Chapter 3: Daughter of Steel ("And Zeus, I guess.)

Shirou was sure he was about to die, however, he couldn't die without fulfilling his promise to Kiritsugu. He couldn't die, he swore he would become a hero for Kiritsugu. His soul cried out for a hero. As the spear grew closer, a bright flash of light appeared with the crack of thunder.

"What, the seventh servant?!" the spearman exclaimed, before being knocked out of the shed. Shirou couldn't help but avert his eyes for a moment. Once the light had died down, he looked upwards, seeing the one who had saved his life, and to say he was amazed would be an understatement.

The one standing before him was a girl in her late teens. She had short, spiky black hair, with a silver circlet that kept the bangs from her eyes. She had greek style black and brown armor that was placed over a red shirt and black pants. Her greaves were placed over black combat boots.

Over the armor was a black denim jacket with bracers over the sleeves. She wore a red shroud that was wrapped around her hand and spiraled up to her left shoulder, and some kind of animal pelt hung off the left side of her belt, covering her left leg down to her knee. She had olive colored skin and beautiful electric blue eyes that seemed to be glowing in the dark shed.

Shirou would admit to finding her to be exceptionally beautiful, though, for some reason, he couldn't help but feel a strange familiarity come from her. She looked down at him on the ground and tilted her head, before a smirk appeared on her face.

"I have come in response to your call. I assume that would make you my master? I am servant Saber, and I swear on the river Styx, I shall protect you with my life and win every battle henceforth." She said to him, before looking outside, "Starting with this one." She then darted off, towards the blue spearman outside.

Shirou quickly made his way to the entrance, before seeing that Saber was wielding a beautiful bastard sword. The blade had a golden edge, with the center being a dazzling silver that glowed in the moonlight. Shirou noticed that, near the guard were four symbols, a flame, an owl, a heart, and a moon.

The guard itself was ornate, being floral in design, though it was a mix of gold and silver like the blade. The handle was covered with a red cloth, with the pommel containing an immaculate jewel that changed colors, from fiery red, to pink, to silver, and finally, to blue.

As he was admiring the sword, it disappeared in a flash, as it began to quickly exchange blows with the spearman. With every step, Saber pushed forward and pressed her advantage. Parries and dodges, feints and counters, each was performed perfectly.

The spearman was knocked back, before he quickly regained his footing and performed a powerful thrust that Saber dodged at the last second, before knocking the spear away and without stopping, spun around with the momentum and delivered a kick to the spearman, pushing him back again.

Seeing him off balance, Saber pushed forward and lunged forward, the spearman grinned. He steadied himself and thrust his spear forward, however, Saber changed the trajectory of her sword and stabbed the ground, vaulting up into the air. She flipped in the air and threw the chunks of ground still clinging to her sword at him.

He spun his spear and knocked away the rocks, before Saber brought her sword down and cratered the ground when he blocked her attack. He pushed her back, hoping to use his spear to his advantage with distance. However, when he attacked, Saber knocked his spear away and began to thrust her offhand forward with a smirk on her face.

As it lunged forward, a crimson tipped appeared in her hand, catching him off guard. He barely managed to dodge, though her attack still struck him in the body. He once disengaged by hitting the ground with his spear and putting distance between them.

Saber spun her spear in her hands, before holding it with her sword in a strange dual wielding stance. "Who do you think you are? Concealing your weapon like that, like a coward!" Saber scoffed at his words.

"Oh please, rather than being hurt, you should feel honored Lancer. It just means I have to pull out all the stops to fight you." She said flippantly. She then smiled. "That's a lie, of course, but I thought it'd make you feel better. Now, are you going to stand there all day or will I have to be the one to show you what a spearman can do?"

"Tch, I'll kill you soon enough, but let me ask you this. Is it your sword, or your spear, that's your noble phantasm?" Thalia tilted her head and looked at him with a deadpan expression.

"I'm a Saber, of course it's the sword." She said, before she smiled. "Of course, I could be lying. Who knows?" She shrugged. "Maybe these are just ordinary weapons and I'm hiding my real noble phantasm. You're more than welcome to come and find out."

"Ha, you're an interesting one, I like that. Let me ask you one more question." Thalia sighed, before nodding. "Since this is our first meeting, would you be willing to call this little battle a draw?"

"A draw? I wouldn't call this a draw, but if you wish to return back to whatever scumbag master you have, then by all means." She said, allowing her spear to dissipate and stabbing her sword into the ground. "Don't worry, I won't attack you as you run away." She said with a sweet smile. "Or, I could be lying." Her eyes then glowed for a moment.

Lancer smirked, before he jumped back and disappeared. Saber continued standing in place, before she let out a sigh again. She pulled out her sword and looked back towards Shirou. Shirou had to admit, he was entranced by what he just saw, even if he still didn't know what was happening.

"That was really fun. Though, it was a shame I didn't get to kill him. It was a decent test." She muttered to herself. Shirou gathered himself, before running out to her.

"Hey, are you alright?" He asked, growing closer to her. She flinched, before turning towards him. She began to inspect herself, before nodding to herself.

"I'm unharmed, master. Though, that could have been different if he used his spear. While I'm confident I could have handled it, I would have lost something important doing so. Which reminds me." She stepped forward and grabbed him by the arm, startling him. "I can't have you dying on me, so use this to protect yourself."

She then placed a steel bracelet on his wrist. "Ah, what is it? And what are you? You just appeared." He asked, wanting some answers.

"This is a noble phantasm, it's a shield that was created for me. The specific name for it is called, Aegis Aias. Just pass some magical energy through that bracelet and it should deploy. It'll protect you from nearly everything. As for me, I am a heroic spirit, specifically, the Saber class. Though, I suppose giving my name doesn't matter. My name is Thalia, but only use it when we're alone."

She then smiled at him, causing Shirou's face to slightly redden. He shook his head. "My name is Shirou, Shirou Emiya." Thalia's eyes widened for a moment.

"Shirou Emiya?" She repeated questioningly, before looking at him closer. She looked like she was looking for something, but seemed to recover. "I see." She stopped and closed her eyes for a moment. "I shall call you, Shirou then." Thalia smiled to herself, before shaking her head.

"May I ask why the magical energy you are providing me is so low?" Shirou flinched, before he rubbed the back of his head, causing Thalia's eyes to widen again. She giggled to herself, before covering her mouth. "Forget I ever did that." She said quickly, with Shirou only nodding.

"About that, I'm not all that great of a mage. I can barely perform the simple magecraft I can do. I'm sort of a failure of a magus." He said sadly. Thalia brought a hand to her chin, as if thinking about something.

"That doesn't make sense." She said to herself. "Activate your magic circuits for me, Shirou. I wish to inspect them." She said to him, causing him to become embarrassed. She tilted her head questioningly. However, Shirou decided to comply.

"Trace on." He said, creating a new circuit as he did every time. The pain was immense, like a hot rod being plunged into his spine, before Thalia grabbed him and stopped what he was doing. "Hey, what's the big idea?" However, he was startled when Thalia was looking at him with an angry expression, her eyes glowing with faint electricity emanating from them.

"What the hell are you doing?!" She asked angrily. "Are you trying to kill yourself?" She said, before narrowing her eyes. "I may not have magic circuits, but I was taught about them and magecraft, and I know that what you're doing is dangerous. If my fath...my teacher saw that, he would ask who taught you to do that so he could kill them."

Shirou was taken aback, as he didn't understand what he did wrong. He was doing what he normally did. "I don't know what you're talking about. I learned magecraft from my old man. He didn't really want to teach me, but this is how I learned how to do it. Are you saying that I was taught wrong?" 'That can't be right. He wouldn't do that, would he?'

Thalia looked at him, before turning away with a huff. "Mages have magic circuits already within their bodies. They're born with them. They don't create them." She said, trying to calm down. "No wonder you think you're a failure, you've been doing it with a handicap each time." She turned towards him while raising her hand.

"But, if I remember the lessons correctly, I can correct that." Electricity then began to emanate from her hand. Shirou was impressed, but a little confused. 'I thought she said she wasn't a mage.' "Lift up your shirt, I'll see if I can help you." She commanded, with Shirou being hesitant. Thalia narrowed her eyes. "Now!"

Shirou quickly pulled his shirt up over his head. Thalia walked behind him and took a deep breath. He felt her hand brush against the scar on his back from being stabbed by Lancer's spear. "Now, if I remember correctly, this should open your magic circuits. When it happens, you'll need to rest, as your nerves may go haywire."

That didn't sound good to Shirou. "I'll give you something for that, but you need to focus on when I do this. You'll need to form a mental trigger, this will act as the switch for them."

"A mental trigger? Any suggestions?" He decided to ask, as she seemed pretty knowledgable so far.

"No, it is tied to your own personal experience when they are opened. They are all unique, though some may overlap. It's important you tailor it to that experience. When my teacher opened his daughters' magic circuits, they all had different triggers. Now, take a deep breath, this is going to hurt." She said, before he felt her touch his back.

The moment it did so, he could feel the electricity flow through his body, though, he could also feel his circuits open completely. His nerves went haywire, making him feel incredible pain, before it all subsided. His body was hot and he was breathing heavy. He heard Thalia hum behind him.

He then felt her wrap something around him, causing him to look down and seeing the red shroud he was wearing on her arm. She then placed his shirt back down, before walking back in front of him. "Keep that on for a day or two. It's a shroud that should help you with your circuits. As for your nerves." She held out her hand and a small vial appeared.

"I only have three, but this is important. Drink this while I handle the intruders." She said, handing him the vial. Shirou took it, quickly drinking the silver water inside. The moment he did so, he felt rejuvenated and the residual pain he felt was gone. Thalia the began to walk through the house.

"Wait, you said intruders? Are you going to fight them?" He asked, following her.

"More like chase them off. The moon water should be taking effect, but it will take time for your circuits to fully recover. As such, I don't want to strain you too much. You may watch if you like, but activate your shield for me." She said to him, with Shirou looking at his wrist.

"Trace on." He said, imagining the trigger he thought of when his circuits were opened, a lightning bolt striking the ground. He could feel his body groan, but he withstood it, before sending magical energy into the bracelet. A bronze and gold shield deployed. He could see the same symbols on it that were on the sword.

"Good. It works just fine." She said, before hurrying outside. Shirou felt information enter his mind. 'Aegis Aias, a shield made of celestial bronze and imperial gold, reinforced with seven layers of hide from seven different phantasmal beasts. Can deploy a special bounded field in the form of a pink flower created by Aphrodite. Created by...' When he got to the creator, static entered his brain, causing him to wince.

He shook his head. 'That's not important, I need to backup Saber. I can't let her fight alone.' He thought, before following behind her.


Thalia's thoughts were going haywire. When she was summoned, she thought it would be a fun challenge that could test her against the heroic spirits Shirou told her about. She would admit, it was fun. However, she didn't expect that the one who summoned her was Shirou himself.

He was young, inexperienced, weak, clueless, and naive. He was nothing like the hero she looked up to. Of course, she figured that Shirou wasn't always a hero, but this Shirou was so far removed from her own, that she was glad she knew it was a parallel world.

'He didn't even know about magic circuits. He was always so smart and knowledgeable that I believed he was raised in that life. I wonder, will this Shirou be able to become like my Shirou? Perhaps...I can train him and repay him for all that he has done for me?' She thought, gripping her sword tightly.

'Yes, he gave me a family and a home when I had none. This sword is evidence of that bond.' She stepped outside of the home, raising her sword. "Be careful, Shirou. Situational awareness and adaptability are important in situations like these. Stay back and try to learn what you can." She told him, seeing him look at her.

She noticed him clench his fists, realizing what he was feeling. "We are lot more alike that you think, Thalia." The memory of when she was younger played in her head. She was just a ten year old girl then, so she didn't believe him. But, seeing this version of him, it told her that he was telling the truth.

"If you wish to become stronger and to help, watch and learn. There is no shortcut to strength Shirou." She said to him, before turning away. 'I wish I was more like you. I can lead others, but personal encouragement is not in my wheelhouse.' She thought with a mental sigh.

The moment she stepped into the street, her face straightened and her eyes focused. 'I'll show you a bit of my power, Shirou. I'm not the same weak little girl you took in that needs saving.' "Artemis, grant me thy blessing as his child." Two silver hunting knives appeared behind her waist.

'Better to do it now, rather than later. Preparation is the first part of battle.' Electricity then began to form around her body, mainly her legs. The moment she felt and saw her target, she dashed forward like lightning, creating a small crack through the air.

The one her sword was about to decapitate was a girl in red, her sword blurred but was intercepted. "Tch." She swung again, but it was parried. The red heroic spirit managed to fend off a few more attacks, before she focused and swung again with more strength. Lightning enveloped the sword and struck the swords of the heroic spirit, breaking them as he was pushed back.

The moment they separated, she noticed a surprised look on his face for a moment, before she stopped, equally stunned. "Father?" The words left her mouth involuntarily, while silent, seemed to be heard by the red heroic spirit, as his eyes narrowed. 'I can't win this.' She thought, loosening her grip.

However, a smirk then appeared on her face. 'At least, not fairly.' She quickly threw her sword up into the air, seeing his eyes follow the sword. The moment they did so, she charged forward and pulled her hunting knives catching him off guard. However, he managed to recover at the last moment, dodging her attacks, before jumping backwards near the girl.

"Saber!" She heard Shirou call, causing her to pause. 'No, don't stop me. This is my chance, to see how far I've come.' She thought about continuing her attack, but knew he'd use a command spell, voluntarily or not. "I know her, she's a friend." He said, appearing next to her.

"Tch, fine." She replied, allowing her daggers to dissipate into moonlight. "But it would be in our best interest to eliminate them here, Shirou. That one is the most dangerous man in this war." She said, pointing towards the red servant. Shirou looked surprised, while the red servant narrowed his eyes at her.

Thalia noticed that the girl even seemed surprised by her words. 'Does she not know of father's abilities?' "I still don't fully understand what's going on, Saber. Besides, I'd rather not hurt someone I know." He said to her, causing her to look down, before nodding at him.

"I will abide by that, however, don't ever stop me while mid-combat again." She said in a serious tone. "Whether you like it or not, you can't save everyone." She said, before walking past him to grab her sword. 'Better he learns now. That naivety will get him killed.'


The girl, who's name was Rin, decided she wanted to speak with Shirou. She didn't know the reason, but she knew that she didn't trust her. 'Father said that most mages were untrustworthy.' She thought, looking for Archer. She would have stayed with Shirou, but her shield would keep him safe long enough for her to save him.

She groaned, 'Where is he?' She walked outside, attempting to follow the signature of his mana. 'It's him, but it feels different. He even looks different, but I know that it's him.' She jumped onto the roof, before taking a deep breath at the top. She slowly walked across the roof, attempting to find Archer.

She finally found him, sitting there overlooking the city. "Why did you have to sit all the way up here? This is the worst." She said aloud, before sitting next to him. He heard him let out a hum.

"Whoever you think I am, I'm not. I thought I should inform you of that now so you don't get the wrong idea." He said to her. Thalia hummed, before she let out a small chuckle.

"You're Shirou Emiya." She said, finally getting him to look at her. Though, his expression was annoyed. "You can try and hide it by slicking your hair back, and by having your skin be burnt out from overuse of your magic circuits, but I can see you clearly. I realize that you aren't Father, but you are the closest thing to him I've seen." She said with a sad smile.

"Father? I find your words hard to believe, especially if I'm the closest thing to him." He replied, looking back out at the city. Thalia sighed.

"Father had red hair, but the edges of his hair were white. No matter how long he grew it out, it stayed that way. His eyes were also half steel and half golden brown. There's enough similarity to see it's you. To me, my master looks nothing like him. He's nothing like him, actually." She said, summoning her sword.

"Is there a reason why you're telling me this? I don't really care about another version of the boy. He's nothing but a fool." He said to her, causing Thalia to laugh. For some reason, Archer couldn't help but grin when she did.

"He is very naive and weak. Nothing like Father was. Nothing like you either." She said looking at him. "Though, you're nothing like Father either. I can see it. You've given up and have fallen into cynicism and self hate." Archer looked at her with a angry expression, though Thalia simply smiled at him.

"Here, trace this." She said, holding her sword out to him. Archer looked at her with a strange expression. "Don't be a baby, just do it." She said, with Archer sighing and taking the sword.

"Trace on." The moment Archer touched the blade, information flooded his brain. The most prominent of this information was the name of the sword in his hands. 'Hearth's Heart' was the its name. It was special and, despite being a divine construct, Archer was able to fully record the weapon.


Oddly enough, the moment he did, he found himself in his Reality Marble, though it was far different. It was night, snowing, with the moon and stars shining bright in the sky. The stars clearly shined with constellations, a flame, a heart, an owl, and the moon were all significant.

There were rose petals, purple butterflies, small cages hanging off swords, and bonfires. It was a memory. However, it was what he saw in that memory that caught him off guard, rather, what he heard. "Hello, Archer." His eyes widened, causing him to look around, before he saw who called out to him.

"I know I may be doing this for nothing, but crazier things have happened. This message may just reach you one day." It was a beautiful woman, arguably the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She had medium length dark brown hair with ringlets framing her face and fiery red eyes.

She had on a simple brown dress with black tights and a blue jean jacket. "My name's Hestia, and I'm Shirou's wife." She said, surprising him. "I don't know how the throne of heroes works, so I'm sort of trying everything. I realized that you never met me in your world, and I wished to apologize for that."

"I'm sorry that you didn't have a Hestia to save you like I saved Shirou. Considering you are him, I'm guessing you're a big dummy too, probably trying to do something foolish. I know, because you already tried with my Shirou. So, maybe I can go against fate and reach you before you do something stupid."

"So, here I am, the incredibly loving wife of Shirou Emiya, and an overprotective mother, leaving a message for a broken hero who may never hear it. Though, chances are, you'll render my monologue meaningless like Shirou does. So, no monologue, instead, how about a home movie that plays in your head?"

"It'll convey what I wish to say anyway. Oh, and do be nice to the whoever it is brought this to you. They're all good children, especially Thalia, she really looks up to you, Shirou." She then walked around, before facing the direction that, coincidentally, he was standing. She then flashed a radiant smile, "You're not a machine, Shirou. You're still human, so, just like I told my Shirou, be human."


After Shirou spoke with Rin and the group left to the church, Thalia found herself wondering what she was going to do about Shirou. 'He really is a naive boy.' Though, at least he decided to fight in the war. That was a win in her books. Besides, for her, this was merely a testing ground.

"How are you feeling, Shirou? Are your circuits giving you any trouble?" She asked, with Shirou looking at her, before looking at his hands.

"They're fine, actually, they're better than ever." He replied. Thalia nodded. 'Good, otherwise I wouldn't be able to help you later.' She thought, to herself.

"Well, I suppose this is where we part ways, Tohsaka. I'd really prefer if we weren't enemies, you know, so maybe..." Thalia's eyes widened, as Archer appeared next to Rin. Thalia summoned her sword to her hands while standing in front of Shirou.

"Good even, big brother." A doll like pierced through the night. "It's nice to meet you, Rin, my name is Illyasviel Von Einzbern. You are familiar with that name, yes?" Thalia was barely paying any attention to the conversation, half listening. Instead, her eyes were plastered on the giant behind her.

'Father was right, Brother Heracles is nothing compared to this monster version.' She thought, hearing Rin speaking with Archer. However, Thalia couldn't help but get excited. "Archer, I believe I can hold it off for awhile while you get in position. I'll lure him into a chokepoint." She said, with Archer nodding.

"Don't die." He then went into Astral form, before heading off.

"That thing outclasses you, Saber. You can't fight it in a straight battle." Rin said to her, though Thalia only let out a huff, before smirking.

"I've fought bigger monsters, this one will be no different. He has no reason, which means, he's nothing but an animal." She said, raising her sword up in a stance. 'I'm an Emiya, which means, I'll protect everyone behind me. Come and face me, brother.' She thought, as Berserker let out a deafening roar.

"Lord of the Sky, thunder and lightning, rage forth, wrath of the sky!" Distant thundering could be heard, before Thalia's body was covered in lightning. "Goddess Hestia, grant me thy blessing as his child." Flames erupted from her sword, coating it in lightning and flames.

The monster then charged forward with Thalia dashing away diagonally, catching the masters off guard. As they were about to run, Archer's arrows hit the giant in the sky, throwing him off course and directly into Thalia's attack. "Strike!" She swung her sword, as lighting crashed down and exploded the area.


Thalia Grace (Emiya)-Saber Class
Parameter: Str-A, End-B, Agi-B, Mana-A+, Luck-B, NP-EX
NP's- Hearth's Heart- A bastard sword that has been blessed by four goddesses. The rank fluctuates depending on what the purpose of usage is. Full release covers the embodiment of the legend of the Emiya Clan. A sword only usable by those who bear the name Emiya.
Aegis Aias-A shield that is a combination of the Aegis and Rho Aias. Possesses both functions, creating a shield that is nigh unbreakable. Is capable of being deployed automatically if the user is in immediate danger.
Blessing of Mothers-Enables one to call upon blessings by the ones who acknowledge the child as one of their own.
Dragonslayer Spear-A spear used by Thalia that possesses the power and legend of a dragon slayer. Used to slay many dragons and dragons, as well as giants and titans.

Lord of the Sky-A noble phantasm that embodies Thalia's lineage as the child of Zeus. Allows control of anything in the domain of the sky, as well as lightning and other such effects.


Had this idea running through my mind. At first, it was going to be a toss up between Annabeth, Miyu, or Ophelia, but I didn't want to spoil them. Thalia's powers are pretty much what you'd expect, so I figured I'd use her, since she'll be a character in the story going forward. I introduced two weapons that will be making in appearance in the next chapter, so not a big spoiler. The shield may or may not be something I want to do, this is more of a testing ground for it. The sword though, that will be a thing, which is why I haven't shown what it can do. Anyways, I'm working on Zero and her Forge. This chapter was basically done, so I figured I'd finish it and then go to Zero and her Forge. This is just a fun little chapter featuring a potential future Thalia. I'd go as far as to say it isn't fully canon. Anyways, let me know what you think of this. Should I do more chapters like this with other characters of my stories? Or should I do the reactions of the stories I'm writing with characters from the original? Both? Let me know. Hope you enjoyed, thanks for reading and feel free to ask me questions, I usually answer. Thanks for the support, and as always, until next time.