The thunder of roaring men.

The zeal of defiant spirits spearheaded by those that knew that they marched to their deaths.

To lay down arms and surrender, or to march valiantly onward.

-Come and take them.

/-/

Lancer strode forward, flames alight over the plume of his helmet, eyes set in consternation and unwavering resolve. Whether through pride, conviction, or honor as a warrior, no man could stand in place and watch as children fought alone against monstrosity.

That was the task of grown adults.

"Shields!" Lancer called, his shout echoed by the exclamation of his finest warriors and brothers.

The echo of clanging bronze and wood shields larger than a man was high resounded as three hundred pairs of heels kicked into the ground and entrenched their shields in front. The wall of the ancient Greeks began to take shape, emblazoned with the symbol of Sparta.

Muscles rippled with each movement, denoting strict training and an upbringing that forged steel from even the weakest of warriors. A bustling city-state known throughout the entirety of Greece, and at times outpacing even Athens.

Sparta, the city that lay tribute to the War God Ares.

"In life, the Gods spoke of our strength!" Lancer tensed his arm as he braced his body to his shield. The sound of a deafening explosion echoed as the Greek monsters struck their defensive formation. "In death, they witness our Legend!"

The skies rippled above, not with lightning, but with the orange hue of flames that bathed through the night and shone over the battlefield.

Lancer gave pause as the hue of the orange flames touched his skin, a flicker of doubt bleeding into stone-cold recognition. His muscles bulged further, the flames that once only burned from his plume spreading violently across his billowing red mantle until he felt even his Servant parameters rising.

Where the orange hue touched, Spartans and warriors alike would know the blessing of their great God.

"Oh, Lord Ares, you were here…Your grace touches your warriors once more," Lancer steadied his hammering heart as the orange hue of war came over the battlefield.

Since the end of the ancient era, the Gods of the present world were forbidden from lightly meddling in the affairs of mortals, but as if in nostalgic resistance, the orange sunset of war continued to shine from the sky regardless of the growing lightning.

"F-Father?!"

Lancer noted several members of the children fighting calling out in exclamation. The same orange hue of flames bathed over them. Energy and vigour soared over the battlefield all at once.

"Listen well, children blessed by Ares!" Lancer called out to them. Nothing was more uncertain in war than loose variables outside calculation.

Lancer's voice pierced through the chaos and garnered attention.

"Shoulder to shoulder, form ranks!" Lancer called while he and his Spartans rebuffed the monsters that struck their shields, dazing them. "Spears!"

Not wasting time, Lancer ordered an attack. The spears held in the opposite hand of the spartan warriors flew forward, skewering the first wave of enemies rebuffed by their shields.

Fading into golden sand, numerous hell hounds perished as the rest grew cautious, giving a short reprieve.

"W-Who are you?" A girl, Clarisse asked with an awe-struck voice.

The other children behind Clarisse shared in her doubt. The blessing that spread over Lancer and his Spartans was clearly the power of Ares? Did that not mean that this man was a mature Demi-God of the Ares Cabin?

Lancer could see their hesitation and doubt, and there was no room for that on the battlefield. He needed to assure them.

"My ancestor is the great hero Heracles," Lancer said, earning a hushed silence. "The son of the Great God, Zeus!"

The lightning rumbling above momentarily paused as if listening keenly to the words. Through ancestry alone, that meant…!

"I am King Leonidas of Sparta, a city given praise by the War God Ares!"

Many of the children's pupils dilated at the answer before those in the Ares Cabin gritted their teeth and clenched their jaws. Their father was watching over them. Courage was rewarded while cowardice was frowned upon.

Moreover, verification of Lancer's words wasn't necessary when Ares himself was blessing them with his divinity.

"Man will never fall at the hands of monsters." Lancer turned his attention back to the charging monsters.

"But there are too many!" Another child called out. Strangely enough, Lancer could feel a faint divinity tying her to Aphrodite?

No matter, it wasn't important.

"Too many?" Lancer echoed the words while putting strength into his arms. "Worry not, for all we must do is defend, and that is our specialty. Let none pass, Phalanx formation!"

With a chorus of roars, the shout of three-hundred men reverberated with the clanging of bronze and rippling muscles.

As if in recreation of a scene long forgotten, towering bronze shields pushed back the hoards before blades spears struck through. Grunts and shouts of exclamation followed suit as the children were invigorated by the sudden aid.

And then from the heavens and the twinkling stars, an emerald comet shone keenly as the neighing of horses filled the space.

Behind the comet was a deluge of arrows that struck truer than any shot made from the current group of huntresses fighting on the hill. It was the difference between age, skill, and experience.

Arrows found eyes, opened mouths, and the tiniest chinks in armour. Even when the lamias coiled their serpentine bodies, the arrows found their way into soft flesh.

From the comet, a figure fell almost anticlimactically as if kicked off a chariot.

Saber faceplanted, but was left largely unnoticed as Rider kicked off his chariot and sped through the monsters in a blur of God Speed. It was so quick that the lamias and hellhounds practically vanished in the blink of an eye.

It was only the minotaur that managed to survive the initial rush, and only then because Rider had stopped in front of Lancer while getting the clinks out of his system. He was even idly rolling his heel over the ground while he slung his spear over his golden armour.

"My blood's pumping," Rider grinned while staring at Lancer. "I respect you, Lancer. Your legend was thrilling as a fellow Greek!"

"W-Who?" The question was blurted out by the children defending at such an anticlimactic end.

No, wait, there was still the minotaur-

A shower of magic swords skewered through the minotaur and reduced it to dust, Shirou walking up towards the group with a hand outstretched.

Lancer eased his stance, the ephemeral Spartans behind him fading away as he released his Noble Phantasm.

"We won. Just as I calculated," Lancer said before taking off his helmet and dismissing his armour.

Lancer's chest was bare, revealing his robust muscles and abdomen painted red in the color of Sparta.

However, the mood was far from triumphant.

Numerous pairs of young eyes were staring at the group, not the least of which intensified to a murderous degree when Archer, Orion joined. From the way the female hunters were staring at him, it was like he'd killed someone or something.

"Didn't you know? I'm a lady's man." Orion joked in the awkwardness as the huntresses raised their bows.

It wasn't until the sound of hooves echoed and a centaur appeared that tensions were prevented from escalating.

"B-By the Gods…" the centaur spoke, staring at Rider, then to Saber who dragged himself to the group with an annoyed glower aimed towards Rider.

All three stared the centaur back with varying levels of doubt.

Appearances may differ somewhat, but the energy and presence were the same.

"Chiron?" Jason was the first to say to the centaur.

"Jason, Achillies?" Chiron said back before looking to Archer with his wizened eyes. "And…Orion?"

The names caused many of the children's expression to shift, but none as venomous as Artemis's hunters. However, Shirou intervened before things could spiral into further confusion.

"We'd like to talk."

The place the children were valiantly defending was called Camp Halfblood, a place where the children of Demi-Gods took refuge from the monsters that lurked outside.

The Greek Gods still existed in this world, and they were as amorous as ever judging by the number of modern Demi-Gods present.

Each were divided into cabins of their respective parent, but were only allowed into said cabins if they received recognition from their divine parent.

Still, the fact that there weren't many children of Zeus or Poseidon around was shocking considering the libido of those two.

In any case, to Rider and Jason, Camp Halfblood just felt like Chiron's training grounds all over again.

Likely because it was.

"…They are real."

Rider snorted at the words while listening to the conversation Shirou was having with the occupants of a place in Camp Halfblood known as the 'Big House.'

Chiron was off to the side while Shirou was conversing with a man Rider, Saber, Lancer, and Archer could already tell was Divine. He was likely the God Rider had felt while doing a survey of the nearby area.

Mr. D.

Dionysus wasn't too creative in hiding his name. That and he was still an ass and a grump.

"Listen, Shery." Mr. D said with a drawl. "You don't seem to understand the implications of what your 'magic' has done. You've brought back the dead, and that won't sit well with the guy down under, but as for me, I could care less. If I wasn't able to tell that you weren't lying about losing an artifact of great power, then you wouldn't be here."

"If I was to interject, then perhaps it's this lost item of great power that has disturbed the movements of the monsters and the 'General.'" Chiron said. "The monsters are returning quicker and stronger than in the past, and more of the campers fall into danger. Then there's Artemis hunting a beast that would bring destruction to Olympus…"

Orion perked up at that tidbit of information, his face shifting into a frown, but he said nothing as Shirou took the lead to speak.

"We did not come for a confrontation. We came to help, and we were just hoping you had some answers to help point us in the right direction." Shirou said evenly.

"We don't have to answer everything either." Jason said. "We helped you. And besides, it looks like Archer's got all the information he needs."

Shirou blinked at Jason's words, and then glanced at Orion who slowly nodded.

"Hn," Mr. D drank out of cup, but it was clear that the liquid inside wasn't to his liking since he frowned.

"I see," Chiron, ever reasonable hummed in thought. "Then for helping our campers, we can at least offer a night of rest. You're welcome to join us."

The answer was obvious. Although Rider and the others were Servants, Shirou was still human.

/-/

Walking around Camp Halfblood was a harrowing affair, and Rider had no other choice but to pass the time. Word of their exploits and names was impossible to hide the moment Chiron had identified them, and the information had spread throughout the camp.

Lancer had readily embraced the attention and opted to help oversee the training of the campers, but Rider had snuck off to be alone.

Rider was no stranger to attention, but the mood mattered.

Not even news of Artemis's Hunters squaring off against Camp Halfblood in a match of capture the flag drew his attention. The old ways that Rider was used to came from a time when Chiron had struck fear into the hearts of the heroes he trained, not just simple compassion.

There was something more important.

Rider had felt it ever since he'd been summoned in this world; a constant presence that hesitantly lingered around him. It was as if the presence was unwilling to approach lightly in fear of Rider fading away.

Rider watched the water nymphs and dryads staring in his direction as they worked to carry food and supplies around the camp. Their curiosity towards him likely had much to do with the divine blood flowing through his veins.

Divinity could be felt, and it was always unique to the person.

Rider's was no different.

Hearing the sound of a horn, Rider began heading in the direction of where he could smell a meal being prepared. The day had passed quicker than he'd expected and the day was giving way to the night.

It was as Rider was returning that he stared at his reflection in the water and saw a woman with aqua colored hair and pearl-colored eyes staring at him blankly. Weakly, the water tried to reach for Rider before the woman gasped when Rider gave her the same apologetic smile.

It was always that smile. The one that accepted the fate spoken of in prophecy.

It was his smile.

Rider stared at the woman with melancholy.

"It's…been a while, mother."

The woman reflected in the water sobbed before her image abruptly faded.

Rider stared up at the sky and sighed before continuing on.

The sound of the horn blaring was met with the gathering of the campers towards a bonfire where numerous tables were set. Each table had a symbol representing which Greek God they represented.

Shirou as an unclaimed by default, sat at the Hermes cabin table. The table for travelers.

Shirou had been in need of a much-needed rest considering he'd been dropped here just as he'd finished the Singularity in Rome. However, he wasn't alone.

Jason was nearby, still in a daze after Chiron had prompted him to offer an offering to his divine forefather, but received no response.

Jason seamed more shocked than anything.

Jason clicked his tongue and walked off to sit on his own with mixed feelings.

In any case, Shirou had no time to mind Jason as Orion was the bigger problem.

Smiling awkwardly at Artemis's hunters, Orion didn't bother sitting and instead watched over the area. He had a feeling if he came any closer, he'd receive a rain of clumsy arrows.

Once the banquet was over, and Shirou was rested, the plan was to seek out the General using the leads they'd obtained from Chiron.

However, the mood wasn't quite set for a banquet as a hushed silence spread.

The game of capture the flag Chiron had set up in Camp Halfblood had been disrupted, and a hunter of Artemis by the name of Zoe Nightshade had supposedly received a prophecy.

Whispers that Artemis had been captured spread through the banquet as Orion's expression grew into a heavier frown.

"This is madness." Lancer was the first to say. "To think they were keeping a mummified oracle of Delphi here is one thing, but said oracle using fate to send children off on a quest to rescue a Goddess is ridiculous."

"Fate, huh," Rider clicked his tongue. "I'm not too much of a fan."

"Man should make his own destiny," Orion said in confidence.

"…" Jason kept quiet, but Orion looked to Shirou.

Orion had a glint of pity in his eyes, or rather compassion, as he noted that Zoe Nightshade would lead the quest.

"Master," Orion broached the subject with a whisper as the group listened to Zoe choosing her companions for the quest. "May I?"

Shirou could tell what Orion wished to do as the banquet was reduced to a shouting match between Zoe Nightshade and a young man named Percy Jackson who wasn't picked.

To begin with, Shirou was of the same opinion as Orion. It was quite likely that the target of this quest to Mount Othrys pertained in some way to their current objective.

Bang!

Orion stood up while holding his club. His actions did not fail to draw the attention of Artemis's hunters and a good portion of Camp Halfblood's Demi-Gods.

As much as news of a new quest caused a stir in the camp, Shirou and the others presence was not any lighter.

The Ares cabin members had followed Lancer on a strict training regiment today while word of Achilles coming back from the dead spread through the nymphs.

The only one without as much of a presence was Jason who languidly drank a mug of ale while brooding.

Orion though, he was a giant of a man and the greatest hunter in all of Greece.

"Enough bickering." Orion said, silencing the dispute between Percy and Zoe. "Do the Gods dictate the fate of mortals even now, or do we as mortals still bow to their whims? Look, I don't know what you huntresses have against me, but I would be doing Artemis wrong to let her hunters walk to their deaths."

It wouldn't just be an ordinary quest in this world. How could it with the power of the Holy Grail potentially in the hands of the enemy?

"You're going to need help, and if your objective coincide, then why not join us?" Orion proposed.

Percy's eyes brightened at the offer, while in contrast, Zoe's grew scornful.

"Shut your mouth, wicked spawn of a giant." Zoe seethed while Orion blinked. "I know you, of what you've become. No semblance of your actions is able to fool us."

As far as Orion knew, he was a son of Poseidon not some giant? It didn't matter, Orion's instinct warned him that it was portably best to let the misunderstanding go lest he risk further bickering.

"Then you'd question my skill and instinct as a hunter?" Orion squared his shoulders. "Only Artemis was my equal, and my tracking skills may have even been above hers."

"LIES!" Zoe yelled, backed by the voices of her fellow huntresses.

Orion remained stone faced. "Then you'd rather believe in the figurative words of a prophecy that could be misinterpreted? The Gods still play their games."

The area rumbled at the accusation, but Orion was unperturbed.

Zoe Nightshade was not backing down.

"Your interference is unnecessary, both as a man and as a hunter." Zoe sneered. "Without the prophecy, you wouldn't even know which direction to go."

Orion shook his head, much to the shock of everyone.

"Direction?" Orion echoed. "So long as the moon shines above, it's light will guide me forward."

"What?" Zoe bristled at the implication. Artemis was the Goddess of the hunt, but she shared the opposite qualities of Apollo.

If Apollo was the Sun, then Artemis was the Moon.

"You don't believe me?" Orion gently placed down his club and his bow on a table beside him. "Even now, she guides me far more than any words from an oracle."

In the stillness of the evening where the light of the sun no longer reached, the moon's glow encompassed all.

"Because I got involved with the gods, my life had some serious ups and downs..." Orion opened and closed his eyes, the gentle caress of the wind billowing around him. "Now that I've had time to reflect on it, I don't think it was half bad. Right, Artemis? You were the one who brought me so much trouble."

A-Artemis? Blasphemy!

Zoe and the eyes of the hunters grew bloodshot, but before they could utter a single sentence of rebuke, the light of the moon began to bend and wane.

The moon's light shimmered, a soft white glow encompassing Orion.

"Yet thanks for that." He muttered as the divine secret of the hunt enshrouded him.

Gently, Orion began to float, moonlight pouring down from above. The weight of that light was the weight of a feeling that the Goddess Aphrodite had no choice but to notice as it came from Artemis herself.

Love and affection.

Divinity was unique.

The unceasing outpour of the moon was Artemis's domain.

Apollo would not be pleased, considering he'd once turned Orion into a boar to prevent the breaking of a vow.

"Goddess of the moon, my destiny, I beg your guidance. Strengthen my body...calm my mind."

Up above, the clouds parted. A figure descended from up high that drew closer and closer to Orion.

The form was different, older matured, yet the Gods were able to change their forms at their whims.

The woman, no; the Goddess was breathtaking, pale white hair floating up above while an unblemished dress trailed after her. Behind her was the light of the stars, her eyes set on Orion as her arms wrapped around his neck and nuzzled her face by his side.

"And then seal my fate."

The Goddess looked up; Orion's intentions conveyed to her through his prayers and devotion.

Artemis was Artemis, and their divinity and authority were identical.

If there was anyone who could locate Artemis's location, it was no one else but Artemis herself. Not some quest by an oracle of Delphi that stemmed from that meddlesome Apollo.

"Artemis Agnós."

Artemis faded into fragments of moon light that formed a path traversing through the night.

Orion floated back down; his body filled to the brim with Artemis's divinity. Any lesser man would have exploded from the overwhelming affection, but not Orion. His muscles merely felt a little sore.

In the prolonged silence, Orion stared at Zoe and the people she'd chosen for her quest with a level of smug derision.

"Go on your quest, tread where you may tread, or choose to follow. The choice is yours, but my path is clear."

The moon would point the way.

It was hard to wrap her mind around it, but the evidence was damning.

Zoe felt as if her breath was being constricted as she stared at Orion, but there was no denying the divinity that flowed from the moonlight.

Lady Artemis-

The expression on the Goddess's face was real.

Orion, had she truly loved that man?

The fires in the camp flickered violently as if a sign of Apollo's displeasure, but there was nothing to be done.

As the leader of the quest, Zoe needed to make the decision to follow the prophecy given to her, or forge a new path with the older male Demi-Gods who had no business being alive again.

The indecision was causing her to furrow her brows, and it didn't help that Thalia was giving her a smug look while Percy was jumping to join.

These damn men. There was even a certain charisma around them that caused Zoe's heart to squeeze as if being stabbed.

Their demeanor and valor reminded her too deeply of him.

The valor and demeanor of that man was beyond words.

Swallowing down her doubts, Zoe stared upon the path illuminated by moonlight and then thought back to the prophecy given to her.

-One shall be lost in the land without rain.

A line in the prophecy that reeked of death, or the path forward illuminated by her own Goddess?

The choice was clear even to her.

If only she could rub the looks off of Percy and Thalia's faces.

Besides, Zoe saw the way Percy kept glancing to Jason, and even Thalia to Leonidas.

This was not going to end well.

May the Gods help her.

Thanks for reading and Merry Christmas! Just to clarify again, but this arc's only a short event quest where it won't stretch into several chapters. It's not a full crossover, and is designed to have fun with the concept rather than go strictly into the detail. Cheers!

Free web novel :[The Apostate in Grim Fantasy] (For those that asked, the web novel is available on webnovel and the patron main page, leave a review if you'd like! New goal is 20 reviews)

Next update: Sword Order

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