Just Take It, Will You?

Classified Location

Inside a room, a security guard was watching closely at the monitors in front of him. His attention was briefly interrupted when a colleague patted his shoulder so that he could offer the guard a cup of coffee. The cup was accepted and the guard continued looking at the monitors.

From the monitors, the guard could observe various parts of the building; from the courtyard, lobby, kitchen, to the vault room. The CCTVs were positioned in such a way that the blind spots of the cameras couldn't hide even a child.

Camera was not the only thing used the guard the building. There were sensors all over the building, detecting anything that could be detected; heat, light, movement, magical energy, and more.

Furthermore, the place was littered with the best exorcists that the Church could afford to stationed. All of them have gone through at least one life-and-death situation. As in, situation where they were very close of dying.

And let's not get started on the magic…whoops, "spiritual" defense that the Church put on the place (magic is only done by Devils, pagans, and heretics).

All in all, alongside the fact that the location was classified, it would be extremely difficult to steal the special object that was stored in this place.

The security guard, who was looking at the monitors intensely, turned his eyes away from them when he heard a sound of something – or rather someone – crashed into the ground. He saw that the sound was created by a security guard who was lying on the floor. He stood up and was about to approached his colleague when he suddenly fell into the floor as well.

With the rest of the people in the room followed their two colleagues, nobody was watching the monitors. It was soon followed by the exorcists who fell into the ground as well. All of them, no exception.

Shortly thereafter, someone entered the room and begin to enacted his plan.

The Vatican

"Wait, wait, hold on! What?!"

In one of the many halls of the Vatican, Xenovia raised her hands after hearing the latest news regarding a certain Holy Sword that Griselda had just told her.

Namely, the fact that three Excalibur fragments – Rapidly, Nightmare, and Transparency – have been stolen from the places where they were stored.

"Like I said, Excalibur Rapidly, Nightmare, and Transparency have been stolen." Said Griselda.

"I…I see." Said Xenovia. "How many that we lost?"

"Surprisingly, there are only 5 deaths and 3 wounded. Those eight people became casualties because they were at the stairs when some sort of sleeping spell caused everyone in the places to fall asleep."

Xenovia grimaced when she heard that. Despite all of their skills and experience, five of the exorcists stationed were dead because of falling from a stair. Granted, it was because of a sleeping spell rather than a mere accident. But still…

"Hello, Earth to Xenovia." Said Griselda as she waved her hand in front of her student's face.

"Huh? Oh, sorry." Replied Xenovia with a little blush on her face. "What is it, Griselda?"

"Do you remember when it is deemed appropriate to use Excalibur?"

Xenovia's face turned serious upon hearing that. Considering that they were talking about the stolen Excalibur, the blue-haired exorcist knew what Griselda meant by her words.

"One of the time Excalibur is used is when it's to retrieve a Holy Sword that has been stolen, including another Excalibur." Said Xenovia.

"Indeed. And as the wielder of Excalibur Destruction, you will be send to retrieve the tree stolen Excaliburs alongside the wielder of Excalibur Mimic." Stated Griselda.

"What about the wielder of Excalibur Blessing?"

"Unfortunately, he's currently in a mission that require radio silence. The Church is trying to retrieve him, but it's very likely that the mission will be done before he comes back."

Xenovia frowned upon hearing that. At the moment, Excalibur Destruction was possessed by the Catholic Church, Excalibur Mimic was possessed by the Church of England, and Excalibur Blessing was possessed by the Eastern Orthodox Church. While working together for the betterment of mankind under God's blessing, there were still rivalries between different denominations. As such, there was a possibility that the Eastern Orthodox Church simply didn't want to risk their Holy Sword.

The exorcist shook her head and tried to stop thinking about it. Politic was not her forte and she had better things to think about.

"So, when do I leave?" Asked her.

"If things go smoothly, then you will go to Paris and meet up with the wielder of Excalibur Mimic in a week. When both of you will be send depends on how long it will take for our intelligence wing to discover the location of the stolen swords." Explained Griselda.

"I see. So, I have at least a week to train myself with Excalibur Destruction. Though I am more experienced with Durandal, so perhaps…"

"Usually, I will agree with that plan. However, being a natural wielder of Durandal is not as…eye-catching as being an artificial wielder of Excalibur. As such, keep the sword as your ace-in-the-hole and only reveal it when the situation is dire."

"Understood."

A week and a half later…

Paris, France

The day had finally arrived.

For more than a week, Xenovia and Irina have been waiting for the information about the stolen Excaliburs. Turned out, they were currently at the hands of Kokabiel, the Fallen Angel of the Stars. He had set up a base at a town called Kuoh in Japan, which was surprising since the town was a territory of Gremory-Sitri of the Devils.

There was speculation that the Devils were working with the Fallen Angels to deprived the Church of its valuable artifacts. However, this was quite unlikely since Kokabiel was very well-known to hate anything not fallen angel. Still, there was nothing wrong with being cautious.

On another matter, the Archbishop of Genocide, Valper Galilei, has been spotted to be talking with Kokabiel. It took no genius to figured out that he was working for the fallen angel. Made sense since he was an expert in holy sword.

With the information acquired, both Excalibur wielders can now be send to retrieve the swords.

Inside the office of the person assigned to administered the base in Paris, Xenovia and Irinia stood in front of him as said person was about to give them a briefing.

Before he could open his mouth, someone knocked the door. After the permission was given, the knocker entered the room, who was revealed to be Antoinette Pétain.

"You!" Exclaimed Xenovia.

"What are you doing here?" Asked Irina sternly.

"I am here to join your quest." Replied Pétain simply. She turned her attention to the only male in the room. "They haven't been told yet?"

"I was about to tell them that when you enter the room, cousin." Said the priest.

"Wait, cousin?" Irina turned her attention to him. "You're a demigod, Father Andrew?"

"Yes, I am a son of Mercury." Upon hearing that, Xenovia and Irina's hands immediately went to their pockets, causing Andrew to rolled his eyes. "Anyway, just as she said, Centurion Pétain will assist us in retrieving the stolen Excaliburs."

"Hold on for a second! Father Andrew, we have no need for a help from a Pagan!" Exclaimed Xenovia.

"That's right! We have Excalibur and blessing from the Lord!" Added Irina.

"Last time I check, an Excalibur wielder being killed is not unheard of." Stated Pétain with a deadpanned tone.

"Centurion Pétain is right. For Kokabiel, both of you are only slightly more bothersome than ants. Seriously, if it's up to me, I would have send Vasco Strada and Dulio Gesualdo." Said Father Andrew in support of his cousin.

While the priest's comment hurt Xenovia and Irina, they couldn't help but agree with the statement. They were basically amateurs as wielders of Excalibur and should've spend at least several more month training with the sword before being send to a mission as dangerous as this. Though they then realized something.

"If that's the case, then why the mission is given to us, not them?" Asked Irina.

"Like I said, if it's up to me. I don't know what's up with the heads of the higher-ups." Answered Father Andrew before looking at Pétain.

"I haven't figured it out myself." Replied the daughter of Mars.

"So, Centurion Pétain joins us because we're amateurs?" Said Xenovia.

"Not really. She joins you because both of you are all brawn and no brain."

"Hey!" Exclaimed both exorcists.

"Your reputations speak for themselves." Father Andrew focused his eyes on Xenovia. "Ms. Quarta, you're known to have a lot of strength but little in terms of tactic. I have a note warning about that from your very own mentor and some of your colleagues called you 'Power Idiot.'"

Xenovia wanted to retort but then she remembered about that time with the hellhound. She missed the monster and hurt her partners instead. She also lost count on how many times Griselda told her to use her brain.

Father Andrew then did the same thing to Irina. He said, "As for you, Ms. Shidou, you are very easy to be fooled. Remember that time when you spent £3,000 on some stupid figurine?"

"That's a small statue of St. Patrick!" Retorted the twin-tailed exorcist.

"Oh, please. There's a sentence 'Made in China' under it! And a statue of that size – no matter how good it is – won't cost more than 800!"

As both exorcists being scolded by Father Andrew, Pétain could do nothing but simply facepalmed when she heard what her cousin had just said.

"So 'two idiots' literally means two idiots. Then again, I should expect nothing but straightforwardness from father." Thought Pétain.

"Now, with that out of mind, it's time for the briefing to finally started." Said the son of Mercury.

Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, France

Inside their transportation, the three people sent to retrieve the stolen Excaliburs sat calmly as they waited for the airplane to take-off. The pilot and co-pilot were currently having a conversation with the ATC to gain the permission.

The airplane that they used were not unlike private jet used by the rich businessman often depicted in the media; a small-sized aircraft with two engines at the rear, roomy cabin, etc. Thanks to being a private jet, that means the three of them could have conversation about their mission without any worry. No worry about the pilot and co-pilot as well since they were affiliated with the Church and the Olympus respectively.

Well, there was some worry that both of them would rather fight with each other than properly flying the plane, but so far, they were talking to each other as if they were old colleagues.

Several minutes later, the permission was finally given and the plane started the procedure to take-off. Two minutes later, the plane was now in the sky.

A sky that was dark because of the black cloud. Then, it started to rain and if you listen closely, you could hear a thunder in a distance.

"I…Is this alright? Isn't flying like this dangerous?" Asked Irina worriedly.

"We're perfectly safe. A very good offering was made to Jupiter. I already called the Camp to do it." Said Pétain. "Oh, and I am pretty sure that Father Andrew is praying for our safety, alongside others."

"Well, if this is the best that Jupiter can do, maybe he should consider looking for another job." Said Xenovia, irritated about the fact that someone who assist them in retrieving the Church's Holy Swords asked for a blessing from a Pagan God.

Suddenly, a lightning occurred near the jet and almost hit them. From the voices coming from the cockpit, it was clear that the lightning still did something to the jet.

"Why can't you learn to keep your fat mouth shut?!" Exclaimed Pétain. This was not the first time Xenovia made less-than-stellar comments about the Greeks.

"S-She's right, Xenovia." Said the trembling Irina before the blue-haired exorcist could talk back. "While I don't like it either, I prefer not angering a being that could control lightning and bring us down."

There was another lightning. While this one was nowhere close to the plane, it was still close enough to make a very loud thunder. The brown-haired exorcist let out a small whimper and crossed her heart.

At least Jupiter didn't take offense on that, indicated by the fact that there was no more lightning.

Several hours later…

Narita International Airport, Japan

When they finally landed, Irina, Xenovia, and Pétain immediately went towards the terminal and began to look around for their guide. It wasn't hard since there was a lady in business suit carrying a sign "Church Ravenna." The trio walked towards her, who saw them approaching herself.

"Good evening. I take it that the three of you are Xenovia Quarta, Irina Shidou, and Antoinette Pétain?" Asked the woman.

"Yes, that's who we are." Replied Xenovia.

"I see. You can call me Misaki." The woman then made a shocked face. "Oh, dear me, I almost forgot. Welcome to Japan."

The woman, Misaki, then escorted them through the airport towards a car. It looked like a small black limousine. Misaki opened the door and gestured them to go inside. After the three of them went inside, she closed the door before opening another door and sat beside the driver.

As they rode away from the airport, Irina seemed to be checking around the car enthusiastically. Pétain, who noticed and had nothing better to do, asked her.

"First time?" Asked the centurion.

"Y-Yeah. Usually, we used a more…economical means of transportation." Answered the exorcist. "Nothing as comfy or fabulous as this."

"This is the first time for me as well." Hearing that made Irinia looked at Pétain. "The other two times when I was on a quest, one time I went from one taxi to another. Another time I and two of my siblings used a FedEx delivery truck."

"Heh. So, not that much different from us, huh."

For the rest of the journey, Irina and Pétain talked about small stuffs like some of their past missions, hobbies, and others as Xenovia remained silence and content to simply watch the view.

Several hours later…

Tokyo, Japan

By the time the car arrived in front of the hotel, it was already night. Misaki disembarked from the car first before opening the door for the three fighters at the back of the car. After all of them out of the car, they went towards the receptionist as the car drove away.

When they entered the hotel, the group saw two receptionists – a male and a female – and went towards them. Behind the receptionists was a traditional Japanese painting of Amaterasu, the Shinto Goddess of the Sun. However, a "closer" look will reveal otherwise.

When Xenovia focused her eyes on the painting, she realized that it was covered by the Mist. She decided to look more intensely to bypass it. She managed to do so and found out what the painting actually was; it was a painting of a figure wearing a unique crown and a sun behind him. The exorcist recognized the figure in the painting; Sol Invictus, official sun god of the later the later Roman Empire and a patron of soldiers.

Xenovia admitted that it was a good symbolism on how the painting of Sol Invictus was hidden; the Youkai that helped them looked Japanese on the outside but inside they were Romans.

After Xenovia locked the room, she turned attention to inspect the room itself. It was nice, nothing too fancy. Two beds, a television, a wardrobe, and a table with a complete set of things necessary to make a tea or coffee. She then opened a door and saw that it led to a bathroom. No bathtub, only a shower.

All in all, it was a simple but comfortable room.

"So, anyone want to review about our next steps?" Suggested Pétain, who received a nod from both exorcists.

"Alright. So, after gaining enough rest and recovering from the jetlag, we will go to the Town of Kuoh, asked Rias Gremory and Sona Sitri for permission to investigate their territory, and recover the stolen Excaliburs." Said Xenovia.

"Right. And remember what Father Andrew said, don't…"

"Don't start a fight with the Devils. Yes, we remember." Interrupted Irina before the demigod could finished her sentence. "You know, something comes to my mind. Why don't we ask help from the…vassalized Youkai factions?"

"Irina!" Exclaimed Xenovia, not wanting more involvement of Pagans.

"We cannot. Gremory and Sitri won't accept a force of 80 auxilia roaming their territory. It's up to the three of us." Stated Pétain.

"But don't you agree with Father Andrew that the three of us aren't enough to deal with Kokabiel?" Asked Irina as she tilted her head.

"Yes. Thing is, we don't have to fight Kokabiel. We only need to infil…" Pétain stopped talking when she realized who she was speaking with. "…right. It won't work."

"H-Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!" Xenovia said that with a blush on her face, which she was share with Irina.

"She means that none of you are good at infiltrating."

When they heard a voice that didn't belong to either them or the demigod, Xenovia and Irina quickly drew their Excalibur and confronted the man who somehow managed to get inside the room without their notice. He was a tough-looking guy with flat-top haircut and night-vision goggles wearing a military uniform. The stern expression on his face indicated that he had a business to take care of.

"Who are you? Identify yourself!" Stated Xenovia as she tightened her grip on Excalibur Destruction.

"The moment an unknown individual entered your room, you draw your sword and rather than attacking, you demand his identity first." Said the mysterious man. "You're smarter than what I thought."

"Stand down, Quarta, Shidou. He's not a threat." Said Pétain as she drew her hand to stop both exorcists from coming closer to the man. "Can I help you, father?"

"Can a father visit his daughter?" Asked the man as he raised an eyebrow.

"You have a much better thing to do than looking after me, father. Besides, you already visited me back at the camp."

"Wait, father?" Said Xenovia suddenly before she pointed at the man. "Are you Mars?"

The mysterious man, Mars, simply nodded his head before directing his attention towards his daughter.

"Visiting you is simply something I decided to do since I have other businesses in Japan." Stated the God of War.

"May I know your other businesses, father?" Asked Pétain curiously.

"Just checking on our vassals and seeing their training."

"I see. If you don't mind, is that paper contains all of the prophecy or is it simply contains the parts that have been solved?"

"All of them."

"Wait, wait, hold on." Said Irina as she raised both of her hands, gaining attention of everyone in the room. "What prophecy?"

"A prophecy about our mission." Answered Pétain.

"And you didn't tell us?" Stated Xenovia suspiciously.

"Will you even believe a Pagan prophecy, as you will obviously put it?" Pétain's question was laced with sarcasm.

Xenovia realized that and decided to not pushing further, merely folding her hands under her chest and frowned. Pétain simply rolled her eyes upon seeing it.

"What's the prophecy?"

"What?" Pétain turned her head to look at Irina, who asked the question.

"The prophecy. I once watched the Disney cartoon about Classical Mythology. For about the name." Said Irina rather excitedly. "So, I am kind of curious about Greek…err, Roman prophecy."

"Well, if you're interested." Pétain cleared her throat first before reciting the prophecy.

"Go to Japan.

Make sure to keep the two idiot exorcists in line.

Retrieve the swords or the war will restart."

After Pétain finished the prophecy, Irina's smile started to disappear and Xenovia looked at the centurion as if she has grown a second head.

"That's not a prophecy. That's an order." Stated Irina emotionlessly. "Prophecy should've contain riddle, truth from a certain point of view, you know, those stuffs. What kind of person made an order and call…"

Irina immediately closed her mouth when she noticed that Mars casually pulled out a grenade. She then tried to salvage the situation.

"…on the other hand, the quest without any riddle means that there's very little chance of things go wrong because of misinterpretation. So, all in all, it's actually a good thing!" Declared Irina with her best (fake) smile.

Mars put back the grenade, which caused Irina to be relieved. As this happening, Xenovia pondered about the prophecy. She became shocked before looking at both Pétain and Mars in anger.

"The 'two idiot exorcists' are Irina and I, isn't it?" Asked Xenovia, almost screaming.

"Do you already forget about your record?" Stated Pétain as she raised an eyebrow.

They were about to retort, but a glare from Mars shut the mouths of both Irina and Xenovia. Several moments later, Mars nodded his head and suddenly disappear. No sound or light effect accompanying it; no bright light or the sound "pop" like in the movie.

After the God of War was gone, Xenovia let out a sigh and took a towel before walking towards the bathroom. For a mission to recover Christian Holy Swords, there were too much Pagan involvement for her liking.

This mission better not taking a long time to complete.

Answers to some reviews:

Wacko12: Maybe.

the Composcreator: Entities like Ophis, Great Red, and 666 are kind of like Protogenoi. As for Samael, he's currently imprisoned in Tartarus.

Excalibur and Durandal are part of Christianity. No relation with other faction or pantheon.

Rossweisse is currently at Hotel Valhalla.

Don't worry. Issei's relationship with his girls will be not that much different that in canon.

luisfilipe032: Thanks 😊

Toaneo07 Ver2.0: Well, what do you expect? Riordan writes the gods in his stories stronger than how Ishibumi writes them.

Guest: Yes, he will.

CRUDEN: Huh, funny you mention that. Later chapter will discuss about an…incident between the Devils and the Olympians.

Well, Kronos doesn't like other factions and pantheons to put it simple. If he succeeds in dethroning the Olympians, things won't be good for them. Also, no, the Devils won't send any help to the half-bloods.

The Norse Gods are more like their Riordan version. I like things like how Odin stood in line for six days in a blizzard to get a smartphone, Thor once challenged Jesus to a fight (Jesus never showed up), Heimdall taking selfies with just about anyone or anything in the entire universe as it strikes his fancy, etc.

HeavenlyDragonGod: 1. In this story, no one ever make that list (at least officially). I mean, do you want to offend an Olympian by saying that no, s/he's not one of the 10 strongest beings in the world?

2. Yes, there's going to be a meeting.

3. I'll try my best.

And this chapter is done.

If you have question or suggestion, feel free to tell me.

Review please!