The Lost Hero of Chaldea

by ahdokobo

Shirou Emiya finds himself in another world after sacrificing himself to save Fujimaru, in a world of gods and monsters. On the verge of death, he saves a young girl, before succumbing to his wounds, thankfully, the young girl just may end up being Shirou's salvation, in more ways than one.

12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"I wish to know, why we have no knowledge on how or who injured Ares to such a degree?" Zeus spoke in a calm, yet angry tone. The council all remained silent, mostly because they didn't know anything, but also, most didn't care. They all knew that Ares was likely to mess with the wrong person sooner or later.

"His body has been harmed unlike anything we have seen before. He cannot even speak, blades obstruct and rip his throat apart anytime he even manages to heal the damage. By all means, he is becoming a statue of blades." He continued, before looking around.

"Father, is it possible that Ares searched for the sword from the prophecy?" Apollo asked, exchanging a few glances with Athena and Aphrodite. The two seemed unbothered by the whole issue, so he could pretty much guess what had happened.

"What are you trying to say, Apollo?" Zeus narrowed his eyes as he spoke, with Apollo shrugging his shoulders.

"I'm saying that we all know how Ares is. What the prophecy said about the blade being unbroken by war may have angered him. It's possible that he searched it out and was punished for his arrogance. Considering what the prophecy said, I think we should consider that there was a reason Ares was still alive.

"If we consider the wording, it could be possible that this outcome was inevitable. Though, our answer to this could be what the prophecy warned us about, no?" Hera added, looking at her husband. Knowing him, the prophecy would make him calm down and not do anything stupid.

"Athena, what do you think?" He decided to ask, wanting any kind of reason to ignore the warnings. If there was something capable of harming Ares to this extent, then it was possible that it would be able to harm the others as well.

Athena let out a sigh, "Honestly, I believe Ares brought this upon himself. What we should be looking at, is the fact Ares is alive. If Apollo is correct, then this is a message. 'Do not search for me.' It's pretty straightforward. If we anger this 'sword', then 'The mountain will fall'." She made sure to be clear with her words.

Hera looked towards Athena, narrowing her eyes slightly. She knew that something had happened, but wasn't sure what. She was willing to give Shirou the benefit of the doubt, besides, Athena was right. He didn't kill Ares. She sighed, deciding that she would trust that Hestia knew what she was doing and hopefully had everything under control.

"Until Ares is healed, we'll have no more information. So, I'll call in everyone I can to try and fix what's happening. If anyone finds any information that is relevant, be sure to bring it to my attention as soon as possible." Zeus commanded, thunder cracking in the air as he did so.

---

"Are you sure you're feeling good enough to be moving around, Shirou?" Caroline asked, quickly making her way over to Shirou's side. Of course, she knew what his answer would be, it didn't take a genius to know that. However, seeing him covered in bandages was not exactly reassuring.

That was with the bandages that were visible. His jeans and black shirt hid the major ones, but the bandages on his arms and face were telling. His left arm had the worst of it, being wrapped up from his wrist up to his shoulder. Thankfully, Artemis had managed to heal most of the worst injuries over a few days, though they were told to make sure he didn't do anything strenuous.

He looked over at her and shot her a small smile. "Honestly, I feel better than I have in awhile." He replied, before wincing a bit as he grabbed a hold of a knife on the counter. The grip on the knife was weak, though it was clear from how unsteady the knife was that he was having trouble. Caroline couldn't help but frown a bit.

"Here, let me do it Shirou." She said as she gently took the knife from his hand. Considering how bad Artemis made his arm sound, she was surprised he had recovered so fast. "You shouldn't try to overdo it. You don't want to hurt yourself any more than you already are."

"Right, sorry. I guess that I'm still getting used to taking it easy." Shirou spoke while making his way over to a chair near the counter. Caroline looked over and saw that Shirou began to look at his left hand, slowly opening and closing it.

"You don't have to apologize to me, Shirou. I'm more than happy to help you out while you recover, I just want you to be careful." She said with a bright smile, as she began to cut up some ingredients that Shirou had laid out beforehand. "You know, now that I think about it, I haven't been able to do something like this for you since you saved me from those Amazons."

Shirou looked up at her, before letting out a small chuckle. "It has definitely been awhile since then. A lot of time has passed and a lot of things have happened." Shirou looked into another room and looked at a picture of the family. Caroline followed his gaze and noticed the picture, smiling at the memory of when they took it. Notably, how everyone just happened to be together that one day, which is how they were able to take the picture.

"A lot has changed since then too." She added, with Shirou looking up at her. She continued to work on preparing the food Shirou had set up. "There weren't that many of us after that incident. But, now you almost have a full house." She heard him let out a small hum, as if he hadn't thought about it before. "Though, I do quite enjoy spending time with the little ones."

"I know they enjoy spending time with you. In fact, I know they love you like they love their mothers. Though, I know you care about them just as much, which is something I must thank you for, Caroline. Especially with what has recently happened." He spoke in a soft voice, one that she hadn't heard him speak in before. She had heard him speak in many different ways, but this was the first time she heard him like this. 'Perhaps, something did change in him.'

She had even stopped what she was doing. What he said wasn't wrong. She did love his children like they were her own. She had helped raise them all these years, so it was only natural for that to happen. The thing was, it had a lot to do with the fact that Shirou had saved her all that time ago. She had almost given up by that point, being rather depressed for awhile before that.

It wasn't until those monsters had cornered her that she realized that she didn't want to give up, being reminded of the stories of heroes that she had grown up hearing. It was those memories that caused her to yell out for help, the logical part of her mind telling her that nothing would happen, only for Shirou to appear and save her life. Even after, what he said to her made her feel like everything would be okay.

She took a deep breath, before looking up at Shirou. "You don't have to thank me for any of that, Shirou. I'm more than happy to do all of that. Whether there's danger or not, I'd always look after them. I do it because it makes me happy and because I love them." Caroline then set the knife down and quickly wiped her hands off, before making her way around the counter and next to Shirou, who turned to face her as she walked over.

"In fact, you never have to thank me, Shirou, because you being happy makes me happy. I'm selfish like that." She said to him, a sweet smile on her face, her pink eyes conveying the truth of her words. "If only you knew..." She whispered, her expression saddening for a moment, before it returned, though she had a more determined expression.

She then placed her hands onto the sides of his face, obviously catching him by surprise. Caroline was almost sure that his cheeks even reddened a bit, but she wasn't able to tell for sure, since she was freaking out herself. "I don't care whether or not you changed, because you'll always be my hero, and because..." She paused for a moment, before shaking her head and smiling at him. "...because I love you, Shirou Emiya."

Her words actually caused Shirou's eyes to widen, though she was sure it was because of how straightforward she was. 'Aw, what the heck?' She thought, before leaning forward and kissing Shirou rather passionately. For her, it was the exactly as she expected it would be, in fact, she felt like she was about to jump up and down through the house from how ecstatic she was.

Was she expecting anything from Shirou after this? No, not really. This was more for her to finally get all of that off her chest. She was pretty sure that Shirou had an idea of how she felt, but she decided to make sure he knew for sure. It really was as simple as all that. Plus, she was also doing it because she needed someway to express herself after Shirou's fight with Ares. All of the emotions she felt when he came home afterwards, injured and exhausted were rather strong. Not to mention her own feelings when running from Ares with Ophelia, and all the thoughts that went through her head.

Caroline then slowly pulled away from the surprised Shirou, though the moment she saw him look at her with understanding, she couldn't stop herself from blushing and growing incredibly embarrassed. Even as a daughter of Aphrodite, she let her emotions get the best of her, causing her to forego her self restraint. She quickly turned away and quickly walked back to where she was preparing food earlier, continuing while looking down and doing her best not to look back at Shirou.

All she heard was Shirou let out a small hum, before standing from his seat. She could hear his footsteps make their way around the counter, before standing next to her, causing her face to heat up. She really hated how he was able to do that to her. "Why don't I help you with the rest?" He asked, before already moving to help her with the rest of the food.

Caroline peeked over at Shirou, seeing him look at her with a small smile. Seeing him like that, she couldn't help but look back down at what she was doing, a smile forming on her own face as she nodded to his question with a hum. So, Shirou started to help Caroline finish cooking, the two moving around the kitchen together. Caroline couldn't help but be happy for that, as she hadn't been able to cook with him before.

---

Though, unknown to the two in the kitchen, but if they had been a little more aware, they may have noticed the pairs of eyes that had been on them. "Auntie Caroline kissed daddy! Did you see?! Did you see?!" Ophelia asked excitedly, looking at her sisters who had quickly rushed back to their room.

"Yes, we saw it, Lia. Why are you so excited? You can see how auntie Caroline feels because of your eyes." Annabeth replied calmly, looking at one of her notebooks as she did so. "It's not a big deal. Mama Dite said that's what people do when they love each other." As she said that, she wondered if her own mother had kissed her father before.

"Because mama didn't think she'd actually do it. But I did, and I was right." Ophelia said proudly with a big smile on her face. "Miyu's happy about it, aren't you Miyu?"

Miyu paused playing with her fox, to look over at her sister, a small smile on her face. "I'm glad that everyone is happy and getting along after daddy hurt himself. Mom said it's important for family to get along with each other and to be happy."

"Is dad happy, Lia?" Annabeth asked as she began to write something down. Ophelia looked at her with a tilt of her head, not understanding why she asked that.

"Um, yes? His colors seem a bit brighter than normal." She answered, with Annabeth humming in response. She had noticed a slight change in her dad ever since he came home hurt. It wasn't bad, but she wondered if he had hurt himself and was hiding it, like her mom told her he tended to do.

But, if Ophelia's eyes didn't show any change other than brighter colors, then he was fine. In fact, it meant that their dad was better than he was before. She hoped that it stayed that way, since it meant he'd spend more time with them and their mothers.

Not that he didn't before, but she liked being able to be with her family.

"Should we tell mom? She did say we should tell her when pretty ladies go after daddy." Ophelia questioned, with Annabeth and Miyu quickly looking at her.

"No! Mom meant that for other girls. Auntie Caroline isn't other girls." Annabeth quickly replied. Miyu hummed for a moment, before walking over towards her sister.

"I think mom already knows about Aunt Caroline too. So, it should be fine. Auntie might also tell Mama Dite anyways, so we don't have to tell anyone." She said with her usual smile on her face. "Why don't we just go play outside until it's time to eat? Come on, Ana can show us whatever cool thing she's been working on while we wait." She added, quickly changing the subject.

Ophelia's face brightened at her words, with Annabeth letting out a sigh, as she hopped from her chair and grabbed a few of her things. "Come on, Inari, let's go play outside." Miyu added, her little white fox jumping down from the bed and quickly following along.

---

Artemis knew that everyone was back in Olympus, mainly to keep up the appearance that they actually cared about what had happened to Ares. However, Artemis had no inclination to do so. Besides, her father knew that she wasn't a big fan of Ares in the first place, so her presence wouldn't be missed.

Hestia choosing to go was more to make sure nothing complicated matters, such as Hera. So, she was left in charge of taking care of things at home for the time being. Still, she knew that they'd return by the time she was done with her business. They'd likely bombard her with questions, but she was ready this time.

Even if Diana had taken over and ruined her moment, the point was still made. Hestia's appearance threw a small wrench in their plans, but after telling her to wait a few days, she was able to buy some time.

Shirou took the news about as well as could be expected. Her reaction was very similar when she found the two children and felt their divine aura. She was still a bit puzzled at the specifics, but it didn't change the truth of the matter. Though, if she were being honest, the main thing that puzzled her, was the fact that they possessed dual aspects of Roman and Greek.

She hummed, looking down at the two children beside her. 'Waiting two years to tell Shirou was not my best decision. Then again, I was freaking out for awhile and simply kept putting it off.' She sighed, being glad that the one bright spot was that her hunters were quite accommodating of the two children. They really helped her out during that period of time.

The boy had red hair like Shirou, with silvery brown eyes. His features appeared more like what she'd expect of a child of hers, being rather closely aligned with her own. Then there was the daughter. She had predominantly silvery white hair, with black on the tips, almost like Shirou's hair, but with her black hair color instead of red. Her eyes were silver that seemed to glitter with tiny stars in them. Her appearance was like Ophelia's, leaning more towards Shirou than her own.

They were both beautiful children. 'I already told Mia and Zoe to watch over the house while I'm with Shirou. So, that should give me some time.' She thought, just before seeing Shirou come out of the house. His bandages caused her to frown a little, though she was positive that she had done a great job in making sure his injuries would recover back to a hundred percent.

"Artemis." He said, before pausing with a small smirk. "It is Artemis this time, right?" She couldn't help from narrowing her eyes a bit.

"Don't make me shoot you. I'd hate to have to stitch up another wound." She replied, with Shirou letting out a small chuckle, continuing to make his way to her. Artemis then gestured next to her, causing Shirou to take a look. Inside of two small baskets, rested the children. She noticed Shirou's expression, being a bit similar to when Shirou found out about Lacy and Ritsuka.

Rather, it was the expression she had seen on his face following the time learning about the two of them. She could tell that seeing the two year olds was a surprise, but a happy one. She imagined that he felt the same as he did when she found the two babies. Though, she did wonder if Hestia, Athena, and Aphrodite felt similar to her all this time. She wasn't sure if she had really changed, but if she did, then she knew it had a lot to do with Shirou and her two children.

"What are their names?" Shirou asked, closely looking at the two children, smiling softly. Artemis was glad that he was reacting rather positively, then again, she figured he wouldn't react negatively considering Athena's child.

"The boy's name is Robin. I wished to name him after an archer of some kind, and since he was your friend, I decided to go with him." She answered, before Shirou noticed her eyes slightly change into the golden silver of Diana, before she shook her head and they returned to normal. Artemis frowned a bit, before continuing, "Diana chose to name the girl Stella, because of her eyes reminded her of stars. And maybe because of certain memories of yours."

Shirou let out a small chuckle, before looking back at the two children. Artemis looked at Shirou, before sighing. "Shirou, are you sure that you're okay with this? I mean, I'm not like Athena or Hestia, I'm definitely nothing like Aphrodite. I'm unsure if you'll be comfortable helping to raise these children when it's with...me." She finished, a bit unsure of herself.

"That's my fault." Shirou responded, catching Artemis a bit by surprise. "I've been a bit unfair, in all honesty. I mean the fact that you waited this long tells me that I really messed up." He continued while rubbing the back of his head. "But, hopefully I'll be able to fix that. I'm more than okay with this, Artemis, and it will likely be strange for you, but I'm sure we can figure it out."

"You really don't have to act like Hestia, Athena, or Aphrodite, because you're fine how you are. You've been there for my children already, so trust me when I say that you'll be fine. Of course, if it has to do with me, then I'll see what I can do." He said with a small shrug, before looking at Artemis with a small smile on his face.

"I'm a goddess, Shirou, of course I'll be fine." She replied with an amused huff, before letting out a small sigh. "But thank you. Though, you shouldn't really take the blame for my decision. However, since I know you pretty well by now, I know that nothing I say will change your mind. So, I'll simply accept your words, at least for now." She then looked at her two children.

'Still strange to refer to them as my children. I never planned, nor intended, on having children.' She thought with a mental sigh. "Still, I'm not looking forward to dealing with the others when they find out." She added, "I'm not sure how I'm supposed to explain what happened."

"Explain what?" Artemis heard a voice ask from behind her shoulder, causing her to jump in surprise. Whether or not she let out a scared noise or not, she wouldn't ever admit that. When she turned, she saw Hestia standing there with a smile on her face.

Artemis watched as Hestia's eyes gazed down towards where her children were. A look of understanding flashed through her eyes, though she was sure that she saw a few other emotions flash through her fiery red eyes for a moment, before settling on understanding, which she was inwardly glad for.

"Don't worry, Aphrodite and Athena won't pop out of nowhere like me." She said with a small laugh. "They're still on Olympus while I came to check on Shirou, mainly since he said our names." Shirou raised a brow to her words, surprised that they were paying that close of attention to that.

"You're still injured and recovering dear, so we were just making sure to keep an eye on you in case you needed something." She quickly added, probably noticing Shirou's confusion. Artemis though, was internally relieved that Athena and Aphrodite wouldn't be a problem just yet. Athena wasn't as worrying as Aphrodite, but still, she heard what Athena told Shirou when they confronted Ares.

"Sorry for not telling you sooner Aunt Hestia." Artemis sadly spoke, "I was just unsure how to go about the whole thing." Hestia tilted her head questioningly.

"You don't need to apologize to me, Artemis. I do wish you did tell me that you had thoughts of having a child, though. Athena and I could have helped you in some way, I'm sure even Aphrodite would have tried to help too." Hestia replied with small sigh, however, Artemis shook her head at Hestia.

"I didn't have any thoughts of having children. My other self and I have no clue how or why this happened, though we have an idea of when we may have bonded together. It's half the reason I was unsure of how to bring it up. Not to say that I don't love my children, but it is true that they were a surprise." Artemis clarified. Hestia was obviously surprised by her words, with Shirou seemingly thinking about something as the two spoke.

"That's strange." Was Hestia's response, drawing out the final word. "I knew about Miyu almost as soon as it happened. I wonder what was different? Would you be willing to share the full details about it with Athena?" She asked, with Artemis pausing and thinking about it for a moment. She looked towards Shirou, who simply offered a small smile to the goddess.

"It couldn't hurt to find out more about their birth. We can watch over the children here. I'm sure that the others would like to meet their siblings, unless you'd like to wait to inform them?" Shirou questioned, with Artemis looking a bit unsure but nodding to Shirou's words.

"I've kept them away for long enough. Though, I'd like to speak with you some more at a later time. I believe that there is more that we should talk about." Artemis's words were her true thoughts, but she felt a bit embarrassed about it.

"I agree. Next time, I promise that it'll just be the two of us." Shirou's responded, with Artemis flashing him a small smile. Hestia though, she seemed to react the Shirou's words. However, rather than draw any attention to it, she chose to smile warmly at him.

"Try to rest, Shirou. Spend some time with the children and let Mia, Zoe, and Caroline handle everything, okay?" Hestia's words caused Shirou to nod his head to her suggestion, with her clearly being pleased with his response.

Artemis could clearly see Hestia's concern for Shirou. Ever since his fight with Ares, they were all pretty sure that something had to be wrong, despite not actually finding anything wrong. She understood, she was worried too. However, she trusted Shirou enough to not keep anything detrimental to himself away from her.

"I would also like the two of us to visit my mother, Shirou, along with our children. Rest, so that you may see her in good health." Artemis spoke once more, seeing some surprise on Shirou's face. "Also, be wary of my brother." Smirking slightly, seeing resignation dawn on him, before deciding to flash away with Hestia, who seemed amused at their small interaction.

---

Watchful eyes sat and maintained a constant gaze over the Emiya home. They were sure to watch over everything they could, especially the children who played in the yard. These eyes narrowed, seeing the others taking care of the small babies and watching over them like they were treasures.

Then there was the steady gaze levied onto Shirou. Mia and Zoe were sure to check on him when they could, but for the most part, he did as was asked of him. Caroline seemed much brighter and had a lively air around her, playing with the girls outside of the house.

Though, occasionally, they'd all go inside and spend time with Shirou, doing a multitude of different things. Though, they all enjoyed hearing Shirou tell them stories. Of course, they all enjoyed sharing their own activities with their father as well.

She couldn't help but smile when she saw Shirou sitting with Annabeth, with either one speaking to the other about whatever it was they wanted. She would have thought Annabeth was a needy child, though when compared to her sisters, this trait wasn't as noticeable. Still, one of her favorite sights was to see Annabeth sitting on her father's lap, reading a book together.

For her, actually being able to experience raising her daughter with the man whom she had bonded with was quite an experience. One she would admit to enjoying greatly. Still, she wondered if there was something she could do to grow a bit closer to Shirou.

As the children went back out to play, with Mia and Zoe deciding to put the younger children to bed for a nap, she noticed Shirou stand from his usual chair and make his way through the house. Thankfully, the Emiya home was nice and open, with big glass windows that provided a nice view of most of the layout of the home.

She remembered Shirou once mentioning that he based its design on the home he had in Fuyuki, just bigger and blending in some American elements to match the surrounding area, but the Japanese influence was easily noticeable.

He then entered the room where she slept, though it was technically Shirou, Annabeth, and her room. Still, she was surprised that Shirou would choose their room to rest in. That was when she heard it. "Athena, are you there?"

A little owl descended, quickly making its way into the house through a window and flying fast to their room. In a quick flash, the owl transformed into Athena's human form, her hand quickly making its way to the handle of the door and opening it.

Athena stepped into the room so fast that Shirou didn't even really have a chance to react. He was holding a picture of him, Annabeth and herself when they had taken a trip to D.C. She watched him place the picture back on the dresser, before turning towards her.

"Shirou, are you alright?" She asked, quickly walking up close to him. She placed her hands on the sides of his face before closing her eyes and trying to use her divine power to check on his mind.

Shirou couldn't the small amused grin that made its way onto his face. He brought one of his hands up and gripped onto her own, causing her to open her eyes and look Shirou directly in his eyes. "I'm fine. I just wanted to talk."

Athena blinked a few times, before letting out a sigh and removing her hands. "I see." Athena looked around, before taking a seat on the bed. "What did you wish to speak about?"

Athena watched him take one final look at the picture, before focusing completely on her. "You're still worried, aren't you?" He asked. Though, it was clear that Shirou already knew the answer. "I don't blame you, really. You're the only one who has actually seen what would have happened if his power managed to push me far enough."

Athena's eyes narrowed a bit, seeing Shirou smile wryly at his own words. She had seen, and what she had seen was enough to frighten her. Shirou may not seem like a threat to the gods, at least to them, but he could be. Even now, she was sure that he could give most of the Olympians a fight. They may win, but they'd likely have to fight for it, and they'd likely lose a few limbs in the process.

However, that was Shirou as he was now. What she had seen of his Alter, he likely would be able to kill every Olympian in successive order, each with effective, but questionable tactics. He was cold, broken, and bloody. A twisted reflection of war and tactics. An assassin who would pick you apart, or simply blow away the area you were in. As long as his target died and he protected humanity, it was enough.

Shirou wouldn't have turned into that. He would have became worse. That Alter had nothing to lose. Even his own memories were fractured and decayed. Shirou would have held onto what was important to him, the things that he did have to lose, but nothing else would have remained. His mind and heart would become steel, held together by those memories. Protecting those things would have been his utmost priority, anything endangering them would simply be dispatched.

Perhaps she was wrong, but the fact was, Shirou having the mindset of his Alter frightened her more than anything else. When she learned of what Shirou had done to Ares, it sent a shiver down her spine. Not even Ares, whose domain was war, could handle Shirou's origin bullet. What did that say about the rest of the Olympians?

Perhaps if he was still just a normal human, these thoughts wouldn't bother her so much, but he was no longer that. The fact his arm wasn't ripped apart by Ares's weapon was telling enough. Their spars only added to this fact. He was stronger than he was all those years before. No doubt because of Hestia and Aphrodite, but that didn't matter anymore.

"Yes, I do know. I also know that you've been hiding something from us." Athena replied after taking some time decided on what to say. However, she was never someone who danced around the subject. It was best to be upfront, especially when it came to this specific problem. Not to mention, being upfront with Shirou was usually the best route.

Shirou raised a brow, before turning away from her gaze. "Shirou, it's the absence of nothing wrong that worries me. I've seen how you've been acting and how much more lively you seem. That's fine, but we all know that something like this happening isn't a normal occurrence, even with you. You didn't just endure it, you came out better and stronger."

Athena stood up and walked over towards Shirou. This time, she placed a hand onto his face, not to use her powers, but to comfort him. "Something happened. Whatever it is was, I'm here to help you Shirou. So, please just talk to me."

Shirou looked into her eyes, before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. "I was breaking apart. Eventually, I would have become something else, but someone helped me." Athena eyes slightly widened, a bit surprised by that information.

"It was Chaldea, who managed to contact me somehow. They helped me remember, helped me stay who I am. I managed to reforge myself into who I am now. It wasn't easy, but I managed it and came out like I am now." He continued, before sighing, "They're still looking for me and managed to make contact."

Needless to say, Athena was shocked. She had expected for it to happen, just not so soon. Though, it did answer some of the questions she had regarding what happened. She was thankful for their intervention, but she was upset that Shirou had kept it from her.

Of course, knowing what happened ended up causing her to remember her conversations with Aphrodite about Shirou and Chaldea. She couldn't help the frown from forming on her face. Shirou's doubt and regrets seemed to no longer be a factor, which was good. Though, a part of her wondered if Shirou was acting like this, not because of what happened, but because he knew Chaldea would come and try to take him back to his world.

"I see. I suppose that's good news for you." She replied, almost taking a step back, however, Shirou shook his head.

"It'd be nice to see them again, but I'm not going anywhere, Athena. My home is here. My family is here." Shirou paused, before continuing, "You're here, Athena. You mean just as much to me as Hestia does." He spoke in a rather warm tone of voice. One she hadn't thought she'd hear from a significant other, let alone Shirou. She had always thought Shirou would care about Hestia above her and any other, yet, here he was saying that he cared about her just as much as her.

She looked into his eyes, seeing him looking her directly into her own eyes. 'He isn't lying.' She thought, being able to tell such a thing. He really meant what he said. She almost stepped away because of the sheer disbelief of his words, but she managed to keep herself there, even if she was still in a surprised state.

"After my fight with Ares, you told me that you loved me." He spoke, obviously remembering the event. She remembered it, because it was the truth. It was because of him that Annabeth was born, the one she believed would be her greatest and most amazing child. Even though she did love all her children equally, Annabeth was the child she believed was destined to be her greatest child.

She had spent many years with Shirou and Annabeth. She had grown to miss their presence when they were separated, and felt relief when reunited. She felt a chill every time she saw Shirou return with a wound. She felt a pain in her heart when she saw Annabeth upset or saddened. She felt warmth when her daughter told her of the love she felt for her. She felt the embarrassment when Shirou would shower praise upon her, as well as pride when Shirou, or Annabeth, looked to her for help.

She knew Shirou's feelings regarding the Gorgon sisters in his world, yet, he cared for her all the same. She didn't know why, but she felt the inclination to live up to the view he had of her. She wished to live up to the expectation he placed upon her as a goddess. She did not know why herself, until she spoke with Aphrodite.

For all of Aphrodite's flaws, Athena knew that she was the one person who knew about love. When she spoke of these things to her, Aphrodite told her upfront what was happening. Granted, she already knew that she loved Shirou, she had a child with him after all. However, this was a bit different than what she was used to.

"So, I feel like it's only fair that I tell you the truth, and that's that I love you too, Athena." His words caused her to freeze for a moment, heck, she didn't even know how to react to what he said. He loved Hestia. She was sure he loved Aphrodite. But, to say he loved her the same as them was surprising to her.

Their relationship was totally different from his relationships with Hestia and Aphrodite. They were physically affectionate and passionate with each other. But her relationship was more non-physical. They didn't need that kind of thing, because they understood each other and how they felt. Their love was based on mutual respect, with them being mentally closer than the others. It was enough for them, they didn't require physical relations.

Still, while she knew that, she also felt like she wasn't at the same level as Hestia mainly because of how close the two were, both physically, spiritually, and mentally. While she felt she was closer mentally, the other things told her that Shirou would always prefer Hestia over her. It was only natural after all. However, Shirou's words were proving otherwise. He knew she could tell he wasn't lying.

"Shirou, I hope you know the consequences of your words." She said to him with a small amused smile on her face. Shirou could only let out an amused huff in response.

"Well, should anything troublesome arise from my words, then I'll simply deal with it when the time comes." He replied. Athena shook her head in amusement.

"You're a troublesome man, Shirou Emiya. But, I suppose that's part of your charm. Still, it would be rather unlike me if I did not try to leverage this a bit." She said, her smile remaining on her face as Shirou tilted his head questioningly. "Why don't you show me you love me, rather than just saying it."

Shirou was obviously caught off guard by her statement, but managed to gather himself. He closed his eyes for a moment, before she felt his magic circuits activating. He then held out his right hand, puzzling Athena for a moment. However, she decided that she'd just go with the flow for once. She lifted her own hand up, before placing it into his.

She suddenly felt an influx of magical energy, obviously coming from Shirou's hand. Though, it wasn't anything bad, it was more like something was connecting. Rather than overthink it, she closed her eyes and began to use her own power to respond to what he was doing. As she did, she felt herself connecting to his magic circuits. Honestly, she hadn't really ever felt anything like it.

It was reminiscent of how she bonded to have children, but a bit more personal considering how important magic circuits were to a mage. She was surprised that Shirou was actually willing to do this. Then again, she knew he wasn't a conventional mage. Still, the fact that she could feel herself bonding with Shirou was nice. Though, this time, she realized that she was getting more information about Shirou that she hadn't known about before.

When she opened her eyes, she felt the same as when she did when Annabeth was conceived. She was surprised that Shirou was able to achieve this without the usual process. "I wasn't sure if that was going to work." Shirou said while rubbing the back of his head with a nervous grin. Athena narrowed her eyes at him for a moment, before letting out a sigh.

"You know you didn't have to do that, Shirou." She replied, though she couldn't help but smile a bit. "But, thank you, for sharing that with me." As she said that, a memory flashed through her mind. The image of a woman with short black hair and eyes that reminded her of black iron quickly made its way into her mind. The main thing she noticed, the thing that Shirou remembered, was the content smile she wore despite being bedridden from illness. An important memory of his mother that helped Shirou become who he was today.

Shirou shook his head. "I think it's only fair that I share those memories with you. I hope that it provides some reassurance that I won't be going anywhere anytime soon." Shirou's words were said in a slightly joking manner, but she understood what he meant.

"You do know that you'll likely have to deal with a certain troublesome goddess after this whole ordeal." Athena said with an amused twinkle in her eyes. Shirou didn't seem bothered by her words, though he did let out a small sigh.

"Well, I felt like I was going to have to deal with all of this sooner or later. Though, I admit that dealing with her will likely be rather...tiring." Athena slightly frowned at his words, but knew that it was the truth. Though, she held out hope that Shirou's current condition might stop her from going too far.

As she was about to say something more, she was interrupted by some information. "Ah, I see. So, that's why she's been acting so strangely." She muttered, with Shirou looking at her with a questioning gaze. "Artemis and Hestia have just met up with me in Olympus. It seems they were forced to take a detour because of her twin and Hestia's sister." She paused, "The one that likes to dress up in bright colors."

Shirou seemed to understand who she was talking about. "I sometimes forget that you all can be in multiple places at once."

"It isn't as easy as it seems. Still, it can be quite handy at times. Personally, I don't like using it too much since splitting my focus on multiple things can be rather annoying to deal with. This time though, I felt like I needed to keep an eye on the house, just in case." Athena responded with a slight smile on her face. "Though, it seems like figuring out what occurred with Artemis will be a rather interesting endeavor."

Shirou hummed in response to her words before speaking. "You know, you can focus on helping them figure that out. I just wanted to talk to you for a bit, since it's been awhile since we were able to." Athena let out an amused huff.

"Yes, you might be correct. I must admit that I'm personally interested in figuring it out. Though, I'm pretty sure that the answer won't be all that complicated once we learn of it." She said with confidence. "Still, should you need me, all you need to do is call out and I'll be here." She continued, before smiling at him. "Before I leave, I just want to tell you to not do anything too strenuous, otherwise you'll end up hurting yourself. So, keep that in mind when she catches you." As she finished, Shirou nodded in reply, before she allowed herself to focus in on Hestia and Artemis in Olympus.

Though, she wondered if she should inform the two of them of what Shirou had told her about Chaldea. She knew that Shirou would eventually tell them on his own time, but she wanted to at least reassure the two that Shirou was mostly fine. She hummed to herself in thought, before shrugging her shoulders. She'd figure something out. She always did.

---

Once more, Shirou was left to wander the home and spend some time with his children and the other residents that lived in his home. It was a strange day for the residents of the Emiya home, since no goddesses were present in the home for now.

Then again, it wasn't as if this was always the case, as Shirou had found out. Though, he was rather thankful for the chances he had to speak with the others. However, there was one goddess that he had yet to speak with since the Ares Incident.

Aphrodite was good at many things, but patience was not one of her strong suits. She was a goddess who embodied desire and passion, so needless to say, she hated not being able to express herself.

Had she changed since moving in with Shirou and having Ophelia? The answer to that would be yes. However, she was still a goddess and she couldn't exactly change certain characteristics of herself, not that she wanted to. A few flaws here and there helped her feel more human.

Of course, that didn't matter to her. For her, perfection was something one had to believe for themselves. And she definitely lived with her philosophy. Despite changing, she still felt like she was perfect. Until Shirou's incident with Ares.

She couldn't help but blame herself for what had happened, at least, partially. She should have known he would try to pull a stunt like that ever since his ever increasing attempts to hit on her when on Olympus. She should have put a stop to him long ago, but she was so blind to it because of the life she had.

She wanted some of the love that Shirou and Hestia shared, and she managed to get some of it. With Ophelia being the living and breathing embodiment of that love. Then she had Lacy, which was quite a thrilling experience. She didn't know that Shirou was so skilled, nor did she know about his endurance and stamina. Granted, Shirou was in a rough shape after conceiving Lacy, but anyone else wouldn't have been able to make her fall asleep in bliss afterwards.

She was getting away from the subject, she was happy and surrounded by love of all kinds. She even got to see the love of other couples in the little area they lived in, being rather intrigued by their mortal lives. Then there was the love of her children. Each one called her Mama, and she couldn't imagine having a happier family. The children really brightened up her life more than she thought they would. But, that was when she realized it.

She was being selfish, and it caused her to lose sight of any possible threats to that happiness. She was so focused on the family and how happy she was that she couldn't even see the obvious signs of Ares coming to take her back to Olympus, while trying to kill Shirou. She was still fuming over it. She held it together, but she really almost charmed Ares into cutting off his own head. Both of them, actually.

She was still Aphrodite, after all. All in Olympus knew better than to cross her. She may have changed, but her ruthlessness remained. Tempered only by Shirou and Hestia. She sighed, before reappearing in her room, deciding that she had kept up her act long enough. Most of the Olympians all saw her as a dumb blonde bimbo of a goddess anyway, so it wouldn't matter.

The moment she appeared in her room, she laid down on her white and pink bed. She let out a long deep sigh, before getting back up and looking out the window. A smile formed on her face as she saw Shirou playing with his three daughters. She said playing, but it was really just Shirou having a fun spar with them.

A part of her wanted to be annoyed that he was doing that when he should be resting and letting his injuries heal. However, since he was only using his good arm and not moving all that much, she figured it was okay.

It was nice seeing them having fun. She let out a sigh, knowing that they'd one day have to deal with monsters and the other problems half-bloods often went through. It was not something she was looking forward to. She already felt like they were growing up too fast. She already missed seeing them as babies.

She smiled as she thought back on those fond memories. 'I guess it is true when people say that their children grow up in the blink of an eye.' She let out a hum as she thought about her children, her mind drifting to thoughts of her lover, Shirou. She couldn't help but let out a content sigh as she thought about their time together.

She knew about Athena and her second child, since it was something Athena had spoke to her about before. She had been rather coy about it, but Aphrodite knew that she wanted another and it seemed like she was getting her wish. Then there was the absolute bombshell Artemis dropped on them.

It was a genuine shock, though it was clear that Artemis was just as surprised. She was going to be sure to tease Artemis about it later, but she didn't want to bother her just yet. She'd let her think that she had no clue about the children for now. It was more fun that way anyways. Though, she would admit to being a bit intrigued about the situation that Artemis found herself in.

While she didn't go through any of usual processes to have one, Aphrodite felt like it was already a big step in the right direction. She had always messed with Athena and Artemis about finding a lover, and about experiencing love, but for them to both to be involved with Shirou was something else.

Especially when considering the fact that Shirou was with both Hestia and herself. It was quite the surprise, even if the two still didn't partake in the more physical sides of love, it was still a step in right direction. She knew this, because she was actually able to speak with Athena and not argue with her.

In fact, Aphrodite would even be proud to say that Athena was her friend. None of that would have been possible without Shirou and them having children. Now, it was Artemis's turn, though she wasn't sure if they would become friends. Still, she held out hope that it was possible, as she actually respected Artemis.

Plus, having children was something that Aphrodite felt would be good for Artemis. It would definitely help her open up and probably be less strait laced. A part of her was excited because of how interesting it was that Artemis was even able to have children. It was simply enticing and amazing, and she would be able to witness it in person.

But, this led to a problem for her. All the children being born and showing up was affecting her. Not to mention, Shirou had been so lovely and enchanting to her recently. She knew he used her power she gave him, but this wasn't because of that. It was because of the love she was feeling from him.

Even watching him play with daughters showed her a lot of love, more so than usual. Her body temperature was rising, her breathing increasing, and without getting into the gritty details, she was getting turned on! It just increased and increased ever since she saw Shirou had kicked Ares ass.

She had to hold herself together the moment they saw him, since it was rather important that they needed to check on him, but checking him out while checking on him was totally okay. Maybe it had to do with the all the blood and injuries, seeing him standing tall over Ares, inside his world that had a representation of her in the stars.

Ah, it was too much. Hero Shirou was pushing all the buttons necessary and before she could even get any time with him to herself, Artemis had to send them to bed to check on the girls. Once again, it was valid, but it made her yearn for him so much more.

However, she had mastered self control. Okay, not really, but she wasn't just going to jump him while he was healing from his injuries. Besides, she did kind of want to spend some time with him, just talking to each other like lovers do.

"Sadly, it will have to wait." She said with a sad sigh. Besides, she didn't want to push her feelings onto him. She had a feeling that his life was already quite complicated now, and if she added on to it then she'd feel like she was just being selfish.

"What will have to wait?" A voice asked, causing her to jump in surprise. She turned and saw Shirou leaning against the door frame with an amused expression on his face. She let out a small grumble, before looking back towards him.

"Did you have to scare me like that? Also, weren't you just outside playing with the girls?" She asked, a small pout on her face. Shirou smiled a bit, before entering the room.

"Ophelia told me you were home and said I should come and see you. Scaring you was just a little bonus for me." Shirou chuckled a bit, making his way over towards her. Aphrodite couldn't help but look at his bandaged arm, as well as the bandages covering the cut on his eye.

It was clear that his injuries were getting better, but he was still moving slower than usual. She couldn't help but look at him with a slightly saddened expression. "How are you feeling, darling?" Shirou let out small chuckle at her question, causing her to pout a bit.

"Sorry, it's just that I've been asked that a whole lot today." He said as he rubbed the back of his head. Aphrodite couldn't help but take another look at his bandaged arm. He had a small smile on his face as he let out sigh. "I'm alright, Dite. The recovery is going well and I've been checked on throughout the day, just like every day since it happened."

His voice was tinged with amusement, but Aphrodite could tell that he understood what they were worried about. Still, if there was one thing that Shirou had never done and would never do, it was lie to her. "I believe you. If I didn't, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

She then reached out and took his hand, before guiding him to sit on the bed. "But, because I do believe you, and since our adorable little girl led you right to me, I say we have a conversation about something else."

Shirou hummed, "I see, well, what would you like to talk about?" Aphrodite smiled, before bringing a finger to her lips in a pose that made it look like she was trying to think about his question.

"Hmm, that's a good question. Let's see, why don't we talk about..." She stopped, before looking Shirou up and down for a moment. She then flashed him a sultry smile as she stepped forward and slowly turned, being sure to give Shirou a good look at her body as she did so.

She then slowly dropped down onto his lap, causing Shirou's face to redden from her actions. She let out a small giggle, being rather pleased with his reaction. Considering she came directly from Olympus, she knew that her red and black silk dress that clung tight against her body would be able draw some sort of reaction from him.

She had changed into it as she was leaving, thinking that she'd be able to seduce Shirou and hopefully be able to get him to have some fun with her, but remembered his injuries and forgot to change out of it. Then again, she didn't really want to change out of it, since she could still tease him a little with it.

She slowly moved her body, making herself more comfortable while also teasing him by rubbing against him and making him feel her body. She was really happy that Shirou seemed to be reacting a bit more to her actions than he usually did. A part of her wondered if he was just indulging her usual antics or not.

"Why don't we talk about why you chose to face that fool like you did." She said, before leaning back against him, resting her head on his shoulder. Shirou paused for a moment, she could feel him take a few breaths, before deciding to speak.

"I wasn't going to face him like that initially. If I did have to face him, I had planned out a strategy that would have let me face him without too much risk to myself." He answered. Aphrodite let out a sigh, before gently grasping his arms and pulling them in front of herself, not even thinking about the fact that she had them resting against her breasts.

"Then why? Surely you know that we could have helped you? Even Arty's hunters could have rushed over and helped." She asked, though she knew why he initially rushed in. She just wanted to know why he chose to keep them out of it. His bounded field made it so that they couldn't flash to him or into the park.

Their fight didn't last too long, but it was long enough to harm him to the extent that she had to caress a bandaged arm, this wasn't even mentioning the other injuries. If they showed up, it would have ended very quickly. She was sure that any god or titan would have trouble facing Shirou's four goddesses by themselves.

"I could have done it different, but I didn't want any of you to get involved. Besides, I couldn't let him kill Mia or even think about getting to Caroline and Ophelia. Once his domain started messing with my head, all I could think about was stopping him." He said rather calmly, before shaking his head.

"I knew why he was there and I felt like I had to stop him. For you, for the girls, for our family." Aphrodite listened as he continued on, as everything he said made sense. Though, a part of her wondered if Shirou understood how each of them felt because of what he did. Rather, because of what happened to him.

While she may have been attracted to his appearance when they showed up, it didn't mean that particularly enjoyed thinking about how he got that appearance. "I needed to face him." Her eyes widened with surprise, causing her to turn her head towards him, only to see him looking into her eyes.

"If I had done things differently, I doubt I would have come out of it whole." He continued, obviously thinking back on what had happened.

"What happened? I may not be Athena, but even I could tell that something was bothering you ever since then." It was a simple question, one that she had wanted to ask for awhile. The others had been worried because they couldn't exactly find anything wrong him, but she knew that there was a very specific reason for it. It took her watching him for a day or two, but she guessed that whatever had happened to him must have been more internal.

"Chaldea saved me." Was his reply, a reply that caused her to stiffen a bit. She knew that they'd come looking for Shirou sooner or later. She just didn't think it would happen so quick. "They were able to make contact and thanks to that, I was able to remember what was important."

"Are they going to come for you?" She asked him in a calm tone. She heard him let out a small hum.

"They're likely to keep searching, however, you don't have to worry about them taking me away." He replied confidently, though Aphrodite was conflicted about that. "I made my choice, Aphrodite, and that choice is here. I belong here with our family, with you."

"You say that now, but that could always change once you see them in person. Who knows, you might change your mind about us, about me." As she spoke, she actually felt herself losing control of her emotions a bit. "I'm not like Hestia, or Athena, or even Artemis. I don't have a great track record, Shirou. Even this whole incident, I could have stopped it."

"It's my fault that your hurt. I'm just a selfish goddess who forced herself into you life because I wanted what Hestia had. I don't see why you would choose to stay with me, or include me, when you could find someone more suitable." She honestly had no clue why she was saying all this, but she felt like she had to.

She was about to continue, before Shirou turned her face towards himself, and planted a kiss on her lips, surprising her. Shirou rarely initiated intimate contact like that, it was normally her who did that. Once he separated from her, she couldn't help but continue to be stunned.

Shirou had a small smile on his face. "You're not like them, that's true. Perhaps you are selfish, and maybe you have some things in your past that you're not proud of, but I love you anyway. You're perfect as you are." He replied, catching her completely off guard.

"I don't care about who you were before, it's who you are now that I care about." He spoke clear and calm, being sure that she wouldn't misunderstand him. "I've made peace with myself and my situation. They'll eventually come here, but I don't think you have to worry about them so much, Dite."

"You said that you love me." She said in a quiet voice. 'He actually said that.' It was a surprise, and it was no lie. She could also feel the emotion of his words. She looked him in the eyes, "That I don't have to worry, well, I want you to prove it." She spoke in a low and seductive voice, her mind captivated by Shirou's words to her.

She had been upset learning about Chaldea, being afraid of the bonds he had made with them, as well as the love they shared between each other, but hearing him say that to her made her forget about it. Rather, it made her worries dissipate. If it were any other goddess, this may not have been the case, however, she could feel his emotions.

It was her power and authority that allowed her to know and feel exactly what Shirou meant. The power only three little words held could be a frightening thing to some. However, it could also be warm and reassuring, melting away one's fears and worries. That was the power of Aphrodite's domain.

Love was both a terrifying and reassuring thing. The duality of love was something she knew very well, and it was also why even the gods were wary of her. So, when Shirou said he loved her, she felt all of the emotion in his words and his heart. It was enough to let her know not to worry about what the future may bring.

She had held back for days because she was worried about him, then he pulls a stunt like this one, knowing what would happen. She slowly began to shift her body around, turning to face towards him. She noticed his face reddening from the contact and movement, causing her to smile to broaden and her eyes to subtly glow.

He turned away and cleared his throat. He reached into his pocket as she fully maneuvered her body until she was sitting on his lap, facing towards him, her legs wrapped around his body. "Before I hurt myself, I want you to have this." He spoke quickly, correctly guessing that he didn't have much time.

Aphrodite paused, surprised by Shirou's words. She looked down, where he had placed his hand between the two of them. She held out her hand, before Shirou placed something rather surprising into her hand. She said surprising, but shocking was a more apt description.

It appeared to be a ring. No, it was a ring. Her eyes focused in on it, before tilting her head questioningly. She then peered back up towards Shirou, obviously puzzled. "Is that...?" She paused, with Shirou shooting her a small smile.

"For you? Yes it is." He replied, causing Aphrodite to let out a small gasp. She quickly took the beautiful ornate ring and placed it on her finger. The moment she did, she felt the power that inhabited Shirou. It was enough to tell her that he had crafted it himself.

A small part of her was a bit upset that he managed to sneak into his workshop and craft it despite his recovering body. However, it was mostly overshadowed by the fact that Shirou had done this for her. Even if he had plans to do something similar for Athena, and maybe Artemis, it still meant a lot that she was the first one he chose to do it for.

Aphrodite admired the ring, before looking back at her lover and softly placed her hands on his shoulders. "There's no need for you to do a thing today, darling." She purred, being able to see Shirou react to her voice and movements. "Just let me take care of you this time." Her clear blue eyes switched and became pink with a soft glow.

Shirou's eyes shifted around, "Uh, wait, the children..." Aphrodite then grinned, before making a motion with her hand, causing the door to close and lock. In fact, the room almost seemed to fill with magical energy emanating from her.

She then leaned forward next to his ear. "Don't worry, no one will interrupt. The others will watch them for us. For now, just focus on me my dear." She whispered in a low and seductive tone. "I'm going to show you how happy you've made me." She then gently pushed his back onto the bed.

She couldn't help but hum when she noticed Shirou's reactions, seeing that he was showing more emotion and was reacting a lot more beautifully than their previous engagements. It was enough to make her thankful for whatever Chaldea had done to help him.

She smiled down at him, before dropping the shoulder strap on her dress and allowing it to slip off, revealing herself to him. This wasn't the first time they had done this, and it definitely wasn't going to be the last if she had anything to say about it, but she would be lying if she said she wasn't feeling a bit nervous. Though, she felt nervous wasn't the right word for it.

"How would you like to have another baby?" She asked as she leaned forward and looked into his eyes. Shirou took a deep breath and closed his eyes, before opening them and meeting her gaze with a small smirk.

"I don't think I'm in any position to say no." He replied, causing Aphrodite's smile to brighten, along with the glow of her eyes. The next moment, she shot forward and began to pour all of her love onto her partner. Rather than lust, being rough and fast, she was completely embodying and giving love to Shirou.

Originally, it was because of his injuries, but now it was because it felt right. It was slow and passionate, focusing completely on the moment and her lover. True to her word, no one interrupted the two, allowing them to spend their time alone with only each other, at least for awhile, but that was enough.

---

Night quickly approached. Despite the later hours of the day, the Emiya home wasn't quiet or dark. In fact, it was just as alive as usual. The children and other residents could be seen around the house partaking in whatever activity they fancied. It was during the night that the goddesses returned and often spent time with the children.

Even during the rather troublesome aftermath of Shirou and Ares's battle, they made sure to see their children. Though, checking on Shirou was a big factor as well. Thankfully, they each seemed to have their worries mostly assuaged.

While there was still issues present, they at least knew that said issues were because of things out of their control. If someone were to ask them, they had expected a much bigger fallout from what happened. Granted, if Ares was able to speak, then it would have likely been a cause for concern.

Origin bullet, it was what Shirou had shot Ares with before he departed. The goddesses had never seen such magic before, save for Athena by virtue of seeing Emiya Alter. To them, it was a devastating and terrifying concept. The process of the creation was another facet they weren't excited about.

Though, Shirou only had two more Origin rounds remaining. The rest he had made for him were with the survivors of Chaldea. Athena was interested in them and was given one to study, but Shirou pretty much explained what they were rather well.

He wasn't sure what effect they would have if they were made now, but back when they were made, his origin was only Sword. Apparently, they injected the origin into the target, whatever concept the origin held, the bullet would manifest within the target. His bullet caused swords to burst and manifest within the target's body.

It was a simple explanation, but it was enough to allow them to understand why Ares was in the state he was. Hestia was a bit upset at how violent and painful it was, however, her anger towards Ares and the threats he made against Shirou and their family made her feel it was justified.

Hestia had noted that not many were that concerned over what occurred, which was good. Only Zeus seemed troubled, which wasn't a surprise considering his manic paranoia. Hera was initially wary, until she was able to explain what had happened and why Shirou did what he did.

She was a bit worried when she offered to send him somewhere to recover, but she was able to reassure her that his injuries weren't severe enough for that.

Athena and Artemis were spending time trying to find the cause of why she had twins. Athena had some ideas, but she wanted to watch the children for a bit before coming to a conclusion. What puzzled her was the fact they also bore the divinity from their Roman side.

She was a bit concerned about that, as she wasn't sure what would happen if Shirou met with her Roman side. Considering he would be spending time with the twins, she had a feeling that he'd meet her sooner rather than later. Though, she wasn't too worried.

As she walked through the house, she thought about Shirou and the time he spent with the others. Athena was going to have another child, along with Aphrodite. He opened up to them more thanks to what had happened, which was a good thing. If it brought them closer together as a family, then it was always welcomed.

She noticed Caroline and Aphrodite entertaining and having fun with Miyu, Annabeth, and Ophelia. Lacy, Ritsuka, and the twins were asleep in the "baby" room. Her eyes took note of the pretty ring on Aphrodite's hand, causing her to chuckle to herself a bit.

She continued through the house until she reached Shirou's usual spot, the back porch of the house. To her surprise, he wasn't alone. She saw Mia smiling happily as she held a bow close her body. It seemed that whatever they were talking about was already done, but she already guessed what it was.

Especially since she already had Tauropolos in her hands. Shirou wanted to give her a gift after what happened. Her previous bow was broken, and while Artemis could have made another one for her, Shirou decided to be the one to give her one.

She remembered when they returned from his fight, one of the first things Shirou did was check on Mia, Caroline, and Ophelia. It was very much like him to do so, which was a rather good sign for her to see.

She saw Mia nod a few times, before the two seemingly finished their conversation with Shirou patting the girl on the head. Mia's face reddened with embarrassment, before turning and walking away with the bow. Shirou rubbed the back of his head with a small chuckle, before taking a seat on the porch and looking up into the night sky.

Hestia couldn't help but shake her head with a smile on her face from Shirou's predictable behavior. Considering it was something he did almost every night, it was easy for all of them to know where to look for him during this time.

She made her way over towards her husband, with him looking over his shoulder as she grew closer. "Mia seemed happy." She said, maintaining her smile as she did so. Shirou responded with a hum as she sat down behind him while laying her head against his back and wrapping her arms around him.

"She deserved a gift for what she did." He stated, taking a deep breath. "She showed a lot of courage going up against him like she did. So, even if she feels otherwise, I felt like I had to show her some appreciation."

Hestia giggled quietly at his words. "I'm sure she understood the sentiment. Besides, what you gave her probably meant a lot to her. I'm sure she knows the significance of the bow and who it belonged to"

Shirou nodded, looking at bandaged arm. Hestia couldn't help herself. "Will you be okay?" She asked, with Shirou letting out an amused huff.

"It should heal up just fine. I'll likely have scars, but that's not a big deal. I was mainly just thinking about the other times I'd been injured like this." He answered, with Hestia smiling a bit at his words.

"It's been awhile since the last time you've had injuries like that. I think the last time was when you saved Mia and her hunters." She remembered, thinking about that time and how long ago it was. Rather, how long ago it felt it had been. 7 to 8 years wasn't all that long when you were immortal, but she realized that it did feel like a long time to her.

She attributed it to her family. Time felt a lot slower than it usually did, which she was actually kind of thankful for. "It's been quite the journey since we first met, hasn't it?" Shirou asked, likely being more of a reflective question than a real one. He let out a small sigh.

"I'm sorry for all the trouble that I've caused you. Thinking back, I probably could have avoided most of those problems I was involved in." He continued, though Hestia only shook her head, before moving and sitting next to Shirou and taking a hold of his hand.

"Don't apologize. You wouldn't be you if you avoided or ignored those problems. Besides, I know that you never intend on causing problems, and that your intentions are always good. Even the problems from your fight, those aren't your fault. You protected Mia and protected Caroline, Ophelia, and Aphrodite from that foolish boy."

"As for any issues that may spring up in the future, we can take care of those together, right?" She finished as she looked at him with a happy smile. Shirou raised a brow for a moment, before he let out a small chuckle.

"Of course. Though, I worry that most of those issues might not be my fault next time." He slightly joked, while Hestia let out a worried laugh.

"I don't think the girls will cause too much trouble when they head out." She responded in a tone that didn't convey much confidence. Considering their father, she was pretty sure that they'd likely be dragged into some troublesome situations. She just hoped that it wasn't anything too bad.

"Well, even if they do, I'm fairly confident that they'll be able to handle it. If they run into something troublesome, I'm sure Miyu will be able to take care of them." He said with a small smile.

"Hmm, I agree. Mother thinks that she's the most protective of the three of them. Though, with Thalia at the Camp with them, I doubt we have to worry about them too much." She replied with a hum. She then leaned her head onto Shirou's shoulder.

"True. Speaking of Thalia, how is she doing at the camp?" Shirou asked her, with Hestia letting out a small laugh.

"She's doing just fine, dear. She's already made a group of friends, including the friend she made here, Jasmine." Hestia answered, kicking her feet playfully.

"How'd she take that revelation?" Shirou questioned, though Hestia wasn't too sure herself. They both knew about the girl, but figured it would be better for the two friends if they revealed that information to each other when they were ready.

"Well, they're still hanging out together, so I assume she took it well. Their little group gets along well, so I doubt we have anything to worry about." She answered with a smile, before remembering something. "Oh, right, I forgot to tell you. Thalia will likely be getting a quest pretty soon, as will the camp be getting more in general."

Shirou raised a brow at that, before looking over at her questioningly. However, Hestia simply shrugged her shoulders. "Thalia's will likely be more like requests or trials from Olympus, though mother did say that she had a feeling that more quests will be given soon. She didn't say why, but I'm guessing it has to do with her prophecy power."

"That doesn't sound good. Prophecies and stuff like that are always annoying. Hopefully, it isn't a cause for concern." Shirou said, unable to hide his worries. Though, Hestia was sure that it had to do with his own concerns over the strange things occurring over the years with monsters and the like.

Even Artemis mentioned a few strange things like that. Sightings of strange monsters and feeling like the mist was acting differently from time to time. Hestia just hoped it was temporary. "Mother didn't say, but it'd probably be a good idea to take it easy for awhile. My brother is on edge and with all this going on, he'll likely be keeping a closer eye on everything."

"Don't worry, I plan on spending time here for awhile. Unless your sister needs me for something, or Arty and her hunters, I'll be here with the children. If something does come up, I'll investigate, but I don't want to get caught up in anything too troublesome." He answered with a small huff.

"Good, because I want to spend some more time together with you. Though, I assume so will everyone else." Hestia giggled a bit, before looking at Shirou with a small smirk. "Speaking of which, I noticed Dite had a pretty new accessory."

Her words caused Shirou to slightly stiffen, before bringing his free hand up to rub the back of his head. "I was going to wait to give that to her, but she kind of ambushed me and I caved. The others' aren't ready yet, but they should be done soon. Including yours." He finished while looking her in the eyes, surprising her a bit.

They had talked about it before, but Shirou didn't mention making her something as well. She couldn't help but blush a bit. "I didn't know you were making something for me too. What is it?" Shirou let out a small chuckle at her question.

"I can't tell you that. It's supposed to be a surprise. It may not beat the time I gave you your ring, but I'm hoping it still makes you happy." He said with a smile. Hestia looked at him for a moment, before leaning back against his shoulder.

"You're a dummy." She said with a small pout on her face, while fiddling with the ring on Shirou's hand. "I'm guessing Dite was overjoyed with her present?" She asked, though she already knew the answer. Shirou let out strained noise that gave her the answer.

Hestia gripped Shirou's a hand a bit tighter, before looking up at him and using her other hand to make him look at her. She a soft smile on her face and her fiery eyes were bright and beautiful, "Just remember who it is that you're married too, my love." Shirou's eyes slightly widened, before he smiled back at her.

"How could I ever forget such a thing?" He asked playfully, with Hestia letting out a small giggle. She placed a kiss onto his lips, before moving again, this time she placed herself so that she was sitting on Shirou's lap. She grabbed his arms and placed them in front of her, before leaning back into his chest and letting out a relaxing sigh.

The two sat together in the silence, looking up at the sky, until Shirou broke said silence. "Hestia?" His voice called out, causing her to let out a small hum in response. "Do you want to have another child?" Hestia stilled for a moment, before turning her head to look back Shirou. Surprisingly, he seemed to be genuinely asking.

She thought about it for a moment, knowing that they had a few young children already in the house, as well as some future ones likely to join. As she was thinking about the question, the pair heard small footsteps approaching them. The two turned and saw Miyu running over towards them with a happy smile on her face.

"Hold me too, daddy!" She called out, before hopping up onto Hestia's lap. Hestia quickly grabbed onto her little daughter, smiling as she did so.

"Alright, just make sure not to fall off, okay?" Shirou said, causing Hestia's eyes to widen with some surprise. The next moment, Shirou stood up while moving Hestia into a princess carry with Miyu on top of her, laughing happily.

Hestia looked up at Shirou with a concerned expression, worried about his arm, however, he simply smiled at her reassuringly. She noticed he wasn't struggling, so she guessed that he was using reinforcement help him. She wanted to stop him, but decided not to. Besides, their daughter was happy, and she could feel that Shirou was too.

Then again, she would admit that she was quite happy herself. She saw the happy smile on Miyu's face and the bright color of her fiery eyes, and couldn't help but hold her daughter a little closer. She looked up at Shirou, who noticed and met her gaze. "Okay." She mouthed to him, answering his earlier question.

---

"How interesting." A female voice spoke, looking through a book of archaic symbols. "I've never seen magic like this." She reached over and broke a piece of metal off Ares, who was passed out on a table. "A blade? Intriguing, very intriguing."

"Hecate, can you fix him?" Zeus asked with narrowed eyes. She looked over at Zeus with an annoyed expression.

"I have to study the nature of what happened to him first. Needlessly rushing won't accomplish a thing. Feel free to invite other healers or those skilled in magic, however, none will find a way to deal with this faster than me. Let me do my work in peace." She replied, not hiding her annoyance with him.

Zeus let out a frustrated growl before turning and walking away. "Just get it done." Hecate simply rolled her eyes.

"I'm more interested in the magic and who casted it than I am fixing this fool. We'll have to see which comes first, won't we?" She whispered to herself, looking at Ares body. Blades were erupting from his body in multiple places, even now, swords sprouted from time to time. He was effectively a statue of blades.

'Perhaps, I can ask for some assistance from Athena.' She thought, before deciding to go back to studying what she could find.

---

Edit: A few errors may be around, that's from having to update on an IPad and it messing with a few sentences, I'm going through trying to fix them. So, yeah, sorry for that.

Done, sorry it took awhile. My internet went dead and I had to go through a process of switching, so that took longer than expected. Anyways, this chapter was mainly to show the aftermath of what happened, but focusing more on Shirou's relationships with everyone. It was a decision I decided to make instead of doing the Thalia quest chapter. Next chapter will be the main time skip most likely. I decided to do it this way, but I'll have Thalia and two others have a quest during the main story that will tie in to some important events later on. Shirou will also have his own things to deal with, maybe with something I hinted at in this chapter.

I will explain a few things that happened in this time skip through some dialogue, since people don't like flashbacks all that much. Also, for those that didn't get the hints, I decided to make it extra clear that Shirou and Aphrodite hooked up already and did so again. In case you think I didn't do this before, go back and check with how Ritsuka and Lacy were made, I thought I made the words clear enough, but I guess I didn't. Not sure how this chapter came out with Aphrodite and Shirou, but I hope it was satisfactory. Maybe it felt weird, idk, but it'll get better. Since it's Aphrodite, you know there will more scenes like that. As for Hestia, who knows. I prefer showing Shirou and her relationship being more wholesome and family oriented.

Not sure how well this came out, but I'm hoping it was alright. I tried to do my best to make it a decent progression from last chapter. Oh, and Caroline, I hope those that wanted to see some progress with her were happy. I didn't want her in the story and not have anything, so I decided to do something about it. We'll see what happens with that. I want to do more with Shirou and showing how he is with others, like the hunters. So, I'll show more of that since there will be more Artemis scenes now. Zoe as well, because Zoe's cool.

I didn't include Apollo reacting to the twins, but that will be shown, because of course it will. That might be the only flashback, if I make it a flashback. Also, Shirou will know another titaness because of Artemis. That'll be fine writing her, since I want to show her. Oh, and Vesta and Diana will likely show up next chapter. Vesta for sure, because I want to write her. Minerva won't show up for awhile, and if you've read the books, you know why.

I also hinted at Hecate, but there will be others, since Ares will need a lot of help to get fixed. Circe might be a candidate, we'll see. Also, I'll reveal the other goddess that was watching Shirou through nightmares and what she was doing and why. Some of you already know, but yeah, I'll show why. I will show a few more Chaldea as time goes on, because I want to show what they're doing from time to time. Also, someone mentioned Gilgamesh being alive and those stories, however, I'd like to clarify those aren't canon to the main universe story. They weren't written by Riordan, not to say I won't use those characters or some of those story elements, just that, I mainly using the main canon. Ereshkigal for example, she'll be very different in my story than the books that have her in it. Just wanted to put that out there.

I may do side chapters, just 2000 to 5000 word chapters of side stories that add a bit more Context and story to everything, maybe like Shirou with the goddesses and maybe just other things like that. I'm thinking about it. Also, I have chapters with Shield Hero and Danmachi, I'm debating on whether or not to release them. I kind of want to work on these other stories and what not. So, we'll see. I passed a sekirei crossover story and I thought about doing one on that instead, but then I thought about others, and then I was like, ugh, no just finish this chapter and worry about it later, so that's what I did.

Anyways, not important, I just want to say I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, I did have fun writing it. I hope to release some chapters in the coming days, hopefully in a day or two, we'll see. Thanks for reading, I hope you all enjoy the story. I appreciate the reviews and feedback, it helps a bunch. feel free to ask me questions, I usually answer. Once again, I hope you all enjoyed and, as usual, until next time.