The hall rattled like it might collapse on their heads. Dust rained from the rafters, chandeliers swung on broken chains, and cracks zigzagged across the ceiling like lightning frozen in plaster. The floorboards groaned, warping beneath the weight of something that didn't belong.
The Cyclops loomed, hunched under the beams, so close to the ceiling that his head brushed the wood. His skin blistered with boils that oozed gold ichor, muscles crawling with cords of sickness, veins glowing faintly gold beneath the flesh. His single eye blazed like molten iron, the grin beneath it too wide, split with rows of jagged teeth that dripped saliva. Droplets hit the floorboards and sizzled into smoke.
"You'll never leave," he hissed.
But it wasn't one voice. It shifted with each word, Luke's mother whispering in love, Thalia's mother beckoning in false warmth, Annabeth's father booming in disappointment. The cadence flickered like a broken radio. Every tone scraped old wounds raw, digging talons into their memory banks.
The house howled with him. Windows shattered inward. Walls warped, their boards stretching into jagged claw-shapes. Chandeliers snapped free and plummeted like iron guillotines, scattering sparks as they exploded against the floor. The ceiling sagged, as if the mansion itself were closing in, a mouth ready to swallow them whole.
Naruto slammed a palm to the ground. Roots coiled upward like striking serpents, lashing the monster's ankles. But they crawled sluggishly, thinner, weaker. His brow tightened.
"Tch." His teeth clenched as the familiar pulse of the earth faltered beneath him. Normally it thundered through him, endless and alive. Here, it sputtered like a flame choked with smoke. "My connection is weaker here. Like the ground itself doesn't want to listen."
Kurama's fur bristled, his tails lashing like whips, red eyes burning. "The house is choking your power of nature, brat. This place is poisonous for someone like you. Don't waste your time fighting it."
Naruto's grin tugged sharp anyway. "Then I'll just hit it harder."
The Cyclops thundered forward. The dining hall shook with every step, beams cracking, plaster raining down in chunks. Naruto sprinted to meet it, a spear of wood bursting from his hand mid-charge. He rammed it straight into the monster's chest, ichor spraying hot and foul.
The beast bellowed, swinging its fist down like a wrecking ball. Naruto braced, roots exploding from his arms into the floor as he caught the blow. The impact thundered through the room, tiles shattering under his feet, but he didn't yield.
"Move!" he roared.
Thalia was lightning in motion. Sparks crawled up her arms, her hair whipped wild. She screamed as she drove her spear into the monster's thigh. Lightning detonated, the stench of charred flesh choking the air. The Cyclops shrieked, stumbling, its leg quivering under the strike.
Annabeth slid low, boots skimming splinters. She swung her hammer into its ankle. The crack rang sharp as stone shattering, and the monster's leg buckled, dragging it down to one knee.
Luke followed, face hard, teeth gritted. His sword flashed and tore deep across its ribs. Hot ichor sprayed in arcs, hissing where it hit the floor. The stench clawed at his lungs, but he refused to falter.
The Cyclops howled. Its massive arm swept across the hall, wild and blind. The backhand slammed into Luke, hurling him across the room like a doll. He crashed into the wall with a crunch that rattled beams. Groaning, he slid down, blood matting his temple.
"Luke!" Thalia's voice cracked, fear flashing across her face.
Naruto shoved the monster back with a surge of roots that snapped across its jaw. It reeled, head whipping to the side. Naruto grinned, eyes flicking to Luke. "Get up, pretty-boy! You're not stealing my spotlight that easy!"
Luke groaned, every bone aching, but his grip tightened around his sword. He pushed himself upright, jaw clenched, shoulders squaring.
The Cyclops roared again, eye flaring brighter. The air shimmered and illusions rippled back into the room. Smiling mothers. Fathers reaching with open arms. Voices whispering: stay, you're safe, you're loved.
Annabeth froze mid-step, her hammer trembling. Thalia's breath hitched, her grip faltering.
Naruto's snarl tore through the air. "Enough of that crap!"
His fist slammed to the ground. Roots ripped upward in a fury, shredding the illusions. One by one, the figures burst into mist, fading back into golden dust. Only the monster's hunched shadow remained. "We're not falling for it again!"
Kurama burst from the dust with a roar. His claws raked across the Cyclops's chest, tearing furrows deep into muscle. Flesh split, ichor spraying in gouts. The fox clamped his jaws on its shoulder, ripping loose a chunk of steaming meat. The Cyclops shrieked, smashing Kurama across the hall into the far wall with bone-cracking force.
The fox slid out of the rubble, shaking splinters free, his lips curling back in a snarl. This time the wounds didn't close. The monster was bleeding.
"Keep pressing!" Naruto barked, voice booming.
Thalia screamed, lightning detonating so bright it split the shadows. She hurled her spear into the Cyclops's shoulder. The weapon sank deep, and the thunderclap that followed rattled the windows in their frames. The monster staggered, half its torso smoking.
Annabeth didn't hesitate. She darted forward, swinging her hammer into its knee. The impact cracked bone, forcing the beast down lower, its howl rattling the rafters.
Naruto's grin sharpened. His eyes burned. "Luke! Now!"
Luke answered with a roar of his own. He sprinted, sword gleaming, and rammed it beneath the monster's ribs, steel sinking to the hilt. The Cyclops thrashed, clawing to grab him but Naruto's hands slammed to the floor.
The earth roared back. Even with the mansion choking the current, Naruto forced it through sheer will. Roots surged in a tidal wave, wrapping the Cyclops's arms and legs, dragging it down to both knees. The boards split under the pressure.
Naruto's voice thundered, shaking dust from the rafters. "I said.." His grin split wide. "you're not taking them!"
The monster thrashed, snapping roots, but the others were already there.
Thalia slammed her spear into its chest. Lightning detonated point-blank, blasting arcs across its torso. Luke slashed again, his sword ripping across its throat. Annabeth swung her hammer into its jaw, snapping bone sideways. Kurama barreled in and tore into its back with his fangs, ripping chunks free.
Naruto forced the roots higher, dragging the Cyclops's head back, its single eye pinned wide. "Finish it!"
Thalia leapt. Sparks crawled across her arms, lightning spiraling down the shaft of her weapon until the spear blazed like a thunderbolt. With a scream, she drove it straight into the Cyclops's eye.
The monster's shriek split the mansion. Its howl fractured into every voice it had stolen; mothers wailing, fathers crying, whispers turning to screams. Golden light erupted from its wounds, cracks racing across its flesh like shattering glass.
For a heartbeat, the world was all thunder and light. Then the Cyclops convulsed, body collapsing into dust that streamed upward, vanishing into the rafters.
The mansion roared its death. Beams snapped, windows burst outward in sprays of glass, boards buckled. The whole house shuddered as though its spine had been ripped free. Then, with a final groan, it slumped into silence.
Naruto straightened, roots collapsing back into the floor. He brushed dust from his hands, smirking, shoulders loose like he hadn't just fought a titan in a coffin. "Told you… ugly one-eye was going down."
The others slumped where they stood battered, shaking, and bruised but still alive. And for the first time since stepping into the mansion, the air was still.
Kurama snorted, stepping out of a collapsed wall with splinters sticking from his fur. His tails lashed, ears flicking back. "You play too much with your food. A clean bite to the throat would've ended it sooner."
Naruto grinned at him. "C'mon, admit it you had fun."
The fox's red eyes narrowed, but he didn't argue.
The others weren't so steady.
Thalia collapsed to one knee, her spear clattering beside her. Her shoulders heaved, lightning still flickering faintly along her skin. Her fingers trembled as she tried to tighten her grip again, but they wouldn't obey. She stared at the fading dust where the Cyclops had been, her chest shuddering as though she couldn't decide whether to laugh or sob.
Luke slumped against the wall he'd been thrown into, his sword limp at his side. His temple was smeared red, his breaths ragged. His eyes wouldn't leave the empty space where his mother's smile had been. He looked less like a victor and more like someone staring at a fresh grave.
Annabeth leaned on her hammer, knuckles white around the haft. Her curls hung loose, sticking to her sweat-slick cheeks. She hadn't said a word since the monster fell, her lips pressed thin, eyes too bright.
Naruto glanced between them, his grin fading. He exhaled, rolling his shoulders, and crouched in front of Luke first.
"Alright, hold still pretty-boy." His palms glowed faint green, warmth blooming across Luke's arm as he pressed over the bruised ribs and split skin. The light seeped in, knitting torn flesh, and easing the ache in bone.
Luke blinked at the glow, frowning. "You… can heal?"
"Duh," Naruto said casually, like it was nothing. "What's the point of being me if I can't patch up my friends after we trash a monster house?"
The warmth spread deeper, steady, comforting. Luke's shoulders sagged as the pain ebbed. But his face didn't relax. His hand curled into a fist.
"I saw her," he said hoarsely. "She was right there. If you hadn't dragged me out.."
"You'd have been monster chow," Naruto cut in, grinning. "Not a great look for a swordsman. 'Here lies Luke, taken out by his mommy issues.'"
Luke glared, sharp enough to cut but Naruto didn't flinch. He just let the grin fade into something softer.
"I get it," Naruto said. "Not the mom thing exactly, but… chasing lies 'cause they're easier than the truth. It hurts when it breaks."
Luke swallowed, throat tight.
"But you're still here," Naruto went on. "That's the truth. Is it ugly? Yeah. Painful, too but real at least it's real. And that's better than nothing."
Luke's hand trembled, then steadied around his sword. He didn't answer, but for the first time, his eyes shifted from the dust to Naruto's face.
Naruto clapped his shoulder lightly. "C'mon. You're too stubborn to quit now."
He moved next to Thalia. She flinched when he crouched, spear clutched like a lifeline.
"Hey, storm-girl," Naruto said, voice easy. "You're buzzing like a lightning rod."
"I'm fine," she snapped automatically, but her voice cracked on the word.
"Uh-huh." His glowing hands pressed to the bruises along her ribs, the burns on her arms. She stiffened but didn't push him away. Warmth spread through her, knitting skin, easing the tremors.
Her eyes stayed fixed on the floor. "She almost had me. I almost believed it."
Naruto tilted his head, smirking. "Almost doesn't count. You fried that thing's eye like a bug zapper. Pretty badass, if you ask me."
A laugh broke out of her, raw and bitter, but it was still a laugh. She scrubbed her sleeve across her cheeks, muttering, "Idiot."
"Yeah," Naruto said, grinning. "But at least I'm your idiot."
Her shoulders shook once more, but when she looked up, her eyes burned steadier than before.
He moved to Annabeth last. She stiffened, as though bracing for something, her hammer still clenched like she was ready to swing again.
"Your turn, Annie girl," Naruto said gently. "Let me see."
"I don't need.." she started, then winced as her knee buckled. Naruto caught her by the arm before she hit the ground, lowering her carefully.
"Yeah," he teased, "real convincing."
She glared, cheeks red, but she let him press his glowing hands to the gash on her shin. The warmth spread, sealing the skin.
When it was done, she wiped her face quickly, as if hiding the fact her eyes had watered. "I knew it wasn't him. I knew."
Naruto tilted his head. "But you wanted it to be."
Her lips parted, then shut. Her knuckles whitened on her hammer.
"Doesn't make you weak," Naruto said. "It only makes you human."
Her throat bobbed. A small, reluctant smile tugged at her mouth. "You sound like Kurama."
Naruto grinned. "But I'm better looking!"
Annabeth rolled her eyes, muttering, "Idiot." But the word carried warmth this time.
Kurama padded closer, shaking dust from his fur. His voice was a growl edged with worry. "You waste your strength on them when you should be healing yourself."
Naruto flopped onto his back, staring up at the cracked ceiling, arms spread wide. "Yeah, yeah. Don't tell me you weren't worried too, fuzzball."
The fox huffed, turning his head away, but his tails swayed slower, calmer.
Naruto lifted his head to glance at the others. Luke sat straighter now, hand steady on his sword. Thalia held her spear tight, lightning faint but controlled. Annabeth's hammer rested across her lap, her eyes sharp despite the tremor in her hands.
They were scarred and shaken. But still alive.
Naruto let his head drop back with a sigh, his grin returning. "Guess we're all still here, huh?"
For a moment, no one spoke. Then Thalia's voice, raw but strong: "Yeah. We are."
Luke exhaled, jaw tightening. "Together."
Annabeth lifted her chin, her voice steadier than before. "And we'll get out. We have to."
The mansion groaned one last time, a weak rattle like bones settling. But no illusions followed, no chains, no voices. Just silence.
They rose, one by one, leaning on weapons and willpower. Kurama padded behind them, tails lashing like a shield.
They pushed through the splintered doors. Outside, the forest stretched open, dawn spilling over the treeline. Golden light broke across the horizon, painting their grime-streaked faces in warmth. Shadows slipped away, chased by the sun.
None of them spoke as they walked. Their boots crunched softly in the dew-damp grass, the weight of the night trailing behind them.
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