Artemis definitely didn't need an interior decorator. Her tent was one filled with trophies that could only have been collected after years of intense hunts. She had various daggers, bows, arrows, and even a few swords.
Those might come in handy later.
Artemis was standing by her table, in an older form. There was a man next to her, he was a gruff looking man, with a beard and a mechanics jumpsuit. Why another man would willingly be in this situation was beyond Shirou's comprehension.
"You may leave Zoe; and take Bianca to meet her new sisters."
"Yes milady. Behave yourself mortal, or you may find a worse fate than becoming a deer."
"Of course, milady." Shirou said while doing a half bow. He was trying to annoy her. Zoe walked out of the tent rolling her eyes.
"Lady Artemis, it is a pleasure to meet you, my name in Shirou Emiya. Before we discuss anything; what did you mean about Bianca 'meeting her sisters'?"
"She is our newest recruit, boy. In joining our ranks, she has been given partial immortality, never needing to worry about sickness or old age. Why do you care mortal?"
"I have been her teacher for a while now. I value the well-being of my students. What about her brother, in regards to their relationship?"
"He is a male, and we will offer to take him to the demigod camp. But he will live the rest of his days without her. She has sworn off the company of men."
"I understand the vows of celibacy, especially if one is to follow a Goddess such as yourself, but this is a young boy with no family but her. Are you truly okay with this?"
The man with Artemis started laughing, saying, "You think Artemis cares at all for men? Be glad she isn't leaving him here to freeze!"
"I am not as cold-hearted as I am made out to be. He is a child, and I will not let him be slain until he disappoints me." The serious tone shut the bearded man up.
Shirou sighed, "While I am upset with her decision, it was hers to make. Please take care of her."
Artemis raised a brow. She must have been surprised that he relented so easily. Shirou knew that she could see through him. She was an immortal. She could feel all that was unnatural to the world. She could feel how his existence was unnatural.
"There have been very few humans to ever be what you are, follower of Hecate. How did your inner world become so full of fire?" Artemis inched forward to him, sizing him up, and analyzing everything about him, trying to learn what makes him tick.
Shirou just crossed his arms and relaxed. He needed to be honest here, otherwise she might kill him. "I am a magus from Japan. This God thing will need some time to adjust to, but magic I know well. I was the only survivor of a fire, and when I was saved I decided that I would be the hero the world needed me to be. It was only a few years later I decided it would be better not to be that hero, but to try to be that hero. I want to help everyone that I can."
Looking between Shirou and the other man, Artemis seemed to approve of his answer. At least for now. She motioned for the bearded man to come forward.
"That is a serious dream to be undertaken. Do you know what that life entails?" The man seemed far more interested than he should be.
"I've already seen the end of the road for me. I have long since accepted the consequences of my life."
"So that's it? You see one ending and try not to find another, better ending?"
"It was my ideal life. My future shown to me. If it takes my life to save others, I will gladly give it."
Shirou was expecting something different from these gods. Something horrific. Brutal. So far, these gods have acted more like idealistic teenagers hanging on to their own world views and acting impulsively on them. Honestly, the latter was more frightening to him.
"Hephaestus enough. I told you this would lead nowhere. I could sense the flames from his soul before we even arrived. If I had not known better, I would have thought him the monster attacking the demigods." Artemis finally let up the charade. Starting to get more horrific. So, he wasn't on her good side after all. But Hephaestus? He was the God of Smithing. Shirou might be able to work with that.
"You don't see what is surrounding his spirit Artemis! I knew just from watching him fight that something was special about his body, but his mind is just as much of a treasure! Shirou Emiya, I simply must know what it is you possess, I can tell that it is something extraordinary!"
Shirou let out a breath. The God of Smiths could feel Avalon inside him? Well, he might be able to use this to survive.
"I'm willing to show it, but only if you promise to not kill me, or turn me into a woodland creature." Shirou said that last part looking at Artemis.
"I agree, if you show us the object than I will not kill you or transform you, what say you Hephaestus?"
"Yes, yes, I swear on the River Styx to abide by those terms, now show me!" And thunder boomed, making Shirou jump.
"What the hell was that just now?"
Sighing, Artemis answered, "My half-brother is an idiot. He swore on the Styx to make a binding agreement. It's the only way to truly ensure a verbal contract."
"Then I swear on the Styx to only show you two when you agree to my terms on the Styx." Thunder rolled outside. "You were going to kill me, weren't you?"
She smiled mischievously, "I was going to turn you into a rabbit and let the girls use you for target practice, but fine, I swear on the Styx to abide by your terms." And with a flash of lightning, the pact was completed.
Shirou focused within himself, and started removing Avalon. Years of practice, and in becoming a better magus, had made simple tasks so much easier. With every inch Avalon was removed, Hephaestus's eyes seemed to glow brighter and brighter. Once it was completed, Hephaestus ran to grab it. Shirou gripped tight, but it mattered very little as it was ripped out of his hands. He could only compare it to taking candy from a baby. Sadly enough, he was the baby in that analogy.
"I understand now! Your spirit died in that fire as a child, and the sheathe of King Arthur saved your life. What was in flames, was saved! You take that fire with you everywhere you go in your reality marble!"
Shirou jumped at what Hephaestus said. Him grabbing Avalon startled him, but the comparison between that night in Fuyuki and his reality marble. If only Hephaestus knew how literal his words were.
"The last work of the faes. This sheathe was their greatest work! Intricate runes, the overlayed gold, and the combined metals! But it seems that the runes were tampered with. The magic is there, but it will never be able to be utilized to its fullest capabilities. Those fairies must have put these safeguards in to keep everyone but Arthur from utilizing it."
"What do you mean they tampered with it? And runes? The sheathe is beautiful, but it doesn't have any runes on it. I would have noticed them by now."
"I see, then take a look at this." Hephaestus took the sheathe and ran his hand across it, exposing previously hidden runes. They were made with a language that Shirou couldn't make out.
"Can't hide works like this from the God who taught you how to create them. The fae did a fantastic job with the lessons I gave them! Though it looks like they may have picked up some lessons in rune work from someone else."
"Is there anyway to fix the sheathe Hephaestus?" Artemis butted in.
"No, not without destroying the runes, but the runes themselves can be added onto with the right materials. Adding into the enchantment could allow the magic to be accessible."
"I still don't understand. My use of magecraft allows me to learn the history of any weapon that I scan, and I have never seen any part of Avalon's history including those runes."
"There are just some things that a mortal cannot comprehend. While I'd wager that you may be the only mortal to exist with such an ability, us immortals employ many tricks to hide our work from you. How do you think we stay ahead of the game?"That explains a lot. Shirou had always thought the reason that he couldn't trace Enuma Elish was because it was just too inhuman. Turns out it held its origin entirely in the realm of the Gods. So he can cannot trace anything that the God's don't allow? Whatever, it doesn't change the usefulness of his abilities.
"Well if it's all the same to you, I'd like to have Artoria's sheathe returned to me, please."
Looking between the sheathe and Shirou, the smith begrudgingly handed it back to him. As soon as Shirou got his hands on it, he started reabsorbing it back into him. Hephaestus was too busy to even notice what Shirou said or was doing, making small diagrams of what he just went over. Artemis clearly wanted to ask him something.
"You said Artoria right? That seems like a feminine name."
"You'd be right about that milady. King Arthur was actually a woman named Artoria. Once she pulled the sword from the stone, she revealed herself as a Son of Uther, and rightful heir to the throne. She was the greatest King to ever live."
"Of course she was, but how do you know this to be certain? Did the sheathe reveal it to you?"
"Nothing like that, Lady Artemis. My magecraft allows me to learn everything about swords that I encounter. With this ability, I can create many swords to fight with."
"When you say everything, you truly mean everything, don't you? The battles fought with the weapons? The way it was wielded?"
"Yes, and more. I'll say it like this; I'm a failure as a mage, but I'm the best at what I do. Flesh lies, but steel tells true."
Hephaestus looked up at that point. "Somebody else finally understands. I've made my decision. But first, Shirou Emiya, do you know about the gods? Not just us, but all gods."
Shirou was visibly uncomfortable. But like he thought before, being deceitful will only put him in a worse position with these deities. "I know about myths. Stories of old, talking about the Age of the Gods. Where humans were cattle to them. The Greeks, the Romans, the Japanese, the Norse, the Aztecs, all of them required a subservience of humanity. So far you seem like polar opposites from the stories I've heard."
"No dear boy, I am not asking you about our past, but rather what we are. We are the physical manifestations of our being. Artemis here represents the strength of the feminine, and we gain strength with our domains. The more they are thought about, the stronger we become. I represent the human ability of creation, more specifically metallurgy. From the iron age to humanity's great technological age, I have grown with all of it. But my forge has never grown cold. I can feel every human's creative potential. And in you, I feel a fire I have never felt before. Something I have only ever felt within myself and other gods. Artemis may only feel the heat from this, but I know the truth. You exist not as just a person, but as a forge."
Shirou was dumbfounded, of course the God of Smithing could feel Unlimited Blade Works. A reality marble. A way to over right the world's natural self with his own outlook. There was only one question for him to ask this God; "Can you see my inner world?"
"I suspect I am the only God who can. Now that you have been exposed, many gods will want to take you. To examine you. But I suspect you already know how that ends. Hell, Artemis herself would have tortured you to understand how to awaken this ability. God's could summon their domains instead of only existing in them. But I digress, I want to make a deal with you. With Artemis as our witness. I know you. I have watched you since you came here, and I have kept other parties away. I have never offered this to any mortal, but I offer you the opportunity to be my Champion."
Artemis must have been just as shocked at Shirou, because both of them just looked at each other as if Hephaestus was joking. As quickly as the shock came to Artemis, it vanished, and was replaced by anger.
"We do not know this boy, and has done nothing to prove himself! Why in Hades would you grant him this position?"
"Dear sister, one might ask why you give girl's eternal life as long as they are virgin's? I care not for redundant questions. As well, I was told a long time ago that I would stumble a treasure, and that I should do everything possible to obtain it. This is for the betterment of my work, and the good of Olympus."
Shirou, finally picking his jaw up off from the ground, decided to chime in. "Besides being your errand boy, why should I drop my life and help you?"
"Because this treasure is the greatest trove of weapons ever used by humans. And drop your life? I'm trying to add to it!"
"The greatest trove of weapons? I can only think of one place that held original masterpieces, and the original storehouse of weapons in Babylonia was plundered a long time ago. Anything short of that and I'm not interested."
Hephaestus smiled, knowing he had just caught his prey. "That golden King had many tricks. One of them was temporal distortion. He hid his true treasures in a place that cannot be reached by anyone but himself. But, after many years of studying, I know how to access it."
"But if I say yes, its not just my life at stake, is it? My afterlife will be used to serve you for the rest of time."
"For Zeus's sake, where did you get that notion?! No, if you fulfill your tasks well and are deemed a hero, then you will be gifted an afterlife of bliss in Elysium. Now, do you accept?"
There was a time Shirou knew would come. When he would accept help from a higher power. This would ultimately lead to him an afterlife of his own personal hell. He would even take advantage of his position and try to erase a younger form of him from existence. But this was different. He might be able to save more people than ever before. But he had seen his life fall from a choice similar to this one.
He would not make the same mistake.
But he could not simply decline this offer. In doing so he could make an enemy deadlier than any he had ever faced. This would take some negotiation to achieve both of their goals. Shirou started pacing back and forth, before bowing down to the Gods in front of him. Groveling was not below him, especially when it came to life and death.
"Lord Hephaestus, I am filled with gratitude for request. To be noticed by even the Gods, well, I am having a hard time processing it. I don't think that I am ready to become your champion yet. I am new to your world, and all the dangers that might be faced in it. Before I accept your most gracious offer, I would like to learn a little bit more about, well, everything. Surely you would not want a champion to be as unprepared as I?"
Hephaestus seemed unfazed, and slightly angered. Shirou could feel that he had blown this one chance. He could see it now, his life fleeting before his eyes. But, he had one saving grace in the room. Artemis was by no means helping him, but she had not yet decided on his character. She must have either wanted to prolong his torturing, or wanted to help him. Either way, she stepped forward.
"Hephaestus, he speaks true. When I bless my girls, I have to take easier hunts, school them on the dangers of this world and how to properly handle them. This boy has encountered very little in our world, and doesn't have a clue as to what will happen next. Why not let him earn his place? Bless him as I bless my hunters, without the immortality mind you, and when he is ready, you can make him your champion. If he can't figure things out, then you have lost a mortal without the fuss of losing an asset."
The God pondered on her words for a moment. Shirou could only guess what he was thinking, but he could see that her words had reached him. He scratched his beard for a second, then could a step towards the mortal still bowing before him.
"You are both right. But that does not mean I am wrong. I still want the Vault of Gilgamesh, and you may be the only mortal able to do it. If you go on this quest for me and find the Vault, then you will be named my champion. Having earned it proper. Do you agree?" Shirou nodded like his life depended on it, probably because it did.
"Then I grant you, Shirou Emiya, my blessing. May your forge burn hotter, hands be swifter, and mind see the world like no mortal has ever seen before."
Shirou could feel his body change. He couldn't describe it, and wouldn't be able to until he did a complete head-to-toe trace of his body, but he could feel his swords want to jump from his body. Like they were no longer just a part of him. Standing up, he took time to feel it out. But a sword came rushing to him again. Anaklusmos. The sword known as Riptide. It felt like it wanted to be reborn. But not for him, and not the one he saw Percy wield. Like a cinder wanting to be a stick again. Normally, this could never happen, unless time distortion was in place. But what if he was the distortion? To allow the old sword to be new again? He channeled his magic, bringing forth the memory within him Zoe holding Anaklusmos. Before she gave it to Heracles. It took form in his mind, then in his hand.
Looking at the blade, it had a greater luster than when Percy had held it before. Turning it over, he tried to make the blade into a pen like Percy had done, but he failed. Instead, the sword became a hair pin, like before when he saw Zoe give it to Heracles. Artemis was shocked. She had seen him create swords, and she had even been told that he created the sword Hrunting, but to recreate a sword that he had only just seen? And for it to exist as it did thousands of years ago? Too many questions were being raised in her mind. Hephaestus however, was having more fun with this than he should.
Laughing, the God chimed in, "The boy has more use than I ever thought! Not even I can craft something merely from thinking! And the age of the weapon! This was created during the height of the Gods power, and yet feels as fresh as it did all that time ago."
"This won't last, my constructs are made with imperfections that the world notices and tears apart. It knows this isn't real."
"Shirou, you have much to learn. We Gods exist in a pure state. I know about what you possess, your reality marble. Think of us as our own worlds like that. And we are also apart of the world. So, if we want something within our realm, it will come to be. And now you are connected to my realm. The realm of forging. Your creations can be as real as you want them to be now. Do you feel that sword degrading?"
Taking in his words, Shirou saw that the God was right. His weapons would normally only be able to last a few hours, but this? It existed like it was there from the start. As if he had tricked the earth into accepting that the object he was holding was as real as the one Percy wielded. He could still reabsorb the sword to regain his mana, but that was all he could do. But he knew he couldn't. Without blinking an eye, he moved from his position and ran out of the tent. Dodging glances from Percy and Thalia, he ran to the hunters that were surrounding Bianca. When he found Zoe, he simply kneeled in front of her.
"What do you want, boy? Did milady tell you that if you beg, I would decide on your fate?"
"Nothing so brash, in fact she introduced me to my new patron. While I rudely just left them, I think they can both forgive me for what needs to be done. This belongs to you."
Shirou pulled the hairpin into view, and the mere sight of it stole Zoe's breathe. She knew it was impossible. That it must be some trick that the boy was playing at. She could see the pen in Percy's pocket. But she could not deny the feeling of the ocean emanating from the hairpin. Reaching forward, she plucked the pin from his hand, and she could feel her mother. For the first time in many years, Zoe felt moved. She would not question how for the moment, but she would take this small miracle in stride.
She had found herself again.
"I don't know myself why this happened, but the sword called to me. It wanted to be recreated, to be yours once more, but also his. It knows more than I do, but that's expected, it is very old and was created by something far wiser than myself."
Zoe carefully took the hairpin and revealed the sword that was hidden. Anaklusmos was even grander than she remembered. She did not want to show emotion in front of this boy, so she held back her tears.
"I… thank you for this gift. I never expected to feel proper ownership of the sword ever again."
"Don't mention it, I would just like to ask you one thing. Is there a tent set up for me? I have had a long evening and becoming blessed by a God has me needing to lie down."