Well, thanks for the response to this story. I thought I'd mention, if I had any English voice actors in mind while writing Artemis and Orion...well, while Orion shares his Japanese voice actor with that for Cu Chulainn, and Atalanta shares hers with that for Mordred, believe it or not, I actually decided that I heard Arryn Zech and Burnie Burns as Artemis and Orion as my mental versions of their voices. And when I say Arryn Zech, I don't mean her turn as Blake Belladonna from RWBY, but rather as Doctor Emily Grey from Red vs Blue. And, of course, Burnie Burns doing Church. Yeah, I know, Rooster Teeth is based in Texas rather than the California of Bang Zoom!, the usual dubbers of Nasuverse series, but still...

MOST DANGEROUS GAME

CHAPTER 2:

THE TWO HUNTERS

Atalanta didn't know what to expect upon being summoned into the modern era, but suddenly being glomped by the goddess who had saved her life was not one of them. While her memories of her infancy were mostly lost to the mists of time, she always remembered that radiant woman, picking her up. It was that that had set her on the course for the wish she desired from the Holy Grail. It was why she assented to being summoned.

The Holy Grail War. Even now, she could scarcely believe the information that had been granted to her. A triptych of Magi family from across Eurasia collaborated to find a means of reaching Akasha, the Root of All Things. The von Einzberns of Germany wished to do so to reclaim the Third True Magic they had mostly lost a thousand years before, Heaven's Feel, of which the Grail provided a watered-down version in order to bring her, and others, back from the dead.

There were seven classes of warrior in the Holy Grail War. Atalanta fell into the Archer class, masters of long-ranged combat, using bow or gun or any other ranged weapon. Sabers wielded swords, and were generally considered the best in terms of sheer strength and combat ability. Lancers wielded spears, halberds, and the like, and were swift on their feet. Berserkers traded their reason and sanity for sheer power and tenacity. Casters wielded powerful magic. Riders were masters of mounts and vehicles, and frequently had the most Noble Phantasms. Finally, Assassins were masters of stealth, striking from the shadows, and were specialists in targeting Masters.

All pitted against each other by selfish Magi, all for the purpose of gaining glory, or access to Akasha, or else just a wish. A magical bloodsport. While Atalanta was very much an advocate of the law of the jungle, she found violence for its own sake distasteful, and after seeing the lengths Jason went to to get the Golden Fleece, she also knew that questing for such power and glory was a dubious pursuit, often leaving broken lives in their wake. A pang went through her heart when she remembered Medea of Colchis, and wished, briefly, that she could reconcile with the sorceress.

She also remembered Meleager. Dear, sweet Meleager, who was in love with her, and the only man she would have remotely considered reciprocating those feelings towards. But when he presented the hide of the Calydonian Boar to her, as he claimed that she drew first blood and helped him land the killing blow, his uncles objected, all because she was a woman. The very same misogynistic reason her father Iasus abandoned her in the wilds of Arcadia to die. Meleager killed them for her, but his own mother Althaea committed filicide in revenge.

As Artemis broke off the embrace, Atalanta found herself looking at her Master. The flow of mana from his person was superlative, she had to admit. But what was his character like? He reminded her of a few of the heroes she had known already, some of the better ones, and some of the less better ones. There was Peleus' cockiness, inherited by his son Achilles. But there was also the gentleness of Asclepius. There were traits of so many in that admittedly handsome face framed by messy black hair, and those emerald eyes were quite entrancing, even if their gaze lingered a little too long for her liking. Then again, she was used to it, being one of the only women on the Argo. Even back then, they had the rather vulgar term 'sausage party' to describe such a situation.

However, he clearly had more than enough control, as his expression was genuinely delighted and lacking in lust (though it was not actually absent), and he walked forward, and held out his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Atalanta. Mum's told me a lot of stories about you. I hope we can work well together."

Well, this was pleasant. No attempt to assert dominance of a Master over a Servant. He viewed her as a partner and a person. Very heartening. She allowed a small but genuine smile to touch her lips as she shook his hand. "I hope so too, Harry." She then looked around at the forested area. "…Your sacred grounds, My Lady. They still exist, this far from the Age of the Gods?"

"Yep!" Artemis said, before looking deeply sorrowful. "…But so much of my family are now gone. My parents have died, as have most of my siblings. Apollo still lives, as do a few others. But our power has diminished with the lack of belief. I'm still more powerful than virtually any mortal you care to name…but soon, that won't be the case. I think the only reason why my twin and I still live is partly because the Sun and Moon still exist, exerting their primal existence on the world. The rest of us…well, they're now only stories."

"My Lady…" The sad look on her face was not something Atalanta wanted to see. But just as swiftly as it had come, it was gone, and that brilliant smile was back in place.

"Hey, it's okay! I've had a long time to come to terms with it! And I haven't been lonely. Why, I've had my darling to keep me company! Say hello, Darling!"

Atalanta watched as Artemis scooped what looked like a toy bear wearing a leopard skin from the ground. She was startled when a familiar voice spoke from the bear, "Oh, hey, Atalanta! Nice ears and tail!"

"…Orion," Atalanta said, staring at the bear in astonishment. "Your new form is…interesting."

"Still as big a pervert as ever, though," Harry muttered. "Anyway, I think we should get down to business. If we're going to fight in a Holy Grail War, we need to know each other a little better. We'll have to send the moron who wanted to summon you back to Clock Tower, along with those Enforcers who were babysitting him. A Portkey should do nicely. I'm sure Waver will summon me to account for myself afterwards, but it should give us some time, and I'd rather we work well together when we're fighting for our lives."

"Indeed. Still, as you have been trained by Lady Artemis, I am sure you have considerable skill yourself, so I look forward to learning this…"

Through the next couple of hours, Atalanta would say she learned more about Harry than he did about her. Then again, her story was renowned in these times to some degree, and he had been told stories of her life by Artemis. He seemed inordinately fascinated by her, and not just her beauty, but her ears and tail, but he at least didn't make any attempts at clumsy flirtation or make his desire more explicit. That already elevated him well above most of the crew of the Argo. Asclepius, Orpheus, and surprisingly, Heracles were better behaved than most. Even Jason made advances, even after Medea joined them.

Medea…another regret. Had Atalanta known about Aphrodite's brainwashing, or at least tried to be more sympathetic towards the Princess of Colchis…would Medea have not gone down the dark path she did? Jason's rejection was certainly the brutal last straw after stringing her along, but Atalanta could have comforted her after most of the other Argonauts turned on her. Could have, but…she didn't, out of disquiet of her familicide. Though to be fair, there were times when Atalanta wanted to put an arrow through the throat of her father many times over, for abandoning her, for forcing her to choose a suitor, leading up to Hippomenes' trickery…

Atalanta shook her head to clear it. She was listening to Harry's life story, and she had to admit, she did sympathise with him. Soon after turning one, his parents were murdered by a vicious warlock called Voldemort, who then tried to murder Harry. However, due to a protective ritual his mother used, the spell used, the Killing Curse, was reflected. The ritual was actually one of Artemis' own, which certainly explained how he ended up on her sacred grounds.

Apparently some well-meaning old fool of a wizard called Dumbledore left Harry with some relatives, seeking to shield him from the effects of fame. However, these non-magical relatives treated him like a servant, even abused him. However, during an attempt at what was called 'Harry hunting' by his tormentors, Harry used his magic instinctively to get away…and the lingering trace of Artemis' ritual drew him to her sacred grounds. There, Artemis decided to adopt him personally.

About ten years ago, at the age of 14, Harry was forced back to Britain, the land of his birth, by agents of Voldemort. He was forced to participate in the Tri-Wizard Tournament. His arrival caused something of a splash, as Harry was a celebrity, and yet, he was unaware of that, and his nature was rather different to what they were expecting. He made few friends there, and many enemies, though he did eventually reconcile with Dumbledore, after he and Artemis made sure he knew how placing him with the Dursleys was a bad idea. After the Tournament was over, and Voldemort was vanquished again, having managed to regain his body, they spent the best part of another year dealing with the artifacts, vile phylacteries known as Horcruxes, that Voldemort used to become immortal.

Unfortunately, the local Ministry of Magic didn't take kindly to Harry killing a number of their most prominent members and supporters when they turned up to Voldemort's resurrection, and he was considered persona non grata in Britain for some time afterwards. However, he visited the country anyway, partly because he had the protection of the Magus Association, and while there was a bitter rivalry between wizards and Magi for various reasons, the current Minister for Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt, was more conciliatory, and had at least given a pardon to Harry. It wouldn't stop some elements of the British wizards from targeting Harry whenever he went back to Britain, but it did stop many attempts.

She had to admit, with him showing his skills and abilities, that he was a skilled hunter. Not quite on her level, but he would have fitted in very well on the Argo. The fact that he used his magic sparingly and rather intelligently spoke well, too. Many wizards and Magi were overreliant on it, and yet, Harry used relatively simple solutions for hunting techniques, most of which didn't rely on magic. He used his magic to enhance his strength, agility and defences, using a hybridisation of wizard magic and the magecraft ability known as Reinforcement, and he also used magic to enhance his stealth abilities. But he generally used more mundane techniques, and was also physically fit and able to remain stealthy even without magic.

However, she had to admit to being jealous of his bow, a silvery beautiful thing which he called Selene. It was practically a Noble Phantasm, even if a low-ranked one, and could even unleash a much weaker version of her Phoebus Catastrophe as Phoebe Deluge. That attack drew upon his magic to massively multiply the arrows that rained down on the enemy (physical arrows, rather than the bolts of light unleashed by Phoebus Catastrophe), and even direct where they headed and whether they actually struck their foes or not. He could just use the arrows to herd his foes where he wanted. And he could even use it to fire a sheer storm of arrows directly at the enemy.

As Harry went to bathe afterwards, Artemis, who'd been looking on, asked, "So, what do you think of our darling little Harry?"

"A fine hunter and a better man than I would credit many Magi or wizards with being," Atalanta said truthfully. She felt a little ill at ease around her patron deity, though this was less to do with the genuine respect Atalanta felt for Artemis and more to do with Artemis' rather ditzy and eccentric and overly enthusiastic ways. "While not as skilled or powerful as some, he would have fit amongst the Argonauts very well. And he is not wholly reliant on magic of any kind. He merely uses it as a tool to supplement his abilities. You have trained him well, My Lady."

"Oh, Little 'Lanta, can't you call me Artemis?" Artemis pouted. It was more than a little disconcerting to see the deity she respected pouting like a young child.

"…It's rather hard to do so. You saved my life, My Lady. I owe you much, including my lifelong respect," Atalanta said.

"And you're so stiff. Still…I can ask for few better to partner with my son than you, Little 'Lanta," Artemis said. "Though I have to ask…what wish do you desire from the Holy Grail? If Yggdmillennia truly do have the Greater Grail, then that means many wishes are possible. The von Einzberns knew what they were doing, from what I have heard."

Atalanta blinked, before she said, "My Lady…you of all people should know what my wish is. I was discarded by my father, Iasus, because I was born a girl instead of the son he wished for. Had it not been for your intervention, I probably would have died. And around the world, many children are subjected to a similar fate, or worse ones. Even in our time, there was the buying and selling of children as slaves or bedwarmers. The Grail tells me that in this time, children are sent to fight in wars against their will. While it is true that we fought young in our time, I at least chose to fight when I was young, and with at least enough foreknowledge that war was a bloody thing, for it is like the wilds, violent and visceral. But not enough children have a childhood. Therefore…my wish for the Holy Grail is to ensure that every child is loved. Absolutely. Unconditionally. So that none will be abandoned like I was."

Atalanta was struck by the rather sad look in Artemis' face, before she sighed. "Orion, darling, can you go away for a bit?"

Orion didn't protest, instead, waddling off. Eventually, Artemis shook her head. "…And how do you think that the Holy Grail will grant such a wish?"

"I do not follow."

"I'm not saying that it can't be done, my adorable little huntress…just that I don't think you'll like how it is done. To alleviate the suffering of every child on this world is a laudable goal, Atalanta…but it's not a reasonable one." She held up her hand. "Please don't misunderstand me, Atalanta…I know why you want it, and I'd want it too. But…what would the Holy Grail do to accomplish this?"

"Again, I do not follow," Atalanta said, feeling a dark emotion well up within her. Anger? No. At anyone else who would demean her wish, she would, but with Artemis…it wasn't even shock, but rather, sorrow, even mild despair. However, she kept her composure, as her patron deity was looking serious for a change.

"Harry and I have spoken with a number of Magi at Clock Tower before, including a rather funny vampire called Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg, who was one of those who helped establish the Holy Grail War, as well as Waver Velvet. He's a bit like you these days, too serious and stern, could do with some lightening up. Anyway, they know quite a bit about the Holy Grail. A lot of things are possible, especially those with a connection to True Magic. Even the copies of the Holy Grail managed to access Heaven's Feel enough to bring back the dead long enough to have a second chance of life. Time travel and resurrection are both possible with no strings attached. But…for some wishes, it's a mite trickier."

"Like how?"

"Well, say a rather foolish Magus wanted to be the strongest Magus in the world. How would the Grail accomplish that? Well, it could be that every other Magus in the world simply drops dead, or is permanently weakened," Artemis said with a shrug. "Wishes like that need to have the one who desires the wish to understand how it will be accomplished. Yours is of a similar ilk. Atalanta…don't misunderstand me. Your wish is a good and pure one, but it could have the worst consequences, for if every person is forced to love their children, what would happen afterwards? Even gods like me don't know how to address every inequity of the world."

And then, Artemis embraced Atalanta tenderly. At first, Atalanta's initial impulse was to break free in anger and dismay, as her patron deity had just trashed the wish close to her heart. But another, more analytical part of her managed to realise what Artemis had done. She wasn't saying that the feelings behind the wish were false, only that the Grail might do something to humanity to achieve what she wanted, something potentially disastrous.

"I know what I've done, Atalanta," Artemis said softly, gently brushing her hand through Atalanta's hair. "And I'm sorry. But…never believe that you can't find some other way to help the children of the world. Or, if you could find a way for your wish to work without hobbling humanity in some way…anyway, we can burn that bridge when we come to it. Like I said, I can think of few better to partner with my son than you, Atalanta. Anyway, I think we have a trip to Merry Old England to arrange. Normally, my son likes to walk or ride his bike across the lands, but I think time is of the essence. Not so urgently to need a Portkey…but I think you're going to be learning what it's like to fly…"

CHAPTER 2 ANNOTATIONS:

So, Atalanta has been summoned, and already, her patron deity has called her out on her wish. But will she have the wakeup call she needs? And what awaits them in London? Specifically, Clock Tower?

No numbered annotations this time.