken to be breeding stock. What do they hope to gain from this?"

Truth rolled his eyes, "If you can stay quiet for a few seconds, you'll find out."

Artemis and Hera rolled their eyes but stayed quiet.

He knew the man thought of her as nothing more than a pawn, a means of reproducing powerful and, if her eyes were anything to go by, special shinobi.

Zeus rubbed his beard in thought, "So her eyes have some special ability or something like that?" It would explain why the man kidnapped the girl.

"Just wait and see please!" Truth was now getting annoyed by all the interruptions.

Naruto truly despised this man; he was the scum of this earth.

"You and me," Artemis muttered to herself, too low for anyone to hear except Truth.

Something inside Naruto clicked. He knew what he had to do. He could now feel and understand himself.

He knew what he was now.

The dark-skinned shinobi vaulted over the child in front of him, knowing that time was against him. He had no time to deal with someone who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

He kept running, making decent distance, until he was stopped once more. Again, the blond-haired boy suddenly flashed in front of him, almost too fast for him to react to. In the back of his mind, he was worried just how strange it was for someone so young to be so fast.

He snarled, and went to grab a kunai from his pouch to dispense with the nuisance. That's when he felt it…

Naruto's hand raised into the air, ignoring the man's attempt to bring out a weapon, and began to do the impossible. The world – which was the only way he could describe it – began to twist and turn, producing the same energy that was currently occupying his body. However, now it was different, more refined, sharper, and tangible. From the very air itself, bright golden – the same color as his eyes – particles began to appear, floating in the sky above him.

Apollo shook his head in absolute disbeleaf, "That should be impossible. What he's doing, the manipulation of the Earth's natural energy, should not be feasable... and yet we are seeing it happen before our very eyes." For the first time, in a very long time, Apollo did not know what to say.

Demeter frowned, her golden eyes staring at the paused image, "Even I can't do something like that, and I doubt Gaea can as well."

Truth smiled, "This is why I am showing you this world. I'm proving a point, by doing this. It's up too you guys to figure out what it is."

With the flick of his wrist, the particles stirred, slowly rotating, grinding itself in a circular motion, enthusiastically obeying its master's whims. The grizzled man's eyes widened, he didn't exactly know what was happening, but he was able to understand that it wasn't all that good for his health.

It was supposed to be dark out, being well past sundown, but with the golden matter that was flying around, the sky was ablaze in a molten gold fury. It briefly passed through the Head Ninja's mind that, for a moment, it had looked like the heavens themselves opened up to bring forth their wrath on him.

"It does look like that, doesn't it?" Hermes tilted his head in thought, "It honestly remind me of the old days when we would use our power to inspire fear in the mortals below us."

Ares sighed in bliss, those were the good ole days, "Yeah," He looked at Zeus, a frown on his face, "if it wasn't for him, we could still be doing that! But no, we have to hide from the mortals!"

Zeus rolled his eyes, a small sigh escaping his lips as he gazed into the ruby eyes of his war-mongering son, "Ares... do me a favor and shut up."

It was the most terrifyingly beautiful thing the seasoned jonin had ever seen.

Naruto's hand shot open, spreading his fingers in the air. That's when the particles took form, mimicking his right arm, the spread fingers and all, just in a much larger proportion. It looked like it was the right hand of god more than a small child's anger.

Naruto gave one more soul piercing glare at the man, their eyes meeting for mere seconds. In those chaste moments, the Head Ninja had thought the boy could actually see his soul for what it was; tainted.

He had never felt sheer terror like this before.

"Good!" Artemis nodded her head, a vicious grin on her face.

Apollo scooted away from his sister, there was no way he was sitting next to her when she was like that.

So why was it so serene?

For a moment, the Kumo-nin wondered why he wasn't moving, why he wasn't cutting this strange child's throat and vanishing into the night. And then he knew, with a strange, detached realization that he couldn't.

Whatever the thing in the sky was, it demanded all his attention. Not even the fear of being caught by the Konoha shinobi could spur him.

The Uzumaki could feel the familiar presence of who he guessed was the girl's father. Familiar as in he had felt the man before; he had by now memorized all of Konoha's citizens. He nodded at the man, and the older Hyuuga wasted no time to leap forward and scoop his daughter in his arms. Once he leapt back out of the way, Naruto had no reason to wait anymore.

"Good! End his existence like the ant he is," Artemis grinned, her teeth glinting in the light.

Apollo looked to Hermes, the fear evident on his face, "Help me..."

Hermes shrugged his shoulders, not willing to incur Artemis's wrath, "Sorry bro... your own your own."

"I'm screwed," Apollo whispered.

In the back of his head he knew he was being watched, he could recognize Hokage-jiji's presence anywhere, and he was always with members of the zoo, so they too he was very familiar with. Especially the lazy feeling one, he was the blond's favorite.

That didn't matter now though. All that mattered at this very moment was to rid the world of this disgusting man.

Like an enraged god bringing down his divine judgment, Naruto clenched his hand in a fist while slamming it down into the ground at his feet, cracking a large portion of it.

He unleashed all his anger with a monstrous shout, something that sounded more animal than human.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

In a blink of an eye, the gold hand-like structure fell to the earth right above the would-be kidnapper from Kumo with earth shattering might.

All the shinobi present actually had a hard time withstanding the blast, using a large amount of chakra just to stay in place and upright. The power behind the attack had to be equivalent to twenty or thirty explosive tags going off at once.

It was a terrifying sight.

"It is done," Hestia said, she never liked seeing a life being snuffed out, "The boy is something else, and I feel pity for anyone who gets on his bad side."

Zeus nodded, upset that the man did not pay for his crimes like he should have, "Indeed. Those villagers are lucky that Naruto loves them so much."

When the incredible golden light finally faded away, all that was left was a deep scar in the earth. A very deep scar.

Apollo rested his hands behind his head, "One that will serve as a reminder for a very long time to come."

His twin sister nodded, "And hopefully they will be smart enough to not try what they did again."

Naruto stood from his prone form, letting his fist unclench as he did so. No one said a word, no one moved a muscle, and everyone tried to hold their breath.

Silence reigned supreme in the now very large street as everyone just stared at the boy in disbelief. Not only did the "Demon Child" completely and utterly overpower and decimate the Head Ninja of Kumogakure no Sato, but he did it with ease, without the help of his charge, and for the sake of another Konoha citizen.

It was incredible, it was amazing, and it was unbelievable.

"Hopefully they feel regret about how they treated him," Hestia smiled light, her war aura warming the room.

Truth scoffed, "Don't count on it. Humans have a tendacy to forget such amazing events."

Everyone tensed as the village pariah moved forward, towards the Hyuuga Clan Head and Heiress. When he was standing right next to the man, Naruto gave him a gentle and warm smile, already able to feel the man's gratitude and unafraid feelings. That made Naruto happy, someone appreciated him.

"Is she okay, Mister?" Naruto asked softly, his gentle smile never leaving his face. Hyuuga Hiashi gave a smile himself, something not many were privileged to see – ever – and nodded.

"It would seem so. I have you to thank for that, Naruto-san." The Hyuuga man replied, still holding his first born. "I am forever in your debt."

Naruto shook his head. "I'm just glad she's okay."

Hiashi nodded. "As am I."

Sarutobi Hiruzen landed next to Naruto and gave the boy a questioning look. "We need to talk, Naruto-kun." Were the only words that left the aged Hokage's mouth before he Shunshined (Body Flickered) away, taking the blond with him.

"Wait," Annabeth started, "Humans in that world have abilities like Naruto as well?" If so, then that meant that the humans, in that world, were far more different than they had originally thought.

"Kind of," Truth did a wishy-washy motion, "They have their abilities, but Naruto's is unique even compared to those. Don't worry about that, though." He gestured back to the screen, "Just enjoy it while you can."

As Naruto sat in the chair across the Hokage in the man's office, he felt no fear. He already knew what the man was going to ask.

And he was going to answer with a smile, because he knew he had done the right thing. He had saved an innocent, and was proud of it.

That made him a hero.

"It does," Annabeth nodded with a smile on her face.

He had taken another's life, and enjoyed it.

That made him a monster.

The smile on the demigoddess's face fell, "Oh... that's not good."

Whatever others saw him as didn't matter now though. He had found a way to feel. He felt alive. He felt free.

He was finally awake.

"...That sounds ominous enough." Apollo stated sarcastically, his face set into a lazy scowl, "All you need now is some ominous music and we'll be set."

Hermes scoffed, "Don't be daft! You'll need more than music to make this scary."

As the two started arguing, Hera rubbed her forehead in frustration, "They're morons, all of them." A smile made its way on her face when she saw Artemis slap Apollo on the back of his head.

Apollo rubbed his head, "Lil sis... why did you do that?" Tears prickled at the corner of his eyes as he looked at Artemis.

"Really?" Artemis asked with a raised eyebrow, "Are you really asking me that question?" Seeing him nod, she sighed, "Your an idiot Apollo, you know that?" Her only response was Apollo latching onto her, his arms wrapped around her shoulders.

Truth smiled at the irritated look on Artemis's face, "Well... that's one way to show brotherly affection."

The goddess of hunting glared at him, daggers in her eyes, "When he releases me, I'm going to kill you, you hear me Truth?" She dragged her thumb across her own throat to emphasize the threat.

Instead of being afraid, Truth merely waved off her threat, "You're adorable you know that?" Looking back at the TV, he smiled, "You guys go on ahead and do what you want, I got to get the next part set up."

Artemis sighed as she tried to push Apollo of her, "Get off me you big lug!"

As this was going on, Annabeth was staring at Truth, her eyes taking in his form. She just knew that this was going to be painful. Closing her eyes, she made a silent dedication to get Percy back.

Well then... I've finally completed chapter one of Hero or Monster. I hope you guys have enjoyed the story as I know I've enjoyed writting it. I want to thank hyvnn for giving me permission to write the story. For those who don't know, he formerlly went by Dreaming of The Moon and Mr AnimeKidd.

I'm proud of myself for this one, it took me a while, but I got it done.

I'm certain that most of you can figure out who Truth is. But his personality, well that will be a bit harder. But try. I want to hear your best guesses.

Now for the important part: I need reviews, follows and favorites. I'll understand if you guys are anxious about doing it on the first chapter, but by the next one I expect to see a lot more.

Stats: The story itself is more than 10,500 words.