Kindle
Biologically speaking, the subject now housed in level twelve, section thirty-four of the main Olympia Research Institute in North America was perfect. In every way, shape, or form, the specimen that fellow Argonaut Theseus uncovered was a piece of startling beauty and astute scientific/alchemic design down to the smallest of details. Even the initial readings alone from the instruments and tools that he had on hand were just merely grasping the data that could be scratched from her entire being.
To Asclepius, this was just a marvel of untold proportions. All his life was a journey to reach his ambition, his absolute dream. To be able to make humanity master of its own destiny. To make them free from the shackles of death and everything else after. A dream that was both cast down by the Gods themselves and one that Asclepius had no true hope of achieving given the limits of his own bodily frame and intelligence.
Even as he ascended into godhood, deified by the men and women who marveled at his ability to heal and stave away sickness, he was still unable to reach that promise that he dedicated his entire life's worth to achieving. His immortality, given credence by the Gods for his unparalleled impact upon the world was a joke in itself. A shackle, to rid humanity of such a pleasure so that he could not continue his research and a joke, for how much it taunted him that instead of humanity, such a gift was given to him instead.
It was one of the many chief reasons that he was reasonably more amicable to be part of the Throne of Heroes. If only to spare him from the shame and anger that being immortal was with the Gods that withheld it from humanity. Being part of the Throne had its merits, not just in one world, but in a multitude of worlds in the purview of the kaleidoscope, where the possibility of him being summoned would allow him to find the necessary research to achieve his lifelong dream.
And despite his current master's efforts, he was still a step or more away from its completion.
It was only through his master's efforts again, that the man convinced him that humanity was in itself imperfect, by design. Both in character and in biological existence. It was then that the two made a compromise in his research, despite his bullheadedness, that they created the current serum. A better, more realized version of the Vought strain that Asclepius abhorred with every measure of his being. The Vought strain, based on the research and files provided by their new business partner, was a powerful alchemic solution devised from an earth-shattering discovery in Central Europe.
One that even he and his master were both surprised by.
The Vought strain, now officially named the Valkyrie within Olympia, was literal in its definition. Within the labs of a decrepit sociopathic doctor with dreams of grandeur, they accidentally found a small strand of great importance that hailed from the Nordic Pantheon, or at least from its late Chief God, Odin. Said strand and its horrible yet grand revelations attached to its being gave context as to why exactly was the Valkyrie so strange, biologically speaking when exposed to humans. This led himself, his master, and Medea to conclude that this discovery was at its core, a failed experiment. One that would explain a variety of oddities towards how the Enhanced were developed both in the womb and those exposed to its entirety through Vought's poor serum directly.
In addition, it seemed as if what added to the conundrum of this strain being as volatile as it was, was due to the very nature of where exactly the Valkyrie originated prior to the Nordic Chief God's finalizations of them in Proper Human History.
It left a disturbing implication, that the entire reason 'powers' and abilities from the Enhanced were as volatile and unpredictable as they were, was because they came from it. The unresolved matter that his master was still wholly fearful of.
The unresolved matter, that Heracles' own father in this world, was still contained with progressively weakening shackles as the days passed.
Conceptually speaking, did it mean that the proliferation of the Valkyrie strain upon these specimens of humanity meant that it was speeding along the process of Its revival? Or was the strain inert, even if its effect upon the human body would pose to be disastrous as time passed by?
Certain individuals such as this Soldier Boy were a miracle induced by incompetence. The understanding these humans had without the alchemic background and thaumaturgical study created results that wildly differ from each other given they never truly understood the strain as it was, and even with Asclepius and his master's current serum that helped stabilize the entire thing, they were still wholly confused by the Valkyrie's properties and effects.
Only the Gods seemingly understood this question and its many answers.
Yet even they were overwhelmed by it.
And now… currently, with the perfect subject before him, did Asclepius now understand how far he still needed to go to even accomplish what the Olympians did to humanity in that one Lostbelt that his master took command of. Asclepius understood perfectly now how much more he needed to labor to once again reach that pinnacle of his dream, and he was very much excited about it.
Mainly because with confirmation, the subject, the pregnant female before him was completely unrelated to the Valkyrie and its constituents. It was Olympian in nature. It was the God's design, one that he now had full access to. One that he could now truly research to the best of his ability and he was already giddy to make sense of it all even if it meant months or years being stuck in this place.
Looking at the subject once more and its beautiful complexion in an almost, marble-like quality to its skin yet still functioned as near human, Asclepius took his tablet with an inward smirk and walked out of the room. He headed towards the observation section just beside it, where two of his fellow servants were now residing.
"I don't understand this… she smells and feels like Dite'. It's like she's right here, alive and just beside us as I watch her now. Yet she looks nothing like her." Artemis said as she placed her face near the glass alongside both her hands as she gazed at the specimen.
"Remnants of what was Hera within me say the same, dear Artemis, but we cannot deny that this is in fact, Aphrodite, in some form. Just with a different appearance, I believe?" Europa said, similarly doubtful with her own words as she looked at the specimen with a hint of uncertainty.
"I'm telling you right now… that's not Dite' at all! Much as I disliked her back in Olympus, I know her better than even Athena sometimes." Artemis complained as she pouted, looking at her 'sibling' and fellow Goddess, assuming this was her. Her companion, at least the one she shared with this saint graph looks on in curiosity too from her shoulder.
"Maybe she wanted to change things up? I don't know, even if I prefer her original look this one still-YEEAAAARRRGHHH!" The small bear, Orion in his diminutive form yelped as Artemis frustratingly strangled his plushie-like form through the neck while retaining her kind smile.
Asclepius kept silent as he looked over the probe data that his 'snakes' were analyzing through the gene samples and instruments that they were now connected to, within the specimen's room. Inwardly, he was already writing down notes on the configurations that he was observing, especially when his master confirmed that the specimen had hints of still active nanomachines circling her bodily systems.
Nanomachines that were now activated, but were on low power settings, at least in theory.
"If it is truly her, I wonder what caused this sort of contingency to happen in the first place, and why she needed to be transferred into this…" Europa paused before Artemis turned to her.
"…Terminal? I don't know why exactly as well. Aphrodite was very adamant in keeping her appearance with that specific Terminal we know her as. It's what made her entire existence towards humans and it's what made her entire character moving forward, after…" Artemis said with a nostalgic hint to her tone, albeit with some strain.
"This… is out of character for her, unless it was through desperation." The Goddess of the Hunt finished as she pressed Orion deeper into her chest, causing him to wheeze and ask for help in desperation. A plea that everybody in the room ignored.
"Indeed. Still, I can't help but feel oddly familiar with this form, and what remnants of Lady Hera's memories seem to allude that this appearance already existed, but not from this world." Europa said as she went into deep contemplation of the specimen.
It was then, before Asclepius could give his own theory to the table that Artemis, jumped in excitement at her sudden epiphany as Orion's cries grew in volume after her tried to pry himself off of his eccentric lover's arms.
"Oh! I remember it now! I think Dite' mentioned it at one point, but she was very secretive about it… but she mentioned a cute daughter once, one that she gave 'birth' to across a small kingdom far from Greece. She was so embarrassed by it and overprotective that she made me swear not to tell the others, specifically Athena, for she called her, her perfect creation."
"WHAT?"
Almost instantly, everyone in the room froze as a very authoritative voice, belonging to that of a Queen was cast into the room. Asclepius even found himself freezing temporarily due to its immensity as their eyes, filled with shock, turned to Europa.
The kind, motherly, and loving woman was momentarily overtaken by the Queen of the Gods for a moment as even her face turned into the same icy-like quality that Hera once had when disturbed, or oftentimes, offended.
The sudden burst of emotion nearly made Artemis hide behind Asclepius but as quickly as it appeared, Europa returned back to normal as a blush of guilt and embarrassment emanated on her face.
"Oh dear, I didn't mean to say such a thing, but I believe Lady Hera was in absolute shock after hearing this from you, dear Artemis. I… I apologize for lashing out that way, I didn't mean to." Europa said as she almost backed away in shame. Her eyes started to tear up again.
However, before she did, Asclepius groaned in annoyance before walking towards the maiden of Europe, mother of all Kings and Bloodlines, and placed her into an awkward embrace…
"Oh dear… thank you, my grandson. Your Grandmother appreciates this well." The woman beamed while relishing their contact, shedding her guilt and sorrow that was quickly building up earlier back into her normal, loving self.
…begrudgingly, Asclepius only did this as a way to stop her from crying. The very first instance that came near to such an event in this summoning of theirs caused a surprising number of problems for his master and most of the Greek servants just because she felt a tad depressed.
Rolling his eyes, he hoped that the woman was not this emotional about almost everything that she did. However, if what she said was true, then the sudden revelation from his aunt, Artemis' lips must have truly caused Hera to override her, for just a moment.
"But isn't this good news? Aphrodite has another daughter! That is cause for celebration. You must tell us more Artemis." Europa said cheerfully as she let Asclepius go. The other goddess in the room was still unsure of what to say as she stuck herself behind him.
"I'm unsure of what more to say… great mother. She didn't really tell me anything else besides that simple fact." Artemis said sheepishly.
"I do believe that Lady Artemis is referring to one specific individual in question. At least in Pan Human History." Asclepius butted in, hoping to stave the discussion elsewhere.
"Who?" Artemis and Europa said in unison. Both were curious, for near the end of the Age of the Gods, Aphrodite had been a lot more secretive than the rest of the Olympians.
Asclepius, who deliberated it with his master, who had seen such a being once in the Lostbelt, as well as Medea who had heard about this being directly in her time as princess of Colchis, promptly confirmed to him that appearance-wise, it was the Queen of Pygmalion…
"…Galatea."
There was silence in the room as the revelation was being absorbed by Artemis and Europa. A silence that was broken when a recently freed Orion who was resting on the Huntress' bosom looked confused.
"Who?"
He was immediately smothered again as Artemis; grip on him tightened with his panicked wails now left in the background again when the two started to speak.
"Oh… Dite's youngest was Galatea!? That cute little thing? Piggy's queenie?" Artemis said in excitement as she tightened her hold on Orion, forcing him to scream for help. "I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN! ~Darling~, I should prepare a welcoming present for my darling niece, she once prayed to me with her kiddies you, see?"
"Aaaaaacccckkkk!"
"Oh my… so, dear Aphrodite hid the fact that she had a child. One that the Gods had little knowledge of except for the love story of a faraway kingdom in the form of Pygmalion's. With what Lady Hera is relaying to me, it was a large point of conversation within Olympus as to who exactly Galatea's godly parent was and many of us assumed she was of her-my son, Hephaestus." Europa said with a happy and proud smile, especially with Hera slightly taking over with the mention of Hephaestus, which to Asclepius' perspective was rather odd given the history of the Forge God and his mother.
"May I ask why none of you knew of Galatea's parentage?" Asclepius asked, hoping to gleam more information other than the fact that this 'Galatea' was of Aphrodite's.
"Because Cyprus is a faraway land, you can argue of its part being more closely associated with the Hittites and their Gods than that of us in Greece," Artemis explained.
"Indeed, and from what I understand, Cyprus ruler', Pygmalion was only Greek in heart with his small kingdom and his people were more freely welcome to believe in any such God they chose rather than enforcing the Olympian Pantheon as its standard. Lady Hera is quite displeased with this revelation actually, both as not informing the Council of the Gods themselves, and of Pygmalion's stance upon his nation's belief systems." Europa added before frowning herself.
She then placed a hand on the glass overlooking the sleeping specimen before continuing,
"I am mostly happy that a granddaughter of our Lord Zeus is with us once more or even if it's Aphrodite, directly. Both of us in part do, yet… I feel as if this discovery has baggage that might bode terribly for our future."
The ominous touch of her words made Asclepius and Artemis pause given what they knew.
"She was discovered in a pod with Hephaestus' symbol, correct?" Europa asked.
"Yes. The symbol resembles that of the Forge God's own." Asclepius answered.
"Then… whatever difference that exists between this world and ours, proves that this poor little thing is a creation made out of desperation."
Asclepius hummed in agreement, but with Europa's words, he was now more curious as to the implication that this specimen was a possibly joint creation by both the Goddess of Love and the Forge God. He cared not for the Love Goddess' connection, but the Forge God's side of this craft was what excited him, and if only he could dissect the specimen freely.
Alas, he would be jumped on by his allies. Especially with the excited Huntress beside him, and the motherly woman by his other.
"Oh dear… I didn't want to ruin the mood again, I apologize." Europa said with a shameful blush. Her demeanor lost more of its assertiveness, proving that Hera's influence was now waning while Artemis continued to excitedly talk about buying a gift for the specimen's revival.
The son of Apollo merely rubbed Europa's shoulders begrudgingly again as he thought about the future and all of the consequences of their new discovery moving forward…
"Gods damn it… somebody help me!" Orion screamed as the room ignored him.
"Oh please, I don't need help!" Ava, or Morrigan said as she levitated into the air, her cloak and hood expanding immensely as her control over the shadows nearly swallowed the entirety of the room. Her magenta eyes shined brightly as she grinned.
"Ava, stick to the plan!" Big Sis, who was previously the unofficial leader and eldest of the former Super Duper team shouted out as she sent a powerful enough air cannon against their target who bashed it away with his shield even with Morrigan's powerful Umbrakinesis blinding him and trying to trap him in place with her shadows.
"TAKE THIS!" Klanker, the near-living metal combatant of the trio roared with determination as his transformed Olympia-issued baton that was transformed by his powers to be more durable and powerful clashed against their enemy's weapon.
THRWANG!
Which was a mix between a wooden club and a sword.
Its wielder, barely buckling against the impact smirked inwardly despite his impassive face. Mandricardo, who was now the trainees' opponent felt that all three of them already had the confidence of a warrior that he used to have back in his younger days.
A trait that would prove to be helpful and problematic at the same time.
Especially with Ana, now called Morrigan, a prodigy that her personal trainer, Sanson was able to relay. She was strong and her Umbrakinesis which was now enhanced from its former application of just releasing a smog of darkness at a target, was now literal in practice. Harnessing the synthetic energy she produced to make anything that her mind thought of.
Big Sis, who was another trainee, personally trained by Atalanta on occasion, once again fired another specialized Air Blast that was much more potent than the last time Atalanta had him assist her training for her. Mandricardo quickly deduced that with the tactical blindness, binding, and spur of overwhelming attacks with their frontline unit, that being Klanker, the air blast was to put him off balance, so the rest of the team could finally capture him.
Sadly, as much as he was proud of the confidence and level of improvement that the trio had, none of the attacks thus far had managed to push him to the edge. Inwardly, he hoped that they were ready for him.
With a burst of confidence that one would not attribute to him before he looked at Klanker. He still had their weapons locked in place after the recent clash and pushed him forward with near ease much to his shock. Then, with speed that was still greater than the trainees could feasibly achieve currently, he grabbed Klanker's shoulder with his shield arm and created a circular momentum that launched him at Big Sis, much to the two's shock.
The trainee screamed as he flew forward like a bullet with his teammate barely making it in time to make an air cushion that would catch him until Mandricardo raised his club up into the great darkness generated by Morrigan as she willed her constructs to restrain him to no avail as his weapon glowed in holy light.
He poured enough energy to conjure a hint of Durandal's light as it shined like a bright beacon inside Morrigan's darkness-induced realm. Where the team thought they had full advantage with Morrigan's presence within the battlefield, they now felt a tinge of helplessness curl into their souls as they watched him raise his weapon, like those Knight stories of old, ready to smite his enemies in the name of Justice.
In a faraway place as one Hector of Troy bathed his brother, he felt a bit of pride gush into his being as he felt his weapon hum in accordance with the event that was transpiring with Mandricardo.
Truly, in that moment as he triumphantly and confidently raised his club into the air, he channeled the spirit of all the wielders of the holy swords that predated him. Where there was once an arrogant king who once celebrated his discovery before turning into a humbled meek man, was now a calm and content knight raising his mettle and pride into the world.
A kindle of hope that Mandricardo wished to impart upon these trainees.
He then heaved the weapon forward, stabbing it into the ground just before Morrigan tried to blind him again with the addition of producing identical bodily clones of herself to try and stop him.
But the light of Durandal that he conjured for but a moment met its target and unleashed a blinding, powerful blast of light within the epicenter of where he was, producing a potent enough shockwave that knocked the trio out around him.
Morrigan's darkness instantly vanished, her back slamming and breaking against multiple trees of the Simulation around them before stopping against one of the artificial buildings.
Klanker and Big Sis were similarly blown away, with Klanker destroying an artificial statue that fell on top of him and Big Sis stopping her fall by minimally skidding on the ground before ultimately breaking her momentum via her precise aeorokinesis.
Morrigan groaned as she tried to sit up and Klanker was momentarily knocked out with the debris of the statue now covering his entire body.
Mandricardo then breathed slowly as he lifted his club from the ground, returning it back to its former mundane quality, and looked at his opponents with equal concern yet keeping his guard up. "Everyone okay?"
"Damn, we thought we had this in the bag!" Big Sis said with a smile as she stood up. Frustrated but enlightened with the new learning experience her team was now having under Olympia, she looked at Mandricardo in a new light after this. It was refreshing how Olympia seemingly kept their toes with each new lesson and advice, and this was no different.
They were leagues beyond anything that Vought could provide if they could even provide any such assistance at all to her team back then. They were after all the rejects, the lowly stupid band of youngsters that had no chance to be proper heroes due to their weak and ugly abilities.
Now? She can confidently say that she could take on Queen Maeve (that bitch) or any of the ones in the Seven, thanks to Archer, or Miss Atalanta's rather substantial and difficult training.
"Don't fret… the fact alone that you pushed for an advantage against me by going at me all at once is the correct strategy when facing a stronger or more skilled opponent. Overwhelming them is a key aspect because if you go in one by one, you'd be picked apart quite easily."
"Ugh, easy for you to say sir… you're pretty strong." Morrigan could be heard saying as she dusted off her suit. Humbled but still determined, the heroine levitated from the ground again as she nodded at Big Sis who reciprocated the gesture.
"But we're not done yet!" Big Sis finished as she cupped both her hands together. To an outsider, the gesture resembled that of those old anime shows from Japan as the eldest of the Super Duper team created a condensed air singularity in her palms while Morrigan disappeared into the shadow beside the tree she was floating near subtly as her former leader led the charge with a loud, upcoming event.
Inwardly the woman grinned to the high heavens. With her upgraded suit and powers she looked AWESOME in this stance as she heaved her singularity beside her and readied to throw it as Mandricardo smiled.
"That's the spirit!" Mandricardo couldn't help but say as he readied himself for round two.
"TAKE THIS!" She screamed as she unleashed the singularity at him while Morrigan appeared behind Mandricardo to enact their two-pronged attack.
…
"God… Evelyn looks ridiculous doing those anime moves." Hughie said as he nursed his bruised cheek. The two women beside him who sparred with him earlier, stared at him in a deadpan manner. "What?"
"That's a bit hypocritical coming from you… Sir DnD." Annie responded as her new best friend Marie laughed at his now embarrassed face as he tried to make a retort. He was reduced to a sputtering mess as the auditorium they were in, placed with a multitude of screens showing their fellow trainees still fighting their designated Olympia hero.
"When you think about it, why is it that when Miss Medea does her spells she doesn't really need to shout as often, or even say anything out aloud to make them work?" Marie asked as she took a break from looking at her phone before looking at Hughie.
"I… uh…" he then sighed. "…I think it looks cooler okay? And even then, Ma'am always tells me that if I want some spells to be stronger, I need to turn up the volume." Hughie said in admittance.
"So, does that mean your magical potential is low? Because you need to compensate for everything by… shouting?" Annie teased with her cheerful, teasing grin as she elbowed him.
"W-Whu? No… that's not it. I told you its-
"Did your trainer, that strong Archer ever tell you that shouting what you're trying to do against an enemy is a… bad idea?" Marie teased further as in one of the screens, Mandricardo's matchups were now beaten single-handedly, much to the trio who was watching them groaning in disappointment.
"I don't see you guys complaining when our trainers do it?" Hughie said in his defense.
Annie was the first to grin in a smug manner that made Hughie deflate. "Dude… when they do it, they've basically earned the right to look that cool in the first place. Plus, Chiron's told us that they don't extensively use such abilities that require the need for a named release because they're more destructive and reserved only for the worst of circumstances. This means that practically, there is no need to speak out said abilities because no event thus far necessitates to do it."
"But… I thought you guys said I looked cool last week?" Hughie awkwardly asked, recalling when they visited Medea for Marie's gear. The trio became fast friends because of that, even before Annie and the rest's training given his presence as 'assistant' to Medea who was Olympia's designated fashion designer and indoor support specialist with her various items that both enhanced and assisted the trainees. There was also the fact that Hughie had been everyone's most likable person within Olympia, that both its official heroes and trainees alike appreciated the boy for his kindness, honesty, and sheer care for his job, in whatever form it took now at least.
"I don't think we said anything?" Marie said with a chuckle. "And I know for sure Robin thinks it's a bit lame too."
Hughie now frowned after learning that revelation. "But Robin really liked it, I'm pretty sure of it." He tried to say as Annie then placed an arm around him and smiled, already telling him what he needed to know just through her facial expression, which was now foxlike with how smug it was.
"Damn it. I just wanted to complete the get-up you know… the suit's very cool for how simple it is, and I have a staff. Wizards use staffs to cast spells, why won't I be saying those spells aloud."
Inevitably, the trio went into a burst of giggles in their seats in the auditorium as Hughie continued to argue in his favor while the other two continued to tease him about it. However, while they were enjoying their little 'break' of sorts after experiencing the same failure as the rest of their trainees were about to have in a few moments…
"You've done well so far young man. Better than any of your peers thus far but given your experience I think you could have done more on quickly subduing your opponent in the simulation." They could hear Chiron saying as the one he was speaking to nodded.
"I think I underestimated Caster's appearance at first sir. It's not every day that you're tasked to fight against a kid."
…It was there that they noticed the newest addition to their roster, sitting by his lonesome near where the Olympia instructors were talking. He called himself Raven, his background shrouded mostly in mystery as he was personally overseen by Chiron himself in more or less private simulations. He seldom appeared in group occasions such as this and it was Annie and Marie's first look at him since his admittance barely two weeks ago.
Hughie, who was allowed insider information from Medea, knew full well who that person was, mostly due to him being a very in-depth fan of Vought's heroes and having seen and interacted with the man closely for a few times.
"I hope he opens up a bit to the rest of us soon. He seems too lonely and quiet sometimes." Annie commented as Marie hummed in agreement. "You think he's another one of those cases that were saved from Vought like Henry was?"
"Dunno…"
Hughie with a small understanding smile tried to keep the man's secret, knowing that he was doing his best, after a lot of therapies and healing since his 'capture'. By trust alone in Archer's words, his mentor Heracles specifically (which was a cool name in his opinion), the man was genuinely trying for redemption. To try and correct all of the wrongs he did in the past. The best that Hughie could do was hope that he could push through it.
"I think his presence here is a good enough indicator that he wants to do good, and I think that's what's important most of all." He said to the two, who both looked at him with a smile.
Annie then cringed in her seat as she saw Jason, her teammate when they were personally trained by Sir Don Quixote and Sancho, got removed from the fight when Saber, or specifically the blonde man that was always with Medea's sister had kicked him solidly between the legs on one of the screens. Eventually, his teammates in the simulation were still trying to fight it out while the ones who fought Mandricardo earlier now entered the auditorium after experiencing their own defeat.
They had a small slump on their shoulders, a sentiment that Annie's current trio of friends shared nearly an hour ago when Chevalier beat them quite handily despite the trio's many near-successful attempts at subduing them.
None of the teams thus far had any success with their respective Olympia Hero as opponents but the improvement was not lost with all of them, much to their trainer's surprise. Still, it stung to lose even if they were all aware of what the gap was between them.
A gap that the trainees hoped dearly to bridge.
"Oh, speaking of Chevalier, Marie…. How did it go?" Annie asked with excitement and caution for her friend. Marie almost tried to return back to her meeker, quieter self, as she cutely hid behind her phone, but she still found herself smiling with Annie for the lovely gesture of concern.
"It was… great. We just hung out and had dinner. You know, the usual stuff." Marie said, reminiscing of her time with Chevalier, who Annie and Hughie convinced to give her a chance given her burning crush on them.
To Marie, it didn't matter what Chevalier's gender was, (even if the hero themselves were unsure of it) because that one night alone convinced her that he or she was a remarkable person to be with. Even if in essence, it was just a first date.
"Well, I'm not asking what you guys did… I'm pretty much asking how it all went, personally speaking, that is." Annie asked in a supportive, damn near girly manner as Marie literally blushed red despite her darker skin tone.
"It was… nice. Very nice. I think we both agreed that we would like to try again once we're both free." Marie said with a loving, content grin. "I do hope we can make something out of it… because it felt special. The kind that I haven't felt since forever, since maybe even after me and my sister started talking to each other again."
"That's great Marie," Hughie said as Marie nodded in his direction with joy.
"I'm glad sis…" Annie whispered as she and her friend leaned their heads together.
"Thank you…" but before Annie could say anything further, Marie decided to tease her about it. "What about you Anne? Planning on getting a date anytime soon?"
Annie paused for a moment. Ever since…
What was it? Ever since she had sought her dream of being a hero that actually meant something with Olympia's help, romance was not something on her priorities, at least for now. With how busy she was, and how happy she was with her friends, she didn't truly think about it until Marie brought it up. It made her pause a bit after a bit of contemplation, one that Hughie himself intended to butt out of in respect.
"I… I don't know and to be honest, I'm not entirely sure."
"Why?" Marie asked.
There was a small bout of silence between them even as the auditorium started to fill up as their defeated comrades came flooding in while Annie tried to process what exactly to say to answer her friend's question.
However, their instructors finally decided to speak up for the next part of the day's group exercise when the preliminary group spars and simulations had run their course. Chief amongst the instructors present, Chiron against Atalanta and Medea had deigned to present to them what they were about to face next as the screens turned off their feeds and returned to the Olympia logo.
Annie, Marie, Hughie, and the rest would have to finish their conversation later…
"Before we start, I would like to proudly say to all of the people within this room… treasured pupils, trainees, of our program, that you have all done well. Even with the results of the second half with your matched opponents, we, your current instructors have deemed it wonderful that each and every trainee present has broken our expectations when it came to your individual and group performances." Chiron started as the room became quiet, each man and woman who were part of the program listening in with focus.
"In other words, we are all happy to say that you've succeeded in our tests, despite losing."
Murmurs started to come out from them, even in Annie and Hughie's case as they questioned what exactly Chiron meant by that, but they were all silenced when Medea raised her hand.
"Understand first and foremost, that your teacher, Chiron, is merely telling you that we expected your failure when it came to battling each of the Heroes chosen for your teams. It's how you acted with all your lessons and training ingrained that made us judge if you are worthy to have those gifts and advantages that you possess now, under Olympia's banner."
Amanda, now named Morph from her prior designation Ladyfold, raised her hand to which Medea allowed to hear her question.
"May we ask the specifics for the test's theme or idea, ma'am?"
Atalanta and Medea glanced at each other before Chiron nodded to have her say it.
"Well, my darling Amanda, it's accepting one's own limits against a vastly more powerful enemy," Medea said simply as the entire room became silent, both in its implication and the reality of the gap between them and the heroes in Olympia.
As the mood started to turn dour, Atalanta intervened.
"Please think of it less in the manner of defeat, but of understanding. Fighting to be a hero is less about reveling in the chance to beat your opponent by overpowering them, or overcoming them, but understanding when it is to choose to fight or flee knowing the real consequences of what follows."
Chiron then gestured for the screens to change, showing footage of another simulation with two of Olympia's roster, the big muscly Orion, and Theseus were.
"And understanding the devastation, the vast misalignment of strength between you and a potential enemy is crucial in knowing what to do. Or in this case, how to best help those that are trapped in the middle of a destructive altercation or a natural disaster." He continued for Atalanta as the trainees were now rapt in attention as they watched the footage.
…
"You know when they said you were as strong as Heracles, I was quite pumped to test myself against you. More so when we're allowed to not hold back… even for just a bit." Orion said as he crossed his arms upon his mighty, ridiculously muscled chest and physique as he and Theseus squared against each other in a Grecian-like meadow within the simulation they were in.
His fellow Greek, who was now allowed a bit of reprieve from his archaeological excavations in the Atlantic smiled with respect as he wrapped his arms with bands to soften, hopefully, some of the blows in their 'friendly spar'. Standing upright with confidence he looked at the infamous, greatest hunter of Greece straight in the eye as his warrior instincts kicked into gear.
"I concur, great Orion. I too wish to test myself against your strength and prowess… at least to prove my own mettle within this battle as well."
"Meh… I just did this to get away from Artemis and let my smaller self deal with her for today." He admitted, much to Theseus' shock as he scratched the back of his head with a funny grin.
"Why so?"
"Oh, come on buddy… you were married once, right? You know how grating being with them can be sometimes." Orion complained, only to notice that Theseus was now smiling with a bit of darkness in its aura. As if a bad memory was unearthed.
It was there that they had a small staring match, much to Orion's confusion.
"Uh… everything alright there, buddy?" Orion asked as the silence felt worrying at first.
"No… nothing at all. You see Great Orion, I have had many regrets in my life as a hero. Chief amongst them was Ariadne, and you plainly dismissing the love that Lady Artemis showers you… disappoints me. Immensely so." He said as he kept his smile, but the aura behind it grew in darkness as the beautiful, Ionian Blonde man with an innocent face produced an intimidating presence that made even Orion gulp.
And it served as a distraction as Theseus stomped his foot forward.
BRTHRWOOOOOOUUUUMMMM!
The ground cracked violently as if a powerful earthquake shook the entire simulation, shaking even part of the building they were in that was producing said simulation as the environment acted as if a hammer from the Gods had struck it true.
The sudden shockwave and power behind the stomp caused Orion to lose his balance as their environment began to quickly change just because of one attack. Then, Theseus rushed forward with a jab at speeds that even the camera recording them could not fully perceive as he retained his innocent smile despite his resolve to beat Orion senseless in the spar.
Orion, while disturbed met the punch with his own fist…
"RAAAAAAAAAGHHH!"
"AAAAAAAAAAARRGH!"
…and both collided with titanic results.
BRWOUUUUUUUUSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
The world felt as if it was being unmade as the power behind the two clashing forces tore and broke the whole island-like simulation of their spar not even ten seconds in.
…
Everyone in the auditorium paled as they saw how the two Olympia Heroes clashed. Especially when they even felt the tremor of said clash within the room. Chiron, sighed as he gestured for Atalanta to make the two tone down their spar quite a lot more as they could possibly destroy the building if they continued at this rate. The woman merely sighed in response as well but agreed to it as she left the room while the trainees watched in apt silence.
The feed to the disaster of a fight was finally cut as the only sentiment left in the room was,
How were they all supposed to match that?
To their minds, the only few who could do such a thing were Homelander, Archer (Heracles), Caenis, and even the Black Knight. How were they expected to fight against such power when-
"You don't… Hughie." Medea corrected as it seemed like he was now muttering quite audibly. "That is the idea of this exercise, that your chief instructor, Chiron deems you to understand and one that he hopes you will keep in mind once something truly powerful or terrifying occurs in your time as part of Olympia's banner."
"Yes, as Medea implies… the exercise that you are about to experience, that all of the participants in this room will face, is how to respond to an overwhelmingly powerful enemy as a group and how you're going to respond with innocents trapped within the zone of said enemy."
A nervous chill grew in the auditorium, but it was also laced with some amount of trust, knowing that despite the overwhelming odds, their instructors trusted them to make it with this new exercise and possibly… succeed in it.
"Don't be intimidated. With how far you've all come to reach this point, I am confident that you have the will and strength to overcome such steep odds. No matter what it takes."
A bit of confidence was raised with those fatherly words Chiron gave, but it was his following statement that made everyone in the room balk in fear.
"…Which is why the opponent that you will face for this challenge will be our very own venerated Lancer herself, Artoria Pendragon. Or better yet, known to you all as 'Black Knight'."
The entire room went into a heavy, fearful silence as Artoria, dressed in a casual, yet beautiful attire strode in with confidence into the auditorium, stopping in the middle as she stared at her upcoming 'students' with a neutral, intimidating face.
"…she will both be your opponent and instructor for this joint exercise to conclude the day."
Everyone shivered and withered under her gaze even as her son trailed behind her, waving at them in excitement like a child happily proud of their parent.
"Greetings, forgive my son for being this energetic."
"Hey…" the Red Saber, Mordred said with a grin.
The cute scene did not at all assuage the fear of all of the trainees present.
AN: Ah… let's hope Artoria doesn't break all of their hopes and dreams. The follow-up chapter is to be posted by the end of this coming week too! So stay tuned.
Clarifications too, if anybody's interested on reading it.
- The Compound V revelation will make more sense to confused readers and non-Type Moon fans in the next chap once Wodime relays it to Grace Mallory and the gang. But in general, if you know about where the Valkyries come from in Fate, then you kinda have an idea of the answer already.
- Does this mean that Asclepius' theory of it fueling the rise of said Enemy true? Not really, more so its a stagnant, alien compound. Used by a doctor who couldn't understand it himself, who only the Divine can synthesize for use, so its unrelated to doing anything or waking anyone in this version of The Boys world for it is inert. And diluted to the point that there may not be any relation to the Enemy at all in this case to make it have an effect.
- Who is in the pod? Is it Aphrodite or Galatea? To be revealed once said being wakes up. But you can make the case that this being can be a spare terminal of Aphrodite or Galatea. As to why its pregnant, it has thematic meanings to it that I will eventually show, and an important sort of hope that gives the withering Zeus a bit of boost.
- Why do the Goddesses not know that PHH Galatea is Dite's daughter? Mostly because in Type Moon, it is implied that Galatea is sort of a back up or clone of Aphrodite where she pours some of her important essence into her existence to basically make her lasting legacy, even as they leave the world of the living. Pygmalion's country of Cyprus is also more closer to the Hittite Empire than it is to Greece, making it isolated, like how Troy traditionally is, when looked at historically. Plus, all they know is that she smells like a demigod, but given Aphrodite hid Galatea well, nearly at the edge of the world in terms of the Greeks, they didnt know about it until now...
- Why did Hera react very strongly to the revelation of Dite's daughter? Mostly because Hera doesn't like Demigods in general. So any 'affair' is an afront to her, so learning that Dite has another daughter outside of Ares and Hephaestus makes her disappointed.
- Why does Europa have Hera still, when this is not Lb5? Because the version summoned specially by Wodime and Zeus is the specific Europa that LBZeus fiddled in Lostbelt 5. Meaning she's one of the only two servants Wodime has who have memories of that Lostbelt.
- Again, the revelation of the Valkyrie being connected to the Enemy doesn't mean that its the reason why the Supes are volatile. They're just humans. They're just regular ol' humans that act and feel when they became greedy and far gone. Nothing more. A relation to something doesn't objectively mean that you carry that path or fate forward as if its intended personally for you...