Chapter 13
It was a haze, as if peering into some sort of veil. Dreams were a tricky thing, yet, this was unlike any dream before it. It was no memory or nightmare. Looking around, it was clear where this vision was taking place. It was Olympus.
Only, it appeared like a large battle had taken place. Bodies littered the ground, some familiar, others not so much. There were even corpses of monsters that had yet to fully dissipate. Further into the dream, within the grand hall, was the object of the dreams.
A fight had obviously taken place within the room, though, that was secondary to what the most jarring thing was. Sitting near the same spot as Zeus's throne, was Shirou Emiya, who sat upon a throne made of swords. His hair was fully white, with his eyes being the color of steel.
Stabbed in front of him was the black and red Excalibur. His eyes were closed, before he opened them up and grabbed onto the blackened Excalibur, standing as he did so. "You go no further, # # # ." Whoever he spoke to, the name seemed garbled.
Without another word, Shirou's magical energy began to fill the area around him, his magic circuits fully visible. Greek style Armor was now visible on his body, being mixed with his usual attire. Before anything else could happen, the vision ended.
"Are you sure this a good idea? You know about all the drama that's going on in Olympus. I don't think this is the right time for them to be there." Aphrodite said in a concerned voice, knowing about the rather volatile situation going on.
Personally, she wasn't all that interested in it, but she did know that the children could end up getting dragged into some rather problematic issues. Especially considering who their father was. If they inherited that same penchant for danger, then it was clear that they'd get dragged into.
"The plan was for them to go to the camp when they turned 12, just like most other children their age. Besides, none of them were in New York when it happened, so they'll be fine. And, if it is their fate to have a role in this, then there is nothing we can do." Athena answered, before taking a drink from her tea.
"There is something we can do. We could call them back. And if that doesn't work, we'll just get Shirou to do something about it. Shirou isn't tied to fate, remember?" She replied, her voice slightly raising.
Athena let out a sigh, "You and I both know what would happen to him if he does what you're suggesting, Aphrodite. Other than that, Shirou may not have been tied to fate initially, he may still not be, however, I realized something when speaking with Lady Rhea." She stopped for a moment, before taking a deep breath.
"Shirou has been slowly getting anchored into our world, little by little. First was Hestia, me, you, and Artemis, followed by the divinity he took in, then our children. I wondered why there were prophecies about him and the girls, and this is the conclusion I came to. Shirou's thread is still weak, tied between this world and his, but it's still there."
"As for your idea to have him do something about it, we both know creating that sword will kill him." Athena then placed her cup back onto the table. "I understand what you're saying, and why you're worried, but we have prepared them the best we could."
"What if it isn't enough? Shirou can't fix it and we can't intervene. Do we really have no other option other than to trust their abilities? Is there anything we can do?" Aphrodite was clearly troubled by what was happening. Athena brought a hand to her forehead.
"Dite, I get it. I'm worried as well. I've raised the three of them too. Maybe I wasn't around as long as you, but that doesn't mean I love them any less. I don't want anything to happen to them, but this will be good for them. They need to make friends with children like themselves." Athena looked at Aphrodite, who was obviously nervous.
"Look, if it makes you feel better, Joanna and Jamie are there to keep an eye on them. That's not even mentioning Thalia. They're in good hands." She reassured Aphrodite with a small smile. Aphrodite let out a tired sigh.
"I know. They'll do just fine. Maybe I just wish they were still little again. Maybe I still think of them like that, and that's why I'm so upset. Now that they're in that camp, they'll start becoming more independent. Plus, imagine what they'll learn there. What if they start to hate us?" Aphrodite asked, her voice becoming noticeably more somber.
Athena's eyes widened slightly, before she shook her head. "They know they're demigods, Dite. They already know who we are. They haven't treated us any different from before. No matter what they learn or what they are told, they won't treat you any different, because they love you. Trust me on this."
Athena wasn't lying, but she would admit to panicking a bit at what Aphrodite had said. She hadn't actually thought about that. Though, she knew the girls were quite smart and mature for their age. She had a feeling they'd know that they weren't the same as they were in Greece. At least, not completely.
Thankfully, what she said must have made Aphrodite feel a bit better, as she managed to get her to smile. She still wasn't all that great at dealing with emotional people, but Aphrodite was an exception. Despite her still being a bit annoying, she wasn't all that bad to be around. She was her friend after all.
"Now, pull yourself together. You don't want the children to see you about to cry, do you?" She asked as she rolled her eyes a bit.
"Really? You sounded really sincere and we were about to have a nice moment, but you had to ruin it." Aphrodite replied with an annoyed tone while stomping one of her feet on the ground. Athena simply smirked at her.
"Hmm, that must have been your imagination." She then stood up from her chair, "Now, if you'll excuse me. I have a date with Shirou and you're not invited."
"Liar! Shirou would have told me if that was true. You're just going to ambush him and abscond with him." Aphrodite said while crossing her arms. Athena raised a brow.
"Wow, is that your word of the day?" Athena said with a sly grin on her face, causing Aphrodite to narrow her eyes.
"Shut up! I know big words. Besides, I don't need to use fancy language to impress anyone. I prefer to express myself to darling without the need for words." Aphrodite then looked at Athena with a haughty expression. "But then again, you wouldn't know anything about that." She finished with a laugh.
Athena let out a small growl. "That's because Shirou and I have a much more intimate relationship that doesn't require such crude displays of affection."
"As if! There's nothing more intimate than the act of making love and getting lost in each other's embrace." Aphrodite replied quickly, before looking back toward Athena with a sly smile.
Athena scoffed. "Must you be such a vulgar hussy?" Aphrodite blinked a few times, before an overly sweet smile appeared on her face.
"Must you be such a prudish snob?" She replied, with both taking a step forward until the two were nearly butting heads. They narrowed their eyes at each other, before a smile appeared on both of their faces.
"Shirou!/Darling!" The two said simultaneously turning in the same direction and walking in sync with the other.
If they had been paying attention to their surroundings, they would have seen Mia and Caroline watching the pair's antics. "Why do they do that?" Mia asked. "It's obvious they didn't mean what they said."
"I believe they do it as a form of friendly competition nowadays." Caroline replied with a shrug.
"Shirou sure has it rough sometimes, doesn't he?" Mia asked rhetorically. Caroline could only let out a small sigh accompanied by nod of confirmation.
24 hours. 24 hours was how long it took to turn someone's life upside down, specifically Percy Jackson's world. Being the child of a god, being chased by a minotaur, losing his mother, finding out his friend was a half goat. He didn't even have all that much time to process what had happened to him. After killing the monster and dragging Grover to safety, he collapsed. He distinctly remembered seeing the figures of three pretty girls looking down at him.
"Hmm, seems he hit his head, along with a few other injuries." The blonde one spoke, looking over towards her right at another girl who had glowing eyes that shined like jewels.
"He's heartbroken. His emotions are a mess." The girl had red colored hair, though it was her eyes that really caught his attention. Then there was the third girl, her hair appeared to be black, though he thought he could make out some red streaks in it. Her fiery eyes shined bright, similar to the red head's.
"We should carry him to the Big House, Chiron will know what to do with him when he wakes up." The third girl's voice was pleasantly warm, reminding him of his mother a bit, though it was because of the warmth in her words. "Ana, magecraft him and the satyr away." She said playfully, almost as if his condition was an afterthought. The blonde let out a sigh.
That was the last thing he remembered before he passed out. Then there was the few things he heard intermittently, waking up and falling asleep. It sounded like something big was going on, something about a summer solstice? It wasn't until he fully woke up that he was able to learn more from his schoolteacher, Mr. Bruner, or rather, Chiron. There was also Mr. D, but he didn't really want to talk about him.
According to Grover, he wasn't kind to most of the children, save for one. Grover didn't mention who that was, but he had a feeling only the worst kind of person could make him be nice to them. Still, he learned a bit, even if he was still a bit disbelieving of the whole thing. When Grover and Mr. D left him alone with Chiron, he taught him a bit more about the Greek gods. Once a teacher, always a teacher he supposed.
Still, it was a bit much to handle. Especially after he saw his teacher rise from his wheelchair, revealing his bottom half was a horse. As that happened, the sound of a motorcycle, as well as faint cheers, filled the air. It caused Percy to look toward the direction of the sound, seeing said motorcycle pull up. The rider hopped off and removed the helmet they wore, revealing a girl with short black hair and lightning blue eyes.
She was older than him, appearing about the age of a high schooler. She wore a red leather jacket with a Metallica T-shirt beneath it that said 'Ride the Lightning', along with some ripped jeans and black boots, though a silver circlet suddenly appeared on the top of her head. He took notice of a red and gold scarf around her neck, as it appeared to be much higher quality than the rest of her clothes. Then, he saw her grab a sword from the motorcycle, slinging it over her shoulder before walking up to Chiron.
She glanced towards him, raising a brow as she did so. Percy would admit to finding the girl incredibly attractive, but he wasn't going to say that out loud. She looked like the type to either hate that, or would tease him about it mercilessly. "I have returned Chiron." She said triumphantly, before her shoulders sagged. "Alas, I am empty handed."
"Well, it appears your return was quite fortuitous." Chiron said, before looking towards Percy. "Thalia Emiya, this is Percy Jackson. Percy Jackson, this is Thalia Emiya. She's one of the more experienced campers here." The girl looked at him, before shooting him a grin and raising her hand.
"Sup." She said nonchalantly. All Percy could do was wave back, wondering why Chiron was introducing them to each other.
"Thalia, would you mind introducing Percy to the camp, as well as his dorm? I have a meeting to attend to." He asked, causing Percy to realize why he introduced them. "Oh, and maybe introduce him to your sisters. They were the ones who found him after all." He was surprised to learn that she was related to the three who saved him, despite her looking very different from them. He wondered if she was adopted or something. She nodded, accepting his request.
"Sure thing, Chiron." Thalia turned and looked over her shoulder at him. "Come on, kid. The sooner you get it over with, the sooner you can start enjoying your time here. Trust me, I know that better than anyone." She stated, already beginning to walk away, causing Percy to look at Chiron for a moment, before quickly following along. He still had questions, though, he figured he could just ask Thalia.
As he did so, he began to look around, taking notice of brass eagle weather vane. Suddenly, he noticed a shadow in the upper most window of what appeared to be the attic of the house. "Uh, what's up there?" He asked, causing Thalia to look towards where he was pointing. He noticed her frown a bit, before sighing.
"Just a Halloween decoration that speaks in riddles. Why it's still there, I'll never know." She answered, before shrugging. "Enough about that, I know you likely have issues with ADHD, so we'll try to knock these out quickly." She continued, causing him to wonder how she knew that. However, as they continued on, he saw what appeared to be large strawberry fields.
According to Thalia, they exported the strawberries for profit. He supposed it made sense. He wanted to ask about Grover, but he doubted that Thalia knew of what was going on with him. He just hoped he didn't get in any trouble. Still, he figured he could just ask Chiron later.
"So, Jackson, what's your story? Just another lost child that wandered into camp?" She asked, causing Percy to remember everything that happened. Thalia must have noticed, "Don't sweat it. You likely had a hard time getting here. Probably lost someone close to you." Percy looked at her with a stunned expression.
"It's a common story. Though, considering that necklace you have there, I'm surprised you had a tough time getting here. Monsters should have mostly left you alone. Your scent must be crazy strong for it to not work."
"My necklace? This was a gift my mom gave to me." He answered a bit defensively, causing Thalia to let out a small smirk.
"Ah, so you do have a little fight in you. That's good. Forget what I said about the necklace. You'll likely come to understand its significance soon enough." She replied with a small chuckle.
He didn't understand what she meant by that, but decided not to ask. They soon passed by what appeared to be an archery range. Other campers were spectating as they watched a red headed girl shoot her bow. Every movement was executed with grace, almost as if the movements mattered more than the shot itself.
However, it was clear when she released her arrow, that she was deadly accurate. Her arrow split another arrow in half, with it appearing as if she had done this multiple times. As he got a better look, he realized that she was one of the girls he saw before he passed out.
She had shoulder length messy, auburn red hair, with slightly tan skin tone. She was really pretty, if he was being honest. She turned towards his location, a smile appearing on her face. She wore jeans, sneakers, a blue shirt, and what appeared to be a white track jacket with black sleeves. As he looked closer, he noticed her eyes were different. They no longer shined like jewels, appearing more like a kaleidoscope, changing colors.
She put her bow and quiver back on a rack and grabbed a book of some kind, before happily making her way over towards him. However, he was a bit embarrassed when he realized she was looking at Thalia instead of him.
Honestly, he had forgotten she was there, being caught up in watching her shoot her bow. He may not have seen many people shoot a bow, but watching the others continue to shoot, he realized that her form was much different.
"Thals, you're already back! Did you find it?" The girl asked, her voice was soft and sweet, having a rather melodic tone. Thalia shook her head with a wry smile.
"Nope, just a wild goose chase. Besides, I doubt it'd be hidden somewhere I could get to easily." She replied, with Percy wondering what they were talking about. "But, enough about that. Percy, this is my little sister, Ophelia."
Before he could say anything, he noticed her eyes change back to the appearance he remembered. "Hmm, you seem a lot better than when we found you, so that's good. A bit too much blue for me, but you're getting better." She said with a small smile, before grabbing some glasses from her pocket and putting them on.
The moment she did so, her eyes reverted back to normal. "Does he know..." she was about to ask, before Thalia raised a hand to stop.
"He just woke up, so he doesn't know much. Probably better to wait until he acclimates before asking too many questions." Thalia quickly said, with Ophelia nodding in understanding.
"I see. Well, I'm going to find Miyu, so I'll see you later. It was nice to meet you, Percy." She quickly said, before running off. Percy realized he didn't get a word in at all. He guessed she had ADHD like him, though he noticed something a bit odd.
"Uh, was she carrying a Bible?" He asked, with Thalia letting out a sigh.
"Yes. It'd be better if you didn't ask." She replied, before continuing on.
"What was with her eyes changing like that?" He decided to ask, considering he hadn't ever seen anything like that. Thalia looked at him for a moment, before turning and beginning to walk again.
"Her eyes are special. Perhaps, you should get a bit more familiar with everything before getting into that. Trust me, it's a whole other thing." She said. Percy frowned a bit. He didn't understand her sometimes. She was upfront about most things, yet secretive about others.
"I doubt it's any weirder than what Chiron told me earlier." He decided to say, though Thalia didn't say anything, at least, not to where he could hear. He thought he could hear her say, 'You have no idea.'
The two continued walking, where he was able to see many other things, such as a volleyball court, a climbing wall that had actual lava pouring from the top, and training arena. Apparently, it was used for sword and spear duels. It was here that he saw the blonde girl.
She wasn't fighting anybody, choosing instead to sit on a bench and write inside of a notebook of some kind. Once again, Percy was surprised by her attractive appearance. She was similar to Ophelia, looking to be rather athletic. Unlike her sister, she was wearing the orange camp shirt and a Yankee's cap with her blonde hair was tied up in a ponytail underneath it. Though, something odd he noticed was that she wore a blue bandana around her neck. "Hmm, this works perfectly. Come on, kid." Thalia said as she made her way over towards her. Percy grumbled a bit at being called a kid, but kept it to himself.
As they grew closer, Percy was able to see some of her writing. To say he understood any of it would be a lie. It wasn't just because he was dyslexic, he could make out a few words that were written in Greek, but a lot of the content didn't make any sense to him. She must have noticed, because she quickly snapped the book shut. She looked up towards him, causing him to nearly take a step back from how sharp her steel colored eyes were.
She looked at him for a moment, before looking at Thalia. Percy couldn't help but feel like she just brushed him off from the moment she looked at him, almost as if she had analyzed him or something. He didn't know how to feel about that, especially since he killed the minotaur. Granted, he wasn't exactly believing of all this stuff, but that was mostly because he didn't really understand it.
"Thalia, you made it back. Could you spar with me today? I think I figured out what I was doing wrong." She asked, though Thalia simply smiled and placed a hand on her head.
"Not right now, Ana. I'm rather busy at the moment. But, you could help me by showing him around for me. In return, I'll spar with you later." Thalia replied with a smile. Ana looked at her for a moment, before her eyes looked towards him for a moment. She sighed, before nodding. Thalia let out a small chuckle. "Great! Percy Jackson, this is my second sister, Annabeth. She can answer as many questions as I can, so feel free to ask away." She finished talking just as she began to walk towards the forested area they had passed earlier.
"Uh, hi?" Percy said, though he was sure it came out just as awkward as he was feeling. Annabeth looked at him with a tilt of the head, before placing her notebook into her bag. Once she was done, she stood up and motioned for him to follow her. "Nice to meet you too." He said under his breath. As he said that, she brought her bandana up to her face and turned her head to look at him.
"Did you recover well?" She asked plainly, causing him to pause.
"Uh, yes? I don't think I'd be walking around if I was still hurt." He replied, half jokingly. Annabeth looked down for a moment, before resuming her walk.
"It isn't impossible to do so. Just wanted to make sure. I wasn't sure if what I did worked, it was about fifty-fifty, so I'm glad your okay." She spoke in a calm voice. Percy looked at her for a moment, before following her again.
"Wait, did you do something to me? What do you mean fifty-fifty?" He asked quickly, though Annabeth just kept walking.
"I'm joking." She said in a rather deadpan voice. She then brought down her bandana, revealing a small smirk. Percy clicked his tongue in annoyance. Annabeth then left out an amused huff. "Come on, I'll show you the cabin where you'll be staying."
As the tour resumed, they came to where the cabins were located. It was a rather large open area that was filled with grecian architecture and other things inspired by it. But, it was the buildings that were built in U pattern, twelve in total.
Each one was rather unique in design, but, before he could even inspect some of them, Annabeth spoke up again. "You're staying in cabin 11, so don't wander off."
It didn't take long for them to reach the cabin. It looked like any old summer camp cabin, though there was a caduceus symbol on the door, the one that was associated with doctors. Inside appeared to be rather full, packed with beds and sleeping bags, almost looking like some sort of Red Cross relief area.
He could already tell the people were watching him, trying to size him up, or looking for something that he wasn't sure he had. "Cabin 11, this is Percy Jackson." She said in a reasonably loud voice, before reaching into her bag and picking out her book. "Before you ask, he's undetermined." She quickly added.
There was a collection of groans and such, but amidst that, a cool looking blonde boy that looked to be around 18 or 19 years old walked up to him. "Percy Jackson, you can have that spot right over there." He said. He appeared pretty muscular and had a rather approachable air, except for the scar that run from under his eye to above his jaw.
"Percy, this is Luke. He's the counselor for this cabin, which means he's your counselor for the time being." Annabeth said, looking through her notebook, almost as if she was able to listen, speak, and read at the same time. All in all, she sounded a bit disinterested.
"For the time being?" He asked, obviously a bit puzzled. Luke chuckled a bit.
"You're an undetermined camper, meaning they don't know what cabin you belong in, so your here. Our cabin welcomes all visitors and newcomers, because our patron, Hermes, is the god of travelers." He explained patiently with a grin.
Percy looked towards his designated area, but he didn't really have anything to put down as he had no luggage or bags, only his Minotaur horn. Considering Hermes was the god of thieves as well, he wasn't going to leave the horn laying around.
"So, how long will I be here?" Percy asked, with Luke humming for a moment.
"Until you're determined." Percy titled his head a bit at Luke's response.
"How long will that take?" At his question, the campers let out a laugh. He could hear Annabeth let out a sigh. He then felt her grab him by his shirt.
"Come on, Jackson, there's still a few things to see." She said, pulling him along, not letting him argue. As much as he wanted to argue, Annabeth was deceptively strong. As they made their way away from the cabin, he could hear the kids in there laughing.
After they were away from the cabin, Annabeth let him go. "You should try and not act so clueless around here, for many different reasons."
"What's the problem with that? I don't know what's going on, all I know is I fought some bull guy..." before he could finish talking, Annabeth interrupted him.
"You shouldn't make light of that, Jackson. There's quite a few people here who'd kill for that kind of opportunity." She said with a somewhat irritated tone.
"What to die?" He replied, though Annabeth shook her head.
"No, to fight the Minotaur, or any other kind of monster. It's what they train for." Annabeth stated, putting her book away.
"If what I fought was really the Minotaur, there should only be one, and it should have died a long time ago when Theseus killed it." Percy said confidently, however, Annabeth only sighed and shook her head.
"That's not how it works. Monsters can be dispersed, defeated, but never permanently. They'll always regenerate. It's rather annoying if you ask me." She replied while crossing her arms. It almost sounded like she had killed monsters, but he was too focused on something else to ask.
"So, if I accidentally killed one with a sword..." he started out, before Annabeth raised a brow and interrupted.
"Your teacher, the fury? Yeah, she'll reform and if you run into her again, she'll likely have a grudge to settle." She said with a small smile. "But if you did it once, you could do it again."
"Fury, you mean like Hades's torturers or whatever?" He asked, with Annabeth somewhat stilling for a moment.
"Uh, you shouldn't use their names, for multiple reasons. The campers here usually call them 'the kindly ones', but for me, a monster is a monster." She said with a shrug, but it just annoyed Percy.
"Is there anything I can say without it thundering or whatever?" He whined, which he was a bit annoyed with, but still, he was upset. "Why do I have stay in cabin 11 anyways? It's crowded, yet there are multiple open cabins over there." He said, pointing towards some of the cabins.
Annabeth's eyes narrowed. "You don't get to choose a cabin, Jackson. It depends on who your parents are, or rather, your parent." She said, her voice showing a slight bit of annoyance. Just as he was about to talk about his mom, Annabeth continued, "Not your mom. I'm talking about your dad."
"He's dead. I never knew him" Annabeth let out a sigh, which told him that she had this conversation before.
"He's not dead, Jackson." She replied, however, Percy wasn't buying it.
"How could you say that? Do you know him?" He replied, trying to understand what she was talking about.
"Of course not, but I know about you." She spoke in a confident tone, one that made him want to retort, but she didn't give him a chance. "ADHD, dyslexia, probably been kicked out of multiple schools, it's basically the same story for every camper here. The ADHD is heightened senses and reflexes, the dyslexia is because your brain is meant to understand Greek."
"Did you go through that too?" He asked, though she let out a small laugh.
"Maybe not to the same extent. My sisters and I were lucky, especially when compared to everyone else. I figured out how to tone down some of the issues we have, but they'll always be there. But, you're just like the rest of us." Percy was a bit shocked, but he couldn't deny how odd that was.
"What's going on?" A voice called out, causing both of them to jump. A few leaves fell from above them, causing Percy and Annabeth to look up. To Percy's surprise, the girl with black hair and red streaks was sitting on a tree branch looking down at them. He noticed that she wore her hair in a braided ponytail. Like her sisters, she wore jeans and sneakers, but she wore the camp t-shirt with a black sleeveless hoodie that he could tell had cat ears on the hood.
On her wrist was a purple ribbon, but what really caught his attention was the small white fox that was laying around her shoulders. She was a really pretty girl, but in a different way from Annabeth, Ophelia, and Thalia. He couldn't quite explain it. Her fiery red eyes seemed to glow for a moment, before calming down. The soft smile on her face sort of reminded him of his mom, though he couldn't understand why that was.
"Miyu, I told you to stop doing that." Annabeth said, causing Miyu to let out a small giggle. The little fox hopped onto the branch as Miyu leaned back and swung her body down onto the ground, just as the fox hopped down back onto her shoulders. "Percy, this is Miyu, my sister."
"Oh, you're the boy that we found knocked out! I must admit, you look a lot different when your not about to die." She said in a upbeat tone, one that he felt didn't match her words. Annabeth sighed.
"Miyu, don't scare him. He's having a hard enough time as it is." She said, trying to regain control of the situation.
"Sorry, sorry, but it is nice to see you up and walking around. What are you having a hard time with? Adjusting? Making friends?" Miyu asked, looking at him in the eyes. "He knows what he is, right?"
"What I am?" He asked, a bit thrown off from her antics.
"Yeah, what you are. Technically speaking, we'd be like your cousins. Well, kind of. It's a bit hard to understand our family tree once you look into it you know?" She continued, with Percy not understanding what she was saying.
"How could that be? As far as I know, I don't know you. Heck, I don't even know what I'm doing here." He quickly said, a bit overwhelmed, especially since everything was slowly adding up.
"You're here because you belong here, Percy. Just like the rest of us. You're like the rest of the campers here." Annabeth stated, obviously trying to make him not freak out. Or maybe she was just trying to make him understand something, but he wasn't sure.
"What, mentally ill?" He retorted, causing Miyu to let out a giggle. Annabeth let out a sigh.
"No, half-human. And don't act like you don't understand what I'm saying." She replied, before looking at Miyu, who simply smiled at her sister.
"Are you trying to say that I'm half god?" He asked, being reminded of the feeling he got when his mother would tell him about his dad.
"Yes, though I think everyone prefers half-blood, though demigod is appropriate as well." Miyu added, before holding her hands out, with the fox jumping into them. 'That's one well trained fox.' He thought to himself.
"That's crazy." Honestly, he didn't want to believe it, but after seeing everything he had, he couldn't deny it.
"Unfortunately, not. The gods used to run around in all those Greek stories, having children. Well, nothings changed." Annabeth spoke in a slightly sad tone. Honestly, he wanted to bring up that those were myths, but remembered his talk with Chiron about myths and what not.
"If all the kids here are half-bloods, then who's your dad?" He asked, with both girls looking at each other for a moment. Miyu let out a small chuckle, while Annabeth shook her head.
"Our dad does many different things, though he prefers to call himself a baker and family man first and foremost. He's a human." Annabeth answered, though Miyu made air quotes when she said "human", so he was a bit thrown off by that.
"Then who's your mom?" He asked in an annoyed tone. Annabeth paused for a moment, thinking about her answer.
"My mother is Athena, the goddess of wisdom and battle, along with a few other things. Ophelia's mom is Aphrodite, the goddess of love." She decided to answer, with Percy being a bit puzzled by her answer. He looked at Miyu, who was smiling as the two spoke, before noticing him looking at her.
"My mom's a secret." She said in a slightly hushed tone. "Thalia was adopted by our dad, but her father is the big Z-E-U-S. Best not to bring it up, she doesn't really get along with him."
Percy couldn't understand how that worked. Three sisters who had the same father, but different mothers, and are nearly the same age? 'Does that mean...?' As he was thinking, he noticed Annabeth making an annoyed expression at him. "Don't." It was one word, but she said it in such a way that he immediately stopped his train of thought.
"Uh, then who's my dad?" Percy decided to ask, taking a chance. The sisters looked at each other again, before shrugging to each other.
"Can't say. Maybe your mother knew, but sometimes they don't always reveal themselves. The best thing you could hope for is him sending a sign. Maybe he'll send a sign and claim you. Maybe not. Who really knows." Annabeth said quickly, though he had a feeling that she had an idea of who it could be. Especially when he noticed her bring her bandana back up to her face for a few seconds.
Just as he was about to ask a few other questions, they were interrupted by rather large girl, one he had seen earlier in front of the red cabin. Percy knew that he'd likely have to deal with stuff like this since he was new, but he would admit to getting a bit scared when he noticed Miyu's eyes when she looked at the girl named Clarisse and her lackeys. Her fiery red eyes almost looked black, and it felt like the ambient heat was being drawn towards her, making it colder around them.
Annabeth managed to calm her down, yet, he managed to notice that Annabeth had grabbed her hand and prevented her from following through with some sort of action. But even when Clarisse came and tried to mess with him. Even though he made water explode from a toilet and the pipes, he couldn't help but wonder what was up with the Emiya sisters.
"Did you find the cause of all of this?" Artemis asked, looking down at the body of a dragon, slowly dissipating. 'There's not many things that could kill a dragon like this so efficiently.' She thought to herself, before seeing Zoe looking at the body as well.
"Apologies, milady, but no. The hunters searched the area and found nothing of value. The best we could come up with, is that this was done by someone with a spear. They were likely very skilled." Zoe answered, before looking into the woods around them. "Though, that's what puzzled us. There should have been some sort of clues left behind, yet, we found nothing. Not even Sir Shirou was able to leave behind such clean kills with no tracks or clues."
Artemis hummed to herself. She looked up at the moon, before closing her eyes. As she did, she could see her daughter Stella sitting on Shirou's lap on the porch of their home, with Robin playing in the yard with Ritsuka. She could tell that Shirou was telling her a story about the moon, as her face lit up and she seemed to get really happy. It was really nice to be able to see such a thing.
It was a nice sight, but it also meant that her Shirou and her children were safe. She found herself using this power more increasingly ever since she had them. It was rather comforting to know that Shirou would likely always be there looking up at the moon. If he wasn't doing it at home, he would still be looking up at it from wherever he was at night. After what happened with Ares, it was something that allowed her to rest easy.
She opened her eyes back up, returning her focus to the issue at hand. "Well, whatever did this was incredibly dangerous and skilled. For now, I want to recall all the hunters back to the camp. I don't want anyone leaving for hunts without you or any of the more senior hunters with them. I may have to ask Shirou for assistance with this problem. Perhaps his magic would be able to see something we cannot." She stated, with Zoe nodding to her words.
"Milady, is it possible that we are dealing with something not from our homeland?" She asked, with Artemis stilling for a moment. She hadn't even considered that. Though, when she thought about all the strange occurrences happening, she couldn't count that option out. If that was what was happening, then she really wanted to get Shirou to assist with this.
While she was confident in her hunters, Shirou was quite knowledgeable when it came to other beings. "I do not know. It's why we'll play this safe for the time being. We'll return to the base camp and regain our bearings and look over everything that we've gathered. I'll also see about speaking with Shirou. He may have an idea we could use. If necessary, I'll have him accompany us." She answered, before looking at the corpse again. "I just hope that this isn't a bad omen."
Getting more comfortable with the camp went as well as one could hope. Especially considering that every kid was pretty similar to him, at least, in some ways. Unfortunately, trying to find out a kind of clues on who his divine parent was met with mixed results.
Archery, well, he was pretty sure most of the kids would prefer he didn't try again for awhile, except maybe Ophelia who only giggled at his failure. Wrestling, well, no good on that front. Clarisse pretty took those opportunities to beat up on him ever since the bathroom incident. He was good with canoeing, which was a plus, but hardly what any expected from a kid who defeated the Minotaur.
Taking classes with satyrs, dryads, and other mystical beings took some getting used to. Though, the Emiya sisters all helped him get along in the camp, trying to make him feel more comfortable. He learned that this was something they were quite known for. Helping others and doing their best to make others happy.
They all took being family seriously, at least, enough to want everyone to get along. So, it wasn't a surprise that they didn't get along with the Ares cabin. Though, each daughter was quite good at fighting, despite their looks and demeanor, so it wasn't like Ares children could do much. Especially when Thalia was one of the big names at camp.
Thalia and her group of friends were known for being the older siblings of the camp, watching everyone and doing their best to keep the peace. The campers called them The Runaways, apparently after some old all girls rock band, but also because they were considered outcasts with their cabins and tended to leave camp unannounced to go on adventures.
For some reason, they all seemed to take an interest in him. Trying to help him learn about his parent and to catch up with the other kids. Though, he learned pretty quick that they were quite advanced. There was a sword training class that Luke was leading, but there was a few others as well.
Luke was considered one of the best sword fighters in the camp, but so was Thalia. When he was following along to train, he saw Thalia with her sisters. The three younger sisters all charged at Thalia. To his surprise, he watched her smirk at them, before dodging, parrying, and redirecting each of them flawlessly.
It wasn't that the sisters were bad, it was just that Thalia was that good. It was clear how much she had practiced. There was some sort of capture the flag game the camp held and it was happening soon, so everyone usually trained. But Thalia looked like she trained all the time, even though he knew that wasn't true.
As he was watching them, he noticed Thalia's eyes seemingly spark. The three little sisters surrounded her and almost looked like they were close to winning. She smiled at the three of them, turning her to look at them individually. "You girls have gotten better. Still..." The girls then charged at her, but what happened next stunned him.
Thalia moved faster than he could keep track of, with a small crack reverberating through the air, before each of the three girls all landed where Thalia was in a small dog pile. He heard them all let out small groans, before seeing Thalia bend down, still smiling at them. "...Not strong enough to beat me just yet."
"Ah, Thalia." Percy jumped, before seeing Luke standing behind him, shooting him a small grin. "Of all the people in camp, she's the one you don't want to meet during capture the flag. Best you leave her to the more experienced campers."
"What did she just do?" He couldn't help but ask, with Luke shaking his head.
"She's fast, Percy. Probably the fastest in the camp. Facing her without having the proper reflexes or combat experience is just asking to be taken down without even knowing what happened. She's gone on quests and succeeded where most would probably fail." Percy noticed Luke's face darken a bit near the end of his sentence, before he seemingly brightened again.
"But, like I said, you likely won't have to worry about facing her." He then shrugged, before placing an arm around his shoulders and guiding him along to the training ground. "You'll get there one day. But that means you have to train. So, come on." Percy couldn't help but look back, noticing Thalia look over towards him. She gave him a simple wave, before turning back towards her sisters.
Capture the flag, he hoped that he was on her team, but had a feeling that it wouldn't be that easy.
Shirou walked into his room, before laying on his bed with a small groan. "You know, maybe it's because you spoil them too much. It's alright to say no them, my love." He turned his head and looked at his wife, who was sitting on her side of the bed brushing her hair. She peered over at him, before shooting him a sweet smile. It was warm and made him feel a bit better.
"I know, but I don't mind spending time with them. Though, pleasing them both when we go out is a lot easier said than done. I'm almost convinced they do it to me on purpose." He replied with a huff. Hestia let out a small laugh.
"My, whatever gave you that idea?" She questioned with a giggle. "You should be rather proud of yourself. The two of them are getting along and have been spending more time together than I've seen in millennia. We should just be thankful that you aren't the cause for another Troy." Shirou let out a small scoff.
"Don't speak too quickly, Hestia. There's still time. All it takes is one stray apple." He joked, with Hestia freezing for a moment, before letting out a nervous laugh. Shirou couldn't help but grin at her reaction. "Speaking of time, how are you handling Miyu and the girl's time away from home? I know that you were the most worried about them going."
Hestia let out a sigh at his question. "It feels a bit less lively around here. I already miss them running around the house and getting into trouble around the town." She said with in a saddened tone. "Then again, we have plenty of children here to keep us all busy." Shirou stifled a small laugh. That was true, they had plenty to keep them busy in the meantime.
Three five year olds, two six year olds, and two seven year olds, that was a lot to handle, even with everyone at the home. Though, they were generally well-behaved, but Stella was quite the little rascal when she wanted to be. He thought that she'd be more like Artemis, but she actually reminded him of Diana a bit. He supposed that made sense, since she was technically her mother too. Artemis and Diana both said that Robin acted more like him, though Shirou was sure that he was just emulating him.
Ritsuka was similar, but Hestia was a big influence too. She tended to spoil him quite a bit, but he was a bit more quiet than his sister, Miyu, tending to act more like Annabeth. Little Lacy was cute as ever, which he supposed made sense considering who her mother was. Aphrodite spent a lot of time with her, which was nice to see. He had a feeling that Lacy was going to be a pretty happy-go-lucky type of girl. In fact, there were times where she reminded him of Fujimaru at times.
Then there were the three five year olds. Aphrodite had another girl, who she named Shiori. Her hair was more of rosey blonde color, with pink eyes like Caroline. She was rather smart for a five year old, picking up on things about as fast as Annabeth did. Athena's son, Alex, which was a short for Alexander, was exactly like Annabeth at that age, though his hair was more like his mothers, being silvery blonde. Though, he noticed that he seemed to be more energetic and enjoyed running around with Stella. He was tending to keep Athena rather busy when they went out together.
Then there was Hestia's third child. He was a bit thrown off by Hestia's chosen name, but he figured that it matched up with her previous choices. Maiya, named after his adoptive mother, was a sweet little girl. He spent a lot of time with her. Not to say he didn't spend time with his other children, but Maiya seemed to gravitate more towards him. In fact, he was a bit surprised that she wasn't already in their room. She had dark brown hair like Hestia, but golden brown eyes like him.
He had a feeling that she would be there sooner or later. Then again, there was a chance there would be many more occupants in his bed by the time he woke up. His mind then remembered the time where he woke up with Maiya, Lacy, Shiori, and Aphrodite in the bed with him and Hestia. The fact that Aphrodite had sneaked in with them shocked him the first time, but he had gotten used to it by now.
The only thing that would probably shock him is if Athena or Artemis did the same thing. 'God, please don't let that happen. I don't think my heart would be able to handle the stress.' He thought, before noticing Hestia looking at him. "Sorry, I was caught up in my own thoughts." She shot him a gentle smile, before leaning her head onto his chest.
"I said that I'm happy that you were able to bring so many people together that didn't get along before." She clarified, with Shirou knowing who she was talking about. Artemis, Athena, and Aphrodite didn't exactly get along before. Artemis and Athena were respectful to each other, but he doubted if they ever spent that much time together. Aphrodite had a rocky relationship with them at best. Athena and Aphrodite's relationship now was like night and day.
Artemis and her were also getting along a bit better. Though, Artemis did still get very embarrassed and threatened to shoot her a few times, but Aphrodite tended to just laugh off her threats. Rhea and Leto also got to see their children and grandchildren. 'That reminds me, Artemis wanted to visit her mother again in a few days.'
"I don't like to take credit for all that, but I know what it was like before, so I'll just say that I'm glad I was able to help in some way. It's just a shame that I can't do that for the rest of your family." Shirou replied, sighing a bit. Hestia chuckled a bit.
"Hera's gotten a bit more relaxed lately, well, before all this drama started she was. Once it's done, I'm sure she'll go back to normal. As for everyone else, well..." She said, pausing for a moment, acting like she was thinking about something before looking at him with a mischievous expression. "If you seduce Demeter you'd be able to bring together all the goddesses." Shirou's eyes widened, before he shook his head.
"No way! I already have my hands full with everyone here. I'd probably die." Hestia then laughed at his words, before laying her head back down. "Besides, I don't think you'd be able to handle me having another goddess's attention on me. You'd likely combust." Hestia let out a small growl, before slapping his chest playfully.
"Shut up, that's just because I prefer having your attention on me at the end of the day." She said, before moving herself until she was practically laying on top of him. "I'm a very needy goddess."
Shirou chuckled a bit. "That you are. I can barely handle how high maintenance you are. Who knows how I put up with you?" Hestia giggled, before letting out a content sigh.
"It's because you love me, silly." Hestia said as she let out a small yawn. Shirou could feel her using her powers on him again, though he never minded it. It wasn't so much as her using her powers, it was more like she was just allowing her divinity to just run free. He had to admit, it was rather nice to fall asleep to. As he felt himself beginning to fade out, he noticed the door open, seeing a familiar head of dark brown hair begin to make its way over towards the bed.
He couldn't help but smile a bit, as he felt the little child jump up and place herself next to the two of them. Despite all the drama going on, he was glad that he could still enjoy moments like this while they lasted.
"Remember to take care of your sisters. As the eldest sister, it is up to you to watch over them. And never forget, family is what is important. Take care of each other and if you ever feel lost or lonely, call on our names and we will answer." Those were the words her mother spoke to her. Mama Dite and mother Thena likely gave a similar speech to Ophelia and Annabeth before they left.
Five years ago, she remembered when her dad came home covered in blood, a tired but warm smile on his face. It was an image that stuck in her mind. Her father went through that kind of pain, faced a god of war, just to protect all of them, and still had a smile on his face when he came home. Even if her mother didn't tell her, she would have watched over her sisters, because she understood how important protecting your family was. Whether it was a god, monster, or simply a person, she would protect her sisters just as fiercely as he protected them.
Honestly, she had no real desire to go to the camp. Even if it was a place where they supposedly trained heroes, she couldn't help but think that she would have been better off just staying at home. However, she did understand the benefits somewhat. Making friends and all that, socializing was all well and good, but she knew that the gods would only use them for their own selfish reasons.
She was initially excited once she learned what she was, but when she understood the truth behind how the gods usually treated their children, well she didn't really view them in a favorable light. Still, Annabeth and Ophelia seemed a bit excited about getting to go on an adventure and learn new things. So, she was fine with going as well. She was still a little puzzled about why everyone seemed a bit on edge when they left.
It didn't really matter though. Whatever happens, they'd deal with it. Still, it wasn't so bad. She had been having some fun since arriving. Especially after Percy arrived. Watching how awkward he was being was quite amusing to see. He was definitely a highlight. Plus, getting to see someone learn more about the more magical side of the world was fun. She thought that he had been adapting well enough.
She did think that it was sad what had happened to his mother. She didn't quite understand what happened. From what he said, it almost sounded as if she was teleported away before she was killed. There was also the fact that her dad's mystic code should have kept his scent hidden for a little while longer. Annabeth thought that someone knew who he was and had deliberately sent monsters after him.
It was a valid theory. After arriving and sneaking around, she learned that the reason her parents were so on edge was because of Zeus's thunderbolt going missing. Mom said that he was just throwing a temper tantrum, but she knew that it was likely more than that, especially from her dad's reaction. So, it was likely that they thought it was Percy.
She couldn't help but giggle to herself a little bit at that thought. After watching Percy for a bit, she'd be surprised if he'd be able to steal candy from a baby. Still, this led to the question of who it was that did it. Thalia had made many expeditions searching for things that were out of the ordinary, but she still found nothing. Annabeth's nose hadn't picked anything up in the camp, so she was sure that there wasn't anything in the camp.
Ophelia had been using her eyes and inspecting everyone, yet, she couldn't find anything out of the ordinary. More and more, Miyu was sure that following Percy may be what led them to the answer. She couldn't help but hum to herself, before remembering that the oracle may have been able to help them. It was a valid idea. Still, whatever ideas she had, she'd have to wait to share them with her sisters after capture the flag.
Annabeth came up with another of her plans that should lead them to victory of Thalia. Why she hinged a part of the plan on Percy was a bit odd, but Annabeth was pretty smart when it came to things like plans. 'I wish Lia was here with me. It'd be a lot more fun to watch with two people.' She thought to herself, sitting in a tree with her legs crossed and propping her head up with her hand.
She watched as five Ares kids came out and confronted Percy. She watched as they all began to gang up on him, with Clarisse's spear managing to nick him. 'Maybe, I'll give him a little help.' "Ignite." She whispered, the image of a small flame transforming into a roaring inferno came to mind. She didn't really need her circuits to help, but she needed to be precise. She focused on one of the bigger kids, before making a small flicking motion with her finger.
The next moment, the kid's arm caught on fire, causing him and another of them to try and put it out, allowing Percy to land clean blows on them. He seemed to speed up and he almost seemed like another person, before she noticed he was in the creek. Percy kept attacking, taking off the plume on one of their helmets. She hummed, before shrugging. She let lose a small snap, causing a small spark to shoot from her fingers into the plume.
She giggled a bit, seeing them panicking and Clarisse getting more frustrated. Percy didn't need anymore of her help, plus, it seemed Annabeth's plan must have worked. Especially since she could hear a few cracks from Thalia's steps attempting to catch up to the campers who managed to grab the flag. But, it was too late. Chiron blew the horn and signaled the end of the game.
Miyu sighed, before seeing Annabeth appear before Percy. 'Her and that hat, I swear.' She thought with a playful scoff. The two seemed to be speaking, likely Percy understanding that he was used as bait. He seemed a bit annoyed, before Annabeth pointed towards her. Percy looked up and saw her sitting in the tree. Miyu smiled and waved.
Percy took a step out of the creek and nearly fell over. Miyu and Annabeth's eyes narrowed. They both knew that the other campers would find out who his parent was now. However, there was a sudden growl that caused the celebrating campers to quiet down. There was a loud howl, followed by Chiron calling for his bow in Greek. Annabeth activated her circuits and pulled her sword, trying to put herself between the noise and Percy.
Miyu jumped down from her perch and saw what it was that was making the noise. On a small outcropping above the creek they were at, stood a black hound, almost the size of a Rhino with red eyes, reminiscent of blood. It's fangs were large, almost appearing like small swords. 'Hellhound? What is that doing here?' Miyu thought, before she heard Annabeth tell Percy to run.
It leapt towards her and Percy, causing Miyu to immediately act. Her body reinforced itself, her eyes were likely burning bright, and she quickly dashed in front of Annabeth in a burst of flames. She held out her hand, causing a spear of flames to appear. Everything was moving rather slowly, allowing her to thrust her spear directly into the oncoming hound.
She felt one of its claws cut her arm, causing her to let out a small cry of pain, before she fell and rolled. She didn't know what the hound did or where it went, but the next moment, a bright flash of light appeared, followed by a loud crack of thunder. It was quiet. Miyu could feel a warm wetness flowing down her arm, but tried to ignore it. Quickly making her way to her feet and finding Annabeth.
Thankfully, she was alright, but it was clear that she was worried about her arm. Before Annabeth could check on her, she felt herself getting pulled by someone. "Are you alright?! You didn't get hurt anywhere else did you?" She heard, recognizing Thalia's voice. She looked up, seeing her holding onto her, before letting her go and looking her over. She quickly reached into one of her pouches and pulled out a small jar that had some ointment in it that her dad made.
She quickly began to apply the ointment onto her cut, before tearing a piece of her shirt off and wrapping it around her arm. Honestly, it was the first time she had been hurt like this. It was a strange experience. It hurt, but that only made her think that it was better that it was her rather than her sister. She could hear Annabeth say something, followed by Chiron, but she largely ignored it. "Keep this on. We'll get a better look at it when we head back to the first aid station." Thalia said, calming down a bit, her electric blue eyes dying down in brightness.
Miyu could only nod, before Thalia hugged her again. She felt bad about scaring Thalia like that. She could feel her eyes water a bit, realizing that she almost died. She wondered how her dad was able to do it. Sure, she was able to move on autopilot, but that didn't mean she wasn't scared. She turned her head to see the body of the hellhound disappearing, though she was able to see where her fire spear had pierced it, followed by seeing its separated head a few feet away.
She then felt Annabeth's hand on her shoulder, seeing that she was worried too. Thankfully, everyone's focus was on Percy, or rather, the sign above his head. It was a green trident, but quickly faded. She noticed the other campers kneeling down, with Chiron finishing announcing who Percy was. "Hail, Persus Jackson, son of the sea god."
Before anything else could happen, she heard Thalia let out a small gasp, followed by Annabeth who let out a small "Oh, so that's why." She turned her head and saw Ophelia, who quickly ran up and grabbed onto her, since Thalia had just let go, ignoring what everyone else was looking out. Miyu had an idea of what it was. She looked up and saw the emblem of her mom. A reddish orange colored hologram of a flame inside of a hearth.
It was incredibly quiet, with more than a few who let out really audible gasps, more so than what she heard in the background for Percy. She looked towards Chiron, who was visibly shaken, before he managed to gather himself. "Hail, Miyu Emiya, Daughter of Hestia, keeper of fire, protector of the home, and goddess of the hearth." Miyu already knew who her mother was, so it wasn't a surprise to her. But, she could tell that it was definitely a surprise to everyone but Thalia, Ophelia, and Annabeth.
Another nightmare. They were rare, but they happened. Shirou let out a sigh. He had played along, mainly because there was no real issue with it, but he had grown a bit annoyed with the nightmares ruining his nice moments. He concentrated, before willing the nightmare to fade out, before becoming replaced with his internal world. It was a little trick he picked up from Rhea, but it was mostly useless, until now.
"Is there a reason my dreams have been getting invaded for such a long time?" He asked, wandering about the mental facsimile of his world. Everything was a one to one recreation of it, but it wasn't his reality marble in reality. After he voiced his question, he noticed a ghostly presence looking at the flame that represented the divine flame that Hestia had given him long ago.
She turned around and looked him in the eyes. She seemed a bit surprised that he was able to do this, but it was more of a pleasant surprise than outright shock. "How interesting. Your powers are increasing. My mother will be glad to know that." She replied, before floating towards him like a ghostly specter. "Most would feel an aura of fear from looking at me. They would also be unable to see me as I am, yet, you can see me just fine, likely since you've faced beings with similar powers."
He noticed a small upturning of her lips. "I apologize for all this, but I can't go against my mother's orders. She's quite overprotective of my sister you see." She said with a click of her tongue. "Quite annoying at times, but necessary." She then took a deep breath, before bowing a bit. "It's a pleasure to officially meet you, Shirou Emiya, husband of Hestia. My name is Melinoe."
Done. This chapter was shorter than usual, but that was because I wanted this to be the start of this arc of Lightning Thief, and I wanted to get this chapter out nice and quick. It's pretty much the start of the lightning thief camp arc, but that's because it kind of has to be. There are obviously changes, but this was mainly just to get this part going. I made some of this be Percy's POV, because I wanted to write him reacting to Miyu, Ophelia, Annabeth, and Thalia. I also wanted to show some of the other changes, but yeah. It won't be like this the whole way, it'll mostly be the POV's of Shirou's children. I also wanted to show a few of the other things that are going on, but also wanted to show that Shirou and everyone are worried about what happened with the lightning bolt, but they aren't too worried. Shirou's group basically represents a third faction within Olympus. If you remember the canon story, the gods were split between Zeus and Poseidon, but this, a third of the gods are neutral with Shirou. Like literally, a third, Shirou has four goddesses on his side, with Apollo likely to follow Artemis, and Hera being a bit of a back up. So, yeah, it's not too much of a worry for them. They worry more for their children.
I kept Ares and a few other things ambiguous in this, mainly because I want to wait to reveal things as this arc goes on. I also wanted to wait until the next chapter to show what the gods' reaction will be to seeing Miyu's reveal of being Hestia's child. She waited to claim her to take some of the heat off Poseidon and his kid. She's the older sister, so I thought it'd be a older sibling thing to do to try and take the heat off their younger sibling by revealing something they did. I also wanted to show how advanced Thalia is. She's a lot stronger now, being 17 at this point in time. I'll reveal more about her and her time in the coming chapters, along with her friends. I didn't show them here, but they'll have their time to shine. This goes for Ophelia and Annabeth as well.
Shirou will have more moments with his children and family, since I want to show more of that. I didn't show too much of that before, so I'm going to fix that. Miyu, Annabeth, and Ophelia will have moments with their dad too, so look forward to that. I wanted to get this out quick, so if there are some mistakes, sorry, I'll go back and try to fix them. Um, we'll see more magecraft and character building in the next chapter and such. Also, yes, Ophelia has a bible and reads it. It will be a thing, I'll explain more about it, but I thought it'd be interesting if one of Shirou's children was like that, considering they're demigods. I made it Ophelia, because I thought it'd be kind of funny for a daughter of Aphrodite to be a bible girl. You have to remember, Shirou knew some of the figures from the bible, so it's not like he'd be against it. Plus, I'll use that to show his relationships with a few of the servants, like David, Martha, and even Romani, plus a few others. Since, I think I mentioned he was close with David and Martha.
I'll be doing a bit of character building with the three daughters, since Annabeth will have different problems than canon, that may or may not be apparent, and Ophelia and miyu are new. This last bit was to show some of that with Miyu. The beginning, well, I like to start these arcs off with things like that. Anyways, enough from all that, I put too much in this.
I just want to say I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, I did have fun writing it. I hope to release some more chapters in the coming days, hopefully pretty quick, 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.