Thank you for all the feedback. I'm really grateful to have a readerbase that's willing to call me out when I do something stupid. Looking back, you're completely right. Lisa didn't serve the story much and killing her off was a waste. I intend to use this as a learning experience so I can improve as I continue this story in the future. Now to answer some other questions.
Why did Shirou use UBW if he was only going to trace Caliburn?
The answer is that Shirou didn't know what he was going to do. Unlike in FGO, Chimeras are very powerful in the PJO world. They have extremely tough skin and near instantanious regeneration. Not even an overedged Kanshou or Bakuya could kill one, much less spamming it with Celestial Bronze. Shirou knew that they were in a state where he would have to pull all the stops. Lisa was exhausted from the journey and neither of them were in peak fighting shape.
Why didn't Avalon manage to heal Lisa?
I admit that this one is also on me. I've had this implemented since the beginning of the story but I didn't explain it at all, so I will do it now. Not only for this instance, but to justify why Shirou didn't just trace Avalon in his final moments and healed all his wounds. The authentic Avalon had not been in his body for decades. As time passed, Avalon started to react to him less and less. This included the traced version. By the time he died, a traced Avalon could heal his wounds to a moderate degree of success, but he wasn't able to use it on others. I am aware this is getting into headcanon territory, but that is the route I eventually decided to go with concerning Avalon. I also did this to do something cool in a few chapters, but you'll have to wait and see what it is.
Why did the Hunters shoot at Shirou?
From the perspective of an observer, say Artemis and her hunters, the only thing they would see is a ring of fire, everyone vanishing, then reappearing with two dead chimeras and a dying girl. While Artemis herself didn't attack, it could understandibly make one of her hunters more than jittery. What if he wasn't a kid? What if he was using an illusion? These are all stretches but these are conclusions someone could reach in their situation.
Once more, thank you to everyone who called me out on my bad decision. I've taken your words to heart and I'm currently looking at some of the chapters I haven't uploaded here yet and reworking them and hopefully making improvements. Thank you so much for your patience and I hope I can live up to your expectations once more.
Chapter 12: On a Moonlit Night
Shirou took a deep breath. He knew how the hunters were. He should be fine if they were anything like Atalanta. He knew Rule Breaker's memories weren't the best thing to go off of, but it's what he had.
"I was paying respects to my friend," Shirou saw some of the hunters flinch when they heard his voice.
"Stand down, hunters," A voice reverberated through the forest. Shirou raised his guard. A tall woman with raven black hair and silver eyes stepped forward and looked down at Shirou with sympathy in her eyes. Shirou appreciated it, but he didn't bring his guard down. She stopped a couple meters away from Shirou and bent down a little, slinging her bow over her shoulder. "Young one, what are you doing out here in the woods?"
"We got lost, Lady Artemis," Shirou bowed before the goddess. As he aligned himself, she saw the woman raise an eyebrow. "We were looking for Jamestown and were attacked by two chimeras. That's when Lisa… she…"
"I'm so sorry," Artemis crouched down on one knee, the suspicious glint in her eyes completely gone. "You were very brave to fend them off with your companion. Do you know where they went?"
Shirou looked into the eyes of the goddess and spoke the truth.
"I killed them."
Artemis' muscles tensed. This boy? He couldn't be older than ten! She wanted to gently scold the boy for lying, but she stopped when she took another look at the area. The grass was scattered with gold dust. The dust of monsters. Artemis didn't know what to say.
"Hunters, let's set up camp here," Artemis said. "Young one, would you like to stay with us for the night?"
"I thank you for your generous offer, Lady Artemis," Artemis scowled. It didn't sound right for one so young to speak so respectfully. "I will humbly accept, but I must ask for you to wait until I finish burying my friend."
"Of course," Artemis said, peeking past the boy's shoulder to look at the body. "If you want, some of the Hunters can help you."
"Thank you, but this is a burden I must bear myself," The young half-blood looked at the shovel in his hand. "Please excuse me."
Artemis nodded as the boy turned around and started to dig. She then turned to the hunters that had already begun setting up camp.
"Zoë," Artemis called. The huntress in question ran up to Artemis.
"Yes, my lady?" Zoë asked.
"Please supervise the child," Zoë frowned as she watched the boy work. "I wouldn't want him getting hurt."
"As you wish," Zoë said. Artemis made her way to help the Hunters set up. She hoped the boy was alright."
Zoë Nightshade, like many hunters, had a distaste for men, but also like other hunters, she had a soft spot for children.
"Excuse me, does thou require assistance?" Zoë offered. The boy looked up at her with sad eyes, despite his smile.
"It's okay," The boy said. "Lady Artemis asked you to keep me company, right?"
"Yes, that is correct," Zoë said, mildly impressed with the boy's manners. If only more men could act like him…
"My name is…" The boy paused. "My name is Shirou. Emiya Shirou."
"Zoë Nightshade," The huntress introduced herself. "Who was this?"
"Lisa Hagen, daughter of Hephaestus," Shirou said as he looked at the hole he had dug. He then picked up Lisa's body and gingerly placed it in. "She was my first friend."
"I see," Zoë looked at the wound in her shoulder. Her death must have been painful. "She would have made a great huntress."
"I don't think she would have agreed to that," Shirou shook his head as he grabbed a xiphos that was on the ground. "She was hesitant to go on this quest. She mostly spent her time in the forge. She made this sword."
"I see," Zoë said as Shirou put the sword down and started to fill the hole. The amount of determination and steel in his eyes as he worked made Zoë feel sad. The gods must have failed this child horribly. When the hole was filled, he stabbed the sword down where a tombstone would be.
"I'll come back and make a proper memorial for her when I finish my quest," Shirou looked down at his handiwork. Zoë reached out and pulled the child into a hug. She didn't know how else to comfort him. Shirou stood still as she did and they faded into a soft silence.
Shirou had already made his decision. He wasn't going back to Camp Half-Blood. Not yet. It was a nice place, but it was limiting. That's why he used his old name when introducing himself. He was going to go around under that name so his mother would be kept out of danger if something bad happened. He's heard the stories of disgruntled monsters going after the loved ones of a half-blood who killed them. He didn't want that to happen to Rebecca.
"Come now, Shirou," Zoë said, beckoning Shirou over to the now completed tents. "The Hunters have finished setting up camp. I'll take you to Lady Artemis and we can discuss what happens next."
"Alright," To Zoë's surprise, the shovel vanished into blue motes of light. "How did thou do that?"
"Magecraft," Shirou answered simply.
"I see," Zoë said. Shirou could see the gears turning in her head, but eventually she just decided to lead Shirou to the tents. They made their way through the many makeshift settlements until they arrived into the biggest one.
"Lady Artemis, young Shirou hath finished his task," Zoë said.
"Come in," Artemis called from the other side of the tent. Zoë went in first, closely followed by Shirou. As Shirou stepped in, he saw Artemis sitting in her tent with her eyes closed. "Please, take a seat."
Shirou and Zoë obliged by sitting on opposite sides of each other.
"Shirou, was it?" Artemis opened her eyes to look at the young magus. "I once again apologize for your loss."
"It's okay," Shirou shook his head. "You shouldn't apologize for my faults."
Silence was the only response. Shirou looked down and realized his mistake.
"Shirou, I assure you what happened wasn't your fault," Artemis had a concerned look in her eye. "You are young. You shouldn't hold yourself responsible for things outside your control. The fact that you killed the chimera is commendable on its own."
Shirou ignored Zoë's expression as he looked down at his hands.
"You mentioned Jamestown," Artemis said. Shirou;s head flicked up. "Why were you heading there?"
"Shirou mentioned something about a quest," Zoë interjected.
"A quest?" Artemis tilted her head. "What is it that you are seeking out?"
"Caliburn," Shirou answered simply. He knew better than to lie to a goddess.
"The Sword of Selection?" Artemis' gaze darkened. "It's not wise to meddle in something you do not understand."
"I appreciate your concern, Lady Artemis," Shirou dipped his head. "Caliburn has already deemed me worthy. It is my duty and my duty alone to retrieve the sword."
"How dost thou know?" Zoë asked. "Actually, since when was Caliburn in America? I thought it was still in Britain."
"It seems that isn't the case," Artemis shook her head. "Though Zoë has a point. How do you know you have been selected?"
Shirouo closed his eyes, reaching deep into his inner world. He didn't need to look for long. He always knew where Caliburn was. It was atop the hill, where it will remain for the rest of his light. With an imaginary strike with his hammer, gold particles started to form into the sword he was so familiar with. He quickly felt the energy drain from him. Using Unlimited Blade Works took a toll on him, but he wanted to show them the truth.
"That's…" Artemis' eyes widened. "How do you have that?"
"I saw it once long ago," Shirou held the sword up. "Even if this copy is made with magecraft, I wouldn't be able to lift it if I wasn't worthy."
"It does feel like the real thing," Artemis pointed out. Shirou raised an eyebrow, but didn't question her words. "Though I thought it was broken long ago."
"Me too," Shirou let the projection fade. He didn't want to risk keeping it around for too long with what little mana he had left. "The only way I'll get answers is by going to Jamestown and completing my quest."
"It seems to be so," Artemis nodded her head. "Come, little Shirou. We shall have dinner soon. Come the morning, we shall lead you to Jamestown."
"Thank you," Shirou nodded. Artemis just smiled as they all exited the tent.
Artemis looked around at her hunters. They all seemed a little apprehensive with Shirou around, but they didn't seem to distrust him. They all sat in a circle around a fireplace that was roasting different animals they had caught that day.
"Hunters, I would like you to welcome our guest," She gestured to the boy sitting to her left. "This is Emiya Shirou. He is a young demigod who hunted the two chimera that we were after."
Murmurs swept across the circle like wildfire. Artemis was sure that they were all thinking similar thoughts to her when she first conversed with the boy.
"Settle down," Artemis said. After the murmurs faded into silence, she spoke again. "I understand your skepticism, but I have surveyed the area and talked with him myself. He was indeed the one who killed them."
The Hunters remained silent. Artemis considered her next words.
"I do hope you treat him with the respect and care that you would treat any other lost child," Artemis said. "Now, let us eat."
They all put their hands together and paid their respects to the animals they had killed. Even Shirou paid his respects by putting his hands together and whispering a small prayer. Reading his lips, Artemis noticed that it was in Japanese. She silently stored the information in the back of her mind as the feast began.
While all the Hunters went for their usual pickings, Shirou took a roasted squirrel and looked at him.
"Can I use this fire to make an offering?" Shirou asked.
"To use my fire to make an offering to another? How bold," Artemis said. She saw Shirou's cheeks tint red, but he stood his ground. "Do not worry. I approve."
Shirou nodded in thanks and removed the meat from its skewer.
"I hope this reaches you in Avalon," He whispered as he threw it into the fire. The smell was fragrant, being something similar to seared fish.
"Avalon? I thought you would make an offering to the gods," Artemis said. Shirou flinched, as if Artemis was not supposed to hear his prayer. Shirou said nothing.
It does make sense, considering his connection with Caliburn, Artemis thought. She let her mind take her back to the scene that had unfolded not fifteen minutes ago. That magic… It wasn't like anything she's seen before. Even Hecate hasn't conjured a legendary sword to that degree of perfection. She saw Shirou's face as he summoned the sword. He looked very uncomfortable. Did he feel obligated to show them? Was he scared of her?
No, it makes sense, Artemis thought to herself. No matter how kind she was willing to show, she was still a goddess of the hunt. There's no way a young male demigod would feel safe around her. Especially if he was withholding information.
She took a second from her musings to look at Shirou. He was talking with Zoë and another hunter about their bows. He seemed to have a very intricate understanding of them.
How interesting, She thought to herself. Even if he was a male, she would keep Shirou in mind. Even if he was never going to be a hunter, an intelligent and polite male like him might be resourceful enough for her to bend the rules. Just a little bit.
Shirou yawned as he woke up. He was grateful to have a tent to himself, but it was not like Artemis would have allowed him to sleep with any of the Hunters. He exited his tent to see that the others were already dismantling their tents. Shirou, following their example, did the same. He didn't want to make more work for them.
"I see that you're up early," As Shirou was finishing up, he saw Artemis approaching. "That's good. Rising with the sun is always a healthy habit."
"Thank you," Shirou said as he looked at the dismantled tent. "What should I do with this?"
"Let me take it," Artemis rolled the material up and hoisted it over her shoulder. "Come now. Once we are done, I shall point you to where you need to go. As a god, I am unable to assist you, but I can have one of my Hunters escort you if need be."
"Thank you," Shirou said. "May I visit Lisa's grave one more time?"
"Of course," Artemis nodded. "I shall alert you when it is time to go."
With a nod, Shirou walked away from the half-empty camp. He stopped as he stood in front of the makeshift grave.
"Thank you for everything," Shirou dipped his head. "I won't let your sacrifice go to waste. I promise."
Shirou then sat down and fixated on the sword. It was there he received his last gift from Lisa Hagen as he went over the memories within the sword.
"Shirou, it is time," The young boy didn't know how long he was sitting there when Artemis called his name. He stood up and nodded to the grave before walking off. He knew his next goal.
Emiya Shirou will learn the ways of the smith.
Thank you for reading. I do intend for Shirou to go on a training arc. Right now, there's roughly eight years before the events of Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. As I've stated before, Shirou will be the same age as Like. With that being said, please do consider leaving a review! I would love to read and reply to your thoughts. Also please join my Discord! I would love to talk to you all and answer all your questions! I talk a lot about my thought process while writing, so if you're interested in that, do consider joining. The url is discord . gg (forego the spaces) followed by a slash and CpVs7R8KXz. Unfortunately you'll have to type the rest of the url in manually because I'm not allowed to post links. If you want to read chapters as soon as they're finished along with a slew of other benefits, check out my Patron at pat reon dot com slash kfpisnotacult. They've already read up to chapter 20. Thank you for reading and I'll catch you on the flipside.