Hey, I'm back with a new chapter. I ended up finishing another one before I realized, so here we are.

Aevun, I didn't realize that. Will take note of it.

Guest, Artemis(Servant/Orion) is one that I am considering bringing in, but because she is a Divine Spirit, I'm debating on how we can bring her in. I have ideas, but I am leaning on to doing something else.

codywhite162, thanks, hope you like this chapter too.

AnimeFan13579, Hassan of the Thousand Faces honestly wasn't on the list of Heroic Spirits I wanted to have Bell inherit, but your take really makes it tempting to include them. You also brought up an interesting theory with the OverLoad mechanic, that can basically even out the numbers for the Familia Wars.

I will definitely consider that idea, but we will see.

So without further ado, here's the 16th chapter.

XXX

A short while later, all of them were back in the abandoned church, and Hestia had a confused look on her face, "What's going on here?"

Artemis sighed, "To put things simply, my Familia encountered a monster, and unfortunately, we were unable to take it down."

Lili furrowed her brows, "So this whole world tour is just a hunting quest?"

Hermes laughed, "That's right!"

Welf shook his head in exasperation, "Talk about scamming people."

Artemis smiled softly at their reactions, "I'll be honest, I do feel bad. But..."

She glanced at the spear that rested against one of the benches, "That spear is our only hope, but no one in my Familia, none of us were worthy to wield it."

Bell looked at the spear, "No one was worthy? Why?"

The goddess of the moon looked at Bell, "Because we needed someone pure, that's why despite being a Level 6, the blonde girl could not get it to budge."

Hestia looked at Artemis, "Look, I know it's Bell-kun, but are you okay with him?"

Artemis nodded, "There's not much we can do now that the spear has chosen him, in fact, I don't see anyone more worthy than the Heir to the Throne of Heroes."

The goddess of the hunt took the spear and presented it to Bell, "Will you help us?"

The boy looked at the spear, and an uncomfortable feeling grew in his back, but upon seeing the sincere expression on the goddess' face, he pushed it down and took the spear into his own hands.

Bell smiled, "I'd be honored, especially considering it's a quest from the goddess of the hunt herself."

Artemis gained a sad look, but it quickly vanished as soon as it appeared as she put on a smile, "Thank you."

Hestia stared at them skeptically, and the moon goddess evidently noticed it, "Is there something wrong, Hestia?"

The busty loli goddess pointed at her, "You! Who are you and what have you done to my bestie?!"

Her outburst surprised everyone, and Bell asked, "What do you mean, Hestia-sama?"

Hestia looked at her only Child, "Surely you've heard! Artemis is a man-hater! She NEVER, and I mean NEVER smiles at a man! Even if it's you, Bell-kun!"

Bell blinked, "E-eh? Really? I mean, I know Lady Artemis is against romantic relationships, but I don't think I've ever heard of her being a man-hater, just those who are perverted and all..."

The goddess of the hearth shook her head quickly, "Definitely not! I know for a fact she's a man-hater! Hermes can attest to that!"

Artemis blinked, before she realized what Hestia was talking about, and she laughed softly, "Hestia, I got over that ages ago."

Hestia blinked, "Wut?"

The goddess of the moon, "One of my children convinced me. I don't favor such relationships, but I don't admonish them now either. Of course, preferably not, but I'm okay with it now."

The goddess of the hearth blinked, "Huh? Really?"

Artemis nodded, before she gave Hermes a stink eye, "Of course, there are still lines that should never be crossed."

The Greek god of mischief laughed, "Well, that's a shame, isn't it?"

The goddess of the hunt glared at him, "If you try that again, I swear, it won't be just a normal arrow up your ass."

Hermes smiled and backed away behind Bell, "Well, I hope you'll save me when the time comes, Bell-kun, a hero should save an innocent god from the evil goddess."

The boy sighed and shook his head, feeling familiar with what was going on, "Yeah, I'm staying away when that happens."

The god of mischief held his chest in mock hurt, "And here I thought we were comrades! Brother's in arms!"

Bell smiled innocently, "Yeah, not when it's on peeping on women."

Welf sighed and shook his head, "You're not getting him on your side on that end, Hermes-sama."

Hermes chuckled, "Guess not."

Hestia glared at them, "And you guys have to STOP corrupting MY Bell-kun!"

Artemis smiled in amusement, "Glad to see you're at least enthusiastic about something, Hestia."

The goddess of the hearth huffed, "Of course! Bell-kun is MY treasure!"

The goddess of the hunt just smiled, giving said boy a glance with a hint of sadness, "I'm sure he is."

Fortunately, Hestia was a bit too occupied with gushing over her only Child, but Hermes noticed Artemis' look, and he cleared his throat, "Alright! Now that we've cleared things up, let's get going!"

The four of them looked at Hermes weirdly, "Huh?"

The god of messengers grinned, "No time better than the present, as they say, no?"

(Linebreak)

A short while later, the group of six stood on top of the walls of Orario.

Except, there was a small difference.

Everyone, aside from Hermes and Artemis, all sported different outfits.

Hermes smirked with pride, "How do they feel?"

Bell looked at the god gratefully, "They feel great, even better than my old armor!"

Welf chuckled, "Can't say I'm happy with it, but these actually feel better than they look."

Lili nodded, "Yes, agree hundred percent."

Hestia, on the other hand, was just happy she got a new dress, despite it being a battle dress.

Hermes laughed, "But of course! The designs and materials were chosen carefully by yours truly! And they were crafted with great care by the greatest craftsmen of the Goibniu Familia! I'd be disappointed if the quality was subpar!"

Bell looked at him, "But how did you know our sizes? Not to mention our color schemes?"

It was true, Bell wore his signature whitish grey, and Welf had a red Eastern robe, while Lili wore a beige colored outfit.

That wasn't including Hestia's snow white dress.

Hermes laughed, "Well, I actually had the Goibniu Familia make more than we needed for fun, that included all sizes and all color schemes regardless of the style."

Artemis glanced at him with a look that screamed 'Sure'.

The goddess of the moon looked out towards the horizon, where the sun was already setting quickly, and her fists clenched.

Bell evidently noticed the change, as he approached her whilst the rest gushed over their new outfits with a bit of push from Hermes, "Lady Artemis, are you okay?"

Artemis pushed her darker thoughts away, and she nodded with a small smile, "Yes, I'm fine."

She looked at Hermes, "Speaking of which, I trust our transport is coming soon?"

Hermes nodded, "They should be here any moment now."

A roar of laughter reached their ears, as everyone noticed the shadows over them, and the god of messengers chuckled, "Speak of the devil..."

Everyone looked up to see a small pack of dragons, and a figure leaped off of one of them, landing on the ground before them.

Hestia's eyes widened in recognition, "Wait, Ga-"

"I AM GANESHA!"

Bell watched as the three dragons landed on the ground, "Are we going on them?"

Hermes nodded with a proud smile, "Yes! I asked Ganesha for help, and he delivered!"

Ganesha laughed, "Of course I did, for I AM GANESHA!"

The Hindu god of wisdom's smile dropped slightly, "Unfortunately, due to how abrupt it was, I can only spare you three dragon mounts for this ride. I PROMISE YOU, HERMES AND HESTIA, I WILL OWE YOU A DRAGON RIDE EACH WHEN YOU COME BACK!"

The god of messengers laughed softly, "We'll look forward to that."

He looked around, "But as luck would have it, we just so happen to have six of us here. So we're good to go in pairs."

Hestia's eyes gleamed, "Then I choose to go with-!"

Hermes pulled her back, "You're riding with me, Liliruca won't ride with me, and I can't say I care to ride with another man. Artemis will kill me if I even try, so that leaves you."

The goddess of the hearth's face fell, "THAT'S NOT OF MY PROBLEM!"

The god of messengers smiled innocently as he dragged Hestia onto a dragon, "It is mine, and these dragons can't take two men at the same time, so we have to do a male with female pairing, so unfortunately you're stuck with me."

Hestia could only whine as everyone got onto their respective dragons, with Welf and Lili on one, and Bell with Artemis on the other.

The goddess of the moon sighed at her aunt's antics, "Can't say I'm too happy with the arrangements, but I guess it could be worse."

Bell chuckled awkwardly, "Sorry for this, Artemis-sama."

Artemis shook her head, "It's fine, in fact, I'd rather it be you than Hermes or your blacksmith, no offense to him."

The boy laughed awkwardly, "I'm sure he'd be fine with it."

The goddess of the hunt hummed, "Speaking of which, Hestia's changed a lot, I've never seen her that worked up."

Bell blinked, "Really?"

Artemis nodded, "Hestia was never the most active goddess, others mistook it for laziness, which probably isn't far from the truth, but she merely never found the will to actively pursue something."

The boy hummed, "I see."

The goddess of the moon glanced back at him, "I am curious, what changed that..."

Bell smiled, "I think that's something we have to ask her."

Artemis nodded, "Perhaps."

Soon, the three dragons were off, and they quickly flew out of Orario.

As they soared through the skies, Bell asked, "Speaking of which, where are we headed anyway?"

Artemis fell silent, and Hermes took the opportunity to speak up, "Why, our destination is on the far end of the continent, an ancient ruins that harbors a deadly foe, the ruins of Elsus."

Lili asked, "What is in those ruins?"

Hermes looked at the prum, "The enemy we'll be looking to defeat, but that can wait until we're closer."

The god of messengers spared Artemis a glance, "The journey will take us a week, a month on land, but these dragons will save us the trouble of traversing the lands."

Welf nodded, "That makes sense. I'm assuming all these supplies are for us to make camp?"

He looked back at the massive bags each dragon carried, and Hermes nodded, "You would assume correct. The plan is for us to fly during the day and camp out during the night."

Hermes smiled proudly, "I've prepared the best equipment for camping, in fact, it will feel like we're not camping at all!"

Artemis sighed in exasperation, "And that takes away the fun, I suppose."

Bell chuckled, "Right, we won't have to hunt for our own food, I guess."

The goddess of the hunt snorted, "A shame, I suppose."

Hermes laughed, "Considering Hestia is with us, do you really want for us to hunt for our own food?"

Artemis chuckled, "I suppose not."

Hestia grew a tick mark, "WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?"

She started to hit Hermes, and the god of messengers panicked, "W-woah! Calm down Hestia! WE'RE GONNA FALL DAMMIT!"

Everyone laughed at the show, and Bell focused on holding the reigns for the dragons.

(Linebreak)

The next day, the six of them had been flying since they left Orario, and as the sun started to set, Hermes hummed as he checked their location, "Excellent, we're actually ahead of schedule."

Hestia blinked, "We are?"

The god of messengers nodded, "We left Orario at midnight, and we've been flying non-stop for the past 18 hours, it's approximately six o'clock, I think we're good to set up camp for the day."

Artemis nodded, "I agree, let's set camp."

Bell looked around, "Is there a good place around here to make camp?"

Hermes chuckled, "Oh of course there is, the route we're taking is chosen such that we can land literally anywhere! At any time!"

He looked down, "And viola, there we go, follow me!"

Without another word, Hermes tightened the reigns, willing the dragon to take a nosedive, much to Hestia's chagrin, "WAIT, WAAAAAAAA!"

Hermes fading laughter reached their ears, and Artemis sighed in exasperation, before she too took the reigns, away from Bell, "Come on, let's go after them before Hermes breaks anything."

Bell blinked as he let go of the reigns, "O-oh, okay."

Welf shook his head as he led the dragon to descend, and the two dragons quickly followed after the last one.

Shortly after, the six were at a campfire, with Hestia glaring at Hermes, "That. Was. Mean."

Hermes laughed as he chucked some firewood into the campfire, "Well, you can't deny that it was fun."

Bell chuckled awkwardly as he tried to hold his goddess back, "Hestia-sama, I'm sure he didn't mean anything bad, we're all safe on the ground, right?"

Hestia looked at her Child, "But Bell-kun!"

Artemis let out a soft laugh as she watched the three, "I suppose your temper hasn't gotten any better, Hestia."

Lili nodded in agreement, "Hestia-sama is one of the more tactless goddesses I know, especially when it comes to Bell-sama."

Welf smiled, "No comment."

Hestia glared at Lili, "Hey! I can be tactful! I just don't give a crap when it comes to my safety and especially Bell-kun's wellbeing!"

Hermes laughed, "That aside, I believe we should get dinner ready, no? The sun's almost gone, and I want everyone to get plenty of rest before we set out tomorrow."

The goddess of the hearth got an idea, and she smirked, "I propose that Bell-kun take care of dinner tonight!"

That caught everyone by surprise, and Lili asked, "Huh? Why?"

Hestia grinned, "You'll see."

She looked at Bell, who sighed with a smile, "Alright, let's see what we have with us. I don't want to use everything in a night."

He stood up and walked over to their supplies for the night, going through the food supplies they had set aside for the day.

But before he could start cooking, Hestia walked up to him, "And make sure you leave out Hermes' portion, that asshole can make his own dinner, you get me?"

Bell chuckled, "Gotcha gotcha."

The goddess of the hearth nodded, "Good boy."

Hermes snorted, "I can hear you, you know?"

Hestia glared at him, "That's the point."

The god of messengers chuckled, "Well, I don't mind skipping dinner tonight. We can even call it saving up our resources."

The goddess of home snorted, "You said it, not me."

She turned and went back to sit with Artemis, leaving the others to talk amongst themselves, including a blissfully ignorant god of messengers.

Hermes sat at the campfire, arms folded.

He should've seen it coming. He really should've seen it coming.

EMIYA was one of the heroes Bell had contracted, and Hermes was nothing if not a busybody.

He knew a lot of the nameless hero, and he had even poked into the other Counter Guardians' histories.

But never would he have guessed that Bell would also inherit his godly cooking, and he was paying the price for it as he did his best to ignore the smell whilst everyone feasted on a vegetable stew.

It smelled so divine! But Hestia had made sure no one would give him even a bit of the food!

But then again, Hermes supposed he had brought it upon himself.

"Lord Hermes."

The god was torn out of his musings when he heard Bell's voice, and he opened his eyes to see the boy holding a small box, "What's this?"

Bell smiled, "Hestia-sama said not to give you any of the stew, but well, I think it's a bit cruel to not give you anything, so here."

Hermes' eyes widened when he opened the box, "Wait, are these-"

The boy nodded, "Mooncakes, I made them earlier."

He then quickly brought out three more boxes, "Oh, I probably should've given them to you first, Lady Artemis."

Artemis stared at the boy amusedly as he handed her the box, "Mooncakes, huh? I guess I shouldn't be too surprised."

Welf blinked when Bell handed him a box as well, "Mooncakes? What are they?"

The boy handed Lili and Hestia one each too, "Well, it's something I learned from the memories I got from EMIYA, long story short it's basically a type of pastry from the East associated with the moon."

Lili stared at him blankly, "That explains nothing."

Bell laughed, "Basically don't worry about it."

Hestia hummed as she munched on her food, staring at Hermes, "Fine, since Bell's being generous, I guess I can't say much."

Hermes opened the box and bit into the mooncake, "Bell-kun! I can't remember if I told you this, but you are a true hero!"

Artemis looked down at her own mooncake, using her spoon to cut it into smaller pieces before she bit into one, "Hmm, not bad, for a man."

She looked at him, "Did you make these for the Holy Moon Festival?"

Bell nodded, "Yes, I did. It felt appropriate too."

Artemis giggled, "I suppose it is."

The six then ate their food, engaging in small talk, before they tidied up and retired for the night.

(Linebreak)

The next day, the six continued their journey across the lands, bypassing the mountains and forests, as well as lakes and rivers.

Bell looked down from behind Artemis, the goddess holding the reigns this time, "Wow, I never really realized just how much there is outside of Orario."

Artemis glanced back at him, "Did you grow up in Orario, Orion?"

The boy shook his head, "I actually grew up in a remote village away from Orario, I only went there around two to three months ago."

The goddess of the moon hummed, "I see."

Bell looked at her, "Speaking of which, why do you call me Orion? I'm not him."

Artemis' lips thinned, "Bell, I'm sure you've noticed by now, many of the things you learn from your inheritance, they don't exactly translate to what we have here."

The boy blinked, "Okay?"

The goddess sighed, "The reason I'm calling you Orion isn't because of the archer."

Bell blinked, "Really? Then why?"

Artemis didn't answer for a while, and the boy asked, "Artemis-sama?"

The goddess didn't respond, and Bell was about to lean forward to check on her when she spoke, "Hold on."

The boy blinked, "Wha-AAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Artemis led the dragon to dive down, and Bell quickly realized why.

Two figures, a woman and a young girl, were running through the forests into the opening, and behind them was an army of black scorpions.

The goddess frowned, and she pulled the reigns behind her, "Take the reigns."

Bell blinked as he took the reigns, "S-sure, what are you-"

He was cut off when Artemis conjured up a bow and quiver, and she fired several arrows in smooth succession, taking down three of the scorpions.

But for every one of them that she took out, two more took their place, and the army of scorpions quickly caught up to the two civilians.

Bell clicked his teeth, "Load: EMI-Artemis-sama?!"

He gaped when the goddess of the hunt suddenly leaped off the dragon, drawing a pair of hunting knives and started to cut down the scorpions.

Bell gaped, "What the hell?"

Artemis moved swiftly, cutting down the scorpions as they zeroed in on her, but despite her speed at taking them down, Bell could quickly see that she would be overwhelmed soon.

The boy frowned, and his mind raced. He needed to take them all out in one go or it would never end.

There were several options he could go with, EMIYA was an obvious one, Ushiwakamaru was another, but the problem was that most of them would hit Artemis and the two civilians, and other options would take too much time as he was now.

Fortunately, that was as far as he got.

For time stopped around him, and Bell knew what was happening.

"Struggling to choose now, are you?"

The boy nodded, "I was about to, but yes."

"Let us ignore what-ifs, Lady Artemis is in need of help, and I cannot stand idle as a child and her mother stand in the face of danger."

The voice, yet again, weirdly reminded Bell of Ryuu, and he filed that off for another time, "But the chant will take too long."

The voice seemed amused, "I suppose it would, which is why for once, we'll bypass the chant."

Bell blinked, "Wait, we can do that?"

"We can force our way through at times, but not often as it places a huge strain on your body."

The boy furrowed his brows, "But we don't have many options, do we?"

"Brace yourself, and please, protect Lady Artemis. With this, our contract is forged. I am thou, and thou art I."

Bell nodded as time resumed, "I am thou, thou art I... LOAD: ATALANTA!"

The boy felt the strain on his body almost immediately.

Unlike before, the power would settle in perfectly, but this time, it was forcing it all on his body at once, but Bell chose to ignore the strain, as Tauropolos appeared in his hands.

Bell took a deep breath, reigning the dragon to stay upright in the air, "Stay still, please."

He nocked two arrows, but instead of aiming at the scorpions, he aimed it at the sky, "To the two great gods of the sun and the moon, I offer this to thee..."

The arrows glowed as power swirled into the tips, "Set: Phoebus Catastrophe!"

The two arrows vanished into the clouds, and after a split second, it rained.

However, it wasn't just any rain.

It was a rain of light and destruction, and yet, every shot was aimed at a specific scorpion each on the ground.

Artemis could only watch in surprise and disbelief as the Noble Phantasm took out every scorpion around them.

Surprise because she had felt the prayer reaching her, and disbelief at the fact that she didn't need to respond for the Noble Phantasm to activate.

And as quickly as the rain of arrows came, so quickly did it too end.

The goddess of the moon looked up, spotting Bell on the dragon holding Tauropolos, panting heavily.

She also spotted the two other dragons closing in on them, whilst Bell's dragon landed on the ground.

Artemis turned to the mother and daughter, "Are you two alright?"

The woman immediately recognized the divinity in the goddess' eyes, and she bowed, "Thank you for your protection, o' goddess."

The goddess of the moon nodded, "Raise your head, you need not bow to me."

The woman nodded as she lifted her head, "Still, thank you for saving us."

Artemis shook her head, "Think nothing of it, rather, if you wish to thank someone, thank him. He was the one who took out all of the monsters."

She turned to see Bell approaching them, his dragon landed on the ground some distance behind him.

Bell asked worriedly despite his evident exhaustion, "Is everyone okay?"

The young girl beamed, "Yes! The pretty lady said you helped us!"

The boy blinked, before he kneeled down, "Well, the important thing is you're okay."

Artemis looked at Bell, "Tauropolos... So you've acquired Atalanta's abilities."

Bell nodded, "I did."

The goddess looked at the bow, "May I?"

The boy nodded and handed her the bow, and a smile appeared on Artemis' face, before she returned it to the boy, "Use it well."

Bell nodded as he let his hold on Atalanta's powers fade away, grimacing as the soreness hit him, but he focused on Artemis instead, "Speaking of which, that was reckless, Artemis-sama."

The goddess of the hunt raised an eyebrow, "Reckless you say?"

The boy nodded, frowning, "You jumped off the dragon to save them, and I appreciate that you would do so, but-"

Artemis cut him off, "And you would let them die?"

Bell's frown deepened, "I'm not saying that! You're a goddess, we can't possibly let you fight against monsters. I could've taken them!"

Artemis stared at him amusedly, "Relax, I understand gods in Gekai do not have access to our Arcanum anymore, but I still possess some of my original strength. With my authority as the goddess of the hunt, I am arguably as strong as a Level 1 blessed with a Falna."

Bell frowned, "But still, you shouldn't jump off a dragon to face an army of monsters."

The goddess of the moon chuckled at his reaction, "I shall keep that in mind."

Artemis then spoke again, "And speaking of which, you should do well to take care of yourself too. I don't know what you did, but using that Noble Phantasm had taken a lot of effort from you, did it not?"

Bell froze, before he looked away, "That's irrelevant!"

The goddess giggled, "Irrelevant how?"

The boy glared at her lightly, "I wouldn't have to force Atalanta's powers through if you didn't jump in without thinking!"

Artemis blinked, "You... forced her powers through?"

Bell sighed, "Yes, I did forge a contract with Atalanta to inherit her abilities, but because of the circumstances, we had to bypass the usual process."

The goddess of the moon hummed, "I see..."

Before she could comment further, Bell grimaced and stumbled, prompting her to catch him before he could fall to the ground.

Artemis sighed, "See? What was that about being reckless?"

The boy grumbled, "I don't want to hear it from you..."

The goddess chuckled and shook her head in exasperation, "Seriously, I can see why you ended up with Hestia now. You're almost as stubborn as she is."

"Is everyone okay?"

They were torn away from their conversation when they heard Hermes' voice, and Artemis looked at Bell, "We can continue this conversation later, okay?"

Bell could only nod as the other four of their group reached them.

(Linebreak)

After sending the mother and daughter away, the six had resumed their journey and settled down for camp once the sun started to set.

After a quick rest, Bell made dinner, simple with bacon, eggs and bread.

Now, Welf asked, "You know, we never found out what those monsters were, any ideas?"

Lili nodded, "I know several types of monsters that are shaped like scorpions, but none of them looked like that... They look, unnatural."

Hermes and Artemis shared a look, and the god sighed, "I guess now'd be a good time."

Hestia stared at him, "What do you mean?"

Artemis spoke, "The monster we're going to defeat on this quest, it is the source of those scorpions we fought earlier."

Bell came back with three plates of food, and he gave them to the three gods, before grabbing more for Lili, Welf and himself, "Wait, it is?"

The goddess of the moon nodded, "Bear in mind, those are mere pawns, it does not come close to matching even a fraction of its original's true strength."

Hermes threw some more firewood into the campfire, "In the beginning, it started with an abnormal number of monsters spawning outside of Orario. Villages were destroyed, and naturally, requests for protection and eventually investigation were put out."

He looked at Bell, "It started approximately when you came to Orario."

The boy blinked, "Wait, really?"

Artemis spoke up, "It may have been a coincidence, but we did consider the possibility that the connection to the Throne of Heroes may have triggered it."

Hermes cleared his throat, "Back to the topic, various Familias outside of Orario managed to figure out the direction of source. According to the reports, it started with normal monsters you would find in the wild, but as they went out further, all they found were just the scorpions."

Lili asked, "But what does that have to do with Bell-sama?"

The god of messengers looked at her, "I'm getting there."

He took a breath, "Thousands of years ago, there was a monster that would rot the land, taint the sea, and wither the forests. No one knows where it came from, it may have just been an anomaly, an abnormal species, but because there weren't many who were strong enough, it grew stronger until it became a beast worthy of a calamity."

Artemis continued, "That beast was sealed in the Ruins of Elsus, and the ancient spirits called it Antares."

Bell blinked, "Antares? As in, the scorpion sent to kill the archer Orion?"

The goddess of archery nodded, "Yes, the monster bears that name. What no one expected, was for Antares to slowly gather power in the seal, and now, it is strong enough to break through."

Welf furrowed his brows, "Wait, so that means-"

Hermes nodded, "News reached the Guild, and my Familia was dispatched to investigate. That was two weeks ago."

Hestia frowned, "Then why were you back in Orario?"

The god of messengers closed his eyes, "We were looking for reinforcements. We ran into Artemis when we found the ruins, but unfortunately the enemy was too strong, too numerous for even my children."

Lili looked at them in confusion, "Then why only the four of us? Surely we could've gotten more people."

Artemis answered this time, "Numbers wouldn't have mattered. Perhaps it would have bought us more time with the pawns, but only the one chosen by the spear can defeat the beast."

She looked at Bell, "And that spear has chosen you, Bell."

The boy looked at the spear, and for the first time since they departed, Bell felt an uncomfortable feeling from his back, "I see..."

He had the sudden urge to Load EMIYA and check out the spear, but Bell also had the feeling he didn't really want to know.

Hermes cleared his throat loudly, "ANYWAY! That's enough serious talk. If we're done with dinner, let's hit the hay, we have another long day ahead of us."

No one objected, despite the questions Lili and Welf had, they were happy to keep the conversation for a later time.

Later, Bell was helping tidy up the equipment, Lili and Welf had gone off to wash up, while Hestia and Artemis were already in their own tent.

That left the boy with Hermes.

The god of thieves looked at the white rabbit, "So, have you had a look at the spear with EMIYA's eyes?"

Bell put the washed plates into a bag, "No, I haven't."

Hermes nodded, "Good, for your sake, don't."

The boy looked at him, "What? Why?"

The god gained a grim expression, "You won't like it. That weapon is a divine construct, using magecraft from that world on it will only give you migraine."

Bell nodded, "I see, thanks, Hermes-sama."

Hermes chuckled, "You're welcome. Speaking of which, what do you think of Artemis?"

The boy smiled, "She's... different, from what I expected."

The god raised an amused eyebrow, "Oh? Care to explain?"

Bell nodded, "From Heracles' memories, and from the stories my grandfather has told me, Artemis-sama would be a man-hater."

Hermes laughed softly, "Oh she is, trust me on that. But you should also know another side of her."

The boy nodded, "Artemis is the goddess who loved the archer Orion, or at least, favored him."

The god nodded, "But Orion doesn't exist in this world."

Hermes looked at the fire, "Bell-kun, for as long as I can remember, Artemis, Hestia, and Athena, these three goddesses were unchangeable. Hestia would stay hidden in her temple back on Tenkai, while Artemis only focused on hunting and despised men. You've changed one of them for the better."

Bell laughed as he tightened the bag of plates and utensils, "Surely you must be joking."

Hermes snorted, "I joke, and I jest all the time. But not this time."

He looked at Bell, "Bell-kun, us gods, we're not almighty. In Tenkai, perhaps, with our Arcanum, maybe. But we are just as vulnerable as you are, physically and emotionally."

The boy nodded, "I know."

Hermes nodded, "Artemis is the same. She puts on a firm demeanor, but she's the same as Hestia, the same as me."

He let out a breath, "Back to the topic, Orion doesn't exist in this world, but parallels do exist."

Bell blinked, "Wait..."

Hermes nodded, "That spear you now have, it is the spear of Orion. You now bear that title."

He snorted, "And hell, you now possess the power of Atalanta. Regardless of how she is, that gives you a lot of points with Artemis."

The boy chuckled, "Hey, it's not like I'm trying to get into her good graces or something."

The god of messengers laughed, "No? Now that's disappointing. But the point I'm trying to make, is that Artemis is okay with you being close to her. Your pure soul and heart is what lets her open up."

Bell shook his head, "You're exaggerating."

Hermes snorted, "Am I?"

The boy scoffed, "Besides, I'm not worthy of that title."

Hermes hummed, "Really now?"

The god held off from saying more, simply because the name Orion, or the title, had different meanings in Gekai and Tenkai, as compared to Pan-Human History.

He looked up at the moon, "So, aside from being different, what else do you think of her?"

Bell furrowed his brows as he tidied up other stuff, "What's with asking me about Artemis-sama?"

Hermes chuckled, "Call it curiosity."

The boy sighed, "I guess... she's reckless, she wanted to save that girl and her mother, and she jumped down from the dragon without thinking."

The god nodded, "Right, I did see that. I heard you weren't too happy about it."

Bell scowled, "Of course not. I wouldn't want her, or any of you, to be hurt when we could've taken care of things."

Hermes smiled, "And why is that?"

The boy blinked, "Huh?"

The god asked, "Why do you not want us to be hurt?"

Bell furrowed his brows, "I mean, you're all gods, and..."

Hermes sighed, "Just that? Just because we're gods?"

The boy blinked, "Huh?"

The god looked up again, "If you let Hestia hear that, she won't be happy, you know? Or well, she'll be happy for the wrong reasons."

Bell blinked in confusion, "What? Why?"

Hermes sighed, "I told you, didn't I? We're the same as you. Or well, mostly. Some of the gods and goddesses genuinely see Gekai as a playground. But eventually, some of us came to love living with you children. Hestia, Artemis and myself are like that."

He looked at Bell in the eye, "It's fine to respect us gods, but don't put us pedestals. We're not as great as you think, especially not in Gekai."

Hermes stood up, "I'll be on watch duty for the first half of the night, go get some rest."

Bell nodded, "Oh, okay."

The god looked at him again, "And when you have the chance, talk to Artemis more, I'm sure she'll appreciate it."

The boy nodded, "Okay."

Hermes leaped onto one of the trees, and he watched as Bell cleaned up the camp before heading into the tents.

The god of messengers looked at the tent that housed Hestia and Artemis. He knew the goddess of the moon had seen how pure Bell's soul was, and if nothing, Hermes knew Artemis held a soft spot for children with pure and innocent souls.

He sighed, "It'll help boost the power of the spear... But still..."

Even Hermes couldn't help but find it cruel.

XXX

That's it. So I've seen a few stories where Artemis is portrayed differently from canon.

Personally, I didn't like the movie version, but as you all may know, 'Artemis' in the Orion movie is the spear with a bit of the original Artemis' soul.

So here, I've made it so that it is more Artemis than the spear. She is still more accepting, but not as much as the movie.

So yeah, we also saw Atalanta as well, and yes, Bell can forcefully bypass the chant if both himself and the Heroic Spirit wants to, but it places a huge strain on his body.